mtl008 Chapter 176 Ah Hao
Chapter 176 Ah Hao
176
Mo Yuming looked quietly at these simple, honest villagers and said with a solemn expression:
"Fellow villagers, now that these soldiers have been killed, the garrison in the mountains will probably find out soon. For your safety, it would be best to escape as soon as possible."
Here are fifteen fast horses; divide them among yourselves and ride away quickly! I also have some gold coins here; take them and find a place to settle down elsewhere.”
As he spoke, Mo Yuming slowly took out a handful of gold coins from his pocket and handed them to the middle-aged man at the head of the group.
The middle-aged man looked at Jin Bei, a flicker of gratitude in his eyes, yet also a deep sense of helplessness:
"We've wanted to escape from here for ages, but we have nowhere to go!"
An older man couldn't help but burst into tears:
"We have lived here for generations, but now we have to leave our home. What can we do?"
Mo Yuming pondered for a moment, then said:
"Let me show you the way. Follow this post road for over a hundred miles, and there you will find a city called Shangyuan City, which is a territory of the Great Xia Empire."
When you arrive there, give this to the soldiers guarding the city, and they will send someone to settle you. You can settle down there; the soldiers there will not oppress the people.”
As he spoke, Mo Yuming took out a maple leaf fruit from his pocket, carefully made a small wooden box to hold it, and then solemnly handed it to the middle-aged man.
“I’ve heard passersby say that the people there live in peace and prosperity, and that the soldiers don’t oppress them. I was skeptical at the time, but now that you’re saying the same thing, I think it must be true. Let’s listen to you! Let’s go, let’s set off right now!”
After the middle-aged man finished speaking, he resolutely led more than twenty villagers toward Shangyuan City.
At this moment, a middle-aged woman cautiously asked:
"Young hero, may I ask my cousin from the neighboring village to come along?"
Her eyes were filled with anticipation and unease.
"Anything is fine, but you need to act quickly and make sure those officers and soldiers don't see you."
If you find it difficult, I suggest you find a place to hide first, or avoid taking the post road.
As long as they aren't discovered by these soldiers, all the villagers are welcome to go. The Great Xia Empire won't refuse.
Mo Yuming smiled and spoke gently.
"Thank you, sir!"
The villagers expressed their gratitude.
"Thank you, young hero!"
His words were full of sincere gratitude.
After the villagers had all left, Mo Yuming approached the young man covered in blood, who was sitting on a tree stump and weeping, and softly asked:
"Brother, why don't you go with the villagers?"
The young man, his face filled with grief, slowly rose from the tree stump, then knelt directly before Mo Yuming, and said in a hoarse voice:
“My parents are dead, and my fiancée was violated by them. I was powerless to avenge them, but now that you have avenged me, young master, my life belongs to you from now on! Please take me in, young master.”
"No need for that, it's just a small favor."
Mo Yuming quickly reached out to help Ah Hao up.
“Young Master, although Ah Hao’s martial arts skills are weak, he also has special talents that can definitely help you.”
Ah-hao knelt on the ground, refusing to get up, his eyes filled with determination and expectation.
"Alright, get up first and then we'll talk."
Mo Yuming reached out and pulled Ah Hao up.
"How about this, since you're a few years older than me, I'll call you Brother Hao from now on. You can also call me A-Ming or Brother Ming!"
Mo Yuming looked at Ahao sincerely and said.
“No, the young master is the young master. The young master can just call me Ah Hao. Ah Hao can't be the young master's brother, he can only be the young master's servant.”
Ah Hao's attitude was unusually firm, and his eyes were full of awe.
Seeing his stubborn expression, Mo Yuming smiled helplessly and decided not to dwell on the matter. Then, Mo Yuming led his horse over and said to Ah Hao:
"We'll first destroy all traces around here, then burn down a few outhouses to create some illusions, and then leave."
Ah Hao immediately sprang into action. He quickly chopped some branches and firewood, and threw some firewood around the burning soldiers' bodies. Then he carefully cleaned up the tracks left by the villagers leading their horses away.
After everything was ready, Ah Hao set fire to several houses, and flames instantly erupted. Having done this, Ah Hao and Mo Yuming left together.
Ah Hao led Mo Yuming along a small path toward the Wuqing army's garrison.
It was nearly noon when the two arrived at a hillside only two miles from Dog Head Valley.
Ah Hao led Mo Yuming to a hollow under a large rock to rest. Mo Yuming took out some food and ate with Ah Hao.
"Ah Hao, you said you have a special talent, what is it?"
While eating, Mo Yuming asked curiously.
"I can observe the footprints of wild animals on the ground. I can tell what kind of wild animal or magical beast it is based on the footprints. I can also tell their weight, age, and level of magic power."
And they knew when those footprints were left, whether they were fleeing or foraging for food.
Ah Hao said with a hint of pride in his voice.
"That's amazing? Does that mean no magical beast can escape your eyes?"
Mo Yuming's eyes showed surprise.
"No, I can only identify the magical beasts I recognize. I'm not so good at recognizing those I've never seen before."
Ah Hao shook his head slightly and answered truthfully.
"That's already pretty good! I wonder if you're good at judging people?"
Mo Yuming asked curiously.
"I haven't observed humans, but I should be able to see them clearly."
Ah Hao thought for a moment and said.
"How old are you this year? Do you practice any profound martial arts?"
Mo Yuming continued to ask questions.
"I'm eighteen this year. I've learned some basic techniques and I'm currently at the second level of the human-grade wood-attribute profound skill."
Ah Hao replied.
"That's not bad either. Those under twenty years old with a cultivation level of two or three are considered to have above-average aptitude. If it's five or six, then it's considered excellent aptitude."
I see that your cultivation level is only this high because you lack cultivation resources and time. If conditions allowed, you should be able to achieve even better results.
Mo Yuming nodded slightly and analyzed the situation objectively.
"Young Master is truly a dragon among men, younger than me, and with a much higher cultivation level!"
Ah-hao lowered his head shyly and said.
"Let's scout around a mile or two away from the garrison first, and then find an opportunity to sneak into the camp and take a look."
Mo Yuming's expression turned solemn as he began to plan the next steps.
After eating, led by Ah Hao, Mo Yuming cautiously made his way to the outer perimeter of the military camp.
This place is less than a mile from the military camp, and from this high vantage point, the camp's tents and facilities are clearly visible.
The valley was filled with simple tents, and no walls were built around the camp.
It seems that the decision to stay here was only for a short period of time, so only a certain number of outposts were set up around the perimeter.
Ah Hao was clearly very familiar with the area. He led Mo Yuming around the entire military camp without being discovered.