A significant number of Northern Qiang soldiers guarded the southern gate. Since they refrained from joining in on the slaughter within the city, it seemed like their task was to defend the gate.
Fang Dingwu noticed several militia members lurking nearby. Like him, they were all waiting for the right moment to escape the city.
These people were likely brave and fierce, but trying to gather them together to fight their way out was nothing short of a fool's dream. In terms of coordination and cohesion, they would barely count for more than a ragtag band in the face of a trained army.
Fang Dingwu narrowed his eyes, coming to a decision. He quietly retreated deeper into the alley, heading back the way he came.
After turning a few alleys, Fang Dingwu saw several corpses on the ground, the Northern Qiang soldiers he had killed earlier. Without hesitation, he quickly stripped one of them of their armor and helmet and put them on.
Picking up the fallen Northern Qiang soldier’s curved saber, Fang Dingwu examined himself; he now looked just like one of them.
"Damn..." Fang Dingwu muttered, before a glint of ruthlessness flashed through in his eyes. "Better you than me. I'm sorry."
Shaking off the lingering guilt, Fang Dingwu made his way back to the southern gate.
This time, he didn’t return to his previous hiding spot but headed toward where he had seen others hiding earlier.
Fang Dingwu couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t be recognized, so he did his best to avoid the Northern Qiang soldiers along the way. As he neared the south gate, he felt numerous hostile gazes on him, but no one came forward to confront him. These militia members wanted to escape, not stir up unnecessary trouble.
Regardless of whether they wanted to mess with this particular Northern Qiang soldier or not, Fang Dingwu was determined to stir something up.
Fang Dingwu kicked open the door of a house.
As the door shattered, a figure immediately lunged at Fang Dingwu!
"Northern Qiang barbarian! I'll take you down!"
An axe came down on Fang Dingwu, who raised a curved saber to block it, using the momentum to retreat outside the door.
The heavy man with the axe seemed anxious to avoid attracting more Northern Qiang soldiers, so he wanted to quickly get rid of Fang Dingwu. Seeing Fang Dingwu retreat, he immediately lunged forward again.
Seeing the man’s fierce attack, Fang Dingwu quickly ducked to avoid the axe, then kicked him, sending him tumbling backward.
The man rolled over and got up, realizing he was no match for Fang Dingwu, and turned to flee deeper into the alley. However, Fang Dingwu wouldn’t let him escape so easily. Taking a few running steps, swooping down on the fleeing man like a bird of prey on the hunt.
Halfway through his escape, the man felt a shadow over his head. Before he could react, a heavy blow struck his back, sending him flying sideways into a nearby house.
"Damn bad luck..." A low voice came from within the house, and immediately, another figure holding a metallic rod burst out, charging straight at Fang Dingwu.
Fang Dingwu had expected there might be more than one person inside, so he was prepared. He parried the metal rod with his saber, deflecting its force, then turned and bolted in another direction.
"Stop him! Don’t let him expose us!"
The man with the axe had recovered by now and shouted a warning as he saw Fang Dingwu trying to escape.
In fact, there was no need to say anything. The man with the metal rod was already in pursuit. He saw the fleeing Northern Qiang barbarian appear to be in a panic and run headlong into another house. Before the metal rod wielder could reach him, the Northern Qiang man was thrown out through a window. Two more figures leapt out after him, chasing him relentlessly.
"This Northern Qiang barbarian may not be much of a fighter, but he sure knows how to run," cursed the man with the axe as he ran.
The man with the metal rod was also in close pursuit, but he looked somewhat anxious. "Hurry and catch him! Don’t let him cause a scene."
Fang Dingwu wasn’t having an easy time either. His skills were barely enough to hold off four people, and he needed to lead them onto the main street, closer to the southern gate, before they realized his plan.
They were already in the southern part of the city, and after only a short chase, they neared the main street. Those chasing Fang Dingwu were afraid that they were sure to die if he escaped and reported their hiding places, so they were focused solely on catching him.
As the main street loomed ahead, the man with the metal rod finally sensed something was wrong and shouted, "Wait up!"
Fang Dingwu disregarded the man. The moment the man began shouting, Fang Dingwu leaped up, sprinted a few steps along the wall, arresting his forward momentum, and then darted back toward the man wielding the metal rod.
Fang Dingwu forced a few words out through clenched teeth. "Sorry about this!"
The man hesitated for a split second, and Fang Dingwu grabbed his neck.
Fang Dingwu grunted with exertion as his right arm muscles bulged. With all his strength, he swung the man in his grip, flinging him onto the main street.
"What the hell..." The remaining three stared at Fang Dingwu, shocked and angry, and were about to attack when he pushed them aside and rushed onto the main street.
The armor Fang Dingwu wore, stripped from a corpse, was already coated with blood. Now, as he ran onto the main street, he was fully visible to the guards at the gate.
With a saber in hand, and his armor covered in blood, he looked exactly like a severely wounded Northern Qiang soldier as he staggered toward the southern gate.
Fang Dingwu charged forward and pounced on the iron rod man he had thrown into the main street. He looked nothing like the panicked runner from before. The man only saw a flash before Fang Dingwu's saber plunged into his abdomen.
"Get over here!" Fang Dingwu shouted to the guards at the gate, pointing toward the alley. "There are more of them over there! They’re hiding inside!"
Fang Dingwu, playing the part to perfection, saw the soldiers at the gate rushing over. Feeling somewhat relieved, he pretended to collapse from exhaustion.
The three people still hiding in the alley saw the situation turning sour and prepared to flee. But just as they started running, an angry shout rang out!
"Brothers, no more hiding! Let’s just fight these Northern Qiang barbarians!"
As this shout echoed, others immediately joined in. Doors flew open, and figures rushed out from houses all around.
"Kill them and escape the city!"
Two Northern Qiang soldiers helped Fang Dingwu to his feet. Hearing the commotion, he glanced over and couldn’t help but think, The heavens are on my side.
More and more people emerged from hiding, and the gate guards could no longer sit still, pressing forward toward the chaos.
Fang Dingwu groaned, feigning confusion.
He heard one of the Northern Qiang soldiers say, "Hold on!"
"Let’s get him checked on," said another Northern Qiang soldier.
The two soldiers dragged Fang Dingwu to the gate. He opened his eyes slightly and saw that things were going even better than he’d hoped. The remaining militia members had gathered into a substantial force. Nearly all of the Northern Qiang soldiers guarding the gate had moved to confront them. Even the two soldiers who brought him here quickly left to join the fight after setting him down.
Fang Dingwu observed his surroundings. He was positioned right beneath the city gate, leaning against the wall, with horses just outside the gate. The Northern Qiang army had left them there, as cavalry charges within the city were impractical.
No one was near him... The closest person was more than thirty feet away. Fang Dingwu felt a rush of excitement! If not now, when?
Observing the soldiers’ movements carefully, Fang Dingwu slowly stood up. But as he turned, he bumped straight into someone. It was the military medic who had come to treat him.
"Hey, weren’t you just lying there because of your injuries?"
"I’ll injure you!" Fang Dingwu’s mind hardened with resolve, and he kicked the medic hard, sending him flying back. Without wasting another second, Fang Dingwu took off in long strides, heading straight for the horses outside the gate.