OFTLHFRO C79

Chapter 79 Are You Two Really That Close?

Seeing how easygoing Luo Mingchen seemed, someone mustered the courage to ask, “Sir, are you the only one here?”

“Mm.”

Luo Mingchen nodded and took another bite of his apple; the drifting fragrance nearly made the children in the crowd cry from craving.

Half the crowd’s hope sank.

Another person asked, “If the thieves attack from the West Gate, will the others make it here in time?”

“They’ll make it,” Luo Mingchen said.

Someone in the crowd objected, “Even from the nearest South Gate, it takes two quarters of an hour to run here. How could they get here and back in time?”

A raggedly dressed man said bitterly, “Why aren’t we allowed to go to the city center? Are beggars’ lives not lives?”

This sparked many nods and a chorus of questions.

Seeing how resentful they were, Luo Mingchen swallowed his mouthful and said, “Come on, that side isn’t safer than here. Do you really take me for a decoration? I’m an expert.”

The crowd fell silent, eyeing his relatively slender frame.

“Don’t overthink it. With me here, relax. Ever heard ‘one man holding the pass can keep ten thousand at bay’? That’s my specialty.”

When they still looked unconvinced, Luo Mingchen took out a large basket of fruit from his storage space, then put it back. “See that? If I can’t beat them, I can move you away just like that.”

The crowd: “…!!!”

A child said, “I don’t believe it—unless you move me away right now.”

Calmly, Luo Mingchen bluffed, “They haven’t even attacked yet and you want me to waste my energy? Wouldn’t I be setting myself up? What if I don’t have enough strength when it counts?”

The crowd thought that made sense, and their eyes toward Luo Mingchen changed at once.

Seeing their emotions settle, Luo Mingchen smiled. “Here, everyone take a fruit. Don’t wander around tonight. No matter what happens, stay together so I can move you all at once. Understood?”

He then brought out several large baskets of apples.

Trusting him completely, people lined up to receive fruit.

The sweet flesh soothed their jittery nerves, and they looked at Luo Mingchen like a savior, clustering in the street not far from him.

His telling them not to wander was also to make it easier to protect them.

What if those people had no sense of honor and just lobbed bombs?

After all, the rebels had a prince backing them, and no one knew how many bombs they had.

If explosions started and everyone scattered in panic, what then?

Better to convince them first that teleportation was possible; knowing that running couldn’t beat instant movement, they would obediently wait for Luo Mingchen’s arrangements.

As night fell, Luo Mingchen sat there with eyes closed, preserving his energy.

There was no phone here, or he’d have checked on Huo Yan’s situation.

Still… would they really come tonight?

Thinking it over, if he were the invader and knew an allied detachment had been captured, he would redeploy for safety.

But in their eyes, Yuanzhou hadn’t received large reinforcements, they had superior numbers and bombs, and to avoid dragging things out, they would adjust their plan and still strike early.

In any case, it would be tonight or tomorrow night; action would come within two days.

A little sleepy, Luo Mingchen held a kitchen knife, tilted his head, and dozed off.

The anxious crowd: “…”

They couldn’t tell whether he was truly asleep or thinking.

Night deepened, and a thunderous blast jolted Luo Mingchen fully awake.

A man rushed up. “Captain Luo! The gate’s been blown up!”

Luo Mingchen’s first reaction: “Are you alright?”

“We ran fast, so we’re fine. Others went to call for reinforcements—will take a while to get back…”

Before he finished, another detonation sounded, and the West Gate collapsed with a roar.

“There are many of them, and they brought a lot of bombs. What do we do?”

Glancing back at the people who, though scared, were still waiting for him to teleport them, Luo Mingchen said, “We fight.”

Well, uh…

The soldier looked at the old, weak, sick, and disabled—who could fight?

Just the two of them?!

Remembering this was Huo Yan’s arrangement, the soldier asked, heartsore, “Captain Luo, do you and Captain Huo not get along?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

As he spoke, Luo Mingchen gathered his water ability into a tough, thick water wall, leaving everyone dumbstruck.

What kind of martial art was that?

Looked amazingly powerful!

At the same time, the gate captain and Huo Yan heard the explosion at the West Gate.

In the quiet autumn night, the deafening sound carried far.

“Should we send men to reinforce?”

“Wait a bit longer,” Huo Yan said, pressing his lips together.

The gate captain grew anxious. “What if they go straight in from that side?”

That was the thinnest line of defense!

“Wait,” Huo Yan repeated.

Even when a soldier from the West Gate ran over, Huo Yan still didn’t send reinforcements.

Frankly, if he didn’t have a military order in hand, they would never have obediently waited here.

“Captain Huo! Are you just abandoning your spouse?”

The messengers had returned—only Luo Mingchen and one soldier were left over there. Wasn’t that a sure death sentence?

Huo Yan glanced at the man. “Mingchen can hold it.”

Everyone: “…”

Ever heard that two fists can’t beat four hands?

Strolling easily through the fallen West Gate, the leader saw only Luo Mingchen and a lone soldier at the entrance to a broader street and laughed. “Looks like the boss was right—no one here.”

“Blind at such a young age—how pitiful,” Luo Mingchen said coolly.

“What did you say?” the man barked, pointing his blade at him.

“I said you’re blind. Can’t even see us standing right here.”

Seeing how unruffled he was, the man grew wary and calmed down. “You two think you can stop our five hundred?”

“Only five hundred?”

Smiling, Luo Mingchen said, “By all means—try.”

Behind him, the soldier was at a loss for words.

Shouldn’t they be retreating behind that water wall to wait for reinforcements?

Why provoke them?

Because Luo Mingchen was so calm, the man feared an ambush and immediately ordered bombs thrown inside. Better to blast the interior than charge in headfirst.

Debris could be cleared later.

As soon as he saw objects arcing over, Luo Mingchen instantly raised the water wall and shielded himself and the soldier.

Those within the water wall saw only a few sizzling, glowing objects thrown forward, then bounced back by the wall.

The rebels who had been grinning froze as the bombs rebounded.

One explosion triggered the rest they’d brought. After several deafening blasts, Luo Mingchen used water tendrils to sweep aside the smoke and, seeing they had blown themselves up, sighed. “Call it reaping what they sowed.”

The soldier, his ears nearly blasted numb, saw Luo Mingchen’s lips moving and shouted in confusion, “What?!”

Luo Mingchen: “…”

He’d forgotten most here were ordinary people. The water wall could block flying stones but not much sound; at this range, it was a small miracle they weren’t deaf—thanks only to the weaker power of ancient bombs.