Shi Xuan's younger sister, Shi Qin

Looking at the charred and dilapidated village entrance before him, Shi Xuan found it difficult to even breathe.

Just as his mind was in turmoil.

"Kill them!! Stop them!"

"Left side! The gap on the left! Quickly fix it!"

"Archers! Aim at those with long claws!"

"ah--!"

……

A sudden burst of shouts and cries of battle came from the other side of the village!

Shi Xuan was shocked, and the blank look in his eyes was instantly replaced by shock and anger!

At this time, Stoneclothes Village was attacked by monsters.

Shi Xuan immediately realized what was happening and, without saying a word, spurred his horse and galloped towards the battlefield.

The other mercenaries who were assigned horses did not hesitate and followed closely behind, raising a cloud of dust along the way.

Lin Mo was among them, and the closer he got to the battlefield, the clearer the scene became.

On this side of the village, the original fence and some stone walls have collapsed, leaving several gaps.

Dozens of soldiers wearing the standard leather armor of the Northern City were forming a loose defensive line, fighting against the surging shadows outside.

Almost everyone of them was wearing it, and judging from the aura emanating from them, they were only around level 20.

The monsters they fought were of many different kinds.

There were jackal-men covered in stiff hair and drooling.

There are swift-moving cat demons.

There are rock-skinned wild boars that charge headfirst into battle.

Their levels are generally not high, mostly between level 10 and 15, and very few exceed level 20.

But there are just too many of them!

At a glance, there were nearly a hundred!

Moreover, these monsters of different races appeared unusually united at this moment.

They charged toward the soldiers' lines one after another.

Their eyes were mostly tinged with a cloudy, dark red.

Lin Mo slowed his horse down, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic battlefield, his brows slightly raised.

"Tsk, these monsters seem a bit off..."

Lin Mo murmured.

Yin Xue also emerged from his collar, watching this scene in astonishment.

"It's like it's being controlled by something, like some kind of low-level mental interference? Interesting."

Faced with so many monsters, the defensive lines organized by the soldiers simply could not intercept them all.

The escaped monsters broke through the defenses and entered the village.

Meanwhile, the villagers in the village were not idle either.

They had no proper armor and carried a variety of weapons.

Axe, hoe, wooden stick, and some people even carried stools.

Men, women, young and old, all wore expressions of fear and ferocity.

They filled the gaps in the soldiers' lines, using their bodies and rudimentary weapons to hold back any stragglers who tried to slip through.

Amidst the chaotic yet tenacious crowd, one figure stood out conspicuously.

She was a girl who looked to be under twenty years old, wearing an old leather armor that had clearly been altered to be too small, outlining her slender yet upright figure.

Wheat-colored skin, face covered in dust.

Her ponytail was a little loose, and a few strands of hair were stuck to her forehead with sweat.

But her eyes were surprisingly bright.

"Second team! Close that gap on the west side! Use torches! They're afraid of fire!"

"Uncle Tieshan! Take the injured and retreat. Third Aunt, you take over bandaging!"

"Don't shoot arrows randomly! Wait for them to swarm together!"

……

Her voice wasn't particularly loud; it was even a little hoarse.

Yet it was exceptionally clear and firm, carrying a composure and decisiveness beyond its years.

They managed to organize the villagers in a very orderly manner amidst the chaos of the battlefield.

She shouted as she moved quickly, appearing wherever the pressure was greatest.

She didn't hide behind anyone; she would raise her crossbow from time to time and fire bolts.

They can often hit the target accurately.

An old man wielding a hoe was tackled by a jackal, and the girl rushed over without hesitation.

Instead of using a crossbow, he drew a short sword from his waist.

With a swift and precise thrust, it pierced the fur on the jackal's neck and then twisted it forcefully!

The jackal howled and rolled away, and she immediately pulled the old man up and pushed him behind her.

"Be careful!"

Someone suddenly exclaimed.

The girl turned her head and saw several cat demons leap out from the earthen wall behind her.

Sharp claws reached straight for her.

The girl's pupils contracted, and before she could make a move, a black shadow like a cannonball struck first, knocking the cat demons away.

The girl was taken aback, but her eyes lit up when she saw who it was.

"Brother!? Why are you back?"

The person who arrived was Shi Xuan, and the girl was the younger sister that Shi Xuan had mentioned before.

Shi Xuan felt a pang of heartache seeing his sister like this, but being tongue-tied, he didn't say much and simply waved his arms.

"Soldiers of Stone Robe Village! I, Shi Xuan, have returned! Follow me and kill!!"

He roared, his voice echoing across the surrounding area, unleashing the full power of a level 32 warrior.

The mercenaries behind him also joined the battle like wolves.

These are the core members of the mercenary group, and their strength is around level 25.

With his extensive combat experience, coupled with the pent-up anger and eagerness to return home, he was ready to fight the whole way.

The fighting power they displayed at this moment far exceeded that of the exhausted soldiers and the terrified villagers.

They were like several sharp knives, piercing the relatively weak flanks of the monster horde.

This immediately threw the monster's attack into chaos.

"It's Shi Xuan!"

"Xiao Xuan is back!"

"Haha! Brothers, reinforcements have arrived! Hold on!!"

……

The soldiers and villagers on the battlefield were stunned at first, then burst into earth-shattering cheers, their morale soaring!

The previously crumbling defense line was instantly stabilized.

Monsters still outnumber monsters.

However, the addition of Shi Xuan's new force, especially the emergence of Shi Xuan himself as a high-level combatant, completely reversed the balance of the situation.

The monsters' frenzied attacks began to falter, and their formation became increasingly chaotic.

Lin Mo, who originally wanted to join the battle to gain some attribute points, gave up the idea after seeing this scene.

The battle was drawing to a close in less than ten minutes after Shi Xuan's return.

The last few dozen monsters seemed to have received some kind of command, and simultaneously turned and disappeared into the woods outside the village.

Immediately afterwards, cheers erupted from the villagers.

The villagers helped each other up; some burst into tears, while others looked around blankly.

Many more people, exhausted, began to rescue the wounded and extinguish the flames.

Shi Xuan leaned on his blood-stained battle sword, panting heavily, his eyes scanning the crowd anxiously for familiar faces.

"elder brother……"

A trembling, incredulous voice came from behind him.

Shi Xuan turned around abruptly.

"Xiao Qin!"

Shi Xuan dropped his knife and rushed over in three quick steps.

"Brother...it really is you...you're back..."

The broken sword in Shi Qin's hand clattered to the ground, and she turned around and hugged Shi Xuan tightly.

The other mercenaries who rushed back also began searching for their relatives.

"Uncle Tieshan! Your arm..."

"It's nothing, just a scratch! Dazhuang, you still know to come back!"

"Where is my mother? Where is she?"

"It's safe in the cellar!"

……

However, this touching reunion was interrupted by a voice so calm it was almost indifferent.

"Is there any more of the stone-cloth herb?"

Lin Mo had dismounted at some point and was standing not far away.

His gaze, hidden beneath the hood, fell on Shi Qin's face.

Shi Qin stiffened and lifted her head from her brother's arms.

With tears still wet on her face, her gaze towards Lin Mo immediately carried an air of displeasure at being disturbed and a scrutinizing look.

Who is this person? Why would they be asking such a question at a time like this?