I can't help it either

Although Shen Du hadn’t died, he had been scared half to death.

He was shielded behind his personal attendant, his face pale and bloodless.

Shaking and stammering, he said, “You… you, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Are you rebelling, or what?”

“I am the chief elected by the Shen clan!”

“I am the ninth-generation sole heir of the Shen family!”

But no one paid him any attention.

The squad leader, the platoon leader, and Guard Shen all sized each other up.

Until Guard Shen spoke up lazily: “Ha, you talk all righteous, but what exactly are you here for?”

“And this one here, sent by Zhou Xiong of Pukou, right? Supposed to keep an eye on us, eh? Is this how you keep watch?”

At these words, both the platoon leader and the squad leader were left speechless.

Then the three exchanged glances.

And then…

“How about we do this together?”

“Yeah, strength in numbers!”

“No arguments there—let’s take out Shen Du and present him to the Lord Duke!”

With a mutual agreement, they prepared to act.

Shen Du felt like he was about to wet himself.

He frantically ducked behind his attendant and shouted, “You… you’re acting this recklessly—have you thought about the consequences?”

“Are you really not afraid to die?”

Just like before, no one bothered to answer him.

The squad leader, the platoon leader, and Guard Shen stood in a semicircle, each holding a short knife in their right hand, slowly closing in.

Every step they took was oddly in sync.

Step by step, they advanced, unleashing an overwhelming pressure.

It forced Shen Du and his attendant to keep backing up.

Just as the tension reached its peak, the platoon leader suddenly yelled out.

“Brothers, let me take Shen Du’s head—watch me slice his throat in one stroke!”

He was about to lunge forward with a swift, deadly slash.

But the squad leader yanked him back.

“I’m your older brother—how could I let you take such a risk? It has to be me!”

“Shen Du, tell me—can you block this little knife of mine?”

The squad leader started to charge ahead.

Then… Guard Shen, quick-eyed and nimble, grabbed him.

“Oh, now that’s rich! We agreed to do this together, and you two want to steal the kill?”

“Shen Du’s head is mine—don’t you dare snatch it!”

And predictably…

The platoon leader blocked him.

Thus, the newly formed brotherly trio fell into chaos.

“His head is mine—mine!”

“We agreed to split it, and now you want it all for yourselves? That’s too much!”

“Come on, you two, who are about to become generals—are you really that shameless?”

“Ha, what’s shame?”

…

Watching the commotion, Shen Du saw his chance.

He quickly said to his loyal attendant, “Quick—take me away, let’s find the clan chief.”

“I want those three dead!”

The attendant turned around, revealing a cold, cruel smile, and said, “Chief, too late.”

In one swift motion, he reversed his waist knife and pressed it onto Shen Du’s shoulder.

He laid the blade flat against Shen Du’s neck.

In an instant, the skin was cut, and traces of blood seeped out.

The attendant’s voice rang out, directed at both Shen Du and the three still arguing.

“This head—it’s mine!”

“My allegiance gets me in!”

“I’m surrendering to the Lord Duke!”

“I can’t stand being the third wheel to those lovebirds one more day! Those two are nuts, pure nuts!”

“Batshit crazy!”

His voice shook the rafters.

The trio froze.

Then… grimaced in frustration.

You’ve got to be kidding me?

Brother?

We were fighting over it, and now you’ve taken the credit?

The attendant was generous enough.

He smiled at the three and said, “Brothers, how about we call this a joint effort for all four of us?”

“But there’s also Su Lanxiang—she’s from the Unity Alliance.”

“We need to take her too.”

“I hear the Lord Duke has a Demon-Suppression Bureau that’s really interested in the Unity Alliance. We can’t let that opportunity slip!”

At this, before the squad leader and the other two could react, Shen Du shouted, “Don’t you touch Lan Xiang! Come at me if you have to!”

“Smack!”

“Smack!”

“Smack!”

Three slaps shut Shen Du up.

The squad leader, platoon leader, and Guard Shen immediately turned to the next room, dragged Su Lanxiang out of her bed.

“You… you, what are you doing?”

Su Lanxiang, stunned, recognized the squad leader and screamed, “I know you—aren’t you sent by General Zhou Xiong to keep an eye on the Shen clan?”

“You… you dare to defy General Zhou Xiong?”

The squad leader chuckled. “That’s none of your business now.”

“But I’ll say this, milady—you truly are beautiful. If I weren’t about to pledge my service to the Lord Duke, I’d love to have a ‘heart-to-heart’ with you!”

Su Lanxiang’s face instantly turned pale.

The squad leader gave a cold snort, and together with the other two, they hoisted her up, along with Shen Du, who was already tied up, and headed outward.

Just as they reached the door, they saw the area outside the chief’s courtyard ablaze with torchlight.

Taking a closer look, they discovered a huge crowd—hundreds of Shen clan members, packed together, all bearing weapons!

Seeing this, the squad leader, platoon leader, Guard Shen, and the attendant all showed shock on their faces. But Shen Du, like a man on the verge of death who suddenly sees a glimmer of hope, found a burst of energy.

He shouted toward the clan chief in the crowd.

“Chief, save me! Save me…”

“Quick, save me…”

“These traitors are rebelling! Chief, kill them, rescue me and Lan Xiang!”

The crowd parted, and the clan chief strolled out slowly, sighing. “Ah, Shen Du, it’s not that I won’t save you. Can’t you see I’m tied up myself?”

“I can barely look after myself—how can I save you?!”

“When we get to General Zhang Shi’s camp, don’t blame me. Blame yourself.”

“If you’d just surrendered peaceably to General Zhang Shi, you’d have kept your wealth, your family legacy, and your Shen bloodline. But no—you had to pick a woman and defy the Lord Duke.”

“You lost the people’s support…”

“There’s nothing I can do now!”