As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was shocked.

For a moment, a bunch of eyes full of surprise fell on Shibazaki Renjuro.

Someone swallowed hard and stammered:

"Master, master, you, you, you, are you not joking with us?"

Shibazaki Renjuro asked with a serious face:

"Do I look like I'm kidding you?"

"You should be more or less aware of it, right?"

"We can't escape anymore."

"Even if we break the whip and kill the horse, we still can't escape far."

"It won't be long before Tachibana Aoden catches up with us."

Suddenly, a heavy silence enveloped the surroundings.

Shibasaki Renjuro's words struck a chord in their hearts.

In order to escape Juqingden, they had tried their best and tried every method.

For example: go out of your way to reach areas that are difficult to walk.

Another example: deliberately dividing the troops to confuse Qingdeng.

However... no matter what methods they used, the faint sound of hoofbeats still stuck behind their buttocks and lingered.

At this time, Shibasaki Renjuro spoke again:

"Although I am just a country warrior, with no prominent family background, no official position, and nothing."

"But no matter what, I will always be a warrior!"

"Instead of waiting sullenly for the opponent to catch up, it is better to find a suitable battlefield in advance and wait for work!"

"In this way, maybe we can still find a glimmer of hope!"

"Although the mountain top is not high, it is very steep."

"As long as we set up defenses here, we can greatly improve our chances of winning!"

"I have made up my mind! I will never run away again!"

"This place is either my burial place or my rebirth!"

Speaking of this, Shibazaki Renjuro paused for a moment, and then changed to a softer expression.

The master who usually showed a fierce image suddenly showed a tender side... This extremely rare situation made the apprentices present couldn't help but be startled.

"Ju Qingden has only one goal, and that is my head."

"He can let anyone go, but he won't let me go."

"So, I will not force you to join me in desperate situations."

"If you want to leave, just leave. I won't stop you or blame you."

"How you choose depends entirely on your own will."

Before Shibazaki Renjuro finished speaking, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly changed.

The apprentices looked at each other in confusion.

Surprise, joy, uneasiness...all kinds of emotions are floating in the air.

Shibazaki Renjuro added at the right time:

"There is no need to feel ashamed, and there is no need to feel sorry for me."

"I am very pleased that you are willing to fight side by side with me until now."

"Next, I will give you 20 breaths."

"During this time, I will always turn my back to you."

"Whether you go or stay, I can't see you."

"In this way, you should also feel better."

After saying that, Shibazaki Renjuro got off his horse and walked towards a big tree nearby, facing the tree trunk and no longer looking at the apprentices behind him.

At first, it was quiet behind him, without any sound.

However, only three breaths later, the sound of whips driving horses could be heard one after another.

A series of "click, click, click" hoof sounds gradually faded away.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of whips and hoofbeats became more and more frequent and dense.

No matter what kind of movement came from behind, Shibasaki Renjuro always had an expressionless face, neither happy nor sad.

Soon, the 20 interest rates have passed.

Shibasaki Renjuro slowly turned around.

Looking around, about one-third of the people had left, leaving only about a hundred people still in the same place.

At first glance, as the number of people decreases, their combat effectiveness seems to be greatly reduced.

But in fact, as long as you see the mental outlook of these remaining apprentices with your own eyes, you can conclude that not only have their combat effectiveness not declined, but they are actually on the rise!

The reason for this is that the people who stayed here all have one thing in common - their eyes are extremely determined, and there is no trace of fear on their expressions.

In this regard, Shibazaki Renjuro didn't say much, he just shouted quickly:

"Ju Qingden is coming soon. The situation is urgent, so hurry up!"

As he spoke, he pulled out the saber from his waist, rushed forward with a single stride, and slashed his mount to death.

"Now, follow me and kill the horses! Kill all the horses! We don't need these horses anymore!"

…

…

The horses (cows) recovered a lot after having a good meal and resting for a while.

The horses (cows) running at a gallop set off strong winds, causing the trees on both sides of the dirt road to "squeak" and burst into waves.

Qingdeng swept his eyes and looked around.

At the same time, he pointed his ears and listened carefully.

The talents "Fire Eyes +5", "Perceiver of Wind +1", and "Left and Right Fight" are all activated at the same time.

He is multitasking, "seeing" and "hearing" at the same time.

He now resembles a "humanoid radar". As long as his field of vision is wide and there is no noise interference, he can easily target enemies several kilometers away.

Talking while riding a horse is a very dangerous thing, and you might bite your tongue off.

Therefore, for the sake of their own tongues and at the same time not to affect Qingto, Sanako and the others all remained silent, and even their breathing deliberately slowed down.

At this moment, Qingdeng raised his eyebrows suddenly, and then gently pulled the reins to stop the carrot.

Sanako and others who followed him also stopped their horses.

"Jijun, how..."

Sanako's question came to an abrupt end before he could finish it.

The smell of blood filled their mouths and noses, and red light filled their vision... Hundreds of dead horses were seen, blocking their way forward!

Without exception, these rogue horses were all killed by others and their vital points were injured.

The dripping blood flowed out, directly turning this place into a disgusting swamp.

Hundreds of horses died together... This kind of scene is still very visually impactful.

Everyone except Qingdeng could not help but frown.

Qingden glanced at the group of horse corpses, then withdrew his gaze and looked around instead.

Then, he heard a shout.

"Tachibana Aoden! I'm here!"

Aomori followed the sound - on a hill a few hundred meters away, Shibazaki Renjuro was standing with his sword in hand.

"Ju Qingden, I kept you waiting for a long time."

Shibazaki Renjuro said calmly.

Seeing this, Qingdeng continued to observe the surroundings and asked in a semi-ridiculous tone:

"Oh? What's wrong? Aren't you running away?"

Shibazaki Renjuro was not afraid to start a tit-for-tat confrontation:

"Yes! I won't run away anymore!"
To be continued...