The changes around Suotu were quite substantial. According to the analysis of knights from the Guizu-hunting teams, a Guizu domain was likely forming!
The Guizu's erosion of human society was accomplished bit by bit through transforming territories into Guizu-aura-tainted zones.
Keli was genuinely a bit startled to hear this. "A Guizu domain... Damn it, this is right on the outskirts of Tianjing!"
"It probably won't last long." The caravan had considerable confidence in Liang's strength as well.
At the same time, though, they had some insider rumors. "They say even grand knights were severely wounded. The Guizu's activity is pretty fierce."
Red Pine was actually quite well-informed, but the Martial Academy had a strict hierarchical organization, and Keli was merely a knight.
Thus, Keli didn't necessarily know everything that certain instructors knew.
"Once you've had your fill, hurry along," the instructor offered kindly. "You can reach the Martial Academy's quarantine zone in an hour and get some peaceful rest."
The suggestion was very reasonable, yet both sides kept their hands not far from their weapons throughout the exchange.
In particular, when the other party proposed that they were willing to pay top dollar to purchase whatever Guizu relics the squad had acquired, the conversation went completely cold.
In the end, it was Keli who declared that a mere merchant caravan trying to outbid Red Pine was far from up to snuff!
The prices at which merchant caravans sold goods were generally much higher than internal academy transactions, but their purchase offers... that was another story.
In any case, the exchange went smoothly enough, and the other party did not linger long before moving on.
"They've already reached their limit," Qigeli remarked. "Holding out for another hour will be tough for them."
That was why a knight had forced himself up the mountain to chat for a while.
Keli shook his head, however. "They didn't mention how heavy their own losses were. It's best to say less."
Then he glanced at the Jin youth. "Will you... keep watch here?"
Wu Youren gave a slight nod, paused, and added, "Don't wander too far."
He knew full well that the instructor wanted to follow the trail to see if any Guizu were tailing the convoy.
With those earlier convoys protected by grand knights, any Guizu thinking of following would have to weigh their strength carefully.
But with a group guarded only by knights, it was a different story. The convoy Keli had met and escorted last time had Guizu trailing right behind it.
Now he wanted to scout ahead. If something unexpected happened, it would also be easier for a lone person to get away.
That left only three apprentice knights at the mountain pass, and the only one among them who could truly be of use was the Jin youth.
After spending the day with them, Cynthia had learned quite a bit as well. Seeing Keli leave, she whispered, "Those people down the mountain..."
Qigeli's defensive watch happened to be facing downhill. Hearing her, he replied, "We're only watching the traffic."
Cynthia arched an eyebrow. "I meant some of them might have been tainted by Guizu aura."
Wu Youren answered calmly, "Even if a substitute Guizu is hiding among them, it's not our job to manage it... Doing our own duty is enough."
Before long, the convoy at the foot of the mountain moved out, and the three of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Though an exhausted bunch, their combat strength was still somewhat formidable.
Yet barely a few minutes had passed when Wu Youren raised an eyebrow in surprise, his handgun's muzzle pointing down the slope.
"Are you sure?" Qigeli had placed a considerable amount of trust in him.
Wu Youren pursed his lips tightly and shook his head slightly. The next moment, however, his gun went off.
Three rapid shots fired, the red gleam bursting from the ghost-vanquishing bullets spraying down the slope in a fan-shaped spread.
Seeing this, the other two raised their firearms and aimed, waiting for Guizu to appear.
Yet after waiting a while, nothing stirred. Instead, a figure flickered—Keli had returned upon hearing the gunfire.
After getting a grasp of the situation, he gave a slight nod. "Not surprising. Guizu are cunning."
He didn't think there was anything wrong with Wu Youren taking the shots. Better to judge wrongly than let one slip past.
Hearing this, Qigeli secretly curled his lip. Those were ghost-vanquishing bullets! If he had fired like that, the instructor would have chewed him out for an entire month!
Yet just as he was silently grumbling, Wu Youren and Keli turned their heads in unison, looking behind the instructor.
Worthy of being a knight, Keli raised his hand and fired three shots—more ghost-vanquishing bullets.
A faint wail rang out. Incredibly, there really was a Guizu trailing behind him.
He felt somewhat fortunate in his heart. Good thing the Jin youth had kicked up a fuss, causing him to turn back.
Otherwise, had he scouted farther ahead... at the very least, things would have only been worse.
Wu Youren, however, did not fire. Seeing the instructor had detected the abnormality behind him, he shifted his gaze back downhill.
Qigeli felt somewhat at a loss. "Instructor, should I provide fire support?"
"Do you even know the location?" Keli fired two more shots. "You're not like him. Don't waste ammunition!"
I knew it would be like this... Qigeli was speechless.
Keli, on the other hand, stopped after firing over a dozen rounds, then looked at Wu Youren. "My side is... Is something happening on your end?"
"I don't know, just staying on guard," the Jin youth shook his head. "Is your side clear, Instructor?"
"Not sure either." Keli had only stopped because he could no longer sense any anomaly, not because he had confirmed it was safe.
After all, ghost-vanquishing bullets were quite expensive and couldn't be squandered haphazardly.
The next moment, however, Wu Youren fired another shot downhill, still to no visible effect.
You... Keli wanted to say something, but in the end his mouth twitched and he just let the lad do as he pleased.
"Cover me. I'm going to take a look and see if any Guizu relics dropped."
With a flicker, the instructor vanished once more. Sure enough, once having tasted sweetness, he couldn't stop thinking about loot drops.
After a rough search yielded nothing, he intended to head back and take a closer look after dawn.
Yet behind him, another gunshot rang out—this time, it wasn't a ghost-vanquishing bullet.
Does he really think bullets are free? Keli was speechless, but he didn't lose his temper and hurried back again.
Just as he reached the three, Wu Youren fired two more shots, still ordinary bullets.
This time Keli saw clearly. "Holy crap... The stones are moving?"
Worthy of a knight, in such a pitch-black night, he could actually see several rocks moving about a hundred meters away.
"Right there," Wu Youren said in a deep voice. "This handgun... I didn't hit it."
A handgun bullet could travel over a hundred meters, but the accuracy at that range went without saying.
"Leave it to me." What Keli held was a rifle. He switched magazines and fired three rapid shots at the trembling rocks.
"Roar!" A muffled grunt sounded, and the rocks shook even harder.
"Holy crap, what the hell is that?" Even Qigeli could see it now. "What bullets should we use?"
"Use your judgment," Keli didn't have time to answer properly, firing several more shots in rapid succession.
"Roar!" Another dull roar sounded. Several boulders rolled down the slope, and the mountain itself seemed to tremble.
"Armor-piercing bullets!" Cynthia yelled, reloading her gun. "Too bad I only brought three!"
Armor-piercing bullets were even more expensive than ghost-vanquishing bullets. They were controlled ammunition that commoners were forbidden to possess.
The trembling of the mountain grew more intense, as if some colossal creature were about to burrow out of the earth.
"A sand worm?" Keli's brows furrowed. "Are you kidding me? This is mountainous terrain! Prepare to evacuate."
He could already vaguely sense that something was wrong beneath the rocks; it felt very much like Guizu aura.
Immediately afterward, a few more low roars sounded.
The next moment, a scaled "rock" revealed itself, followed by a triangular head.
Keli finally recognized the creature. "Holy crap, an azure armadillo... To think it makes this kind of commotion!"
Then he issued deployment orders: "Switch to armor-piercing bullets first. Move quietly. No rush to evacuate."
This creature was somewhat similar to a pangolin: a carnivorous beast that burrowed underground, with poor eyesight but acute hearing.
However, it didn't run very fast. When martial artists encountered it, so long as they didn't panic, it was manageable.
"I only have two armor-piercing bullets," Qigeli mumbled softly.
Wu Youren said nothing. Even his gun had been lent by the instructor; where would he get armor-piercing rounds? He only had ghost-vanquishing bullets and regular ammunition.
Cynthia asked softly, "These things don't usually attack humans on their own initiative, right?"
Keli quietly finished reloading. "Charge forward, open fire!"
His rifle had high accuracy, but Qigeli's and Cynthia's handguns could only shoot effectively at close range.
Wu Youren went without saying; he could only hold his gun and keep watch on the perimeter.
The scale armor on an azure armadillo was exceptionally tough; ordinary bullets couldn't pierce it at all!
The two apprentice knights charged ahead with Keli close behind, and gunfire erupted instantly.
The instructor remained the primary offensive force; the other two had only five armor-piercing bullets between them and had to aim carefully before firing.
While maintaining vigil, Wu Youren took in the entire battle.
The first azure armadillo to surface was over three meters long. Having taken three armor-piercing bullets in succession, blood gushed out as if it cost nothing.
After taking the third hit, the azure armadillo's massive body curled up instantly, rolling down the mountain like a ball.
Right on its heels, a second azure armadillo burrowed out from the soil, followed by a third, a fourth...
Some of the azure armadillos curled up and rolled downhill when struck, while others held a grudge, charging straight ahead after feeling the pain.
With their heavy scale armor and substantial weight, they charged like miniature tanks, shaking the ground slightly.
When charging in a straight line, their speed was actually quite impressive.
"Skirmish!" Keli barked out his second order. "Distract them with normal bullets and weapons!"
He had to have Cynthia and Qigeli draw interference so he could support them with another wave of armor-piercing rounds.
Yet the turn of events once again exceeded his expectations. One azure armadillo after another surfaced, numbering over a dozen in all.
The first azure armadillo was the largest, exceeding three meters, but the dozen or so that followed were not small either, all over two meters long.
Their corresponding rank was between knight and quasi-knight.
Yet the armor-piercing bullets the four had prepared were limited. Keli had brought quite a few, but that amounted to only twenty-odd rounds.
What proper knight would carry so many armor-piercing bullets when going out?
Left with no choice, Keli put away his rifle and began hacking and slashing with a broadsword in hand.
The greatsword danced as battle qi swept across. Sturdy as the azure armadillos' scales were, they couldn't withstand a direct strike from a knight.
The instructor's swordsmanship was exceptionally proficient, his hands and eyes working in fine coordination, slicing through the gaps between scales most of the time.
With just two or three slashes, he could slay an azure armadillo.
Even when striking the scales and inflicting only a minor wound, his potent battle qi could still deal internal injuries to the creature.
Chapter 52