"I Got It"

After the pack of bamboo-thin ghost creatures that had surged into the camp was wiped out, no more ghost creatures breached the perimeter. The eerie, grating laughter ceased as well. Yet rustling sounds continued to rise from beyond the dark perimeter, leaving it unclear whether the creatures were circling around in aversion to the ghost fire or gathering their strength for another assault on the camp. "..." Chen Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, standing behind the parapet of the wall as he gazed down at the scattered corpses of the ghost creatures below. Beside one of the fallen creatures lay an object glowing with faint white light. It was an exotic treasure. It had been a long time since an exotic treasure had dropped for him. If it proved to be an exotic treasure capable of boosting his immediate combat prowess, his chances of surviving tonight would increase by a fraction. Only... The ghost creatures were far faster than any human. If the creatures launched a sudden charge while someone was retrieving the treasure, whoever went out would face near-certain death. And if the ghost creatures pursued too closely, it would be difficult to open the gate—otherwise, the creatures would pour straight through, rendering the wall utterly useless. "Young Master." Standing beside him with the God-Slaying Spear in hand, Quehou stared fixedly at the glowing white object beside the creature's corpse. "I'll go down and fetch that exotic treasure. My leg might be lame, but when I run, I'm not much slower than an ordinary man." "The ghost creatures won't attack for the moment. It should be fine." "..." Chen Fan did not turn his head. It had to be said that people with physical disabilities often possessed sharper sensibilities; though he had made no gesture, Quehou had already guessed what was on his mind. No sooner had Quehou spoken than Xiao Qiu, standing on the other side, blurted out, "Stationmaster, let me go! My limbs are whole, and I'm in my prime—strong and fast on my feet." He was one of Wang Kui's men. Having followed Wang Kui into this camp, he certainly had no intention of returning to the Wang family if they could weather the rainy season; he planned to stick with Chen Fan. Tonight, he had seen clearly that Chen Fan intended to focus on grooming a few select stationmasters. As for the underlings serving those stationmasters, they were treated essentially like lackeys and largely overlooked. The faction was still in its infancy; if he did not seize this chance to distinguish himself, he would spend the rest of his life as Wang Kui's errand boy. Wang Kui had treated him well, to be sure. Yet... Given the opportunity, who wouldn't want to climb higher? Besides, that corpse was only seven or eight meters from the wall. He figured the risk was manageable. Opportunity had knocked, and Xiao Qiu wanted to take his shot. "All right. You go." Chen Fan did not hesitate in the least. He glanced at Zhou Mo, who was just about to speak, said nothing further, and immediately caused a section of the wall to recede. Patting Xiao Qiu's shoulder, he said in a low voice, "Take care." Time was pressing. This was no moment for drawn-out talk; there was no telling when the ghost creatures would launch another charge. He could tell Zhou Mo had also wanted to volunteer. As a Level 2 cultivator who possessed a superior physique and had trained in martial arts since childhood, Zhou Mo was by all rights the best candidate. Yet Chen Fan admitted he had his own selfish calculation. This errand was perilous in the extreme. If someone had to die, sacrificing Xiao Qiu was far preferable to losing Zhou Mo. In his mind, Zhou Mo was simply worth more than Xiao Qiu. "..." On the wall, Wang Kui watched Xiao Qiu's departing back as the man dashed out. His expression turned complicated, but he remained silent and said nothing. He certainly would never have volunteered; he was old, after all, and could not run fast. Still, Xiao Qiu's actions surprised him somewhat. Ordinarily, Xiao Qiu was just like him in the camp, passing each day waiting for death. He had never suspected the man possessed such mettle. ... Within the camp. Having cleared the wall, Xiao Qiu rapidly bounded over corpse after corpse of the ghost creatures, hurtling toward the fallen body with blinding speed. He scooped up the glowing white exotic treasure, then turned excitedly to look back at the figures standing atop the wall. "I got it!" Yet... The next instant, he saw the grim expressions on their faces. Almost instantaneously, realization struck him, and the color drained from his face. Time seemed to stretch endlessly in that single breath. The torrential downpour appeared frozen in place. He could vaguely make out the stationmaster roaring something in frantic agitation, yet the movement of Chen Fan's lips seemed agonizingly slow. He could not even hear what the stationmaster was shouting; his mind had crashed into complete paralysis. A crossbow bolt hissed past, nearly grazing his scalp before striking the ground behind him. *It's over.* The thought flashed through his mind as his final realization. Without even time to glance back, he felt a violent chill erupt from his tailbone and shoot straight up his spine into the crown of his skull. Every hair on his back stood on end, as if countless freezing insects were crawling over his flesh. *Run!* A dying man truly saw his life flash before his eyes. He threw everything into driving his legs forward in a desperate sprint, while scenes from the first half of his life flickered rapidly through the depths of his mind: watching his parents perish at the hands of ghost creatures, later selling his life to the Wang family, drifting through his days in a daze. The passage through the wall had not yet closed. Only... He was seven or eight meters from the wall, while the ghost creatures were only two or three meters behind him. The creatures were far faster than he was. Before he could reach the wall, they would surely run him down—and his retreat might even cause the perimeter to be breached and the camp destroyed. Snapping to his senses in an instant, Xiao Qiu did not even wipe the rain from his face. Sensing a vicious gust of wind about to strike him from behind, he tore open his throat and shrieked hysterically with all the strength in his body, "Close the wall!" Then, without a shred of hesitation. He dug his heels in, braking violently, and threw himself into an awkward donkey roll to evade the strike from behind. Scrambling frantically on hands and knees with bloodshot eyes, he bolted toward the farmland on the left. He knew traps lay there; it was his only chance of survival. He had never imagined he could run so fast. Several crossbow bolts whistled past his shoulders—the arrow towers atop the wall were cutting down the foes. He did not know what kind of ghost creatures pursued him, nor how many there were. After only a few strides, he spotted the linked expanse of the ground spike traps. Nearly a hundred neat hollows stretched out in an orderly grid. Like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, he let out a furious roar and launched himself violently off the ground with both hands and feet, clearing the traps and crashing down into the farmland. The rain-soaked mud left him in a thoroughly wretched state. Yet— *Clack!* The sound of the mechanisms springing behind him brought a sudden grin to his face. Rolling over to sit in the farmland, Xiao Qiu wiped the rainwater from his face and looked back at the two ghost creatures that had stepped into the traps. Two somewhat shorter creatures, their arms shaped into razor-sharp blades like mantis-men, had been instantly impaled by dozens of thick, blackened wooden spikes, dead on the spot. Within the camp grounds, not a single ghost creature remained standing. More than a dozen mantis-like corpses now littered the earth. He could not help laughing aloud, his laughter growing louder and louder. The surging spike of adrenaline and the sheer rush of having cheated death left him intensely exhilarated. Holding the exotic treasure high, he looked toward Chen Fan atop the wall and shouted again, "I got it!" "Stop your fucking laughing! I know you got it—now get your ass back inside!" As the passage through the wall reopened, Chen Fan's furious curse echoed through the rainy night from atop the parapet.