"Does Wang Liu truly dare to overturn the military strategy agreed upon by all the generals without rhyme or reason, purely out of personal whims?"
If they could find that ancient road, capture Duyakou, and seize seven cities in succession, it would be an extraordinary achievement. With such merit to his name, Qin Sang could be promoted directly to General Commander, and not a soul would dare raise an objection.
Qin Sang knew Wang Liu held a grudge against him and would never want him to gain any credit.
"It wasn't entirely without reason," Vice General Feng sighed softly. "The day before yesterday, the men caught a local gathering herbs in the mountains. He claimed that a few days ago, the earth shook and the mountains trembled deep within Mount Guling. The whole range quaked, sending thousands of beasts fleeing in terror, and the commotion lasted for more than half a day. That gave Wang Liu his excuse. He declared that even if an ancient road existed in Mount Guling, it must have been buried under falling boulders. Finding it would be useless now, nothing more than a waste of precious time that would compromise the campaign."
"An earthquake?" Qin Sang frowned. He had only just entered Mount Guling and barely begun his search, so he truly had not heard of this.
"No..."
Vice General Feng's tone turned somewhat strange. "The herb gatherer swore up and down that he saw two immortals flying overhead. He claimed the earthquake was caused by immortals fighting a battle deep in Mount Guling."
"Did he truly see immortals?"
Qin Sang's eyes lit up instantly.
Vice General Feng chuckled derisively. "Brother Qin, don't pay any mind to that madman's nonsense. My humble wife is a native of these parts, and there has never been any legend of immortals in Mount Guling. That herb gatherer originally had several companions with him, but all of them were mauled to death by tigers and wolves. He was the only one who escaped, scared half out of his wits. Most likely, terror drove him mad. Wang Liu isn't stupid either; he chose to take that one man's wild claims at face value solely to target you and me."
Qin Sang offered no comment on the matter. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Could I see that herb gatherer?"
Vice General Feng misunderstood his intention. "You want to use him as a breakthrough? He's being held by Wang Liu's men right now. I'm afraid that won't be easy..."
Before his words finished, footsteps sounded outside, followed by a voice. "General Feng, has General Qin returned? By order of the General Commander, I am here to request General Qin's presence at the central command tent for deliberation."
Qin Sang and Vice General Feng exchanged a glance. It seemed Wang Liu was already impatient.
Following Wang Liu's personal guard, Qin Sang entered the central command tent. The first thing that struck his ears was a burst of coquettish laughter. Looking up, he saw Wang Liu seated behind the commander's desk, holding a woman in each arm.
Wang Liu was thoroughly indulging himself, his hands wandering wherever they pleased. Two pretty servant girls nestled against his chest, one pouring his wine and the other feeding him delicacies, having a marvelous time.
"This subordinate greets the General Commander."
Qin Sang cupped his fists in salute. Wang Liu acted as if he had heard nothing, continuing to dally with the beauties, his mouth spewing foul and lewd words.
Qin Sang stood silently in place, his expression neither angry nor displeased.
"Well, well! If it isn't General Qin!"
After leaving Qin Sang standing there for a good while, Wang Liu finally acted as if he had just noticed him. He feigned surprise, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "General Qin is a dragon among men! An assistant general before the age of twenty! You girls should make friends with him. If you could become his sworn sister, or better yet, his wife, you'd rise straight to fortune and wouldn't have to sell smiles to me anymore! Isn't that right, Gen-er-al Qin?"
The two women giggled coyly in protest.
Both women bore the unmistakable air of courtesans, and Wang Liu's suggestion of becoming sworn kin was a deliberate attempt to humiliate Qin Sang.
Qin Sang's face remained as calm as an ancient well. "The General Commander jokes. Qin Sang would not dare."
"Not dare? How could you not dare?"
Wang Liu smiled playfully. "If General Qin achieves another miraculous feat like the one in Hening County, even I will have to yield my post to you. What wouldn't you dare do then? What a pity, though. Truly a pity! Those damned immortals usually keep out of sight, yet they just had to pick this time to have a brawl and ruin General Qin's fine prospects. Isn't that utterly disappointing? Eh? Hahaha..."
Qin Sang maintained a posture of passive indifference, letting the insults roll past him. Wang Liu mocked him a little longer before finding it dull. His expression suddenly turned harsh, and he snapped, "Not another word about that ancient road! Never dare to hoodwink this commander with such intelligence again! I now order you to infiltrate Guling Pass to scout enemy movements. If you botch this campaign, your head will roll!"
Qin Sang's eyes flickered. Guling Pass was heavily guarded, its surrounding areas cleared and fortified. Slipping in to gather intelligence was no different from throwing his life away.
"This subordinate obeys!"
Qin Sang accepted the order and backed out of the tent, casting a deep, lingering glance over his shoulder.
After circling the camp a few times, Qin Sang returned to his own tent. He whispered several instructions to Water Monkey, who promptly took his leave. Qin Sang sat in silence, lost in thought for a while, before settling down to cultivate the Nether Scripture.
An entire day slipped by. The clouds dispersed, the rain ceased, and twilight descended from all sides.
Water Monkey hurried back into the tent holding a slip of paper and whispered, "General Qin, Zheng Kun sent word. Three days ago, there truly was a tremor in Mount Guling, but they couldn't find anyone who actually saw the immortals. Also, one scouting party found a location suspected to be the ancient road, and Zhang Wenkui has gone to inspect it in person."
Qin Sang took the note, skimmed it, and burned it to ash over the candle flame. Waving his hand, he said, "Understood. You may go back."
Late at night.
Outside the tent, only the steady footsteps of patrolling soldiers broke the quiet. Qin Sang stopped cultivating. As the glow of distant torches filtered inside, his eyes shone with unusual brightness.
Qin Sang retrieved the Yanluo Banner and attached his spiritual sense to Yanwang. With his eyes half-closed, he commanded Yanwang to creep toward Wang Liu's tent. It felt as if his own eyes had grown onto the spirit—a truly wondrous sensation.
The central camp was not particularly large, making Wang Liu's tent easy to locate. The guards stationed outside never imagined that an evil ghost was slipping right beneath their noses into the command tent.
When Qin Sang saw the scene inside, his brow furrowed deeply.
There were still three people in the tent, but the two courtesans from earlier were gone. In their place were a young girl and a young woman. The girl was bound tightly with ropes, her face filled with terror and despair.
Wang Liu held a wine cup, forcing her to drink with a leering grin.
The girl had a fierce temper; she shook her head vehemently, biting down on her own lip until it bled. After two mouthfuls were forced down her throat, she spat it all over Wang Liu, earning herself two savage slaps across the face.
"Wretched bitch, you'd rather take a beating than drink to my health!"
Wang Liu flew into a rage. The young woman clung to him like a water snake, her voice soft and alluring. "General, please calm your anger. The girl is young and knows no better. If she offended you, allow this humble servant to soothe your fire first..."
Wang Liu grabbed the medicinal wine from the table, gulped down a large mouthful, and gave the woman's chest a hard squeeze. "At least you know what's good for you. Let me enjoy myself first. Serve your master well, and once the merits are tallied, I'll release that useless husband of yours so you two can reunite, hahaha..."
The young woman murmured compliant agreements and offered herself willingly, though tears glistened at the corners of her eyes.
Qin Sang watched with cold detachment, recognizing her identity.
Not long ago, when the Xuanwei Battalion captured the small city before Mount Guling, the county magistrate had refused to surrender. Wang Liu had tied him behind a horse and dragged him to death. This woman was that magistrate's wife.
Before long, Wang Liu groaned, his body shuddering at the peak of pleasure. Yanwang seized the moment and pounced upon him.
...
In the dead of night, at the hour of the Rat, torches blazed across the Xuanwei Battalion. The generals had gathered outside the commander's tent, Qin Sang among them.
Wang Liu's corpse was covered with a white cloth. His personal guards knelt across the ground, trembling uncontrollably, and several had even wet their pants in sheer terror.
Chapter 42