Night Raid

That actually makes a lot of sense. When he arrived at the mine shaft, members of the Feihong Gang had cordoned off the surrounding area. A spirit medium around sixty years old was muttering incantations, performing an exorcism. "Brother Lin, I knew you'd be interested," Jia Yanyong said with a grin as he watched the spectacle from the side, greeting Lin Zheyu. "Look, that's the mine shaft right there. Several men discovered their dead comrades inside." "They'll be hauling firewood in to burn it in a bit. Keep it blazing for seven straight days, and that ghost won't show itself again," Xie Jiang said, pointing toward the mine entrance. Because it had appeared inside a mine shaft, using gunpowder to blow it up would cause a cave-in. Burning was the next best thing. Normally, burning it for several days took care of the problem. "Where's the ghost?" Lin Zheyu asked. "In broad daylight? How could it come out? Those things only show up at night," Xie Jiang said matter-of-factly. "You called me over when there's no ghost to see?" Lin Zheyu was speechless. "I figured the brothers haven't had a drink together in a while, so I had you come take a look and share a few cups along the way," Xie Jiang said with a laugh. "Can I go in and take a look? Is it safe?" Lin Zheyu asked. Even if there was no ghost to be seen, he still wanted to step inside and see if he could discover anything. "It's fine. What danger could there be? I'll go in with you," Jia Yanyong said. The mine was pitch-black. Stepping inside, a chilling, eerie sensation crept over them. "It really is creepy in here." Xie Jiang shivered all over, goosebumps breaking out on his skin. He voiced a caution: "Be careful. Even though it's daytime, the mine is grim and chilly. That ghost might still pop up." "What's there to fear? A martial artist's qi and blood run vigorous. It's just running into a ghost, nothing to worry about." Jia Yanyong didn't care in the slightest. With his chest puffed out and head held high, he held a torch and led the way. Lin Zheyu followed inside, also sensing that gloomy chill. Having attained the Qi and Blood Realm, his perception of energy was far sharper. The sinister chill inside the shaft made him profoundly uncomfortable, as if some malevolent presence was burrowing into his body, causing the qi and blood within him to churn restlessly. The deeper they went, the stronger this sensation became. "A bit interesting..." Lin Zheyu muttered. He surveyed his surroundings but found nothing out of the ordinary, nor did he spot any ghostly shadow. The shaft ran deep. Upon reaching the end, that uncomfortable sensation intensified, a chill eroding into his body. As the cold seeped in, it brushed against the Qi and Blood Gossamer beneath his skin and vanished. "Let's head out. It really is wicked here. We shouldn't linger," Lin Zheyu said. "Let's go, let's go. Ever since coming in, my hands and feet have gone icy." Jia Yanyong felt a wave of coldness in his hands and feet, which was extremely abnormal given his constitution. The three didn't tarry, turning around and briskly exiting the shaft. Stepping out into the sunlight, Jia Yanyong and Xie Jiang felt warmth wash over them. "What a pity. Because it's broad daylight, the ghost didn't appear," Jia Yanyong said. He hopped in place a few times and threw several punches before his limbs warmed back up. "What's to pity? If you stay here long enough, you're bound to bump into it once. In a little while, we might even run into living corpses." "I heard from the transport brothers that lately, they often hear traces of living corpses roaming in the mountain forests outside Baishi Mountain." "Who knows? One day, a living corpse might just charge up the mountain," Xie Jiang said. "A living corpse came over here?" Lin Zheyu remarked in surprise. Beast Roar Mountain was a fair distance away. That living corpse possessed no sanity, yet it had actually wandered over here. Still, he wasn't overly worried. If the sky fell, the Feihong Gang's Qi and Blood Realm experts would hold it up; he was merely a Bone Tempering Realm youngster. "Yeah, I even bumped into Lord Ren Jie yesterday." "Lord Xu Yinghao and Lord Ren Jie showing up at Baishi Mountain together is probably to guard against that living corpse," Xie Jiang said. In Songyi City, Qi and Blood Realm martial artists almost exclusively hailed from the prominent clans. Even if ordinary people had extraordinary talent, without sufficient coin and time, they could never cultivate to the Qi and Blood Realm. Ren Jie was a Qi and Blood Realm powerhouse of the Ren clan. Lin Zheyu had never met him and did not know how strong he was. Lin Zheyu had met Xu Yinghao once upon his arrival. Xu Yinghao was very strong, having reached the First Blood Transformation and likely not far from the Second Blood Transformation. "If the sky falls, the Qi and Blood Realm experts will bear it. We only need to deal with those bandits." "Brother Lin, eat dinner here tonight. Let's have a few drinks," Jia Yanyong said with a smile. "Sure!" Lin Zheyu replied, though a hint of regret lingered on his face. A ghost had finally shown up, yet he hadn't managed to catch a glimpse. He had even wanted to see if he could pull off a round of physical exorcism, but unfortunately he didn't encounter it. Once the spirit medium finished her trance dance and the ritual concluded, the Feihong Gang brothers hauled dry firewood into the mine shaft, and raging flames flared to life inside. This fire would have to burn for a full seven days and nights to incinerate every wicked presence within the shaft. *** After the ghost episode passed, Baishi Mountain returned to peace. Dusk fell the next day. Bonfires were lit on the open ground. Xu She returned from his two-day leave, a broad smile plastered across his face. "Brother Xu, what good news makes you so happy?" Hong Cheng teased. "Haha, I went back and saw my wife and children. Isn't that worth being happy about?" Xu She said with a chuckle. He displayed the wine jar in his hands to everyone. "This is wine brewed by my wife. It has a rich aroma and a mellow taste. I specially brought some over for the brothers to taste." "Thanks, Brother Xu!" "Wine brewed by sister-in-law? Then I've got to have a taste too!" "Come, come, there's enough for everyone! You all get a share, come over and have some." The Feihong Gang brothers stepped forward one after another to taste the wine Xu She had brought. "Master Lin, have a cup of this to taste," Xu She said as he walked up to Lin Zheyu. "Thanks." Lin Zheyu took the cup and handed over the roasted meat in his hand. "Here, have this with your wine." "Thank you, Master Lin." Xu She took the meat and thanked him. Lin Zheyu habitually brought the cup beneath his nose and sniffed it—a habit developed recently from studying poisons. The aroma was rich, with no foul odors detected. "Brother Hong, thanks for covering my watch yesterday. I'll take your shift tonight to pay you back," Xu She said, walking over to Hong Cheng with a smile. "What's there to thank me for? Next time I head back, I might have to trouble you just the same," Hong Cheng said, waving a hand. Baishi Mountain required people to take turns keeping watch at night as well. Yesterday had been Xu She's turn, but since he went home, Hong Cheng had covered his post for the night. Night descended. Patrolling along the defense line, Xu She gazed out at the pitch-black mountain forest and the White River, muttering inwardly, *Can they really manage to infiltrate from here?* Xu She harbored doubts. Although he had revealed the locations of the traps and mechanisms below to those bandits, lowering the difficulty considerably, attempting a breach while the post was guarded would still result in heavy casualties. Xu She wasn't foolish enough to poison the wine just now or tamper with things out in the open. His wife and young children were still in the city; doing that would be courting death. He had merely informed them of the trap locations, the mechanisms, and which route was easiest to navigate. Sitting at a distance, Lin Zheyu watched Xu She, feeling that he was acting bizarre today. Ordinarily, the man never voluntarily showed himself before Lin Zheyu, much less offered him wine, yet today he had done precisely that. Lin Zheyu had inspected it carefully and found no poison, yet he still refrained from drinking, setting it aside. For when Xu She turned away, Lin Zheyu had caught a barely perceptible flicker of hostility in his eyes, which put him on his guard. *Whoosh—* *Whoosh—* The cold wind howled. Lin Zheyu lay on the grass, staring blankly up at the sky. Back in Songyi City, one could visit the Hundred Pavilions at night to listen to tunes, but here at Baishi Mountain, there was nothing to do but daydream. Suddenly, three beams of fiery light shot up from different directions, bursting in the sky with a loud *boom*. Lin Zheyu snapped upright, his eyes narrowing. Enemy raid! "Stay sharp, everyone! Bandits are attacking! Grip your weapons and don't let your guard down for an instant!" Lin Zheyu roared. "Yes, Master Lin!" The men shouted back in unison. Lin Zheyu tightened his grip on his saber but did not rush to reinforce them. One burst of signal smoke indicated an enemy attack, requiring no reinforcements. Two bursts indicated that support was needed, and mobile patrol squads would deploy to reinforce. Three bursts indicated an extreme emergency, demanding large numbers of personnel and elite martial artists. Lin Zheyu and his group only needed to dispatch personnel when three bursts appeared. *Here they come!* Xu She was secretly pleased, not expecting the bandits to attack three defensive positions simultaneously this time. *Are they planning to draw attention to other places, and then secretly infiltrate from the most dangerous spot?* Xu She thought to himself. Sure enough, just as the thought crossed his mind, another flash of fire appeared to the left, signal smoke exploding in the sky. Immediately after, two beams of fiery light rose simultaneously on the right, two bursts of smoke detonating in the sky. "What are these bandits playing at? They're hitting so hard this time!" Lin Zheyu muttered as he watched the smoke repeatedly rising into the sky. "Hong Cheng, Wang Chong, each of you take twenty men to reinforce them! The rest of you, stand ready!" Lin Zheyu ordered. "Yes, Master Lin!" "Master, let me go instead. Brother Hong was on watch all night yesterday, so he isn't very sharp today," Xu She spoke up. Lin Zheyu gave him a deep look. "Fine. Hong Cheng stays. Xu She, take the men over." "Yes, Master Lin!" *** At the northern section of Baishi Mountain, where Jia Yanyong and his group were stationed, they had just encountered a bandit attack. It wasn't particularly fierce—merely a few dozen arrows shot from the shadows after creeping close under cover. Immediately after, Jia Yanyong saw two bursts of fiery light rise in the distant sky; two other locations were also under attack. "Fuck, are these bandits ever going to quit? Choosing to raid at night, do they expect anyone to get any sleep?" Jia Yanyong cursed. "Careful. Don't let the fight go to your head in a minute," Xie Jiang urged. "Don't worry, I'm not a battle maniac like Zhou Jiang," Jia Yanyong said with a grin. *Neigh—* Suddenly, the sound of horses neighing reached his ears, accompanied by the clatter of galloping hooves from afar. "Archers, ready!" Qiu Gaoxuan's cold voice rang out. "Why are there horses? Don't tell me these bastards have cavalry?" Xie Jiang asked, bewildered. Before long, he realized why. Several horses burst out from the mountain forest, charging straight up Baishi Mountain. Behind the horses was a dark silhouette moving at blinding speed, unleashing a roaring howl that sounded utterly inhuman. "Loose!" Qiu Gaoxuan shouted. Instantly, over a hundred crossbow bolts shot toward the horses and the figure in unison. The figure did not dodge or weave. When the bolts struck his body, they produced dull *thuds* and clattered directly to the ground. "Holy shit, is that even human?!" Jia Yanyong's eyes widened in shock, and he couldn't help cursing. "Fuck, it's a living corpse!" Xie Jiang reacted quickly. Although he had never seen a living corpse before, one had recently appeared in the vicinity, and the creature before them was impervious to blades and spears. The connection was impossible to miss. "Call for backup! Quick, call for backup!" someone shouted. The horses moved swiftly. Even after being struck by bolts, they continued charging up Baishi Mountain. *Splat—* The living corpse overtook the trailing horse, plunging a hand deep into its belly and ripping out a fresh, beating heart. Grabbing the heart, he shoved it straight into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed it whole, an expression of pleasure washing over his face. *Whistle— Whistle—* Qiu Gaoxuan acted decisively, launching two bursts of signal smoke. Faced with a monster like a living corpse, they stood no chance. They could only fire an emergency signal for help and let the two Qi and Blood Realm masters intervene. "Stay away from that monster! Lord Ren and Lord Xu will be here shortly! Keep your eyes on the bandits—don't let them up the mountain!" Qiu Gaoxuan shouted. *** Unlike the other locations, the southern section of Baishi Mountain remained peaceful. Lin Zheyu and the Feihong Gang brothers held their weapons, standing at the ready. Down in the dense forest below, over thirty silhouettes emerged. "They've made their move. It'll be our turn in a moment," someone whispered. "That Xu She claimed the one in charge here is merely a Bone Tempering martial artist. He wouldn't be lying to us, would he?" another burly man asked worriedly. "What's there to fear? Even if he were in the Viscera Tempering Realm, I'd split him in half with a single swing!" another man scoffed disdainfully. He brandished the saber in his hand, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "Most of the manpower has been lured away by our brothers to the north. There aren't many guarding this post." "In a moment, you go up first to draw their attention, while Zhou Geng and I seize the chance to charge up and slaughter them." "Once we take this place, the rest of the brothers can infiltrate through here and hit them in a pincer attack!" the man said. He looked up at the sky, and upon seeing the signal smoke appear, he ordered in a low voice, "Watch your step for the traps. Move out!" *Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—* Over a dozen figures dashed out with agile movements, scaling the cliff at rapid speed. "Impressive agility—they're all Bone Tempering martial artists!" Watching the figures surging up from below, Lin Zheyu said coldly, "Fire!"