Now it seemed these were indeed the demon-hunting teams summoned by the Julu Kingdom.
Someone dashed out from the ranks and shouted toward He Lingchuan, "Mister He!"
Looking over, everyone realized it was Wang Gesheng!
The youth bore several wounds, and the bowstring across his back was snapped, but he was missing neither arm nor leg.
He Lingchuan asked in surprise, "How did you end up in the mountains too?"
"We pursued the rampaging pack of demon beasts all the way from town to here. On top of the demon-hunting squads, the king dispatched General Long with nine thousand men to corner the White Bear King!" Wang Gesheng said enthusiastically. "It was quite a sight! What a pity you missed it."
"The army and the demon hunters slaughtered over a thousand wolves and more than three hundred giant bears. The corpses of beasts and demons are piled into mountains behind the town!"
Hu Min chimed in, "Nine thousand men? Where did they mobilize so many troops?"
Julu was a small kingdom and was still fighting a war to the west; scraping together nine thousand men within its borders was no small feat.
Wang Gesheng blinked, taken aback by the question. "Well, I don't know about that, but there really were that many! A dense sea of them, torches smoking out the sky. The veterans all said this is the largest demon-eradication campaign since the founding of Julu."
The King of Julu was bold indeed. Seizing the opportunity of the White Bear King descending the mountain, he had gone all-in with every good card in his hand. He was truly determined to eradicate this menace once and for all.
"And what of the White Bear King?"
"That great demon is terrifying," Wang Gesheng said, lingering fear in his voice. "Single-handedly, it slaughtered over three hundred men. It even killed two of General Long's top lieutenants."
Door Plank cut in, "Slaughtering opposing commanders in the midst of nine thousand enemies?"
Among the people he knew, only General Red possessed such martial valor—and even then, she had to lead the Gale Army in the charge; no one could achieve that alone.
"No, no. The White Bear King understands the Militarist School's tricks of feints and deception. While sending its demon subordinates to assault the army, it played hide-and-seek with General Long," Wang Gesheng explained. "General Long is a seasoned general who accompanied His Majesty on campaigns east and west, commanding the field with steady composure. Yet the demon still managed to slip away."
"Cunning bear. Did it flee into the mountains?"
"General Long isn't certain either, so he divided the army into several contingents to search inward," Wang Gesheng said. "The Bear King was severely wounded as well, which is why everyone is so fired up."
He pointed to the bow on his back, pride shining in his eyes. "The White Bear King's left eye—I'm the one who shot it out!"
He Lingchuan was somewhat surprised and gave him a thumbs-up. "It didn't pounce on you?"
Bears were creatures notorious for holding bitter grudges.
Wang Gesheng scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. "There was a mountain gully between us, with soldiers before and behind me. Furious as it was, it couldn't cross over."
Door Plank chuckled and chided good-naturedly, "Good lad. With that shot to your credit, your place in the ranks is assured."
He Lingchuan nodded. Even now, one could see Wang Gesheng had a better grasp of reading the situation and seizing opportunities than ordinary youths; no wonder he would eventually become the founder of a sect.
"Whoever deals the final blow to the White Bear King is the one claiming peerless merit."
In the time they had spent chatting, the demon-hunting squad had already moved ahead.
Terrified of falling behind, Wang Gesheng hurriedly bade farewell to He Lingchuan and the others and rushed onward.
He Lingchuan and his companions resumed their journey as well.
Along the way, they encountered two other demon-hunting squads, each numbering three to five hundred men.
Confronted by the demon hordes of Baimao Mountain, humans had to band together to venture inside.
Whistling signal arrows occasionally pierced the sky, followed by bursts of fireworks—signals sent up when demon hunters ran into tough prey, calling nearby squads for aid.
He Lingchuan still remembered Wang Gesheng mentioning earlier that two red flares served as the signal that the White Bear King had appeared!
By nightfall, he had not seen any twin red flares.
Yet with the fog so thick, who knew whether other squads in the distance had enjoyed that privilege?
Hu Min returned from scouting ahead and shook his head. "Who knows how far it is to get out of the mountains. How about we make do here for the night?"
They were outsiders, after all, unfamiliar with these mountains. Pushing onward after dark risked wandering further off course.
Old Liu was already so exhausted he could barely walk, clinging to the back of a Panlong guard. Hearing this, he hastily lifted his head. "What? That's far too dangerous!"
With so many demons still prowling the mountains, how could they dare spend the night here?
Hu Min surveyed the surrounding terrain, not even bothering to look at him. "Unless you'd like to head out on your own?"
Old Liu shrank back sullenly. Those several thousand taels of silver were truly hard-earned—a man practically had to carry his head tucked into his waistband.
Baimao Mountain crawled with demons, and during times like these, everyone agreed that lighting no fires was the safest approach, and sleeping on the ground was best avoided.
So He Lingchuan and the others selected several giant firs soaring into the clouds and strung their hammocks beneath the sturdy boughs.
The trunks of these firs shot straight up like pencils, standing nearly twenty-five zhang high. From afar, they resembled towers, standing out like cranes among chickens in any forest.
Since they had to spend the night in the woods, He Lingchuan wanted an excellent vantage point.
The hammocks they carried were woven from burrow spider silk, lightweight yet resilient.
At this elevation, they avoided disturbances on the ground, and even mosquitoes and gnats were virtually absent. However, it was thoroughly unkind to anyone afraid of heights; Old Liu cast a single glance downward and his face went stark white.
Sitting in their hammocks, the group ate some dry rations and drank water, then circulated their qi to regulate their breathing, leaving just one person on watch.
As the night deepened, the fog dispersed unnoticed.
Not long after, a rumble of explosions echoed from the distance.
He Lingchuan opened his eyes and scrambled quickly to the treetop to gaze into the distance from his high perch.
Looking down from this height, the canopy beneath the night sky resembled an ocean of dark ink, countless crowns swaying with the wind, undulating like waves.
Such was the origin of the term "sea of trees."
Such a sight was something ordinary folk might never behold in a lifetime.
He Lingchuan could even see a white ribbon draping down a nearby mountain crest.
That was likely a waterfall.
Yet within this ocean of forest, bright flares now rose into the air.
Two fiery red fireworks!
The person firing them was likely afraid other squads might miss them, shooting off two more with rapid bangs.
He Lingchuan and the Panlong guards were visibly moved. According to Wang Gesheng, that was the signal that someone had discovered the White Bear King and was calling other squads to rush to their aid!
Had the White Bear King finally been overtaken?
What manner of encirclement and slaughter was unfolding beneath this sea of trees?
The night wind blowing against his face seemed saturated with blood and grim chill.
A short while later, another red flare was fired from the ground, but its location had shifted.
Evidently the battleground was moving. Was the army hunting down the White Bear King, or was the White Bear King chasing the humans?
Such flares were fired five times over the span of two shichen, constantly shifting positions.
Hu Min quietly took note of the movements and said to He Lingchuan, "It seems to be heading our way."
He Lingchuan's stance was summed up in four words:
Stay our hand.
Their mission was to retrieve and escort the Bright Lantern Cup, not hunt bears.
The White Bear King was not their problem.
They were lodging for the night atop the giant firs, far above the ground; a hunted great demon would hardly climb a tree just to fool around with people.
Chapter 1124