The Advantage of Origin Power

Lian Deng did not even need to dismount. After tilting his head to observe for a moment, he said, "The government convoy went this way." There were many forks along the western road; the government troops had taken great pains in choosing this path. Further ahead, massive logs lay fallen askew along the roadside. "Huh, there are tracks from heavy objects being moved." Lian Deng peered down closely. "Astonishingly heavy—a whole layer of grit and mud got scraped clean off the ground's surface." "Could it be these huge logs?" He Lingchuan dismounted to inspect the giant dawn redwoods. "The cut faces are fresh, the sap hasn't dried. They were chopped down less than two hours ago." "The soldiers used them to block the road. Clever." That said, both felt a bit uneasy. They turned out to be so close to the government forces already—less than two hours' travel away. What about Lu Yao then? How far behind the government forces was he? He Lingchuan's face was grim as water. "Let's move faster." Cresting the ridge further ahead, thick fog blew into their faces. "What heavy fog!" Lian Deng grumbled in frustration. "I can't even see the road." He Lingchuan glanced at him, bewilderment in his eyes. "Can't see?" "Yeah, it's practically pitch-black mist—can't even see your hand in front of your face," Lian Deng said, puzzled. "You don't think so? Wait, there's light on you." "Light?" He Lingchuan looked down and indeed saw a faint, hazy glow radiating from his skin. Origin power? This meant the straight-line distance between him and the government troops was already very short, well within the effective range of He Chunhua's State Token. When setting out from Blackwater City, He Chunhua had temporarily inducted his eldest son into the ranks, promoting him to Vice Commandant. It could hardly be called favoritism; it was merely a sesame-seed-sized military rank, but being an enlisted officer qualified him to receive the origin power buff. Where was origin power needed here? In He Lingchuan's eyes, only a very thin wisp of mist drifted through the mountain forest, posing no hindrance to his vision. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Lian Deng began walking toward the forest to the right. He Lingchuan grabbed him. "What are you doing?" Lian Deng looked utterly baffled. "Walking, of course." "The road is right here." He Lingchuan pointed ahead. "Where are you going?" "Isn't that a cave?" "..." He Lingchuan understood. "Follow me. Who knows what kind of formation the old man laid down—only those blessed with origin power can make out the road." Lian Deng had no choice but to obey, clicking his tongue in amazement as he walked: "Holy mother, aren't we walking straight into a tree?" Then he stepped right through. Though Wu Shaoyi intended to submit to the court, he had not yet met He Chunhua and was not officially part of the government army, so neither Wu Shaoyi nor his men could enjoy the enhancement of origin power. In Lian Deng's eyes, He Lingchuan was leading him either straight into trees or through hillsides. At times it was even worse, walking straight toward cliffs wreathed in drifting clouds, making his heart leap into his throat. Yet the two crossed safely every time, completely unharmed. It must be great to have origin power. Lian Deng sighed, missing the days when he too could enjoy its enhancement. As they walked, He Lingchuan suddenly stopped and uttered a soft hum of surprise. "What is it?" In Lian Deng's eyes, the two were about to crash into a sheer rock wall. "I see Lu Yao, right on the mountain road across the ravine," He Lingchuan said grimly. "Pei Xinyong is walking alongside him, followed by a large host of men—at least seventeen or eighteen hundred, if not more." He kept his voice very low. In this horseshoe-shaped cliff terrain, sounds echoed easily across the valley. Right now, he and the rebel army on the opposite side stood on the opposing arms of the horseshoe chasm. Though separated by a deep gorge, the line of sight was completely unobstructed. At least, that was true for He Lingchuan; he could clearly make out every single person on the mountain road opposite them. Lian Deng whispered, "Are they going in circles too?" "...No!" He Lingchuan observed for a moment before speaking. "They're on the right road. No detours, no circling." Lian Deng was astonished. "That doesn't make sense!" They were all rebel troops; he was blinded, but Lu Yao wasn't—where was the justice in that? He Lingchuan sneered. "He's holding a strip of cloth in his hand, and the other end is up in the sky... Ah, I see the kestrel. The creature is flying overhead, guiding them out of the mist." Lian Deng realized. "Right! Birds of prey soar high up—the formation can't deceive its eyes!" If the kestrel could see through it, the formation naturally could not trap Lu Yao. What to do? "At this distance, can you shoot it down?" Lian Deng shook his head resolutely. "Too far. If we were closer, maybe. Uh, honestly, my archery isn't particularly stellar." He Lingchuan gave him a contemptuous look. Was that a euphemism for "terrible"? *Given an opportunity, and you're completely useless!* "There's a side trail next to us. Let's get closer first and figure something out." The government convoy moved slowly; at this rate, it was only a matter of time before the bandits caught up. The two spurred their horses faster, circling the vast horseshoe-shaped cliff. About a hundred zhang behind the rebel forces, another trail led deeper into the mountains. The path was rough and choked with dense branches. The two horses barely managed half a li before they could go no further. He Lingchuan and Lian Deng had no choice but to abandon their horses and proceed on foot. By now they were running through the woods halfway up the mountain, advancing almost parallel to the rebels, but roughly four or five zhang higher in elevation. They did not climb onto the ridge because it was bare and would never escape the kestrel's sharp gaze. "There's a chance!" Although Lu Yao and his men followed the road on horseback, the kestrel constantly shifted directions, so they dared not gallop heedlessly given the treacherous terrain. With one in the air and the other on the ground, a frequent nuisance was that the trees along the road grew too tall, and the cloth strip occasionally caught on the treetops... Whenever this happened, the kestrel had to veer off course and untangle the snagged cloth before resuming its guidance; otherwise, it would lead its master straight into a ditch. He Lingchuan whispered an explanation of the situation to Lian Deng, then added, "When that happens, it has to fly lower. We can exploit that. We're closer to the treetops. Within eight zhang, can you hit it?" Eight zhang was an overestimate; the treetops ahead were at most six zhang (nineteen meters) high. "Yes!" Lian Deng was confident now. "I could hit it with a slingshot!" "All right, stay close." The two quietly tailed the rebel army from the flank, using the dense tree canopy for cover while waiting for an opening. Heaven was truly generous to He Lingchuan. Barely half an incense stick's time later, their chance arrived. This time, the cloth strip snagged on a massive camphor tree. It was so huge that the kestrel could hardly bypass it cleanly. Lu Yao noticed the cloth snagged tight. Giving it two tugs and finding it stuck fast, he whistled to alert the bird above. Hearing the signal, the kestrel descended, preparing to circle around the branch and yank the cloth free. If it failed to free the cloth, the bandits would have to climb the tree to untangle it themselves. That had happened once before, which was why Lu Yao had signaled it to be extra careful. At this moment, for He Lingchuan and Lian Deng standing on the cliffside three or four zhang above the bandits on the ground, it was nothing short of a godsend. Missing this shot would be an unforgivable shame. Watching the kestrel tuck its wings and drop toward the treetops, He Lingchuan hissed in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, "Quick!" They were too close to the rebels; if Lu Yao and the others spotted them, they had no confidence they could get away. Having sprinted all the way here, Lian Deng didn't even pause to catch his breath. Taking a deep gulp of air, he swung the bow off his back, nocked an arrow, aimed, and—*twang!*—let it fly! Success or failure hinged entirely on this single shot. The whistling of the arrow cutting through the air was faint, yet the kestrel was exceptionally alert. Before the fletched arrow could touch it, its wings flared, and with a midair roll, it miraculously dodged out of harm's way! The arrow had practically grazed its belly. Yet a miss was still a miss. Their hearts sank instantly. This was disastrous. Not only had they missed their mark, but the kestrel would also sound an alarm. With seventeen or eighteen hundred bandits below ganging up on the two of them, they would be slaughtered in every imaginable way. *Useless! Absolutely useless!* He Lingchuan cursed repeatedly in his mind. As the kestrel righted itself, its head snapped toward their hiding spot, its sharp beak opening to screech an alarm. *No, I have to shut its beak!* On instinct, he drew the broken saber from his waist and hurled it with all his might. Though thrown at blistering speed, the saber flew along a crooked trajectory, tracing an arc in midair that carried it past the kestrel to its rear. Naturally, the bird paid it no heed. Who could have guessed that the blade would naturally loop around and curve right back? The kestrel tried to wheel around to evade, but it was too late. Before their eyes, a burst of blood mist exploded in midair. With a choked shriek, the kestrel plummeted straight down! Th-that actually worked? Both stood dumbfounded. He Lingchuan's jaw dropped involuntarily, and he stared at his right hand. *The hand of god.* "Run!" Lian Deng had no time to give him a thumbs-up. Grabbing He Lingchuan's arm, he dragged him forward. "Go! If we don't move now, we'll be chopped into meat paste!" Without another word, the two bolted toward the mountain ridge, shifting into full sprint mode. Naturally, He Lingchuan led the way, with Lian Deng trailing right on his heels. The dense mist offered the perfect cover; once they put enough distance between them, they would be safe. The rebels below had also noticed something was amiss. Lu Yao rushed forward a few steps and caught the falling kestrel. Half of its wing was gone, and across one side of its abdomen was a long, deep slash that exposed its innards. Yet he could not tell what kind of weapon had done it. An arrow? It didn't look like one. Heartbroken and furious, he pointed straight ahead. "Someone's over there!" The bandits surged forward. Pei Xinyong, however, pointed to the right, saying in a low voice, "I heard footsteps over there, and falling gravel." "Inside the formation, even our hearing might be distorted!" Lu Yao retained his wits despite his fury and said without hesitation, "Split up and pursue! Watch your footing!" Without further ado, each grabbed one end of the cloth strip and led their men—one charging forward, the other to the right. Both knew perfectly well that with the kestrel heavily wounded and grounded, it could no longer guide them. Their only option now was to capture the ambusher to show the way; only then would the bandits have a chance of escaping the fog. Anyone capable of wounding the kestrel inside this mist could only be a scout of the government army. Meanwhile, as He Lingchuan raced along the ridge, Lian Deng panted as he ran, "Brother Chuan, if you had such an exquisite throwing knife trick up your sleeve, why didn't you show it earlier instead of watching me make a fool of myself?" He Lingchuan gave a dry chuckle. "I've never practiced it in my life. It was a blind throw." At the time, he hadn't thought twice about it. Lian Deng's face twisted into a grimace. If a blind throw could hit with such precision, how was someone like him, who had actually practiced archery, supposed to feel? He Lingchuan recalled the arc carved by the broken saber—both elegant and bizarre, swooping in from behind to blindside the kestrel.