Tao Ze feinted with his halberd, wheeled his mount, and bolted.
He Lingchuan raised his wrist and loosed a sleeve arrow at him.
Hearing the sharp rush of wind behind his head, Tao Ze twisted around and knocked the arrow aside with his halberd. But what followed immediately was a flurry of chilling light—
The Fusheng Saber came spinning through the air.
Tao Ze ducked his head, barely dodging it.
He Lingchuan had hurled the blade almost the very instant he discharged the sleeve arrow.
Between the two, at least one was bound to hit.
Sure enough, the precious saber made an abrupt turn midair, curving back around from an impossibly vicious angle. Tao Ze paled in terror. With no room left to dodge, he bent forward and sucked in his breath, only to feel a searing agony across his midsection—
Fusheng sliced across his belly, carving a gash a finger deep!
And that was only because his armor had absorbed some of the blow.
His internal organs were damaged; his entrails threatened to spill out in an instant.
Tao Ze shrieked in agony.
Meanwhile, He Lingchuan had already dashed to the Soaring Dragon Spear. Reaching out, he yanked it from the tree trunk, whirled around, and thrust it toward Tao Ze.
By now, Tao Ze was scared out of his wits by the pain. Having barely parried Shan Youjun's long saber, where could he find any strength left to defend himself?
He Lingchuan's spear drove straight into his wide-open mouth.
The gleaming spearhead punched out through the back of his skull.
Without hesitation, He Lingchuan hoisted the corpse atop the spear tip, urging his mount forward while bellowing, "Stand in my way and die!"
In less than two exchanges, their commander had been slain. Scared out of their wits, how could the Xunzhou men ahead dare block the path? They threw themselves toward the roadside with all their might, terrified that a moment's hesitation would make them the next ghosts beneath his spear.
Quick-handed, Shan Youjun snatched up the fallen Red Tiger halberd and galloped right after He Lingchuan.
The two rode more than a hundred feet before He Lingchuan flicked his spear tip, sending Tao Ze's corpse crashing to the ground with a dull thud.
By the time the Xunzhou soldiers rushed over to recover their commander's body, they could only see the dust trailing behind the two departing riders.
Barely dozens of breaths later, the main body of Xunzhou roving cavalry rushed back.
The successive whistle blasts from before had signaled a dire emergency and an exceptionally dangerous adversary, prompting Hong Chenglüe to double back in person.
Seeing Tao Ze's corpse and the sheer brutality of that fatal spear strike, Hong Chenglüe fell silent. Only then did he ask what had happened.
Tao Ze's subordinates hurried to report the encounter.
"The scout tailing us was the very person who wounded General Baili?" Hong Chenglüe frowned. "According to the intelligence sent from Xinhuang, this man is He Chunhua's son."
In other words, He Chunhua had sent his own son to scout military intelligence in Bailu Town?
The Xunzhou general Xu Yingxian had shared a close bond of camaraderie with Tao Ze. With reddened eyes, he immediately stepped forward to petition, "General Hong, give me twenty men! I will grind that brat's bones to dust!"
"He rides a bo beast; you cannot catch him," Hong Chenglüe said calmly. "Do you still remember what our mission is?"
Xu Yingxian opened his mouth to retort, but Wu Qing, standing beside him, tugged at his sleeve, causing him to swallow his words.
"I remember." It was assassination and supply raiding behind enemy lines.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Hong Chenglüe tilted his head slightly. "Time is of the essence."
The Xunzhou roving cavalry turned east as one and advanced at high speed.
Another hour passed before the rearguard cavalry galloped up to report that no enemies were trailing them from behind.
Had the two thrown in the towel?
Hong Chenglüe's expression grew even more solemn instead, and he ordered the cavalry to pick up speed once more.
It was his own overconfidence that had allowed those two Xiazhou scouts to escape. The second surprise raid had originally been a brilliant move, but now it hung in the balance.
He did not know whether they could still capitalize on this window of time.
...
He Lingchuan and Shan Youjun rode for several hundred yards and halted only after confirming there were no pursuers behind them.
"They're quite in a hurry, not even bothering to chase us." He Lingchuan looked at the trembling feathered arrow lodged in Shan Youjun's back. "Let me pull that arrow out for you."
"Thank you, Boss."
He Lingchuan sheared off the arrow shaft with a slash of his blade, then helped him unfasten his outer armor. The movement aggravated the wound, making Shan Youjun grimace in pain. He Lingchuan poured out a pinch of fine white powder and handed it to him. "Eat this."
This was Shituo powder, which could be applied externally or taken internally. Its blood-staunching effect was mediocre, but several breaths after Shan Youjun swallowed it, the pain in his rear shoulder subsided.
He Lingchuan pressed lightly around the wound, first sealing the meridians before using a small knife to dig out the arrowhead.
Watching how exceptionally practiced his movements were, Shan Youjun could not help but sigh with admiration. Back when he served as a private soldier for the Li clan, he had seen clearly that while old Master Li was a capable figure, his sons and grandsons grew increasingly useless. They read plenty of books and memorized plenty of principles, but they were utterly ineffective when it mattered. Governor-General He, by contrast, had a fierce and valiant elder son and an intelligent younger son, each possessing distinct strengths. No wonder their family had been able to rise and prosper.
During the earlier ambush, Lingguang the medicine ape had zipped straight into its master's chest. Now, it scrambled out clutching a waterskin, helping Shan Youjun wash the wound with water before applying medicine and bandaging it.
With this alchemist taking over, He Lingchuan could spare his attention to watch their surroundings.
Night had already fallen. An evening breeze stirred, rustling the grass and leaves as though ambushes lurked in every direction.
He Lingchuan plucked a few newly sprouted leaves and vigorously wiped the bloodstained spear tip clean. As for the Fusheng Saber, simply pointing its tip downward left it gleaming like new in moments.
He was uncharacteristically quiet, his expression very calm, but Shan Youjun could sense the simmering restraint and fury beneath that composure.
"Boss," Shan Youjun said raspy-voiced, "you've already avenged Maotao on the spot." An immediate grievance settled immediately—that was truly a rarity.
Most feuds forged on the battlefield were never avenged in a lifetime.
He Lingchuan knitted his brows tightly and nodded.
The archer who had shot Maotao and the enemy commander who had led the ambush were both dead by his hand.
Yet the anger and sorrow in his heart were hardly alleviated.
Maotao was an old subordinate who had followed him ever since the Panlong illusion. It had not been long, but the man had been unquestionably loyal.
With his death in this battle, there would no longer be any subordinate grinning all day and calling him "Eldest Young Master."
Lingguang deftly finished tending to Shan Youjun's wound. The latter carefully put his outer armor back on and asked He Lingchuan, "Shall we keep tracking them?"
"Keep tracking," He Lingchuan replied, having regained his calm. "Our mission isn't finished yet."
The two wheeled their horses around and galloped once more toward the path of the Xunzhou cavalry.
As they approached the site of the earlier battle, both grew vigilant, wary of falling into another trap. Although traces of the clash remained everywhere and bloodstains still marked the ground and grass, the corpses were all gone.
There were drag marks on the ground.
He Lingchuan followed the trail and discovered a cave not far away, where the corpses were piled together. Pungent medicinal liquid had been splashed across the cave entrance to keep carrion eaters away.
"They didn't even have time to bury their own men," Shan Youjun murmured. "They were in a great rush."
"They might double back eventually, but not right now." He Lingchuan remounted his blue bo beast. "Let's go."
Darkness had fallen, and locating the vanguard's trail in the mountain forest was no easy task. Fortunately, He Lingchuan had spent plenty of time as a demon-hunting patrol guard, mastering numerous tracking skills. Even without Maotao, it merely slowed his tracking pace somewhat.
An hour later, he noticed something amiss.
Judging from the tracks, the Xunzhou men had turned.
They had turned toward the east.
What was going on?
Could the enemy be laying a false trail? Yet Shan Youjun scouted the perimeter as well and found nothing out of the ordinary.
East?
Why east?
The two exchanged glances. Even Shan Youjun, a roving cavalry veteran of many years, looked utterly baffled. Finally, he ventured, "Could it be... they intend to launch a surprise attack on Xinhuang Town?"
"But..." But Baili Qing, Dong Rui, and all those wounded soldiers were recuperating here. Was Hong Chenglüe really going to abandon them?
Thinking to this point, He Lingchuan suddenly shuddered and blurted out, "You're right!"
That man Hong had such vicious cunning!
When it came to determination to win and the ruthless methods to achieve it, he was practically on par with He Chunhua.
Yet the problem was that he had already dispatched Jiao Tai to report to Xinhuang. Knowing He Chunhua, it would be a wonder if his father did not march out to exterminate the enemy!
There was no telling where He Chunhua's army had reached by now.
"Stop tracking!" he said decisively. "Back to the main road! It's best if we can intercept Father's troops!"
They were heading east behind the Xunzhou men, while He Chunhua was marching west with his troops. The two forces were rushing toward each other, but because Hong Chenglüe had taken a different, more roundabout route, they would not cross paths.
What He Lingchuan needed to do most right now was take the official road—the shortcut—to relay this news in time to He Chunhua, who was marching west!
The two spurred their horses and tore off like a streak of smoke.
Rushing through unfamiliar mountain forests at night was no easy feat; even local mountain folk could easily lose their way.
At this moment, He Lingchuan had to thank his increasingly formidable spiritual senses, which etched every passing landmark firmly into his mind. Otherwise, turning around a few extra times here would have caused them to bungle a vital military matter.
Roughly an hour later, they finally rode out of the mountains and galloped onto the official road.
Speed was the soul of war; the Xiazhou army would certainly choose the fastest, nearest, and easiest path.
He Lingchuan's judgment proved correct.
Two hours later, thunderous hoofbeats echoed from the mountain col ahead. Up close, dust billowed as a large host arrived.
Riding at the very fore was He Chunhua, accompanied by Jiao Tai leading the way.
As the two parties came face to face, seeing his son brought He Chunhua worry rather than joy. "Why is Chuan'er here? What happened?"
Shan Youjun thought to himself that like father really did breed like son.
"Hong Chenglüe left bait at the mine pit to lure us over, while he took the rest of the Xunzhou cavalry toward Xinhuang!"
As this bombshell was dropped, the officers were thrown into an uproar. He Chunhua's brow almost knotted together. "Are you sure?"
"They circled around, and their final tracks headed east. They marched in such haste that they didn't even have time to bury their dead."
"Feigning in one direction to strike another—so that's it!" He Chunhua was a clever man as well and understood in an instant. Xinhuang's defenses were undermanned, with most of the elite troops drawn away by himself, but the grain and supplies remained in the camp!
If Hong Chenglüe pulled the rug from under him, this northern supply transport would end in an utter, absolute failure!
At the thought, a layer of cold sweat broke out across his back.
Yet with so many eyes fixed on him, he had to remain composed!
He Chunhua bit the tip of his tongue hard, using the sharp pain and the taste of blood to steady his nerves, before abruptly asking for intelligence regarding the mine pit. Learning that only the old, weak, wounded, and fewer than a hundred garrison troops remained, he decisively ordered Zeng Feixiong to detach a force of four hundred men. "Take the mine pit and capture Baili Qing, dead or alive!"
Zeng Feixiong acknowledged the order and was about to turn around when He Lingchuan slipped the ring from his finger and handed it over. "Lending this to you for now. There are several jars of high-grade gunpowder inside. I remember you know how to handle it."
"I do." Zeng Feixiong took the ring, looking puzzled. "What is it for?"
Chapter 271