Chapter 144: Discovered

This was also the reason he chose to head west. The eastern road from County Magistrate Village was too flat, and since they were carrying heavy items like carriages, they certainly could not outrun the rebel army; heading west, however, if the timing was handled well, they might just be able to descend the mountain without danger. No sooner had he finished speaking than two bandit soldiers rushed over, clutching a severed head in their hands: "General, we searched the woods by the western mountain road and found someone had been beheaded, lying dead all alone. We brought his belongings back."

The head was baring its teeth and covered in grass and mud, but as soon as Wu Wu Shaoyi took it and looked, someone nearby cried out: "Liu the Monkey! This is General Pei's scout, Liu the Monkey. We've had drinks together twice at Woling Pass, and he paid the bill both times!"

Without waiting for others to speak, He He Lingchuan immediately said: "We government troops do not have the habit of beheading people; this must have been the work of the rebel Lu."

"Pei Pei Xinyong likely sent him to gather intelligence. If he was killed by the rebel Lu, then the rebel Lu has likely obtained old Pei's intelligence as well." Wu Wu Shaoyi looked at the bandit, "What is that in your hand?"

The man hurriedly held it forward: "It seems to be a mechanical bird. Liu the Monkey was dead on the ground, and I found it on the tree branch above his head."

He He Lingchuan had long heard that there was such a thing as puppetry in this world, where puppeteers could make the mechanisms they crafted move in various ways. However, this was his first time witnessing it with his own eyes. The mechanical bird in the bandit's hand was the size of a real pigeon and dark gray in color, making it inconspicuous, which was quite fitting for its function.

"This person was likely discovered while tinkering with the mechanical bird in the tree. Lu Yao beheaded him but did not notice the mechanical bird still perched on the branch above his head."

Wu Wu Shaoyi held the mechanical bird, examining it over and over, and opened its belly to find a hidden compartment inside, which was empty. But his long-solemn face finally revealed a hint of a smile: "Heaven helps me. Since this scout was meant to deliver intelligence, the mechanical bird can likely fly directly to old Pei."

Xiang Lian Deng clapped his hands: "That's right! We can have the mechanical bird send a message to General Pei, and won't that establish contact?"

Time was pressing, so the bandits brought paper and a brush. Wu Wu Shaoyi finished in one go, writing dozens of large characters, then folded the note, stuffed it into the mechanical bird's belly, and patted its head: "Go find Pei Pei Xinyong."

The mechanical bird raised its head and flapped its wings, and with a fluttering sound, it flew into the sky like a real bird, heading west.

"Let's go." He He Lingchuan stood up, "There is no time to lose." He had already spent too much time in County Magistrate Village.

The group boarded the crocodile's back one after another, and the giant crocodile moved a few steps before gracefully entering the water. Despite its heavy body, it did not splash a single drop of water.

Although fully loaded with humans, the few crocodile demons possessed immense strength and appeared to have plenty of energy to spare; their speed was not slowed down much at all.

The group sat on the back of these ancient fierce beasts, trembling with fear at first, but after traveling for a while, they discovered they were steadier than boats. Closing their eyes, they couldn't even feel themselves sailing on the water, so their hearts were greatly put at ease.

The giant crocodiles carried the group westward as well. The water area was vast, and they could travel in a straight line, unlike the winding mountain roads on land.

It was late autumn; the maple leaves on the lake shore were turning red, and the mountains were sprinkled with golden threads, an indescribable sight of magnificence and desolation.

The river breeze brushed his face. He He Lingchuan stood on the crocodile's head and took a long breath, his lungs filled with coolness.

Riding a giant crocodile over five zhang long to roam between the mountains and rivers, following a group of bandits to the battlefield. Half a year ago, was this something he would have dared to imagine?

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Lu Yao whipped his horse on the western road.

He urged it so urgently that his mount nearly stepped into the void several times while turning, kicking many stones into the cliff below, taking a long time to hear the echoes.

He was not afraid, but his subordinate bandits were. Galloping on such a winding mountain road with eighty-eight turns—were they in such a hurry to die?

But no one dared to utter a sound.

Having previously passed Scout Rock, Lu Yao had specifically taken a detour to look.

The place was a mess, full of traces of fighting, with bloodstains everywhere on the tree bark and grass leaves.

There were dozens of corpses on the ground, some killed by arrows, others hacked to death.

These were his men! The more Lu Yao looked, the more ferocious his expression became, until he finally roared at the sky: "Pei Pei Xinyong, you stupid donkey!"

The subordinates of Wu Wu Shaoyi who had been newly absorbed had explained to him on the road the reason why Wu and Pei had suddenly turned against him.

It really was a discord-sowing scheme used by that dog official surnamed He! No wonder he had sought him out last night to drink, eat fish, and chat, showing such excessive courtesy; it turned out he wanted to lure the scouts of Wu and Pei over to catch them in the act.

These two idiots really jumped into the trap set by the man surnamed He without hesitation.

A perfectly good three-way alliance had been ruined just like that.

By the time he saw the corpses of his men on the mountain road again, he had actually calmed down, only sneering: "Doesn't that dog official He He Chunhua like to eat grilled fish? When I catch him, I will slice his family to pieces in front of him, grill the meat I cut off, and stuff it into his mouth for him to eat! Heh heh, until he eats himself to death!" Having said this, he swallowed a few times.

Just at this moment, a shrill cry sounded from the sky.

Lu Yao raised his arm, and a red-tailed falcon landed on it, speaking in human language: "The government troop convoy is thirty miles ahead of you, but the mountain road is winding; it may take you more time to catch up!"

"What about Pei Pei Xinyong?"

"He is staying at Horse-Stopping Slope and has not yet moved," the red falcon added, "Our people have already passed Horse-Stopping Slope and retreated toward Desheng Town."

"A bunch of trash!" Lu Yao snorted and said to the falcon, "Go again in a while and urge all the troops in Desheng Town to come here."

"They are afraid of Pei Pei Xinyong."

"Once Wu Wu Shaoyi is dead, old Pei won't have the guts to oppose me!" Lu Yao laughed, "He will have to turn back sooner or later."

He fed the falcon a few pieces of meat and was about to let it go.

The falcon suddenly lowered its voice and whispered in his ear: "By the way, on my way back, I passed over the lake and saw something unusual at Twin Gorges Bay. Those crocodile demons were fully loaded with people, heading west."

"Crocodile demons? Carrying people?" Lu Yao was shocked. He knew the Crocodile God's temper—cold and ruthless. Even though they had cooperated a few times, if he went to find the Crocodile God now without paying enough reward, the other party wouldn't even mind eating him. "Who did the Crocodile God carry?"

Who could make the Crocodile God voluntarily lower itself to become a vehicle and obediently carry people?

"Wu Wu Shaoyi." The falcon's voice was even lower.

Lu Yao immediately waved the bandits behind him away and rode his horse forward a few steps before staring at the falcon and saying: "How is this possible? How is he still alive?" Hadn't Wu been injured by the crocodiles? How could he be riding on a crocodile's back now?

While his mind was in chaos, he did not forget to keep his distance from his subordinates. Many of the bandits here had defected to him from Wu Wu Shaoyi's command; if they heard their former master was still alive, he didn't know if there would be another change in the situation.

If Wu Wu Shaoyi was still alive, he was the biggest source of instability, and he was a bit worried.

"I'm not sure, but he brought over two hundred men, traveling by both crocodile and boat."

(End of chapter)