Chapter 113: How Could You Lie to Me

After a good while, Bai Zhiwei said, "Don't cry. Let's discuss the main matter first."

The man wiped his tears and said, "I don't know what the main matter is; that is for you to decide."

Bai Zhiwei understood; this man was simply acting as an inside man here, and he himself did not even know that our group was coming.

"We need someone to guide us and bypass the Changmei Army Town."

"You want to kill those bastards in Yuecheng?" The man's eyes lit up.

"Yes."

"That's wonderful. I will take you there, but you must give me a chance to act."

Bai Zhiwei smiled and said, "That goes without saying."

"Then you rest tonight. Tomorrow morning, I will wait for you in the bamboo grove south of the village."

After speaking, the man left.

Yan Han asked, "Is this person trustworthy? Should I follow him?"

Bai Yunfei's 'betrayal' had truly frightened Yan Han, leaving him with some psychological scars.

Now, whenever he looked at outsiders, he carried a degree of suspicion.

Bai Zhiwei shook his head. "No need. This man is quite powerful. If you follow him, he might discover you, which could easily lead to misunderstanding. Besides, this matter was ordered by the County Magistrate, so the risk is low."

Yan Han sat down again.

Everyone ate their dried rations and began taking turns on watch or resting.

Li Lin slept soundly, as he had already taken his turn on watch last night.

At dawn, the group set off for the bamboo grove north of the village.

The man was already waiting there.

However, unlike last night, the man was dressed in tight-fitting combat attire, holding a broad-bladed knife, standing right there.

Although his face was still as dark as ever, no different from last night, the aura he now exuded carried a flavor of grim lethality.

Bai Zhiwei walked over, clasped his fist, and asked, "May I ask your honorable surname?"

"My surname is Fan, my given name Shan!" The man clasped his fist and said, "Greetings to all the Soul Hunters."

Soul Hunters are easily recognized: first, by the white jade token they carry; second, by the heavy yin energy surrounding them.

Fan Shan continued, "There is no time to lose. Let us set off; the mountain paths here are quite difficult."

Everyone naturally agreed.

Fan Shan led the way ahead, and they soon began climbing the mountain.

Jin Commandery has many mountains; mountains are everywhere, with the saying that there are 'Ten Thousand Great Mountains'... What is more troublesome is that this is the Mountain Frontier, with a humid and warm climate, making the forests extremely lush. Although the Soul Hunters are no longer ordinary people and possess great stamina, after walking half a day on mountain paths, they all felt somewhat tired.

The terrain is highly variable, with high and low undulations, and trees and vines everywhere; sometimes one must use weapons to clear the path just to move forward.

Ding Yingqiu knocked off the mountain leeches clinging to her back and hands. Hearing the howling of wolves in the distance, she asked, "How long must we walk before we exit this forest?"

"At our current speed, we can get out before dusk and circle around to the rear of the Changmei Army Town." Fan Shan smiled and said, "Rest assured; I know this path very well and have walked it many times."

"But it looks like there is no path here at all," Ding Yingqiu complained.

Fan Shan laughed heartily. "Because only I walk here; for anyone else, of course, there is no path."

So that was it.

Following Fan Shan, the group walked for a while longer, emerged from the forest, and entered a small cave.

Inside were some daily necessities, a stove built from stones, and a bed-carpet made of tiger skin.

"Did you just rest here last night?" Seeing the tiger-skin bed, Ding Yingqiu was very surprised. "Aren't you afraid of the Wild Abominations?"

"Of course I dare not." Fan Shan smiled. "Sometimes when I go up the mountain to hunt, if I get tired, I rest here for about half an hour. Before dusk, I return to the village."

I see.

The group rested here for a while, eating their dried rations.

Half an hour later, they set off again.

This time it was a downhill path, so they walked a bit faster.

Sure enough, they descended the mountain before dusk.

Bai Zhiwei took out a hand-copied topographical map from his chest, looked around, and then nodded.

Everyone relaxed.

Fan Shan knew these Soul Hunters did not fully trust him, but he did not mind. Pointing into the distance, he said, "The Changmei Army Town is behind that mountain. If we are to launch a surprise attack on the enemy, we head in this direction; there is an official road there..."

Bai Zhiwei said admiringly, "You are truly familiar with this area. You have worked hard."

"I have been waiting for this opportunity for thirteen years." Fan Shan's expression carried some excitement. "Everyone, follow me."

He took the lead, walking ahead.

Bai Zhiwei asked, "What opportunity have you been waiting for for thirteen years?"

"Before I was sent here to act as an inside man, my superior told me that if I proved useful, I could return to live in Yulin County. For this reason, I have always practiced martial arts diligently and, under the guise of hunting, surveyed the terrain nearby, never slacking off."

"Did you commit some crime? That you were assigned such a difficult task?"

Fan Shan was silent for a moment, then said, "Thirteen years ago, I had achieved success in martial arts. Young and impetuous, one day after drinking a little wine, I saw a man harassing a woman on the street. I stepped forward to act, but my force was too heavy, and I killed him."

"That man was the son of a wealthy merchant, and his father brought me to the county government office court." Fan Shan said with gratitude. "I thought I was surely doomed; after all, a wealthy merchant could easily settle the case with a little money. But although the County Magistrate had only recently taken office, he refused bribes. He said that although I had committed a grave error, considering I was acting to do good and it was merely an excessive loss of control, the death penalty could be spared, but a lesser punishment was unavoidable. Thus, I was exiled here. He also said that if one day I could be of use, once the matter was accomplished, I would be allowed to return."

No wonder he was so excited.

After all, he had waited for this day for thirteen years.

As the group walked, dusk arrived, and the white jade tokens began to emit a faint glow.

The Wild Abominations awoke, rising from the earth to the human world.

Fan Shan pointed to a mountain-side platform ahead. "Hurry; that is a good position from which to observe all movements on the official road."

Everyone immediately increased their speed.

Arriving at the mountain waist platform, everyone found that the view here was indeed excellent, and the official road lay just below this platform.

It was not only a great reconnaissance position, but also an excellent ambush point.

Ding Yingqiu immediately sprinkled the protective barrier powder, forming a circle.

Everyone walked inside, and the red light on the white jade token dimmed again.

Fan Shan looked at this circle of protective barrier powder and said with some nostalgia: "Back in the day, I was a Spirit Hunter too."

"You were too?"

Fan Shan nodded and said: "Yes, after I committed an offense, the County Magistrate took away my Spirit Hunter status."

"Then the yin energy on your body isn't heavy..." Yan Han said.

"Without Blood Rice, I dared not practice yin-natured mental arts, so I let it go to waste."

While they chatted over there, Li Lin waved at Zhao Xiaohu over here.

"Lin Ge, what's the matter?" Zhao Xiaohu sat down beside Li Lin.

"If a fight really breaks out later, stay beside me."

"My spear skills are very formidable now."

Li Lin sighed: "You still have a long way to go. You are only thirteen; you will be fourteen after the New Year. You have plenty of time to train and grow, no need to rush."

Zhao Xiaohu thought for a moment, nodded, and said: "Alright, I'll listen to you."

At this moment, Ding Yingqiu pointed at Zhao Xiaohu: "You're only thirteen? Didn't you say you were thirty?"

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

Zhao Xiaohu's face became awkward.

"How could you lie to me!" Ding Yingqiu was so angry her face turned red.

(End of this chapter)