Chapter 76: The Hunter's Home Ground

Li Lin turned his head toward the sound and saw a young man in Wenshan armor approaching.

This man had already begun to grow a beard, yet his face looked quite young; Li Lin estimated he was no older than twenty-two.

"Brother Tang, why not?" Huang Qi pointed at the wooden pole in the distance hanging with several corpses, his expression somewhat angry: "The enemy chief has insulted our Great Qi soldiers so shamefully; can we just stand by and watch?"

"Brother Huang, please let me explain," the young general said gently.

Huang Qi took a deep breath and said, "Please enlighten me."

"The enemy dares to station themselves outside only because they have also brought a Taowu Zhenjun with them," the young general continued. "Since this Li Xunshou can break a high pole from such a great distance, he can also shatter the enemy's altar. Once the altar is shattered, we need not hold our ground; after a few days, the enemy will naturally retreat."

Huang Qi understood the other's meaning: "Don't wake the snake in the grass, then wait until night for Brother Kunge to raid the enemy's altar?"

The young general nodded slightly: "Yes."

Huang Qi pondered for a moment and said, "There is some logic. If the enemy learns now that someone possesses long-range magical arts, they will indeed take precautions. Brother Kunge is not the only one who can wield long-range magical arts."

Su Huafang, Bai Zhiwei, and others also possessed long-range attack magical arts.

Their power was merely inferior, after all, the Thunder Art is a pure method of assault.

This Tang-surnamed youth even broke into a delighted smile: "Then that is even better!"

"We must discuss this carefully. Let us go down and speak with Li Xunshou and the others."

The young man nodded repeatedly: "Very good, very good."

Thus, the three descended from the city wall and arrived at the soldiers' quarters.

At this moment, Su Huafang and the others were resting.

After Huang Qi pushed the door open and entered, he said, "Honored Li Xunshou, you have worked hard traveling all the way from the county town. The one beside me is the newly appointed Qianhu of the Bobai Army Garrison, Tang Su."

Several Shoulingren clasped their hands and said in unison: "Greetings, Qianhu."

Tang Su waved his hands repeatedly: "I dare not accept such honor, I dare not accept such honor. The fact that you have traveled a thousand li to support our Bobai Army Garrison is already a boundless favor."

There was a reason for Tang Su's extreme humility.

Although Shoulingren are 'combat units', they actually belong to the civil official system.

The border army belongs to the military general system; the two sides have no superior-subordinate relationship.

Similarly, Huang Qi, this County Commandant, although a civil official, actually commands a force no smaller than a Qianhu.

This was also one of the reasons for Tang Su's courtesy.

Huang Qi took up the conversation and said, "Qianhu Tang hopes that tonight you will go out to raid and destroy the enemy's altar; doing so will force the enemy to withdraw their troops."

Several Shoulingren looked at one another.

Su Huafang clasped his fist and said, "Commandant, although we few also know magical arts, they are all Yin Qi arts, usable only where few people gather. But opposite us is a strong army, hundreds or even thousands of vigorous men gathered together, their blood qi reaching the heavens, and the altar lies at the center of their formation; the power of our arts would be greatly diminished, almost ineffective."

Tang Su was stunned: "Is there such a saying?"

Huang Qi also frowned.

Su Huafang glanced at Li Lin and said, "But Li Xunshou is skilled in the Thunder Art, so the effect on him is not great."

Tang Su, who seemed not very familiar with Shoulingren, asked, "Why?"

Huang Qi was also quite curious.

"The Thunder Art is supremely rigid and supremely yang, almost unaffected by blood qi."

Tang Su looked at Li Lin, his eyes full of awe.

Huang Qi patted Li Lin's shoulder and smiled: "I knew Brother Kunge had great talent."

Li Lin gave a bitter smile: "I only know a few techniques; that hardly counts as great talent."

"You are still too modest."

Afterwards, Huang Qi looked at Tang Su and said, "Since we are asking Kunge to execute such a dangerous plan, then you border army must also show some commitment."

"Money? Or a position?"

"Kunge will not lack these things in the future," Huang Qi said with a smile. "What I mean is, when Kunge goes to raid the enemy's altar tonight, you must assist to ensure Kunge can return safely."

Tang Su's eyebrows twitched, then he smiled: "Naturally so."

In the eyes of the other Shoulingren, there was also considerable surprise.

Huang Qi also looked at the other few Shoulingren: "Of course, I also ask all of you to help."

Su Huafang and the others naturally smiled and nodded in agreement.

Time quickly passed until nightfall.

Li Lin and the others, wearing black night-clothing and draped in concealment robes, quietly slid down from the city wall using ropes.

To coordinate with them, the torches and campfires in this area were extinguished for the duration of one incense stick.

After the few landed on the ground, they immediately darted into the distant forest.

As the time spent walking in darkness grew longer, the white jade pendants on their bodies began to emit red light, and this red light became increasingly obvious.

The group moved very quickly, almost running at full speed.

Soon, they arrived at a forest.

Su Huafang immediately opened a porcelain bottle and scattered a ring of protective barrier powder around them.

The red light on the white jade pendants on their bodies gradually faded.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"This should be the limit," Bai Zhiwei said, looking at the enemy camp in the distance ahead. "If we get closer, we will most likely be sensed by their scouts and Shoulingren."

All Shoulingren carry Yin Qi within them; during the day it is fine, but at night it is particularly obvious.

Those of the same path sense each other.

Su Huafang also smiled: "Next, we just wait."

Everyone nodded in unison.

They had come out naturally to protect Li Lin.

If anything unexpected happens, more people make things easier to handle.

The crowd quickly fell silent again, no one speaking.

Lurking near the enemy's main force, the quieter the better.

After waiting about half an incense stick's time, the city gate of the Bobai Army Town suddenly opened, and a 'fire dragon' shot out.

It was the soldiers inside the military town, holding torches high, charging out.

This was naturally to coordinate with the 'feint' launched by Li Lin, the momentum looking extremely vast.

The enemy army indeed had its attention drawn, and immediately a large number of soldiers also holding torches marched out of the camp.

"It's ready, let's go up."

The few of them immediately leaped beyond the range of the protective barrier powder and moved quickly toward the enemy army.

When still a hundred meters from the enemy camp, they stopped, shielding Li Lin in the middle.

Li Lin then leaped several times, arriving atop a tall tree.

Through the gaps in the tree's canopy leaves, he saw an altar in the middle of the enemy camp; hovering above it was a 'Taowu Zhenjun' that looked like a white cat but had two large hands growing on its rear.

This spot happened to 'lock' onto the extreme distance limit.

Li Lin immediately began forming hand seals, without any hesitation.

With a deafening boom, green-red lightning struck down from the high sky, piercing straight through that white cat Taowu Zhenjun and landing on the forbidden altar.

The altar was harder than imagined; although numerous cracks had already appeared, it still had not completely shattered.

Around the altar, many people looked toward Li Lin's direction with angry gazes.

That 'Taowu Zhenjun's' eyes also turned red, and he lunged toward this direction.

Some kind of spiritual pressure locked onto Li Lin in an instant.

Li Lin increased the speed of his hand seal formation.

The white cat Taowu Zhenjun was fast, but Li Lin held the advantage of distance; the second bolt of lightning struck down again.

The altar shattered; the white cat Taowu Zhenjun stood motionless, his eyes turning from red to black, and on the two large hands behind him that resembled tails, countless eyes began to sprout densely.

"It's done!"

Li Lin shouted excitedly, drifting down from the air.

At this moment, an arrow shot out from the enemy camp, moving at extreme speed.

Li Lin sensed it, but he was currently in mid-air, completely unable to dodge.

Just as he was about to be hit by the arrow, a human figure leaped up.

(End of this chapter)