Chapter 133: The Cunning Bandits (1)

The distance from the Northwest frontier to the capital was indeed vast; the main army hurried as best they could, yet it still took eleven days. Throughout these ten-plus days, Gu Yun had ridden on horseback just like Lou Xiyan, Han Shu, and the others. She slept in makeshift military tents at night and survived on dry rations, never once complaining, appearing just as spirited and energetic as the day they left.

Her performance over these ten days not only earned her the respect of the entire army but also the recognition of Lou Muhai. This woman was impressive! The Qing family was considered a prominent household in Haoyue, yet she had been raised without a shred of arrogance or luxury. It was no wonder Su Ling had taken a fancy to her!

Since entering the Northwest territory, the landscape had been filled with rocky mountains and canyons; streams and small rivers were everywhere. The humidity in the air had increased significantly, and with it being midsummer, the muggy air was stifling.

On both sides of the official road lay dense thickets; looking out, one could not see the end of them. The sun was gradually sinking behind the mountains; it would be completely dark in less than half an hour.

Han Shu closed the topographical map and said to Lou Xiyan, "We are sixty miles from Pei City." If they pushed on, they should be able to reach Pei City tonight.

Lou Xiyan suddenly stopped his horse and asked, "Lou Lao Jiangjun, is the terrain like this all the way to Pei City?"

Lou Muhai nodded and replied, "Yes, there is a very long valley ahead. Once we pass through it, it is only another ten miles to Pei City."

Lou Xiyan narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment before ordering, "It is getting late. We shall set up camp here for today."

"Understood."

Han Shu found this strange. At their current pace, they could reach Pei City in less than two hours. Why did Lou Xiyan want to camp here? Though he had questions, Lou Xiyan was the commander-in-chief, and military orders were like mountains; if he said to camp, they camped!

The camp was set up, and by then, it was completely dark. Inside the main tent, Lou Xiyan, Han Shu, and Lou Muhai sat around a large table. Gu Yun held a white cloth, gently wiping the snow-white blade of Bing Lian. She did not look at them, but her ears were wide open; she heard every word they said.

"Lou Lao Jiangjun, you have guarded the Northwest the longest and have dealt with the bandits for many years. Tell us about Pei City and the situation with the bandits."

"Very well." Lou Muhai nodded and recounted earnestly, "Before the Late Emperor conquered this land, Pei City and the nearby towns were small, desolate places under the control of the Yongmu Tribe, led by their chieftain. Later, the Late Emperor wanted to annex this small strip of land at the border of Qiongyue and the neighboring kingdom. After a two-year war, most areas were captured, and the Yongmu chieftain led those who refused to surrender into the forest to the west. The Late Emperor once sent twenty thousand troops to wipe them out, but failed. The Yongmu people would occasionally emerge to raid border supplies and resist the imperial court; it was because of this that the court established the position of Zhenxi General in Pei City."

Han Shu wondered, "Have you not launched any encirclement campaigns all these years?"

Lou Muhai's expression darkened as he sighed, "It is not that I haven't tried, it is just... I am powerless to do so."

Powerless? As far as he knew, the Zhenxi General commanded thirty thousand troops. How could these bandits turned outlaws make him powerless? Lou Xiyan pressed, "How so?"

Lou Muhai replied helplessly, "They hide in the forest during the day. I have sent troops into the forest three times to encircle them, but not only did I fail to annihilate them, my own troops suffered heavy casualties. I had no choice but to station troops three miles outside the forest perimeter to intercept them whenever they gathered to raid. However, in the last two years, I have noticed they raid less frequently, yet each time they appear, their weapons and supplies are of higher quality than the last. That is why I hurried to the capital to report."

It was just a forest! Han Shu disagreed, "They live in that forest; they need supplies for daily life. You could just block the exits and starve them to death inside."

"I tried that long ago, but unfortunately, the forest is so vast that it is impossible to surround. I don't even know which paths they use to enter and exit." The forest was unfathomable; he didn't even know how large it was, so how could he surround it?

Gu Yun, who had been silent, suddenly asked, "Is there a topographical map of that forest?"

Lou Muhai looked at Gu Yun, and meeting her cold, clear eyes, he finally replied, "No. To my shame, I don't even know how many bandits there are. They hide in the forest and never emerge in full force. As far as I know, there are no fewer than ten thousand."

Lou Muhai didn't even know how many troops the enemy had?! He had originally thought they were just small-time thieves and that thirty thousand elite troops would be more than enough. Now it seemed this would be much trickier.

Lou Xiyan asked, "What is the name of their leader?" Surely he knew that much?

Speaking of this, Lou Muhai looked annoyed. He said in a deep voice, "Mu Cang. He is the heir of the deceased chieftain. His methods are even more ruthless than his father's. It is a pity I have never had the chance to face him directly; his two right-hand men, Wuji and Yan Ge, have already driven me to my wits' end."

Just his subordinates had driven a Zhenxi General to his wits' end? Han Shu snorted, sneering, "Are they truly that formidable? I, for one, do not believe it!"

Lou Muhai had grievances he couldn't voice. He had been just as skeptical when he first arrived to take command, but he had ended up just as helpless!

Seeing Han Shu ready to charge into battle at any moment, Gu Yun laughed and said, "Han Shu, you didn't understand Lou Lao Jiangjun's point. If we were on the Gobi Desert or flat plains, I would absolutely believe that with your record and the bravery of the Su Army, no enemy would be worth mentioning. But this time is different. The most terrifying enemy we face is not the bandits, but that mysterious, vast, and boundless rainforest!"

With the enemy holding the advantage of time and terrain, this battle would be difficult indeed!

Lou Muhai stared at Gu Yun in astonishment. He had only spoken a few sentences, yet she had already grasped their true enemy: that damned rainforest! It had taken him two years of pacifying the Northwest to realize that. This young woman was no simple person!

Gu Yun was puzzled by Lou Muhai's stare. At that moment, a series of rapid footsteps and low roars came from outside the tent.

Lou Xiyan sensed something was wrong. Before he could ask, a hurried report came from outside the tent: "Report! The army's grain supplies have suddenly caught fire."

The grain supplies caught fire?!

The four people in the tent stood up in unison. In war, grain supplies came first; if they lost their food, they would be defeated without a fight!

The four rushed out of the tent. Lou Xiyan asked urgently, "What is the situation with the grain now?"

"They are currently putting it out."

Gu Yun narrowed her eyes and looked over. The fire in the distance was not large. She remembered there were over thirty wagons loaded with grain; this small fire didn't seem right. Why would it catch fire for no reason? If someone had committed arson, the fire shouldn't be this small, or perhaps...

Just as a thought flashed through her mind, the Bing Lian in her hand gave a violent jolt. Gu Yun looked up alertly, just in time to see a streak of dark silver light shoot straight toward Lou Xiyan's chest. Gu Yun shouted, "Watch out!"

She swung Bing Lian with all her might to meet the streak of light. With a crisp *ding*, Gu Yun felt a numbness in the web of her thumb, and a short arrow about three inches long clattered to the ground.

The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned. At that moment, a dark shadow ran toward the depths of the forest.

"Over there!" Han Shu spotted him and shouted, chasing after him.

Gu Yun shouted urgently, "Han Shu, don't chase him!"

One should not pursue a desperate enemy! Besides, she had no idea if there were ambushes in that pitch-black forest.

Unfortunately, that tall figure had already rushed into the forest.

Gripping Bing Lian tightly, Gu Yun said to Lou Xiyan, "You stay and command the army; the grain is the most important!" She then plunged into the forest herself.

"Qing Mo—"

Not far away, Leng Xiao and Ge Jingyun were standing outside their tents watching the fire, which was gradually dying down, when they heard a familiar, cold voice: "Leng Xiao, Ge Jingyun, follow me."

They turned around to see Gu Yun.

Her dark figure almost vanished into the forest. The two men looked at each other and, without a second thought, followed her.

Gu Yun ran in front, with Leng Xiao and Ge Jingyun close behind. The deeper they ran into the forest, the softer and slipperier the ground became, and the surroundings grew darker, with only silhouettes vaguely visible. Just as the three were unsure which direction to continue the chase, the sound of weapons clashing in the distance pointed the way.

The three rushed toward the sound. Strangely, the fighting did not last long. Gu Yun was suspicious; she had sparred with Han Shu before, and his martial arts were not weak; he shouldn't have been subdued in just a few moves!

Although there was no sound to guide them, their direction was correct. Before long, they saw a group of shadows in the distance, about three or four men.

They were stuffing something into a large cloth bag. Gu Yun was shocked; Han Shu had actually been captured. Unless these people had used some underhanded tricks, their martial arts must be truly formidable!

Watching two of them hoist the bag onto their shoulders and prepare to flee, Gu Yun shouted, "Stop!"

The men were startled. Looking up, they discovered three figures in the dense forest rushing toward them at high speed. What surprised them was not that someone was chasing them, but since when did the Su Army have women? Although the voice was sharp, it was clearly a woman's.

"Take him and go first; leave them to me." In the darkness, Gu Yun heard a very low male voice with a strange accent, unlike that of a typical Qiongyue person. In the dim environment, she couldn't see his face, but judging by his voice, he must be a young man.

The three men behind him tacitly hoisted the bag and left. In such an environment, if she let them escape, it would be impossible to find them again. This man must be their leader, and his martial arts were definitely the highest. After a quick analysis, Gu Yun said to Leng Xiao and Ge Jingyun behind her, "You two, go after them."

"Understood." Leng Xiao and Ge Jingyun split left and right, flanking the three men.

The man's cold eyes narrowed. A whip over two yards long appeared in his hand, and even in the dim forest, one could see strange golden patterns on it.

Before he could strike, Gu Yun drew her sword first. With a clear, cold chime and a sharp chill, Bing Lian was unsheathed.

The man was captivated by the snow-white sword; the icy energy flowing from the blade made him tremble even from five yards away. What a magnificent sword!

Taking advantage of the man's momentary distraction, Leng Xiao and Ge Jingyun bypassed him and chased after the three men.

The man didn't care; he seemed more interested in the magnificent sword and the woman wielding it.

The woman approached him. The bone-chilling cold grew more intense. The man was curious to see what kind of woman could control such a sword.

Squinting, he saw a small, thin woman who only reached his chest. She wore black, almost blending into the night. He couldn't see her face, but judging by her stance, she was clearly a martial artist.

Gripping his whip tightly, the man held nothing back, unleashing his full strength as he lashed out at Gu Yun's chest. Gu Yun dodged to the side with extreme speed, and the whip struck the ground, leaving a groove three inches deep.

(End of chapter)