Chapter 1030: [All in One Net] (Lower)

Although LiuJiaoCheng sounds grand, it is actually a ruin that has been deserted for many years. In the past there was a small town here, but later the Cangjiang River changed its course, flooding the town. Only twenty years ago did the Cangjiang change course again, cutting off the flow here, drying the riverbed, and allowing the town once submerged by the river to see the light of day again. Although the town reappeared, its former residents never returned, and it has remained deserted for twenty years. Because of wind and sun exposure, the city walls have severely weathered, with many sections collapsed and sunken. Even within the town, no intact building can be found.

LiuJiaoCheng also got its name from the shape of its walls. Hu Xiaotian chose this place for two reasons: first, it is far from any town, desolate and uninhabited; second, from here one can reach Xiezhou the next day. If the Shajia people miss tonight, they will lose their best chance to deal with them.

After familiarizing himself with the layout of LiuJiaoCheng, Liang Yinghao immediately began digging, leading a few companions to excavate tunnels at key points. They were outnumbered, so they had to make full use of the local terrain. In this regard, Liang Yinghao was undoubtedly an expert.

Among this group, Yang Lingqi and Weisa do not know martial arts and need protection.

Yang Lingqi told everyone his idea: Liang Yinghao excels at terrain warfare and will handle the rear support from hiding; the frontal assault will be undertaken by Xiong Tianba and Hu Xiaotian; Tang Tiexin, whose horsemanship is superb, will lure part of the enemy and conduct flanking maneuvers.

What this group lacks is an expert archer, making long-range attacks and support impossible.

Hu Xiaotian did not take those Shajia warriors seriously; if it came to a head‑on clash, he and Xiong Tianba alone could defeat them. What truly worried Hu Xiaotian was the Soul Capturer. He told the group about being ambushed by the Soul Capturer and Guo Zhenhai at the relay station, warning them: "The greatest threat is not those warriors, but this Soul Capturer among them. His name is DuoJi, a Shajia master of soul capture, skilled at using his gaze to control an opponent's consciousness. Everyone must remember: never meet his eyes directly."

Xiong Tianba said confidently: "What's so hard about that? As soon as I spot his shadow, I'll rush forward and smash him with one hammer strike."

Hu Xiaotian replied: "You don't know how dangerous he is. I will deal with him myself; your task is to take out the other warriors." He turned his gaze to Yang Lingqi and Weisa: "Once the fight starts, you hide in the tunnels Liang Yinghao prepared, and come out only after the battle ends."

Yang Lingqi nodded; he was originally a scholar with no strength to truss a chicken. Planning strategies is his forte, but asking him to charge into battle would likely just hinder them. Weisa, however, looked extremely reluctant. Hu Xiaotian called her aside and whispered: "Weisa. Swords have no eyes. You don't know martial arts, so staying outside won't help, and if danger arises we'll have to divert attention to protect you."

Weisa said: "Master, I'm truly useless. I've brought this trouble upon you."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "It has nothing to do with you. I originally wanted to settle accounts with that DuoJi; his coming here is tantamount to giving me a chance for revenge." Though he spoke lightly, Hu Xiaotian had no firm confidence in whether he could eliminate the opponent. In the past he had encountered soul‑capturing techniques more than once: the Hu Jia confusion heard in Da Yong, and in Dakang Li Yuncong had once used the huqin to stir the divergent true qi in his body, causing internal chaos and disordered breath. Those two relied on auditory disturbance to unsettle the mind, whereas this one relies on gaze. Although its range is smaller than hearing‑based methods, it often occurs silently, making it harder to guard against.

Liang Yinghao and Xiong Tianba lit a bonfire at the designated spot, intending to give their pursuers a more obvious signal. Xiong Tianba was quite excited, staring at the blazing fire, unable to resist clenching his fists and rubbing his palms, eager for the pursuers to arrive immediately so he could slaughter them all and vent his pent‑up frustration of the past few days.

Yang Lingqi watched him and couldn't help shaking his head. Seeing Yang Lingqi's worried, grim expression, Xiong Tianba couldn't help saying: "Mr. Yang, you look rather unhappy."

Yang Lingqi said: "I'm a scholar; how could I possibly be happy in this situation? I wish they wouldn't come at all."

Xiong Tianba replied: "If they don't come, wouldn't I have prepared for nothing?"

Liang Yinghao laughed: "You little rascal, don't forget they outnumber us; if we really fight, we might not gain the advantage."

Xiong Tianba said: "When soldiers come, we block them with arms; when water comes, we earth‑cover it. You won't need to lift a finger when the time comes—I alone will wipe them all out!"

Yang Lingqi said: "On the battlefield it isn't necessary to compare who kills more; victory through strategy is key. Don't just think about killing; if your eyes fixate on individual enemies, you'll easily overlook the bigger picture. Mere brute courage won't do."

Xiong Tianba stared with wide eyes: "Is Mr. Yang scolding me?"

Yang Lingqi also laughed: "I'm not scolding you, I'm reminding you—you'd better treat tonight as a city‑defense battle. Do you know what is most important in defending a city?"

Xiong Tianba answered: "Just keep the enemy from entering the gate." He glanced at the four‑sided, wind‑blown, everywhere‑collapsed LiuJiaoCheng: "How can you defend a city when the walls aren't even intact?"

Yang Lingqi said: "Although the walls are incomplete, you must have a complete wall in your heart; do not lose yourself to bloodlust, for if you only think of slaughter you'll easily fall into the enemy's trap."

Xiong Tianba actually seemed to grasp some of this, nodded and said: "I understand Mr. Yang's words; I will try to make city defense my priority and not easily leave the LiuJiaoCheng area."

Yang Lingqi then whispered a few words into Liang Yinghao's ear; Liang Yinghao nodded, summoned Xiong Tianba, and together they began to tamper with the surrounding walls.

Hu Xiaotian stretched his limbs, feeling that the injury to his right rib no longer affected his movement. He picked up his sword Hidden Edge, took out a soft cloth, and gently wiped the blade. The Eyebrow Knife he had snatched from the Blade Demon he temporarily gave to Tang Tiexin for use. Tang Tiexin's martial arts are ordinary, but once equipped with a weapon that cuts iron like mud, his combat ability undoubtedly increases considerably.

Hu Xiaotian recalled the matter of Qianli Xiang and asked Weisa: "How did you learn about the Qianli Xiang affair? You seem to know quite a bit about the Shajia people."

Weisa replied: "I lived in Shajia for a long time, so I naturally know something about them…" Before she could finish, Tang Tiexin rode his horse Xiao Hui like the wind toward this side, shouting from afar: "Lord, a troop is heading this way, about eight li from LiuJiaoCheng, moving slowly, roughly a hundred strong."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, he let Weisa and Yang Lingqi go together to the hiding place to conceal themselves—let alone a hundred men, even if the number doubled, his and Xiong Tianba's combat strength should be enough to finish them all. But Hu Xiaotian's real worry remained the Soul Capturer; if only DuoJi were present, he could probably eliminate him instantly, but if there were more, trouble would ensue. At this moment Hu Xiaotian realized he had a problem with his entourage's composition: there was not a single expert archer among them. If Ying Peng or Huo Shengnan had come to Xichuan, long‑range killing of the Soul Capturer would pose no problem.

Indeed, the enemy's advance was slow; only after half an hour did the pursuing troop appear in the distance. Hu Xiaotian stood on the ruined FengHuoTai, his gaze piercing the night curtain toward the far horizon; his eyesight was astonishingly keen, making the scene beyond one li clear as day. Over a hundred black‑clad cavalry halted about one li away, arranged in groups of ten forming a square formation. All wore identical attire, their heads wrapped in black cloth leaving only a pair of eyes visible; trying to discern which one was DuoJi among them was extremely difficult.

Hu Xiaotian gave Tang Tiexin a look; Tang Tiexin spurred his horse due south, his task being to draw the enemy's attention, then return from the south, using Xiao Hui's astonishing speed to circle to the enemy's rear, and launch long‑range attacks with the bolts he carried.

Hu Xiaotian gripped Hidden Edge and made a vacant slash in the air; today his hand seemed unlucky, and this sword failed to release sword qi.

Xiong Tianba clutched a huge boulder, scrambled up onto FengHuoTai, stared wide‑eyed, but could only see a vague, indistinct column; he could not tell how many there were. His eyesight certainly could not match Hu Xiaotian's, and he whispered: "Third Uncle! Who of us should take the lead?"

Hu Xiaotian glanced at the ground, only to see that his feet were already piled with millstone‑sized boulders—these were the stones Xiong Tianba had hauled up with all his strength. Although they lacked a god‑level archer, they were not short of strongmen. Using the city wall's foundation stones and bricks to strike down from above, their killing power against these cavalry should surpass that of feathered arrows.

Yet they waited half an hour and still saw no enemy attack. Hu Xiaotian faintly felt something was off; Xiong Tianba was visibly impatient, snarling: "These turtle‑grandson sacks of grain and wine—attack or not? I'm suffocating! Third Uncle, why don't I just charge out and finish them all?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "No, they must be waiting for something."

Xiong Tianba blinked: "Waiting for what?"

Hu Xiaotian whispered: "Could they still have reinforcements?" As his words fell, he saw a rocket whoosh! from the north, shooting into the night sky, and then another rocket fly out from the midst of the black‑clad cavalry's camp. Two rockets traced golden arcs in the air, reflecting each other—Hu Xiaotian's worry was confirmed.

Liang Yinghao shouted from below: "Lord! They still have reinforcements!"

Hu Xiaotian said in a low voice: "Now we can't worry about that much—come one, kill one!"

The black‑clad cavalry's formation finally began to move; the central rider led the way, the square formation shifting into an arrowhead as they advanced. With a command, all riders on horseback drew bows, nocked arrows, and tensed the bowstrings on their rockets; over a hundred rockets simultaneously shot upward at a forty‑five degree angle into the night sky. When the rockets reached their apex, they changed direction, slanting downward toward LiuJiaoCheng. (To be continued~^~)