Chapter 158: Something happened!

Jiang Xiaomu was also somewhat surprised, but compared to Xiong Kuohai's shock, he felt more solemn.

He had long witnessed the brutal and bizarre tactics of the Ghost Face Army's commanders, so he wasn't overly surprised by Badao's "magic trick."

Badao strode forward, holding the blazing Fire Dragon Blade, and charged into the enemy camp.

"Kill!"

He let out a furious roar, waving the Fire Dragon Blade, and crashed wildly through the enemy ranks.

Wherever the blade passed, enemy soldiers instantly turned to ash, not even having time to utter a scream.

Xiong Kuohai stared, dumbstruck, and muttered:

"This… this… this is too fierce! Boss, is Badao a man or a ghost?"

Jiang Xiaomu shook his head and said in a low voice:

"I don't know, but I know that not a single member of the Ghost Face Army is a simple character."

Badao, with one man and one blade, actually drove the enemy into constant retreat.

Wuchu, seeing this, bellowed in rage and ordered the soldiers to charge again.

Yet, facing Badao's Fire Dragon Blade, they were like moths to a flame, utterly powerless to resist.

Xiong Kuohai rubbed his eyes hard, unable to believe what he saw.

"Is this… still human? This is practically a fire god descending to the mortal realm!"

Although Jiang Xiaomu appeared calm on the surface, his inner self was churning with huge waves.

Badao's ferocity far exceeded his expectations; such strength to fight a hundred alone is rarely heard of even in legends.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Now is not the time for shock; he must stay vigilant at all times, observing changes in the battle situation.

The enemy commander Wuchu originally wanted to organize a more fierce assault to completely raze Fall Sunset Village.

But just then, a messenger covered in blood stumbled up to him.

He handed over a letter stained with blood; Wuchu unfolded it, and his face instantly turned ashen.

"Retreat! Full army retreat!"

Wuchu hoarsely shouted, his words full of reluctance.

"General, why retreat? We're about to breach Fall Sunset Village any moment!"

The deputy general beside him asked, puzzled.

Wuchu glared at him fiercely.

"Breach my ass, are you blind?"

"Orders are like mountains; where does all this nonsense come from! Execute the order immediately!"

Watching the enemy retreat like a tide, Jiang Xiaomu's doubts grew even deeper.

What on earth happened that could make the barbarian army withdraw suddenly without any warning?

At the same time, in the barbarian camp's main tent, Tu Huai listened grimly to his subordinates' battle report.

"Just two people… relying only on two of them, they repelled one of our armies?"

Tu Huai's voice was low.

"Yes… yes, General."

"One of them has boundless strength, able to lift a thousand‑jin giant bell, with formidable inner power."

"The other… moreover… controls fire, as if a fire god had descended to the world…"

That scout trembled all over, stuttering as he reported.

Tu Huai slapped the table with one palm, making the wine cups and dishes on it jump.

"Trash! You're all a bunch of trash! Five thousand can't beat two—what face do you have to come back and see me!"

"General, please calm down! I… we've already sent people to investigate their origins…"

Tu Huai took a deep breath, striving to suppress the anger in his heart.

"Pass the order down, gather all the officers—I want to remake the battle plan!"

Not long after, the barbarian officers from all units gathered in the main tent, each silent as a cicada in winter, not daring to breathe.

Tu Huai swept his gaze over everyone and said in a low voice:

"Speak up—what should we do now?"

"General, I think we should concentrate our superior forces and attack Fall Sunset Village again, wiping them out in one fell swoop!"

A burly officer proposed:

"Idiot! Five thousand can't beat them—are you going to send another five thousand to their deaths?"

Tu Huai rebuked him without mercy.

"Then… then we should adopt a siege‑without‑assault strategy, to starve them out!"

Another officer cautiously suggested:

"A siege without assault? Do you think they have no reinforcements?"

"When their reinforcements arrive, we'll be attacked from front and rear!"

Tu Huai rejected this proposal again.

The officers chimed in one after another, proposing various battle plans, but Tu Huai rejected each one.

Tu Huai paced back and forth, brows furrowed, sunk in thought.

The atmosphere in the tent was heavy; you could hear a pin drop.

Tu Huai paced irritably, gulped a mouthful of strong liquor, which dripped down his beard and spread across the tiger‑skin on his chest.

"Could it really be that we're going to be blocked by these two unknown fellows? I refuse to accept it!"

At this moment, the ever-silent military advisor let out a grim, chilling laugh, his voice thin and sharp like the cry of a night owl.

General, don't be anxious; I actually have a plan.

He leaned close to Tu Huai's ear, whispered a few words, and Tu Huai's expression shifted from gloomy to bright, finally bursting into loud laughter.

Excellent plan! Truly excellent! Let's do just as you said!

The air of Falling Sunset Village was thick with the smell of blood and gunpowder, the shattered walls and collapsed houses silently speaking of the battle's recent cruelty.

Jiang Xiaomu gazed upon the village, riddled with wounds, his brows furrowed tightly.

The barbarians' withdrawal was too suspicious, leaving him with a vague unease.

Ye Ying approached, her expression solemn.

We need to quickly discuss our next countermeasures; Falling Sunset Village can no longer be held.

Jiang Xiaomu nodded, bringing Jiang Xiaoyu and Ye Ying to the village's ancestral hall, which temporarily served as their meeting hall.

You're right; the defenses of Falling Sunset Village are severely damaged, and we lack sufficient supplies to repair them. Moreover, the barbarians' retreat this time is likely preparation for a fiercer next attack.

Jiang Xiaomu said in a low voice.

I think we should withdraw to Lookout City.

Ye Ying proposed:

There are elite troops from the Governor's Mansion there, which can help us resist the barbarians' attack.

Jiang Xiaomu pondered for a moment; Lookout City, though easy to defend and hard to attack, has a large population inside.

Once besieged by the barbarians, the consequences would be unthinkable.

But with so many civilians in Lookout City, what would happen to them if the barbarians really attacked the city?

Xiong Kuohai asked worriedly.

Kuohai is right; we cannot only look out for ourselves.

Jiang Xiaomu nodded in agreement.

We must devise a foolproof plan that can repel the barbarian army while preventing Lookout City from falling into their hands.

Inside the ancestral hall, the atmosphere was heavy; Jiang Xiaomu lightly tapped his fingers on the table, over and over.

Ye Ying's proposal was not impossible, yet the safety of the tens of thousands of civilians in Lookout City weighed on him like a massive stone, making it hard to breathe.

Suddenly, a hurried burst of footsteps came from outside the ancestral hall, breaking the silence.

A soldier stumbled in, falling to his knees with a thud before Jiang Xiaomu, his voice trembling as he said:

Report… report… Lookout City… something has happened!