Chapter 302

The mountain is high, and man makes the peak.

Today Chen Wuji also took a turn as someone on the high mountain.

He leaned against a towering ancient tree of unknown age behind him, gazing at the firelight that occasionally flared on the opposite mountain.

Because the trees obscured the view, the Qiang people's torches appeared and disappeared intermittently, making them not very clear.

"Regardless of whether what Chen Lang said is true or false, the fact that he could say this shows he is more knowledgeable than most tribesmen; has he read books?" Chen Wuji asked casually.

Chen Luozi shook his head, "I haven't asked, but from his manner of speaking, even if he hasn't truly read books, he must have learned something; he's not completely illiterate."

Chen Wuji instructed, "We should still keep an eye on them; I hope I'm overthinking, but the contrast in these people's behavior before and after is too great, always giving an unsettling feeling."

Chen Luozi shook his head and smiled, "Even if you don't say it, I also want to remind you of this: they indeed deserve closer attention. When they came, they were ostentatious, vowing to seek justice before their ancestors, but then they turned docile, making one feel they are plotting some big scheme."

"They've gone west again; do these Qiang people not know how to read the stars?" Chen Wuji furrowed his brows; if it weren't hard for the Qiang to act under these circumstances, he really couldn't help suspecting these bastards were setting up a mystifying formation to trap him.

Chen Luozi stared at the distant light for a long time, then chuckled lightly, "It really is like an earthworm walking; they've already made a big loop around that mountain, and if they go west again, aren't they just returning? The Qiang elders, called Wise Ones, should theoretically know the Celestial Observation Technique; even if they don't understand profound things, using celestial signs to determine direction is a basic skill they should know."

"Huh? You mean they might really intend to go back?" Chen Wuji suddenly became alert.

Actually, letting them go back under the current circumstances would be a good choice.

The soldiers are already exhausted to the extreme; if we could avoid this battle, it would of course be even better.

But we cannot let them execute a Revolving Horse Spear, run to Elephant Trunk Ridge, drive off their cattle, sheep, and horses again, and then flee.

If that happens, then this battle would be a huge loss.

Pure loss, no profit at all.

"Hard to say," Chen Luozi also dared not be certain.

"We are tired, and the Qiang people are surely more tired; if they realize it's already hard to raid Yunan, they might truly withdraw temporarily."

Chen Wuji gave a light snort, "Let's see. Do they think they can just leave like that without asking my opinion? Do they really think Yunan is their backyard, where they can come and go as they please? There's no such good thing in the world."

"Still need to pursue?" Chen Luozi asked in surprise.

Chen Wuji gave a light cough, "We definitely have to pursue; we can't let them drive off my livestock. We only left twenty or so people to guard the river valley, and we can't guard those livestock."

"We know the Qiang's position; they surely have already seen us, and from the scale of our torches they can roughly guess how many people we left behind in the valley."

Upon hearing that, Chen Luozi's eyebrows instantly shot up, "We really do have to pursue!"

Under the intense gaze of the two Chens, the torches' flickering light on the opposite mountain walked a distance westward, then abruptly turned direction and headed south.

After they crossed the mountain, Chen Wuji's side could no longer see them.

"Go, follow them!" Chen Wuji said.

The group hurried down the mountain, and the order was passed to the soldiers resting in the forest, who quickly caught up.

The Qiang people first went north, then west, and now turned south; they had originally been ahead of Chen Wuji, but after several reversals of direction, they ended up behind Chen Wuji and his group.

However, the distance between them is not great; if the Qiang people do not change course midway this time, their distance should be about one mountain apart.

But when Chen Wuji crossed over that rear mountain peak and climbed high to observe again, he could find no trace of the Qiang people; they seemed to have vanished into thin air.

"Where are the people?" Chen Wuji stared intently at his surroundings, searching bit by bit.

But they were simply gone.

No light could be seen in the surrounding mountains and wilderness.

Instead, the horizon had a faint, hazy whiteness.

The sky was about to brighten.

Chen Luozi pointed to the lofty mountain range on his right and said, "Could they still be behind this mountain?"

That mountain is much higher than the range where Chen Wuji and his group currently are, completely blocking the line of sight; even if Chen Wuji and his group keep walking along the ridge, this situation is hard to avoid.

"Chen Baojia, send a few scouts ahead to take a look; it's dangerous at night, so send several more to go together." Chen Wuji ordered in a low voice.

"Yes."

The soldiers had just barely rested for over an hour, and their spirits looked much better.

In high-intensity marching, even just two hours of rest is very crucial.

"Others, rest in place." Chen Wuji ordered.

His mindset had steadied overnight; even when he had consecutively shot a hundred or so arrows in a life-or-death moment earlier, there had been no major fluctuation, but now a nameless fire surged wildly in his chest.

This group of Qiang people really treated him like a dog being walked.

"Damn it, I don't believe you're all made of iron!" Chen Wuji cursed angrily.

Chen Luozi said with a light smile, "No need to get angry; on the battlefield you can't rush. The situation of these Qiang people is absolutely worse than ours, and they might even have already had internal strife."

"We are all from the same clan; even if we eat a bit more bitterness, we can still endure, but the Qiang tribal cohesion may not be strong; after repeated losses and trekking through the mountains for who knows how far, the Qiang warriors' resentment must have boiled over."

"Take it slow; the advantage is ours right now!"

Chen Wuji took a deep breath, "Mr. Xu previously put forward a condition to me."

"What condition?"

"Exterminate the Qiang people, not leaving a single one!" Chen Wuji said.

"Actually, in my view killing captives is a severe waste of resources; driving these Qiang people out to reclaim land would be better than burying them alive. But now, these bastards must be buried alive!"

Chen Luozi gave a wry smile, "Mr. Xu's such hostility toward the Qiang people suggests he probably once served on the frontier. Actually, my view on dealing with the Qiang people agrees with Mr. Xu's; this tribe must be exterminated!"

When Chen Wuji first crossed over, he instinctively lumped the Qiang people of this world together with the Qiang he had known before; only after roughly understanding the situation of the Qiang people here did the two become clearly separated.

A tribe that is brutal, bloodthirsty, and even retains a cannibalistic tradition truly should not exist!

A few scouts came running over.

"Report to the Brigade Commander, the Qiang people are fighting among themselves at the foot of the mountain ahead!"

Chen Wuji's expression slightly startled, he looked at Chen Luozi and said, "Have you been blessed with a prophetic mouth?"