Chapter 380

Suddenly the defeat collapsed like a mountain, leaving Gu Wenjie dazed for a long while without grasping what happened; he didn't even realize he should flee, and the Snake Staff Elder forcibly led his horse away from the battlefield.

He ran far off before Gu Wenjie slowly came to his senses, saying, "Master, what... what's going on? We should have won; why did we lose so quickly?"

The Snake Staff Elder's face darkened: "Chen Wuji that brat hides his strength too well—he actually has a fully armored Mo Dao Army; with our ragtag bunch, how can we fight against their Mo Dao Army armed to the teeth?"

That damn Mo Dao Army is a battlefield weapon against cavalry; each soldier must be carefully selected, yet this brat kept it completely concealed, leaking no news, and used it here against us.

You bastard, he actually thinks highly of us! Not to mention two thousand troops—even if another two thousand came, facing this fully armed Mo Dao Army we would still lose.

Gu Wenjie asked in disbelief, "But where did he get the Mo Dao Army?"

"Where else could it come from? It must be the Chen clan's hidden strength." The Snake Staff Elder said angrily.

Since the Chen clan settled in Yunan, several generations have been as timid as a grandson, bullied to the point of not daring to fart, unable to even stand up to the village bully.

But after all, the Chen clan is a mighty military house that flourished for two dynasties; I wondered why they became so meek after exile. Now I understand: they were biding their time, secretly building strength.

This time, I was careless; I should have guarded against this move of theirs earlier.

Gu Wenjie suddenly said hatefully, "Master, we must kill them as soon as possible!"

"How early? It's already too late." The Snake Staff Elder shook his head. "They've now brought out such forces, making it clear they're no longer hiding, and want to show us the Chen clan's fist."

"What I'm worried about is whether the Chen family, besides this Mo Dao Army, has any other means."

"Master, summon the Li and Xue families' people to test them; we'll first take down this Mo Dao Army. Otherwise, they'll keep hounding us like dogs, dragging us into whatever else we try to do." Gu Wenjie said quickly with a sinister look.

The Snake Staff Elder looked satisfied at Gu Wenjie: "You finally have some air of a family head, but remember, in haste one must not make rash decisions; an unsettled mind will surely lead to foolish moves."

Although the Mo Dao Army is strong, they only have a few hundred men; I could drown them with sheer numbers. We need to be wary, but there's no need to over‑fear them. This doesn't require haste; we can plan long‑term.

So what if the Mo Dao Army is strong? With my strategies, no one in Yunan can resist! Let's go!

……

Chen Wuji won another great victory.

This time he took no shortcuts, used no Shocking Heaven Thunder, and won purely through overwhelming strength.

Even his original troops were merely playing a supporting role.

The fiercest assault came from a few elderly men of the Xiao family and this squad of veteran soldiers under Yang Tiejiang.

Of course, this squad of veteran soldiers under Yang Tiejiang is now also Chen Wuji's troops.

They had just joined, but still deserve to be singled out for comment.

Their first appearance already earned everyone's awed gaze.

After usual big victories, the soldiers got so excited they could hardly find north.

But this time, just as they began to smile, turning their heads they saw those veterans drawn up in stern ranks, still wearing murderous looks, and instantly no one dared to be excited.

The other soldiers, though resentful, also had their competitive spirit stirred.

Wu Bu Yong and Qian Yong's two units immediately formed ranks, each puffing out their chests to display their most martial aspect as much as possible.

This sight made Chen Wuji secretly satisfied.

Internal competition is needed; as long as it continues, why worry that we won't become elite troops?

Chen Wuji was considering whether to give this unit special treatment, raise its overall status, add some honors, and set an example for other battalions.

But after thinking it over, he dropped the idea—Yang Tiejiang, wishing to avoid suspicion, didn't want to keep leading these veterans, who had now been merged into the Personal Guard Battalion; raising their honors further would be difficult.

"Clear the battlefield quickly; tonight we'll camp at Baiquan Village." Chen Wuji ordered.

Part of the Gu family's forces fled, and Yang Tiejiang gave no order to pursue.

Chen Wuji also gave no order to drive the main army up Que Wei Shan.

This hill is easy to defend but hard to attack, not a good fight.

Storming it is far less worthwhile than laying siege.

The sunset's afterglow was completely swallowed by the mountain's rear slope; the soldiers roughly cleared a camping area in the village, while the corpses scattered outside were already beyond clearing.

Chen Wuji ordered to set up camp.

Rather than have everyone sweep the battlefield with torches, it would be better to let them spend another night outdoors.

The place where Chen Wuji would sleep tonight was quite luxurious, apparently the home of a small landowner.

The compound is a two‑courtyard layout, with everything to eat and drink available inside.

When the Gu family's commander‑in‑chief was stationed at Baiquan Village, he likely lived here; the mansion suffered basically no damage, and still retained several attendant women.

They were all young, about twenty years old.

At a glance at their clothing, Chen Wuji was certain they had been abducted.

"What's your home situation? Those who have a home and want to go back, I'll give you some silver tomorrow so you can return; if you have no home or don't want to go back, I can also arrange for you to make a living in Yunan City." Chen Wuji said.

Seeing these women, he actually had a headache, not knowing how to arrange them, yet he could not leave them unarranged.

If nothing unexpected happens, nine out of ten of these girls probably no longer have a home.

The Gu family's business is slaughtering villages and razing strongholds; they were all captured and brought here—how could their families possibly still be safe?

Twenty-something girls, each with a tense expression, uneven and messy, either shaking their heads or whispering something.

But the voices were too soft; Chen Wuji simply couldn't hear clearly what they said.

"Husband, let me handle this."

Seeing this, Qin Zhanhong volunteered and took over the matter.

"Good."

Chen Wuji lifted this small burden and immediately ordered a banquet to be prepared.

This small landlord's household has food and drink, with abundant supplies, perfect for giving the soldiers an extra meal.

The soldiers ate outside, while Chen Wuji entertained the officers and the Xiao Family's dozen or so elders in the courtyard.

These elders all had long, flowing beards; once seated, each resembled a Daoist who had attained the Way, exuding a strong air of transcendence.

Adding the Hongfa Monk sitting alone at a table, the scene was practically a debate between Buddhism and Daoism.