Chapter 735

It's dawn.

The rain has stopped as well.

After the rain, Burning Person Mountain lives up to its name—there's no grim feeling at all; instead, it's exceptionally beautiful.

The air is filled with damp earth, the fresh scent of plants, and…

A smell of burning flesh.

Chen Wuji had just stepped out of the Zhongjun Camp when he suddenly felt dazed.

It wasn't his nose playing up; there really was a smell of burning flesh.

After repeated campaigns, Chen Wuji is all too familiar with that smell.

Every time they clean up the battlefield, that smell is always present.

Could it be that Burning Person Mountain actually lives up to its name?

With the next rain, you could wash away that burning-flesh smell!

"Family Head, assassins attacked the Yíngzhù again last night!" Chen Li stepped forward and said.

Chen Wuji has heard that so many times over the past two days that he's practically numb to it.

"Taken care of?" Chen Wuji asked, stretching.

"Taken care of—Lao Kong led men to assassinate the assassins' leaders, and Wu Yin led the troops to wipe out the remaining foes." Chen Li said.

"Huh?" Chen Wuji snapped his head around, staring at Chen Li in surprise. "Last night? Wu Yin led the troops in a charge? In such a downpour, when you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, he led the troops in a charge?!"

If it weren't for hearing it straight from the source, he'd really suspect he was hallucinating.

Can a thunderstorm, pitch darkness, and a charge really go together?

That's totally absurd.

"He really did that, and I couldn't stop him." Chen Li said helplessly.

"Wu Yin insisted on proving to you that he hasn't been idling these past six months abroad—his troops are all elite fighters, and he forced them out of camp. Fortunately, this battle was indeed fought quite beautifully, with few casualties. The only thing is that the soldiers ended up eating a few mouthfuls of mud, took some nasty falls, and almost everyone came away with some bruises."

"Uncle Shi, wait a moment, let me think this through." Chen Wuji raised his hand to interrupt Chen Li.

His head is aching a bit.

Chen Wuji feels he's quite worldly now, but this matter really needs some processing.

"How many assassins were there?" After a moment, Chen Wuji asked.

Chen Li gave an awkward look, avoiding Chen Wuji's gaze, and said, "About three thousand people!"

"Last night, they tried to use the rainstorm to launch a surprise assault on our Daying, but Lao Kong and the patrolling soldiers spotted them. Upon hearing the news, I quickly gathered some soldiers, positioned the archers to hold the line, and coordinated with Lao Kong to slaughter the enemy troops."

"My original plan was to stay inside the camp and block those assassins outside the Daying, but once Wu Yin heard the news, he insisted on wiping out those who dared provoke our army's prestige, so he led his forces in a charge."

Chen Wuji remained silent for a moment.

Is this how everyone fights wars nowadays?

Nobody would believe this if it got out.

"Let that brat take fifty military staffs himself—this is outright rebellion! Could he have charged in under those circumstances last night?" Chen Wuji shouted angrily, "Uncle Shi, you personally carry it out—make sure each strike lands solidly, and give him a lesson he won't forget."

Chen Li answered with a sound, then added, "Family Head, I should take fifty military staffs too—I failed to stop him, so I deserve to share the punishment."

Chen Wuji waved his hand and said solemnly, "Uncle Shi, if we go by seniority, as your elder you really should take this punishment for not stopping him."

"But you two don't have a superior-subordinate relationship, and the military isn't a place for seniority. I've advised you; if you couldn't dissuade him, that's his problem—you don't need to take the blame."

Chen Li sighed helplessly and nodded silently.

"So they really were burning people—I thought Burning Person Mountain had some supernatural quality." Chen Wuji muttered, "Three thousand assassins—that's no small number; can we figure out who they were?"

"Lao Kong said they were probably from Bu Yi Alley." Chen Li said this, then hesitated briefly.

"However, Lao Kong's reason is a bit odd—he said the smell was similar."

Chen Wuji slowly stepped out of the Daying and gazed at the soldiers cleaning up the battlefield at the mountain's base, thinking, "Since Lao Kong said that, he must have his reasons; perhaps these experts have their own way of identifying identities."

"Maybe."

"Three thousand people—Bu Yi Alley really keeps surprising us." Chen Wuji's eyes turned icy, his voice bubbling with killing intent.

He hates being treated like a pawn.

By this point, whether covert or overt, almost everything has been laid out on the table—those who think they're clever are just using him as a chess piece.

What remains unclear is who's behind it and what they want.

"As a Rivers and Lakes force, Bu Yi Alley should be expending its last strength." Chen Li said, "With all three thousand wiped out here, this force will likely cease to exist."

Chen Wuji disagreed, saying, "Uncle Shi, have you noticed some people are gradually showing off their muscles to them?"

Chen Li listened, somewhat bewildered, and asked, "Family Head, who are the people you're referring to?"

"It's Yu Ren, or She Zhang Weng, or maybe someone behind him." Chen Wuji said.

"Never mind the rest—just speaking of She Zhang Weng: this person came from Yunan just like us. He started as a Western Seat for the Gu family, then became Gu Wenjie's military advisor, and later Gu Wenjie turned into a useless puppet, while She Zhang Weng only grew more influential and prosperous."

"His shadow appears in Qiang Land, by Yu Ren's side, and now even in Bu Yi Alley—his connections are so wide that he seems to have a place to stay everywhere."

"Gu Wenjie's status keeps dropping, yet She Zhang Weng's standing keeps rising—Uncle Shi, don't you find this suspicious?"

Chen Li's expression grew grave, and he said, "Before you said that, I really hadn't paid much attention."

"Let's take another look at Nan Jun!" Chen Wuji curled the corner of his mouth in a sneer.

"Rivers and Lakes forces have risen from petty skirmishes to three thousand martial artists charging our Daying. Yu Ren, a minor prefect overlooked by everyone, now commands the Three Guards, Four Divisions, and forces from all directions—over a hundred thousand troops—making him a lord who holds Nan Jun to the bitter end, fighting us for mastery of the region."

"They share a trait: at first they seemed weak, and everyone overlooked them."

Chen Li nodded slowly and asked, "Family Head, do you suspect there's someone else behind them?"

"Who knows?" Chen Wuji chuckled.

"After this battle, these things should become clear. Now Uncle Shi wants me to explain the reasons, but I really can't say much—yet I can sense that something's off."

"Just like Lao Kong confirmed these assassins came from Bu Yi Alley by smell, I also, based solely on intuition, think that some people regard us as pawns, wanting to step on our shoulders to reach the summit!"

My Chen Wuji's shoulders may be thin and weak, but they're not something just anyone can step on; it's still unknown whose hand the deer will die in. If you want to mess with these Ghost Swamp tricks with me, then give it a try—the bandits can come, and I can go too.