Chapter 912

"We probably underestimated this old brat." Chen Wuji spoke in a low voice, "I thought he was forced into a desperate situation and made a foolish move, but I didn't expect it to be a genuine lizard's tail-cutting, breaking an arm to survive."

The intelligence we got earlier had a large deviation; Chen Wuji simply didn't expect that there would be a hidden village inside that TianKeng, and this misjudgment caused the outcome to deviate greatly.

"Shenxian Ling is too vast and too mysterious; such a hidden village is indeed somewhat unexpected." Chen Li said, "We've always lived on the edge of Shenxian Ling, and we've never heard of anyone living in the mountains."

"In this mountain, I wouldn't be too surprised by any strange occurrence; after all, it's just that our knowledge is too shallow, our understanding too little." Chen Wuji said.

Since meeting Afu in the mountain and discovering that his hunting yields were better there, Chen Wuji has developed a strong reverence for this mountain.

He hadn't previously thought about people living in the mountain, but he could understand.

In the previous life, when world technology had reached that level, there were still extremely primitive tribes deep in the mountains and rainforests that had no contact with the outside world; having a few hidden villages in Shenxian Ling is hardly anything surprising.

"Liu Yan this old brat also has some luck; when the two major crises of running out of grain and internal turmoil—enough to get him killed—occurred, he actually found such a place." Chen Wuji sincerely sighed again, "This guy's luck is truly good, but for the people of Cai Family Village, it's likely a calamity."

Chen Li asked, "Family Head, how do you plan to fight this battle?"

"Just fight openly; there's no point in scheming now." Chen Wuji picked up a fish that was finally grilled and handed it to Chen Li, "Eat first."

Liu Yan took a detour south to look for a route; he certainly won't get far. We'll just lie in wait for him on the two Ancient Roads. We'll march quickly along the Gu He Dao; in half a day we can get ahead of him. Having come this far in the battle, it's truly a case of narrow road where the brave prevail.

Chen Li said, "I suggest that the Xùhòu yíng should still follow Liu Yan's unit's traces, confirm their Lùxiàn, just in case they find another path in the mountains."

His purpose in asking that question just now was precisely for this judgment.

A few mutterings from Chen Wuji gave him a reminder.

Liu Yan found in dire straits a place like Cai Family Village that is easy to defend and hard to attack, with an excellent geographic location, to resupply provisions; turning the tide from desperation, it's hard to say whether his luck will improve again.

"That's natural; this time the Xùhòu yíng people just need to cling to Liu Yan's tail and not do anything else." Chen Wuji said, "I also worry that this old brat might pull another trick on me."

"Shi Yi Shu, come on, have a couple drinks and rest early; we'll pull out the troops at dawn tomorrow when the shift changes."

Chen Wuji no longer had the leisure to enjoy a late-night snack and gaze at the Star River.

After simply taking a couple bites to fill his stomach, Chen Wuji returned to the Camp Tent.

Tomorrow might possibly see a fierce battle.

……

The next day, when there was just a hint of light in the sky, Chen Wuji's vast camp had already orderly formed into ranks; each unit's Bīngmǎ withdrew in turn from this wind-gathering, qi-accumulating river valley treasure land, marching east along the Gu He Dao.

Chen Wuji personally led the Chen Bang Department Kui Su Lìng and the Jīnwèi yíng toward the Geng Xin Gu Dao; aside from the Xùhòu yíng that had been circling near Liu Yan, the remaining two units' Bīngmǎ headed for the ancient tea road.

Chen Wuji's current tactic is to respond to all changes with constancy; no matter which direction Liu Yan will take next, after arranging his troops this way he can cover all bases.

Even if Liu Yan really found another road in the mountains, the two units' Bīngmǎ stationed close by at the ancient tea road could quickly catch up and latch onto them.

In the hot, humid mountain forest, after a day's forced march plus extra, Chen Wuji led his troops to reach the ancient tea road.

The Scout this morning just sent word that Liu Yan is still looking for a route in the mountains.

He hasn't been lucky enough to find a new route; instead, he's clearing a path himself.

But he's already approaching the ancient tea road.

Chen Wuji ordered the troops to rest briefly in place, letting the soldiers eat something and drink some water.

At the same time, Chen Wuji took advantage of this gap to order a change in the provisions transport route.

From now on, provisions will no longer go through Xinglin Zhen but will be dispatched directly from Hezhou.

Transporting provisions from this place via Xinglin Zhen would be overly laborious; Hezhou is much closer.

After a brief rest, as Chen Wuji was preparing to divide the troops and set out, the exhausted Scout came rushing back again, bringing the latest news of Liu Yan's unit.

Liu Yan's troops had just crossed the ancient tea road, then plunged into the mountains themselves, clearing a path toward the Geng Xin Gu Dao.

Chen Wuji made a quick decision, ordering to pursue and cut off his rear.

This old brat's speed is indeed quite fast.

He took the relatively much easier Gu He Dao, yet Liu Yan trailed him by only a little time; it seems he didn't rest much these two nights, surely compressing rest to the limit and spending more time on the road.

How hard it is to find one's own way in Shenxian Ling, Chen Wuji knows all too well.

Even seasoned hunters dare not wander recklessly in this mountain; a slight mistake and they lose their bearings. If Liu Yan wants to improve efficiency, he can only spend more time, pushing his stamina to the limit.

It's apparent he's also quite pressed now, as if afraid of being discovered.

"Shi Yi Shu, pass the order: change route to go down the ancient tea road. Detach troops to pay attention to the signals left by the Xùhòu yíng ahead, and we'll follow." Chen Wuji rose, adjusted his Armor, and issued the order in a low voice.

"Yes!"

In this mountain, remembering the route is a very complicated matter.

Because everything looks roughly the same—either it's a mountain or trees that are horrifyingly huge.

Even if dozens from the Xùhòu yíng came to deliver this information, several dozen people might still not clearly recall exactly where they set out from; they can only rely on markers.

The main force swiftly marched south along the ancient tea road, straight for Liu Yan's unit.

Along most of its width the ancient tea road allows a single-wheel cart to pass, but in difficult sections only one person can get through; stretching about twenty li to the south, the scout leading the way hurried over.

"My lord, we've found the marker, right ahead!"

"Pass the order: rest in place, inspect weapons, prepare to chop the dog's son!" Chen Wuji commanded.

The battle is proceeding much faster than he had planned.

Liu Yan, this dog's son, has once again broken his expectations, being much faster than he thought.

Chen Wuji originally thought Liu Yan would need several days to find his own way in the mountains; he didn't expect this old brat to be so urgent, practically racing madly.

However, from this one can see that Liu Yan probably hasn't noticed the Xùhòu yíng trailing behind him; otherwise he would have given up continuing to delve into the mountains.