Chapter 483: Zengtoushi Arrow

East of the Mountains, Zengtoushi.

This place is not a provincial capital, yet it is due to the five sons of the Zeng Family Manor.

Especially the instructor Shi Wen Gong, whose martial arts are superb, plus the well-trained manor retainers and village militia.

It had become an independent stronghold where local tyrants held sway.

Recently, it was even heard that Zengtoushi proclaimed the boast of 'sweeping away Liangshan and capturing Chao Gai alive.'

And they seized several fine northern steeds from Liangshan, hanging them at the market for all to see—an obvious provocation.

Inside the Liangshan Gathering Hall, upon hearing this news, all the leaders were indignant.

Chao Gai's face sank, and he pressed his palm heavily on the table:

"Zengtoushi is merely a little fort—how dare it bully our Liangshan! It stole our horses, humiliated our prestige; if we do not send troops to reclaim them, would we not let the heroes of the world laugh at us!"

Lin Chong cupped his fists and said:

"Brother, quell your anger. That Zengtoushi dares to be so arrogant; it must have some reliance. I have also heard the name of Shi Wen Gong; he is indeed a fierce general. We must plan carefully and not act rashly."

Wu Yong pondered and said:

"What the instructor Lin says is reasonable. Zengtoushi is no ordinary county; its walls are high and thick, its defenses tight. A direct assault would likely fail. We could try a stratagem, or we need to find its weakness."

However, the recent victories, especially the great defeat of Hu Yan Zhuo, have filled Liangshan up and down with an optimistic, even somewhat arrogant, mood.

Moreover, as Chao Gai is the chief of the stronghold, his prestige is at its height; having suffered this provocation, if he does not send troops, where would his authority be?

In the hall, the cries for battle eventually outweighed the cautious words.

Du Qian, Song Wan, and others likewise declared their willingness to follow the Heavenly King in leveling Zengtoushi.

Shi Dun frowned slightly; he always felt something was off about this matter.

Although Zengtoushi is strong, actively provoking Liangshan, which is at its zenith, seems hardly wise.

Behind this, could there be an invisible black hand pushing things?

He looked at Chao Gai, wanting to advise further, but seeing Chao Gai's mind made up, he could only swallow his words, secretly deciding to follow the army out and act as circumstances dictate.

Chao Gai finally hammered the decision:

"My mind is set! I will personally lead the cavalry and infantry, four thousand strong, to attack Zengtoushi! Instructor Lin, Shi Dun and his brother, the Ruan Brothers, Du Qian, Song Wan, Bai Sheng, and the other leaders will go with me! Military Advisor Wu Yong and the remaining leaders will stay behind to guard the stronghold!"

"Received the order!"

A hidden outpost outside the city.

Chen Wen almost at the same moment Liangshan decided to send troops, sensed an anomaly through 'Shi Yong'.

A thick, inseparable killing intent mixed with familiar cold yin energy, like an opened net, tightly enveloped the direction of Zengtoushi.

And the originally vigorous, upright 'Fortune Momentum' light cluster representing Chao Gai.

Was involuntarily drawn toward that land of killing intent; the edge of its light actually faintly showed a hint of ominous gray-black.

"Karmic Fragment" triggered passively, several extremely brief and blurry images flashed through the mind:

——A cold arrow coated with strange green light, slicing through the darkness……

——Chao Gai covering his face, stumbling backward……

——The chaotic battlefield, and an archer wearing a ferocious demon mask, silently slipping into the shadows……

"Not good!"

Chen Wen sprang to his feet, his complexion suddenly changing.

"Chao Gai is in danger! The Iron Crow Army will strike at him in Zengtoushi!"

Qian Gui, hearing this, also felt his heart tighten:

"My lord, should we immediately inform Shi Dun and dissuade the Heavenly King?"

"It's too late; the great army has already set out."

Chen Wen furrowed his brows, quickly making a decision.

"Moreover, this is a key node in the script the Iron Crow Army is pushing; they surely have calculated Chao Gai's character and Liangshan's current situation, making dissuasion difficult."

"All we can do is to intervene as much as possible to change the outcome!"

"You immediately take all our able men, sneak into the outskirts of Zengtoushi, focus on scouting possible ambush points, especially spots suitable for a cold-arrow ambush! Find that archer wearing the demon mask! Be sure to guarantee Chao Gai's safety!"

"I will arrive shortly! Remember, our goal is not to prevent the event, but to swap beams and pillars when the Iron Crow Army thinks they have succeeded!"

"Understood!"

Qian Gui, knowing the situation grave, immediately took his orders and left.

Chen Wen's eyes were sharp.

He knew well that, according to the Iron Crow Army's script, Chao Gai must die beneath a cold arrow in Zengtoushi.

Forcibly stopping this attack would treat the symptom, not the root; the Iron Crow Army would surely have further means.

Better to go with the flow, letting Chao Gai 'die from an arrow,' in truth shedding his golden cicada shell to retreat into darkness.

Thus, it could both preserve Chao Gai's life and eliminate the Iron Crow Army's focused targeting of him.

It could also let the core strength of the 'Northward Aspiration' concept be hidden deeper, facilitating future action.

This requires extremely precise timing and disguise methods.

The Liangshan grand army, mighty and mighty, marched to the outskirts of Zengtoushi.

Chao Gai commanded the troops, set up camp, and faced off against the forces of Zengtoushi.

At first, several small skirmishes occurred, with wins and losses on both sides; Zengtoushi, relying on terrain and Shi Wen Gong's bravery, did not fall behind.

That night, the moon was dark and the wind high.

Chao Gai felt anxious in his heart, eager to break the enemy, and adopted the 'intelligence' brought back by Bai Sheng's scouting.

He decided to personally lead Lin Chong, Shi Dun, Ruan Xiao Er, and part of the elite leaders together with five hundred soldiers, sneaking under the cover of night to raid the northern stronghold of Zengtoushi.

Shi Dun felt even more uneasy and advised:

"Heavenly King, a night sneak attack—enemy situation unknown, likely an ambush. Better to fight tomorrow, after careful planning."

Chao Gai waved his hand and said:

"Speed is essential in warfare; how can we delay the battle? My mind is set—tonight we must break the northern camp!"

The army advanced silently to the outskirts of the northern camp.

Only to see the camp gate ajar, lights sparse, as if the defenses were lax.

Chao Gai, suspecting nothing, led the charge on horseback, rushing in!

Lin Chong, Shi Dun, and others followed closely behind.

Yet, just after they had entered the gate not far, torches suddenly flared all around, and shouts of killing rose!

Countless ambush troops surged from the darkness, encircling them!

We've fallen into a trap!

Melee erupted instantly!

The Liangshan forces fell into a tight siege, lunging left and right, fighting desperately.

In the chaos, Chao Gai swung his broadsword, unstoppable, cleaving several enemy soldiers in succession.

But he was at the forefront, a conspicuous target.

At that moment, a sudden change occurred!

A cold arrow, from some dark corner, shot out silently!

Its speed was astonishing, its angle treacherous, aimed straight at Chao Gai's face!

On the arrowhead faintly glimmered a gloomy light similar to that of the "Soul-Piercing Arrow," clearly coated with the Iron Crow Army's special deadly poison!

"Heavenly King, be careful!"

Shi Dun, ever vigilant, shouted loudly and lunged forward, trying to block with his body.

But he was still a step too late!

Pfft!

The arrow pierced Chao Gai's cheek, sinking several inches deep!

Chao Gai cried out, his broadsword nearly slipping from his grasp, his burly frame shuddering violently.

Almost at the instant the arrow was released, several figures darted out from the shadows on the flanks!

They were Qian Gui and Chen Wen's capable aides, who had infiltrated beforehand!

Qian Gui's target was the distant figure who had just vanished from the roof, wearing a ghostly mask; he grappled with all his might to prevent a second shot or confirmation of the kill.

Meanwhile, another, following Chen Wen's meticulous plan, under the cover of smoke grenades,

swiftly slipped a "Tortoise Breath Pill"—crafted by Old Man Zhao to simulate the appearance of grave injury, near‑death, or even cessation of life—into the dazed Chao Gai's mouth.

And quickly handled the scene, substituting a previously prepared corpse resembling Chao Gai in build but with a deliberately disfigured face, dressing it in Chao Gai's armor and robes.

"Protect the Heavenly King!"

Lin Chong's eyes nearly burst; he brandished his eighteen‑foot serpent spear like a raging storm, desperately closing in on the "Chao Gai" (actually a decoy).

Ruan Xiao Er, Shi Dun, and others also fought to the death, beating back surrounding enemies to guard that "corpse."

"Retreat! Fall back!"

Shi Dun hoarsely shouted, exhausted, flanking Lin Chong left and right as they lifted the "corpse," fighting their way out under everyone's desperate cover.

In the melee, Qian Gui successfully wounded the masked archer, forcing him to flee without being able to examine the result closely.

He dared not linger, quickly joining the rescue squad to jointly cover the retreat.

The ambush utterly failed; the Liangshan army left dozens of corpses behind and fled in disarray back to the main camp.

Inside the central tent, the atmosphere was oppressively suffocating.

The "corpse" wearing Chao Gai's mask and armor lay on the cot, the arrow wound on its face shocking, breath gone, pulse stopped—indistinguishable from a dead man.

The army medic examined it, then shook his head heavily:

"The arrow poison has attacked the heart… Heavenly King… has passed away…"

The leaders gathered around the cot, struck as by thunder, wailing loudly.

Lin Chong's tiger eyes brimmed with tears; he slammed his fist onto the ground:

"This feud is irreconcilable!"

Ruan Xiao VII wailed bitterly, near fainting.

Wu Yong, hearing the news, rushed from Liangshan, cradling the corpse and weeping, though a flicker of inexplicable doubt crossed his mind—yet the scene allowed him no time to ponder.

The entire Liangshan camp, and indeed the Water Margin stronghold, sank into a sea of immense grief.

The news that the "Pagoda‑Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai had died from a poisoned arrow during the campaign against Zengtou City spread swiftly.

Meanwhile, in a extremely hidden mountain cave far from the battlefield, the true Chao Gai slowly opened his eyes.

The arrow had been removed, the wound treated with Old Man Zhao's secret detoxifying and flesh‑regenerating ointment; though weak, his life was no longer in danger.

Chen Wen stood before him, frankly explaining the preceding events and his own scheme.

Chao Gai touched the bandaged wound on his face, fell silent for a long while, his eyes shifting from initial shock and bewilderment to clarity and resolve.

He let out a long sigh:

"Had it not been for Master Chen, Chao Gai would surely have died this time, and would have ruined the 'Northward Aspiration' undertaking. Now it is well: the open Chao Gai is dead, the hidden Chao Gai may yet accomplish more."

He fixed Chen Wen with a piercing gaze:

"Master Chen, if you have any command, Chao Gai will obey even at the cost of ten thousand deaths! This 'Northward Aspiration Army' counts me in!"

Chen Wen gripped his hand firmly:

"Chao Gai brother, from now on we shall dwell in the shadows, together guarding the spark of 'Northward Aspiration'!"

A single cold arrow at Zengtou City killed the outward "Pagoda‑Bearing Heavenly King," yet gave rise to a more resolute, more concealed "Northward Aspiration" warrior—reborn.

The Iron Crow Army thought they had cleared the greatest obstacle, unaware that the true contest had only just entered a deeper darkness.