Chapter 723: Hidden Dangers Arise

Deep night, beside the campfire in the camp.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) squatted beside the fire, poking the embers with a small stick.

Before him lay a rough sheet of hemp paper, on which a simple terrain map was drawn with charcoal sticks.

Xu Da, Tang He, and Guo Rong sat together to one side.

Chang Yuchun was also there.

This was his first time participating in core affairs after being formally appointed as cavalry scout captain.

"The Yuan army outposts within thirty li to the south have been basically surveyed."

Guo Rong pointed at several markers on the map.

"Here, Zhang Family Settlement, garrisoned by about two hundred troops, mostly the elderly and weak."

"Here, Li Village, there is a granary, defended by about a hundred troops."

"The largest is here—White River Town, which has a Yuan army Thousand Household Office; actual forces likely under five hundred, but the walls are relatively intact."

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) listened quietly.

After Guo Rong finished speaking, he then spoke.

"Scout Captain Chang, with your cavalry's strength, how much can you harass these outposts?"

Chang Yuchun stared at the map for a moment.

"Zhang Family Settlement and Li Village can be attacked."

"Cavalry raid, burn the granary, kill the defenders, strike and withdraw—the Yuan army can't catch up."

"But White River Town—" he shook his head, "has walls; a direct assault won't work. We can only intercept supply convoys outside, or lure out small groups of defenders to annihilate."

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) nodded.

"That's about what I thought."

He looked toward Xu Da.

"How is infantry training going?"

"The spear formation is ready." Xu Da replied, "The archery unit still lacks good bows; we only have twenty-odd captured horse bows, insufficient range."

"The workshop is rushing production." Tang He added, "But there's a shortage of cured cowhide, so bowstring quality can't improve."

As they spoke, a commotion came from the west gate of the camp.

Faintly, there were cries and shouts.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) frowned.

"Go see."

Guo Rong rose and went over.

Moments later, he returned with two scouts, his expression somewhat solemn.

"Elder brother, it's a new batch of refugees from the north."

"About twenty or more, mostly elderly, weak, women, and children; they just passed the checkpoint."

"The commotion is because… someone is spouting nonsense."

"Spouting nonsense?"

"Hmm." Guo Rong lowered his voice, "They say there's a man-eating demon mist to the north, shadows that burst from the ground to seize people, and that they've seen whole villages turn into walking corpses."

By the campfire, silence fell for an instant.

Chang Yuchun suddenly spoke.

"On my way here, I also heard similar rumors."

Everyone's gaze turned to him.

Chang Yuchun licked his dry, cracked lips.

"North of Cherish Distance, I've encountered several groups of refugees."

"They say the Yuan army has mixed in 'demon persons' who release poison mist; contact rots skin and flesh."

"They also say some soldiers can't be killed by blades or pierced by arrows—unless you cut off their heads."

He paused.

"Back then I thought it was just panic-stricken people spreading baseless rumors."

"But now—" he looked toward the west gate, "more and more people are hearing it."

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) remained silent.

He recalled the lump of dark silver-gray metal in his pocket.

He recalled the fragmented concepts of 'energy' and 'pollution' from the eastern signal.

He also recalled that night of his transmigration, seeing in the mine pit those abnormal ores glowing with blue light.

"Guo Rong." He spoke.

"Here."

"Bring the one spouting nonsense over. Pick the most lucid."

"Yes."

Guo Rong hurried away.

Xu Da asked softly, "Elder brother, how true do you think these rumors are?"

"No wind without a hole." Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) said, "But rumors spread too much become distorted."

"One must see it with one's own eyes and hear it with one's own ears before judging."

Soon, Guo Rong returned with an elderly woman.

The elderly woman was about fifty, her hair graying, her clothes ragged, her whole body trembling.

But her eyes were still clear.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) gestured for her to sit by the fire.

He also had Tang He pass over a bowl of hot water.

The old woman held the bowl, her hands still trembling.

"Don't be afraid, elder." Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) lowered his voice, "Tell me, what did you see to the north?"

The old woman lifted her head to look at him, then glanced at the few clean‑clad men around her who carried weapons.

Her lips trembled a few times.

"I... I fled from Guzhen."

"Guzhen is over a hundred li north of Haozhou," Guo Rong whispered.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) nodded, signaling her to continue.

"Half a month ago... the Yuan troops came, not ordinary Yuan troops."

The old woman's voice trembled.

"They wore dark iron armor, and their eyes... their eyes glowed blue at night."

"Their horses weren't right either— the horses' eyes were also blue, and they ran as if they never tired."

"They attacked the county town; the defenders shot arrows, but the arrows that hit them just bounced off."

Her breathing grew rapid.

"Afterwards, they took the town, but they didn't set fires or loot grain."

"They just... scattered things inside the town."

"Like ash, yet like mist, a dim blue, drifting everywhere."

"Those who inhaled that mist felt fine at first, but after two days they began to cough, coughing up blood, and their skin started to rot..."

The old woman suddenly grabbed Zhu Yue's (Zhu Yuanzhang's) arm.

"Young man, do any of you here cough up blood? Does anyone's skin rot?"

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) shook his head.

"None."

"That's good... that's good..." the old woman released her grip, muttering, "Better stay far away... better stay far away..."

"What happened next?" Chang Yuchun pressed, "How are the townspeople now?"

"I got away, I don't know." The old woman shook her head, "But before I fled, I heard... I heard that some people didn't die, yet they weren't really alive either."

"They walked stiffly, and they bit anyone they saw."

"Like... like the zombies in operas."

After she finished, she curled up into a ball and said no more.

The campfire crackled.

No one spoke.

After a long while, Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) rose to his feet.

"Guo Rong, take the old woman to be settled and give her double rations."

"Yes."

Guo Rong supported the old woman as they left.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) looked at Chang Yuchun.

"Scout Captain Chang, you've traveled south and north— have you heard of this kind of sorcery?"

Chang Yuchun shook his head.

"I haven't. Mongol shamans have some wicked tricks, but nothing this evil."

"Xu Da."

"Here."

"Starting tomorrow, strengthen the camp's vigilance. Especially at night, increase the light and dark posts; report any abnormality immediately."

"Yes."

"Tang He, have the workshop hurry to make masks— multiple layers of coarse cloth with grass‑ash in the middle. All personnel going out must wear them."

"Understood."

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) lifted his gaze to the northern night sky.

The stars were sparse.

"If there really is some kind of 'demonic mist'..."

He murmured softly.

"Then what we face isn't just the Yuan army."

Chang Yuchun suddenly spoke.

"Chief Zhu, should we send a cavalry unit north to scout?"

"How far should we scout?"

"One hundred fifty li. A fast horse can make the round trip in two days."

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) pondered for a moment.

"All right. But only reconnaissance is allowed— no engaging in battle."

"If you truly encounter those black‑armored soldiers, withdraw immediately— no entangling."

"Understood." Chang Yuchun clasped his fists.

The meeting dispersed.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) stayed alone by the campfire.

He took out that piece of dark silver-gray metal lump from his bosom and examined it carefully in the firelight.

This accidentally smelted thing...

Could it be related to the 'demon mist' to the north?

He didn't know.

But he had a strong premonition—

This world is going to change, not just a change of dynasties.

Some darker, stranger things are spreading from the north.

And his camp, his blade-plow flag...

Can it hold out?

Xijing, midnight.

Beneath the observation platform, the humming of the copper instrument array has reached its peak.

Zhao Lao Nian stared fixedly at the central crystal.

The crystal was already blazing bright.

"Sir, energy infusion at ninety-five percent!" the artisan shouted hoarsely.

"Is the pinhole channel stable?"

"Temporarily... temporarily stable! But the fluctuations are intense!"

Zhao Lao Nian took a deep breath.

He walked up to the control console and placed his hand on the three copper buttons.

First set of slips: core principles concerning organizational structure and state-building.

Second set of slips: theoretical foundations of energy countermeasures and purification technology.

Added pulse: north, blue, pillar.

"Send."

He pressed the copper button.

The crystal suddenly burst forth with blinding light.

The entire underground space was illuminated as bright as daytime.

The humming suddenly rose, turning into a shrill whistle.

The copper tubes began to glow red.

"Hold steady!" Zhao Lao Nian roared.

A light pillar shot up into the sky.

It pierced through layers of rock and soil, through the observation platform, and shot toward the night sky.

It shot toward that invisible light curtain.

It shot toward the far side of the light curtain.

The night sky over Huai Xi.

At this moment, Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) was raising his head to gaze at the sky.

He suddenly saw, in the northeastern horizon, a faint, fleeting streak of light flash by.

Like a shooting star.

But the color was wrong.

It leaned blue.

He frowned.

Was it an illusion?

Or perhaps...

A signal from the east?

He immediately turned and rushed to the crude copper wire coil device in the barracks used to receive and record abnormal pulses.

The crystal slice on the device was faintly glowing.

It emitted a regular, blinking blue light.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then it went out.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) lunged toward the record paper.

On the paper, the waveform automatically drawn by the charcoal pencil had just stopped.

He picked up the paper and looked at it by the oil lamp.

The waveform was chaotic.

But faintly discernible were three relatively clear pulse clusters.

And finally that small segment... an unusually regular, high-frequency fluctuation.

His heart pounded wildly.

"Tang He! Xu Da! Come over!"

His voice spread across the quiet camp.

A new round of decryption.

It began.

And in the north, deep in the night.

Amin led the three hundred Hidden Ability cavalry, having already crossed the remnants of the Great Wall.

Where their horse hooves passed.

The grass leaves withered.

The soil exuded an eerie gray-blue hue.

Like a festering scar.

It was on the Zhongyuan land.

Slowly extending.