Chapter 13: Chapter Thirteen: Thunder Python Revealed

The Black Cavalry, after much effort, finally arrived at the valley; one of them had been left gray-faced and bedraggled, which greatly surprised the other two Black Cavalry. The bedraggled cavalryman offered no explanation — explaining would only make him look more useless — nor did he warn his comrades. Lan Feng and the other two had long since detected their approach and swiftly informed Ning Ze.

Apart from Han Xian, everyone had gathered together. Ning Ze observed the valley mouth, dragging the fortune-telling old Daoist along to serve as bait, which drove the old Daoist into a fury of curses; he desperately accused Ning Ze of having no conscience, of harming an old man. Ning Ze tossed back lightly, "This is called making use of a useless thing."

Ning Ze knew in his heart that since these Black Cavalry had pursued them here, Han Shu and the other two were likely already dead. In just two short days, why was everything gone? Looking at the companions around him, if they survived this, what scene would they witness upon returning to the village? Ning Ze dared not imagine that picture; the feeling was as if everything had been hollowed out. Ning Ze steeled his resolve: no matter what, he had to keep everyone alive. The village was gone, Han Shu was gone — he refused to lose these companions as well.

The fortune-telling old Daoist saw that this twelve-year-old boy's heart was churning; he patted Ning Ze's shoulder and said, "It's alright. Though this old Daoist has no great skill, at the crucial moment I can still help you." Those words seemed to possess a kind of magic; Ning Ze felt a surge of strength rise within him, very much like the feeling when he used the First Blade. Ning Ze discovered that the feelings of frustration and helplessness instantly vanished for the most part; now what filled him was more a conviction — he could keep everyone alive.

Before Ning Ze could ask, a huge explosion rang out from the valley mouth. Three Black Knights burst out of the trap; if looks could kill, Ning Ze reckoned he would have been killed ten thousand times over. The three had been left in tatters by the trap; though their lives were not in danger, being toyed with madly by a bunch of ants — one could well imagine their mood. They hadn't even seen a single person, yet had been reduced to such a sorry state. Seeing the figures of Ning Ze and the others, the Black Cavalry charged straight in without the slightest hesitation.

"Gentlemen, can't we speak properly? Such impulsiveness — aren't you afraid there might still be traps underfoot?" Ning Ze said with a calm face, looking utterly unafraid of their approach. Hearing this, the three cavalrymen halted, not daring to move rashly. Regarding the traps Ning Ze's group had set, the three still had lingering fear; they had already experienced them — strange and unheard-of, one careless step and they were caught, which was why they had been left in such a wretched state. Seeing Ning Ze so composed, they instead hesitated to act recklessly.

"Hmph. Lay down your resistance, hand over that remnant, and we'll consider sparing you." The lead Black Cavalry refused to be cowed, still issuing his overbearing order. The two flanking cavalrymen approached cautiously, checking for traps.

"The remnant you speak of — is it this person? I don't know him. If I hand him over, will you let us go?" Ning Ze asked probingly, seizing the old Daoist as if to hand him over. The lead Black Cavalry of course didn't believe these people would submit without resistance; he signaled his two companions with his eyes while replying, "You hand him over first. You have no conditions to bargain with."

Once the comrades confirmed there were no traps, they signaled the lead Black Cavalry. The three did not hesitate, launching another sudden assault. The Black Cavalry's terrifying strength — their charging steps stamped out small pits one after another, each stride and leap nearly matching a forest hunting leopard. Ning Ze put on a face of panic and fear: "Wait! I have a secret to tell you — stop! It concerns the remnant. If you don't stop, I'll kill him."

The Black Cavalry closed on Ning Ze's group with astonishing speed; their arrows could not stop them at all. Originally, after the lesson just now, the Black Cavalry no longer trusted this cunning brat and wanted to seize him first, then talk — but that final sentence forced the Black Cavalry to halt. The blade was already pressed against the fortune-telling old Daoist's neck; Ning Ze seemed to have grasped a last straw, his voice trembling: "I'll tell you the remnant's secret — I want a way to live."

The lead Black Cavalry replied with forced patience: "Good. You speak the secret, and I'll spare your life. First, hand over the remnant in your hands." At their distance, the lead cavalryman could reach them in a few heartbeats; though suspicious, he felt Ning Ze's fear was only natural.

"The secret I want to tell is, in this valley, there are many..." Ning Ze had already seen Han Xian return; his expression once more returned to calm. The Black Cavalry saw this expression and knew they had been tricked again — furious beyond measure. Tricked again and again, the three decided that this time, no matter what, they had to kill Ning Ze — death by a thousand cuts.

"The wolves are coming!" Ning Ze continued. The Black Cavalry, hearing this, didn't grasp the meaning at first; they froze for a moment, just about to charge out, when wolf howls rose and fell all around. One could well imagine how terrible the three felt inside. The lead Black Cavalry erupted on the spot; his qi blasted away everything around him, determined to kill the stinking brat before him at any cost. Before the Black Cavalry could gather his breath and close in, Han Yu and the other two ignited the combustibles; a sea of fire appeared between the two sides.

The lead Black Cavalry halted again and roared, "Ah! Stinking brat, you will certainly die by my hand, and die miserably!" The sound waves of his roar rippled the sea of fire. Ning Ze, not to be outdone, retorted, "Playing with this young master — you can't even catch my fart. Instead of howling here, why don't you look at how many wolves surround you? Looks like you've got plenty of strength, Fatty — let's give them a little surprise."

Something flew out of the sea of fire; the lead Black Cavalry dodged and found it was pebbles. By now the three no longer wanted to waste time with Ning Ze; the wolf pack had already encircled them. The dense forest was unsuitable for riding; their flood-dragon horses had been left outside the valley, leaving them unable to escape even if they wanted to. The three stood back-to-back, facing off against the wolf pack. Last time the wolf pack had been scared off by Ning Ze's group, and many wolves killed; the Wolf King had deeply remembered their scent, and in just one day returned to provoke them again — this time bringing all the wolves. Not seeing Ning Ze's group, the Black Cavalry before them became the first target for venting.

Something was thrown from the sea of fire again; this time they didn't dodge. A foul stench penetrated their armor and assaulted their noses. What had been thrown just now was excrement; the Black Cavalry thought it was pebbles or the like and didn't want to waste effort dodging — now their armor was smeared with filth. Tricked again, the lead Black Cavalry charged into the wolf pack, his furious roar piercing heaven and earth: "I swear — I will kill you!"

The three, heedless of the wolves swarming them, with rage clouding their hearts, only wanted to quickly finish off the wolf pack and then kill Ning Ze. Ning Ze's group stood on high ground, looking down on the Black Cavalry being besieged. The young companions expressed a thread of sympathy for the Black Cavalry — to run into such a clever fellow as Ning Ze (a sinister fellow), never even touching him, yet played around in circles until they nearly coughed up blood.

The fortune-telling old Daoist wore a look of keeping his distance from Ning Ze, not wanting to be sold out later and still help count the money. Even several body-lengths away, he still asked, "What do we do next? Looks like the wolf pack can't kill them."

Ning Ze rolled his eyes at the old Daoist, spread his hands, and said, "Why are you staying so far from me? Can I eat you? If the wolf pack can't kill them, we run for our lives — let's see if Heaven grants us a way out."

The fortune-telling old Daoist was nearly choked by this retort, unable to catch his breath; he said irritably, "You brat are utterly unreliable. Just now you were all high and mighty provoking them, now how come you're admitting defeat? Watch — don't say this old Daoist only knows how to boast; at the critical moment you still have to rely on this old Daoist."

Ning Ze didn't believe a word of the old Daoist's boast: "This is called knowing one's limits. When a man's strength is exhausted — so many wolves can't kill them, how could we ordinary mortals kill them? You stop boasting too; if you've got the skill, show it. Otherwise, hurry up and run." Finished speaking, he turned and waved the young companions to prepare to flee.

"Wait. Tell me honestly — I can help you kill one. As for the other two, do you have any way to deal with them?" The fortune-telling old Daoist asked seriously. Ning Ze looked into his eyes; they didn't seem to be joking. His eyes flickered — killing one was better than none; as long as they survived, the other two could be dealt with later. "Yes. You kill one first, let's see." Ning Ze gritted his teeth and agreed.

The fortune-telling old Daoist produced a divination flag from somewhere, fingertips pointing skyward; an invisible something flew toward the lead Black Cavalry, as if he were casting a spell. After the old Daoist finished, a trace of fresh blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. The lead Black Cavalry had been trading blows with the wolf pack evenly; as he swung a slash, he inexplicably stumbled, his blade deviating by three inches, and a wolf bit his thigh. The lead cavalryman flew into a rage, pouring all his strength into cleaving the wolf that had bitten his leg; rage clouded his heart, aggravating his wound, and he spat a mouthful of blood. Another wolf lunged from the side; having just struck with full force, and with his heart injured, his strength was spent — he couldn't bring his blade back in time and was bitten again.

The Wolf King saw the lead cavalryman severely wounded, already showing fatigue and weakness; it howled for the remaining wolves to swarm and kill. The wolf pack intensified its attack; the other two could barely parry. The lead cavalryman could not withstand so many fearless wolves either; he could only frantically hack and kill, fresh blood soaking his entire armor, impossible to tell whose was whose. A final rally — a slight exhaustion — and the wolves swiftly seized the chance, swarming madly to tear and bite. "Ah! I'm not reconciled!" The voice drowned in the wolf pack; the lead cavalryman was directly torn to pieces.

This sudden change stunned Ning Ze; he could not comprehend what power this was. The fortune-telling old Daoist now looked like an otherworldly expert, profound and unfathomable — a pity the blood at the corner of his mouth hadn't been wiped clean. The remaining two Black Cavalry felt their hearts panic at the sight; they no longer dared fight recklessly, standing back-to-back in defense, killing as they retreated. They realized things were not so simple; following their lord to hunt the remnant, many occurrences were no accident — the lead cavalryman's death by wolves was definitely someone's doing. The Wolf King was very patient; with two men left, like cornered beasts still fighting, it would slowly wear them down — the pack harassing them from time to time.

The great fire burned vigorously, gradually spreading. The Wolf King seemed to have met its nemesis; it suddenly turned tail and ran, the wolf pack fleeing with tails tucked. Everyone had yet to understand the situation when the valley floor suddenly exploded, stones blasting in all directions. The fortune-telling old Daoist grabbed Ning Ze and ran: "Run! If that thing comes out, we're all dead."