Chapter 367

First Volume, Chapter 367: The Disciples of Tianji Camp

Under the protection of the Brocade Guard, Qin Feng carried the unconscious Xiao Xiangxiang into the Workshop Cart.

Qin Feng did not know what was happening around him.

More accurately, even the Brocade Guards protecting Qin Feng were completely unaware of the surrounding situation.

The darkness was too thick; only occasional screams and faint noises revealed that the hidden battle in the dark was still ongoing, and escalating toward a fever pitch.

Within ten zhang of the cart, seven Night Owls and thirteen Brocade Guards lay in ambush.

Everyone lay flat on the ground, utterly focused, silently listening to every sound around them.

Even these elite operatives, trained in intelligence and assassination, could not suppress the sweat pooling in their palms under such pressure.

Their hands, tightly gripping bows and arrows, had grown stiff from prolonged tension.

Since the ambush began until now, apart from two or three individuals killed at close range by cutting down, nearly everyone else had been killed by arrows.

Even though distances between them were less than two zhang, all still placed their entire hope in their bows and arrows, not in daggers or other short weapons.

Shen Ke, captain of the Night Owls carrying out this retaliation, had eyes like a hawk; though the information reaching his vision was extremely limited, he scanned every patch of ground with rigid alertness, leaving no possible hiding spot unexamined.

In the past, Shen Ke would have already ordered a near-frenzied assault on the convoy.

But since the Beidi began their war with Beixi County and witnessed the combat methods of Tianji Camp, the entire Night Owl organization had been subtly transformed, its fighting style utterly revolutionized.

It gradually shifted from close-range assassination toward ranged attacks, seeking to achieve maximum strategic gain at minimal cost.

No one knew how much effort Night Owl members had poured into improving their archery.

Before launching this retaliation, Shen Ke had conducted meticulous pre-operation military intelligence gathering and confirmed that Tianji Camp Guards were stationed only in Jingdu, Beixi County, and Tangqi, and that Qin Feng's return journey carried no Tianji Camp Guards at all.

Even with Jing Qianying and Li Lang as companions, to the Night Owls, this was still an ideal opportunity!

Shen Ke was confident he could capture or kill Qin Feng, Jing Qianying, and all others.

But…

Plans cannot keep pace with sudden changes; human calculations are no match for fate.

Shen Ke had never anticipated that so many specially trained experts would suddenly appear around Qin Feng, whom he had expected to be an easy target.

These men were neither Tianji Camp Guards nor martial artists—they were soldiers trained in special tactics!

"Tianji Camp Guards? Heiwei Office?"

The only organizations Shen Ke could imagine were these two, yet clearly, these experts did not belong to either.

Then how strange—were these men simply appearing out of thin air?

Or perhaps…

Beyond the Tianji Camp Guards, Qin Feng possessed another, even more secret force?!

The thought sent a chill down Shen Ke's spine, for Qin Feng's caution had surpassed his understanding—and the more cautious Qin Feng became, the more urgent it was to eliminate him.

Tonight's outcome would be one of two things.

Either the Night Owls would be annihilated, or Qin Feng would die.

As Shen Ke cautiously waited for an opening, suddenly, a burst of flame erupted from the direction of the cart.

Shen Ke's eyes flickered with excitement.

"Fool! In this tense standoff, you dare expose your position? You seek death!"

Without hesitation, Shen Ke, following the Tianji Camp Guards' equipment style, had strapped his short arrow quiver diagonally across his shoulder, within easy reach. His left hand drew the bow, his right pulled an arrow, nocked it on the bow arm, and released—arrow flew. Instantly, his right hand drew another arrow and fired again.

In a single instant, Shen Ke fired three arrows.

Such concentrated archery was unimaginable before encountering the Tianji Camp Guards.

It was by learning the Tianji Camp Guards' combat methods that the Night Owls' strength had greatly increased!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The three arrows struck nearly simultaneously at the flame's location—but the sounds were wrong.

Clearly, the arrows had not hit flesh or wood, but some kind of metal.

At that moment, Qin Feng stood at the cart's doorway, holding up a large sheet of iron.

This iron sheet had originally been spare material for crafting "drilling tools," and now it served its purpose perfectly.

Since Shen Ke's arrowheads were all iron armor-piercing arrowheads, capable of piercing both common soldiers and heavily armored infantry,

all three arrows pierced the iron sheet and lodged in it.

Qin Feng's back prickled with cold sweat, but to break the standoff, he forced himself to turn and shout to the Brocade Guards: "Throw!"

The Brocade Guards hurled burning oil-soaked cloth bundles into the air; under the flickering light, they faintly saw the figures crouched in the Cao Cong.

A quick glance revealed dozens of them!

But due to the weak light, they could not yet distinguish friend from foe.

Qin Feng kept holding the iron sheet while the Brocade Guards continuously tossed out the makeshift "illumination bombs"—the burning oil-soaked cloth bundles.

One, two, three…

When the tenth oil-soaked bundle was thrown, the ground within ten zhang was fully illuminated by firelight.

Protected by the iron sheet, Qin Feng stood atop the cart, observing the surroundings from above.

He quickly spotted a Night Owl in leather armor lying prone on the ground and shouted: "Six zhang northwest of the cart!"

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, three or four arrows flew toward the spot.

The prone Night Owl, his position exposed, had no choice but to rise and flee.

Too bad…

Whether Night Owl or Brocade Guard, all were elite archers.

The moment the Night Owl stood up, an arrow struck his chest, followed by seven or eight more—all hitting, turning him into a hedgehog.

Thud.

The night owl collapsed and died on the spot.

Qin Feng continued his Observation, searching for the night owls' movements.

"The carriage is three zhang due south!"

"The carriage is six zhang northeast!"

"The carriage is ten zhang due west!"

Under Qin Feng's Command, more and more night owls were exposed; within the time of a single incense stick, seven night owls were shot dead.

Shen Ke was already drenched in sweat. Qin Feng occupied a favorable position and could provide coordinates to the Brocade Uniform Guards, but their own side lacked Observation hands and could not determine the Brocade Uniform Guards' hiding positions at all.

If this continued, it would be a one-sided massacre.

In desperation, Shen Ke could only risk everything and roared: "Kill! Capture the bandits by first capturing their king—once Qin Feng is dead, our mission is complete!"

At his command, the remaining thirteen night owls charged toward the carriage at sprinting speed, led by Shen Ke.