After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 146: Chapter 147: Switching Transportation

Hee Chunhua held up his Society Command. ”I am Hee Chunhua, Governor of Jinzhou’s Qiansong County, on my way to Xiazhou to assume the position of Chief Steward! I require your assistance here to repel the enemy. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to order this metasequoia forest cut down to block them!”

The Marsh Warden was enraged. ”You dare!”

Metasequoias grow slowly. The five trees these humans had previously cut down were all over a hundred years old; one was even more than two hundred, a junior the Marsh Warden had watched grow up.

”And why shouldn’t I?” Hee Chunhua’s face was expressionless. ”If you harm me, you will lose this position as Marsh Warden!”

The Marsh Warden fell silent.

To be honest, the position bestowed by the state was quite easy. Humans rarely sought it out for anything. On the contrary, the Primordial Power that came with the divine position of Marsh Warden was of great benefit to its cultivation.

Its ability to grow fifty to sixty feet taller than its kin was largely thanks to this Primordial Power.

Having had a taste of the benefits of Primordial Power, it had no desire to lose it.

”Fine. But my power can only last for two double-hours at most. At most!” the Marsh Warden said slowly. ”You’d best move quickly.”

”Many thanks!” Hee Chunhua bowed to it, then turned and ordered the convoy to move forward.

Ahead was a long stretch of downhill road. The sun was blocked by the mountain, so this side was completely immersed in shadow.

A thick, milky-white fog drifted out from the mountain forest, quickly covering the path the soldiers had taken.

Along the way, the giant crocodiles pulled another slick move. Upon reaching a lagoon, they didn’t go around it. Instead, they ambled straight down the sandbar, crossing from water to land and back into the water to resume swimming.

The smallest crocodile here was over ten feet (more than three meters) long. Even just strolling on the beach, they looked like mobile fortresses, exuding an air of dominance.

Everyone gave them a thumbs-up and exclaimed in admiration.

A lagoon is a lake formed when the mouth of a shallow bay is sealed off by sand and silt. Ordinary boats blocked by a lagoon could only make a wide detour to find another way. They could never cross directly over the sand like the giant crocodiles and continue in a straight line.

By doing this, the journey was shortened by at least three miles.

The brothers on the other boats could only take the long way around.

The crocodile’s movement was steady, so Hee Lingchuan closed his eyes to rest and recover his energy—there might be another tough battle later.

Just after they crossed the lagoon, the trees on both banks were lush and verdant, their canopies nearly covering the water’s surface.

A spiderweb flew into Lian Deng’s face and stuck to his nose, making him sneeze violently.

He was just about to take a deep breath when a swallow, coming from who knows where, skimmed across the water and flew right into his mouth!

”PTUI! PTUI! PTUI!” Lian Deng spat several times and coughed the bird out.

He liked eating meat, but not when it grew legs, flew into his mouth, and got feathers stuck to his teeth!

The spat-out swallow tumbled twice on the crocodile’s back. Surprisingly, it didn’t fly away, but instead huddled down among the people. Space on the crocodile’s back was limited, and with so many people to carry, everyone had to squeeze together.

Two more White Birds flew toward each other in a panic and actually collided.

With a SPLAT, both fell into the water.

Wu Shaoyi frowned. ”Something’s not right.”

This place was a paradise for birds, with countless birds flying back and forth over the river. But now, spooked by who-knows-what, they had all suddenly retreated into the dense forest.

A few even landed on the crocodile’s back, hiding in the shadows cast by the humans.

It seemed they were more afraid of something else than they were of humans.

”In the sky!” A thought struck Hee Lingchuan. He remembered the strange phenomenon when the Supporting Army entered Xianling Village the previous evening. The return of weary birds to their nests should have filled the trees with chirping, but back then, it was deathly silent, as if all the birds were terrified of something, just like now.

At his reminder, everyone looked up. Sure enough, one of the bandits soon pointed and shouted, ”To the west, by the mountain peak!”

The group turned their heads and indeed saw a lone figure in the sky, moving as fast as lightning.

”A Red Falcon!” Wu Shaoyi’s expression changed. ”This is bad. It’s the Bird Demon raised by Lui Yao! It will report back to its master. Lui Yao most likely knows our whereabouts now.”

Immortal Spirit Lake was rich with prey, and many birds of prey passed through. However, whatever had scared the birds this badly was most likely a Demon with significant Daoist Practice.

This was the reaction to seeing a powerful natural enemy.

Lian Deng grabbed a bow and arrow and aimed at the Red Falcon, but after a few breaths, he sighed. ”No good. It’s out of range.”

During this time, the Red Falcon flew higher and higher, until everyone had to strain their eyes to see it.

A falcon’s vision is better than a human’s. It had clearly spotted someone below raising a bow and was climbing to safety.

At this moment, Hee Lingchuan thought of Hu Min from the Panlong Secret Realm.

That kid’s archery was on the level of Hundred-step Piercing Willow. ’I wonder if he could hit this falcon?’

Hee Lingchuan’s original body had also been a hunter. He knew that falcons and hawks were agile and clever birds of prey. Some could even fly faster than an arrow, let alone dodge one.

Especially since this one in the sky had some Daoist Practice.

’If I were a great archer, taking down this Red Falcon would be like blinding one of Lui Yao’s eyes.’ Hee Lingchuan made a mental note that he needed to prioritize his ranged attack training.

Speaking of which, he suddenly remembered the unknown archer and the two arrows of Shadow Following Form when he first entered the Coiling Dragon Illusion Realm.

Hee Lingchuan subconsciously touched his throat. ’If that archer were here, shooting down this Red Falcon would be a piece of cake, right?’

For some reason, he was confident about it.

Everyone was cursing and grumbling.

Hee Lingchuan glanced sideways. ”Why is that Lui fellow on such good terms with demons? First the Crocodile God, now this Falcon Demon. In comparison, Wu Shaoyi only has a small sable.”

’No wonder the speckled chicks in the coop I checked out in Xianling Village were trembling nonstop. They must have seen their natural enemy.’

’It seems demons are really effective on the battlefield. Used correctly, they’re a secret weapon.’ Hee Lingchuan wanted to get one for himself, too.

In the blink of an eye, the Red Falcon disappeared over the horizon.

”Looks like it’s in a hurry, too.”

Wu Shaoyi’s face was grim. ”It’s also heading west. It’s either taking a message to Pei Xinyong or to Desheng Town. We’re in trouble.”

Their original plan was to raid the camp at Desheng Town, get some mounts, and pursue Pei Xinyong and the government troops. If the bandits garrisoned in Desheng Town were prepared thanks to the Red Falcon’s warning, their attack would be much more difficult.

In any case, their opponents probably numbered more than five hundred now.

Everyone looked at each other, unable to come up with a good solution.

Just then, the Crocodile God suddenly spoke up. ”Are you going to Desheng Town to kill people or to steal horses?”

”Both... but stealing horses is the main goal.” Hee Lingchuan patted its broad back. ”Do you have a good idea?”

”There’s an abandoned town not far ahead. There might be horses, but only a few,” said the Crocodile God. ”Two days ago, my children saw horses wandering there. They ate one, and the rest scattered into the forest in fright.”

Hee Lingchuan and Wu Shaoyi said in near unison, ”That’s enough.”

”Horses are creatures of habit. They might run off for a while, but they’ll eventually return,” Wu Shaoyi mused. ”The plan has changed: Young Master Hee, you just take the horses and pursue your people. I’ll take my men on the crocodiles and continue to Desheng Town.”

Hee Lingchuan was stunned for a moment, but he quickly understood. Wu Shaoyi intended to tie down the Lui Thief’s men in Desheng Town, preventing them from moving east to reinforce their leader. Pinning down five to seven hundred men with just two hundred would significantly relieve the pressure on the eastern front.

”Thank you!”

A surprise attack is one tactic; a delaying action is another.

Wu Shaoyi was a veteran of a hundred battles; this was no problem for him. He added, ”Even if Lui Yao has discovered our whereabouts, we still have an advantage, as long as our next moves go smoothly.”

The abandoned town the Crocodile God had mentioned soon came into view, only about three hundred yards from the shore.

Hee Lingchuan stuffed a small paper packet into Wu Shaoyi’s hand. ”Inside is a Dragon Tiger Golden Pill. If you eat it, you’ll be full of vigor for thirty minutes, even more powerful than you usually are. But once the effect wears off, you’ll be completely drained for at least three days, and that thing of yours will be out of commission for two months. Considering your current physical condition, don’t take it unless you have absolutely no other choice.”

Wu Shaoyi gave him a deep look. ”Thank you. I wish the Eldest Young Master swift success.”

He casually summoned his Sable and said to Lian Deng, ”You’re a local, so you can guide the Eldest Young Master. My sable will go with you. Its presence should also allay Pei Xinyong’s suspicions.”

Lian Deng agreed. The Sable leaped onto his shoulder, and he disembarked with Hee Lingchuan.

The giant crocodile turned and continued swimming into the distance.

This stretch of shore was very flat. The abandoned town was less than three hundred yards away.

The town looked like it had once been home to over a hundred households, but now it was completely deserted, with grass growing on the roofs. On the doorpost of one house, Hee Lingchuan saw a mark. ’Looks like... a waterline?’

In some unknown year, Immortal Spirit Lake must have flooded and destroyed the town.

The afflicted people had no choice but to abandon it.

Hee Lingchuan and Lian Deng walked through the town toward the forest. They had barely taken a few steps into the woods when they heard the sound of snorting.

The Crocodile God was right! There were horses here!

Hee Lingchuan grabbed two handfuls of tender grass from the ground, took a wineskin out of his Storage Ring, and drizzled a little wine on the grass. Facing the shadows in the woods, he called out, ”Here, little ones, come to daddy!”

It was fruit wine, less harsh and more fragrant. The smell even made Lian Deng’s mouth water, let alone the horses in the forest.

They had been raised by humans before, so they gradually came out as they smelled it. Seeing that Hee Lingchuan and Lian Deng meant no harm, they stretched out their necks to reach the grass in his hand.

Compared to the warhorses of the Supporting Army, these horses’ coats weren’t as sleek, and their legs weren’t as long, but Hee Lingchuan was in no position to be picky.

He divided the grass and fed the two tallest and strongest horses, then asked Lian Deng, ”Can you ride bareback?”

These horses had probably escaped during the flood. They didn’t even have bits, let alone saddles.

Lian Deng grinned. ”Piece of cake!”

Hee Lingchuan didn’t dare give them any more wine, fearing they’d get drunk and their legs would go soft. Instead, he fed them two apples and cooed a few sweet nothings. Thoroughly soothed, the horses became quite docile.

Everything was going surprisingly smoothly.

Behind the town, the villagers had long ago carved out a mountain path, which was now overgrown with vines and weeds. The two men led the horses over the rugged, pebbly path before finally vaulting up.

Pei Xinyong and Lui Yao rode side-by-side, their respective subordinates behind them.

They had already rendezvoused at Langming Cave and had turned onto a fork in the road from there, preparing to pursue the government troops.

West Mountain Road had many forks. Why were they so sure the government troops had fled this way? It was simple: the wheel ruts in the sandy ground were clear and continuous, evidence that several heavily laden carriages had passed this way not long ago.