Where Immortals Once Walked

Wu Shaoyi and Pei Xinyong must have already joined hands and plotted an ambush for me!

Wu Shaoyi’s strike on Immortal Spirit Village, Pei Xinyong’s attack at Whistle Rock, both of those events had cost me lots of my men. Who was to say Pei Xinyong wouldn’t pull the same trick again?

If the two of them reconcile, then this bewildering array will no longer hinder Pei Xinyong. In other words, I’ll be the only one left stumbling around and trapped here.

Pei Xinyong in the open, Wu Shaoyi in the shadows, together they command over two thousand men. Meanwhile, I barely have four or five hundred left, and most of them are recent defectors. How am I supposed to stand against attacks from both sides at once?

Damn it! How did I end up walking straight into a crisis without even realizing it?

The more Lu Yao thought, the deeper he sank, and yet the quicker anger pooled in his chest.

So what if I’m cornered? I’m not going to just sit here and wait to die. They’ve already played me once. Even if heaven, earth, and man all stand against me, if Wu Shaoyi and Pei Xinyong want my head, they will have to pay dearly for it!

His face was blank, but Pei Xinyong noticed the tight clench of his jaw muscles. It was clear that Lu Yao was grinding his teeth in fury.

The sable had lingered on the branch long enough for Lu Yao to see it clearly. Pei Xinyong was certain of that, and yet Lu Yao had held his tongue and refrained from asking about it. This could only mean that Lu Yao likely already knew that Wu Shaoyi was alive.

But if that’s the case, why did he still come to me, swear loyalty, and insist on chasing the officials?

In Pei Xinyong’s mind, he believed that Lu Yao should have known that if he found out that Wu Shaoyi was still alive, he would likely work together with Wu Shaoyi to crush him instead. However, the man had hurried to cling to him first, and now knowing what he knew, Pei Xinyong felt certain that it was because Lu Yao was planning to strike first.

If Pei Xinyong died, his army would become headless, and its threat would diminish significantly. At that time, Lu Yao could turn on Wu Shaoyi, who, even if alive, had surely been gravely injured by his battle with the Crocodile God.

If Lu Yao had any hope of clawing back from the brink of death, this was the way.

And truth be told, he was not without allies along this stretch of road.

Pei Xinyong exhaled. “So what now? Your falcon can no longer fly, can it?”

“No, its wing has been damaged. Now, we can only wait. This array looks to have been laid in haste, so it shouldn’t last much longer. Before long, this fog should clear.” Lu Yao’s tone was sharp with irritation. “Though I could’ve sworn I saw someone standing in the fog ahead...”

“That’s only a wooden post,” Pei Xinyong said evenly. After a brief pause, he asked, “Anyway, why this blood feud with the officials? Why chase them so relentlessly?”

“That dog of an official surnamed He schemed against me!” Lu Yao’s eyes flashed with hate. He explained how He Chunhua had driven wedges between their three armies, sabotaging their alliance. “You and Wu Shaoyi both fell for his tricks!”

“So, drinking and feasting with him in the village was just you stalling for time?”

“Exactly! And those who tipped you off? Those were surely his men, too.” Lu Yao sneered. “Our infighting plays right into his hands.”

Pei Xinyong asked coolly, “You mean to tell me he had but three hundred men, burdened with women and children, and you couldn’t crush him? Didn’t you have seven hundred at Whistle Rock? In other words, nearly a thousand men combined?”

“I meant to save him for the sacrifice!” That, even Lu Yao knew, was his weakest lie. But what could he say instead? That he feared losses, and feared being outmatched by the other two armies when they reunited?

“Do you not believe me?” Lu Yao barked. “Then why are the state troops on the run right now?”

His words had barely left his mouth when two screams rang from the rear.

Pei Xinyong and Lu Yao’s combined army was over two thousand strong, stretched thin along the narrow mountain road. Shrouded in fog, they could not see what was happening at the tail.

Already on edge, both generals snapped taut at once.

Lu Yao roared, “What’s going on?”

From the rear, a report came, “General, two of our brothers were shot down by arrows!”

Right after the report, four or five more cries of pain split the air.

Panic rippled through the ranks, and swords rasped free.

In the dense fog, no one knew where the enemy struck from. Hidden archers loosed arrows unseen, picking them off one by one. Fear spread like wildfire as men glanced wildly in every direction.

Lu Yao bellowed, “Something’s wrong! On guard!”

“Form up!” Pei Xinyong barked. His brow furrowed as he turned about and ordered his men. Yet on this cramped mountain road, no formation could hold.

As he was turning his body here and there, his eye caught a glint of steel at the edge of his vision—a murderous flash slashing for his throat.

The killing intent prickled every hair on his neck.

Clang!

Steel met steel. At the last instant, he whipped up his mace to block.

On horseback, his weapon of choice was always a mace.

Of course, Pei Xinyong had also managed to clearly see who his attacker was, and it was none other than Lu Yao himself.

As Lu Yao struck, three of his men took action as well, turning on Pei Xinyong’s guards.

With the rear having been in chaos just now, all eyes had been focused there. No one expected death to spring from their side.

One guard’s head flew clean from his shoulders. Another took a spike to the back, intestines spilling as the weapon ripped free.

The third one vaulted up, both hands clutching a wolf’s fang mace, bringing it down in a crushing arc toward Pei Xinyong’s skull.

Had it landed, Pei Xinyong’s head would have burst like a melon.

But there was no “had.” Even as his right hand was locked against Lu Yao’s axe, Pei Xinyong swung his mace left in a brutal sweep. The mace’s strike skidded wide, and his follow-through slammed into the chest of the armored brute. Ribs snapped, lungs burst, and the man was thrown back seven meters, dying before he even hit the ground.

The wolf’s fang mace was infamous, but the mace was no less deadly. Both were blunt weapons designed to crush with sheer force. The mace’s head was six-angled, shaped like the leaves of an open book; when it struck, all the destructive power focused on one “page,” shattering bones and rupturing organs, causing most foes to die on the spot.

Right after Pei Xinyong crushed the man wielding the wolf’s fang face, his guards surged forward to shield him.

In an instant, two armies that had marched side by side for more than two hours turned their weapons on each other.

The two generals clashed head-on. Pei Xinyong sneered and said, “You betrayed Wu Shaoyi with an ambush. Now you can’t resist turning on me?”

Lu Yao fought with grim silence, throwing all his strength into each strike. The moment the mask was torn away, his only choice was to kill Pei Xinyong as quickly as possible, absorb what he could of the other party’s army, and then turn what strength he had left toward the greater threat.

* * *

The mountain road dissolved into chaos. Everywhere, brigands grappled in furious, bloody duels.

Meanwhile, He Lingchuan and Lian Deng pulled two horses back into the fog, retreating quietly.

The fog was their salvation; a few steps and they vanished from sight.

After firing those arrows, they had mimicked a couple of screams. That had been enough to send the enemy ranks into confusion.

This was exactly what He Lingchuan wanted. After all, muddy waters were ripe for fishing—though in this case, it would be fishing for horses. Slipping through the melee, he and Lian Deng seized mounts from fallen men and slipped away unnoticed.

In the madness, men lost weapons, shields, and even their lives. Who would notice a missing horse or two?

Keeping their distance from the melee’s deadly flurry, the two vaulted onto the stolen mounts and galloped along the road, racing to catch the officials.

Their own strength here was too insignificant. They needed reinforcements.

With the protection of origin energy, He Lingchuan had no trouble keeping his bearings. Soon, the fog lay behind them, and bright daylight opened wide, the sky clear, the mountains stretching for miles.

But after barely a kilometer, hoofbeats thundered ahead. There were many of them, and they were drawing closer by the moment.

He Lingchuan’s heart clenched.

Could it be...?

Moments later, a column rounded the bend, banners snapping in the wind. The lead flag bore a single bold character: He (鹤).

He?

At once, he recalled his father’s desperate letter, seeking aid from the Hebei local militia garrison.[1]

Neither side expected to meet at the pass. The lead riders reined in sharply. Then, a voice cracked with excitement, “Young Master!”

Startled, He Lingchuan looked closer and gaped.

It’s Mao Tao!

“Young Master!” Several more riders pressed forward from the column—Zeng Feixiong, Zhao Qinghe, and other familiar faces of the Coordinating Army. Their eyes shone with relief and joy. “You’re alive! You’re actually alive!”

“Hah, am I someone who’d die so easily?”

Zhao Qinghe sighed and said, “Lord He was right. You truly are blessed with fortune!”

Zeng Feixiong brought two officers forward and introduced them, “The Hebei local militia garrison responded at once to our plea and marched to our aid. Lord He ordered our Coordinating Army to join them. This is Commandant Zhao, and this is Colonel Li.”

He Lingchuan bowed in salute. Behind them, the troops of the local militia garrison stretched in solid ranks, numbering at least seven or eight hundred. The Coordinating Army had also sent about two hundred men. Clearly, once He Chunhua learned his son had survived, he had shifted from retreat to counterattack.

Lian Deng coughed hard, eager to speak. “Young Master He, things are urgent!”

“Right, business first.” He Lingchuan jolted back to focus. “Two sirs, the Rebel General Lu Yao, who slaughtered the villagers of Immortal Spirit Village and cast me from the cliff, is now locked in battle with Pei Xinyong within the fog behind us! Why not strike them while they’re tearing at each other?”

Plucking peaches and reaping another’s toil, which officer would dislike such fortune? Commandant Zhao and Colonel Li’s faces grew solemn. “We were just about to strike those rebels. Forward!”

On the march, He Lingchuan explained what he and Lian Deng had seen in the fog. Then, he introduced Lian Deng, “This man serves under Wu Shaoyi. Wu Shaoyi seeks to surrender to the royal court and fight at our side.”

A thousand iron-hearted soldiers advanced toward the fog.

A kilometer was traversed in moments. Ahead lay mountains blanketed once more in fog.

The sound of clashing steel rang out from within.

The soldiers exchanged glances, drew weapons, and slowed their steps.

* * *

Back within the fog, Pei Xinyong had just barely parried Lu Yao’s sudden strike when dread swept him.

The ambush had been viciously timed. Several of his guards were cut down in moments. From twenty-some loyal guards, barely six or seven remained after ten or so breaths.

Fortunately for him, these remaining men were his finest, and they clung fast around him, enduring the storm of blows.

Still, Lu Yao’s forces had cut the army in two. Pei Xinyong’s one thousand men were trapped outside the skirmish, unable to break through and aid their general.

Now the field was seven or eight men locked in a desperate fight against Lu Yao’s killers, while the rest of Pei Xinyong’s army launched a desperate attack to rescue their leader, but was unable to properly form up or launch an effective attack due to the narrow terrain.

1. Note that Hebei is written as 鹤北. ☜