After the Immortal Disappeared

Over a double-hour later, the pursuing Xiazhou Army slowly returned.

Hong Chenglu had escaped. That bastard was more slippery than an eel, but Hee Chunhua had taken down another thirty or forty Xunzhou Rangers.

After factoring in the losses from the surprise attack on this camp, Hong Chenglu was left with just over two hundred men.

After a whole night of chaos, spent either in a full-speed march or leading his men to battle, Hee Chunhua no longer hid his exhaustion. He asked Hee Lingchuan, "How are the grain carts?"

"Thirty-four carts were destroyed by fire, but we managed to save a lot of the grain. It’s being sorted now," Hee Lingchuan, who hadn’t been idle himself, reported. "A preliminary estimate puts our total losses from last night and tonight at around fifteen hundred stone."

Rock Wolf Luu Xin had also wounded many Xunzhou people, but at the cost of taking two arrows and a slash to its right paw. Medicine Ape Ling Guang was bandaging it now.

Hee Chunhua let out a long, heavy breath. "Acceptable." ’That means we still have a foundation of nearly nine thousand stone. I won’t have to show up at the front line empty-handed.’

He then began to inquire about the battle at the main camp.

Wu Shaoyi had received his carrier pigeon message and made preparations in advance, which was the only reason Hong Chenglu’s sneak attack hadn’t succeeded.

However, with only around four hundred soldiers defending against three hundred enemy cavalry, the Xiazhou people had fought an exceptionally difficult battle. The Xunzhou cavalry began loosing arrows and hurling fire before they even reached the barricades. Fortunately, Wu Shaoyi had already ordered his men to douse the tarpaulins and equipment with water, rendering this wave of the fire attack largely ineffective.

The essence of a camp raid lies in the element of surprise; if you can’t catch the enemy off guard, the effect is greatly diminished.

Hong Chenglu then ordered his men to use gunpowder explosives. However, the grain carts were dispersed and well-hidden, so the damage was limited.

When the first two waves of his assault failed, Hong Chenglu took one look at the situation and understood that the enemy had been prepared for him.

After that, Elder Liang personally stepped in to engage Hong Chenglu. Otherwise, that monster would have gone on a killing spree, and the Xiazhou Soldiers would have suffered far more than a few casualties.

The cost was steep: Elder Liang was wounded in his right shoulder and ribs, and the injuries were not light.

He specialized in Magic; on the battlefield against a Commanding General like Hong Chenglu, he was at an inherent disadvantage.

As Elder Liang’s disciple treated his wounds, Hee Chunhua stood nearby. Cloud-Piercing Pavilion had put in a great effort defending the camp tonight, and so Chief Steward Hee expressed his gratitude. It had also been an opportunity to test the mettle of Cloud-Piercing Pavilion’s disciples, and Hee Chunhua was quite satisfied with the results.

As for the soldier who had neglected his sentry duty by dozing off, he was executed according to military law that very night, losing his head.

「At dawn, Zeng Feixiong returned with his contingent.」

From the way the contingent marched into camp, chests puffed and heads held high, Hee Lingchuan knew they had won.

Sure enough, Zeng Feixiong strode forward as if on the wind to make his report. His first words were, "My lord, Baili Qing has been put to death!" A soldier from the rear presented a head. Its eyes were wide open in death—it was Baili Qing.

"Good, good!" Hee Chunhua’s spirits soared, feeling much of the frustration in his chest dissipate. "Tell me about the battle at the mining pit."

It turned out the Xun People left at the abandoned mining pit were all wounded soldiers and logistics staff. The actual defensive force numbered only fifty men. Pitting his team against such weaklings, and with the element of surprise on his side, Zeng Feixiong’s ambush met with no effective resistance.

By this time, however, Baili Qing had awoken. He commanded two of his subordinate generals to lead the remaining troops in a retreat into the mine shafts. The tunnels were narrow and dark; as long as they left a rearguard, the soldiers would have almost no way to push through.

They were banking on the fact that the mine shafts had another exit leading to the rear of the mountain.

However, Jiao Tai had already led his men to kill the Xun guards and seize control of that exit. When he saw Zeng Feixiong’s signal from the front of the mountain, he immediately used explosives to collapse the mountainside, completely sealing off the tunnel’s exit.

Baili Qing and his men were trapped in the mine shaft, with no way out from either end.

Then, Jiao Tai ordered his men to light fires and pump smoke into the mine shaft.

The smoke forced the Xun People out, tears and snot streaming down their faces, struggling to breathe. They had no choice but to exit through the front entrance and surrender.

Following Hee Chunhua’s instructions, Zeng Feixiong confiscated all their weapons and then gave the order: kill them all, leave no survivors!

The first to be beheaded was Baili Qing.

Disposing of the prisoners’ bodies was simple as well—they were thrown back into the mine shaft, which was then sealed shut with the remaining explosives.

Hee Chunhua looked at Baili Qing’s severed head and chuckled. "I’ll gladly accept this generous gift from Hong Chenglu."

Zeng Feixiong added, "One of Baili Qing’s generals, a man named Fu Xin, was cursing Hong Chenglu’s name right before his execution. When I saw this, I let him go, along with a dozen or so of his men. Of one hundred and thirty-six prisoners, we only let sixteen go." It was like rounding off a number.

Hee Chunhua nodded. "Excellent. Let him go back and be a thorn in Hong Chenglu’s side."

’Didn’t Hong Chenglu want to use my own hand to eliminate these burdens for him?’

’How could I let him get what he wants?’

’When this General Fu returns, filled with resentment, he’s bound to oppose Hong Chenglu at every turn. That’s far more useful than a quick death.’

A thought struck Hee Lingchuan, and he cut in, "What about Dong Rui?"

’Dong Rui couldn’t have died so quietly, could he?’

"The moment the attack started, he jumped on his Strange Bird and flew off, hugging the ground," Zeng Feixiong said, looking embarrassed. "It was right after our first volley of arrows. With the trees for cover, we couldn’t shoot him down."

Hee Lingchuan patted his shoulder.

’As expected. Dong Rui’s escape talent was always maxed out.’

Zeng Feixiong then took out the Storage Ring and returned it to Hee Lingchuan. "Thank you, Eldest Young Master. With those explosives, we saved ourselves a lot of trouble."

After he left, Hee Lingchuan was about to return to his tent when his father called out to him.

"Chuan’Er, where is that comb?"

"Hm?" He was confused for a moment. "Which comb?"

"The comb you got from Hong Chenglu’s house in Bailu Town," Hee Chunhua said. "Or, to be precise, the one his neighbor took."

"Oh, right here." Hong Chenglu had been meticulous, clearing out his house before leaving Bailu Town. But the best-laid plans can go awry; the old woman next door had long since pilfered a comb, and Hee Lingchuan, in turn, had acquired it from her, hair still wound around its teeth.

Without thinking much of it, he took out the comb and offered it to his father.

But Hee Chunhua didn’t take it. "Can you tell if this hair belongs to a man or a woman?"

"...I can try." Hee Lingchuan thought for a moment, then let out a sharp whistle.

A few moments later, Rock Wolf Luu Xin emerged from a dark corner, giving him a stiff wag of its tail.

Hee Lingchuan held the comb out to it. "Sniff the hair on this and tell me: was its owner a man or a woman?"

The Rock Wolf opened its mouth wide in a yawn. "Twenty pounds of beef."

Hee Lingchuan was exasperated. "Such a high price for a simple task like twitching your nose?" ’It’s only been a few months! How did the once-simple Tundra Wolf turn into this?’

"Why don’t you do it, then?"

"Fine, fine." Hee Lingchuan conceded. "I’ll owe you. I’ll buy you prime beef when I get back to Dunyu."

The old woman had sworn she never used the comb. Besides, the strands of hair were brownish, so they couldn’t have been hers.

The Rock Wolf’s wet nose drew near, and it took a deep sniff.

Its sense of smell was several times more sensitive than that of an ordinary dog; it could even construct a three-dimensional image in its mind from scent molecules alone.

"A woman. Early thirties, poor health, takes medicine year-round," the Rock Wolf said with a look of disgust. "The stench of medicine is so strong it’s overwhelming my nose."

Only then did Hee Chunhua happily take the wooden comb, praising his son, "Well done!"

Hee Lingchuan asked him, "Dad, what do you need this comb for?"

"Just in case," Hee Chunhua shrugged. "Did Hong Chenglu’s neighbor say he and his wife had a harmonious relationship?"

"Yes. Hong Chenglu took meticulous care of his sick wife, serving her medicinal decoctions daily. It’s said that every few days, he would even give her a full-body massage to prevent her muscles from atrophying. The old woman said she never once heard them argue." In that dilapidated house, the walls were paper-thin. Any sound would have been easily overheard by the neighbors.

"Good, good." Hee Chunhua nodded. "Right, how are your injuries?"

"It’s nothing. I’ll take care of it now." Hee Lingchuan headed back as well. He had the Medicinal Ape, so these minor injuries were no trouble at all.

He didn’t know that after he left, Hee Chunhua gave orders to receive no visitors and commanded his Personal Guard to stand watch at the entrance to his tent. He then took a black cloth and personally blocked every crack in the tent that might let light escape.

No one knew what Chief Steward Hee did inside that tent.

It was not until an hour later, as dawn broke in the East, that anything changed.

The blood-soaked night was finally over. Hee Chunhua stepped out of his tent and took a deep breath, facing the rising sun.

He summoned two men and gave them instructions in a low voice.

The two men accepted their orders and galloped off with over thirty riders.

Once it was fully light, Hee Chunhua issued his orders to the main army:

"Break camp! We’re moving out!"

There would be no more rest. The Grain Transport Team had to reach the front line as quickly as possible.

They had won last night’s battle, after all, so morale was high, and there was no resistance to the order to depart immediately. Xinhuang Town was too poor to offer anything, and the common soldiers were forbidden from leaving the camp anyway. Staying here was no different than camping in the wild.

Hee Lingchuan, however, requested a temporary leave of absence. Taking a dozen of his own men, he rode west for many miles until he found the site of their bitter battle and gave Fuzzy Peach a proper burial.

"When the Ghost Festival comes, no matter where I am, I’ll burn paper money and paper effigies for you," Hee Lingchuan said to the newly erected grave marker. "I’ll even find a master craftsman to make you some paper dolls—long legs, tiny waists. I guarantee they’ll all be your type."

’This was Fuzzy Peach’s wish in life; it could still be fulfilled in death.’

* * *

The rest of the Grain Transport Team’s journey was uneventful.

When passing through a treacherous mountain pass, Hee Chunhua sent scouts ahead, and the entire column was on high alert. Yet, nothing happened, and everyone made it through safely.

Hee Chunhua had already determined that Hong Chenglu’s forces were too severely weakened to strike again. Having navigated this perilous stretch of the journey, he could finally relax.

It was all plains from here on out.

Reviewing the battles of the past two days, he and Hong Chenglu had traded blows, with both wins and losses. However, Hong Chenglu had started with over six hundred men and was now left with just over two hundred. Having lost more than half his force, it was clear he had suffered the greater defeat.

It was last night’s counter-raid that had decided the outcome. Otherwise, the Grain Transport Team would not have passed through today’s treacherous pass so easily.

Marching across the plains was fast. Two days later, the Grain Transport Team finally arrived at the northern front!

Grand General Zhao Pan, defender of the border, had already received word and was waiting for them by the roadside.

Hee Lingchuan looked out at a veritable sea of soldiers. The welcoming ceremony was a grand affair.