After the Immortal Disappeared

Hee Lingchuan felt there was nothing to hide about this operation, which was why he had sent this straightforward man over.

Of course, it was also because Jiao Tai was the best at navigating in the wilderness. If his father decided to attack, there would be a reliable guide to lead the way.

Elder Liang of the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion had also arrived and taken a seat to listen in.

When Jiao Tai reported that the remnants of the Xunzhou Rangers were hiding in an abandoned mine, that their side had gunpowder, and that they had found the back entrance to a tunnel, Hee Chunhua couldn’t help but repeatedly exclaim, "Good!" He slapped the table and shot to his feet. "Can you still find the way to the mine?"

"Of course!"

Hee Chunhua could finally make his decision. "You will lead the way. We leave immediately!"

He felt a profound sense of relief as he said this, then turned to Elder Liang. "I’ll have to entrust Xinhuang to you, Elder Liang."

"Of course." Elder Liang made a hand gesture, and the disciple beside him translated, "The Cloud-Piercing Pavilion is willing to lend what little strength we have."

Hee Chunhua immediately ordered the entire army to assemble.

Half an hour later, Hee Chunhua personally led a force of twelve hundred men west out of Xinhuang, making for the abandoned mine in Bailu Town. Wu Shaoyi was left to guard the Xinhuang Military Camp with five hundred men, assisted by Elder Liang of the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion.

...

The abandoned mine.

Hong Chenglu was eating, wolfing down bites of a yellow millet bun with gulps of hot water.

The yellow millet bun was coarse, a bit dry, and caught in his throat. But Hong Chenglu ate it with great relish; it was the best bun he had eaten in almost two months.

The millet swelled with the hot water in his stomach, creating a solid feeling of fullness.

On the table also sat half a glistening, golden-brown roasted wild chicken.

Though a few feathers remained and the skin was slightly charred, the soldier who had served as a makeshift cook had done his best.

Hong Chenglu didn’t touch the roasted chicken. Instead, he picked it up and took it to Baili Qing’s sickroom.

The general remained unconscious.

An attending officer stood at his side and had no choice but to rise as Hong Chenglu entered.

Hong Chenglu waved him down. "No need for formalities. How is General Baili?"

"He’s recovering well. He should wake up soon."

Hong Chenglu put the roasted chicken on the table. "Heat this up for General Baili when he wakes."

"Right."

Since he was giving up his own portion, the officer suspected he was trying to curry favor and didn’t even give a proper "Yes, sir."

After all, this officer had been promoted by Baili Qing.

Just then, the sound of pounding footsteps came from outside. A soldier rushed in, panting, "General Hong—!"

Hong Chenglu held up a hand to stop him, then stepped out of the room into an open space. "Come here to speak. Don’t wake General Baili."

Sensing that something was wrong, the other officers gathered around.

"A large contingent of the Xiazhou Army has appeared at the foot of the mountain—nine hundred or a thousand men! They seem to be searching the area and are heading in this general direction!"

A chill ran down everyone’s spines.

’So the Xiazhou Army tracked us down after all?’

As it happened, the second scout they had sent to Bailu Town returned at that very moment. He reported that the first scout was found dead in Hong Chenglu’s empty house! Furthermore, according to the townspeople, men from the Xiazhou Prefecture had indeed come asking about the previous night’s events.

Hong Chenglu’s worries were finally confirmed.

The two officers immediately looked at Hong Chenglu, a pang of regret in their hearts.

’If only we had evacuated this afternoon...’

Everyone waited for Hong Chenglu to make a decision. With a grim expression, he acted decisively. "Xuu Yingxian! Tao Ze! You’re with me. We’ll draw the Xiazhou Army away!"

He then turned to the other two officers. "You will remain here. Protect General Baili and our wounded brothers. If we cannot hold them back, you are to retreat to Xinqiao Village."

With their commander issuing orders in the face of crisis, the two men immediately accepted their duty.

The soldiers’ hearts filled with admiration.

Fortunately, the Xunzhou Rangers were accustomed to sleeping on their arms, always ready to fight at a moment’s notice. In less than ten minutes, they were armored, saddled, and prepared to depart.

Thus, Hong Chenglu left another fifty men to guard the abandoned mine, while he hastily departed with about two hundred and eighty men.

They rushed more than six hundred yards without a sign of the enemy.

They continued another few hundred yards along the mountain path, but still found no trace of the enemy.

Not until the force was nearing the foot of the mountain did another scout rush up to them.

"Reporting! The Xiazhou Army has turned north!"

What lay to the north? No one knew.

In that case, if the Xiazhou Army was no longer coming... The soldiers looked at Hong Chenglu with hopeful eyes, only to see him beckon Tao Ze over. He whispered a few words, then assigned thirty men to him.

The small, thirty-man squad then headed back the way they came.

’What now?’

With a grand sweep of his arm, Hong Chenglu declared, "Relay my command! The entire force, advance east! To Xinhuang Town!"

The soldiers were aghast.

What?

Hong Chenglu shot them a chilling glance. "Have I not given the order?"

Someone foolishly asked, "Should we send a message back to the mine?"

Xuu Yingxian pulled him back. "The Main General has given an order! We just follow it. Don’t stir up trouble!"

The Ranger force of nearly three hundred men immediately advanced east, neither returning to the mine nor sending any word back.

Seeing Hong Chenglu leading the charge alone, Wuu Qing spurred his horse to ride abreast of him. "Was this intentional, General Hong?"

Hong Chenglu didn’t even raise his eyes. "What was?"

"You’ve avoided the shortest route to Xinhuang Town," Wuu Qing said. He did business in Yuanbei, so he knew the local roads. "This way will take an extra hour."

"But it’s safer."

Wuu Qing was startled. After a moment, he said, "You’re saying that route is already taken? By... the Xiazhou Army?"

This was Xiazhou territory. Chief Steward Hee’s army could naturally travel with impunity, unlike them, who had to sneak around.

Hong Chenglu glanced at him. "You’re a clever man, Boss Wuu. Nian Zanli should hire you as a strategist."

"No, thanks. I’m lazy by nature and don’t like being tied down."

"When the scout didn’t return, I assumed he’d been captured. That meant we had to prepare for our location being compromised. The safest option was to relocate, but General Baili’s two subordinates wouldn’t agree."

"If I were Hee Chunhua, and I discovered the Xunzhou people were hiding in an abandoned mine in Bailu Town, I’d most certainly send troops to wipe them out," Hong Chenglu said slowly. "The man is obsessed with his reputation. He came to Xiazhou to make a name for himself and earn a promotion. I burned ten thousand shi of his grain and fodder. He can’t explain that away at the front, and he certainly can’t explain it back at the State Government. He must feel utterly disgraced."

"You know the situation here in Xiazhou. It’s been controlled by the four great families for years. Hee Chunhua only just managed to gain a foothold with a couple of victories. If he returns empty-handed this time, his prestige will be cut in half, at least. Will it be so easy for him to control military and political affairs after that?"

Wuu Qing smiled. "Indeed. I fear the four great families will trip him up so badly he’ll break a leg."

"Besides, even if he doesn’t come for us now, we might have to intercept his Grain Transport Team later. The rugged terrain of the Stone Beach north of Xinhuang is perfect for an ambush. So he has to make up for his failure with a victory. If he learned our location, there’s no way he would let this chance slip by." Hong Chenglu gripped his reins, his posture relaxed, but his voice was laced with chilling intent. "So, I’ll give him what he wants."

Wuu Qing’s smile faded. General Hong was using Baili Qing, his two officers, and nearly a hundred of the old, weak, sick, and wounded as bait! When Hee Chunhua led his army to swallow the lure, his rear would be exposed, and General Hong would seize the opportunity to burn Xinhuang’s grain supplies!

This tactic of "removing the firewood from under the cauldron" was nothing short of vicious. The Xiazhou Army had injured so many Xunzhou cavalry, thinking they would become a burden to Hong Chenglu. They never expected that these very men would become the bait to lure them out.

But General Hong’s treatment of Baili Qing and his two officers was truly ruthless.

Wuu Qing, having delivered Nian Zanli’s military order, understood the situation well. Baili Qing had been in command of the Xunzhou Rangers, but then Hong Chenglu was suddenly parachuted in, seizing his authority. Baili Qing was resentful and had been at odds with Hong Chenglu for days.

Looked at another way, Hee Chunhua would be eliminating these disobedient leaders and the old, weak, and wounded for him. Afterward, it would be much easier for Hong Chenglu to legitimately take full command of the Xunzhou Rangers—an army can only have one voice.

Wuu Qing had thought Hong Chenglu would use more conciliatory tactics, but it seemed he lacked the patience.

...

Hee Lingchuan was fast asleep when someone suddenly clapped him on the shoulder.

"Eldest Young Master, wake up!"

Hee Lingchuan shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "What is it?" ’Didn’t even dream about Panlong City. How dull.’

"There’s movement down below," Fuzzy Peach whispered. "It sounds like they’re mobilizing." ’The Eldest Young Master really can sleep through anything. Give him a roll of clothes for a pillow and he’ll lie on the bare ground and start snoring. His ability to sleep is incredible.’

He didn’t know that Hee Lingchuan served as a Patrol Guard in the Panlong Dream Realm, where sleeping rough and enduring the elements were just part of the job. He was long used to it.

"Mobilizing?" Hee Lingchuan was instantly awake. "How many men?"

"Their horses were in the woods, but now they’ve brought most of them back to be saddled."

’Where could they be going?’ Hee Lingchuan’s eyes shifted. ’Is Hong Chenglu heading out to plunder supplies?’

’He should have plenty of grain after defeating Wu Shaoyi, enough for the short term, even a surplus to give to the people of Bailu Town. So, is he after medicine?’

’He wouldn’t need so many men for that.’

’Unless...?’

Shan Youjun whispered, "Don’t tell me these guys are pulling out?"

"It’s a possibility." Hee Lingchuan considered it. "After all, the scout they sent to Bailu Town never returned. Perhaps this fellow Hong is just that cautious."

The three decided to follow them.

But what the Xunzhou people did next left Hee Lingchuan a little confused.

The main force saddled up and departed in a great hurry.

But the sentries around the mine hadn’t been withdrawn. Fuzzy Peach went to scout again and reported that there were still people below.

And quite a few had been left behind.

’So they aren’t relocating their camp?’

’Then where are these two-hundred-plus Xunzhou cavalrymen rushing off to?’

The trio quietly fell back, retrieved their horses, and stealthily followed.

The main Xunzhou force descended the mountain, then seemed to make a wide loop, their intentions unclear.

As dusk fell and the forest grew dimmer, it became increasingly difficult for Fuzzy Peach to track the vanguard’s trail of hoofprints and horse droppings.

Hee Lingchuan habitually gripped Floating Life. The cold seeping from the hilt helped him think.

Just then, his heart lurched, as if a great crisis was about to descend.

Hee Lingchuan’s ears twitched. In the silent wilderness, he thought he heard the sound of suppressed breathing—and from more than one person!

He couldn’t help but cry out in a low voice, "Watch out!"

The words had barely left his lips when an arrow flew out of nowhere, shooting toward Fuzzy Peach with a SWOOSH.