Chapter 19: Encountering the Iron Kite
The fighting was direct and bloody, a brutal collision of the most savage kind. Long sabers, Jujube Nail Hammers, and Wolf-toothed Clubs rained down on their opponents.
Lu Yuan’s squad repeatedly punched through the enemy lines. The Soldier Pattern emanating from his body grew increasingly distinct, enveloping each of his warriors. It formed an almost tangible arrowhead, slicing and piercing through the Northern Barbarian cavalry.
The battle lasted for about two hours. At the cost of three dead and two wounded, Lu Yuan and his eleven men annihilated the thirty-four Northern Barbarians.
Lu Yuan himself had killed a full twenty-one of them.
Eight of them were masters at the Entry Level.
The gains were substantial, but the cost was equally high.
After patting his horse’s sweat-soaked back, Lu Yuan said to the men behind him, "Everyone, dismount and gather the spoils. Load our fallen brothers onto the horses. We’re only stopping for the time it takes one incense stick to burn. Move quickly."
He had a nagging feeling there were more Northern Barbarian cavalry nearby.
They couldn’t linger here.
"Yes, sir." Wei Yong was now completely won over, his respect for Lu Yuan absolute.
With a quick reply, he leaped from his horse and began deftly searching the corpses.
The haul this time was significant. If they could make it back, they would all be well-rewarded.
Lu Yuan remained on his horse, his eyes sweeping across the surroundings, keeping a constant watch.
However, the men, of their own accord, gathered his share first: twenty-one warhorses, twenty-one heads, and a collection of armor and valuables, all packed securely into saddlebags and tied to the horses.
As soon as the incense stick’s time was up, everyone was back on their horses.
Driving the captured warhorses before them, they headed toward Icefield City.
Old Huang handed an Iron-Clad Bow to Lu Yuan, along with several large quivers of Wolf Hair Arrows.
He was a meticulous man. Although he hadn’t played a major role in the battle, he was the most thoughtful when it came to gathering supplies, always looking out for Lu Yuan. This was one of the reasons Lu Yuan always brought him along.
Night had fallen, but the men didn’t dare to stop, chewing on dry rations as they rode.
Their three fallen brothers were slung across the backs of their horses.
Their legs bounced with the horses’ gait.
Now, including the wounded, Lu Yuan’s squad was down to just nine men. They proceeded with extreme caution.
But trouble, as it often does, found them. When they were less than forty li from Icefield City...
...a dark mass of figures appeared ahead. There were about forty of them, but their presence was entirely different.
These men were strong. The wind carried the stench of blood from them, and Lu Yuan could smell it clearly.
It made his scalp tingle. ’I never thought this mission would involve so many bizarre turns.’
’The Northern Barbarian scouts, who should have been scattered, have gathered together. And now we’ve run into a rarely seen elite unit.’
"Sir, that’s the Barbarian Eagle Banner," Old Huang said, his voice trembling.
Seeing that Lu Yuan didn’t seem to understand, he continued, "The Barbarian Eagle Banner is the exclusive standard of the Iron Kites. That’s an Iron Kite unit, sir! They’re as renowned as our own Northern Border’s Night Patrol. They’re incredibly strong."
Wei Yong wiped the gore from his warhammer and gritted his teeth. "No turning back now. We fight."
Anyone who could survive on the Northern Border was born with a ruthless streak.
Now that they’d run into the Iron Kites, there was no other choice but to fight.
Lu Yuan glanced at the enemy’s mounts. "All fine Wasteland steeds," he said grimly. "We can’t outrun them. We fight to the death."
"YOH-YOH!"
The enemy Iron Kites had spotted Lu Yuan’s group as well. But instead of charging, they fanned out into a large circle and began to ride around them, letting out all sorts of strange calls.
The jarring sounds were meant to unnerve them.
Lu Yuan frowned.
The Arrowhead Array, a Military Array used by the common soldiers of Dayong, had one major advantage: it had no minimum number of participants. Even just three men could form the Array.
’Nine of us is more than enough.’
Wei Yong and the others dropped their loot, cinched their armor tight, and prepared to fight for their lives.
"If any of you make it back," Lu Yuan began, "make sure every last bit of the spoils from this fight gets to the families of our dead. And take a portion from your own share for their widows."
As he finished speaking, Lu Yuan drew his Iron-Clad Bow.
At that very moment, the circling Iron Kites drew their own bows and loosed a volley of arrows toward Lu Yuan’s group in the center.
"Use the captured horses as a shield! Drive them to the perimeter!" Lu Yuan commanded.
He had barely finished speaking when his Iron-Clad Bow was already drawn taut, like a full moon.
An instant later, an arrow shot forth.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
His speed was incredible. In a matter of moments, he had fired seven or eight arrows in quick succession, and just as many of the circling Iron Kites tumbled from their saddles.
HREEEEE!
At the same time, the captured warhorses driven to the perimeter shrieked in agony, riddled with the Iron Kites’ feathered arrows before collapsing to the ground.
Fortunately, none of his men were hit.
Though it pained them to see so many fine horses die, there was no time to dwell on it.
They just kept herding the remaining horses around the perimeter.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan’s hands moved even faster, his Iron-Clad Bow a blur.
TWANG! TWANG!
With every thrum of his bowstring, another Iron Kite was shot from his saddle.
He was more careful this time, so there was no incident of the Iron-Clad Bow snapping.
He loosed a continuous stream of feathered arrows, and each one found a target, sending a rider to the ground.
In a short span of time, over a dozen Iron Kites had fallen to his arrows.
The enemy’s numbers dwindled from over forty to fewer than thirty.
Meanwhile, all of their feathered arrows were blocked by the warhorses circling Lu Yuan’s men.
The enemy Centurion was a towering man, a full two meters tall, clad in Fine Copper Armor with a savage-looking face.
He knew he had been careless. He had underestimated this small squad of Yong People, leading to irreversible losses.
His face turned ashen with rage, and his eyes grew sinister in the darkness, like those of a vulture on the Wasteland.
"Charge! Finish them!"
Seeing that hunting them with arrows wasn’t working, he decided on a melee charge.
"Everyone, mount up! Prepare to engage!" Lu Yuan ordered.
Everyone had dismounted to use the horses as cover. Now, seeing the Iron Kites charge in for a melee, they all scrambled back onto their own mounts.
They quickly reformed their ranks. They knew their only hope now was the Military Array.
After mounting his horse, Lu Yuan didn’t put away his bow, instead loosing several more arrows in quick succession.
After felling several more riders, he finally tossed the Iron-Clad Bow aside, drew his long saber, and roared, "Kill!"
He immediately targeted the Centurion leading the Iron Kites.
’His cultivation is at the Muscle Refining Realm,’ Lu Yuan thought. ’But with the aid of the Military Array, I have a fighting chance.’
’If I can just take him out, this battle will be much easier.’
At the very least, it would significantly increase their odds of survival.
The opposing Centurion was incandescent with rage. His unit had never suffered losses like this.
To think a paltry Dayong squad of barely ten men had killed so many of his own.
’I’ll flay the skin from their bones and inlay it on my saddle!’ he vowed.