Chapter 11: 10x Critical Hit
With others present, Zhou He’s subordinates could no longer talk so freely.
By the time Lu Yuan arrived at the city gate, everyone had assembled.
There were twenty-two men in total. Zhou He had really brought all the horses as promised. They were all military warhorses, well-fed and robust, in perfect condition.
After Wei Yong and the others came forward to pay their respects, Lu Yuan turned to Zhou He. "Those Scouts you want to hunt—what direction are they in, roughly?"
He picked a horse and asked, turning his head as he tied his bundle and wineskin to it.
"Yesterday’s report placed them at Ancient Well Village. They should still be active in that area today. It’s only about fifty-odd li from the city. These guys are bold. They usually do some raiding after they scout, so they won’t have left yet."
"If we’re lucky, we’ll be back by tomorrow. The rule is, whoever gets the kill takes the head and the loot. If it’s a group effort, the two of us will split fifty percent of the spoils, and our men will split the other fifty. Sound fair?"
The head of a common Northern Barbarian Warrior is worth two taels of silver, while an Entry Level Warrior’s head is worth five taels. Plus, their armor and warhorses can be brought back and exchanged for money. If you’re lucky, they might even be carrying things they’ve looted.
Because Zhou He led them and they were all brave and aggressive fighters, three of his ten subordinates had reached the Entry Level.
Lu Yuan’s group was smaller in that regard, with only himself and Wei Yong at that level.
With a total of five Entry Level warriors, they shouldn’t be in any danger as long as they were careful and stayed within a fifty-li radius of the city.
"Alright, that’s settled. Let’s move out." As he spoke, Lu Yuan leaped onto his warhorse.
The group of over twenty men rode out into the wilderness. Although spring had arrived, the Northern Border was always slow to warm.
The ground was covered in withered, yellow grass, with patches of white snow still visible here and there. This year had been mild; it hadn’t snowed too much. Otherwise, they would have had to leave the city on foot.
They passed a few scattered villages along the way, all inhabited by people of Dayong.
They, too, were exiled convicts. Lacking the silver for bribes, they were forced to live outside the city walls.
Life was hard. They were frequently raided by the Northern Barbarians. Although they were also considered Garrison Soldiers, their combat prowess couldn’t compare to the regular army. As for the main garrisons stationed outside the city, with so many towns and villages, they simply couldn’t protect everyone.
In a way, these people were the Northern Border’s true first line of defense.
The group rode until noon before stopping to eat some dry rations.
Lu Yuan glanced around. Most of the men had coarse rice buns.
The ones with buns made of fine flour were the Entry Level experts. As for those who could afford to have large chunks of meat to go with them, that was a luxury reserved for Lu Yuan and Zhou He.
After they finished eating and had a bit of wine, Zhou He pointed to a village barely visible in the distance. "That’s Ancient Well Village. There are a few dozen households in there. The Northern Barbarian Scouts won’t be far from us. There are fifteen of them in total. Finish this mission, and you won’t have to leave the city for the next ten-plus days."
’A squad of fifteen,’ Lu Yuan thought. ’By standard configuration, there should be three or four Entry Level warriors among them.’
’We have the advantage.’
"Alright, let’s find them first," Lu Yuan said quietly.
Just then, Old Huang, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up. "Sir, I know this area well."
The previous night, Old Huang had sought out Lu Yuan for a drink. Though Lu Yuan hadn’t gone, he mentioned he was heading out of the city and casually asked if Old Huang wanted to come along.
He hadn’t expected the old man to agree so readily, and so here he was.
What’s more, the man had even brought his own horse.
As soon as Old Huang finished speaking, all eyes turned to him. He scratched his head sheepishly. "I’ve been getting by near Icefield City for decades. I may not be strong, but I know the terrain."
"I know all the likely hiding spots."
"Heh, brother, you’ve found yourself a real treasure," Zhou He said with a wide grin. "If that’s true, I’ll give Old Huang an extra five taels of silver myself."
Lu Yuan shot him a sidelong glance. "What, you think I don’t have silver? He doesn’t need yours. Old Huang, lead the way."
’If he can really find them, Old Huang is an absolute gem,’ Lu Yuan thought. ’No one is poaching him from me.’
"Stingy," Zhou He chuckled, not at all offended.
He then snapped his whip against his warhorse’s flank, galloping after Old Huang.
About an hour later, they arrived behind a small hillock.
Old Huang reined in his horse and dismounted. He made a hushing gesture, then deftly crept up the hillock in a low crouch.
The others exchanged a glance and followed suit.
Peeking over the top, they saw more than a dozen men drinking around a bonfire. Their attire was different from that of Dayong’s people. They all wore thick, somewhat crude leather armor. They had no helmets, revealing either bald heads or heads shaved except for a single tuft of hair.
Their faces were covered in various tattoos, and they all had sturdy physiques.
"That’s them, no doubt about it," Zhou He whispered.
Lu Yuan nodded. "Shall we charge?"
’With my current strength, I wouldn’t even fear a Bone Forging expert,’ he thought. ’The strongest of these Northern Barbarians seem to be only at the Entry Level.’
’However, there are more of them than we guessed—about seven or eight.’
Whether in the Barbarian Race or in Dayong, once a warrior reached the Entry Level, their armor was visibly different from the others. While not as fine as a Centurion’s armor, it was at least qualified to have iron plating.
"There are more Entry Level fighters than I expected," Zhou He said, turning to Lu Yuan. "My men can handle one opponent of the same realm at most. What about your people?"
Wei Yong quickly chimed in, "I can handle one, too."
’Opportunities to kill Northern Barbarians are rare,’ Wei Yong thought. ’Killing one earns Merit Points, and with so many of us here today, I can’t let this chance slip by.’
Lu Yuan scanned the group. "My side will take on four of the Entry Level ones. If you have energy to spare, you can come and help."
Zhou He nodded.
Li Xing, who was standing next to him, looked worried. He opened his mouth to speak, but swallowed his words after meeting Zhou He’s gaze.
’After all,’ Li Xing thought, ’our leader is a Bone Forging master providing a backstop. Since he’s the one who wanted to bring Lu Yuan along, I can’t question him now.’
"Mount up! We charge!" Zhou He said, then decisively turned and headed for his horse.
The others followed close behind.
The next moment, the entire group charged over the hillock.
As they charged, Lu Yuan shouted to Wei Yong and his men, "Arrowhead Array!"
At his command, his ten-odd subordinates instantly fell into position, forming a charging arrowhead with Lu Yuan at its tip.
The thundering of hooves filled the air. Hearing the commotion, the Northern Barbarian Scouts showed no signs of panic. They quickly found their own warhorses, mounted up, and brandished their weapons to meet the charge.
Most of them wielded heavy weapons, like Wolf-toothed Clubs and battle axes.
Zhou He wielded two Eight-sided Warhammers. The moment the two sides clashed, he smashed an Entry Level Northern Barbarian expert to the ground.
Lu Yuan, for his part, held nothing back.
WHOOSH!
With a flick of his wrist, his long saber left its sheath and met the Wolf-toothed Club of an Entry Level Northern Barbarian head-on. A savage grin spread across the Barbarian’s face.
’When an ordinary long saber clashed with his club, there was only one outcome: the blade would be sent flying.’
’And, of course, his opponent’s skull would be shattered in the same instant.’
"Don’t meet it head-on!" Zhou He shouted a warning when he saw this. At the same time, he swept his warhammer to knock back several Barbarian Soldiers who were closing in on him.
But it was already too late for him to come and help.
Lu Yuan, however, was completely unfazed.
CLANG!
When the long saber collided with the Wolf-toothed Club, it wasn’t sent flying as expected. Instead, it deftly parried the heavy weapon aside.
As the Barbarian Soldier lost his balance, Lu Yuan’s mount surged forward. His blade slid along the shaft of the club, heading straight for the Barbarian.
Sparks flew in an instant.
SHLICK!
The Barbarian Soldier’s hand was severed, and a scream had just begun to escape his lips.
Lu Yuan’s blade flicked upward, slicing across the man’s neck. As blood streamed down the steel, Lu Yuan’s free hand grabbed the severed head and tossed it into one of the net bags on his horse’s flank.
The entire sequence took longer to describe than it did to happen, all of it completed in a flash. Lu Yuan’s skill was so impressive that even Zhou He couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up.
At the same time, the system’s voice echoed in Lu Yuan’s mind.
[Host has swung his saber. Breaking Blade Eight Techniques Skill Level +10]
...
[Host has withstood one impact from an opponent. Golden Bell Shield Skill Level +10]
...
[Host has initiated an attack using a Military Array. Arrowhead Array Skill Level +10 (Beginner Level Arrowhead Array: Combat effectiveness of subordinate Warriors increased by 30%)]
...
’Fighting on a real battlefield really does grant more Skill Level points,’ Lu Yuan thought, ignoring the system notifications to focus on killing the enemy.
The rest of the battle was much simpler.
They already had the advantage in numbers. And while they had fewer Entry Level experts than the Northern Barbarians, the presence of Lu Yuan and the Bone Forging master Zhou He ensured the fight went smoothly.
After less than half an hour of fierce fighting, the battle was over.
When they tallied the kills, everyone was shocked to find that Lu Yuan had slain the most: three Entry Level experts and two regular Scouts. Wei Yong had taken a cut to the arm; he had been losing his fight against an Entry Level Northern Barbarian and would likely have been killed if Lu Yuan hadn’t intervened.
Zhou He had been a step behind, killing only two of the Entry Level experts.
He didn’t seem to mind, though. Rubbing his hands together, he looked at the corpses on the ground and said, "Alright, they’re all dead. Time to collect the spoils! I’m telling you all now, you search the ones you killed. If anyone dares touch another man’s loot and breaks the rules, don’t blame me for being merciless."
After speaking, he shot Lu Yuan a look, and the two of them began to go through their kills.
Lu Yuan was also filled with anticipation. He stepped forward and began to search the bodies of the Northern Barbarian Scouts.