Chapter 72 - 70: Traitor
Celestial Gate Pass was built in a funnel-shaped canyon. On both sides of the canyon were tall cliffs, difficult even for Martial Artists to climb.
Legend had it that the canyon was originally quite narrow. The Cao Dynasty spent over a hundred years quarrying the mountains and splitting the stone to carve out its current terrain, which was easy to defend and hard to attack.
Jiang Zuo followed Xia Shiyuan. As they approached Celestial Gate Pass, he saw countless tents pitched on both sides of the canyon. Many garrison troops moved among them, lighting fires and cooking meals.
The Dragon-Breaking Stone of Celestial Gate Pass’s main gate had been lowered. Unless the pass was breached from the outside or within, there was no way to get in or out under normal circumstances.
As Jiang Zuo arrived, he also saw the defending soldiers lowering several animal cages from the top of the wall with thin ropes, placing them on the ground outside.
Inside the cages, he could vaguely make out cats, dogs, and rats.
"Those are animal cages for early warnings. They are more alert than humans at night. If the enemy tries to launch a large-scale night attack, the animals will be the first to be startled."
Xia Shiyuan explained to Jiang Zuo.
Jiang Zuo nodded. He had already guessed their purpose.
Jiang Zuo, dressed in gray clothes and a bamboo hat, looked completely out of place among the soldiers in the military camp.
However, with Xia Shiyuan standing beside him in his commander’s uniform, no one approached to say anything.
The Garrison Army from Lizhou had already set up camp. Countless tents were also pitched before the inner wall of Celestial Gate Pass.
After Xia Shiyuan announced his name and rank, a soldier quickly arrived with an officer.
"Captain Zhu."
Xia Shiyuan was no stranger to the newcomer; it was Captain Zhu Quanyi.
Xia Shiyuan and Zhu Quanyi weren’t close, but there were few in the army who didn’t know Zhu Quanyi.
His face was just too easy to recognize.
When Zhu Quanyi was a child, his home outside the Imperial Capital was invaded by robbers. The robbers killed his entire family and then set fire to the house to destroy the bodies and eliminate all traces.
Zhu Quanyi, who was just over ten years old, miraculously survived by hiding under a bed.
However, more than half of his face had been burned away by the fire.
At that time, an old scholar in the Imperial Capital took pity on him and adopted him.
The old scholar was highly learned and had many students in the Imperial Capital. If Zhu Quanyi had chosen to study hard and seek an official position through examinations, it would have been much easier for him than for an ordinary person.
But Zhu Quanyi chose the path of martial arts instead, voluntarily enlisting in the army to fight the enemy.
Sixteen years ago, Zhu Quanyi started as a common soldier at Celestial Gate Pass and was promoted all the way up to Vice-Captain.
Except for the time he left Vermilion Gate Pass when the old scholar passed away, he had spent the rest of his years at Celestial Gate Pass. To become a Vice-Captain, he had relied on genuine merit.
Therefore, even though Xia Shiyuan’s Cultivation and rank were both higher than Zhu Quanyi’s, he was still very polite to him.
"And this is?"
Zhu Quanyi frowned, looking at Jiang Zuo.
"This is brother Zhao Li, a Martial Dao expert I invited from Lizhou. He’s at the Meridian Passage Great Success realm, far stronger than I am."
Xia Shiyuan introduced Jiang Zuo.
"Commander Xia, what were you thinking, bringing a strange freelance expert here at a time like this?"
Zhu Quanyi’s expression darkened as he listened.
Xia Shiyuan pulled Zhu Quanyi aside. "I understand your concerns, Captain Zhu, but you can absolutely trust Zhao. To tell you the truth, Captain Zhu, a few years ago, it was all thanks to Zhao’s help that Fangxiang Mountain and Xu Wuan were brought to justice."
"At that time, I was fighting two against one. If it weren’t for Zhao, I’d be dead. Those two would have massacred Lizhou, and I fear even Celestial Gate Pass would not have been safe."
"It’s just that Zhao dislikes fame and specifically told me not to publicize it, so I kept it a secret."
"This time, I had to go to great lengths to invite him here. With him around, we have a much better chance of dealing with Mu Yedong’s attack, to say the least."
Xia Shiyuan said solemnly.
’So it’s because of this man that Fangxiang Mountain and Xu Wuan were brought to justice?’
Upon hearing this, Zhu Quanyi’s expression faltered for a moment, and a flicker of inexplicable Killing Intent flashed in his eyes.
But it was only for an instant, and Xia Shiyuan didn’t notice.
"In that case... alright. Just have him camp nearby with you. General Hong is recuperating, and it’s best not to let too many people know his exact location at the moment."
Zhu Quanyi said after a moment of thought.
Although Xia Shiyuan had his complaints about Zhu Quanyi’s arrangements, these were extraordinary times, and he could only obey.
"Zhao, my apologies. General Hong is recuperating from his injuries and isn’t seeing anyone for now."
Xia Shiyuan said apologetically upon his return to Jiang Zuo.
"It’s fine. It’s never wrong for General Hong to be cautious."
Although there was some distance between them, Jiang Zuo had actually heard their entire conversation clearly.
Jiang Zuo didn’t take it to heart. At a sensitive time like this, it was normal for an outsider with an unclear background like him to be distrusted.
If anyone was feeling wronged, it was probably Xia Shiyuan.
He had gone to so much trouble to bring him here, only to not even get a meeting with General Hong.
The two of them set up camp on the spot. Xia Shiyuan was a little sulky at first, but he quickly adjusted his mood.
Inside the tent, neither of them spoke much.
They had already said all they needed to say during their usual meetings in Lizhou. Now, both sat silently, regulating their breathing and waiting for Mu Yedong to appear.
Although Xia Shiyuan had said three days, tonight was actually the best opportunity to strike.
A Grandmaster’s recovery ability was extremely strong. Hong Yangtai was only severely injured, not fatally wounded.
In just one day, he could recover a significant portion of his strength.
Only tonight, while Hong Yangtai had not yet properly recovered, was there a chance. If they could force Hong Yangtai to act, they could immediately aggravate his injuries. Even if he wasn’t killed in the assassination, he would be left with lingering wounds that would prevent his strength from ever returning to its former peak.
The sky quickly darkened, and countless torches were lit within Celestial Gate Pass.
Everything was quiet. Aside from the patrolling soldiers, hardly a sound could be heard.
Knowing that Mu Yedong wouldn’t appear too early, most of the soldiers were half-asleep, conserving their energy in preparation for a midnight battle.
As expected, there was almost no movement from the Daze Dynasty’s army during the first half of the night.
The moon rose above the willow branches.
That night, on a high cliff beside Celestial Gate Pass, six or seven figures appeared silently under the moonlight, looking down from the summit at the Cao Kingdom army below.
"General Mu, there are so many tents. How are we supposed to find Hong Yangtai’s hiding place? Once the army surrounds us, it won’t be easy to escape. We can only fight a quick battle; we don’t have much time to search for him."
An elderly man among them asked, his expression sinking slightly as he gazed at the dense rows of tents below.
Mu Yedong had brought five Martial Dao experts with him this time. However, not all of his commanders could leave their posts, so only two of the five were military commanders. The remaining three were all freelance Martial Dao experts.
Meridian Passage experts could hold their own for a time even against an army of thousands. A careless injury wouldn’t be fatal.
After Mu Yedong offered a huge reward, these three freelance experts agreed to come along.
But if they lingered too long searching for someone and were completely surrounded by the army, unable to escape, it would be a dead end.
"Don’t worry. When the time comes, someone will naturally tell us where Hong Yangtai is."
Mu Yedong said to the old man with a smile.
The three freelance experts were led by the old man, and Mu Yedong relied on him the most.
"A spy? But anyone who knows Hong Yangtai’s hiding place at this time must hold a high rank. The Daze Kingdom actually managed to plant a spy in such a position?"
Someone said in surprise.
"Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible. However, nothing in this world is difficult for a person who sets their mind to it. That Xu Wuan was a man capable of great things, but it’s a shame he failed at the last hurdle."
Mu Yedong sighed with regret.
"The spy is from the Xu Family? That’s even more impossible! The Xu Family was wiped out, their assets seized. How could anyone with the slightest connection to the Xu Family still be in the army?"
The people around him were all amazed.
But unfortunately, Mu Yedong had no intention of revealing any more details.
Besides Mu Yedong’s group of six, a woman in black stood quietly to the side.
The six of them acted as if she didn’t exist, and she showed no intention of interacting with them either.
The time reached Mid-1 AM—two o’clock in the morning.
A thick cloud of smoke, carried by the strong winds from the front of the canyon, drifted toward Celestial Gate Pass.
"It’s a smoke attack!"
"The smoke has a strange smell! Everyone, cover your mouth and nose with a damp cloth!"
Amidst the clanging of gongs, the army garrisoned at Celestial Gate Pass woke up one after another.
"Zhao, I didn’t expect you to be right. They’re actually using knockout smoke in their attack. But why use it from the very beginning? Isn’t that completely useless?"
A basin of clean water had already been placed in each tent. Xia Shiyuan dipped a cloth in it, speaking with some confusion.
The biggest obstacle preventing either side from using knockout smoke wasn’t its ineffectiveness, but the astonishing amount of medicinal herbs required to burn it.
To launch a single smoke attack, one would need to collect herbs for several years, and it would only burn for a short while.
So, even if they were to use a smoke attack, they would usually add the knockout smoke halfway through, catching the enemy off guard.
Even if it couldn’t poison the enemy, it could still disrupt their formation.
But to burn knockout smoke from the very beginning like this, giving the other side ample time to prepare, would have almost no effect.
"This... seems to be just a type of incense, not knockout smoke."
Jiang Zuo said, sniffing the strange odor carried in the smoke.
Most poisons affect the human body through one’s qi and blood. One of the benefits of practicing the Blood God Skill was a high sensitivity to poisons, and most of them had little to no effect on the practitioner.
Even if a poison was accidentally ingested, one could use the Cultivation Technique to circulate their qi and blood and force the toxin out of their body.
As Jiang Zuo smelled the strange odor in the smoke, he felt no change in his qi and blood. It was simply that some kind of fragrant wood had been added to the fire producing the thick smoke.
"Not knockout smoke?"
Xia Shiyuan was taken aback.
’If it’s not knockout smoke, why deliberately create the impression that it is? What’s the purpose of that?’
"Commander Xia, what if someone poisoned the water in the basins..."
Jiang Zuo said after a moment of quiet contemplation, looking at the water basin to the side.
Not knowing if the strange odor in the smoke was knockout smoke or not, the garrisoned army would inevitably cover their mouths and noses with wet cloths.
"Could the water be poisoned?"
The color drained from Xia Shiyuan’s face.
If all the water used by the army had been poisoned, the entire force would be paralyzed in an instant.
"I’m not sure about the others, but our water isn’t poisoned. Poisoning the entire army’s water supply would require a huge amount of poison, which is highly unlikely. But if the target is just a few important people..."
Jiang Zuo shook his head.
At Jiang Zuo’s reminder, Xia Shiyuan’s expression changed again.
Heedless of the commotion it might cause, he immediately stood up and walked out of the tent.
"Zhu Quanyi, you’re the traitor?"
But just as he stepped out of the tent, an utterly shocked and furious voice cried out from ahead.