Chapter 1213: Reverse Trap

The mirror reminded him, "This device can reveal all sorts of invisibility spells. Be careful; if you become visible here, everyone will attack you."

Ju Cheng used this method to prevent enemy infiltration. Compared to other means, the shadow-revealing lamps consumed less energy. However, even with this efficiency, the overall cost for the Bixia people to create such a wide visibility zone was still substantial. They had also deliberately arranged the lamp array inside the city walls, hoping to prevent enemies from discovering it in advance, thus making it easier to trap them. This arrangement alone indicated that traps lay both inside and outside the city, with the Bixia people clearly anticipating an attempt to rescue the condemned prisoner.

The mirror asked its master, "How do you plan to get past this? Should we retreat outside the city and activate the Snail Toad?"

The visibility zone formed by the shadow-revealing lamps, stretching from the city wall to the inner open ground, was over fifteen zhang (nearly fifty meters) wide. Even He Lingchuan could not leap that far. If he were to summon a jumping spider using the spider queen's essence blood, he could indeed cross the distance with a full-power leap. However, the Skin of Lord Boshan, which he had modified into a full-body cloak, was not large enough to conceal an entire jumping spider, meaning he could still be spotted by the guards. If too many enemies were alerted, their subsequent actions would become much more difficult.

He Lingchuan shook his head. For the Snail Toad to emerge inside the city, its position would need to be carefully scouted in advance; otherwise, its large size could easily alert others. He glanced around, then stealthily slipped past the guards on the city wall and made his way to the gate tower.

The city walls were not tall, but Ju Cheng's gate tower was remarkably high, built during an unknown year or tenure, and possessing a grandeur that seemed out of place for such a small city. In just a few swift movements, he leaped to the top of the gate tower and looked down at the city below. A gentle breeze blew, lightly rustling his clothes. He Lingchuan slightly closed his eyes, secretly gauging the wind direction and strength. He had done this before when jumping into the eye of the Xushan formation, and was now exceptionally proficient.

When the next fresh breeze arrived, he suddenly leaped with the wind. If anyone had seen him, they would likely have thought he had springs on his feet. His leap was both high and far, and his posture was exceptionally graceful. Reaching the highest point, he even hovered for a moment. Then, he stretched his limbs out in a broad 'X' shape, and thin wings unfolded from beneath his ribs. With a soft whoosh, his descent transformed into a glide. This flying wingsuit, an adaptation of Fu Shanyue's equipment, had been used by He Lingchuan numerous times in various situations, making him extremely proficient. Now, by simply making small adjustments to his angle, he could glide both quickly and far. The thirty-zhang distance flashed by as he soared over the display lamp array and landed smoothly. It was quiet behind him; no one detected his unauthorized entry.

"Done. What's next?"

After successfully entering the city, he needed to find the jail. This was not difficult. As soon as He Lingchuan infiltrated the city, he heard the sound of the night watchman's gong. It was already the fourth watch of the night. He followed the sound, pulled the watchman into a dark alley to inquire about the jail's location, and then sent him into unconsciousness with a single chop to the neck.

County jails were usually located near the government office, and Ju Cheng was no exception. The jail faced the back door of the government office. In the dead of night, it was pitch black, with only a single oil lamp lit in the gatehouse. It was actually a row of low-lying bungalows, but its main structure was underground, with the cells only having small skylights. Neither prisoners wanting to escape nor outsiders attempting a rescue could break out through a window.

However, before He Lingchuan even got close, the Soul-capturing Mirror alerted him: "Be careful, there are at least three or four formations nearby, and who knows how many people are hidden within them."

He Lingchuan stopped, realizing there might also be people lying in ambush in the government office opposite. The mirror added, "Be careful, it seems there are also people ambushing and scouting on the opposite rooftop." To use the latest terminology, it seemed to detect the exhalations of living people!

As expected, it was a trap. He Lingchuan frowned, realizing Bixia was using Situ He as bait, hoping to lure in more enemies. Given this, it was hard to say whether Situ He himself was actually imprisoned in the county jail.

The mirror asked him, "What do you intend to do?"

First, he needed to determine the target's location, right?

"First, find an insider."

They were uninvited intruders in Ju Cheng; who could they possibly know as an insider? However, the mirror refrained from complaining, knowing that since its master had said so, he must have a plan. Infiltrating the jail now would mean jumping into a trap, while going to the government office to find the county magistrate would certainly alert the enemy.

Hmm... who would know the condemned prisoner's whereabouts yet not be ambushing the jail? Even if such a person existed, how could the master find them in the dead of night? It waited to see.

"If Situ sends people here, they'll easily fall into an ambush too," He Lingchuan mused, then quietly retreated. "This is also a good opportunity to leave them a warning."

He surveyed the surrounding terrain, left the eyeball spider behind the small door of the government office, and climbed onto the nearest highest tower and rooftops. The mirror was right; there were people ambushing on the tower, and three crossbowmen were lurking on the rooftop! Anyone operating near the government office and jail would find it hard to escape their notice. From this vantage point, the Bixia people's planning seemed quite thorough.

Unable to find higher ground nearby, He Lingchuan could only sneak up a large tree, intending to deal with the three on the rooftop. The three men were positioned far apart, each covering a different direction, yet could watch over each other. He Lingchuan climbed onto the ridge of the roof like a nimble cat, his footsteps so light that he didn't even make a single thin tile clink.

Wearing the Skin of Lord Boshan, he first crept behind one man, pressed down on his neck, and gave it a gentle twist. *Crack*, like a pebble dropping onto a road. He Lingchuan was highly skilled, knowing how to break a neck with the least possible sound. Only the crossbowmen on the rooftop heard that sound. The other two turned to look, greatly alarmed. Just as they were about to shout, He Lingchuan's clone sprang up from behind, thrusting a knife into a throat! A dark shadow also streaked through the air, and with a "whoosh," the third crossbowman was pierced through the heart. The Bat Demon Puppet had launched its attack.

The unlucky man died instantly; his body swayed twice, about to fall. He Lingchuan leaped over, grabbed him, and gently placed him back on the rooftop. The crossbowmen from all three directions were now neutralized, unable to raise a single alarm. Furthermore, they had been half-lying down previously, so their current positions were not significantly different from before.

After that, He Lingchuan began setting up mechanisms. The patrol guards had become quite skilled at this trick when hunting demons on the Red Plain Plateau. Simply put, he fully locked several heavy crossbows, drew their strings taut, aimed them directly at the jail, and then carefully connected their triggers to a sandbag. The sandbag was heavy and substantial. He Lingchuan made two cuts in the sandbag, then quietly left the tower under the cover of night. He silently counted the seconds in his mind.

When he counted to fifty-seven, *thud, thud, thud*, several arrows struck the jail's wooden door or flew directly through the windows, triggering cries of alarm. The sand in the bag had completely leaked out, no longer holding down the triggers, and the arrows had shot forth. The specially made arrowheads were coated with phosphorus powder, which would self-ignite from friction with the air during flight. Upon striking an object, the oil or gunpowder pouches would immediately explode, scattering like celestial flowers and making them very difficult to extinguish. These sets of explosive mother-and-child arrows were a design from Songyang Prefecture. While not very powerful in full-scale battles between two armies, they were perfectly suited for harassment and assassination.