Chapter 1393: Action Begins

**Chapter 1378: Operation Begins**

"How did it go?" He Lingchuan asked, simultaneously casting a barrier to prevent his voice from being overheard. "Did anyone give us away?"

Wan Sifeng instinctively lowered his voice: "Our people, dressed in black and masked, stole goods from five merchant teams at the inn. General Chongwu's carriage was parked in the best spot, but it had four or five guards beside it. Wang Fubao only managed to grab two crates."

"That's not bad at all." General Chongwu's subordinates were all regular soldiers. He Lingchuan had seen them fight in Jingshan; their discipline, morale, and combat effectiveness far surpassed those of the allied forces and the Bixia people. For Wang Fubao to snatch crates from them, he must have used some trickery.

"General Chongwu went out to pursue them himself," He Lingchuan said softly. "Is Wang Fubao's escape route secured?"

"Yes. Mr. Dong should have met him by now." Wan Sifeng suddenly smiled. "We were incredibly lucky. There were actually two real thieves at the inn earlier, who had already pilfered some valuables from guests. When things got chaotic at the inn, they got scared and fled. A-liang then tracked them to their hideout."

He Lingchuan clapped his hands. "Excellent! Later, we'll plant General Chongwu's treasure chests, along with the other merchant teams' valuables, at their hideout."

The Black Armored Army appeared to be elusive and swift across the continent, yet every mission invariably involved unexpected incidents. Over several months, the Black Armored Knights had learned to adapt on the fly and master the art of assessing situations—these were the kind of warriors He Lingchuan wanted. Those who couldn't adapt were sent back to the Yangshan Archipelago.

This time, Wan Siliang turned the tables, giving He Lingchuan even more initiative.

"What about Xue Zongwu?" All these events tonight were orchestrated for that primary objective.

"He should reach Mangzhou before sunset." Wan Sifeng also knew time was short. "My lord, you must hurry."

"This weather tonight," He Lingchuan said, listening to the wind and rain outside the window, "the heavens are certainly on our side."

However, things then hit a snag: Dong Rui had not yet returned.

His task was to pilot the snail-toad to rendezvous with Wang Fubao, evade General Chongwu's surveillance, and return safely.

Since General Chongwu's arrival was sudden tonight, He Lingchuan had to hastily plan this "luring the tiger away from the mountain" maneuver. Time was short, the task was critical, and the biggest fear was General Chongwu capturing someone alive.

Time ticked by.

Only an hour and a half remained until Xue Zongwu's arrival in Mangzhou.

If they didn't leave soon, they wouldn't make it in time.

Even Wan Sifeng was anxious, whispering, "Should we send a quick message to Mangzhou, telling our brothers to try and delay Xue Zongwu?"

"No," He Lingchuan immediately rejected the idea. "That would not only expose our intentions to attack but also risk casualties. Intercepting Xue Zongwu is no laughing matter!"

If Dong Rui couldn't make it back, no matter how unwilling He Lingchuan was, tonight's plan would have to be canceled.

After another fifteen minutes, it was pitch black outside, and the world seemed to be nothing but the sound of rain.

General Chongwu had not yet returned either. According to the Yangshan scouts' surveillance, General Chongwu hadn't sent anyone back to the inn. This meant that the Yangshan operative who stole the tribute gifts had not yet been caught; otherwise, he would have sent men back to keep an eye on He Lingchuan.

He Lingchuan secretly sighed, stood up, and said in a deep voice, "Tonight..."

The words "operation postponed" felt incredibly heavy. But He Lingchuan knew in his heart that even the best plan, if it started to go wrong from the outset, was best abandoned promptly.

Just before he could speak the words, two bird calls suddenly came from outside the window.

*Chirp-chirp—Chirp-chirp—*

The calls weren't jarring amidst the pouring rain, as there were water birds naturally frolicking outside.

He Lingchuan, however, let out a long breath, his heart finally settling.

Dong Rui was back!

So he quickly changed his words: "...the operation begins!"

Another flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a peal of thunder. Simultaneously, the window of He Lingchuan's room opened.

He had specifically chosen a ground-floor room for easy access.

Dong Rui was already waiting below the window, accompanied by Wang Fubao and a few Black Armored soldiers, all drenched from head to toe.

"Everyone's back?"

Wang Fubao reported, "Everyone's back."

"Let's go back to the inn." People were constantly coming and going in the inn tonight despite the rain, so a few drenched individuals walking in wouldn't attract much attention.

He Lingchuan then urged Dong Rui, "Hurry!"

They were already late.

The reed beds by the river bend swayed and rustled in the wind and rain. Under the double cover of darkness and the storm, He Lingchuan and Dong Rui piloted the snail-toad, quietly burrowing underground towards Mangzhou.

The main event of the night was just about to begin.

Inside the snail-toad's shell, Dong Rui finally had a moment to change into dry clothes. He Lingchuan asked him, "What took you so long?"

"Long?" Dong Rui's eyes widened. "That General Chongwu is full of tricks; it was really hard to link up with Wang Fubao!"

It turned out that while the "tiger" had indeed been lured away by the earlier stratagem, it wasn't easy for Wang Fubao, who had stolen the tribute, to escape from its clutches. General Chongwu was formidable at tracking enemies, something He Lingchuan and the Three-tailed Fox Demon had experienced firsthand in Baijian Mountain. This time, Wang Fubao was chased relentlessly, almost getting caught several times.

The pursuit was too close; Dong Rui wanted to rendezvous with Wang Fubao but couldn't find a suitable location.

The most troublesome part was that Wang Fubao's escape direction couldn't be too far from the hideout of the petty thieves they planned to frame.

"So, what happened in the end?"

"We got lucky and found a cave," Dong Rui yawned. "With this strong wind and heavy rain tonight, Chongwu will be busy searching outside all night; he won't think to come looking for you."

"Let's hope so." The closer they got to Mangzhou, the better the weather became. "Will we make it to Mangzhou in time?"

"Last time, I wasn't familiar with the route, so it took a long time to navigate; this time, we should be at least half an hour faster." This was the benefit of scouting ahead. "By the way, do you have any food?"

Dong Rui extended his hand to He Lingchuan. While he had been running around outside, the other fellow had been feasting in a private room.

He Lingchuan tossed him a packet of wine-flavored dried meat, then swallowed an antidote pill and secretly circulated his internal energy through a full cycle.

With a major battle imminent, he needed to keep his mind clear and his energy high.

By the time Xue Zongwu arrived in Mangzhou, it was almost dark.

Under the dim light, the dark red city gate remained imposing. Standing over three zhang high, it was adorned with a massive beast head, resembling a lion's head with curly mane, but also featuring horns.

Even riding a horse beneath it, people marvelled at its grandeur.

The red paint on the gate looked as if it had been freshly applied, very new.

Every bronze rivet on the gate gleamed brightly.

Ordinary people arriving at the city gate often admired its imposing grandeur, but seasoned generals like He Lingchuan and Xue Zongwu immediately noticed something else: the gate bore not a single sword mark or arrow scar. Not one.

It was magnificent and sturdy, yet it seemed more like an ornament.

This grand gate had been built sixty years ago. This meant that Mangzhou had not experienced war for at least the past six decades.