Chapter 276: Present Revenge

Tao Ze feigned a halberd thrust, then reined in his horse and turned to flee.

He Lingchuan raised his wrist and shot a sleeve arrow at him.

Tao Ze heard a rapid whistling sound behind him, turned, and parried it with his halberd. But immediately after, his eyes were filled with a chilling glint—

The Drifting Life saber flew towards him, spinning.

Tao Ze ducked his head, barely dodging it.

He Lingchuan threw the saber almost immediately after firing the sleeve arrow.

One of the two was bound to hit its mark.

True to prediction, the precious saber suddenly reversed mid-air, spiraling back from the most unexpected angle. Tao Ze was stunned. With no way to evade, he instinctively bent over and gasped, feeling an intense pain in his abdomen—

The Drifting Life saber grazed his belly, carving a finger-deep gash!

This was even with his armor deflecting some of the force.

With his internal organs damaged, his intestines were on the verge of spilling out.

Tao Ze screamed aloud in pain.

He Lingchuan had already rushed to the Dragon Ascending Spear, pulled it from the tree trunk with one hand, then spun around and thrust it at Tao Ze.

At this point, Tao Ze was so overcome with pain that he could barely parry Shan Youjun's long saber. How could he possibly have the strength to defend himself?

He Lingchuan thrust the spear, and it plunged directly into Tao Ze's gaping mouth.

The gleaming spearhead pierced through the back of his skull.

He Lingchuan simply hoisted the corpse onto his spearhead, then rode his horse forward, roaring, "Those who block me shall die!"

In less than two exchanges, their leader was slain. The Xunzhuo soldiers ahead were almost scared out of their wits; who dared to block the path now? They desperately scrambled to the roadside, fearing that any delay would turn them into victims of the spear.

Shan Youjun was quick, seizing the fallen Crimson Tiger Halberd and following closely behind He Lingchuan.

After the two rode for over ten zhang, He Lingchuan lowered his spear, and Tao Ze's corpse dropped to the ground with a thud.

When the Xunzhuo soldiers rushed to retrieve their leader's body, they only saw the dust trail of the two riders disappearing into the distance.

Only a few dozen breaths later, the main force of the Xunzhuo light cavalry returned.

The continuous whistling sounds earlier signified an urgent situation and an exceptionally formidable foe, so Hong Chenglue himself turned back.

Upon seeing Tao Ze's corpse and the brutal nature of the spear wound, he fell silent, then asked what had happened.

Tao Ze's subordinates quickly reported the incident.

"Among the scouts trailing us, is that the one who wounded General Baili?" Hong Chenglue frowned. "According to intelligence from Xinhuang, this person is He Chunhua's son."

So, He Chunhua sent his own son to Bailu Town to gather military intelligence?

General Xu Yingxian of Xunzhuo, who shared a deep camaraderie with Tao Ze, had a very close relationship with him. With reddened eyes, he immediately volunteered, "General Hong, give me twenty men, and I will utterly crush that boy!"

"He's riding a mottled beast; you won't catch him," Hong Chenglue said calmly. "Do you still remember our mission?"

Xu Yingxian opened his mouth to retort but was subtly tugged on the sleeve by Wu Qing. He swallowed his words before they left his lips.

"I remember," Xu Yingxian replied. "Assassination behind enemy lines and seizing grain."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Hong Chenglue tilted his head. "Time is of the essence."

The Xunzhuo light cavalry moved as one, rapidly advancing eastward.

Another half an hour passed, and the rearguard cavalry galloped forward to report that no enemy was tracking them from behind.

Had the two of them given up?

Instead, Hong Chenglue's expression became even more solemn, and he ordered the light cavalry to accelerate again.

His overconfidence had allowed those two Xiazhou scouts to escape. What was originally meant to be a second surprise attack now seemed uncertain.

He wondered if he could still capitalize on this time advantage.

He Lingchuan and Shan Youjun rode several hundred zhang before stopping, seeing no pursuers behind them.

"They're in quite a hurry, not even bothering to pursue," He Lingchuan observed, looking at the arrow quivering in Shan Youjun's back. "I'll pull that out for you."

"Thank you, Master."

He Lingchuan severed the arrow shaft with a saber, then helped Shan Youjun remove his outer armor. The movement aggravated the wound, making Shan Youjun wince in pain. He Lingchuan then poured out some fine white powder for him. "Eat this," he instructed.

This was Stone-mortar Powder, usable both externally and internally. While its hemostatic effect was moderate, a few breaths after Shan Youjun swallowed it, the pain in his back shoulder subsided.

He Lingchuan gently pressed around the wound a few times, first stemming the flow of blood by affecting the meridians, then took a small knife to extract the arrowhead for him.

Shan Youjun observed his remarkably skilled movements, a hint of emotion stirring within him. From his time as a private soldier in the Li family, he clearly understood that while Old Master Li remained a capable man, his sons and grandsons were increasingly feckless. They might have read extensively and studied many principles, but they achieved little. In contrast, Steward He's family was destined to rise and prosper, with his eldest son brave and his younger son intelligent, each possessing distinct talents.

Earlier, during the ambush, the medicinal ape Lingguang had swiftly burrowed into its master's arms. Now it emerged, clutching a water skin, to pour water over Shan Youjun's wound to clean it, then applied medicine and bandaged it.

With the alchemist ape taking charge, He Lingchuan was free to focus his energy on surveying their surroundings.

It was already dark. The evening wind swept through, rustling the grass leaves, as if ambushes lay hidden everywhere.

He Lingchuan plucked a few freshly grown tender leaves and vigorously wiped the blood from the spearhead. As for the Drifting Life saber, merely pointing its tip downwards for a moment would render it clean as new.

He was uncharacteristically quiet, his expression calm, yet Shan Youjun sensed the underlying suppression and simmering rage beneath that tranquility.

"Master," he said hoarsely, "You have already avenged Maotao on the spot. Such swift retribution is rare."

Most enmities forged on the battlefield never get avenged in a lifetime.

He Lingchuan's brows were tightly furrowed as he nodded.

The archer who killed Maotao, and the enemy general who led the ambush, had both fallen by his hand.

Yet, the anger and sorrow in his heart had not significantly eased.

Maotao was an old retainer who had followed him since the Panlong Illusionary Realm. Though their time together was brief, he had proven utterly loyal.

After this battle, no other subordinate would cheerfully call him "Young Master" all day long.

Lingguang deftly finished treating Shan Youjun's wound. The latter carefully put his outer armor back on and asked He Lingchuan, "Should we continue tracking them?"

"Continue," He Lingchuan said, now calm. "Our mission is not yet complete."

The two turned their horses around and once again galloped towards the Xunzhuo light cavalry.

As they neared the previous battle site, both became more vigilant, wary of repeating past mistakes. However, while traces of the battle remained everywhere, and bloodstains still marked the ground and grass, the bodies themselves were gone.

Drag marks were visible on the ground.

He Lingchuan followed the marks and discovered a cave nearby, where all the bodies were piled up. A pungent liquid had been splashed at the cave entrance to deter scavengers.

"They didn't even have time to bury their own dead," Shan Youjun murmured. "They must be in a great hurry."

"They might return later, but not now," He Lingchuan said, remounting his Mottled Green Horse. "Let's go."

It was already dark, and finding the vanguard army's tracks in the mountains was not easy. Fortunately, having served as a demon-hunting patrol guard for so long, He Lingchuan had acquired numerous tracking skills. Even without Maotao, his tracking speed would only be slightly diminished.

Half an hour later, he realized something was amiss.

Judging by the tracks, the Xunzhuo forces had changed direction.

They had turned eastward.

What could this mean?

Could the enemy be setting a false trail? However, Shan Youjun had also scouted the vicinity and detected nothing unusual.

East?

Why east?

The two exchanged glances. Even Shan Youjun, a veteran light cavalryman, looked bewildered. Finally, he said, "Could they be planning to attack Xinhuang Town by surprise?"

"But…" He Lingchuan began. Baili Qing, Dong Rui, and all those wounded soldiers were recuperating here. Would Hong Chenglue simply abandon them?

A sudden shiver ran down He Lingchuan's spine as the thought struck him. "You're right!" he exclaimed.

This Hong, what a devious mind!

In terms of resolve to win and the means to achieve it, he was truly on par with He Chunhua.

The problem was, he had already dispatched Jiao Tai to report to Xinhuang. Knowing He Chunhua, it would be highly unusual if he didn't send troops to eliminate the enemy!

He had no idea where He Chunhua's army was currently.

"No more following!" he declared decisively. "We must return to the main road and, if possible, intercept my father's forces!"

They had been following the Xunzhuo forces eastward, while He Chunhua was leading his army westward. This meant they were heading towards each other, but Hong Chenglue had chosen a longer, alternative route, ensuring the two parties wouldn't meet.

What He Lingchuan needed to do now was take the main road and shortcuts to deliver this vital news to He Chunhua, who was advancing from the west!

The two spurred their horses to a gallop and vanished like smoke.

Navigating unfamiliar mountains at night was no easy feat; even local mountain dwellers could easily get lost.

At this moment, He Lingchuan had to be grateful for his increasingly powerful spiritual sense, which enabled him to commit the passing scenery to memory. Otherwise, a few wrong turns here could jeopardize crucial military affairs.

About half an hour later, they finally emerged from the mountains and galloped onto the main road.

Speed is paramount in warfare; the Xiazhou army would certainly choose the quickest, shortest, and most accessible route.

He Lingchuan's judgment proved correct.

An hour later, thunderous hoofbeats echoed from the mountain hollow opposite. Up close, a cloud of dust rose, signaling the arrival of a large contingent.

Leading the charge were He Chunhua himself, along with Jiao Tai, who was guiding the way.

The two parties met face to face. Upon seeing his son, He Chunhua felt not joy, but concern. "Chuan'er, why are you here? Has something happened?"

Shan Youjun thought to himself, *like father, like son*.

"Hong Chenglue used the mine pit as bait to draw us in; he himself took the remaining Xunzhuo light cavalry to Xinhuang."

This weighty revelation stunned the generals. He Chunhua's brows practically tied themselves in a knot. "Are you certain?"

"They circled around, and the last traces show they headed east. Their march was so hurried they didn't even have time to bury their dead."

"Feint to the east, strike to the west—I see," He Chunhua, a shrewd man, grasped the situation in an instant. Xinhuang's defenses were depleted, with most of the elite troops accompanying him, but the grain supplies remained in the camp!

If Hong Chenglue managed to pull the rug out from under them, this northern grain transport mission would be an absolute, unmitigated failure!

A cold sweat broke out on his back at the thought.

But with so many eyes fixed on him, he had to remain composed.

He Chunhua bit down hard on his tongue, using the pain and taste of blood to forcefully regain his composure, then abruptly inquired about the intelligence from the mine pit. Upon learning that only the old, weak, and sick, along with fewer than a hundred defenders, remained in the mine pit, he decisively ordered Zeng Feixiong to detach a force of four hundred men: "Take the mine pit and capture Baili Qing, whether dead or alive!"

Zeng Feixiong acknowledged the order and was about to turn when He Lingchuan took the ring from his own hand and offered it. "Borrow this for now. It contains several jars of potent gunpowder; I recall you know how to handle these," he said.

"I do," Zeng Feixiong replied, taking the ring with a puzzled expression. "What is it for?"