Chapter 163: 粉叉叉

Right!

Charging into battle at a single command is no game; it’s risking your life. Normally, it depends on who is giving the order; not everyone will obey just any command.

Before this, could a Mount Youxia disciple command everyone? Even if it were Mulan Qingqing’s fiancé, people would still hesitate and weigh their options.

However, in this situation, with thousands against a few dozen—roughly a hundred attacking one—and these few dozen people appearing quite loyal, their words were practically a plea for mercy.

There was no need to make things unpleasant with Mulan Qingqing’s fiancé. So, the leaders of both groups shouted in unison, "Kill!"

Over seven hundred people from both routes instantly leaped over the heads of the crowd, landing among the surrounded group. It felt less like they wanted to kill them and more like they wanted to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang also jumped in. Their eyes immediately searched for the man in black with a turban, as mentioned in Xiang Lan'er's message. They noticed the package he threw down but made no reaction, simply observing.

The fight erupted suddenly and ended just as quickly. A few desperately kicked their way out, but they couldn't escape the encirclement. There were too many people surrounding them; a group jumped up to intercept, and those who managed to break through were quickly swatted down like flies.

"Our own people, our own people...!" someone shrieked.

There were too many people; no one could remember everyone's appearance. Moreover, their varied clothes made it easy to cause misunderstandings when figures darted around.

"Alright, that method of distinguishing people was easy to solve," Mulan decided, dealing with it on the spot. He found chalk-like stones on the ground, had Qu Linyan come over as an example, drew an X on his chest, another X on his back, and dabbed some crushed stone powder on his forehead. That immediately made him stand out. Some tried to make the X’s on their bodies look better. Those whose markings had faded would even take out stones to reapply the powder themselves.

At first, they weren't used to it; it really didn't align with everyone's aesthetic. But after seeing each other's marks for a long time, the initial disgust faded as they got used to it.

By the time the group reached their distant destination, they hadn't all transformed into the marked group with X's on their bodies and a dash of powder on their foreheads. So, as the group ran along, they acquired an X on their chest, another X on their back, and a dash of powder on their forehead. Some helped each other draw the X's on their comrades' backs while running.

Before everyone could clarify the situation, Mulan had already led Wu Jinliang and the others away in a swift flight. "Hey, they're here, they're here!" Mai Zhanchang squeezed over with his fellow disciples.

Although Qu Linyan felt it was a bit excessive, he already sensed that Mulan was a formidable figure, believing there must be a deeper meaning behind his actions. He secretly resolved to ask later. So, he had his fellow disciples take off the Soul Crystal pouches they were carrying and handed them over for tallying.

The count showed that only two people suffered minor injuries in the irregular battle, and both were accidentally wounded by their own side.

Someone wanted to discuss it with him, but Mulan simply ignored them. After shouting his command, he took the lead and ran off again.

After the Soul Crystal count was finalized, Chu Jingfang reported the number to Mulan. "Boss, the number is correct, same as yesterday: one thousand four hundred eighty-one crystals."

The fight was over so quickly that the mirrored display hadn't even fully started showing it.

It was an unwritten rule of the martial world: if the opponent didn't have what you wanted, there was no need to fight. Human inertia also convinced them at this point. Anyway, no one would appreciate if this cursed place was made pretty, so why bother with meticulousness?

The group had no choice but to proceed as usual, encircling the target according to their drills. After doing it once, everyone felt much more practiced the second time.

Qu Linyan bent down several times, examining the nameplates of the deceased. He mumbled, "They're all from Jiaozhou," then didn't do anything further.

Alright, they were idle anyway. So the group had no choice but to go through the trouble again, gathering to re-tally all the Soul Crystals. Some chuckled, some were dismissive. A few extra crystals wouldn't make a difference, so no one cared. Young Master Nan scratched his head, still not understanding what it meant. After quickly securing the bag's opening, he shouted, "It's Soul Crystals! So many Soul Crystals!"

Their leader shouted, "Brothers, we don't have Soul Crystals on us!"

Qu Linyan and his group might not have explicitly said they would die for someone who understands them, but they still felt somewhat gratified. It wasn't a waste to have boarded this 'pirate ship.'

Mulan gestured with his chin towards the white pouch in Qu Linyan's hand, indicating, "We have a haul; take it. Also, bring out the Soul Crystals you've been guarding for everyone to tally. It's everyone's hard work, to put everyone at ease."

"Probably not, right?"

However, those with X's drawn on their bodies had already heard similar words once before. Not only did no one hesitate, but many raised their eyebrows, feeling reminded.

After confirming the target's situation, everyone's suspended hearts relaxed. It seemed there were a dozen or so more people surrounded than last time. People nearby immediately gathered to inspect. Chu Jingfang also squeezed over upon hearing the commotion. Wu Jinliang and Qu Linyan, however, were busy going over to continue observing.

However, they all stopped advancing before getting close, hiding behind a mountain to spy, not daring to approach. They had only brought about a hundred people for support, but the enemy forces were countless; a glance was enough to know there were very, very many.

Up to this point, Mulan had entrusted half of the Soul Crystals from Shi Chunqing to the Bilan Sect members for safekeeping. This showed his trust in the Bilan Sect group. There was some excitement; getting about a hundred crystals in one go was a lot. How many were there currently in Xuanzhou altogether?

In any case, a long-distance raid ended in less than a moment. Many stood in place without moving. They looked at each other, and some patted the swords at their waists, thinking, "I didn't even draw my weapon."

This time proved the benefit of the X-markings; there wasn't a single friendly fire incident. However, a few encountered some tough opponents and sustained minor injuries. Fortunately, there were many people on their side, and a group instantly swarmed them, ganging up to kill them; in short, not a single one escaped.

So, the group immediately searched the bodies of the deceased, taking anything useful they found. Wu Jinliang was a bit excited, but Mulan pulled his sleeve and gave him a look, signaling not to contend. Mulan, however, showed concern for them, asking, "None of you were killed or injured, were you?" Mulan gestured for Mai Zhanchang to keep it, and Qu Linyan complied. "What's the point?" they wondered. "Having everyone make such a long-distance raid just to fight a few people, it's not even enough to fill a tooth gap."

Such a rough way of doing things—no one from any sect or faction had ever experienced it before.

He didn't bother to chat with everyone; he stepped aside, took out a Mother-Child Talisman, and contacted Xiang Lan'er. Then he shouted to the crowd, "The scout reports a new target! Strive for victory in Xuanzhou! Assemble! Depart!"

With Mulan's loud command, the Central Seventh Route did not hesitate, nor was there any reason to hesitate. They all rushed back into the encirclement to slaughter.

Soon, an exclamation burst out: "One hundred eight! There are one hundred eight!" "Boss, boss, we've got a haul! It wasn't a wasted trip! There are one hundred eight Soul Crystals!"

"Me too; my arm was cut by our own people. He's the one who did it." "We absolutely cannot let that scapegoat find a suitable excuse to abandon us; we must stick with him."

Qu Linyan found the white cloth pouch containing Soul Crystals, squeezed through the crowd, and walked towards Mulan, waving the pouch. He intended to hand it to Mulan to see.

"Why is the boss running so fast? He's not managing his subordinates at all. It feels like he's trying to shake us off."

On a distant mountaintop, someone was already looking down from a height: Xiang Lan'er. Qu Lin had temporarily lent her a Wind-Scale Beast for errands, and she couldn't resist coming here to observe. The process made her wince a bit: a few dozen people traveling a long distance just to fight thirty-odd people—it was quite something.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I really didn't mean it; the clothes were too chaotic, my eyes were blurry, I couldn't distinguish!" "Such a terrible excuse could be used; there's nothing that scoundrel couldn't do."

Following the previous pattern, after the target location was clear, Mulan didn't forget to loudly emphasize battle discipline again: "If the target escapes in any direction, that team must hand over three people from different sects to face death. Within that team, you choose who dies. If the encirclement isn't timely, kill the team leader first. Central Seventh Route, follow me!"

Mulan, amidst the chaotic crowd, used his magic to shout loudly: "Everyone, search and see if there are any Soul Crystals!" Wu Jinliang had no choice but to give up on the Soul Crystals, and his attention returned to the package thrown by the man in black with the turban.

The package on the ground was not ignored; it was quickly picked up. After rummaging through it, the white cloth pouch naturally drew special attention. The person felt and squeezed it through the bag, and when they opened the pouch to check, a bunch of Soul Crystals almost flew away.

"Quick! Soul Crystals! There are Soul Crystals, and quite a few!"

Before the training ground mirror, a group of people watched an unbelievable mob assault. Some people present watched with concern as their fellow disciples were swallowed by the crowd, feeling both shock and anger.

As for who the enemy forces were, it was unclear; they were too far away. Chu Jingfang and others even demurred, saying, "No need, they're all our own people."

The surrounded group was also very confused. If they hadn't seen the differing enemy attire and the overwhelming numbers, they might have thought they'd encountered a sect practicing witchcraft. The fierce demeanor of those with X-marks on their bodies and powder on their foreheads felt very unusual, not like ordinary people's behavior.

Then some looked at each other, shaking their heads and smiling, feeling that this fiancé was a bit childish. Someone said, "I got a bit injured, by our own people."

The scene immediately devolved into a chaotic scramble. People hurriedly picked up some chalk-like stones to take with them. Since they still had to do it, to avoid friendly fire, they might as well use the crude method for now and find a more refined one later.

It was said that this fellow had intentionally gone missing before. Qu Linqing couldn't contact him; his excuse for not replying to Mother-Child Talisman messages was that he had lost the talisman.

When the group had counted more than half, a crowd of people came rushing from nearby. These were reinforcements summoned by the besieged group who had sent out urgent distress signals before they died.

After Qu Linyan got his hands on it, he announced to everyone: "The newly acquired one hundred eight crystals are correct. The total number is now one thousand four hundred seventy."

Mulan didn't take it, seemingly uninterested, too lazy to handle it himself. He called out, "Brother Chu, come collect it!"

The battle still ended very quickly, followed by another cleanup of the battlefield. Many people felt this method of distinction was too crude and unrefined. But Qu Lin felt it didn't matter, as long as it was effective.

Mulan said firmly, "It's not just one person's; it's everyone's hard work. Let's count it again right now, to put everyone at ease."