Blade - Unbound

Chapter 71: The Strategy for Attacking the Hill

Flies truly flocked to the stinkiest cesspits!

Although Li Yan did not yet know that the Iron Blade Gang had been destroyed by Luo Shihai and the others, he was not the least bit surprised to see these two men appear here. No matter how skilled they were, they were still gutter trash!

As the hoofbeats drew closer, Li Yan saw more clearly. Both horses carried large cloth sacks. From their shape and the smell coming from within, it was obvious they contained newly abducted children.

At the same time, fragments of the men’s conversation drifted over on the wind.

“Junior Brother Zheng, don’t blame me. This whole mess was caused because that idiot Zhou Peide bungled everything and dragged us down with him.”

“What’s so good about wandering the jianghu anyway? We’ve got enemies everywhere, plus the government’s hunting us now. We probably won’t survive more than a few days. Better to rely on Master Chen, then we’ll have someone backing us...”

“Hmph, what’s the point of saying that now?”

“With that old bastard’s temperament, he’d sell us out sooner or later. I already planned my escape long ago. Damn that You Laosi fellow, he stole every bit of wealth I had painstakingly saved up.”

“Damn it, years of hard work, only to end up empty-handed!”

“Hahaha, money comes and goes.”

“Master Chen already said so. Once he succeeds, we’ll immediately head for the coast. It’s far more prosperous than the Guanzhong Plains. I heard many wanted outlaws from Lulin have already boarded ships and sailed overseas. Every single one of them is making a fortune out there”

As they spoke, the two rode past where Li Yan stayed hidden. Firstly, although these two were not among the strongest of the Eight Vajras, both had long mastered hidden force and wielded it with ease. Li Yan alone was absolutely no match for them.

Secondly, he wanted to use them to determine exactly which tomb Chen Fakui hid within.

After reaching the foot of the mountain, the pair concealed their horses within a ravine before hoisting the sacks onto their shoulders and climbing upward. Their figures gradually shrank among the dead trees and dense woods.

The higher ground offered far clearer sightlines. If Li Yan rashly followed and exposed himself from the forest below, the two men would notice immediately. Fortunately, Li Yan had another method. Forming a hand seal, he pushed his divine ability to its limit and inhaled deeply, faintly identifying the lingering scent trail left behind by the two men.

Of course, his divine ability was still limited. Once the distance grew too great, he could no longer smell them. But now that he had memorized the scent, he would be able to find traces for at least two days...

***

On the distant official road, three riders were also galloping swiftly forward. It was none other than Sha Lifei and the others.

As they neared the location, Luo Mingzi suddenly raised a hand. “Stop!”

Looking toward the distance, he calmly said, “If Chen Fakui has evaded the searches of the yin soldiers, he must be exceptionally skilled at concealment. There’s a good chance he already prepared defenses in advance. We should dismount and proceed stealthily.”

“Daoist Luo speaks wisely.” Zhao Facheng of the Nine Essence Sect nodded. “My Senior Brother Chen may know little of worldly matters, but he possesses considerable talent in the mystic arts. He has certainly made preparations.”

With that, he swung off his horse and concealed it within the woods.

Sha Lifei finally relaxed slightly when he heard the two converse. Originally, he had assumed that once the City God Temple received the news, they would immediately establish an altar and capture Chen Fakui through the use of the mystic arts. Instead, he learned that the City God Temple’s yin soldiers could not operate during daylight.

Worse still, only two people had been sent. Although there was only one Chen Fakui, it still felt far too casual. Sha Lifei had been deeply uneasy throughout the journey. Thankfully, those two did not seem entirely unreliable.

After hiding the horses, the three continued onward, avoiding the main road and instead moving through the forest along the roadside to conceal themselves.

Halfway there, Zhao Facheng suddenly raised a hand, signaling the others to stop. Then he formed a hand seal and crouched to the ground, pressing one ear against the earth to listen.

Sha Lifei was no longer completely ignorant. He immediately guessed that the man’s awakened divine ability was related to his sense of hearing.

Sure enough, Zhao Facheng soon rose to his feet and turned toward Sha Lifei. “There’s someone hiding in the forest ahead. It should be the companion Brother Sha mentioned...”

Li Yan frowned slightly and turned with his blade in hand. He had been using his divine senses to probe the forest when he suddenly smelled three people approaching from the road. Though one scent belonged to Sha Lifei, all three were heading directly toward his position. Clearly, they had already discovered his hiding place. He could not afford to be careless.

As expected, the three quickly entered the woods.

The moment Li Yan saw their Daoist robes, he revealed himself. “Greetings, Seniors.”

Sha Lifei immediately stepped forward with introductions. “Brother Yan, this is Daoist Luo Mingzi of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect’s Enforcement Hall, and this is Master Zhao Facheng of the Nine Essence Sect. Well? Did you locate them?”

As he spoke, he subtly winked. Li Yan raised his eyebrow slightly. They were going to capture Chen Fakui, so why had they brought along someone from his sect?

Though suspicious, Li Yan understood from Sha Lifei’s signal that it was not the time to ask questions. Thus, he merely nodded. “They’re here. But there are numerous tombs atop the mountain, and I still can’t determine their exact location.”

He also recounted everything he had witnessed earlier, “Chen Fakui also has two helpers, Yuan Qu and Zheng Heibei...”

“Zheng Heibei is here too?” Sha Lifei cursed. “So that bastard fled here. Brother Yan probably doesn’t know yet, but the Iron Blade Gang’s already been wiped out...”

After exchanging information, Li Yan cupped his fists and asked, “Seniors, when do you plan to make your move?”

Luo Mingzi pondered briefly before giving a reply. “Originally, nighttime would’ve been best. Senior Uncle Qing Yanzi at the City God Temple would establish an altar and dispatch yin soldiers to assist us.

“But the enemy has risked abducting more children, meaning he has likely gathered enough sacrifices for his obscene rites. Saving people takes priority. We ascend the mountain immediately.”

Yet Zhao Facheng immediately stopped him. “That would be unwise!”

Li Yan frowned and looked toward him, while Sha Lifei’s smile vanished as well.

Seeing their expressions, Zhao Facheng sighed and shook his head. “Please do not misunderstand. I came this time under orders from my sect, not to shield my fellow disciple. Regardless of whether Senior Brother Chen has committed unforgivable crimes, we will cleanse our own house. However, there is a problem here. We cannot act rashly.”

As he spoke, he turned toward Luo Mingzi. “Daoist Luo, have you examined the terrain of this mountain?”

“Oh?” Luo Mingzi frowned and walked to the edge of the forest to observe the landscape. After examining the area for a while, he finally nodded. “There truly is something unusual here. It’s an Extreme Yin Heavenly Land. I’ve heard the Nine Essence Sect’s lineage excels in fengshui of the yin attribute. It seems the rumors are true.”

Li Yan thought for a moment before asking, “From the way you two speak, this Extreme Yin Heavenly Land sounds dangerous. If so, why are there so many tombs here?”

“That is not so.” Zhao Facheng shook his head. “The Extreme Yin Heavenly Land is actually a blessed site. In geomancy, there are Nine Stars, among which is the Extreme Yin Star. It is of the metal element, and corresponds to the position of the Dui within the Eight Trigrams.

“Yin represents incompleteness. Yang gains fullness, while yin receives only half. Thus Extreme Yin always lacks something. Tombs are yin dwellings and by burying the dead here, yin and yang become balanced, making it an extremely auspicious burial ground.

“This method became widespread during the Wei and Jin dynasties. The tombs on this mountain should all date back to that era. If I’m not mistaken, Senior Brother Chen specifically chose this place to conduct obscene sacrificial rites and force a breakthrough. He has likely prepared for this for a very long time. The mountain must be filled with hidden threats.

“It may appear ordinary, but the moment outsiders climb the mountain, he will immediately notice.”

As he spoke, sorrow flickered across his eyes. “Senior Brother Chen once possessed a heroic heart. He traveled everywhere helping common people drive away evil spirits. After he developed lung rock disease[1], I believed he had accepted his fate, I never imagined he would stray onto such a path.”

Li Yan had no interest in the evil monster’s tragic past. He simply asked, “If climbing the mountain alerts him, then whether it’s our friend’s Wandering Soul Jar or those children, they are all bargaining chips in his hands. We need a foolproof strategy before making our move!”

If it was merely an ordinary bandit stronghold, they could simply infiltrate during the night and rescue the captives. But matters involving the mystic path were different. Charging in recklessly would only bring disaster on them.

Zhao Facheng remained silent and instead looked at Luo Mingzi. “Daoist Luo has far greater experience. I ask that you take command.”

Luo Mingzi did not refuse. Staring at the distant mountain, he pondered briefly before asking, “Daoist Zhao, do you have a method to draw Chen Fakui’s attention?”

Zhao Facheng nodded. “As fellow disciples of the same lineage, the moment I establish an altar at the mountain’s base, Senior Brother Chen will sense it. I can then engage him directly.”

“Excellent.” Luo Mingzi stroked his long beard while staring into the distance. “In that case, I’ll suppress my aura and climb the mountain from another side to rescue the captives, destroy the altar, and seize the Wandering Soul Jar.

“Once Senior Uncle’s yin soldiers arrive, we can wipe him out!”

***

Candlelight flickered faintly within the ancient tomb. Just as Zhao Facheng suspected, it was indeed a tomb from the Wei or Jin Dynasty.

Though not an imperial tomb, it was still quite spacious. The long burial passage led to a front chamber, rear chamber, and two side chambers. Several grave robber tunnels riddled the walls, and every valuable burial artifact had long since been stolen.

Inside the front chamber, twelve unconscious children lay sprawled across the floor, their faces flushed red from the drugs.

Yuan Qu and Zheng Heibei, with nothing better to do, wandered about with torches in hand, admiring the murals on the walls.

“Tsk tsk... those great clans sure lived extravagantly.”

“What’s the use though? All they ever did was fight each other. The moment the north fell into chaos, every last one fled south. No matter how good the fengshui of their ancestral graves was, it still amounted to jack shit...”

At that moment, Chen Fakui emerged from the rear chamber and calmly said, “Fengshui is merely a minor factor. At best, its blessings will last for three generations. Before the great tides of human destiny, small currents like that naturally become meaningless.”

As he spoke, a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. “Gentlemen, it’s getting late, you may remove your clothes now.”

Yuan Qu and Zheng Heibei exchanged glances before obediently beginning to undress. Soon enough, both men stood completely naked...

1. lung cancer ☜