Chapter 102: Chapter 102: There Is a Mole
Xie Yuan’s face was ashen. He dropped his axe and collapsed to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
He had fought head-on with a Third Training and a Fourth Training expert in quick succession today. Even though the latter had only half—or even less—of his attention on him, it still took a heavy toll.
But seeing that Boss Song was well and truly dead, Xie Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He propped himself up with his hands and leaned back slightly. He saw Zhao Xingyang across from him, who had also collapsed to the ground. Their eyes met, and he gave a slight nod.
If Xie Yuan hadn’t tacitly followed up with the killing blow, and Boss Song had actually managed to block or dodge Zhao Xingyang’s fatal strike, no one would have been able to stop him. Not only would they have failed to prevent his escape, but once Zhao Xingyang was out of the fight, Boss Song might not have needed to flee at all. The tables would have turned completely.
Zhao Xingyang was determined not to let Boss Song escape; his life-risking strike was meant to finish him for good. While it was a dangerous gamble, he had seen Xie Yuan’s performance today and trusted he had both the ability and the reaction time to back him up. And Xie Yuan had not disappointed him. His response had been perfect.
And just like that, their blood feud was avenged on the spot.
Zhao Xingyang looked up at the sky, slowly exhaling as two bloody streaks ran down his face.
The escort members who were still on their feet were also exhausted, but they split into two groups. One group scrambled to help Zhao Xingyang up, tending to his wounds and feeding him medicine. The other went to see to Xie Yuan, only to be surprised that while he was covered in crimson, he barely had any wounds on him.
The blood was all from his enemies. When Xie Yuan wielded his great axe, few could get near him, and with the Golden Bell Shield protecting him, he had taken almost no damage. His real injuries were internal, caused by the two bandit leaders; his organs had been shaken. That, combined with his two exhaustive, all-out axe strikes, meant he would likely need a long period of rest to recover.
Xie Yuan was helped up by a few of his companions. He waved his hand to show he wasn’t seriously hurt and moved over to Zhao Xingyang, joining the others to check on his condition.
Zhao Xingyang shook his head.
"I’m not dying. Just exhausted, that’s all."
"I’m afraid it’s more than just exhaustion... Boss Zhao, you broke through mid-battle and unleashed incredible power. That’s how you were able to slay the bandit leader," Xie Yuan said.
’But forcing a breakthrough like that... I wonder how he’ll recover from his injuries, and whether it will affect his future path of cultivation.’
’Of course, in that situation, there was no time to worry about the future. Zhao Xingyang was prepared to die to take down Boss Song. The fact that he was still alive was a win in itself.’
Zhao Xingyang closed his eyes slightly.
"If I really had incredible power, I wouldn’t have lost so many brothers. I wouldn’t have failed to save Xiaolinzi and the others..."
A somber look fell upon everyone’s faces.
Seeing this, Zhao Xingyang let out a breath and forced himself to rally.
"Enough. If it were just me, we probably would have all been wiped out. Xiaoxie, we have you to thank for truly turning the tables this time. Your strength... even I can’t make sense of it."
Zhao Xingyang was filled with emotion, and the other escort members also looked at Xie Yuan with strange gazes.
He had killed a Third Training expert in one blow and mowed through the bandits like they were grass, yet his cultivation was clearly still at the Second Training... This Xiaoxie’s strength simply defied logic.
The men crowded around Xie Yuan, patting him on the back and squeezing his arms. It was hard to tell if it was to thank him or to try and get some of his miraculous ability to rub off on them.
Seeing their mixed expressions of admiration, gratitude, and astonishment, Xie Yuan chuckled and said humbly:
"It’s all thanks to the axe. I just had the advantage of a good weapon."
Everyone turned to look at his great axe, nodding repeatedly.
They could see that the axe was indeed immensely powerful and of superior quality. It wasn’t just heavy and mighty, or chillingly sharp to the point where a mere touch was lethal; after such a bloody battle, it didn’t even have a single nick. It was truly a Divine Weapon, filling the hearts of the Darts Masters, who handled weapons day in and day out, with envy. If each of them had an axe like that, they really wouldn’t have needed Xie Yuan to save them today.
’After using it in actual combat, Xie Yuan felt a wave of emotion himself. The Moon-Cutting Axe is even better than I imagined, and the Moon-Cutting Axe technique is incredibly powerful, too. Looks like I owe Situ Qin a huge favor.’
Zhao Xingyang managed a faint smile.
"I’ve said it before. Xiaoxie is precocious. He has ’great wisdom.’"
The few who knew the axe’s origin let out good-natured laughs, while Xie Yuan could only offer a dry chuckle.
"But while the axe is effective, the wielder is even more so. Otherwise, it would just be a pearl gathering dust, and you wouldn’t get these results."
Zhao Xingyang nodded, then his voice grew quiet.
"Take me down to see them."
The mood turned heavy as they all went down the hillside. A Darts Master who had stayed behind to take count reported:
"Boss, the number of brothers who died in battle... fourteen have died. Five are too seriously injured to move. We need to find a doctor right away. Counting Xiaolinzi and the others, we’ve lost twenty brothers this time..."
Zhao Xingyang’s face went white. He gripped the hand of the person next to him, his knuckles pale. Looking around, he saw that fewer than ten men were still standing.
He said in a hoarse voice:
"Take good care of our brothers. Don’t leave them here. We’re taking them home."
"Boss, are we going back to Yunzhao?"
"No, we press on. Xianglin Town isn’t far past the Leigong River. We’ll take our brothers... and leave them at the public morgue there for now. We’ll find a doctor for the seriously injured, and then we continue on to deliver the shipment to Wuli Village. We didn’t lose. We’re not dead. Since we accepted the job, we have to see it through."
Zhao Xingyang said quietly, stroking the undamaged escort chest beside him.
Everyone nodded. Those with light injuries divided the tasks: cleaning up the battlefield, repairing the carriages. They also sent one man who still had the energy to ride ahead to Xianglin Town to get help and extra carts.
When the men from the cart service arrived and saw the field of bodies, their legs trembled, and they were scared into silence. After a great deal of effort, they loaded the bodies and the shipment. The Escort Team set off once more. When they reached the bank of the Leigong River, they paused in silence for a long while before finally crossing the bridge into Xianglin Town to rest.
Xie Yuan walked up to the front carriage and said to Zhao Xingyang in a low voice:
"Boss Zhao, the people at Wuli Village didn’t know Landlord Chang was having a shipment escorted home. I feel like something isn’t right. This time... I think we were set up."
"I know."
Zhao Xingyang’s eyes were closed. He lowered his voice so only Xie Yuan could hear:
"And it was someone from the Escort Agency."
Xie Yuan nodded silently. He’d had a faint suspicion.
The bandits’ ambush was too perfectly placed, too precise. Even the battlefield itself seemed pre-selected, making it difficult for the Escort Team to even flee.
If no one had tipped them off, it would mean the bandits had a powerful intelligence network and scouts who spotted the Escort Team along the route and set up the ambush in advance.
But judging by their coordination and command, how could they possibly have that level of skill? And how could they reach all the way from Chicken Mountain to intercept an Escort Team that was deliberately taking a route to avoid their fortress? This was the second time it had happened.
Most likely, there was a mole.
"Thinking back on the last few escort missions, and the time you were ambushed before, it was probably because someone was leaking our information. But we never would have considered it. The Escort Agency has been around for years, and we’ve always been like a family... Until this time. That Boss Song came with such a clear, unconcealed purpose. I’m afraid he never expected any of us to get out of there alive."
Zhao Xingyang’s voice was hollow, filled with an indescribable mix of sorrow, anger, and pain. All those feelings mingled together into nothing but pure bitterness.
Comments