Chapter 116: Chapter 111: He Comes from the Lake
The bandits formed three ranks with their backs to the lake.
The archers were on the inside, the crossbowmen on the outside. The four leaders—Xu Mabang, Yang Dan, Wang Mazi, and Liu Huaying—stood not far from one another at the corners of the outermost rank.
Zhao Lin told Liang Song to wait by the carriages as he slowly walked toward the lake.
Liang Song knew his strength was limited and he couldn’t be of much help, so he opened one of the overturned carriages and began rummaging through its contents.
When Xu Mabang and the others saw Zhao Lin approach, they all stared at him nervously. Whichever bandits his gaze fell upon were struck with terror.
Just a moment ago, Zhao Lin had taken over forty lives with casual ease. In their eyes, he was no different from a baleful star of slaughter.
Before Zhao Lin was even within range, one of the bandits lost his nerve, loosing an arrow from his bow.
Yang Dan shot the man a vicious glare and barked, "No one looses an arrow without my command!"
With a flicker of movement, Zhao Lin suddenly accelerated and charged toward one side of the formation. All the archers and crossbowmen immediately raised their weapons and took aim.
Yang Dan took a deep breath, but the command to "fire" died on his lips, held back at the last moment.
When Zhao Lin was about twenty zhang away, he saw the bandits weren’t taking the bait and halted his advance.
’This formation has some thought behind it,’ he mused. ’It’s like a porcupine. Charging in head-on would be risky. But if I can drag this out until nightfall, they’ll be as good as blind, and then I’ll have free rein.’
Wang Mazi gave his heavy blade a flourish and said in a low voice to Xu Mabang, "Second Brother, we can’t just keep dragging this out. How about I take some men to hold the rear while you go back and report to the Chieftain?"
Hearing this, Yang Dan and Liu Huaying also turned to look.
Xu Mabang spat. "What kind of talk is that? We’re brothers. What kind of man would I be if I let you cover our retreat while I run for my life?"
"Besides, it’s not like you could stop him anyway. He’d just pick us off one by one. Right now, we have to stick together."
Wang Mazi scratched his head. "Then what’s the plan? If he’s not leaving, are we just supposed to wait here forever?"
Xu Mabang glanced up at the sky. "The moon is coming out."
Wang Mazi blinked. "Second Brother, what are you talking about? That came out of nowhere."
Xu Mabang looked at him and said in a low voice, "The kid is only relying on that unpredictable Body Technique of his. In that regard, none of us can compare. But have you noticed? Judging by his Qi and Blood, his cultivation is only at the First Layer of the Qi Realm!"
"I’m guessing the kid took some kind of rare medicine to have his cultivation jump so high so fast."
"The higher one’s realm, the sharper their five senses..."
He smacked his lips as he spoke. "I’m at the Third Layer of the Qi Realm, you and Yang Dan are at the Second Layer, and even Hua Yingzi is at the First Layer. If it comes down to a contest of sight and hearing, he’s definitely no match for us."
"It’s an overcast day. Once night falls and it’s pitch black, the tables will turn!"
Wang Mazi grinned. "A brilliant plan, Second Brother!"
Yang Dan frowned in thought. "Second-in-command, there’s still something I don’t understand. That day I had the archers fire on him, he stopped in mid-air. Not only did he not fall, but he actually flew a little higher."
"And how did he survive jumping off the mountain later?"
Xu Mabang was silent for a moment before saying slowly, "I can’t figure that out either. Not even the Chieftain knows the answer!"
"Still, I think people aren’t birds. We don’t have wings, so no matter what, we can’t fly. He must have cultivated some advanced Light Body Skill that lets him use momentum to hang in the air for a moment."
"And even if he can fly, so what? An eagle can catch a rabbit, but can it catch a tiger or a leopard?"
At his words, the bandits all nodded, their confidence rekindled.
Zhao Lin listened impassively, pondering to himself.
’The bandits are planning to run tonight. This plays right into my hands.’
But to keep them from guessing his intentions, he deliberately paced back and forth around their formation, acting agitated.
As the sky gradually darkened, Liang Song approached with some jerky and dried rations.
"What should I do tonight?"
Zhao Lin took the food. "Go hide up on the mountain," he said. "Look for opportunities to shoot any bandits that get close, but don’t come down unless you have to."
Liang Song knew this was all he could contribute. "Alright," he said, before turning and disappearing into the night.
Zhao Lin casually sat on the ground and began to eat right in front of the bandits.
’A great battle is inevitable tonight. I’d better fill my stomach first.’
Wang Mazi spat at the sight. "Should’ve known to put arsenic in that food and poison him to death!" he cursed.
Night fell quickly. The moon was obscured by clouds, allowing only a sliver of light to pass through.
The mountain forest was deathly silent, save for the distant hoot of an owl.
Xu Mabang spoke in an extremely low voice. "Listen up, brothers. Follow me north. Once we’re past that ridge ahead, there’s an old elm forest."
"As long as we make it to the forest, we’ll be safe!"
The bandits’ spirits lifted at his words, and they began to move north with him, taking small, cautious steps.
Zhao Lin slowly followed, keeping parallel to the bandits. His larynx vibrated at high speed, emitting ultrasonic waves to monitor their every move.
’The night is dark enough now,’ he thought. ’If I were to strike, my own safety would be guaranteed.’
’But I’m worried they’ll scatter in a panic. Rounding them up then would be a real pain. So I won’t strike just yet. I’ll wait for the right moment.’
Xu Mabang and the others, thinking Zhao Lin was afraid of the dark, were secretly delighted. They moved quickly along the side of the lake.
A cool wind suddenly gusted, and a dark cloud blotted out the moon.
The world was plunged into inky blackness!
Zhao Lin finally moved. He strode toward the bandits, his feet grinding against the sand and gravel. CRUNCH... CRUNCH...
Facing the direction of the sound, Yang Dan was the first to react. "Careful, everyone!" he warned. "He’s coming!"
The bandits immediately halted, raising their bows and crossbows. They strained their eyes, trying to peer into the darkness, but could see nothing.
As the sounds grew closer, Yang Dan’s heart leaped into his throat. Xu Mabang, Wang Mazi, and Liu Huaying also hurried over.
CRUNCH... CRUNCH...
Just as Yang Dan was about to give the order to fire, the footsteps suddenly stopped!
Yang Dan, Xu Mabang, and the others froze. They strained their ears to listen, and suddenly heard a whoosh of displaced air from directly above.
Wang Mazi looked up and, by the faint starlight, saw a figure soaring through the air.
"He can actually fly!"
Despite his normally fearless nature, even he felt a chill run down his spine.
"He’s up there! Fire!"
Yang Dan and Xu Mabang noticed it too and shouted at the same time.
The bandits with bows and crossbows couldn’t see a thing and could only loose their arrows blindly into the sky.
Zhao Lin had already circled around in the air to the side of their formation. He dove into the crowd of bandits from the direction of the lake, his ruler a blur as he struck the back of several bandits’ heads in quick succession.
The bandits never dreamed that Zhao Lin would appear from behind. Hearing only the THUD of bodies hitting the ground, they were scared out of their wits and began to back away in a desperate retreat.
More men fell as they tried to flee, their screams rising and falling in succession.
"Don’t scatter! Get over here, to me!"
Xu Mabang and the other leaders on the perimeter couldn’t help. They could only shout, watching helplessly in a state of anxious panic.
