Chapter 7

The tranquil mountain forest became bustling and noisy due to the intense battle between the Yingyangwei and the Mire Religion. Compared to others, after killing the Mire Religion member who had taken drugs, Wu Fan became calm. Not for any other reason, but because of the bizarre situation at hand. According to Wu Fan's thinking, he was a soldier, and those Mire Religion members were bandits. Soldiers catching bandits, bandits should naturally flee, right? How could they, with their minds seemingly deranged, not only not run but also fight to the death with the Yingyangwei? What was the Mire Religion up to?

Wu Fan couldn't figure out this strange situation, so he became extra cautious. No matter what, he was a man who cherished his life and didn't want to die pointlessly.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

In the depths of the dense forest, three arrows suddenly whistled, seemingly conveying some message.

"Retreat!"

The Mire Religion members whistled to each other, fighting while retreating, completely disregarding whether their retreat would allow the Yingyangwei to follow them into the deep mountains and forests, potentially wiping out their base.

"Commander Qian! Should we pursue?"

Wu Fan saw this scene, his mind racing, and from a distance, he threw the hot potato to his current superior, Qian Rui.

Qian Rui was thirty-three years old, in his prime, tall and well-built, with a square face, a straightforward man. Similarly, he was one of the few who had the chance to be promoted to a hundred-household commander after Chen Yuci's death.

Wu Fan's move was quite significant. If Qian Rui chose to pursue, if they returned victorious, it would be fine, but if they failed and suffered heavy casualties, not only would his promotion to a hundred-household commander be in jeopardy, but his survival would also be questionable. If Qian Rui chose not to pursue, delaying the opportunity would also be blamed on him. In short, Wu Fan had a talent for being a villain, truly despicable.

Qian Rui was a straightforward man, and straightforward men often lack initiative, preferring to follow orders. Unfortunately, their hundred-household commander, Chen Yuci, was dead, and the other commander, Guo, was left behind in the hundred-household office. No one would give him orders or discuss matters with him; he had to make his own decisions.

Wu Fan's words seemed to corner Qian Rui, but this straightforward man found a way out, replying, "Let's see what the other hundred-household offices do! If they advance, we will follow. If they don't move, we won't move either!"

"Tsk! Is this wisdom in simplicity, or just a lucky guess? The trap didn't work!"

Wu Fan muttered to himself, but on the surface, he acted as if nothing was wrong. While waiting for orders, he took the opportunity to search the bodies of the Mire Religion members who had been cut down, hoping to find some loot. However, the result was disappointing; from over ten people, he only found about eighty taels of scattered silver, which made him curse the Mire Religion members as poor devils.

Eighty taels of silver were still too little to satisfy Wu Fan's greed.

Wu Fan's eyes twinkled, and he feigned generosity, sighing, "Everyone, search the bodies. We lost eight or nine brothers; at least we should give some token of our gratitude to their families."

This statement had a good effect; the remaining dozen or so Yingyangwei under Wu Fan were deeply moved.

The Great Sui Empire valued martial prowess, and military achievements were one of the many things that came with it. The empire placed great importance on military achievements, to the point of being extremely strict. One clear regulation was that "those who kill the enemy can enjoy all the possessions of the killed." This meant that no matter how much effort you put in or how many times you struck the enemy, if you didn't actually kill them, the military achievements and the possessions of the killed would not be yours. Those who tried to steal others' military achievements would be beheaded and displayed.

Wu Fan's subordinates had put in a lot of effort, and because of their hard work, Wu Fan had the opportunity to use hidden weapons and sneak attacks to kill nearly ten Mire Religion members. The people who fell under their small unit's feet mostly counted as Wu Fan's military achievements, and he had the right to enjoy everything. Now, Wu Fan said he would share all the loot with the fallen subordinates, which naturally made others see him as a shining star. It was as if Wu Fan was telling everyone, "It doesn't matter if you die in battle; I will remember you and compensate your families. Such a superior is still quite respectable, isn't he?"

Seeing that his attempt to win people's hearts had worked, Wu Fan smiled, appearing very pleased. This was his first step out of his reclusive disguise, a step towards climbing the ranks. To rise, he needed enough support, not just from above but also from below. If no one respected him, no matter how high he climbed, it would be like a skyscraper without a foundation, collapsing at the slightest tremor.

"Continue pursuing the Mire Religion members!"

Turning around, Wu Fan heard Commander Qian Rui's order to continue advancing. He slung his saber case over his back and waved for everyone to move forward.

Whitehead Mountain was vast, and the deeper they went, the harder it was to recognize directions. The forest was quiet, with the occasional roar of a wild beast. After searching for half an hour, the Mire Religion members who had retreated seemed to have never been there, leaving no trace, which was quite astonishing.

Adhering to the principle that abnormal situations must have a cause, Wu Fan directed his subordinates to move closer to Commander Qian Rui, hoping for mutual support. At the same time, he used the fourteen-posture saber case to play the role of a flying man in the forest.

The strange situation didn't last long. Breaking through the dense forest of Whitehead Mountain, they arrived at a large open area where someone was already waiting for the Yingyangwei from the Luoyang thousand-household office.

On the open ground, there were about three hundred Mire Religion members, all bare-chested, with bloodshot eyes, emitting a smoke-like vapor as if they had been burned and plunged into water. Each Mire Religion member stared intently at the Yingyangwei emerging from the forest, holding various weapons, baring their teeth in a threatening manner, but not making a sound.

"This is..."

Wu Fan immediately remembered the Mire Religion member he had killed. He decisively shouted, "These Mire Religion members have taken madness-inducing drugs, they don't fear pain. You must cut off their heads to kill them. Be careful!"

"Whoosh~~~"

A sharp whistle sounded from the dense forest behind the open area.

"Roar!!!"

The Mire Religion members, who had been waiting, like wild beasts released from their chains, roared and charged at the Yingyangwei!

"Ahhh!"

Screams of pain echoed continuously, and the once quiet mountain forest became noisy again.

Green mountains and clear waters, blood splattered everywhere...

The Mire Religion members, having taken madness-inducing drugs, had lost their humanity. One Yingyangwei member cut off a Mire Religion member's arm, but the Mire Religion member showed no reaction, instead taking the opportunity to rush forward and bite off the Yingyangwei's throat. Another Yingyangwei member stabbed through the Mire Religion member's chest, but the blade got stuck, and the Mire Religion member, with a sword piercing through his chest and back, continued to fight with other Yingyangwei members.

The Yingyangwei, known as the emperor's personal army and executioners, were battle-hardened and ruthless, but they had never seen such a scene. This was no longer a normal battle; it was a life-and-death struggle between humans and beasts, humans and devils! It was terrifying! Too terrifying! The Yingyangwei broke down, completely forgetting Wu Fan's warning, and began to flee and scatter.

"Damn! These fools! They ignored everything I said!"

Wu Fan did not join the battle, angrily slapping the tree trunk, turned around, and was about to jump down from the tree to retreat down the mountain.

"Where are you going?"

Just as Wu Fan turned around, a clear and pleasant voice sounded from above his head.

"Bang!"

The tree branch trembled, and a black figure leaped down from a higher branch, blocking Wu Fan's path.

From the figure, it was undoubtedly a woman, with a tall and curvaceous body. Unfortunately, the woman had disheveled hair and wore a mask of a smiling Mire Buddha. In her hand was a three-foot-long, needle-like spear with a terrifying blood groove that made one shudder.

"Swallow!"

Wu Fan's pupils instantly dilated, and he swallowed hard, his heart suddenly feeling cold!

Wu Fan had climbed the tree using the steel cable in the fourteen-posture saber case, but this woman had climbed a tree over twenty feet high without any tools and had been hiding above him for a long time without being noticed. What did this mean? It meant—this woman was extremely dangerous!

Taking a deep breath, Wu Fan forced a smile, saying, "Ha ha ha... Where am I going... Ah! Home! To eat!"

"Hehehe..."

The black-clothed woman with the mask laughed nervously, then glanced at the battle below, not even looking at Wu Fan, and said, "Are you going to surrender, or do I need to force you?"

Wu Fan also glanced at the battle below, his heart freezing. Over two thousand Yingyangwei members were being brutally beaten by three hundred Mire Religion members who had taken drugs, and they had already completely retreated from the area. This meant Wu Fan was left in the Mire Religion's territory, isolated and without support, unable to escape.

"Damn! Is this a joke... Damn! It's also my fault for playing the flying man in the air for no reason!"

At this moment, Wu Fan truly wished he could slap himself to vent his frustration!

"Bang!"

While Wu Fan was distracted, he felt a pain in the back of his neck, as if his face had been pressed into a soft place, and he lost consciousness...

...

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