Chapter 9

"Are you saying... you have already found the hiding place of the Miro Sect's demons?"

Deputy Commander Zhao Xi, riding a tall and fine horse, looked down at Wu Fan with a look of interest, scrutinizing his determined face.

"Report to the Commander! Indeed!" Wu Fan thumped his chest loudly, speaking with utmost certainty: "This subordinate has personally investigated their hiding place. Those Miro Sect demons are preparing ropes, planning to escape. All their previous actions were just a show. After taking the mad drugs, although their combat power greatly increased, they also lost their humanity and overexerted their strength. Once the drug effects wear off, they will be weak and powerless, like pigs and dogs waiting to be slaughtered. Commander! This is a golden opportunity! This subordinate will stake his life on it. If we attack now, we can surely wipe out the Miro Sect demons in one fell swoop!"

To be a villain, one must have the talent for it, and Wu Fan truly had the talent to be a villain.

After being sent out from the Miro Sect's hideout deep in the mountains, to ensure that the scar-faced saintess wasn't tricking him and using him to spread false information to give the Miro Sect a heavy blow against the Eagle Valor Guard, Wu Fan did not leave immediately. He returned and carefully observed, confirming that the scar-faced saintess was not lying. According to Wu Fan's guess, there might be internal conflicts within the Miro Sect, and the scar-faced saintess probably wanted to use the Eagle Valor Guard to eliminate some disobedient followers...

Deputy Commander Zhao Xi stared into Wu Fan's eyes, seeing no panic or evasion, only determination. He pondered and said, "The other Eagle Valor Guards were repelled by the Miro Sect demons who had taken the mad drugs, almost frightened out of their wits. Why didn't you run then? Weren't you afraid?"

Wu Fan patted the fourteen-section saber case on his back and smiled, "Commander, perhaps you haven't seen it, but this subordinate's saber case contains a steel cable, allowing me to climb tall trees effortlessly. Those mad demons only focused on what they saw in front of them and didn't look up. So this subordinate managed to escape and followed those demons to find their hiding place."

"Oh! I see!" Deputy Commander Zhao Xi nodded and then gave the order, "Then I'll trouble you, Wu Xiaqi, to lead the way. Let's wipe out the Miro Sect demons in one battle!"

"Understood!"

[This bastard actually doubts me!]

Wu Fan agreed readily, but inwardly he cursed. At the same time, he was on high alert, warning himself not to be overly optimistic and take others for fools. Those who could survive in the Eagle Valor Guard, a dark organization, were no simpletons, especially those in high positions, who were all bad apples.

Wu Fan led the way quickly, striding confidently without any hesitation, showing a desperate eagerness to earn merit, which reassured Deputy Commander Zhao Xi.

In fact, Zhao Xi was very pleased. This mission to wipe out the Miro Sect demons was a failure in his planning. Knowing that the Miro Sect demons had been impersonating bandits outside Luoyang for a long time, with a large number of followers hiding in the mountains, he had forgotten to request reinforcements and equip the Eagle Valor Guard with crossbows, leading to nearly four hundred casualties in one battle. This alone was enough for the other two commanders in the Luoyang Thousand-Man Command to attack him. If he returned without victory, the consequences would be even worse. The information provided by Wu Fan was like a timely snowfall. He was just being cautious, with no other intentions.

Following the same route, they climbed deep into Whitehead Mountain, and Wu Fan arrived again at the place where he had been captured.

Looking around, a vast clearing of over a hundred yards had been cut out of the dense forest, surrounded by a wooden fence to prevent wild animal attacks. Inside were simple wooden huts and tents. At this moment, many of the Miro Sect followers who had taken the mad drugs were lying on the ground, groaning and vomiting blood, the scene was bleak and sorrowful.

"Commander! This is the place!" Wu Fan pointed to the Miro Sect's camp, clasped his hands, and said, "This subordinate is willing to lead the charge. Please give the order to wipe out the demons!"

"Good! Brave enough!" Deputy Commander Zhao Xi looked at Wu Fan with satisfaction, hands behind his back, and said, "After the victory, I will recommend you for merit! Go ahead!"

"Understood!"

"Brothers! Follow me! Wipe out these demon bandits! Avenge our fallen brothers! Kill!!!"

Wu Fan spoke and acted beautifully, truly leading the charge without hesitation... Of course, if he hadn't already investigated and found that the camp had at most five hundred Miro Sect followers, with three hundred of them almost incapacitated, and if he didn't have a force of two thousand men behind him, he wouldn't have put on such a performance. He would have clutched his chest, pretending to have a "serious illness that prevented him from fighting," and collapsed.

"They are the government's lackeys!"

"Prepare to fight! Prepare to fight!"

"Prepare to fight my ass! Run!"

The Miro Sect camp instantly fell into chaos, and the last bit of doubt in Deputy Commander Zhao Xi's mind dissipated. As a high-ranking leader of the Eagle Valor Guard, who hadn't led troops and fought battles? He could at least judge the situation from the enemy's behavior. The enemy's actions clearly showed they were not using a trap.

Relieved, Deputy Commander Zhao Xi smiled, a stark contrast to the gloomy expression when the Eagle Valor Guard was defeated by just three hundred Miro Sect followers. He had already planned his defense—first, he would claim to have led the troops to eliminate over five hundred Miro Sect followers. Following the tradition of "an Eagle Valor Guard who doesn't exaggerate their achievements is not a good Eagle Valor Guard," this number would at least double, making it a great victory and a significant achievement in crushing the Miro Sect's grand conspiracy! Second, he had discovered that the Miro Sect had created mad drugs, which would give the Great Sui Empire a decisive advantage in reputation, proving that the empire was fighting to ensure the well-being of the people, not suppressing the poor who were dissatisfied with the empire's rule. He had even prepared the propaganda: "The Miro Sect creates mad drugs, making people lose their humanity and only focus on killing"...

Wu Fan led the charge, followed by two thousand Eagle Valor Guards, cutting through the wooden fence with a single stroke. He charged in, chopping down a panicked Miro Sect follower, and began a ruthless slaughter, regardless of whether the enemy resisted. His heartless and ruthless methods were enough to make people look at him with admiration, praising him as "a swift and sharp blade"!

The battle ended quickly. With two thousand men against five hundred, and three hundred of them almost incapacitated, how could it not end quickly? To earn more military merit, the Eagle Valor Guards went wild, even forgetting to leave any alive, hoping to kill them again after the first round.

"Commander, the battle is over!"

Wu Fan, covered in blood, stood before Deputy Commander Zhao Xi, his voice loud and heroic.

Deputy Commander Zhao Xi nodded, very satisfied, and said, "Good! Tally the spoils and dispose of the bodies! Hang the heads of these rebellious demons on the city walls to warn those with ill intentions of the consequences of opposing the empire!" He then lowered his voice and said to Wu Fan, "You did well. I think... the position of a hundred-man commander might be worth fighting for! What do you think?"

Seeing the half-smiling, half-probing look in Zhao Xi's eyes, Wu Fan immediately understood that it was time to show loyalty and seek favor. He clasped his hands and bowed, saying solemnly, "From now on, I am willing to serve you, Commander, ready to climb the knife mountain and dive into the oil pot, without hesitation!"

Behind the Miro Sect camp, about two hundred yards away, was a canyon formed by Whitehead Mountain and the opposite peak. At the bottom of the canyon, the Luo River flowed calmly.

Along the cliff, a group of people dressed in black, wearing Miro Buddha masks, walked indifferently...

...

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