Chapter 657: War Zone's Fragile Fate

For White Ruo, there was no need to travel to the capital to seek imperial enfeoffment. Even though the capital wasn't far, and she was bound to get involved in the struggles of humanity and intertwine with the fate of the Great Zhen Dynasty, she could still minimize the impact on her own cultivation. As for the fact that her involvement in the human conflict wasn't legitimate without the Great Zhen Dynasty's official enfeoffment—allowing the Divine Way of Zuyue Kingdom to act against her without restraint—she wasn't afraid. Not to mention the current war was mainly on Great Zhen territory; even if it were to extend into Zuyue Kingdom, their Divine Way had already collapsed.

Many people shared White Ruo's sentiments, some even acting sooner. Of course, there were also those willing to accept imperial enfeoffment; some traveled to the capital, while others reported to local authorities, obtained travel permits, and headed directly north.

"Giddy-up... Giddy-up..." "Giddy-up, everyone! Let's get over this mountain before nightfall!"

"Got it!" "Understood!"

In the twilight, along a mountain path in southern Qizhou, thirty to forty people rode forward on horseback. Each carried various weapons and wore different attire, appearing loosely organized but all exuding a steady demeanor.

Finally, before nightfall, the thirty to forty individuals emerged from the mountains. They temporarily set up camp beside the official road, several miles from the foothills. "Camping" simply meant finding a suitable spot to tether their horses, light a bonfire, and rest for a while.

It was deep winter, and even these martial artists, having traveled all day, were feeling the biting cold. Resting by the bonfires was a rare luxury. Yet, despite their chilled bodies, their hearts burned with determination, everyone pooling their strength.

"We have entered Qizhou territory and are not far from the Great Zhen defenders' pass. Prepare yourselves, rest well, and when we encounter those Zuyue bandits in a few days, we'll give them a sight to remember!"

"Well said! These Zuyue bandits can't win in a direct fight, so they resort to these crooked, evil tricks. Do they think Great Zhen has no one? Let them feel the sharpness of my blade!"

The man who spoke next partially drew his saber, revealing the blade glinting in the firelight.

"Now, heroes from all corners of the jianghu are gathering here. With our martial skills, this is precisely the time to uphold justice. So many common folk in Qizhou have been massacred, and bandits are still rampant. Once we pass Qilin Pass, for every bandit we see, we'll kill one!"

"Right!" "Exactly!"

As the martial artists were discussing heatedly, hoofbeats sounded in the distance and steadily drew closer. Though these martial artists weren't familiar with military matters, their martial skills made their senses of sight and hearing relatively keen. They immediately fell silent.

One person, using qinggong, leaped onto a nearby tree. Looking into the distance, he saw a troop of cavalry approaching. The sky hadn't completely darkened yet, so he could discern that the cavalrymen were all uniformly dressed and armored.

"Comrades, it's a troop of soldiers approaching. They look like Great Zhen soldiers!"

Hearing this from the person in the tree, those below exchanged glances and instinctively stood up, their weapons still at their sides, without attempting to hide.

Not long after, the cavalry troop rode close. The leading officer raised a hand, and the cavalry slowly decelerated, finally stopping about thirty paces from the group of jianghu martial artists. This was a relatively safe distance, yet still within the effective range of the soldiers' powerful bows and crossbows.

The leading officer pointed his long spear at the martial artists ahead.

"I am from the Great Zhen Northern Expedition Army's patrol. Who are you people? State your names at once!"

As the officer spoke, dozens of cavalrymen on horseback had already aimed their crossbows forward.

Immediately, a martial artist stepped forward, cupped his fists, and replied.

"We are all jianghu martial artists of Great Zhen. The nation is in peril, so we have come north to do our utmost, to slay the Zuyue bandits and uphold justice."

"Do you have travel permits?"

"Yes, please take a look!"

The martial artist who had just spoken took out his travel permit booklet from his robe, stepped forward, and handed it to the officer. The officer took it, opened the booklet, and saw the seals and annotations from several previous checkpoints. He then looked at the martial artists; some were plainly dressed, others brightly, but generally, their clothes were clean, and there were no bloodstains on them.

The officer narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked,

"Are you all from Yizhou? Just arriving in the north, did you bring any of Yizhou's famous Dragon Blossom Dumpling Cakes? I haven't had them in ages."

The leading martial artist frowned. Before he could speak, someone from the back of the group asked doubtfully,

"Dragon Blossom Dumpling Cakes? Famous in Yizhou? I've never heard of them. Sir, is that some local delicacy from a small place?"

The commanding officer smiled and lowered his steel spear.

"I made it up, so of course you haven't heard of it."

The martial artist understood, but still finished what he had been about to say.

"We are not all from Yizhou; we also have comrades from Bingzhou. Our travel permits were simply issued in Yizhou. That gentleman over there, he's the chief constable of Bingzhou, Constable Wang Ke, the Yin-Yang Divine Catcher!"

The officer paused slightly, then looked up at the inconspicuous brown-robed man standing by the bonfire. He saw the man give a slight bow in their direction. He hadn't expected this person to be an official constable, though he hadn't heard of the title "Yin-Yang Divine Catcher." It probably belonged to the same category as those extravagant jianghu titles.

With that thought, the officer returned Wang Ke's salute, then handed the travel permit booklet back to the martial artist at the horse's head, and finally bowed to the assembled group.

"Thank you all, righteous heroes, for coming to assist. This area is already the front line. Please forgive any offense given just now."

"Don't worry, Sir. We understand the gravity of the situation!" "Exactly. Have no concerns, Sir. We are jianghu folk; we know to be wary of others!"

The martial artists indeed held no significant ill will towards this cavalry troop. Their armor was scratched and damaged, stained with old bloodstains, showing without a doubt that they were seasoned soldiers who had experienced bloody battles.

"Hmm, I should also caution you all: this place is no longer safe. The enemy has many strange and treacherous individuals, so you must be wary of their unorthodox methods. Straight northeast from here is the direction of our army's main camp, but there are also small paths nearby that can bypass the pass. You must be careful! We have military duties, so we must take our leave now!"

"Farewell, everyone, until we meet again!" "Until we meet again!"

Some martial artists who had been hiding behind trees or in trees also emerged. The thirty to forty individuals cupped their fists towards the approximately fifty cavalrymen. Only the officer on horseback returned the salute, then, with a command of "Depart," he led his soldiers away on horseback.

Only when the cavalry troop had disappeared from the martial artists' sight did the martial artists express their admiration.

"What a magnificent army! Our Great Zhen cannot possibly lose!"

"Indeed, with such an imperial army, we will surely defeat the bandit forces!"

While others were exclaiming, the martial artist holding the travel permit approached Wang Ke, who had remained silent.

"Constable Wang, should we head towards the main camp?"

"Yes, of course, we must go. We shouldn't disregard what that officer said, especially regarding the night. We'll need more people on watch tonight."

As Wang Ke spoke, his gaze remained fixed on the direction where the cavalry had departed. At this moment, only a cloud of stirred dust remained in his sight.

"Second Master, why were you staring at those soldiers?"

The speaker was someone standing beside Wang Ke, who appeared robust and tall, yet his face still showed some youthfulness. It was Zuo Wuji, only fourteen years old.

Wang Ke looked at Zuo Wuji and sighed.

"I have wielded the Hell Seal for many years. It was bestowed by an immortal. Through judging yin and yang over the years, I've gradually gained some abilities. Sometimes, I can vaguely sense when someone's death is near."

"Then, Second Master, do you mean those soldiers?"

"Yes, but I shouldn't say too much. Nothing in this world is absolute. Soldiers on the northern campaign are inherently in danger. Even people like us carry the aura of death. Let's rest first."

That night, a faint scream echoed from the distant wilderness.

Wang Ke, who had been sound asleep, suddenly opened his eyes, frowned, and looked around. He nudged Zuo Wuji beside him with his elbow. The latter also opened his eyes the next moment, looked at his side, and whispered a question.

"Master?"

"Shhh... Wake everyone up, but quietly."

Only then did Zuo Wuji realize that even the night watchmen in this temporary camp were asleep, and he absolutely did not believe that martial artists would succumb to sleepiness before their shift ended.

Soon, everyone was roused one by one, and as they woke, they were reminded by their already awake companions to remain silent.

"Everyone, draw your weapons."

The martial artists gathered together, presenting their sabers and swords. Wang Ke took a small seal from his robe, gently pressed it onto each weapon, and a faint, glowing "Prison" character briefly appeared on the blades.

"Everyone, malevolent beings will surely appear tonight. Let's feign sleep, control our heart rates and breathing. If we have to fight later, do not hesitate."

"Understood!" "Right." "We'll follow Constable Wang's lead!"

Everyone grew tense, but being seasoned jianghu veterans, they quickly suppressed their unease. They lay back in their positions, feigning sleep, controlling their breathing and pulse to appear deeply asleep.

About half an hour later, approximately twenty figures silently emerged from the distant wilderness and approached Wang Ke's camp at great speed.

"Hmph, there are indeed some short-lived fools here. Master Zhou's Sleep Wind is truly powerful. Tonight, we can collect a hundred left ears!"

Soon, the two dozen figures arrived close enough to see dozens of martial artists sleeping by the dying embers of bonfires. Their faces immediately lit up with joy.

"Are these martial artists from the Great Zhen interior? Excellent! These people are much richer than those soldiers!"

"Hehe, indeed. No more talk, let's just chop off their heads first."

The twenty-some individuals leaped into the camp, slowly drawing their curved sabers and raising them high, aiming at their respective targets' necks. Just as they were about to strike, flashes of sword light and saber light suddenly appeared in their eyes.

"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"...

"Thud!" "Thud!" "Thud!" "Thud!"...

Blood splattered across the camp. Wang Ke and his group erupted in a counterattack. Having already killed or wounded many enemies with their preemptive strike, their flashing sabers and swords enveloped the invaders. Zuo Wuji, wielding a flattened staff, crushed one man's groin and pierced another's neck, swinging his staff with broad, powerful movements.

In just a dozen breaths' time, with a planned ambush against an unsuspecting enemy and numerical superiority, all two dozen invaders were killed. In their personal pockets, many blood-stained ears were found.

Less than an hour later, led by Wang Ke, the group found another camp. It was filled with the bodies of Great Zhen soldiers, including the officer who had made a good impression on them earlier that day. All of them had lost their left ears.