“Master Zhang, even though this is clearly a trap, I believe that your participation assures success,” Cha Ming said. “What I’m worried about is that all the traps we’ve collectively encountered have something in common—they are delaying us. However, there are some traps that a cultivator must walk into knowingly, lest they regret it for the rest of their lives.
“Why don’t we try this? Our small group of elite cultivators could rush out to fight them, while the rest of the cultivators wait behind this hill. That way we wouldn’t expose those with lower cultivation bases to the trap. In addition, I am willing to supply these eight Cloud Step talismans to those of us who haven’t reached foundation establishment. I have specially prepared them during our downtime, and these sixth-grade talismans offer a sharp increase in speed for a short time. They are ideal single-use items for fleeing if we encounter danger. In the event that nothing happens, you can all return these to me.”
Zhang Yifeng shot Cha Ming a grateful look and then looked at the wider group. “Very well. I will compensate our young friend for his efforts. Additionally, I will also supply you with a seventh-grade healing pill, which you can use to restore yourself from serious injuries, including some internal organ damage. They will even allow a severed limb to be reattached if the limb is still intact. If you don’t need to use them, you can keep them as additional compensation.”
With these words, ten bottles of pills flew out toward them. Three of them went to Cha Ming. Two of the bottles were clearly meant as compensation for his talismans. None of the cultivators shot him any jealous looks, however, as his actions had just increased their chances of survival and had netted them a tidy profit. He even suspected that, before this moment, many of the mercenaries had considered cancelling their contract and forfeiting 75% of the compensation.
After a few quick instructions, the small group of nine cultivators broke off from the main group and stealthily approached the caravan.
“Number Three, why did we suddenly need to move the merchandise today? And in broad daylight, at that? Don’t you know that we are on high alert against potential intruders?” one large man asked another.
“You’d best learn to shut up, Number Six,” Number Three said, berating his slightly smaller companion. “The master’s orders are never to be questioned. If he wants us to move merchandise in the desert and wearing nothing but our underwear, that’s what we’ll do.”
A small child began crying in the back of one of the cages. “Mommy, what’s going to happen to us? I don’t want to stay in this cage. I want to run around and play. And I’m soooo thirsty.” A woman quickly reached out to him and covered his mouth.
“Stop complaining, Xiaohong, or they’ll beat you too,” she whispered. “You saw what happened to the little girl yesterday, right? They kicked her until she stopped moving. You need to be a good boy and behave.”
But the feared beating didn’t come. Instead, they heard breaking bones and clashing blades.
After days of traps and no enemies to speak of, the elite cultivators were finally able to let loose and blow off some steam. Cha Ming was like a god of war, breaking several bones with each strike of his staff. He used Mountain Stance to root himself to the ground and increased the weight of his staff by fivefold. Each strike took a life.
As expected, roars of rage thundered as a hundred figures rushed out from the woods in ambush. Seeing this, Zhang Yifeng took the initiative and broke away from the remainder of the group to stop the assault. Cha Ming and Huxian followed suit while the others continued clearing away the caravan guards.
While Cha Ming and Huxian were good in one-on-one combat, their supplemental skills made them extremely effective in dealing with large groups of enemies. The former surrounded himself in a snowflake formation, slowing down his opponent’s responses while he beat away at them with his heavy, elongated staff. Sometimes he was even able to mow down several enemies with a single blow.
Meanwhile, Huxian showed off his abilities by activating his purification skill. The light emanating from him was particularly effective against this group of bloodthirsty individuals. In fact, several bandits roared and transformed in response. Their figures grew, and an evil aura shot out of one in ten bandits. They let out howls of rage, cursing Huxian as though he was their natural enemy.
Huxian seemed unconcerned with their reaction. For each monstrosity that came, he struck one down. Missing limbs were not enough to deter their assault, and some even went so far as to self-detonate to eliminate Huxian. These explosions barely scratched him, as his aura of light was able to restrain the savage qi that burst out from each figure.
The battle ended after an incense time. There was no suspense, and they had not lost any of their cultivators. Had they overestimated these enemies due to the multiple traps they had encountered? Or was there more to this ambush than met the eye?
The eight cultivators circled the area before confirming that there were indeed no enemy cultivators present in the vicinity. Only then did they join Zhang Yifeng and unlock the prisoners. They ushered them back to the hill where the other troops were stationed, because they feared that their most vulnerable members might have been attacked from the rear while they were preoccupied. These worries were unfounded, however. Everyone was safe.
Yet Cha Ming could not shake an uneasy feeling in the back of his mind. Something is wrong. Is it the prisoners? The prisoners were currently surrounded by the weaker mercenaries, their wounds were being tended, and they were being given hot meals. Each of the freed prisoners looked extremely grateful, and he could see no menacing expressions on any of them.
“Could it really be so simple?” Cha Ming asked Zhang Yifeng.
“That seems to be the case,” Zhang Yifeng replied. “However, I can’t help but feel uneasy. If the enemy set a trap for us, they should have prepared better. Are they just trying to buy time by slowing us down with all of these prisoners?”
Cha Ming wasn’t sure, so he went back to talk with the various prisoners. A grateful little boy was running around without a shirt. He was clearly injured, as his chest was fully bandaged. Another young man was seated at the fire and eating stew. His abdomen was also freshly bandaged, which made him applaud the efforts of the healers in the group.
“I didn’t realize that we’d brought so many fresh bandages with us on this expedition,” he said to a nearby spirit doctor. “The healers were quite thoughtful.” The man shook his head self-deprecatingly.
“Actually, we forgot to bring any at all. Most wounds can be cured with potions and pills, so we didn’t think to bring anything for so many injured people. Thankfully, their jailors were not as cruel as we had imagined. They made sure to bandage their prisoners’ wounds for fear of losing any of their ‘merchandise,’” the man elaborated with disgust.
Cha Ming frowned. “Did you remove the bandages to inspect and treat their injuries?” he said.
“No need. We just gave them some healing pills, which is enough to heal any of their wounds within the hour. They’ll naturally take them off themselves,” the spirit doctor said. He sounded as if this was common sense, and the look he gave Cha Ming said he was puzzled at Cha Ming’s concern.
Nearby, the young boy was scratching at his chest. “Momma, it itches so much. Can I take them off?” the boy said.
The lady, presumably his mother, reprimanded him. “You can take them off after one hour. The doctor said that the wound will heal faster if you don’t take them off. You need to be a good boy and not cause any trouble.”
Cha Ming approached the little boy, and his mother and greeted them with a smile. They recognized him as one of their nine saviors, so they quickly bowed in thanks. “Do you mind if I look at your boy’s wound? I happen to be a healer, so I might be able to help him get better quicker. Besides, it’s safest to look if the bandages are uncomfortable. The woman begrudgingly nodded and gave Cha Ming permission to peel the bandage off the little boy’s chest.
As he unwrappe
d the bandage, a cruel, blood-red cut was revealed on his chest.
What kind of monsters are these bandits to scar a little child like this? It was apparent that the healing potion was having little effect, as the skin hadn’t even started closing over. Instead, it continuously poured out small amounts of fresh blood.
It was only after unwrapping the fifth pass of bandages that Cha Ming’s heart skipped a beat. The cut looked familiar. He hastened the process of removing the bandages. His expression turned ugly as he saw a blood-red runic character beginning to glow. There were four characters on his chest that said: “flesh” and “explosion.” It was surrounded by an array containing four bloody runes representing “healing trigger.” The healing medicines had been effective, but they also meant they’d killed these poor people. The pills had activated the runes on the little boy’s chest.
“Everyone, it’s a trap! Get out now! Leave the prisoners!” Cha Ming yelled and darted away with Huxian. Everyone was confused, as he had been the greatest advocate for rescuing the imprisoned villagers. They hesitated, but not for long. The strongest among them were overcome with a feeling of crisis, a sixth sense accumulated over multiple life and death experiences. Zhang Yifeng never felt any such crisis, however. This trap was no threat to him, after all.
Less than half of the cultivators managed to escape before multiple prisoners exploded. Their bodies burst into pieces like cheap pottery. Limbs and blood sprayed everywhere, and the weaker cultivators who were a tad too slow were caught up in the deadly blast.
The sudden impact caused Cha Ming to close his eyes and cover his ears. He came to his senses just in time to hear the wailing of injured and dying mercenaries, many of whom were missing limbs. The lucky ones had been killed in the blast.
It was a trap after all, a trap that they couldn’t help but walk into. It had been perfectly planned, and perfectly executed. If not for Cha Ming’s last-minute warning, most of the remaining group would have perished in the explosion. Instead, a quarter of them had died and a quarter had been wounded beyond recognition. None of the prisoners survived.
“I can’t stand any of those pompous asses in the city,” Gou Dan complained for the twentieth time. “They always say they’re pursuing the pinnacle of their craft. Meanwhile, they sell off their ‘exquisite goods’ for one and a half times the market price in other cities. It’s just a scheme for making money. It’s a conspiracy, and they’re all behind it.”
Feng Ming massaged his temple as he fought back the urge to beat some sense into his annoying road companion. “Why don’t you just go to another city and buy weapons there?” he asked. He immediately regretted speaking, as these words only served to agitate the ugly man.
“That’s what I’m talking about. It’s extortion! The nearest city is three days away, and no one can get that much time off. They’re taking advantage of their location, which is unethical. Further, everyone looks down on you in town if you have an ugly weapon. I was forced to fork over a fortune for this high-grade longsword,” Gou Dan said as he unsheathed his blade. He looked at it in disgust.
Feng Ming shook his head. “Just keep your complaints to yourself. The horses are traveling slowly because of the bad atmosphere.” He nudged his horse forward in response.
“Wait up!” the man called out from behind him. Feng Ming heard his horse trotting to catch up. Just as he was about to look over, however, his horse caught its foot in a gopher hole. He heard a sickening crack as he started falling with the horse.
I thought I was only supposed to have good luck now, he thought. That is, until he felt a small chunk of his hair go missing as Gou Dan’s longsword missed his neck.
Feng Ming reacted quickly. He pounced off the back of the falling horse and landed on his feet. He then took out his spear, which he held out menacingly to face off against his mounted opponent.
“You lucky sonofabitch. You’d be dead if it wasn’t for that gopher hole. Oh well, I can always kill you the old-fashioned way. Lord’s orders, after all.” With that, the man wasted no time and charged toward Feng Ming. Feng Ming couldn’t find any openings, so he dodged to the side, barely avoiding the horse’s hooves.
Gou Dan snorted and readied his mount for another charge. Just as the horse approached, Feng Ming decided to change tactics. A hot sandstorm surrounded him, causing the horse to suddenly raise its front hooves and neigh. Gou Dan barely managed to hold on.
This was the opening Feng Ming needed. His lightly armored figure suddenly emerged from the cloud of sand, his spear sweeping out in a wide arc. It gracefully avoided the man’s shoulder armor and helmet, slashing the man’s tender neck. The horse ran away in a panic. It was then that Feng Ming realized that all the remaining horses had either been killed or had run away. Gou Dan had left nothing to chance.
What shitty luck, Feng Ming thought. What am I supposed to do now? Then he saw a small farm in the distance. It was a typical farm with pigs, chickens, and a few cows. And horses.
“I guess I am lucky,” he thought out loud. He strapped his spear to his back and started running toward the little farm. In no time at all, he explained the situation and quickly bought the man’s fastest horse at ten times the market price. Now he had a choice to make.
The county lord clearly doesn’t want me to deliver this news to my father. It’s like he’s trying to buy time. Will it be too late if I head over to Green Leaf City now? Is Fairweather in danger?
He pondered this for a quarter hour before deciding to flip a coin. “I’ll just trust my luck,” he mumbled. With that thought, he flipped a golden coin in the air.
The result caused him to question whether he was lucky or cursed.
Chapter 26: Jade Spring
It took the better part of a day to clean up the aftermath of the exploding slaves. The mercenaries who’d survived consumed healing pills, and Zhang Yifeng treated as many as he could. Even though Cha Ming expected to be blamed for the incident, no one dared say a single word. After all, who among them could have imagined that the enemy was so heartless?
After tending to the wounded, they gathered what remained of their companions and the innocent slaves and buried them all communally in a pit, as it was impossible to match the pieces together for a proper burial. It was all they could do to prevent wild beasts from defiling their bodies.
That evening, no one was in the mood to eat anything. They set up camp near the location of the explosion. Fortunately, a geomancer had joined their group, and they were able to set up crude earthen barriers to strengthen their camp’s defenses. Twenty percent of the group was out on patrol, and the rest hovered around a crackling fire. Even the most helpless souls could find comfort in flickering flames.
Cha Ming returned to his camp early after obtaining an exemption from Master Zhang. Instead of keeping watch, he spent all his remaining time crafting low-level talismans, which might come in handy in the upcoming battle. He had until the remaining troops arrived from their patrol to complete his work.
He exhausted himself after only three hours of crafting. Fortunately, he had obtained pills from Master Zhang to replenish his spiritual strength. Recovering qi was much easier, especially when he had the assistance of his formation plate. The night passed by uneventfully. He continued throughout the morning and was only interrupted when Gong Lan’s group and the Ling brothers arrived. At noon, one of the mercenaries came to summon Cha Ming to Master Zhang’s tent to discuss tactics for storming Jade Spring.
Only fourteen people were present in the meeting room, including Cha Ming, Gong Lan, Master Zhang, Master Han, two of the Ling brothers, and eight others. Huxian wasn’t included in the count. Not that he had anything to contribute besides guarding the entrance to the tent.
“It’s got to be a trap. Given everything that we’ve seen, how can it not be?” Han Jinlong said in a loud voice. He was very imposing, and none of the qi-condensation cultivators dared speak up.
“What if they’re just on their last legs with no remaining op
tions? None of the traps they laid before managed to completely stop us. This could just be their last-ditch effort to frighten us off,” Zhang Yifeng said.
“And why would they keep all of the captured civilians in a pen in the middle of town? Have you forgotten the exploding slaves already?” Han Jinlong pressed on.
“How dare you?” Zhang Yifeng exploded in rage. The argument continued, and Cha Ming had no choice but to find Gong Lan to fill him in on the details.
Apparently a scouting party had investigated Jade Spring, and they discovered the city wide open, with the prisoners in plain sight. No guards could be seen on the walls; it was as though the city was declaring their surrender. The situation reminded Cha Ming of Zhuge Liang’s empty city1 ploy, which allowed him to hold off Sima Yi’s advance.
Still, he couldn’t argue against the effectiveness of such a tactic. There were many traps that could be used after baiting an enemy behind a city’s walls. While Jade Spring’s walls were made of wood, scaling them was no easy task for lesser cultivators. If they encountered something like the inferno trap in Crystal Meadows, most of their members and the prisoners would be roasted alive.
“How about destroying the possibility of a trap?” Cha Ming said suddenly. His weak voice attracted the attention of the nearby cultivators, who felt oppressed by the might of two foundation-establishment cultivators.
“Can you please elaborate, young friend Cha Ming?” Zhou Yifeng asked. Cha Ming figured that his contributions earlier in their adventure had earned their admiration, despite the setback with the exploding prisoners.
“Well, it’s clearly easier to defend a city while taking advantage of the walls. This tactic is effective even against cultivators. Even foundation-establishment cultivators like Master Zhang and Master Han cannot fly; they can only rely on magic swords to hover up to ten feet above the ground. Meanwhile, any archers or cultivators with long-distance techniques could attack us with impunity as we gradually scale the walls.
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