I am the Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysterious-Chapter 353 - 317: Night Raid on Black Mountain Village
The two groups exchanged glances, both somewhat reluctant to speak, until a mustached middle-aged man finally said to Sang Que, "Tangyuan County has already been breached by the Qianshou Army. You’d better not go there."
"What about Dongyang County?" Sang Que pressed on.
Dongyang County is not far from Tangyuan County.
The man replied, "Dongyang County should still be intact. There’s a mountain, Cuiyun Mountain, between the two counties that’s rather mysterious. Since last year, people have frequently gotten lost or gone missing in that mountain. I suppose the Qianshou Army can’t reach Dongyang County for now. Even if we want to go to Dongyang County, it’s difficult. We can only risk continuing towards East Yue Mountain and see if we can get into Jinzhou territory."
"Have all the people in Tangyuan County fled?"
"I don’t know. We left early, and at that time, most of the townspeople were still watching and waiting. Now, it’s unclear whether they’ve fled or joined the Qianshou Army. After all, the Qianshou Army doesn’t kill civilians, but for people like us..."
The man suddenly fell silent, his eyes wary and unwilling to say more.
He was worried that Sang Que and her group were with the Qianshou Army. The Qianshou Army specializes in killing Qinzhou officials, robbing the rich to help the poor. In the county town, those wealthy merchants, regardless of their origins or past misdeeds, as soon as the town falls, the Qianshou Army and the poor townspeople will immediately rush into the officials’ and merchants’ homes to kill and loot.
Qiao Ling asked Sang Que, "Are you planning to go to Tangyuan County?"
Sang Que shook her head, "No, we’ll bypass it and go straight to Dongyang County. I need to find He Buning first."
To find He Buning, ask about the exact location of the Yin Child’s tongue and heart, then help the Ghost Vendor collect three hundred blood-stained weapons. After that, if Qiao Ling wants to stay, she’ll return to Bright Moon Mountain with Xia Chan.
"You guys rest. I’ll keep watch."
Sang Que leaned against the wall; staying awake all night didn’t affect her much.
...
At that time, at the foot of Da Heishan, three men wearing Night Traveler masks silently swam ashore from the lake.
The leader, with a resolute face and robust build, still dripped water after coming ashore. The red water plants on him loosened their grip on the other two and retreated into his sleeves and pant legs.
The three quickly ran behind a giant rock by the lake, observing the forest ahead. There were many tombstones and graves, with occasional low sobbing sounds carried by the wind, sending chills down one’s spine.
Qin Ze was now the leader of this Ze Team. This time, he was leading Old Shi and Qian Er to investigate the abandoned Black Mountain Village at the foot of the mountain.
Their scouts had already discovered that the Qianshou Army had stored all the grain and forage collected from Tangyuan County and surrounding villages here. On one side there’s a lake, and on the other, a mountain. It’s easy to defend and hard to attack, indeed an excellent place to stockpile grain and forage.
If they could determine the exact location of the supplies and the Qianshou Army’s defense layout here, their mission would be complete. Back at camp, the Daoists accompanying the troops would use the Five Ghost Transport Technique to move the supplies to Dongyang County.
Whatever they can transport, they’ll transport. Dongyang County has thirty thousand troops, using Cuiyun Mountain as a barrier to guard the central heartland of Qinzhou. It cannot be lost.
The three waited by the lake for a while. Apart from the occasional Wandering Soul emerging from the forest and graves, there was no other activity.
Qin Ze signaled Old Shi and Qian Er. He took the lead, with the other two following a little distance behind, as the three stealthily moved through the forest and cemeteries, heading towards the village.
Soon, at the edge of the forest, a small courtyard made of blue bricks came into view. Most of the courtyard wall had collapsed, with wild grass growing all over inside. There were burn marks on the house, and the broken white lantern swayed in the wind under the eaves.
No one was there.
Qin Ze found it a bit strange. If it were a place to store supplies, why was there not even a night patrol guard?
The three heightened their vigilance, continuing to infiltrate the village in a dispersed formation. This way, if something strange suddenly appeared next to one of them, the others could immediately sense it.
The village was dead silent. The narrow paths appeared faintly under the dim moonlight, with weeds growing wildly beside the road, almost covering the entire main path of the village.
The dilapidated houses stood irregularly, some with collapsed roofs and some with leaning walls. The dilapidated doors and windows creaked in the wind, as if they could fall at any moment.
An aura of decay filled the empty houses. Moonlight shone through the spider webs, casting eerie shadows. Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed before Qin Ze, and he almost threw the knife in his hand.
A night owl’s cry came from the tree; it was the shadow from before.
The entire mountain village was enveloped in a spine-chilling silence and darkness. Unknown insects chirped faintly in the grass, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
The three searched every corner of the village, but found nothing except for some bones in a few of the houses, no sign of any people or grain supplies.
Qin Ze was baffled. As he ran to the village entrance, he noticed deep and fresh ruts on the dirt road, indicating that indeed, carts carrying heavy goods had come here.
The weeds on the village’s main path also bore traces of being crushed by carts. Qin Ze followed the tracks to the center of the village, where he saw the old locust tree that had inexplicably made him uneasy earlier.
The surrounding weeds had grown to waist height, yet the old locust tree stood dead, with only a bare trunk, its branches reaching skyward like claws in the courtyard.
The night owl from before was still perched on the tree, emitting ominous cries.
Instincts told Qin Ze that there was something wrong with the old locust tree. With no Qianshou Army guards around, it surely meant there was an unconventional way of hiding and guarding here.
The red water plants on Qin Ze’s body spread out again, water from his body flowed out with a gurgle, quickly soaking the surrounding area. The weeds that came into contact with the water rapidly withered and fell.
Qin Ze instructed Old Shi and Qian Er to remain on guard outside, while he ventured into the courtyard alone. After barely three steps, he keenly sensed he had accidentally snapped a spider thread.
In an instant, a pair of human legs dangled down from the tree branch, swinging with a creak.
Fearing it was the Suicide Rope, Qin Ze didn’t look up, yet above him, there was a sound like wood colliding.
"Watch out!" Old Shi shouted from outside.
A chill ran through Qin Ze’s scalp as a sharp force hurtled towards the top of his head. He quickly dodged low, and a silver light skimmed over his scalp.
A large chunk of Qin Ze’s scalp was sliced off, causing a torrent of lake water along with many red water plants to gush from the wound, draping over the half-human, half-wood puppet hanging on the tree, as it brandished a sharp knife and attacked Qin Ze again.
This time Qin Ze was prepared. The red water plants on his body divided and coiled upward, firmly entangling the puppet’s arm. Water flowed along the plants into the puppet’s joints, rapidly growing a mass of red water plants.
The puppet twitched and lost control, bursting apart as the red water plants proliferated.
"Cap... Captain!"
Qian Er’s trembling voice came from behind, and Qin Ze turned back, his pupils dilating.
Under the dim moonlight, the village that was once empty was now filled with people, standing in the grass, behind courtyard walls, under eaves, all coldly watching Qin Ze and his two companions.
