Twilight Boundary-Chapter 533 - 524: The Bravery of Yang Gong
"This mountain truly is a den of crouching tigers and hidden dragons..."
When Yang Gong had already made a name for himself, impressively raising a force of two to three thousand people and causing a stir, Hu Ma had also left the mountain. Although he hadn’t gone to see Yang Gong in person, he had come to understand everything that transpired in the mountains.
After all, with the help of the mountain lord, nothing that happened in Old Yin Mountain—not the slightest movement or rustle—could escape his Dharma Eye.
And upon listening carefully, it became apparent that, despite appearing reckless, Yang Gong’s methods clearly bore traces of an expert’s guidance.
Whether it was the timing of his actions or his handling of the seized provisions, everything was done very prudently.
After all, I’m an outsider, strong in theory but lacking firsthand experience, he thought. So, I can only try my best to understand, observing and learning like a novice.
Seeing the momentum already building in Mingzhou, with a vast and powerful current of destiny seemingly pushing these two forces into conflict, he was also deeply concerned. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
Seizing the Truth Sect’s provisions and killing their Vice Altar Master had clearly provoked the sect’s wrath. By order of their Sect Hierarch, Truth Sect Altar Masters from all directions were converging on this location with their followers.
The Truth Sect reacted swiftly indeed. Within a short time, thousands of their people were pressing toward the mountain corner where Yang Gong was located. The fastest among them, an Altar Master with five hundred men, arrived at the foot of the mountain in just one day.
The enemy was waiting for their forces to assemble and did not rush into the mountains. They made camp, a mere twenty miles from Yang Gong.
"Brother Yang Gong, something seems off..."
Under the guidance of his old father-in-law, Yang Gong understood the gravity of the situation. As his followers grew, he selected a few good horses from the village and gave them to his close brothers—those who had learned the Negative Spirit arts—tasking them with scouting the movements of the Truth Sect’s forces.
When these men returned, they were visibly shaken and exclaimed, "Back in the Red Lantern Society, even when we fought desperately, we only faced three to five people at a time! Sure, there were times more gathered, but it rarely came to blows; we’d usually negotiate."
"But this time, the scale is enormous! We’ve gathered over two thousand people, and they’re already a disorderly mob, hard to manage. Yet, the Truth Sect is drawing forces from all over—there must be tens of thousands coming for us!"
"If a real battle breaks out, can we possibly hold our ground?"
"..."
Seeing his brothers from the Red Lantern Society growing timid, Yang Gong said sternly, "When we fought those bandits last time, didn’t it seem at first that they had more men and we couldn’t beat them?"
"We Red Fragrance Disciples have always risked our lives to carve out a future! When have we ever had the advantage in numbers, better weapons, or more silver? We’ve always had less!"
"But courage—that’s something we can’t afford to lack."
"Since they dare to come at us, we’ll charge them and let them taste our strength!"
"..."
After this harsh reprimand, he decisively assembled his forces. His main strength comprised the villagers who had previously fought bandits alongside him and later trained together as a semi-militia. Under the cover of night, they stealthily advanced straight towards the Truth Sect Altar Master’s encampment, located twenty miles away.
In Hu Ma’s eyes, these few hundred men were already Yang Gong’s most precious assets. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them his lifeline. If this risky maneuver went wrong, Yang Gong could lose everything.
But Yang Gong paid no heed to such concerns, relying solely on his courage as he stealthily approached.
As it happened, this Truth Sect Altar Master had never imagined Yang Gong would dare to come. To him, the mountain folk were merely a rabble, easily scattered at the first sign of conflict. He never dreamed someone so audacious would take the initiative to launch a surprise attack.
He had brought five hundred men, who had just settled into a mountain hollow and were preparing to cook, when suddenly, a large, menacing group appeared before them. At their head charged several horsemen, brandishing broadswords and radiating an intense, murderous aura.
Behind these leaders were dozens more on horseback, followed by several hundred running on foot.
Caught completely off guard, the Altar Master’s men suffered significant casualties and fell into chaotic disarray before they could even reach for their weapons.
"These mud-legged peasants from the mountains actually have such courage?"
The Truth Sect Altar Master, seeing the attack, was both infuriated and amused. "They’ve even learned to raid camps!"
Confident in his own abilities, he intended to claim the first merit in this engagement. However, just as he began to issue orders, he saw his own men already scattering in a disorderly rout.
The main Truth Sect army had not accompanied him. The men under his command were mostly villagers recruited from nearby settlements, peasants willing to serve the Truth Sect, many of whom had never truly witnessed the blood and gore of battle.
Now, faced with such ferocious opponents, their courage failed them, and they were overcome by their own fear.
"The people of Mingzhou have lived comfortably for too long; their courage is pathetic!"
This Altar Master gritted his teeth in anger but remained outwardly calm. He ordered his men to bring out his Hundred Ghost Banner and the incense table.
With disheveled hair and wielding his sword, he performed the incense-burning ritual and scattered blood, then pointed his sword at the banner before him. Instantly, a ghostly wind began to blow.
All around, ghostly wails filled the air, and the nearby ground seemed to turn sticky and viscous. Vaguely, one could sense sinister, ferocious ghostly creatures howling "WOOOO WOOOO" beneath the earth, poised to burst forth and harm the living.
But at that very moment, Yang Gong, who was leading the charge, brandishing his treasure sword, crashed into their midst.
Flanking him were four of his sworn brothers, who had left the Red Lantern Society with him.
Behind them were the able-bodied young men from the village who had fought bandits with Yang Gong and trained with him for half a year. Though they had never seen a true battlefield, they were united in purpose, knew to stick close to Yang Gong, and would not stray from his side no matter how chaotic things became.
Crucially, over a thousand more men followed them.
Even though many in this larger group had fallen somewhat behind, the knowledge that they had such numbers at their back filled the vanguard with courage, fueling an ever-fiercer momentum as they charged.
The Altar Master’s expression, initially icy, swiftly turned to shock, then rapidly to terror.
Normally, with this treasure of mine, killing those few men on horseback would be absurdly simple, he thought. But he had never imagined his opponents would possess such overwhelming momentum, their bodies radiating such ferocious, bloody valor that it suppressed his Evil Ghosts before they could even emerge from the earth.
Despite being a high master of a Path skilled in abnormal magic, he had somehow allowed the enemy to charge right up to him. Yang Gong’s broadsword slashed down. The Altar Master reacted quickly, ducking to avoid the blow and attempting to counter-attack with his own sword.
But his sword was too short; it couldn’t reach. Simultaneously, a cold shock ran through his back—one of Yang Gong’s brothers had stabbed him clean through from behind. The Altar Master screamed, desperately trying to leap away and flee, but Yang Gong’s blade descended once more.
And just like that, a head tumbled to the ground, its eyes still wide with terror and incomprehension.
Yang Gong himself hadn’t expected the kill to be so easy. Tilting his head, he picked up the Altar Master’s severed head and examined it. "Everyone says these Truth Sect Altar Masters are so formidable, but this one looked like a complete fool to me," he mused. "I led my men right to him, and instead of grabbing a weapon to fight, he was busy with incense-burning and summoning ghosts..."
"Seriously, even if you had successfully summoned them, so what?"
"...We’ve followed the Red Lantern Lady before. You think we’d be afraid of your petty ghosts?"
"..."
With their Altar Master easily slain, the remaining Truth Sect forces were routed; many were cut down, and the survivors scattered in all directions, fleeing in utter chaos. Some even opportunistically slipped into Yang Gong’s ranks, pretending to be his followers and joining the shouts to "fight the grain-stealing demon people!"
A quick inventory revealed a considerable amount of captured weapons and provisions. This windfall overjoyed the men who had just emerged from the mountains; their cheers shook the heavens, and their courage soared.
Yang Gong’s kind of ability truly can’t be learned. If it were me...
Hu Ma stood on a nearby hill, holding Little Hongtang’s hand, quietly watching the battle unfold below. An indescribable, strange feeling stirred within him.
He had come out of the mountains merely to observe Yang Gong’s momentum and get a better understanding of the situation in Mingzhou. He hadn’t expected this man to be so ferocious. Even if it were me, I wouldn’t resort to such a risky method, Hu Ma thought. And I doubt I could boost morale so effectively either.
He could only sigh inwardly with emotion. There truly is a reason why Yang Gong was chosen by these mountain people...
Yet, amidst this admiration, as he watched the jubilant crowd around Yang Gong descend into chaos, some even scrambling to loot the weapons and provisions left behind by the Truth Sect Followers, a faint sense of worry crept into his heart.
He wanted to offer a word of caution, but for a moment, he didn’t know how. The truth was, this band of mountain folk led by Yang Gong was riddled with flaws from top to bottom.
If I were to warn him, where would I even begin? He hesitated, then sighed softly. He knew the general tide of events was irreversible. For Yang Gong to achieve anything significant, he was lacking far, far too much.
Many of these deficiencies could only be paid for with human lives.
I do need to meet him, Hu Ma decided. However, he should be the one to come see me, not the other way around.
Thus, taking a deep breath, he led Little Hongtang straight towards Green Stone Manor, putting further thoughts aside.
That night, having won the skirmish, Yang Gong and his men arranged for wine and meat, sharing it with their subordinates. With so many people gathered, it was natural to make assignments. Some were appointed as minor leaders, each commanding a group of men, as it would otherwise be impossible to manage them all.
Furthermore, knowing that Truth Sect forces were continuing to arrive, they also had to disperse their men to guard the various paths and prevent the enemy from sneaking up on them unawares.
When it was time to give orders to Shen Bangzi, a brother who had followed him for a long time, Yang Gong, though he had drunk some wine, was still clear-headed. "Bangzi," he said, "take three hundred men and guard the hollow in the back hills. Don’t let anyone slip into our village."
"But you must be careful. And don’t drink so much. Even though we won this round and the enemy didn’t seem to have any great abilities, my eyelid has been twitching non-stop, and it makes me uneasy."
"..."
Shen Bangzi drained a large bowl of wine and laughed. "What are you still afraid of at this point, Brother?"
"From our days in the Red Lantern Society until now, following you, how many life-or-death situations have we faced? Haven’t we made it through every single one?"
"And you know my tolerance for alcohol! I can usually handle three or four jars. Today, I’ve had less than one, and you’re already nagging me. Are you trying to make fun of me?"
"..."
With that, he downed three more large bowls in quick succession. His legs didn’t tremble, his body didn’t sway. He then rose, gathered the men assigned to him, and headed straight for the mountain hollow.
