Chapter 278: We've Taken the Wrong Path (Part 2) [Two-in-One]

Why haven't we arrived yet?

Shen Tang frowned slightly.

According to the information brought back by Kangshi Qingniao, the mountain where the military workshop is located is to the northeast of him. Shen Tang also went in that direction, and judging from the distance, it should be around here. The vegetation at the foot of the mountain also matches, but the mountain path...

Shen Tang asked the bandits, "Are you sure this is the place?"

The bandits were stumped by her question.

Ah, this...

Shen Tang did specify which mountain and which direction, but they had all been following the leader, and now the leader was asking them questions... Remembering Shen Tang's habit of drawing his sword and beheading people at the drop of a hat, they were too scared to answer carelessly.

"Are you all mute? Give me something..."

She wasn't a native of Heyin, so being able to barely distinguish east from west was already quite an achievement; as for which mountain or precise location... that was asking too much of her. She didn't intend to question them, but the bandits were practically in tears.

After much urging from them, a "hero" stepped forward tremblingly and said, "It should be this mountain..."

He spoke without much confidence.

But this was exactly the answer Shen Tang wanted.

"We didn't go the wrong way? Okay, let's keep going!"

As long as they didn't go the wrong way, everything else was minor. Little did she know, Shen Tang overlooked a very small detail—Kang Shi's information was correct, the direction was right, and she hadn't gone to the wrong target, but Kang Shi was on the front mountain while they entered from the back.

The higher you go, the more rugged and difficult the road becomes.

Shen Tang had no choice but to take back the motorcycle.

With a wave of her hand, she summoned the Mother's Sword, and with a few swift strokes, she cleared away the troublesome weeds and bushes. As a scholar with a literary heart, her five senses, though not as strong as those of a martial artist, were still much stronger than those of an ordinary person, allowing her to move freely even at night.

She led the charge, and the other bandits followed.

"The more I walk, the more I feel like we might have taken the wrong path... Could Ji Shou and his group, disguised as a caravan, really have climbed up this terrible mountain road?" Shen Tang was apprehensive, but they were already almost halfway up the mountain, and it wouldn't be worth it to go down now.

On second thought—

In ancient times, building bridges and roads was far less convenient than in modern society due to insufficient infrastructure capacity. In economically prosperous areas, transportation was relatively convenient, and official roads were well-maintained. But in sparsely populated, remote mountainous areas, where could one find so many wealthy people to build roads?

But then again...

The powerful Martial Warriors are like human bombs, adept at everything from plowing fields to building roads. Why doesn't anyone think of hiring them to build bridges, roads, and reservoirs? If I were a monarch, I would definitely let the Martial Warriors shine in infrastructure projects; one of them is worth hundreds or even thousands of ordinary people.

Tsk tsk tsk, I just can't figure it out.

Thinking about it, she stepped into the puddle again.

"Damn it—I'll have Zhao Feng blow up the mountain right away!"

A martial arts master who gets something for free—why not take advantage of it?

Shen Tang muttered to herself, barely managing to convince herself. After walking for another half hour, they finally saw a much wider mountain path, but still no sign of Kang Shi and the others. She hesitated, wondering whether she should send a bluebird to Kang Shi…

Just at this time—

Ding ding ding!

She thought she was hallucinating.

But upon closer listening, it is indeed audible.

She raised a finger to her lips and shushed the bandits, signaling them to be quiet, preferably not even making a sound.

The night breeze rustled the leaves.

The rhythmic "ding-ding" sound became much clearer, and Shen Tang's spirits lifted—wasn't this the sound of striking metal?

The sound coming from deep in the mountains late at night could only be interpreted as the fat sheep army that Kang Shi mentioned!

Shen Tang was both pleased and suspicious.

I'm glad I didn't make the wrong choice.

The question is why Kang Shi was not seen.

Shen Tang gave the atmosphere team a preparation order: everyone must be extremely careful from now on. If anyone alerts the enemy and reveals their location, that person can be thrown to the dogs! Upon hearing this, the bandits were so frightened that they held their breath.

The group approached cautiously.

The military camp is hidden deep in the mountains.

In the darkness, a few dim candlelight could be vaguely seen, and dozens of figures were busily engaged in something.

If you're slow, you'll suddenly get a whipping and be yelled at: "...Hurry up! Haven't you eaten or what? Be quick, stop dawdling...Be careful! If you break something, can you afford to pay for it with your worthless life?"

Even though their clothes were torn and their skin was covered in blood from the whipping, no one dared to cry out in pain. Instead, they gritted their teeth and quickened their pace. The clanging and banging sounds came from the low-lying houses.

Through the simple wooden window, she could vaguely see busy figures sweating profusely. Seeing this, Shen Tang was overjoyed, as if countless coins were sprouting wings and flying towards her.

Sigh, to put it bluntly, it's because she's too poor.

A member of the atmosphere group asked her when she would take action.

Although it is still dark and they will not be exposed for the time being, as time goes by, when it gets light or when patrols and guards approach, they are very likely to be discovered.

Shen Tang said in a low voice, "Let me think about it some more—"

She knew this principle—waiting for Kang Shi and the others to gather before taking action would undoubtedly be the safest course of action. More people meant more power, and the guards at the military camp were unknown. Taking action rashly would carry a great risk. However—Shen Tang glanced at the sky and knew that dawn was approaching.

Time waits for no one.

Shen Tang closed her eyes, steeled her resolve, and then opened them again.

Just as he was about to give the order, a sound of something cutting through the air was heard.

With a soft "poof".

An arrow landed firmly a few feet from where Shen Tang was hiding. Three patrolling guards approached, one of them saying, "What's that over there? Go see—"

The second "see" was not uttered yet.

A beam of pure white sword light swept out from the darkness.

Fresh blood gushed out.

The other two, caught off guard, were about to send out a warning signal when a chilling aura swept across their necks. It was a ghostly figure, wielding a gleaming weapon, who instantly thrust out two swords, and both corpses fell to the ground simultaneously.

Thump, thump.

Meanwhile, other patrolling guards also noticed the anomaly and prepared to come and see what was going on.

Shen Tang pointed his long sword.

"kill!"

The atmosphere team waved their hand.

They led their respective bandit subordinates and charged forward.

"Enemy attack!"

Shen Tang killed seven people in succession, and only the eighth guard managed to issue a warning before he died. Although he was killed by Shen Tang the instant he finished speaking, it was enough. This military camp, hidden deep in the mountains and forests, was both a military camp and a bandit stronghold.

Upon receiving news of the enemy attack, hundreds of figures rushed out from different houses, numbering roughly two or three hundred. A few breaths later, torches were lit in other places as they rapidly provided support to Shen Tang and his group.

Shen Tang: "..."

Good heavens—

Did we stir up a hornet's nest?

Regardless of the enemy's overall quality, their sheer number is enough to inflict heavy losses on our side.

In a flash, Shen Tang made a bold decision and shouted, "You all form ranks to meet the enemy—I will go first!"

The bandits on his side hadn't been trained long enough, but they were ruthless characters who had lived on the edge of a knife, and their coordinated attacks could cause the enemy considerable trouble. Shen Tang's task was to inflict as many casualties as possible on them and disrupt their teamwork.

Shen Tang decisively drew her sword and charged out.

Wherever the sword passed, blood splattered.

At the same time, she murmured softly.

"The east wind at night releases a thousand trees of flowers..."

Her current literary energy is much greater than when she first used this incantation. In addition, with the deliberate control of its power and range, even after uttering half a sentence of the incantation, her dantian still has plenty of literary energy.

With a quick shift of her feet, she moved with the lightness of the wind, effortlessly dodging the horde of enemies who were closing in on her.

boom!

The ground trembled slightly, as if an earth dragon were turning over!

Countless surging black and white energies coalesced into a giant dragon, its outline blurred, that had awakened and crawled out from the ground. Waves of energy surged outwards from it, churning up sand and gravel, making people unsteady on their feet, and one could faintly hear the clear roar of the dragon.

"The wind blows down, and stars fall like rain!"

call out--

A giant dragon of literary energy soared into the sky.

Unlike the first and second grand displays, this one was much less powerful. The dragon of literary energy rose to a height of over ten zhang before reaching its peak. With a bang, it exploded, transforming into a dazzling stream of light that forcibly robbed the darkness of its existence for a moment.

When have these people ever seen anything like this?

The bandits who charged forward were stunned.

Shen Tang didn't give them much time to react. Hundreds of fist-sized sparks rained down from the sky, as if they had eyes, and rushed towards the nearest bandits.

Once it gets on the flame, it's very difficult to extinguish...

The excruciating pain of being burned caused many people to lose their minds.

How could they possibly care about enemy attacks?

Driven by their survival instincts, they rolled around and tried to put out the fire.

However, this is only a portion of the population.

Shen Tang couldn't just go all out and set fires; if everything burned down, what would be left? Once the fire was set, the bandits under his own command and the bandits from the military camp also clashed.

The sounds of battle cries and the clashing of weapons mingled together.

Shen Tang specifically targeted the stronger members of their group, leaving the weaker ones to the bandits. Despite the numerical disparity, his side did not fall behind.

She moved with incredible agility, reaping heads and relieving as much pressure as possible on the bandits, soon becoming covered in blood. Her arrogance quickly attracted the attention of the enemy.

A long spear pierced the air, heading straight for her face.

Without thinking, Shen Tang grabbed someone to block her way.

He kicked him away.

"You brat, you're asking for death!" The newcomer was furious at Shen Tang's bold and provocative actions, his face turning ashen and his expression becoming ferocious.

Shen Tang was too lazy to argue with people.

Sword in hand, let's go!

The moment their weapons clashed, the newcomer unleashed bursts of martial energy, which transformed into a heavy and imposing suit of martial armor.

Against the backdrop of firelight, he exuded a fierce, demonic aura. His eyes were wide open in fury, and his attacks were ruthless.

The gunfire was so dense it was impenetrable, and water couldn't get through.

Shen Tang's retort was equally impressive.

"So he's a one-eyed man—"

She moved with ease, using the blade of her sword to parry his spear, preventing him from advancing an inch, while simultaneously taunting him and trying to disrupt his composure. This valiant warrior was terrifying in appearance, his face covered with dozens of dense brown scars, resembling a centipede at first glance. One scar was particularly striking, running from his right forehead down to his left cheek, and his right eyelid drooped limply.

Sunken eye sockets.

It's obvious that the eyeballs are gone.

Eyes were clearly a taboo subject for the newcomer. Upon hearing this, Shen Tang's anger visibly intensified, and his attacks became even more ferocious, each move aimed directly at vital points. While keeping an eye on the bandits under his command and dealing with this man, Shen Tang also tried to take down his enemies whenever possible: "Did I hit a nerve? Why are you so angry? As the saying goes, anger damages the liver, and too much anger can lead to an early death."

She didn't forget to keep nagging and complaining.

"court death!"

Shen Tang: "All you ever say is 'courting death' and 'you little brat.' Your vocabulary is terrible. Is your education too low? You should learn to swear from me. If you don't include your ancestors and family records when you swear, the damage is halved."

While uttering these empty words, he thrust his sword towards the attacker's other intact eye. The attacker dodged, and Shen Tang seized the opportunity, taking advantage of the moment when the attacker lost his balance, to finish off two bandits with a single strike. The sword's momentum recoiled, perfectly blocking the sharp tip of the spear that was thrust at him.

“Even old ladies in their seventies and eighties are several times more agile than you. Tsk tsk tsk, you’re so slow, I’m really worried that when your children and grandchildren go to your grave, you won’t even be able to grab a single piece of meat.” Shen Tang kicked at his gun, using the force to launch a flying kick across his face. Although she missed, she still got the henchman’s head.

"You're not good at fighting, but you're quick to dodge—"

This person's face was almost as black as the night.

Just as Shen Tang was about to corner him and feint a move to finish him off, he abruptly withdrew his sword midway and leaped onto the roof. A giant net of literary energy suddenly descended from the sky, covering Shen Tang's original spot.

However, that's not enough.

Looking at the valiant warriors charging forward once again.

Without even looking, Shen Tang leaped back and stomped on one person's head, kicking him under the spear tip of the Martial Gallant.

The man didn't dodge, his spear thrust undiminished, piercing the man straight through. Blood gushed from the gaping hole, and the man died within moments. The valiant warrior pushed the corpse aside and charged forward again, coordinating with the scholar in the shadows.

"Kid, keep being arrogant!"

Seeing Shen Tang cornered, the Martial Arts Warrior finally felt a surge of triumph. Who knows how furious he had been just moments before? He'd wanted nothing more than to tear the man's mouth apart with the tip of his spear!

Once reinforcements arrive, this kid won't be able to be arrogant for long!

He planned to capture Shen Tang alive.

Torture them severely before killing them!

"So what if you're arrogant!" Shen Tang shattered the entangling literary energy with a single sword strike, deflecting the spear tip and giving the man a kick in the process. "You act like everyone here is a scholar! Look at you—three cups of wine and you've made a promise, the Five Sacred Mountains are nothing to you!"

She was annoyed by the omnipresent literary aura and had to attend to various matters, so her temper was flaring and she was quick to anger. With the addition of this scholar with a literary heart, the martial arts warriors' attacks became increasingly fluid, and her side gradually began to struggle.

Continuing to delay will be detrimental to our side!

We must finish this quickly!

As for where that scholar Wenxin is?

It doesn't matter anymore!

Kill everyone!

How much of a storm can a literary scholar stir up?

The valiant warrior charged forward again, and the moment their weapons clashed, his expression changed drastically—Shen Tang's strength was much greater than before! Caught off guard, he almost dropped his spear.

Did this guy take some kind of super-powerful pill?

Before they could figure it out, a sword aura several feet long came crashing down on them.

puff--

With his remaining eye, he saw the other half of his body fall to the other side—what happened?

"kill--"

The two groups of bandits fought fiercely amidst the flames.

Blood splattered, turning people's cheeks bright red.

The guards at this military camp were much stricter than I had imagined; there were four martial arts masters of the fifth rank or higher!

Shen Tang, sword in hand, killed two of them.

The remaining two rushed over.

Shen Tang smiled and gave them the middle finger.

(。-ω-)zzz

Seeing this, it seems the revisions are complete.

(End of this chapter)