Suddenly, Zhou Chen asked Su Jin, "Sister, this book says, 'Warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when you are capable, feign incapacity; when you are active, feign inactivity; when you are near, feign distance; and vice versa.' Is this really true on the battlefield?"
Su Jinxia slightly opened her eyes, her gaze seemingly clear but actually confused. "What did you say?"
Zhou Chen repeated the question again.
Su Jin down...
What a load of nonsense, I didn't understand a single word.
"Ahem." Su Jinxia feigned seriousness. "You need to think things through yourself, don't just open your mouth and ask questions!"
Zhou Chen...
"Okay, I understand."
Suddenly, the horse was pulled on the reins, neighed, and stopped.
Zhou Chen swayed slightly, lowered his hand, and curiously lifted the curtain and opened the window.
Su Jinxia pulled a white mask from the side and threw it into Zhou Chen's arms, saying, "Don't show your face."
Zhou Chen nodded, put on his mask, and leaned slightly closer to the window to observe the situation outside.
This was a forest path. A dozen or so burly men dressed in animal skins blocked the way. The leader was a bearded man who carried a giant axe and roared, "This road is mine, these trees are mine. If you want to pass, leave your toll!"
The coachman, Yue Ziqi, raised his hand to touch his carefully applied fake beard, his eyes showing a hint of nonchalance as he said casually, "Toll? How much?"
The bearded man arrogantly declared, "Leave the carriage and all your money, leave the women too, and get the men out of here!"
"Hmph!" Yue Ziqi sneered, "You're courting death!"
Yue Ziqi bent down slightly and took out the sword hidden under the carriage floor.
With a flash of silver light, Yue Ziqi flew out with his sword in hand.
The bearded man hadn't expected Yue Ziqi to attack without warning, and frantically shouted, "Brothers, get him!"
Several burly men rushed forward, some with knives, some with sticks, and some with sickles and axes, all aiming their attacks at Yue Ziqi.
Zhou Chen watched with extreme tension, deeply worried for Yue Ziqi.
But Yue Ziqi didn't dodge at all; instead, he unleashed a powerful burst of internal energy, sending the group of burly men flying to the ground.
The bearded man's eyes widened as he raised his axe to strike Yue Ziqi. Yue Ziqi moved like a phantom, appearing behind the bearded man in an instant. His sword flashed past, and the bearded man froze on the spot, blood splattering all over the ground from his neck.
When the blood splattered, Zhou Chen trembled in shock and tightly closed his eyes.
Yue Ziqi's martial arts skills amazed everyone, and two people immediately had the idea of retreating and ran into the woods.
Yue Ziqi lightly stomped his foot on the ground, sending several pebbles flying. Two of them were kicked away by him and chased after the two fleeing men.
"ah!"
The pebble pierced their brains, and with screams of agony, the two men collapsed to the ground.
Zhou Chen clutched his chest; his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.
This is absolutely brutal!
"Hero, spare our lives! Hero, spare our lives!" The remaining people dared not move again.
They knew perfectly well that they were doomed today, having encountered a ruthless person, and their only hope was to beg for mercy and see if they could escape death by sheer luck.
"Great hero, spare our lives! We have elderly parents to support and young children to raise. We had no other choice but to become outlaws. Please spare our lives!"
"Yes, my mother is still waiting for me to come back!"
"If it weren't for conscription, I wouldn't be living on the streets!"
The group of burly men began to cry and beg for mercy.
Yue Ziqi snorted coldly, his expression remaining completely unchanged. "Is that so? Weren't you just going to leave the woman here? I see you're quite capable!"
"That's all Hu Laoda's demand. He doesn't have a wife, so he likes to capture young women to take back as his wives. We're just his subordinates, trying to make a living."
"I've only been here for two days, and I really haven't done anything heinous!" a younger man protested, feeling wronged.
Yue Ziqi frowned. "Where is the woman who was captured by Boss Hu? Where is your base of operations?"
“Our base camp is in the abandoned mountain village behind the forest. The women who were captured… are all dead.”
As long as a new woman is found, the original ones will be killed by Boss Hu within a few days.
"Damn it!" Yue Ziqi roared, the sword in his hand gleaming coldly in the winter sun. "Young Master, what should we do?"
Su Jin glanced at Zhou Chen indifferently. His brows were furrowed deeply, and his eyes were filled with disbelief, unable to accept that such a vicious thing could exist in the world.
A cool voice came from the carriage, "Qi, take Achen to the village. You two can handle it."
Zhou Chen looked up in surprise, pointing at himself, "Me...me?"
"Hmm." Su Jinxia gave a faint "hmm." "Just tell Yue Ziqi how you want to handle it."
Zhou Chen took a deep breath. He understood that Su Jin was giving him a chance to train.
"good."
Zhou Chen picked up his coat and cloak and got out of the car.
Yue Ziqi led everyone to gather together, entered the woods, and headed towards the village.
——
Qilin Pass.
Shen Qianxue stood in front of the huge map, examining it carefully. He felt that he had overlooked something.
"Report!"
"Come in!"
"Commander, we have received news that there is a large-scale conscription in the Northeast region, and the Tiger Forest Army on the border seems to be making unusual moves."
Shen Qianxue shifted her gaze to the northeast.
Is the imperial court finally going to deploy the Tiger Forest Army?
If so, it must be aimed at Zhuang Jun, because Zhuang Jun is connected to the Northeast, and if Hu Lin Jun goes south, the first place he will encounter is Lishui, Zhuang Jun's current stronghold.
If that's the case, Shen Qianxue will have no choice but to take action against Zhuang Jun, and she must do so before Hu Lin Jun does.
Otherwise, if the Hulin Army were to capture the Zhuang Army, the situation would be extremely unfavorable for the Ji Army.
But why does it always feel so strange?
Zhuang Jun is facing a life-or-death situation. If he doesn't find a solution quickly, he's doomed!
So what is Su Jin doing down there?
Why is the entire Lishui area so quiet and peaceful...?
Shen Qianxue paced back and forth gently. Had he overlooked something important?
But I can't remember...
——
Su Jin didn't have to wait long; she had just dozed off for a bit when Zhou Chen and Yue Ziqi returned.
Zhou Chen didn't get on the car directly. Instead, he reached through the car window, grabbed the water bottle, and ran away.
Yue Ziqi reported, "These people did not truly repent. As soon as we entered the stronghold, we fell into an ambush, so we showed no mercy and wiped them all out!"
Su Jin gave a faint "hmm," showing no surprise.
Most people who become outlaws are ruthless and cruel; those who are affectionate, loyal, or have grievances are very few and far between.
Moreover, those people were all burly and strong, and they didn't look like people who were starving or freezing. Their words were not very credible.
Yue Ziqi continued, "We also searched the village, but we didn't find any trace of women and children. However, we did find a mass grave. The young master must have been frightened; he almost vomited all his bile."
Su Jinxia lifted the curtain and glanced in Zhou Chen's direction.
Zhou Chen stopped vomiting. He was afraid that the smell on his body would offend Su Jin, so he took water to wash up.
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