The eve of the battle for the throne
When everyone was feeling lost, a long howl sounded from the forest. Everyone quickly stopped making any noise, walked lightly, and headed in that direction.
Everyone hid behind the bark-peeled tree trunks and saw a herd of deer in the open area ahead. It seemed like a blessing from God that there was a group of fat deer in such a desolate land.
Regardless of their weakened bodies due to excessive hunger, the crowd swarmed forward, arrows piercing the deer's bodies, and the deer fell one after another. For a moment, the sounds of deer crying, people shouting, arrows piercing the bodies, and the heavy sounds of deer falling could be heard one after another.
Lin Bai's eyes were cold, her muscles tense, her hands steady as a rock. She drew her bow and arrow, accurately targeting a leading stag. The deer was tall and alert, leading its companions in an escape. She took a deep breath and released her grip the moment the deer leaped.
With a "swoosh", the arrow flew through the air and accurately pierced the deer's neck. Blood splattered, and the deer staggered a few steps before falling to the ground with a bang.
She quickly rushed forward and fired another shot, confirming that the prey was out of breath, then looked back at the other hunters.
Everyone also had a good harvest. Deer fell one after another, as if it was the reward from this barren land.
"Quick, wrap it up!" an old hunter whispered, "It's getting dark."
Everyone moved quickly, some keeping watch, others cutting the venison, and others bundling it for transportation. Lin Bai also stepped forward with a knife, helping to cut off the shoulder meat and venison legs and pack them up.
On the way, a young soldier was slow in his movements and was knocked down by a deer. Lin Bai was quick-witted and shot a bullet into the deer's belly, saving the soldier.
"Thank you." The soldier panted, with fear in his eyes.
Lin Bai simply said, "Be quicker next time."
She turned and continued to cut up her prey, neatly and ruthlessly, as if she was not tired at all.
By the time the last prey was finished, everyone was drenched in sweat, their hands and clothes stained with blood. But their eyes had a little more light. This tangible harvest was more powerful than any inspiring words.
When we returned to the tribe, the sunlight had dyed the mountain ridges golden.
When the warriors entered the camp carrying the venison, the entire tribe erupted in excitement. Children ran out, women burst into tears, and the elderly clutched their crutches, their eyes gleaming with unspeakable emotion.
"They brought back game! They brought back meat!"
"We can have a full meal tonight!"
The fire was lit, the sound of stewing could be heard, the aroma of deer bone soup filled the camp, and the long-lost laughter finally appeared in the tribe.
Lin Bai sat by the fire, finally relaxing his body, eating venison, leaning against a wooden stake, and looking at the starry sky.
Suddenly, whistles sounded one after another.
"It's an enemy attack!"
The sentries hurried over, the old, weak, sick and disabled tribesmen quickly hid, and the soldiers picked up their weapons, which were never half a meter away from their bodies, and waited in full view.
Chi You walked out of a huge tent not far away, holding a big knife in his hand, and directly mounted the iron-eating beast, shouting: "Whoever offends the Jiuli will be killed!"
Lin Bai clenched her bone spear, instantly rising to her feet, her gaze blazing. The peace, fresh from blood and suffering, barely lasted an hour before the shadow of the enemy loomed again. She quickly leaped to her feet, ascending the lookout platform. Through the night, she saw flickering flames at the distant mountain pass. Accompanied by the muffled blast of a horn, a group of figures rapidly approached.
"They are not the Yellow Emperor's soldiers." The hunter standing next to Lin Bai gritted his teeth and whispered, "There is no Yellow Emperor's totem on their flag."
"They must be bandits." Lin Bai said in a deep voice.
In this chaotic land, the conflict was far from limited to just two tribes. Amidst the chaos of war, displaced bandits, abandoned civilians, and rebels transformed into bandits, scouting the ruins like hungry wolves for opportunities to plunder.
"They stole our food." Someone cursed.
"Prepare to meet the enemy." Chi You ordered in a cold voice.
Lin Bai's mind moved slightly, and a trace of Marshal Tianpeng's divine power immediately penetrated into her eyes. Her night vision was enhanced, and she saw clearly that most of the attackers were dressed as miscellaneous soldiers, their clothes were untidy, but they were holding weapons, and there were quite a few of them.
In the camp, the soldiers were already in formation. Chi You's mount stomped the ground, causing it to tremble slightly. His eyes were cold and stern: "How dare you, a mere scoundrel, attack us?"
After saying that, Chi You pointed with his halberd, and the tribal warriors behind him immediately rushed out and surrounded them from both sides.
Lin Bai faced the enemy head-on. The enemy was caught off guard by the Jiuli tribe's swift reaction, and before they could even get close to the fire, they were already surrounded on both sides.
Chi You led the charge, wielding his bone spear like the wind. He pierced the enemy's head with three consecutive strikes, then rolled over to the ground, and with a sweeping move, he forced back the enemy soldiers beside him.
"Kill them all! Don't leave any one alive." Chi You shouted angrily.
The Jiuli warriors, their morale high after their recent victory, cast aside their fatigue and pursued the enemy with unbridled enthusiasm. Chi You personally killed the enemy general, his armor stained with blood.
In less than a cup of tea, most of the bandits were killed or wounded, and the rest scattered like birds and beasts. The vanguard pursued them all the way to the edge of the forest, where they stopped.
Chi You looked at the remaining smoke from the fire in the forest and smiled coldly: "No matter how many invaders there are, they will only lose their lives."
After the battle, everyone began to clean up the battlefield. Lin Bai helped count the wounded and even went to the side of the young soldier she had saved.
"You did a good job today." She said lightly.
Lin Bai patted his shoulder gently, but his heart grew heavier. The battle on this land would never cease.
The camp returned to a brief peace, and everyone gathered around the fire again, gnawing on venison and whispering about the possible next moves of Chiyou and Huangdi.
Lin Bai still looked up at the night sky, which was filled with stars.
Suddenly, a system prompt appeared before my eyes.
[Side quest completed: Defend the tribe]
[Achieve title: Tribal Guardian]
[Main quest update: Follow Chi You until you participate in the Battle of Zhuolu.]
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Will the submission point be in the battlefield?
The night wind passed through the gap in her cloak, lifting a tiny corner on her back. The chill was bone-chilling, but it also made her thoughts clearer.
At the edge of the fire, deer oil dripped into the charcoal, emitting a sizzling sound, and white smoke with the aroma of meat penetrated his nose. Lin Bai reached out and took a piece of crispy shoulder meat from the fire. As he bit into it, his teeth tore through the skin. The slightly bitter taste of the charred area mixed with the fishy smell of animal blood on the tip of his tongue. The fat splattered as he chewed, and it was delicious.
She didn't say anything, swallowed the meat, and stood up.
The stones on the ground pricked her feet, and as she exerted force on her ankle, she heard a crisp "crack." She bent down and picked up a broken spear. The blood had dried, and it had fallen off in pieces along the wooden pole, like cracked skin.
Not far away, Chi You still sat on his iron-eating beast, his eyes lowered, his fingers slowly wiping the blade of his sword. Outside the camp, the footsteps of soldiers patrolled in circles, the clashing of armor, the grinding of scabbards, and the whirring of torches in the night wind echoed one after another.
Lin Bai walked around the fire and toward the earthen platform. Her feet treaded on the bloodstained ground, her hide boots clinging to the mud, each step leaving a wet echo. She stopped, narrowing her eyes and gazing toward the northern mountain pass. The night was deep, the stars mostly obscured by cirrus clouds. The darkness of the mountain pass was like a ripped hole, obscuring everything. Only the wind, carrying the scent of the bandits' blood, made her eyelashes tremble slightly.
"What are you thinking about?" A soldier approached, holding a water bag in his hand, with a few pieces of unwashed blood and mud on it.
Lin Bai took it, tilted her head back, and took a sip. The cool water flowed down her throat, washing away the heat left by days of fighting. She wiped the corners of her lips and whispered, "Thinking about where to go next."
The man didn't respond, but just hummed softly, as if he was responding, but also as if he couldn't answer.
Suddenly, Lin Bai caught an unusual vibration.
"Listen." She raised her hand.
Everyone fell silent immediately. The air seemed to be drained away, the crackling of the bonfire the only sound. In the distance, a low roar approached, not the wind, not the sound of an animal.
"The sound of war drums." Lin Bai said.
The sentry rushed over again: "There seems to be a large army approaching at the northern mountain pass!"
Chi You stood up, holding the knife in one hand. The iron-eating beast roared and swung its tail. "All troops, prepare!"
Lin Bai leaped down, the bone spear following her like a shadow. As her fingertips touched the spear, a familiar chill surged up her hand like water, instantly accelerating her blood flow. She ran towards the soldiers' formation, where they were also gathering. There was no fear in their gazes, only the tenseness of their muscles and the creaking of their bones.
"How many people are there?" Lin Bai looked at the soldiers at the outpost.
"There are at least a hundred of them, and their flags are in disarray. They don't look like a regular army. They are probably a group of bandits joining forces."
Lin Bai grinned and said in a hoarse voice, "Then beat them until they dare not fight again."
With a long roar, the Jiuli warriors formed a scattered formation and blended into the night.
Lin Bai, hiding behind a low slope, ran her fingers over the handle of her gun. The barrel was cold and hard, slightly sticky to the touch, stains of blood that hadn't been cleaned up. She didn't wipe it off, but instead looked up at the direction the enemy was approaching. The scent of burnt wood reached her nose. The enemy soldiers, torches lit, advanced, and the wind carried sparks across the grass, singeing it piece by piece.
She squatted, started, and sprinted, every inch of her muscles tightly engaged, without wasting any effort.
When the charge horn sounded, Lin Bai had already charged into the enemy ranks. She shoulder-shoved the first man aside, her bone spear spinning in an arc, the sound of it slicing through the throat clearer than the wind. The enemy opened his mouth, but only blood foamed, not even a cry escaping.
Lin Bai didn't pause. She quickly drew her spear, turned, and stabbed again. Like a cheetah smelling blood, she advanced with every step. The tip of her spear tore a gap in the enemy's ranks, and the Jiuli warriors behind her followed closely, cutting the enemy formation into several sections.
The battle lasted only a quarter of an hour before the enemy's formation collapsed. Lin Bai raised his hand and knocked over the bandit who was trying to escape. The man's footsteps were barely effective when the spear tip severed his tendons. He fell to his knees, his screams drowned out by the sound of his footsteps.
She didn't look back, but just shook the tip of the gun, dropping the blood drop to the ground. The light sound it made when it hit the ground was like rain hitting leaves.
The enemy fled to the edge of the forest, and the Jiuli soldiers did not pursue them.
Chi You rolled off the beast, walked to Lin Bai's side, and said, "Beautiful fight."
Lin Bai didn't say anything, but just slowly let out a long breath.
The system prompt reappeared.
[The mission phase is progressing...]
[Battle of the Deer: Conditions for establishing the main battle camp have been met]
[Do we want to enter the next stage of the plot? ]
Lin Bai looked at the still burning torches in front of him, with enemy weapons and corpses lying under his feet.
She didn't hesitate and nodded in confirmation.
The next war starts here.
The front of the camp points directly to the battlefield.
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