Volume 1, Chapter 55 – Leaving the City

Shi Lan swung herself up onto the horse’s back in one smooth motion. The jiao horse seemed a little excited, its hooves tapping lightly a few times as it snorted, two streams of visible white air spraying from its nostrils.

Because of Huangfu Yun’s earlier warning, none of them dared use their whips. They only gave the reins a gentle tug, letting the jiao horses move forward at a slow walk.

The whole point of riding was to enjoy that wind-like gallop. Crawling along like this felt like a leisurely outing, unbearably dull.

After going a few steps, they all lost interest altogether. They simply dismounted, retrieved their own Demon-Slaying Crossbows, and led the jiao horses back toward their quarters. They were about to leave the city to fight demonic beasts, so they still needed to make some preparations.

Shi Lan returned to her quarters, tied up the jiao horse, and went into her room.

The two maids hadn’t left. Seeing her return, they moved quickly and had a lunch prepared for her in no time.

Lunch was all stewed from the flesh and blood of demonic beasts, simmered with medicinal herbs—food prepared especially for martial artists.

After she ate, Shi Lan took the Purple Star Seven-Section Halberd out of its long case, assembled it, and slung it diagonally across her back. Then she strode out the door, took up the jiao horse’s reins, and headed for the side gate.

Leaving the City Lord’s residence, Shi Lan lowered her veil, swung into the saddle, and urged her horse toward the East Gate.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, she reached the East Gate. The other squad leaders were already there, and most of the others had arrived in ones and twos as well.

Most of them were holding all kinds of weapons—saber, spear, sword, halberd—each different. As martial artists, most had a weapon they were especially skilled with.

Heading out of the city to fight demonic beasts, it was only safer to bring the weapon they were best with.

With that, the Purple Star Seven-Section Halberd on Shi Lan’s back no longer stood out so much.

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Soon, everyone had assembled.

Huangfu Yun rode up on a jiao horse and came to a slow stop before them. At his waist hung an unsheathed horse-cleaving saber nearly half a zhang long. The blade was pitch-black and looked entirely unremarkable.

Taking in the motley assortment of weapons in everyone’s hands, Huangfu Yun frowned, feeling he’d miscalculated.

These temporarily recruited martial artists—setting aside any talk of formation changes—were already a problem just from having no unified way of fighting. It would be all too easy for flaws to appear when they tried to work together, but there was no time left now to drill them.

He swept a glance over the somewhat loose ranks they formed. When his gaze landed on the Purple Star Seven-Section Halberd on Shi Lan’s back, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, but he said nothing. He only shifted his gaze to the rear of the formation and spoke in a deep voice:

“Bring the battle standard!”

Twenty riders slowly moved forward to stand before him, a large black banner with gold characters protected in their midst.

Shi Lan looked up at the two characters “Demon-Suppressing” on the banner, her feelings momentarily complicated. She had never imagined that one day she would be looking up at this flag from this position.

“Move out!”

The city gate slowly opened. Huangfu Yun gave a low shout, spurred his horse forward, and the twenty riders followed behind him.

“Hyah.”

Shi Lan and the others followed close behind.

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The group slowly rode out of Twin Moon City.

The march passed in silence. Everyone just focused on hurrying along.

Baking under the blazing sun overhead, they ran for nearly sixty li before the column finally halted for a brief rest. The few at the fifth stage of the Body Tempering Realm, carrying Demon-Suppressing Crossbows on their backs along with heavy armor, were already reaching their limits.

After resting for a little less than half an hour, the column set out again, changed direction, and ran another ten-plus li before arriving at a mountain valley.

As soon as they neared the valley, Shi Lan heard beastly roars rising and falling one after another—some near, some far, some deep, some shrill.

Huangfu Yun led the troops toward the mouth of the valley. In the midst of the march, he suddenly yanked his reins tight, bent at the waist to take the Demon-Slaying Crossbow slung at his jiao horse’s side, drew the bow and set the bolt in an instant, then, without the slightest hesitation, pressed down the release lever!

“Thrum!”

“Whoosh!”

The bowstring snapped taut with fury and the refined steel bolt screamed through the air!

“Screee—”

Everyone heard a single miserable cry. When they looked closely, they saw a mountain leopard nearly three chi long with its head pierced through by the steel bolt, nailed to a tree so thick that two people would have to join arms to encircle it. It thrashed twice and then went still.

“Stay alert! There are plenty of demonic beasts around here.” Huangfu Yun’s eyes narrowed slightly as he gestured backward. The twenty riders behind him understood at once and immediately spread out, leaving only four to guard the banner where it stood.

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Huangfu Yun returned the Demon-Slaying Crossbow to its place, unfastened the horse-cleaving saber at his waist, gripped it in a reverse hold, and continued forward on horseback.

Shi Lan took the Purple Star Seven-Section Halberd from her back and held it in her hands. Only then did some of the unease in her heart ease.

Everyone tightened their grip on their weapons and followed slowly, nerves stretched taut.

On the way to the valley mouth, they ran into a few more stray demonic beasts and some ordinary animals whose temperaments had grown far more violent. Without exception, all of them died to the Demon-Slaying Crossbows.

Soon, they reached the mouth of the valley.

This valley stretched for several hundred zhang in length and width; it covered a considerable area. A stream about a zhang wide cut across it, and the trees were dense. Between the trunks, hulking dark shapes moved about, faintly visible.

On the other three sides, the valley was ringed by cliffs more than twenty zhang high. Only the valley mouth offered a way out.

Huangfu Yun swept his gaze over the terrain, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes, then leaped down from his horse.

“Wait here for orders!”

After giving the order, Huangfu Yun walked alone into the valley.

Once his figure disappeared for a while, the demonic beasts in the valley seemed to go mad. Birds kept bursting from the trees, and beastly roars rose and fell without end, the commotion growing ever louder.

Listening to the constant roars, the tension in Shi Lan’s chest actually began to settle. It was the unknown that made people uneasy. In the end, they were only demonic beasts.

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But the people standing behind her couldn’t calm down for a long time. They all looked somewhat anxious.

After a little less than a quarter of an hour, Huangfu Yun appeared in everyone’s sight again. With strides of dozens of zhang at a time, he returned to the front of the formation and gave the order, “Form up, ready crossbows!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than billowing dust rose from the forest. The ground beneath their feet began to tremble; some loose stones even bounced several inches into the air!

A great horde of demonic beasts mixed with wild animals burst out of the dense forest and charged straight for the valley mouth. At a glance, they covered the mountains and plains, nearly a thousand in number, a sight that inspired genuine fear.

Seeing so many demonic beasts, a few people’s legs began to shake, and they subconsciously backed up a few steps.

Of the twenty riders who had originally followed behind Huangfu Yun, all but the four guarding the banner formed a line in the space of a blink, swung down from their horses, took down their Demon-Slaying Crossbows, drew them and set bolts in one smooth motion!

Huangfu Yun glanced over at Shi Lan and the others and repeated the order once more: “Form up, ready crossbows!”

Shi Lan reacted first. She swung down from her horse, stabbed the Purple Star Seven-Section Halberd into the ground with one hand, took down her Demon-Slaying Crossbow and the quiver beside it, and walked to the front of the formation.

The other martial artists recovered quickly, hastily unstrapping the Demon-Slaying Crossbows from their backs and forming up into a line. A few of them were shaking so badly they couldn’t even draw the bowstrings for a moment!

Seeing this, Huangfu Yun couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly.

Fortunately, those whose hands and feet were trembling were only a few. Before the beast horde closed within a hundred zhang, everyone’s refined steel bolts were already nocked and ready, the line braced for battle!