Calamity of Soldiers

"This place really does have Dragon Qi. The people in that village weren't wrong—the two people and one horse should have come this way," a soldier reported to the officer from atop his horse.

"Then it seems that Dragon Steed was picked up by some traveling merchant, who thought it was a treasure and took it along. Tsk, courting death without knowing it. Didn't even bother to see whose property it was before daring to lay hands on it?" The officer smiled, more or less piecing together how things had unfolded.

Suspecting that human presence had disrupted the divination, they had searched every village within five hundred li.

There were two villages in all. A strange traveling merchant had visited the more populous one today.

He called himself a traveling merchant, but his behavior had been peculiar. Not only had he brought along a woman who looked too weak to truss a chicken, he had also been leading a sickly, injured Old Ma.

He claimed he had come to trade for beans to feed Old Ma.

The officer knew that if one intended to take a horse on a long journey, one would certainly prepare beans or even medicinal pills in advance.

Horses were precious, large, and consumed much. How could anyone set out on a long trek and only then look for supplies? What use could the beans in those villages possibly be?

Dragon Steed did not eat that kind of worthless bean. To properly care for a Dragon Steed, one needed medicinal pills, spirit herbs, even rare minerals and spirit stones.

This was not something an ordinary person could afford to raise.

Leading an injured Dragon Steed around, yet letting it eat wild grass and chew soybeans.

There was no need to think any further. It had to be the Dragon Steed he himself had pursued.

So they continued following the trail. Once they found hoofprints, they swiftly advanced in the direction Dragon Steed had fled.

"Banner Captain, we found it! It must be on the mountain ahead!" a soldier shouted.

"Go. Pick up the pace," the officer ordered.

"Shouldn't we wait for them?" another soldier asked.

As he spoke, he looked around him. Of the original ten brothers, only five remained.

The other five were behind them, cleaning up the loose ends.

What loose ends?

They had penetrated deep behind enemy lines and come all the way into the Great Deer Kingdom. How could they not eliminate some of the Great Deer Kingdom's living forces?

"Let's wait. Two villages shouldn't take long. A thousand-odd laborers won't take much time." The officer waved a hand. Since Dragon Steed's location and direction had already been confirmed, there was no rush.

At most, it was two hundred li away. They should reach it tonight no matter what.

After a while, five black-armored riders came galloping through the darkness.

"Banner Captain, they've all been wiped out. There were two Shamans guarding the villages—one unranked and one ninth rank. Both have been killed. Their heads are here." The leading soldier stepped forward, dismounted, and carried two severed heads over in both hands.

"Good. Killing cultivators earns the five of you one merit each. Preserve the heads properly. When we return, I will report it to the Merit Officer myself," the officer said.

"Thank you, Banner Captain!" The five hurriedly clasped their hands, then put away the two bloody heads.

Had Li Qi been there, he would have recognized at a glance that one of those heads belonged to the village crone from the village where he had traded that afternoon.

"Move out. The future trouble has been removed, and we've gained the merit of two heads. If we recover that Dragon Steed as well, we'll return with overflowing merit this time and receive a tremendous reward!" the officer said, then lashed his horse hard with his whip.

With a sharp crack, the horse neighed. The group of five swiftly raced toward Dragon Steed.

Meanwhile, Li Qi was mocking himself for being completely useless while preparing for what might come.

Why was he completely useless? Naturally, because he had planned to keep watch and observe the enemy. He had stood guard for half the night and discovered nothing, yet Shen Shuibi, who had been asleep, had heard them right away.

Seriously... he was such trash.

Still, since they had caught up, he could only go and hold them off himself.

He had sent Old Ma away with Shen Shuibi. Neither of them had any combat ability, so there was no need for them to remain here.

Li Qi stood near the foot of the mountain, beneath the cliff where the Altar stood. As he made his preparations, he carefully considered his words.

If he could persuade them with words, then there would be no need to fight.

There was no need to risk his life fighting over something that could be settled with his tongue. Fighting was dangerous, and Li Qi preferred solving problems with his brain.

But... he still had to be prepared.

Words could solve problems, but only if the other party's blades could not solve you first.

If their blades could solve you, then no matter how glib your tongue was, it would be useless.

He waited, for less than a quarter of an hour.

Then he saw them.

A squad of black-armored riders!

Every one of them had a horse!

Their armor was complete, marked with differing patterns, yet all of it was pure black, radiating an intimidating Sha Qi.

Every rider had a long saber strapped to his back, held a great spear, and wore a light crossbow at his waist. They had means for long, middle, and close range alike. Their tall horses stood at least six chi high, while the officer in front rode a horse that stood fully seven chi.

Though none were as tall and imposing as Old Ma, they were all brimming with spirit and vigor, young and strong, their bearing formidable.

At the sight of that formation alone, Li Qi swallowed.

Fuck, so that... Crimson Cloud represents the Calamity of Soldiers.

He'd thought they were bandits or something else, but damn it—regular troops?

And from the looks of them, they definitely weren't ordinary regular troops. They might even be an elite unit.

This was a genuine, bona fide "Calamity of Soldiers."

Li Qi readied himself, gripping a stone in his hand as he stepped two paces aside.

Maybe they were just passing through? Once they went by, that would be that.

That was what Li Qi thought.

But clearly, he had overthought it.

There were ten soldiers in that squad. Several radiated murderous intent, and one even had two heads hanging from his horse. At a glance, they were clearly not to be trifled with. The moment they noticed Li Qi, they swiftly came to a halt.

The soldiers did not rashly advance. Instead, one of them rode forward toward him.

"You there ahead, why are you standing out here in the wilderness in the middle of the night?" the soldier asked.

Li Qi deliberately made himself tremble, his voice quavering. "I... I am a traveling merchant, lodging here for the night. Earlier, when I saw you military lords, I hurriedly got up, afraid I might block your path."

"A traveling merchant?" The soldier frowned, then turned his horse around and went back to whisper a few words to the officer.

The officer understood at once. He urged his horse forward and stopped ten paces away from Li Qi, his expression amiable. "Little brother, you say you're a traveling merchant. Did you happen to pick up a horse earlier?"

At those words, Li Qi's heart went cold.

Sure enough, they had come for Old Ma.

Then... should he hand over Old Ma? Could that buy his safety? The thought surfaced in his mind.

But he immediately shook his head.

Impossible. Old Ma's injuries were most likely this group's handiwork. If he handed him over, Old Ma would probably die without question.

Over the past few days, Li Qi and Old Ma had gotten along quite well. Besides, Old Ma was also an important help in finding Lady Luofu. He could not abandon him.

Then...

"I... I haven't seen one," Li Qi said, preparing to bluff his way through first.

But before his words had even faded, the officer raised his crossbow and fired with a flick of his hand!

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