Enemy Attack

In the desert on the frontier, over five thousand bandits, kicking up thick dust, charged furiously towards the nearby border army camp.

The very ground seemed to tremble. They stirred up a trail of sand and dust behind them, each of them wearing a savage, unrestrained grin.

"Hahaha, kill!"

These bandits from the grasslands were skilled in archery from horseback.

Before they even neared the border army camp, some drew their bows and shot flaming arrows, accurately hitting the foremost tent.

The next moment, a massive volley of flaming arrows rained down from the sky.

In an instant, the entire camp turned into a sea of fire, thick smoke billowing upwards, waves of heat washing over them like a purgatory.

Amidst the chaos, cries of alarm could be heard from within the camp.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"It's the grassland bandits, the bandits are attacking!"

"What?! That's impossible!"

But there were more screams. Some were engulfed in flames, rolling on the ground, trying to extinguish the fire on their bodies.

However, the flames from these arrows were ignited with oil. Once they caught, they were difficult to put out.

They never imagined that while Commander Yuan Xiao was leading troops on a campaign, their own side would be suddenly attacked by bandits.

They also couldn't understand how the numerous sentries, both visible and hidden, that the Wu Li Army had set up along the way, failed to transmit any news of the bandit attack in time, allowing these fierce bandits to charge right up to them.

Li Qing was also astonished. He had just returned to his tent from the kitchen after filling his stomach. Before he could even sit down, he heard the sound of flaming arrows falling.

Then came the overwhelming barrage of arrows, scaring him so badly he almost wished he could teleport to another world.

"How is this possible? There are so many outposts and hidden sentries along the way, why hasn't any news come back? Have they all defected?" Li Qing muttered, bewildered.

The possibility of them all defecting was extremely slim, practically impossible.

That left only one possibility: these bandits had somehow learned the locations of all the sentries along the route and had efficiently eliminated them all.

The reinforcements from the imperial court were on their way, but they wouldn't arrive in time. The bandits' timing for this surprise attack was incredibly precise.

"The border army... has a mole!"

The thought sent a shiver down Li Qing's spine, his scalp tingling.

"Run! Quick, run!"

"To Wangyuan City, to Wangyuan City! Run towards Wangyuan City!"

The chaotic shouts from outside reached Li Qing's ears. The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

Run?

Could they even escape? The bandits were on horseback, and Wangyuan City was at least dozens of miles away from the border army camp. Even an expert in Outer Strength might not be able to outrun horses.

Scattering and fleeing would most likely lead to certain death. The terrain behind them was completely flat, making escape impossible; they would just be targets.

"Damn it, this is too sudden, no warning signs at all. I didn't even have time to prepare!" Cold sweat beaded on Li Qing's forehead. He tried his best to calm his mind and quickly figure out the best course of action.

"Plans can't keep up with changes. I'll grab some food and head to the Eternal Night World to take shelter!" Li Qing gritted his teeth, ultimately deciding to go to the Eternal Night World.

Immediately, he rushed towards the granary, preparing to take enough food to last for a considerable time.

Many tents had been set ablaze, but the granary area remained untouched.

Seeing this, Li Qing couldn't help but twitch his lips.

These bandits clearly knew the location of the granary and deliberately avoided it when shooting their arrows.

With such detailed information, if Li Qing was told there was no mole in the army, he'd chop off his own head.

Everyone else was fleeing in a panic towards Wangyuan City in the rear. No one paid any attention to the granary's status, just wanting to get as far away as possible.

Li Qing kicked open the tightly shut granary door. But before he could start moving the grain, he saw someone he didn't expect, or perhaps, did expect.

"Fatty Wu? Why are you still in the granary?" Li Qing was dumbfounded.

Inside the granary, a plump, round figure sat on a pile of dried cured meat, stuffing food into his mouth.

"I... I saw there was no fire here, so I hid here to avoid the flames..." Wu Chong stammered, his jowls trembling.

"Idiot, these bandits are here to rob the grain. You're looking for death staying here!" Li Qing shouted.

Wu Chong gaped blankly, then mumbled, "Then what should I do? I can't run. Wangyuan City is so far away. I'd probably die of exhaustion before I get there, and then the bandits would catch me."

This fatty was actually quite clear-headed, calmer than the regular soldiers. He knew that two legs couldn't outrun four.

Li Qing couldn't help but inwardly complain.

Before he could speak, Wu Chong said with resignation, "Either way, I'm going to die. I might as well be a well-fed ghost here!"

"I'll eat! I'll eat, eat, eat!"

Li Qing found it both amusing and exasperating. This guy was still thinking about food even when facing death. He really didn't know what to say.

"Fatty, if you want to live, listen to me!" Li Qing yanked Wu Chong up. He then spoke rapidly, "Do you remember where my master is buried?"

"You scram over to that burial ground now and hide in any grave. The bandits probably won't search there!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Fatty Wu's eyes lit up.

"Right, how did I not think of that?"

As soon as he knew there was a way out, Wu Chong's obese body immediately erupted with an unimaginable will to survive. He stood up with a plop and then asked, "What about you? What are you still doing here? Hurry up and run with us!"

"You go ahead, I'll grab some food and be right behind you!" Li Qing patted Fatty Wu's body, signaling him to run.

"Alright then, remember to grab extra dried meat. We can't let those damned bandits get their hands on it!"

After his reminder, Fatty Wu's plump body, as if he had exerted all his strength, actually began to run at an incredible speed, disappearing out of the granary in a flash.

Then, as if remembering something, Li Qing quickly shouted after him, "You fatso, remember not to dig up my master's grave!"

Li Qing didn't know if Wu Chong heard him, but he couldn't worry about it anymore. He directly shouldered a large pile of grains and flour and dried meat from within the granary, closed his eyes, and began this large-scale moving operation.

He planned to move a pile of food that would last a long time, then hide in the Eternal Night World to avoid the situation for a while until things calmed down over here.

Seeking collection, seeking recommendation!