Escaping Behind Enemy Lines, Extremely Perilous

The echoes of rolling stones still reverberated between the rock walls. In the eye sockets of the two Wolf Head stone statues at the tunnel entrance, the trembling had yet to cease. Chen Wuya had barely withdrawn his fingers when a heavy clatter of mechanisms engaging sounded from within the cave, like some gigantic beast growling deep in its throat.

He abruptly swept out a hand. "Fall back!"

The gunpowder sacks had already been piled on the slope, their fuses pointed outward. He drew the short sword at his waist and scored a shallow line across the gravelly ground, then struck the earth with his palm. Misaligned Force spread through the rock strata, its faint tremors disrupting the rhythm of the mechanisms underground. Moments later, with a boom, the gunpowder buried beneath the slope exploded. Flames surged skyward, shattered stones rained down, and several enemy corpses that had not been pulled back in time were blown out into the open.

Roars came from deep within the tunnel, followed by chaotic footsteps. Sure enough, soldiers rushed out from inside, curved sabers drawn, their faces smeared with blood. Clearly startled by the blast, they had mistaken it for a forceful assault.

"Go!" Chen Wuya barked, grabbing Bai Zhi, who was slumped against a rocky corner, and hauling her up. Her face was ashen, the strip of cloth around her shoulder soaked through with blood. She only remained standing because she was leaning against him.

The six allied soldiers quickly gathered. Two supported a companion with an arrow in his leg, while the rest held their weapons ready and kept watch in every direction. They hurried along the western cliff face, avoiding the area where the firelight shone brightest. Behind them, the enemy realized they had been duped. Horns suddenly blared as more