Heavy footsteps drew nearer, striking the cracked dirt road like drumbeats.
Chen Wuya stood atop a high boulder, a dead branch held crosswise in his hand, his fingers tightening slightly around it. He did not move, only shifted his left foot forward half an inch to pin down a loose stone chip beneath it. Wind poured in from the mouth of the valley, carrying sand past his ears, yet his gaze remained nailed to the faded wolf-head banner of the enemy vanguard.
"They're here," Bai Zhi murmured, her hand already resting on her sword hilt.
Before her words had faded, Chen Xuan yanked hard on the trigger rope—
The surface of the southern slope suddenly split open, and dozens of bamboo spikes burst from the earth in a fan-shaped volley. The three lead horses shrieked and reared, their legs pierced through by the spikes, blood spray splattering across the dry rock face. The riders had not even climbed up after falling when the second wave of traps sprang into action.
Mo Feng pressed down with both hands, and logs came crashing down from the cliff top. The first volley struck the middle of the narrow passage, forcing the following infantry to halt; the second fell in a staggered pattern, sealing off the retreat; the third, their ends fitted with iron hooks, bit savagely into the ground and caught on a centurion's leather armor, dragging him several feet before his scream was cut short.
Dust billowed up, and wails erupted everywhere.
The foreign vanguard fell into utter disarray. The surviving cavalry tried to turn around, only to become wedged between the logs and the cliff wall, unable to move.
"Now!" Chen Wuya raised the dead branch and pointed at the heart of the enemy force.
Chen Xuan shouted, "Watch my *Reverse