Moonlit Night

"Boss Zhan, something's not right?"

"Stop!"

Night fell on the fifteenth day, the full moon hung high in the sky.

Zhan Laoshi scanned his surroundings; it was deathly silent. He gripped the spear in his hand, his expression grave.

"You noticed it too?"

Beneath the black pines, only sparse moonlight filtered into the woods. A strong wind blew, making the tree shadows sway and whistle.

They were less than five li from the camp by the official road.

The squad leader stammered, "We were supposed to be back at camp by nightfall. Why haven't we run into anyone?"

A gang member said, "Maybe they went back early?"

The squad leader retorted, "Absolutely not! Forty to fifty people, all deciding to return to camp early?"

"Maybe they took a different route, or they haven't returned yet..." The man's voice trailed off. He too felt these excuses were weak.

Zhan Laoshi twitched his nose. There was a familiar scent in the wind. When he had roamed the grasslands as a lone wolf, he had learned some tracking skills by observation.

He frowned, "Do you smell that?"

"Smell what?"

Another gust of wind blew through the trees.

His face changed drastically. "Such a strong smell of blood! Let's go!"

Zhan Laoshi turned and ran, but he didn't fire the signal arrow.

He figured he wasn't far from the camp. If he retreated, he could discuss countermeasures with Peng Canghu. Firing the arrow would alert the camp, but it would also reveal their position to the Wild Wolf Gang.

The six of them ran south for thirty to forty paces when suddenly, they stumbled and fell to the ground, as if tripped by something.

As they got up, in the moonlight, they saw pale faces half-hidden by the snow and ice, and were instantly struck with terror.

"Dead people!"

"It's them!"

"They're all dead..."

The group stopped and looked back. It was all the scattered small teams.

About twenty brothers from the Dragon Scale Association lay here, neatly arranged, stripped of their cotton-padded jackets. Strangely, they were covered with a thin layer of snow.

"Four small teams... they must have been ambushed while returning to camp..."

The squad leader stammered, "Is... is it snow demons? Legends say snow demons strip their victims' clothes..."

Every region had its share of terrifying folklore, and Pingyang Prefecture was no exception.

Snow demons appeared on snowy nights, looking for late travelers to borrow clothes from. They would return the clothes, and those who wore them would freeze to death, their bodies covered in a layer of white snow.

Most people in Pingyang City had heard this legend.

Fear gripped them even tighter. Some felt their legs turn to jelly and couldn't move, their sword-wielding hands trembling uncontrollably.

Zhan Laoshi slapped him across the face and roared, "Snap out of it! What snow demons? It's those brats from the Wild Wolf Gang! They don't dare fight us head-on, so they resort to these despicable tactics, ambushing us—"

As soon as he finished speaking.

The black pines around them swayed, and many dark figures emerged, charging forward with their sabers.

"Enemy attack, defend quickly!"

Zhan Laoshi fired the signal arrow.

A spark trailed white smoke into the sky before exploding.

The air filled with the smell of gunpowder.

"Brothers, this is our chance to earn great merit by eliminating the remnants of the Wild Wolf Gang!"

"Young Master will be here with reinforcements soon, hold on!"

Zhan Laoshi held his spear, rallying their spirits. The five Dragon Scale Association disciples beside him formed a simple formation, just as they had practiced.

The Wild Wolf Gang, driven by deep-seated hatred, fought fiercely, every saber strike filled with resentment.

"Kill!"

Liu Dachui's short legs churned rapidly, his iron ring saber spinning like a wheel as he charged into the enemy formation, heading straight for the man giving orders.

"Liu Dachui, one of the Seven Fiends of the Wild Wolf Gang?"

Zhan Laoshi felt a surge of fear. The 'Iron Head Wolf' had been a renowned expert in the martial circles of Pingyang Prefecture for a long time.

He was especially known for his tenacity. In one battle, an opponent had smashed his skull with a mace, spilling his brains. Everyone thought he was dead, but he got up from the ground and stabbed his opponent in the kidneys from behind.

Now that they were surrounded, with nowhere to escape, they could only fight to the death.

Zhan Laoshi brandished his spear, thrusting it like a viper's tongue towards his opponent's heart.

"Dog of the Dragon Scale Association, take this!"

Liu Dachui slashed his saber, deflecting the spear, and closed the distance. The two began to fight.

The spear is the king of weapons, capable of both offense and defense.

Zhan Laoshi's spear techniques bore the mark of border troops. They weren't exquisite, but they were practical, often featuring unexpected tricks and dangerous moves that forced Liu Dachui into a defensive stance, preventing him from attacking relentlessly.

Zhang Yu's sword remained sheathed as he stood outside the battle, observing.

Zhao Xia, Liu Dachui, and thirty gang members, outnumbering their opponents, with an expert present. Within three minutes of close combat, the five Dragon Scale Association disciples had all fallen.

"They need a battle to restore their morale!"

On the field, only the man wielding the long spear was still locked in a duel with Liu Dachui.

Liu Dachui was, after all, an expert of the Armor-Breaking Realm, with abundant Internal Energy and cunning saber techniques. Zhan Laoshi had to exert his full strength to parry each move.

After thirty exchanges, the fight had dragged on. Facing Liu Dachui's relentless saberplay, which was like a storm, Zhan Laoshi began to falter, his movements gradually revealing openings.

"Wild Wolf Digs the Gut!"

Liu Dachui seized the opportunity, rolling on the ground to evade three thrusts. He closed the distance, and Zhan Laoshi, unable to retract his spear for defense, was wide open.

"Not good."

Too late!

Liu Dachui sprang up, his iron ring saber slashing horizontally. His opponent's entire abdomen was ripped open, spilling out a colorful mess.

Zhan Laoshi fell onto the snow. He cast one last glance in the direction of the camp before his life extinguished.

Liu Dachui, covered in blood, felt a surge of exhilaration. He had dealt with the most troublesome opponent and was thoroughly satisfied.

Zhang Yu saw some gang members preparing to scour the battlefield for clothes and money.

He quickly ordered, "The pursuers are approaching. We must withdraw immediately!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd looked towards Zhao Xia and Liu Dachui.

They had suffered greatly from the bitter cold. In the depths of winter, who wouldn't want to put on an extra padded jacket, especially when they were fleeing without a home or steady meals?

"The leader has given an order. Any defiance will be dealt with according to gang rules."

Zhao Xia said coldly. She supported the Divine Cult envoy without hesitation, not entirely due to the life-saving grace at the Martial Saint Temple.

It was because, based on the information extracted from the Dragon Scale Association disciples, Zhang Yu was the one who had devised and implemented the 'divide and conquer, lie in wait' plan.

She had already developed a preliminary trust in his abilities.

"Yes, sir!"

The group immediately withdrew, moving swiftly through the woods, heading north towards Wolf Head Mountain.

Just then, a voice rang out.

"You killed our Dragon Scale Association members and think you can just leave?"

The man blocked their path. He carried a wolf-tooth iron mace, about five feet long, forged entirely of iron, weighing sixty to seventy pounds. The head was bulbous, shaped like a date pit, studded with iron spikes that glinted menacingly.

"Peng Canghu!"

Liu Dachui recognized the newcomer, his eyes widening with apprehension.