Going Down the Mountain

Yin Jiu let out a cold snort, his footsteps stepping in rapid succession, residual images intertwining like a ghost as he thrust toward Liang Hu's throat!

Yet at this moment Liang Hu had long since turned into a mad demon, his battle intent soaring to the heavens, his entire body's blood qi rolling like waves as the wolf-tooth club swept horizontally, actually managing to block Yin Jiu's attack with sheer force.

Then, he roared crazily and charged straight ahead to kill!

"Kill—! All of you die! You're all laughing at me?! No one is allowed to laugh at me!!"

His voice was hoarse, his eyes covered with bloodshot veins, and his expression was as ferocious as a malevolent ghost. Although his movements were frenzied, their power was astonishing; with a single sweep of the club, the air even exploded with a deafening roar.

"Mad dog." Yin Jiu's figure flashed, narrowing escaping the heavy strike range, but a trace of solemnity also surfaced in his eyes.

Not far away, Gu Chang'an hid behind a collapsed boulder, his gaze cold and sharp as he stared at the battlefield, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he muttered to himself:

Hahaha... This driving wolves to devour tigers tactic of mine really worked.

He had originally been somewhat worried that if these two mad demons could not be controlled, they might end up involving Shen Qingyan and the others, but unexpectedly this result far exceeded expectations. Not only had it helped his colleagues out of a tight spot, it had also completely disrupted the enemy camp and made them turn on each other, plunging them into total chaos.

"Heaven helps me," he murmured, a cold glint welling up at the bottom of his eyes.

Just as he was thinking, the sound of hurried footsteps reached his ears.

He abruptly turned his head, only to see a familiar red figure dart out from the dense forest and lightly leap onto the rock—it was Li Hongye!

"Senior Sister?" Gu Chang'an's expression changed, and he hurried to meet her, speaking in a low voice, "Why did you... come here? It's very dangerous."

Li Hongye ignored his reprimand and instead heavily patted him on the shoulder:

"Junior Brother, how could I possibly abandon you and go down the mountain alone?"

"Besides, we agreed not to leave a radius of one mile from each other's sight."

Gu Chang'an started slightly upon hearing this, his heart growing warm.

He gazed at the woman before him who always had a sharp tongue and a soft heart, suddenly feeling that in this chaotic wasteland of the troubled times, having her here was truly wonderful.

"Senior Sister..." he called out softly, not knowing how to continue.

"All right, stop being so overly sentimental." Li Hongye straightened her expression, her gaze sweeping past Yin Jiu and Liang Hu who were engaged in a fierce battle in the distance, and then looking at Duan Lie, who was fighting in a tangle with Leng Zhang and Wei Biao. "What is the situation now?"

Gu Chang'an chuckled lightly and recounted the matter roughly, a sliver of undisguised complacency in his words:

"Simply put, I lured them over to deliver some 'warmth', and now it's getting quite lively."

Li Hongye was stunned upon hearing this, then let out a chuckle and shot him a sideways glance:

"This trick of yours... really works. Throwing two madmen right onto the enemy's heads—you threw them just right!"

"As expected of someone from our Sky Wind Martial Hall: either you don't make a move, or with a single move you seal the throat. Your move today was brilliant!"

Gu Chang'an smiled faintly and said with a serious expression:

"It's not over yet. Daoist Chai is still around, and Yin Jiu is not easy to deal with either. We must seize the opportunity of this chaotic situation and make our move as soon as possible."

Li Hongye nodded, her red whip in hand, killing intent already welling up in her eyes:

"Then I'll accompany you to storm through a wind of blood once more."

Gu Chang'an gazed at her firm and resolute gaze, and the drifting, unsettled anxiety in his heart finally settled at this moment.

He said softly, "Before that, let's go to Shen Qingyan and Lin Tai's side and see how they are doing."

While they were chatting, Gu Chang'an had seen the heavily injured Shen Qingyan and Lin Tai break through the encirclement.

Therefore he intended to go over to provide support and understand the current situation.

Li Hongye nodded in response: "Good."

The two of them delayed no further, quickening their pace and rapidly pressing forward along the rubble-strewn path at the edge of the mountain forest.

Along the way, they could still see some shattered battle scars and corpses, clearly showing that the battle just now had been extremely fierce.

Before long, they found Shen Qingyan, Lin Tai, and the others near a half-collapsed cliff.

At this moment, Shen Qingyan's complexion was pale and her arm was stained with blood. Lin Tai was also heavily injured, gasping for breath as he shielded the few constables and runners behind him, looking vigilantly toward the surroundings.

Hearing approaching footsteps, Lin Tai immediately raised his sword in front of him, a look of vigilance surfacing on his face: "Who?!"

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"Sister Qingyan, Brother Lin, it's me." Li Hongye quickly called out.

The two started upon hearing the sound, then recognized her figure and finally let out a sigh of relief.

Lin Tai lowered his longsword, and Shen Qingyan also revealed a trace of exhausted a smile.

"Why did you come here? It's very dangerous here," Shen Qingyan frowned and said.

Li Hongye pursed her lips and glanced at Gu Chang'an, concisely recounting how they had pursued Liang Hu and Duan Lie and lured them into the interior.

Hearing this, Shen Qingyan and Lin Tai exchanged glances, their faces filled with shock.

"So it was you... Gu Chang'an." Lin Tai sighed with emotion, his gaze falling upon the youth who still looked very young, his eyes full of admiration. "Heroes truly come from the youth! Not only is young brother Gu so young and possessed of such cultivation, but he can also anticipate the enemy's moves beforehand, using wolves to devour tigers and relieving our urgent crisis... I am full of admiration."

Gu Chang'an smiled faintly and was just about to speak when he was given a sideways glance by Li Hongye, who cut in ahead of him:

"Brother Lin, stop praising him. He's soft-hearted and if he hears a few flattering words his tail will curl up to the heavens."

Lin Tai laughed heartily, waving his hand to speak no further.

Li Hongye withdrew her smile and asked:

"What is the situation now? Where is Director Wang?"

Shen Qingyan's expression turned stern, her tone solemn:

"Director Wang and Old Zhou entered the secret cellar together to stop Daoist Chai from refining the Blood Spirit Pill."

"We fought that Yin Jiu outside and couldn't get in, so we don't know their current condition."

Gu Chang'an nodded.

He knew who Old Zhou was.

Although advanced in age, he was one of the Martial Guard Division's few Eighth Rank martial artists, having once campaigned on the northern frontier and slain countless demon lords. Though he had already retired behind the scenes, the situation this time was severe, so he had still personally come out of retirement.

During that time when Gu Chang'an's identity information was registered, the old man who received him was none other than Old Zhou.

At that time Gu Chang'an had already guessed in his heart that Old Zhou's unretired ambition was probably also plotting for this very day.

"That means... the current situation is still unstable." Gu Chang'an's voice was low, his gaze crossing through the trees and gazing deep into the interior of Black Wind Ridge—the location of the Pill Hall. The sky there was growing increasingly gloomy, as if even the light had been swallowed up, exuding an ominous aura.

Shen Qingyan nodded softly, her brows tightly knitted: "That's right. Yin Jiu was entangled by the mad demons you lured over, and the pressure on this side has decreased a lot, but Daoist Chai is still inside the Pill Hall. As long as he doesn't die, the situation remains unclear."

"Uh..." Lin Tai coughed up a mouthful of blood abruptly, leaning against a snapped old tree with a face as pale as paper. He managed to straighten his back and said, "That Daoist Chai's strength is extremely formidable. If he is allowed to refine that so-called Blood Spirit Pill... I don't know what it will turn into..."

"Brother Lin!" Gu Chang'an's expression tightened, and he hurriedly squatted down to check. "How are you?"

"I... I'm fine..." Lin Tai managed a forced smile, yet it couldn't conceal the trembling and pain on his body at all.

Gu Chang'an reached out to investigate. The moment his palm touched Lin Tai's chest, his expression instantly changed—three ribs were broken, his internal organs were bleeding, and the qi within his body was in disarray, clearly showing he was already at the end of his tether. The reason he hadn't passed out cold yet was simply because he was holding on by sheer willpower.

"You won't last long, Brother Lin," Gu Chang'an said in a deep voice, taking out the wound medicine he carried with him to perform simple treatment, his expression growing increasingly grave. "We must send you down the mountain for treatment as soon as possible, otherwise... there will be a threat to your life."

At this moment, he looked around. The other constables and runners also had pale complexions; some had dislocated arms, some had blood-stained cloth wrapped around their abdomens, and some couldn't even stand steadily. They were all wounded soldiers, with very few barely able to fight.

"Sister Qingyan," Gu Chang'an slowly stood up, "You should head down the mountain first."

Shen Qingyan pressed her lips together, her eyes filled with struggle: "But... the mission is not yet completed. If we leave now, it means abandoning the battle, turning into deserters..."

She spoke with difficulty, her throat choked up. As a chief constable, she knew where her duty lay, but with all these injuries right now, and these constables who had lived and died by her side, could they really still hold on?

Li Hongye stepped forward and said calmly:

"If you people stay here now, you will only become a burden. You might as well head down the mountain early. On one hand you can recuperate, and on the other hand you can bring the news back to the County Office, asking the County Magistrate or County Assistant to lead troops in support."

Gu Chang'an nodded in addition: "That's right. Hongye and I will go investigate the battle situation near the Pill Hall to make sure Director Wang and the others are safe. If you stay here, you will only add danger."

Shen Qingyan looked at Lin Tai, who had already fainted, and then gazed at the young yet battle-scarred constables and runners beside her. Her heart ached as if being cut by a knife, and she finally spoke in a low voice: "...Alright, we are going down the mountain."

Several constables immediately helped support Lin Tai, while Shen Qingyan took the lead, casting a complex glance at Gu Chang'an: "You must be careful, Gu Chang'an, Hongye... If you can return alive, I will personally request a reward for you from the Director."

Gu Chang'an nodded and cupped his fists: "Definitely."

Li Hongye smiled softly: "Sister Qingyan, wait for us to come back for a drink."

The group stumbled along, slowly retreating down the mountain path.

Gu Chang'an and Li Hongye stood atop a giant boulder, watching them gradually drift away.

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