679: A Bunch of Old Foxes [Part One of Two]

Xingyang Road, Chaoli Pass.

The Alliance Army hung the headless corpse outside for several days. The weather had been terrible throughout: scorching sun, driving rain, and howling winds. Yet no one ever came to claim it. When the general guarding Chaoli Pass received the scouts' report, he was baffled. "What are these people up to?"

Why hang up a headless corpse for no reason?

One of his officers guessed, "Could they be trying to intimidate us?"

The general's face twisted into a sneer. "Who would that scare? Even if they didn't just hang up a headless corpse, but washed it, skinned it, fried it, and hung the pieces out to dry, there'd be nothing to fear."

The military advisor guarding the pass had a different guess. "Could they suspect that the corpse belonged to someone we sent out?"

The general fell silent for a moment.

Then he asked the people below, "Did we send anyone out?"

They looked at one another and shook their heads.

They had sent plenty of scouts, but only to gather intelligence, survey the battlefield, and monitor the Alliance Army's movements. None had ventured into the enemy camp. Most scouts were Martial Gall Warriors, while the corpse was clearly dressed as a scholar. If one of their own had been hung up on the wall, they would have made a fuss already. How could they only be hearing of it now?

The general guarding Chaoli Pass couldn't make heads or tails of it.

In the end, he sneered in disdain and put the matter out of his mind.

Outside Chaoli Pass, dozens of miles away.

Shen Tang climbed to the highest point near the Alliance Army's camp and looked toward Chaoli Pass. After watching for a while, she felt that something was off. Xun Ding followed