Small Forest Town lay northeast of Maple Forest City, with Green Mountain Town between it and the city. In a straight line, it was the town farthest from the main city in Maple Forest Territory.
Led by Wei Yan, the group rode without stopping. They passed through Green Mountain Town without so much as a pause and reached the outskirts of Small Forest Town in barely half a day.
There was no green mountain outside Green Mountain Town. No one knew how many years ago the name had come into use; perhaps there had once been a mountain there, before the world changed beyond recognition.
But there was indeed a grove of Moon Cypress outside Small Forest Town, though it was small enough to see from one end to the other. Moon Cypress had a calming effect, and furniture made from its wood was highly sought after.
It was said that the grove had once been enormous. But Moon Cypress was extremely valuable, and the townspeople often cut down trees illegally, so the grove grew smaller and smaller. If Maple Forest City hadn't specifically issued an order forbidding illegal logging, this little grove would have vanished years ago.
The constables transferred from Green Mountain Town were stationed in the grove. Some sat, some lay down, all of them quite lax. Only when they heard the steady thunder of approaching hooves did they gather and come forward to meet the newcomers.
These constables possessed only ordinary martial strength. Of course they wouldn't dare enter the town to investigate under the current circumstances; their sole purpose was to observe and sound the alarm.
Wei Yan halted his horse outside the grove, glanced casually over the group, and asked, "How are things in Small Forest Town?"
The chief constable leading the Green Mountain Town team was a broad-faced man in his forties. At the question, he replied, "The fog started rising outside Small Forest Town five days ago. We didn't pay much attention at the time, thinking it was just a change in the weather. We could still make out the town's outline, as well as people moving about. Some of our townsfolk even went to visit relatives there. Starting yesterday, we received orders to set up a checkpoint here and keep watch. We haven't seen anyone come out, though. The fog has just kept getting heavier, and now we can't see a thing."
Among the Dao Academy disciples, Jiang Wang craned his neck to look toward Small Forest Town. Maple Forest Territory was the home where he had been born and raised. Though he had grown up in Phoenix Creek Town, Small Forest Town was no stranger to him.
The West Mountain Bandits he had once defeated single-handedly with his sword had been based in West Mountain, ten miles north of Small Forest Town.
In the past, Small Forest Town could be seen from this Moon Cypress grove. The town had not been prosperous, but it had been peaceful and content. Now, all he could see was a sea of fog.
Just then, Wei Yan's voice rang out. "I ordered you to keep watch on Small Forest Town, yet you've been undisciplined and lax. Worse, some of you took the opportunity to cut down Moon Cypress trees. Are you here on official business, or to line your own pockets?"
The Green Mountain Town constables went pale. Their chief constable, in particular, repeatedly clasped his hands in a pleading gesture, trying to explain himself.
But Wei Yan had already issued his judgment. "Send the Moon Cypress trees already cut down to the City Guard camp. In addition, everyone will forfeit a year's salary. The chief constable bears responsibility for leading you. You're dismissed!"
The broad-faced man looked utterly defeated, yet he didn't dare protest. He simply withdrew, dejected.
Only after hearing Wei Yan's judgment did Jiang Wang notice the several felled Moon Cypress trees.
Wei Yan, however, had taken in everything the moment he arrived.
Jiang Wang marveled at Wei Yan's keen eye, but also couldn't help thinking that the man was truly severe.
With Small Forest Town lost, the Moon Cypress grove was temporarily without an owner. The constables had risked their lives to set up a checkpoint outside the town and keep watch; they had only cut down a few trees to supplement their income. It was dereliction of duty, but understandable all the same.
Green Mountain Town wasn't wealthy. Losing a year's salary would make life immediately difficult for these constables. Especially for a man in his forties like their chief constable—being chief constable might well have been the pinnacle of his life's efforts. And with a single word from Wei Yan, he was back where he had started.
But this expedition was practically a military campaign. With Wei Yan in command, he was the commander. His orders were military orders, and no one could disobey them.
Once he had finished dealing with the matter, Wei Yan gave the reins a tug and galloped toward Small Forest Town at the head of the group.
The horses were warhorses from the military camp, and the riders were Dao Academy cultivators. Though they numbered only a little over thirty, they obeyed orders to the letter and moved like lightning, carrying the very presence of an army of a thousand men.
Hooves thundered across the ground, then came to an abrupt halt!
The battle-hardened warhorses reared and whinnied before the fog shrouding all of Small Forest Town. No matter how their riders urged them on, they refused to take another step.
More than thirty warhorses trembled in terror, whinnying in unison. It was as if something inside Small Forest Town filled them with unbearable fear. The sight was enough to make anyone's blood run cold.
The riders were skilled enough to avoid the ridiculous spectacle of being thrown from their horses before battle, but their morale had already plummeted. The confidence they had carried when leaving the city was gone.
Even Wang Changxiang, usually so calm and composed, had a grave look in his eyes.
Only Wei Yan's expression remained unchanged.
The armor on his body was covered in patches and scratches. At his waist hung a long, straight saber. Beneath him stood a tall, magnificent warhorse.
Everyone knew these were Wei Yan's three beloved possessions.
But suddenly, he drew his saber!
A flash of lightning seemed to streak out of thin air, and the blade vanished from view. The magnificent horse beneath him stopped whinnying. Its enormous head dropped from its neck, then was blasted farther away by the jet of blood gushing from the severed stump.
The horse's corpse crashed to the ground.
Wei Yan rested his hand on his saber and stared at the town hidden in the fog. His voice was cold. "You were afraid to fight in the face of the enemy. What use are you to me?"
"Good!" The first to respond was Du Yehu. Fierce by nature, he liked to settle things directly. He smashed a fist down, shattering the horse's head. "Wei, how are we charging in?"
Wei Yan held up his right hand. "On my command, dismount and prepare for battle. Form the Arrowhead Formation, with me at the tip. We'll go straight into Small Forest Town!"
Wei Yan's killing of his horse had made everyone realize there was no retreat. Now there was no room for hesitation. They all dismounted at once.
Wei Yan spoke again. "Raise your weapons!"
A chorus of blades rang as they left their scabbards!
Then Wei Yan's plain-looking adjutant stepped forward. He raised his right palm, pinched a seal with his left hand, and chanted under his breath. At last, he said, "Sharpness!"
Jiang Wang felt a sudden surge of sharpness from the long sword in his hand. The well-made blade now seemed capable of piercing anything.
"Flame Infusion!"
Blazing flames sprang up along every weapon! The cultivators raised their swords and sabers like torches, ready to light the way through the fog-shrouded town before them.
"Solidify!"
Ling He felt his body grow sturdier, a swelling urge to meet someone's fists with his own. But he glanced at Du Yehu, whose beard and hair bristled with fury, and quietly brushed away the illusion.
Zhao Rucheng thought, Group enhancement Daoist Arts are at least upper-grade Bing-class arts. Yet Wei Yan's unremarkable adjutant has cast three in a row without even changing expression. The Ministry of War is truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
Whatever the others were thinking, a marching army could have only one will. Empowered by the Daoist Arts, Wei Yan took the lead with his saber and stepped into Small Forest Town.
They advanced cautiously, taking in their surroundings. The town was so quiet that the only sound was their footsteps.
After a while, the fog seemed to grow thicker.
It was so dense it might as well have been solid. Three steps away, they could no longer make out one another's silhouettes. They could only see the flames on their weapons standing stubbornly in the seemingly endless fog.
With no other choice, they closed ranks once more, reducing the distance between them from five paces to three. Any closer would interfere with their ability to fight.
Jiang Wang and his brothers were near the rear of the formation's center. They were the lowest in cultivation and had been given the unspoken protection of the others. There was no need to be embarrassed about it; it was also a fine tradition of the Dao Academy.
Du Yehu cracked his knuckles. He wasn't nervous; he was excited, eager to test himself.
Jiang Wang had no doubt that even if the Nine Great Demon Lords—whose fearsome reputations now resounded throughout All-Under-Heaven—stood before him, Du Yehu would swing his fists without a second thought. Whether he could win was another matter.
Just then, a startled cry came from the outer edge of the formation. "What's that?!"
Another voice replied irritably, "They're just ghosts. What's there to be afraid of?"
But then came another cry, filled with alarm. "There are so many?!"
At the sound, Wei Yan spun around and slashed horizontally!
A tremendous blade of light swept through the air, cleaving apart the dense fog around them for an instant!
In that instant, everyone saw them: the stumbling, clawing, densely packed Wandering Souls filling the entire street!
Under the bright blue sky, a hundred ghosts walked by day!
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