Night Raid

Li Jinshui had been shaken awake by Monkey.

When he opened his eyes, his mind was still muddled, as though it had been filled with lead.

His eyelids felt too heavy to lift. Every part of his body hurt, especially the wound across his left shoulder, which burned like fire.

"Jinshui! Jinshui! Wake up!" Monkey's voice was low, but he couldn't hide the urgency in it.

Li Jinshui sprang upright.

The barracks were dark, lit only by moonlight spilling through the lattice windows. Under the moonlight, Monkey's face was pale with a bluish tinge, but his eyes blazed.

"What happened?"

"The commander has given the order!" Monkey swallowed. "We're raiding the Di Camp tonight! Everyone who can still move, assemble at the camp gate in fifteen minutes!"

Li Jinshui froze for a moment, then his mind cleared in an instant.

A night raid?

He threw off his blanket and stood. The movement tugged at his wounds, making him grit his teeth.

Looking down, he saw that the wound running from his left shoulder to his right waist was still bleeding. A dark red patch had seeped through the bandage.

There was no time to worry about that.

He grabbed his saber, threw on his armor, and followed Monkey out of the barracks.

About a hundred men had already gathered at the camp gate.

Li Jinshui swept his gaze over them and got the picture. They were all men who could still move—lightly wounded, with no missing limbs.

Qin Lie, Zhao Tieniu, and Zhou Tai were there, each looking exhausted, yet with murderous gleams in their eyes.

Five men stood at the very front, their bearing wholly different from the rest.

The Personal Guard Battalion.

Five men in the Inner Strength Realm.

The one leading them was in his early thirties, with fair, refined features. He looked like a scholar, yet the pressure he exuded was even greater than Zhou Kui's. He was in the late Inner Strength Realm, perhaps even at its peak.

Zhou Kui was there too, along with several other camp commanders. All of them were in the Inner Strength Realm.

"Everyone's here." The scholar-looking Personal Guard spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but every man heard him clearly. "I'll spare you the small talk. The Di People have just retreated and think we won't make a move tonight. We're going to give them a surprise."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the men.

"Target: their provisions. Burn them all, and tomorrow they'll be left with nothing but the northwest wind to drink. Once the job's done, retreat immediately. Don't get bogged down fighting. The Personal Guard Battalion will lead. Camp commanders and squad leaders, stay close. Everyone else, follow your own officers."

"Move out!"

Without another word, the hundred or so men vanished into the night like a gust of wind.

They marched at a swift pace.

Li Jinshui kept with the group. With Tiger Walk perfected, he ran as lightly as a feather and barely had to exert himself.

The ordinary soldiers around him had it rough, though. They gritted their teeth and pushed on, afraid of falling behind.

The Di Camp lay thirty li north of North-Rejecting City, built beside a small mountain.

The five thousand Di soldiers from that day had come from there.

The group circled around and approached from the side.

Clouds swallowed the moon, leaving darkness so thick they couldn't see their hands in front of them.

Only the lights in the distant Di Camp flickered in the darkness, like a cluster of eyes.

The Personal Guard leading them clearly knew the terrain. He guided them through the darkness without making a sound.

Only when they reached the side of the Di Camp could Li Jinshui see how enormous it was. Tents stretched as far as the eye could see, enough to house at least seven or eight thousand men.

The five thousand they'd seen during the day had only been the vanguard.

"The provisions are near the center of the camp, a little to the north," the scholar-like guard whispered. "Once we break in, head straight for the provisions. As soon as they're burning, retreat east. There's a river over there. We'll be safe once we cross it."

He took a deep breath and drew the saber at his waist.

"Charge!"

Five figures shot forward first, swift as arrows loosed from a bow.

Li Jinshui followed close behind, pushing Tiger Walk to its limit.

The Di sentries hadn't even reacted when the five guards stormed through the camp gate. Their blades flashed, and several guards fell without so much as a groan.

"Enemy attack!!!"

At last someone shouted, but it was already too late.

The hundred or so men poured into the camp like a sharp blade driven into its heart.

Li Jinshui charged with the crowd. The air rang with earth-shaking battle cries, while Di soldiers fled in every direction.

A few quick-thinking soldiers rushed at them with raised blades, only to be cut down one by one by the Personal Guards.

Against anyone below the Inner Strength Realm, those in the Inner Strength Realm were slaughterers.

But the experts in the Di Camp soon reacted.

"Stop them!!!"

A furious shout rang out from deep within the camp. A moment later, seven or eight figures rushed out of the tents, all in the Inner Strength Realm!

The scholar-like Personal Guard didn't even look back. He simply shouted, "Keep going! The provisions are just ahead! Leave the Inner Strength experts to us!"

The five guards met their charge, and in an instant they were fighting the seven or eight Di experts.

Li Jinshui didn't stop.

With the remaining men of Squad Jia, he followed the flow of the crowd and continued forward.

The provisions were ahead.

Dozens of towering grain piles rose like small hills, glowing golden in the torchlight.

"Set them on fire!!!"

Someone shouted.

Li Jinshui pulled a fire starter from his clothes, lit it, and tossed it onto the nearest pile.

Flames licked across it, then spread in an instant.

The others hurriedly set fires too.

Dozens of grain piles went up almost at once. Flames soared into the sky, lighting up the entire camp.

"Done! Retreat!"

The men turned and ran.

But just then, Li Jinshui heard a furious shout behind him. "You think you can burn our provisions and just run?!"

He looked back and saw three figures charging out of the sea of fire, their bodies seething with murderous intent.

The Inner Strength Realm!

Three of them!

And they weren't at the initial stage. At least two were at the middle stage, and one was at the late stage!

The three had clearly picked him out as one of the leaders. They charged straight at him.

Li Jinshui's pupils contracted.

Run?

There was no time.

He tightened his grip on his saber and turned to meet them.

"Squad leader!" Monkey called from behind.

"Get the men out of here!" Li Jinshui said without looking back. "That's an order!"

The first Inner Strength expert had already reached him.

A curved saber came down with a piercing whistle.

Li Jinshui twisted aside. His perfected Tiger Walk let him barely evade the strike.

But the man's saber was too fast. Its edge scraped across his armor, scattering sparks.

Wolf Killing Seven Forms: Wolf Fang Bite!

He countered with three slashes.

The first was knocked aside, the second blocked, and then—the man struck Li Jinshui in the chest with a palm!

"Bang!"

Li Jinshui was sent flying into a burning grain pile, searing pain flaring across his back. The ninth layer of Iron Shirt let him withstand the blow, but his chest still roiled with blood and qi, and a sweet, coppery taste welled in his throat.

"Ninth-layer Body Forging?" The man sneered. "You're asking to die!"

The second man arrived too.

The third circled around from the side.

The three Inner Strength experts surrounded him.

Li Jinshui wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and got to his feet.

The firelight flickered across his face.

He glanced at his status panel:

[Points: 23]

That was enough to improve his saber technique by a few levels.

The first Inner Strength expert lunged again, sweeping his curved saber across.

Li Jinshui moved in instead of retreating. He used Tiger Walk to sidestep the attack, then slashed at the man's ribs.

His Perfected Saber Technique was as fast as lightning.

The man hadn't expected him to react so quickly. He hastily swung his saber back to block.

Their blades collided, showering sparks. Li Jinshui was forced back three steps, and the man staggered too.

"Not bad," the man sneered. "But you're still going to die!"

All three attacked at once!

Blades, palms, and sweeping kicks came at him from three directions.

Li Jinshui's mind was crystal clear.

He pushed Tiger Walk to its limit, slipping through the gaps between their attacks. He dodged two blades and took a palm strike. His old left-shoulder wound flared with pain, but he used the force of the blow to turn and slash at the third man's throat!

Wolf Killing Seven Forms: Wolf Charge!

The slash was unbelievably fast. The Inner Strength expert at the initial stage didn't have time to react before the blade cut his throat.

[Killed Northern Di Inner Strength expert, initial stage, Points +10]

"Third Brother!"

The remaining two roared in fury, their attacks growing even more vicious.

Li Jinshui had no time to catch his breath before the second man's saber reached him.

He raised his saber to block, but the man kicked him in the stomach.

"Pfft—"

A mouthful of blood sprayed out. Li Jinshui was sent flying into another grain pile. The pile collapsed, and burning grain came crashing down on him.

It was scorching!

His whole body was scorching!

But he didn't stop.

He got up and fought again.

He added points to Iron Shirt!

[Spent 10 points, Iron Shirt proficiency +10]

[Iron Shirt: Ninth Layer 21/50]

A wave of heat surged into him, and the pain throughout his body eased considerably.

The two men had already rushed up to him.

Li Jinshui drew a deep breath and met them head-on.

He unleashed his Perfected Saber Technique, every strike a killing move.

But his opponents were both at the middle stage of the Inner Strength Realm, and they worked together so well that he couldn't gain an advantage.

Ten exchanges.

Twenty exchanges.

More wounds opened across his body. The deepest was on his left leg, blood running down it and leaving a bloody footprint with every step.

But the two men had taken their share of damage too.

He had sliced off half the ear of one and cut the other's arm to the bone.

"Is this kid a monster?" the man missing an ear cursed. "How can a ninth-layer Body Forging fighter take so much punishment?"

The other gritted his teeth. "Quit talking. Finish him quickly!"

They exchanged a glance and unleashed their full strength at the same time!

A saber and a palm strike swept toward him with the force of thunder!

Li Jinshui didn't retreat.

He spent all his points on Iron Shirt!

[Spent 13 points, Iron Shirt proficiency +13]

[Iron Shirt: Ninth Layer 34/50]

His inner qi surged wildly, and a dark golden glow spread across his skin.

He withstood the saber and palm strike head-on!

"Bang!"

"Crack!"

His bones fractured!

But he seized the chance—

His blade flashed. Wolf Killing Seven Forms: Wolf Devour!

His military saber flew from his hand, spinning as it sliced through the man's neck!

[Killed Northern Di Inner Strength expert, middle stage, Points +15]

Only one was left.

The man froze as he watched his companion's corpse fall. For the first time, fear showed on his face.

"You... you..."

Li Jinshui didn't give him a chance to speak.

He charged, bare-handed, and swung a punch at the man's face!

The man instinctively raised his arms to block, but Li Jinshui's fist suddenly changed direction and slammed into his temple!

A full-strength blow from the ninth layer of Body Forging, reinforced by Iron Shirt, sent the man's head jerking to the side. His whole body staggered.

He still didn't fall.

Li Jinshui's second punch was already on its way.

The third punch.

The fourth punch.

The fifth punch.

He beat down on the man like a madman, punch after punch, until his face was completely mangled and he fell to the ground, motionless.

[Defeated a Northern Di mid-stage Inner Strength Realm cultivator. Points +15]

[Current points: 15]

Li Jinshui gasped for breath, his whole body trembling.

He looked down at the three corpses, at his blood-covered hands, and suddenly grinned.

Three Inner Strength Realm cultivators.

He had killed three Inner Strength Realm cultivators.

"Jinshui!!!"

Monkey's voice rang out in the distance.

Li Jinshui turned and saw Monkey running toward him with several others, shouting as they came, "Run! There are more and more Di People! The Personal Guard Battalion has already retreated!"

Li Jinshui looked up—

At least a hundred Di soldiers were charging toward them in the distance, with seven or eight Inner Strength Realm cultivators at the front!

He picked up the knife from the ground and turned to run.

He pushed Tiger Walk to its limit, limping as he ran, with the earth-shaking cries of battle behind him.

When he reached the edge of the camp, he saw the Scholar Soldier.

The Scholar Soldier was covered in blood, holding the line with the remaining guards. When he saw Li Jinshui, his eyes lit up. "Quick! Cross the river!"

Li Jinshui didn't hesitate. He plunged straight into the river.

The icy water closed over his head as he swam forward with all his strength.

Behind him, the cries of battle gradually faded.

When he reached the opposite bank, he collapsed on the shore, gasping for breath.

One by one, people climbed out of the river. Qin Lie, Zhao Tieniu, Zhou Tai, and dozens of soldiers.

Monkey climbed out too, collapsing beside him like a dead dog.

The Scholar Soldier was the last to reach shore. Soaked through, he stood by the river and watched the flames blazing across the Di Camp on the other bank.

The provisions were still burning.

The blaze turned half the sky red.

"Let's go," he said. "Back to the city."

The group supported one another as they staggered back.

Li Jinshui walked among them, gritting his teeth against the pain of every step.

But he didn't stop.

Three Inner Strength Realm cultivators.

It was worth it.