Yellow Turban Ten-Man Commander

Chapter 7: Yellow Turban Centurion

Just as Lin Maoxian paused, a man on the hillside seemed to sense something and glanced in his direction.

A Yellow Turban Soldier nearby noticed and asked, "What is it, My Lord Centurion? Is there a situation?"

The Centurion shook his head and said, "It's nothing. I must have been mistaken. I felt as if something was watching us from that direction, but when I looked, I saw nothing. I suppose I was just wrong."

The soldier chuckled, "My Lord, these woods are dense. It was likely just some animal."

The Centurion replied noncommittally, "Perhaps. But why have Wang Hu and his men been gone so long? It seems he is becoming increasingly difficult to manage."

"My Lord, that Wang Hu is always looking to distinguish himself so he can become a Centurion like you. Who knows what he's doing out there right now?" another soldier nearby immediately chimed in. He had a grudge against Wang Hu, who often bullied him by relying on his superior strength. With Wang Hu absent, he naturally seized the chance to badmouth him in front of their leader.

"Hmph!" The Centurion snorted coldly. "With Wang Hu's strength, even if he did perform a great deed and get promoted, he would still be the weakest of all the Centurions. Unlike us, who earned our rank through hard, grueling training. If he were to cross blades with me, I could take his life in just a few rounds."

"That's true. With his meager strength, even if he became a Centurion, he could never compare to you, My Lord," the soldier flattered him immediately.

Hearing the sycophancy, the Centurion's expression softened. "That may be true, but that wretch has been gone too long. Could something have happened to him?"

"You're overthinking it, My Lord. This is a desolate wilderness; few people ever come here, especially now that we are about to lay siege to the city. Everyone is surely hiding inside Pingyang County for safety. How could anyone possibly come to this godforsaken place? I suspect Wang Hu and his men have just gone off to enjoy themselves, leaving us to stand guard here." The soldier who held a grudge against Wang Hu immediately seized the opening.

The Centurion did not fully believe the soldier's words. He shook his head and said, "Although that wretch Wang Hu is prone to flights of fancy, he knows the gravity of our situation. If he hasn't returned after another quarter of an hour, we shall return to the valley to report to the Centurion and let him decide."

The soldier said nothing more, knowing that overdoing it would only reveal his personal vendetta and make it look like he was trying to frame Wang Hu.

Lin Maoxian had been startled when the Centurion looked his way, fearing he had been discovered. After hearing their conversation, he realized that while the Centurion had sensed something, it wasn't definitive, so he had let it go. However, this confirmed that the man's Perception attribute was likely high. With that in mind, Lin Maoxian used his Scout skill to check the Centurion's stats.

Yellow Turban Centurion: Huang Liu

Strength: 17; Agility: 13; Stamina: 16; Intelligence: 9; Charisma: 5; Perception: 12; Willpower: 11

Skill: Absolute Faith—When the target enters a state of faith, Strength, Agility, and Stamina each increase by 5 points; this skill can only be triggered by special individuals and cannot be activated at will.

Exquisite Iron Blade (Common): Damage +5, an exquisite iron blade forged by an ordinary blacksmith, Sharpness 15 (if the target's Stamina is not higher than 15, it will cause a bleeding effect).

Crude Armor (Common): Defense +3, crude armor forged by an ordinary blacksmith, Durability 10 (as long as the force or sharpness of an attack on the armor does not exceed 10 points, the armor must be struck multiple times in the same spot to be broken; the armor can be slashed through).

Seeing the 12 points in Perception, Lin Maoxian understood why the Centurion had sensed him. His own Perception was only 15, which was insufficient to cause a "Perception Suppression" (which requires a 10-point difference to mislead a target's senses), so it was inevitable that he would be noticed.

Seeing the Centurion's high Strength and Stamina, Lin Maoxian calculated. With his own gear, he had 31 points of Strength. If he chose Reward 3 to deal 100% crushing damage, he could deal (31-19) * 3 + 10% = 39.6 damage per hit. With the Centurion's 16 Stamina, he could finish him in about four hits, and the remaining health wouldn't pose a threat. His own Stamina was 15, and with his basic skills, the Centurion's attacks would only deal (22-16.5) = 5.5 damage, which was negligible. As for the other soldiers, as long as they didn't swarm him, they wouldn't even break his defense. He just needed to get close and engage the Centurion in melee.

However, the soldiers held the high ground on the hillside, which was disadvantageous for an assault. Thinking of the man he had left behind, Lin Maoxian carefully turned back to find Xiao Zhang.

Returning to the spot where he had left him, Lin Maoxian didn't see Xiao Zhang. He scanned the surroundings carefully and shouted toward a patch of brush, "Kid, come out! How long do you intend to hide?"

"My Lord, you've returned!" Hearing the familiar voice, Xiao Zhang scrambled out from his hiding spot.

Ignoring Xiao Zhang's disheveled state, Lin Maoxian said with a stern face, "Kid, you need to cooperate perfectly from here on out, or your life won't be worth a copper."

Hearing that his life was at stake, Xiao Zhang said nervously, "I... I will definitely cooperate."

"Don't be nervous, it's not that difficult." Seeing Xiao Zhang's fear, Lin Maoxian offered a bit of comfort. "Later, you run in front, and I'll pretend to chase you. You need to lure those men down from the valley. Once they're down, you can hide to the side to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Simple, right? Do you understand?"

"Understood," Xiao Zhang said, trembling. "But... but..."

"I know what you're worried about. I might hit you for real, but I'll hold back my strength. You'll only suffer minor injuries; you'll be fine, don't worry." Lin Maoxian knew the boy feared he would actually kill him with a single punch. But with 15 points of Strength (17 with gear and skills), and considering the boy's 7 Stamina and cloth armor, a hit would only take away about a sixth of his health. It would be fine if he was careful.

"I... I know."

"Help, My Lord Centurion! Help!" Xiao Zhang shouted loudly while running in a panic. To make it look authentic, Lin Maoxian had punched him earlier and threatened that if he didn't lure them down, he would be forced to fight to the death. Fearing for his life, he put his all into the performance.

Lin Maoxian chased closely behind, planning to intercept him near the path to ensure the soldiers were drawn out.

"Hm? A situation. That's Xiao Zhang's cry for help. Everyone, stay alert and see what's going on," Huang Liu said to his men. Not knowing how many enemies there were, he didn't dare rush out blindly.

Seeing Xiao Zhang running toward them in a panic, Huang Liu tightened his grip on his weapon. If there were few enemies, he would charge out to kill them and earn merit; if there were too many, he would abandon Xiao Zhang to his fate and report the incident to the Centurion later.

In no time, Xiao Zhang reached the path, and his pursuer intercepted him. They began to trade blows, but it was clear Xiao Zhang was no match. After a few exchanges, he took a punch and fell to the ground, spitting blood. Huang Liu calculated that with his own strength and the help of his men, he could easily take this person down.

"Follow me! We'll charge down and kill him together!" Huang Liu shouted, charging down the hill with his iron blade, followed by the other four soldiers.

Lin Maoxian watched them charge down, surprised by how smoothly things were going. He looked down at Xiao Zhang, who was still pretending to spit blood, and said, "Kid, you're done. Go hide to the side; if you get hit, that's on you. And my punch wasn't that strong—stop spitting blood, I know what you're doing."

Realizing his ruse was exposed, Xiao Zhang wiped his mouth and scrambled toward the woods.

"Damn it! That brat was in on it! They tricked us into coming down! Retreat!" Seeing Xiao Zhang stand up and run off like nothing had happened, Huang Liu realized he had been played. He ordered his men to retreat and turned to run back up the hill.

"Thinking of running now? It's too late." Lin Maoxian equipped his title, activated his Copper Skin skill, and charged at them. His primary target was the Centurion, so he rushed straight at Huang Liu and threw a punch.

Seeing the speed at which Lin Maoxian closed the distance, Huang Liu knew they couldn't make it back. He didn't hesitate to swing his blade at the incoming fist, thinking that the man would be forced to dodge. Unfortunately, he knew nothing of the resilience of a digitized body; as long as the weapon's sharpness didn't exceed the adventurer's defense by 10 points, it would not cause dismemberment.