Exploration

Gale Camp's First Company was Li Yi's personal unit.

This company consisted of forty archers and ten infantrymen, making it Gale Camp's most elite force.

In less than an hour, Li Yi led his troops to the northern outskirts of Blackstone Town.

He then activated the [Scouting and Concealment] skill and coordinated with the scouts he had sent out. Before long, Li Yi caught the tail of the Qing Kingdom soldiers.

There were not many Qing Kingdom troops who had infiltrated Blackstone Town's territory—only fifty or so, most of them infantry.

Pressing down the bushes before him, Li Yi studied the enemy troops in the distance as they marched with bits clenched between their teeth.

After observing the enemy's deployment, Li Yi turned to the squad leaders under his command.

"First and Second Squad will fire first. Then Third and Fourth Squad will take over. Fire in rotating volleys and inflict the widest possible casualties on the enemy."

After arranging the archers' tactics, Li Yi looked to the sole infantry squad.

"You will lead your men in covering the archers. If the enemy charges, you must stop them and carve out room for the archers to maneuver!"

In just a few words, Li Yi had laid down a killing formation aimed at the Qing Kingdom soldiers.

"Move faster!"

At the front, a Qing Kingdom soldier lashed a captured Chen Kingdom hunter with his whip, cursing without pause.

After Li Yi's scheme had wiped out two thousand elite soldiers, the Qing Kingdom's commanding general had flown into a rage. Yet constrained by his available troops, he could only change tactics now, sending out squad after squad to constantly harass Blackstone Town in an attempt to pin General Guan's forces within its boundaries.

The whipped hunter dared to rage but not speak, and could only stagger onward to lead the way.

Whoosh!

Perhaps because so many of their comrades had been killed by Chen Kingdom forces, these Qing Kingdom soldiers were exceptionally brutal. Even though the hunter was quite obedient, they continued to swing their long whips, lashing him over and over.

Just as the soldier's whip was about to fall again, a faint sound of something cutting through the air rang out from the dense woods.

Ghk! Ghk!

The Qing Kingdom soldier's whip fell to the ground. Clutching his throat, he stared toward the forest in terror as blood gushed between his fingers like a fountain.

Before the Qing Kingdom soldiers could react, arrows shot out from the woods one after another, killing many of the unprepared men.

"Ambush!"

The leading Qing Kingdom company commander was greatly alarmed and hurriedly directed his men to defend themselves.

But wave after wave of arrow rain continued to pour forth. Even with shields for cover, quite a few unlucky men were still shot dead.

In mere moments, more than a dozen Qing Kingdom soldiers had died.

"They're on the right!"

The Qing Kingdom company commander pinpointed the direction of the arrow volleys and immediately led his men in a fierce charge with their shields raised.

When facing archers, if escape was impossible, the best response was to rapidly close the distance and deny the archers room to perform!

Watching the Qing Kingdom soldiers draw closer behind their shields, Li Yi once more drew his bow and loosed two arrows, killing two men.

"Infantry Squad, prepare yourselves!"

"Archers, keep firing!"

Li Yi shouted. After firing three arrows, he took down his Plum Blossom Spear.

Having paid the price of considerable casualties, the Qing Kingdom soldiers had already closed in on the archers' position.

Seeing this, Li Yi suddenly leaped out, carrying the Plum Blossom Spear reversed as he charged forward in great strides.

"Archers, cover us! Infantry, charge with me!"

The Qing Kingdom company commander was overjoyed when he saw Li Yi and the others rushing toward them.

The man charging at the front was clearly the Chen Kingdom's leader. If they captured him, perhaps they could make up for the disgrace of being ambushed.

They might even have a chance to earn rewards!

At that thought, the Qing Kingdom company commander's confidence surged. He repeatedly made promises, bolstering his men's morale.

After several volleys of arrows, this invading Qing Kingdom force was down to only twenty-odd men.

But twenty-odd against eleven—the advantage was ours!

As for the archers, once the distance was closed, they would be lambs awaiting slaughter!

The Qing Kingdom company commander looked exhilarated. Taking the lead, he thrust his spear straight at Li Yi.

Facing the spear that kept closing in, Li Yi remained as still as an ancient well. The Plum Blossom Spear in his hand trembled faintly.

[Gale-Rending Formation-Breaking Spear]!

With a tremble and a pull of the Plum Blossom Spear, the Qing Kingdom company commander's spear was instantly knocked off course.

An opening!

Li Yi charged forward in an instant, his Plum Blossom Spear transforming into a raging storm that directly engulfed the Qing Kingdom company commander.

"What kind of spear technique is this?"

The Qing Kingdom company commander's room to move was steadily suppressed. Meanwhile, under Li Yi's lead, the charging Qing Kingdom soldiers were brought to a halt, and one soldier after another was shot dead by the hidden Chen Kingdom archers.

Watching his subordinates being killed one after another, the Qing Kingdom company commander grew frantic, even entertaining the thought of perishing together with Li Yi.

But Li Yi's spear momentum had already taken shape. The Plum Blossom Spear suddenly thrust forward, piercing straight through the Qing Kingdom company commander's chest.

"Who are you?"

Feeling the blood and vitality steadily draining from his body, the Qing Kingdom company commander muttered the question.

"Remember this—the one who killed you is Li Yi!"

Li Yi slammed the butt of his spear. The Plum Blossom Spear instantly punched through the man's chest, and Li Yi swiftly passed his body, catching hold of the spear once more.

[Gale-Rending Formation-Breaking Spear]!

The spear was like a dragon! Winds and clouds roiled!

With every thrust of his spear, a Qing Kingdom soldier fell.

Led by Li Yi, this infantry unit charged straight through the Qing Kingdom soldiers.

"Leave no survivors!"

Li Yi roared, whirled around, and charged once more at the remaining Qing Kingdom soldiers.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick, not a single Qing Kingdom soldier remained standing in the woods.

Li Yi sat on a bluish stone, wiping the blood from the Plum Blossom Spear. His soldiers rapidly cleared the battlefield, sorted through the spoils, and cut off the heads of the Qing Kingdom soldiers.

The Chen Kingdom followed a military merit system, and enemy heads were the most important proof of military achievement.

"Reporting, sir! We annihilated fifty Qing Kingdom soldiers in this battle, while our side lost seven!"

Seven against fifty—such a casualty ratio was extraordinarily impressive.

Li Yi nodded. After confirming that there were no other Qing Kingdom forces nearby, he returned to camp with the spoils.

"You brat, you truly haven't disappointed me!"

Looking over the military report Li Yi had submitted, General Guan nodded in satisfaction.

After executing Cao Li, General Guan had utterly offended the Cao Family.

Under such circumstances, the more fiercely Li Yi performed, the more confidence and resolve General Guan had to deal with the Cao Family's possible retaliation.

After some thought, General Guan summoned a personal guard and said to Li Yi, "Since you've achieved something in spear techniques as well, this general will reward you with a long spear as encouragement!"

The rewards and merits for annihilating the enemy would naturally be handled later by the officers in charge. General Guan's reward was an additional pleasant surprise!

Li Yi repeatedly offered his thanks, then followed the personal guard to collect the long spear.

According to the guard, this long spear had once been used by General Guan himself. It was forged from refined gold and cold iron, and the materials alone were worth dozens of taels of silver!

The Plum Blossom Spear Li Yi had used before was merely a damaged weapon discarded by an old soldier and sold to a blacksmith shop. It simply could not compare to this refined iron cold spear!

"With this spear in hand, my close-combat strength has increased by at least twenty percent!"

After sparring with Han Jia for a while, Li Yi contentedly put the refined gold cold spear away.

As time passed, the wars across the land gradually reached their outcomes.

The Chen Kingdom and the Qing Kingdom officially entered a stalemate.

During this period, Li Yi's most important task was to lead Gale Camp in wiping out Qing Kingdom soldiers invading from all directions.

"Sir, someone is following us!"

After driving off a Qing Kingdom force attempting to invade a village, Han Jia came to Li Yi with a grave expression and reported his discovery.

Liu Ye, standing nearby, added, "Starting five days ago, scouts have been reporting that someone has been watching our every move."

For the past few days, Li Yi had been in seclusion cultivating, leaving Gale Camp under Han Jia and Liu Ye's management.

This expedition was Li Yi's first public appearance since leaving seclusion.

Li Yi summoned the scouts and questioned them, then discussed the matter with Han Jia.

"Looks like whoever has been spying on us in secret is most likely here for me!"

"Han Jia, hide in the village later. After we leave, see if you can catch this person!"

After making the arrangements, Li Yi led Gale Camp back to the military camp.

By sunset, Han Jia brought Li Yi to a concealed tent.

Inside, a blood-soaked man was tied up.

"This is the one who was watching us?"

As Li Yi looked at the man, he already had a guess in mind.

Han Jia nodded and said, "Not long after you led the men away, he emerged from a patch of woods and followed the unit from afar."

"But this kid is indeed clever. He quickly noticed my presence, and I had to put in quite some effort before I caught him."

As Han Jia explained, Li Tao, one of the personal guards, grabbed a whip and viciously lashed the man.

Under the personal guards' brutal torture, the man quickly gave out and repeatedly begged for mercy.

"Who sent you?"

Looking at the man, who had been beaten half to death, Li Yi asked coldly.

"The Cao Family!"

Just as expected!

Li Yi was not surprised in the slightest by the answer.

He had long since offended the Cao Family beyond reconciliation. It was only to be expected that they would send people to watch him.

Before long, the man told Li Yi everything he knew, piece by piece.

It turned out that after Cao Li was killed, someone had secretly sent word to the Cao Family.

As one of Chen Kingdom's seven great families, when had the Cao Family ever endured such humiliation? They immediately dispatched men to secretly monitor everyone connected to Cao Li's death.

Li Yi was their foremost priority.

While putting Gale Camp through special training, Li Yi had not only taught them methods for drilling troops, but also passed on techniques such as interrogation and coercion.

Li Tao possessed exceptional talent in this area, and he was often responsible for interrogating captured Qing Kingdom scouts.

That was precisely why the man had already been tortured into a mental collapse by Li Tao.

"My lord, the Cao Family has already sent men into Qinghe County. Their goal is to take your head and use it to honor Cao Li and the other!"

Use my head to honor Cao Li?

Li Yi gave a cold laugh. He glanced at the spy, who no longer had any value, then gave Li Tao a look and left the hidden tent.

"Brother Yi, what do we do now?"

Only Li Yi and Han Jia were in the main camp now, while Li Yi's personal guards stood watch outside. Han Jia was therefore much more relaxed, addressing Li Yi with familiarity.

"We killed the Household Registrar, and Cao Li also died because of us. The Cao Family will never let us off!"

The exotic beast tendons, bones, and other items seized from the Cao Family were still beneath Li Yi's bed. The grudge between him and the Cao Family had long become an inextricable knot.

"There are only thieves who steal for a thousand days, never guards who defend against thieves for a thousand days."

Li Yi wiped down his cold refined-gold spear. His eyes shone brightly as he fixed his gaze on Han Jia.

"Since the Cao Family has sent people to take my head, then the two of us will strike first and kill the men they sent!"

"Alright! I'll listen to you, Brother Yi!" Han Jia nodded and went back to make preparations.

Li Yi found an excuse to request leave from General Guan, then, under cover of night, set off with Han Jia for Qinghe County.

At this time, Qinghe County was brilliantly lit. Many merchants hawked their wares along the streets, while children played in the dark alleyways.

Seeing no one around, Li Yi swiftly made his way to the sealed Cao Family residence.

The [Scouting and Concealment] skill activated instantly. Combined with night vision and his breathing technique, Li Yi was like a master detective possessed.

"There are many footprints here. Judging by the thickness of the dust, they were left today."

"The seals have been disturbed. Someone entered the Cao residence!"

After inspecting the place, Li Yi quickly grasped the situation at the Cao residence.

"Come on. Let's find someone and ask."

Having obtained the information he wanted, the disguised Li Yi left the Cao residence with Han Jia.

"Sir, I'd like to ask you about something."

At a nearby tea stall, Li Yi placed a tael of silver on the table and stared straight at the elderly tea seller.

At the sight of the silver, the old man's expression shifted. After checking his surroundings, he quickly slipped it into his pocket.

"Young sir, what would you like to ask?"

"As long as this old man knows, I'll tell you everything without holding back!"

Li Yi nodded and asked, "Did anyone approach the Cao residence today?"

At those words, the old man looked around before lowering his voice.

"Ever since the army sent men to seal up the Cao Family, no one has dared to touch the tiger's whiskers by wandering near that place."

"But this afternoon, a merchant seemed to have gone to the Cao residence and stayed there for quite some time!"

A merchant caravan?

Li Yi's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly pressed, "Do you know where that caravan is now?"

The old man shook his head apologetically.

"I have to watch this tea stall, so I can't leave. I only know that after the caravan left the Cao residence, it headed east!"

After a pause, the old man continued, "But there are many beggar children in this town. Young sir, perhaps you could ask them!"

Beggars?

Li Yi nodded. After thanking the old man, he led Han Jia east.

Following the old man's directions, Li Yi spent money to hire a few beggars to ask for directions, and soon arrived at a rather luxurious inn.

The inn was only a few hundred meters from the Cao Family.

Looking at the inn shrouded in night, Li Yi said to Han Jia, "Same old rules. You stay outside and cover me while I infiltrate the inn."

After dividing their tasks, Li Yi quietly made his way toward the inn.

[Scouting and Concealment] activated once more!

Li Yi seemed to melt into the night as he slipped silently onto the inn's second floor.

It was already late at night, yet one room on the second floor was still brightly lit.

Seeing this, Li Yi quietly approached the room. He circulated his breathing technique, and in an instant his five senses became as keen as spirits, his hearing greatly enhanced.

Inside, several people were drinking and making merry as they talked loudly.

"Five people, and one of them is at the fourth level of Body Tempering!"

Li Yi quickly sensed the situation of those inside the room.