Night Patrol

Li Xuancang was assigned to a five-man unit under the command of Five-Man Leader Zhang Yuan.

After becoming a Battle Soldier, his status soared, and his treatment was worlds apart from before.

Most of the time, he had eaten coarse rice and boiled wild vegetables, and even then he wasn't guaranteed to be full. Only when war broke out could he have a little refined rice and eat his fill.

Now, Li Xuancang had refined rice at every meal and occasionally received meat. With a monthly salary of one tael of silver, he was the envy of others.

Li Xuancang trained and patrolled with the unit, and ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

His strength was gradually increasing—not merely his physical power, but his speed, senses, soul, strength, endurance... every aspect was improving without a single blind spot.

Today, after finishing a day's patrol and returning to the military camp, Li Xuancang saw a familiar face.

"Greetings, sir."

When Old Du and several conscripts saw Li Xuancang, they hurriedly saluted him. Their gazes darted away, and none of their former easy banter remained.

Seeing the fear in Old Du's eyes, Li Xuancang understood at once.

His identity had changed. Compared to conscripts who could lose their lives from one day to the next, he was no longer someone from the same world.

Having realized that, Li Xuancang gave a slight nod and quickly left.

It wasn't that he lacked human feeling. Staying would only have been inappropriate.

After Li Xuancang left, everyone finally let out a breath.

There was an enormous gulf between conscripts and Battle Soldiers. If they offended a Battle Soldier, even if that soldier killed them, he would merely be reprimanded and suffer no serious consequences.

Better to be a dog in peaceful times than a man in chaotic ones—those were no empty words.

In troubled times, human lives were worth less than grass, to be killed at will.

"Not bad, Old Du! Never thought you knew a Battle Soldier!"

Only after Li Xuancang had gone far away did they dare speak in low voices.

Their eyes were full of envy. To them, knowing an official soldier was already an incredible accomplishment.

"Lord Li and I merely spent some time together in the Conscripts' Camp. It doesn't count as knowing each other."

Old Du hurriedly explained.

He didn't dare claim any connection to Li Xuancang, much less borrow Li Xuancang's name.

"Is he Lord Li, the one who killed three Barbarians and became a Battle Soldier?"

At those words, everyone's bodies jolted, and their eyes burned.

Among the several hundred people in the entire Conscripts' Camp, Li Xuancang alone had accomplished the feat of killing three Barbarians and been exceptionally promoted to Battle Soldier. He had already become a legend in the Conscripts' Camp.

Many took him as their example, dreaming at every moment of killing three enemies and becoming Battle Soldiers like him.

"Next time, I'll risk my life no matter what. At worst, I'll die."

"Only by becoming a Battle Soldier can we rise above the rest. I'll never miss another chance."

"This is our only chance to change our fate. It's worth risking our lives for."

"..."

Some gritted their teeth and made up their minds. In the next great battle, they would fight with their lives on the line and carve out a bright future.

Li Xuancang didn't know that his name had already risen to prominence in the Conscripts' Camp. Even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.

After returning to the Battle Soldier Camp, Zhang Yuan gathered everyone, his expression somewhat grave.

Once everyone had arrived, Zhang Yuan didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

"Recently, several units have been attacked. Battalion Commander Wang has ordered night patrols as well. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin patrolling at night."

The moment he said this, the atmosphere changed. Several faces turned deathly pale.

"Th-this..."

They wanted to speak but stopped themselves, their words stuck in their throats.

Everyone was deeply worried and uneasy with fear.

This was desolate wilderness. At night, fierce beasts often roamed about, and Demons might be wreaking havoc as well.

Patrolling at night was several times more dangerous than in daylight. One moment of carelessness could leave them separated from their heads.

If the Barbarians moved at night, they would also pose a tremendous threat.

Zhang Yuan's expression was ugly as well, but this was Wang Tianshan's order. He could only obey.

Wang Tianshan was the ruler of the entire camp. No one could question his decision.

Li Xuancang was somewhat worried too. What he needed most right now was stability, but night patrols had shattered his plans.

Things had come to this, so Li Xuancang could only go with the flow and be as cautious as possible.

Fortunately, his strength was increasing every day. He had already surpassed most Battle Soldiers and possessed some ability to protect himself.

The moon shone bright amid sparse stars, and the night wind swept over them. The patrollers instinctively pulled their clothes tighter around themselves.

"Stay alert. Be careful."

Li Xuancang and the others were responsible for patrolling one area. Zhang Yuan spoke sternly as he reminded them.

The night was fraught with danger. The slightest mistake could cost them their lives, and they couldn't afford even the smallest bit of carelessness.

The group patrolled for a long time, their nerves taut. Soon, more than two hours had passed without them finding anything unusual.

Just as everyone thought nothing would happen tonight and began to relax somewhat,

Li Xuancang, whose senses were astonishing, felt an icy, bone-piercing gust of sinister wind suddenly sweep in from the pitch-black forest behind them.

"Careful!"

Li Xuancang shouted a warning, instantly making everyone who had just been about to relax tense up again.

Several people gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes fixed on the darkness around them.

"Oooh, ooooooh..."

The sinister wind howled, carrying a nauseating stench straight at them.

"Something's wrong. It's demon aura!"

Zhang Yuan caught the scent in the air, his expression changing drastically as he let out a startled growl.

This border region was already where Demons and the Human Race met. Aside from the Barbarians causing trouble, the Demons in the mountains and forests were the deadliest scourge.

The blood qi from battle after battle had surged into the skies, and the thick smell of blood had long since drawn hidden demon creatures here.

Pairs of ghostly green pupils slowly lit up, like floating will-o'-wisps.

The next moment, several misshapen black shadows burst through the dense forest and charged at them at high speed.

At night, everyone's vision was obstructed, making it difficult to see the demon creatures drawing near.

Li Xuancang's eyesight had improved considerably during this period, allowing him to barely make out the appearance of the demon creatures rushing toward them.

Their fur was filthy and matted, their fangs protruded, and faint black mist coiled around their bodies. They were as large as small calves.

There were eight of them in all, pouncing in for the kill beneath the cover of night.

Once the demon creatures drew closer, Zhang Yuan recognized them and shouted a warning.

"Careful! Demon Hounds, low-tier demon creatures!"

Several people lost all sense of composure. Panicked and helpless, their bodies trembled in fear.

Demon Hounds were Demons in the Body Tempering Realm, several times more vicious than ordinary beasts. Their claws and fangs were sharp, and their bite force was immense. Only cultivators could deal with them.

Ordinary Battle Soldiers didn't fear Barbarians, but they feared Demons from the bottom of their hearts.

Mortals feared Demons; it was an instinct carved into their bones by troubled times.

The Demon Hounds were incredibly fast, and their vision was unaffected by the night. In the blink of an eye, they had reached the group.

"Defensive formation."

Zhang Yuan was a battle-hardened veteran. He knew that at a time like this, they couldn't panic or fall into disorder. Only by joining together to resist did they have a sliver of hope.

The camp wasn't far from here. As long as they caused a commotion, others would quickly come running. They only needed to hold out for a while to have hope of surviving.

"Ah!"

One soldier's eyes went wide, and his body shook like a sieve. Seeing the Demon Hounds approach, he was scared out of his wits. He immediately threw down his torch and weapon, turned, and ran.

The sudden scene caught the rest completely off guard, and they couldn't form a proper formation at all.

"Damn it."

Zhang Yuan flew into a rage, but the Demon Hounds had already reached them. He had no time to be angry.