The county soldiers stood at the front. Their armor was mismatched, but every man carried a saber or spear.
Beside them stood disciples from several martial schools, escort-agency fighters, and guards sent by wealthy households.
They came from different walks of life, but a single military order had pressed them all into service here.
At a rough count, there were more than two hundred of them.
Deng Qing soon spotted Li Cheng, Wang Wei, and Zhou Tie in the crowd.
Besides the saber at his waist, Li Cheng carried a length of black bamboo tubing, its mouth sealed with red cord. There was no telling what it held. Two household guards followed behind him.
Deng Qing looked closely and realized that one of the guards was Zhang Bo.
Li Cheng said something to Zhang Bo and the other guard, then hurried over with Wang Wei and Zhou Tie to join Celebration Hall's contingent, taking their places beside Deng Qing.
The four exchanged glances. None of them spoke.
Suddenly, the drums fell silent.
A middle-aged official in armor mounted the raised platform. He was County Commandant Su Bing.
His gaze swept over the drill ground. With a wave of his hand, two bailiffs behind him carried up two chests, one large and one small.
Both chests were opened at once. Gleaming silver and gold ingots lay inside the larger one.
The smaller chest contained sealed porcelain bottles.
Someone whispered, "Ginseng Pills."
A stir immediately swept through the drill ground.
Su Bing pressed a hand downward, his voice carrying across the crowd. "The military order has been issued. Today, Everjoy County and Dongting County will launch a joint attack to root out the Donghuang Cult's stronghold outside the city.
"Anyone who shrinks back in battle, makes excuses to avoid advancing, or disrupts military orders will be dealt with under military law."
At those words, much of the commotion on the drill ground subsided.
Su Bing pointed at the two chests. "Kill an enemy, and you will be rewarded. Recover military supplies, and you will be rewarded. Rescue a comrade, and you will be rewarded. Everyone who earns merit will receive a reward."
Many eyes lit up with eagerness.
Standing beside Deng Qing, Fan Sheng said quietly, "Don't let gold, silver, and Ginseng Pills dazzle you. On the battlefield, staying alive comes first."
Deng Qing nodded in acknowledgment.
Before long, Su Bing finished organizing the troops and ordered them to march.
After leaving the city, the column headed west.
For the first dozen or so li, villages and fields still lined the government road. Farther on, the roadside gradually grew desolate.
After traveling thirty li, they saw traces of the previous battle at the foot of a slope.
Broken arrows, shattered armor, and heaps of fire-blackened wagon boards littered the ground.
In the roadside grass, bloodstains had darkened, drawing swarms of black flies.
The voices in the column grew much quieter.
Another twenty li onward, the mountains ahead began to rise.
A forest of black pines loomed on either side of a mountain hollow, its dense branches rustling in the wind.
Su Bing reined in his horse and raised a hand to point.
Following his gesture, the others saw a dilapidated Mountain God Temple deep within the hollow. Its walls were mottled, and half its eaves had collapsed.
"That is the Donghuang Cult's stronghold."
Su Bing barked coldly, "We must uproot it today."
Several rows of chevaux-de-frise and barricades blocked the entrance to the hollow.
Tangled timbers, rocks, and broken wagon boards were piled together, barring the way forward.
Figures moved in the shadows, yet the Mountain God Temple was eerily quiet.
Su Bing looked over the crowd. "Who will lead the charge?"
For a moment, no one answered.
Everyone knew the first wave faced the greatest danger.
Several breaths later, Zhang Yan stepped forward with his sword. "Zhang Yan of Celebration Hall volunteers to lead the vanguard."
Su Bing clapped his hands hard. "A brave man, Brother Zhang!"
Zhang Yan saluted with clasped hands, then ran straight toward the mouth of the hollow, sword in hand.
He moved with tremendous speed, reaching the chevaux-de-frise in a few strides. A flick of his longsword split the crossbeam and overturned the barricade.
Everyone's spirits surged.
Just then, bowstrings twanged in the black pine woods on either side.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
A hail of arrows shot out of the woods.
Zhang Yan shook his longsword, and its light flashed several times before him, knocking aside every arrow that came his way.
He did not retreat. Instead, he took another step forward.
Su Bing drew his saber and shouted, "Charge!"
The county soldiers pushed forward first. The martial-school disciples, escort-agency fighters, and wealthy households' guards followed, pouring into the hollow.
The Donghuang Cult members fought as they fell back.
Ding Yuan rushed ahead, cutting down two men in succession. Raising his bloodied saber, he declared loudly, "The Donghuang fiends are nothing special!"
Watching from behind, Su Bing asked, "Who is that man?"
Someone beside him answered, "Ding Yuan of Celebration Hall."
Su Bing said, "He has bolstered our troops' courage. Record his merit!"
Hearing this, Ding Yuan's eyes shone even brighter, and his pace quickened.
Fan Sheng stayed beside Deng Qing and said quietly, "Ding Yuan has broken through to skin refining second layer too. He's gained plenty of resources from the recent string of battles and is eager to climb higher."
Deng Qing nodded, breaking through the barricades while looking toward the Mountain God Temple.
The closer he drew to the temple, the stronger his unease became.
The advance had gone too smoothly.
Deng Qing said under his breath, "Senior Brother Fan, shouldn't we steady our advance?"
Fan Sheng replied, "Don't worry. We have ample strength to spare today. Even if there's an ambush inside, they're only remnants of a defeated force."
His words had barely faded when a shrill whistle suddenly sounded from the black pine woods ahead.
The next instant, arrows rained down from both sides.
Boulders also came crashing down the slopes with thunderous rumbles.
Battle cries erupted from the Mountain God Temple.
Su Bing shouted, "This is all the Donghuang Cult's remnants have left! A cornered beast still fights. Hold your ground!"
Though Su Bing was only a county commandant, he was an old hand at warfare and had stationed powerful martial artists on both flanks.
Now, as arrows streaked through the air and rocks hurtled down, the martial artists at skin tempering third and fourth layers on the flanks swept them all aside.
Just as the main force drew ever closer to the Mountain God Temple, a band of roughly a hundred men suddenly charged down the mountain path ahead.
Su Bing shouted, "Hold firm! These are the last of the remnants!"
As his shout faded, Su Bing surged toward the front like a great bird.
A plain-faced man also charged out from the Donghuang Cult's side to meet Su Bing head-on. The instant they clashed, explosive cracks rang out and shattered rocks flew in every direction.
Someone gasped under his breath, "Blood Butcher Xiong Zhen!"
Deng Qing's heart tightened. He had heard the legends of Blood Butcher Xiong Zhen, whose name alone could silence a child's nighttime cries in Everjoy County.
Soon, the main forces on both sides were locked in battle.
Deng Qing stayed close behind Fan Sheng. Though Fan Sheng was injured, his strength at skin tempering third layer was still formidable.
Li Cheng and his two household guards were assigned to the right flank, while Wang Wei and Zhou Tie, their faces deathly pale, stuck desperately close to Deng Qing.
The four formed a small group, supporting one another and barely keeping their footing amid the torrent of battling troops.
Suddenly, a huge, fat monk came charging straight toward them, swinging a Buddhist staff.
The monk had a brutish face and wore a tattered robe. With one sweep of his staff, he sent two county soldiers flying backward, vomiting blood.
Within a few breaths, the monk had fought his way right up to them.
Fan Sheng raised his saber to meet him. Already wounded and weakened, he lasted only one exchange before the monk's heavy staff jolted the wound on his shoulder open.
At the same time, Fan Sheng's blow drove the monk back several steps.
"You there, bald ass! Give me your name!"
Fan Sheng barked the demand.
"I'm your Grandpa Tang!"
The monk swung his Buddhist staff again and charged at Fan Sheng.
Fan Sheng dodged away at once. The monk did not pursue him, instead continuing to batter everyone around him.
Deng Qing, Wang Wei, and Zhou Tie had already ducked aside.
Wang Wei whispered, "It's Monk Tang. This bastard is one of the strongest at skin refining second layer. Even injured, Senior Brother Fan is formidable among those at the third layer, yet he won't clash head-on with this brute. That shows how capable the bastard is."
Zhou Tie said, "I've heard more than a dozen men at skin refining second layer have died at this brute's hands. He's a nasty one to deal with."