In the spring drizzle, fine as ox hair, on the eastern wall of Liting City in Qinghe Commandery, a hundred or so crossbowmen sheltered beneath crude plank huts atop the battlements, cocking their crossbows and readying their bolts. Their commander, Deputy Commandant Han Erlang, one of Assistant Governor of Qinghe Cao Shancheng's trusted generals and a man known for his steadiness, also looked pale as he pressed his lips together and gazed outside the city.
The atmosphere on the wall was exceptionally tense.
A little over a hundred paces away, on the highway directly opposite the gate's drawbridge, two squads of Exorcising the Dragon Gang cavalry were busy with something in the fine drizzle, which scarcely obscured the view at all. One squad was Armored Cavalry, the other light cavalry. Their movements were casual and their manner relaxed as they gathered around the few men doing the work, chatting and laughing.
Bloody heads hung from the necks and behind the saddles of many of their warhorses, while stripped clothing, armor, and bags hung from many of the spare mules and horses. Clearly, they had come here after achieving some success in battle, and that was precisely why they were in good spirits.
In any case, they paid no heed whatsoever to the defenders standing ready on the wall.
This distance was theoretically within range, but not within effective killing range. Only truly skilled hands, including cultivators, using particular powerful crossbows or stiff bows could achieve anything... and this was precisely what frightened the Qinghe commandery troops on the wall and their commander, Han Er.
Of the two groups of Exorcising the Dragon Army riders opposite them, the lightly armored group was plainly just a border patrol, which was one thing. But every rider in the other group had a leather-covered