Li Ding stood motionless in the main hall of the Great Black Emperor Temple in Wuan Commandery. Apart from Zhang Shiniang, who stood just inside the doorway, no one else was in the hall. Only a single brazier had been lit beside Lord Black Emperor's statue, its flames constantly swaying in the wind and casting shifting light and shadow over the deity's face.
Outside lay an enormous drill ground, densely packed with the tents of the Wuan Army, which had just turned back. The permanent barracks around it were also crammed with men... Thanks to the timing and location Li Ding had chosen to intercept the troops, the Wuan Army had long since been settled, and the vast camp had fallen quiet early.
That quiet did not last long, however. From the latter half of the night onward, hoofbeats and bells sounded incessantly around the Great Black Emperor Temple. Scout cavalry dispatched earlier returned one after another, as did messengers sent by various parties who had heard the news here and wanted to investigate.
They greatly disturbed the Wuan Army, whose men were, in truth, still somewhat unsettled.
But Li Ding maintained such strict discipline that the soldiers dared not make a commotion, and the officers did not dare come asking about the situation lightly in the night.
In fact, even Li Ding seemed to maintain a certain indifference... The messengers came and went without pause, but they only reported and exchanged information outside the hall's threshold. Prefect Li merely stood inside listening the entire time, without even turning his head.
As for what he heard, one could only say that the situation was even worse than Li Ding had imagined... Not absurd, but bad... Because Prefect Li had indeed sensed danger in it.
"Lord Zhang Shen belongs to the