Captain Fisher withdrew his gaze and calmly gave the order. "Withdraw all troops into the city now. Seal the gates tight and notify everyone in the city to prepare defensive equipment in case the Jatu attack."
"Yes, sir."
The body's original owner had been quite skilled at handling horses.
Relying on the original owner's muscle memory, Dick rode the horse like a darting dragon, swiftly sweeping across stretch after stretch of land.
The horse moved so fast that the autumn wind stung his face slightly.
But Dick no longer cared whether he was comfortable. He knew that every moment he delayed would put Xiya in greater danger.
Kebi was an even better rider. As he led the way, his face was pale from the pain of his wounds, but he pressed his lips together and flicked the reins without a word of complaint.
Soon, they reached a small hill.
After dismounting and tethering their horses, the two quietly approached the edge of the hill and crouched to look down.
Kebi pointed down the hill. "That's Stony Town. We can only stay here. We can't get any closer."
Dick began surveying the town's layout. He noticed that Stony Town consisted mainly of wooden houses, seemingly only a few dozen households. There were hardly any people in the streets, only a group of soldiers in soft leather armor standing guard.
These soldiers had longbows slung across their backs, curved swords at their waists, and spears in their hands.
There was also a stable in this temporary outpost, holding a dozen or so unarmored warhorses equipped only with saddles.
Kebi sounded somewhat heartened. "Looks like they only left these men here. The other horsemen really were drawn away by the army of the Northern Kingdoms.
"But I'm not sure whether Xiya is here. Let's attack now, then leave someone alive to ask about Xiya and my father."
"You're already wounded. Let me do it," Dick said as he surveyed the makeshift camp.
He had already noticed a large patch of weeds nearest to him, along the outskirts of the Jatu's temporary outpost, where he could conceal himself.
"But can you manage alone? Even without their horses, they're still soldiers in leather armor.
"You definitely can't take them head-on by yourself. Sneaking in and assassinating them might be the only way."
The word "assassinating" triggered fragments of memory in Dick's mind.
He closed his eyes and repeatedly pressed a finger against his temple, absorbing the scenes that had newly appeared in his mind:
On a stretch of grass, two figures, one large and one small, stood facing each other.
"Congratulations, Dick. You've become a new witcher.
"A witcher at nine years old. With just five or six years of training, you can become an excellent master assassin."
The man was tall and powerfully built, with an unusually long scar running from above his forehead, along his nose, and onto his cheek.
His hair was gray, and he wore the same armor as Dick, looking down at him with a hearty laugh.
The child looked about eight or nine years old.
"Master, sir, I'm a witcher. Isn't dealing with monsters supposed to be my duty in the future? Why do I need to learn assassination?"
"Dick, you're still young. There's a lot you don't understand."
Master gently patted the boy's shoulder and said meaningfully, "Sometimes, hunting monsters really is our duty. But more often, people are far harder to deal with than monsters.
"So we need to master ways of dealing with people. That's how we can live better. And you must understand that if there were no monsters in this world, we'd have no business either.
"Without business, there wouldn't be any kelangs. Kelangs are what we depend on to survive.
"I once killed dozens of drowners in one go, and the payment for that commission was nowhere near what I earned from assassinating a noble.
"In short, study assassination properly. Understand?"
Finally, Master added, "You must trust your master's words. Would your master ever lie to you?"
"I understand," the little boy replied, only half understanding.
"Good, good, good.
"Dick, do you know how many schools our Witcher Order has?"
"I know this one. I learned it in class before. Besides our School of the Lynx, there's the School of the Coyote and the School of the Grizzly Bear."
"Then tell me the characteristics of each of these three schools."
The little boy knew his master was testing him. Only after thinking carefully did he slowly begin:
"Our School of the Lynx's Trial of the Grasses is assisted by a rare half-elf sorceress.
"Because the ingredients she gathers are special, each of us develops a distinctive personality as we grow over time.
"But at the same time, our witcher physiques and senses are better than those of the other two schools.
"Also, everyone in our school puts effort into blades and swords, so we're good at swordsmanship. But we aren't very proficient with Signs, only good enough to deal with monsters.
"Good. Go on." Master nodded approvingly.
Encouraged by his master, the little boy grew more confident.
"As for the School of the Grizzly Bear, after undergoing the Trial of the Grasses with their unique formula, their bones become thick and large. By adulthood, every one of them is tall and powerfully built, enough to bear the weight of heavy armor, covering themselves completely while avoiding injury.
"Indeed. Like a bunch of freaks made of compressed muscle. But they're easy to deal with." Master curled his lip disdainfully.
"And the last school-the School of the Coyote?"
"The School of the Coyote is the core school of the Witcher Order and the one most valued by the sorcerers in its upper ranks. The sorcerers overseeing their Trial of the Grasses focus more on balance, so the witchers of the School of the Coyote have equal magical power and physical skills. Their armor is also medium armor, between our School of the Lynx's light armor and the School of the Bear's heavy armor... That's all I know."
"You answered very well. The School of the Coyote is indeed highly valued.
"Right, as you said, every witcher in our School of the Lynx..."
At this, Master pointed at his head. "Has a little madness in the mind. But we also gain an extra benefit. Our Witcher Senses are sharper, and that's what our assassination techniques rely on."
"Dick, focus your mind now and activate your Witcher Senses."
"Yes, Master."
"Can you sense it?"
"Sense what? Master, I can hear all the noise around us. Birds calling, grass rustling in the wind, and waves splashing in the river."
"Keep listening. Listen for the sounds of living people."
"But you're the only living person nearby."
"Then listen to my sounds."
"I can hear your heartbeat."
"Close your eyes."
The little boy obeyed.
"Master, your heartbeat is strong, but it's getting quieter and quieter. Have you... left?"
"Don't ask questions. Now mark my heartbeat."
"Mark it? How do I mark it?"
"Follow your instincts and mark it, then open your eyes."
Dick obeyed. The instant he opened his eyes, he sensed an intangible red line stretching dozens of meters into the distance through the air. He now knew that his master was hiding behind a tree dozens of meters away.
"Now, hold your breath and focus all your attention on that intangible red line." His master's voice came from afar.