Two scouts cleared the way ahead, with Wang Jing leading thirty soldiers behind them. The company swiftly passed through the woods and entered the village.
Following Wang Jing's arrangements, a squad of five headed toward the village entrance.
They had three powerful bows and two spears, and their squad leader, Jiang Fang, was an eighth-rank martial artist. They were more than capable of sealing off the entrance.
Wang Jing was quite confident about this. Although the other side had a seventh-rank ordained Daoist, he would ultimately be no good in a head-on fight.
Through his constant slaughter lately, Wang Jing had relied on the Blood Baleful Intent Instruction to condense Transforming Force and advance to the seventh rank.
Although his actual official post was company commander, his brothers still had to respectfully address him as battalion commander.
Among the thirty-odd brothers in the two units, there were a full four eighth-rank martial artists. Although they had all only recently advanced,
the Daoists' tricks of invoking gods and summoning ghosts were practically useless against martial artists.
Especially against a band of soldiers like them, steeped in Sha Qi-the Daoists' Law Techniques could not even be cast once washed over by their blood Sha Qi.
The village was too small. Wang Jing and Qian Yong soon led their men to the clearing at its center.
Someone from the grain convoy was keeping watch beside the fire, his eyes narrowed as he hovered between sleep and wakefulness.
Rapid, closely spaced footsteps and the clatter of armor plates jolted the watchman awake.
He saw a crowd approaching. The man at their head was thickset and fully armored, his gleaming black armor plates flickering in the firelight, making him look exceptionally sinister and terrifying.
Terrified, the watchman was about to shout a warning when, with a soft thup, an arrow pierced his throat.
He clutched his throat and tried to scream, but not a sound came out. His legs could only kick futilely against the ground.
Several renegade soldiers drew their sabers and leaped into the clearing enclosed by the wagons. Agile and vicious with their blades, they hacked the sleeping people to death before they even understood what was happening.
Within a few breaths, everyone in the convoy was dead.
Only two people let out screams. They were not loud, but they were piercing in the quiet of the night.
The heavy stench of blood also spread rapidly.
Wang Jing drew a deep breath. He liked the smell of blood; it made his own blood boil along with it.
The key to the Blood Baleful Intent Instruction lay in killing living beings to obtain fresh Qi and Blood. The more one killed, the stronger one's cultivation became.
They lived for today with no tomorrow. There was no need whatsoever to care about the various hidden dangers brought by the Blood Baleful Intent Instruction.
The soldiers were all the same, their eyes turning crimson as the smell of blood sent them into a frenzy.
Killing everyone in the convoy first was not just to silence them, but also to accumulate blood Sha Qi to resist Law Techniques.
Now Wang Jing wanted only to kill more people and destroy everything he could see.
He did not care at all about making noise. A bunch of Daoists with no bows or armor, just a sword apiece, were practically useless in a head-on fight!
It was the midnight hour, and the Daoists had long since gone to sleep. How could they react so quickly?
With his wealth of combat experience, he knew that people reacted very slowly when sound asleep, and sleeping inside a room made it even harder to hear disturbances outside.
Besides, the Daoists lived pampered lives and had little actual combat experience.
Even if they heard something, there was no way they could react immediately.
But Zhou Wuji had not slept at all.
The Origin Mystic Essence converted from the pig demon filled his body with vigor. Taking a Grain Avoidance Pill had further kept his body in peak condition.
As Zhou Wuji meditated and circulated Qi, his mind was clear and empty.
The very first arrow that killed the watchman had already alerted him.
Zhou Wuji immediately went out to investigate, casting the Six Yang Dharma Eye at the same time. Everything before him instantly became exceptionally bright and clear.
Looking out through the gap in the main gate, he saw numerous armored soldiers wielding sabers surrounding and slaughtering the convoy.
He could not help being startled. Renegade soldiers!
Zhou Wuji suddenly understood. The Zhang Household's ten wagonloads of grain were meant for these renegade soldiers.
A band of renegade soldiers could burn, kill, loot, and plunder everywhere, but it was hard for them to seize enough grain.
The slaughter of the Zhang Household's entire convoy could count as a self-injury ruse, clearing the Zhang Household of any connection to the renegades.
Zhou Wuji had been pondering how Zhang Xinhu would retaliate. The sight of the renegade soldiers instantly connected all the pieces.
As for how Zhang Xinhu had hooked up with the renegades, that was an irrelevant detail.
After a rough count, Zhou Wuji judged that there were at least thirty renegade soldiers.
Through the Six Yang Dharma Eye, he could see the thick blood Sha Qi on their bodies.
Their leader wore a full suit of steel lamellar armor and held a five-foot goose-quill saber. The blood Sha Qi pouring from him was so dense it resembled a crimson cloak.
On this renegade leader, Zhou Wuji saw not only dense blood Sha Qi, but also Qi and Blood boiling throughout his body like boiling water, his imposing presence pressing down on others.
A seventh-rank martial artist! Zhou Wuji's heart sank. This man alone was capable of killing every last one of them!
Apart from this seventh-rank martial artist, there were at least three eighth-rank martial artists and quite a few ninth-rank ones.
This band of renegades was actually an elite force!
Zhou Wuji felt immense pressure. His first reaction was to turn around and leave immediately.
With the Six Yang Dharma Eye, he could easily make his way through the dark, tangled woods.
With the light, swift Movement Method of his Flowing Cloud Sword, even a seventh-rank martial artist could not catch him.
But he immediately suppressed the thought. Abandoning his fellow disciples to flee alone would be far too disloyal.
These renegades were vicious and would certainly leave no survivors. Everyone in the village would probably be killed.
If he had no ability to save anyone, fleeing for his life in panic would still be understandable. But with a peerless divine artifact like the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment in his hands, running away alone at this moment of life and death would be utterly incompetent!
Although the enemy had strength in numbers, the only real threat was that seventh-rank martial artist!
Once Zhou Wuji made up his mind, he calmed down instead. The enemy intended to ambush them and would never imagine that he was already prepared.
Strong as a seventh-rank martial artist was, he still could not circulate Inner Qi. A single sword strike from Zhou Wuji would mean certain death.
Of course, this kind of close-quarters fighting was extraordinarily dangerous. If he failed to kill the man with one thrust, he would very likely be cut in two by the other's saber.
Suppressing all distracting thoughts, Zhou Wuji swiftly returned to the room and woke Wuzheng.
Zhou Wuji seized the soft flesh beneath the sleeping Wuzheng's armpit. The sharp pain instantly made his eyes fly wide open.
Fortunately, Wuzheng had good self-control and did not cry out.
He looked at Zhou Wuji with some confusion and anger, wondering what this fellow was up to.
"A band of renegade soldiers is here. They're coming for us, and they'll be here any moment."
Zhou Wuji's words sent a chill through Wuzheng's heart, instantly bringing him fully awake.
He immediately rolled upright, grabbed his sword, and got out of bed. Because Zhou Wuji had warned him earlier, he had kept his outer clothes on despite not believing him.
Zhou Wuji said quickly, "Their leader is a seventh-rank martial artist, and he's their only expert. As long as we deal with him, we'll have a way to survive!"
He said, "Senior brother, wait behind the door. As soon as they come in, use the Yin Thunder Pearl to attack that seventh-rank martial artist. I'll seize the chance to strike from behind and kill him in one blow."
Wuzheng did not know what was happening outside, nor did he have time to think it through. For now, he could only trust Zhou Wuji. "All right!" he said gravely.
Zhou Wuji turned and went into the other bedroom. Wuye and Wuming were both light sleepers, and Wuye opened her eyes as soon as he entered.
They were sharing a room with two men. Even though they were fellow disciples, Wuye still felt uneasy. Zhou Wuji had also warned them earlier.
Ignoring Wuye, Zhou Wuji went over and repeated the trick, pinching the soft flesh beneath Wuming's armpit while covering her little mouth.
Sure enough, Wuming gave a soft grunt and woke immediately. She was initially startled and angry, but when she saw Zhou Wuji's bright black eyes in the dimness, her anger instantly took wing and vanished.
"Renegade soldiers are coming to kill us. Hide in the room and don't move around."
Zhou Wuji also gave Wuming a pointed warning. "And don't throw that White Eyebrow Needle of yours around. Remember!"
Wuming looked utterly bewildered, not understanding what Zhou Wuji meant.
Zhou Wuji really had no time to explain. Leaving the room, he went straight to hide at one side of the wooden shed against the wall.
The wooden shed was piled with firewood, essential for lighting fires and cooking.
The open shed had no door, so Zhou Wuji actually had little cover standing inside. He was gambling that the renegades would not look back to check.
During his last fight with renegade soldiers at White Stone Ferry, Zhou Wuji had noticed that they possessed decent martial skills and could coordinate in combat, but their way of doing things was simple and crude.
Once they charged inside, they would head straight for the rooms. They would not search the courtyard.
The most important thing in this kind of surprise attack was to strike unexpectedly, while the enemy was unprepared.
Zhou Wuji could already hear the renegades' footsteps beyond the courtyard wall. They were clearly coming straight for them and evidently already knew they were staying here.
He saw that Wuzheng had already entered the outer room and was facing the main gate, holding Law Seals and muttering an incantation.
The room was very dark. Only his Six Yang Dharma Eye allowed him to see Wuzheng.
Zhou Wuji hoped Wuzheng would pull his weight. He was, after all, a seventh-rank ordained Daoist. With a Yin Thunder Pearl in hand, surely he could inflict some damage on a seventh-rank warrior!
With a tremendous crash, a pair of renegade soldiers kicked open the main gate and charged straight in...