"Benefactor, there's no need for that."
Shen Zhen waved his hands and said righteously, "Benefactor, I came all the way here not for fame and fortune."
"Eh?" Although Shen Zhen tried to reject him, Pei Zi Yun looked around and saw that all the men had looks of surprise on their faces.
Of course it was good to be loyal to the martial world, but it was even better to be rewarded.
Pei Zi Yun smiled and held onto Shen Zhen's hands, "Brother Shen, since you're here to help the Imperial Court, and to help me, the fame and fortune are what you deserve."
"Also, you and I are friends. Calling me benefactor is too distant. Just call me brother Pei will do."
A middle aged man with a scar on his face was riding on a horse. He scratched his head and said, "Big brother, since it's a gift from Master Pei, why not?"
"That's right, big brother. How can we waste time on such a small matter? These soldiers have already burned the trees as a warning. Who knows, the enemy might be here soon."
Another Jianghu man looked around anxiously, paying attention to any movements at all times.
"Let's do this." Pei Zi Yun did not waste any more time and said to Zhang Ling, "I am the Imperial Envoy. Although I do not have the authority to appoint people, I do have the authority to recommend them."
"These men are part of my volunteer army. Register them as soldiers. Brother Shen shall be the temporary leader. The rest of you shall be the squad leader."
"If they have military merits, they can be counted as merit points."
"Yes!" Zhang Ling replied. These ten men all had martial arts skills. It was reasonable for them to be the squad leaders.
As Pei Zi Yun spoke, he turned around and looked at the group of Jianghu warriors. Seeing that they were all dressed differently, he frowned, "Thank you all for coming to our aid. However, you have to fight against the army, and can't be dressed like before."
"Strip these men's armor and wear it. If not, you will be at a disadvantage. Quick, we have to turn the tables. Go wash your armor and register at the same time."
Shen Zhen waved his hands, "Did you hear that? Hurry up and go."
"Yes." The men of Jianghu were all in awe of Pei Zi Yun, as they clasped their fists and bowed in acknowledgement. This was especially so for the man who had been observing the surroundings. His actions were the quickest. He leapt off his horse and found a corpse of a cavalryman. He stripped off his armor and washed it in the nearby stream before putting it on. He then went to Zhang Ling's place to register.
"Zhang Yan, Squad Leader, originally from Pu Village, East Village, Xuxing County."
"Father Zhang Bo Feng Long. Mother Xu. Wife Fan."
Although this was simple, it was already considered a naturalization. When Zhang Ling finished writing, she blew on the ink. Pei Zi Yun did not hesitate to take it from her, and casually took out an Imperial Envoy.
This was actually a rectangular official seal. Once the ink was removed, a document would be completed.
The men of the pugilistic world followed suit and quickly donned their armors. At this point, the seventeen of them had completed their registration. Zhang Ling heaved a sigh of relief and secretly observed the dozen of them. She sighed to herself, "In an instant, their aura has changed. They now have the aura of a soldier."
Pei Zi Yun waved his hands, "Follow me, I know a valley. It's easy to defend and hard to attack."
"Keep up!" Shen Zhen waved his hands as the men of the pugilistic world leaped onto their horses and galloped away. In the blink of an eye, they had disappeared. As the group of people left, the entire place became silent.
"Go!"
Before long, the sound of hooves could be heard as the cavalry arrived. They were all clad in armor.
"Check the situation." The Lieutenant who was leading the troops had a defined face, and looked resolute. He only took one look before he gave the order without any expression. A black robed man leapt off his horse and trotted forward. His armor clanged against each other as he inspected the corpses.
The ground was littered with the corpses of the cavalrymen. Their light armor had all been taken off, leaving only the clothes underneath. This man walked up to one of the corpses and felt the temperature of the corpse. He checked the wounds on the corpses and turned around, "Your excellency Tian, the corpses are still warm. They've been dead for less than a minute."
When the Lieutenant heard this, he looked out into the rain and said, "Scout team, check the surroundings. Find out where these people escaped to."
"Yes!"
Several scouts walked around the dilapidated temple and spread out. There was a small path around the temple, and the grass was thick and dense. The scouts checked the path carefully.
"Lieutenant, there are obvious traces of horse hooves on the path. I estimate there to be fifteen to twenty riders."
"Twenty riders? Scout team, track them down immediately. " The Lieutenant's face was gloomy, "Tell the men behind to meet up with me. His Highness has said that whoever captures and kills Pei Zi Yun will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver and promoted by three ranks!"
"Yes!" Even if they were his personal guards, not all of them were cavalrymen. Out of the five hundred men, three hundred were infantrymen. At this point, the order was given. Their armor formed a black net and surrounded the area. It was as if their prey had nowhere to run.
Day Three, Valley
The terrain of the mountain changed drastically. Rocks were everywhere, and the old trees were tall. Thistles and thorns grew everywhere. Actually, it wasn't that scary to see such a tall cliff. What was scary was the thick clouds and fog that covered the entire valley.
"True Sovereign, there's a valley in front of us. It's a narrow path that leads to a difficult path. We have to change direction." Zhang Ling shouted out as she ran back.
"No, we have to enter the valley immediately." Pei Zi Yun looked behind him and replied in a low voice.
Behind him, a black aura could be felt, almost forming a layer of dark clouds. It carried with it a sense of oppression and killing intent. This was the enemy's aura.
The canyon was steep and looked a little dangerous. Many leaves fell from the trees on the cliff and covered the ground. When the wind blew, stones would roll down the steep cliff.
"Follow me, I have an idea." Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly and shouted, "Shield!"
A Plum Blossom appeared between her eyebrows as it spun before disappearing. Pei Zi Yun understood, 'Just by looking at the enemy from afar, they would be able to tell that it's a Demon General. Although these Demon Generals don't understand, their senses are sharp.'
'If not, they would have died long ago on the battlefield.'
'If I didn't shield myself from the Demon Race's bestial instincts, I wouldn't have entered the valley.'
Pei Zi Yun took the lead and dashed in like a gust of wind. Zhang Ling hesitated before the Daoist officer stepped forward and whispered, "Your excellency, it's a dead end inside. If we go in, we'll be doomed."
Zhang Ling bit her lips, "Let's go. We are Dao Officers and have no other choice. Follow me."
Zhang Ling said as she whipped her horse, causing it to gallop forward.
"Big brother, should we follow?" The Jianghu people had been chased for three days. Although none of them had died, they were all haggard. Looking at the steep cliff and the narrow mountain path, where should they go?
Shen Zhen looked ahead and saw that the entrance was narrow. There were many rocks protruding from the ground, like a man-eating beast opening its mouth, as if it wanted to swallow everyone in front of it.
"Follow me. Master Top Scorer will not harm us. Do you believe in True Sovereign Pei? Do you believe in me?" Shen Zhen gritted his teeth as he looked at his brothers behind him.
Zhang Yan, who was extremely observant, replied, "Big brother, I believe in you. I believe that True Sovereign Pei will not seek his own death."
"Alright." Shen Zhen gritted his teeth and laughed, "Brothers, follow me."
"Charge!" The Jianghu people brandished their blades and shouted as they charged into the valley. As the horses galloped forward, the leaves on the ground were kicked up into the air.
There was a path leading out of the valley. Pei Zi Yun dismounted from his horse and said, "You brothers, take the horses and continue forward. We shall climb up the cliff."
The group split into two groups. The smaller group took the horses and continued forward. The larger group had strong bodies and quickly climbed up the cliff. They found a high platform and looked down. The ground was covered with a thick layer of dried leaves. Both sides of the platform were lined with dried, yellow trees.
At this point, at the entrance of the valley, a large number of cavalry soldiers and foot soldiers emerged. Hundreds of them wielded their swords as if they were a forest. They looked majestic and murderous.
The expressions of the Jianghu people on the cliff changed. Some of them even started panting heavily. Although they were mentally prepared and had a common enemy, they were still under immense pressure.
Shen Zhen was taken aback as well. He took a few steps forward and asked, "Master Top Scorer, how do we fight?"
"This is the position I chose, and I have my own plans." Pei Zi Yun looked down at the cavalry soldiers and his lips curled up. He then laughed coldly, "The most ruthless things on the battlefield are fire and water."
"It's now winter, and all the leaves have withered. Actually, there are many places where we can set fire. It's not just this valley. It's just that it rained a few days ago. I waited patiently and lured the enemy soldiers here. On one hand, I wanted to tire them out, and on the other, I wanted to find the right opportunity."
"Now that it's been sunny for three days, even the trees are dry. Now, we shall attack with fire."
"If these cavalry soldiers don't chase after us, we can keep their lives. But if they enter the valley, they'll die."
"But the enemy general knows this too. Why did he fall for our trap?"
"Because of two reasons. Firstly, I killed Xie Cheng Dong, and then killed the enemy general. King Lu is enraged, and has ordered us to kill him at all costs."
"This military officer has very little leeway. If he doesn't chase after us, he'll execute him when we return."
"This is a political reason."
"And it's a tactical reason. Attacking with fire isn't an easy task. We need oil and time. Look, they're already searching for us."
Indeed, several cavalrymen ran into the valley, following the hooves of their horses. When they reached the exit of the valley, they looked around again. They then spread out to check if there was any oil.
"Without oil, we won't be able to burn anyone to death. Once the fire starts, we can just run out or retreat."
"If fire was so effective, it wouldn't have been a strange plan." As Pei Zi Yun spoke up to this point, he shook his head, "However, I am an Earth Immortal. Heh, my Immortal Qi is almost depleted, but at least I have some left. If I use it well, it will be sufficient."
Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly. Indeed, several cavalrymen reported back to him. Without any hesitation, the military officer led his men and charged in.
"My fate has run out, what else can I do?" Pei Zi Yun sighed and shook his head. He then stretched out his hand, and a bright light appeared. Gradually, it congealed into a ball of fire.
Pei Zi Yun pointed at it, and this unassuming ball of fire flew up into the sky, as if it was a lantern.
It flew up into the sky before a loud "boom" sound could be heard, as it turned into a rain of fire. The rain of fire fell down, and some of it landed on the soldiers. It didn't seem to be fatal, but when it landed on the dried leaves in the valley, they caught fire. Every single spark did not extinguish, and continued to burn.
The fire spread in all directions, forming a wall of fire. It burned fiercely, and thick smoke billowed out from it.
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