Chapter 133: He Zhong

The great black horse swished its tail from side to side, its massive hooves striking the hard imperial road and leaving shallow pits an inch deep.

After passing the boundary marker of Hezhou, the forests on either side of the road gradually gave way to farmland. Even in winter, the fields lay untended, presenting a scene of desolation.

They had traveled no more than a dozen miles when the thunderous sound of hooves came rolling from ahead. Ling Chi’s eyes lit up. His destined encounter was about to arrive.

The saber at his waist hummed and trembled, as though urging its master to release it.

Seventy or eighty fully armored cavalrymen rode toward him, surrounding a young general. The banner of the Hezhou Guard flew above them.

From far away, they saw Ling Chi astride his horse with his blade across his body, and they secretly heightened their guard.

Ling Chi curled his lips. These cavalrymen had been trained well enough—but unfortunately, today would be the last day of their lives.

“State your name, if you dare!”

Ling Chi’s mocking shout rang out like thunder. The weaker cavalrymen were shaken from their horses on the spot.

“I am He Zhong, a Vice Commander of the Hezhou Guard. Who are you, and why do you block my path?”

He Zhong spoke with the sword at his side, his cultivation at the seventh or eighth level of the Qi Sea Realm.

“Who I am is unimportant. What matters is that I’m going to kill your father.”

Ling Chi was inwardly delighted. He Zhiqian had only three bastard sons in all, and soon every one of them would fall into his hands.

The instant he finished speaking, Ling Chi slapped the saddle. His figure vanished from the horse’s back.

“Stay alert! Form ranks and engage the enemy!”

He Zhong’s heart sank. He could not see through the cultivation of the newcomer, so he could only rely on the military formation and attempt to overwhelm him. He made his decision and issued his command without hesitation.

“Yes!”

The cavalrymen immediately changed formation, killing intent surging from their bodies.

Unfortunately, they were too slow to react. A bolt of lightning as thick as a barrel was already crashing down upon their heads.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion erupted. A violet-gold lightning serpent plunged into the crowd, blasting a large number of cavalrymen into the air. Their mounts had no time to flee either.

“You’re Ling Chi, the thunder cultivator from He County!”

He Zhong was utterly horrified. Only now did he recognize his opponent.

The answer came in the form of a dazzling blade of light. He hurriedly raised his spear to defend himself.

Clang!

Ling Chi’s charged strike severed the spear shaft, forged from cold iron. The blade continued onward, cleaving through He Zhong’s neck and splitting his heart in two.

Hundreds of strands of lightning spiritual energy flowed back into Ling Chi. Without slowing, he flashed into the crowd and began slaughtering.

The Demon-Quelling Dagger flew from his hand, pinning fleeing cavalrymen to the ground.

He turned and kicked the head off a soldier in the Qi Sea Realm. His saber swept out in a full moon, and all who it touched died; all whom it struck perished. Every one of the seventy or eighty cavalrymen was wiped out.

More than a thousand strands of lightning spiritual energy flowed back into him.

From the beginning of the attack to the end of the battle, barely a dozen or twenty breaths had passed. He had killed nearly two men with every breath.

Ling Chi sheathed his saber and rested it on his shoulder. He did not forget to search He Zhong’s body, but apart from some banknotes, he found nothing of value.

“He Zhiqian, He Zhiqian… congratulations. You’re about to have no sons left.”

Ling Chi thought happily.

No, that was not quite right. He Zhiqian would certainly die before his third son, He Qian. If only he had known, he would have killed He Qian first and used his head to raise the battle standard. Unfortunately, he and Zhao Qing had left in too much of a hurry.

The thunder of hooves rolled from behind. Cao Hubao and Zhao Qing had arrived with the main force.

“Sixth Brother, you vanished in the blink of an eye.”

Zhao Qing stared strangely at the great black horse. He had given it to Ling Chi when Ling Chi had gone to take up his post in Willow Town. Only a few months had passed, yet when it unleashed its full strength, it could run this fast.

“Master, this is He Zhong, He Zhiqian’s eldest son.”

Ling Chi pointed with his scabbard at the corpse, nearly cut in half.

Cao Hubao and Zhao Qing froze. How long had the battle even lasted? The Vice Commander of the Hezhou Guard had already died miserably before them.

But when they considered Ling Chi’s combat strength, they quickly accepted it. The Ghost Church’s hall master, who had been at the second level of the Spirit Pearl Realm, had died far more horribly than He Zhong.

Behind them, the flag officers and commanders of the Jing’an Office stared at the scattered corpses covering the ground. Their bodies trembled, and their heartbeats seemed to miss half a beat.

“Xiao Zhi, ride ahead and inform the Yongyi Camp. Tell them that Vice Commander He Zhong of the Hezhou Guard has been slain by Lord Ling. They can decide what to do for themselves!”

Cao Hubao shouted to one of his subordinate flag officers.

“Yes!”

The flag officer spurred his horse away.

“Sixth Brother, don’t be too reckless. What if the He family still has a hidden trump card and you happen to run into it?”

Zhao Qing’s tone was somewhat stern.

Ling Chi could only nod in agreement. Acting without orders or discipline was a grave taboo on campaign. Now that they had entered Hezhou territory, they truly ought to exercise greater caution.

Given Ling Chi’s temperament and way of doing things in his previous life, he would never have acted this way.

But ever since he had beaten Bi Rengui to death, something in his state of mind had changed. He had begun to act more freely, according to his own whims.

Ling Chi rode with the horse’s back rising and falling beneath him, the saber held in his arms.

“Commander Cao, a message from Jin Man, the Silver Insignia Captain of Hezhou!”

A senior flag officer galloped over and handed Cao Hubao a small bamboo tube stained with blood.

Cao Hubao’s expression changed as soon as he took it. This was a secret plea for aid.

“Where is the messenger?” he asked while checking the seal.

“He was already at death’s door. He held on by sheer willpower. The moment he delivered the letter to me, he breathed his last.”

The senior flag officer sighed.

Cao Hubao twisted open the bamboo tube and took out the silk cloth within. Unfolding it, he saw the seal of Jin Man, the Insignia Captain of the Hezhou Jing’an Office, and quickly read the plea for aid.

It turned out that when Jin Man had led his people in retreat, they had been trapped inside the Jing’an Office of Feng County, unable to advance or withdraw. They were presently facing the frenzied assault of the He family’s death squad.

After a moment’s thought, Cao Hubao immediately decided to hasten forward and launch a rescue.

“Commander Xu, take your men and inform the vanguard of the Yongyi Camp. Tell them I’ve gone to rescue my comrades in Hezhou.”

“When you arrive, stay behind and assist the vanguard in marching forward.”

Cao Hubao issued the orders at once.

Xu Qiang accepted them crisply and departed.

“Old Zhao, Ling Chi, the two of you come with me. The rest, follow at full speed!”

Feng County was not far away. Cao Hubao leaped from his horse; they could no longer afford to rely on horseback.

Zhao Qing and Ling Chi could not yet fly, but their speed was not inferior in the slightest. With Ling Chi using Thunder Flash, he was even faintly faster than the other two.

The three advanced side by side, and Feng County appeared in an instant.

Although Ling Chi had been to Feng County before, he did not reveal this before Cao Hubao, allowing the latter to lead the way.

The closer they drew to the Jing’an Office, the louder the shouts and cries of battle became.

Hundreds of death soldiers charged the Jing’an Office one after another. A carpet of corpses already lay outside its walls. The attackers had suffered greater losses, but the defenders had also paid a heavy price.

When Jin Man had withdrawn, he had brought along nearly all the flag officers of the Jing’an Offices throughout Hezhou. Most of them were still alive, while the rest had either died in battle or been carried away with wounds too severe to continue fighting.

Only these people remained, struggling desperately to hold the line. Even Captain Jin Man had been defeated by a mysterious expert and lost an arm. Fortunately, he had fought back with all his strength and forced the opponent to retreat.

Jin Man was at the peak of the ninth level of the Qi Sea Realm, an expert who could break through into the Spirit Pearl Realm at any moment. Yet he had been beaten into this state.

Although he had fought to the death to send his comrades out for help, he did not know whether anyone would come to their aid.

The remaining commanders at the seventh level of the Qi Sea Realm could only grit their teeth and lead the flag officers in desperate resistance. Just as they were on the verge of collapse, a peal of thunder rang throughout the entire county town.

Then a brilliant strike descended from the heavens.