Chapter 249: The Golden Fire Cavalry (Please Subscribe and Support)

“How could she know that this was a Mohist contact outpost?” Dao Zhi asked, puzzled.

“There are two possibilities. Six brothers should have been stationed here yesterday, yet there are only five bodies.” Gao Jianli spoke calmly.

“That’s right! Why is one man missing? Where is A-Zhong? He’s gone. Could it be that he…” Dao Zhi looked around and realized that one body was indeed missing. His guess was tinged with disbelief.

“You suspect that A-Zhong is a spy?” Big Hammer shouted angrily.

“That is one possibility.” Gao Jianli glanced at Big Hammer, his expression unchanged.

“Impossible! We all know what kind of man A-Zhong is. How could he be a spy?” Big Hammer interrupted him at once. He trusted his brother and refused to believe that he was a traitor.

“There is another possibility,” Gao Jianli continued.

“What possibility?” Big Hammer asked hurriedly.

“A-Zhong is still alive. The Yin-Yang School captured him. The reason he is still alive is that they do not yet know the Mohists’ exact location.” Gao Jianli’s voice turned cold.

“They will torture him for information,” Snow Maiden said anxiously. Sometimes, being alive was not necessarily better than being dead.

“It may be even worse than that. The person he is likely to face is Xinghun,” Gai Nie said uneasily.

“Xinghun? That strange child from the Yin-Yang School?” Dao Zhi recalled the odd boy he had seen at the entrance to the Little Sage Village—the one people addressed as Lord Xinghun.

“Xinghun is one of the two Imperial Guardian Mages of the Great Qin Empire, a rare young genius of the Yin-Yang School. He is also skilled in mind-reading.” Gai Nie spoke slowly.

“Mind-reading?” Big Hammer and the others exchanged glances.

“Anyone subjected to mind-reading will fall completely under Xinghun’s control. Even if he does not wish to reveal the Mohists’ secret stronghold, he may be powerless to resist.” Gai Nie’s expression was grave.

“Then what are we supposed to do? We have to rescue A-Zhong, whatever it takes!” Big Hammer said anxiously. He valued brotherhood above all else. Back when he was in Yan, he had nearly thrown away his life several times to save his brothers.

“But we do not know where A-Zhong is. Even if we did, rescuing him now would be extremely difficult. At this moment, he is their only clue to the secret stronghold. They will certainly guard him closely, and he will most likely be kept beside Meng Tian and the others. Rescuing him will not be easy.” Gao Jianli analyzed the situation calmly.

“Are you saying we should just stand by and watch him die?” Big Hammer shouted in displeasure.

“Of course we must save him, but not now. First, we need to find out where he is. Only then can we rescue him.” Xiao Xie’s voice was decisive. If A-Zhong had already died, there would be nothing to be done. But since he was still alive, they had to save him. Otherwise, if Xiao Xie, as the Mohist Giant, refused to help him, it would chill the hearts of everyone present.

Snow Maiden asked Xiao Xie, “Giant, do you have a plan?”

“I will have the forces of Ascending Heaven Tower locate A-Zhong as quickly as possible. Since he is still useful to them, his life should not be in immediate danger. Once we find him, I will personally rescue him. As for the rest of you, there is another task. You must decipher the Black Dragon Scroll as soon as possible. Is that clear?” Xiao Xie said with a solemn expression.

“Yes, Giant!”

At Xiao Xie’s words, everyone respectfully bowed. Their regard for their new leader deepened even further.

…

On the following night, the Golden Fire Cavalry, personally led by Meng Tian, advanced toward the Mohists’ secret stronghold. Xinghun used puppet arts and mind-reading to control A-Zhong and make him indicate the way.

The Golden Fire Cavalry had been personally selected and trained by Meng Tian. In every major battle, they were entrusted with the deadly task of driving straight into the enemy’s heart. They were the elite among the empire’s cavalry—the empire’s trump card.

A-Zhong and the other Mohist disciples did not know that the Mohist leaders, including Snow Maiden, had moved to Guihai Manor. He knew only the location of the secret stronghold where the Mohist disciples gathered. Thus, even though Xinghun had used mind-reading, he could discover only the location of that stronghold, not the fact that Snow Maiden and the others were staying at Guihai Manor.

“What is happening? Why have we stopped?” A rough voice rang out. It belonged to the commander of the force at the front, the renowned Qin general Meng Tian.

“General, there appears to be some movement ahead in the valley.” One of the vanguard soldiers immediately rode up to Meng Tian and replied respectfully.

Meng Tian frowned as he gazed into the dense fog ahead. The silence concealed something faintly sinister. Faced with the unknown, he did not dare advance recklessly. Instead, he ordered, “Send someone to investigate.”

“Yes, General!”

Another soldier promptly rode forward to scout the path ahead.

At the same time, the battle-hardened Meng Tian issued another command. “Form a defensive formation in case anything happens!”

As soon as he spoke, the troops assembled and arranged themselves into a defensive formation, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Their speed and discipline were worthy of the empire’s foremost elite army. They were clearly superbly trained.

After a while, the fog remained as thick as ever. Everything was as quiet as it had been when they first arrived. After observing in silence for another moment, they heard the clatter of approaching hooves.

The horse seemed to know the way and simply returned through the mist, like a ghost drifting softly through the fog. But the sight of the riderless horse emerging from ahead sent a chill into their bones. There had been no sound of combat, no screams, not even the slightest warning. Yet the man who had been riding it had vanished in the most inexplicable manner.

Even these seasoned veterans could not help but shudder at the eerie sight. They exchanged uneasy glances.

“Who is out there? Stop this foolish act of playing at ghosts!” Meng Tian shouted, frowning.

As his voice faded, a figure in a black robe slowly emerged from the thick fog.

“That is… Blackbrow!” Meng Tian’s eyes narrowed when he saw the black sword in the stranger’s hand. Blackbrow was the symbol of the Mohist Giant. That meant the man before him was the new Mohist Giant.

“Mohist rebels, I have been searching for you. I never expected you to deliver yourself into my hands!” Meng Tian was momentarily startled by the black-robed man’s appearance, but he quickly recovered and sneered.

“I hear that you have captured one of our Mohist disciples. I would appreciate it if you handed him over to me,” the black-robed man said calmly.

“Hahaha… All troops, heed my command! This man is a wanted criminal of the empire. Attack formation—advance!”

Hearing Xiao Xie’s words, Meng Tian felt as though he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. He drew the long sword at his waist and issued the order. No one could remain unharmed beneath the iron hooves of the Golden Fire Cavalry.

Beneath his hood, Xiao Xie wore an expression of helpless resignation. He shook his head and said, “I do not wish to kill anyone. But it seems peace will not solve this problem.”

He slowly drew Blackbrow and fixed his gaze on the hundreds of Golden Fire Cavalry soldiers charging toward him. A trace of killing intent flashed through his eyes. As the roar of the advancing troops grew louder, Xiao Xie lightly stamped the ground.

His figure vanished from where he stood.

In the next instant, black sword light burst in every direction. The entire world seemed to transform into a painted landscape. All the cries of battle disappeared at once, as though heaven and earth had fallen completely still.

With a clear ring, the sword slid back into its sheath.

“Thud! Thud! Thud!”

The heavy sounds of bodies striking the ground followed one after another. The two hundred Golden Fire Cavalry soldiers who had charged at Xiao Xie had all lost their lives.

“What terrifying swordsmanship!” Meng Tian’s pupils contracted. A bead of cold sweat slid down his cheek. To kill two hundred Golden Fire Cavalry soldiers in a single instant—what kind of terrifying existence was this?

“It seems you will not be stopping me now.” Xiao Xie spoke calmly.

He slowly walked past Meng Tian and headed toward the carriage at the rear, where Xinghun was waiting.

“What terrifying killing intent… Why can’t I move?” Meng Tian watched Xiao Xie pass by, yet his entire body had gone rigid. It was not that he did not want to move. The killing intent Xiao Xie had released had frozen every muscle in his body with terror. Although Xiao Xie had returned Blackbrow to its sheath, Meng Tian still felt as though a sharp blade rested against his throat. The instant he dared move, his head would be severed from his shoulders.

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