Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing-Chapter 99: Night Raid (II)

After the brief ghostly incident, Baishi Mountain returned to its usual calm. By the next day, dusk was beginning to fall. A bonfire crackled in the clearing.

Xu She had returned from a two-day leave, his face glowing with joy.

"What’s the good news, Brother Xu? You look awfully happy," teased Hong Cheng.

"Haha, I went home and saw my wife and child. Isn’t that worth being happy about?" replied Xu She with a smile. He held up the wine jar in his hand for everyone to see. "This is wine my wife brewed. It’s rich and fragrant with a mellow taste. I brought some back for you guys to try."

"Thanks, Brother Xu!"

"Wine brewed by your wife? I have to try some too!"

"Come on, there’s enough for everyone. Come and have a taste."

The Feihong Gang brothers eagerly stepped forward to sample the wine Xu She had brought.

"Lord Lin, here’s a cup for you to taste," said Xu She as he walked over to Lin Zheyu.

"Thank you." Lin Zheyu accepted the cup and handed over the roasted meat in his hand as he said, "Here, have this to go with the wine."

"Thank you, My Lord," replied Xu She, accepting the meat gratefully.

Lin Zheyu instinctively lifted the cup to his nose for a sniff, a habit he had developed recently from training himself to detect poisons. The wine’s aroma was strong and pure, with no trace of anything unusual.

"Brother Hong, thanks for standing watch for me yesterday. I’ll take your shift tonight to return the favor," said Xu She with a smile as he approached Hong Cheng.

"No need for thanks. I might trouble you the next time I head home, too," replied Hong Cheng, waving his hand dismissively.

Baishi Mountain required night watch rotations as well. Yesterday had been Xu She’s turn, but since he had gone home, Hong Cheng had taken his place for the night.

Night fell. Xu She patrolled along the defensive line, glancing at the pitch-dark forest and the White River, and thought to himself, Can they really succeed in infiltrating from here?

A hint of doubt lingered in his mind. Although he had revealed the positions of the traps and mechanisms below to those bandits, greatly reducing the difficulty for them, successfully breaching the defenses while guards were present would still come at a heavy cost.

Xu She was not foolish enough to poison the wine or tamper with it openly; his wife and children were still in the city, and such actions would be suicidal. He had merely shared the locations of the traps and mechanisms and pointed out the easier routes.

From a distance, Lin Zheyu sat watching Xu She, unable to shake the feeling that something was off about him today. Normally, he never approached him on his own, let alone offered him a drink, yet today he had done exactly that.

Lin Zheyu had checked carefully and detected no poison, but even so, he left the drink untouched by his side. When Xu She turned away, Lin Zheyu had caught a faint glint of hostility in his eyes. It was subtle, but enough to put him on guard.

Whoosh.

The cold wind howled as Lin Zheyu lay on the grass, staring blankly at the sky. In Songyi City, he could at least spend his nights listening to music at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, but here on Baishi Mountain, all he could do was gaze idly into the night.

Suddenly, three streaks of fire shot up from different directions and exploded in the sky with a loud boom. He shot upright, and his gaze sharpened.

Enemy attack!

"Everyone, stay alert! Bandits are attacking! Grip your weapons tight and do not relax for even a moment!" shouted Lin Zheyu.

"Yes, My Lord!"

Everyone shouted in unison.

Lin Zheyu tightened his grip on his saber but did not rush to provide support. A single firework signaled an enemy attack but required no reinforcements. Two fireworks meant support was needed, and the mobile patrol teams would head over to assist. Three fireworks signified an urgent situation, requiring a large number of reinforcements and skilled fighters.

Lin Zheyu and his group were only required to send aid if three fireworks appeared.

They’re here!

Xu She felt a surge of joy. He had not expected those bandits to attack three defensive positions at once.

Are they planning to draw attention elsewhere and then sneak in from the most vulnerable point? wondered Xu She.

Sure enough, just as the thought crossed his mind, fire flared on the left, and fireworks burst in the sky. Moments later, two more streaks of fire rose from the right, exploding into twin bursts of light above.

"What are these bandits doing? They’re going all out this time!" muttered Lin Zheyu as he watched more fireworks erupt in the night sky.

"Hong Cheng, Wang Chong, you two each take twenty men and go reinforce them. Everyone else, hold your positions and prepare for battle!" ordered Lin Zheyu.

"Yes, My Lord!"

"My Lord, allow me to go instead. Brother Hong was on duty all night yesterday and isn’t in great condition today," Xu She spoke up.

Lin Zheyu gave him a long, searching look, then replied, "Very well. Hong Cheng stays. Xu She, you lead the men."

"Yes, My Lord!" replied Xu She.

***

To the north of Baishi Mountain, Jia Yanyong and his group were stationed on watch. They had just come under attack from the bandits. It had not been a fierce assault; the enemy had simply crept close and loosed dozens of arrows from the shadows. Soon after, Jia Yanyong saw two streaks of fire rise into the distant sky, signaling that two other locations were also under attack.

"Damn it, will these bandits ever stop? A night raid now? Don’t they want anyone to sleep?" cursed Jia Yanyong.

"Be careful. Don’t lose yourself in the fight later," said Xie Jiang, warning him.

"Relax, I’m not a battle-crazed maniac like Zhou Jiang," replied Jia Yanyong with a grin.

Neigh.

Suddenly, the sound of horses neighing reached his ears, followed by the rapid clatter of hooves approaching from afar.

"Archers, ready!" Qiu Gaoxuan’s cold voice rang out.

"Why do I hear horses? Don’t tell me these bastards have cavalry now?" said Xie Jiang in puzzlement.

It did not take long for him to find out why. Several horses burst out from the forest and charged straight up Baishi Mountain. Behind them was a dark figure moving at terrifying speed, roaring with a sound that was anything but human.

"Loose!" Qiu Gaoxuan shouted the order.

In an instant, hundreds of crossbow bolts whistled through the air toward the horses and the shadowy figure. The figure neither dodged nor flinched. The arrows struck with dull thuds and clattered uselessly to the ground.

"Holy shit, is that even human?" Jia Yanyong’s eyes went wide in shock, and he couldn’t help cursing aloud.

"Damn it, that’s a living corpse!" shouted Xie Jiang, who reacted quickly.

He had never seen a living corpse before, but with sightings reported nearby and this figure being impervious to blades and arrows, the connection was obvious.

"Call for reinforcements! Now, quickly!" shouted someone.

The horses continued galloping at full speed even after being struck by arrows, charging up Baishi Mountain.

Puff.

The living corpse caught up to the last horse, drove his hand deep into the animal’s belly, and wrenched out a still-beating heart. Clutching the heart, he shoved it straight into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed, a look of twisted satisfaction spreading across his face.

Whizz, bang!

Qiu Gaoxuan made a swift decision and launched two signal flares into the sky. They had no way of dealing with a monster like this living corpse; their only option was to signal for urgent aid so that the two Blood Qi Realm experts could intervene.

"Stay away from that thing! Lord Ren and Lord Xu will be here shortly. Focus on the bandits and do not let them ascend the mountain!" Qiu Gaoxuan shouted the command loudly.

***

Unlike the other fronts, the southern side of Baishi Mountain remained calm and quiet. Lin Zheyu and the Feihong Gang brothers stood armed and ready, maintaining a tight defensive formation. More than 30 figures emerged from the dense forest below.

"They’ve made their move. It’ll be our turn soon," whispered someone.

"Xu She said the one guarding this spot was just a Bone Forging Realm warrior. He wasn’t lying to us, was he?" asked another man nervously.

"What’s there to fear? Even if he’s in the Organ Forging Realm, I’ll cut him down with one strike!" another scoffed, raising his blade with a feral grin.

"Most of their men have been drawn north. Not many are guarding this side. You lot go first and draw their attention. Zhou Geng and I will seize the chance to charge in and slaughter them. Once we secure this spot, the rest of our brothers can infiltrate from here and crush them in a pincer attack!" said the man.

He glanced up at the sky and, upon seeing the signal flares, muttered, "Watch your step, there are traps. Move out!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Over a dozen figures darted forward, their movements swift and agile as they climbed up the steep cliff.

"Impressive. They’re all Bone Forging Realm warriors!" Lin Zheyu watched the figures rushing upward and ordered coldly, "Loose the arrows!"