Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Hidden Enemy

When Jiang Chen observed that the two soldiers passing before him were actually young boys, a sudden idea struck him. Though he had arrived at Banner Mountain, he had no clue as to the whereabouts of Han Yuyang and Old Wu; perhaps it would be wiser to ask someone here, rather than search aimlessly on his own.

With this thought, Jiang Chen prepared to reveal himself. He had already concocted an identity, one that should suffice to let him blend in.

Just then, the two youths crouched low, creeping forward into the dense undergrowth, as if they were hunting some elusive prey.

“Hush, don’t rush. That creature is clever, and will hide at the sound of our footsteps. If we’re careless, we’ll never catch it,” whispered one, a boy of about fifteen or sixteen, earnestly cautioning his companion.

“Han Ji, are you sure you saw something? I didn’t see a thing, nor hear any sound,” the other replied.

“You fool. If it were so easily spotted, would it be able to steal food from our camp and vanish without a trace?” Han Ji made a silencing gesture, then continued forward step by step. When he was certain, he sprang forth, lunging into the thicket.

“Ouch!”

He had not expected his companion to mimic his move. The two collided clumsily, one clutching his face and complaining of pain, the other rubbing his backside and grumbling.

“Lei Zi, do you know why no one likes partnering with you for drills? Because you’re so dull, never quick-witted.”

At this, Han Ji suddenly paused, drawing in a sharp breath.

“Wow—”

He seemed on the verge of vomiting, and took some moments to suppress the urge.

“Han Ji, what’s wrong? Did you see something?”

“It’s blood—so much blood!”

Following the trail at their feet, the two boys ventured further and discovered, to their horror, the grass was thick with crimson stains, the ground covered in blood, the scene utterly terrifying.

“Is it that wicked creature that stole my rations?”

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“Maybe it fell into our trap by accident—does that mean we’ve succeeded?”

Their joy was short-lived. Han Ji cried, “No, this isn’t the blood of that damned red-haired monkey. A monkey wouldn’t bleed this much!”

Jiang Chen watched silently from behind as the events unfolded. The scent of blood wafting through the air made him instantly alert. This was certainly not monkey blood; someone had been killed here.

“Ah!” The two boys screamed in succession, confirming Jiang Chen’s suspicion.

Suddenly, a sword flew from a hidden spot nearby, aimed precisely at the youths who had inadvertently stumbled upon a grim secret. The attacker’s skill was superb—strength and angle perfectly judged.

In an instant, the sword would strike down Han Ji, then, after piercing his body, continue into Lei Zi’s throat, killing both boys without them ever knowing how they met their end.

But fortunately, they had encountered Jiang Chen, and such a tragedy would not occur.

With a muffled clang, Jiang Chen managed to deflect the flying sword with a branch he had picked up, relying mainly on his wrist strength to knock aside the iron weapon. Had he not applied the right force, the sword would have glanced off the branch and injured Han Ji.

Jiang Chen’s intervention startled the two youths anew. Unable to discern friend from foe, they struggled to regain their composure, displaying the courage and resolve of Banner Mountain’s sons.

“Who…who are you?” they demanded.

Jiang Chen stood with his back to them, senses heightened to their peak; nothing within twenty paces escaped his notice.

Two more swords whistled toward them, this time from strange and unexpected angles.

From Jiang Chen’s assessment, there should have been only one attacker, yet the swords came simultaneously from directly ahead and from behind at an angle. How could the enemy achieve this?

“Both of you, get down!”

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Jiang Chen’s shout made Han Ji and Lei Zi immediately drop to the ground, clutching their heads tightly.

With several loud impacts, Jiang Chen deftly blocked the swords. After a moment’s silence, the attacker ceased their assault, seemingly slipping away.

Jiang Chen turned and said, “You’d best stay behind me and not move an inch. The enemy may be feigning departure, waiting for another chance to strike.”

Han Ji was the first to recover, asking, “Who are you? Are you from the Banner Mountain camp?”

Jiang Chen did not answer, instead striding toward the patch of grass where the boys had found the blood. The atmosphere grew tense; Han Ji no longer cared about Jiang Chen’s reply, as all their attention was drawn to what lay ahead.

“What a terrible smell!” Lei Zi covered his nose, retching from the stench.

Jiang Chen parted the tall grass, revealing several corpses of soldiers stacked together. Judging from their advanced decay, they had been dead for at least three days.

He dragged the bodies out one by one, counting thirteen in total. The sight was gruesome.

“They…they were responsible for the outer patrol. They’re all dead,” Han Ji stammered, his face pale, recognizing many familiar faces among the dead. For the two boys, this was a nightmare.

Jiang Chen said, “From what I see, the enemy has already infiltrated Banner Mountain. They eliminated the outer patrols to allow themselves to hide in strategic positions and wait for the right moment.”

“What moment? Who are these enemies, and what do they want?”

Han Ji and Lei Zi were at a loss, unable to comprehend the reality before them. Jiang Chen told them that their top priority was to report immediately, so the camp could go on alert and guard against an attack.

“Quick, go back and report—tell everyone what happened here. There are enemies near Banner Mountain!”