Chapter 24: Night Raid

The following day, Qin Jue followed the ranks as they departed from Yellow Leaf Stronghold to rendezvous with the main force. Once joined, the grand army continued its campaign against the next stronghold. Seeing the army’s unstoppable momentum and the swift fall of several preceding strongholds, this particular fortress raised the white flag in surrender early on.

Witnessing this, Qin Jue felt quite helpless. Without battle, there were no victory points, which was not what he had hoped to see. He could only hope that the subsequent strongholds would show a bit more backbone.

However, the next two strongholds also chose to surrender, not daring to oppose the Qingfeng Stronghold. The various strongholds of Lishan had been adopting a wait-and-see attitude from the very beginning. Once they saw how powerful the Qingfeng Stronghold had become, they naturally lost any desire to resist. After all, these people had turned to banditry primarily to learn martial arts and find a place to settle down. There was little difference between choosing Lishan or the city of Dongchuan, and the latter was arguably even more attractive.

Being able to win without bloodshed was naturally a gain for the Qingfeng Stronghold, but for Qin Jue, it was somewhat frustrating. Fortunately, he would soon have his chance for victory points, as their current target was the Black Mountain Stronghold. This fortress, which boasted of being the leader of Lishan, would never surrender to the Qingfeng Stronghold.

However, the Qingfeng Stronghold, which usually advocated for swift and decisive action, did not rush the attack this time. Instead, they chose to set up camp in a valley to rest and build up their strength. The day was drawing to a close. As Qin Jue was summarizing the lessons from recent skirmishes with his squad members, he suddenly received an order from Wu Mi and was summoned to the commander’s tent.

"Your squad will be on patrol tonight," Wu Mi said straight to the point as soon as he entered.

Since squads took turns patrolling every night, Qin Jue assumed it was simply their rotation and nodded, "Understood, Captain."

However, Wu Mi suddenly turned solemn and lowered his voice to add, "Tonight's patrol is of critical importance. You must keep a close eye on your team members."

Qin Jue was confused and asked for the reason. He soon learned from Wu Mi that according to reports from spies planted in the Black Mountain Stronghold, the enemy intended to burn their grain supplies tonight. To counter this, the military had decided to turn the tables and use the opportunity to root out traitors within their own ranks. After all, having absorbed so many captives, it was inevitable that some would harbor ulterior motives. Since Qin Jue’s squad was almost entirely composed of former captives, he needed to be extra vigilant.

After hearing this, Qin Jue immediately understood the intent. He declared that he would stay alert and, should any issues arise, he would act decisively.

"Go. This is a great opportunity to earn merit," Wu Mi said meaningfully as Qin Jue prepared to leave. He had specifically requested this patrol assignment for him. Qin Jue understood the implication and left the tent.

In the dead of night, the bright moon hung in the sky. The vast valley was silent, save for the flickering firelight dotting the darkness. The area assigned to Qin Jue’s squad was different from usual, extending several yards further out, well beyond the valley’s perimeter. This was a sector specifically chosen by Wu Mi to allow Qin Jue to cut off the enemy’s retreat. If successful, it would certainly be a major feat.

Before long, the group reached the designated area. Qin Jue ordered everyone to lie in wait in the trees, spaced about a yard apart in a line. This way, if any information was discovered, it could be passed along quickly without alerting the enemy. Perched on a branch, Qin Jue looked up at the full moon, his right hand resting unconsciously on the longbow at his back, his gaze cold and sharp. Tonight, he would hunt to his heart's content.

"Captain, we've spotted the people from Black Mountain Stronghold!" came the message from Zhang Qi.

Upon hearing that the target had appeared in the sector patrolled by Xiao Wushan, Qin Jue’s eyes flashed. It seemed his teammates were reliable after all. He signaled for Zhang Qi to report back while he quietly led the others toward Xiao Wushan’s location.

"Captain, it seems the Black Mountain Stronghold is planning a raid!" Xiao Wushan said with a grave expression upon seeing Qin Jue. Having been an instructor at the Black Mountain Stronghold himself, he recognized the intruders immediately by the moonlight.

"Understood," Qin Jue replied calmly, looking toward the east as indicated. In the dense forest, dozens of martial artists dressed in black were creeping forward, their movements light and cautious. At a rough glance, there were at least several dozen. They likely never expected a patrol squad to be in such a location, so they hadn't checked the surroundings thoroughly.

Watching these men sneak toward the granary, Xiao Wushan grew anxious and whispered, "Captain, their target is the grain storehouse." If the grain were burned, their army could hold out for three days at most before being forced to retreat.

"Follow them first," Qin Jue ordered his team. His duty was to cut off their retreat; once they were engaged in the chaos of the raid, he would make his move.

Soon, the dozens of martial artists reached the forest surrounding the granary. Ordinarily, this area would be patrolled, but it was clear that those on duty tonight had been bribed. The two groups made contact and quickly moved toward the granary. Behind them, Qin Jue led his squad to the spot where they had just rendezvoused.

"Hide. Wait for my command to strike," Qin Jue said after assessing the terrain. This was the best place to catch them on their retreat. The men obeyed and withdrew.

After a long while, those lying in wait suddenly heard a commotion. Immediately after, countless torches lit up ahead. Under the glow of the torches, the group of black-clad men fled in disarray, sprinting directly toward their position.

It was time.

Qin Jue took the longbow from his back, stood on a branch, aimed at one of the martial artists, and drew the string.

*Whoosh!*

The arrow flew like lightning, slicing through the air with a piercing whistle. The martial artist in the lead, unaware, was struck by the arrow and collapsed into a pool of blood.

[Congratulations to the host for successfully killing an enemy. You have gained 1 victory point!]

As the system prompt appeared, Qin Jue did not hesitate. While there was still distance between them, he continued to draw his bow and loose arrows. Each shot was fired with tremendous force, unstoppable. With every arrow, a martial artist fell. The attackers were generally around the first or second stage of cultivation, making them unable to withstand Qin Jue’s assault.

Simultaneously, the soldiers of the Qingfeng Stronghold caught up with the group, and a fierce battle ensued.

Before long, over twenty martial artists rushed into the area where Qin Jue and his squad were hidden. With the enemies within reach, Qin Jue put aside his longbow and charged out with his blade.

"Kill!"

From the shadows, Xiao Wushan and the others, their blood surging, charged out as well. Leading the charge, Qin Jue relied on his extraordinary physique, moving like a fierce tiger. Wherever his blade struck, blood splattered, and one enemy after another fell. The Black Mountain Stronghold had likely sent these men assuming that burning grain was an easy task, so their strength was not particularly high—the strongest among them was only at the fourth stage. As a third-stage master, Qin Jue was unstoppable as he tore through the enemy ranks, while the fourth-stage martial artist was quickly cornered by others, leaving him no time to intervene.

The scene descended into complete chaos.