Li Qingzhi couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
"What's so funny!" Gao Dazhuang's voice rose sharply in anger.
No one made another sound.
An Jiu flipped onto the roof, lying on the ridge to gaze at the stars stretching over the vast plain.
The northern night wind was biting.
When the moon reached its zenith, an unusual vibration came from the ground, startling all the hidden shadow unit members. They quickly descended, pressing their ears to the earth to listen.
Gao Dazhuang frowned and immediately ordered, "Mei Shisi, go inform Ling Jiangjun at once!"
"Yes!" An Jiu flashed toward the military camp.
They had gathered much intelligence these past days and knew Ling Ziyue hadn't stationed cavalry nearby, nor had there been plans to mobilize any in recent days. Moreover, such uniform and powerful sounds didn't seem like Song Dynasty cavalry.
An Jiu reached the camp at top speed.
The sentries on the watchtower only saw a fleeting shadow in the darkness; when they looked again, there was nothing.
She headed straight for Ling Ziyue's command tent.
He wasn't asleep, having gathered his officers to prepare defenses against a potential Liao army surprise attack.
When An Jiu suddenly appeared in the tent, the generals tensed, their killing intent flaring up instantly—only to be quelled by the overwhelming mental strength emanating from her like a tidal wave.
"Cavalry approaching from Hejian Prefecture, over ten thousand strong," An Jiu said gravely. "Not Song cavalry, I presume?"
The officers stared at this mysterious woman. The hem of her black robe was embroidered with a silver crane. Her close-fitting outfit accentuated her slender yet shapely figure, making her appear small and delicate compared to these burly men. On her back was a long black cloth bundle nearly as large as herself—not a sword, but likely a crossbow or similar weapon.
It was unbelievable that such terrifying pressure could emanate from such a slight frame.
Ling Ziyue was the first to recover. Glancing at her attire without questioning her identity, he immediately barked, "Prepare for battle!"
His shout snapped everyone to attention. Shooting An Jiu wary glances, they grabbed their armor from the tables and strode out after him.
Ling Ziyue issued rapid orders as he walked.
With each command, the entire camp seemed to spring to life.
An Jiu hesitated briefly before following behind Ling Ziyue.
Only after all units had deployed did Ling Ziyue notice this shadow-like presence beside him. "Thank you."
After a pause, An Jiu replied, "We should have sent word sooner."
Ling Ziyue smiled wordlessly. Any assistance was appreciated—he'd never expected much from others.
"Actually, we've disobeyed orders," An Jiu clarified, wanting to ensure he wouldn't reveal the shadow unit's involvement.
Understanding her meaning, Ling Ziyue nodded.
Watching the troops rush from camp, he asked, "They say the Crane Control Army follows orders without question. Why disobey?"
"Misery loves company," An Jiu said.
Ling Ziyue didn't grasp her meaning, assuming the Crane Control Army must be in similarly dire straits as himself.
"I thought you might say 'to defend our homeland,'" he remarked.
"I have no home." An Jiu had never possessed such noble sentiments. She acted on instinct, helping Ling Ziyue purely out of respect for the man himself. As for Gao Dazhuang's motives, she couldn't say.According to Ling Ziyue's analysis, Hejian Prefecture had a large garrison and sturdy, towering city walls, making it difficult to capture in a short time. Moreover, it was very close to Ling Ziyue's camp, allowing for easy reinforcements, so there was a ninety percent chance the Liao forces weren't targeting Hejian. If the Liao Kingdom had mobilized a large army, he would have surely received some intelligence. The most likely scenario was that the Liao had gathered all their light cavalry together.
Furthermore, cavalry alone couldn't lay siege to a city—they must have had another plan.
Ling Ziyue ordered the camp to heighten its vigilance, with special attention paid to the dwindling food supplies.
"I should return to report now," An Jiu informed him. Without waiting for Ling Ziyue's response, she swiftly departed.
Her speed was slightly slower than those skilled in qinggong, but her high mental strength allowed her to conceal all traces of her presence.
Midway, An Jiu happened upon a group of Liao Raiders who had encountered the deputy general sent by Ling Ziyue. Observing from the shadows, she realized this wasn't a chance encounter—the Liao had planned this ambush.
The Liao Raiders, their faces entirely obscured by helmets, were far more imposing and taller than the Song soldiers just by physique alone. Their swordplay was fierce, their combat prowess terrifyingly formidable. In comparison, it seemed as though the Song soldiers were a different species altogether, being slaughtered with the arrogance of apex predators!
Watching the Song soldiers panic as blood splattered everywhere, An Jiu frowned.
After a brief hesitation, she drew the Dragon Subduing Bow, nocking a white-feathered arrow and taking aim at a raider who was skewering a Song soldier with his spear.
Her entire aura seemed to merge with the darkness.
Whoosh!
The bowstring hummed as the arrow streaked through the night like a shooting star, heading straight for the raider's neck.
An Jiu had observed that the raiders' armor was tightly sealed, with only a narrow gap between the helmet and the body as a weak point.
The raider, engrossed in slaughter, noticed the arrow too late to dodge.
The arrow pierced his carotid artery, and blood gushed out like a sudden downpour.
One of the raiders shouted something in Khitan, and immediately, over a dozen cavalrymen spurred their horses toward An Jiu's position.
An Jiu nocked four arrows at once, exerting all her strength to draw the Dragon Subduing Bow three-quarters of the way, forming a half-moon shape.
The bow groaned under the strain, as if on the verge of snapping.
Her fingers released, and the four arrows instantly buried themselves into the raiders' mounts. The horses screamed in agony, charging forward dozens of yards before collapsing, skidding another six or seven yards with a thunderous crash and knocking over several trees as thick as bowls. Nearby horses panicked, suddenly slowing and veering off in other directions.
Seizing the opportunity, An Jiu rapidly fired several more arrows, each finding its mark.
The raider commander in the midst of the chaos noticed the situation and blew a sharp, piercing whistle with some unknown device.
One of the raiders suddenly leaped off his horse, disengaging from the battle and closing the distance to An Jiu in the blink of an eye—now less than ten yards away.
Startled, An Jiu lowered the Dragon Subduing Bow, gripped her dagger, and suppressed all traces of her presence as she sidestepped several yards to the left.
Amid the battlefield's clamor, the raider failed to notice her movement, only realizing she had vanished when he reached her previous position.
An Jiu fixed her gaze on the man.
He wore the same attire as the other Liao Raiders, but unlike their burly frames, he was tall and lean, his face entirely concealed by a metal helmet, revealing only a pair of dark eyes.This was the expert the Liao Kingdom had placed among their light cavalry. An Jiu estimated his strength to be around the eighth or ninth tier—capable of taking on thousands of ordinary soldiers single-handedly! While the Liao Kingdom deployed such masters into their armies, the Great Song's experts either became imperial guards or the emperor's personal possessions. How could they possibly compete?
The man remained on guard while carefully searching for An Jiu's location.
However, the gap in their Mental strength was simply too vast—he couldn't find her. Realizing his opponent's Martial Arts surpassed his own, he grew even more cautious. (To be continued...)
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