Сhаpter 310: Тhе Firе Моth Party 42
"Immоrtаl!"
"We arе immortal!"
Lаi Luоfu rаisеd thе blоod-stainеd arrow high and declarеd lоudly, "Еverуоnе, sеe fоr уоursеlvеs! I am уou, and yоu will bеcоme me in the futurе. As long аs you fоllоw this Неlm Маstеr closеlу and сultivаtе the grеat аrt оf resurreсtiоn, evеryone—inсluding your familу аnd friеnds—cаn be revived, аs lоng аs yоu wish."
Неаvеns, whаt kind of соncеpt wаs this?
Thesе pеорle hаd nеvеr witnеssed true resurrеction from death. Тoday, thеy had trulу broаdеned thеir horizons through Helm Master Chen. Each of them was so excited they could hardly contain themselves, some even weeping as they called out the names of their loved ones. They felt that joining the Fire Moth Party was truly worthwhile, a cause worth following to the end.
Finally, they channeled their excitement into a solemn vow:
"We pledge to follow Helm Master Chen to the death, willing to go through fire and water for the Fire Moth Party without hesitation."
Lai Luofu looked provocatively toward Shen Du and Zhu Yan on the city wall.
On the wall, everyone wore grave expressions.
"She's just a Mirror Person, coming here again to deceive with tricks."
Shen Du pondered silently—there are no coincidences in stories, as if fate had ordained it.
"Jing Lin, defend the city!"
Below the wall, the enemy's morale was soaring. How could Lai Luofu and Mo Qianzhi let such an opportunity slip? They raised their banners high and began their assault on the city.
Reinforcements had not arrived, provisions had been plundered, and Shen Du fought alone, becoming a general without an army.
The enemy's attack was fierce, and it seemed the city gates were about to be breached. Shen Du donned his armor and led his soldiers out to charge.
"Be careful!"
Zhu Yan's warning was lost in the wind.
Originally, Mo Qianzhi believed they would surely breach Yingzhou City this time. Once Shen Du was captured and thrown into prison as a prisoner, Zhu Yan would be at his mercy. Without Zhu Yan, Shen Du would surely submit to him.
As for Pan Chi, he had never taken him seriously from the start.
But by the end of the battle, it was Shen Du's side that emerged victorious. Watching the city gates close, once again barring them outside, Mo Qianzhi felt a surge of frustration. Only then did he realize that the Inner Guard led by Shen Du was no mere decoration—they were soldiers capable of fighting one against a hundred, weapons ready to be drawn and kill at any moment.
Well done, Shen Du. You've truly grown up.
Zhu Yan, having some knowledge of medicine, had been helping care for the wounded soldiers until late at night before returning.
But when she returned to her room, Shen Du was nowhere to be seen. For some reason, Zhu Yan felt deeply uneasy. She turned to look for Jing Lin, but he was also absent.
Of course—having just experienced a battle, Jing Lin was naturally at the front lines, arranging matters.
Restless and anxious, Zhu Yan went to check on Pan Chi, only to find him drifting in and out of consciousness, half-awake and half-asleep. She cut her wrist and fed Pan Chi a little of her blood to help him sleep more peacefully.
After doing all this, Zhu Yan stayed by his side for a while longer. Her heart still worried for Shen Du, so she returned to her room to wait.
—
Night enveloped the entire Yingzhou City. Outside the city, at the Fire Moth Party camp.
Shen Du moved stealthily toward the camp along the nearby shrubbery, thinking it would be difficult to infiltrate.
But to his surprise, no one was stationed at the main gate.
After smoothly entering the camp, he found no patrols either.
The entire stronghold was like an ordinary marketplace, with everyone moving freely, chatting and laughing as they passed by in small groups.
No one noticed him hiding in the shadows.
Shen Du couldn't help but heighten his vigilance. Abnormalities always signaled danger. He turned and headed in another direction, only to find more Half-Faced Ghosts gathered together, cheering and making a great commotion.
Upon closer inspection, they were distributing supplies.The supplies were well-packaged, bearing the official seals used by the imperial court for transporting provisions.
These were the provisions they had seized. Instead of storing them properly, they were openly distributing them—this was definitely not Mo Qianzhi’s style.
Shen Du grew more cautious. Concealing his presence, he endured the urge to act and moved away from the commotion, changing direction toward the largest tent in the camp. He assumed Lai Luofu would be there, providing an opportunity to search for the antidote.
But what did he hear?
From inside the tent came the intermittent, indistinct voice of a woman. Though unclear, it was undoubtedly a woman’s voice—one Shen Du recognized all too well and could never forget.
It was Lai Luofu’s voice.
Yet strangely, the tone and demeanor were nothing like Lai Luofu’s. Could he have been mistaken? Was it a maid inside?
Shen Du decided to hold his position.
Besides Lai Luofu, there was another person standing with their back to her.
The Lai Luofu before him now was unlike the woman he had seen during the day—she seemed more like a weak and helpless figure.
Listening carefully, she seemed to be pleading for something, though the exact words remained unclear.
Narrowing his eyes, Shen Du attempted to move closer when someone noticed the disturbance.
He swiftly hid himself. The newcomer knocked on the door, and after a while, Lai Luofu opened it, her expression stiff. Her voice shifted back to Chen Huo'e’s tone. Upon seeing the visitor, she turned and reentered the tent, with the visitor following inside.
Not long after, the visitor emerged, showing no unusual expression.
Suspicious growing in his mind, Shen Du was about to slip into Lai Luofu’s tent to seize the chance and demand the antidote when a flash of cold light streaked toward him. He quickly ducked and dodged to the side.
“Who’s there?”
Shen Du cursed inwardly, realizing he had been discovered. Without waiting for the other to react, he seized the dagger, slit the attacker’s throat, and the person fell to the ground, lifeless.
Wasting no time, Shen Du turned to retreat the way he had come, but it was already too late.
The Half-Faced Ghosts surrounded him tightly. Under the protection of the former imperial soldiers, one person stepped into the center of the encirclement. Recognizing the newcomer, Shen Du’s eyes filled with mockery.
“Shen Du!”
Slowly turning around, Shen Du faced the person coldly. Calculating his chances of escape, he remained calm, twirling the dagger in his hand with an air of composure.
“Let me guess—my dear junior brother, having won the battle but found the provisions missing, has come to steal our supplies?”
The imperial soldiers, well-trained, showed no reaction, but the Half-Faced Ghosts burst into raucous laughter.
Shen Du had faced countless situations like this. “Of course not. Anything that can be stolen was never Yingzhou City’s to begin with.”
He smiled faintly, borrowing Zhu Yan’s words.
In the darkness, only the torchlight revealed Shen Du’s true appearance. Mo Qianzhi couldn’t stand that smile and suppressed his anger, saying:
“So, does that mean you’ve come to join us?”
Shen Du snorted coldly but gave no reply.
Someone in the crowd jeered.
“The White King of Hell wants to join us—do we want him?”
“No, no, we can’t afford him.”
“Leave his skin behind. After I’m resurrected, I want this body to match mine.”
“Hahaha!”
Contrary to expectations, Shen Du remained utterly calm and replied coolly, “Is this the help you’ve gathered to build your ideal nation?”
These words were directed at Mo Qianzhi.
“If an ideal nation is filled with such riffraff, then this commander will show no mercy and cut them down to the last.”
Mo Qianzhi was also provoked. “Enough nonsense. Since you’ve come, you should know there’s no way back.”
Shen Du replied mysteriously, “How do you know there are no ambushes lying in wait around here?”As soon as these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent. Those men exchanged glances, looking toward the shadowy areas around them, fearing that Inner Guards wielding blades might suddenly rush out.
Mo Qianzhi saw through it at a glance: "Don't be fooled, everyone. He came alone. Otherwise, why would they still not show up at this point? Are they waiting to watch you die?"
Shen Du said with admiration, "As expected of Mo Qianzhi, the prefect of Yingzhou—excelling in both civil and military strategies."
He looked at Mo Qianzhi, his gaze resolute: "I came today only for the antidote. Call your Helm Master Chen out."
"Easy enough. As long as you join us, the antidote can naturally be yours."
Shen Du shook his head: "Absolutely not."
Mo Qianzhi shook his head, wearing a look of pity, and sighed deeply: "Then don't blame me for being impolite."
With a wave of his hand, those men slowly tightened the encirclement, leaving Shen Du with no way to escape.
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