Vol Chapter 10 (1/2)

A summer night in the rainforest was not very quiet. The sounds of raindrops, insects, and the nocturnal animals’ howling wove into a strange night ballad. Being in this kind of surrounding made you feel like there were countless pairs of eyes staring at you. It was also like a sombre snake, hanging on your head and could fall at any time. Every subtle voice was a physiological torture to people.

Inside a huge cave, there were torches emitting and filling the cave with light. In the centre of the cave, sat a man whose body was bound with rope. His eyes were tightly closed, indicating he was unconscious.

One bucket filled with icy water was poured all over his head. Han Shu s.h.i.+vered and gradually opened his heavy eyes. Drowsily, he saw a young man whose fine hair covered his eyes, while his mouth formed a smile, which looked more like a sinister smirk. He wore a flashy blue robe.

Han Shu widely opened his eyes, glaring at the smiling man who was kneeling before him. He regained his memory from before he fell unconscious. Han Shu swore in rage, “You are a shameless worthless man! Actually using such an underhanded method. If you are capable, release me right now, and then, we will fight one to one!”

The man was not angry and smilingly questioned, “We are neither shameless nor worthless. Nature was ruthless and cunning. I think I should first remove one of your hands and one of your legs. What do you think?”

It was a calm and bright voice with the hint of a laugh. The whip in the man’s hand flogged Han Shu’s thigh mercilessly.

Gritting his teeth and forcing himself to endure the pain, Han Shu did not concede. He swore, “Heavens, please don’t think that this old one is afraid of you. If you have the capability, do it!”

Standing up fiercely, the man pulled out the tribe’s dagger from his waist. He came in front of Han Shu again. Playing with the sharp blade on his hand, he answered, “Good, I will concede to your will. I’ll need to remove the right arm and right leg!”

The icy cold weapon went across the skin. Han Shu held his head high, exposing no timidness at all. The man’s eyes flashed under his fringe, and he thrust the dagger in his hand straight into Han Shu’s arm.

“En!” Han Shu stuffed back his voice, glaring at the man and refusing to beg for mercy.

The man unhappily pulled out the dagger, wanting to thrust again. However, a faint male voice from behind him said, “Yan Ge, enough! The leader has his own arrangements.”

Besides the bonfire, a plain-clothed man was playing with the arrow in his hand. In his eyes, there was only the plaything in his hand, and anything else was not of importance. In comparison to the blue-clothed man, he was low-key and did not attract attentions.

Yan Ge pouted, handing the dagger to a tribesman. He walked towards the plain-clothed man and sat beside him, unhappily flinging his whip onto the ground

Wu Ji’s indifferent eyes showed a hint of surprise, “Your whip?” That whip was a gift from Yan Ge’s teacher. He really cherished it, how come it broke into two?

Yan Ge subduedly replied, “It was broken by a fierce woman.” It would be better if he did not see her again, or else he would carefully repay the deed to that foul woman.

“Who?” Wu Ji put down his arrow. The whip was comprised of gold and steel. It was really strong. What kind of weapon could be so sharp (that it could break the whip)?

Han Shu who was sitting on the ground laughed really hard. The whip was definitely severed by the mistress’ Bing Lian. It was a refres.h.i.+ng news!

The ear-piercing laugh made Yan Ge increasingly unable to restrain his anger. He rapidly stood up and wanted to dash over there. He would teach Han Shu a “good lesson.” However, after meeting a pair of indifferent eyes, Yan Ge stopped in his steps, restraining himself. With his arms crossed in front of his chest, he smirked, “I think that woman was one of the prost.i.tutes in the Su army. You guys are leading such good lives. The Su army is definitely the Su army; it cannot be compared with other armies, even its prost.i.tutes know martial arts. Ah… That appearance, that figure, that skin, that chest…”

Yan Ge’s words were becoming lewder. With his feet still bound by rope, Han Shu angrily kicked towards Yan Ge while swearing, “Shut up! You do not have right to insult the mistress!”

“Mistress? Whose mistress?”

Yan Ge, of course, knew that woman couldn’t be a prost.i.tute, but a mistress? Don’t say…

Yan Ge softly spoke, “You said that woman is Su Ling’s wife?!”

This time Han Shu ignored Yan Ge, but the pride displayed on his face betrayed him, giving Yan Ge a clear answer.

Yan Ge’s complexion darkened instantly, “This is troublesome!” According to the circulating news, Su Ling was already difficult to deal with. Turns out, his wife was also a difficult person to handle.

A ten-year-old boy came to the cave and reported to Yan Ge, “The leader has decreed to lock up this person.”

Yan Ge signalled to two men behind him. They quickly came forward, pulling Han Shu to stand up. Yan Ge smiled coldly, “Lock him up. Just let him be like that. Starve him for three days and three nights! I’ll see whether he’ll be still this arrogant!”

“Yes, sir!” Two men took him to the inner cave. Han Shu secretly paid attention to the surroundings. Inside the tunnel, there was one man standing in every unit post. In addition, a group of people were patrolling. Seeing him escorted, those men just looked straight, looking arrogant and proud. This was truly not an ordinary rebel group (I think it is because they have kind of military system, so it is structured).

The opponent this time was really tough; they had been underestimating the enemy.

After Han Shu was escorted, the boy continued, “Right and Left s.h.i.+*, the leader has summoned you.”

Yan Ge and Wu Ji looked at each other and then followed the boy. Pa.s.sing through a thick bush in front of the cave, they went into the other cave. In the darkness of the night, one shadow was standing at the mouth of the cave. He stood in the darkness, wearing a big robe with his facial features obscured. The two people greeted the man, “Leader.”

The man lifted his hand. Yan Ge hurriedly answered, “The person I have captured has high military rank. If it is not the case, why would Su Ling’s wife enter the forest to rescue him.  If Su Ling does not want to lose his reputation, by refusing to save his subordinate, he will come within three days.”

In the darkness, a husky low voice was heard, “The most taboo thing for a military man is impatience. Su Ling has been in the battlefield for years. He must’ve learned to be patient, and  furthermore, he does not seek commendations. Three days would be more than enough to give him a time to come up with a strategy.”

Yan Ge’s eyebrow knitted together, and he asked, “I don’t understand. Leader, why do you want to force Su Ling to come forward. If you really want to capture him, why give him three days?”

That husky voice did not answer. In return, Wu Ji indifferent voice answered, “Leader wants to test Su Ling’s capability.”

Yan Ge snorted his nose and laughed, “I reckon his capability is not that great. Or else this time he wouldn’t have been attacked by us!” In addition, letting a girl give chase into the forest while he hid outside. This kind of man had limited power!

The dark shadow turned his back, entered the cave and only left a warning, “Su Ling has been feared in six countries for years. You cannot underestimate him.”

Both men did not dare to disobey. They lowered their heads and answered, “Yes, sir.”

*左右使 {zuoyous.h.i.+}. In this context, s.h.i.+, I think, represents a position. However, the literal meaning of s.h.i.+ is messenger or amba.s.sador, which does not really fall into context.

All persons present shared a suffocating hot feeling. Many amongst them had experienced the most severe wars. Including the Gobi desert, they had faced many kinds of wilderness. In their hearts, the dense rainforest that sunlight could not enter, where big green trees were everywhere, would not be that scary. However, after personally entering the forest, they realised here was not any better than the desert. The air was suffocating and humid, making their body sweat non-stop. The slippery and wet ground underneath their feet soaked their feet with mud. Their steps and breath were becoming heavier.

After walking for half a day, they finally heard a flowing water sound. As they walked, a growing mist was observed. After a stick of incense, they finally entered their destination—the Crow’s Valley.

Most of them were battered and exhausted for a long time already. “Finally, we have arrived” echoed in all soldiers’ hearts.

Of course, this didn’t apply to three people amongst the troop. One was the red-clothed Mu Yi. Along the way, his feet often did not touch the ground. Therefore, of course, when all the other people were covered in mud, he was clean and s.h.i.+ning overall. There was also the calm and cold Su Ling. His feet were covered with a little bit of mud, but he did not care. He was emitting an arrogant domineering aura, making people simply unable to a say a word that would embarra.s.s him.

The other one was now leaning on a hundred-year-old tree beside the valley, with her feet covered with palm leaves, Gu Yun.

Leng Xiao and Liu Xing secretly wailed when they saw the palm leaves. Why did they not think about it before?! In the future, no matter what bizarre thing she did, they would just follow her example. Or else they would have to endure this kind of punishment!

Yu s.h.i.+ Jun went towards the wall of the gorge and looked down. The water below flowed more turbulent than he thought. The thick watery mist made his head wet. He stepped back for a bit, reporting to Su Ling, “General, what madam said was correct, the water has filled the river. In addition, the currents are quite strong. It is impossible to travel through the river.” His words could not conceal his admiration.

Su Ling had not opened his mouth when Gu Yun had snapped out, “I’ve told you, you are not allowed to call me madam.” From the very first time she heard them calling her ‘madam,’ she had been unhappy. After telling them over and over, and now they began again. She did not want people to misunderstand that she was after the General’s mistress position. (This is just mean the highest position for women in the household)

“This…” Yu s.h.i.+ Jun awkwardly glanced over to Su Ling’s side. The general’s face had darkened quite a bit. Did it mean he should not continue to call Mistress, mistress? Or should he continue? He was really unsure.

“It is unexpected that this place’s scenery was this nice. It’s worthy of a drink of wine when the full moon comes.” Before their eyes, there was a verdant place with a hazy mist, creating a peaceful environment. It was really great! In the future, it was worth frequent visits.

Mu Yi was wearing his red clothes, standing at the side of the valley. This combination generated a fantasy-like scenery. He, himself, was not aware that his presence made the green vegetation look bland. Unlike him, Gu Yun did not come here to picnic, she had an important task to do.

Gu Yun looked up and saw a wooden bridge, telling Leng Xiao and Liu Xing, “Leng Xiao, Liu Xing! Each of you climb up, one at the right side and one at the left! Observe the surroundings from above!”

“Yes.” Both of them did not say any more words, quickly chose a big tree and focused on climbing up. Sitting on a big branch, both of them pulled out some charcoal and paper that had been given to them by Gu Yun and seriously drew the surroundings.

Unexpectedly, the charcoal was really easy to use. In the future, there was no need to use a brush anymore.

Su Ling seemed lost in his thoughts observing those two people who obeyed Gu Yun’s orders. Thinking deeply, he remained silent. Yu s.h.i.+ Jun took the initiative and asked Gu Yun, “Ma… Miss Qing, is there anything that this subject can do?” Under Gu Yun’s cold gaze, Yu s.h.i.+ Jun was still unable to change her address.

Gu Yun glanced at Su Ling and smiled coldly, “It is better if you just listen to General Su’s order. I do not dare to overstep on General Su’s authority.”

Yu s.h.i.+ Jun was dazed a bit and felt a little bit awkward standing there. He did not dare to look in Su Ling’s direction because he felt his back was being shot by icy arrows.

Last night, Su Ren spent one hour talking to him how Qing Mo won the battle, how she won the new recruits’ hearts, how clever she was, how courageous and tactful she was. That was the first time he heard Ren praise someone in such a manner. Even though it being like that, Su Ling was still persistent. Despite being a n.o.ble daughter who possessed a profound knowledge and martial skills, she wouldn’t be able to bear hards.h.i.+p.

This was also the purpose of him asking her to come here. Didn’t she want to stay at the army? Then he would let her stay and observe true military life. See what true hards.h.i.+p was.

Gu Yun did not know Su Ling’s intention and went to the valley’s side, squinting her eyes to look around. The opposite forest was denser than this side, hence, could be seen clearly. Gu Yun asked, “Old General Lou, is that the forest that you’ve told us about?”

Lou Mu Hai nodded, “Yes! I had once led a troop, entering the forest. We did not dare to proceed after less than 10 li’s walking. It was really humid inside. Big trees blocked the sunlight, making it hard to see anything even in the morning. We often encountered poisonous snakes and it was really easy to get lost.”

He did not really understand, why those two were pettily fighting like enemies.  After getting along with her for a while, he thought Qing Mo was not a bad girl. She was worthy of being considered like a general in the Su army. In addition, people in the army had called her Madam. It shouldn’t be that bad, right?!

The romance between a young couple was really hard to understand. Lou Mu Hai shook his head, determining not to think about it again. He was still better off a.s.sisting General Su in exterminating the rebels. Pointing out the rock in front of him, Lou Mu Hai worriedly said, “The rebels are around here. I am afraid when the time comes, they will use Vanguard Han to threaten the general to come forward.  It would be hard for our soldiers to cross the river to the other side of the bank. As a result, the general will have to face the rebels alone, which is very dangerous. If they bring the general forcefully into the rainforest, the outcome will be disastrous.”

Mu Yi had finished appraising the scenery and ridiculed, “Ling, it looks like in these people’s hearts, you are only that useful?”

Mu Yi felt it was very funny. If several bandits could put down Su Ling, then he did not need to be a general.

Lou Mu Hai was shocked, quickly trying to clarify, “This old subject did not have that thought. General Su, please don’t misunderstand my meaning. It’s just that the opposite surroundings are really ruthless. In addition, those bandits are ferocious and ruthless. General’s shoulder carries so many responsibilities, the truth is…”

Su Ling strongly patted Lou Mu Hai’s shoulder and smiled, “Old general, just ignore him, I understand your worries.” He lost his mind at the time when he agreed to take that troublesome man with him in this expedition.

Lou Mu Hai’s complexion finally got better. Su Ling once again continued, “How long is this valley? Can we detour around the valley? Lay in wait to ambush at the opposite side?”

Gu Yun stood up at the side of the valley. Both of her eyes examined the surroundings. At this time, Leng Xiao and Liu Xing climbed down from the trees, presenting the papers in their hands, “Boss, it’s done.”

Gu Yun happily accepted it and smiled, “You’ve done a good job.”

After finis.h.i.+ng her sentence, she concentrated on the papers in her hand. She did not look at the two people in front of her, who seemed to be hesitating to retreat. This sight didn’t escape idle Mu Yi’s eyes, making him smirk. This woman knew how to buy public support.

Lou Mu Hai understood Su Ling’s thought process, but he did not really agree with it. He answered, “The water of the Crow’s Valley originates from the west end of the forest. If we want to bypa.s.s the stream, there is one place 10 miles upstream, which is the narrowest part of the stream, that can be used. However, if the army is there early, the rebels will probably not appear. Then, Vanguard Han will be in danger.” Dealing with these rebels for several years, he was familiar with their tricks and strategies.

Yu s.h.i.+ Jun guessed, “Old general, do you mean it is best to appear when they are unprepared?”

“That is correct.” Lou Mu Hai nodded his head. However, he quickly shook his head, ”This valley has a width of 10 wens. General Su who knows martial arts can easily cross this valley. However, it will be hard for the ordinary soldiers.”

The current downstream was strong. No matter how strong your aquatic skill, it would be hard to swim across the valley. In addition, the width of the stream was huge, making it also hard to row across. How fast should the men row? They still needed to surprise the enemy. It was a difficult situation.

Those people pondered when Gu Yun tilted up her head. Her eyes were full of confidence, smilingly, “Actually, it is not impossible to cross this valley!”

Liu Xing shuddered with excitement and urgently asked, “Boss, how can we cross then?”

Everyone was focusing on her, including Mu Yi and Su Ling, wanting to know what kind of idea she had.

Who knows, Gu Yun leisurely tucked in the drawing and smilingly said, “There are too many bugs around here, let’s go home and discuss.”

Worms? There were worms here? Liu Xing was doubtful and asked, “Boss, what do you mean?”

Gu Yun did not answer him but quickly went to a soldier that was lining up. In a situation no one expected, she grabbed the longbow on his shoulder and an arrow from his quiver, aiming the arrow toward a nearby tree.

“Ah!” A man whose body was covered in leaves fell down from the tree. On his shoulder, there was an arrow embedded in his shoulder.

After the man fell off the tree, he rapidly entered the thick bushes. Leng Xiao wanted to chase him, but Gu Yun shook her hand, “Leng Xiao, chasing is unnecessary!”

Yu s.h.i.+ Jun’s and Lou Mu Hai’s complexion were not good. They did not even sense the presence of the man. It had been because the water sounds were too loud, making them unable to hear the rebel’s movements.

Comparing to their surprise, Su Ling looked much calmer. Meanwhile, Mu Yi praised, “I say, Big sister-in-law, why didn’t you shoot him to death? Mistress’s mercy is a soldier’s weakness!”

Mistress’s mercy? Gu Yun slightly frowned and replied bluntly, “Enchantress, it seems like your martial skills are not bad. You should have sensed there was more than one person lurking around here. There were more than ten people. How many do you want to kill? Besides, the other party only wants to observe General Su. If we don’t let them report, who will profess his power?”

Seeing Su Ling’s easy-going and calm appearance, he had definitely discovered the spy. No wonder, he did not say many words. Since the other person was too low-key, she was just merely helping him.

Her every word towards him was really stinging. Su Ling’s eagle eyes were staring at Gu Yun. Gu Yun’s lips formed a smile and looked around, ignoring him. The scenery in here… was really not bad.

Staying together any longer with this woman, he could not promise he wouldn’t strangle her to death.

“Deputy General Yu!” Su Ling coldly called.

Yu s.h.i.+ Jun greeted, “Yes.”

“Lead 100 elite forces from Old General Lou to inspect the opposite topography. Then, go back to camp for a report.” Although they could not ambush there, at least they could clarify (reconnoitre, make a military observation)  of its topography.

“Yes.” Yu s.h.i.+ Jun obeyed, leading the troops to leave.

Gu Yun went to his side and whispered, “Yu s.h.i.+ Jun, after arriving at the opposite bank, do not walk too far. Nights come earlier in the forest. At you hour (酉时, 5-7pm), it will be really dark there. At a time when you cannot find direction, do not randomly walk around. Use your ear to find the sound of water flowing and go towards that direction. It will lead you back to the Crow’s Valley.”

She hoped these 100 men would return.

Yu s.h.i.+ Jun strongly nodded and gratefully paid his respects, “Thank you for Ma… Miss Qing’s suggestion.”

Yu s.h.i.+ Jun left with the soldiers. Gu Yun stretched her arms. She was tying up palm leaves to her feet while saying, “Leng Xiao, Liu Xing, let’s go!”

Those two didn’t hesitate to follow behind her. Feeling curious, Liu Xing asked, “Where do you want to go, Boss?”

“Back to the camp to think of a strategy to fight in the Crow’s Valley.”

Gu Yun suddenly remembered something. She turned around and looked at Su Ling. He was exhibiting a thin smile again. Gu Yun intentionally provoked, “General Su, if you have any interesting ideas, please say it forwardly. Of course, if you have a better strategy, would you let me hear it, please?”

After finis.h.i.+ng her address, Gu Yun quickly turned around, leaving Su Ling a natural unrestrained view of her back.

Mu Yi, who was standing beside Su Ling, obviously heard the sound of his gritting teeth. Mu Yi cheekily smiled, “Ling, your mistress is much more interesting than you.”

“Mu! Yi!” The two words were produced from a tight lip, making the people who had heard it have gooseb.u.mps.

This time, Mu Yi did not ridicule anymore. However, truthfully speaking, that woman was quite arrogant. How long could Ling endure it?

This really made people look forward to things to come.

Su Army Camp, City of Pei.

Beside Tian Ran’s small slope, there was a small dense forest. There was approximately a 10 feet distance between the small slope and the small forest, approximately the same size in width as the river in the Crow’s Valley. The only difference between the two was that there was a strong water flow current below the Crow’s Valley, readily killing whoever fell down, while this place had only sand. This location would be used to practice the best method to pa.s.s the valley.

Gu Yun was standing on the slope. Beside her, Leng Xiao was holding a battered old four-clawed hook. A long rope was connected to the hook. Su Ling and the gang were standing on the right side, impatiently waiting for her performance. The ones in the back were trying to peek by craning their necks.

Gu Yun did not let them wait for long, whispering to Leng Xiao’s ear and then loudly yelled, “Toss!”

The four-clawed hook that Leng Xiao picked was flung vigorously. Relying on inertia, the hook swung across the ten feet distance, circling twice on the solid tree. Leng Xiao took the rope and tightened it around another tree 5-6 times. In a short time, both ends of the robe were tightly bound to the trees on opposite sides.

Seeing their actions, Lou Mu Hai seemed to gain a bit of insight into what Qing Mo had up her sleeves. A bit disappointed, he said, “You want all the soldiers to climb on the rope to pa.s.s through? I think this is not good. What if they climb halfway, the rebels suddenly shoot arrows? At that time, not only will we not be able to pa.s.s through, there will also be many casualties.”

Everyone could think of such a method. It’s a pity it could not be used.

Gu Yun’s hands firmly tugged the rope and was satisfied. Very strong. To the question behind her, she mindlessly said, “Climbing will be too slow. Of course, it is useless. However, sliding through is not the same.” Those rebels won’t have time to shoot; people would have already reached the other side.

“Sliding through?” Lou Mu Hai doubted. How could people slide through? What did you use to slide through?!

“Both cliffs on sides of the Crow’s Valley are not very high. The one next to us is higher than the other side, making the situation much to our advantage.” She pulled out all kinds of steel hooks and smilingly said, “I’ve found a bundle of hooks that the soldiers used to transport food in the barn. With a little modification, we can let the soldiers use it to pa.s.s through to the opposite site. This method is fast and easy.”

Su Ling was a bit disdained and asked arrogantly, “The speed of sliding is definitely fast. However, how are you going to stop the momentum upon arrival at the opposite side? If you can’t stop, you will crash into the big tree.” She wanted to use the soldiers’ weight to glide through. He had thought of using this method in the battlefield a year ago. However, after practicing, he discovered the speed was too fast, making it hard to stop the movement.

Gu Yun not only remained calm, she even smiled, “It is easy to tackle this problem.”

Easy? What arrogant words. Su Ling no longer spoke and just observed her, suppressing the upcoming emotion.

This man’s eye expression was able to freeze people. It’s a pity Gu Yun wasn’t one amongst them.

An iron hook was hung on the rope and connected to a fabric. This fabric was fastened onto Gu Yun’s waist. She also didn’t speak a lot; she preferred using action to prove the truth.

Leng Xiao came forward and whispered, “Boss, just tell me the way, it’s better if I do it.” The injury on her arm had not healed properly yet. Sliding-over relied on arm strength, hence, it would worsen her injury

Gu Yun’s heart warmed, and she smiled a.s.suringly, “There is no need. Just stand by me and observe the main points.” The wound on her hand was only superficial. She wasn’t that fragile.

After checking the fabric on her waist, Gu Yun said, “Go, help me to take some wild gra.s.s from here.”

“Yes!” Leng Xiao doubted, but he still went and obeyed her instruction.

One of Gu Yun’s hands was holding the fabric while the other one was grabbing the gra.s.s. She smiled, “I am off.”

She ran a bit, sliding her body across the distance. As the inertia increased, the velocity increased and so did the tight knot of Su Ling’s eyebrows. If she couldn’t stop, she would crash into the forest. When that happened, the injuries would not be light.

Just when everyone’s back was full of cold sweat, Gu Yun used the wild gra.s.s in her hand to grab the rope above her, gradually decreasing her velocity. Finally, she stopped near the big trunk. Single-handedly she grabbed the rope, disentangled the hook off and lightly jumped off.

Just as her feet touched the ground, the soldiers cheered loudly on the other side.

Walking back to Su Ling’s side, Gu Yun patted away the gra.s.s. She met his gaze and smiled, “Please use the brain to solve the problem. A little bit of wild gra.s.s can solve the thing that you’ve been worried about.”