They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 94 Interrogation
The night was thick and dark, pressing heavily over Li Jing's camp. The camp was deathly silent, the crackling of the campfire the only background noise.

The spines that had been forced straight during the day were now slightly hunched in the shadows. The soldiers, in squads of ten, gripped their weapons tightly, their breathing rapid. The blood of their brothers was still fresh, and the cruel, elusive nature that could not even be grasped in its shadow instilled a chilling mix of anger and rage in every soldier's heart.

Either get there as soon as possible, or get out of this cannibalistic place immediately!
At the camp gate, the two soldiers on night watch were deathly pale, like statues of clay. They didn't even dare to breathe heavily, and could only hear the pounding of their own hearts.

A suppressed roar and the crisp sound of something shattering had just come from the main tent; this was the second time today that the general had been enraged. The several lieutenants who had gone in earlier all came out pale-faced, their armor soaked with sweat.

Inside the tent, the torchlight cast menacing, swaying shadows. Li Jing braced his hands on the rough terrain map, his knuckles white from the effort. He surveyed the group of dejected generals before him, his voice, though stern, struck them like a hammer blow to the heart:
"Three days! A full three days! This demon has killed dozens of my elite brothers. Where are they? Where are they? Has anyone found them? Even the slightest clue will do. Speak!"

A hush fell over the room. The lieutenants hung their heads even lower, some staring intently at the tips of their boots, wishing they could bore a hole in the ground and disappear into them. Only the fluttering of the banners in the cold wind outside the tent sounded like a merciless mockery.

Li Jing could no longer contain the pent-up anger in his chest. He slammed his fist on the table with a "bang," cracking the map. He sat bolt upright, his eyes bloodshot.

"We can't wait any longer! If we wait any longer and that Turkic brat doesn't show up, all the brothers in the camp will be eaten by that beast. Issue my order: tomorrow at dawn, the entire army will set off at full speed! We must get through this hellish place as soon as possible and join forces with the main force. I, Li Jing, would rather die on the battlefield than be worn down to death here by that cowardly beast!"

"General, please calm down! You mustn't!"

An older lieutenant finally mustered the courage to step forward, his voice hoarse.

"The evil spirits appear and disappear unpredictably, employing bizarre and cruel methods. Our army is already on such high alert, yet we still couldn't stop them from sneaking in and killing. If we advance at full speed now, the ranks will be stretched out, and our defenses will inevitably have more gaps... Then... the casualties will probably increase exponentially, and if morale completely collapses, the consequences... will be unimaginable!"

His words were filled with deep worry.

Li Jing tugged at his short beard, pacing anxiously before his desk. He understood these principles, but without finding the enemy, every moment he lingered was tantamount to waiting for death. An invisible noose was slowly tightening around the necks of the entire army. A tremendous sense of powerlessness and a premonition of impending doom made his heart burn with anxiety, and the deep furrows between his brows were enough to trap a mosquito.

at this time,

"what!!"

A piercing, inhuman scream suddenly tore through the deathly silence of the night above the camp, ripping everyone's eardrums! The sound was short and desperate, seemingly coming from outside the camp gate!

The generals inside the tent suddenly stood up, their faces changing instantly, their eyes meeting with the same surprise and fear.

Here we go again? Whose turn is it this time?
"Who! Who the hell went out again?"

Li Jing's blood rushed to his head instantly, and he roared like thunder.

"Didn't I strictly forbid anyone from leaving the camp? Are the gatekeepers all dead?"

A gatekeeper stumbled in, his face ashen, his voice trembling.
"Reporting to the general, it's...it's Lord Chen. The guards tried to stop him, but Lord Chen insisted on going out. The guards...they didn't dare to stop him!"

"Chen Guangrui?"

Li Jing's mind went blank for a moment, and his vision almost went black. The image of that young, scholarly face flashed through his mind.

Oh no! This Chen Guangrui is so weak, he ran out in the middle of the night to feed the monster?
"Waste! Waste!"

Li Jing's pent-up worry and long-suppressed anger finally erupted, and he charged out of the tent like a furious lion. The two guards at the door hadn't even reacted yet...

"Crack! Crack!" Two sharp whip shadows lashed their backs, the burning pain causing them to groan and fall to the ground.

"A civil official, powerless as a chicken, and you just watch him go to his death? If anything happens to Chen Guangrui, I'll skin you all alive first!"

Li Jing's eyes were bloodshot. He kicked aside the barricade blocking his path and, without waiting for his personal guards to assemble, charged towards the direction from which the screams had come. Several quick-thinking lieutenants drew their swords and followed, their hearts filled with doubt and apprehension. Was Lord Chen really... courting death?
The cold wind lashed at Li Jing's face like a knife, making his cloak flutter wildly. As he ran, a chilling sorrow suddenly welled up in his heart, his nose stung, and tears welled up in his usually iron-like eyes.

"Guangrui, Guangrui! It was I who brought you out here... I never imagined that I would actually cause your death in this demonic land... I am so sorry..."

Self-blame, anger, and regret intertwined and surged within this once indomitable old general, causing him immense heartache.

Behind him, the tense expressions of his adjutants seemed to have relaxed somewhat; this time, it wasn't their brother who was in trouble.

At the same time, they were also thinking to themselves that Chen Guangrui, a civil official, was causing trouble at this time.

Everyone knows it's dangerous outside, so why are you, with your small frame, running outside?
Seeing Li Jing's anxiety, they all followed him out of the camp. At the same time, an adjutant hurriedly summoned the guards to prevent any surprise attack by demons at this time.

You have to understand, all those who are going out now are military generals. If anything happens to them, then this battle is over.

The group trudged through the mud to a clearing at the edge of the woods not far from the camp gate. Li Jing, his eyes red, cried out in anguish, "Guangrui!"
I was prepared to risk my life to find the body and bring it back for a proper burial...

However, he suddenly stopped, rubbed his eyes, and his expression became strange.

In the firelight, right in front of them stood a familiar figure. Who else could it be but Chen Guangrui? His blue robe was still neat, though the hem was covered in dust.

In front of him lay something. Upon closer inspection, it was a monster covered in blood, limp and lifeless like a puddle of mud!

The monster had a pointed snout and monkey-like face, blood dripping from the corner of its mouth, and its body was covered with bruises and wounds. One of its arms was twisted strangely and was lying at Chen Guangrui's feet, twitching occasionally and emitting a weak groan.

Chen Guangrui himself, apart from being slightly out of breath, was not missing a single hair!

What on earth happened? Even seasoned warriors were bewildered by this scene, unable to comprehend what had just transpired and who had uttered that scream.

Dead!

Suffocating silence!
Li Jing and his lieutenants, who had caught up with them, froze, their eyes wide and mouths agape, their minds blank. The crackling of the campfire only served to accentuate the eerie scene.

Li Jing wondered if he was seeing things. He rubbed his bloodshot eyes hard, his voice dry and filled with disbelief and horror.
"Chen...Chen Guangrui? You...are you a human or a ghost?!"

Chen Guangrui even kicked the monster, which let out a painful groan.

Looking at the disheveled Li Jing, he couldn't help but sigh, his tone quite helpless.

"General Li, if you keep asking like this, I'm going to tell you about how you tried to break up the fight and ended up fighting with Cheng Yaojin."

"Shut up!" Li Jing's old face instantly turned a deep purplish-red. He rushed forward to cover Chen Guangrui's mouth, but then realized it was inappropriate and quickly withdrew his hand, lowering his voice in shock and anger.
"Is...it really you? How could you...it...this is..."

There's no need to ask anymore. This dark history is known only to the four parties involved: Wei Zheng, himself, Cheng Yaojin, and Chen Guangrui. Now that the other two are in Chang'an, he has been able to confirm that this Chen Guangrui is alive!

Is this kid going to expose this whole thing?

The lieutenants nearly popped their eyes out when they looked at the little monster on the ground, which was clearly crippled, and then at Chen Guangrui, who looked completely calm, as if he had just gone out for a walk and picked up some trash.

Shock, horror, deep doubt... all sorts of emotions surged wildly in everyone's eyes.

How...how is this possible? A frail scholar, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all alone, managed to beat that terrifying demon who had killed dozens of elite soldiers and left the entire camp helpless...into this dead dog state and bring it back?
Li Jing couldn't help but ask, "Is this how you beat him up and brought him back?"

Chen Guangrui shook his head. "I didn't hit him. I saw that he was tied up here, so I kicked him twice."

As he spoke, he went up and kicked him again.

Chen Guangrui was not lying; it was the boys Jinlu and Yinlu who were beating people, and he was just there to watch the show.

His statement makes it seem more credible.

However, everyone felt that Chen Guangrui's luck seemed a bit too good. He actually picked up a demon after leaving the camp.
However, no one cares about such things now; catching the evil spirits is a good thing.

Li Jing's chest heaved violently, and it took him a long time to recover from the enormous shock. He pointed at the still groaning monster on the ground, and anger welled up inside him.
"Good, it's good that we've caught this beast. Men, drag him away and skin him alive! Use him as a sacrifice for our fallen brothers."

"Wait a minute."

Chen Guangrui stepped forward, blocking the monster's path. He looked at the enraged Li Jing and his equally murderous lieutenants, his voice calm and clear.

"General, my fellow generals, please calm down. This fiend is ruthless and has harmed my soldiers; it certainly deserves to die. But ahead lies Black Wind Mountain. This creature is strange and cruel, far from being an ordinary wild beast or demon. Is its presence here related to Black Wind Mountain? Is it driven by the mountain lord, or has it wandered here?"

He crouched down, using his spiked club to pry open the monster's bloodied, mangled, yet venomous face, his gaze sharp as a knife.

“We must figure out the connection here. Keeping it alive might yield some important information. Killing it outright would be quick and easy, but we might never know the hidden dangers here, including the true nature of Black Wind Mountain.”

Chen Guangrui looked up at the murderous Li Jing: "At this moment, finding out the truth is the most urgent task. It's not too late to kill him after we've found out the facts."

Li Jing clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, staring intently at the lump of "mud" on the ground, his eyes filled with struggle.

A raging fire burned within him, but Chen Guangrui's words were like ice water, quenching a sliver of reason. Yes, where did this monster come from? Black Wind Mountain... was there something even more terrifying waiting for his army?

Finally, his jaw clenched so tightly that it cracked, and he spat out three words through gritted teeth: "Take him back! Keep a close watch on him! Get ready to interrogate him!"

[One more chapter, I'll try to finish it before noon]

(End of this chapter)