My lord, spare his life!

If it were any other matter, the confidant would most likely hesitate.

But what if it involves that heart and Wang Qi?

His trusted confidant had served Wang Ba faithfully for so many years, and he had never missed a beat: "Young Master, you've brought men here? Do you know how many there are?"

How would I know how many people there are?

Even a single heart cannot transmit this much information.

Wang Ba knew that Wang Qi's visit tonight wasn't a simple stroll or merely a matter of killing a few people; he must have something big planned. If that was the case, Wang Ba's men didn't need to continue their pretense; they could simply respond to Wang Qi directly: "I just don't know how he knew about Sun Zhaoruo's movements. Not too early, not too late, but he chose this exact moment."

How did Zhang Yang so easily pinpoint the location of Sun Ban's main camp amidst days of torrential rain and widespread flooding? And how did he know that she was going to break camp the next day and had just packed her things tonight?

Wang Ba couldn't help but suspect that Sun Ban had an inside man planted by Zhang Yang, an inside man even more deeply hidden than himself.

He quickly dressed and hung up his sword.

The confidant wasted no time and had already quietly sent out the message.

The three thousand elite troops that Wang Ba brought from Dongxian were all assigned to one area. Although there were spies planted by Sun Ban nearby, the level of surveillance had been greatly reduced since Wang Ba's desperate performance last time, coupled with the fact that the natural disasters in recent days had distracted Sun Ban.

Wang Ba lowered his voice: "Has this aroused any suspicion?"

The confidant chuckled, "No, even if someone asks, we're not afraid. We can just say it's preparation for capturing the camp tomorrow."

It wasn't much of a difference of more than a few hours.

As his confidant had predicted, the actions of Wang Ba's troops went unnoticed and were not reported to Sun Ban. At that moment, only the breathing of Wang Ba and his men could be heard in the dark tent; he closed his eyes and listened to the rhythmic beating of his heart.

Suddenly—

Wang Ba opened his eyes: "They're here."

Night fell like ink, covering the entire Sun Ban camp. The tents stretched out in a continuous line, and the scattered campfires reflected the rain-soaked armor and blades. Suddenly, the heavy clouds overhead tore open, revealing what appeared to be the claw of an animal made of flowing water.

boom--

A bluish-green gale swept down with the rain.

The massive wave crashed down, crushing most of the dozen or so nearby tents. Soldiers who were fast asleep inside were swept into the water and abruptly awoke in excruciating pain. Instinctively, they struggled with their hands and feet, trying to break free of the invisible ropes binding their necks.

The suffocating feeling of being completely enveloped in rainwater didn't last long; once the water receded, my mouth and nose were once again exposed to fresh air.

"Well--"

The invisible rope around her neck began to tighten.

The soldier struggled to kick, but his strength waned.

Only after a clear cracking sound reached their ears did their tense legs, which had been bracing themselves against the ground, give way and hang limply. Some soldiers were luckier; just before their necks were snapped, the grip on their vital organs suddenly loosened, and a large amount of air rushed into their mouths and noses. They looked up at their savior: "General!"

The general who cut the water rope ignored the soldiers, his face cold as he brandished his sword, shouting, "Sneaking around like that, come out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the water flowed from all directions and formed a whirlpool.

The general recognized the opponent's true nature even before the behemoth had fully formed. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his heart sinking: "The Jishui Leopard?"

The water leopard roared.

With its four feet on the ground, the chilly moisture swirled and dissipated in the night wind.

In an instant, countless raindrops gathered around its body, forming chains that it lashed out fiercely at the general blocking its path. Its long tail lashed out, coiling like a serpent around the wrists of patrolling soldiers charging with swords drawn, before it suddenly swung out, hurling and smashing several tents. The deep roar of the leopard shook the surrounding earth and rain, and the invisible ripples of sound pushed back the enemy soldiers who were closing in, only to be broken through by the enemy general.

"How dare you, you little beast, run wild here!"

The enemy general held his long sword upright and thrust it downwards.

clang!

A cold glint flashed from the shadows, and the enemy general's long sword was knocked from his hand by a tremendous force, embedding itself in the ground with a thud. Sensing an inexplicable danger, he instinctively retreated. A gust of wind swept through, revealing a tall, unfamiliar figure. The man's appearance was utterly unappealing, even somewhat barbaric; long hair cascaded down his shoulders, his upper body was bare, he wore only trousers, and his feet were also bare. An uninformed observer might mistake him for a male ghost seeking revenge.

When he looked up, a complete face was revealed.

Yet, the evaluations were completely different.

Standing tall and resilient amidst the wind and rain, unmoving, his eyes held a haughty and arrogant gaze, like a ferocious god awaiting the start of slaughter. He coldly cast his gaze: "Surrender if you don't want to die."

The newcomer's voice was hoarse and deep, making one's heart tighten.

What followed was even greater fury.

"Arrogant brat!"

How dare an uncivilized savage speak to him like that? He was certain the man wasn't fighting alone; he must have accomplices supporting him. Yet this scoundrel dared to charge into the camp alone—he clearly didn't take them seriously. Such arrogance was bound to come at a bloody price!

Anger ignited a fierce fighting spirit within him.

A powerful and imposing aura emanated from him, and behind him, a faint, ethereal figure emerged, its eyes gleaming with a fierce and brooding light. The figure was clad in golden-brown and ochre-yellow, its chest and abdomen covered in large patches of pale yellow down, and its beak was hooked and hard. The figure's feet slammed into the ground, and its body rapidly expanded.

In an instant, it grew to the size of a water leopard.

The soil beneath the leopard's feet instantly transformed into a muddy swamp, its limbs gripped by immense force. At that moment, the phantom flapped its wings and soared into the air, its wings folding, and cried out. Countless sharp spikes shot forth from where the leopard had been. Each spike was over ten feet long!

From a distance, it looked like a stone forest.

The enemy general flashed forward, drawing his sword and attacking Wang Qi. Seeing this, Wang Qi showed no fear; instead, a pure, savage satisfaction appeared on his face: "You really think attribute advantage will save your life? Where did this pheasant come from? Perfect for my midnight snack!"

The dull, heavy impact echoed through the air, and nearby soldiers dared not approach. At that moment, a soldier had already gone to the main tent to report the news.

"Report—"

Sun Ban already knows.

When the water leopard tore through the clouds, Sun Ban's anxiety reached its peak, and his ominous premonition was confirmed.

"Is it Zhang's men again?"

This is the second time the camp has been raided.

The first raid was manageable; Zhang Yang brought only a small force, and their main purpose was to disturb the peace in the middle of the night by singing manipulative songs. Sun Ban calmed the troops afterward, leaving no future trouble. However, the second raid occurred several days after torrential rains and floods!

Her troops were affected, but Zhang's troops were unharmed.

"No, aren't all of Zhang's men—" The scouts had clearly reported that Zhang's troops were busy with disaster relief and winning over the people, a practice that had continued since the floods began. So how could they possibly have the energy to fight? She asked in a low voice, "How many have come?"

"Only one person."

Sun Ban laughed in anger upon hearing this news.

"One person? Just one person caused such a commotion?"

Last time, at least ten or so people came and formed a theatrical troupe.

"Very well—if there is really only one person, and you don't bring the person's head to me, then bring your own heads!" Sun Ban, unusually, tore off his gentle and refined appearance, revealing a hint of ruthlessness.

As soon as he finished speaking, a second, intense and undeniable aura of savagery filled the air—the same aura of Kui Mulang who had briefly made his move last time.

Guan Si watched indifferently as Wang Qi wandered through the "Stone Forest" like a savage, then disdainfully looked away—Bo Yuan was right about one thing: there are only wrong names, not wrong nicknames. Wang Gongsun looked exactly like a wild man from the mountains.

With nimble hands and feet, it weaved and twisted, using the ground spikes to its advantage and maneuver, teasing the enemy general. The water leopard and the pheasant were evenly matched in their fight.

Guan Si remained silent, then raised his hand and shot an arrow that pierced the enemy general's boot.

"Guan Siyin, who gave you permission to interfere?"

A fierce glint flashed in Wang Qi's eyes.

It seemed they were poised to leave the enemy behind and directly attack Guan Si.

Guan Si sneered, "I told you not to waste time, but to make a fool of yourself. A mere chicken can bother you for this long?"

Wang Qi's expression changed drastically: "You—"

The Mountain Spirit instructed Wang Qi to go out and cause some trouble first, to attract the enemy's attention and buy time for Xiao Sui's troops to safely land. The location Xiao Sui chose could avoid Sun Ban's camp surveillance to the greatest extent, but its disadvantage was also very obvious: it allowed for more preparation time.

If the enemy discovers it first, we will suffer unnecessary losses.

Wang Qi had no complaints about the task.

He'd been seething with anger these past few days from being bossed around on rescue missions by Zhang Yang, and he was just looking for an outlet. But he'd been careless, overlooking Guan Si, this super-powerful guy who immediately started putting him down!

"Guan Siyin, do you want to die?"

He's clearly no good, but he insists on pretending to be deep and reserved. He always likes to show off his composure and maturity unintentionally, while secretly putting himself down, and he's so attentive to the mountain spirit.

Wang Qi had long disliked Guan Si.

"Someone's coming."

Guan Si's gaze fell towards the center of the camp, never taking Wang Qi seriously, as if the latter's questioning was unreasonable.

"Good heavens, it's you again, you little thief!" A loud shout came from afar, and a black-and-white figure arrived in an instant—it was Wei Yueyan, the general he had briefly encountered before. Seeing Guan Si, a familiar face, the man was filled with rage and, without a word, drew his sword and charged. "I let you escape last time, and instead of being grateful, you dare to come a second time!"

Guan Si ignored him.

He simply made a hand seal with one hand.

The immense stellar energy transformed into the Kui Wood Wolf, which steadily caught the descending blade of light, several feet long, and shattered it into dust. The Kui Wood Wolf immediately disintegrated upon landing, scattering into a massive wolf pack. The pack numbered three to four hundred, each wolf standing half a person's height at the shoulder.

One after another, they accurately pounced on the enemy soldiers who were attacking from all directions.

These wolf cubs, even after being cleaved in two, didn't scatter. Instead, they split into two, then four. Although their size decreased, their numbers increased dramatically. Meanwhile, Guan Si, while dodging the attacks, casually pulled a spear from a corpse.

"Little thief, how long can you keep this up?"

Upon seeing this, Wei Yueyan, a military officer, secretly cursed Guan Si for being shameless.

The same star phantom can exhibit different characteristics in the hands of different people. Some are lone wolves, acting alone and fighting one-on-one in battles, but Guan Si in front of us is clearly different; he pursues quantity rather than quality.

These Kui Mulang phantoms are not strong and have weak defenses. Ordinary soldiers can easily disperse them, but they are numerous!

Used to buy time...

Delaying time?

Wei Yueyan, a military general, suddenly realized something.

In an instant—

Golden light burst forth from behind the mountain, turning the sky as bright as day in an instant.

? ?|??w?`)

I feel like this cough won't get better this month. I've already given her two bottles each of strong loquat syrup and ambroxol hydrochloride...