In chaotic times, skill points are added: from hunter to martial saint, only killing and no mercy!

The first garrison of the Gale Camp was Li Yi's main force.

This unit, consisting of forty archers and ten infantrymen, was the most elite of the Gale Camp.

In less than an hour, Li Yi led his troops to the north of Blackstone Town.

He then activated the [Reconnaissance and Concealment] skill, and with the help of the scouts he had deployed, Li Yi soon caught the Qing Kingdom soldiers by the skin of his teeth.

The number of Qing Kingdom soldiers who infiltrated the Blackstone Town area was not large, only about fifty men, most of whom were infantry.

Li Yi lowered the bushes in front of him and sized up the enemy army that was marching with gags in their mouths in the distance.

After observing the enemy's troop deployment, Li Yi turned to look at his squad leaders.

"The first and second platoons will fire first, then the third and fourth platoons will take turns, taking turns to launch projectiles to inflict maximum damage on the enemy."

After arranging the archers' tactics, Li Yi looked at the only infantry squad.

"You are responsible for leading men to cover the archers. If the enemy charges, you need to hold them off and create space for the archers to maneuver!"

In just a few words, Li Yi set up a killing formation targeting the Qing Kingdom soldiers.

"Hurry up!"

The leading Qing Kingdom soldier lashed out with a whip at a captured Chen Kingdom hunter, shouting insults at him.

After being tricked by Li Yi and losing two thousand elite soldiers, the Qing Kingdom's general was furious. However, due to limited troops, he could only change tactics and send out detachments to harass Black Stone Town, hoping to keep General Guan's army tied down within the town's territory.

The hunter, being whipped, dared not speak out in anger and could only stagger ahead to lead the way.

call!

Perhaps because many of their colleagues had been killed by the Chen Kingdom, these Qing Kingdom soldiers were quite brutal. Even though the hunter was very obedient, they still kept wielding their long whips and lashing him.

Just as the soldier's whip was about to fall, a soft whooshing sound rang out from the dense forest.

Ho ho!

The Qing Kingdom soldier dropped his whip to the ground, clutched his throat, and stared in terror into the woods, blood gushing from his fingers like a fountain.

Before the Qing soldiers could react, a barrage of arrows shot out from the forest, killing many of the soldiers who hadn't had time to react.

"There's an ambush!"

The Qing Kingdom village chief, who was in charge, was alarmed and quickly ordered his men to defend.

But wave after wave of arrows kept coming, and even with shields for cover, many unlucky ones were still shot and killed.

Within moments, more than a dozen Qing soldiers had died.

"On the right!"

Once the Qingguo garrison chief locked onto the direction of the arrow rain, he immediately led his men in a fierce charge, shields raised.

When facing archers and unable to escape, the best course of action is to quickly close the distance and deny the archers any room to maneuver!

Seeing the Qing soldiers approaching with their shields raised, Li Yi drew his bow again and shot two dead.

"Infantry, prepare!"

"Archers, keep firing!"

Li Yi shouted and shot out three arrows before taking down the plum blossom spear.

After suffering heavy casualties, the Qing Kingdom soldiers had approached the archers' location.

Upon seeing this, Li Yi suddenly leaped out, holding his plum blossom spear upside down, and charged forward.

"Archers, provide cover! Infantry, charge with me!"

Seeing Li Yi and his men rushing towards them, the Qingguo village chief was overjoyed.

The person charging forward is clearly the leader of the Chen Kingdom. If we can capture him, we might be able to atone for the crime of being ambushed.

There's even a chance to receive a reward!

Thinking of this, the Qingguo garrison commander's confidence soared, and he made repeated promises, boosting the morale of his troops.

After several waves of arrows, the invading Qing Kingdom force was reduced to only about twenty men.

But with twenty-odd people against eleven, the advantage is on my side!

As for archers, once they get close, they're lambs to the slaughter!

The Qingguo garrison commander, looking excited, charged forward with his spear, aiming straight at Li Yi.

Faced with the ever-approaching spear, Li Yi remained calm and composed, his plum blossom spear trembling slightly in his hand.

【Wind-Splitting Spear】!

With a tremor and a pull, the spear of the Qingguo garrison commander shifted instantly.

opportunity!

Li Yi charged forward instantly, his plum blossom spear transforming into a raging storm that enveloped the Qingguo garrison commander.

"What kind of marksmanship is that?"

The Qing Kingdom garrison commander's space for maneuver was constantly suppressed, and under Li Yi's leadership, the advancing Qing Kingdom soldiers were halted, and one by one they were shot dead by the Chen Kingdom archers hidden in the shadows.

Seeing his men being killed one by one, the Qingguo garrison chief was extremely anxious, and even considered taking Li Yi down with him.

But Li Yi's spear thrust was already in place, and with a sudden thrust, the plum blossom spear pierced directly through the heart of the Qingguo garrison commander.

"Who are you?"

The Qingguo village chief, feeling his own life force constantly draining away, murmured a question.

"Remember, the one who killed you was Li Yi!"

Li Yi slapped the butt of the spear hard, and the Plum Blossom Spear pierced through the chest in an instant. Li Yi also quickly walked past the body of the Qingguo garrison commander and grabbed the Plum Blossom Spear again.

【Wind-Splitting Spear】!

Guns like dragons! A storm brews!

With each shot fired, Qing Kingdom soldiers fell to the ground.

Under Li Yi's leadership, this infantry unit directly cut through the Qing Kingdom soldiers.

"Leave no survivors!"

With a loud shout, Li Yi turned and charged at the remaining Qing soldiers once again.

After an incense stick had burned, not a single Qing Kingdom soldier could stand in the woods anymore.

Li Yi sat on a blue stone, wiping the blood off his plum blossom spear. His soldiers were quickly cleaning up the battlefield, sorting the spoils of war, and cutting off the heads of the Qing Kingdom soldiers.

The State of Chen practiced a merit-based military system, with the enemy's head being the most important proof of military merit.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, in this battle, fifty Qing soldiers were annihilated, while our army suffered seven casualties!"

A seven-to-fifty ratio of casualties is quite impressive.

Li Yi nodded, and after confirming that there were no other Qing Kingdom troops, he took the spoils and returned to the military camp.

"You little rascal, you really didn't disappoint me!"

Looking at the military intelligence report presented by Li Yi, General Guan nodded in satisfaction.

After killing Cao Li, General Guan had completely offended the Cao family.

Under these circumstances, Li Yi became even more courageous, which gave General Guan more confidence and the better mindset to deal with the Cao family's possible retaliation.

After thinking for a moment, General Guan summoned one of his personal guards and said to Li Yi:

"Since you have also achieved some success in marksmanship, this general will reward you with a long spear as encouragement!"

The rewards and honors for annihilating the enemy troops will be handled by the responsible officers. General Guan's reward is an extra bonus!

Seeing this, Li Yi thanked him repeatedly, and then followed his personal guards to retrieve the spear.

According to the guards, this spear was used by General Guan in the past. It was forged from fine gold and cold iron, and the materials alone cost several tens of taels of silver!

The plum blossom spear that Li Yi used before was just a broken weapon that an old soldier had discarded and sold to a blacksmith shop. It was no match for this fine iron spear!

"With this gun in hand, my close-combat ability has increased by at least 20%!"

After sparring with Han Jia, Li Yi was satisfied and put the fine gold spear into his pocket.

As time went on, the wars in various places came to an end.

The war between Chen and Qing has officially entered a protracted phase.

Li Yi's most important task during this period was to lead his Gale Battalion to eliminate the Qing Kingdom soldiers who were invading from all sides.

"Sir, someone is following us!"

After driving away a Qing Kingdom army that attempted to invade the village, Han Jia approached Li Yi with a grave expression and reported his findings.

Liu Ye, who was standing to the side, added:

"Starting five days ago, scouts reported that someone had been monitoring our every move."

These past few days, Li Yi has been in seclusion cultivating, leaving the Gale Camp under the management of Han Jia and Liu Ye.

This match marks Li Yi's first public appearance after ending his seclusion.

Seeing this, Li Yi summoned a scout to inquire about the situation, and then discussed it with Han Jia.

"It seems that the person spying on me is most likely here for me!"

"Han Jia, you hide in the village for a while. After we leave, see if you can catch this man!"

After making some arrangements, Li Yi led the Gale Battalion back to the military camp.

As the sun set, Han Jia led Li Yi to a secluded tent.

Inside the tent, a man covered in blood was tied up.

"Are these the people spying on us?"

Li Yi looked at the man and already had a guess in his mind.

Han Jia nodded and said:

"Not long after the adults left, he emerged from a grove of trees and followed the troops at a distance."

"But this kid is indeed clever. He quickly noticed my presence, and it took me a lot of effort to catch him."

Just as Han Jia was explaining, his bodyguard Li Tao picked up a whip and began to lash the man severely.

Under the brutal torture of the guards, the man quickly broke down and begged for mercy.

"Who sent you?"

Looking at the man who had been beaten half to death, Li Yi asked coldly.

"It's the Cao family!"

really!

Li Yi was not surprised at all by the other party's answer.

He had already offended the Cao family to death, so it was no surprise that they sent people to monitor him.

Soon, the man told Li Yi everything he knew.

It turns out that after Cao Li was killed, someone secretly informed the Cao family.

As one of the seven great families of Chen, the Cao family had never suffered such humiliation before. They immediately dispatched men to secretly monitor those involved in Cao Li's death.

Li Yi is of utmost importance.

During the special training of the Gale Battalion, Li Yi not only instructed his men on training methods, but also taught them techniques such as torture and forced confessions.

Li Tao was extremely talented in this area, and he was often responsible for interrogating the Qing Kingdom scouts he captured.

That's why this man has been driven to a mental breakdown by Li Tao's torment.

"My lord, the Cao family has already sent men into Qinghe County. Their goal is to take your head and use it as a sacrifice to Cao Li and his companion!"

You want to use my head as a sacrifice for Cao Li?

Li Yi smiled coldly, glanced at the now worthless spy, gave Li Tao a look, and then left the secret camp.

"Brother Yi, what do we do now?"

Now, only Li Yi and Han Jia are in the camp, while Li Yi's personal guards are stationed outside. Therefore, Han Jia is much more relaxed and calls out to Li Yi affectionately.

"We killed Hu Cao, and Cao Li died because of us. The Cao family will never let us go!"

Under Li Yi's bed are still the bones and tendons of strange beasts that he seized from the Cao family. His feud with the Cao family has long been irreconcilable.

"If you can be a thief for a thousand days, how can you guard against thieves for a thousand days?"

Li Yi polished his fine gold spear, his eyes gleaming, and stared at Han Jia, saying:

"Since the Cao family has sent people to take my head, let's strike first and kill the people they sent!"

"Okay! I'll do whatever Brother Yi says!" Han Jia nodded and went back to make preparations.

Li Yi then made an excuse to ask General Guan for leave, and under the cover of night, he and Han Jia rushed to Qinghe County.

At this time, Qinghe County was brightly lit, with many vendors hawking their wares along the streets, and some children playing in the dark alleys.

Seeing that no one was around, Li Yi quickly walked to the sealed-off Cao family mansion.

The [Reconnaissance and Concealment] skill was activated instantly, and with the added benefits of night vision and breathing techniques, Li Yi was like a detective possessed at this moment.

"There are many footprints here. Judging from the thickness of the dust, these footprints were left today."

"The seals have been tampered with; someone has entered the Cao residence!"

After inspecting the place, Li Yi quickly learned about the situation of the Cao family.

"Let's go, let's find someone to ask."

Having obtained the information he wanted, Li Yi, disguised, left the Cao family mansion with Han Jia.

"Old man, I'd like to ask you something."

Finding a tea stall nearby, Li Yi laid out one or two taels of silver and stared intently at the old man selling tea.

Upon seeing the silver coin, the old man's expression shifted. After glancing around, he quickly pocketed the coin.

"Hey buddy, what do you want to ask?"

"Only this old man knows, and I will certainly tell you everything I know!"

Li Yi nodded and asked:

"Has anyone approached the Cao residence today?"

Upon hearing this, the old man looked around and then whispered:

"Ever since the Cao family was raided and their property seized by the military, no one has dared to provoke them or loiter near the Cao family's residence."

"But this afternoon, a businessman, it seems, visited the Cao family and stayed there for quite some time!"

Caravan?

Li Yi's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "Then do you know where this caravan is now?"

The old man shook his head, looking embarrassed, and said:

"I have to watch over this tea stall; I can't leave. All I know is that after the caravan left the Cao family, it headed east!"

After a pause, the old man continued, "However, there are many beggars in this town. Perhaps you could go and ask them!"

A beggar?

Li Yi nodded, thanked the old man, and then led Han Jia eastward.

With the old man's guidance, Li Yi paid some beggars to ask for directions and soon arrived at a rather luxurious inn.

The inn was only a few hundred meters away from the Cao family's residence.

Looking at the inn shrouded in night, Li Yi said to Han Jia:

"Same as always, you meet me outside while I sneak into the inn."

After dividing the tasks with Han Jia, Li Yi quietly made his way to the inn.

The [Reconnaissance and Stealth] skill is activated again!

Li Yi seemed to blend into the night, silently entering the second floor of the inn.

It was already late at night, but one of the rooms on the second floor was still brightly lit.

Seeing this, Li Yi quietly came to the outside of the room, circulated his breathing technique, and instantly his five senses were heightened, and his hearing was greatly enhanced.

Inside the room, several people were talking loudly, drinking and making merry.

"Five people, and one of them is at the fourth level of Body Refinement!"

Li Yi quickly sensed the situation of the people in the room.