Chapter 595
Chapter 595
Gou Duhuan stood atop the fortress wall, watching as a procession of listless figures disembarked from their carriages. They truly looked like imbeciles. Every one of them walked with their head hung low, not uttering a single word, some even trembling. They were all terribly thin, their bodies covered in various wounds. It was impossible to imagine that in a few months, these wrecks would become the incomparably strong Nirvana Army.
After entering Longevity Fort, they began to light fires and cook. Though it was a desolate fortress, they were extremely cautious, testing the well water several times before boiling it to cook their rice. According to Shen Lang’s theories, most deadly poisons lost their potency when boiled. Some poisons remained toxic even after boiling, but those could be detected through other methods. Shen Lang had created dozens of test strips specifically for detecting poison, and only after confirming the water was safe did the thousand or so warriors begin to eat.
But two hours after the meal, something happened. Gou Duhuan and the warriors of the Heavenly Path Society began to feel dizzy and disoriented, their vision blurring. They couldn't even stand properly, and everything they saw appeared in multiple layers. Gou Duhuan cried out in alarm.
“We’re in trouble. The water is poisoned! Secure the walls and prepare to face the enemy.”
Of the thousand men, only two hundred had not yet eaten. They were on guard duty and were scheduled to eat later. But who would have thought the water was poisoned? Gou Duhuan and Grandmaster Li Qianqiu led the two hundred men to the fortress gate, preparing to hold their ground and repel the invaders.
***
“The poisons of Fudao Mountain are truly remarkable. But why not use a more fearsome poison to kill them all?”
To Zhuo Xiao’an’s question, Xue Xue replied.
“Shen Lang is very cunning. If we had used a deadly poison, the devices he created would have detected it. Only this Soul-Parting Powder could be spread throughout all the wells without being detected by his tests. That’s because it isn’t a deadly poison. Besides, the three thousand seven hundred imbeciles are eating with them. How could we poison the seeds of what will become an elite army?”
Indeed. It wasn't a lethal poison, but a drug that affected the nervous system. Those who consumed it would lose their senses and fall into a state of hallucination, but their lives would not be in danger once the effects wore off in an hour or two. This showed just how much importance both the Third Prince and the Crown Prince placed on the three thousand seven hundred individuals with blank bloodlines.
“Young Master Shu, it is your turn now!”
*Swish!*
Just then, a flaming arrow shot into the sky from the direction of Longevity Fort. It was the signal to attack.
“Attack!”
At Shu Tingyu’s command, two thousand warriors of the Hidden Yuan Society swiftly emerged from the undergrowth. The four supreme masters who had been standing by Zhuo Xiao’an’s side also darted out like phantoms. The four masters were to deal with Gou Duhuan, while the Hidden Yuan Society had brought in a Grandmaster-level expert each from the states of Wu and Chu to handle the Sword King, Li Qianqiu.
***
“Hold the line, hold the line!”
Two thousand warriors from the Hidden Yuan Society scaled the walls of Longevity Fort, swarming up like lizards.
“Archers, fire!”
At Gou Duhuan’s command, the two hundred defenders who were still in their right minds retaliated. These two hundred were elite soldiers, and their archery was superb. As they let their arrows fly, casualties mounted among the Hidden Yuan Society warriors, but the difference in numbers was still stark. They alone could not hope to hold back two thousand men.
The Sword King, Li Qianqiu, cut down one enemy with every swing of his blade, slaughtering his way through them, when he suddenly sensed a fatal danger. Two black shadows flickered into existence, moving with an eerie, weightless grace. They were both Master-level experts. A single glance, a mere whiff of their scent, was enough for Li Qianqiu to know who they were.
“Li Lingyang of Wu, Yang Piaoling of Chu. Why are two esteemed Grandmasters acting as someone else’s hounds?”
Li Qianqiu said with a cold sneer.
“Is that not the same for you, Li Qianqiu?”
In an instant, the two Grandmasters attacked the Sword King Li Qianqiu from the front and back. The Sword King was an incredibly formidable man. Even fighting one against two, his life was not in immediate danger, but he was instantly put on the defensive. Meanwhile, the four black-robed masters who followed Zhuo Xiao’an rushed silently toward Gou Duhuan like ghosts. These four served as both Zhuo Xiao’an’s protectors and his watchers. Gou Duhuan drew his sword to face the four, but he too was immediately at a disadvantage. A shadow flashed past—it was Toothless Tang Yan. He fought shoulder-to-shoulder with Gou Duhuan, barely managing to hold their ground. In contrast, the two hundred warriors struggled to defend the gate, but the disparity in strength was simply too great to overcome.
“Retreat! Retreat!”
Gou Duhuan gave the order with tears in his eyes, beginning to fall back with Li Qianqiu and the two hundred warriors. Soon, their retreating line was pushed back to the first line of defense, then the second, then the third, with casualties mounting endlessly. The enemy pressed on relentlessly, and finally, they were pushed back to the last bastion of Longevity Fort.
Gou Duhuan looked behind him. Eight hundred of his warriors were in a state of delirium, stumbling and falling about. The three thousand seven hundred imbeciles were lying on the ground, convulsing and writhing, in no condition to fight. Their only option now was to leave. Only about a hundred warriors were still in their right minds. The eight hundred delirious warriors could be forced to walk, but the three thousand seven hundred imbeciles couldn't even move. Could a hundred men carry over three thousand people away? It was utterly impossible.
Gou Duhuan suddenly shouted.
“Zhuo Xiao’an, show yourself!”
No one appeared, but the enemy’s assault paused for a moment.
“We are inside the fortress now. We only need to defend this gate.”
In a disguised voice, Shu Tingyu replied to Gou Duhuan’s words.
“You cannot hold it!”
“I know we can’t. But I, the Sword King, and my junior brother Tang Yan can hold it for fifteen minutes. In that time, I can kill all three thousand seven hundred of these people with blank bloodlines. You want them, don't you?”
Shu Tingyu said in a hoarse voice.
“Kill them. Go on, kill them.”
Without another word, Gou Duhuan immediately killed several of them.
“Wait, wait…!”
Before Shu Tingyu could answer, Zhuo Xiao’an, who was behind him, spoke up. She wore a mask and was completely covered by a black cloak, her voice disguised to sound like a man’s.
“Junior Brother Tang Yan, take our brothers and go! Go now! Zhuo Xiao’an, you cannot stop or kill my men. Otherwise, I will slaughter every last one of these three thousand seven hundred people with blank bloodlines. Master Shen values them, but he values our brothers more. They have followed me all this time, and I will not watch them die here! Junior Brother Tang Yan, take our brothers and go.”
Toothless Tang Yan was taken aback.
‘He wants me to lead them away? I don't even know the way.’
Just then, a squad leader stood up and led the hundred or so warriors who were not poisoned, along with the eight hundred delirious ones, stumbling out of the fortress through a rear gate. Gou Duhuan shouted loudly.
“Zhuo Xiao’an, you will let my brothers leave. Otherwise, the Sword King will hold this gate while I kill them all! In half an hour, I and a dozen of my brothers will kill every single one of these three thousand seven hundred people!”
Zhuo Xiao’an, Shu Tingyu, and Xue Xue exchanged glances and nodded, allowing Gou Duhuan’s warriors and the men of the Heavenly Path Society to leave. Their objective, after all, was the three thousand seven hundred imbeciles. No, the individuals with blank bloodlines. A full thirty minutes later, Tang Yan ran back.
“The brothers have all escaped!”
The Sword King, Li Qianqiu, said.
“Gou Yizhen, you take the rest of the men and escape through the secret passage!”
Gou Duhuan said in a choked voice.
“How can I face the Master now?”
Li Qianqiu roared.
“Go now! Do you intend to die here? Get out!”
Gou Duhuan let out a roar and slammed his fist into the hard wall, his hand becoming a bloody mess. He shouted.
“Let’s go! I will remember this day’s humiliation forever. Zhuo Xiao’an, just you wait!”
Gou Duhuan led Tang Yan and a dozen bandits out of the fortress through an underground secret passage. The Sword King, Li Qianqiu, stood guard alone inside the fortress. Behind him, three thousand seven hundred individuals with blank bloodlines lay on the ground, struggling and convulsing. The Sword King glanced at them, his eyes filled with an incredibly complex emotion.
“By rights, I should kill you all so you don't fall into enemy hands… but I cannot bring myself to do it.”
He hesitated for a long time but ultimately did not act.
“I am leaving now. Who will stop me? And I will not use a secret passage; I will walk out the main gate.”
To Li Qianqiu’s words, Shu Tingyu replied.
“Please, go ahead!”
“The two Grandmasters from Wu and Chu do not intend to stop or kill me?”
“Go!”
They could, of course, capture or kill Li Qianqiu. But it would come at a great cost; one of the two Grandmasters would surely die. If Li Qianqiu fought to the death, he certainly had the skill to take one of them with him to the afterlife. And so, the two thousand warriors of the Hidden Yuan Society parted to make way, allowing Li Qianqiu to leave safely. As he departed, he looked back, tears welling in his eyes.
“I, Li Qianqiu, will never forget this day’s humiliation!”
Then, filled with incomparable grief and indignation, he left the fortress. Shu Tingyu gave an order, and a dozen alchemists rushed inside, slitting the veins of the imbeciles to draw blood. They then separated the serum from the blood.
“They are indeed the ones known as people with blank bloodlines. It matches the data recorded by Shen Lang and the experimental records from Fudao Mountain. All nineteen subjects we tested have blank bloodlines. These people are Shen Lang’s lifeline, the ones who will become the new Nirvana Army.”
Just then, Shu Tingyu of the Hidden Yuan Society spoke.
“Our Hidden Yuan Society shall take one thousand of them!”
Hearing this, Zhuo Xiao’an and Xue Xue looked surprised, though they were not truly shocked. The Hidden Yuan Society had expended the most effort in capturing these three thousand seven hundred people; it was only natural they would want something in return.
“Agreed!”
“Very well!”
And so, the three powers divided the three thousand seven hundred people on the spot, as if splitting stolen goods. The Hidden Yuan Society took one thousand, while the Crown Prince and the Third Prince each took one thousand three hundred and fifty.
***
Several hours later. The news reached the Marquis of Changping’s Estate, the Silver Pavilion—a branch of the Hidden Yuan Society—the Crown Prince’s Manor, and the Third Prince’s Manor simultaneously. Countless warhorses had been ridden to exhaustion to cover the one hundred and fifty *li* at full speed, with fresh mounts provided every twenty *li*.
“Master, terrible news, terrible news! The people with blank bloodlines have all been taken! All three thousand seven hundred of them have been taken.”
In an instant, Shen Lang felt as if he had been struck by lightning, unable to believe what he had just heard. A long moment passed before he let out a roar.
“Aaaargh! What was Li Qianqiu doing? The esteemed Sword King, what in the world was the Sword King… And what was Gou Duhuan doing? Hasn’t his martial skill been approaching the Master level recently? How could they lose them with two supreme experts and a thousand warriors guarding them? That’s my second Nirvana Army! Without them, how am I supposed to train a second Nirvana Army to defeat the Crown Prince and Ying Qi? Is Gou Duhuan an idiot? Why didn’t he kill them all instead of letting them fall into enemy hands?”
For the first time, Shen Lang flew into a rage, his roars audible from far away. It was a long while before he finally quieted down.
“Gou Duhuan did the right thing. Even if they fell into enemy hands, I couldn’t have killed them. They are all pitiful people!”
Shen Lang staggered into his room, his figure looking desolate and lonely. But the moment he was inside, that expression vanished without a trace.