Chapter 00151: Reunion
# Reunion
Chapter 151
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 151: Reunion
Pei and Wu joined forces, having already plotted against him once before!
Wu Shaoyi launched a surprise attack on Xianling Village, while Pei Xinyong struck at the Whistle Rock, and it was his Lu Yao's men who suffered the losses.
Who said Pei Xinyong couldn't employ the same trick again?
If Pei and Wu were to collaborate once more, it meant that the mist would no longer hinder Pei Xinyong.
The only ones trapped and suffering here would be his Lu Yao's side!
Pei Xinyong was in the open, while Wu Shaoyi operated in the shadows, their combined forces exceeding two thousand, while his own subordinates numbered only four to five hundred, most of whom were defectors.
How could he handle the attacks from both of them simultaneously?
This was bad! Since when had he found himself in such a crisis without realizing it?
The more Lu Yao thought, the deeper his heart sank, yet his anger surged rapidly.
What did it matter if he was trapped in a desperate situation? Would he just sit and wait for death? These two had played him more than once.
Even if the timing, location, and support were not on his side, if Pei and Wu wanted to deal with him, they would have to pay a painful price!
His expression remained impassive, but Pei Xinyong noticed the tightening of his jaw muscles, clearly indicating he was gritting his teeth.
The purple marten was still perched in the trees, and Pei Xinyong believed Lu Yao must have seen it clearly, yet he hesitated to ask.
This meant that Lu Yao likely already knew Wu Shaoyi was still alive.
If that were the case, why was he still seeking him out, treating him as the commander, and insisting on pursuing the soldiers ahead? Why?
Because once Pei Xinyong learned that Wu Shaoyi was still alive, he might very well turn back to his old ally and jointly encircle Lu Yao.
So, this Lu was hastily closing in, intending to strike first?
As long as Pei Xinyong died, the Pei army would be leaderless, significantly reducing the threat.
At that point, Lu Yao could turn around to deal with Wu Shaoyi, and he wouldn’t be without a chance.
After all, Wu Shaoyi had fought fiercely against the Crocodile God and was likely heavily injured if he hadn’t died.
If Lu Yao wanted to seek life amidst death, this was probably the only method left.
Right, strictly speaking, Lu Yao was not entirely isolated on this mountain path.
Thinking of this, Pei Xinyong sighed, “What now? Your Red Falcon can’t take flight anymore, can it?”
“My wings are broken. We can only wait here. The enemy is hastily setting up their formation; it shouldn’t last long. The mist should clear in a while, right?” Lu Yao said, feigning bravado. “Didn’t I feel like there was someone standing in the mist ahead just now?”
“Wooden stake,” Pei Xinyong replied calmly. “By the way, what deep-seated hatred do you have with the soldiers that you must pursue them relentlessly?”
“That dog official He plotted against me!” Lu Yao’s eyes glinted with hatred as he recounted how He Chunhua had sowed discord among the three armies and obstructed their meeting, then added, “You and Wu Shaoyi have both fallen for his tricks!”
“If that’s the case, were you and he drinking and eating fish in the village as a delaying tactic?”
“Exactly! The person who informed you must have been sent by him,” Lu Yao sneered. “We’re fighting among ourselves, just playing into his hands.”
“He only has three hundred men, and they’re accompanied by women and children. Can’t you handle them?” Pei Xinyong pondered. “Didn’t you have seven hundred men at Whistle Rock?” That made nearly a thousand combined.
“I want to keep him as a sacrifice for our banner!” This was the biggest flaw in Lu Yao’s entire argument, one he was aware of but could only stubbornly deny.
Was he afraid that his strength would be diminished and he wouldn’t be able to compete with these two dogs when they met?
“Don’t believe me?” Lu Yao said coldly. “Otherwise, why are the soldiers fleeing now?”
As soon as he finished speaking, two screams rang out from behind.
The combined forces of Pei and Lu exceeded two thousand, and the narrow mountain path caused the formation to stretch long.
The thick mist obscured their view, making it impossible to see the end of the line from their perspective.
Both were on high alert, and the two screams snapped the last thread of tension in their hearts.
Lu Yao shouted, “What’s going on?”
The rear shouted, “General, two of our brothers have been shot!”
Suddenly, another four or five people screamed in agony.
The formation fell into chaos, and everyone drew their blades.
In the midst of the mist, they had no idea where the enemy was attacking from; just the sudden ambush had made the bandits feel anxious and look around in fear.
Lu Yao also roared, “Something’s amiss, stay alert!”
“Form up!” Pei Xinyong frowned and turned around.
In such a narrow mountain path, it was impossible to form an effective battle array.
Just as he turned, he caught a glimpse of a cold flash out of the corner of his eye, rushing toward his neck.
The overwhelming killing intent made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
With a clang of metal, at the critical moment, he raised his hand with the page hammer to block the strike.
When mounted, his most effective weapon was the page hammer.
Of course, Pei Xinyong also realized that the one who had struck with the hidden axe was none other than Lu Yao himself!
As Lu Yao launched his attack, three of his subordinates surged forward simultaneously, aiming directly at Pei Xinyong’s personal guards behind him.
At that moment, the screams from the rear had just begun, and everyone’s attention was focused on the back of the formation, unaware that death was right beside them.
One of Pei Xinyong’s personal guards was beheaded, dying cleanly, while another was stabbed in the lower back, and when the enemy pulled out the blade, his intestines were dragged out along with it.
The third took advantage of the moment when Pei Xinyong and Lu Yao were engaged, leaping up with a wolf-toothed club, aiming a heavy blow down at his head!
If this hit, Pei Xinyong would be killed instantly.
Fortunately, there was no “if.” Pei Xinyong blocked Lu Yao’s sneak attack with his right hand, not looking back, and with a diagonal strike of his left-hand page hammer, he deflected the wolf-toothed club, then followed through with a counterattack, smashing the armored bandit’s chest, breaking his ribs and injuring his lungs, sending him flying two zhang away.
The wolf-toothed club was well-known, but the page hammer was no less formidable.
Both weapons were blunt, causing harm with sheer force.
The hammerhead of the page hammer was also hexagonal, resembling an opened book page, concentrating its destructive power on a single “page,” making it common for opponents to suffer broken bones and internal injuries.
These things usually appeared in pairs.
Once Pei Xinyong dealt with the wolf-toothed club behind him, his subordinates reacted and rushed forward to protect their master.
The two forces that had coexisted peacefully for over an hour suddenly clashed.
The two great generals fought fiercely, and Pei Xinyong sneered, “You’ve already plotted against Wu Shaoyi; can’t you resist striking again?”
Lu Yao fought with all his might, not uttering a word.
Since the mask had been torn off, he needed to kill Pei Xinyong in the shortest time possible and scatter the Pei army, only then would he have the strength to deal with the impending crisis!
……
The mountain path was in chaos, with bandits fighting in pairs everywhere.
He Lingchuan and Lian Deng quietly retreated with two horses.
Fortunately, the thick mist provided cover, allowing them to disappear from others’ sight after taking a few steps back.
After they had shot their arrows, they mimicked two screams, causing the scene to erupt into chaos.
This was the effect He Lingchuan wanted; only in murky waters could one fish, no, catch horses, so he lowered his head and slipped into the battlefield, grabbing a dead man’s horse and running out.
This was what was commonly referred to as the chaos of soldiers and horses; no one even noticed when a horse was lost.
In the crowd of fighters, there were often unidentified projectiles thrown, so He Lingchuan and his companion carefully distanced themselves before leaping onto their horses and following the mountain path to pursue the soldiers.
Their strength was too insignificant here; they needed reinforcements.
For He Lingchuan, who had元力 protecting him, finding his way was not a problem at all.
Soon, the mist was left behind.
Before them was a clear sky and bright sunlight, stretching for miles.
Unexpectedly, after running less than two li, the sound of hooves suddenly arose ahead, and there were many of them, coming straight toward them.
He Lingchuan’s heart leaped.
Could it be?
After a few breaths, the front line turned around a bend, revealing its true form:
A flag waved in the wind, displaying the large character “Crane.”
Crane?
He Lingchuan’s first thought was of the He Bei Zhe Chong Fu, which his father had written to for reinforcements.
This troop hadn’t expected to encounter someone around the corner; several riders in front suddenly pulled up sharply, and someone shouted, “Young Master!”
He Lingchuan was taken aback by the familiar voice and focused his gaze, only to find it was Mao Tao!
“Young Master!” Several riders emerged from the crowd, including Zeng Feixiong and Zhao Qinghe, bringing with them familiar faces from the supporting army, all of them overjoyed, “You’re alive! You’ve survived!”
“How could I die so easily?”
Zhao Qinghe sighed, “The lord was right; you truly are a blessed general!”
The two generals approached, and Zeng Feixiong introduced to He Lingchuan, “The He Bei Zhe Chong Fu received the message and immediately dispatched troops for support, coincidentally meeting us on the way. Lord He has assigned us to the supporting army to assist in killing the enemy. This is Deputy Zhao, and this is Captain Li!”
He Lingchuan immediately saluted the two generals, noticing the imposing presence of the Zhe Chong Fu troops behind them, which looked to have at least seven to eight hundred men; the supporting army also had nearly two hundred following, clearly indicating that He Chunhua, after ensuring his safety, intended to turn from defense to offense.
Lian Deng was impatient, coughing several times, “Young Master He, the urgent matter is at hand!”
“Right, the urgent matter!” He Lingchuan suddenly realized, “Gentlemen, the Lu bandit who harmed the civilians of Xianling Village and caused me to fall off the cliff is currently in the mist behind us, fighting with Pei Xinyong! Why don’t we take advantage of this?”
Taking advantage, picking peaches—who wouldn’t like such a good deal? Zhao Qinghe and Li Captain looked solemn: “We are indeed going to punish these rebels; let’s go!”
On the way, He Lingchuan briefly explained his experiences in the mist to everyone and introduced Lian Deng: “This one is under Wu Shaoyi; Wu Shaoyi is willing to submit to the court and fight alongside us.”
With a thousand soldiers, they marched gallantly toward the misty battlefield.
The two li mountain path was crossed in the blink of an eye, and ahead lay the mist-covered mountains.
Before them was the chaotic battle zone, and they could hear the clashing of metal.
Everyone exchanged glances, drew their weapons, and deliberately slowed their pace.
……
Just after fending off Lu Yao’s sneak attack, Pei Xinyong felt something was amiss.
The enemy had struck first, targeting his subordinates, and thus, from the originally more than twenty personal guards beside Pei Xinyong, only six or seven remained after just a few moments.
Fortunately, these six or seven were the elite among the elite, managing to withstand the enemy’s storm-like assault.
Pei Xinyong’s army had over a thousand men, yet they were effectively separated by Lu Yao’s forces, unable to provide rescue.
The current situation had turned into Pei Xinyong and his seven or eight men huddling together to resist Lu Yao’s attack.
Outside of Lu Yao’s forces was Pei Xinyong’s army.
Although the Pei army fought desperately to rescue their master, the narrow terrain made it impossible to form an effective offensive.
Today there will also be an additional update, which will be provided later.
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(End of chapter)