Chapter 00262: A Tasty Counterattack
# A Tasty Counterattack
Chapter 262
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 262: A Tasty Counterattack
As he stood up, he subtly knocked a few times on his father's back, the signal meaning “be very careful.”
He Chuanhua looked at the two of them but didn't say a word.
The owner of the food stall pointed out the way for them: “There's a toilet in the back, but once you go in, don't look down.”
As the two exited the food stall, Dan Youjun whispered, “Look at these horses, they're all excellent racers.”
He Lingchuan initially didn't pay much attention, as today in Xinhong, they weren't lacking in cattle and horses.
It was only after Dan Youjun's reminder that he took a closer look.
The three horses were sleek and shiny, with long legs, willow-like ears, broad chests, and strong muscles, their eyes bright and spirited.
These horses were different from the dull ones used for pulling carts.
One of the horses was scratching at the ground, and Dan Youjun glanced at it and said, “All three are war horses. Their hooves and horseshoes were just replaced. I served as a cavalry in the north, I can't be mistaken.”
Did all three merchants have such good horses?
Dan Youjun urged, “We've traveled northward and only seen a few groups of merchants. The moment we reached Xinhong, they just happened to be here.”
In the northern part of Xia Prefecture, business was slow, and traders weren't making money, so fewer traveled this route.
He Lingchuan had traveled north with the food convoy and indeed hadn't seen many merchant groups on the way, not even a few scattered traders.
He took a deep breath. “Got it, let’s just look around outside for a bit and then head back.”
As the two took a few steps, a light glimmered behind them.
He Lingchuan turned around to see one of the merchants stepping out, one hand clutching his belly. “I need to use the toilet too. Haven't you found it yet?”
He Lingchuan pointed to the back of the food stall. “Haven't found it; isn't it supposed to be behind the noodle shop?”
“Follow me.” The merchant said as he darted into the alley behind the food stall.
The sky had turned dark, and the residents didn't turn on their lights, leaving the place shrouded in darkness.
On both sides of the alley were low walls less than seven feet high, but the trees were tall, providing cool shade during the day, so even more so at night when they blocked out the light.
The wind howled, leaves rustling, and the surroundings were dim and eerie, reminiscent of a ghost movie.
In such a place at this time, something surely was bound to happen.
After turning two corners, He Lingchuan asked the merchant who was walking briskly ahead, “How much longer? Why is the toilet so far?”
“Almost there, just a little ahead.”
“You seem quite familiar with this area?” He Lingchuan halted and laughed, “You often come here to relieve yourself?”
The merchant turned around. “Are you going or not? I'm in a hurry.”
He Lingchuan whispered something to Dan Youjun that the merchant couldn't hear, and then He Lingchuan spoke up, “I don't think you look like a merchant. Even soldiers wouldn’t have those good horses.”
The merchant scratched his head. “I don’t think you look like merchants either. What merchant still travels north at this time?” Suddenly, his expression tightened as he shouted, “Attack!”
He put down his hand that was scratching his head, but his wrist twisted, and with a swift sound, a hidden arrow shot out from the sleeve and directly aimed for He Lingchuan's face.
His eyes were sharp; he could tell that among the two, He Lingchuan held a higher status.
The sudden turn of events caught them off guard, and in the pitch-black alley, who could notice the dark arrow?
At the same time, two figures leaped out from behind the low walls, lunging towards He Lingchuan and Dan Youjun from behind.
From the very beginning, they had intended to deceive them into a trap for slaughter.
He Lingchuan was already prepared; he sidestepped to dodge the dark arrow, and with his left hand, he threw a fragrant explosive bomb on the ground.
An indescribable stench swiftly engulfed the narrow alley.
Coincidentally, at that moment, the wind died down, and the smell became overwhelmingly strong.
He Lingchuan and Dan Youjun both held their breath, but the three opponents were caught off guard by the sudden stench bomb and became flustered.
The merchant who had led He Lingchuan into the alley instinctively bent over and retched, while the two who had jumped the wall instinctively covered their mouths and noses as they struggled to steady themselves.
This was a natural physiological reaction.
What He Lingchuan had whispered to Dan Youjun only had two words: Hold your breath!
Their opponents were trying to ambush them, but weren't they also trying to ambush their opponents?
The person who had bent down to retch realized something was wrong just as he brought out his knife, but before he could hold his breath, He Lingchuan raised his wrist and fired a dark arrow to strike.
That arrow was a custom-made purple-gold sleeve arrow from Li Fubo; he had just received it the day before departure, and today was its debut.
Master Li’s special equipment was not comparable to the street-grade items the other person used.
As soon as that person straightened up, he felt a sharp pain beneath him —
One arrow, a direct hit!
He Lingchuan's rigorous training should have shown some results; besides, at such a close distance, how could he miss?
That merchant couldn't stand any longer and collapsed to the ground, rolling around and screaming in agony.
But He Lingchuan's cruelty didn't stop there; the sleeve arrow had a cord attached.
He effortlessly tugged it, and with a snap —
It broke.
That man ceased to scream and immediately fell unconscious.
The sensation of injuring someone with a hidden arrow was incredibly satisfying; the martial arts hall in Longxi City would never allow him to use such a lethal weapon.
He Lingchuan exhaled, turning to find his next opponent, who was entangled in battle with Dan Youjun.
This person not only reacted quickly, shrugging off his discomfort with the terrible stench to focus on fighting, but he was also quite fierce, clashing blades with Dan Youjun.
In the darkness, the sound of clashing steel sparked bright flashes.
He Lingchuan charged in with a kick, targeting the brief opening in the opponent's sword style to land a direct kick under their ribcage!
With his kicking strength, even a copper pancake would be flattened, let alone a person's body?
The man felt a sharp pain in his ribs, his body going numb, and his vision blackened, almost losing consciousness.
Dan Youjun followed up with a finishing blow, seizing the opportunity to cleave off the man's head.
As the final enemy rushed forward, wielding a spear, He Lingchuan effortlessly deflected it aside.
Seeing that both his companions had fallen, yet their opponent remained unharmed, he chose not to linger in the fight and turned to flee.
Among the three of them, he might not have the highest combat power, but he was certainly the fastest.
He took two strides, bracing a hand against the wall, directly vaulting over the dirt courtyard and turning into another alley.
Having arrived at Xinhong earlier than the other two, he was more familiar with the terrain.
Stealing a glance back, it appeared no one was chasing him.
He quickly planned to return and report the situation; this place had become a bit tricky.
By the time the main group arrived, he wanted to chop off these guys' heads to kick around like balls.
However, as he was about to take off running again, he suddenly felt a rush of wind at the back of his head, and a blade flew in from the sky, stabbing directly through his heart.
It exited through his front chest, a clean pass-through.
The man staggered forward a few steps before collapsing to the ground, dead.
How could a big knife strike true when he was already in the alley? He wore a look of disbelief.
He Lingchuan first retrieved the purple-gold sleeve arrow before following up to draw his sword.
This arrow had gotten dirty and was temporarily unusable.
Dan Youjun, following closely behind, was somewhat astonished.
He had just seen the boss swing out the long knife while the enemy already climbed the wall to escape, yet the knife unexpectedly curved mid-air and changed direction to chase after him.
He had heard of arrows, flying knives, or other magic tools that could chase after people, but never had he heard of long knives having such a special effect.
He Lingchuan pulled the cherished sword from the back of the deceased enemy, wiped off the bloodstains on his clothes, and sheathed it.
Of course, the characteristic of stabbing the fleeing enemy through the chest came from the floating life sword's attribute “One Throw, Certain Hit.” He Lingchuan felt this was far more useful than archery.
“Let’s head back.” Even their two toilet-goers weren't spared, let alone He Chuanhua.
Nevertheless, He Lingchuan wasn't too worried; his father also had cultivation in him and possessed many protective artifacts.
It wouldn't be too easy for others to deal with him.
The two hurried back; just as they reached the mouth of the alley, a loud explosion suddenly erupted from the east, illuminating all of Xinhong!
The blast was immense; the ground shook violently under their feet.
He Lingchuan's face went pale.
The county magistrate’s restaurant, hosting the banquet for Mo Zhe Jinxuan, seemed to be in that direction!
Inside the noodle shop, He Chuanhua, along with two merchants, was engaged in idle chatter, both sides a bit distracted.
With the sudden explosion, the owner, who had been about to serve water, stumbled and nearly fell as he grabbed onto a pillar to steady himself.
He Chuanhua, Mao Tao, and Jiao Tai instinctively turned their heads to look at the source of the sound.
The two merchants immediately drew weapons and charged at He Chuanhua.
However, they had barely reached three feet in front of He Chuanhua when a thin barrier of light suddenly appeared in front of them, adorned with intricate patterns, resembling snake skin.
Their attacks instantly grew sluggish, as if they were mired in mud.
This was He Chuanhua’s protective artifact activating automatically.
As soon as Jiao Tai turned his head, he realized the danger and shouted, “Dare you!” as he rushed in to guard his master.
He Chuanhua flung the red silk thread wrapped around his hand forward; it expanded into a net mid-air, ensnaring one of the enemies.
Sun Fuping's artifact was always effective, no matter the time.
At that moment, the wind-blown curtain suddenly lifted, startling everyone.
They saw He Lingchuan and Dan Youjun burst in simultaneously, shouting, “We’ve taken care of three outside!”
After that, it was clear-cut; the five of them pressured the opponent into a one-on-one duel, quickly overpowering him.
While Jiao Tai pummeled the enemy into near-death, He Chuanhua had already lifted the net from the ground and addressed the captive inside, “Explain clearly, what’s going on outside?”
The man laughed loudly, “Your leader is headed for the underworld! My brothers are here, ready to send you all along!”
He Chuanhua exchanged glances with his son, before asking, “How did you know when the food convoy would pass by here?” The food convoy had notified Xinhong to prepare only one day in advance.
These cavalry from Xunzhou patrolled through the northern part of Xia Prefecture, covering a vast area, so it shouldn't have been so swift to receive news.
The man grinned wickedly and remained silent.
“He's trying to buy time,” He Lingchuan saw through his intentions at a glance, “We need to hurry back to the camp!”
Jiao Tai slashed the captive's neck while ignoring the trembling owner clinging to the pillar, and He Lingchuan didn't forget to toss down a dozen copper coins as payment.
The five of them dashed out from the food stall, freeing the three good horses of the Xunzhou scouts, and jumped on.
Five people, three horses, in less than a hundred strides out they heard the thunderous sound of hooves:
A troop was approaching from the south, judging from the noise at least two to three hundred riders!
“Quicken!” He Chuanhua’s face paled, urging the steed to run faster.
The horses turned off the main street and headed straight for the food convoy's camp.
He Lingchuan looked back and saw a dark mass of cavalry behind them.
These people tore open their outer garments and cloaks to reveal military uniforms beneath; even if He Lingchuan had never seen such styles before, he could confidently determine that the newcomers were undoubtedly Xunzhou cavalry.
Clearly, these guys had long been lurking outside Xinhong, waiting for the explosion to take place before rushing in to kill and loot!
Ah, looking up, it was almost the end of the month; better ask for a monthly ticket.
(The End of This Chapter)