"Form up—now!"
"What the hell are you all dawdling for?"
"Military orders are as unshakable as mountains! Do you all have a death wish?!"
Under the bellowing of the messenger, within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, 300 garrison soldiers had assembled in full.
Chen Sanshi was, of course, among them.
Leading the formation were Hundred-Household Officer Xiong and Hundred-Household Officer Liu—Thousand-Household Officer Xiang Tingchun was nowhere to be seen.
"Move out!"
With a single command, the entire unit set out in force.
"That was sudden."
This was Chen Sanshi's first real mission involving direct contact with the enemy. "Where's Hundred-Household Officer Wang?"
"He's not here," said Hundred-Household Officer Liu, walking over. "Early this morning, the Thousand-Household Officer summoned the heads of the four major martial halls to the Eight Treasures Restaurant under the pretext of a banquet. Then he ordered Hundred-Household Officer Wang and Hundred-Household Officer Luo to lead 200 men to 'accompany' them. They haven't returned yet."
A banquet?
Most likely a soft form of house arrest to prevent the martial halls from interfering with today's operation.
Seems like they really located the Witch God Sect's hiding place. Xiang Tingchun was set on obtaining that so-called immortal treasure.
'Guess there's no time for me to level up now.'
'Gotta adapt on the fly!'
Same principle as always—Chen Sanshi wasn't about to take huge risks for treasure.
With Xiang Tingchun personally involved, things had reached the level of battles between tempering organ martial artists. Even if he wanted to jump in, there was no opening.
Wait for a chance.
If one came, he'd take it. If not, so be it.
"Why would the Thousand-Household Officer lock down the martial halls just to catch some cultists? It got something to do with that 'bleeding them dry' business?"
Both Hundred-Household Officer Liu and Hundred-Household Officer Xiong felt something was off too.
But since no one from above explained, they didn't ask.
Some things... knowing more doesn't help.
"Sanshi," Liu said, patting his shoulder, "once we get there, don't charge ahead. Just lead your squad and stay in the rear to block the road."
"Fat Wang really treats you well."
Hundred-Household Officer Xiong hoisted his war axe. "For this favor, he even promised to do something unheard of—treat the two of us to Spring Full Pavilion after all this."
"Thank you, both Hundred-Household Officers."
Chen Sanshi stepped back and went to gather his own men.
"Haha!"
Zhu Tong looked fired up.
He'd already broken through to the tempering blood stage a few days ago and had been itching for action. "Finally! Time to kill some of those savages!"
Xu Wencai, on the other hand, was visibly trembling. The formation spear in his hand might as well have been a walking stick. He stammered, "My lord, I-I heard the Witch God Sect kills without blinking. I don't know any martial arts at all!"
"Trash. Why don't you just run away now?" Zhu Tong sneered as usual. "Coward."
"I'm not afraid to die!" Xu Wencai hugged his spear and shouted, "I'm just afraid of dying without anyone knowing!"
"Tch!" Zhu Tong couldn't even be bothered to respond.
Martial soldier Wang Li, however, was calm. "Flag Officer, sir, what should we do once we're there?"
"Follow orders from the Hundred-Household Officers."
Chen Sanshi looked at his men. "No need to panic. This is a sweep. Real experts will be handled by Thousand-Household Officer Xiang. At most, we'll be blocking the road. And honestly, ever since the day we enlisted, this day was bound to come sooner or later."
"You're right, sir," Wang Li nodded. "Better to get some real combat training now than freeze up on an actual battlefield later."
The squad fell in with the main force.
300 troops marched in full force toward Poyang County.
But their destination wasn't the county town.
About 5 li south of the southern gate of Poyang County stood a temple—Golden Bell Temple. That's where the Witch God Sect members had been hiding out recently.
It wasn't until yesterday that a Hundred-Household Officer who went to worship Buddha happened to spot something suspicious and reported it to the Thousand-Household.
Outside the southern city gate stood a small hill.
At the foot of the hill rose a tall green stone stele, more than 2 zhang high, with three large characters carved into its surface—"Golden Bell Temple."
Beside the stele, a winding flight of stone steps climbed gradually upward. Devout pilgrims formed a long line, ascending step by step toward the vermilion temple halfway up the mountain.
Though the number of visitors was large, the air remained unusually serene. Only the occasional toll of a deep bell echoed faintly through the ancient pines and cypresses, accompanied by threads of pale incense smoke drifting from within the temple buildings.
Outside the temple stood a teahouse for resting pilgrims.
Thousand-Household Officer Xiang Tingchun sat there on a long wooden bench, dressed in plain traveling clothes rather than his official uniform. He sipped his tea unhurriedly, expression calm and cold.
Two men sat beside him, both in plain attire as well—Hundred-Household Officer Feng and Hundred-Household Officer Zhao.
Hundred-Household Officer Feng lowered his voice and reported, "My lord, the garrison troops will arrive within half a stick of incense. They'll completely surround Golden Bell Temple. But... shouldn't we evacuate the civilians first?"
"Evacuate?"
Xiang Tingchun's face remained expressionless as he toyed with the tea cup in his hand. "If we evacuate them, won't that just tip off the Witch God Sect?"
"But..."
Hundred-Household Officer Feng hesitated, his voice full of unease. "There are more than 20 members of the Witch God Sect inside. Once the fight starts, it'll be chaotic. If we don't move the civilians out, a lot of innocent people will die."
Xiang Tingchun's voice turned cold. "A few commoners dying—what of it?"
"My lord... you..."
Both Feng and Zhao froze, unsure how to respond.
"To accomplish anything, there must be sacrifice," Xiang Tingchun said softly, setting down the cup with a faint clink. His tone grew deeper. "For one general's success, ten thousand bones must wither. The world has always been that way."
"But they're civilians," Feng said bravely. "I still think we should—"
"Enough."
Xiang Tingchun cut him off. "Feng Yong, Zhao Kang—listen to my order!"
"You two will each lead a small elite squad disguised as pilgrims and infiltrate the temple with me. At the same time, make sure Liu Jinkui and Xiong Qiu'an block every path down the mountain. If even one person escapes, I'll see to it that both of you pay dearly!"
"Yes, my lord!"
The two Hundred-Household Officers dared not say another word. They leapt to their feet and hurried away to relay the command.
…
After leaving the city, the 300 garrison soldiers quickly split up under the direction of each Hundred-Household Officer. They moved silently from every direction, encircling the hill where Golden Bell Temple stood. The entire operation was swift and orderly.
Chen Sanshi, along with Sub-Flag Officer Fang and 50 men, was assigned to guard the side path leading down the mountain. They hid on both sides of the road within the forest, tasked with blocking any cultist who tried to flee.
Sub-Flag Officer Fang spoke in a tone just loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Spearmen, block the road. Archers, find open spots with clear sightlines. Shield-bearers and saber-men, protect the spearmen. If anyone approaches—kill them immediately!"
"Each Witch God Sect head earns a martial soldier one bowl of Blood-Replenishing Soup. Formation grunts get 3 taels of fine silver! Those at higher cultivation stages—rewards will be handled separately!"
"When you hear a signal arrow from the mountain, that means the battle has begun!"
"The Thousand-Household Officer has given strict orders—don't let a single one of them leave alive!"
Once the instructions were given, the 50 men moved into their positions.
"My... my lord!"
Xu Wencai's red conical hat sat crooked on his head. His spear shook so badly it might fall from his hands. "I really can't fight!"
"Brother Zhu," Chen Sanshi said, "once the fighting starts, keep an eye on him."
"Chen, you're too soft on this old coward!"
Zhu Tong held a long spear in one hand, with a massive black iron war hammer strapped to his back—the weapon matching his chosen cultivation technique. Still, he carried a standard-issue spear in his grip.
Before becoming full martial officers, even martial soldiers had to fight as part of the formation. They couldn't break ranks or act freely—only officers could direct or move independently.
"Get over here!"
Zhu Tong yanked Xu Wencai over as easily as plucking up a chicken.
Everyone went silent. The air inside the forest grew thick with tension.
Many of them had never fought with real weapons before. How could they not be nervous? Still, with enough men around them, the fear was manageable.
"Chiu—"
No one knew how long they waited before a sharp, piercing cry suddenly split the silence.