chsdbacks Chapter 94 Draw the bow, shoot the eagle, and shatter the enemy's courage!
Chapter 94 Draw the bow, shoot the eagle, and shatter the enemy's courage!
Chapter 94 Draw the bow, shoot the eagle, and shatter the enemy's courage!
Guiku Ridge is located on the eastern side of the Songshan Mountain range, between Wuzhi Ridge and Jianshan Mountain, and its terrain is extremely steep.
"Lofty mountains and towering peaks" is not a joke. Mount Song is not just Mount Shaoshi and Mount Taishi, but a huge mountain range with the Qinling Mountains as its foundation.
Ghost Cry Ridge is characterized by its rugged rocks and numerous holes. When the mountain wind blows, it sounds like ghosts crying, hence its name. Ghost Cry Ridge has three peaks, three ridges, and three cliffs, from east to west:
Broken Arm Cliff, Soul-Stealing Peak, Tiger-Subduing Ridge!
Those who live a life of adventure, especially bodyguards who make a living on the edge of a knife, often have many taboos, particularly regarding their names, and they like to seek out auspicious names.
The escort agency is named "Tiger Might," but the mountain range in front of it is Crouching Tiger Ridge, which evokes a sense of desolation, like the young phoenix arriving at Falling Phoenix Slope or the Yang family generals arriving at Tiger's Mouth Chewing Sheep Valley.
Yin Jiu laughed loudly, "Damn it! We brothers have no scruples, I'll go scout ahead!"
Beitang Xin'er shook her head: "No! Golden-Armed Boy and Invincible Young Master are not fools. They will definitely not continue to split up their forces to probe, but will swarm in. If we split up, we will easily be defeated one by one."
Leng Feng had already seen through it. Beitang Xin'er seemed naive, but in reality she was knowledgeable and experienced, especially good at adapting to changing circumstances and coming up with all sorts of clever ideas. She was very quick-witted. Before Li Qingming could show off, she immediately took over the conversation.
"Miss Beitang, what should we do? I've heard that Ghost Cry Ridge is a treacherous place, full of thorns, poisonous weeds, and strange rocks. If we rashly enter, we'll be ambushed and have nowhere to go!"
"Wait! Let's eat first! Once we're all full and have plenty of energy, the reinforcements from the One-Shoulder King should arrive. After we see the signal, we'll attack from both the east and west sides and wipe out the bandits in one fell swoop!"
Beitang Xin'er pointed to the sky: "We agreed on a signal before we set off. When we see a thousand miles of fire, it's the signal for the whole army to attack. We're waiting, and so are the bandits who are lying in ambush. We might as well wait for them to tire themselves out."
Hearing this, the bodyguards calmed down.
The noodles and eggs were all gone, leaving only the dry rations I had with me, but having something to eat was better than nothing.
With reinforcements on their way, there was no need to worry about saving food. They took out all the dry rations and jerky, ate their fill, and prepared to fight the bandits to the death.
Escorts don't like fighting and usually prefer peace. However, if bandits don't give them a way out and provoke their ferocity, they will dare to fight to the death, even if it's the Taihang Knife Stronghold.
The bandits lying in ambush at Ghost Cry Ridge smelled the aroma coming from outside and their stomachs rumbled loudly.
Setting up an ambush is an extremely difficult task.
To remain hidden, they had to lie prone in the grass, enduring the damp, cold soil, mosquito bites, and mountain winds, gnawing on dry, cold rations, and drinking icy, bone-chilling water, without making a sound lest they be detected by their target.
The henchmen of Seven Kill Valley and Soul Broken Valley would always have a feast of wine and meat before going out to ambush, and would receive a large reward after the mission was accomplished, which they would then indulge in revelry. However, this time the situation was too urgent, and they did not prepare much wine and meat.
The treacherous terrain of Ghost Cry Ridge became a disadvantage at this moment, as the mountain wind carried the aroma of roasted flatbread and dried meat into Ghost Cry Ridge, spreading to every corner.
What discipline do bandits have?
At least half of them couldn't sit still after smelling the aroma.
If it weren't for the terrifying reputations of the Golden-Armed Child and the Invincible Young Master, people would probably have already started making trouble.
Du Tiandao's eyes darted around, and he suggested, "Judging from the outside, they know there's an ambush, so they definitely won't rush in. Let's continue to squat here until we're too hungry to move, then they should come in!"
Why don't we take a break, eat and drink our fill, and then rush out together to catch them off guard!
Golden-Armed Boy, don't you have an undercover agent?
Let's see if we can send a message to the undercover agent!
I want to know Beitang Xin'er's plans.
The white-haired witch could stop Xu Qingya, but she couldn't stop Liu Qingci and the three thousand imperial guards. Such a commotion was enough that it would be a joke to say that Liu Qingci didn't know about it.
Liu Qingci possessed superhuman strength and was invincible with a bow and arrow.
"If Liu Qingci arrives with the Qilin Bow, he could easily pick off a few of us. I have a very bad feeling about this; it seems like we've been set up!"
Golden-Armed Boy sneered, "Du Tiandao, have you believed the nonsense of those wandering sorcerers? You're Black Tiger, scared out of your wits by the name 'Tiger Crouching Ridge.' We live on the edge, so why not be bolder? When I saw Broken Arm Cliff, I thought it was utter rubbish!"
The Invincible Young Master frowned: "I think Du Tiandao makes sense. Originally, we were able to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out and then launch a surprise attack. Now, the situation has reversed. The enemy is waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out, and we are the ones who are wasting our energy."
The golden-armed boy shouted, "Then what do we do? Should we go out and steal their food? Or should we break up the group?"
The Invincible Young Master sneered, "Eat! Tell the brothers to bring out all the food! These old foxes, they're out on a mission, they'll definitely be hiding food!"
Golden-Armed Boy pulled out two large flatbreads from his pocket and an oil paper package from his belt. Inside were finely sliced braised beef. He rolled the meat in the flatbreads, not caring whether they were cold or not, and rolled them all up whole.
"Pretty boy, do you want some?"
The golden-armed boy handed over a large pancake.
The Invincible Young Master covered his nose in disgust: "Could you please wash your hands? I know you're a brute, but a brute is just stupid, not slovenly!"
The golden-armed boy cursed, "Damn it! You pedantic scholars who spout classical phrases are no match for you, you bandit! You've taken my kindness for granted! Are you afraid I'll poison you? I've never bothered with poison!"
The Invincible Young Master retorted, "Yes, yes, yes! I was the one who created the poisonous smoke in the Red Plum Inn!"
Unable to argue with the Invincible Young Master, Golden-Armed Boy turned his head away and began to devour the meat-filled pancake. As for Du Tiandao, he didn't even glance at him from beginning to end.
Du Tiandao's pupils contracted slightly.
Last night, he received a note from the White-Haired Witch, which stated that Golden-Armed Child and Invincible Young Master were brothers. He initially found it strange, thinking that the White-Haired Witch was sowing discord between them. Now, it seems that the relationship between the two is indeed ambiguous.
Upon closer inspection, Golden-Armed Child and Invincible Young Master are about the same height, but Golden-Armed Child mainly cultivates body training, so he is more robust and his whole body is made of muscles.
Ignoring Kim Arm Boy's muscular physique, if you compare their facial features individually, you'll find that their eyes, noses, and ears are at least 60-70% similar.
Under normal circumstances, such a similar appearance would have been noticed long ago, but Jinbi Tong's physique was too muscular and his behavior was rude and irritable, which was completely different from the proud, aloof, elegant and clean-obsessed Invincible Prince.
Du Tiandao clenched his fist.
Damn it, an eighty-year-old mother is losing her child!
I almost got tricked by that barbarian, Golden-Armed Boy!
Du Tiandao's original plan was to seize the gold, then the three of them would join forces to eliminate the White-Haired Witch, then join forces with the Golden-Armed Boy to eliminate the Invincible Young Master, and finally find a way to kill the Golden-Armed Boy and keep the 200,000 taels of gold for themselves.
Now it seems that if he really did that, after getting rid of the White-Haired Witch, he would definitely be surrounded and killed by the Golden-Armed Child and the Invincible Young Master, and would die without a burial place!
It wasn't that Du Tiandao wasn't shrewd enough, but rather that this matter was too unexpected. Under normal circumstances, brothers should be quite similar in appearance, physique, speech, and behavior. It's impossible for the difference between brothers to be so great.
Du Tiandao forgot that—the dragon has nine sons, and each of them is different because the dragon mothers are all different!
Golden-Armed Boy and Invincible Young Master are brothers, not twins. They have the same father but not the same mother. Even if they had the same mother, their different upbringing would lead to completely different developments for the two brothers. In terms of career, both brothers would follow in their father's footsteps.
"Chirp chirp~~"
A whistle rang out from the woods.
The Golden-Armed Child laughed, "Gentlemen, my mole has arrived! That little wench, Beitang Xin'er, she never expected me to pull this trick!"
With that, the golden-armed boy strode into the woods.
Du Tiandao sneered: "Invincible Young Master, Golden-Armed Boy may seem rude, but he's actually cunning. How about we join forces to take him down after this is done?"
The Invincible Young Master sneered, "Didn't you say that to Golden-Armed Boy too? Du Tiandao, keep your little schemes to yourself, I'm not a fool!"
The two exchanged a few words, using their informational advantage to constantly set traps and ambushes for each other.
Before long, the golden-armed boy returned, holding a slip of paper: "Beitang Xin'er and Liu Qingci are planning to attack us from both sides. Their signal is 'Thousand-Mile Fire'! We should take the initiative, seize the caravan directly, and by the time Liu Qingci's army arrives, we'll be long gone!"
The Invincible Young Master's eyes lit up: "Why don't we turn the tables on them? Thousand-mile fire isn't particularly difficult to make. I have one right here. We can launch it from the back mountain and lure them in!"
Du Tiandao waved his hand: "No way! Who knows what Liu Qingci's Thousand-Mile Fire looks like? What if it's not a standard Thousand-Mile Fire, but a specially made one by the craftsmen of the Ministry of Works? Wouldn't that be counterproductive? Let's just charge out!"
Jinbi Tong rarely agreed: "I agree with Du Tiandao's plan. We must fight our way out! No matter how useless the imperial army is, they still have the advantage of weaponry. Our brothers won't last long."
"In that case, take a headcount!"
The three of them were not lone wolves.
Jinbi Tong had three top fighters under his command. The fourth leader, Tongtou Ke, and the third leader, Tieyi Sheng, were killed, but the second leader, Yin Qiangzi, was still alive and was leading his henchmen in a fierce charge.
Under the command of the Invincible Young Master are three stewards: the old steward Mr. Wuwei, the abandoned disciple of the Kunlun Sect Shi Guoqing, and the last steward, who is also the steward most trusted by the Invincible Young Master, is a giant eagle with a wingspan of nearly two zhang, a rare aerial combat unit.
Besides his own son Du Chang, Du Tiandao also had a steward and two skilled guards. One of them was skilled in light-footed kung fu and could walk over a row of candles without the candles burning. The other was skilled in using a slingshot, hitting the target every time, and was especially good at ambushing from the shadows.
Du Tiandao also had a junior brother who was proficient in the Thirteen Taibao Iron Bell Cover technique, making him invulnerable to swords and spears. However, the junior brother was quite upright and would never do something as despicable as robbing the imperial court's disaster relief funds.
If we compare the underlings, the servants of Tiandao Manor are the most elite, with perfect teamwork and strict discipline; the underlings of Qisha Valley are the most ruthless, enjoying indiscriminate killing; and the underlings of Duanhun Valley are the most treacherous, skilled in sneak attacks and assassinations.
After taking stock of everyone's manpower, Du Tiandao asked the most important question: "Gentlemen, has anyone seen the White-Haired Witch's face? What does she look like when she attacks? What should we do if she cooperates with Xu Qingya?"
The Invincible Young Master shook his head firmly: "The White-Haired Witch can't possibly cooperate with Xu Qingya! She needs Xu Qingya's essence and blood. With Xu Qingya's talent, if the White-Haired Witch can't obtain Xu Qingya's essence within six months, she'll never have another chance!"
Golden-Armed Child scoffed, "How could there be no chance? I've heard that Xu Qingya is a womanizer and a lecher. If the White-Haired Witch took off her mask, dyed her hair black, and offered herself as his concubine, as long as she's not too ugly, she'd have at least a 50% chance!"
At this point, Jinbi Tong continued to complain: "I think Lian Ni Chang's plan was exactly this: to let Xu Qingya capture her alive, then submit to him, expressing her willingness to be his slave, according to Xu Qingya's whims—"
Du Tiandao sneered, "Stop talking nonsense! If the White-Haired Witch dares to seduce Xu Qingya, she'll either be cleaved to death by the Spring and Autumn Sword Technique or beaten to death by the Queen! As long as she can stall for half an hour, everything will be fine!"
The two of them didn't look down on the white-haired witch, but they were about to go through a fierce battle and needed to adjust their emotions and dilute the psychological shadow brought by Xu Qingya. If they had a heavy stone pressing on their hearts, it would be difficult for them to exert their full strength.
"Kill them! Kill them all!"
'
"Hey! Leave the caravan behind!"
"Yang Huyun, prepare to die!"
"Beitang Xin'er, you didn't expect that, did you! Trying to attack me from both sides? I'll chop you to pieces first!"
The experts from Seven Kill Valley, Broken Soul Valley, and Heavenly Dao Manor rushed out of Ghost Cry Ridge in a swarm. The镖师 (bodyguards) of Tiger Might Escort Agency were already prepared, armed with weapons. Yang Huyun wanted to give orders, but his superior rank had the upper hand.
Tiger Might Escort Agency wanted to join Dragon Guard Manor, hoping for a secure retirement. Beitang Xin'er was the head steward of Dragon Guard Manor, and Tiger Might Escort Agency was under her control from top to bottom. Even if Yang Huyun wanted to give orders, his escorts might not obey them.
Beitang Xin'er shouted, "Chief Escort Yang, you are in charge of leading the charge. The Eighteen Swordsmen of Green Robes, you are in charge of setting up the defense line. As I just said, each of you should hold a position. The imperial reinforcements will arrive soon!"
Li Qingming and Leng Feng, you two must join forces to deal with Mr. Wuwei and fight against the enemy. You must not be careless!
Yin Jiu and Fang Shi, you two deal with the head steward of Tiandao Manor. This man is vicious and ruthless, and he is good at turning the tables in desperate situations. Only by cutting off his head can you truly kill him!
Chief镖头 Yang, you deal with Shi Guoqing!
Leave the rest to me!
Beitang Xin'er's command was methodical, but she was only thinking about how to deal with the managers of the three forces: Jinbi Tong, Du Tiandao, and Wudi Gongzi. Who should be assigned to deal with them?
Are we just going to let them kill indiscriminately?
The Invincible Young Master sneered and whistled, and the giant eagle swooped down from mid-air to grab Beitang Xin'er.
This giant eagle is an anomaly; it is enormous and incredibly strong. It can catch pigs and sheep alive. It can grab a fat pig, fly it into the air, throw it down to its death, and then feast on it. This is the standard hunting process.
Beitang Xin'er sneered disdainfully, reached into her robes, pulled out a Thousand-Mile Fire, and fired it at the giant eagle.
No matter how well-trained the giant eagle was, it could not shake off the habits of birds and beasts. It feared fire and subconsciously dodged to the side. The fire exploded with a "crack", scattering hundreds of sparks that ignited the giant eagle's feathers.
Before the Invincible Young Master and the others could react, a sharp shriek came from Ghost Cry Ridge. Immediately afterward, a figure stepped on the stones and leaped into the air, holding a Qilin bow in one hand and a wolf fang arrow in the other. He nocked the arrow, aimed at the giant eagle soaring in the air, released the bowstring, and the arrow flew like a shooting star.
Huang Family Bow Technique - Fierce Bow!
Under the fierce bow, not a single piece of armor remains!
With arrows clearing the way, they are invincible!
Infuse your inner strength into the arrow, and as it leaves the bowstring, it ignites an invisible flame, chasing the wind and lightning, piercing through the clouds!
"Waaah~~"
A piercing scream echoed from mid-air, followed by a spurt of foul-smelling blood. The giant eagle plummeted from the sky with a mournful cry, and only then did the crowd see the arrow flying through the air.
Liu Qingci laughed loudly, "Hahaha! You've fallen for my trick of luring the tiger away from the mountain! Your stronghold has been breached by me, and now your retreat has been completely blocked. Kneel down and surrender, and I will spare your life!"
Listen up, you shrimp soldiers and crab generals of Seven Kill Valley, Broken Soul Valley, and Heavenly Dao Manor! As long as you capture Golden Arm Boy, Invincible Young Master, and Du Tiandao, I will pardon all your sins, and you will still be innocent.
If you remain stubborn and resist to the bitter end, I will annihilate you in an instant. Spots are limited, and my patience is even more limited. Don't miss this opportunity!
Upon hearing this, the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves.
At the same time, a large number of soldiers poured out from both sides.
This is the real ambush!
>