In the woods, Chen Chao narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at the large pot that was still steaming.
The fragrance of porridge mingled with the sea breeze and drifted toward them.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
“It’s a fat sheep!” he whispered, unable to conceal the excitement in his voice. “That’s an enormous pot of porridge—the rice is piled up like a mountain. That Goddess must have plenty more in her hands!”
The deputy general lay beside Chen Chao, staring at the camp with equal greed. “General, look at those sacks piled inside the tents. There must be dozens of them at the very least. Eight out of ten are filled with grain. And that porridge they’re cooking looks so white and fine—who knows, perhaps it’s all polished rice!”
“Hmph. I eat bran and wild greens every day.” Chen Chao licked his lips. “That damned woman is actually using polished rice to make porridge for those lowly refugees. What a waste!”
“Exactly!” the people beside him chimed in.
“Why not just kill them and take the grain?” Chen Chao was about to charge out with his saber, but the deputy general beside him grabbed him by the arm.
“General, don’t act rashly. The other side has a grand illusionist, after all. We still need to be cautious.”
As he spoke, the deputy general took a small bird from his robes. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary bird, but on closer inspection, it was made of wood.
The mechanical bird flew from his hand and silently circled the camp several times.
The people around them did not find this strange. Illusion arts were commonplace in Wuling Prefecture. Some illusionists made all sorts of peculiar props to make their illusions appear more realistic.
They might seem miraculous at first glance, but after seeing enough of them, people naturally stopped finding illusion arts so astonishing.
Inside the camp, Zhu Jingzhe was helping distribute the porridge when he seemed to sense something. He suddenly raised his head and keenly spotted the mechanical bird that had flown into the camp.
His pupils instantly contracted.
Once he realized what was happening, he didn’t bother handing out any more porridge. He turned and ran to find the person in charge, Pei Du.
“Young Master Pei, this is bad! Someone has their eyes on you. They’re planning to make trouble!”
Pei Du set down the ladle and pulled Zhu Jingzhe into a corner, asking in a low voice, “Don’t panic. Tell me slowly.”
Zhu Jingzhe raised his hand and pointed straight toward the sky. His voice tightened abruptly. “Young Master Pei, look at that bird.”
Pei Du followed the direction of his finger and saw a palm-sized bird circling above the camp.
“That isn’t a real bird.” Zhu Jingzhe looked uneasy. “It’s a mechanical bird made by an illusionist. Its belly most likely contains a large amount of hallucinogenic powder. Once the mechanism is activated, the powder will scatter down from the sky. Anyone who inhales it will immediately fall into an illusion, unable to distinguish reality from fantasy and becoming lost within the illusion.”
He spoke extremely quickly, as if afraid he would not have time to finish.
“The Zhu family has been made up of illusionists for generations. I’m not lying to you. I don’t know who sent this mechanical bird, but for it to appear above the camp, they clearly have evil intentions!”
As he reached the end, his gaze grew increasingly earnest.
“Young Master Pei, please believe me. I know that all of you in the Northern Pacification Army are good people. I would never harm you!”
“I believe you.” Pei Du patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll take extra precautions. You don’t need to worry so much.”
At those words, Zhu Jingzhe finally relaxed.
Pei Du did not hesitate any longer. He looked toward the soldiers behind him. “Shoot down that mechanical bird. Avoid the abdomen.”
“Yes!”
The bowstring rang out.
The mechanical bird’s wings shattered in midair, and the arrow had been fired with astonishing precision.
Zhu Jingzhe looked at what appeared to be an ordinary soldier and was utterly stunned by his archery.
Were these people even human?
How could a human be this strong?
At that moment, he had no idea what kind of people made up the Northern Pacification Prefecture. Those who could enter the military camp—especially those who had accompanied the Goddess south this time—were all exceptional talents chosen from among thousands.
Pei Du walked over and bent down to pick up the wreckage from the ground. He turned it over and examined it twice.
The mechanical bird had been crafted with exquisite precision. Indeed, traces of medicinal powder could faintly be seen inside its belly.
But apart from that, he could not make out anything else.
“Little Zhu.” He turned and beckoned to Zhu Jingzhe, who was still standing there in a daze. “Come take a look at this.”
“Oh, all right.” Zhu Jingzhe hurried over, took the mechanical bird with its missing wings, and carefully examined it by the firelight.
After a long while, he raised his head, his face filled with shame.
“Young Master Pei, the illusionist who made this bird is more skilled than I am. I can’t undo it.”
Pei Du lowered his eyes and thought for a moment.
Wuling City was currently under Chen Chao’s control. He was undoubtedly the one who had set his sights on the Northern Pacification Army.
Someone like Chen Chao, commanding nothing more than a rabble, was not much of a threat. But the illusions wielded by these illusionists were genuinely difficult to guard against.
He looked toward the soldier who had fired the arrow.
“Go find General Shen and General Feng. Tell them there may be trouble at the camp tonight and have them return immediately.”
Zhu Jingzhe gathered his courage and took a step forward.
“Young Master Pei, let this big brother protect you. I’ll go inform General Shen and General Feng.”
Pei Du said, “Little Zhu, we’re unfamiliar with illusion arts. You need to stay here at the camp.”
Zhu Jingzhe had no choice but to give up.
*
Meanwhile, Chen Chao and the others, hiding in the woods, waited for a long time, but no one in the camp showed any sign of falling into an illusion.
The deputy general was puzzled. “That’s strange. The mechanism in my mechanical bird should have activated, scattering the hallucinogenic powder over the camp. Why hasn’t anything happened to them?”
The more he thought about it, the more something seemed wrong.
Chen Chao, however, had no patience for such concerns.
His eyes remained glued to the large pot in the clearing. As he watched the white porridge being ladled into the bamboo tubes of the refugees, his heart felt as though it were being sliced apart again and again with a dull knife.
At last, he slapped his thigh and abruptly stood up. The flesh on his face trembled with anger.
“Enough waiting! If we wait any longer, those good bowls of porridge will all be swallowed by that pack of lowlifes! What are my two thousand brothers supposed to drink—fresh air?!”
Deputy General Zhu urged him, “General, that self-proclaimed Goddess and grand illusionist hasn’t shown herself yet. We should proceed with caution!”
“Deputy General Zhu, if you ask me, you’re just a coward. What kind of grand illusionist could there be in a godforsaken place like this?”
Another deputy general mocked Deputy General Zhu. Then he turned and fawned over Chen Chao.
“General, I saw everything clearly. There’s only a group of cooks and healers in that camp, along with a few dozen soldiers. I doubt there’s even a single capable fighter among them. There are plenty of women in there, too. When have women ever known how to fight?”
“General, it’s already getting dark. This is the perfect time to strike. We can’t let this opportunity pass!”
Chen Chao had already been salivating over the camp’s provisions. With the others egging him on, his last trace of hesitation vanished.
He shoved aside Deputy General Zhu, who was still trying to dissuade him, then drew his saber, mounted his horse, and pointed the blade toward the sky.
“Brothers, follow me! Kill them, and all that fine white grain will be ours!”
Seeing Chen Chao lead his men toward the camp, Deputy General Zhu could only grit his teeth and follow. He also took out a flute and blew into it.
The next moment, a massive shadow slowly rose from beneath the surface of the sea in the distance, sending waves crashing against the reefs.
The monster opened its cavernous maw, its fangs glinting menacingly. Lit by the campfire, it looked all the more terrifying.
The people in the camp screamed in terror, shrinking back as they scooped up their children and hurried into the tents.
The scene descended into chaos in an instant.
