After so many of Ji Bo’s patrols had been wiped out, the Ji army had grown increasingly cautious. Not only had they increased the number of soldiers in each patrol, they had also sent out more patrols—there was practically one every hour.
Thwack! Another Ji soldier’s head was hacked off.
The only Ji soldier left was so furious that his eyes nearly split open. He glared at the man who had slaughtered his comrades like dogs. “Wei Tai, it’s you!”
“You bastard! How dare you kill Ji soldiers? Aren’t you afraid that my Grand Chanyu will execute Chu Qing and the others, then have you tortured to death by a thousand cuts?”
He wanted to flee as well, but he knew he could not escape. Han bandits surrounded him on every side.
The man was none other than Wei Tai. A bloodthirsty smile tugged at his lips. He could not even be bothered to speak. He simply raised his saber and brought it down.
Not long after Ye Shang and the others entered the city, Chu Qing told Ye Shang about Wei Tai. If possible, he hoped they could rescue Wei Tai as soon as they could.
Whenever Chu Qing thought of Wei Tai having to endure the humiliation inflicted upon him daily by his enemy, Ji Bo, his heart felt as though it were being twisted by a knife. He could not bear to let his former friend and comrade continue suffering such disgrace.
That was why they had come up with this “cicada-shedding-its-shell” plan. It would not implicate the Han civilians.
Once Wei Tai had confirmed that Chu Qing and the others were all safe, he agreed to the plan.
The “bandit” who had gone to rescue him that day was Wen Ping.
After they escaped, Wen Ping asked him, “You have three choices now. The first is to return to Fengzhou and stay far away from the war. The second is to join the excavation team. The third is to join the enemy-harassment team and kill the Ji soldiers patrolling outside.”
Wei Tai chose the third option without the slightest hesitation. If circumstances had allowed it, he would have stormed straight into Wenxia City.
Wen Ping therefore assigned him to Yun Yu’s unit.
After all, Shuangjiang commanded a unit of female soldiers.
Nan Wen was quite far from their location at the time.
Clang!
Countless thoughts flashed through Wei Tai’s mind in an instant. Faced with the saber Wei Tai brought down at him, the soldier gripped his own weapon with both hands and blocked the strike.
Wei Tai twisted his wrist. His blade slid along the soldier’s saber and slashed toward the man’s throat.
The soldier hurriedly twisted aside to evade it, but Wei Tai’s blade was too fast. He failed to dodge completely, and the sharp edge sliced open his skin, splashing out a thread of blood.
Before he could retreat again, Wei Tai’s saber came down once more, bringing another burst of crimson.
As he watched the soldier’s headless corpse collapse, Wei Tai panted heavily and stared at the blood-soaked ground before him. It looked just like the cities invaded by the Ji army back then.
Yun Yu walked over and patted him on the shoulder. “You all right?”
Wei Tai suppressed the instinctive discomfort he felt at being touched and gave a quiet hum.
“Then hurry up and clean up the battlefield. What are you standing around posing for?” Yun Yu snorted.
Wei Tai pressed his thin lips tightly together, but a trace of relief flickered through his eyes.
He realized that he seemed to have forgotten how to communicate normally with people.
Once, he had been a spirited young man with a witty tongue. Whether he was facing an eighty-year-old elder or a three-year-old child, he could always handle himself with ease.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands. His fingers were long and slender, his knuckles sharply defined, yet they were covered in bloodstains. They were just like his body now. He could not help tightening his grip around his saber.
Deep in the mountains, shadows dappled the ground beneath the trees. Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves and fell across the bodies of Yun Yu and the others as they washed themselves. Blood dyed the entire stream red.
Yun Yu looked toward Wei Tai, who was washing alone in the distance. He was somewhat far away, but still within sight.
Yun Yu did not know what had happened to this handsome man, but Wei Tai had lived in Wenxia City for so long. Whatever had happened, it was probably nothing good.
A quarter of an hour later, everyone had finished washing. Bare-chested, their muscular upper bodies gleaming, they stood beneath the shade of the trees and dried their hair.
There were quite a few soldiers in the Jinyang Army who had cut their hair short. However, all those selected for special missions wore their hair long, so they would not be recognized.
Wei Tai was also bare-chested as he dried his hair. The towel in his hand carried a faint scent of sunlight. He had discovered that he liked the things these men used.
He did not even know which army they belonged to, yet they were carrying out the most secretive and insane missions.
And he had been rescued and was even fortunate enough to take part in them.
He had no interest in earning glory or establishing a great reputation. His only wishes in this life were to save his friend and exterminate every barbarian. For that goal, he was willing to do anything.
With his still-damp hair draped over his shoulders, Yun Yu began directing everyone in preparing lunch.
They used a small stove specially made for them, the kind that could be carried on one’s back. It burned special honeycomb briquettes and produced almost no smoke.
When compressed biscuits had first been introduced, they had all enjoyed them. But after eating them too often, they had lost their appeal.
Now, whenever conditions allowed, everyone preferred something hot and soupy, even though the weather was unbearably warm.
That day, they were having the latest creation from the food workshop: instant noodles made with special seasoning. The aroma was irresistible.
Yun Yu liked vegetables, so he had brought plenty of dried greens and added them to the noodles. The taste was incredible.
Before long, the dense fragrance of food drifted through the forest.
Even Wei Tai, who was not particularly devoted to food, secretly swallowed. It smelled unbelievably good!
It was an intense fragrance unlike anything he had ever smelled before, one that completely captivated the palate.
He was genuinely curious about who this force belonged to.
“Little Wei-Wei, come over! It’s time to eat!” Yun Yu shouted.
Wei Tai paused mid-motion. A moment later, he hurried over and accepted the strange container they called a stainless-steel mess tin. “Don’t call me that!”
Yun Yu readily agreed. “All right, Little Tai-Tai. Hurry and taste it. I put in plenty of dried vegetables for you.”
Wei Tai: “…”
After eating, the group had no time to rest and immediately began packing up.
It was the hottest part of summer, and the glaring sunlight made their eyes ache.
The clothes they had washed were almost dry under the fierce sun. They folded them and packed them into their backpacks.
Wei Tai wrapped a bar of soap, now dry of its moisture, in greaseproof paper and put it away. This kind of soap could quickly wash bloodstains from clothing and leave behind a faint herbal fragrance.
He had fought in wars before as well. Blood was difficult to wash from clothes, especially once it had dried and crusted. It was nearly impossible to remove completely.
Even after the stains were washed away, the clothes still retained an unpleasant, bloody odor.
The corners of his lips lifted involuntarily. This fierce fighting force lived in a way that was both rough and refined.
They were rough because, in order to hide among the enemy, they could lie motionless in the grass for several hours in such sweltering weather.
They could also move through deep mountains and dense forests as though walking on level ground, launching forced marches that lasted for hours at a time.
They were refined because they used soap to wash their clothes and bathe. Apparently, when they were in the army, they used scented soap for bathing. Now that they were out in the field and conditions were more limited, they all used ordinary soap instead.
And they not only ate their fill, they enjoyed a constantly changing variety of food. Supposedly, they had an industrial district with a food workshop devoted specifically to developing such dishes.
In short, this was an incredibly strange unit!
Even the backpacks they used were peculiar, though highly practical. They could hold all his clothes and daily necessities, while the pockets on either side were large enough for his canteen and an entrenching shovel.
The uniform he wore was also something he had never seen before. They called its color camouflage green. It was simple and easy to move in.
Most importantly, in a forest like this, it was extremely effective at concealing the wearer.
As he thought about it, he hoisted the backpack onto his shoulders and fastened the strap across his chest. It sat securely and barely hindered his movements.
