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Chapter 156: Reconnaissance
Ji Zichen made his way to the inner city, guided by the guards, and arrived at the Inspection Grounds. There, twenty Black King Moths were stationed. Prince Huixin had already received word that Ji Zichen wished to see him, and he understood Kiko's intentions. "Are you here to inquire about the alliance?" Prince Huixin asked.
Noticing the crowd at the Inspection Grounds, Ji Zichen sensed something significant was happening. Although he was curious, he refrained from asking further. "Yes, but what are your thoughts on it, Your Highness?" he replied.
Prince Huixin answered honestly, "I’m not just looking at your villages; it’s those villagers who have their own motives. After all, they are not soldiers, and then there are those Gu Diao..."
Ji Zichen understood why Prince Huixin was troubled. "Your Highness, I just need you to refrain from making hasty conclusions. The Gu Diao are not inherently bad, and the villagers are sincere..."
Before Kiko could finish, Prince Huixin interjected, "I know what you’re saying. I don’t know how capable they are in battle, but I am aware of your abilities. Right now, I need your help with something."
Ji Zichen was taken aback. "You want me to help? What do you need?"
"I need capable individuals," Prince Huixin said. "I believe you are one of them. A large number of Hall of Malevolence Cultists have appeared near Zhang City. I want you to work with Commander Wei to crush those Cultists."
Ji Zichen responded in surprise, "Your Highness, if it were anything else, I could agree to help you, but this matter of fighting..."
Prince Huixin chuckled. "I’m not asking you to lead troops into battle; what I need is simple: protect Commander Wei’s safety. With your skills, this should be an easy task for you."
Ji Zichen hesitated. Prince Huixin continued, "If you agree, when you return, I promise I will meet with the Gu Diao and the village leaders."
With that assurance from Prince Huixin, Ji Zichen felt he could not refuse any longer. For the sake of a smooth alliance, he replied, "I will do my utmost to ensure Commander Wei's safety."
Prince Huixin laughed heartily. "I believe you can do it."
He glanced at Wei Ye, who waved for the soldiers to mount their Black King Moths. Wei Ye approached Ji Zichen and said, " Mr. Ji, let us ride together."
Leading a team of Black King Moths towards Zhang City, Wei Ye noted that despite their large size, each Black King Moth could only carry five soldiers. After half an hour of flight, they arrived at Zhang City. Once the soldiers dismounted from the Black King Moths, Wei Ye instructed someone to ride back to Qingyang City.
Ji Zichen asked, "Will these Black King Moths not participate in the battle? I believe having them would provide significant combat strength."
Wei Ye nodded. "You're not bad, but these Black King Moths are difficult to tame. Unless absolutely necessary, they shouldn't be sent into battle. For now, let them serve as transport; we can use them when needed."
Wei Ye led Ji Zichen and the other generals from Zhang City to meet. After some discussion, they decided to send out three reconnaissance teams to investigate the distribution of the Hall of Malevolence's forces. Wei Ye suggested that Ji Zichen lead one of the teams. Ji Zichen smiled and said, "Commander Wei, don't forget, the Crown Prince sent me to protect you."
Wei Ye chuckled. "I'm right here in Zhang City; what could possibly happen? Mr. Ji, you have considerable skills. This isn't about confronting those Cult members directly; think of it as a training opportunity."
Ji Zichen fell silent for a moment. Wei Ye continued, "The Crown Prince relies heavily on you, so please don't let him down."
At that moment, Ji Zichen realized he had fallen into Prince Huixin's trap. Seeing the eager gazes of the others upon him, he felt he couldn't delay any longer without losing face. Reluctantly, he agreed.
Seeing Ji Zichen nod, Wei Ye felt satisfied and reminded them to ensure they returned within the designated time without delay. Otherwise, if he received reports from others and saw an opportunity to launch an attack on the enemy's flank, their safety could not be guaranteed.
As night fell, Ji Zichen led his team out of the city. They did not slow their pace despite the darkness; instead, it benefited their reconnaissance efforts.
The darkness enveloped everything around them, and the damp ground emitted a foul odor. The twelve soldiers in the team slowly traversed a desolate landscape where trees had withered away, casting ghostly shadows in the fog. They squinted hard but could not penetrate the mist.
Ji Zichen guided his team through a dilapidated village situated on a flat hill base in the mountains. Occasionally, they spotted remnants of houses leaning haphazardly; it seemed as if they had been uprooted and then shattered into pieces. The soldiers understood that those who once lived here likely met a similar fate.
"I hope not all the villagers are dead," Man Chengwen expressed concern for their fate.
Man Chengwen was a soldier in the team. Ji Zichen heard his words but chose not to respond. Brutality and slaughter were not only visible on the battlefield; Ji Zichen had traveled to many places and had seen scenes like this before. He had long learned to numb himself to such horrors after witnessing many bloody sights himself.
No matter how terrifying the scene was, he had grown accustomed to it; after all, death was just death.
The stench of decay was strong here; so far, they had encountered over ten foul corpses. They had no time to bury them—no one was fortunate enough to remain whole; arms, legs, even heads had been severed. Some appeared to have been dismembered post-mortem. Witnessing this gruesome sight made the soldiers feel increasingly nauseated, their pain evident.
"This is truly tragic; those Cult members from the Hall of Malevolence are inhuman," Man Chengwen said with disgust.
Many soldiers stared at the corpses with unblinking eyes, fists clenched in rage.
There was no time to mourn for the villagers. Ji Zichen signaled for them to pass through the village quickly. They walked through the village and entered a dense forest, surrounded by an eerie silence; in such a secluded place, even the sound of breathing became an unbearable noise.
After just a few steps, they stopped, as Ji Zichen was unfamiliar with the road conditions here. In front of them was a fork in the road.
Ji Zichen frowned and asked, "Does anyone know the way here?"
Man Chengwen replied, "I know. Our target is Mountain Valley, five miles away. The middle path is the fastest route, but it’s also the easiest to be spotted. I suggest we take the right path; there are many thorny detours there. Even if we encounter those Cult members, we can use it as cover."
Ji Zichen thought this plan was feasible and said, "Then let’s go right. Keep your eyes peeled for any hidden sentries."
The group cautiously continued forward when Man Chengwen suddenly felt his foot bump against something. Startled, he looked down and saw a half-cut horse carcass lying on the ground, its intestines spilling out.
Feeling nauseous, Man Chengwen noticed several corpses nearby. The soldiers recognized them at once; they were Zhang City Soldiers who must have fought against the Cult here.
"They were all killed with a single blow," Ji Zichen speculated as he examined the wounds on the soldiers.
Man Chengwen noticed one corpse with wide-open eyes; this soldier had died without closing his eyes. With red-rimmed eyes, Man Chengwen stepped forward to close the soldier's eyes and said to Ji Zichen, "If we have a chance on our way back, I want to bring these bodies home."
Ji Zichen did not refuse Man Chengwen's request. They moved forward cautiously and soon began descending a slope.
Man Chengwen pointed ahead and said, "I remember there’s a fork not far ahead. Beyond that fork is a Gaoqiu that overlooks the entire Mountain Valley."
Ji Zichen gestured for everyone to move forward a bit more until they reached Man Chengwen's fork in the road. They paused at the intersection while Ji Zichen scanned their surroundings. "Hide; someone is coming."
The other soldiers heard faint footsteps in the distance—so subtle that one could easily miss them. They were all astonished and silently thought to themselves, "This person has incredible hearing."
They hid in the nearby overgrown grass and saw five figures approaching slowly. Man Chengwen focused intently and suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. "It's our people."
At that moment, Ji Zichen also recognized them; they were from another reconnaissance team. They were thrilled to see their comrades again when Ji Zichen and Yu Ren suddenly leaped out from the tall grass, startling the five soldiers half to death.
As the soldiers recognized the person before them, they let out a long sigh of relief. "It's you all."
Ji Zichen wasted no time. "What did you find?" he asked the five men.
"Nothing at all," one soldier replied. "There are many corpses on our way back, some of them are ours and some belong to the Cult. The numbers are about the same."
The soldiers collectively sighed again. After a fierce battle, countless comrades who had trained alongside them had already fallen in combat. Their friends had sacrificed themselves on the battlefield, while they felt helpless and unable to assist.
Although Ji Zichen sympathized with the fallen soldiers, he was not close to them and could not fully grasp their sorrow. Not wanting this negative emotion to spread, he asked, "How did you end up here?"
The new soldiers looked in the opposite direction. "We didn't know you would choose this route. We intended to head up to Gaoqiu; we came to scout ahead, while the others are right behind us."
One of the soldiers took out a bamboo tube and blew into it, producing a sound reminiscent of a nightingale.
Ji Zichen understood without further explanation that the soldier was signaling to those behind them.
However, after a long wait, no one appeared, and the soldiers waiting there began to feel anxious.
"What's going on? Why are they taking so long?" one soldier asked.
Ji Zichen pointed to five soldiers. "You go check on Gaoqiu; the rest of you come with me to look for them."
The soldiers nodded in agreement and split up to carry out their tasks.
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