“Immortal!”
“We are immortal.”
Lai Luofu raised the bloodied arrow and proclaimed loudly, “Everyone, did you see? I am you, and you will become like me. As long as you follow me closely and practice the art of resurrection, everyone, including your loved ones and friends, can be revived if you so desire.”
Heavens, what a concept!
These people had never witnessed true resurrection before. Today, they had their eyes opened wide by witnessing it on Chief Chen. Everyone was overwhelmed with excitement, some even crying out the names of their deceased relatives, feeling that joining the Fire Moth Party was truly worthwhile and valuable to follow.
Finally, they channeled their excitement into an oath:
“We swear to follow Chief Chen to the death, willing to go through fire and water for the Fire Moth Party without hesitation.”
Lai Luofu looked up at Shen Du and Zhu Yan on the city wall, her gaze challenging.
On the city wall, everyone’s expression was grave.
“She’s just a mirror person, coming here to deceive again,” Shen Du mused. It seemed like an incredible coincidence as if destined by fate.
“Jing Lin, defend the city!” he ordered.
Below the city wall, the group’s morale was high. Lai Luofu and Mo Qianzi seized this opportunity, raising their banners to begin the assault on the city.
With reinforcements yet to arrive and supplies intercepted, Shen Du fought alone, becoming a general without an army.
The enemy’s attack was fierce. As the city gate was about to be breached, Shen Du donned his armor and led his soldiers to charge out.
“Be careful!” Zhu Yan’s words of caution dissolved in the wind.
Originally, Mo Qianzi thought he would surely break through Yingzhou City this time. He planned to throw Shen Du into prison as a captive, and then Zhu Yan would be at his mercy. Without Zhu Yan, Shen Du would surely submit to him.
As for Pan Chi, he had never taken him seriously from the beginning.
But in the end, it was Shen Du’s side that emerged victorious. Watching the city gates close, once again barring them outside, Mo Qianzi felt frustrated. He finally realized that the Imperial Guards led by Shen Du were no pushovers. They were soldiers capable of fighting a hundred enemies each, weapons ready to kill at any moment.
Well done, Shen Du, you’ve truly grown up.
Zhu Yan, having some medical knowledge, had been helping tend to the wounded soldiers until late into the night before returning.
However, upon returning to her room, she found no trace of Shen Du. For some reason, Zhu Yan felt very uneasy. She turned to find Jing Lin, but he wasn’t there either.
Of course, having just been through a battle, Jing Lin would naturally be on the front lines arranging matters.
Zhu Yan sat restlessly, and then went to check on Pan Chi. She found him barely conscious, drifting between wakefulness and unconsciousness. She cut her wrist and fed Pan Chi a little blood to help him sleep more peacefully.
After doing all this and watching over him for a while, Zhu Yan’s mind was still preoccupied with Shen Du. She returned to her room to wait.
—
Night enveloped the entire Yingzhou City and the Fire Moth Party camp outside the city.
Shen Du crept along the nearby bushes towards the camp, thinking it would be difficult to enter.
Unexpectedly, there was no one guarding the main entrance.
After smoothly entering the camp, he discovered there were no patrols either.
The entire base was like an ordinary marketplace, with everyone moving about freely, walking in groups of two or three, chatting and laughing.
No one noticed him hiding in the shadows.
Shen Du became more vigilant, sensing something was amiss. He turned to go in another direction, only to find more half-faced ghosts gathered in one place, cheering excitedly and making a lot of noise.
Looking closely, he saw they were dividing up supplies.
The supplies were well-packaged, bearing the official seal used for transporting government provisions.
These were the supplies they had intercepted. Instead of storing them properly, they were openly distributing them. This was not Mo Qianzi’s style.
Shen Du became even more cautious, concealing his presence. He resisted the urge to intervene and moved away from the commotion, heading in a different direction towards the largest tent in the camp. He figured Lai Luofu must be there, and it would be a good opportunity to find the antidote.
However, what did he hear?
From inside the tent came the faint, intermittent voice of a woman. It wasn’t clear, but the voice was female, and Shen Du found it very familiar and unforgettable.
It was Lai Luofu’s voice.
But strangely, the tone and manner were not Lai Luofu’s. Could he have guessed wrong? Was it a maid inside?
Shen Du decided to wait and observe.
Besides Lai Luofu, another person was standing with their back to her.
The current Lai Luofu was unlike what he had seen during the day, more like a weak and helpless woman.
Listening carefully, it seemed she was pleading for something, but he couldn’t make out exactly what.
Narrowing his eyes, Shen Du wanted to get closer, but someone noticed movement in this direction.
He quickly hid as someone came to knock on the door. After a while, Lai Luofu opened the door, her expression rigid, her voice returning to that of Chen Huoe. Seeing the visitor, she turned and went back inside, with the person following her into the tent.
It wasn’t long before that person came out, their expression unchanged.
Shen Du harbored doubts. Just as he was about to slip into Lai Luofu’s room to seize the opportunity to demand the antidote, a cold glint flashed by. Shen Du quickly ducked to one side.
“Who’s there?”
Shen Du knew he had been discovered. Without waiting for the person to react, he snatched the dagger and slit their throat. The person fell to the ground, lifeless.
Without delay, Shen Du turned to leave the way he came, but it was too late.
The half-faced ghosts had surrounded Shen Du. One person, under the protection of former imperial soldiers, walked to the center of the circle. Upon seeing who it was, his eyes filled with mockery:
“Shen Du!”
Slowly turning to face the person with a cold expression, Shen Du calculated his chances of escape. His face remained calm as he twirled the dagger, appearing nonchalant.
“Let me guess, my good junior brother has won a battle but found himself without supplies, so he’s come to steal from us?”
The imperial soldiers, being well-trained, didn’t react, but the half-faced ghosts all burst into laughter upon hearing this.
Shen Du, having seen all sorts of situations, replied, “Of course not. Whatever could be stolen wasn’t from my Yingzhou City in the first place.”
He smiled after saying this, echoing Zhu Yan’s words.
In the darkness, Shen Du’s true face could only be seen by torchlight. Mo Qianzi, unable to bear this smile, suppressed his anger and said, “So you’re saying you’ve come to join us?”
Shen Du snorted coldly without answering.
Someone in the crowd jeered.
“The White King of Hell wants to join, do you want him?”
“No, no, we can’t afford him.”
“Leave his skin behind, I want that body when I’m resurrected.”
“Hahaha!”
Shen Du, who they thought would be provoked, remained very calm and said coolly, “Is this the help you want to build your ideal country with?”
This was directed at Mo Qianzi.
“If the ideal country is full of such rabble, this commander will not hesitate to slaughter them all.”
Mo Qianzi was also angered: “Enough talk. Now that you’re here, you should know there’s no going back.”
Shen Du replied mysteriously, “How do you know there aren’t ambush troops around?”
At these words, the surroundings fell silent. The people looked at each other, then towards the dark shadows around them, fearing that Imperial Guards with swords might suddenly rush out.
Mo Qianzi saw through it: “Everyone, don’t be fooled. He came alone. Otherwise, they would have come out by now. Are they waiting to watch you die?”
Shen Du admired him: “As expected of Yingzhou’s Prefect Mo Qianzi, excelling in both civil and military affairs.”
He looked at Mo Qianzi, his gaze determined. “This commander came today only seeking the antidote. Call out your Chief Chen.”
“That can be arranged. As long as you join us, the antidote will naturally be given to you.”
Shen Du shook his head: “Absolutely not.”
Mo Qianzi shook his head, adopting a pitying expression. He sighed, “Then don’t blame me for being impolite.”
With a wave of his hand, the people slowly tightened the circle around Shen Du, leaving him no escape.