“General, should we go in?” Luo Teng asked.
Li Shuang’s face remained stoic. “Cover your mouths and noses. Let’s investigate.”
Following her order, they covered their faces with cloth. Luo Teng took the lead, lighting a torch and illuminating the entrance before carefully descending the stairs.
The staircase was deeper than expected, leading about twenty feet underground with no natural light. Only Luo Teng’s torch provided visibility. As they descended, the stench of decay intensified, but the seasoned warriors were accustomed to such odors.
Finally reaching the bottom, they entered a chamber roughly thirty feet long and ten feet wide. The sight before them was horrifying. Iron bars formed a prison cell, its gate broken and bent as if struck by a powerful beast. Inside, dried blood covered the floor, and corpses in various states of decay littered the ground.
At first glance, it was impossible to determine how many bodies were there.
As Li Shuang’s group entered the cell, she stopped Luo Teng. “Wait. There’s movement.” Just then, a pair of glowing green eyes flashed in the shadows, followed by low wolf growls.
The torch revealed a pack of wolves gnawing on corpses near the cell bars. The gruesome scene nearly made Luo Teng retch.
Recognizing the alpha wolf, Li Shuang kicked a small stone, hitting its nose. The wolf yelped and fled through a hole, followed by its pack.
“Damn it,” Luo Teng gagged. “How can these wolves stomach this stench?”
Believing the cell clear, Li Shuang took the torch and moved towards the center. Suddenly, a foul wind rushed at her. A guard shouted, “General, watch out!” as swords were drawn.
Li Shuang barely blocked the figure lunging at her. It was a person with long, matted hair and tattered clothes, possessing unnaturally strong power. “The scent,” it croaked in an old woman’s voice. “His scent…”
Shocked, Li Shuang’s torch was knocked away, clattering against the bars before rolling on the ground, still lit.
The flickering light revealed the attacker’s face: a wrinkled visage streaked with blood and signs of decay. Despite her decrepit appearance, she wore ornate jewel-encrusted clothing.
Li Shuang wondered about the old woman’s identity, having not noticed her earlier. Was her martial skill truly so advanced?
The old woman lunged for Li Shuang’s throat, but she dodged. As the torch dimmed, visibility worsened. Li Shuang realized she was at a disadvantage in the dark chamber.
Suddenly, a large sword pierced the old woman’s waist. She faltered, allowing Li Shuang to kick her away and shout, “Go up!” leading her group up the stairs.
Back in daylight, they gasped for fresh air. But the old woman emerged, fixated on Li Shuang. Two guards blocked her as she tried to grab Li Shuang’s neck. Her eyes were pitch black like a beast’s.
“Where is he?” she demanded. “Give him to me!” The wound from Luo Teng’s sword hadn’t bled, adding to the eerie scene.
“What kind of demon is this?” Luo Teng growled. “Taking a hit like that and still moving!”
As they struggled, the old woman paused. Two guards slashed her shoulders, but their blades seemed to strike iron, leaving her unharmed.
She sniffed the air. “I smell him…” With that, she bolted towards the forest’s edge.
“After her!” Li Shuang ordered.
Despite their swift pursuit, they couldn’t match her speed. Emerging from the forest, they heard a horse’s neigh. The old woman had stolen one of their mounts and was heading towards Long Feng Camp!
Li Shuang ordered one guard to stay behind while she and three others gave chase.
As they neared the camp, they heard commotion within. Li Shuang realized the powerful, seemingly invulnerable old woman had likely entered, causing chaos. She wondered if the woman was searching for Jin’an.
Riding into the camp, Li Shuang headed straight for the guards’ quarters. As expected, soldiers surrounded the ragged, terrifying old woman.
The woman kept sniffing the air, muttering, “Where are you?” as soldiers shifted positions around her.
“General!” Qin Lan called out. “This woman broke in”
“I know,” Li Shuang interrupted. “Where’s Jin’an?”
Before Qin Lan could answer, the old woman grinned. “I’ve found you.” She moved with inhuman speed, brushing off attacks from the soldiers as if they were nothing. Enraged, she flung aside over ten men with a single sweep of her arm, causing chaos in the camp.
She tore open the guards’ tent, revealing Jin’an standing at the entrance. “I’ve found you,” she said with an eerie smile.
Jin’an stared at her, his usual coldness tinged with confusion.
As the woman grabbed Jin’an’s throat, Li Shuang called out his name. The boy’s eyes cleared as if awakening from a trance.
The old woman tightened her grip, but Jin’an twisted free with an acrobatic move, kicking her chest in the process. She stumbled back, then lunged forward again. “You’re mine. I’ll take you with me, even in death,” she snarled, clawing at Jin’an’s face.
Their fierce battle destroyed the tent, exposing the fight to everyone.
Even the recently well-behaved Li Ting couldn’t resist peeking out. “My little master… is so powerful,” he gasped in awe.
All the soldiers watched in amazement. They knew the child Li Shuang had brought back was unusual, but no one imagined a boy of his age could fight with such agility and inner strength. Apart from Li Shuang herself, few present could match the old woman as Jin’an did.
Luo Teng, now dismounted beside Li Shuang, rubbed his neck. “Damn… This little brat might be able to kill me…”
Li Shuang remained composed, instructing, “Bring me my bow.”
A soldier quickly fetched it. Li Shuang nocked an arrow, aiming at the old woman. While others gaped at the incredible fight, Li Shuang had been observing keenly. The woman seemed impervious to pain everywhere except when Jin’an kicked her chest. Her heart must be her weakness.
Mounted on her horse, Li Shuang focused intently, waiting for the right moment. When the old woman’s back was turned during an aerial clash with Jin’an, Li Shuang released her arrow.
The arrow struck the woman’s back but became lodged between her shoulder blades, failing to pierce her heart.
Enraged, the old woman twisted unnaturally, fixing her black, hollow eyes on Li Shuang. She yanked out the arrow and hurled it at Jin’an, who dodged onto a tent roof. Instead of pursuing him, she turned her attention to Li Shuang.
“You stole what’s mine,” she mumbled, then attacked with blinding speed.
Qin Lan and Luo Teng rushed to protect Li Shuang, but before anyone could react, the old woman knocked Li Shuang from her horse, pinning her to the ground by the throat.
As everyone focused on Li Shuang’s peril, no one noticed Jin’an on the tent roof. Seeing Li Shuang in danger, his pupils constricted sharply. The mark on his chest surged, spreading up his neck to his face, until his eyes blazed a fiery red.