Chapter 62: Triumph Achieved in a Single Battle

Wild Mountain Forest.

This place was filled with jagged rocks and lush vegetation, making it an ideal spot for an ambush. If everything were laid bare at a glance, what purpose would an ambush serve? Wouldn’t it be seen through immediately?

At this moment, Ji Wu was in poor condition—his clothes were in tatters, his body smeared with blood, and several wounds marked his flesh. The most severe was an arrow wound that grazed his shoulder, cutting away a chunk of flesh.

Though he was clearly the linchpin through whom both sides had woven their plans together, for the sake of thoroughness, Ji Wu had to take the long way round. He had fled through the mountain forest for days before finally reaching this place.

The Outlaw Champion had indeed formed a secret alliance with him, but very few among his men knew of it. Secret affairs are always kept close—how could they be made public? Thus, the pursuit through the woods was all too real; his escape was no sham, save that he had scouted the direction in advance.

Even though the Outlaw Champion had tried to keep some of his best men by his side, the rest were more than enough to give Ji Wu a run for his life—they truly meant to kill him!

“Damn it all!” Ji Wu spat out a mouthful of blood. As the Wild Mountain Forest came into view, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, for the sake of caution, he had scouted the terrain back and forth several times after discussing the plan with the Outlaw Champion, learning where one could hide and where it was easy to conceal oneself. Otherwise, he might really have met his end here.

Blades and arrows know no mercy. Only when outnumbered does one truly grasp the meaning of “two fists can’t fend off four hands.” What’s more, it’s easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. Had his body not been tempered by the baptism of peach blossom petals, sharpening his senses, he might have taken an arrow right between the eyes.

And this, even after the Outlaw Champion had tried to restrain his experts from joining the hunt!

Luckily, he had built up a decade’s worth of inner strength; though wounded, he could endure. His appearance was ghastly, but his injuries were not life-threatening. Still, the ordeal had left him not only physically battered but also mentally exhausted.

But now, with Wild Mountain Forest looming ahead, his task was nearly complete.

Time to activate his hidden reserve!

“Bear King!” he shouted when he heard pursuers closing in from behind.

The Black Bear joined him!

The bear, which had been lurking along his escape route, charged forward. Without hesitation, Ji Wu leaped onto the bear’s back, wrapping his arms firmly around its neck.

“Go! Up the mountain!”

With his strength spent, Ji Wu could no longer keep running. At this point, there was no need to risk himself further—he could rely on the Bear King to escape danger.

Who said the Bear King was only good for fighting?

When it ran, it was a force of nature!

If not for the need to keep the pursuers on his trail, why would he have risked himself at all?

The Bear King, carrying Ji Wu, raced toward Wild Mountain Forest, scrambling up a hill and taking shelter behind a huge boulder.

“Outlaw Champion! Instead of fleeing, you dare chase me here? When the imperial army arrives, you’ll never leave alive!” Ji Wu shouted from behind the rock.

“You little scoundrel! Relying on that black bear, you’ve injured my brothers time and again. I will never forgive you!” Before long, the Outlaw Champion led a large force to the foot of the hill in the rocky forest, his voice frigid as ice. “Since when do imperial lapdogs dare venture this deep into the mountains? If you come out now, I might grant you a swift death. But if I catch you, you’ll beg for life and plead for death, in vain!”

“A cur without a home—how dare you prattle on? Lord Liu Sanyuan, cunning as a fox, has already predicted you have no way out. If you surrender now, I might even speak well of you, and perhaps you’ll keep your corpse whole!”

As he taunted his foes, Ji Wu urged the Bear King to carry him further up the mountain. Arrows flew from below, but they fell short by more than thirty feet, their force expended.

“Just a fleeing rat!” the Outlaw Champion roared. “Brothers, this man and his bear have exposed our movements time and again. If we don’t finish him, not even these mountains will offer us refuge. Now is our chance! Avenge our brothers—kill him, and silver awaits!”

At his command, the enemy surged up the hill.

Only a dozen or so skilled fighters remained at the Outlaw Champion’s side, watching coldly as the others advanced.

After more than half a quarter-hour, suddenly, a rain of arrows swept down!

“Ambush!”

“Enemy attack!”

“There’s an ambush on the mountain!”

Cries rang out as the imperial troops, lying in wait, finally sprang their trap.

“Retreat!” shouted the Outlaw Champion, who had stayed below. Without hesitation, he and his elite vanished at speed.

The imperial soldiers gave chase, but this place that served so well for ambushes also provided excellent cover for a retreat. The pursuit wound through the forest, and those elite fighters vanished without a trace.

Fortunately, though the Outlaw Champion himself had escaped, his men had truly fallen into the imperial net.

They were the ones left with no escape, trapped and doomed.

...

That night, Ji Wu lay on his bed, swathed in bandages, eyes closed, gathering his strength.

Suddenly, a servant’s startled cry came from outside.

“Greetings, Lord Liu!”

“Hush—don’t disturb the hero’s rest. How is his condition?”

“Lord Liu, Master Ji is covered in bruises, some quite fearsome. He took an arrow in the shoulder, but there was no poison. With a few days’ rest, he should recover.”

“That’s good.”

After this brief exchange, the door was quietly pushed open, and Liu Qingfeng entered.

“My lord,” Ji Wu said, trying to rise at the sound.

Liu Qingfeng hurried over. “Don’t move, don’t move! You must rest. If anything happens to you, I’d have a hard time explaining it to the court.”

“How did the battle fare?” Though tightly bound in bandages, Ji Wu’s spirit was strong, and he asked directly.

“The plan to lure the enemy deep was a resounding success. Our forces won a great victory.” Liu Qingfeng’s face carried a trace of a smile, which quickly faded, his brow creasing. “It’s a pity the Outlaw Champion saw danger and fled without hesitation. We failed to capture him.”

“The Outlaw Champion has eluded the court’s grasp for over a decade—he must be remarkably shrewd. Still, with your plan, his forces have been wiped out. For years to come, he’ll be unable to stir up trouble. That alone is a great service to the Western Hills region, my lord. Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Ji Wu said with sincerity.

“Truth be told, this victory is owed to you. You risked your life to lure the enemy in, ensuring our triumph. Without this, it would have been nearly impossible to root them out before the autumn harvest. And taking into account all your previous merits, which I will not list here, your accomplishments far surpass my own,” Liu Qingfeng said frankly. “Tell me, what reward do you seek?”