Chapter 43: Traces of Immortals on Guling Mountain
In just two days, one of the commanders had fallen ill, while the other had died. The remaining generals were extremely solemn, and the atmosphere was heavy with tension.
However, when their gazes swept over Wang Liu's corpse, a faint, peculiar smile appeared on the corners of their mouths. The stories of death by sexual overindulgence were well-known, but this was the first time they had witnessed it firsthand.
No one doubted the cause of Wang Liu's death. His notorious lust and indulgence were obvious to everyone.
"General Feng, with the Might Regiment now under your command, how should we handle this situation? We look to you for guidance!"
The other deputy commanders were far less experienced and esteemed than Deputy Commander Feng.
All the generals echoed in agreement, and Qin Sang joined in as well.
Deputy Commander Feng quickly waved his hand. "I lack the skill and knowledge to take charge… In my opinion, we should report this to the military commander and let him decide."
The military commander had been unconscious for some time. Qin Sang followed the other generals into the commander's tent, and when he saw the military commander’s sunken eyes and sallow complexion, he was startled.
The illness had truly struck with overwhelming force.
They ordered the army physician to wake the military commander. Deputy Commander Feng leaned in to briefly explain the situation. The military commander’s lifeless eyes suddenly widened, his face flushed with a sickly redness, and he began to cough violently, his lips trembling.
From the shape of his mouth, it seemed he was trying to say the word "useless."
In front of everyone, the military commander struggled to hand over the commander's seal to Deputy Commander Feng before losing consciousness.
By the time they had discussed how to handle Wang Liu's funeral arrangements, dawn had arrived.
When Qin Sang returned to his tent, he found Wu Chuanzong waiting inside.
"Sir," Wu Chuanzong hesitated before speaking, "how should we handle General Wang's funeral? I heard that the two women in the tent are to be executed?"
It seemed that Wang Liu's disgraceful deeds had spread through the camp overnight, even reaching Wu Chuanzong.
Qin Sang wasn’t surprised. Wang Liu’s arrogance had earned him many enemies who were more than happy to spread the news.
"Don’t speak carelessly after you leave," Qin Sang said lazily as he leaned back on his bear-skin chair. "General Feng has already issued a gag order. General Wang died from the stress of military duties, working tirelessly day and night. Naturally, those present inside and outside the tent at the time must die… Hmm?"
Qin Sang suddenly sat up straight. "Have you taken a liking to one of them?"
Wu Chuanzong’s face turned bright red, and he quickly waved his hands. "No, no… Sir, you misunderstood. I just heard that those two women were victims of General Wang’s cruelty. Back in Hening County, if it hadn’t been for you, my siblings and I would have either starved to death or been killed by marauding soldiers. I remember praying every day for heaven’s mercy, and then you appeared. I think those women must be feeling the same way I did back then…"
Qin Sang let out a thoughtful "oh." Wu Chuanzong had been by his side for some time, always adhering to his principles, and Qin Sang had never interfered.
"The wife of the county magistrate hanged herself in prison after learning the truth last night. The girl is still alive. I’ll go speak with General Feng soon and arrange for you to handle the aftermath. Make sure it's done cleanly."
"Understood!"
…
Guling Mountain, an ancient path thousands of years old.
Before a new military commander could be appointed, Deputy Commander Feng temporarily took charge of the Might Regiment.
With Wang Liu no longer in the way and the scouts providing confirmed intelligence on the location of the ancient path, Deputy Commander Feng immediately deployed half of his forces to Guling Pass to launch a feigned attack, diverting the enemy’s attention. Meanwhile, Qin Sang led the First, Eighth, and Logistics Regiments to clear the ancient path.
Qin Sang stood on the mountaintop at the entrance of the ancient path, looking out at the seemingly endless mountain ranges ahead.
Despite the overgrown vegetation, upon closer inspection, one could still make out traces of man-made chiseling on the cliffs.
It was hard to imagine how such a treacherous military road had been carved out of these steep mountains by sheer human effort.
"Do you remember where it is?"
Qin Sang turned to the herb gatherer beside him.
This herb gatherer was the one who had encountered an immortal on Guling Mountain and was later captured by Wang Liu. Wang Liu had kept him alive to silence others, and he had narrowly survived.
After finding the herb gatherer, Qin Sang had conversed with him several times. He didn’t seem like a madman, but he had been scared witless by the ferocious soldiers.
The herb gatherer, trembling, pointed deep into the ancient path. "I remember now, it's right over there."
Following the direction indicated by the herb gatherer's finger, Qin Sang's expression suddenly darkened. He coldly reprimanded, "How dare you lie to me! How could a few herb gatherers have ventured this far?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."
The herb gatherer's legs were shaking so badly that he nearly lost his balance. "I-I entered the mountain from over there. There's a beast trail w-where you can ride a donkey. Later, the wolves got them, and I-I got scared a-and lost my way..."
Qin Sang’s expression softened slightly. He nodded and ordered his men, "Down the mountain, clear the path!"
Even with the manpower from three regiments, clearing the path was no easy task. Some trees within the ancient path had grown so thick that it took several men to wrap their arms around them. These couldn't be cut down and had to be circumvented by carving out a new passage.
Fortunately, their objective was a surprise attack, and since the Raven's Mouth had a large warehouse guarded by enemy troops, they hadn’t brought much in the way of supplies and rations. The army was traveling light and fast, so even narrow paths could be managed.
Once the soldiers got the hang of it, they spread out, and their pace quickened. Within half a day, they had already advanced a considerable distance. At this rate, it wouldn’t take long to clear the ancient path completely.
After toiling for most of the day, Qin Sang finally finished organizing the men and was about to take the herb gatherer into the mountains to search when a commotion erupted ahead. A messenger hurried over, reporting, "General, there's been a landslide up ahead, blocking the ancient path."
"A landslide?"
Qin Sang’s expression shifted slightly. If the path was impassable, it could jeopardize more than just the timing of their attack.
"What exactly happened? How severe is it?"
The soldier hesitated before answering, "A section of the cliff broke off and crashed down. It looks a-as i-if it was sliced clean with a blade."
The soldier’s face was filled with disbelief.
Upon hearing this, Qin Sang's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He quickly ordered, "Take me there at once."
The soldiers at the front had already ventured deep into the mountains. After passing through two peaks, Qin Sang finally saw the collapsed section of the cliff. As the soldier had described, a large portion of the rock had broken away, and the break was smooth as glass, as if it had indeed been cut by a blade.
The fallen rocks had completely blocked the ancient path, leaving it impassable.
"Send word for the Logistics Regiment to bring up the equipment and clear the path!"
Qin Sang gave the order absentmindedly, then looked around before impatiently using his movement art[1] to scale the highest peak nearby.
The herb gatherer had said that the immortals he saw had flown in this direction!
Could it be that immortal cultivators had actually fought here in Guling Mountain?
Qin Sang’s heart raced with anticipation as he swiftly ascended to the mountaintop.
The peak had collapsed, rocks shattered, ancient trees snapped, and the vegetation was flattened.
In addition to this, there were scorch marks, and even more astonishingly, in some of the shadowed areas, remnants of ice crystals clung to the plants. It was as if this area had experienced all four seasons in a single night.
This scene instantly reminded Qin Sang of the banks of the Chenshui River, filling him with a mix of surprise and excitement.
1. motion or movement of one's martial art. ☜
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