"But how did they get through the outer sentries on the mountain? When we fled back, we clearly told the sentries along the way to heighten their vigilance." Li Feiyu muttered to himself in confusion.
"There's nothing strange about that. The Wild Wolf Gang must have been plotting this major offensive for a long time. Planting a few spies among the outer guards would be child's play for them. With these traitors guiding the way, it would be perfectly ordinary for those outposts to fall silently."
Han Li's voice was cool and detached. "However, it's impossible for the Wild Wolf Gang to take all the branch halls easily. My guess is they intend to besiege each hall's mountain peak without actually attacking, then concentrate their other experts to focus their assault on the main peak — Sunset Peak — where the headquarters is located. As long as they can capture or kill our sect's leaders, the other halls will collapse on their own."
"Then what should we do now? Should we go to Sunset Peak?" Li Feiyu asked with growing urgency.
Han Li fell silent for a long while. Then he suddenly turned to face Li Feiyu and said in a low voice:
"You still haven't told me — there were so many experts in the negotiating team. How could they all be wiped out? The Wild Wolf Gang couldn't possibly have that much strength."
At these words, the muscles on Li Feiyu's face twitched involuntarily. He licked his cracked, peeling lips and said with a bitter smile:
"They deployed a massive number of repeating crossbows — reinforced military-grade ones."
"Military repeating crossbows?"
"Exactly."
"It was two days after we left the mountain. We were walking across a stretch of grassland. Since we were still in our own territory, everyone had let their guard down. That was when they struck. Countless Wild Wolf Gang members burst out from underground all around us, each one armed with a heavy crossbow. Then a sky-darkening volley of bolts came raining down. The sheer density of the arrows killed all the weaker disciples on the spot. Only a handful with exceptional martial arts or plain good luck managed to survive that onslaught — but every one of them was wounded and had their combat strength greatly diminished. I was one of the lucky ones, or I wouldn't have made it back at all."
Even as he spoke, Li Feiyu's voice carried a lingering tremor, and several threads of fear crept into his eyes. The terrifying vision of that massed volley had clearly left a deep impression on him.
"After the crossbow bolts ran out, their experts moved in, and we fell into a bitter fight. Those of us who remained decided to split up and fight our way out individually, to increase our chances of survival."
"I was fortunate — in their eyes, I wasn't an important enough target to warrant heavy pursuit, so only a few pursuers came after me, and their martial arts weren't especially strong. I actually managed to break through. But when I tried to make my way back, I discovered that the outposts along the route — which should have been held by our people — had been silently captured by the Wild Wolf Gang, who now waited there to ambush survivors like me. After falling into their trap once or twice, I didn't dare seek help from any of those posts again."
"Wanting to learn what had happened to the others, I steeled my resolve and ambushed a Wild Wolf Gang Blue-Robed Enforcement Officer. From him I learned that Vice Sect Leader Wu and several Elders had all fallen in battle, surrounded by overwhelming numbers of enemy experts. Only a few people like myself — not important enough to warrant heavy attention, yet with decent martial arts — had escaped."
"Once I learned this, I didn't dare waste another instant. I fled toward the mountain with all the speed I could muster. Along the way, I happened to encounter two other Patrons who had also escaped. The three of us fled together for a full day and night before finally reaching the mountain."
"As soon as we arrived, the two Patrons went to Sunset Peak to inform Sect Leader Wang of the negotiating team's annihilation. I made up an excuse about tending to my wounds and slipped away to your place first, to discuss what we should do."
"You have to understand — with Vice Sect Leader Wu and so many others dead in the ambush, and only the likes of us escaping, people whose status is neither high nor low... to shift the blame, who knows whether the higher-ups will vent all their fury on us and make us scapegoats?"
"And now, before I even had a chance to explain all this, the Wild Wolf Gang has stormed the mountain. Tell me — what are we supposed to do now?!"
Li Feiyu had poured out all of this in a single breath, and his expression had shifted once more into one of helpless resignation.
Han Li listened, furrowed his brow, and tilted his head in thought.
The battle cries on the mountain had grown even more intense. Occasionally, the agonized screams of dying men drifted down, sending chills through anyone who heard them.
"Do you still have any subordinates on the mountain?" Han Li's voice had grown very low.
"Yes. I have over twenty men, all stationed in several rooms near Elder Li's residence. I originally planned to take them out of the mountain to handle some affairs once the negotiations were done."
"Good. Let's go to Elder Li's residence first. We'll gather with your men, and also meet with Miss Zhang Xiuer and Elder Li. As for our next move, we'll decide that once we have a clearer picture of the situation." Han Li's voice was calm, showing remarkable composure.
"All right. I'll follow your lead."
"I really am worried about Xiuer out there with all this chaos!" Li Feiyu's tone turned anxious.
Han Li glanced at Li Feiyu, marveling at the contradictions of this man. On the one hand, he was fiercely protective of Zhang Xiuer, consumed with concern for her; on the other, knowing full well that his life was nearly over, he insisted on marrying her — plainly intent on leaving her a widow.
"Quite the contradictory fellow!" Han Li silently delivered this unflattering assessment of his friend.
He gave a light leap down from the roof, and Li Feiyu followed close behind.
"Let me gather a few things, then we'll leave immediately."
"All right, but hurry. I'm truly worried about Xiuer's safety."
At these words, Han Li could only remain silent.
The way Li Feiyu spoke her name — "Xiuer" — with such syrupy tenderness gave Han Li a mixture of contempt and envy in equal measure.
Han Li paid no further attention to his friend, who had suddenly transformed into a lovestruck fool, and returned to his room to swiftly pack the few essentials he would need.