Jin Se

Chapter 53

A fiery dragon illuminated the night sky; even the raging downpour couldn't put it out. It roared as it soared into the heavens. It seemed to be a signal.

Shi Wuduan had blown up the pass, trapping both his and the court's forces at the Min River's outlet. He was gambling everything on one blow, ready to break the caldrons and sink the boats.

He had no intention of dragging the battle out. Gu Huaiyang had surely seen the dragon already, and even though they hadn't discussed it beforehand, they were brothers who'd been through life-and-death experiences together, they had that much tacit coordination at least.

Shi Wuduan knew what Gu Huaiyang would do in such a dangerous situation, and he knew he was waiting for that dragon of fire. If their two forces couldn't break the siege from both inside and out, then the Redscarf Army would die in Dongyue, and it wouldn't be long before they lost Haining.

This would be a difficult battle, one they had to win at all costs.

Following behind the fiery dragon, cavalry descended from above, roaring battle cries. Armor met with the cold steel of blades, signal fires and smoke flares filled the air, the sound of killing echoed the ears, and the earth trembled incessantly.

Bai Li sat on horseback as he watched the Redscarf Army's cavalries charge into the command area and began a round of bloody combat. Yet he didn't show any intention of helping, only watching coldly as if he were a bystander. He slowly averted his gaze, looking for Shi Wuduan.

But how would it be so easy to find him? It was a rainy night to begin with. The enemy forces' communications all depended on a few cultivators signalling with military flags and colored smoke that wasn't washed away by rain, yet Shi Wuduan wasn't among them.

Bai Li peered in that direction, then suddenly gestured with his hand, sending a lightning-fast shadow darting through the crowd, piercing through that person's chest. The man let out an agonized scream and fell off his horse. Yet at that moment, another communications officer popped up somewhere else.

Bai Li sneered coldly and ignored him. He knew that the Redscarf Army was an old hand at war. Even those field-planting peasants, after all those years of battling up and down the country, had been formed into a very unique kind of army. Not to mention that they'd collected quite a lot of veterans through the channels they used to buy horses and recruit soldiers. They could almost compete against the court with brute force.

Plus the fact that Shi Wuduan was a master of arrays, not only arrays of illusions and traps, but arrays of soldiers as well. His skill in mental calculation was superb. It just so turned out that the obscure learning that the Xuan Sect had disdained back in the day was in truth the ability to fully comprehend the current state of affairs and devise ingenious battle strategies. At this life or death battle, Bai Li didn't think that any of the court's useless nincompoops were a match for Shi Wuduan.

Zou Yanlai had his wily wits, but he was pitifully small-minded. One by one, Bai Li went through all the loyal subjects, fierce generals, and treacherous rebels taking to the stage, and still felt that none of them could compare to Shi Wuduan.

He had been able to barge into the fox king's quarters alone when he was still a youth. The cave was full of old yao, all of whom were more powerful than he, yet not one of them was able to hold him back, let alone now.

Find him - I must find him -

Bai Li lightly pursed his lips. He was completely enveloped by black shadow, hardly anyone could see him. None of those who could see him could approach him.