Cheng Xu led his troops deeper into Huanglong Mountain.
To be honest, leading a force of a thousand men into mountain warfare was a first for him. He was no seasoned grand general. Not long ago, he had only been a minor ninth-rank patrol officer. His combat experience was not particularly rich, and certainly not enough to make him feel at ease in terrain like this.
But Cheng Xu had one advantage that could not be ignored.
He was cautious.
Extremely cautious.
The kind of man who would rather take ten extra steps than risk making one mistake. The kind of man who feared losing his life more than losing face. In the dense, unpredictable environment of mountain forests, that personality trait became a strength.
Ahead of them lay a valley.
Cheng Xu's gaze swept across both sides of the valley walls.
In his mind, he could already see it. On the left slope stood one imaginary great-grandmother. On the right slope stood another. Both of them waved cheerfully and sang in unison.
"My dear great-grandson, come into the valley, come into the valley. The enemy is waiting on both sides. Once you enter, they will roll down rocks together, and you can come visit us in the afterlife."
The corners of Cheng Xu's mouth twitched violently.
He raised his hand and issued orders immediately.
"Shi Jian, take a scout team to the left ridge and investigate. Flat Rabbit, take a scout team to the right ridge and investigate. Everyone else, set up camp here. We move tomorrow."
Shi Jian saluted and departed at once.
Flat Rabbit, however, started grumbling.
"This great Rabbit Lord is unmatched under heaven, yet I get sent to be a scout. What a waste of talent."
Cheng Xu shot him an annoyed look.
"Scouting is a task for elites."
Flat Rabbit froze for a second, then his eyes lit up like lanterns.
"Instructor He, you finally admit I am elite. Hahaha. This glorious and difficult mission that only elites can handle, leave it to me. I will not disappoint. Saving the world and all that, let me handle it."
He grabbed two scouts and dashed off toward the right ridge.
Behind Cheng Xu, ten centurion commanders wiped sweat from their foreheads and asked awkwardly,
"Instructor He, are you sure it is wise to entrust such an important scouting mission to that guy?"
Cheng Xu hesitated for a fraction of a second.
"Do not worry. He may have a lot of flaws, but when it comes to serious matters, he does not mess around. Probably. Maybe."
Everyone fell silent.
So even you are not sure.
At the same time, on the right ridge…
A unit had just finished setting up an ambush.
The leader was Dahonglang.
Wang Zuogua's forces had been stationed in Huanglong Mountain for a long time. They knew the terrain like the back of their hands. Compared to Cheng Xu, who had just arrived, the difference was like night and day. They could practically navigate the mountains with their eyes closed, knowing every hill, every ditch, every patch of forest.
Dahonglang had chosen this ridge carefully. If Bai Family Fort's army passed through the valley below, they would be walking straight into death. A rain of rocks from above would bury them completely.
Just as the ambush was set, a scout came running back.
"Fourth Leader, Bai Family Fort's army has stopped two li to the south. They did not enter the valley. It looks like they are waiting."
Dahonglang frowned.
"They have sent scouts ahead. They want to confirm the situation before entering. If their scouts spot us, the ambush is finished."
He turned immediately.
"Where are our scouts? Send them out. Intercept their scouts midway."
A small team of elite soldiers split off and slipped into the forest, crouching low as they moved toward Cheng Xu's camp.
The mountains were high, the forest dense. Huanglong Mountain was surprisingly rich in water, and the trees grew thick and lush, their leaves forming a canopy that blocked out the sky.
Flat Rabbit and nine comrades advanced carefully. They split into five groups, two men per group, spreading out over a wide area as they probed forward step by step.
Flat Rabbit's partner was Zheng Gouzi.
The two of them were old acquaintances by now.
Zheng Gouzi whispered,
"Rabbit Lord, do you actually have any experience as a scout?"
Flat Rabbit snorted.
"Of course I do not."
Zheng Gouzi froze. He had been fully prepared for a confident yes.
Flat Rabbit continued proudly,
"But I have studied military texts. Let me tell you something. Before two armies clash, their scouts fight first. Both sides try to suppress the enemy's scouting range, ambush or capture enemy scouts to gather intelligence. You can tell which army is stronger just by looking at whose scouts are better."
Zheng Gouzi looked at him with concern.
"Then we are clearly the weaker side."
Flat Rabbit glared.
"What do you mean by that?"
Zheng Gouzi coughed.
"Nothing. I meant nothing."
At that moment, Flat Rabbit suddenly dropped flat onto the ground and yanked Zheng Gouzi down with him.
Zheng Gouzi blinked in confusion.
Flat Rabbit lowered his voice to the faintest whisper.
"Someone is coming from ahead."
Zheng Gouzi frowned.
"I did not hear anything."
Flat Rabbit puffed up proudly.
"You are human. Your ears are small. I am Rabbit Lord. My ears are long. I can hear what you cannot."
Zheng Gouzi had no response to that.
Back when Flat Rabbit had tried to follow Wang Er into rebellion and failed, he had ended up wandering the Jianghu alone. For half a year, he survived by stealing food from wealthy households, sneaking into courtyards in the dead of night while avoiding patrols. Those experiences had sharpened his instincts far beyond that of an ordinary man.
He raised his ears slightly and listened again.
"Front left. They are coming."
Zheng Gouzi did not even dare to breathe loudly. He simply looked at Flat Rabbit, silently asking what to do.
Flat Rabbit gestured. Follow me.
He pressed himself lower into the ground.
Soon enough, two figures emerged from the left front.
Dahonglang's scouts.
They also moved in pairs, careful and silent, advancing toward Cheng Xu's forces. Their ears were sharp, their movements cautious, but they had no idea that someone with far better hearing had already detected them and prepared an ambush.
They passed a large tree, stepped over a ditch, and approached a patch of grass.
The moment they moved to cross it, a figure burst out from within.
A flash of silver.
Flat Rabbit's sword struck.
The blade went straight between the legs of one of the scouts.
A clean hit.
Something was severed.
The man screamed and collapsed backward.
Before he could even let out a second cry, Flat Rabbit followed up with another strike, slicing across his neck. The sound stopped instantly.
The second scout turned in shock. He did not even have time to react. Zheng Gouzi leaped forward, using a grappling technique from his Ghost Fist style to lock the man's arms and immobilize him completely.
Only then did Flat Rabbit straighten up, looking extremely pleased with himself.
"Well, what do you think? The Heavenly Rabbit Severing Tyrant Sword. When it moves, something must be cut."
Zheng Gouzi could not help but grimace.
"The place you cut is a bit too vicious, is it not?"
Flat Rabbit snorted.
"I am here for revenge. If I am not vicious, what is the point?"
Only then did Zheng Gouzi remember.
During that assassination attempt, Flat Rabbit had also been one of the victims.