Chapter 43: In the Qi Camp, but His Heart Belongs to the Southern Barbarians

The interior space of the fortress was quite large. After the young man removed the shackles from the southern barbarian women, he led them into the barracks, which happened to be directly opposite where Li Lin and the others were hiding.

Once these people disappeared into the small building, Li Lin and the others gathered together behind their cover.

Crouching low, they whispered among themselves.

“I wasn’t seeing things, was I? That was An Zhijian.” Zhao Hao looked astonished.

Bai Liwei nodded. “It certainly looked like him.”

Su Huafang sucked in a breath. “Wasn’t he dead? Back then they found his clothes and a skeleton...”

Then the three of them looked toward Li Lin.

Li Lin was still wearing the mask. He removed it, because he had worn it for quite a while this time, and his face felt cold and numb.

“Other than those people, I didn’t see anything strange. That man is human, not a ghost.”

Bai Liwei snorted. “Looks like he faked his death and escaped. Before we arrived, more than a hundred soldiers died here, and now he’s deeply entangled with southern barbarian women. It seems this An Zhijian has become a collaborator with the enemy.”

“The border troops in the fortress may very well have been killed by him.”

Su Huafang shook his head. “This isn’t something we should get involved in. Border troops will arrive here soon enough. Let them deal with An Zhijian.”

The suggestion was quite reasonable.

After all, they had come to retrieve money. There was still a huge amount of wealth here, and attracting attention was not a good thing.

Zhao Hao said, “All three routes we can use to leave pass behind the barracks. Avoiding An Zhijian’s notice will be difficult.”

“The shackles those southern barbarian women were wearing are clearly standard border army equipment. In other words, An Zhijian is rescuing these southern barbarian bandits. Why?” Bai Liwei asked in confusion.

Zhao Hao snorted coldly. “Not strange at all. An Zhijian’s mother... was a southern barbarian servant girl. Years ago, his father beat her to death while drunk. I thought he considered himself one of the Qi people. Now it seems he considers himself a southern barbarian.”

Su Huafang was usually a kind-hearted old man, but upon hearing this, he said, “Since An Zhijian doesn’t consider himself one of the Qi people and is helping the southern barbarians, then he’s in the wrong. Let’s surround him and kill him.”

“We can eliminate a traitor and keep the secret of our visit here hidden. Two birds with one stone.”

Bai Liwei and Zhao Hao both nodded lightly.

Then everyone looked at Li Lin.

Li Lin smiled. “I’ll follow your lead.”

The three opposite him all laughed.

The four quietly moved through the blind spots outside the sightlines of the barracks’ doors and windows.

As they approached the barracks, they heard the conversation inside.

The man’s voice said, “Tang Qi’s border troops patrol the frontier regularly. If you want to return home, you’ll have to start from here, cross mountains and ridges, and take mountain paths with the most trees and thickest undergrowth.”

“What would we return home for... only to be sacrificed to the Heavenly God?”

“Following you Qi people may be hard, but at least we can stay alive.”

The man seemed angry. “What do you know? The Qi people have never treated us as human beings, never. There’s a secret cellar in this fortress. Several women from your Yue tribe are locked inside. Every day they’re forced to provide that sort of service. They can never get out.”

“So what? I know many Hu maidens living perfectly well in your Qi territories. These women here are simply unlucky.” One of the women retorted, “If I were sold into one of your Qi villages or counties, life wouldn’t be so hard. With a little disguise, I’m almost no different from a Qi woman. I’d even be willing to marry one of your poor Qi men.”

“You don’t have household registration.” The man’s voice rose. “You cannot make a living in Qi territory. Who would give you household registration? Without household registration, we’re no different from chickens and ducks in the eyes of the Qi people. We aren’t even as valuable as dogs. Dogs can guard homes. You’re only fit to be eaten.”

“Then help us get household registration!”

“I can’t do that!” the man roared. “I’m only a Spirit Hunter, not an official. Besides, you have border army blood on your hands. The border troops will eventually trace it back to you. Tang Qi is extremely clever.”

The barracks fell silent.

By this point, the four had already crept very close to the building.

Bai Liwei made several hand gestures.

They were simple and clear.

The other three immediately understood.

Then Zhao Hao suddenly sprang up, kicked open the door, and charged inside while shouting, “An Zhijian, your crimes have been exposed! The County Magistrate has sent us to arrest you!”

Bai Liwei and Su Huafang followed him inside.

“Why are you people here!” An Zhijian’s voice was filled with terror.

Immediately afterward came a series of Thud, thud sounds of combat.

Meanwhile, Li Lin moved to a window and stood guard.

A few breaths later, a woman jumped onto the windowsill and was about to leap down.

A red-tasseled spear immediately thrust toward her throat.

This woman actually possessed martial skills.

She flipped through the air and drew a short blade from her clothing, knocking the spear tip aside.

The moment she landed, the spear struck again, even faster than before.

Holding the short blade, the woman parried several attacks while retreating at full speed.

But she was using a short weapon.

How could she fight a spear in open terrain?

After barely blocking six attacks, the seventh thrust struck her directly in the chest.

“Don’t kill...” She looked at Li Lin, her eyes full of pleading. “I can be a slave...”

Li Lin’s face showed no extra emotion.

With a slight exertion of both hands, he drove the spear straight into her heart.

The light rapidly faded from the woman’s eyes as her body toppled backward.

Li Lin then stepped forward and raised his spear, spinning around and thrusting backward with force.

Returning Horse Spear!

Before his body had fully turned, the spear had already arrived!

The crimson-glowing spear tip directly skewered a southern barbarian woman out of midair.

The woman had leaped from the window hoping to launch a sneak attack.

Unfortunately for her, Li Lin had already spotted her jumping out through the corner of his eye.

Throwing the woman from the air onto the ground, Li Lin advanced two more steps and stabbed another southern barbarian woman off the windowsill and back into the room just as she was climbing out to escape.

The screams went from piercing to faint in only a few breaths.

Then a tremendous Boom!

The mud wall of the barracks was smashed apart by brute force.

A young man covered in dust ran out in front, with Su Huafang and the other two chasing behind him.

Dust spread everywhere.

Covering his mouth and nose, Li Lin glanced into the room.

Inside, two southern barbarian women still held crudely made tribal short blades and were panting heavily.

The moment they saw Li Lin, killing intent burst from their eyes, and they charged immediately.

It was said that the southern barbarian regions had fierce customs and that everyone was a soldier.

Now it seemed that rumor might actually be true.

Li Lin chuckled and met them head-on with his spear.

In fewer than ten exchanges, both southern barbarian women were killed by the spear.

One had her throat pierced.

The other had her heart skewered.

Shaking the spear shaft, Li Lin scattered the droplets of blood clinging to the red tassel.

Then he turned his head and saw An Zhijian flying out of the secret passage.

He swung a long whip that cracked loudly, forcing Bai Liwei and the other two to temporarily avoid closing in.

At the same time, An Zhijian shouted frantically, “Soul Refining Altar! Where is my Soul Refining Altar? Did you steal it?!”

Li Lin hurried over to help.

Upon hearing this, he could not help glancing at the burned-out carriage in the distance.

He remembered that the Demon Suppression Bureau had previously carried a red altar out of the secret passage and loaded it onto the carriage.

Could it have been that thing?

At that moment, An Zhijian’s gaze swept back and forth.

Eventually, he noticed the burned carriage as well.

He seemed to have some special connection with the object and immediately determined it was inside the vehicle.

Then he suddenly flung out a paper packet, sending green powder flying into the air.

“It’s poisonous!” Zhao Hao shouted.

Bai Liwei and the other two, who had been surrounding him, immediately covered their mouths and noses and retreated.

Li Lin also stopped and did not rush forward.

In only two breaths, An Zhijian had reached the carriage.

With several forceful pulls, he uncovered a large blackened altar jar.

“Hahaha, it’s really here!”

An Zhijian abruptly opened the lid and took out a lump of purple matter.

It looked partly like a plant root and partly like a soft chunk of flesh.

Then he swallowed it in several bites.

In less than two breaths, his eyes rolled back until only the whites remained!