Meanwhile, in the vanguard army's camp, Lord Wang stood solemnly before the military tent.
He gripped the secret order from the city lord tightly in his hand, his gaze fixed on the five large, blood-red characters on it.
"All troops, heed my command!"
Lord Wang suddenly spoke. "Swords drawn, arrows nocked, attack the mountain in half an hour! Remember, the city lord has ordered! Leave no survivors. Anyone from Beiman Mountain, kill them all, young and old!"
The soldiers on the drill ground hesitated for a moment, then roared in unison.
Previous attacks on the mountain had always been stop-and-go, with fighting and pausing constantly.
A young soldier frantically drew his sword, the scabbard clanging against his armor. An older soldier beside him glared at him:
"What's the panic? Don't hold back when you're cutting people down!"
Half an hour later, the vanguard army, like a black serpent, began its ascent up Beiman Mountain along the mountain path.
Lord Wang rode on his horse, his ring-pommel sword hanging at his waist.
He glanced back every now and then, seeing the supervising soldiers following behind the main force, their long swords gleaming.
Anyone who dared to retreat would be killed by their own men first.
Meanwhile, a mile away, in the grass, Qingchen lay prone, his face smeared with grass juice, itching so badly he gritted his teeth, but dared not raise his hand to wipe it.
He had previously worried that the vanguard was just putting on a show, but now, seeing this formation, it seemed they were truly going to fight to the death.
The entire army marched towards Mount Beiman like a frenzied beast.
"That's more like it."
This perfectly suited Qingchen's plan to fish in troubled waters.
But a strong sense of urgency also welled up within him.
He understood that if the vanguard truly captured Beiman Mountain,
and he still hadn't obtained the treasure, then the cultivation artifact he sought would be even harder to acquire.
After the vanguard had gone some distance, Qingchen climbed out of the grass, brushed the grass clippings off his clothes, and hurried to where the horse was hidden.
It was a chestnut horse, currently grazing. Seeing him approach, it snorted.
Qingchen mounted the horse, pulled the reins, and the horse neighed and galloped off towards the tunnel.
His mind was filled with only one thought: he had to find the cultivation artifact the wandering swordsman had spoken of before the vanguard!
The mountain path was narrow, and the branches on both sides scratched his arms painfully, tearing his clothes in several places.
He ignored all of that and urged his horse onward. The horse's hooves rustled through the fallen leaves, occasionally kicking a stone that sent shivers down his spine.
After running for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, a dense, impenetrable forest appeared ahead, and the horse could run no further.
Without hesitation, Qing Chen killed him with a single palm strike.
Then, using his lightness skill, he dashed away like a nimble ape.
Finally, Qing Chen reached the tunnel entrance.
He took a deep breath and then plunged into the tunnel without hesitation.
At the end of the tunnel, Qing Chen saw a ray of light.
He quickened his pace, his heart pounding in his chest.
He burst out of the tunnel and returned to the back mountain of Beimang.
Arriving at the back mountain of Beimang, the scene before him was exactly the same as last night.
"Heaven is on my side, haha. Fight harder, the harder the better!"
A smirk played on Qing Chen's lips as he pulled a small porcelain bottle from his pocket. Inside was the disguise cream he had prepared earlier, a dark, murky substance.
He smeared the ointment on his face, shaping it with his fingers, then pulled a piece of coarse cloth from his pocket, tore it into strips, and wrapped it around his head, mimicking Tie Niu's hairstyle.
Finally, he strained his throat, trying to produce a hoarse voice: "Master Diao sent me to patrol the mountain..."
His voice was seven or eight parts like Tie Niu's. Qing Chen nodded in satisfaction and ran along the path behind the mountain towards the council hall.
The path was a dirt track, soft underfoot, with occasional footprints left by bandits.
He ran fast, yet lightly, like a rabbit. The sounds of fighting grew closer, but none of the bandits noticed him, as they had all gone to guard the mountain ahead.
Based on the information he had extracted from two bandits, Qing Chen knew the location of the council hall perfectly.
He took a deep breath and sprinted towards the council hall.
Meanwhile, at the foot of Beiman Mountain, the fighting had reached a fever pitch.
The vanguard soldiers, shields raised, charged uphill, their shields riddled with arrows fired by the bandits, some shafts bent.
One soldier had just climbed the steps when a stone thrown by a bandit struck his shoulder; with a crack, his bone broke, and he screamed as he tumbled down, crushing those behind him.
The bandits, hiding behind rocks, rained arrows down upon him.
A bandit leader, shirtless, revealing a scarred chest, held a dagger.
Seeing the vanguard charge, he cleaved a soldier's arm in two with a single stroke, blood splattering across his face, but he grinned:
"Come on! Let's see if you're tougher, or if my blade is tougher!"
Master Diao, the bandit leader of Beiman Mountain, stood atop a boulder halfway up the mountain, utterly bewildered as he faced the surging vanguard below.
According to the plan, these next few days should have been filled with small-scale harassment, but the scene before him terrified him.
He stared at the vanguard below the mountain, his mind filled with doubt.
Why the sudden all-out attack? What kind of show is this?
A trusted confidant leaned closer, his voice trembling: "Master Diao, our arrows are almost gone, and the slingers are exhausted. If this continues, we won't last much longer!"
A burly bandit glared at him fiercely: "Master Diao, don't worry, the men of Beiman Mountain aren't pushovers! We'll fight them to the death, even if it means our own demise, we'll show them that this place isn't easy to chew!"
Another bandit, looking somewhat nervous: "Master Diao, I feel something's not right. Has something happened down the mountain?"
Master Diao nodded; he thought the bandit was right.
His voice was hoarse. "Send two clever ones to go around the back mountain and see what's going on with the city lord! Are they planning a double-cross?"
The confidant nodded and was about to leave when Eagle Master called him back: "Wait! Tell them to be careful, don't let the vanguard discover them. Also, tell Tie Niu to keep an eye on Young Master Zhao, don't let anything go wrong!"
He didn't know why the vanguard was acting so recklessly, nor did he know what had happened to the plan.
Without time to think, he could only send all his trusted bandits who had stayed behind to the treacherous mountain passes to defend against the vanguard.
Otherwise, with such a fierce offensive, they wouldn't even last until nightfall without going all out.
He didn't know that Tie Niu was already a broken skeleton at the foot of the North Cliff.
Meanwhile, the fake "Iron Ox" was hurrying along the path towards the council hall.
Qingchen was getting closer and closer to the council hall, and he could see the wooden building with the flag of Beiman Mountain flying o