Twilight Boundary-Chapter 784 - 774: Difficulties in Troop and Horse Movement

"At this pace, how long until we reach Shangjing?"

"Three more days."

In Shangjing, the Ten Surnames and the State Preceptor grew anxious, and incense was burning before the ancestral hall. The Long-winning King, leading his army from Salt State, was equally anxious. He had set off with thirty thousand Iron Cavalry, lightly equipped for rapid movement, traveling day and night.

Yet, mysterious occurrences plagued their journey. The Long-winning King felt increasingly uneasy and snapped, "Three days?"

"When we crossed the river earlier, they said it would take only three days! Now I've abandoned the baggage and am leading only elite soldiers and light cavalry. After a day and a half of hard riding, you're telling me it still requires three days?"

"There's nothing to be done. Has there ever been a moment of peace on this journey?"

The Think Tank nearby heard this and immediately lamented, "We've been watched from the very start..."

Along the way, they found no boats and no provisions, encountering countless mysterious incidents.

Initially, when they stopped to rest at night, the air filled with the cries of foxes and ghosts, unsettling the soldiers and keeping them from sleep. Occasionally, a subordinate would report that when counting heads before setting off the next morning, several soldiers were missing.

It was unclear if they had slipped away during the night or simply vanished.

Fortunately, there were many capable individuals in the Long-winning King's army. Hearing the cries of foxes and ghosts, some stood guard at night and returned with several dead foxes.

Hearing rumors that the camps could devour people, they even dug up a patch of graves next to the encampment. The missing soldiers were found buried there, their throats savagely torn, their eyes wide open in death.

The Long-winning King was furious. He used Magic to suppress the evil, distributed strong liquor to the soldiers, and personally rallied their spirits. After that, such monsters were rarely seen.

The demons that came to harass them were likely being manipulated by someone; they didn't dare confront the army directly. They only dared to cause trouble when the army was weary from the long journey.

But no one expected that just as one fire was extinguished, another would ignite elsewhere. Listening to the Long-winning King's angry shouts, the Think Tank slammed the military map down in frustration, exclaiming, "Your Majesty, we've definitely been tricked!"

"According to this map and the scouts' previous reports, we should theoretically only need to cross two rivers to reach Shangjing."

"But now, after just one day of supposedly rapid travel, we've encountered three rivers!"

"The scouts just reported another river ahead! It's broad and turbulent, with no bridges or boats. There are shadows drifting back and forth in the water, and we don't even know what's causing trouble down there!"

"At this rate, forget three days! We might not reach Shangjing in three months!"

...

He had barely spoken when thunder suddenly rumbled overhead. In an instant, a torrential rain poured down.

Beneath the rolling thunder and flashing lightning, the soldiers and their mounts were startled. It took considerable effort from the men, yanking hard on the reins, to calm the horses.

The Long-winning King watched his men endure the downpour in their cloth robes and leather armor, their rain gear left behind on the carts. His expression darkened as he glared at the sky, sensing something was amiss, and his anger grew.

Moving mountains, diverting rivers, creating a thousand miles of mud... impressive indeed...

His troops, with their potent qi and blood, could easily defend against surrounding demons and evil spirits as long as they remained vigilant. Yet, he now clearly saw that those attempting to halt their advance possessed genuine skills. Let alone the ability to secretly conjure a river in the army's path, this rain alone was enough to cause him a headache.

The downpour turned the ground to mud. Horses rushing through it could easily stumble, further slowing their progress. The soldiers, soaked and weary, would also find their pace dragged down. And with their qi and blood diminished, they would become vulnerable to insidious evil spirits, leading to untold trouble.

"Donkey Brother..."

Just as he was thinking this, a young man in fine clothes, looking like a nobleman, rode up through the rain.

The Long-winning King turned and asked, "Brother Pi, can you identify the origin of this Sorcery?"

Wiping the rain from his face, the young nobleman said, "This isn't some petty trick. It's likely a capable individual hiding in the shadows, deliberately trying to delay our journey!"

The Long-winning King was Mengzhou's small team leader, Dazed Donkey. The man who had ridden up was a Reincarnator from Mengzhou, codenamed Five Skin. Before the first major Reincarnator assembly, they had been wary of each other, secretly training their soldiers. However, after the assembly, upon discovering they were both Reincarnators, they cast aside their reservations. They openly rallied troops, feigned enmity, and engaged in constant skirmishes, attracting the attention of various factions.

As a result, their battles ended up eliminating the fence-sitters and troublemakers. The two then "hit it off immediately." Five Skin, this young master from a wealthy family, for some unknown reason, suddenly developed a deep respect for the Long-winning King and willingly joined him, becoming his second-in-command. This even gave rise to a celebrated tale in Mengzhou about a wise king recognizing true talent.

After the Long-winning King conquered Salt State, their power surged. This time, their mission to enter the capital involved leading the main army to Shangjing as agreed. However, they encountered numerous troubles along the way.

The Long-winning King cursed angrily, "They're all a bunch of damnable jianghu Magicians who only know how to lurk in the shadows! Not a single one dares to face my army head-on! They just hide and use their evil skills to obstruct our march."

"These Ten Surnames... they may have originated from the jianghu, but now that they're nobles, their methods are just despicable."

...

"Stop your ranting," Five Skin said. "Who asked us to pour all our efforts these past few years into these soldiers? We agreed to get the army to Shangjing within three days. We even used Si Ming's secret medicine to bolster the horses' qi and blood for a faster journey. But the Ten Surnames' methods are impossible to guard against; there's nothing we can do."

"To those in the Path, elite soldiers are living suppression objects. They not only bolster our presence but also possess surging qi and blood that can break enemy Magic and boost our own morale."

"Currently, the Daluo Dharma Sect has appeared in Shangjing. The Ten Surnames have gathered their many skilled individuals, and there's also the City Defense Army. If our troops don't arrive before Shangjing City in time, our people there will likely suffer greatly if they duel!"

The Long-winning King urged, "Then quickly, go to the spiritual temple! Hurry and perform the setting up the altar! Ask if any of our allies can come and help."

"We need to break these evil skills!"

...

The two of them were quite capable, but this was a duel spanning thousands of miles. It was beyond their expertise, leaving them helpless.

At the same time, many Reincarnators had grown impatient with following the Long-winning King's main army. Instead, they used various Secret Techniques to travel from different locations. Some were carried in sedan chairs, some traversed the underworld, and others rode Divine Steeds capable of traveling a thousand miles a day.

Although the Reincarnators' movements were typically secretive, perhaps due to the large-scale deployment of the army this time, Shangjing City had already taken precautions. This led to endless strange occurrences throughout the land.

Some traveled along the official roads, disguised as merchants or travelers. However, they would unexpectedly find themselves in a valley, wandering in circles, unable to find a way out. Upon reaching the valley floor, they discovered countless dead bodies. It turned out that someone had anticipated their arrival and had been luring everyone who traveled this official road in recent days into this valley to die.

Others, using the Little Ghosts Carrying a Sedan Chair technique, were moving swiftly when they heard someone ahead laugh loudly:

"Friends, please halt."

"You're in such a rush. Why not stop for a moment and have a cup of tea?"

...

Looking up, they saw a group of Incense Burners gathered before the Lord Divine Temple, coldly blocking their path.

One or two such encounters might have been coincidental. But as more people experienced similar things, it became clear how formidable the Ten Surnames truly were. A mere whispered order from them, and small hall officers and errand-runners in various locales would spring into action.

With Shangjing as the center, a vast net spread out in all directions. The closer one got to Shangjing City, the denser this net became, making travel increasingly difficult.

Of course, many Reincarnators had now reached Shangqiao. Even those who hadn't yet were seldom hindered by such trivial matters due to their own considerable abilities. Nevertheless, their journeys were all delayed. Only those with truly exceptional skills managed to arrive in Shangjing early.

Yet, upon arriving before Shangjing, all of them wore grave expressions and narrowed their eyes.

Those who had traveled so swiftly, appearing and disappearing like ghosts, had mostly used paths through the underworld, intending to go directly into Shangjing City. However, while in the underworld, they found themselves as if lost, unable to locate Shangjing City. Thus, they had no choice but to emerge at convenient locations near Shangjing City and then proceed on foot. The first thing they saw were the endless rows upon rows of the great army guarding the front of the city.

"Heh! A few kittens in armor, carrying swords, trying to act like tigers? You think you can block my path?"

Someone immediately sneered and called out, "Brothers, I'm heading into the city first! You all hurry and follow!"

As he spoke, a Paper Talisman gently ignited. Black smoke enveloped his form, and he abruptly vanished into the night, an eerie wind carrying him straight towards Shangjing City.

"OUCH!"

But only a few moments later, a commotion stirred within the densely packed, dark army ranks. A figure shot back out, clutching his head. Once he was a safe distance away, he cursed loudly, "Damn it, those bastards are tough!"

"Not only are there so many of them that it's easy for Magic to be broken, but they also have experts hidden among them..."

...

Before his curses faded, the sound of drums and gongs suddenly erupted. From within the dark, crowded ranks of Shangjing's City Defense Army, various elaborate ceremony tents rose. Vaguely, rows of figures dressed in jianghu attire emerged from among the soldiers. Some were seated in palanquins, some walked on foot, and others were mounted on horses. All were dressed respectably and bore themselves with an extraordinary air, smiling confidently as they gazed into the depths of the night:

"We have long heard that twenty years ago, the demon people were mighty, capable of overturning heaven and earth. We have always yearned to witness such power ourselves, but alas, we never had the chance."

"We know you all wish to enter this city. Hiding your heads and showing your tails will be useless. Why not come out and test your skills against us?"