Seeing the little devil's shirt couldn't help but make Zhou Huan laugh out loud: "Damn it, today I'm really going to have some fun with you bastards!"

With this thought, Zhou Huan secretly settled on a strategy. He gave Scar a look: "Let's not move yet. Watch my lead, I'll handle the arrangement. There are so many Chinese people here, I don't believe they can turn on us, can they?"

"Brother, there are only four of us!"

"The whole mountain is full of people, just dead Chinese people. Watch me!" This time, Zhou Huan intended to use his own methods to deal with these Japanese soldiers. Scar couldn't understand him at all, always thinking Zhou Huan was spouting nonsense or that he had been terrified by the sheer number of Japanese soldiers.

Scar was naturally short-tempered and became even more anxious to rush down and clean up these devils. He gripped his knife, just about to put force into his step, when unexpectedly, Zhou Huan pinned him down, causing leaves to flutter down.

"Kumare!" the little Japanese man spat out a string of sounds, and a group of men rushed toward the large tree where the two were hiding. The interpreter trailing behind shouted and ran after them.

Fortunately, this large tree was dense with foliage; it could easily hide two people, or even four without much trouble. Scar was truly anxious, wanting nothing more than to go down and fight.

"Sir, what’s in the tree?" the interpreter, Long, asked the leading Japanese lieutenant.

The lieutenant replied, "There are people in the tree! Open fire!" Several devils fired several shots into the tree. Then, the little Japanese man's lips curved slightly: "It's nothing. Safety first. Let's just check if anyone is there. It must have been birds or something just now!"

"Yes, yes, birds. Who would be here anyway!" Following their lieutenant, this squad of devils then proceeded toward the direction of the cave, with Interpreter Long bringing up the rear. As he followed, Long felt something drip onto the back of his neck. Initially furious, he was about to turn around and curse whatever bird had done such a thing, but when he wiped his hand away and looked, it was bright red blood. He suddenly looked back tensely at the departing Japanese soldiers, noticing they hadn't paid attention to him. Then, he glanced up at the tree once more before warily following the Japanese away, tossing his blood-stained white glove aside and stomping on it with his foot.

Up in the tree, Scar watched the blood dripping from Zhou Huan's hand and quickly used the cotton cloth he carried to bandage it: "That was close. If it weren't for you, they would have surrounded us completely. Is your hand alright?"

"It's fine," Zhou Huan looked at his hand; luckily, it was just a graze. He then said, "As soon as Old Huang starts talking to them, we'll get out of the tree. One for each of us. After we kill them, we run toward the graveyard. I'll have a plan by then." This time, Scar completely believed what Zhou Huan said, following his instructions without question.

This squad of devils, plus the earlier patrol squad, numbered over twenty. After surrounding the cave, Old Huang was bowing and scraping profusely: "Sir, sirs, we are loyal citizens! We just wanted to come up to pay respects to our ancestors. See, I even brought incense, candles, silver ingots, and paper money." As Huang spoke, he reached into his bag, and instantly, the icy tip of a bayonet was pressed against the chest of the crippled Old Huang. Then, Huang Cripple raised his hands: "Look for yourselves, I am a loyal citizen, I’m not lying."

Interpreter Long translated the Cripple's words for the Japanese soldiers. The devil squad leader ordered men forward to search Old Huang Cripple's bag. Just then, two muffled groans sounded from the rear of the devil formation, followed by two thuds as two Japanese soldiers collapsed. Then, Zhou Huan's shout was heard: "Cripple, run! Into the tombs! Meet at the large tomb on the summit!"

Huang Cripple and Xiao Si reacted swiftly—they had no choice but to be quick. The two scrambled up the slope beside the cave, pulling on tree branches and grass roots. Two Japanese soldiers prepared to fire, but the old Cripple's knife skills were still sharp; two swift strikes sliced the faces of the two devil soldiers, who sprayed blood and fell.

"What did that Chinese man shouting from the rear just say?" the Japanese squad leader asked the interpreter, as a few devils had already chased after Zhou Huan and the other.

Interpreter Long sized up the skills of these men, his mind calculating furiously. Since the little devils didn't understand Chinese, he couldn't offend anyone: "Sir, they said, 'Run quickly, go up the mountain to find the main force.'"

"Nani?" The little Japanese soldiers lost their composure.

Interpreter Long continued, "Sir, I estimate they are trying to trick us. They claim there is reinforcement on the mountain. Think about it, behind the mountain is our arsenal, and in front is a minefield. Even if there is a main force, they'd have to clear the mines first. When we arrived, we only saw one dead body. Therefore, I conclude they are trying to bluff us into being afraid so they can escape easily." In reality, what Interpreter Long thought was: You all go fight it out. It has nothing to do with me. I'll hide in the back and support whoever wins.

"Sō ka! Good. Then we'll show these disorganized rabble what we're made of!" All twenty-plus devils rushed up the mountain after Zhou Huan. The Japanese were terrible at mountain warfare; once they got onto the slope, they were lost. Zhou Huan and Scar led these devils on a dizzying chase, weaving them into the very center of the graveyard, leaving them essentially lost.

"Interpreter Long, do you know the way to the summit of this mountain?" the devil asked.

Interpreter Long smiled obsequiously: "Sir, I truly don't know. I'm not a local. Didn't you forget? I was forcibly taken from your comrade down the mountain by you? I used to be a translator officer in Beiping!"

The little Japanese man slapped his forehead, realizing his mistake. He put his hands on his hips, looked up the mountain, and declared: "The summit is right there. We'll just walk straight."

However, after walking for nearly two hours, this group of little devils strangely found themselves back where they started.

The Japanese squad leader was furious, his eyes bloodshot: "Damn it, what is going on?" He looked at his watch—it was almost evening, and the sky was beginning to show faint red streaks. This time the red was deeper, more vivid. At a glance, the crimson sun seemed to be bleeding, and upon closer inspection, the bashful moon was hiding behind it.

Zhou Huan and the others had long since reached the summit, laughing as they looked down at the devils below. After catching their breath, the group gathered again to arrange the paper offerings.

"Master Zhou, we are all impressed by you. That maze you set up actually trapped those devils down the mountain. Let’s see how they get up here," Scar's hoarse voice was undeniably magnetic, hah!

Old Huang Cripple fiddled with the knife in his hand: "This time, we truly owe Master Zhou's formation. Otherwise, all of us would have been riddled with holes."

"Later, I'll show you something even more fun. It seems you fellows have a code of conduct; you even bring these items out when tomb raiding," Zhou Huan sifted through the paper money, ingots, incense, and candles in the Cripple's pocket.

The Cripple replied, "Well, Scar and I have known each other a long time; he knows our trade rules. These are the basics of this profession. After all, we're taking things that belong to others, so giving something back shows we haven't entirely wronged them. That makes us content."

Zhou Huan looked back at the sun, which now only showed half its face: "The Crimson Moon tonight will be even more intense. I wonder what the consequences will be?"

Scar and Old Huang Cripple both looked worried. The old Cripple sighed deeply: "Consecutive days of the Crimson Moon spell disaster!"

"I fear more than just these devils will die today. It seems we..." Scar scratched his head before continuing, "Ah, forget it. We're constantly being watched by the devils anyway; who knows when we'll hang. Tonight, we go all out. We'll take whatever we can get, kill however many we can. Killing one is breaking even; killing two is a profit."

Stars began to pepper the sky, and the sun had completely vanished. The devils below were still circling; you could clearly see them lighting torches, illuminating the graveyard brightly, making the tombstones and the stones pinning down paper offerings distinctly visible.

"Gentlemen, it is time for us to strike," Zhou Huan finished speaking and casually turned back to grab his bag. As he reached for it, the light of the Crimson Moon grew even more piercing, seemingly more injurious than the daytime sun, bathing the entire mountainside in a brilliant red glow that cast everyone present in a deep crimson hue. Zhou Huan felt intermittent, strange sensations.

Seeing that they were ready, Zhou Huan led the descent: "We must be fast. I'll start setting up the formation as soon as I get down. If any of them chase after me, you assist from behind and eliminate them. Every one less means one less they have to chase me. Most importantly, remember: no matter who gets separated, if you see a talisman I've written, turn right immediately."