The faint moonlight struggled to cast mottled, weak spots of light upon the ground through the branches of the mountain forest.
Teng Qingshan hid amidst the thick, withered weeds, peering through the gaps at the Snow Eagles soaring high above.
“Snow Eagles are demonic beasts, and their eyesight is terrifying! Even if I stay within the forest… a single misstep outside of cover, or walking beneath sparse branches, and those Snow Eagles could very likely spot me,” Teng Qingshan frowned, thinking rapidly. It was the dead of winter!
Most trees in the mountains were bare; only a few plants and trees retained any foliage.
If a large tree had no leaves, walking beneath it, the Snow Eagles might notice the area and spot him.
“To be safe, I must first find a place to bury this ‘Spirit of the North Sea’,” he decided. With resolve, Teng Qingshan moved stealthily through the woods, keeping as close as possible to dense vegetation. If he reached a slightly open area, he darted across at top speed! Minimizing the chance of discovery.
Using this method, Teng Qingshan doubled back, traveling two li deeper into the mountains.
“The crooked-neck tree, right here!” Teng Qingshan gazed at the dense cluster of trees before him, a faint smile appearing. This spot was where the hunting team from Teng Family Village often rested in the past. Teng Qingshan approached one crooked-neck tree, swept aside the withered, yellow leaves, and quickly dug a pit nearly two zhang deep—the deeper the burial, the safer it would be. He then carefully placed the stone wine jar inside.
Next, he swiftly filled the pit with earth, tamping it down firmly. He spread the surface sand and soil thinly to conceal any sign of digging. Finally, he covered the spot with the withered yellow leaves.
“This Great Yan Mountain is so vast; if you can find it even after all this, then I must be seeing ghosts,” Teng Qingshan smiled and swiftly darted away.
Teng Qingshan had traversed this Great Yan Mountain countless times.
He knew where the vegetation was thickest, choosing routes that allowed for easier concealment. The five Snow Eagles circling above the Great Yan Mountain had not detected any trace of Teng Qingshan.
“Hurry up, everyone! Search carefully. Teng Qingshan is wearing tattered clothes, carrying a large axe and a long spear. Watch closely, everyone.”
A fierce voice drifted from the distance.
Teng Qingshan hid behind a tree root, observing the approaching group from afar.
Soldiers of the Silver Flood Army, torches burning fiercely, were searching everywhere. The long spears they held occasionally stabbed into areas thick with weeds, places that might conceal a person. This sweeping search spared no potential hiding spot.
“This Azure Lake Island truly refuses to give up…” Teng Qingshan sneered coldly.
With such heavy losses this time, it would be strange if the Azure Lake Island could swallow this insult! If they could snatch back the two cauldrons of the Spirit of the North Sea from him, perhaps the experts of Azure Lake Island would feel slightly appeased. But even recovering two cauldrons wouldn't satisfy them! After all, in their eyes… all nine cauldrons should belong to them.
“However, things are troublesome now. There are large numbers of Silver Flood Army soldiers searching frantically inside the mountain, and five Snow Eagles overhead!” Teng Qingshan felt a headache coming on.
Gritting his teeth!
Teng Qingshan immediately darted away into the distance.
…
High in the sky above the Great Yan Mountain, the five Snow Eagles circled, three of them carrying riders.
“Martial Uncle, we haven't found Teng Qingshan after all this time. Do you think he… is still hiding in the underground lake?” Wu Xiu asked the elderly man with a hooked nose and a felt hat seated on the back of a Snow Eagle, looking toward the distant bird. The hooked-nosed elder spoke indifferently: “The Azure Lake Island hasn’t suffered such a huge loss in over a thousand years! It’s one thing if the enemy is powerful, but to suffer such a crushing defeat because of a mere seventeen-year-old boy—it’s no wonder Azure Lake Island is going mad! Soon, over a hundred thousand troops will blanket the entire Great Yan Mountain, turning every inch upside down, exploring every bottomless pit. Unless Teng Qingshan truly remains hidden in the underground lake… he absolutely cannot escape!”
“Mmm.”
No one doubted this outcome.
Which of the Eight Great Sects of the Nine Provinces was easy to bully?
They obtained the treasure map yet lost eight Innate realm experts, and gained none of the treasure. Most damningly, the one secretly responsible for all this was just a seventeen-year-old boy. This was a joke! A laughingstock for Azure Lake Island! As long as Teng Qingshan lived, the Azure Lake Island would likely be ridiculed by the world forever!
…
Deep within the gloomy Great Yan Mountain, in a hidden pit, Teng Qingshan placed the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe.
“During the battle at Yanjiang City, I was wearing heavy armor and a helmet with a mask. Very few people in Azure Lake Island actually saw my face. They are relying only on crude portraits and descriptions of my attire and weapons to find me. This Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe… it’s far too conspicuous! I doubt even the Black Armored Army has many axes this large.”
Teng Qingshan wasn't concerned about the Reincarnation Spear.
A long spear was standard issue for the army. Too many people carried them.
“If I blend back into the Black Armored Army, change into my armor, and join thousands of men, even a Snow Eagle won’t be able to distinguish me from the other soldiers,” Teng Qingshan mused. He had no other recourse; he sensed that the Azure Lake Island would absolutely not give up easily this time.
Therefore, hiding in the Great Yan Mountain might buy him time, but not a lifetime.
“You all go over there, Second Brother, you head west.”
“Whoever finds Teng Qingshan first will be rewarded with ten thousand gold taels and immediately promoted to Commander. Everyone keep watch.”
Another group of soldiers, carrying torches, dispersed to sweep the area.
“Not good, the Silver Flood Army soldiers are increasing. If I get trapped in a dense crowd, I’ll have nowhere to run!” Teng Qingshan analyzed briefly, then nodded to himself, “This is it!” Teng Qingshan picked up a large pile of pebbles from the ground, his gaze sweeping over that group.
Immediately, Teng Qingshan restrained himself and retreated, avoiding this wave of searchers.
Moments later—
Teng Qingshan finally located his target—a search squad consisting of only six men. This was the smallest group he had observed recently.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three sharp pebbles shot out in the darkness, piercing the foreheads of the three men on the west side with pinpoint accuracy, blasting away half their skulls. Without even a cry, these three collapsed heavily.
“What’s going on over there?” The sound of falling bodies attracted attention. Other soldiers raised their torches, peering toward that direction.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Another three pebbles, similarly piercing the foreheads of the remaining three men!
As an Innate realm expert, being able to make pebbles curve mid-flight, missing the mark with Teng Qingshan’s skill would be truly strange.
“Hmph…” A cold smile touched the corner of Teng Qingshan’s lips as he swiftly departed.
Not long after, a search team passed by. A soldier spotting the two corpses closest to him gasped, his face changing drastically.
“Quickly, everyone over here!!!”
The other soldiers rushed over, quickly discovering the other four bodies.
“It was projectile weapons!”
“Back in Yanjiang City, someone used hidden weapons to kill a large number of Golden Scale Guards.”
“Young Island Master said that Qin Lang, who is Teng Qingshan, specializes in hidden projectile knives. This blood is still warm; he must have just left.”
“Surrounding teams, converge here!” The corporal of this search team immediately shouted, instantly drawing soldiers from several li around them to converge. When these soldiers discovered the six corpses, they were overjoyed instead. They had finally found Teng Qingshan’s trail!
Immediately, under command, large numbers of troops rushed toward this area, using the corpses as the center point, meticulously searching a twenty-li radius.
…
“Trying to find me?” By the time the search teams were rallying other soldiers, Teng Qingshan was already ten li away. Killing those six men was a deliberate act by Teng Qingshan. This way, he could draw more soldiers to that specific location, thinning out the search parties in other sectors.
Thus, as soon as he killed the six, Teng Qingshan fled at top speed, racing far away from that zone.
Only then could Teng Qingshan more easily infiltrate the Black Armored Army.
“He’s right ahead.”
Teng Qingshan could see the tall military banners—the great standard of the Black Armored Army. Along the edge of the Black Armored Army formation, Teng Qingshan walked quietly for a moment, seeking a familiar face. Teng Qingshan knew a great many people within the Black Armored Army, and he soon spotted one.
Whoosh!
Teng Qingshan shot out from the bushes beside the camp like an arrow, lunging toward the military area.
“Who is it?” Tian Dan, sitting near a military tent, looked up.
“It’s me,” Teng Qingshan said in a low voice.
“Commander!” Tian Dan was overjoyed. When Teng Qingshan was a Centurion, Tian Dan was also a Centurion, serving under Commander Bai Qi alongside him. After Bai Qi was crippled, Tian Dan became Teng Qingshan’s subordinate. Their bond was deep.
“Let’s go, we can talk inside the tent,” Teng Qingshan said quietly. “Don’t spread word that I’ve returned.”
“Right.” Tian Dan nodded repeatedly, immediately leading Teng Qingshan into an empty military tent.
Inside the tent, Teng Qingshan casually picked up a set of clothes and immediately began changing.
“Brother Tian, go help me find a spare set of heavy armor,” Teng Qingshan requested.
“My trip to the Great Yan Mountain wasn’t long, and I didn’t bring much equipment. I’m not sure if the other Centurion squads have spare heavy armor,” Tian Dan replied. “I’ll go now.”
“Also, ask Qing Hu to come here too,” Teng Qingshan instructed. “Remember, do not tell anyone other than you and Qing Hu that I am here!” To sneak back into the Black Armored Army… the best method wasn't just deceiving the enemy; it was deceiving his own people as well.
Only then could he avoid exposing his identity.
“Understood.” Tian Dan nodded.
Only then did Teng Qingshan secretly breathe a sigh of relief inside the tent. No matter how powerful the Snow Eagles were now, they couldn't see through the tent fabric to him. Once he put on the heavy armor and the helmet/mask, blending in with three thousand men, who could possibly recognize him?
Teng Qinghu was in the same battalion as Tian Dan, and Qinghu arrived soon after.
“Qingshan!” Qinghu entered, his face alight with wild joy, and he immediately embraced Teng Qingshan.
“Cousin, now is not the time for celebration,” Teng Qingshan whispered. “I need to tell you something now, and you must remember it perfectly.”
“Speak,” Qinghu listened intently.
“When we used to go hunting in the Great Yan Mountain back in our hometown, didn't we often rest in the thicket near a small stream? Do you remember?” Teng Qingshan asked.
“Of course, I remember. In ten trips to the mountain, we rested there more than half the time,” Qinghu replied. “And there was a crooked-neck tree there too.”
“Exactly, by that crooked-neck tree, three feet to the north, buried two zhang underground, is a wine jar. Inside the jar are treasures… When the Yuan Sect and Azure Lake Island stop fighting, and we retreat, you must quietly inform my Master,” Teng Qingshan entrusted him.
“Crooked-neck tree, three feet north, two zhang deep? Got it, easy to remember.” Qing Hu nodded repeatedly. “Qingshan, why don't you inform the Sect Master? And Miss Qing has been worried sick about you.”
“It’s not suitable for me to show my face right now. Only you and Tian Dan know I’m here. No one else… Remember, don't tell anyone else, and don't tell Qingqing,” Teng Qingshan said solemnly.
“Mmm,” Qing Hu nodded.
Just then, Tian Dan walked back into the tent, carrying a bundle.
“Commander, here is a set of heavy armor, standard soldier issue, though it might be a bit small,” Tian Dan reported. Teng Qingshan smiled: “No problem!” He had already planned to slightly alter his posture and apply a bit of ‘makeup.’ Without a human skin mask, this was the only way.