Sieben Nächte mit Schnee

Kapitel 26

Lin Feng rolled his eyes at him, annoyed: "Stop messing with me. I don't believe you're the kind of person who passively waits for rescue. Besides, it's still unknown whether Nangong Chuixue is alive or not. How could you entrust your life to fate? You said we're the same kind of people, and that I always keep my own life in my own hands, don't you?"

Looking at her in surprise, the handsome man said confidently, "You don't need to worry. If Yi Beifei doesn't go up the mountain, our chances will be much smaller. At this moment, I am not confident in confronting Yi Beifei's forces head-on, but I am confident in reaching Tianlufang."

Tianlufang, a small country west of Beichen, is mostly surrounded by water. It is famous in Yinsang for its handmade embroidery and handicrafts and is one of the few countries that has never experienced war. Because of its renowned handicraft workshops, the entire country is named after these workshops.

After crossing the Red Sand Mountain, it takes another seven days by water to reach Tianlvfang.

Lin Feng looked back in surprise and asked, quite astonished, "You're so confident? Yi Beifei went up the mountain..." She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Are the bandits really your people?! You...you must have planned this all along?"

“It wasn’t a pre-planned scheme. I really didn’t expect Yi Beifei’s situation; it wasn’t within my expectations. But over the past ten years, I’ve laid down no fewer than ten clandestine forces in the southeast, northwest, and northeast of Beichen. Most of them operate under the guise of bandits. As long as they keep a low profile, no one will care about them in this chaotic world, and no one will notice anything amiss.” Beichen Tian squatted down and drew a rough map on the ground. “Look, this area of Red Sand Mountain is one of the clandestine forces I laid down that day. They are nominally bandits, but in reality, they obey my command. They are like my troops. There are even generals among them. Managing a stronghold requires strong discipline. Now, do you know why I’m so short of talent around me?”

His eyes were sharp, yet he smiled as he said, "Now that we're in the same boat, I naturally won't hide it from you. Even Fubuki doesn't know about this, otherwise why would he have gone to ask for help on his own?"

However, Nangong Chuixue still needs to ask for reinforcements. The strength of a mountain stronghold alone may not even be enough to protect itself. Moreover, not everyone in the stronghold knows about this matter. The existence of Beichen Tian, the great leader, is probably only known to a few so-called "leaders".

What a brilliant strategy! To be able to set up such a formation decades ago, Lin Feng could only feel two words when he thought of Bei Chentian—admiration!

Only then did she realize that the title of War God of Beichen was well-deserved. What he had more than others was not only his divine military skills, but also his backup plan! In other words, his escape route, which made it impossible for others to estimate his strength, while he could clearly see the strength of others.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated!

The fact that others cannot know the details of Bei Chen Tian's power is a fatal weakness. Moreover, Bei Chen Tian's distribution of power is kept secret from the leaders, so no one except himself knows how much power he has. He only uses one or two backup plans when needed, making it impossible for others to figure out his true strength.

Wow, that's amazing! Lin Feng made a mental note of it, thinking that if he ever wanted to expand his power, he would definitely learn from Bei Chentian.

"So what do you plan to do now?" Lin Feng asked.

"Wait, I believe that as long as they succeed in negotiating with Yi Beifei, Shui Wuhen will personally go down the mountain to arrange everything. Let's go to the foot of the opposite mountain first. I know where Shui Wuhen's ship is. Let's sneak into the secret door of the main cabin and wait. We'll show ourselves after they sail out of Beichen territory."

Lin Feng thought for a moment and said, "I really don't like Yi Beifei. I think he will definitely obstruct the ship when it sets sail and may not let your men go. Why don't we take action on two fronts and give him a blow first..." She whispered a few words to Bei Chentian. Bei Chentian was surprised at first, then smiled and nodded. As dawn approached, the two of them hurriedly went to the foot of the mountain.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Burning the River

On the riverbank of Red Sand Mountain to the west of the North Star, a man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes stood proudly by the river. He exuded an elegant and gentle aura, yet he also carried an undeniable air of fierceness. The white carrier pigeon in his hand flapped its wings and took off.

This is the largest river in Yinsang, the Hongsha River. Perhaps due to its geography, during this season of abundant sunshine, every evening the entire river is bathed in a crimson glow from the setting sun. Fishermen have even spotted islands and mountains suddenly appearing within it. However, no matter how fast they try to catch up, they can never enter this fairyland. This is one of the wonders of the Hongsha River.

"Brother, who exactly is that person, and why does he want us to give up the mountain stronghold?" Behind the handsome man, a man who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old walked over. This man had a faint scar on his face, and he looked imposing and extraordinary. He was a fierce man and really had the air of a mountain bandit!

"That's Yi Beifei, the famous general who attacked Lan."

Upon hearing the name, the man immediately showed surprise, but remained calm: "Why is Yi Beifei here? Did he discover His Highness's arrangements and intend to attack us?"

"No, His Highness's arrangements were made ten years ago. Back then, we couldn't believe His Highness's achievements today. Besides, only a few of us brothers know about this. Apart from the team he personally trained, no one knows we have a big boss, and even they don't know His Highness's identity." The handsome man slowly spoke: "I just received a message from His Highness. He wants us to gather our brothers and leave this place for Tianlufang. I suppose His Highness has other plans. Huang Xiao, first, notify all the members of the Dark Guard to prepare, then spend half a day negotiating with Yi Beifei, trying to raise the price as much as possible until he threatens you before you agree. Remember not to give yourself away, as it's inconvenient for me to show my face."

Huang Xiao may seem reckless, but he is actually shrewd and capable. Hearing this, he grinned with an exaggeratedly large mouth: "Don't worry, Wuhen, I will negotiate everything." This man is handsome and extraordinary. His appearance alone makes people think that he is not a bandit. If someone like Yi Beifei saw him, he would definitely be suspicious.

After Huang Xiao left, the man looked up as if wondering about something, but ultimately couldn't figure it out.

"What exactly does Your Highness intend to do... transport oil? That's really strange."

As Shui Wuhen had said, Huang Xiao spent the entire morning arguing with Yi Beifei with a sour face. Finally, Yi Beifei nodded and agreed to the amount of money. Huang Xiao then ordered all members to head to the secluded cave behind Red Sand Mountain, which was where their boat was anchored. Yi Beifei also agreed to deal with Kongshan Village the next day.

If you didn't see it with your own eyes, you would never imagine that ordinary bandits in Red Sand Mountain would have such a huge fleet! Go down the rope ladder from the western cliff, and there is a rather deep cave with about three large ships and about ten small merchant ships inside. This formation looks like they are ready to set sail at any time.

Yi Beifei clearly didn't trust these bandits, so he sent someone to keep an eye on them, and soon someone reported back.

"General, those bandits seem to have hidden boats in the back mountains, and they will probably leave by water."

Taking the waterway was not unexpected. Yi Beifei then asked, "Any further developments?"

"Nothing too unusual, except..."

"Just what?"

"However, they didn't bring much luggage, but they were all carrying round buckets down. I sent someone to check, and they turned out to be cooking oil. I don't know what they're taking it for."

Yi Beifei was very knowledgeable about warfare, but knew very little about commerce. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's probably being used for trade. There are many small countries in the West, so it's not unusual. Go and investigate further and report back in time."

The entire afternoon was calm and peaceful. By evening, the fleet finally set sail from the cave. Although many small boats were still unused, the sheer number of them was quite intimidating. The handsome man in blue was already standing at the bow, with two other people standing on either side of him in the cabin, looking pleased, as if they were waiting for a pre-written script to be performed.

Lin Feng, still dressed in black men's clothing, sat down, casually picked up a grape, ate it, and laughed, "Chen Tian, you were still lacking in consideration that day. The boats are so luxurious; it's obvious they don't belong to bandits." It turned out that the two of them followed the path to the boat storage area behind the mountain and discovered that the boats were extremely luxurious, something only wealthy young men could afford. Given the conditions of Red Sand Mountain, supporting the bandits was already difficult enough; how could they possibly afford such boats?

Bei Chentian's original intention was not to use large ships, as small ships would not attract attention. However, Lin Feng shook his head and objected after hearing the rumors about this area. He believed that it would be more convenient to enter Tianlu Fang with luxurious ships, as they could pass through as merchants and would not arouse suspicion.

The most important question became how to get rid of Yi Beifei.

Huang Xiao glanced at Lin Feng. Bei Chentian had very few trusted confidants, and he had never heard of Lin Feng before. When he learned that it was Lin Feng who had requested that so many barrels of oil be brought, his eyes nearly popped out. How could His Highness listen to someone else's orders!?

Moreover, Lin Feng was incredibly handsome, his features seemingly sculpted. Standing next to Bei Chentian, they were two breathtakingly beautiful men. Bei Chentian possessed an arrogant and masculine handsomeness, while Lin Feng was slender and beautiful, with a cool expression and a deliberately lowered voice, making it impossible for anyone to tell that she was a woman.

"An, I don't understand. At this rate, Yi Beifei will catch up with you in no more than three steps. Do you really have a way to get rid of them?" Lin Feng was still using the name An at this time and did not say that she was the famous beauty in Fancheng.

Shui Wuhen glanced at her from the bow of the boat, also looking surprised, but he didn't ask. He knew that Bei Chentian didn't like others questioning him, and since Lin Feng was brought by him, questioning Lin Feng was tantamount to doubting him.

However, Huang Xiao seemed to be a simple-minded person, not someone who would offend His Highness. Asking him about it would be fine.

Just then, someone came from outside to report: "Brother, those people have also untied their boats and left the riverbank. They're probably coming after us."

Bei Chentian looked at her inscrutablely: "The idea is yours, you tell me how to do it."

Lin Feng's eyebrows twitched. Being looked at like that by Bei Chentian gave her a creepy feeling. She coldly issued the order: "Order everyone to pour the oil into the river."

Pouring oil? What kind of show is this? Huang Xiao looked at her in surprise, but felt an indescribable pressure from her cold face. Her eyes, which were flashing with cold light, seemed as if they could devour him at any moment!

She was immediately jolted awake and realized that there would never be an incompetent person by His Highness's side. She hurriedly ordered someone to do as she had said.

The boats on the shore had already sailed out, but most of the river was covered with a thick layer of oil. After the boats had sailed a while longer, Lin Feng gave the order: "Fire rockets and burn the river!"