The Mysterious Burning and Killing

Chapter 14

Tomorrow will bring new challenges.

On a tower not far from them, Yu Ke was repeating the same words. His men had suffered heavy losses today, and even more unfortunately, they had to watch their homes burn down and bury their compatriots and friends, while worrying that someone else would do the same for them tomorrow.

"What are you doing here?" A question snapped Yu Ke out of his reverie. He turned around alertly and saw that it was Krusen who had spoken.

"Looking for my home..."

"Your home?" Krusen asked.

“Yes, over there.” He pointed to the place where the fire was raging.

"..." Krusen stared at the horrific scene before him, at a loss for words. Yu Ke, however, simply smiled, waved his hand, and continued:

"It's nothing, just some junk. I rarely go home."

"And what about your family?"

"I am an orphan..." Yu Ke said in a nonchalant tone, then turned his gaze to a path inside the temple, where several refugees who had just arrived were passing by.

The night wind howled, making the distant flames seem to burn even brighter, and a pungent, acrid smell wafted through the air. The crackling of wood in the flames could be heard intermittently. The entire ancient city seemed to have transformed into a heartbreaking hell on earth.

“I entrust my home to you all…” Yu Ke suddenly said. “If I die, bury me on the highest mountain so that I can see this land I love so much forever.” He turned around and saw Krusen staring at him. He smiled sadly, patted Krusen’s broad shoulder, and walked down the tower without looking back.

As dawn broke and the sun rose, a massive army of Rakshasa, as dense as locusts, surged in like a tidal wave, completely surrounding the Jade Buddha Temple. However, they did not rush to attack, as if they were waiting for something.

The garrison inside the temple stood atop the tower, fearlessly watching the enemy before them, gripping their weapons tightly, ready to face any new attack.

+: The Corpse King, the Feudal King

- Mystery Tribe

Section 35, They Will Surely Have It

The Rakshasa gathered at the foot of the courtyard wall. Every now and then, one or two Rakshasa would rush to the front and try to climb over the wall to rush in. But no matter which Rakshasa got close to the wall, it would be immediately turned to ashes, while the other Rakshasa would retreat in a crowd.

Unable to think of any other way to attack, they had no choice but to set up camp outside the city, surrounding the entire temple, seemingly intending to trap everyone inside.

“This can’t go on like this…” James said worriedly. He had seen countless siege battles, and the attacking side’s defense was often the most unbearable.

“This used to be the fortified city of the ancient city, which could defend against military attacks,” Yu Ke said.

“If they had siege weapons…” he continued.

“They will definitely have it,” Clary said. “Their backer is the Grand Tutor.”

"As long as we have horses, the Knights might be able to launch a surprise attack..."

“We can get horses,” Yu Ke suddenly said. He immediately turned around and ordered the commander to find ten elite palace guards and bring them before the group.

“Fifty warhorses…can you find them?” James gestured with his large hands, seemingly doubting that these men could break through the encirclement and bring back dozens of horses.

The ten soldiers listened in silence. After understanding their mission, they immediately looked at Yu Ke and indicated that they were capable of fulfilling it.

"Then go." Yu Ke waved his hand, and the ten suicide squad members disappeared instantly like a shadow.

"Don't worry, they've all undergone rigorous training, there won't be any problems," Yu Ke said confidently.

Sure enough, less than two hours later, the rapid sound of hooves echoed outside the courtyard walls. Fifty warhorses, not one missing, galloped towards them, driven by ten warriors, with the enraged Rakshasa in hot pursuit. The guards hurriedly opened the courtyard gates, and a group of archers, comprised of knights and palace guards, ascended the tower, unleashing volleys of arrows dipped in the Spring of Light upon the enemy. The Rakshasa fell one after another, while the ten guards, on their steeds, charged into the Jade Buddha Temple.

"The warhorses you requested have arrived," Yu Ke said. Looking at his ten loyal and valiant men, he couldn't help but feel immense pride.

Outside the temple, the Rakshasa army was enraged by the guards' astonishing actions. The Rakshasa screamed and surged forward, charging towards the temple, but were immediately driven back by the Buddhist light within.

+: The Corpse King, the Feudal King

- Mystery Tribe

Section 36, In the Name of Honor

Gradually, the commotion within the Rakshasa army grew louder, and several enormous mechanical parts came into view from afar.

“A siege engine!” Clary exclaimed.

As expected, the Rakshasa pushed these tall mechanical parts outside the temple wall and began to assemble them. Before long, a huge catapult tower was erected.

The burning stones were ejected from the machine with a bang, tracing a terrifying parabola before crashing into a building in the temple with a deafening roar. Fortunately, the heavy rain yesterday had kept everything damp, so the incendiary bomb did not unleash its full power, and the fire did not ignite.

"What do we do! This place will be razed to the ground if this continues!" Clary cried out anxiously.

“It’s alright, miss, leave this to us!” James said politely, then called out to the knights behind him:

"Mount up!"

The knights picked up their longswords and torches, mounted their warhorses, and assembled in the courtyard. The courtyard was silent except for the excited trotting of the horses.

The courtyard gate slowly opened, revealing a densely packed army of Rakshasa. A gust of foul-smelling wind swept in from outside the gate, making the knights' cloaks flutter loudly.

"In the name of honor!" James raised his sword high, saluting the enemy, and spurred his horse forward towards the Rakshasa army. The knights behind him followed suit, charging into the battlefield. One after another, they rode their warhorses out of the courtyard gate.

The gate closed behind them. A massive iron bolt was lowered, securing the gate firmly. The others immediately ran up to the tower to observe the situation on the battlefield.

They saw the knights leading the way, like silver lightning bolts, swiftly meeting the black tide in the sunlight.

The knights roared, galloped, and whistled on horseback, brandishing their gleaming swords, charging towards the Rakshasa army like gods descending to earth. Richard and Krusen continuously unleashed lightning and flames to bolster their spirits. The Rakshasa were also stunned by this momentum, and they retreated like a tide, but the enraged knights quickly caught up with them, cutting them down in droves.

In almost an instant, the knights reached the siege tower. They hurled their torches onto the siege engine, instantly turning the massive machine into a blazing fireball. Having achieved their objective, the knights immediately turned their horses and retreated towards the temple. The palace guards on the tower immediately unleashed a barrage of deadly arrows behind them, halting the Rakshasa's pursuit.

+: The Corpse King, the Feudal King

- Mystery Tribe

Section 37, Suspicious Refugees

The knights returned in triumph unharmed.

As soon as James stepped onto the grounds of the monastery, he immediately turned his horse around and, amidst the joyful gazes of the crowd, raised his victorious sword high, plunging the entire monastery into a sea of jubilation.

"Well done!" Yu Ke said to the Knight Commander from the top of the tower.

"Likewise!" James replied excitedly, wiping the dirty water that had turned into Rakshasa from his face.

Behind the temple mountain, two peaks flanked the path, with only a narrow trail running through the middle. From there, a group of Rakshasa launched their attack. By evening, shouts could be heard, and the Rakshasa rushed in through the trail. Yu Ke dismounted his warhorse, wielding two swords, and personally supervised the battle.

Before long, a horde of Rakshasa soldiers swarmed towards them. Anthony, already itching to fight, shouted, "Alright, everyone, let's kill them!" He grabbed his sword and charged down the mountain. Using his lightness skill, he swiftly rushed into the fray, his sword flashing, decapitating two Rakshasa soldiers.

More than a thousand Rakshasa soldiers were crammed into the mountain path, unable to form ranks for battle. When the enemy charged in, they were rendered useless by their bows and arrows, and were surrounded and attacked from all sides by the heroes. In less than an hour, they were all annihilated.

And so, the Rakshasa, having suffered several defeats in succession, finally calmed down. They rearranged their disordered formation and once again surrounded the temple.

Meanwhile, the people in the city gradually calmed down from the joy of victory and prepared for the new battle with full confidence.

The day's battle came to an end, and night fell once again. Anthony and Richard withdrew from the tower and headed towards the Jade Buddha Temple. On the way, they encountered Risa and Nagon, who had just come out of the Jade Buddha Temple.

"What's wrong?" Seeing Li Shang's anxious expression, Anthony hurriedly asked with concern.

"Several refugees have gone missing..."

“Gone?” Richard repeated in surprise.

He suddenly remembered the strange feeling he had when he saw those refugees last night, and immediately described their appearance and physique in general terms. Sure enough, they were exactly the same as the missing refugees.

“I’ve seen them,” the Nagyan suddenly said after hearing Richard’s description. “I saw them come to worship at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.”

“Jade Buddha Temple? I’ve been at the Jade Buddha Temple almost all day, how come I haven’t seen it?” Li Shang asked in confusion.

“They came after you left, and they went out again as soon as you came back…” Nagyan said with certainty.

Anthony and Richard were both taken aback when they heard this.

"How did you notice that?" Anthony asked the Grand Secretary in a low voice. The latter pondered for a moment and then said:

“At that time, I felt that something was wrong with them. When they were worshipping, they only stared at the Jade Buddha and Master Huiren, while the other worshippers closed their eyes.”

"Staring at the Jade Buddha and Huiren?" Anthony and Richard exclaimed almost simultaneously, both having a bad feeling: there must be something wrong here.

"We need to find these people quickly and inform Yu Ke and James, so that their men can also search for them—I suspect there's a big conspiracy involved."

Anthony spoke to the young man, who immediately turned and ran off to deliver the message. The three men present fell into deep thought.

Yes, there are so many refugees in the city these days. How can we find these suspicious refugees? And what exactly are these people trying to do by sneaking into the temple?

As Anthony pondered this, he drew his longsword.

+: The Corpse King, the Feudal King

- Mystery Tribe

Section 38, Danger Appears Once Again

“Call Clari, Cage, and Krusen, let’s split up and search,” he said to his two companions, then ran into the darkness at the end of the corridor. Li Shang and Richard exchanged a moment's glance, nodded, and then each ran towards their respective destinations.

Exhausted from the day's events, Yu Ke descended the tower and walked towards his room in the darkness.

As he walked through the quiet corridor, around the corner of the main hall, he suddenly sensed a very familiar presence.

Someone's there! Twin swords instantly appeared in his hands, and his alert eyes scanned the surroundings.

Everything remained quiet, without a trace of abnormality. But for a long time, he had trusted his intuition most; there was definitely someone there, he couldn't be wrong. He carefully slipped into the shadow of the pillar, avoiding exposing his body completely to his opponent.

That dangerous aura returned. Someone, perhaps two, was slowly approaching; he heard the faint clanging of metal and the sound of shallow breathing. Perhaps they didn't know his location; perhaps they were just a few steps away from being within his sight. Yu Ke waited quietly, like a leopard holding its breath, patiently waiting for its prey to come to it.

Sure enough, they appeared. His judgment was correct; there were two people dressed as refugees, wearing black cloaks. Despite their clever disguise, it was still clear that two deadly daggers were hidden beneath their cloaks, and if he wasn't mistaken, both daggers were coated with a deadly poison.

He was all too familiar with this organization; it was Huizhi's personal assassination squad, composed of bounty hunters, thugs who lived off the blood on the blade.

But why would they be here at this time?

So Yu Ke decided to follow them discreetly, because he knew that once he clashed with these people, one side would inevitably fall. Although he was certain it wouldn't be him, he wanted to know what other plans they had behind the scenes.

Two assassins moved silently in the shadows of the corridor, with Yu Ke close behind. The three of them crossed the hall and headed towards the backyard.

Strange, who would be waiting for them to assassinate someone so late at night? Yu Ke found it amusing, but he still didn't give up the pursuit, because he knew that their accomplices might be there, and this might be a good opportunity to wipe them all out. He gripped his twin knives tightly, not considering his own safety at all.