Chapter 82: The Campaign Against the Bandits

Early the next morning, Wei Wuji bid farewell to Huan’er, the woman who had so thoroughly captivated him, and set out from Tielin City with his men. The thought of Huan’er’s anxious, sorrowful face—her fear of being abandoned—almost made him laugh. That girl actually thought that if he left just like this, he might never return.

And their lingering embrace the previous night still haunted his senses: the fragrance of her body, the softness of her skin...

“Master, I’ve found some clues.” Just as Wei Wuji was indulging in these memories, Zheng Dali rode up beside him.

It felt as if something pleasurable had been interrupted; Wei Wuji almost choked with annoyance. It was this man again—capable both in civil and martial matters, which made him all the more tiresome.

“What is it?” Wei Wuji asked impatiently, having already forgotten the task he had assigned.

“Master, about those three infants at the Gu residence…”

At these words, Wei Wuji’s lazy demeanor vanished; he straightened, paying close attention to Zheng Dali’s report. The mysterious deaths of those children left him uneasy.

“Master, after repeated examinations, the army doctors confirmed the children were poisoned,” Zheng Dali said gravely.

Poisoning was a terrifying matter, especially for an army.

“That’s all you found?” Wei Wuji was dissatisfied; what he wanted was to find the perpetrator.

“I’ve interrogated everyone repeatedly. All the servants can prove their innocence; no one is a suspect,” Zheng Dali replied.

“Besides, those children had no enmity with anyone. No one had reason to commit such a deed.”

After listening to Zheng Dali explain at length, Wei Wuji realized he had uncovered nothing at all.

“So there’s truly not a single clue? Are you sure you questioned every person?” Wei Wuji pressed; he could not rest easy until this matter was clear.

“Well…” Zheng Dali hesitated.

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Wei Wuji immediately pressed, “What did you discover?”

“Master, there is indeed someone we haven’t investigated,” Zheng Dali said, his tone heavy.

“Who?”

“Agents of the Shadowwind Division,” Zheng Dali replied bluntly.

“Go on,” Wei Wuji said, his expression darkening. He sensed instinctively that they must be involved.

“According to the servants, the Shadowwind Division’s people did enter that room,” Zheng Dali said cautiously.

Now that the Shadowwind Division was implicated, the matter had changed entirely. The Shadowwind Division represented the Marquis of Wei’s will; if he wanted someone dead, they would die.

“Are you certain?” Wei Wuji pressed; this was no trivial matter.

“I’m certain,” Zheng Dali replied with conviction.

“Should we keep investigating?” Wei Wuji asked again, though he already knew the answer in his heart.

Zheng Dali cast a glance at Wei Wuji and said slowly, “It’s best not to.”

“Very well, let’s leave it,” Wei Wuji nodded.

The two fell silent, but it was clear they were both troubled, each pondering the same question.

Why? Why would the Marquis target a few infants, who had no connection to him at all?

Eradicate the roots. The phrase suddenly surfaced in Wei Wuji’s mind.

If the Marquis’s aim was to eliminate all traces, then he was more ruthless than Wei Wuji had imagined.

A chill ran through Wei Wuji; he realized he had never truly understood his father.

Rulers were selfish, cold, and unfeeling; everything and everyone was either a sacrifice or soon to be one.

Just as the Marquis had treated his own mother—no regard for the bonds between husband and wife, nor for the ties between father and son.

Wei Wuji shook off these thoughts, knowing they served no purpose in the current situation.

What he truly needed to consider now was how to quickly locate the Qin army, rather than wandering aimlessly outside Tielin City.

Even knowing the general direction in which the Qin troops had fled, it was still difficult for the relatively small Wei force to find them amidst the endless mountains.

This time, Wei Wuji commanded only the troops of the captains Luan Hong and Jia Qi, plus his own five hundred cavalry—just over twenty-five hundred men—facing the remnants of the Qin army, who numbered a little over a thousand. The advantage was clearly Wei's.

Since Wei Wuji had shown the Marquis’s edict to Luan Hong and Jia Qi, their resistance to his command had vanished, and they worked with renewed diligence.

For example, Luan Hong had now caught up from the rear.

“Master, with these towering mountains all around, how are we supposed to search?” Luan Hong asked anxiously. Wandering aimlessly was no solution.

The heat of summer weighed heavily, and Wei Wuji’s mood was foul. “Didn’t you bring guides? Ask them where people might hide.”

Luan Hong gave a wry smile. “Master, we’ve already asked. But the guide says, in these deep mountains, people could hide anywhere.”

Wei Wuji looked out at the seemingly endless mountains in the distance and could only shake his head helplessly.

The range ahead was called the Changyuan Mountains—a natural barrier separating Qin from Wei and Chen, with peaks upon peaks, stretching endlessly, impossible to cross by human effort.

Thus, Wei Wuji was certain the Qin troops were still within, but returning to Qin was out of the question; there was simply no way through.

But how to find them remained a problem.

“Where’s Wang Xiu? Bring him here,” Wei Wuji ordered his guards. In such matters, Wang Xiu’s resourcefulness might be useful.

On this expedition, Wei Wuji had brought only Wang Xiu with him; the others, including Liu Xuanba, had been left in Tielin City.

Soon, Wang Xiu arrived, leading the cavalry from behind.

“Greetings, Master,” he saluted, as always.

Wei Wuji acknowledged him and gestured for him to rise.

“Master, you summoned me—what are your orders?” Wang Xiu asked.

“We’ve lost all trace of the Qin. Do you have any strategies, Wang Xiu?” Wei Wuji inquired.

“Er…” Wang Xiu looked troubled. To be called over so suddenly for such a question, without preparation—what could he possibly suggest?

“Never mind,” Wei Wuji waved him away. If there was no effective solution, they would have to comb the area step by step, or rely on luck.

The search continued, but Wei Wuji felt stifled; this aimless searching was more exhausting than battle.

By noon, to conserve the soldiers’ strength, the Wei army had not advanced quickly. From morning till now, they had covered only a few miles.

What was that smell? Suddenly, an indescribably foul stench reached Wei Wuji’s nose.

He reined in his horse and looked around, then asked, “Do you all smell something foul?”

Zheng Dali and the nearby guards all nodded.

“Send someone to check it out,” Wei Wuji ordered.

A scout promptly rode off in the direction of the odor.

As Wei Wuji covered his nose to block out the stench, the scout soon returned.

Dismounting, the soldier knelt before Wei Wuji and reported, “Master, ahead there are many corpses—they appear to be local villagers.”

Many corpses? Wei Wuji wanted to remove his helmet to scratch his head. What could have happened here?

“Have the main force rest here. All cavalry, come with me to investigate,” Wei Wuji ordered loudly.

The cavalry snapped to attention.

“Let’s go!”

With a flick of his riding crop, Wei Wuji led the way, surrounded by his guards.

Bursting from the woods, the Wei cavalry galloped across the open fields, a formidable sight.

“Master, just ahead,” the scout pointed.

Soon, the corpses came into view, scattered chaotically across the fields.

“Stop!” Wei Wuji raised his hand, signaling the men to halt.

The stench emanated from those bodies.