Chapter 148: The Hunter Lurks in the Shadows

It was not only Feibai who felt this way. Everyone had endured far too long the humiliation of having the enemy ride roughshod over them, and now that an opportunity had appeared, they all wanted to settle the score.

When Jiang Chen announced that he intended to kill the Northern Yan general Xiao Tong and explained his reasons, everyone present declared that they would join him.

This was a splendid chance to hold their heads high and avenge their former disgrace. Even if it meant trading their own lives for it, they would not hesitate in the slightest.

But that was not what Jiang Chen wanted. His foremost objective had always been to ensure that every one of them returned alive.

“I need to kill Xiao Tong through mobility and flexibility, using a small force to overcome a greater one. If all of you come with me, you will only make this objective more difficult to accomplish. I know every one of you is an exceptional warrior, but I need you to carry out something equally important.”

After Jiang Chen’s earnest persuasion, the others were still able to put the greater good first and followed his arrangements to the letter.

Once the group turned eastward, Jiang Chen swiftly erased every trace they had left behind. He then continued north for some distance, creating along the way the false impression that the entire group was still moving in that direction.

When he had finished, Jiang Chen found a large tree and leaned against it. His escape across the snowy wilderness had come to an end. For him, the hunt was about to begin.

Xiao Tong led his men in relentless pursuit. He believed himself to be the dreaded hunter, never imagining that the prey being chased—Jiang Chen—would willingly abandon the idea of fleeing any farther.

Between hunter and prey, the roles were beginning to reverse in a most unexpected way.

The Northern Yan forces followed the trail of footprints, but before long the tracks vanished from the snow. The last traces they could find led into a dense forest, so Xiao Tong ordered everyone to dismount and search on foot. Not a single survivor was to be spared.

Strangely, however, they wasted a great deal of time without catching sight of a single person.

After puzzling over it for a while, Xiao Tong noticed that once the trail emerged from the forest, the footprints had all been replaced by a series of suspicious sliding marks across the ground.

They mounted their horses and continued the pursuit. At last, they seemed about to overtake the fleeing remnants, but the traces on the ground changed once again in an unusual manner.

“General, the enemy has continued northward all this time, but from here onward, the traces in the snow suddenly become much sparser.”

“Could it be that most of them died along the way and buried their bodies where they fell? That would explain why we failed to discover them in time.”

Xiao Tong examined the marks left on the ground and sneered. “How could you be deceived so easily?”

In my view, this is another cheap trick devised by Jiang Chen. He wants to mislead us into continuing north. Hmph. In reality, once they reached this place, they began heading east.”

Xiao Tong laughed smugly, proud of himself for seeing through Jiang Chen’s ruse.

His subordinates nodded in sudden understanding. But the men sent ahead to investigate soon returned with a report.

“General, this line of footprints continues north for several miles, then disappears into thin air.”

“This man may have become separated from the others, which is why he continued north. But that makes him easier to catch.”

Xiao Tong gave his orders. “I’ll take ten men and pursue him north. My instincts tell me Jiang Chen is not far ahead. The rest of you will continue east from here. Once you catch that band of desperate strays, kill them without mercy!”

“Yes, General!”

The Northern Yan forces split into two groups. Just as Jiang Chen had predicted, Xiao Tong came straight toward him.

Perhaps it was a tacit understanding between the two of them. Or perhaps it was an instinct honed by Xiao Tong through countless battles and massacres. He felt that his prey, Jiang Chen, must be somewhere ahead—and he was right down to the last detail.

What he failed to guess was what Jiang Chen was waiting to do up ahead.

The path became increasingly difficult to traverse. The snow had risen above the horses’ shins, and if they continued forward, even riding would become nearly impossible.

“General, the footprints vanish completely here. Judging by their size, it truly seems there was only one person. Where could he have gone?”

Xiao Tong dismounted, drew the horse-slaying saber from his waist, and began trudging forward with some difficulty.

He surveyed the surroundings and suddenly said to his men, “The snow is deepest only in this open stretch, and even the horses have trouble crossing it. Do you know what such a place is suited for?”

One of his subordinates shook his head.

“An ambush, of course.”

Xiao Tong shouted loudly into the surrounding darkness. “Jiang Chen, I know you’re hiding somewhere, waiting for a chance to slit my throat. But now I’m very curious—how exactly do you intend to kill me?”

“I never expected your ultimate goal to be my death. I have to say, I admire both your courage and your foolishness. Since you were bold enough to make such a decision, come and let us see which of us will have the last laugh.”

The surroundings remained utterly silent. Though this was open ground with no cover, and the few great trees stood alone amid the snow, night was the finest disguise of all. The one concealed in darkness was the true hunter.

Xiao Tong’s ten men formed a circle around him and began slowly spreading outward to search the area. This formation ensured Xiao Tong’s absolute safety while expanding their search to the greatest possible extent, forcing any hidden enemy to reveal himself.

Ten men, eighteen sabers. Every one of them was a battle-hardened warrior of the saddle, and among the men Xiao Tong trusted most deeply.

But how skilled they were after leaving their horses remained for Jiang Chen to test personally. The atmosphere grew increasingly sinister. Deep into the night, the snowy wilderness seemed to have fallen asleep, disturbed only now and then by the cry of some unknown bird.

Whoosh!

Rrrrsh... rrrrsh...

Suddenly, something seized one man viciously by the foot. He was dragged a long distance across the snow before his final scream rang out.

The others tensed at once. None of them had seen what had attacked their companion.

“Stay calm! Hold formation!”

Xiao Tong’s roar restored order to their disorganized positions. If Jiang Chen wanted to strike, he would first have to eliminate these men—but doing so would immediately expose him.

“Jiang Chen, I had no idea you had the makings of an assassin. Then come on! Let me see whether your cowardly, skulking tactics are truly enough to kill me!”

Xiao Tong was visibly exhilarated. He shouted his provocation into the darkness, hoping to force Jiang Chen to reveal himself.

Whoosh!

Once again, something slid across the snow.

Relying on his keen hearing to locate the sound, Xiao Tong hurled the horse-slaying saber in his hand in an instant. Far away, a voice abruptly fell silent.

Everyone was certain the blade had struck its target.