Chapter 209: Lure The Tiger Out Of The Mountain
For nomadic tribes without such talents, they chose to fight for territory in the Central Continent, like the Yuezhi Tribe who possess the strongest body amongst the nomadic tribes, or the Jiuli Tribe who inherit voodoo magic from their ancestors.
However, not all tribes were that fortunate. Weaker tribes like the Tuluo Tribe or the all-female Jie Tribe could only survive by depending on others or outsmarting their enemies.
Unfortunately, they were seen as burdens and abandoned by the other nomadic tribes.
If not for the sacrifices of Tuluo Cheng’s tribesmen, who gave their lives to secure supplies for his journey, Tuluo Cheng would never have made it to the Central Continent.
Therefore, no matter what others thought of him, Tuluo Cheng wouldn’t hesitate to betray Ji Hui if it meant saving his tribe.
Recalling what he had experienced over the past two years, determination flickered in Tuluo Cheng’s eyes.
Turning to look at the shadow guards’ leader, he said, "I will go find Feng Xiyan tonight. I won’t force any of you to follow me. But if you wish to come with me, you are welcome."
The others hesitated and looked at each other.
Unlike the Feng Clan’s shadow guards, who were completely loyal to the patriarch of the Feng Clan, the Ji family’s shadow guards were hired by Ji Hui and served him for a high salary.
Besides their weak loyalty, they had witnessed the miracles at Fairy Bai’s temple, and Tuluo Cheng’s question had shaken their loyalty further toward Ji Hui.
After a moment of thought, the leader stepped forward and said, "Military Advisor Tuluo, I will go with you."
When the others saw their leader had decided to switch sides, they said in unison, "Military Advisor Tuluo, we will also go with you."
Seeing that all of them had agreed, Tuluo Cheng nodded. "Good. We will sneak out tonight at Hai Shi."
Clasping their fists, the shadow guards responded, "Yes, Military Advisor Tuluo."
While Tuluo Cheng and the shadow guards were making their plans, Feng Xiyan and Yan Bingyang had just returned to the Feng Army barracks.
Yan Bingyang stepped down from the horse carriage, looked at Feng Xiyan, and said, "Great General, this subordinate still needs to grind some medicinal powder. I will take my leave first."
Feng Xiyan nodded. "Alright. Thank you for your hard work, Physician Yan."
Yan Bingyang smiled, then walked back toward the military infirmary while Feng Xiyan rode to the training ground to oversee the afternoon training session.
Ten hours later, when the moon hung high in the sky, a man holding a small gong and bamboo tube walked down the empty street. Every twenty meters, he struck the bamboo tube three times with a bamboo stick.
Tack! Tack! Tack!
A second later, he sleepily shouted, "The night is dry and humid! Beware of fire!"
As his voice echoed through the night, a group of people with black cloth covering their faces nodded at each other.
After the man’s voice faded into the distance, Tuluo Cheng slightly pushed open the window in his room.
Seeing the Feng Army’s elite soldiers standing guard with high alertness, he closed the window, turned to the Ji family’s shadow guards, and said in a low voice, "We need to find an opportunity to leave."
Trusting his intelligence, the leader of the shadow guards asked, "Military Advisor Tuluo, do you have any ideas?"
Tuluo Cheng thought for a moment, then said, "We can’t use ordinary tactics against these elite soldiers."
He then looked at the shadow guards and added, "Looks like it would be hard to meet Feng Xiyan tonight."
Hearing this, the shadow guards’ leader asked, "Then what should we do? If we can’t leave tonight, let alone surrender to Feng Xiyan, we might be dead before we can even try."
"You are right. That’s why we must find Feng Xiyan tonight, no matter what," Tuluo Cheng said with determination flashing in his eyes.
After a moment of thought, he looked at the shadow guards and continued, "My plan is to lure the tiger out of the mountain."
When his words fell, the shadow guards immediately understood his meaning.
Nodding at him, one of them said, "Military Advisor Tuluo, we will draw the elite soldiers’ attention. Meanwhile, you and our leader can find an opportunity to sneak out of the inn."
Hearing this, the leader patted the shadow guard on the shoulder. "Be careful."
"Don’t worry, Leader. We will be fine."
After finalizing their simple plan, Tuluo Cheng and the leader waited in the room while the others slipped out quietly.
Hiding on the rooftop, the vice leader observed the elite soldiers and the situation below for a moment before signaling to the others.
At his signal, the others nodded, activated their lightness skills, and flew in different directions. To attract attention, they deliberately made noise as they dashed across rooftops.
Crack! Tap!
As soon as they leapt down the rooftop, the captain of the elite soldiers noticed them. "Who’s there?!"
Seeing several figures leap away from the rooftop of the Xiqiang Inn, the captain ordered, "Leave a few men behind. The rest of you, form small teams and chase them!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Following the order, the elite soldiers quickly formed a four-man team and chased after the shadow guards, leaving a dozen people behind to guard the inn.
Watching everything through the window crack, the leader of the shadow guards said urgently, "It’s time to go!"
Grabbing Tuluo Cheng’s wrist, he pulled him up and carried him on his back. After making sure the elite soldiers were fully distracted, the leader opened the window and leapt out of the inn.
Leaping across rooftops, the two of them sped toward the Feng Army’s barracks at full speed.
An hour later, the leader landed near the barracks’ entrance.
After putting Tuluo Cheng down, the leader scanned the barracks ahead and said, "Military Advisor Tuluo, this place is heavily guarded. It won’t be easy to get inside unnoticed."