Chapter 115 - I Keep the Lantern, You Wield the Blade - Part 3
Not long after, Li Yuan arrived at the encampment where the Fragrant General’s troops had settled. Rather than rush in, he crouched among the trees, patiently observing.
Half an hour later, a bandit emerged to relieve himself. Li Yuan let him be, having already noted that these outlaws wore mismatched gear. Stealing a uniform wouldn’t help. It was better to remain hidden.
Eyes closed, Li Yuan focused on the vision from his two white finches perched high overhead. From there, he studied the bandits’ patrol habits, only to find no discernible pattern at all. As midnight approached, the guards grew lazy, some nodding off by the fire, others huddled in makeshift watchtowers, cursing their lot and stifling yawns.
Through his finches, Li Yuan pinpointed the Fragrant General’s location. He mapped a path through the camp in his mind, going over every step again and again. Then he waited.
The wind picked up, and the moon shone bright, illuminating the camp with a silver glow. There came a brief window when the shadows shrank to near nothing; the entire landscape was drenched in moonlight.
This was the moment Li Yuan had been waiting for.
He exploded into motion, crossing open ground in a blur of speed. From inside his wide sleeves, he produced a segmented weapon, painstakingly crafted by a puppet-maker. It was a long spear bristling with blades. At its tip gleamed a spearhead; on either side flared razor-sharp edges.
Li Yuan slipped into the camp’s perimeter, a living shadow. He darted around tents and equipment, moving like he had rehearsed it dozens of times, until he reached the rear of the largest tent. His reconnaissance assured him that the Fragrant General would be there—no sly rabbit with three dens scenario to mislead intruders.
Then, with a single thought, Li Yuan signaled one of the white finches. It swooped down, carrying a small stone in its beak. Circling to the tent’s entrance, the finch dropped the stone; it struck the tent with a heavy thud.
“Who’s there!?”
Instantly, a barrage of arrows tore through the tent fabric, smashing the stone to pieces.
Li Yuan winced at the near miss. He expected a response, but nothing this drastic. A lesson learned, when assassinating someone, never step through the door if you can avoid it.