Chapter 16: Scouts of the Gray Wolf Tribe

A straight column of smoke rose sharply from the beacon tower on the distant ridge, glaring sharply in the twilight.

Hu Dayong sprang to his feet, eyes fixed fiercely on the smoke: "Damn it, it’s to the east!"

“To the east?” Lin Chuan frowned. “There are two villages over there—Wangjiatun and Lijiaji.”

Hu Dayong nervously rubbed his hands together. “This blasted signal is just one column of smoke—how are we supposed to know which village?”

“Let’s go!” Lin Chuan decided instantly. “Split up and check it out!”

Everyone hurriedly grabbed their weapons.

Hu Dayong led the one-eyed dragon and a few villagers toward Lijiaji, while Lin Chuan, accompanied by Ergou and Xiao Nian, headed straight for Wangjiatun.

When Lin Chuan’s group arrived at Wangjiatun, the village entrance was already in ruins.

Several elderly villagers sat slumped beside an overturned grain cart. An old man, face covered in blood, wailed toward the scorched thatched hut.

“We’re too late…” Wang Tiezhu slammed his fist into a tree.

Lin Chuan crouched, picking up a handful of still-warm horse manure between his fingers.

“Less than half an hour ago.”

On the ground lay an embroidered shoe.

“Did the bandits kidnap someone?” Lin Chuan’s voice suddenly turned cold.

“Yeah!” The village head, leaning heavily on a broken hoe handle, wept bitterly.

“They took seven or eight women! And stole livestock…”

“How many bandits?”

“Six, all on horseback…”

“Where did they go?”

“Into the Black Pine Forest…”

At that moment, Hu Dayong arrived, panting.

“Lijiaji is safe! It really was here…”

But upon seeing the devastation, he fell silent.

Lin Chuan gritted his teeth. “Let’s pursue them!”

“What?” Hu Dayong’s eyes widened. “It’s almost dark, and the bandits have horses…”

“Exactly because it’s getting dark,” Lin Chuan sneered. “They’ve got seven or eight women and livestock. They’ll have to stay overnight in the mountains.”

“We’re only five people. Can we manage?” Even the seasoned soldiers hesitated.

Suddenly, Wang Tiezhu stood up. “Brother Lin, count me in!”

“An-an-an-and me!” stammered Zhang Xiao Nian.

“Brother Lin, I’m coming too!”

“Yes, all of us! Brother Lin!”

Within moments, a dozen villagers swarmed forward, eyes blazing with fierce determination.

These were the men who had fought bandits alongside Lin Chuan before, and their warrior spirit now burned even brighter than the old soldiers’.

“Going soft already?” Lin Chuan laughed at the veterans. “There are only six bandits.”

“Damn right…” Hu Dayong paused, then grinned. “Follow the flag bearer, kill bandits, earn merits!”

“Kill bandits, earn merits!” The one-eyed dragon drew his waist knife with a sharp glance.

“Kill bandits, earn merits!” Ergou clenched a triangular arrow and growled low.

“Good!” Lin Chuan nodded.

He looked toward the Black Pine Forest, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.

“Let’s move out!”

…

Twilight deepened.

The Black Pine Forest loomed like a crouching beast, moaning low in the wind.

Lin Chuan raised his hand, signaling the group to stop. He bent down, scooping up a pinch of soil, rubbing it between his fingers.

“It’s sheep dung,” he whispered. “Still fresh.”

Hu Dayong squatted beside him. “Horse tracks lead that way.”

The one-eyed dragon felt along the direction Hu indicated.

Sure enough, a trampled bush trail appeared.

They followed it further.

The one-eyed dragon, leading the way, suddenly crouched low.

Zhang Xiao Nian tugged Lin Chuan’s sleeve, pointing quietly into the distance: “F-fire…”

Through the gaps in the dense forest, faint flickers of firelight shimmered.

“They’ve set up camp,” Lin Chuan squinted. “About three hundred paces away.”

Hu Dayong gripped his knife tightly. “Flag bearer, what’s the plan?”

“You all wait here,” Lin Chuan turned to instruct. “Corporal Hu, you and I will scout closer.”

Under cover of night, the two crept forward, hiding behind a thicket to observe.

“Something’s off,” Hu Dayong whispered. “These aren’t the Black Wolf tribe’s colors.”

Six bandits sat around a campfire, roasting sheep meat.

Two tents stood nearby, a white flag bearing a wolf’s head hung before one.

“Scouts of the Pale Wolf tribe!” Hu Dayong frowned. “How the hell did these bastards get here?”

Lin Chuan noticed each bandit carried two curved sabers at their waist and short bows strapped to their saddles.

Their gear was clearly superior to the Black Wolf scouts they had fought before.

They laughed and shouted loudly, drinking from wineskins without any caution.

No guards posted.

Seven or eight captured women were tied together, chained to a tree on the edge of the camp.

Their clothes disheveled, tear-streaked faces silent and terrified.

More than a dozen goats were haphazardly tethered nearby.

“Damn it!” Hu Dayong ground his teeth. “Not a single sentry!”

Lin Chuan sneered. “These elite raiders are used to striking in small groups—they probably never faced serious resistance.”

Suddenly, a burly bandit stood, staggering toward the bound women.

He grabbed a young girl by the hair, forcing her face upward.

Her lips were bitten raw, but she kept her eyes tightly shut, not daring to make a sound.

“Wah!”

The bandit screamed suddenly and poured horse milk wine from a wineskin over her face.

The sharp scent of alcohol spread as the others laughed harshly.

The women trembled in fear.

An older woman tried to move forward to shield the girl but was kicked down by a bandit.

“Flag bearer!” Hu Dayong’s voice was filled with murderous intent. “Should we strike now—”

Lin Chuan gripped his shoulder firmly, voice icy as ice: “Wait.”

His gaze swept the entire camp.

“Attacking now will alert them all. Let’s wait until they’re drunker.”

Two bandits staggered to their feet, roughly dragging three more bound women to the fire.

The women stumbled and fell onto blankets, faces pale with terror.

One bandit sneered and forced a wineskin into a woman’s mouth.

She choked violently, wine spilling down her neck, soaking her clothes.

The others howled like beasts, some loosening their belts.

The women’s clothes were torn open, revealing patches of pale skin.

The bandits howled and hooted, some drawing daggers to cut their garments.

Lin Chuan and Hu Dayong exchanged a fierce look, anger blazing in their eyes.

“Let’s go back and make arrangements,” Lin Chuan said.

The two silently slipped back into the darkness.

Once safely hidden, the group gathered around.

“Brother Lin!”

“Flag bearer!”

“Chief!”

“Gather around and listen!” Lin Chuan whispered, quickly outlining the plan in the shadows.

“Corporal Hu, you lead your men around to the west. When you hear my whistle, shoot the bandits by the fire with arrows.”

“Understood!” Hu Dayong nodded.

“Tiezhu, Xiao Nian,” Lin Chuan turned to them, “split into two groups and approach from the east and south. When you hear the whistle, create a commotion.”

“Got it!” Wang Tiezhu and Zhang Xiao Nian nodded in unison.

Zhang Xiao Nian suddenly asked, stammering, “W-what kind of commotion?”

“Just like last time,” Lin Chuan replied. “Shout, scream, charge, fight—whatever makes the most noise.”

“Got it!” Xiao Nian nodded.

“And you, flag bearer?” Hu Datou asked.

“I’ll sneak to the tents and look for an opening,” Lin Chuan said.

“That’s too risky!” Hu Datou exclaimed. “If the leader gets hurt, we’ll catch hell!”

“Do you think you can sneak in without being detected?” Lin Chuan asked.

Hu Datou hesitated.

The veterans exchanged looks and shook their heads.

“Then that settles it,” Lin Chuan smiled.

“But what if someone higher up finds out—”

“No one dares say a word, or they won’t earn merits with me!” Lin Chuan snapped.

At his words, silence fell.

“Remember!” Lin Chuan emphasized one last time, “Once you hear the whistle, the veterans fire first, then everyone shouts and charges. We’ll attack from inside and out, catching them off guard. Got it?”

“Yes, sir!” they whispered back.

“Move out!” Lin Chuan’s voice dropped low.

Like phantoms, they vanished into the night.