Chapter 97

This sudden “limp” hadn’t arisen purely from whim, plucked solely to milk transient pity from Chen Shu.

Or if Yun Shen had initially intended to provoke her notoriously fleeting empathy, a pretext more legitimate than mere calculation was necessary. A justification sufficient to placate his own conscience and maintain his performance comfortably.

The conflict brewing around the Valley of Villains served precisely this knot.

According to his original plan, leaping from the Nameless Cliff would shed the Scholar Yun Shen’s disguise and concurrently guide Chen Shu to the blade she sought.

True, she’d mourn “Yun Shen”—lingering at the cliff’s base perhaps, combing its foot for traces. But knowing her spirit: were he genuinely deceased, she’d grieve convulsively, wash herself clear with tears, then stride onward without backward glances. At most, she might avenge herself upon Wei Mian, cutting her down in a frenzy.

Having slaughtered countless innocents, Wei Mian should’ve long anticipated this confrontation. Justice would prevail.

In that scenario, “Yun Shen” perished at Wei Mian’s hands. Thereafter, he ceased appearance before the world. None scrutinized the fate of this scholar who perished falling while visiting a villainous den. None uncovered his role in moving Wei Mian to deliver the vital map that sealed the valley’s doom. And no one ever knew his intricate pact with Xiao Zhong, the machination spun solely to lure Chen Shu inside.

Yes, this was precisely the loophole Yun Shen had overlooked amid his meticulous planning—a flaw forced upon him by absolute confidence and lack of contingency.

He had never anticipated Chen Shu leaping forth to save him.

He had certainly never foreseen that the instant Chen Shu rescued him, a flood of emotions would surge within him, the foremost being a profound sense of relief.

Thus, the meticulously scripted demise of “Yun Shen” this time could not fulfill its design. Not just today; within a month, a year, or even as long as Chen Shu remembered him, any attempt at such an end seemed unlikely to proceed.

It was all far too troublesome. He understood the principle well—initial fervor, subsequent decline, and ultimate exhaustion after three attempts.

Once at Tianyu Mountain. Again at Diancang Pass. And now, this third time in the Valley of Villains.

He dispassionately, almost detachedly, looked back. Each time, he had bowed his head and willingly retraced his steps toward the path of departure.

Facing that, continuing to feign deafness and blindness to his own heart was pointless.

Staying—remaining by Chen Shu’s side until his heart settled—was the only straightforward path left before him.

Since he no longer sought a way out, all his prior schemes within the Valley of Villains were poised for exposure the moment he returned to the war-torn valley and was recognized. Whether it was spreading rumors to lure others to Yubei, collaborating with Xiao Zhong to forge the fake sword, or even the covert planning with Wei Mian—all would inevitably be laid bare.

Setting aside Guardian Guo and others who clearly knew his identity entirely—even if by great fortune, anyone who knew his name, anyone aware that he had long enjoyed Xiao Zhong’s favor, met the same fate as Guardian Guo and could no longer speak—even the minions within the valley and the spies beyond knew a “Military Strategist” had entered the valley, orchestrated a grand plot, and deceived the Sword Discussion Tournament champion, Chen Shu, into the valley to serve the valley master. Upon comparison, any determined investigator could easily trace his movements within this affair.

Therefore, the journey back to the valley was, indeed, the longer for Yun Shen, the better. For the two to avoid appearing amidst the most intense fighting would not only prevent his recognition but also allow Chen Shu’s sword quest to fade temporarily from attention. Without pursuers, the suspicious aspects wouldn’t surface. By the time Fangcheng fell and the current conflict ended, trying to investigate this matter later would become exceedingly difficult.

Today was merely the first day of the assault on the Valley of Villains.

Within half a day, the passes outside the valley were easily breached. Even the hidden scout towers and sentry posts within the dense forests were systematically dismantled, as if anticipated.

It was no wonder Xiao Zhong raged so fiercely in the Small Turret.

The battle line slowly pressed inward. Defensive fortifications, once proud barriers, now aided the court forces. Only a core group of Xiao Zhong’s loyal followers remained, using their corpses to temporarily seal the valley entrance, preventing the imperial troops from crossing the final threshold.

Perhaps sensing the valley forces had rallied, the element of surprise lost its edge, and their advantage waned. Thus, the attacking forces slowed their assault.

At the zenith of the sun’s heat, the fighting within the valley finally ceased for a moment.

The court forces were in no hurry. They held the advantageous terrain surrounding the Valley of Villains and were effectively besieging it. While not yet a massive invasion, the valley’s very geography now favored the attackers—having only two entrances meant they were defensibly narrow, but it also meant blockading the valley required simply blocking these two points, requiring far fewer troops.

Even if Xiao Zhong attempted to send messengers across the mountains to Fangcheng for help, horseback travel through those peaks was impractical. The journey there and back alone would take a solid three to four days.

Moreover, eight or nine out of ten scout posts in those mountains likely now belonged to the court. Whether any messenger could slip through unnoticed remained a vast uncertainty.

However foolish Xiao Zhong might be, hearing the relentless stream of reports about positions falling made this reality abundantly clear. Yet, anger aside, the Valley of Villains held sway over Yubei precisely because of this small, steep valley and its single military camp. To be blunt—Fangcheng could be surrendered, but the Valley of Villains must never be lost.

The reasons for this setback were threefold: the suddenness of the attack, the uprooting of the valley’s outer defenses by the court like pulling radishes, and—critically—Xiao Zhong’s own recent “preparations.” He had diverted a significant portion of forces, including vital defensive equipment, to Fangcheng.

It was like two players meeting for chess, but Xiao Zhong arriving with only half the pieces. Playing his hand eventually left him grasping empty air, forced to concede the match.

Thus, this call for reinforcements could not be neglected; it had to be sent, and swiftly, so the troops in Fangcheng could prepare. With a well-coordinated strike from both sides, defeating the court forces was not impossible.

Chen Shu was undoubtedly the safest choice for the task.

But Guardian Guo had been gone for too long, and the grim war reports now dealt Xiao Zhong a crushing blow. He could wait no longer. The moment the enemy’s offensive lulled, frantic urgency gripped him. He dispatched several loyalists, sending them through the gaps amidst the mountain sentry towers toward Fangcheng.

Finally, unsatisfied, as if nothing could soothe his unease, his gaze swept the room and alighted on a familiar hall master. This man seemed freshly returned from the valley entrance, his face marked by two deep gashes bleeding freely, his arm tightly wrapped in a bandage. Seizing this chance, Xiao Zhong grabbed the man’s collar and snarled viciously:

“You take a letter too—go to the valley entrance! Forget clearing the corpses—those self-righteous righteous folk surely won’t ignore such mountains of dead—”

“With that look, blending into the sea of corpses should be easy enough, no? If not, find a few who are more dead than alive! When those invaders push forward again and start clearing the bodies blocking the entrance… that will be your only chance to break this encirclement… Even if you’re stabbed again… you grit your teeth and endure it!!!”

Xiao Zhong’s this action, though not exactly chivalrous, was nonetheless a stroke of genius, a perilous maneuver that, under ordinary circumstances, might have borne fruit.

Sadly, having muddled through life right until the moment the entire Valley of Villains teetered on the brink, he misjudged the situation even now. The battlefield was ever-shifting; the foes retreating outside the valley appeared to be recuperating, gathering strength to fight another day. Yet, how could such fortuitous fortune possibly fall from the skies?

The dense forests blanketing the mountains surrounding the Valley of Villains, and those towers recently seized from the villains, were soaked with blood. But they were nothing like the clamorous scenes Xiao Zhong had envisioned—

Those manning these towers numbered barely over a hundred, not even needing rest to regroup.

Upon closer inspection, each face among them was familiar. Not only were disciples from Qin Xi Bluff, originally agreed upon with the court to serve as vanguard, present, but Lingxi Pavilion, favored by the court, had also arrived. Positioned in the northwest, closest to the main forces, their leader was none other than that familiar figure, Qi Ban. Even Li Chou, somehow rushing back already—likely without rest—had arrived, bringing only two or three capable disciples from Biyang Valley. Together with He Yu, they had just captured one of the watchtowers.

By pure coincidence, this very watchtower was mere miles from Nameless Cliff!

These Members of the Wulin Community were, for the most part, the elite of their respective schools. Thus, moving in small groups, they traversed the mountains easily, capturing each mountain watchtower without detection. It was like pulling Xiao Zhong’s fangs out, one by one—both precise and swift.

The adversaries outside the valley halting their attack indeed provided the main force an opportunity to regroup. Yet, was this commander of a grand army ignorant of the very principles Xiao Zhong himself understood? The apparent respite was only for the entire invading army that could be easily observed, specifically the court troops attacking the valley entrance.

There was no rest for these Members of the Wulin Community in the mountains, nor did they need any.

Xiao Zhong dispatched messengers; all methods, except the bizarre one disguised as corpses, played right into the adversary’s hands. These messengers traversed mountains and ridges; even if they knew of the captured locations and deliberately avoided them, how could they evade the impenetrable net woven by the finest martial artists, proven through life-and-death duels in the Sword Discussion Tournament? Now, the tables had turned entirely. These Vicious Bandits, so used to treacherousness, finally tasted what it was like to walk beneath the bright sun yet be ambushed from the shadows—situations where even a myriad of martial skills proved useless.

Within half an hour, while Xiao Zhong still paced within his tower, utterly unaware, his men had all fallen into the hands of the righteous martial artists he despised most.

Among them was one particularly noteworthy.

It was the messenger sent to Nameless Cliff, urging Guardian Guo’s swift return!

He was seized by He Yu in the act. Strangely, he alone carried no written message, only a verbal dispatch. It took Li Chou’s sword piercing his collarbone, causing him to cough up copious blood, before he managed to stammer out the truth.

He spoke of a treasured sword yet to be retrieved. He didn’t know what sword it was, nor its purpose. Yet, having traveled with Chen Shu this far, who amongst Wu Lin members did not know the treasured sword in the Valley of Villains was precisely the one Chen Shu sought?

Upon hearing this, He Yu abandoned care for the man. He turned immediately, intent on heading towards the direction described.

Behind him, Li Chou, frantic, reached out to grab him, casting aside old prejudices as he scolded:

“He mentioned things like guardian or hall leader? Then it must be another heavily guarded fortress! You charging in alone—ten lives wouldn’t be enough!”

“If I had ten lives, I’d be willing to spend them all today,” He Yu retorted, shaking off Li Chou’s hold. “This life I’m living now, it was already gained unexpectedly. Though I usually tread cautiously, this time… I cannot repeat the past mistake of just standing idly by, helplessly watching—”