Sixty-mile urgent dispatch.
Sprinting all the way.
Riding fresh steeds without replacing the messenger, sometimes replacing both horse and rider. After seven days and nights of relentless travel, they finally arrived.
The two young warriors had been running for a full day and night, panting heavily, yet they dared not pause for rest.
They saw ’Mr. Chen’ lower his head, looking down at them.
One of the young warriors retrieved a roll of letter-sized paper from his chest pocket. The small hunting falcon perched on his arm seized it with its claws, soared into the sky, and circled before descending to Chen Jichuan.
Chen Jichuan reached out, and the hunting falcon placed the letter into his hand.
"You’ve worked hard on the journey."
"Go to the camp first for rest. Fine wine and meat have been prepared, and you can enjoy them once you’ve recovered."
Holding the letter, Chen Jichuan didn’t rush to open it, first addressing the two young warriors.
Sixty-mile urgent dispatch.
After seven days and nights, what difference would a moment or two make?
The two young warriors, with an air of deliberate decorum, gave a respectful bow, mounted their horses, and headed for a corner in the distance where eagles could fly free and hounds roamed the grounds.
There stood an encampment built of timber and earth, finely constructed and detailed.
At first glance, it resembled a dog kennel, perhaps even shorter, but despite its small size, every part served a purpose. Inside, there were small huts, little beds, and tiny blankets, more than good enough for the two young warriors.
Beaming with joy, the two young warriors laughed and dashed inside, quieting down after a short commotion.
After settling the young warriors.
Chen Jichuan finally turned his attention to the letter in his palm, so unobtrusive it could have been overlooked. On the envelope was written, ’To Mr. Chen, personally.’
The script differed from that of Da Liang.
It wasn’t just the script; even the language spoken by these self-proclaimed ’Genmou Country’ young warriors differed greatly from the dialects of Da Liang, more akin to ancient language—obscure and challenging to understand.
Fortunately, Chen Jichuan.
Possessed the ’Insight Skill,’ enabling him to discern and comprehend both their spoken and written words with relative ease.
Using the ’Thousand-mile Eye’ to survey within forty miles of Dai County, he discovered these young warriors, finding them quite extraordinary. Thus, by combining ’Thousand-mile Eye’ with the ’Sharp-Hearing Ear,’ he spent time studying their existence, customs, and culture, eventually learning their language and writings.
Through multiple interventions during ’Great Beast Crises,’ he further earned the friendship of the ’King Genmou.’ Among the Genmou people and their warriors, he held considerable prestige and authority.
Taking a pair of tweezers, he carefully removed the letter from its envelope, squinting as he meticulously read its contents.
Chen Jichuan’s face lit up with joy: "Finally found it!"
A faint exhalation caused the letter to flutter away and vanish.
Even with Chen Jichuan’s sharp eyes, he couldn’t locate it for a moment.
He chose not to bother searching.
Heading to the kitchen, he used high heat and hot oil to stir-fry two pounds of stink bugs, fleas, and mosquitoes—feed prepared for his hunting dog and falcon.
He then retrieved premium soybean cakes and fed them to the small horse.
Lastly, he sliced fine braised beef into small pieces, arranged them in tiny plates, and paired them with wine, delivering the treats with tweezers to the courtyard ’Eagle-Dog Army’ encampment.
After accomplishing all these tasks.
Chen Jichuan changed into a night suit, vaulted over the city walls, and headed southeast.
In one breath, he ran forty miles, arriving at Tangg Mountain near Golden Wind Mountain. Taking a winding path, he reached a dense forest. Within, amidst thorny brambles, lay several cleared patches of land.
Some the size of round tables.
Others no bigger than palm fans.
This was the Genmou King’s Eagle-Dog Army training grounds.
Each training camp had hundreds of young warriors, whether on foot, horseback, or accompanied by hundreds of eagles and hounds. Some practiced battle formations, others honed their physical strength or martial arts. Still, others had just returned from the hunt, carrying a sky-darkening ’giant net’ wrapped around a centipede as majestic as a dragon.
The centipede was immensely powerful.
Dozens of robust warriors were shouting in unison, using all their might to drag the enormous net before finally securing it in a wooden dungeon.
Chen Jichuan reached this place.
So as not to accidentally bring ruin upon the ’Genmou Nation.’
Such an imposing figure as Chen Jichuan couldn’t avoid drawing the wary eyes of the Genmou warriors. Only after his hunting dog barked twice and his falcon circled above did they recognize him as the great king’s friend—
Mr. Chen of Baozhi Forest.
They immediately saluted Chen Jichuan.
One warrior dove into the briars, vanishing from sight.
A figure donned in yellow, wearing the Pingtian Crown, appeared, surrounded by Eagle-Dog warriors.
This was King Genmou.
Standing tall on a small cart, he radiated an air of awe-inspiring authority. To the young warriors, he was nothing short of majestic. But to Chen Jichuan, the sight was endearingly amusing.
Blissfully unaware of his friend’s thoughts, King Genmou, standing atop his cart, announced in a booming voice: "The villains lurk twenty miles southeast of here! I have already summoned three thousand warriors to assist Mr. Chen in crushing the enemy!"
Name: Guiliang (Genmou person)
Talents: Night Vision, Invisibility
Spell: Heavenly Saint Skill (third layer)
King Genmou, Guiliang’s voice thundered across the field. Chen Jichuan strained to listen, barely hearing clearly. Witnessing the king’s upright and fervent demeanor, Chen Jichuan couldn’t help but laugh: "These petty villains don’t warrant mobilizing the army. I shall first investigate their intentions. If I find myself overwhelmed, I’ll then ask Brother Gui for reinforcements!"
The thousand-strong Eagle-Dog Army under King Genmou looked vast and formidable. Hunting fleas, stink bugs, and mosquitoes came effortlessly to them.
But when tasked with capturing small snakes, centipedes, or field rats, it often required tens or even hundreds of warriors working together, and accidents were not uncommon.
Borrow troops from King Genmou?
Chen Jichuan shook his head: "I wouldn’t want to harm them!"
After thanking King Genmou, exchanging pleasantries, and setting a time to trade various toxic creatures, Chen Jichuan leisurely continued southeast.
Opening his Thousand-mile Eye and Sharp-Hearing Ear, he sought the location King Genmou had described.
In terms of combat power.
Should Chen Jichuan stomp his foot, King Genmou would lose hundreds or even thousands of people. But these Genmou warriors, despite their small stature, were no less intelligent than ordinary humans and existed in vast numbers.
With intellect and numbers, they held value.
Through his alliance with King Genmou, Guiliang, Chen Jichuan provided grains, weapons, and armor, among other supplies, while King Genmou deployed his Eagle-Dog Army to assist Chen Jichuan. They conducted reconnaissance, supplied vital intelligence, hunted toxic insects and creatures, and gathered spiritual medicines and fruits for him.
The collaboration benefited both sides.
From a common perspective, Chen Jichuan appeared to reap greater rewards.
After all, given the small stature of the Genmou warriors, a single ordinary steel blade could be melted down to equip an entire Eagle-Dog Army camp.
The materials cost little.
It was the manual labor that drove up the expense.
From King Genmou’s perspective, however, he was also reaping tremendous benefits. Over the past half year, his personal reputation had soared to the forefront among all previous ’Genmou Kings.’
Was mutually beneficial.
Over the course of six months, the Genmou people’s lives had vastly improved, and through King Genmou, Chen Jichuan had identified several suspects responsible for Ban Feifei’s mother’s death in Er Ban!
After parting ways with King Genmou.
The Thousand-mile Eye illuminated an area twenty miles ahead.
On the reverse side of a mountain peak, amidst rugged cliffs and jagged boulders, someone had carved out a concealed cave. Stone pillars and slabs obstructed the entrance, rendering it nearly invisible to the naked eye.
A discovery owed entirely to the Eagle-Dog Army.
Soaring eagles and prowling hounds.
Conducting seamless investigations from air and land, relying on both sight and scent, leaving no area unchecked until they made this find.
Chen Jichuan peered through his Thousand-mile Eye.
At the cave’s entrance, he perceived a faint mist swirling. With his vast experience, Chen Jichuan immediately recognized the telltale signs of ghost energy.
Chen Jichuan felt his heart stir. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ nοvelfire.net
He peered further into the cave, where he saw piles of ghastly white bones, including skulls and skeletal remains scattered across the ground.
A veritable hellscape.
And it wasn’t just bones.
There were also several bloodied human heads arranged in a five-point formation, with a Daoist sitting cross-legged in the center. His face was solemn, yet tendrils of sinister energy and ghostly mist emanated from him.