Chapter 43: The Cavalry Attacks

“Get a good night’s rest tonight. Tomorrow we return to the mountain, and I expect a fierce battle ahead.” That night, the group lodged in a small town, fifty miles from their stronghold.

Meanwhile, in a valley twenty miles ahead of the town, a cavalry unit arrived under the cover of darkness. This was a true military force, some five hundred riders, armed with blades and arrows, clad in iron armor that clinked with every movement, each man draped in a black cloak devoid of any insignia.

At the head of this cavalry were five elite warriors riding abreast—those same experts who had previously ambushed Fang Xian and his companions. Among them were both army generals and renowned martial heroes.

At dawn, Fang Xian’s party set out once more, traveling at a measured pace toward the valley. Far above, the King of Hawks circled, sharp eyes taking in every detail of the waiting cavalry and sending wordless warnings to Fang Xian below.

“Halt.” Two miles from the valley’s entrance, Fang Xian signaled for the group to stop.

“Are they lying in ambush there?” Ye Hongxiu asked, noting that the terrain ahead was well-suited for an ambush.

“They’ve gone all in,” Fang Xian replied. “There are hundreds lying in wait in that valley—no doubt their best fighters are among them. We must play to our strengths. Meeting them in open ground would be foolish. Instead, we’ll lure them out into the forest where we hold the advantage.” He pointed to the woods half a mile ahead.

“Whatever you decide, son-in-law, we’ll follow,” the others chimed in.

“Everyone, dismount and hide in the woods to the right, half a mile ahead. I’ll take the horses into the valley to draw them out—give them something extra to worry about. Once they charge out, use arrows to disrupt their formation, then lure them into the woods and fall back towards the ridge, fighting as we go.” Fang Xian quickly set his plan in motion.

Thunderous hoofbeats soon echoed at the valley’s mouth. The five hundred cavalrymen readied their bows, waiting for their quarry to round the bend and enter their range of a hundred and fifty paces.

Yet when a herd of riderless horses appeared around the bend, the five elite warriors and all five hundred cavalrymen were momentarily dumbfounded, none thinking to attack.

At that moment, a figure shot from beneath the belly of the last horse, landing squarely in the saddle, bow in hand. With lightning speed, Fang Xian loosed three arrows high above the cavalry, each one bursting upon descent in thick yellow smoke, filling the air with a pungent stench.

“Poison! Out of the valley, now!” the leading general shouted, and the five elite warriors led the charge, urging the cavalry forward.

As the two sides closed to one hundred and twenty paces, a strange, powerful longbow appeared in Fang Xian’s hands—an artifact he had exchanged a thousand reputation points for in his system’s store. He nocked a string of arrows and shot into the dense ranks of the enemy.

Clang! The arrows whistled just above the horses’ backs, aimed at the five elite warriors. One intercepted the shaft with his blade, but the force stunned him so that he nearly toppled from his mount.

A cry split the air. The other elite warriors dared not block the arrows and leaped aside, but the close-packed cavalry behind them became easy targets. Several arrows pierced through man after man, shrieks of agony rising as they fell.

With a powerful kick, Fang Xian propelled himself backward from the horse, moving like a shooting star while continuing to rain arrows upon the five hundred cavalry, his onslaught striking terror into their hearts.

The cavalry surged forward, trampling the riderless horses and charging out of the valley in a deafening wave.

But as they emerged, a hail of arrows descended from the woods beside them. The men of Azure Cloud Stronghold were all skilled hunters—against such a close formation, their arrows scarcely missed.

Fang Xian had already taken position atop a treetop in the forest, switching to a standard bow for speed. Arrow after arrow flew from his string, each one claiming a rider’s life.

“Loose! Return fire!” bellowed the cavalry general, and the remaining four hundred riders fired back, forcing Ye Hongxiu to lead her people deeper into the woods.

“Charge!” The five elite warriors abandoned their horses and darted into the forest, while the second-tier fighters led their squads in pursuit, some on horseback, others on foot.

From the shadows, Fang Xian continued his deadly archery, his range outstripping the enemy’s—at two hundred paces, his shots felled rider after rider.

The five enemy experts rapidly closed in on the fleeing Azure Cloud fighters, but Fang Xian had chosen the battleground well. Ye Hongxiu led her group in a fighting retreat, loosing arrows to draw the enemy on.

Wherever Fang Xian passed, a thin mist lingered in the air, sweet with a subtle fragrance. The enemy paid no heed as they charged through the haze.

In truth, the smoke he had released in the valley was only mildly toxic—open ground and swift-moving cavalry made poisoning them this way impractical. But in the close confines of the woods, the toxins from both smoke and mist mingled, their potency multiplied. Fang Xian had chosen his method well.

The enemy’s cavalry, desperate to hit anything, fired blindly as they plunged deeper into the forest, hoping to disrupt the martial experts, if nothing else.

After about ten miles, Fang Xian and his group stopped and turned to counterattack. Gan Scarf and the others no longer concealed their strength, unleashing the aura of first-class masters and engaging the five elite enemies head-on.

Ye Hongxiu, with the swiftest among their ranks, Yang Beard and Li Banner, fell upon the enemy cavalry, beginning a ruthless slaughter. From the shadows, Fang Xian continued his deadly archery, cutting down rider after rider, occasionally targeting the elite warriors with well-placed shots.

Despite their numbers, the enemy cavalry lost nearly a hundred before even entering the woods. Now, only three hundred or so remained, yet under the assault of multiple masters, they cried out in terror and fell in droves.

“We’ve been set up! They hid their strength—all of them are top-tier fighters!”

“Rally on the captain! Form up! Archers, fire at will!”

Yet the cavalry still boasted many second-tier fighters, most serving as squad leaders, each commanding a dozen or so riders. They began to rally their squads and regroup.

But the moment any leader raised his voice, an arrow would whistle from afar, silencing him forever—Fang Xian’s deadly handiwork. In these woods, he alone was as effective as an entire army.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar shattered the chaos—a massive tiger, three or four meters long, burst from the depths of the forest, charging straight for the nearest soldiers.

“It’s a tiger! Help!”

Panic seized both man and beast. Horses reared and screamed, flinging their riders and fleeing for their lives.

“My stomach! The poison—” cried another, his words cut short as he collapsed, stricken by the toxins now coursing through his veins. Some fell to the ground, others found their limbs weak and useless, while the Tiger King rampaged unimpeded, slaughtering without devouring, as Fang Xian had commanded.

In an instant, the enemy formation collapsed. The five elite warriors were held fast by Gan Scarf and his comrades. The rest of the cavalry, panicked and leaderless, fell to the blades and arrows of Fang Xian, Ye Hongxiu, the others, and the rampaging Tiger King.