Chapter Forty-Six: The Inside Man

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Ever since Li Xiong entered Black Earth City, the morale of the defending volunteers was greatly boosted. The demon soldiers, intimidated by Li Xiong’s valor, dared not challenge the city below its walls. Thus, a stalemate ensued between the two sides.

Let us set aside the affairs within Black Earth City for now and turn our attention to Xiao Ling’s experiences upon his return to the demon camp.

After being seized by the demon soldiers and brought back to their camp, Xiao Ling was sent to the rear for medical treatment. Yet, his wounds were beyond anyone’s skill to heal, and it was only when Mengkeshou’s men delivered a medicinal pill that Xiao Ling gradually recovered.

Once restored, Xiao Ling reported to the army and then proceeded to his own quarters to pay respects to the matron of the Wei family.

As soon as the curtain to the tent was lifted and he stepped inside, a flash of cold steel greeted him—a single-edged blade was already pressed to his throat.

“You little wretch! You’ve pledged yourself to the enemy and remain unrepentant. Why have you come back now?!”

Xiao Ling looked up at the one wielding the blade. The man appeared to be in his thirties, lean and energetic, his long beard braided into a plait with a red cord, his attire spotless, exuding an air of unrestrained ease. This was none other than Mu Shijin.

“Hero, put down the knife at once! Don’t harm my child!” The old lady of the Wei family, in a panic, hastily stopped Mu Shijin.

“What use is such a little beast?!” Mu Shijin ignored her protests, tightening his grip so that the blade pressed against the artery in Xiao Ling’s neck. Xiao Ling could distinctly feel a chill seeping from his skin into his very bones.

But he cared for nothing else at that moment. With a heavy thud, he dropped to his knees.

“Mother! I was wrong! I should never have aided the demon soldiers in their assault on the Grand Xia. From this day forth, I renounce my former ways, turn my back on the Demon Kingdom, and vow to stand against them!”

Upon hearing this, Mu Shijin was overjoyed and hurriedly sheathed his blade.

“General Xiao, are your words true?!”

The old matron, too, could barely contain her delight, embracing Xiao Ling. “Good child! For twenty years I have endured humiliation and hardship, but at last there is hope!”

She seized his hand and urged, “Hurry and kowtow to General Mu. From now on, we shall follow his lead—if he bids us east, we go east; if he commands us west, we shall never turn north. Through fire and water, we shall follow!”

Xiao Ling knelt again, clasping his fists. “General Mu, today I, Xiao Ling, willingly surrender myself to your command! Henceforth, at your word, I would march through fire without hesitation!”

Mu Shijin, elated, lifted him up with both hands. “General, you honor me too much!”

He added, “Since you intend to defect, why not write a letter, which I can shoot into the city with an arrow to inform Marshals Murong Yan and Ye Feng, so that they may prepare for a coordinated attack and together crush the demon soldiers?”

Xiao Ling agreed and immediately wrote the letter. In the dead of night, Mu Shijin fired it into the city with his bow.

The soldiers who found the letter hurriedly delivered it to Murong Yan, who opened and read it:

“To Marshals Murong Yan and Ye Feng:

I, Xiao Ling, have been blind to righteousness for eighteen years, but now, upon learning the truth of my origins, I am filled with regret. If you can forgive my crimes, I am willing to act in concert from within, defect from the demon camp, and aid in the defeat of the demon soldiers.

With this letter, I pledge my sincerity.

Respectfully,
Xiao Ling
[Date]”

Beneath this was another line: “I, Mu Shijin, vouch for General Xiao Ling. Every word he speaks is true; the two marshals may rest assured.”

This note was written in Mu Shijin’s own hand and was beyond doubt.

Murong Yan was overjoyed and quickly summoned Ye Feng to discuss strategy. Ye Feng, upon reading the letter, was equally delighted. “Marshal Murong, Xiao Ling has surrendered. Victory is within our grasp. We need only hold the city and await the opportune moment; we must not act rashly and risk unforeseen complications.”

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Murong Yan nodded in agreement.

Within two months, the city’s defenders received another letter, once again shot from the demon camp by arrow.

Murong Yan and Ye Feng opened it and read: The demon camp is in a state of panic, the front lines are overextended, and food supplies are running low. Mengkeshou, in desperation, has decided to launch an all-out attack at midnight tonight. The earth-burrowing troops will tunnel to the east gate of Black Earth City, the infantry will surge through the tunnel, break down the gate, and storm the city. Mu Shijin requests that the marshals allow the demon soldiers to enter, where ambushes will be set to trap and annihilate them. Mu Shijin and Xiao Ling will lead the vanguard and, at the decisive moment, will turn and strike the enemy from within.

Murong Yan and Ye Feng were elated, immediately summoning all the generals, raising the command tent, and assigning troops to set the ambush.

Once the ambush was set, Ye Feng drew a command arrow and called out, "Xu Yaozu, where are you?!"

Xu Yaozu, delighted with himself, thought, See? It’s my reputation at work—now that the ambush is ready, all that’s left is to reap the rewards. What a windfall!

He answered at once, “I am here!” and, puffing out his belly, stepped forward and bowed. “I await your orders!”

“You are to lead five thousand spearmen to defend the north gate. Do not let a single demon soldier escape!”

Xu Yaozu clasped his hands and replied, “At your command!” Taking the command arrow, he swaggered off.

No sooner had Xu Yaozu departed than Li Xiong could no longer contain himself, for he had not been called for quite some time.

He shouted, “Young Master Feng!” and leapt out. “How can you fight the demon soldiers without me, Lord Xiong? After all this time, isn’t it my turn now?!”

Ye Feng suppressed a smile—so impatient!—but maintained a solemn tone. “Li Xiong, heed my command!”

Li Xiong was overjoyed, replying, “I am here!”

“You are to lead five thousand spearmen to defend the south gate. Do not let a single demon soldier escape!”

Li Xiong responded in his usual stammer, “Understood!” Taking the command arrow, he dashed away.

All the generals had been assigned, leaving only Ye Feng and Murong Yan.

Murong Yan, puzzled, asked, “Brother Feng, the ambush is set, and both north and south gates are guarded, but what of the east and west gates?”

Ye Feng replied, “The east gate is the most critical, so you and I shall guard it together. As for the west gate…” He smiled slyly and whispered a few words in Murong Yan’s ear.

Murong Yan tittered, “So you can be devious too, Brother Feng! I always thought you were an honest man!”

Ye Feng laughed heartily. “All’s fair in war! The art of command is not the same as the art of living.”

With that, he and Murong Yan descended from the command platform to help the troops prepare for the night’s ambush.

At midnight, everyone was tense, holding their breath, not daring to make a sound. But as time passed and the demon soldiers failed to appear, many grew restless and could not suppress their anxious murmurs.

Ye Feng quietly summoned a messenger. “Pass the order: All soldiers are to wait patiently—no one is to make a sound or reveal our position without my command.”

The messenger hurried off, and soon, silence returned.

Murong Yan, still uneasy, fretted, “Brother Feng, will the demon soldiers really come? Could General Mu have sent false information? Or is this just one of Mengkeshou’s traps to lure our main force away?”

She had always been prejudiced against Mu Shijin—after all, a man who fought over a courtesan in a brothel, even killing for her and running afoul of the law, hardly seemed trustworthy. If not for Ye Feng’s recommendation, she would never have taken him in.

“Rest assured, sister Yan. Brother Mu would never send false information—the demon soldiers’ delay must have another cause,” Ye Feng reassured her, trusting Mu Shijin’s character. For all his eccentricities, Mu Shijin had risked his life to infiltrate the demon camp, which spoke to his wisdom and courage. A man of such intellect and bravery would not mislead them.

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Nor would he be easily manipulated by the enemy.

Yet by the fourth watch, it was still silent outside the city gates—not a sound.

Could Mu Shijin truly have sent false information? Or was this some cunning feint by Mengkeshou?

No, that could not be! There must have been an unforeseen complication.

As it turned out, when Mu Shijin fired the letter into the city last night, he was spotted by a patrolling demon soldier. This soldier, ruthless and eager for reward, reported him to Mengkeshou.

Mengkeshou hurried to the vanguard camp to ferret out Mu Shijin. But Mu Shijin had already disguised himself as another demon, making it impossible for Mengkeshou to find him.

The demon soldier, growing anxious, insisted, “Marshal, if a spy could infiltrate the vanguard camp, there must be accomplices. Please investigate thoroughly!”

Xiao Ling, seeing that time was running short, grew anxious. If this continued, tonight’s plan to defeat the enemy would fail!

He stepped forward and saluted. “Marshal, a few days ago, this soldier broke military discipline and I reprimanded him. Now he claims there is a traitor in my camp. If there is, I will accept responsibility, but for him to accuse me without proof and claim there are accomplices is pure nonsense! I fear he is seeking revenge for my earlier rebuke and deliberately slandering me. Such scoundrels cannot be trusted!”

The demon soldier, terrified, thought, I’ve offended the vanguard officer!

He dropped to his knees with a thud and kowtowed to Xiao Ling. “General Xiao, I dare not accuse you. I acted only for the marshal’s safety and our army’s victory!”

“Nonsense!” Xiao Ling grew angrier, and with a thud, kicked the soldier to the ground. At the same time, with a ringing sound, he drew his sword. “I’ll cut you down!”

He was about to strike the demon soldier dead but reconsidered: If I kill him now, Mengkeshou may become suspicious.

So he sheathed his sword and reported to Mengkeshou, “Marshal, this scoundrel has sown discord and disrupted our army—he deserves punishment! Today we are to launch an all-out attack, and his meddling has delayed us, putting the army at risk. Better to execute him as a warning to all!”

Mengkeshou, seeing Xiao Ling’s angry demeanor and the terrified, pale-faced soldier, thought Xiao Ling’s words credible and the little soldier more suspicious. He barked, “Guards!”

At once, several lesser demons stepped forward.

“Drag him out and execute him as a sacrifice to our banners!” Mengkeshou ordered, pointing at the soldier.

The demon, limp with terror, had no strength even to cry out. The lesser demons dragged him away, and soon reported back that the execution was complete and the banners were consecrated with blood.

Mengkeshou then commanded, “Assemble the army! Prepare to attack at once!”

Thus, more than an hour was lost before the demon army could launch their assault.

According to the plan, the earth-burrowing troops finished the tunnels, the infantry charged, broke through the city gates, and stormed inside.

Mengkeshou led the demon soldiers in, quickly breaching the city. Yet within the walls, all was eerily silent.

Mengkeshou grew suspicious: Storming this city had always been so difficult—why was it so easy tonight?

But having already breached the city, retreat was not an option.

He gave the order, “Divide into squads and advance on the city governor’s mansion!”

But before his troops could scatter, a sudden blare of horns echoed, and all around, hidden troops sprang from ambush. Torches flared up, turning night into day.

“Ah!” Mengkeshou could only gape, stunned and speechless.