Chapter Sixty-Eight: Probing Military Intelligence

Li Yiqing requested permission from Murong Yan and Ye Feng to undertake a mission. Once consent was granted, he immediately returned to his tent. He changed into night attire, fastened a pouch of treasures at his waist, strapped a six-foot-long Golden Dragon Claw to his back, jumped and bounced a few times to ensure nothing would fall off him, then set out.

At that time, the full moon hung high in the sky, its light cold and pure, casting a haunting radiance across the land. Li Yiqing dared not fly openly; instead, he summoned his mental focus into his chest, making his whole body light as a feather, and employing his agile movement techniques, he sped through the night, darting silently from tree to tree, treading lightly on flowers and grass, covering more than ten miles in moments.

From afar, he saw three great mountains stretching across his path. Each was over a hundred feet tall, with a dozen iron chains spanning between them. Wooden planks had been laid upon the chains, so that people could walk across. If these were crowded with archers, anyone below would become a living target, unable to escape!

Seeing how formidable the terrain was, Li Yiqing broke out in a cold sweat, thinking to himself: Fortunately, the rebel army did not attack rashly; had they done so, the losses would have been severe. He pondered: How could such an arrow formation be broken? But despite racking his brains, he found no answer. He could only sketch a map of the terrain to report back.

He moved closer to the mountains and found the cliff face sheer and smooth—no trees, no grass, not even a crack. Truly a place fit for the “Little Monkey of the Impassable Peaks!” He pulled a coil of rope from his pouch, slung it over his shoulder, and drew the Golden Dragon Claw from his back.

He leapt upward; his body soared more than ten feet high. Extending the Dragon Claw in his hand—

“Snap!”

With a sharp sound, it caught onto a rock. His body swung like a pendulum, hanging securely from above. Once his feet found solid ground, he steadied himself and removed the Dragon Claw.

He tied the rope to the claw, swung it, aimed carefully—

“Hi!”

He tossed it out.

“Clack!”

The claw landed on another rock. Li Yiqing tugged and pulled, feeling it was secure, then began climbing upward, more nimble than a monkey.

Well worthy of the title “Little Monkey of the Impassable Peaks!” In this manner, Li Yiqing quickly reached the summit.

At the top, he saw rows of houses, dark and silent, with occasional snores and mutterings emerging from within. He crouched low, tiptoeing forward without a sound.

Soon he came upon a grand hall, brightly lit, with music drifting out. Li Yiqing bounded forward, swift as a wildcat, and landed beneath the eaves of the hall.

Listening to the laughter and revelry inside, he covered his mouth and chuckled quietly. After a moment, he summoned his mental power, lightly tapped his feet, and his body, light as a feather, floated up to the rooftop.

Li Yiqing glanced around, confirmed there was no one below, and tiptoed silently to the center of the roof above the main hall.

He lay flat, gently lifted two tiles, and peered through the hole into the hall.

Seated at the head of the hall was a monster, hideous beyond measure! Its neck was round, pitch-black, and more than three feet long; its eyes were round, its mouth sharp, bald head, no ears, and its body covered in feathers.

This, however, was not the most frightening thing—on its shoulders grew eight small heads, each with a long black neck, arranged on either side.

Ugly and evil, others would avoid it, but not this fiend—it held tightly in its arms a young girl of seventeen or eighteen, her face pale with fear.

The old monster, unsatisfied, tried to kiss the girl. She struggled desperately, evading his advances.

Infuriated, the monster stretched out a large, gnarled hand, its fingers tipped with sharp claws—

“Smack!”

He struck her hard. Five bloody marks appeared on her cheek; she sobbed, trembling.

“Drag her away! Beat her! Beat her hard!” The old monster roared. Several monster soldiers hauled the girl off. The dancers nearby were paralyzed with fear, frozen in place.

“Dance! Keep dancing!” The monster, his face dark with rage, waved his sleeve, ordering the dancers to continue. The music resumed, the dancers posed and danced to its rhythm.

On either side sat monstrous generals, their faces twisted and evil, laughing raucously at the spectacle.

Li Yiqing watched from above, his teeth grinding in anger, wishing he could leap down and slap the monster, stomping him hard! However, he knew his mission was to gather intelligence, not to reveal himself.

A monster general stepped forward and said, “Commander, I hear Murong Yan and Ye Feng are about to attack. We must be vigilant!”

The old monster laughed loudly, “Murong Yan and Ye Feng are insignificant. I possess the Thunder Hammer and Lightning Spike—together, the Thunder, Lightning, Wind, and Fire Cone. Even if ten of them came, what should I fear?!”

The general persisted, “Commander, we must not underestimate them. Even Lord Tuoxiang was defeated by them recently. They may be difficult to deal with!”

The old monster’s face darkened, and he snorted coldly. “So what? That was Tuoxiang’s own incompetence. If they face me, I’ll see them torn to pieces!”

Seeing the general’s skepticism, the monster snorted again, reached into his belt, and drew out a small black iron hammer, fist-sized and heavy. In his other hand, he produced an iron spike, no more than two feet long and three inches thick, also black and gleaming.

“Don’t believe me? Watch!”

Holding the spike in his left hand and aiming its tip at a pile of ornamental rocks outside the hall, he raised the hammer high and brought it down hard.

Thunder rumbled inside the hall, as if a bolt had struck.

Lightning crackled, a flash illuminating the hall, dazzling all present.

Before anyone could react, the lightning arced straight, striking the ornamental rocks.

With a loud explosion, the rocks shattered, debris flying everywhere!

Startled, Li Yiqing shrank his neck, inadvertently crushing a roof tile.

Fortunately, the applause inside the hall masked the sound.

“What skill! What thunder and lightning!” The monsters praised, their voices filled with flattery.

Li Yiqing cursed silently: You fiends, planning to use such sorcery against our rebel army? Tonight you meet your master—let’s see how I deal with you!

He continued to observe from the rooftop.

“Commander, drink! With your powers, the rebels will be destroyed!” “Ha ha ha, Commander, drink! With you here, we all have peace of mind!” “Commander, when you win great victories, don’t forget us!”

One after another, the monsters toasted the commander, who accepted every drink.

Before long, the old monster was dead drunk, slumped over the table.

“Why is the commander drunk? He’s never been like this before!” “Forget it! He’s happy tonight, so he drank more. Let’s just leave.”

The monsters said their farewells and departed.

A few lesser monsters carried the old commander to his bedroom, covered him with blankets, and closed the door.

Li Yiqing observed all this, stifling his laughter. He thought: Good, now I’ll go down and steal those treasures—the hammer and spike—and see how you cause trouble without them!

He checked below; seeing no one, he tiptoed down.

“Whoosh!”

He dropped from the roof, quietly creeping to the bedside.

He saw the old monster’s belt adorned with the hammer and spike. After a final glance around to ensure no one else was nearby, he stepped forward to take the treasures.

But just then—

“Crack!”

He stepped on a chicken bone, which snapped loudly.

Li Yiqing instantly bent his knees, his back arched, reducing his height from two feet to one, curling up like a ball and remaining motionless.

The old monster muttered in his sleep, turned over, and continued snoring, deep in slumber.

Seeing no further movement, Li Yiqing straightened up. He looked at the monster, reeking of alcohol and snoring hideously, and cursed silently: You fool, how could you ever defeat us?

He reached out to take the treasures from the belt.

At that moment—

“Smack!”

Two large hands shot out, clamping tightly onto Li Yiqing’s wrists.

“Little runt, I knew you’d come to steal my treasures tonight. Let’s see where you can escape!”

The old monster sat up, chuckling wickedly, then shouted, “Guards! Seize this little thief!”

A dozen monster soldiers rushed in, grabbed Li Yiqing by the shoulders and back, and tied him up tightly.

It turned out that when Li Yiqing broke a tile on the hall rooftop, the monster had heard it. He pretended to be drunk and asleep, luring Li Yiqing into attempting the theft, then captured him.

Realizing he had been duped, Li Yiqing burst out cursing.

“Old... old... old monster, you... you think catching me means you’ve won?! There are many able men in our army who will come for you, peel your skin and draw your tendons! I advise you to release me now, kneel and kowtow three times, and I might spare your life!”

The old monster, furious, slammed the table. “You little thief, what’s your name, that you dare steal my Thunder, Lightning, Wind, and Fire Cone? Are you courting death?!”

Li Yiqing would not concede, retorting, “Your grandfather Li Yiqing—so what if I steal?!”

“You brat! You’re doomed!”

“Smack!” “Smack!”

The monster, enraged, slapped Li Yiqing twice.

Then he ordered, “Take this little thief down and guard him well. When I wake, I’ll interrogate him with torture!”

The monster soldiers cursed as they shoved Li Yiqing into a cell.

Li Yiqing stamped his feet in anger, vowing to steal the treasures and cause havoc at Dark Cliff Pass!