Chapter 43: Immortal Traces of Guling Mountain

In just two days, one commander had fallen ill and the other had died. Several great generals wore expressions of extreme gravity, and the atmosphere was heavy to the extreme.

However, as their gazes swept over Wang Liu's corpse, a strange smile was clearly visible at the corners of their mouths. Everyone had heard of "sudden death," but no one had ever seen it with their own eyes.

No one questioned the cause of Wang Liu's death; after all, his lecherous nature and excessive indulgence were common knowledge.

"General Feng, now that the Xuanwei Camp can only be presided over by you, how should this matter be handled? Please, General Feng, make the decision!"

The seniority and prestige of the other deputy generals were far inferior to that of Deputy General Feng.

The great generals spoke in unison, and Qin Sang followed suit.

Deputy General Feng waved his hands repeatedly. "I am shallow in my abilities and dare not act unilaterally... In my view, this matter must be reported to the Admiral, and the decision must be made by him."

The Admiral had been in a coma. When Qin Sang entered the command tent with the generals and saw the Admiral's sunken features and sallow face, he was startled.

Truly, illness strikes like a mountain collapsing.

Ordering the military physician to forcibly wake the Admiral, Deputy General Feng whispered a brief explanation in his ear. The Admiral's lifeless eyes suddenly bulged, a sickly flush rose to his face, and he began to cough violently, his lips trembling.

Judging by the shape of his lips, he likely said the word "useless."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Admiral struggled to hand the command seal to Deputy General Feng before fainting again.

By the time they had discussed how to handle Wang Liu's funeral arrangements, dawn had broken.

When Qin Sang returned to his tent, he found Wu Chuanzong waiting inside.

"Sir," Wu Chuanzong spoke hesitantly, "how will General Wang's affairs be handled? I heard that the two women in his tent are to be executed?"

It seemed Wang Liu's scandals had spread through the camp overnight; even Wu Chuanzong knew.

Qin Sang was not surprised. That boy Wang Liu was notoriously arrogant and had offended countless people, all of whom were happy to spread his rumors.

"Do not speak recklessly once you go out," Qin Sang said, leaning lazily against a large bear-skin seat. "General Feng has already issued a gag order. General Wang died from overwork due to his devotion to military affairs. Naturally, those present inside and outside the tent at the time must die... Hm?"

Qin Sang sat up straight. "Have you taken a liking to one of them, kid?"

Wu Chuanzong's face turned bright red, and he waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no... Sir, please do not misunderstand. I just heard them say that those two girls were poor souls coerced by General Wang. Back in Hexing County, if it hadn't been for you, my brothers and sisters would have either starved to death or been killed by rogue soldiers. Back then, I prayed every day for heaven to open its eyes and give us a way to live, and then I found you. I think their current feelings must be the same as mine were back then..."

Qin Sang gave an "oh." During this time, Wu Chuanzong had stayed by his side and always adhered to his own principles, and Qin Sang had never interfered.

"The County Magistrate's wife committed suicide in prison last night after learning the truth; the girls are still alive. I will go to petition General Feng in a moment to arrange for you to handle the aftermath. Make sure your tracks are clean."

"Yes!"

...

Mount Guling, the ancient path of a thousand years.

Before a new Admiral could be appointed, the Xuanwei Camp was temporarily managed by Deputy General Feng.

With no obstruction from Wang Liu, and supplemented by accurate intelligence from scouts regarding the location of the ancient path, Deputy General Feng immediately deployed half his troops to launch a feint at Guling Pass to distract the defenders. Meanwhile, Qin Sang led the First, Eighth, and Logistics Battalions to clear the way through the ancient path.

Qin Sang stood atop a mountain near the entrance of the ancient path. Before him lay continuous mountain ranges, the depths of which were hard to discern.

Although overgrown with vegetation, upon closer inspection, one could vaguely see traces of carving on some of the cliffs.

It was hard to imagine how, using only human strength, such a treacherous military path had been carved through these towering mountains.

"Do you remember now? Where is the location?"

Qin Sang turned his head to ask the herbalist beside him.

This herbalist was the one Wang Liu had captured—the one who had encountered the immortal in Mount Guling. Wang Liu had kept him alive only to use him to silence others.

After finding the herbalist, Qin Sang had spoken with him a few times. He didn't seem insane, but he had been terrified out of his wits by the fierce soldiers.

The herbalist pointed tremblingly toward the depths of the ancient path. "This lowly one remembers. It's right there."

Looking in the direction the herbalist pointed, Qin Sang's expression suddenly darkened. He barked coldly, "You dare lie in front of this General! How could a few herbalists like you have traveled this far?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."

The herbalist's legs were shaking so much he nearly collapsed. "I... I entered the mountains from that side. There is a beast path that... that can be ridden by donkey. Later, they were eaten by wolves, and I was so scared... I ran... I ran the wrong way..."

Qin Sang's expression softened slightly. He nodded and commanded those around him, "Descend the mountain and clear the path!"

It was not easy for the three battalions to clear the way. Some trees in the ancient path were several men's girth wide and could not be felled, forcing them to carve out separate marching channels alongside them.

Fortunately, their goal was a surprise attack, and since the defenders at Raven's Mouth had large granaries, they were not carrying much baggage or grain. The army was traveling light, so even though the path was narrow, they could barely pass through.

As they became more proficient, the soldiers of the three battalions spread out, and their speed increased. In just half a day, they had advanced a significant distance. At this rate, the ancient path would be cleared before long.

After working for most of the day, Qin Sang finally finished arranging the personnel. Just as he was about to lead the herbalist into the mountains to search, a commotion erupted ahead. Someone rushed up to report: "General, there has been a cliff collapse ahead, blocking the ancient path!"

"A landslide?"

Qin Sang's expression changed slightly. If the ancient path was blocked, it wouldn't just be a matter of missing a tactical opportunity.

"What is the specific situation? How serious is it?"

The soldier stammered, "A section of the cliff just broke off and fell. It looks like... like it was sliced off by a knife."

The soldier looked utterly bewildered.

Hearing this, a sudden realization struck Qin Sang. He said repeatedly, "Take me there immediately."

The lead soldier had already gone deep inside. After passing through two mountains, Qin Sang finally saw the broken cliff. Just as the soldier had described, a peak had broken off, and the severed edge was as smooth as a mirror, truly looking as if it had been sliced by a blade.

The fallen rocks had smashed onto the ancient path, completely choking the road with debris.

"Send men to have the Logistics Battalion bring up equipment to clear the path!"

Qin Sang issued the command absentmindedly. He then looked around and, unable to wait, used his movement technique to scale the highest nearby peak.

The herbalist had said that the immortal they saw had flown in this direction!

Could there really be cultivators fighting in Mount Guling?

Driven by urgency, Qin Sang rushed to the summit at top speed.

The peak had collapsed; rocks were shattered, ancient trees were snapped, and vegetation was flattened.

Beyond that, there were traces of scorching fire. Even more astonishingly, on some of the vegetation in the shadows, there were lingering ice crystals. It was as if this area had experienced all four seasons in a single night.

This scene suddenly reminded Qin Sang of the banks of the Chenshui River, filling him with a mixture of shock and joy.