Chapter 9: Hugging the Big Leg

  "Are you saying...you've already found the hideout of the Maitreya cult's sorcerer?"

  Deputy commander Zhao Xi rode on a tall and majestic horse, looking down at Wu Fan's solemn face with great interest.

  "Report to the Thousand Households Elder! It's true!", Wu Fan said with a resounding slap on his chest, his tone extremely certain: "This subordinate has personally investigated their hiding spot, those Maitreya Sect demons are preparing ropes, preparing to escape. Everything they did before was just a show of false strength, those crazy medicines may increase one's combat power after consumption, but will also cause people to lose their humanity and overexert themselves. Once the medicine wears off, it will leave the person who consumed the secret medicine weak and feeble like a pig or dog waiting for slaughter. Thousand Households Elder! The opportunity must not be missed! This subordinate guarantees with his head that this time we go up and kill, we will definitely successfully capture all of the Maitreya Sect demons!"

  To be a bad person, one must have the talent for being a bad person. Wu Fan really has the talent for being a bad person.

  After Wu Fan was sent out of the old nest of Maitreya Sect in the deep mountain and forest, in order to ensure that the scar-faced holy girl was not deceiving him, he thought of using himself to convey false information, letting Maitreya Sect give Eagle Wing Guard a heavy blow. Wu Fan did not leave immediately. He returned halfway, observed carefully, and confirmed that the scar-faced holy girl was not lying. According to Wu Fan's speculation, it was possible that there were internal conflicts within Maitreya Sect, and the scar-faced holy girl was likely to borrow Eagle Wing Guard's knife to eliminate some disobedient followers...

  Deputy Commander Zhao Xike stared into Wu Fan's eyes, seeing no panic, no evasion, only determination. He said: "The other Eagle Guards were defeated by those Maitreya cultists who took the crazy medicine and almost lost their courage. Why didn't you run at that time? Don't you fear?"

  Wu Fan patted the fourteen knife sheath on his back and smiled: "Commander Qian Hu may not have seen it, but this knife sheath of mine has a steel rope that can let me climb up a tall tree with ease. Those frenzied demons will only look at what's in front of them and won't think to look up. So I managed to escape by chance, and then followed those demons to find their hiding place."

  "Oh! So that's it!", Deputy Commander Zhao Xi nodded and then gave the order: "Then trouble Wu Xiaoqi to lead the way forward, eliminate the Maitreya Teachings' evil people, and complete the task in one battle!"

  "Ah!"

  "This son of a bitch actually suspects me!"

  Although Wu Fan agreed readily on the surface, in his heart he was secretly scolding without end. At the same time, Wu Fan also had a warning in his heart, reminding himself not to be overly optimistic and treat others as fools. Those who can make a living in a dark organization like Eagle Guard are not simple goods, especially those in high positions, none of them are good birds.

  On the fast track ahead, Wu Fan strode forward with big steps, without any hesitation at all, showing a look of eager merit, which made Deputy Commander Zhao feel at ease.

  Actually, Zhao Xi was very happy in his heart. This time, he came to exterminate the Maitreya Teachings' evil people, and in terms of planning, he was derelict in his duty. He clearly knew that the Maitreya Teachings' evil people had been pretending to be green forest bandits outside Luoyang City for a long time, with many people and hidden in the mountains, but he forgot to apply for an adjustment order, allowing the Eagle Wing Guard to be equipped with crossbows, resulting in nearly 400 casualties. This alone is enough for the other two opponents to attack him. If they hadn't won yet, the consequences would be even more severe. The information provided by Wu Fan was already a timely help. It's just that out of caution, Zhao Xi was careful and had no other intentions.

  Along the road he had walked before, Wu Fan climbed all the way to the depths of Baitou Mountain and once again came to the place where he was previously captured.

  Looking back, within the dense forest, a huge clearing of over 100 square meters was cut out, surrounded by a fence made of logs to prevent beasts from attacking at night. Inside were some simple wooden houses and tents made of wood. At this moment, many followers who had taken the crazy medicine earlier were lying on the ground in the camp, groaning constantly, and some were vomiting blood one after another, a scene of sorrow and desolation.

  "General Qianhu! It's here!" Wu Fan pointed to the Maitreya Sect's camp, clasped his fists and said: "Your subordinate is willing to charge forward, please give the order, General Qianhu, to exterminate the evil cult!"

  "Good! How bold!", Deputy Commander Zhao Xi looked at Wu Fan with satisfaction, his hands clasped behind his back, and said: "After the victory, I will ask for credit on your behalf! Go!"

  "Ah!"

  "Brothers! Follow me and slaughter the past! Exterminate this group of demonic thieves! Avenge our fallen brothers! Kill!!!"

  Wu Fan's words were beautiful, his actions were also very beautiful, and he really was a pioneer in charging forward, without even frowning... Of course, if it weren't for the fact that this guy had already scouted out the area beforehand, there would be at most 500 Maitreya cultists in this camp, with three hundred of them being cripples; if it weren't for the fact that he had a force of two thousand people backing him up from behind, he wouldn't have been so enthusiastic about performing, and instead would have clutched his chest, pretending to have just contracted a "serious illness that prevents me from chopping people", and fallen to the ground.

  "He's a running dog of the imperial court!"

  "Charge! Charge!"

  "Beat it, enemy! Run!"

  The Maitreya teaching crowd's camp was suddenly in an uproar, and the last bit of doubt in Zhao Xi's heart also dissipated. It seemed that as a high-ranking leader of the Eagle Guard, who hadn't led troops or fought battles? Whether the enemy had used a decoy tactic or not, if one couldn't see through it at a glance, they could at least judge seven or eight out of ten from the enemy's performance.

  He secretly let out a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on the face of Vice Commander Zhao Xi. This was completely different from the gloomy expression he had when the Eagle Guard was defeated by just over 300 Maitreya Sect members. He had already thought of a perfect excuse to clear himself of blame - Firstly, he had led his troops in eliminating over 500 Maitreya Sect members, upholding the tradition of "a good Eagle Guard never exaggerates its achievements". This number would at least be doubled when reported, making it a great victory and a magnificent achievement that crushed the Maitreya Sect's evil plot! Secondly, he had discovered that the Maitreya Sect was actually producing crazy medicine, which would give the Great Sui Empire a thorough advantage over the Maitreya Sect in terms of reputation. This proved that the Great Sui Empire was eliminating the heretic sect for the sake of the people's peace and prosperity, rather than suppressing the poor who were dissatisfied with the empire. He had even thought of the propaganda speech - "The Maitreya Sect combined crazy medicine to make people take it, causing fathers and sons, brothers to not recognize each other, only knowing how to kill...". What a perfect excuse!

  But Wu Fan was at the forefront, with two thousand Eagle Guards behind him, his momentum like a tiger, and he cut off the fence in front of him with one knife. Charging in, he knocked down a panicked Maitreya believer who was fleeing wildly, opening up a killing spree, completely disregarding whether or not the opponent resisted, and this ruthless tactic alone was enough to make people look at him sideways and exclaim "What a swift sword!"

  The battle ended quickly, five hundred against two thousand, and three hundred were just ordinary people who were slaughtered randomly. How could it not end quickly? In order to gain more military merit, under the circumstances of having too many wolves and too little meat, the entire Eagle Guard went crazy, to the point where they selectively forgot to leave even a single survivor, as if they wanted to kill them all once and then slaughter this group of Maitreya Sect members again.

  "Lord Senko, the battle has been completely resolved!"

  Wu Fan stood in front of Deputy Commander Zhao Xi, covered in blood, with a loud voice and an imposing demeanor.

  Deputy Commander Zhao Xi nodded in satisfaction, saying: "Good! Take stock of the spoils and deal with the corpses! Hang the heads of these rebels on the city gate to warn those who harbor evil intentions that this is what happens when you go against the Empire!" Lowering his voice, he said to Wu Fan: "You've done well. I think... the position of Hundred Commander isn't impossible for me to secure for you, eh?"

  Seeing the smile in Zhao Xi's eyes, Wu Fan immediately understood that it was time to show his loyalty and flattery. He hastily clasped his hands together and bowed, saying: "From now on, I am willing to be your humble servant, to follow you through thick and thin, to climb mountains of knives and descend into cauldrons of oil, without hesitation!"

  About two hundred yards behind the rear of Maitreya's teaching crowd camp, is the canyon cliff formed by Baitou Mountain and the opposite mountain peak. Under the bottomless cliff, the Luo River water flows slowly.

  Against the precipice, on the riverbank's edge, a group of people wearing black clothes and Maitreya Buddha masks walked indifferently...

  ……

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