A Silent Hunt at Qingyun Mountain

The small shop at the foot of the mountain bustled with activity, much like any other day. Many Mufu Mountain disciples frequented it for drinks and food. The distant sound of hooves approaching made everyone look outside.

“Look quickly! The inner disciples are setting out on a group mission! How magnificent!”

“You newcomer, you simply haven’t seen the world. Back when the sect battled Fenglin Valley, an elder led hundreds of disciples down the mountain. That was truly magnificent.”

“Senior Brother, are there any senior sisters among the inner disciples this beautiful?”

“Oh? A beautiful female disciple? Is it Muyu, or Nolan? Few of the other female disciples are particularly striking.” The old disciple’s eyes lit up. He hurried to the doorway and immediately spotted Lin Tian, his white hair flowing.

“Huh?! I’ve been at Mufu Mountain for so many years, yet I’ve never seen him before! He’s definitely prettier than Muyu or Nolan, but alas, he’s a bit too young…”

The cavalry of over twenty people soon passed the small shop, galloping into the distance.

“Junior Sister Yingkong, the movement technique you used on the mountain earlier was the Cloud-Treading Steps, wasn’t it?” an inner disciple asked, turning his head.

“It was the Cloud-Treading Steps, but I’ve only just scratched the surface,” Lin Tian replied, glancing at him askance.

“Haha, Junior Sister, you’re far too modest. It looks as though you’ve almost mastered it…”

Along the way, numerous disciples engaged him in conversation, fabricating topics when none existed. The other two female disciples, however, were entirely ignored, their eyes burning with jealousy.

Lin Tian somewhat regretted changing back into his female attire. In his previous life, he had been a man of few words, preferring to bury himself in work. Now, he felt as though he were humoring children.

He refrained from answering certain sensitive questions, such as his family history, address, or details about the ammunition and weapons he carried.

****

After three days of travel, the horses were left in a nearby town, and everyone proceeded on foot towards Qingyun Mountain.

“Qingyun Mountain lies ahead. There are at least a hundred bandits here. Let’s replenish our strength before we proceed.”

“Hmph, these petty ruffians are beneath us. A frontal assault would be no problem,” a handsome man, clutching an iron staff, scoffed dismissively.

“Hey, hey, hey! Let’s listen to Senior Brother Wu Tian. Caution is always wise. He’s eradicated many bandit groups with hardly any losses.”

The others had no objections. Wu Tian, who carried a large red bow and somewhat resembled a scholar, commanded the entire squad.

“The bandits have surely stationed lookouts at the foot of the mountain. Junior Sister Yingkong, your movement technique is superior. Would you be able to scout the foothills?”

Wu Tian turned and spoke, his gaze towards Lin Tian devoid of any extraneous emotion.

“Scout? No problem.” Lin Tian readily agreed. With so many weapons on his person, even the most formidable expert would be unable to withstand a single bullet.

“For safety, Wu Yuan will accompany him.”

The Wu Yuan he referred to was the man who had just spoken, holding the iron staff. He wore several pieces of light armor and his hair was combed upwards, indicating his formidable combat prowess.

“Tsk, what a bother. I understand.”

“Hey, what’s with that attitude? If you don’t want to go, let me!” Jiang Yu chimed in from the side, seeing an opportunity to act alongside Lin Tian.

“Sit down, you playboy! Did I say I wasn’t going?” Wu Yuan glared back, and Jiang Yu dared not speak further, seemingly wary of him.

“Let’s go, little girl. Shall we race to the foot of the mountain?”

Over the past three days, Lin Tian had grown acquainted with them. This Wu Yuan was a hot-headed brute, obsessed with combat, whose martial arts were among the best. No one dared to argue with him.

Both of their movement techniques were impressive, and they vanished from everyone’s sight in a flash.

…………

Glancing back, Lin Tian saw Wu Yuan hot on his heels, and he was secretly astonished. He was running so fast using the Cloud-Treading Steps, while Wu Yuan was relying purely on brute strength and speed, kicking up a large cloud of dust behind him.

Although he could barely keep up, his face was flushed, as if he refused to admit defeat. Lin Tian sprinted up a small hill and stopped beneath a large tree.

“Hey! Why did you stop running? We haven’t reached the foot of the mountain yet, have we? I haven’t lost to you!”

“No need to go all the way to the foot. Here is fine.”

Lin Tian placed the wooden box from his back onto the ground. Wu Yuan stood beside him, panting, and looked at him with confusion.

Inside the box was a pack of TNT explosives and disassembled sniper rifle components.

After quickly assembling it and attaching a suppressor, this large sniper rifle was the last weapon he had commissioned from the blacksmith, taking a full two years to complete.

“Junior Sister, what is that thing?”

Lin Tian did not answer him. He lay prone on the grass, aiming through the scope.

“Help me watch our surroundings.”

“Tsk.”

Wu Yuan sat down nearby, plucking a blade of grass to chew on. He watched the girl lying on the ground, completely unguarded, his body’s contours clearly visible. His face flushed slightly, and he turned his head away.

Observing the mountain foot through the scope, he slowly scanned. Wu Tian had been right; there truly were two people hidden there!

“Distance four thousand meters… effective range six thousand meters, wind from the northwest…”

Lin Tian muttered to himself. Wu Yuan asked, puzzled, “What’s with the ‘meters’? What are you doing?”

Bang!!

Suddenly, a loud bang erupted. Lin Tian’s delicate body trembled, startling Wu Yuan, who immediately jumped to his feet.

“Junior Sister, what’s wrong?!” Seeing Lin Tian rub his shoulder, he quickly asked.

“It’s nothing…” The explosion here was three times as powerful as he expected, and the recoil was not something an ordinary person could withstand.

Though the sound was loud, it was almost imperceptible at a distance of four kilometers. Looking through the scope again, he saw that the first person had been killed instantly. The other person, being farther away, had not noticed their companion’s death.

Satisfied with that shot, Lin Tian lay down again, preparing for the second…

This time, he wasn’t as fortunate. It took three shots to hit the target. After all, at four thousand meters, even professional snipers couldn’t guarantee a single-shot kill. Lin Tian had fired only after several precise calculations.

“Alright, let’s head back.” Lin Tian slowly began to disassemble the sniper rifle.

“Head back?” Wu Yuan looked utterly bewildered.

…………

Soon after, the two returned to the group, who were all awaiting their report.

“There were two people hiding at the foot of the mountain. They’ve been assassinated,” Lin Tian stated expressionlessly.

The others showed no great surprise. Instead, it was Wu Yuan, who had accompanied him, whose face was a mask of confusion.

‘What? He killed two people? Why didn’t I know?’ He kept these thoughts to himself.

…………

After resting for a while longer, the main force set off towards Qingyun Mountain. Sure enough, they discovered two corpses at the foot of the mountain. Wu Yuan was even more stunned; he had initially thought Lin Tian was just spouting nonsense, but to his surprise…

Judging by the expressions on the deceased, they had no idea how they had died. The method used to kill them was more sophisticated than even some elders’ techniques.

Everyone knew that Wu Yuan didn’t use hidden weapons. Therefore, it could only have been Lin Tian who killed the two. The group looked at him with renewed admiration; this junior sister was not only beautiful but also possessed extraordinary martial skill.

Anyone who had previously harbored inappropriate thoughts about Lin Tian immediately abandoned them.

If they were told that the kills were made from over a thousand zhang away, no one would likely believe it. As for Wu Yuan, he was completely flummoxed, utterly bewildered himself.

“Next, we must proceed up the mountain cautiously, aiming for a sneak attack. If we’re discovered, it will be troublesome.”

The group then split into two teams, heading towards the two watchtowers behind the bandits’ positions for a surprise assault.

Lin Tian’s team was positioned closer to the mountain path. After walking for a short distance, three carriages slowly ascended from below.

“Someone’s coming! Hide!”

The twelve of them concealed themselves in the trees, observing. The first carriage had completely obscured windows. The two carriages behind it were laden with goods and slaves.

“Well, look at that! Whose young lady did they capture? She’s so beautiful, I almost wish I were a bandit too.”

“Quiet! We’re still far from their stronghold. Can we handle them?”

“Piece of cake! I can take them all by myself!”