East Yue Mountain Range, Fengye Ridge.
In the autumn mountains, the mist lingered, and the hills were ablaze with fiery red maples.
A large number of Qinzhou garrison forces were ambushed in key positions throughout the mountains, occasionally glancing into the woods, waiting quietly.
A mountain fort was hidden among the ridges, guarded strictly with posts every five steps and sentries every ten steps.
In the afternoon, after guarding near the mountain fort for half a day, He Buning and his party suddenly felt a chilling sensation, and when they turned around, they saw Sang Que in black, carrying a bow and knife, erging from the mist.
Behind him followed Qin Ze, soaking wet and dressed like a Corpse Recovery Man with a bamboo hat, and Xia Chan, holding wild fruits with a black cat on her shoulder.
"Why did you bring her here?"
Upon suddenly seeing Xia Chan, He Buning looked displeased and questioned Sang Que.
He originally didn’t want to care about this sister, thinking it was fine to let her live freely, and he tried his best not to think about the issues concerning her. Yet, seeing her suddenly made him inexplicably annoyed again.
Sang Que glanced at Xia Chan, explaining it was because Kou Yushan suddenly went on a mission, needing at least seven or eight days to return, and Xia Chan was unwilling to stay alone, even with Xuan Yu accompanying, so he brought her along.
"She won’t be a hindrance, I promise," Sang Que said earnestly.
Xia Chan, frightened by He Buning’s glare, hid behind Sang Que, making He Buning even more frustrated. He took a breath, trying to soften his expression.
He Buning looked away, saying quickly and simply, "The bandit lair ahead straddles the border between Qinzhou and Jinzhou. These mountain bandits usually act cautiously, and if pursued too closely from Qinzhou, they retreat through the waterway behind the mountains to Jinzhou."
"That waterway is a natural barrier, preventing pursuit from either Qinzhou or Jinzhou. Previously, Ziyun Mountain’s Corpse Nourishing and Pinghu Village’s Bell Doctor, under the alias Qu Tianhe, are currently hiding in the bandit lair ahead, assisting the Big Boss of the bandits in corpse nurturing. I’ve already arranged Qinzhou’s garrison around here; you’ll be stationed at the waterway dock behind the mountain fort."
He Buning turned to Qin Ze, as nas are not used directly in the forest.
Qin Ze nodded, "Colonel, I am sixth at ho, you can call Qin Liu."
He Buning mumbled an acknowledgnt, "Xiao Wu, you guard the west side of the fort, Xiao Liu, you guard the east side, and keep an eye on her."
He Buning glanced at Xia Chan. Xiao Liu sighed and nodded. The east side of the fort was a cliff, the least likely escape route for the bandits. Although their Colonel said he didn’t care for this sister, in truth, he was concerned.
Sang Que also looked at Xia Chan, nodding slightly. Actually, before coming, she had discussed with Xia Chan and decided to let her show her abilities slightly this ti to make a report to He Buning.
Xia Chan might not be of sound mind, but that doesn’t an she’s a helpless waste in need of constant care. Deep down, Xia Chan had a bit of stubbornness, wanting to protect those she cares about with her own ability.
Sang Que respected Xia Chan and was willing to let her try.
He Buning withdrew his gaze and ordered Xiao Wu to show Qu Tianhe’s portrait to everyone.
"Sang..." He Buning suddenly stopped.
"Sang Er, I am second at ho," Sang Que replied on his own.
He Buning didn’t think much, continuing, "Sang Er, you infiltrate the fort with , try not to alert anyone before dark, find Qu Tianhe, and capture him alive. I suspect he’s connected with the Ghost Opera Troupe. The people from the Ghost Opera Troupe are elusive, highly skilled at hiding, capturing one alive might lead us to them."
If it weren’t for the Ghost Opera Troupe’s clue, He Buning wouldn’t have personally handled this bandit suppression task.
Qu Tianhe’s research on the Corpse Nourishing Technique using bandits worried He Buning greatly. If Qu Tianhe mastered a rapid corpse nurturing thod, he might create a Zombie Army for the Ghost Opera Troupe.
This would surely lead to chaos, so he had to nip it in the bud.
After the discussion, Sang Que and He Buning stayed at the original spot, waiting for everyone to reach their positions.
He Buning stared in the direction of the fort without a word, and Sang Que wasn’t one to chat idly, so they stood there, unbothered by any awkward silence.
When the ti was right, He Buning led the way to the forest outside the bandit lair, where he instructed Sang Que to put on the Night Traveler’s mask.
The mask had the power to deter evil spirits and ghosts, typically making them avoid approaching.
Two wooden gates of the fort were tightly shut, flanked by watch towers. Before He Buning could ask Sang Que how to enter, he saw a thin layer of grey mist forming beneath Sang Que’s feet, hidden amid the weeds, slowly spreading toward the fort’s gate.
Sang Que’s gaze was focused and calm, showing no signs of haste.
Under her control, the Evil Mist spread like a flowing stream to the fort gate, then upward along the fort gate and tower, gathering behind the two sentries inside the tower.
The bandits felt a chill, looked back to check, saw nothing, scratched their heads confusedly, then turned back to continue watching outside the fort.
At that mont, the Evil Mist under the bandits’ feet suddenly surged. Sang Que vanished from He Buning’s side and appeared in the tower, taking down one bandit with a hand chop, then instantly teleported to the other side for a second chop.
In the blink of an eye, the sentries in both towers were taken out silently.
He Buning was astonished by Sang Que’s maneuver. He’d seen other Yin Walkers’ Evil Mist, but none could control it as precisely as this.
If Sang Que had spread the Evil Mist broadly, even if fast, the grey mist would have easily alerted the bandits, giving them enough ti to sound the alarm.
However, she hid the Evil Mist within the grass to approach the fort, and even if the bandits felt the chill of the Evil Mist, they wouldn’t notice anything unusual in the grass.
Then, using the ability of Evil Mist Instant Teleportation, Sang Que appeared behind the bandits silently, striking decisively.
This Sang Er, young as she was, had well-thought-out ideas on effectively using the Evil Mist, saving him the trouble of teaching.
Moreover, her control over the Evil Mist was far more flexible than other Yin Walkers, as if the Evil Mist was a part of her power, rather than ’borrowed’ from an evil spirit.
Recalling the taming thod Sang Que taught Qin Ze, He Buning dismissed unnecessary doubts. This thod of deceiving evil spirits by disguising as their living self to ta them was used by various Yin Walking Generals too.
Within the Evil Suppression Bureau, this thod was actually employed to train Yin Walkers.
Although He Buning didn’t know where Sang Que learned this thod, she was undoubtedly using it to ta evil spirits, with her deanor and behavior likely reflecting the spirit she tad.
He Buning also noticed a ring on Sang Que’s right index finger, which she often rubbed with her thumb unconsciously, probably serving as the anchor to her original identity.
Earlier, he noticed sothing on Qin Ze’s waist as well, a wooden dagger, likely a child’s toy, with his two sons’ nicknas on it.
These details weren’t significant to He Buning. He only hoped Sang Que could grow up quickly.
As Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu were ordinary people, involving them in dangerous tasks required caution for their safety. Having Sang Er around would allow him to handle supernatural cases more confidently and effectively.
On the fort’s watch tower.
Sang Que used sticks to prop the unconscious bandits’ clothing, making them appear as if they were standing guard from inside the fort.
Afterward, she spread the Evil Mist and teleported inside the gate to remove the latch and open it.
He Buning already stood outside, and Sang Que stepped aside.
"Colonel, please," she invited.
He Buning couldn’t help but chuckle at the bold ’infiltration’; it was a new experience and he quite enjoyed it.
As dusk settled, the bandits busied themselves preparing for the night, oblivious to the unusual activity at the gate.
"We’ll split up, set off a signal smoke when you find Qu Tianhe, be cautious."
"Understood!"
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