Chapter 16: First Glimmer of Talent

To conceal his movements, Lin Shize deliberately took the narrow mountain paths. By the time he reached the outskirts of Lonely Mountain, it was already deep into the night.

The mountain wind howled like a wild beast unleashed, crashing wildly through the pitch-black forest. It stirred up dry leaves and scattered stones, making the ancient trees groan, their twisted branches casting claw-like shadows against the ink-black sky.

Lin Shize ordered his men to rest on the spot, ensuring they regained enough strength before the battle.

Li Gui slipped out from the woods and approached Lin Shize. “Chief, the bandits are all asleep; only a few are on guard.”

Lin Shize nodded. “When we strike, assign several brothers to watch for any movement down the mountain. I suspect they have men in the village as well. We must finish this quickly!”

“Move out!”

More than forty men advanced silently like phantoms toward the mountain stronghold.

The darkness and rugged terrain posed no obstacle to them.

Lin Shize led the way, reaching the bandits’ sentry post first. Inside, four bandits were drinking and eating.

Lin Shize made a hand signal. Liu Wu gripped his battle knife tightly and nodded, ready.

Bang!

With a mighty kick, the wooden door of the sentry post shattered. Before the bandits inside could react, Lin Shize pounced like a leopard.

His battle knife whistled through the air, severing the head of the bandit nearest the door with a single stroke. Blood sprayed, staining the ceiling.

Liu Wu followed swiftly, stabbing another bandit in the abdomen. The other two hadn’t even managed to cry out before the soldiers who poured in hacked them down with a frenzy of blades.

The gate to the mountain stronghold was now open. The soldiers moved like beasts of the night, while inside the wooden huts came chilling screams.

A separate squad set fire to the buildings, sowing chaos.

Flames mingled with cries of anguish, swirling above the stronghold.

Panicked bandits fled from the huts, only to find the entire village engulfed in flames. The occasional screams piercing the night sent chills down the spine.

Clang!

Several bandits had just stepped outside a hut when sharp glints streaked toward them—thwack, thwack, thwack!

Multiple arrows pierced their chests, the arrowheads buried deep while the shafts quivered.

Chen Xin and five archers relentlessly suppressed the distant bandits.

Triangular arrows whistled through the air.

Any vital spot—chest, head, throat—was pierced by several arrows. Over a dozen bandits fell like ripe wheat under the sickle.

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More and more bandits awoke, rushing out armed.

Lin Shize felled an enemy with a slash and shouted, “Hold the line! Stay in formation!”

The soldiers formed groups of three. As the bandits charged, the first man in each group raised his blade to block.

Clang!

The sound of steel striking steel rang out. The bandits’ assault was halted. The second soldier took advantage, striking his foe’s chest with a slash.

A cry of pain, and the bandit collapsed. The third soldier stepped forward, severing the bandit’s head with a clean stroke.

Then the third soldier rolled forward to become the first in line.

The bandits, relying on their numbers, surged forward recklessly. Yet, as soon as they clashed, the soldiers counterattacked fiercely.

More than ten bandits were severely wounded in the first exchange alone.

Before the front line finished attacking, the second line was already pushing forward for another assault.

The bandits charged chaotically. Though their numbers swelled, they neither broke the soldiers’ formation nor made an impact. Instead, they were relentlessly cut down by the soldiers’ overwhelming onslaught, dozens falling.

Liu Wu was going berserk. In all his military experience, he had never seen such a one-sided battle.

They numbered just over forty, facing at least a hundred enemies—more than triple their force—yet they held firm and dominated. The thrill of this victory finally gave him a taste of invincibility.

This “three-man unit” formation was Lin Shize’s innovation, blending knowledge from his past life with tactics suited for this era of cold weapons.

Its core principle was to operate in threes, supporting one another to maintain local superiority despite being outnumbered.

Moreover, if one unit suffered casualties, it could quickly merge with neighboring units to preserve formation integrity.

After much training, this was their first real combat test of the formation.

The results exceeded expectations. The bandits failed to break their ranks; instead, the soldiers steadily pushed forward.

Within half an hour, the stronghold lay littered with bodies and filled with the bandits’ dying screams.

The soldiers began clearing the battlefield, delivering a final stroke to any barely alive.

“Chief! Come quickly!”

Lin Shize was inspecting the scene when he heard Liu Wu’s voice.

Following the sound, he arrived at a wooden hut that appeared to be a warehouse cluttered with odds and ends. In the center was a chest filled with various treasures—gold, silver, and jewels.

Next to the chest lay a corpse, three triangular arrows embedded in its back. The dead man clutched a small box in his hands.

This must have been the bandit leader. Seeing no escape, he tried to flee with valuables but was shot down by Chen Xin and his archers.

Opening the small box, Lin Shize found not gold or silver but an account ledger.

It was densely filled with detailed records of trades and dealings involving Lin Feng, Feng Mu, and the Mongrel tribe.

Lin Shize chuckled. “Now we have undeniable proof.”

Liu Wu, who was illiterate, glanced at the book and shook his head. “These guys are fools, keeping records that could get them killed. Isn’t that leaving a handle for others to grab?”

Lin Shize shot him a sharp look. “You think you’re clever? Do you really believe they wouldn’t have thought of that?”

“This ledger is both a liability and a charm.”

“With this charm, the leader won’t be silenced. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even know how he died that day.”

Liu Wu clicked his tongue in amazement. “These people are truly full of schemes.”

As they spoke, Zhao Tai, blood-stained, walked in. “Chief, the site has been cleared. We lost three brothers, five are seriously wounded, and ten lightly injured.”

Lin Shize ordered, “Bring back the bodies of the fallen. Make sure the seriously wounded are taken care of.”

“Burn down the entire stronghold along with the bandits’ corpses. Let them neither live to be seen nor die with their remains found.”

Since they sought his life, he would prepare a grand gift in return. This was only the first move in his game.

Panting, Li Gui rushed in. “Chief, we caught an old man down the mountain. He was acting suspiciously and has been brought here.”

The old man, seeing the carnage and the grim soldiers around him, was already terrified beyond measure.

With a thud, he knelt, trembling all over.

Lin Shize demanded, “What’s your name? Why were you skulking around the mountain at night?”

The old man’s face was pale. Stammering, he replied, “M-Master Commander, I’m Old Li from Bao Village at the foot of the mountain. I… I was out hunting.”

Liu Wu swiftly drew his blade, pressing it against the old man’s chest.

“Old man, do you take us for fools? Hunting barehanded in the dead of night? Speak the truth, or I’ll send you on your way.”

The old man begged hurriedly, “I’ll talk, Master Commander, I’ll talk.”