The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 171 It’s All Song Qingshu’s Blame

Standing on the top of the mountain, watching the masters of the six major sects advance in an orderly manner with strict vigilance, Zhao Min clenched her whip tightly in her hand, "Wudang Zhou Zhiruo, very good, I will remember you!"

Zhao Min was quite upset that a momentary mistake had ruined the good situation. "It's all the fault of that damn Song Qingshu!"

If the experts he sent had not failed to capture Song Qingshu and Wei Yixiao, and if they had not discovered something strange and stopped the six major sects and the Ming Cult from fighting to the death after returning, he would have now gone to attack the headquarters of the six major sects with a lot of gains, and would not be dragged to a remote and desolate place like now.

Zhao Min has never been one for head-on combat, and she has calculated carefully that there are many masters in the coalition forces of the six major factions. If a fight really breaks out, her side may not necessarily win a complete victory, and it is even hard to say whether it can be a miserable victory. If she is not careful, they will be caught off guard.

The biggest threat is the Wudang Sect's sword formation. Four of the Seven Heroes of Wudang plus Wu Qingying are more than enough to withstand six or seven top-notch masters. There are only a handful of real masters on their side, so it is not worthwhile to confront them head-on.

"Let's go and meet the famous Confucian hero." Zhao Min turned around and left, riding a horse with servants serving her. Zhou Zhiruo seemed to have sensed something, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth as she looked at the mountain behind her. As long as I don't seek merit but avoid mistakes, you can't do anything to me. But I won this time.

Song Qingshu sat in the woods, gazing up at the hawks in the sky, mentally calculating the distance between the two sides. With the mountains at his back, and Ming Cult disciples guiding him, Song Qingshu, though only numbering a mere twenty or so, had forcibly held off a force of several thousand Tartars, slaughtering three to five hundred of them. Of the twenty-one inner disciples, despite being somewhat exhausted, none were injured.

"Strange, strange!" Song Qingshu spread out the map, pointing his fingers at it non-stop. Then, after a quick calculation, he discovered something odd. "The harriers are in disarray. There seem to be more of them, and it also seems..."

"Leave half of the horses behind and drive away the remaining half, letting them scatter freely." Song Qingshu stood up suddenly. "Let's go back to Guangmingding."

Song Qingshu wasn't actually heading for Bright Summit; he simply indicated a specific direction. Influenced by his instructions, twenty-one second-rate fighters, each with impressive martial arts skills, clad in grass-green camouflage cloaks and carrying simple weapons, equipment, and food and water, made their way through the forest. As Song Qingshu advanced, he observed the harriers' positions and constantly adjusted their course. They were only a few hundred meters from the main road when they heard the passage of a large group of cavalry from afar.

Zhao Min watched over twenty war horses leisurely grazing and drinking water. The flat ground was neatly covered with hay, but there were no figures. She knew she was a step too late. How had Song Qingshu guessed her movements? It had taken her considerable effort to catch up, and the accuracy wasn't perfect. Three groups finally found their way here, and one group chased after the restless horses.

Suddenly, a harrier hawk made a sharp cry. Looking up, Zhao Min saw a plume of black smoke rising into the sky in the distance. She frowned, "That direction, bad news! Song Qingshu has ambushed the rear army's food supply convoy."

By the time Zhao Min arrived at the devastated fire scene, Song Qingshu and his men had already set it ablaze. Once again, they were on two horses, heading towards Bright Summit. How many times had this happened? Zhao Min gritted her teeth, wondering what the problem was. Looking up at the harriers, she could vaguely discern the number of Song Qingshu and his men, their direction, and location from their movements.

Wait! A harrier hawk?

Since he could track Song Qingshu through harriers, was it not possible that Song Qingshu was equally proficient in this and could analyze the location and number of him and others based on the number of harriers and the time and distance of their landings?

I was careless. You know, the harrier hawk reconnaissance is a unique skill of the grassland tribes. Few people in the Central Plains study it. I didn't expect that Song Qingshu is also proficient in it. This person can no longer be ignored.

"Chase! March day and night, and catch him even if it means chasing him to the horizon. This guy is too big a threat." Zhao Min gave an order, and the army set out immediately. However, there was a world of difference between the marching speed of a large army and a small team. By the time they were chasing him, Song Qingshu's team had already run so fast that even a hawk could hardly catch up.

This time, Song Qingshu changed his previous strategy and started running during the day and resting at night. However, the night was not just for rest. He also set some night traps in front of the Tatar army according to their speed. The tripwires made of vines, the densely packed horse traps the size of fists, and the sharp gravel made the Mongol cavalry who were eager to hurry on their way suffer a lot.

The army always needs to rest. Song Qingshu even staged a fire to burn down the camp, which almost made them collapse. Thousands of people were killed or injured in the night camp, but all Song Qingshu paid was dozens of looted war horses, and he could then get supplies from their chaotic camp.

Zhao Min realized that she was really foolish to use a large army to chase and intercept a small team of twenty or thirty people, so she led the masters around her in pursuit, but was ambushed by Song Qingshu and the Ming Cult. She lost three masters of the Vajra Sect before she was able to escape.

"Song Qingshu, if you have the guts, then you can just stay in the mountains and forests and be a savage forever. I will go and raid the nests of your six major sects, and see if you come back." Zhao Min left angrily after leaving a harsh remark. Song Qingshu thanked Yang Xiao and the others and asked them to prepare for the uprising. He would lead his men to Dadu to turn the world upside down.

Zhang Wuji's blood boiled with excitement, but he also knew that the northern region was just a cover; the real battle would take place south of the Yangtze River. So he sent the Green-Winged Bat King, the most skilled in Qinggong, to accompany him. The Four Dharma Kings had the power to mobilize local Ming Cult forces, and no one would refuse as long as it wasn't excessive.

Song Qingshu patted his shoulder and asked him to keep calm and not act rashly to ruin the situation of the Ming Cult. He also asked him to discuss everything with Yang Xiao and scolded Yin Li severely.

Zhang Wuji was submissive, but Yin Li disagreed, declaring that no one could snatch her cousin away from her, much to the dismay of Song Qingshu and the others. However, Yin Tianzheng, the White-browed Eagle King, laughed heartily and doted on her. This girl had often butted heads with Yang Buhui at Bright Summit. While Yang Buhui had considerable talent and was personally taught by the great master Yang Xiao, she was no match for Yin Li, who had numerous experts around her. Song Qingshu, Zhang Cuishan, Yin Susu, and the others were truly kind to her.

Seeing the ugly girl beside Zhang Wuji, Song Qingshu's heart moved slightly. This must be Xiao Zhao. She was still pretending to be ugly at this time. It must be that they had not yet fully opened their hearts. Although Zhang Wuji's fate had changed a lot, there were still many things that had not changed. His peach blossom luck seemed to be as strong as ever, but this time it was concentrated on the Ming Cult. Zhao Min and Zhou Zhiruo were gradually drifting away from him.