Chapter 263: The Nation’s War Can Be Lost, But Night Fragrance Must Die!
After receiving Lin Beifan’s promised reward, Night Fragrance was extremely happy.
“It’s just about causing havoc, isn’t this my old profession? Tonight, Night Fragrance will create chaos in the Great Xia military camp!”
He used light footwork to leap out of the wall, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at the Great Xia military camp. Amid heavy guards, he infiltrated the camp without a trace, as if moving through an uninhabited realm, unnoticed by anyone.
When he appeared again, he had completely changed his appearance.
Wearing a set of general’s armor, with dark, oily skin and a full beard, his body was strong, and he walked with a powerful stride.
In his hand, he carried a jug of wine, and the fragrance of the wine slowly wafted out.
The guards and soldiers along the way saw him and stood tall and straight, saying, “Greetings General Li!”
Night Fragrance, playing the role of a general, nodded sternly and said, “Pay attention, all of you, especially at night. It’s easy to be ambushed by others at night! I heard that Night Fragrance is most skilled in stealth and disguise. He’s likely to act at night! So, you must keep a close watch and not let him sneak in, understood?”
“Yes, General Li!” they replied in unison.
“Good, you continue your watch. I’m going to find General Liu for a drink!”
Night Fragrance arrived at a military tent, guarded by two elite soldiers. Each general had their own tent, and this tent belonged to General Liu.
“This old man wants to have a drink with General Liu. Please inform him!”
“Yes, General Li!”
In less than a moment, General Liu, who had removed his armor, opened the tent, surprised and asked, “General Li, why have you come?”
Night Fragrance sighed, “Ah! So many people died today, my mood is heavy, and I can’t sleep. So, I wanted to come and have a drink with you. I hope General Liu doesn’t mind!”
General Liu was even more surprised.
His relationship with General Li was merely casual. They exchanged nods, yet here General Li was, seeking to drink with him?
After all, they were colleagues, and in the military, they were bound to encounter each other frequently. General Liu invited him inside.
“General Li, please come in!”
“Thank you!”
Next, the two of them drank and chatted without much direction.
When they talked about the tragedy of the day, Night Fragrance unexpectedly shed two hot tears, pounding his chest and crying bitterly, as if wishing he could take their place.
Gradually, General Liu began to sympathize. He hadn’t expected General Li to have such a passionate and emotional side.
Even though they were just ordinary colleagues, he felt the depth of General Li’s emotions.
Such a person was worth befriending.
So, he went a step further, advising, “General Li, the dead can’t be brought back to life. Try to accept it…”
Just then, Night Fragrance suddenly attacked!
He thrust a knife into General Liu’s chest, creating a bloody hole.
“You… you…” General Liu’s face was filled with shock.
Night Fragrance swung his knife again, severing General Liu’s neck.
In this way, General Liu died.
At the moment his eyes closed, he didn’t understand why he was being killed.
Night Fragrance immediately helped General Liu onto the bed, covered him with a blanket, and pretended he was asleep. Then he poured the wine in his hand, using its aroma to cover the smell of blood.
After successfully completing his mission, Night Fragrance shed another tear, left the tent, and said to the two guards on duty, “General Liu had too much to drink just now, and he has a headache. He’s already asleep. Don’t disturb him.”
“Yes, General Li!” the two guards responded.
After Night Fragrance left, they secretly opened the tent flap and saw their commander indeed asleep, the strong smell of alcohol filling the air, making them feel nauseated.
“It seems he’s really asleep. Wasn’t General Liu known for being able to handle a thousand cups without getting drunk? Why does he look like he’s completely wasted?”
“Well, that depends on whether he wants to get drunk! Maybe he’s pretending to be drunk to dismiss General Li?”
“True enough! Anyway, let’s not worry about that. Let’s focus on our own tasks!”
The two continued their watch, unaware that the person they were protecting had already turned cold.
Next, Night Fragrance followed the same pattern, killing another expert and feeling delighted.
“Great luck! I’ve killed 22 experts consecutively! After today, Night Fragrance will definitely become renowned! Haha!”
“However, they’ll probably discover it soon. I need to retreat after setting the fire!” Night Fragrance looked at the knife in his hand and thought, “I’ll try to kill one more person, then set fire to the provisions. I’ll burn as much as I can!”
With another jug of wine in hand, he went to the next tent with a slightly tipsy demeanor.
Unbeknownst to him, someone was secretly following him.
“This Night Fragrance is quite skilled in assassination. Even if he’s not a thief, he has a promising future as an assassin! Since you want to become famous, I’ll lend you a hand!”
With a knife similar to Night Fragrance’s in hand, the mysterious person swiftly went out and returned with blood.
Then, Night Fragrance used the same method to kill another expert.
At this point, there was a commotion outside.
“General Liu is dead!”
“General Wang is in trouble too!”
“Enemy attack!!!”
…
Night Fragrance’s expression changed. “Looks like we’ve been exposed. After setting the fire, it’s time to retreat!”
He rushed out quickly, heading straight for the granary. After starting a fire, he escaped.
“Job well done, time to go to sleep! Hehe!”
The hidden person observed, somewhat speechless. “This little fire isn’t enough. I’ll lend you a hand again!”
With a wave of their hand, terrifying flames spread, dispersing in all directions.
Another wave, and a strong wind blew in from the sky.
In less than a moment, the flames soared to the sky!
“The food is on fire! Quickly put out the fire!”
“Everyone, come help, the food is almost gone!”
“Hurry, put out the fire!”
…
The Crown Prince of Great Xia, Xia Tianqiong, was awakened by the commotion outside. Stepping out of his tent, he saw the towering flames and felt his heart sink. “What’s happening? Why is it on fire?”
A guard reported, “Your Highness, an assassin has infiltrated the camp and set fire to the provisions!”
Xia Tianqiong was furious. “They actually set fire to the provisions? Where’s General Zhao, who’s in charge of the granary? Where did he die?”
Shortly after, a soldier came rushing in, panic-stricken. “Reporting to Your Majesty, General Zhao, who’s in charge of the granary, is dead. He was killed in his tent!”
“What?” Xia Tianqiong’s face darkened.
Another expert of the Innate Realm had died?
Was he having a particularly unlucky day, with so many skilled experts being killed?
“Who killed General Zhao in the end?” Xia Tianqiong roared.
“Reporting to Your Highness, it’s not known at the moment! But it’s highly likely that it was that assassin!”
“Damn!” Xia Tianqiong clenched his teeth, looking at the towering flames. He shouted, “General Zhao is dead, but isn’t there General Wang? He also had responsibilities over the provisions. Where is he now?”
Not long after, another soldier came rushing in, flustered. “Your Highness, something bad has happened! General Wang, who was in charge of overseeing the provisions, is also dead. He was killed in his tent!”
“What? Another one dead?” Xia Tianqiong was shocked and dismayed.
He held the soldier with both hands and yelled in disbelief, “Are you kidding me?”
“It’s absolutely true, Your Highness!” the soldier said, his face grim.
“Really dead…” Xia Tianqiong suffered another blow, his expression dazed.
Just at that moment, another soldier came running, anxious and breathless. “Your Highness, General Liu has just been discovered dead in his tent!”
“Another one dead?” Xia Tianqiong’s body wobbled. “Who killed him?”
“Reporting to Your Highness, I don’t know for sure, but it’s highly likely that it was General Li! Because earlier, General Li came to have a drink with General Liu. Shortly after he left, General Liu was found dead!”
Xia Tianqiong was furious, “Nonsense! How could General Li have possibly killed General Liu? They had no enmity between them. Moreover, could General Li have killed General Liu? Since you’re saying it’s him, then let General Li come here and face me to explain in person!”
In less than a moment, another soldier ran over.
“Your Highness, General Li is dead. He died in his own tent!”
“What? Another one dead?” Xia Tianqiong’s face changed drastically.
Then, soldier after soldier rushed in, panicking, to report the situation.
With each arrival came news of another Innate Realm expert’s death.
Xia Tianqiong’s face grew darker and darker, until it turned paler, eventually losing all color. He became limp, drained of strength, and collapsed to the ground.
“Dead! They’re all dead… All of them!”
The more than 30 Innate Realm experts he had brought were all dead in less than a day!
They hadn’t even breached the Hulao Pass, they hadn’t even accomplished anything yet, and they were already all dead. What a huge blow!
Even with flames soaring in the distance, it couldn’t illuminate his inner turmoil.
Heatwaves washed over him, yet they couldn’t warm his heart.
On the second day, the Great Xia army once again appeared at the city gates.
Exhausted and furious, Xia Tianqiong pointed his spear at Night Fragrance on the city gate, “Night Fragrance, I demand an answer from you. Was it you who attacked our camp last night, killed my people, and burned our provisions?”
Night Fragrance, with an air of arrogance, raised his fan and loudly declared, “That’s right, it was me, your granddaddy! I killed them and set the fire. What can you do to me?”
“Indeed, it’s you! I knew it was you!” Xia Tianqiong’s eyes turned bloodshot, filled with murderous intent. It was as if he was facing an archenemy, his voice dripping with resentment, “You bastard! You actually killed all 35 of the Innate Realm experts I brought, and burned all the provisions I had with me. We are now sworn enemies!”
“What?” Night Fragrance was dumbfounded.
He clearly remembered he had killed only 23 Innate Realm experts—20 during the day and 3 at night. How did it become 35?
An increase of exactly 12 people!
Moreover, setting fire to provisions, his fire could at most burn down a single granary. How did it manage to burn all the provisions?
It didn’t make any sense at all!
Just as he was about to explain, Lin Beifan turned to look at him and exclaimed in delight, “Night Fragrance, I never expected you to wipe out all their Innate Realm experts and burn all their provisions. Impressive! I didn’t see that coming. You, young man, indeed possess remarkable capabilities! I knew you wouldn’t let me down!”
Other officials and generals raised their thumbs in admiration.
“Truly Night Fragrance, the Imperial Cat!”
“He singlehandedly exterminated their Innate Realm experts and burned their provisions. That’s incredibly impressive!”
“You’ve accomplished a great feat. When you return, Her Majesty will certainly reward you generously!”
…
Amid the praise, Night Fragrance gradually lost himself and stopped explaining.
At this moment, Xia Tianqiong waved his hand and roared, “Attack the city! We must take down the Hulao Pass and capture Night Fragrance!”
“But Your Highness, the casualties will be significant!”
“I don’t care about that anymore. Today, we must take revenge!” Xia Tianqiong’s eyes were filled with vengeful determination. He gritted his teeth and declared, “We can lose the national war, but Night Fragrance must die!!!”
