167: Hunt

On the third day after leaving Iron Gate Pass, the official road completely vanished at the edge of the horizon.

Before him lay an expanse of rolling, grayish-brown hills, like scars protruding from the diseased skin of the earth. Vegetation was sparse, with only clumps of drought-resistant camel thorn and thorny bushes shivering in the dry wind.

Chen Linsheng reined in his horse and unfolded the rough map obtained from the Third Leader of the Black Wind Bandits.

The parchment was rough and the ink was messy, but a few key markings were clear: a cliff shaped like an eagle's beak, the intersection of three dry riverbeds, and three red circles marked with cinnabar—the temporary hideouts set up by the Black Wind Bandits on the edge of the Gobi.

He was heading for the nearest one, marked “Wolf's Den,” located within a cluster of wind-eroded rock pillars about fifteen *li* west of Eagle Beak Cliff.

"Over ten men, mostly in the Skin Tempering Realm. The Bandit Leader, 'One-Eyed Wolf,' is at the Flesh Refining Late Stage, skilled with a Scimitar, and cunning." This was the information provided by the gloomy Martial Artist.

Chen Linsheng put away the map and patted his mount's neck. It was a mottled Northern horse acquired from the Iron Gate Pass horse market—not magnificent, but with excellent endurance and well-suited to the wilderness.

He decided to abandon the horse and proceed on foot.

He tied the horse in a wind-sheltered rock hollow, leaving enough fodder and water for three days. Chen Linsheng slung his longbow and pack over his back, and with a flicker of his body, he shot into the depths of the hills like a grayish-blue shadow.

The senses of Tracking Perfection unfolded completely.

The scent on the wind, the traces on the ground, the subtle sounds in the distance... countless pieces of information flooded his mind, quickly filtered and analyzed.

He smelled dry earth, animal droppings, and the roots of decaying plants; he saw the fresh paw prints of a wild rabbit on the sand, the winding tracks of a lizard, and... a shallow hoof print, deliberately swept over with dead branches, heading due west.

"Sure enough, there's a Scout." Chen Linsheng's gaze turned slightly cold as he silently followed the hoof prints.

Half an hour later, he crouched down on the top of a small hill.

Three *li* ahead, a cluster of grayish-white wind-eroded rock pillars rose from the ground like the fangs of a giant beast. The pillars varied in height, forming a natural maze and barrier. A few faint wisps of cooking smoke curled up from deep within the rock pillar cluster; had his eyesight not been exceptional, they would have been almost unnoticeable.

The hideout was found.

Chen Linsheng did not approach rashly. He circled to the upwind side of the rock pillar cluster and found a concealed rock crevice that overlooked most of the hideout, setting it up as his Observation Post.

Taking out his water skin and taking a small sip, he lay down quietly, as if he had merged with the rock.

Patience is the Hunter's first lesson.

The sun began to sink in the west, and the shadows of the rock pillars stretched out.

Chen Linsheng clearly saw the layout of the hideout: the entrance was on the southeast side, where two tall rock pillars naturally formed a gateway, wide enough for only two horses abreast. Behind the gate was a relatively open hollow with seven or eight dirty animal-skin tents pitched, and a pile of bonfire embers still glowing in the center.

Figures flickered—about twelve or thirteen people. Most were wearing ragged leather jackets, either sharpening knives, gambling, or wiping bowstrings. Their movements were lax, revealing the complacency of a disorganized mob.

But Chen Linsheng noticed three key points:

First, there was a concealed Lookout Post on each rock pillar flanking the entrance, disguised with dead branches and rags; it would have been extremely difficult to spot if not for the occasional movement of a figure.

Second, on the rock wall behind the hideout, there was a natural cave with a thick leather curtain hanging over the entrance, which was likely the Bandit Leader's dwelling.

Third, scattered around the perimeter of the hideout were several simple Traps—Snares, Pit Traps, and even two crude Animal Traps sprung with animal sinew. The methods were crude, but still posed a threat to anyone unfamiliar with the terrain.

"Two Sentries, one three *zhang* off the ground on the left pillar, and one two and a half *zhang* off the ground on the right pillar. Their fields of vision cross, leaving no blind spots." Chen Linsheng silently noted. "Seven Traps, distributed on the southeast flanks... but they left a gap on the northwest side."

The northwest side had the densest cluster of rock pillars and complex terrain, making rapid entry and exit difficult, hence it was undefended. But for him, possessing the Crane Ape Illusory Wind Steps, it was the optimal infiltration route.

The sky gradually darkened.

Chen Linsheng began to move.

He first circled to the northwest side of the hideout and set up his own Traps in several necessary narrow passages and rock crevices.

He didn't use complicated mechanisms, just materials found nearby: several loose boulders were cleverly snagged with thin vines, the other end of the vines tied to a distant stalagmite; shallow pits were dug in several patches of soft sand, burying sharpened Hard Wooden Stakes covered with a thin layer of sand; finally, behind several clumps of unavoidable thorny bushes, several Tripwires made of extremely fine animal sinew were stretched horizontally, only half a *chi* off the ground.

These Traps were not lethal, but they were sufficient to create chaos and delay pursuit.

After finishing this, he retreated to the Observation Post and took the longbow off his back.

The bow was named “Skyfire,” a gift from Ling Feng before the Martial Examination. Its body was compounded from Black Iron Wood and Yao Beast tendons, giving it powerful tension.

Chen Linsheng nocked an Armor-Piercing Cone Arrow, the arrowhead gleaming coldly in the twilight.

The Archery Perfection Realm made him feel as if he and the bow in his hand had merged into one.

Wind direction, distance, light attenuation, prediction of target movement... all data was calculated instantly in his mind.

He aimed at the Lookout Post on the left rock pillar.

There, a Sentry was yawning, rubbing his eyes, and turning to look inside the hideout, seemingly checking if dinner was ready.

Now was the moment!

Chen Linsheng released his finger!

"Bwong—!"

The bowstring vibrated with a deep thrum, and the whistle of the arrow leaving the string was deliberately suppressed, making it almost inaudible!

The arrow, like a black bolt of lightning, crossed the distance of three hundred steps, sinking precisely into the back of the Sentry's neck and emerging from the front of his throat!

The Sentry's body stiffened, and the Short Spear in his hand fell away, yet the man didn't immediately collapse—Chen Linsheng's arrow was not only accurate, but his control of force was masterful, instantly severing the vital center without causing much noise. The corpse slumped softly against the Lookout Post's wooden railing.

Almost simultaneously, Chen Linsheng had nocked a second arrow and turned towards the right Lookout Post!

The right-side Sentry seemed to have heard something, turning his head in confusion toward the left, perfectly exposing half of his profile—

The second arrow had arrived!

"Pfft!"

The arrow pierced his temple, emerging slightly from the other side!

The Sentry died instantly without even a grunt.

Both Lookout Posts were silently eliminated within five breaths.

Inside the hideout, no one noticed.

Chen Linsheng put away his bow, and his body slid down from the Observation Post like a civet cat, stealthily moving toward the northwest side, utilizing the deepening twilight and the shadows of the rock pillars.

His steps were light and silent upon landing. The Crane Ape Illusory Wind Steps was utilized to its peak, allowing him to maneuver and pivot among the rugged, strange rocks as if walking on flat ground.

Soon, he reached the edge of the northwest rock pillar cluster.

The noise from inside the hideout clearly drifted over:

"...Damn it, my luck is terrible today!"

"Third Brother, is the meat roasted? I'm starving!"

"Boss is still having fun with that little girl in the cave... Tsk, tsk, look at that figure..."

Chen Linsheng's eyes grew colder.