Swish—
An arrow streaked through the night like a cold gleam, carving a nearly imperceptible path through the darkness. Forty meters away, it struck a soldier with deadly precision. His scream echoed into the distance. As his body hit the ground, a second soldier fell to another arrow. By the time a third scream pierced the air, a volley of arrows rained toward the source of the initial attack. The Pegasus Cavalry responded quickly—but in vain. Their arrows hit nothing.
Twenty meters away, a figure sprinted through the shadows. It was Liu Weian. As he glanced back at the dense arrowstorm, pain flared in the wound on his back.
Two hours earlier, he had been launching his usual stealth attacks against the Pegasus Cavalry. Just like before, no one had detected him until the moment of his strike. But this time, it was a trap. The enemy had laid in wait, surrounding him with hidden archers. He was nearly doomed—if not for a sudden zombie outbreak that disrupted their formation. The chaos punched a hole in their otherwise airtight encirclement, allowing him to escape, though not without consequence: several arrows found their mark, one of which landed dangerously close to his heart—less than half a centimeter away from killing him.
Since that narrow escape, Liu Weian no longer lingered in any one place for more than five seconds. He'd shoot one arrow and immediately relocate. Every shot was fired from a distance of at least forty meters—the effective range of a high-grade Tuo Wood Bow. Most common bows lost power and accuracy past that range, making it the safest distance for him to attack—ideal for both offense and retreat.
Ten minutes later, another round of screams rose from a different direction. By the time the Pegasus Cavalry responded, Liu Weian had already vanished, leaving behind a few corpses and the shrieks of zombies.
Throughout the night, Liu Weian appeared and disappeared like a ghost—striking with thunderous precision, then vanishing without a trace. The Pegasus Cavalry could only run in circles, watching helplessly as their comrades fell one by one. Liu Weian had become far more cautious since falling into that earlier trap. Several ambushes were set for him, but he detected and circumvented them all—often at great cost to the ambushers themselves.
By 3 a.m., he still hadn't left. Over 400 Pegasus troops had been taken down by his arrows, and more than 600 were devoured by zombies. The remaining soldiers were on edge, their minds no longer on killing monsters. Liu Weian was like a phantom haunting their flanks—always watching, always ready to strike. His arrows never missed their mark. Their commanding officer—the brawny man who had previously posed the greatest threat to Liu Weian—finally gave the order to halt and set up camp on the outskirts of the cemetery.
Thanks to Liu Weian's earlier massacre of the rotting corpses, there was just enough space for the encampment. Zombies rarely ventured this far out; they preferred areas thick with corpse miasma.
Torches lit up the surroundings, turning night into day. Even a rat couldn't have passed unseen. Every twenty steps, a watch post; three men per shift. The camp was sealed tight. Exhausted from a night of turmoil, the Pegasus soldiers soon fell asleep.
Then came the first scream.
"Ahhh!"
It tore through the camp like a blade through silk, throwing everything into chaos.
"What happened?" The squad leader stormed out of his tent, furious.
A corpse lay on the ground, an arrow lodged in its heart. Blood gushed out, staining the tunic red. A nearby watchman trembled as he pointed southeast.
"We saw a shadow rush out from that direction—just a silhouette, gone before we could react."
"Idiots!" the squad leader roared. "Keep your eyes open! He's a man, not a damn fly! If you see him, attack—no need to hold back!"
Cursing, he stomped back to his tent. But barely half an hour later, just as sleep began to claim him again—
Another scream rang out.
The camp erupted into confusion once more.
"This bastard again?" he shouted.
By the third scream, the squad leader lost all patience. Sword drawn, he marched straight to the perimeter post.
"I'll stand guard myself. I refuse to believe we can't catch that son of a bitch."
Half an hour passed. Then an hour. Then an hour and a half. Dawn approached. But Liu Weian never reappeared.
"Shit—we've been played," the squad leader muttered, wiping dew from his hair and spitting into the dirt.
Daybreak
Liu Weian was nowhere to be seen the entire day. It was as if he'd gone home to sleep. The soldiers, however, remained tense. During monster hunts, they constantly glanced over their shoulders, flinching at shadows, as if an arrow might shoot from any dark corner. By sunset, they'd killed fewer zombies than the day before—less than eighty percent of their prior tally.
At 5:30 p.m., just after dinner, one of the cart drivers stumbled back into camp—bloodstained and breathless. The squad leader's face darkened. He already knew something had gone wrong.
"The carts were hijacked!" the man sobbed. "All 800 zombie corpses—gone!"
As the driver recounted the incident to the commander, Liu Weian strolled cheerfully out of the Immortal Medicine Hall. Inside his spatial ring were over eighty gold coins. Working with a large force really did make a difference. If he'd done it alone, killing 800 zombies would've taken at least two weeks. The Pegasus Cavalry had done it in a single day.
"What a waste of Strength Seeds and flesh sacs," Liu Weian muttered in mild irritation as he entered the He family's trading shop.
"Shopkeeper—interested in buying some carts?"
"Business is business. As long as there's profit, I never say no." The old shopkeeper's smile was as fake as it was sharp. His eyes glanced briefly at the long line of carts—half ox-drawn, half horse-drawn. In Stone City, only the Pegasus Cavalry had this kind of scale. He flexed his bony fingers over the abacus with a speed that belied his age, and finally held up two fingers.
"Two hundred gold. That's with livestock and carts included. I'm the only one in Stone City bold enough to buy these stolen goods, and you know it. Ask around if you want—but next time, I might not offer the same price."
"Deal!" Liu Weian smiled outwardly but cursed inwardly. This old fox is ruthless. He'd probably shaved at least two fingers' worth of gold off the real value. The carts weren't worth much, but the horses were—valuable and rare. Even veterans like Black Ox still relied on ox carts. For Liu Weian to risk his life and walk away with just 200 gold, while the old man made more with a few words—it was maddening.
Nightfall Again
That night, Liu Weian returned to the cemetery for another round of harassment. He remained cautious—one arrow, then vanish. It wasn't about the body count; it was about sowing fear. By dawn, the Pegasus Cavalry was once again gripped with paranoia.
The next day, Liu Weian ambushed another supply convoy. This time, the Pegasus Cavalry was ready. He nearly got caught, escaping only after leaving behind dozens of corpses.
On the third night, despite his injuries still lingering, Liu Weian attacked the cemetery again. This time, he fell into a counter-ambush and barely escaped with his life. But when they least expected it, he doubled back and killed the squad leader who had wounded him—a perfect heart shot—then vanished once more.
The Third Assault
Perched atop a thick-canopied tree, Liu Weian watched as the convoy approached. The Pegasus Cavalry had clearly learned their lesson. Despite losing over thirty carts last time, they now had over fifty in tow. The convoy snaked along the road like a long dragon—guards at the front, scouts on the flanks, and more soldiers in the rear. Warriors and archers, their eyes sharp and alert. The highest-ranked among them: a squad leader. Clearly, they weren't taking any chances.
When the last cart passed beneath his tree, Liu Weian made his move.
Thwip—
A chorus of bowstrings echoed through the forest. In the blink of an eye, six soldiers at the rear collapsed—throats pierced clean through. They hadn't even had time to scream. The rear guards panicked, dodging wildly. More fell.
Liu Weian shifted his aim toward the flanks. The truly elite were easy to spot—they didn't panic. Instead of retreating, they raised shields and charged toward him.
He ignored them. His eyes were locked on the squad leader—the only real threat. A Bronze-tier powerhouse. If allowed to close in, Liu Weian wouldn't stand a chance. His last injury had taught him well—never underestimate a Bronze-ranked foe in close combat.
Swish—
An arrow flew like lightning. A shield leapt up, deflecting it with a flash of sparks. The second arrow followed instantly—but the squad leader split it midair with a single strike. His eyes narrowed. There was another arrow—he'd heard the bowstring. Impossible, he thought, but already his sword flashed again.
The third arrow was sliced into four pieces.
And yet—his face turned ashen. There was more. Another arrow was already inches from his skin. Just before impact, his wrist flared with yellow light. A translucent barrier formed.
Clang!
The arrow bounced off. The barrier held—barely.
Then the second arrow hit—and exploded.
Corpse-Breaking Talisman.
Crack!
Like an eggshell shattering, the barrier broke. The squad leader staggered back two steps, uninjured—but clearly rattled.
Dozens of arrows screamed toward the tree. Soldiers burst from the woods, charging. Liu Weian had lost the perfect shot. He killed an archer with one last arrow, then prepared to leap down.
That's when a zombie corpse on the last cart exploded—and a figure shot into the air like a cannonball. Fast—far too fast.
Crack!
Branches shattered. Liu Weian's heart plummeted.
It was him—the one he suspected to be Silver-tier.
In the split second before impact, Liu Weian summoned a shield from his spatial ring and slammed it against his back.
Boom!
The punch hit. The shield shattered instantly. Liu Weian coughed blood and flew through the air.