Chapter 45: The God of War’s Pre-Battle Preparations

Nearly half an hour later, Yanzu returned. Judging from its calls and aerial maneuvers, Bai Dongyuan had set up three lookout points in the mountains. Each point was manned by two sentries—one on the outer perimeter, another in the mountain valley, and a third midway up the slope.

It was clear that scouting the area undetected was no easy feat.

Tian Mi relayed the situation honestly without offering any opinions, waiting to see how Bai Mucheng would arrange things.

After contemplating for a moment, Bai Mucheng said, “There are three of us. One person for each lookout. With careful planning, we should be able to catch them off guard. Can you eliminate them before they sound the alarm?”

As the boss handed out assignments, there was no choice but to accept. Tian Mi nodded in agreement, as did Zuo Zhengfeng.

Bai Mucheng decided to take on the farthest lookout point himself. It was at the outermost edge and the most critical position. If any sentry escaped from there, their presence would be exposed. If someone escaped from the other two points, he could still intercept them on his end.

Tian Mi believed she would be more reliable, given her stash of knockout drugs and other tricks. However, since Bai Mucheng was the boss, she refrained from competing for credit. Sometimes, as an employee, it was best not to overshadow the boss.

In the end, Tian Mi was assigned the mountaintop lookout, while Zuo Zhengfeng took the one midway up the slope.

The three left their horses behind and stealthily advanced in separate directions. Tian Mi wasn’t worried since she could use her spatial ability to get close to the enemy silently. The other two had to rely on their skills, so she sent Yanzu with them to help locate the sentries.

She explained, “Yanzu has already shown me the positions of the two sentries. It will be easier for you with it guiding you.”

The two men accepted without further discussion.

Tian Mi began her climb toward the mountaintop, moving cautiously to avoid making noise. By the time she reached the slope and could no longer see Bai Mucheng and Zuo Zhengfeng, they were still making their way around the base of the mountain.

When Tian Mi felt the coast was clear, she activated her spatial ability. For her first mission under Bai Mucheng’s leadership, she couldn’t afford any mistakes. Besides, she needed to be ready to back them up if necessary.

She already knew the sentries’ general location. They were hiding in a patch of grass, each watching a different direction with vigilance. Tian Mi used her spatial ability to circle to the mountainside, putting herself in position. She stowed her axe in her spatial storage, drew her bow, and nocked an arrow. Silently stepping out of the space, she released an arrow aimed directly at the neck of the sentry facing away from her. Before the other sentry could react, she quickly nocked another arrow and shot him down as he attempted to flee.

Both sentries collapsed to the ground in under 20 seconds—clean and efficient.

Searching their bodies, Tian Mi found a flint, a couple of small silver ingots, and some loose copper coins, which she collected into her spatial storage. Nearby, a bundle of long sticks was tied together—likely a rudimentary warning system.

The flint was a valuable item in this era, though Tian Mi had plenty of lighters in her storage. Still, she pocketed it for potential use in disguising her capabilities later.

She checked Yanzu’s position to estimate where Bai Mucheng and Zuo Zhengfeng were. They had just passed the mountain ridge. As for the other two sentry points, she couldn’t determine their exact locations yet. Hiding in a patch of grass, Tian Mi entered her spatial storage and climbed atop the tallest rock within to get a better view outside.

Yanzu wasn’t flying very high yet, indicating the sentry points were still a bit further away.

While waiting, Tian Mi decided to take a break. She pulled out a juicy peach from her spatial storage and began eating it with relish. The sweet juice was refreshing, making her mission feel less daunting. As she savored the peach, she couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of Bai Mucheng and Zuo Zhengfeng trudging through the scorching sun while she enjoyed a leisurely snack.

After finishing the peach, she carefully saved the pit and drank a few sips of spiritual spring water.

At that moment, Yanzu soared higher into the air. Tian Mi immediately tensed. This was its signal that it had neared the remaining sentries. Bai Mucheng and Zuo Zhengfeng were also approaching their targets.

From her vantage point, Tian Mi scanned the mountain valleys below. Using Yanzu’s flight pattern as a guide, she finally spotted the sentry point in the valley. One guard was hiding in the dense foliage of a tree, while the other was concealed in a patch of tall grass beneath it.

The mid-slope sentry point was out of her line of sight, hidden in a blind spot.

Using her spatial ability, Tian Mi carefully maneuvered toward a position where she could observe both locations clearly. She needed to ensure she had a full view of the area before taking further action.

You can’t overshadow the boss, but you still need to be alert in case something goes wrong, ready to step in at any moment.

Being such a considerate and capable employee means I should be getting promoted and making money soon!

After moving around seventy meters up the mountain slope, Tian Mi could now see both sentry positions. Her strength was enough for this task, and her archery had become a valuable asset to their team.

Bai Mucheng moved closer to the sentry point, but from his position, he could only see the sentry up in the tree. He couldn’t see the one hiding in the grass below. He needed to approach carefully to avoid alarming the sentries.

Tian Mi’s arrow was aimed at the sentry near Bai Mucheng’s position. If the sentry escaped, it would exceed her range. The sentry on the slope was much closer—if he ran, Tian Mi could still get him in time.

However, Bai Mucheng was very skilled. He moved around to approach the sentries from behind, shooting the one in the tree with a precise arrow. The second sentry, startled, tried to flee, but Bai Mucheng had already lined up another shot and took him down with a single arrow to the heart.

Zuo Zhengfeng had a tougher position. The mountain slope was full of rocks, and while he managed to take down one sentry, the other quickly retreated into the stone pile and tried to light a grass bundle using a flint. Tian Mi didn’t hesitate and shot an arrow, piercing his neck before he could cause any trouble.

Zuo Zhengfeng was startled at first, realizing that smoke would be problematic. He turned to Tian Mi with a grateful smile.

Tian Mi smiled back briefly, not wanting to be too formal.

The two of them continued up the mountain, where Bai Mucheng was heading toward the mountaintop. They had agreed to meet there.

It was May, and the weather had already become quite hot. From the mountaintop, they could see Qinghe County and the great river that ran through it, but it was still far away.

While they were still on their way up, Tian Mi took out her large axe from her spatial storage. As a meticulous little fairy, she couldn’t let them notice that her axe appeared and disappeared. It was the small details that truly tested a person’s attention.

Tian Mi drank some spiritual spring water, feeling much more comfortable. The mountain breeze helped cool her down. Yanzu flitted through the air and dove in one direction, likely to hunt and get some extra food.

By the time Bai Mucheng and Zuo Zhengfeng reached the top, the sun was directly overhead.

Bai Mucheng looked at Tian Mi, whose cheeks were flushed from the heat, but her eyes were still bright, full of energy. She was far from being the delicate type usually associated with women.

Some people, like the sun, always radiate dazzling light.

Bai Mucheng stood on the mountaintop, looking toward Qinghe County in the distance. Zuo Zhengfeng and Tian Mi stood behind him, also gazing toward the county. To be honest, Tian Mi didn’t understand military strategy well and couldn’t see what could be discerned from such a distance.

But when the boss was observing seriously, even if you didn’t understand, you had to pretend to follow along, standing on tiptoe to observe.

Perhaps his eyes were simply better than hers? After all, he was looking so intently. Tian Mi had a telescope in her spatial storage, but she didn’t plan to give it to him.

No need to invite trouble!

Tian Mi didn’t know that Bai Mucheng had already scouted the river inlet direction. It was heavily guarded, and he had already abandoned that route.

Bai Mucheng took out a piece of paper, ink, and an ink stone. Zuo Zhengfeng helped him grind the ink as he started to write and sketch on the paper, making observations and marking things down. Tian Mi didn’t understand what he was doing, nor did she plan to look.

Heh, he could even carry a brush with him! Impressive.

Tian Mi couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic for the people of ancient times. If they had a pencil, things would be much more convenient!

Preparing for war as a god of war wasn’t easy!

In fact, Tian Mi remembered from history books that Chen Youliang once tried to attack a city by boat, but in her memory, the shipbuilding technology of this era was nowhere near the level of his time.

Besides, Chen Youliang never actually breached the city.

As for Bai Mucheng, if he wanted to attack Qinghe County, it wasn’t going to be easy!