The mountain fire raged, thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Cold winds scattered ashes everywhere, staining Su Min's entire body a sooty gray as she charged toward the flames. Her face was smudged black, like a coal miner's.
"Just how many men did that bastard deploy? From the looks of it, there must be at least a hundred thousand on the other side."
Cursing under her breath, Su Min mentally damned the emperor's ancestors eighteen generations back. The army had sealed off the entire mountain range, even constructing fortresses on key peaks, some of them equipped with massive crossbows that resembled modern sniper rifles.
Su Min was still flesh and blood. She didn't dare charge head-on. To prevent the fire from spreading toward their positions, the soldiers had clear-cut entire swathes of the mountainside, leaving no cover. Countless troops lay in ambush there. If she tried to break through, she'd be swarmed instantly.
But the fiery front was different. There might be a gap. To escape the encirclement, she had to go through the flames. No ordinary person could survive such an inferno.
But Su Min wasn't ordinary.
First, as a mid-stage Body Refining cultivator, she could channel spiritual energy to protect herself. Second, among basic alchemical pills was one specifically designed to resist high-temperature spells. It wouldn't hold against a high-level cultivator's techniques, but ordinary fire? That was manageable.
"No one would expect me to charge straight into a firestorm."
Meanwhile, upwind, a handful of soldiers yawned as they watched the blaze. They had never bothered to search the deeper parts of the mountain since the terrain was too rugged and too dense. Their mission was simpler: spend months digging a massive firebreak around the range to contain the flames.
Now, a squad of a little over twenty men trudged lazily behind the advancing fireline. None of them were enthusiastic about the operation. The rewards were generous, sure, but with hundreds of thousands competing for one prize—and most of it going to their superiors—why bother?
"Stay alert. Who knows what'll happen once this mountain's burned," the cavalry captain barked at his men.
Their units were spaced about a kilometer apart so they could rally quickly if needed. But compared to the forces stationed downwind, this contingent was pitifully thin. Two hundred thousand men sounded impressive, yet for a mountain range this vast, it barely formed a loose cordon.
General Mu Hongkun's strategy was straightforward. He intended to use the fire to drive Su Min toward the southern choke point. If she appeared, she'd be slowed just long enough for reinforcements to converge on her.
A thousand soldiers could reach her position within a day, more than enough to overwhelm even a Body Refining cultivator. He had learned that much from the brothel madam. Body Refining wasn't enough to face an army, nor could it withstand the heat of raging fire. Hence, this plan.
The troops scattered across the mountains were little more than a deterrent, there to deny her rest and force her to keep moving. Starvation and exhaustion would do the rest. The main army's task was to dig firebreaks, making sure the blaze didn't spiral out of control. Then, come autumn, they'd light the match and flush her out. Even the caves would turn into ovens.
As a seasoned general, Mu Hongkun preferred this steady, near-certain method over convoluted traps. So the squad's job was simple: keep the fireline moving. If it faltered, reignite it.
But this wasn't war. There were no glorious battle merits to be won. Morale was nonexistent. Just as the captain finished his half-hearted warning, a blur shot past.
Whoosh!
"ARGH—!"
The captain screamed as a kick sent him flying. A petite figure vaulted onto his horse, slapped its flank, and galloped away before anyone could react.
It was Su Min.
She had never ridden a horse before, but the body she now inhabited had. In this era, horses were essential, and even noblewomen were trained to ride. The south was tightly fortified, but the north was thinly guarded. That was the gap she'd been waiting for.
Her target was the Jishui River, less than ten kilometers ahead. The Jishui was a massive river spanning several kilometers in width, a natural moat cutting through the Great Wei Dynasty and flowing past the Min Mountains to the sea.
Cross it, and she would be free. All defenses were on this side of the river.
"SIGNAL THE ALARM! AFTER HER!"
The captain wheezed, struggling to his feet. He wasn't dead, just badly bruised. One of the soldiers fumbled for a signaling tube at his waist, yanked the cord, and—
BOOM!
A firework streaked into the sky. Su Min heard the explosion. Within minutes, dozens of cavalrymen converged from all directions. This was just the beginning. If trapped, she'd drown in endless waves of soldiers.
No time to hesitate. Ten kilometers to the river. Ten kilometers to freedom.
"LOOSE ARROWS! AIM FOR THE HORSE, NOT THE RIDER!"
Normally, soldiers avoided targeting mounts; even in pitched battles, horses often outlived their riders. But this time, there was no such restraint.