I finished my cigarette and followed him, soon overtaking him again. This time, I didn't stop, as I encountered many rebel troops on the road and might have entered rebel-occupied territory. I ran all the way to "Daxing," not a city but a fortress built of stone and wood. It was quite large. Using my qi-sensing technique, I saw at least ten thousand soldiers inside. Besides the soldiers, there were many empty spaces. Seeing that the fortress gate was open, I used my Gale Art and went in for a quick look. I ran out from the other side and circled around, returning to my original spot in a small mountain hollow, suitable for hiding.
My reconnaissance revealed that this was a large supply depot. The ten thousand soldiers inside were not combat troops but logistics personnel, equipped with horse-drawn carts. The empty spaces I'd sensed earlier were all warehouses filled with food and piles of bundled fodder.
I checked my map. The map's scale was too large. A nearby city called Daxing was more than three hundred li away, but on the map, it appeared right next to me. I didn't know if there were other strongholds in between.
I'll wait and see.
This is the northern region of the underworld, much colder than the south, even colder than when I last met Xie Bi'an. Right, the Black and White Impermanence commanders should still be with the Young King of Hell. Even though they are elusive in the mortal world, in the underworld, they are just rookies like me in the mortal world, only good-looking.
The plants here are like birch trees in the mortal world, with thick, soft bark. Shivering from the cold, I used my dagger to cut open a piece of bark. It was quite large and I could cover myself with it, then add some leaves on top, like a down comforter, keeping me warm.
Sunlight shone into the hollow, and I activated my qi-sensing technique for a midday nap.
I only opened my eyes when I detected Li Yuanba's spiritual aura in my qi-sensing vision. I woke up feeling refreshed.
Li Yuanba spotted me and entered the hollow, kneeling on one knee. "My lord! Have you been waiting long?"
I emerged from my makeshift bed, stretched, and said, "Not too long. I managed to catch up on some sleep."
"Shameful, shameful!" Li Yuanba said.
I waved my hand and pointed to Daxing behind me. "That's the rebels' granary. I waited for you because I wanted to give you an opportunity to prove yourself."
"Please, tell me."
"Can you set fires?" I asked.
Li Yuanba thought for a moment. "Uh, I don't know how to do such magic, but there should be fire-starting materials in the fortress."
"Doubtful. It's a granary, so they likely won't allow the use of fire to prevent accidents. Here, I'll teach you a trick."
I found a stick and then cut a slit in a piece of bark. I placed the stick in the bark slit and handed it to Li Yuanba. "Try rubbing it back and forth with force!"
I couldn't start a fire this way myself, but I thought with his strength and speed, he might be able to. Friction generates heat, and sufficiently fast rubbing would produce enough temperature to ignite the wood stick and bark.
Indeed, Li Yuanba rubbed rapidly. In just a few seconds, the bark began to smoke, and soon it caught fire.
I added some dry grass, and the fire was lit.
"It can be done like this!" Li Yuanba exclaimed in surprise. He was indeed from the demon race, but he grew up in the Tang Dynasty. Back then, they no longer used the ancient method of rubbing sticks to make fire; flint and steel were commonly used. He might not even know this primitive method.
"Go ahead and burn down this rebel granary. Remember, don't burn it all at once. Just start a small fire each time, then hide. When the rebels put it out, start another fire elsewhere. Understand?"
"Got it!" Li Yuanba grabbed the stick and bark and excitedly ran towards the Daxing fortress.
Only when the first plume of thick smoke rose from the fortress did I set off, heading straight for the Three Yin Hall.
If my guess is correct, the news of the granary fire will quickly reach the Three Yin Hall within a hundred li. With so much food, they'll have to send people to save it. When they divide their forces, it might give the Young King of Hell a chance to break through. For now, this is the only plan I can think of. Let's try it. If the Three Yin Hall's garrison is still too strong after they divide their forces, and a breakthrough is still impossible, then we can discuss further plans.
After all, war is largely about logistics. When you encounter the enemy's supplies, it's a waste not to burn them!