Due to the distance and the mist drifting from the riverbank, visibility was low. The defenders did not readily believe us. When we reached the city gate, I took off my helmet and slowly raised my head, glaring at the guards on the ramparts. Only then did they "see clearly." It was indeed Hal, and they quickly opened the city gates.
As the troop began to enter the city, an official from the underworld, fawning, greeted us from within. Upon seeing me, he immediately trotted over with a smile, "Commander Hal, you must be exhausted! This must have been a swift victory, capturing Wusanmen without bloodshed, to return so quickly, right?"
I bared my teeth and smiled at him, but the official's expression changed slightly. He stared at my teeth, examined them closely, and suddenly shouted, "He is not Commander Hal!"
Zheng Baobao, behind me, delivered a swift kick, sending the official flying a great distance. She then nimbly leaped onto the inner wall of the city gate and eliminated the dozens of soldiers on the ramparts who were shooting arrows outward. Her speed was astonishing.
"Isn't this the expert we were looking for!" Bing Bing exclaimed.
Previously, we only knew that Zheng Baobao was skilled in naval warfare. We never expected her personal combat prowess to be so high. It felt as if with her attacking power, she could charge into a formation of ten thousand enemies, fight her way through, and suffer no losses. The only reason she had been confined to Wusan City, not daring to engage the rebels in battle, was that Hal was also an expert, making Zheng Baobao hesitant to clash with him easily.
How absurd. While we gained a Ghost Clan expert, we also casually eliminated an even more formidable one.
The subsequent troops accelerated their entry into the city. Some ascended the city walls. The remaining rebels on the walls, being outnumbered and lacking the geographical advantage, surrendered directly. Others entered the county office, capturing the rebel general and some high-ranking officials. According to the laws of the underworld, any rebel official above a certain rank, once captured, was to be beheaded immediately. However, this time, I kept a close eye and had them demonstrate their martial arts one by one, promising a way out for those who were skilled.
Zheng Baobao was burdened with the task of quality inspection, but none of the rebels could withstand her for more than two moves. All were instantly defeated, saving us the trouble of executions; she killed them all.
"Baobao, your spear technique is truly remarkable," I praised.
"It's a family tradition."
"Oh? Who among your ancestors created this spear technique?" I asked again.
"The Yang Family Generals, have you heard of them?"
I nodded.
"My ancestor, Zheng Yin, was as famous as Duke Yang in his time. He was slightly inferior due to his less skilled military strategy, but my Zheng family's spear technique is in no way inferior to the Yang family's," Zheng Baobao said proudly.
"I have heard of Commander Zheng," Bing Bing said. "Was he not a disciple of the Old Ancestor Chen Tuan?"
"Indeed," Baobao replied.
"Who is the Old Ancestor Chen Tuan?" I asked Bing Bing in a low voice.
"A remarkable individual from the Song Dynasty. You can think of him as similar to Zhang Sanfeng," Bing Bing chuckled.
I nodded thoughtfully, pretending to understand. In reality, I didn't know much about Zhang Sanfeng's true life either, mostly learning about this Taoist master from "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber."
The battle concluded, and it was almost time. We reorganized our troops and exited the city again. Just then, the last warship, escorting thousands of prisoners, drifted downstream. The common folk of Wuer City were undoubtedly loyal to the court and rushed to help, bringing ropes from their homes to tie up all the rebels. They were already exhausted from the long drift and unable to regain their fighting strength in a short period.
I asked Zheng Baobao how rebels were generally handled, wondering if they weren't all to be killed. Baobao said they needed to be sent to the prefecture for judgment. Some would be directly released and reincarnated, others would be reborn as animals, and some would be cast into hell.
"That's so tragic..."
"It's better than being killed," Zheng Baobao chuckled. She detached two hundred men to escort the prisoners to the prefecture, left three hundred to guard the city, and the remaining three hundred—yes, our side suffered almost no casualties—boarded boats to return to Wusan City.
I did not return with her. After fighting three battles in the underworld, I felt it was enough, and it was time to return to the mortal realm. I contacted my immediate superior, Xie Bi'an, via walkie-talkie, asking how I could go back.
"Had enough fun?" Xie Bi'an laughed.
"Ah, if I stay any longer, I'm afraid I'll become a ghost and won't be able to return," I said. This was not a joke. Looking at Bing Bing's complexion, it was becoming paler and paler, more ghost-like. Both of us have pure Yin bodies and are relatively adapted to the underworld environment. I was afraid that if we continued to adapt, we would merge with the underworld.
"Then you should go back," Xie Bi'an said, using the word "go" which indicated she was in the underworld. "I will arrange a guide for you."