78: Chapter 78 In the Mountains

Half a month later, everyone arrived in a continuous mountain range, where the Japanese Army Unit was hidden.

"Everyone, have you memorized all the information on the Bihe Mountain Shinobi?" Tuaner once again transformed into the team's little loudspeaker.

"Memorized, memorized. Miss Tuaner, if you weren't so pretty, you'd definitely never get married!" Xu Xin spat out the blade of grass from his mouth and sighed as he looked at Tuaner. He had indeed been moved, but the girl had clearly told him that she only liked Mia, and it was that kind of liking between men and women, so it could only come to naught.

Tang Mingyi used the eagle's vision to clearly see the hidden sentries and the movements of the Japanese soldiers in the dense forest. However, he couldn't find any trace of the Shinobi Leader. Dong Chang read from the Shinobi Leader's file: "Bihe Mountain Great Shinobi Leader - Ono Yoshizen. Proficient in various ninjutsu and taijutsu. His core skill is [Ripple], which can detect malice within a certain range and can be used as a mental link to communicate mentally with a certain number of subordinates who have drunk a special potion."

"This... will be hard to kill," the usually silent Yang Lie frowned and glanced at Tang Mingyi, who was currently using the eagle eye observation.

After several days, the Shinobi Leader still hadn't appeared. The First Master was a little anxious. Mia, on the other hand, would sneak near the military camp every night to gather flowers and plants with the scholarly woman named Loran, who seemed no different from an ordinary person, and they were never discovered. They were very cautious, never approaching within a thousand meters of the military camp.

"The battle has begun below!" A group of people launched a daytime raid on the Japanese camp. They were Extraordinary People (Yi Ren), but their sect and methods were unclear.

"Hmm, probably Quanxing," Mia threaded various small medicine bottles onto a soft-padded belt and handed them one by one to the members of the Tang Clan. "Red for replenishing qi and blood, blue for replenishing qi, green for detoxification, white for restoring physical energy, and purple for forcibly extending life for a short while."

"Not bad, young lady, why don't you join our Tang Clan? You might even become the next Clan Head," Tang Tongbi said with a smile as she took the medicine belt from Mia and tied it around her waist. It actually fit quite well. This little girl had sharp eyes.

"These medicines take effect quickly, but it's uncertain if they will have any side effects on your constitutions later, although it's highly likely there won't be any issues, some things do vary from person to person..." Mia's disclaimer made Tang Tongbi want to retract her previous statement, but a remark from her husband put her at ease, "That girl is afraid you'll drink too much at once and over-replenish yourselves to death..."

About half an hour later, that group's suicide attack achieved the first part—suicide. They sacrificed about half of their numbers, but they also successfully drew out the Bihe Mountain Shinobi Leader, Ono Yoshizen, to check the situation. His whereabouts were then discovered by Tang Mingyi.

The First Master ordered Tang Mingyi to keep a close watch and observe where the Shinobi Leader would ultimately return. However, the Shinobi Leader still managed to break through the Eagle Eye Technique.

The First Master decided on a plan to raid the Japanese military camp at night to kill the Shinobi Leader. He instructed Dong Chang, Yang Lie, and Xu Xin to guard the retreat route and marked himself on [guanyuan]. The rest of the group would gradually encircle them from the outside, killing as many hidden sentries and Ninja Group members as possible until their presence was detected and the Shinobi Leader was drawn out.

As for infiltration, he alone was enough.

Du Fosong asked, "First Master, how old are you this year?"

The First Master smiled and said, "I'm seventy-three. I won't be crossing this threshold..."

"Wait until you're eighty-four to say that!" Du Fosong quickly interjected.

"Hmm? Mia?" Tuaner poked Mia's soft flesh at her waist with her small hand.

"Huh?" Mia turned back, looking at Tuaner with a hint of confusion.

"I said? How about we try our best to keep that old man from dying, and strive for him to live until eighty-four?" Tuaner hesitated a little. She knew the risks involved better than anyone. Under the encirclement of the Bihe Mountain Shinobi, it was always a narrow escape, and she herself had experienced it once.

"You really dare to say that! Haha, alright, count me in," Ryan's support was as consistent as ever.

"Hmm, don't worry, Mia and I have left a backup plan. If it really doesn't work out, we'll try harder," Loran patted Tuaner's head, comforting her.

Although their conversation was quiet, every word was heard by the First Master. Tang Jiaren sighed with a bit of emotion, "It really is foresight..." His eyes grew serious. After knowing the opponent's detailed information, he still might die, right? It seemed the Shinobi Leader was not an easy opponent either.

He emphasized to everyone again that if his mark on [guanyuan] disappeared, it meant the mission was over, and everyone must evacuate immediately.

"Now, everyone rest and conserve energy. We will act at Yin Shi (3-5 AM) (Yin Shi)!"

The Tang Clan's cleanup of ordinary Ninja Group members began with the cooperation of Gao Yingcai and Yang Lie. The combination of Ronin and ninja simply died at the hands of the two of them; one was stabbed through the head with a hand dagger, and the other was cut into several pieces by silk threads that were difficult to see with the naked eye.

Li Ding activated the full state of his Wu Shao Armor and was clearing out one 'rookie' Ninja Group member after another. Having mastered the Wu Shao Armor, he could completely disregard blades, swords, and firearms; disarming a weapon with bare hands was merely his regular operation. The man who could crush Ninja Group members with ease muttered as he killed, "Is this all? And there was a giant who could blow me up with one strike?" He looked at the information in his hand, which stated that this person had already been killed by Mia. Feeling a bit regretful, he pulled out another card from his pocket that read: Homer, strength-type warrior, massive build, possibly corresponding to the giant club-wielding strongman killed by Mia earlier. Currently still in Japan. Likely to set foot in China later.

"Alright, I'll kill whoever I can first. With that girl's information, the chances of getting back alive are higher."

In the forest, Dong Chang and Xu Xin were clearing out the Ninja Group members and Ronin hidden sentries, using a killing method of twisting necks and stringing them up with invisible threads.

Tang Tongbi and Du Fosong, the couple, muttered as they killed Ninja Group members, "Mia's information said that we'd likely encounter Shikigami. Those are offensive magical artifacts manipulated by Japanese mages, similar to mechanical beasts."

"Hmm, don't you believe it?" Du Fosong asked Tang Tongbi.

"I believe it, but not entirely. We'll know once we go further," Tang Tongbi casually killed another Ninja Group member.

Tang Tongbi pressed her ear to the ground, and her expression instantly became strange. She pointed to the ground, signaling Du Fosong that three enemies were lurking underground.

Du Fosong also had a strange expression, because the information Mia had given them clearly stated that he and his wife would most likely encounter three enemies lurking underground, one of whom carried the first Shikigami they would encounter...