By the time Yun Zhen reached the Barracks, the sun had long disappeared beyond the mountains.
Crouched atop the wall, he peered through the darkness.
The Guard Barracks were nothing like he had imagined.
He had expected a grand compound with tall walls, watchtowers, and perhaps a few formations carved into the ground.
Instead, there was only a stone wall surrounding a wide clearing with dozens of tents scattered around. Dim lanterns hung by the entrance of each tent, the silhouette of each passing soldier moving along its greyed-out fabric.
Some were small enough for five people, while others were large enough to accommodate ten. A few fires burned between them, casting orange light across the muddy ground. Guards sat around them, eating, drinking, or sharpening their weapons.
At the far end of the camp stood a wooden hut. Unlike the tents, it had proper walls, a tiled roof, and even a small porch.
Yun Zhen narrowed his eyes, thinking, 'That must be the Commander's hut.'
He lowered himself even further.
The plan was simple: get inside, find something incriminating, then leave. Preferably without being noticed.
The problem was that Yun Zhen had never actually sneaked into a place before.
He had spent the entire afternoon crawling through a forest of thorns, and his clothes were torn in several places. With his entire body covered in blood and scratches, every movement reminded him of the pain he had to go through.
But he had already come this far, and he refused to back down.
In silence, he waited until a group of guards walked past the section of wall closest to him, then he grabbed the edge of the wall and carefully lowered himself.
As his feet touched the ground, he froze, expecting the worst.
...Yet nobody shouted.
Releasing the breath he had been holding, he whispered, "Good."
The first few steps were surprisingly easy. He crouched and moved between the shadows, trying to make himself appear as small as possible.
The camp was noisy enough that his movements were drowned out by conversation. Guards were coming and going constantly, carrying buckets, food, weapons, and other supplies.
He kept his head lowered. Whenever someone approached, he simply turned his back and pretended to be busy, and it worked.
Mostly.
At one point, Yun Zhen's heart jumped as a guard walked directly toward him.
Just as the guard was about to spot him, a shout resounded,
"Li Han, come here, I need some help with my helmet."
Distracted, the oncoming guard turned around and headed toward a nearby tent.
'That was close,' thought Yun Zhen as he wiped his brow.
As he kept going, his first destination was the tents.
If he could find some sort of ledger or document, perhaps there would be something useful. Maybe the Commander had been accepting bribes, or maybe he had been stealing supplies. Anything would do.
Unfortunately, the guards were far more disciplined than Yun Zhen had expected. There were no unattended documents, no unlocked chests, and no suspicious bags of gold.
The guards themselves seemed remarkably mundane—some complaining about their food, others talking about hunting, while a few were already asleep.
Yun Zhen frowned, 'This isn't going anywhere.'
His eyes eventually returned to the Commander's hut. Unlike the rest of the camp, it was completely quiet, with no guards standing outside and no lantern burning on the porch either.
'That's my last chance of finding something.'
After waiting the better part of an incense stick for the surroundings to clear out, he slipped toward it.
The hut had two windows, and both were closed. There was also a back door, yet after carefully testing the handle he discovered it was locked.
Clicking his tongue, he circled around.
As he examined the hut, a small yet important detail made itself apparent.
The roof wasn't particularly high.
Climbing onto a nearby stack of wooden crates helped him reach the eaves, and as his fingers caught the edge, he pulled himself up and crawled across the roof. By now his wounds were already starting to sting due to overexertion.
He estimated that around three incense sticks' worth of time had passed since he jumped over the camp's wall.
Crawling once again, he soon stopped and stared at one specific spot, noticing something unexpected. One of the roof tiles had been moved recently.
'Convenient,' he thought.
Carefully lifting it, a narrow opening appeared beneath him.
He peered inside, yet all he saw was darkness and a wooden beam running directly underneath the roof.
Smiling, he lowered himself through the opening, and after struggling for a bit, he managed to slip through.
Now crouched, he surveyed the Commander's room.
A desk, a bed, and several shelves with some old military scrolls—all lit up by the light of a dying lantern.
Fortunately, there was nobody present, so he carefully settled onto the beam and waited.
'This is perfect,' thought Yun Zhen. He could hide here until the Commander returned, then he would have the opportunity to listen.
Maybe the detestable man would reveal something, or perhaps he would even talk about his corruption without realizing someone was listening.
He imagined exposing him in front of the entire town, the Commander kneeling before him as the townspeople cheered in the background.
Aunty Lu's proud look as he was the center of attention...
Yun Zhen almost smiled, before reminding himself, 'Just wait.'
Several minutes passed, then the door opened.
Yun Zhen immediately flattened himself against the beam as two people entered. The first was a large middle-aged man wearing the armor of a Guard Commander, while the second was younger, carrying a sword at his waist and wearing lighter armor.
The younger man closed the door, then turned around and respectfully saluted, "Commander."
"Vice Commander," nodded the Commander as he settled at his desk.
Yun Zhen's eyes brightened, So his rank is Vice Commander.
The younger one sat opposite the Commander as he poured himself a cup of tea.
After smelling the cup, the Commander asked, "How many patrols returned?"
"All of them."
"Any trouble?"
"None," replied the Vice Commander as he fiddled with his glove.
The Commander nodded, "Good."
Yun Zhen frowned. This wasn't going according to his plan.
Where were the bribes? The corruption? The secret dealings?
The Commander took a sip of tea, then he spoke again, "Have you heard anything from the others?"
The Vice Commander shook his head.
"No."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
The Commander remained silent, while Yun Zhen's interest returned. He could feel the atmosphere shift.
The Vice Commander looked toward the closed door, then said with a somber look, "They're probably dead."
The Commander slightly lowered his head.
"Don't say things like that."
"Why?"
"Because someone might hear."
Yun Zhen stopped breathing.
The Commander glanced upward, and for one terrifying moment, Yun Zhen thought their eyes had met.
But the man eventually looked away.
"There shouldn't be anyone here."
'Scary!' thought Yun Zhen as he dryly swallowed.
The Commander leaned closer.
"The village has been quiet lately... too quiet."
The Vice Commander nodded, before adding, "Do you think they're coming?"
"I don't know," replied the Commander as he shot a look at the old teapot resting next to his cup.
"Then why are you worried?" asked the Vice Commander in confusion.
The Commander shifted his gaze to the flame of the lantern.
"Because three patrols disappeared last month."
Yun Zhen's expression changed. That wasn't something he had expected.
"Three?" asked the Vice Commander in shock.
"Yes."
"Why wasn't this reported?"
The Commander looked at him, "Because I don't know who took them."
The Vice Commander fell silent.
Yun Zhen listened carefully. There was something strange here, something that had nothing to do with corruption.
The Commander continued.
"Whatever we're dealing with, it isn't ordinary bandits."
"Then what?"
"I don't know—"
The Commander stopped mid-sentence as several pairs of footsteps suddenly resounded from outside.
"Who's there?" asked the now-standing Commander.
No answer came.
The Vice Commander drew his sword, while Yun Zhen's muscles tightened. He could feel something was very wrong.
Then—
Bang!
The door exploded inward, wood splintering across the room.
The Commander staggered backward, while the Vice Commander raised his sword at the figures that now stood in the doorway.
There were perhaps a dozen, their faces hidden beneath dark hoods. All of them wore red robes except for one.
At the front stood a person unlike the others.
Yun Zhen's eyes widened. At first glance, he thought it was a man. An imposing presence with broad shoulders, tall stature, and a sharp jaw, yet the face was unmistakably feminine. Long black hair framed delicate features, while a pair of cold eyes swept across the room.
Yun Zhen had never seen anyone like... that.
The leader stepped inside, a forced feminine voice escaping his lips as he greeted, "Mister Commander."
The Commander gripped his weapon.
"Who are you?"
With a playful look, he smiled, "You already know."
The Vice Commander attacked, yet he barely took two steps before one of the red-robed figures moved in a blur, throwing him across the room, a streak of red trailing down his chin before he collapsed.
Yun Zhen covered his mouth in distress. 'Immortals!' he thought.
The Commander, now pale-faced, backed away.
"Wait."
The strange man tilted his head, "Where is she?"
"Who?"
"You know exactly who I'm talking about."
The Commander said nothing, prompting the strange man to smile. Raising one hand, a strange red light spread across the room.
Yun Zhen felt his body stiffen.
He couldn't breathe properly, his throat tightening as if countless claws were digging in.
The same sensation spread through the Commander as the man grabbed his throat.
The Commander choked in his grasp, "What..."
The man's voice remained calm as he replied, "Speech magic."
Yun Zhen's eyes widened, 'Speech magic?'
The Commander tried to resist, yet the red light tightened around him.
"Tell me where she went," questioned the man again, his eyes now resembling two bloody whirlpools.
The Commander forced the words out, "I... cough... don't... know."
The man's expression remained unchanged.
"You are lying."
The Commander fell to one knee as the magic intensified.
Yun Zhen desperately covered his own mouth using both hands as he suddenly had the impulse to speak. To say something—anything. It was similar to nausea caused by stomach sickness, yet refusing to vomit.
At that moment, he understood. The spell wasn't merely affecting the Commander, but it filled the entire room.
If Yun Zhen made a sound—he'd die, and he was painfully aware of that.
Unfortunately, he soon realized that his hands were not enough as the man asked another question.
"Where is the former member of our sect? You know the one—the so-called courtesan who earned her freedom."
Yun Zhen let out a whimper as soon as he heard the man's words, yet his hands muffled the sound.
'No, no... there has to be someone else they're talking about! There's no way it's Aunty Lu! She's a normal person that could never hurt a bug, never mind being an immortal!'
"I don't know," replied the struggling Commander.
"Lu Xuanmei is her name! Where did she go?"
At the mention of that name, Yun Zhen's jaw clenched and his eyes grew bloodshot. Desperate to suppress the urge to speak, he bit his tongue to keep silent.
"I don't know," repeated the Commander, his eyes red and his face as pale as a sheet of paper.
Yun Zhen's body started trembling. He could not figure out if it was because of the spell, the fatigue, the loss of blood, or the wounds constantly gnawing at him, yet he could barely think about that at the moment. Anxious, he once again bit his tongue, harder to the point he could feel a sweet taste of iron.
"I heard she even opened up a business around here, so tell me! Where. Is. She?"
"I said I don't know her!" screamed the Commander through choked sobs.
The magic surged, and Yun Zhen once again bit at his tongue as hard as he could.
But... this time, as he thought of Aunty Lu, a different type of pain coursed through his body.
He could feel it in his chest.
The Commander's voice completely broke as the man kept questioning him. To Yun Zhen, each word felt like a sword stab blurring his world, followed by a bite of his tongue every time a question landed.
By now, Yun Zhen wept silently as he felt pain unlike any other in his mouth.
He could feel something pressing against his throat.
The spell was searching for words, for sound, for an answer. His instincts screamed at him to cough, to breathe, to make some noise.
Yet he couldn't.
'Don't, don't, don't...' he kept repeating to himself.
He knew. Knew that as soon as the smallest sound left his lips, his world would crumble completely.
His eyes watered. Don't make a sound! he encouraged himself.
The Commander continued to resist.
The man eventually sighed, his patience now lost, he calmly said, "Then there's no use keeping you alive."
The room went silent as one of the red-robed figures stepped forward.
Yun Zhen squeezed his eyes shut. He heard movement, a brief struggle—then silence.
When he opened his eyes again, the Commander was no longer moving. The Vice Commander was gone as well.
The red-robed figures began searching the hut. Yun Zhen didn't dare move. He remained pressed against the beam, at this point gulping down the blood flooding his mouth.
The magic still surrounded him.
His throat burned, and his lungs demanded air. Yet he remained silent.
The strange man suddenly looked upward, Yun Zhen's body freezing under his gaze.
His eyes stopped directly beneath him, for several seconds neither of them moving, then he looked away.
"Burn the camp," ordered the man as he carefully brushed a strand of hair behind his ear.
Soon, the red-robed figures left the hut, Yun Zhen's heart sinking as screams erupted from outside.
The camp descended into chaos.
Guards rushed from their tents, weapons were drawn, and orders were shouted.
Then the first explosion shook the ground, Yun Zhen's legs feeling a cold chill from the screams of its aftermath.
He wanted to escape, to run, but the speech magic remained. If he made even the smallest sound, they would find him.
Minutes passed.
The sounds outside gradually disappeared one by one, only the crackling of the fire left to fill the silence.
Yun Zhen waited.
Ten breaths.
Twenty.
Thirty.
There was still nothing.
Moments later, the red-robed man entered the hut again. After glancing around in satisfaction, he barked, "Leave."
The others followed in order, the door closing with their departure.
Yun Zhen remained frozen, and waited even longer. Only when he was certain they had gone did he finally crawl toward the opening in the roof.
His limbs shook uncontrollably as he pushed the tile aside, the cold night air kissing his face.
The spell weakened as Yun Zhen gasped silently, two streams of red trickling down his chin and onto his clothes, his once washed-out clothes now full of dried blood and dirt from top to bottom.
If one looked at him, they'd mistake him for a demon dwelling in the Nine Hells.
Climbing onto the roof, a bright light made him cover his eyes. Looking across the Barracks through his fingers, he realized the whole camp was burning.
Tents had collapsed, there was no movement, and no voices.
The fires illuminated the darkness as Yun Zhen stared. His original plan suddenly seemed absurd.
He had come here hoping to find proof that the Commander was corrupt. Instead, he had discovered that the man had been hiding something far more dangerous, and now everyone who knew about it was dead.
Yun Zhen lowered his head.
For the first time that night, he felt genuine terror.
Not because of the guards, and not because of the red-robed strangers either, but because he had no idea what he had just witnessed.
He slowly climbed down the other side of the hut, his legs nearly giving out, yet he caught himself and leaned against the wall. Looking toward the distant forest full of spines, the strange man popped into his mind.
The broad shoulders, the feminine face, those cold eyes, and the red robes.
Yun Zhen shuddered, 'Who were they?'
Continuing his line of thought, he turned toward the village. He had no idea, and for once, he didn't particularly want to find out.
Then all of a sudden, he stopped.
A faint voice came from behind him.
"Did you see anything?"
Yun Zhen's blood ran cold as he slowly turned.
And there was nothing...
Only the burning Barracks.
He stared for another moment, then he realized. It wasn't a voice outside, but the lingering effect of the speech magic.
His throat still felt strangely numb, and as he touched it carefully, the urge to throw up hit him like a train. Almost falling over from nausea, he spat.
Looking down, he noticed a piece of mangled flesh, and with eyes wide as saucers, he tried to speak, yet he only managed to let out some wet, guttural noises.
Numbness filled his whole body as he let out a strangled cry, then, like a weeping ghost, he began walking.
Slowly at first, then faster. Until the Barracks disappeared behind the trees.
He never once looked back.