https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-580-Finding-the-Black-Armor-Army/13464847/
Chapter 581: The Marshal's Daughter
Chapter 581: The Marshal’s Daughter
Just as Lu Yuan finished speaking, before Ji Li and Si She could even get a good look at the path behind the waterfall, they were all suddenly hooded.
Their captors moved with surprising speed.
None of the three resisted.
The sack contained a sedative, and when they opened their eyes, they found themselves in a damp, dark shed.
Si She was the first to regain consciousness.
He quickly took in his surroundings.
Soon, Ji Li also stirred.
Lu Yuan was woken by Ji Li shaking him.
"Hey, you think this is your home or what? You’re really going to sleep here!"
They didn’t resist because they had a mutual understanding—they wanted to use this opportunity to enter the Black Armor Army’s camp.
They didn’t resist the sedative to avoid raising suspicion.
But with their skills, they could control the effects of the drug.
"You’re not worried someone might kill you in your sleep?"
Lu Yuan said lazily, "I’ve got you guys, don’t I?"
Ji Li: "..."
Lu Yuan glanced at the closed door and said casually, "You’re all awake now. Shouldn’t you go inform your superiors? The mighty Black Armor Army, acting so slow and sloppy?"
Creak—
The door opened.
A blinding light flooded in.
Lu Yuan squinted.
A soldier in black armor stood at the door, silhouetted against the light.
"Follow me."
His voice was deep and commanding.
Lu Yuan gave him a sidelong glance.
The Black Armor Army was indeed different.
Even a low-ranking soldier exuded such presence.
His martial arts skills were likely formidable.
The three stood up and followed him out of the shed. They crossed an open area and entered a tent.
Lu Yuan’s eyes swept over the freshly turned earth near the tent, noting the Black Armor Army’s caution.
Inside the tent, a single man stood, not in armor but in a simple gray robe, his sleeves rolled up, revealing muscular forearms.
He turned slowly to face them when he heard their footsteps.
"It’s you?"
Ji Li recognized him immediately.
Lu Yuan was the only one among the three who had never seen a member of the Black Armor Army.
"Who is it?"
Lu Yuan asked Si She.
Si She looked calmly at the man. "Huo Ting, the cavalry commander of the Black Armor Army."
Lu Yuan’s lips curved into a faint smile. "A cavalry commander in an army of ten thousand. Impressive."
Huo Ting’s cold gaze fixed on Lu Yuan. "The Grand Marshal of Great Zhou is here as well."
Lu Yuan smiled. "So you know who I am."
Huo Ting didn’t explain how he recognized Lu Yuan. He shifted his gaze to Si She. "Tell me, why did you sneak into the Black Armor Army’s camp?"
Ji Li corrected him. "We didn’t sneak in, we came openly!"
Huo Ting snorted. "Openly? Openly means using the front gate and having the guards announce your arrival, not breaking through the mechanism array behind the waterfall."
Ji Li gritted his teeth. "That damn Lu kid! How dare he trick me!"
Huo Ting said calmly, "Don’t worry, your other two companions will be captured soon."
This simple statement revealed a lot.
First, Chen Long and Lu Qi hadn’t been caught yet.
This was typical of Chen Long. If he could kill, he would, and he wouldn’t choose a second option, especially if he was hooded, which he would find humiliating.
As for Lu Qi, acting alone, it would be difficult for him to escape if he was captured.
Second, Lu Qi had no connection with the Black Armor Army.
This was intriguing.
How did he know the location of the Black Armor Army’s camp and the mechanism array so well?
It couldn’t be that he was also tricked, thinking it was the main entrance.
Even if that were the case, the source of his information was still a mystery.
Lu Yuan, having analyzed the situation in his mind, asked with a half-smile, "You have a front gate? I thought the Black Armor Army was hiding here, completely cut off from the outside world."
Huo Ting said in a deep voice, "Don't try to worm your way in. This place doesn't recognize any Grand Marshal."
Ji Li said discontentedly, "Huo, we've been talking for half a day, and our throats are parched. We're brothers who've been on the battlefield together. Can't you even offer us a cup of tea?"
Huo Ting looked at the three of them and said, "If you're here to drink tea, drink and leave immediately. If you have other intentions, I advise you to give up now!"
Lu Yuan pointed to Si She and Ji Li, "They are from the Twelve Guards, the most elite experts under Marshal Chu. You won't even give them the slightest respect?"
Huo Ting replied solemnly, "The Twelve Guards are the Twelve Guards, and the Black Armor Army is the Black Armor Army. They have no authority to command anyone here!"
Ji Li, who usually bristled at the slightest provocation, was unusually quiet at this moment.
This showed that Huo Ting was telling the truth.
None of the Twelve Guards felt the need to argue.
"Can we tolerate this?"
Lu Yuan asked Ji Li.
Ji Li replied gloomily, "These are the rules set by the Marshal. I can't dig up her grave and make her come back to revoke this rule, can I?"
Lu Yuan thought about the eerie image and decided it was better not to.
Si She said calmly, "It's getting late. Can we stay overnight?"
Huo Ting replied bluntly, "I don't have any reason to keep you Twelve Guards overnight."
Lu Yuan stroked his chin.
The Twelve Guards were already difficult to manage, but the Black Armor Army seemed even more unruly.
It was truly impressive that the Marshal could subdue so many troublemakers.
Si She took something out from his wide sleeve, "This is the room fee for tonight."
Huo Ting looked at the bone flute in Si She's hand, and a flash of surprise and melancholy crossed his cold eyes.
Half an hour later, the three of them were sitting in a tent.
On the small table in front of them was their dinner: a basket of steamed buns, a plate of cornbread, and a bowl of pickled vegetables.
Ji Li bristled, "Is this all we get? That's outrageous!"
Si She picked up a piece of cornbread.
Lu Yuan asked him, "The bone flute was something Xiao Jiu traded for with a Hundred Mile Execution Order at the marketplace. Is there any story behind it?"
Si She replied, "It's the Marshal's flute."
Lu Yuan said, "This Huo Ting is truly loyal to your Marshal."
Si She paused, "The Black Armor Army is composed entirely of loyalists who are willing to die for the Marshal."
The Twelve Guards had to serve the Marshal because they lost a bet to her.
Every member of the Black Armor Army chose to serve the Marshal voluntarily.
That's why, after the Marshal's death, the entire Black Armor Army disappeared from the border in one night.
Lu Yuan folded his arms, "By your account, we can't persuade this Black Armor Army to help us."
As he spoke, he glanced at Si She without showing any emotion.
Si She didn't respond and started eating the cornbread.
"Annoying! Annoying! How can you feed us this? Huo! I never wronged you, did I? Are you crazy or something?"
"Call your general over! I want to fight him!"
"How does he discipline his subordinates?"
"Is this how he treats his guests?"
"At least I treated him to a bowl of shredded pork noodles back then!"
"I only had five copper coins on me, and I spent them all on him!"
"Give me my shredded pork noodles back!"
Ji Li grumbled all night long, only stopping in the middle of the night.
In another tent, Huo Ting gazed blankly at the bone flute in his hand.
"Marshal, there's an urgent report..."
Huo Ting burst into Chu Nan's tent, covered in blood.
But what he saw was a woman's delicate face.
Her armor was folded to the side.
She sat in a steaming bathtub, her hair as black as ink and her skin as white as snow. (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
