[28] Forcing Their Way into Lizardman Territory

News of the group’s arrival had already reached the Lizardman leader, Lawang. Inside the great limestone cavern of Limestone Forest Mountain, Lawang learned that Chief Lang En was personally leading the group. He decided to send his trusted subordinate, Chocolate, to block their path near the entrance to the valley and demand an explanation from Lang En.

Chocolate asked, “Chief, if the wolf clan is merely asking to pass through our territory, should we just let them go?”

Lawang said, “Absolutely not! Our Lizardman clan and the wolf clan reached an understanding hundreds of years ago that neither side could bring any humans into the other’s territory. Lang En has already broken that understanding. Unless he leaves those few humans behind for us to deal with, I will agree to let Lang En and the rest of the wolf clan leave.”

Chocolate said, “According to the scouts’ report, Lang En and his wolves are closely protecting those humans. Judging from the situation, it is impossible that they will accept the condition you have imposed, Chief.”

Lawang said, “If they refuse my condition, we’ll have no choice but to fight them. After all, they are in our territory. Whether in terms of manpower or the terrain and surroundings, we have the advantage, and we have had plenty of time to prepare.”

Chocolate said, “Chief, we cannot underestimate the fighting strength of the wolf clan. And as for those humans traveling with them, the scouts described them to me as people who, judging from their clothing, are certainly not ordinary tourists. Among them is a man and a woman who are even carrying swords. Clearly, they came prepared.”

Lawang said impatiently, “Chocolate, why are you getting more cowardly as you get older? Just tell Lang En what I said. Lang En had better swallow the condition, or I won’t let him come and go as he pleases!”

Chocolate’s expression became grave. “Chief, I once heard my grandfather say that more than three hundred years ago, there was also a group of humans who forced their way through the wolf clan’s territory and ours. At that time, the wolf clan sent only a small squad to block their path, but after being beaten and sent running for their lives, they simply let the humans pass. Our ancestral chief refused to let them through and fought them instead. In the end, we suffered terrible losses. I’m worried that history will repeat itself. Besides, this time Chief Lang En himself is escorting them. There’s no need for us to pick a fight with the entire wolf clan!”

Lawang said, “If we don’t fight Lang En, are we supposed to let them come and go as they please? Do they think I, Lawang, am invisible? Anyway, I’ve made up my mind. Just go and deliver my message!”

Seeing that the chief was determined, Chocolate obediently fell silent and turned to leave.

Lang En and Chen John’s group had just left Hell Valley and arrived at the entrance to Limestone Forest Mountain when Chocolate and several guards blocked their way.

Lang En recognized Chocolate, and Xia Bo accompanied him as they stepped forward toward Chocolate.

Chocolate voluntarily cupped his hands in greeting and said, “Chief Lang En, it has been a long time. I see you’re still going strong, and your old-time presence hasn’t diminished at all.”

Lang En smiled. “Chocolate, you haven’t aged much yourself! I’ve brought a few friends with me and need to pass through your territory to reach Netherworld Valley. We have no intention of causing you any trouble, so please ask Chief Lawang to give us some convenience.”

Chocolate said, “Personally, I truly don’t want to make things difficult for Chief Lang En, but our chief, Lawang, says that you were the one who broke the understanding between our two sides first.”

Xia Bo said, “We don’t want to break the understanding between our two sides either, but we have no other route if we want to take these people into Netherworld Valley.”

Chocolate said, “If you turn back right now, I can guarantee that you will all travel safely.”

Lang En said firmly, “We cannot possibly turn back halfway. We have no choice but to pass through your territory on our way to Netherworld Valley. Please tell Chief Lawang that our wolf clan has no intention of invading your territory, but we ask him to give us some convenience.”

Chocolate looked troubled. “Chief Lawang has given explicit orders. Unless you leave these humans behind and hand them over to us to deal with, we will not let you pass.”

Lang En turned sideways and pointed toward them. “These human friends are honored guests of the wolf clan. This man carrying the long sword, David, was once a prominent figure in the Dark World. Your chief, Lawang, should have heard of him. If you insist that I leave them behind, not only will I refuse, but David will refuse as well. Please ask Chief Lawang to think carefully about what will happen if we confront each other head-on.”

Following Lang En’s gesture, Chocolate stared at Lin Xiaoyang and Huang Minhua for a moment before asking suspiciously, “I’ve heard rumors that David was killed by the traitorous general Rufu on the battlefield more than three hundred years ago. How could this Eastern man standing before me possibly be David? Chief, don’t try to deceive me just because I’m not well educated.”

Lang En raised his voice in displeasure. “He really is David reincarnated. Why would I lie to you?”

Chocolate said, “All right. I’ll take your word for it for now. Please wait here for an hour. I’ll go back and report to Chief Lawang, then return and tell you our chief’s decision.”

Chocolate gestured to the guards, who immediately followed him back into Limestone Forest Mountain.

Chocolate returned to the great limestone cavern and hurried to see Chief Lawang, giving him a brief account of his conversation with Lang En.

Lawang asked, “So, you got a good look at that reincarnated David?”

Chocolate analyzed the situation. “Yes, Chief. I estimate that Eastern young man definitely has some ability. Although he looks refined and scholarly on the outside, that long sword in his hand is certainly not merely for show. Lang En emphasized that the young man is David reincarnated, and I believe that is probably true...”

Lawang thought for a moment and said, “If he really is David reincarnated, then this is going to be troublesome. Forget whether I’m confident I can take him down—even if we really could kill him, we might offend Princess Maria of the Dark World. Those vampires are certainly not people our Lizardman clan can afford to provoke. Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll have Montana take his elite armored troops and ambush Lang En and his people at the plank bridge they must pass through. They can strike when the opportunity arises. If they really can’t beat them, withdraw. Don’t fight them head-on.”

Chocolate said with relief, “That’s the right way to think, Chief. Knowing when to adapt is the mark of a wise man. If the other side is a porcupine, and we insist on charging straight into them, we could suffer serious injuries even if we don’t die. Besides, if the person who has come really is the legendary warrior David, and Montana can’t defeat him, no one in the tribe will dare criticize you behind your back.”

Lawang immediately ordered Montana, who was standing beside him, “Montana, take your troops and ambush Lang En. If Lang En’s group is too powerful, fall back. Don’t fight them to the bitter end and risk heavy casualties among our brothers.”

Montana cupped his hands and accepted the order. “Yes, Chief. I’ll act according to the situation.”

Lawang muttered under his breath, “That old Lang En is deliberately coming here to cause trouble for me...”

Montana led his armored troops to the ambush site and concealed themselves in the shadows of Limestone Forest. Outside the forest, Chen John and the others waited for Chocolate, but even after more than an hour had passed, Chocolate still had not returned as promised.

Lang En said impatiently, “That old rascal Chocolate said he’d come back and report after an hour. Where the hell is he?”

Chen John said, “I’m afraid something has changed. The Lizardmen may have deliberately decided not to let us pass.”

Lang En said, “Those damn lizards dare to play tricks on me? Just wait until I tear Lawang’s old hide off!”

Chen John said, “Threats won’t accomplish anything. My instinct tells me that the Lizardmen may be preparing to use force after pretending to be polite. We absolutely cannot underestimate them or give them an opportunity to take advantage of us.”

Lang En said, “Xia Bo and I will lead the way. Our wolf clan has keen hearing and a sharp sense of smell. Those damn lizards won’t be able to fool us.”

Lin Xiaoyang said, “Brother Lang En, I’ll walk at the front with you. My reactions are fast.”

The group formed a line and entered the narrow trail through Limestone Forest Mountain. Lin Xiaoyang, Lang En, and Xia Bo walked at the very front. Huang Minhua, Chen John, Rona, and Keith stayed in the middle, while Stryker and Adono brought up the rear. On the outer left and right flanks, the wolf warriors held powerful bows and broad-bladed swords. Every one of them was tense and on high alert, their expressions nervous, fully aware that their lives could depend on getting through this stretch of road.

Strange, jagged stone formations and potholes lined both sides of the mountain trail, making it difficult to detect anyone hiding among them. Even though the wolf warriors had exceptionally keen hearing and smell, if the Lizardmen launched a surprise attack, they might still not have enough time to react. The group entered a narrow ravine trail, where a wooden plank bridge lay ahead. Based on his experience, Lang En judged that the Lizardmen might have set an ambush there, so he signaled everyone to lower themselves.

At that very moment, Lin Xiaoyang was the first to notice humanlike figures crawling in the shadows of the potholes above the ravine. He immediately took a powerful step, gathered his strength, and used his foot against the nearly vertical rock wall to race upward. He drew his long sword and leaped into the pothole. After several sharp clashes of blades, two Lizardman armored soldiers, along with the spears and hammers in their hands, fell into the ravine one after another. They were still alive, but unable to move. Most of the companions had no idea what had happened. Only Chen John and Huang Minhua understood that Lin Xiaoyang had immobilized the two Lizardman soldiers using pressure-point techniques. It seemed that Xiaoyang had no intention of killing them and had deliberately left room for a peaceful resolution.

Montana, the commander of the armored troops, realized that their position had been exposed. With a long whistle, he launched an encirclement attack. Armored soldiers emerged one after another from the potholes and the shadows along the rock walls, surrounding Lang En and his group on all sides. There were actually several hundred soldiers.

Montana stood at a commanding position above the ravine and shouted down at Lang En and the others, “Chief Lang En, your wolf clan has trespassed into our territory despite our warnings, forcibly bringing humans through our land and breaking the understanding between our two sides. You cannot blame us for showing no mercy!”

As soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of armored soldiers holding long spears and iron hammers leaped into the ravine, and the two sides immediately engaged in close combat.

Lang En hurriedly shouted, “Maintain the formation! Do not let the enemy break us apart!”

The wolf warriors were highly trained. They formed a human wall against the enemy, surrounding Chen John and the others inside their formation while engaging the Lizardman armored soldiers in close-quarters combat. Seeing the enemy relying on their numerical advantage to launch a powerful assault, Chen John and the others each joined the battle, stepping out to the perimeter and fighting alongside the wolf warriors.

Lin Xiaoyang realized that unless they used an unexpected tactic, the longer the battle continued, the heavier the wolf clan’s casualties would become. He therefore used secret telepathic communication to tell Huang Minhua to join him. When the husband and wife reunited, they formed a sword-and-blade Taiji formation and charged directly toward the main force of the armored troops, where Montana was positioned, literally cutting a path through them. Whenever the weapons in the armored soldiers’ hands came into contact with the edges of their blades and swords, they were sliced apart and fell to the ground. The Lizardman soldiers were stunned.

Commander Montana witnessed their astonishingly fierce skills with his own eyes, yet he also saw that they had no intention of killing. He instinctively realized that if his side continued fighting head-on, the casualties would be devastating. He immediately shouted at the top of his voice, “Both sides, cease fighting! Both sides, cease fighting!”

His personal guards immediately blew their horns. The armored soldiers retreated to both sides of the rock wall and assumed defensive positions. The two sides then stopped fighting.

Several wolf warriors had suffered minor injuries, but none were seriously hurt. The Lizardmen, however, had already suffered more than a dozen deaths.

Under the protection of his personal guards, Montana approached Lin Xiaoyang and his wife and respectfully cupped his hands toward Xiaoyang.

“May I ask if you are the legendary Chief Guard David of the Sky Castle?”

Lin Xiaoyang sheathed his sword and returned the respectful gesture. “I am David.”

Montana said respectfully, “I have long heard of your great reputation. After witnessing your skills today, I can see that your reputation is truly well deserved. I am Montana, commander of the Lizardman armored troops.”

“Commander Montana, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Our Lizardman clan had no intention of becoming enemies with either the Dark World or the wolf clan, but this is the land where we live and thrive. We had no choice but to offend you,” Montana said sincerely, his earlier arrogance completely gone.

“Please understand, Commander. We have no choice but to pass through your territory on our way to Netherworld Valley. We have no intention of provoking you,” Lin Xiaoyang said calmly.

“In this battle, there is indeed a tremendous disparity between our strength and yours. If the Chief Guard had not shown mercy just now, my brothers would probably already be lying dead across the ground. I will withdraw my troops immediately and report back to the chief. We will give you and your companions passage,” Montana said.

After finishing, he bowed deeply, turned around, and waved to his subordinates. The armored soldiers lifted the bodies of their fallen brothers, then reorganized their ranks and proceeded in an orderly manner across the wooden plank bridge. Montana walked at the rear of the formation, bringing up the rear.

Lang En, Chen John, and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief. Cheers erupted from the wolf warriors.

Chen John and Lang En approached Lin Xiaoyang and his wife.

Chen John said, “Xiaoyang, if you hadn’t thought quickly and used the sword-and-blade formation to intimidate Montana in time, and if this brutal battle had continued, both sides would probably have suffered catastrophic casualties.”

Lang En said approvingly, “Brother David, I’ve certainly had my eyes opened by the power of the combined sword-and-blade technique you and your wife used!”

Lin Xiaoyang said, “I originally planned to capture the leader first, restrain Montana, and force them to stop fighting.”

Chen John said, “We still can’t let our guard down on the road ahead.”

Lang En said, “In my estimation, those damn lizards probably won’t dare to block our path again.”

After the wolf warriors bandaged the wounded, the group crossed the wooden plank bridge and continued onward.