Chapter 50 - Sacred Mountain in Myanmar (Part IV)

Nie Baoguo asked again, “What were those people just now?”

Chen Shaoxian replied, “Those were Earthbound Spirits, conjured by an Onmyoji. It seemed as though that Black-Eyed Inu Oni was herding them like cattle.” Suddenly, he thought of something. “Grandpa Nie, when did this happen?”

“It came through yesterday,” Nie Baoguo answered succinctly, his expression becoming somewhat excited as he looked at Chen Shaoxian. Xiao Zhuang’s eyes were filled with hope as he gazed at Chen Shaoxian.

Chen Shaoxian muttered, “Yesterday was the fifth, today is the sixth, and the full moon this month is on the sixteenth.” He then said to the others, “The special forces might be safe for now. The Black-Eyed Inu Oni only requires a Blood Sacrifice during the full moon.”

Nie Baoguo’s lower jaw trembled with excitement. “Does that mean we can still rescue them before the sixteenth?”

Chen Shaoxian was not entirely sure, but seeing the eager look on Nie Baoguo’s face, he nodded affirmatively.

“That’s wonderful news if the kids are safe,” Nie Baoguo spoke as if to himself.

After saying this, he was about to get up and leave, seemingly in a hurry to rescue them.

Chen Shaoxian stopped the elderly man again. “Grandpa Nie, if we just rush in to rescue them, we might all end up trapped.”

Hearing this, Nie Baoguo stood there, looking disappointed.

Seeing Nie Baoguo’s disheartened expression, Chen Shaoxian blurted out, “Maybe I have a way, but you’ll have to take me along.”

Nie Baoguo looked at Chen Shaoxian, then shook his head and said, “I appreciate your kindness. You’re the only grandson your grandfather has; it’s too dangerous for you. I’ll think of another way.”

Chen Shaoxian turned to Xiao Zhuang and said, “I know Xiao Zhuang will go; he and I are brothers. To put it bluntly, without me, it would be a suicide mission for him.” Then, looking back at Nie Baoguo, he added, “The young man leading the team is your grandson, right? You are willing to let your child serve the country and take such great risks, so why can’t my grandfather?”

After listening to Chen Shaoxian, Nie Baoguo reached out and tightly gripped Chen Shaoxian’s hand, remaining silent for a long time.

After hearing what Chen Shaoxian had said, Xiao Zhuang felt not only touched but also filled with a deep sense of brotherhood. Xiao Zhuang made a decision: as long as he was alive, he would not let Chen Shaoxian suffer any harm.

Chen Shaoxian was right-whether alive or dead, Xiao Zhuang would go to them. He had personally trained these soldiers, and if any one of them encountered trouble, Xiao Zhuang would take responsibility, driven not only by duty but also by the brotherhood among comrades.

Xiao Zhuang had initially wanted to undertake the mission himself, but with his wedding approaching, his younger brother Nie Aijun, worried about his safety, reported to their superiors and took over the mission himself. When things indeed went awry, Xiao Zhuang was plagued by guilt.

This time, Xiao Zhuang hadn’t intended to seek out Chen Shaoxian. He knew that if he asked Chen Shaoxian for help, Chen would definitely agree, but Xiao Zhuang did not want to put Chen at risk, so he had refrained from asking. Unexpectedly, the person he needed to find turned out to be Chen Shaoxian’s grandfather, yet Xiao Zhuang still held back from speaking.

Having already lost one brother, Xiao Zhuang did not want to lose another.

Chen Shaoxian then asked both men to sit down and said, “Time is extremely tight; we’ll split up.” He then looked at Grandpa Nie and said, “We don’t need many people, six will suffice, preferably those who have seen battle and shed blood.”

Nie Baoguo understood that having too many people would hinder their efforts, so he nodded in agreement.

Seeing Nie Baoguo nod, Chen Shaoxian continued, “I know we need guns, but I have specific requirements: the more powerful, the better, and they should also have seen battle and shed blood. I have requirements for the bullets as well; without compromising their power, they should contain cinnabar, and the surface should also be soaked in cinnabar water. You can arrange the other equipment as you see fit.”

Chen Shaoxian then turned to another young man and asked, “What’s your name?”

Moved by Chen Shaoxian’s words, the young man quickly responded, “My name is Song Yumu.”

Chen Shaoxian nodded and said to Song Yumu, “Song-Ge, Xiao Zhuang will come with me. I have a task for you. After selecting the right people, use glutinous rice, acorus, and mugwort to boil water for them to bathe in. The longer they soak without breaking the skin, the better. After the bath, they mustn’t rinse off, just let it dry. Save some water for me and Xiao Zhuang.” After ensuring nothing was overlooked, they began to take action.

Chen Shaoxian and Xiao Zhuang returned to their home and rummaged through their belongings to pack a few items. Then, Xiao Zhuang drove Chen Shaoxian to the military area.

They drove directly to the bathhouse. Upon entering, they were greeted by the strong scent of mugwort and acorus. Inside, four people were soaking, including Song Yumu.

Seeing Chen Shaoxian and Xiao Zhuang enter, Song Yumu quickly said, “We’ve soaked enough, haven’t we?” He then asked the other three to stand up.

Chen Shaoxian saw that the four of them were dyed green all over, plump as dressed chickens, with their skin wrinkled from the soak. He quickly nodded in approval, thinking to himself, “These guys are really earnest. If I had come any later, I’d have to rescue them first instead of anyone else.”

The men, relieved by Chen Shaoxian’s nod, sprang from the pool with a splash, grimacing as they stood on the side, their skin taut from the soak. Song Yumu then said to Chen Shaoxian, “These three have all served in the Peacekeeping Force,” and he introduced them as Yang Xiao’ang, Zhang Zeshan, and Wang Quanpeng.

Chen Shaoxian felt a strong martial aura emanating from these three and nodded at them. He then stripped off his clothes and jumped into the water, only to leap out quickly, pointing at the water and exclaiming, “How can it be this hot?”

Rubbing his body, Song Yumu grimaced and said, “You didn’t specify the temperature. I figured the hotter the better for a bath.”

Chen Shaoxian gave a thumbs up, “Impressive.” Then, steeling himself, he jumped back in, grimacing as he soaked.

The three who had just met Chen Shaoxian found this side of him quite endearing, which greatly enhanced their favorable impression of him.

Soaking in the hot water, Chen Shaoxian took deep breaths to acclimate before finally asking, “Song-Ge, how’s the preparation of the items going?”

Song Yumu slapped his chest with a thud and said, “I’ve already notified them. We are preparing some things here, and the weapons should be about ready. We’ve spoken to the munitions factory about the bullets; they should be delivered soon.”

Chen Shaoxian nodded after hearing this, then turned to look at Xiao Zhuang, who was leisurely soaking in hot water, and said to him, “Xiao Zhuang, your skin is really thick.”

By six o’clock in the afternoon, everything was ready. Looking at the weapons in the boxes, Chen Shaoxian could feel a heavy aura of malevolence; it seemed they had all seen blood before.

After checking everything, Chen Shaoxian sighed to himself, “The military’s efficiency is really something.” Besides the items Chen Shaoxian had requested, there were also grenades and flamethrowers.

Song Yumu told Chen Shaoxian that the grenades had been filled with cinnabar, and they had also prepared some powerful shotguns that had seen blood and killed many armed drug traffickers.

Upon hearing this, Chen Shaoxian patted Song Yumu on the shoulder and said confidently, “I trust you to handle things.” Then, Chen Shaoxian took out six sets of Tianma Armor from his bag, handing one to each person, distributed two evil-slaying blades to everyone, and finally, gave each person a talisman.

Six people boarded the military aircraft.