Bright Sword: Conquer the monk at the beginning and take down Zhou Weiguo

Xiao Hu dragged the wooden frame, and despite its weight, he rarely complained. His face had the resilience typical of young people, but deep in his eyes lay a weariness beyond his years. As he dragged it, he would occasionally glance back at Qin Cang, as if seeking some kind of confirmation, or perhaps waiting for an answer to a question he dared not ask.

"Captain," he suddenly whispered.

"Ah."

"Don't you think... this forest is too quiet?"

Qin Cang did not respond immediately. He stopped, his ears twitching slightly. Sure enough, the chirping of insects in the forest had decreased, and the sound of the wind seemed to have become fainter. These were not the sounds a normal night forest should have.

"Hide it well," he whispered.

Xiao Hu was taken aback: "Where to hide it?"

“You can’t hide with that frame on.” Qin Cang walked over quickly, ripped off the ropes binding Liu San, and pushed the wooden frame aside without hesitation. “I’ll carry him on my back. You climb behind that fallen fir tree now, don’t move, and don’t respond to anything you hear.”

Xiao Hu's eyes flickered. He wanted to say, "I can help," but the words were suppressed by Qin Cang's gaze.

"You must go to live." Qin Cang's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable chill.

Xiao Hu pursed his lips and nodded, crawling behind the fallen fir tree and keeping his body low. The dry branches scratched his forearm, drawing tiny beads of blood, but he didn't utter a sound, only holding his breath and staring intently at Qin Cang's back.

Qin Cang lifted Liu San onto his back, his footsteps barely making a sound. He no longer took the obvious path, but instead stepped through the gaps between fallen leaves and pebbles, choosing routes where the mud wouldn't sink and the trees wouldn't snag his clothes. It was an instinct honed over many years, like a silent black panther moving through the forest.

He knew that at this moment, they were the prey.

The hunter, however, is likely just a few dozen steps away—in the gaps where night and fog intertwine, waiting for a fatal shot.

He didn't draw his gun. He knew that drawing it would only reveal his entire position.

What they want is not war, but a quick resolution, a silent disappearance.

"Liu San," he said in a low voice, "what was the purpose of your delaying tactic earlier?"

Liu San snorted lightly: "Guess."

“I’m not guessing,” Qin Cang’s voice was as cold as night dew. “Now is the best time for you to tell the truth.”

“The delay is for one person,” Liu San finally spoke, his voice hoarse and trembling, “someone… who shouldn’t be here.”

Qin Cang did not stop, but his heart suddenly tightened. He did not ask any questions, but quickly glanced at the terrain ahead.

There was a stream ahead, no more than three feet wide, but the slippery rocks gleamed bluish in the moonlight, making it a good trap and possibly their last chance to escape.

"Are you sure that person is still nearby?" Qin Cang asked as he walked.

“He doesn’t trust you,” Liu San said calmly. “He said you’re too cold and too tough, and no one can guess what you’ll do next.”

"Then he's wrong." Qin Cang's lips curled slightly, but there was no smile in them. "My next step is to kill him."

"He is not the enemy."

"But he will kill Xiaohu."

Before he finished speaking, Qin Cang suddenly leaped to the side, instantly leaving the path and darting towards the bushes by the stream.

"boom!"

With a muffled thud, a wooden trap flipped down from between the tree trunks. If Qin Cang hadn't leaped away so quickly, it would have hit the spot where he had just been standing.

The forest finally stirred.

A figure flashed through the treetops, moving so fast it was almost impossible to make out its shape; only the whistling sound of wind breaking through branches could be heard. Little Tiger, standing behind the fallen fir tree, stared wide-eyed. He even saw a flash of silver light streak past Qin Cang's feet—it was a blade, a deadly move!

"Don't come out!" Qin Cang roared, drawing his short blade and slashing it in the direction from which the silver light came.

The sound of metal clashing was crisp and piercing. The other party clearly did not expect Qin Cang to react so quickly. The blade was blocked, and with a low groan from the other party, he slid behind another tree.

"Are you even human? You killed your own people?" Liu Sanqiang coughed up blood as he leaned against Qin Cang's back. "I was the one who called him! He came to save me!"

"Save you? He just killed Xiaohu."

Qin Cang's voice wasn't loud, but every word was icy. His judgment wasn't impulsive, but based on experience. He knew the opponent's location, timing, and angle of attack… it was a deadly intent aimed directly at the vitals. It wasn't a threat, not a test, but a resolute annihilation.

"I don't want to kill him," Qin Cang whispered to the tree behind him. "You have ten seconds to get out of the woods, or I don't care who you are."

The figure behind the tree remained silent for three seconds before slowly emerging.

He was a middle-aged man with a half-gray mask on his face. He was rather thin, but his eyes were like those of a hawk. He wasn't carrying a gun; he only held a thin-bladed long dagger in his hand.

He looked at Qin Cang and said in a low voice, "I am not an enemy."

"You are," Qin Cang replied without hesitation, "You shouldn't have laid a hand on a child."

"I wasn't targeting him."

“But you chose his position.” Qin Cang walked forward slowly, one hand on the short gun at his waist. “That’s enough.”

The middle-aged man was silent for a few seconds before slowly sheathing his dagger: "I... I misjudged. I thought Xiao Hu was your backup. I was afraid he would expose our location."

“Then you underestimate me too much,” Qin Cang said.

"I really... didn't expect you to bring a child and a wounded person along, and still manage to push me to this point."

The man gave a bitter laugh and stretched out his hands: "Kill me or tie me up, it's up to you."

“I won’t kill you,” Qin Cang said slowly, “but you have to come with us for a while until I figure out whether you are… the ‘person’ Liu San was talking about.”

The man nodded without resisting, and simply said softly, "My name is Xun Liu."

Qin Cang didn't respond, but turned to the fallen fir tree and called out, "Little Tiger, come out. It's safe now."

Xiao Hu finally crawled out, his face pale and his clothes soaked. He glanced at the man, then looked at Qin Cang and whispered, "Captain, did you... know he was there all along?"

Qin Cang didn't answer directly, but patted him on the shoulder: "From now on, don't walk at the back."

"Where to go then?"

"Take half a step to my left." Qin Cang watched the mist gradually dissipate, his gaze as sharp as a blade in the night. "If you fall behind, I won't be able to get back."

They continued on their way; the fog thinned, but the wind grew colder.

The babbling brook behind him seemed to silently conceal a near-fatal crime. And the night forest, which should have been teeming with danger, receded little by little under Qin Cang's footsteps.

But Qin Cang knew in his heart that the real danger never came from behind him.

—They were still two detours away from the location of the "third stronghold," and then had to traverse a narrow, rocky cliff path to reach it. The intelligence report stated that the narrow mountain path was easy to ambush, but if they went further, they would have to cross an even higher snow-capped mountain. Time was already gripping their necks.