CMWKSD -Chapter 218 Monkeys Descend the Mountain

With the aid of Jiu Yue’s potion, they relied entirely on the element of surprise.

General Shen immediately ordered all the exits of Yunlai Mountain to be sealed. According to the intelligence gathered by the Dark Moon Pavilion, private militias typically made a supply run every ten days. They had to capture everyone before the next supply trip. Otherwise, if the militia descended the mountain, they would surely notice that things in Pingtai County had changed.

Brewing the potion had taken a full day. And since General Shen didn’t want to kill everyone, buying hemp ropes and other materials took almost another day. With their limited supplies, a single cart could carry ten people at most, and they’d have to make multiple trips. The best method was to knock people out with the potion, tie them up, feed them the antidote, and then let them walk back themselves.

This required Shaoqing to make another trip to buy more antidote ingredients. The few medicinal ingredients available in Pingtai County were sold out, and he had to go to the neighboring county to complete the purchase.

Shen Zongsheng wasn’t suited for long-distance operations; he was in charge of the rear. So he used a manpower strategy, completely surrounding Yunlai Mountain—so thoroughly that not even a fly could escape. Guards were posted along the way, and anyone coming or going needed the password.

Three hundred elite soldiers, selected from the best, carried large barrels of potion into the mountain alongside Jiu Yue, ensuring both the mission’s success and her safety. The rest waited silently at the mountain’s base. Three hours after Jiu Yue’s team departed, they would move out. With so many people entering the mountain, any premature movement would alert the enemy. Their role was to surround the private militia points and the silver mine. Once the potion knocked people out, they would immediately rescue the civilians and tie up the private soldiers.

Of course, they didn’t expect to incapacitate everyone. This was a surprise attack, a mission executed under the slogan “catch them like turtles in a jar.” The final result? Nobody knew.

Three hundred people couldn’t all carry the potion barrels. Three people took turns carrying a barrel; otherwise, walking day and night with that weight would be unbearable. The time to pour the potion was scheduled, and the antidote downstream was released according to that schedule. Even for elites, by the time they reached the designated spot, everyone was exhausted, gasping for breath. It was just before dawn, over an hour before the camp staff would come out to draw water and cook. Jiu Yue made sure everyone rested and replenished supplies. They couldn’t risk knocking out their own people while failing to affect the enemy.

When the dark potion poured into the river, it vanished almost instantly, leaving the water murky for only a few moments. Three barrels were poured, each spaced slightly apart. Smoke began to rise from the campfires. Jiu Yue and Yingyi perched in a tree. Yingyi’s eyes were sharp, fixed on the scene below, while Jiu Yue, bored, dozed in place. The potion took half an hour to take effect. What could one watch during that time?

As the sun rose, the camp suddenly erupted in chaos. Yingyi straightened abruptly, nearly pushing Jiu Yue off the same tree. With no reaction time, she grabbed the trunk and flipped herself upside down. Her reflexes left Yingyi stunned—it was pure muscle memory. Jiu Yue rolled back onto the branch and, without giving Yingyi a chance to explain, kicked him down: “Why are you so excited?”

Yingyi clutched his backside. Embarrassing, yes, but he couldn’t hide his excitement. If it meant sparing a life, they didn’t want to kill anyone.

“Princess, it worked.”

The eagle-eyed soldiers struggled to contain their laughter—this was the first time they’d seen their leader, Yingyi, get kicked in the butt.

Jiu Yue lightly descended from the tree. “My method—how could it fail? Wait another fifteen minutes, then go collect them!”

The local soldiers nervously looked at Jiu Yue. She spat, “No, tie them up first.”

Everyone exhaled in relief. Especially when Jiu Yue whipped out her long sword—it looked like she was going to chop watermelons, though the “watermelons” were human heads. One by one, the local soldiers collapsed without warning. Soon, the entire camp was in chaos.

In broad daylight, a burst of blue-green fireworks suddenly shot into the sky—the eagle-eyed soldiers signaling the start. Everyone had been waiting for Jiu Yue’s order, and then they saw her raising her long sword, shouting and charging down the slope. The elite soldiers followed, shocked, thinking: weren’t the commanders supposed to stay in the rear? Weren’t these regular troops? But Jiu Yue’s fierce, shouting charge made them look like monkeys descending the mountain.

Whether it was natural charisma or some infectious energy, everyone drew their weapons and charged alongside her, shouting as they went. Birds and beasts scattered in terror. From afar, it truly looked like monkeys were descending the mountain. The stationed soldiers outside heard the commotion and felt their blood surge, regretting missing the previous action.

General Shen restrained his laughter. Only Jiu Yue could fight and create such absurd chaos. The private militia, already panicked at seeing their comrades fall, were further terrified by the deafening shouts. Cowardly ones tripped over themselves in fright. For a moment, the battlefield couldn’t even be called a battle—it was pure pandemonium.

Meanwhile, the civilians at the silver mine, seeing the soldiers carrying the Fengyuan Emperor’s banner, fell to the ground, tears streaming, hands over their heads. Rescue had finally arrived.

This “battle” at Yunlai Mountain began with breakfast and ended at lunchtime. Jiu Yue emerged victorious once again. A cause for celebration, except after feeding the captives the antidote, General Shen noticed everyone was unusually quiet. The camp’s silence was almost eerie—shouldn’t a victory be a happy moment? Had something happened?

Yingyi passed by just then. General Shen quickly stopped him: “Yingyi!”

Yingyi immediately saluted: “General!”

Hearing Yingyi’s duck-like voice, Shen furrowed his brow and fell silent—a rare occurrence.

Yingyi’s face flushed under his mask. How to explain? They had all gotten excited following Jiu Yue’s lead—shouting louder and louder, mimicking her. When charging down, when cutting, when tying people up—they all had to shout, each louder than the last, afraid their voices were too small. The entire vanguard had spent over an hour straining their throats, and the leader, Jiu Yue, only shouted a few times before stopping. But no one noticed she had stopped—they kept shouting louder and louder, creating the effect of tens of thousands of people. All from their voices.

Jiu Yue, meanwhile, listened to Yingyi’s pained voice, laughing so hard she covered her throat, feigning being unable to speak.

“Baojuan, my voice! My voice!”

The eagle-eyed soldiers and the elite troops behind, all with their voices shot: …

Jiu Yue survived all this thanks to sheer strength and combat ability. Otherwise, with that mouth of hers, she would have been unbearable. She didn’t just mock people—she did it openly, never subtle, never behind anyone’s back.

General Shen asked, “Who’s Baojuan?”

Jiu Yue: …shouldn’t have answered that.