Chapter 85: Raiding the Camp

Since Shen Shi arrived here, he had never inquired about his own family. After all, what was there to ask about his own home? As for the original Shen Shi… well, it wasn’t that Shen Shi hadn’t sifted through his memories, but those recollections were simple enough—practicing martial arts, strengthening the body, reading books, then a long string of failed examinations, one after another…

But today, his mother suddenly brought up her grandaunt, a woman who had once made the emperor kneel before her.

Sensing Shen Liang’s growing interest, his mother hurriedly interjected, “Husband, Shen Shi really cannot be spared from this matter. He—”

“Mother, I am your son. As the saying goes, father and son go into battle together. Without me, it won’t be easy to find them.”

The better they treated Shen Shi, the more he felt he could not refuse. Whether for the sake of family or for the sake of fate, the heart was what mattered most.

Shen Shi left, and the couple were both awed by the aura he exuded. This was not like their son at all; their son had always been timid and cautious. Yet, such a son filled their hearts with happiness.

“Shen Shi has grown up!” the old lady sighed with emotion.

Shen Shi’s mother returned to the inner quarters to report to the matriarch, only to find her already holding a pair of scissors in her hand.

Seeing her daughter-in-law enter, the old lady’s eyes flickered, then she said calmly, “Daughter-in-law, you should prepare yourself as well.”

“Mother, prepare for what?” asked Shen Shi’s mother.

“Scissors or a knife, it’s up to you. Rope will do as well.”

“This is the fate of our military family. If father and son return safely, all will be well. If not, the vast Shen family will be left with nothing.”

The old lady sighed, “If only I’d known, I should have urged them to study martial arts, or perhaps have more children. It’s my fault; I have failed the Shen family, and have no face to meet my in-laws in the afterlife!”

Tears of sorrow streamed down the old lady’s face. She never imagined that after all these years, the Shen family would once again walk this same path.

“Mother, you worry too much. This matter isn’t as grave as you think. We have Lord Bao…” Shen Shi’s mother tried to comfort her.

“Lord Bao? And what of it? He doesn’t need to charge into the fray himself. What’s more, compared to those horse thieves, I fear Lord Bao—being a scholar-official—even more. If they can’t recover the horses, your husband may very well be forced to take the blame.”

“Mother, it won’t come to that. According to Shen Shi, Lord Bao is a good official,” she said, trying to reassure her.

“Ah! This simple boy! I thought he’d changed, grown more astute, but he’s still so easily trusting.”

The family was not blind to Shen Shi’s transformation, but since it was for the better, no one saw any reason to question it.

The old lady continued, “How many in the Shen family have died at the hands of scholar-officials? You know this. Take Shen Shi for instance—if not for his luck, we’d already have suffered the tragedy of white-haired parents burying their black-haired child. Do you not know how your grandaunt’s father-in-law died?”

Shen Shi’s mother was stunned, her face flushing red as she replied, “But Mother, our Shen family is not some insignificant household. Would that black-faced official truly be so ruthless?”

The old lady sighed, “Daughter-in-law, Lord Bao’s face is dark as coal. It was he who assigned Liang’er this task. Why? For what reason? He’s a scholar, and we are a military family.”

It was no wonder the old lady was suspicious of Bao Zheng. First, he was an unlucky man, and being misunderstood was nothing new. Second, at this time, Bao Zheng’s reputation was far from established. The tales of his justice and integrity as Prefect of Kaifeng were yet to come. For now, he was just a dark-faced scholar-official, hardly someone the old lady could trust.

“Daughter-in-law, these scholar-officials are unreasonable. Your father-in-law once managed the imperial horses for the emperor, only to be framed and killed by them.”

“I hadn’t wanted to speak of it… Your father-in-law told the emperor that warhorses should be of pure blood, but the officials accused him of incest…”

The elderly loved to recount the past. As she reminisced, she gradually forgot the worries of the present.

Elsewhere.

“Ba Niang, are they the ones?”

“Yes, it’s them.”

These “horse thieves” were truly courting death! Of all people, they chose to steal Shen Shi’s horses. Worse yet, they failed to notice the fox among the herd. They deserved their fate.

The field was filled with not just dozens, but over a hundred horses including those they rode in on. Amidst the pitch-black wilderness, the warhorses’ snorts were especially clear.

“Young master, we are ready,” the Shen family’s retainers reported, drawing their blades.

“There are two men ahead on the left. Da Zhuang, kill them quietly. Don’t alarm the herd. Be careful—there are surely traps or other devices ahead.”

“Yes, young master.”

Shen Shi opened his eyes, pointing out enemies and traps as best he could.

This time, he intended not only to reclaim their stolen horses, but also to seize the thieves’ own mounts.

This was why Shen Shi ordered silent assassinations rather than a direct volley of arrows—he had no desire to kill the horses by mistake.

Of course, this didn’t mean Shen Shi was indifferent to the lives of his men. In this world, apart from his family, these retainers were dearest to him. He had even considered teaching them cultivation techniques and forming a squad of cultivators, but reality proved that talent truly mattered. Though they practiced the methods and breathed in spiritual energy, it simply failed to remain within their bodies, dissipating into ordinary martial energy.

This was true not only for them, but also for Shen Shi’s own family. At first, he thought it was because his family was no longer pure, but later realized it was a matter of talent.

“Young master, their men are gathered together—it’s not easy to strike. Should we call the master back?”

Having eliminated the sentries, the remaining dozens of horse thieves had clustered together, so Shen Shi paused the silent killings.

“No need. By the time we go back and forth, they may have escaped. Ready the bows—fire!” Shen Shi ordered.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The horse thieves, having just stolen the herd, were celebrating around the campfire. With their traps and sentries outside, their guard was down.

“Thief—” One of them had only just realized someone was struck by an arrow when more whistled through the air. Before they could raise the alarm, several were pierced in quick succession, toppling over, their limbs twitching briefly before life left their bodies.

Arrow after arrow flew, raining down relentlessly. The entire camp was soon engulfed in the shrill whistle of arrows, and each thief who rose to his feet was struck down before he could even spot where the attack came from.

“Ambush! We’re under attack!” After more than ten lives were claimed by the deadly arrows, the remaining thieves finally came to their senses. They scattered from the fire, fleeing into the darkness, shouting at the top of their lungs.

Whoosh—whoosh—

Shen Shi continued firing. Darkness posed a problem for others, but not for him. His eyes could perceive fortune; in a world of swirling energies, those with extraordinary luck stood out like targets for his arrows.

A hit meant instant death.

There were ways to conceal one’s fortune, but not ones available to these thieves.