In the Ming Dynasty, I became invincible simply by extracting memories!

As night fell, the city...

Shen Lian and Deng Cheng led three hundred elite soldiers, silently rappelling down from the city gate. Under the cover of night, they crept past several hidden guard posts set up by the Japanese pirates and infiltrated a pine forest three miles outside the pirate camp. The three hundred men lay in ambush in the pine forest, swords drawn, arrows nocked, twigs between their teeth, not daring to make a sound. The night wind blew from the sea, carrying the salty, fishy smell, rustling the pine needles.

Meanwhile, Gu Cheng led another group of men, swaggering onto the official road leading to the Japanese pirate camp.

Gu Cheng walked at the front, wearing a square-shaped turban, a blue cloth robe, and a slightly worn silk sash around his waist—the attire of a local gentry. Behind him followed four villagers carrying loads of wine jars, smoked meat, dried fish, and several baskets of local tangerines. Further back was a mule cart carrying two women—Yi Dong and Yi Xia.

As the mule cart slowly approached the camp gate, the Japanese soldiers guarding the gate immediately raised their spears and shouted sternly to stop them. Several torches shone simultaneously, enveloping the group in blinding light. Yi Dong instinctively reached for the short knife hidden in his sleeve, but Yi Xia pressed his hand down.

A Han Chinese interpreter stepped forward and asked in a Fujian-accented Mandarin, "Who are you? What brings you here so late at night?"

Gu Cheng stepped forward, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said with a look of trepidation, "I am a local gentry. I heard that the Heavenly Army has arrived, so I have prepared a small gift to express my gratitude. Please grant me permission, General, to pay my respects to the general in the camp."

The interpreter translated these words into Japanese. The Japanese guard captain sized Gu Cheng up and down, then glanced at the wine and meat in the carrying pole, chuckled, and mumbled a few words in Japanese. The interpreter said, "The lord asks you, why did you arrive so late at night?"

Gu Cheng said with a bitter face, "Reporting to your question, sir, we originally wanted to come earlier, but the Ming army has cannons on the city walls during the day, so we dared not move. We could only sneak over under the cover of night. My family and property are all in this area, and we have nowhere to escape with our families. In this chaotic world, we are forced to wander, so we might as well take the initiative to seek refuge with the Heavenly Army. I heard that people from other villages and towns have come to seek refuge, and I also want to ask the Heavenly Army for protection to ensure the safety of my family."

The interpreter turned the page again. After listening, the Japanese soldier leader looked past Gu Cheng and landed on Yi Dong and Yi Xia on the mule cart.

That gaze, like a sticky snake, slid from Yi Dong's face to her neck, then to her waist. Yi Dong's back stiffened abruptly, her nails digging into her palms. Yi Xia pressed down on her hand and squeezed it hard.

The Japanese soldier leader grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. He strode to the mule cart and reached out to lift Yi Xia's chin. Yi Xia froze, almost bursting into action. Yi Dong suddenly giggled, leaning slightly to the side, subtly shielding Yi Xia from the Japanese soldier leader. She softly leaned against him, saying in a high-pitched voice, "Sir, my sisters and I are here to reward the heavenly soldiers. Your haste has frightened us."

Dong spoke broken Japanese, which she had hastily learned from Gu Cheng, interspersed with a few words of Mandarin, but her tone was soft and just right. The Japanese soldier leader laughed heartily, pinched her waist, and turned to say a few words to the interpreter.

The interpreter said, "The lord said you are all very sensible. Go inside. The main tent is in the middle of the camp; you can go there yourselves."

The Japanese guards, accustomed to seeing local gentry coming to surrender and curry favor, didn't even bother with the routine body search, letting Gu Cheng and his group walk straight in. The camp gate creaked open, and Gu Cheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He told everyone to shoulder their loads, drive the mule cart, and slowly enter the Japanese pirate camp. Their figures gradually disappeared into the depths of the camp, leaving only the rough laughter of the Japanese guards echoing in the night wind.

Upon entering the Japanese pirate camp, a breathtaking view suddenly opened up before us.

The camp was haphazardly pitched, tents scattered haphazardly, with several bonfires burning in the open space in the middle. Dozens of Japanese pirates sat around the fires, howling like a pack of wolves. Some were polishing their swords, some were drinking and gambling, and some were laughing loudly, their chatter mingling with their rough laughter. The firelight flickered on their faces, illuminating their fierce yet relaxed expressions.

From deep within the camp came the sound of whips lashing, mingled with painful groans and faint cries for help. Gu Cheng looked in the direction of the sound and saw a dozen or so wooden stakes standing at the edge of the camp, each stake bound to a person—men and women, old and young. They were ragged, their bodies covered in whip marks, some with their heads drooping, their fate unknown. Two Japanese soldiers were taking turns whipping a middle-aged man bound to a stake; with each lash, the man let out a hoarse scream, the scream growing weaker and weaker.

These are people abducted from coastal villages and towns. The Japanese pirates tied them up here, using them as playthings for amusement and as a reserve of laborers.

Gu Cheng's fists clenched tightly in his sleeves. He lowered his head, afraid to look any longer, lest he lose control. Among the four villagers behind him was a fisherman—the father of the two sons killed by the Japanese pirates—who let out a low, guttural sob, suppressed to the extreme. Gu Cheng glanced back at him, signaling with his eyes for him to hold back.

On the mule cart, Yi Dong and Yi Xia's fingernails dug into their palms. Yi Xia's lips were white from biting them, and something was swirling in Yi Dong's eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let it fall.

"Hold on," Xia said in a breathy voice.

Yi Dong silently gripped the hilt of the short knife hidden in her sleeve even tighter.

The group passed through the campfire and the haphazardly arranged tents, finally reaching the main tent in the center of the camp. This tent was a full size larger than the others, with a small flag flying from the top. The tent flap was lifted, revealing bright lights inside. Seven or eight people sat inside, with a burly Japanese pirate leader in the center. He wore a worn-out suit of Japanese armor, with two long swords at his waist, and was loudly laughing and talking while holding a wine bowl. A hideous scar ran diagonally from his eyebrow to his jaw, and when he spoke, the scar writhed like a centipede.

This man was none other than Ono Jiro, the leader of the vanguard of the Japanese pirates.

Gu Cheng straightened his clothes, a fawning smile plastered on his face, and bowed as he entered the tent. Four villagers followed behind him, carrying loads of wine, smoked meat, dried fish, and tangerines, placing them one by one on the open ground inside the tent. Ono Jiro put down his wine bowl, squinted at the newcomer, his gaze lingering on the food and wine before revealing a satisfied expression.

The interpreter followed and translated Gu Cheng's words. Gu Cheng's words were impeccable—he was a local gentry who had long admired the Heavenly Army's reputation. Zhang Lian of Raoping had already declared himself king in the Flying Dragon Kingdom, and Wu Ping, the ship owner, was entrenched in Meiling, his power growing daily, destined to become a formidable force sooner or later. He was willing to voluntarily submit, and had brought small gifts to comfort the army, only asking that when the Heavenly Army attacked and conquered territories in the future, his hometown's property be protected.

After listening to the interpreter's translation, Ono Jiro burst into laughter, slapping his thigh and rattling off a string of words. The interpreter said, "The lord says you're very pragmatic. Your Ming Dynasty's officials and soldiers are all useless, and your court is doomed. Follow Captain Wu, follow us, and we'll guarantee you a life of luxury."

Gu Cheng bowed repeatedly and expressed his gratitude.

Just then, Ono Jiro's gaze passed over Gu Cheng and landed on Yi Dong and Yi Xia at the tent entrance.

His eyes lit up immediately.

It was the light of a hunter seeing his prey—greedy, naked, and undisguised. He pushed aside the wine bowl in front of him, beckoned to Yi Dong and Yi Xia with a finger, and rattled off a sentence. The interpreter chuckled and translated, "The lord wants you to come over and drink with him."

Yi Dong's body stiffened for a moment. Yi Xia gently nudged her from behind, and the two of them entered the tent one after the other, sitting down on either side of Ono Jiro. Yi Xia kept her head down, while Yi Dong forced a smile, picked up her sake bowl, and awkwardly said in broken Japanese, "Please, sir."

Ono Jiro's gaze lingered on Yi Dong. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. Yi Dong flinched, nearly dropping the dagger from her sleeve. Yi Xia, on the other side, desperately tried to signal to her with her eyes, her lips moving silently: "Hold on."

A murderous intent surged in Yi Dong's chest. She recalled Shen Lian's instructions to them: the Japanese pirates' guard would drop to its lowest point when they saw a woman. She would wait until the pirates were seven or eight parts drunk and their guard was at its lowest before she would kill them with one blow.

She forced a smile, picked up the wine bowl, and brought it to Ono Jiro's lips.

Ono Jiro laughed heartily and downed his drink in one gulp. The other Japanese pirate lieutenants in the tent also picked up their wine bowls and joined in the commotion. Someone reached out to tug at Yi Xia's sleeve, but Yi Xia dodged to the side without making a sound, and instead refilled the man's wine.

Gu Cheng stood in the tent, smiling obsequiously while secretly scanning the camp's defenses out of the corner of his eye. His eyes were like a ruler, meticulously memorizing the distribution of troops, the positions of sentries, and the locations of generals.

Yi Dong and Yi Xia were doing the same thing. Their eyes swept quickly across the clinking of glasses, noting how many personal guards were around the main tent and how many tents were behind the camp. At this moment, they were Shen Lian's eyes and the sharp blades that were about to be thrust out.

The atmosphere inside the tent grew increasingly lively. After several rounds of drinks, Ono Jiro was already flushed, his tongue slurring as he spoke. He leered at Ito and Ito to help him back to his quarters, muttering obscene words under his breath. The other lieutenants were also quite drunk; some were slumped over the table, while others' hands, holding their wine bowls, were trembling.

The Japanese pirates were already lax in their military discipline, and after drinking, they became even more reckless. They never imagined that anyone would be so audacious as to bring several women into their camp to carry out an assassination; they certainly never imagined that these two heavily made-up courtesans were hiding poisoned daggers in their sleeves.

Yi Dong and Yi Xia exchanged a glance.

The time has come.

Yi Dong's fingers quietly tightened their grip on the hilt of her knife within her sleeve. Her gaze fell upon Ono Jiro's open collar, where the flesh rose and fell with his breath, and his carotid artery throbbed faintly in the firelight. She only needed one stroke, the blade slicing horizontally, to sever that pulsating blood vessel, and this Japanese pirate who had just been groping her would lie sprawled on the ground like a dead dog.

With a slight flick of her wrist, Xia's short knife slid from her sleeve into her palm. Her target was the lieutenant to Ono Jiro's left—the man was slumped over the table, hiccuping from drinking, his nape fully exposed, the spine clearly visible beneath his skin. She aimed the knife at that spot and thrust downwards, severing his spinal cord in one strike, silencing him completely.

Winter's knife has been drawn.

The cold light flashed in the candlelight, so fast it seemed like just the flickering of the flame. Then, a red line appeared on Ono Jiro's throat; it quickly thickened, split open, and blood gushed out, splashing into the wine bowl on the table, staining half the bowl of cloudy wine crimson. His eyes widened, his mouth opened and made a muffled gurgling sound, his hands grasped aimlessly in the air, then he fell backward, overturning the low table, scattering the wine bowl, meat dish, and tangerines all over the floor.

At the same instant, Xia's knife arrived.

The dagger pierced the back of his neck, penetrating the flesh and sinking into his spinal cord. The lieutenant's body convulsed violently, then slid off the table like a rag doll, without uttering a sound. Xia pulled out the dagger, blood spurting from the hilt, splashing half her face. She didn't wipe it away, turning and lunging at her next target.

Chaos erupted instantly inside the tent.

The remaining Japanese pirate lieutenants jumped up in alarm. Some reached for their swords, some dodged backward, and some shouted "Assassin!" in Japanese. But their reactions were too slow—alcohol had sluggish their limbs, and fear had distorted their movements. Yi Dong grabbed a wine jar from the table with his left hand and smashed it hard on a Japanese pirate's head. The jar shattered, and the man fell to the ground, his face covered in blood. With a swift motion, he plunged his short sword into the stomach of another Japanese pirate, twisting the blade and tearing out a section of bluish-gray intestines.

Xia's short knife flashed up and down, each strike aimed straight for vital points—throat, heart, and waist. Unlike Yi Dong's sweeping, powerful strokes, her knife work was colder, more precise, and more delicate. She moved among the three Japanese pirates like a slippery eel; in the blink of an eye, two of them had already fallen, clutching their throats.

But at that very moment, something unexpected happened.

Although a Japanese pirate lieutenant was struck in a vital spot, he did not die on the spot. As he fell, he knocked over a low table, and the loud noise alerted the guards outside the tent. Four or five Japanese soldiers threw back the tent flap and rushed in, bumping into Yi Dong and Yi Xia, who were covered in blood. The leading Japanese soldier hesitated for a moment, then drew his katana and started yelling wildly.

The other Japanese pirates in the camp were also alerted. Shouts, the clash of weapons, and chaotic footsteps rose and fell outside the tents. Some shouted, "Ming army is attacking the camp!" Others shouted, "Assassins!" The entire camp exploded like a pot of boiling oil doused with cold water.

"Do it!" Yi Dong shouted sternly.

Gu Cheng ripped off his blue cloth robe, revealing a short jacket underneath, and drew two short knives from his waist. The four villagers also pulled out hidden knives and axes from under their baskets. They were no longer obsequious gentry and porters, but a group of bloodthirsty avengers. Gu Cheng stabbed a Japanese soldier who lunged at him from the side, shouting, "Kill the Japanese pirates!"

Yi Dong and Yi Xia were surrounded by seven or eight Japanese soldiers. Japanese swords and short swords clashed, sparks flying. Yi Xia's short sword flashed, each strike aimed at the enemy's vitals. Yi Dong stood guard at the camp entrance, blocking the Japanese soldiers who rushed in. Her left arm was slashed, blood gushing out, but she did not retreat an inch.

Just then, a mournful whistle rang out from outside the camp.

That was Shen Lian's signal.

In the pine forest, Deng Cheng leaped to his feet, drawing his twin swords from his waist, the blades slicing two gleaming arcs in the night. He turned and grinned at the three hundred elite assassins lying prone on the ground, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Brothers, tonight we'll go to the Japanese pirate camp and slaughter them all!"

Three hundred men roared in unison, their voices like muffled thunder rolling through the pine forest. They followed Deng Cheng and Shen Lian, like a black torrent, sweeping towards the Japanese pirate camp ablaze with flames.

"kill!"

"Kill! Kill the Japanese pirates!"