The First Military God of the Border

The cavalry appeared and surrounded Lin Hui.

They all watched Lin Hui warily.

The archers had even drawn their bows, ready to fire at any moment.

Lin Hui looked at the cavalry surrounding him and quickly found their leader.

This man had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a robust build, calloused hands, and a long sword hilt worn smooth and shiny, clearly a master swordsman.

With a wave of his hand, everyone put away their weapons.

His gaze shifted inside and he saw the corpse on the ground.

He gave a look to one of the men beside him, and two cavalrymen dismounted and went to examine the body. After inspecting the corpse, the two men came out to report.

"Lord Yu, all four of them are members of the Night Raven."

The young general, known as the Marquis of Yu, was astonished, his eyes filled with disbelief. He looked at Lin Hui and spoke slowly, his tone condescending and authoritative.

"Did you kill them?"

Lin Hui nodded calmly and said, "Yes."

"Who are you?"

"Me? The hunter."

Why is the hunter here?

Lin Hui remained calm and composed, replying neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I was originally going up the mountain to hunt, but I heard that something bad happened to a wealthy family here, so I came to see if I could get some good stuff."

"But when we got there, we found nothing and they ambushed us. We were almost killed, and I even lost a pair of pants."

The young general glanced at Lin Hui's trousers and indeed saw a clear knife mark on his calf, with the cotton inside clearly visible.

"So you killed them?"

The young general continued to ask.

"They want to kill me, so of course I have to kill them. Would I be stupid not to?"

Upon hearing this, all the cavalrymen around gasped in surprise.

Before the young general could continue speaking, one of the men beside him cursed, "Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew?"

"How could a hunter like you possibly kill four elite scouts from the Northern Wilderness?"

Facing Lin Hui, he looked at him with disdain and said with sarcasm, "Do you know who they are? They are the Night Ravens, the most elite soldiers of the Northern Wilderness. On the battlefield, a single one of them dares to charge a hundred-man border army squad."

"Where do you get the confidence to say you killed them?"

Lin Hui raised his eyelids slightly: "That's because you're not good enough, it doesn't mean I am."

Upon hearing this, the border soldier immediately flew into a rage, drew his sword, and was about to kill Lin Hui: "What did you say?"

Not only him, but all the other soldiers around him were also staring at Lin Hui with predatory eyes.

The young general suddenly burst into laughter.

He gestured to stop everyone: "Step back."

His voice was gentle, yet carried an air of authority, causing many cavalrymen to retreat, and even the man who was about to kill Lin Hui sheathed his sword and stood still.

"Jiang Xing, don't be so sensitive."

Jiang Xing rode up to the young general and whispered in his ear, "Lord Yu, this man's appearance is ill-timed. Could it be a ruse by a spy from the Northern Wilderness?"

The young general chuckled and asked calmly, "A ruse?"

"Yes, Lord Yu, the people of the Northern Wilderness act without considering the consequences. What if something goes wrong?"

"Jiang Xing, I know what you're thinking, but look at these corpses."

He pointed at the corpses and slowly said, "Who were they? Members of the Night Raven, elites trained by the Northern Wilderness with countless efforts. We've been following them ever since we discovered their trail. How long have we been chasing them?"

Jiang Xing replied, "If you include the time spent investigating at the border, we've been chasing them for five days."

"Yes, Jiang Xing, would they use someone we've been chasing for five days without success to stage a self-inflicted injury ruse?"

"Do you think the generals of the Northern Wilderness are stupid?"

"Lord Yu, we must not let our guard down."

"Alright then, since Vice General Jiang insists, let's give it a try and see."

"By the way, please call me General Yu from now on. I don't like the word 'sir'."

Jiang Xing trembled and hurriedly replied, "Yes, General Yuhou."

Then, the young general looked at Lin Hui and asked with a smile, "Now that the brothers doubt you, how are you going to prove yourself?"

Lin Hui remained calm and took a step forward, causing the many border cavalrymen to tense up and become alert.

"I don't need to prove it. I'm just a hunter, and many people in Linjiang County know that."

Upon hearing this, the young general laughed heartily: "Good, you have guts. I believe you can kill those four."

Why?

Lin Hui asked.

"It's simple, because you didn't flinch when facing a dozen of my swords."

He continued, "They are all Night Ravens, the most elite spies in the Northern Wilderness, specializing in gathering intelligence, sabotaging supplies, causing unrest, and demoralizing our army on the borders of our Great Yu. Once discovered, they must be exterminated."

Lin Hui nodded: "I know. When facing the Northern Barbarians, all the sons of Great Yu should take action."

"Well said." The young general nodded in agreement and introduced himself: "My name is Du Yuanlang, and I am the commander of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. I am here on the orders of the commander to pursue these spies from the northern wilderness."

Lin Hui nodded: "Greetings, General Du."

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

After saying that, Lin Hui turned and left.

Du Yuanlang called out to Lin Hui and dismounted.

Lin Hui turned around, looked at Du Yuanlang, and asked, "General, is there anything else?"

Du Yuanlang looked at Lin Hui, unable to hide his admiration for him: "Brother, you were able to kill four elite soldiers from the Northern Wilderness by yourself. You've really done it. Our Tiger and Leopard Cavalry are the elite of the border troops."

"If you can join the army, I can guarantee you'll be in my Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and even become a centurion."

Hearing this, the others didn't seem to mind and acknowledged Lin Hui's abilities, but Jiang Xing's expression turned extremely grim.

"Thank you for your kind offer, General Du. I have no intention of joining the army. I just want to hunt and live a simple life."

Lin Hui refused very decisively.

At this moment, the cavalrymen of the border army were all wondering if Lin Hui had gone mad.

A centurion of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry—that's a lot of information. In a local context, it's equivalent to the rank of deputy general of a military town.

Many people never reach this level in their entire lives.

But he actually refused.

Jiang Xing was secretly delighted and said sarcastically, "Boy, don't be ungrateful. The general personally recommended you to join the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. This is a tremendous opportunity for you. How can you be so ungrateful?"

Lin Hui completely ignored Jiang Xing.

Du Yuanlang generously said, "Alright, brother, if you're ever willing to come, just come find me. I, Du Yuanlang, will be waiting for you."

Lin Hui nodded and turned to leave.

As Lin Hui left, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry members all showed joy on their faces. Returning with the corpses of three Night Raven members was a great achievement, and each of them would receive a reward.

"General, we've searched the place, but there's nothing there."

Du Yuanlang nodded, but something still felt off.

"General, all the spies who came in are dead now. Can we go back and report to the commander?"

Du Yuanlang stared at the corpse on the ground, while Jiu Jiu remained silent.

"Jiang Xing, I feel like we've overlooked something. These few people dared to cross the border and enter Linjiang County. Isn't that a bit too audacious?"

"General, the Night Raven members, relying on their superior martial arts skills, have always looked down on our Great Yu Border Army. I believe they are the only ones who have entered."

Du Yuanlang nodded and ordered, "Take the body and go back to report."