My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 131 Mountain Stronghold

The group moved forward slowly, and more and more arrows were scattered on the ground, with clumps of black substance occasionally visible among them.

Lin Ziping recognized that this was the residue left after the incomplete combustion of petroleum.

At that time, there was no technology for petroleum extraction; it was simply used as fuel.

Moreover, oil is not common. In all the years he has been in this era, he has only seen it once, in the cave where he was imprisoned. Yet, he has seen it several times in just a few months in Fuchun County. Lin Ziping vaguely sensed something unusual about it.

I pulled myself together and continued on my way.

As they approached, the buildings that had been hidden in the woods gradually revealed their true form: a mountain stronghold.

What came into view were two tall watchtowers, exactly the same as the one Lin Ziping had seen when he was captured.

The watchtower is surrounded by tall wooden walls on both sides, and the buildings inside can be vaguely seen through the gaps between the wooden beams.

However, the gates of the village, which should have been tightly closed, were wide open at this moment, and there was no one around, only a deathly silence.

Wang Changping's expression was serious as he drew his sword from his waist and held it protectively in front of Gao Chi: "Young Master, there's something strange about this."

Seeing this, the other guards stepped forward and formed a triangle, protecting Gao Chi and Li Qiongying in the center.

Lin Ziping also gripped his long knife tightly, letting Hong Lao Er step forward while he walked at the very back.

Thanks to Jiang Wanyu's generous sponsorship and Wang Changping's arrival, everyone's weapons were upgraded.

The carrying pole and wooden stick were transformed into swords and knives. When going up the mountain, Lin Ziping even grabbed two bows and arrows, carrying one on his back and having Hong Lao Er carry the other.

"Hong Hong, take this off and hold it in your hand." Lin Ziping helped Hong Lao Er take the bow off his back. Although he didn't know how to use it, he was strong and it was a weapon in his hand.

"Brother, where is this?" Hong Lao Er asked, turning around with his bow in hand. "Weren't you going to take me to find my mother?"

Lin Ziping didn't know how to answer, so he could only coax, "Let's come here first and see if your mother is here. Honghong, be good, don't talk, just follow these brothers."

Hong Lao Er thought for a moment, nodded, and continued walking with Gao Chi's guards.

The closer they got to the mountain stronghold, the more arrows were scattered around, and traces of red blood could still be faintly seen on the ground.

Lin Ziping frowned. What on earth had happened here?

Upon entering the village, one sees a ring of wooden sheds surrounding the village, open to the wind on all sides, with only some leaves covering the roofs. Simple daily necessities are casually placed under the sheds.

The group continued on their way.

There were bloodstains on the ground. Following the bloodstains forward, several people were found lying on the ground not far away.

Wang Changping instructed his guards to go forward and check.

The guard checked the breathing and pulse of the people on the ground and shook his head slightly at Wang Changping.

Is he dead?!

Everyone looked at Gao Chi, wondering whether they should continue forward.

He took a deep breath, his expression serious, and continued walking deeper into the mountain stronghold.

The buildings in the mountain village range from simple wooden sheds to wooden houses and then to stone houses. The further inside the buildings are built, the more complex the structure and decoration become, with each layer transitioning from the outside to the inside.

At the same time, more and more arrows were scattered on the ground, and there were even scattered swords.

Besides the people lying on the road, through the open door, one could vaguely see that there were also people lying on the ground inside the house, their fate unknown.

Lin Ziping roughly estimated that he encountered about 15 dead and wounded people along the way, including men, women, and children. Most of them died from a single arrow, while a few had visible cuts or sword wounds on their bodies.

Although he had personally killed two people in the past two days, Lin Ziping was still not used to such a scene. His face was pale, and he suppressed his fear as he followed Gao Chi and the others, trembling.

After an unknown amount of time, the group arrived at an open space in the mountain village. The ground was paved with smooth bluestone slabs, and in the middle stood a tower about 10 meters high, with a semicircle hanging from the top of the tower.

Looking around, Lin Ziping realized that the other side of the square was actually the edge of a cliff.

"Qiongying, you are well-read, do you know the origin of this tower?" Gao Chi asked.

Li Qiongying observed carefully for a while and said, "Qiongying doesn't know, but I've heard that some people in the previous dynasty's royal family revered the full moon and called themselves Moon Attendants. They believed in the way of Yin and Yang. I see that the object on the top of the tower is like a half-moon, which complements the shadow on the ground to form the shape of a full moon, one dark and one bright, one Yin and one Yang."

“The previous dynasty…” Gao Chi lowered his eyes.

"Sixth Brother, these are just my guesses," Li Qiongying added.

"Then let's look around. Wang Changping, arrange for someone to check what's inside this tower?" Gao Chi raised his eyes and gave the order.

Wang Changping clasped his hands and said, "Young Master, we should leave this place as soon as possible, lest it be inappropriate."

Gao Chi frowned.

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Lin Ziping stepped forward and said, "Brother Gao, let me go and take a look."

"Sixth Brother, I want to go and see too," Li Qiongying said.

Gao Chi looked Lin Ziping up and down, then glanced at Li Qiongying, and after a long while said, "Alright, be careful, and make sure to protect Qiongying."

Lin Ziping and Li Qiongying, accompanied by a guard, slowly approached the tower.

The door was ajar, and there was a small window every so often on the tower. Light shone through the windows, making the interior of the tower seem even more secluded.

Lin Ziping looked around and, seeing nothing amiss, prepared to enter the tower.

Just then, an unexpected event occurred: an arrow flew through the air.

Lin Ziping stared blankly at the approaching arrows, at a loss for what to do.

"Get out of the way!" Li Qiongying shouted and tackled Lin Ziping to the ground.

The two fell to the ground. Lin Ziping suddenly came to his senses and protected Li Qiongying.

The arrow landed where Lin Ziping had just been standing.

Lin Ziping broke out in a cold sweat; he had almost met the founding emperor himself!

I used to not understand those protagonists who remained motionless when danger struck when watching TV, but now I understand them deeply. In a critical moment, your mind really does go blank!

"Thank you..." Before Lin Ziping could express his gratitude, an arrow came flying at him.

Lin Ziping hurriedly got up to dodge.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..." Arrows shot towards the three of them one after another.

The three were caught off guard and saw a projectile hurtling straight toward the gate in the woods.

Lin Ziping stared intently.

"Whoosh..." A sound of air being cut came, and the arrow that came straight at him deviated from its original trajectory and flew past Lin Ziping's face.

"Are you alright?" Gao Chi ran over with Wang Changping and asked with concern.

Lin Ziping shook his head, ignoring the pain in his cheek, and looked around.

Suddenly, a figure flashed past the house on the northwest side. Lin Ziping squinted and felt that the figure looked somewhat familiar.

"What's wrong?" Gao Chi asked.

"Your Highness, there are people over there!" Lin Ziping, disregarding the fact that he was a leader on an incognito visit and that his identity could not be revealed, pointed urgently to the northwest side.

Gao Chi glanced at Wang Changping.

The two guards hurriedly ran in the direction Lin Ziping pointed.