MOONLIGHT NINJA

MOONLIGHT NINJA CHAPTER 13

Chapter 13

The moon soared high up the dark sky, thinly cloaked by ghostly clouds. The wind was moderately chilly but the men gathered around the fire barely felt it.

"The emotional pain cuts deeper than what is physical," Tongjun Linghua said in a grave voice to his fellow officials. "With that simple guiding thought, we know where to attack Chixian Shenzhou."

The men around the fire were murmurring something among themselves while the others stayed silent.

"What exactly is your plan?" One of the officers asked with curiosity.

A slow malevolent smile made its way to Tongjun Linghua's thin lips.

"We will be attacking the village of the Imperial officials instead of just any random village. We will set fire upon their lands - reducing them into ashes; kill their pathetic men; satisfy our carnal desires with their women before killing those bitches; crush their useless children." Tongjun Linghua answered. "And, ultimately, enrich ourselves with the loots."

"Do you know what official to attack first?"

"Yes, of course," Tongjun Linghua smirked confidently, crossing his arms on his chest. "We will attack the Imperial Unit Commander's village instead of advancing further. All we need to do is take the other path of the village that we have just razed; from there, we will advance to the Imperial Unit Commander's village."

"Will it not be hard for us to penetrate the Unit Commander's village considering that we need to climb the perilous Mountain of Dark Skull?" the doubtful officer continued to fire another question.

"Where is your brain residing, Baron Xun Yun?" Tongjun Linghua mocked the officer who questioned him. He had grown irritated of Baron Xun Yun who always try to find an opportunity to oppugn each of his plans. Just because Baron Xun Yun was born with a silver spoon, it did not give him the privilege to act condescendingly towards him. He had to know his place; after all, he was still  the Tongjun of this army. "The mountain of Dark Skull is not solely the way to the Unit Commander's village. We can traverse the back of the mountain, follow the river. There is an underground pathway, an abandoned mining site, that will lead us to our target. The Imperial spies will not expect us to go there considering that it is fraught with unimaginable dangers. It was fabled to be the dead miners' ghosts residence - utterly and completely inhabitable."

"Are you insane? Your plan is sublime foolishness - you are sending us straight to our graves!" Baron Xun Yun's eyes flared in indignation at Tongjun Linghua's mordacious words.

Tongjun Linghua sneered contemptuously at Baron Xun Yun before molding his face into an apathetic mask. "Are you afraid of the ghosts, Baron Xun Yun?"

"What kind of foolish question is that?"

Tongjun Linghua ignored Baron Xun Yun and explained his plan further, "Another thing, if we successfully wreck the Unit Commander's village, his attention will be diverted from his Imperial duties to his own personal predicament." His eyes took a darker sinister hue; he said, "I heard he has a daughter, a beautiful girl, maybe we can enjoy her before sending her pretty little head to her worthless father."

"You are brilliant, Tongjun," another officer, named Niu, said in amazement at Tongjun Linghua's plan.

Baron Xun Yun briefly clamped his lips together in disagreement to Niu's flattering words to Tongjun Linghua. He resumed his interrogation, "What exactly is the path that we are going to tread? How feasible is your plan? Are you sure that you are not sending us straight to an ambush?"

"Oh my, Oh my, our Baron Xun Yun is burning with curiosity." Tongjun Linghua said sarcastically with an aloof face before cracking up a false humorous smile. He lightly touched his chin, raising his other brow. "I wonder why."