[Fantasy] My World (Complete) - 14

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Chapter Twelve: A Head-on Response
"Hehe, thank you for your guidance, Uncle Wang."
I tapped the bluestone table with my fingers and said slowly, "Time is of the essence. General Chen is fighting a bloody battle in Xiliang City, and Lanting is finding it difficult to remain calm in the rear. I want to set off for Xiliang City now, and I would appreciate any assistance from you, Uncle Wang."
"Please speak, Your Highness. I will do my best to help you."
Wang Guowei hadn't expected me to be so decisive, wanting to rush to the battlefield immediately. A hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.
Not only the head of the Wang family, but even the four youths behind him were somewhat surprised. They had originally thought that Wang Guowei had said the grassland allied forces would retreat soon, and that I would stay in the rear for a while, waiting for the allied forces to retreat before going to Xiliang City, thus gaining another credit for "fighting a bloody battle and repelling the enemy."
I observed their expressions and said, "I need a skilled warrior familiar with the terrain, and twenty fine horses capable of galloping at full speed, the faster the better."
"Just that simple?"
Wang Guowei hesitated. "Your Highness, there are no fewer than 300,000 people fighting in Xiliang City. Aren't you bringing more guards?"
"Bringing too many people will only be a burden."
My words made the four youths behind Wang Guowei frown. "Isn't this a roundabout way of saying that our Wang family's experts are inferior to those he brought? Get this straight, we are the family with the most experts in Liufeng Kingdom!"
Wang Guowei wasn't as petty as them. He thought for a moment and beckoned to his back. "Miao'er, come here."
"Father..."
A delicate and frail-looking youth from the right stepped forward. Her voice was crisp and clear; it was obvious she was a girl in disguise. I knew Wang Guowei had two sons and three daughters. The one on the left was naturally a man, and the two on the right were obviously his two daughters in disguise. I just didn't know why the third one hadn't come along.
The little turtle and the little bird in the distance, knowing my secret, had long since recognized them as girls. Their eyes swept over them, occasionally whispering a few words, followed by a sigh… The Wang family was baffled, not understanding what they were lamenting about.
They didn't realize that when we were little, the "Liu Family's Two Tigers" had described the three Wang family daughters' appearances with uncanny detail. In their words, even the most beautiful celestial maidens would be ashamed and weep upon seeing them; and the most beautiful demonesses in hell would surely commit suicide in revenge…
Simply put, for a period of time, the three Wang family daughters were the objects of my and the little turtle's and the little bird's admiration. We always dreamed of visiting the Northwest when we grew up to see just how breathtakingly beautiful they were.
Now...
now I've decided that when I get back, I'll deduct six months' wages and rewards from the "Liu Family's Twin Tigers," and start having them practice the Heavenly Demon Skill as sparring partners for Little Turtle and Little Bird again... Please don't misunderstand, I'm not retaliating. The Liu Family's Grandmaster, with a heart as broad as the sky, is also doing this for the improvement and progress of the "Liu Family's Twin Tigers"!
Of course, to be fair, the two Wang family daughters weren't bad-looking; they could be considered pretty. But considering standards like "unparalleled in beauty" and "lovable to everyone," I couldn't help but shake my head.
Wang Guowei was startled, thinking, "Lanting Gong is truly remarkable. Just by calling Miao'er over, he understands my intention to get close to her?"
But things had already begun, and Wang Guowei had no reason to stop. He could only bite the bullet and say, "Your Highness, when it comes to familiarity with the entire Northwest, especially the area around Xiliang City, only my second daughter, Wang Miao'er, is knowledgeable. She travels between Xiliang City and Wangjiabao daily. If you go with her, I guarantee you'll be able to enter Xiliang City quickly and safely."
"Thank you very much, Uncle Wang." "
I said nonchalantly, without glancing at Wang Miao'er again.
"As for the horses, we brought twenty-three fine horses this time, all of them top-quality. They'll be fully recovered after an hour's rest, and Your Highness can ride them then."
"Very well."
"Then please rest for a moment, Your Highness. I'll go and instruct the Wang family members accompanying you to provide some assistance." "
Uncle Wang, I am deeply grateful."
An hour later, as dusk settled, the six of us rode our horses and galloped out of Guizhou City.
The crisp sound of hooves echoed through the streets, indicating the sparse population. Occasionally, a few people walked by, their faces filled with fear and bewilderment as they looked at us.
We took all twenty-three horses provided by the Wang family with us. Little Turtle and Little Bird were responsible for driving the remaining empty horses. Having trained with the Imperial Guards for some time, they were adept at driving the horses and did not slow them down at all.
Leading the way was Wang Miao'er, a pretty young woman who didn't talk much, but judging from her skillful riding through the fields, valleys, and hills, Wang Guowei was right; she was very familiar with the area.
As the second daughter of the powerful Northwest Wang family, Wang Miao'er should have been as noble as a princess, pampered and spoiled. However, looking at Wang Miao'er, apart from her small hands and fair, delicate skin, she lacked any air of elegance or nobility; she was just as ordinary as a girl next door.
Perhaps due to the higher altitude, the moonlight in the northwest was very bright. Traveling through various terrains, the light remained relatively clear. We changed horses every hour, resting for the time it takes to drink a pot of tea every three hours. Before we knew it, the moon had set behind the mountains, and the sun had risen again, revealing a soft, reddish light.
"Miss Wang, how far have we traveled?"
Little Turtle asked during our second rest. The sun was high in the sky, making the ground very hot.
"Not even halfway. At this pace, we won't reach the outskirts of Xiliang City until tomorrow afternoon, and then sneak into the city tonight."
Wang Miao'er drank water in large gulps, her unladylike behavior a stark contrast to the elegant, slow sips of the Jing Gong sisters. This prompted Little Turtle and Little Bird to curse the "Liu Family Twin Tigers" again. "The people of Xiliang City won't treat us like steppe nomads climbing the city walls. Once we're up there, they'll probably unleash a barrage of arrows, won't they?"
Little Bird imagined.
"If that's the case, then that
's fine too." Wang Miao'er's words made Xiao Wu's anger soar. Facing the bird's ugly expression, she continued to say, "Where in Xiliang City are there any bows and arrows left? When the enemy attacks, they only manage to push back with human lives..."
The bird's anger vanished in an instant. It gave an embarrassed smile and slunk away to the side.
"Miss Wang, if that's the case, why didn't the grassland allied forces press on and suffer tens of thousands more casualties to completely take Xiliang City?"
I asked doubtfully. "If they could massacre Xiliang City, their reputation would surely soar, their confidence would be boosted, and next time they come, even more grassland people would follow."
"They really wanted to, so the day before yesterday morning they gathered another 50,000 men to launch a fierce attack on the south gate of Xiliang City. They fought for six whole hours, and finally General Chen led the last of his guards into battle personally, finally defeating them. In this battle, the 'Silver Tiger Legion' suffered 5,000 casualties, and the Northwest garrison suffered 30,000 casualties." The
He ethnic girls were somewhat unaccustomed to Wang Miao'er's tone. Although she spoke calmly, the sinister tone in her words was obvious. So, Jing Gongcai and Jing Gongmei involuntarily moved closer to me.
"If this continues, how many troops will Xiliang City have left?" Xiao Gui couldn't help but gasp.
"The 'Silver Tiger Legion' has 10,000 men, and the Northwest garrison has 50,000."
Wang Miao'er smiled faintly, "Don't worry, unless the grassland allied forces dare to risk returning with less than 50,000 men, they won't be able to break through Xiliang City."
I nodded, then paused, "That's not right, Miss Wang. Seven days ago, the ragtag army only had 100,000 men. After these few days of fighting, how come there are still 50,000?"
"Because the armies from the three northwestern prefectures will continuously pour into Xiliang City. If they weren't constantly replenishing, Xiliang City would have been captured seven days ago." After a pause, Wang Miao'er looked at me seriously, "Your Highness, they are not just a ragtag army, they are all good men from our Northwest!"
"Oh, I misspoke, I'm sorry."
After a moment of surprise, I readily admitted my slip of the tongue, but Wang Miao'er's face didn't show any satisfaction, remaining as calm as ever.
Wang Miao'er didn't intend to let me off so easily: "Your Highness, please forgive Wang Miao'er's rudeness, can you honestly answer one question for me?"
"Speak." "
There's no one else here, and I don't want to maintain any dukely decorum," I replied rather rudely.
"Is the court abandoning us?"
"Nonsense!"
I roared angrily. "How could they abandon you?"
"Then why hasn't there been any movement from the reinforcements General Chen requested?" "
How could a little woman like you know about troop movements? The Emperor and all the officials are working hard; do they need to tell you specifically?"
"You're lying!"
Wang Miao'er's bright eyes had a penetrating power. "Our Wang family's shops have sent word that there's absolutely no sign of troop movement in the eight prefectures near the northwest. The court hasn't issued any military orders to the garrisons!" "
You..."
I wanted to reprimand Wang Miao'er again, because what she said had far exceeded her status. If someone else had heard such treasonous words, they would at least have been thrown into prison immediately. But looking into Wang Miao'er's pure, clear eyes, I couldn't even bring myself to scold her.
Not only because what she said was true—besides us, at least for now, the court wouldn't send a single soldier to the Northwest—but also because this young girl had a heart that considered the Northwest her home. Her words weren't for her Wang family, but for the people of the Northwest.
"The court has its difficulties. What you can think of, they will naturally think of as well, but there are some things you can't think of, yet they have to consider them."
I organized my thoughts and said, "It's very difficult to immediately mobilize troops, but it's definitely not that we're abandoning you. Otherwise, what would the Emperor and Empress have sent me for? To charge here alone to die?" Emperor Kangzong sent the Empress's nephew, a first-class duke, to the Northwest. Naturally, no one believed he sent me alone to solve the problem. Wang Guowei thought I was just the vanguard; once I controlled the situation, a large army would follow.
Wang Miao'er thought so too, which is why she couldn't help but ask me directly. She wanted the army to arrive quickly to relieve the Northwest's dire situation—if she knew only a few of us had come, this young lady might immediately turn tail and leave, ignoring us completely.
"Anyway, you don't need to worry about so much. With me, Ren Lanting, here, the Northwest won't be ravaged by foreign tribes. Just stay by my side and watch!"
I waved to stop her from continuing to ask questions, and had to adopt a firm stance.
In fact, that was exactly the case. My fate was intertwined with that of the Northwest; I wouldn't return until the Northwest's crisis was resolved.
"I will always follow you!"
Wang Miao'er saw sincerity in my eyes. She turned her head and said calmly, "Your Highness, I hope you are true to your word. If it is really as you say, I, Wang Miao'er, am willing to apologize for my rudeness today. You can do whatever you want."

Episode 8 Gong Gu's Military Power

[Episode Synopsis]
A brilliant plan to burn the grain, a riot of horses, divine power to throw horses... Young Master Ri, what I want is a shocking first appearance! Although the grassland coalition retreated, after summarizing the intelligence from all sides, it was discovered that the Liji tribe's Duoluban seemed to have a master guiding him... Heaven really favors me, Young Master Ri! Hmph!
As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake. I must appease and win over the people. If my subordinates do not obey orders, how can I deal with the barbarians? How can Young Master Ri return to the capital to marry the princess in the future?

Chapter 1 The Great Plan to Burn the Grain
In the 42nd year of Ieyasu, on July 25th, the clear night sky had already shone on the northwestern land. After two whole days, we were finally able to stand on the cliff of the high mountain and see the distant Xiliang City.
We arrived in Xiliang City about two hours later than Wang Miao'er had predicted.
It wasn't that we slowed down; in fact, led by this pretty yet stubborn young woman, we had been galloping the entire way. Of the twenty-three horses we brought, only five remained on our mounts; the rest had collapsed from exhaustion along the way.
So, the reason for our delay could only be one: the road was uneven, and we had to help!
Before arriving in the Northwest, the atrocities of the nomadic tribes were just hearsay; the countless people they ravaged were merely imagined in my mind, evoking only curses and anger, nothing too extreme.
But the closer we got to the battlefield, the angrier we became.
Beautiful villages and towns were all reduced to charred ruins. Aside from the occasional elderly person driven mad by fear, weeping before the ruins, we saw almost no survivors. And the rivers stained crimson with blood were not just one or two.
I finally understood why Xiliang City, despite its difficult struggle, remained firmly in our hands, and why so many righteous armies would rush to its aid—what a hell it would be if the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians of Xiliang City were slaughtered!
In the face of life-or-death choices, everyone fought valiantly until the last man was gone.
Little Turtle and Little Bird were immediately enraged, charging forward without hesitation upon seeing the first hundred-man barbarian cavalry... In the end, however, they didn't kill the most. I killed twenty-five, the Jinggong sisters killed thirty, Wang Miao'er killed seventeen, and Little Turtle and Little Bird took care of the rest.
Only these grassland barbarians dragged innocent civilians into the war. For nearly a hundred years, even the legitimate army of Huayun Kingdom hadn't engaged in such policies of massacring entire cities or leaving nothing but barren land. The nobles of Huayun Kingdom, assimilated by Confucianism, were far better off than these barbarians living in remote areas.
Advancing in a straight line, we eliminated sixteen hundred-man squads along the way and rescued over a thousand civilians. Unfortunately, there were no men left; they were all women under forty and children over eight.
Since our mission was to reach Xiliang City, we could only send them to hide in the mountains for a few days. Fortunately, the northwest is mountainous, and mountains are the natural enemy of cavalry. With the war reaching its final stage, their chances of escape were high.
However, we didn't encounter a single thousand-man squad. Although we would have had to flee if we
had, it showed that the strength of the grassland allied forces was truly diminished. Jumping off our exhausted horses, the vast plains ahead were still clearly visible to our highly skilled warriors.
Behind us were hundreds of hills of varying sizes, and beyond these difficult hills lay Xiliang City, towering majestically on the plain, like a guardian deity protecting the people of the northwest.
Three kilometers east of Xiliang City, the unique tents of the barbarian tribes stretch endlessly, as if they were reaching the horizon.
Under the illumination of countless torches, horses galloped incessantly inside the tents, creating a bustling atmosphere.
In stark contrast to the grassland allied forces was the imposing city of Xiliang, its walls shrouded in darkness, seemingly a ghost town.
"The enemy has recently built many more siege weapons. If we light lamps at night, we'll be bombarded with boulders. Therefore, General Chen ordered no lights at night,"
Wang Miao'er explained.
"But what if the enemy attacks at night? Wouldn't that be terrible?"
Little Turtle asked, puzzled. "
A night is disadvantageous for us, but even more disadvantageous for them. Throughout history, how many battles have you witnessed where a city was attacked at night?"
Wang Miao'er's question made Little Turtle nod secretly. Recently, he and Little Bird had read many biographies of ancient heroes. Indeed, in siege battles, nights seemed to be for rest; successful night raids were rare, let alone against a first-rate fortress like Xiliang.
"Enough of this idle talk. Let's rest and prepare to enter the city." "
Wang Miao'er suggested. She'd gotten used to offering opinions along the way, and we'd all follow them.
Nodding, I was the first to sit down, close my eyes, and begin circulating my Heavenly Demon Art.
Another hour passed, and we gradually awoke from our meditation. Our
daily galloping was to cover distances, but we needed at least an hour each day to circulate our energy and recover our true qi; otherwise, even the strongest person couldn't endure it.
The horses were tied to a small tree nearby, exhausted, slumped on the ground, completely listless.
The mission later required concealment, so we wouldn't need them… even if we wanted to, we couldn't. Horses, like people, rely on sheer willpower; once they stop, they can't recover their energy in a short time.
"Let's go,"
Wang Miao'er whispered. "Follow me. We need to be fast, and don't go the wrong way."
"Wait a minute,"
I called to the girl. "We're not going to Xiliang City yet."
"Not going to Xiliang City?" The girl paused, then looked at me with disdain. "
Are you scared?"
"How dare you! How dare you speak like that?"
the little turtle and the little bird glared angrily.
The girl didn't argue with them, her eyes fixed on me.
"Such a young age, and such a fiery temper?"
I waved my hand calmly. "When did I say we weren't going to Xiliang City? I just said we'd go there and take a look first."
Following my gesture, Wang Miao'er saw thousands of flickering tallow torches.
The girl's expression finally softened: "What do you want to do?"
"Kill a few key generals to lower their morale, how about that?"
"The barbarian army has many experts, and their defenses are even more rigorous."
Wang Miao'er said calmly, "We've attempted assassination three times. The Wang family has already lost twenty-five top experts, but we only managed to kill eight centurions, and failed to assassinate even one ten-thousand-man commander." "
Although the girl's tone was calm, the deep-seated hatred within was still clearly visible.
Little Turtle and Little Bird gasped, while I wasn't too surprised. If the Wang family hadn't thought of this, they wouldn't deserve to be a thousand-year-old noble family in the Northwest. The reason the war is so difficult now is naturally because they've tried assassination, but all their attempts failed.
There are many reasons for the failures, but in my opinion, the main reason is probably that the Wang family lacks the courage.
If Wang Guowei personally led the Wang family's elders to charge in, no matter how many experts the grassland barbarians had or how well they were deployed, they wouldn't be able to stop them, right?
In a way, it's better to preserve strength. After all, there are risks involved, and besides, they haven't even reached Wang Family Fortress yet. It's enough to contribute; there's no need to risk everything.
"Miss Wang, sometimes you need to use your brain. War isn't like the fighting and killing in your martial arts world; it requires strategy. If assassination were so easy, then there would be no need for war, and even the emperor wouldn't have a peaceful night's sleep." "
I smiled at the somewhat dejected girl.
Even though Wang Miao'er was naturally elegant, she almost lost her temper at my words: Stop pretending, Lord Lanting, you've assassinated quite a few people in Yizhou County, haven't you? When it comes to martial arts battles, who can compare to you, a master who can turn the world upside down with a flick of your wrist? You almost brought the Fu family and the Yuwen family down! And you still have the nerve to talk about 'your martial arts world'?" Suppressing her anger, the girl still had some girlishness, and her tone became slightly sarcastic, "Then, I wonder what insights Lord Lanting has that I could share with this humble girl?"
"The fighting power of an army doesn't depend on those high-ranking generals. As long as they share a common goal, they can unite their fighting power."
I said with a smile, "So we can do something to make them lose their fighting power, such as... burning their supplies!"
"Hahaha..."
The girl laughed very unrefinedly, which could also be taken as mockery of me, "Your Highness Lord Lanting, do you think we can't think of this method?" They scattered their supplies across ten locations, each heavily guarded. We lost many men, but only managed to burn one or two. They replenished their supplies the next day from a nearby mountain village… “How do you expect me to burn supplies like that?”
I wasn’t angry. I asked her, “How did you manage to burn them?”
“First, we sent a group to burn the tents, feigning an attack on the leader. Then we sent others to dress in their clothes and attack the granaries in the chaos. It’s a pity they discovered us too early; otherwise, we could have burned one or two more.”
Wang Miao’er looked regretful.
“You impersonated nomadic tribes? You didn’t look quite right, did you?”
“We’re not that stupid. The Northwest is a place where various ethnic groups live together. If we needed to find people who looked similar to them, our Wang family had plenty.”
“And what about their smell?”
“Smell?…Smell!” Wang
Miao'er's eyes lit up, and she clenched her fist, understanding the logic.
The Wang family's experts were undoubtedly handsome, but they were still Central Plains people; they didn't eat beef and mutton or drink cow and sheep milk all day long, their bodies reeking of a foul odor that others could easily detect—don't underestimate the sense of smell of grassland people; I've seen several who can smell flowers dozens of meters away, even with the wind at their backs.
Seeing the girl's dejected expression, I felt embarrassed to say anything more. "Alright, don't think about the past. Today, let's teach them a lesson together."
Wang Miao'er gritted her teeth. "What are you planning to do?"
"Don't look like you're going to your death. We're not in any danger this time."
I smiled, reassuring the girl, and pointed to the Jing Gong sisters. "This is their chance to shine; we're just helping out."
"Them?" "
The second young lady of the Wang family said in a daze. At first, she was not interested in the two beautiful girls who looked like porcelain dolls. She thought that I was wasting my time by taking my concubines to the battlefield.
However, after witnessing the ruthlessness of the Jing Palace sisters in the midst of the carnage, she finally felt that they were somewhat useful. But she didn't expect me to say that today I would rely on them to burn the enemy's supplies."
Although Jing Gongcai and Jing Gongmei were princesses in distress, they still possessed their own pride. Seeing Wang Miao'er's suspicious gaze, they both snorted and gave her a defiant look.
I became serious. "Don't underestimate them. When it comes to stealth and assassination, the He tribe is the best in the world, and my two wives are among the best."
Seeing their husband's strong support, the two He tribe princesses beamed with joy and secretly resolved to bring glory to their husbands this time.
Wang Miao'er, however, didn't have high hopes. "Anyway, no matter what, your safe arrival in Xiliang City is the most important thing. This time, we must protect ourselves first."
"No problem, leave it to me."
I said confidently, my expression full of assurance.
If we can't even handle a bunch of small barbarians, how will Young Master Ri return to the capital to marry the princess?
It wasn't even late at night yet, but the sky grew darker and darker, the darkness as thick as ink spilled between heaven and earth.
The weather in the Northwest is strange. The sun is scorching hot during the day, and it's incredibly dark at night, with such a clear distinction between day and night, unlike the inland areas.
However, this pitch-black night made our movements easier.
Our group of five, all highly skilled, dodged countless enemy sentries, both visible and hidden, and finally arrived at a secluded spot about 500 meters from the main camp.
I put my arm around the slender waists of the two beautiful girls and patiently instructed them, "Be careful. Burn as much as you can. After you light the fire, come back here immediately and wait for us."
"Brother, don't worry, what's so scary about these barbarians... Oh!"
Before Jing Gongcai could finish speaking, I gave her a smack on her buttocks.
"Underestimating the enemy is the worst thing you can do. Mei, you keep an eye on her."
I glared at her and then instructed the more composed Jing Gongmei.
"Hmm..."
Jing Gongmei said softly, "Brother, we can set the fire, but you don't need to risk it, right? It's very dangerous there."
"No, my wife has gone out, how can I just watch the fun here?"
I said in a low voice, "I'm going to the horse herd to create a disturbance for them."
Knowing she couldn't persuade me, Jing Gongmei and her sister went up and kissed me. The two women, dressed in black, disappeared into the darkness.
"Young Master, shall we start soaking them in the medicine now?"
Little Turtle asked quickly.
I nodded, "Yes, hurry up, make sure they're thoroughly soaked."
With my order, Water Turtle and Little Bird took out a water pouch and black powder, respectively, and began to mix them. Before long, the four seven-headed blades were soaking in the half-broken water pouch.
"Your Highness, is this poison?"
Wang Miao'er asked.
"It's a poison that can make horses agitated. Once it enters their bodies, it will excite and rage them. Combined with the pain, it will create a spectacular sight of thousands of horses galloping through the barbarian alliance's camp!"
"Okay!"
The girl smiled and nodded.
The Demonic Sect's poisons are world-renowned. This time, I specially prepared a lot of poison according to my master's secret manual, intending to use it on these barbarians who have been burning, killing, and looting.
Although this method is somewhat vicious, Wang Miao'er had no objection to using it on these brutal grassland barbarians.

Chapter Two: Thousands of Horses Galloping
The grassland alliance's horses were not all kept together. Hundreds of thousands of fine horses were divided into four enclosures in the east, west, south, and north directions, located in the second courtyard of the camp. There
was a twenty-meter distance between the first and second courtyards. Apart from the main road, the middle was completely empty and lit. Anyone who tried to sneak in would definitely be discovered.
The main road was also constantly patrolled by soldiers. It was extremely difficult to escape their surveillance and enter the second courtyard. This was a method that the grassland alliance devised after suffering countless losses.
The camp was divided into four sections, each quite far apart. The third section housed the tents of the steppe allied forces, while the fourth section was the grain storage area, demonstrating their emphasis on supplies.
Despite this, I wasn't worried about the twin girls' safety. I'd witnessed their skill in concealment; using only simple tools, they could blend seamlessly with walls, trees, and even rocks and plants—a rather uncanny ability. In such a large camp, the chances of them being discovered were incredibly low.
Pulling my thoughts back, we had already stealthily reached a secluded corner of the first section. Every ten meters, there was a tallow lamp; the light wasn't as bright as I'd imagined, but without quick movement, it was easy to be spotted.
Ideally, there would be a torch every meter, but the problem was that torches required materials to make. With such a large camp, densely packed torches would be too much for them to handle.
Therefore, such a large camp inevitably had blind spots in its defense.
Besides, the steppe allied forces were only concerned with large-scale enemy attacks and didn't care much about small-scale disturbances.
"How's it going? Twenty meters, any problem?"
I asked the girl beside me.
"You should worry about yourself..."
Wang Miao'er retorted.
"Alright, you follow me."
I smiled slightly. How could a grown man argue with a girl? That's pointless.
With that, I vanished between the barricades. Even with Wang Miao'er's martial arts skills, she could only see a shadow, darting through the shadows of the wooden fence.
It seems this Lord Lanting is indeed quite capable.
The girl's thoughts had barely formed when the little turtle and bird began to move. Not to be outdone, Wang Miao'er also took a deep breath, propelling herself to her maximum speed, and "whoosh!" flew out.
In the Heavenly Demon Art, lightness skill is an indispensable factor, ranking among the top three in the martial arts world without a doubt.
Sometimes I wonder, is it because our Demonic Sect members are so afraid of being hunted that they desperately improve their lightness skill for escape?
Having reached the eighth level of the Heavenly Demon Art, my lightness skill was already so great that I could leave no trace even in the snow. The reason I had them follow me was because I needed to remove obstacles in their path.
Along the way, the five sentries hidden in the sand and the three hidden behind the wooden fence were all killed by me with concealed weapons, without even a chance to make a sound .
I had taught Little Turtle and Little Bird their lightness skills, so they were naturally quite fast, but Wang Miao'er was even faster than them. I only stood beside the dense herd of horses for a moment before she landed beside me.
"Impressive skills,"
I praised.
"Compared to Your Highness, can I be considered to have good skills?"
Wang Miao'er glanced at me sideways, her words tinged with disdain.
“Miss Wang,”
I hesitated for a moment, “I know you don’t like me, and I don’t particularly like you either. However, we need to cooperate now to resolve the crisis in Xiliang City. What do you think?”
Wang Miao’er hadn’t expected me to be so blunt. In her annoyance, her tone finally softened a bit. “Your Highness is too kind. Assisting Your Highness is a task my father entrusted to me. Wang Miao’er will certainly do her best to cooperate with you.”
“That’s good.”
My voice suddenly turned cold. "From now on, don't give me that attitude. I'm not a servant of the Wang family, remember that!"
"You!"
Wang Miao'er's face turned pale with anger.
Just as I said this, the little turtle and the little bird flew in front of us. The two shrewish servants immediately smiled. This second young lady of the Wang family was indeed a good person, but she was very arrogant at heart. She deserved to be disciplined by the young master.
"Stop putting on airs about how great your Wang family is all day long. It's true that the Wang family made great contributions to this defense, but you are ultimately people of this place. It's because your own interests are involved that you ran away so quickly. Have I ever seen you so enthusiastic anywhere else?"
Now that we've gotten down to business, I won't hide anything. "No matter how capable the Wang family is, they are still subjects of my Liufeng Kingdom. And facing the dignified Duke Lanting, you, Wang Miao'er, are arrogant and unruly, making things difficult at every turn. Is this how your Wang family treats court officials? Does this represent the Wang family's attitude towards the Northwest?"
"I...I didn't! You're lying!"
Wang Miao'er gritted her teeth, tears welling up in her eyes, ready to fall at any moment.
The young girl was also panicked. She had been somewhat unhappy along the way because, like the Wang family, she believed that the court had abandoned the people of the Northwest and was unwilling to send troops to rescue it. So, she took out her resentment on me, hence her sarcastic remarks.
I didn't argue with her, but she seemed to think I was in the wrong, or that I was easy to bully, and her distrust grew stronger.
Noticing this, I was equally uncomfortable: Damn it, I was so arrogant in Yizhou that I caused such a scene, and now that I'm in the Northwest, I finally want to be a civilized person, and you're forcing me to act like this! It's true what they say
, the kind are always bullied! How can a man be suppressed by a woman? I have to find a chance to teach her a lesson so my next actions will go more smoothly.
Just now wasn't exactly a good opportunity, but I didn't need to worry about it. Given my status, if I teach her a lesson, she'll have to listen to me.
Of course, I wasn't only talking about Wang Miao'er; my words contained a lot of information targeting Wang Guowei. I'm sure Wang Miao'er will tell Wang Guowei when she gets back, and how he reacts is something I need to keep a close eye on.
Wang Miao'er had never been insulted like this before. Her first reaction was to slap the young man twice, but remembering his noble status, her fists clenched tightly, and she dared not strike.
I admire her patience, but if her hand were on the soft sword at her waist, I would feel even more disgusted with her.
"Young Master, the Young Madam is about to make her move. Let's prepare as soon as possible,"
Little Turtle and Little Bird whispered. They had followed me for many years and naturally knew when to step in and give Wang Miao'er a way out.
"Hmm,"
I softened my tone, "Miss Wang, we can talk about this later. Now, take the seven swords to the southwest corner. Once you see a fire, immediately cut open the skin on the backs of the horses, the more the better, understand?"
"Understood, Your Highness,"
Wang Miao'er replied expressionlessly. After bowing respectfully, she vanished into the herd of horses.
"Haha, Young Master, we finally got our revenge! Someone as arrogant as her deserves to be tormented!"
Little Turtle chuckled.
"Of course,"
I laughed. "Even Yunfu is behaving herself. She's putting on airs with me. If I don't teach her a lesson, she'll realize I'm not someone to be trifled with!"
I paused, then added, "Alright, enough talk. Go to your respective places and get down to business."
"Understood,"
Little Turtle and Little Bird replied, then went to the northwest and southeast corners respectively.
I stood there, surveying my surroundings.
The grassland people don't have much else, but they have countless cattle, horses, and sheep. Coupled with the boundless grasslands, they've naturally developed excellent riding and archery skills. The ability to ride two horses at once further enhances their elusive and rapid-fire abilities.
According to Wang Miao'er's intelligence, the grassland allied forces have at most 130,000 to 120,000 troops left. This one stable alone has no less than 20,000 to 30,000 fine horses. So how many do they have in total?
The Northwest is also known for its fine horses, but even then, only about 10,000 are ever equipped for the army each year—that's the maximum.
If I could leave these steeds behind…
I shook my head, dismissing this unrealistic idea. Leaving aside the fact that these hundreds of thousands of grassland barbarians weren't scarecrows, how could I possibly herd so many horses back to Xiliang City or the northwestern interior? I'd probably be surrounded by the new, aggressive army that had stormed in from the grasslands before I even got a chance to enjoy them.
Just then, in the dimly lit camp, four huge bonfires suddenly appeared, quickly spreading out of control amidst thick smoke.
They succeeded!
I clenched my fist in excitement, while my other hand, without hesitation, drew my sharp seven-headed sword and swiftly slashed a white streak through the herd.
Not only from my side, but from the other three directions, a barely perceptible white light flashed simultaneously.
The horses, already agitated by the firelight, were further stimulated by the hallucinogenic poison; while not fatal, their agitation intensified dramatically.
"Hiss..."
Wang Miao'er, who had been wielding her knife and was almost in front of me, suddenly, for some reason, slashed too hard, cutting off a large chunk of flesh from the horse. The horse, in great pain, suddenly lurched forward, crashing heavily into several other horses in front of it.
Those horses, already excited and agitated, were instantly unleashed by the force of the impact, scattering in all directions in the blink of an eye.
What started as a small group quickly escalated into a massive, violent commotion. Driven by thousands of horses under the influence of the hallucinogenic drug, they swiftly broke through several layers of fencing, galloping in all directions.
The fire continued to expand and spread, with twenty to thirty thousand horses rushing out from dozens of breaches, trampling everything in their path.
Horses are creatures that naturally roam the vast grasslands, their love stemming from their love of soaring freely. Since arriving in Xiliang City, the heavy casualties among the knights meant no one could ride them into battle, significantly reducing their opportunities for activity. Confined to a small circle, they felt utterly miserable.
Now free from their cages, the horses seemed to rediscover the joy of galloping across the plains, neighing and running incessantly. Even tents and people were trampled into dust as they charged.
The grassland barbarians, already frantically trying to extinguish the fire, dared not obstruct the horses' rampage any longer, abandoning their tools and fleeing.
The camp was large, but the sheer number of horses was overwhelming. Even with ten thousand galloping outwards, nearly twenty thousand horses remained roaming the camp.
Knowing this, the grassland barbarians quickly retreated to the vicinity of the burning granaries.
All creatures fear fire, and the horses, galloping wildly, deliberately avoided the massive bonfires, thus saving most of the barbarian tribes.
But the fire was beyond saving; the four enormous bonfires shone brilliantly in the night sky.

Chapter Three: Beneath the City of Xiliang
After causing chaos among the horses, we guided them, directing them in various directions, leading a large herd of horses out of the camp in the desired direction. The
tens of thousands of barbarian cavalry guarding the outside were completely bewildered. The supplies had just caught fire, and now dozens of herds of horses had charged out, running off in different directions, leaving them unsure whether to fight the fire first or chase after the horses.
In a moment of hesitation, thousands of horses had scattered and disappeared into the darkness.
Sharp whistles and shouts echoed from within. The guards on horseback, seeing the horses trampling and darting through the firelight, finally, at the signal of a horn, spurred their mounts, took whips from their saddles, and charged into the herds of horses to begin taming and calming them.
After herding a herd of horses to our agreed-upon spot, two beautiful twin girls greeted us with beaming smiles.
"Brother..."
Their sweet voices reached our ears as they leaped onto my hind and front, respectively, with Jing Gongmei in front and Jing Gongcai behind.
The girls were naturally light, so the added weight was minimal; the horses only paused slightly before returning to their original position.
"Let's go!"
Now that my concubines had arrived safely, there was no need to waste time here. I pointed my whip, and hundreds of horses galloped towards Xiliang City.
"Who goes there!"
Before we even reached the city walls, when we were still thirty or twenty meters away, a loud shout rang out, clearly indicating that our presence had been discovered.
Fortunately, the number of horses wasn't large, and even a skilled observer with good eyesight could see that there were only six people among the horses; otherwise, we wouldn't have been met with questioning, but rather with a tense standoff or an attack.
"Who's up there? I'm Wang Miao'er from Wangjiabao!"
the girl said, spurring her horse forward. As she spoke, she lit a tinderbox, casting her delicate face in the firelight.
"Ah! It really is Second Miss—"
someone nearby exclaimed in surprise.
Now that they were sure she was one of their own, the person who had spoken earlier became more enthusiastic. "Miss Wang, please wait a moment. We'll put the basket down and help you up."
"Okay."
Wang Miao'er nodded, gesturing for us to dismount and wait.
"Miss Wang, these horses..."
Xiao Niao pointed to the hundreds of tall, magnificent horses around them, somewhat reluctantly, "Why won't you open the city gates to let us in? There are no enemies planning a sneak attack now, so there's no need to worry about safety." "
On the first day General Chen returned from his defeat, he sealed the city gates completely with boulders and mud. It's impossible to open them,"
Wang Miao'er replied gently. After my angry rebuke, the girl's tone became much more submissive. Whether she was truly convinced or not, that remained unknown.
"What a pity!"
The little bird looked at the horse with regret.
"Silly!"
I shook my head and said to the little bird, "Watch how I do it."
After saying that, I called out loudly, "Those up there, please make way!" The people
up there were fiddling with the hanging basket, unaware of what was happening. Before they could call back to ask, a whooshing sound rang out, and a huge black shadow flew up from below.
"Oh!"
Everyone was startled and quickly dodged. The black shadow tumbled in the air and landed perfectly in the open space.
"Thud!"
In a daze, everyone heard the sound of hooves hitting the ground and involuntarily looked at the black shadow that had flown up. Dozens of experts and hundreds of soldiers around them immediately gasped.
My God, what appeared in front of them was a living, breathing steed!
Who was this super expert down there?
How could they have such power!
The city walls of Xiliang City are thirty meters high, too high for ordinary people to even climb, let alone throw a horse weighing several hundred pounds up empty-handed.
"Move the horse aside, leave more space."
Before the crowd's shock had subsided, a clear voice rang out again from below.
More?
Quickly, someone led the horse aside, holding their breath as they watched below, wondering if this expert could really throw a few more horses up.
"Whoosh! Whoosh...
One after another, fine horses transformed into shadowy figures, growing larger with each passing moment, landing on the city wall. Although a few collided and sustained minor injuries, it didn't stop the skilled warriors below from continuously sending horses up the wall.
Perhaps due to their overwhelming fear, the horses didn't react at all, remaining perfectly still even on the stone ground of the wall, barely breaking a sweat.
The crowd grew larger and larger; they even forgot to look at the distant fire at the grassland allied army camp, excitedly leading one horse after another away, bringing them down the wall.
This continued for about half an hour until finally no more horses were thrown up, leaving everyone who had been working so hard somewhat stunned.
"Hey, hero, are there no more horses?"
The evil man who had spoken first still shouted loudly, his eyes clearly showing that there were still at least a hundred or so fine horses around us.
"We do have some, but they're too weak." "
I replied lazily, "I don't even have the strength to walk, hurry up and lower me into the basket!"
"Haha..."
The guards on the city wall laughed. In an instant, the incomparably brave hero had returned to being an ordinary person.
Indeed, throwing a hundred eggs from a height of thirty meters would be exhausting, let alone a horse weighing hundreds of kilograms.
However, in people's hearts, this unseen master was already considered a martial arts grandmaster. The positive impact of such a figure on the defense of Xiliang City was self-evident.
As the six baskets were slowly hoisted, a handsome general standing to the side, along with everyone else, looked up at the rising ropes. He was Chen Fuyue, the garrison general, commander of the "Silver Tiger Legion," and heir to the Chu King, who had just arrived from elsewhere.
Soon, the baskets reached a position parallel to the wall, and appearing before everyone were three women and three men.
Almost everyone, after sizing us up, immediately turned their gaze to the two identical twin beauties.
Only Chen Fuyue, upon seeing me, showed a slight smile and walked over, "Ren Lanting?" “
Young Master Chen!”
I nodded, also sizing up this man known as one of the “Three Moons” of the continent.
Having witnessed Nangong Yuanyue’s wisdom and martial arts, I naturally wouldn’t underestimate Chen Fuyue. Chen Fuyue was now etched with the exhaustion of a great battle; his face was blackened, and his armor was tattered, lacking any of the dashing elegance of a young master. Yet, the unwavering determination in his eyes and his towering physique exuded a powerful, indomitable strength.
After greeting Chen Fuyue, I remained silent.
The soldiers and martial arts heroes, who had initially been filled with admiration, seemed to sense something. The once quiet city walls, swayed by our words, gradually became tense. Even
after the defeat of the grassland barbarian alliance, Xiliang City remained unsealed, with many skilled individuals coming and going, naturally bringing news from the outside world.
Someone had spread the rumor that Chen Fuyue, due to his crushing defeat in the southern desert, losing almost the entire elite "Silver Tiger Legion," was being considered for replacement by the Emperor, who intended to bring him back to the capital for trial. No one could deny that Chen Fuyue had
been tricked by the grassland barbarians, resulting in the near annihilation of the "Silver Tiger Legion." But what no one could deny was that every member of the "Silver Tiger Legion," and indeed every person in Xiliang City, idolized Chen Fuyue, even willing to die for him!
Especially considering that, in a situation where they were almost completely wiped out, Chen Fuyue had turned the tide, withstanding repeated attacks from the grassland alliance and preserving Xiliang City's lifeline. This only strengthened their unwavering loyalty to him.
Of course, we must also mention the imperial court. The northwestern army rushed to reinforce us immediately. Although many were scattered and annihilated, fresh troops continuously entered Xiliang City, giving the soldiers and civilians of Xiliang City hope.
But what everyone was eagerly awaiting was the imperial court's main army, such as the elite troops of "Golden Dragon," "Bronze Leopard," or "Iron Wolf." Only these super-powerful armies could truly save Xiliang City from its predicament.
Now, this super expert in front of me, accompanied by the second young lady of the Wang family, must be... must be sent by the imperial court, right?
"Young Master, you have worked hard in this battle!"
In the silence, I suddenly became solemn and used a very江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) etiquette, clasping my hands and bowing deeply.
Chen Fuyue, with his carrier pigeons constantly communicating with the capital, naturally understood why I had come. He was already guessing how this new nobleman would humiliate and reprimand him, but he did not expect that I would affirm his achievements and solemnly express my respect right away.
"Your Excellency, you mustn't!"
Chen Fuyue quickly stepped aside, shaking his hands repeatedly.
"What's wrong with that? Although the Crown Prince has suffered defeats and made mistakes, in the face of danger, you led your remaining troops and still firmly held Xiliang City in your hands. That is a great achievement, and no one can erase it!"
I responded solemnly, my voice slightly louder.
The soldiers around Chen Fuyue, having immediately surrounded him upon hearing "Imperial Envoy," softened their expressions upon hearing this.
The words of the Imperial Envoy cannot be spoken carelessly. My words at least let them know that Chen Fuyue wouldn't be taken back to the capital this time... As for the defeat, well, there's nothing that can be done. Soldiers who fail are punished, it seems.
Everyone believed that although Chen Fuyue was defeated in Mobei, his defense of Xiliang City had earned him face, and given his background, he was perfectly capable of turning misfortune into good fortune.
"The reason we fought so hard is entirely because Chen Fuyue recklessly advanced, leaving us without enough troops to defend the city,"
Chen Fuyue said, his face somber. "Our Xiliang City is safe and sound, but those towns and villages outside..."
The people around him held their breath, their fists clenched. Like Chen Fuyue, they were filled with grief and indignation, tinged with a bloodthirsty rage.
It was precisely because Xiliang City was not sufficiently restrained that the grassland allied forces were able to plunder and slaughter with impunity. Within hundreds of miles of Xiliang City, pain and tears were everywhere.
"As the border guards of Liufeng Kingdom, it is our responsibility, our shame, to allow our people to suffer such a catastrophe!"
I said passionately. "But if we don't do the same to the people of the grasslands, it will be an even greater shame!"
Everyone was stunned, then their blood boiled!
Good heavens!
The Imperial Envoy is so bold! Truly spirited!
At this moment, regardless of which side they belonged to, my passionate image left a deep impression on their minds.
I nodded to myself in satisfaction. Damn it, these arrogant and fierce soldiers are really hard to fool. If I hadn't performed well, no one would have paid any attention to me, let alone listened to me.
Speaking of which... throwing out dozens of fine horses just now was damn tiring! Although Little Turtle and Little Bird helped later, I almost collapsed from exhaustion trying to present myself as a peerless master to the soldiers of Xiliang City.
Chen Fuyue could only see the fervor in my expression. He smiled. This Lord Lanting really knows how to talk. He can get people excited with just a few words. However, having such a brave and quick-witted person succeed him should also be another chance for the "Silver Tiger Legion" to be reborn from the ashes!
Wang Miao'er muttered to herself, "The man in front of me is clearly a stingy person. How come he suddenly seems like a different person, able to say such righteous and magnificent words? It's an act! It must be a disguise!"
"Oh, General, look, the fire over there is almost out!"
A martial arts expert standing beside the watchtower shouted loudly. His task was to monitor the fire across the way, and now that it was dying down, he naturally reported it immediately.
"Oh, speaking of which, Your Excellency, what exactly happened over there? It must be related to you, right?"
a burly man asked; he was the one who had told us to stop earlier.
"Nothing much. Ren Lanting just arrived and didn't have any good gifts for everyone, so he set fire to their granary and caused their horse stables to explode, just to put on a show for everyone."
I said nonchalantly.
"Ah—"
another person immediately reacted, "Sigh! Why didn't you say so earlier? We could have taken advantage of the fire! What a pity, you wasted such a good opportunity!"
He thought everyone would agree with him, but before he could finish speaking, many people looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand!"
Wang Miao'er reprimanded calmly, "What makes you think you can fight back?"
Her legs moved like the wind. "Are their iron cavalry just for show? Besides, although things have gotten chaotic there, their hundreds of thousands of troops are still there, and most of their horses are still there. They're actually hoping you get out. Even if the fire doubles in size, or two more horse stables are overrun, they'll still be happy!"
Wang Miao'er's words were sharp and sarcastic. The man muttered to himself, his face turning red, unable to speak.
"See? I think my eloquence is the best in Wushuang County. It seems your husbands can't possibly beat me in this regard!" "
I used telepathy to speak to the two girls.
"Brother, men don't need to compete with women in eloquence. If you're unhappy, Cai will help you grab her and let you spank her bottom. Spank her a few times and she'll behave..."
Only the mischievous Jing Gong Cai could come up with such a creative idea.
If I spanked Wang Miao'er's bottom today, Wang Guowei would probably stuff her into a bridal sedan chair and send her to my house tomorrow—he couldn't wait to get the Wang family associated with me.
Jing Gong Mei and Jing Gong Cai are twin sisters, and they've been connected since childhood. She can tell what Jing Gong Cai is saying just by looking at her sister's mouth.
The little princess of the He ethnic group, with her delicate brows slightly furrowed, subtly reached out and pinched her sister's plump bottom. Jing Gong Cai blushed and quickly shut her mouth.
During the brief incident, a commotion arose on the other side, but it subsided due to Wang Miao'er's vicious yet irrefutable reason.
Chen Fuyue had never considered that he could organize several counterattacks with his own men. In his view, defending Xiliang City was the most practical thing, the foundation for the empire's foothold in the Northwest.
Therefore, when the grassland allied army camp was disturbed, he merely glanced at it and then ordered his men to strengthen the defenses, showing no intention of launching an attack.
Now, hearing the joke his men had made, he didn't reprimand them, but waved his hand, "Go and rest. Tell the brothers they can relax a bit. Leave only half of them here to guard the camp, and the rest of you go back to rest and recover your strength."
"Yes!"
Several messengers dispersed and ran in different directions.
"Hehe, Lanting."
Chen Fuyue subtly distanced himself from me. "Who taught you martial arts? Throwing so many horses up from a height of thirty meters! Even the master of Wangjiabao doesn't have such profound martial arts skills, does he?"
Wang Miao'er opened her mouth, then pouted and closed it again. She had never truly witnessed Wang Guowei's martial arts, but recalling that scoundrel's unparalleled display of power just now, she wasn't sure her father could surpass him.
Chen Fuyue's words successfully replayed the scene from earlier in the minds of his subordinates.
People of every era admire the strong, especially in the military.
Although Chen Fuyue was intelligent and skilled in martial arts, it would be difficult for him to throw ten horses up from below. This young and handsome imperial envoy was a super expert who could throw seventy or eighty horses continuously—how could one not admire him!
I was quite satisfied with Chen Fuyue's attitude. He didn't object to me, his successor, but rather was building up my reputation.
"Brother Chen, you flatter me too much. I'm just starting out; how can I compare to Mr. Wang?"
I replied calmly. In officialdom, one can't be arrogant; calmness and composure are the standards for winning people's hearts.
Actually, I don't like being so refined. Eating meat and drinking wine heartily, with beautiful wives and concubines in my arms, bullying wicked young masters and corrupt officials, traveling the world—that's much more fun than pretending to be a refined person here.
Chen Fuyue smiled slightly. "Alright, you don't need to be so modest. Now that you've safely arrived in Xiliang City, why don't you go to the city magistrate's mansion to rest for a while, and we can talk business tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay, I also have many things to ask Brother Chen for advice."
I smiled. "Brother Chen, please."
"Please!"
Only after we all left did the soldiers and martial arts heroes who had been tense for so long finally breathe a sigh of relief and plop down on the ground.
"My god, did you see that? Lord Ren Lanting's unparalleled power!"
"I was right by the city wall, I saw him grab the horses' legs with both hands and toss them up like they were apples!"
"Yeah, even if we threw them thirty meters on flat ground, we probably couldn't do it, right? This is a vertical city wall!"
"You don't know, everyone who practices martial arts is incredibly strong. I've seen an elder from our Wang family lift a thousand pounds and still climb mountains with incredible speed."
"Is he as powerful as Lord Ren?"
"Uh… not really. Lord Ren's skills would be in the top ten in the martial arts world!"
"His two subordinates must be quite good too. I saw them working together, tossing over thirty horses up. With such experts here, our defense will be a bit easier!"
"Yes, they are very skilled, but those two stunning twin beauties are probably even more powerful."
"Really? Tell us!"
"..."

Chapter Four: Beautiful Wife and Concubine.
The city lord's mansion in Xiliang City was built less than a hundred meters behind the city wall, demonstrating Chen Fuyue's emphasis on defense—everyone knows that the closer to the front line, the greater the danger.
When I came down from up there, what I saw was not a prosperous scene, but huge boulders of all sizes scattered everywhere, smashing the densely packed houses to pieces, and even the tall city lord's mansion had many large holes smashed in it.
"Because we don't have enough manpower, these boulders have to be left here for now,"
Chen Fuyue explained before entering the city lord's mansion. "Not many residents were injured, but I ordered all the women and children to gather in the center of the city, and all the other able-bodied men to help with the work. Their desperate efforts are the reason why Xiliang City was able to be saved."
I nodded, not saying anything for now, and sat down in the simple living room, finally stretching comfortably. These past few days, I've been busy rescuing people and traveling, and I'm exhausted.
Jing Gongmei and Jing Gongcai stood behind me. The little turtle and little bird naturally found places to sit, while Wang Miao'er hesitated for a moment before sitting down beside me.
This action puzzled Chen Fuyue. Clearly, the two beautiful girls behind me were the ones I was closest to, so why were the servants sitting down before their mistress?
As the heir to the Chu Prince, born into royalty, it was true he shared the hardships of the people, but he still possessed aristocratic pride and arrogance. If his servants dared to act this way, he would certainly distance himself from such presumptuous people.
Thinking of this, Chen Fuyue recalled the letter her father had sent and nodded to herself: it seemed this Lord Lanting was indeed the son of a minor county magistrate, not from a prominent family.
After the guests were seated, tea was naturally served.
Soon, a beautiful young woman came out with a tray containing seven cups of tea.
The beautiful young woman was around twenty years old. Not only was she stunningly beautiful, but she also possessed a delicate, refined charm—a rare beauty indeed.
"Please have some tea..."
she said gently, placing the teacups before us. Her words were polite, but without any sense of urgency or pressure.
Just from this, I could tell she wasn't a servant.
Sure enough, after placing the last cup of tea, she obediently stood behind Chen Fuyue.
"She's my wife,"
Chen Fuyue introduced with a smile. "Having lived in the Northwest for so long, we're not very particular about etiquette. Even the guards from the Chu Prince's mansion are all on the city walls defending, so she's been helping with tea and other small tasks."
In any situation, calling one's wife out to greet guests signifies a close relationship and is a very respectful courtesy.
"Madam Chen, it's a pleasure to meet you. I don't have much to offer, so please accept this."
I smiled and waved my hand. Jing Gongmei gracefully approached the beautiful young woman, opening her white palm to reveal a large, dark green pearl.
"A Sea God Pearl?"
Chen Fuyue, a connoisseur, exclaimed in surprise. Sea God Pearls are a specialty of Japan, ranking among the top three pearls because they are extremely rare; only one in millions of pearls might be found, making them exceptionally precious.
Empress Ren possessed a string of such Sea God Pearls, which she wore around her neck. They kept her warm in winter and cool in summer, and were believed to keep her skin moisturized and prevent dryness—a coveted benefit for a noblewoman in her thirties or forties.
But even searching the entire world, there are only about ten strings of Sea God Pearls. Occasionally one or two might fall into the wrong hands, and even then, they'd fetch at least two million gold coins each, enough to satisfy the madness of noble ladies.
The beautiful young woman only noticed the pearl's beauty when she heard Chen Fuyue's exclamation, realizing something was amiss.
However, she maintained her composure and never reached out to accept it.
"It's just a small gift. What, Brother Chen, are you unwilling to accept it?"
I said casually.
"It's not that..."
Chen Fuyue thought for a moment, then nodded to the beautiful young woman, "Little one, since it's Lanting's kind offer, please accept it."
"Okay."
The beautiful young woman first thanked Jing Gongmei before carefully holding the pearl in her hand. Seeing this,
I felt much more at ease.
My father had told me about the rules of officialdom: if someone accepts your gift, it means they have a sense of approval, even if things don't necessarily go smoothly, the relationship is ultimately amicable; conversely, if someone refuses your gift no matter how friendly they seem, you must be wary of them, because they are not your friend!
I've never been one to fawn over others. I gave the gift to Chen Fuyue's wife because I still needed his support in Xiliang City, but more importantly, this Prince of Chu already had a wife and seemed to dote on her. So, naturally, he had no designs on my Yunfu.
Yunfu had told me before that Chen Fuyue had someone he liked, and now it seems that's true. For someone who isn't a rival in love, Young Master Ri can certainly treat him as a friend.
The atmosphere became much more relaxed and warm after the beautiful young woman accepted the Sea God Pearl. The Jinggong sisters pulled her aside and taught her how to use the Sea God Pearl, but Wang Miao'er showed no interest whatsoever, only staring at Chen Fuyue and me. At this moment, every word we uttered and every decision we made was related to the safety of the Northwest.
Chen Fuyue said gently, "Lanting, the Emperor's intention in sending you has already been conveyed by the court via carrier pigeon. After I return to the capital this time, I'm afraid I won't be able to come to the Northwest again. There are a few things I need to ask you before I can leave with peace of mind."
"Brother Chen, please ask!"
"How do you plan to repel the grassland coalition?" "
We can't take it by force, and we've already looted enough. As long as we maintain a firm defensive stance, they will gradually return within a month. The blizzards on the grasslands won't allow them to comfortably attack Xiliang City."
Chen Fuyue nodded in satisfaction. He was afraid that I, young and impetuous, would rush out to challenge with my remaining troops. The grassland barbarians are a pack of wolves; if we're not careful, Xiliang City will be destroyed. The best way is to temporarily play the coward.
"It's best if you think this way. Aside from a lack of siege weaponry, the city has sufficient food and manpower. Given your and everyone's strength, holding out shouldn't be a problem,"
Chen Fuyue said calmly. "Then, the second question: they looted a lot this time, but also suffered heavy losses. They'll definitely come back next year, and the court isn't planning to replenish the army. What are your plans?"
This is the most important thing.
The defense of the city is almost complete, but the real danger lies ahead. This is Chen Fuyue's biggest worry. If he can't convince him on this issue, the chances of getting his help are slim.
What? You're saying he's going back to the capital anyway, so his approval doesn't matter?
Please!
Chen Fuyue came to the Northwest at eighteen and has painstakingly built up his power there for five years. His influence, both overt and covert, is formidable. If he supports me, these forces can be quickly put to use, saving time on adjustment. If he thinks I'm incapable, he can subtly instigate his subordinates to disobey, and then have his father say a few words to the emperor. With the Tang Prince and the Zhennan Prince stirring things up, I won't be able to establish myself in the Northwest.
That's why I treated him with such seriousness.
Otherwise, Young Master Ri would usually just kick a defeated general who had fled back into a corner and point at the door, saying, "Get back to the capital!"
I smiled instead of answering, "Brother Chen, how many years has it been since the Northwest suffered such a catastrophe?"
Chen Fuyue was slightly taken aback, "The last time was fifty years ago, and it was even more serious than now. Almost the entire Xishuo County fell, and thousands of miles of fertile land were reduced to ashes. It was this crushing defeat that led His Majesty to dispatch the 'Silver Tiger Legion' and build the magnificent Xiliang City. Since then, although there have been constant disputes and wars, it has been relatively peaceful overall."
"I roughly estimated that, in addition to the 400,000 soldiers who died or were wounded, the civilian losses were also around 200,000, right?"
I looked at Wang Miao'er and said. When it came to casualties and losses, she, being from the Wang family, knew the situation best. "The 'Silver Tiger Legion' suffered a total loss of
nearly 200,000 men, along with another 200,000 soldiers garrisoned in the city and other rebels killed outside. The total military strength was indeed 400,000," Wang Miao'er said, her face somber. "But the civilian losses were even greater, totaling nearly 300,000." "What? That many? Isn't the Northwest sparsely populated?" Little Turtle couldn't help but exclaim. "It's true the Northwest is sparsely populated, but the terrain around Xiliang City is flat. Add to that the daily expenses of 200,000 troops and the residents of Xiliang City, and it's a huge number. The Emperor also provides money to the soldiers of Xiliang City, so their purchasing power is strong. They can easily sell crops, raise pigs, cattle, sheep, and chickens nearby. Therefore, a third of the population of Xishuo County is concentrated within a 50-mile radius." "So, the losses are close to 700,000. The Northwest should know the pain of such a loss now, right?" I said calmly. Wang Miao'er's expression changed, and even Chen Fuyue frowned, thinking, "How can this guy speak so tactlessly?" Taking a deep breath, Wang Miao'er still answered, "Yes, the entire Northwest is in a state of panic, fearing that Xiliang City will fall. Many wealthy families have moved away, and with skilled workers and workshops also affected, at least 200,000 people have left. If General Chen hadn't stabilized the situation, probably even more would have left." "Right, only by experiencing pain can we learn to actively resist the enemy and avoid being humiliated again. Just like the soldiers and civilians of Xiliang City, they are determined to fight to the death." I said solemnly, "I believe that if people are motivated by the need to defend their homes and country, many will join the new 'Silver Tiger Legion,' right? And everyone's support for Xiliang City will be even greater, because only when Xiliang City is stable can the Northwest be stable!" "Yes, the Northwest cannot withstand such a disaster a second time," Wang Miao'er said without hesitation. "Our Wang family has decided to send five hundred top-notch experts to garrison Xiliang City after this battle to protect the peace of our Northwest." Upon hearing this, Chen Fuyue's brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again. When he looked at me, he saw only a fleeting smile on my face. The Crown Prince of Chu immediately felt a surge of admiration. No wonder this person could win Yun Fu's heart; he was indeed extraordinary. It was true that the Wang family wanted to contribute, but sending five hundred experts to Xiliang City, whether to join the army or to be responsible for reconnaissance and security, was an extension of the Wang family's power—you know, the generals of the past had not allowed the Wang family to scout Xiliang City much. Their choice to send five hundred experts at this time was, in a sense, a timely help, and we really couldn't refuse. But from then on, the Wang family's power would permeate Xiliang City, and their influence in the Northwest would become even stronger.

Chen Fuyue couldn't think of a solution for the moment, so he had to put it aside for the time being. He thought to himself that since he had heard Ren Lanting was a master of strategy, if he couldn't even handle this, he
might as well go back to the capital like me. I laughed and said, "Brother Chen, look, even the Wang family is setting an example like this. Other gentry and commoners will definitely respond enthusiastically. Then, if everyone works together, there won't be any problems, right?"
Seeing my encouraged expression, Chen Fuyue understood. It turned out that this guy was a wolf in sheep
's clothing. The Wang family wanted to play tricks in Xiliang City, and this Lord Lanting might just turn the tables on them. That would be quite a sight to behold. Chen Fuyue nodded, and the second question was considered settled. "The third question is my personal request, Chen Fuyue. For the sake of your delicate wife, please agree to help."
My expression became serious. With others present, Chen Fuyue spoke cautiously, but I knew he was referring to Yunfu.
For him to ask me for a favor as Yunfu's cousin, it must be something difficult, but I couldn't refuse, since the young master had married the girl he was once engaged to.
"Brother Chen, please speak. Whatever Lanting can do, I will not refuse."
"Good!"
Chen Fuyue stood up. "I, Chen Fuyue, have commanded the 'Silver Tiger Legion' for five years, and the brothers have always respected me. Now, due to my grave mistake, the 'Silver Tiger Legion' has almost been wiped out. Now that I am leaving, the court's compensation for them will depend on you, Lanting."
My eyes widened, and after a long while, I gave a bitter smile. "Brother Chen, you really don't treat me like a stranger!"
Compensation?
The court rewards those who win battles, but want compensation for those who lose… dream on!
The reconstruction of Xiliang City and the reorganization of the 'Silver Tiger Legion'—both require money.
Even if the court allocates some funds, it might not be enough for these, let alone compensation.
Chen Fuyue spread his hands. "This matter cannot be left to you, Lanting. The fallen soldiers may not need food or drink, but their orphans and widows cannot do without this compensation."
My heart stirred. Although Chen Fuyue had given me a difficult task, if I handled this well, my prestige in the Northwest Army would surely be secured—who wouldn't want to follow such a conscientious general?
Once I understood the benefits, I immediately began to calculate. Money was not a problem; Young Master Ri had plenty of money. The amount my master had left me was astronomical. But how and when to give it would be most effective, and that required careful consideration.
"As long as you, Lanting, complete these three tasks, I guarantee you that the entire Northwest will sing your praises, and the barbarian tribes of the grasslands will no longer be a problem!"
Chen Fuyue didn't forget to say a few nice words, then paused and added, "It's getting late, Lanting, you should rest first. I'll accompany you to familiarize yourself with military affairs for the next few days."
"Alright, I'm new to Xiliang City, and I'd be more than happy to receive your guidance, Brother Chen."
I said, cupping my hands in greeting.
While I was speaking seriously, the two little rascals beside me were looking at Wang Miao'er while letting their wild ideas run wild. They dared not say whether their young master would be praised for his brilliance in the Northwest, but they would certainly make the girls of the Northwest spread his lewd reputation... It's just that the second young lady of the Wang family is a bit too ordinary. Really, empty fame is harmful...
Wang Miao'er was recalling every word I had said to Chen Fuyue. According to Wang Guowei's requirements, she still needed to write these down on paper and send them back to Wang Family Fortress. This was a very important task.
However, just as she was concentrating on her meditation, she felt two lewd eyes staring at her. The girl's eyes darted around, and she immediately spotted the little turtle and the little bird peeping at her.
Seeing their pity and lewd gazes, Wang Miao'er barely managed to control herself and refrain from slapping them immediately.
"Hmph... Master is a bastard... and these two servants are lecherous wolves too..."

Chapter Five: Springtime in the Bath Late
at night, in the room.
The city magistrate's mansion didn't have many good rooms left. Chen Fuyue had specially reserved a large and clean room for me. It was said that it hadn't been destroyed by the large rock because it was next to a pool with a tall artificial hill. When the rock fell, it was blocked by the artificial hill, leaving only slight marks from the impact of small stones.
In such an environment, the girls' desire to take a proper bath was immediately and completely dashed.
There were two brand-new bathtubs, but there were hardly any people in the city magistrate's mansion. All the guards were on the city walls, and the only two maids were Madam Chen's women; they wouldn't come to help heat the water.
"I thought that at least I could take a bath after arriving here..."
the beautiful girls pouted, looking dejected.
Their love for bathing was unimaginable to us. Whether in Yizhou County or back in Wushuang County, the two beauties would take a bath every day to enjoy life's pleasures.
However, influenced by them, the other wives gradually developed a liking for bathing as well. For example, a large indoor bath had already been built in my small building in the Liu Mansion for them to bathe in.
After running around for several days, the beautiful girls, knowing the environment didn't allow it, didn't complain. But even after arriving at the City Lord's Mansion and staying in their rooms, they still couldn't wash away their fatigue and soothe their nerves, causing the two sixteen-year-old beauties to feel a little downcast.
"Alright, stop complaining. Xiliang City is in a very critical situation right now. Everyone we can use has gone to defend it. Let's do it ourselves!"
I patted the Jinggong sisters' shoulders.
"Oh? How do we do that?"
Jing Gongmei blinked her long, slender eyes. "Shall we gather firewood and boil water?"
"Of course not, I have a brilliant plan!"
I smiled. "Come on, let's go fetch water together."
There were quite a few wells in the city lord's mansion, one in each of our courtyards. The beautiful girls followed me, first cleaning and rinsing the wooden buckets, then carrying in over twenty buckets of water, which filled the two large wooden buckets to about seventy percent full.
"What should we do next?"
The beautiful girls leaned over the buckets, their little hands reaching inside, playing with the water puddles out of boredom.
"Watch me."
I smiled slightly, and my hand, along with theirs, went into the water in the bucket. Under the watchful eyes of the little beauties, ripples gradually appeared around my hand, and soon the water temperature gradually warmed up.
"Huh?"
Jing Gongmei clapped her hands lightly. "Brother, are you using your inner energy to boil water?"
"That's right."
I said, channeling my inner energy. "Demonic arts are the most powerful and yang martial arts in the world. The heat they emit is enough to boil cold water."
The girls nodded repeatedly, their eyes shining as they stared at the wooden tub, their little hands frequently dipping into it to test the water temperature.
"Enough..."
After a moment, Jing Gongcai said softly.
Having plenty of experience with bathing, Jing Gongcai naturally knew better than me about water temperature. I nodded and took my hands out, placing them in another tub next to me. "Good girls, you can take a bath first. This tub is for soaking."
"Mmm..."
In the closed room, the beautiful girls, of course, showed no shyness. They gently removed their tight-fitting clothes, then their snow-white bodices and underpants, revealing their exquisitely beautiful bodies.
After gracefully entering the wooden tub, the two girls used towels to dry themselves, occasionally glancing sweetly at me, "Brother, hurry up... let's do it together..."
With such alluring beauties beckoning, I immediately sped up, and in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, I was meeting the little beauties in the bathtub.
By this time, Jinggong Mei and Jinggong Cai had already finished washing themselves. Seeing me enter, they quickly took turns, using towels to wash away the grime from my body.
Under the steaming heat, the girls' skin turned a rosy white, their delicate yet stunningly beautiful faces filled with earnest expressions. In the hearts of these Japanese princesses who revered their men, everything they did for me was meticulously planned.
The pleasure of bathing together as a couple lies in the intimacy that enhances their relationship. While the beauties were serving me, my hands didn't stop either, constantly moving over the jade-like breasts and pink buttocks of the beauties in front of and behind me, causing the Jinggong sisters to pant heavily, their beautiful eyes almost overflowing with tears.
Finally, the beauties finished their work, and the three of us flew directly out of the wooden tub and landed in another clean and warm bathtub.
"Brother... Cai'er wants..."
Sitting in the wide and comfortable bathtub, Jinggong Cai climbed onto me without any hesitation, her little hands beginning to caress my already large jade pillar.
She never knew what modesty was in front of her older sister.
I cupped the two snow-white plump buttocks of the little beauty, lifted them slightly, and with a "whoosh," my big meat stick
entered that narrow, winding path.
Jing Gongcai let out a soft moan, the feeling of her body being filled with my penis sending a surge of pleasure through her. Before I could even react, the little girl began to sway her plump hips, moving up and down.
"Splash...splash..."
Water splashed intermittently, her snow-white, full buttocks constantly appearing and disappearing in the water, giving me not only a great feeling of pleasure in my penis but also a great visual pleasure, causing my penis to grow even larger.
"Ah...brother...so good...mmm...I feel so good...ah...it's going through...it's going through...Cai'er...Cai'er's little hole is going to...going to burst...oh...brother...you...I...Cai'er can't take it anymore...oh...oh...so good...brother...your...big penis is so amazing..."
Jing Gongcai braced her hands on my thighs, her delicate body arching back, her hair flying in the air, her full breasts trembling, and her two pink nipples swaying brightly in front of me.
Now I had no time to caress her breasts, for my hands were already caressing the waiting Jing Gongmei beside me, and my large mouth was biting her fragrant lips, sucking on her sweet little tongue.
The hot atmosphere filled the room, and Jing Gongcai's movements became more and more intense.
The sounds of "splashing...splashing..." were indistinguishable from the sounds of water splashing and my thrusting in and out of her body.
"Ouch...so sore...brother...Cai'er...Cai'er is coming...oh...ah...oh...oh...your cock...so hot...ah...it feels so good...oh...Cai'er is flying..."
Amidst the lewd moans, the little princess of the Yamato tribe rose and fell faster and faster, the head of my penis hitting her tender flower core each time, and each thrust made her delicate body tremble as if struck by lightning. A few times was fine, but after dozens or hundreds of times, the little beauty's vagina became increasingly wet, increasing the lubrication.
"Oh... God... I... I'm going to die... Ah... Oh... Brother... Cai'er is going to die... Oh..."
Overwhelmed by pleasure, Cai'er's vagina contracted violently, gushing warm vaginal fluid from her uterus, striking the glans.
At the same time, her body trembled violently, her snowy buttocks slumping to the ground, taking the large penis fully inside her. She then collapsed limply into my arms, completely powerless. My
penis was enjoying itself intensely; the girl's vagina kept contracting and squeezing, but it couldn't fill it completely; instead, it wanted to thrust even harder to break free from this confinement.
I released Jing Gongmei from my grasp. "Mei, come, help Cai'er..."
Jing Gongmei, her eyes already glazed over, gave me a coquettish look, then walked away from me and came behind her sister, leaving Cai'er sandwiched between us.
The little beauty's hands slipped under her sister's armpits, embracing her delicate body. She arched her back slightly, allowing Jing Gongcai's back to half-lie on her.
I smiled slightly, lifting the beautiful girl's snow-white thighs with both hands, my large hands supporting her round, elastic buttocks. My large penis thrust forward forcefully.
Jing Gongcai, currently floating in the air, experiencing repeated orgasms, was suddenly thrust into by me, her clitoris deeply indented, and she immediately shivered.
"Ah...brother...you're going to...you're going to pierce me...I...oh..."
My actions were different from hers. The little girl usually controlled her own strength, gradually lessening it when it became too sore and numb. But I commanded my large penis to attack, without reducing the force at all. My penis continuously stretched open the tender walls of her vagina, piercing the deepest part of her body. The beautiful girl, with nowhere to escape, shook her delicate body, screaming loudly and incoherently.
“Oh…good…so good…harder…brother…fuck…Cai’er…to death…”
“Husband…gently…ah…no…it hurts…stop…oh…stop…”
“Lost…um…uh…oh…Cai’er…lost again…ah…sister…save me…save your sister…oh…brother…brother is going to kill me…oh…faster…”
Jing Gong Cai screamed loudly, while Jing Gong Mei behind her had a flushed face, her eyes watching the thick, strong penis going in and out of her sister’s vagina, listening to her sister’s incoherent moans, and thinking about this wonderful feeling, the beautiful girl couldn’t help but squeeze her legs together.
The little beauty’s voice was like ants scratching at the girl’s heart, and Jing Gong Mei couldn’t help but reach down with both hands, grabbing her sister’s two lively jade rabbits and kneading them hard.
“Let you scream! Let you be horny…slut…let brother fuck you to death…”
Jing Gong Mei kept adding fuel to the fire in Jing Gong Cai’s ear.
"Oh... Sister... Bad sister... Mom... Sister and brother-in-law... Bullying... Xiao Cai'er... Oh..."
Under our double attack, Jing Gongcai finally succumbed for the second time. Her already overflowing vagina gushed out thick vaginal fluid again. The tender flesh walls squeezed my penis a thousand times stronger, and the powerful suction almost clung to the glans, making my ejaculation almost unsteady.
However, after cultivating the Heavenly Demon Art for so long, what was this little difficulty? I took a deep breath and completely stabilized myself. At the same time, my penis swelled up again, resisting the suction and squeezing force.
"Ah... Ah..."
Xiao Cai'er's body was already subconsciously sucking and squeezing, so she couldn't withstand my deliberate counterattack. The little girl's vaginal fluid gushed out continuously, as if she wanted to expel all the moisture from her body.
"Brother..."
With her last bit of strength, Jing Gongcai broke free from her sister's support. Her jade-like arms wrapped around my neck, and Xiao Jie'er kissed my ear, whispering warmly and sweetly, "Give it to Cai'er... Cai'er wants... wants brother's semen... um..."
Jing Gongcai's intention ultimately failed. The continuous orgasms quickly drained the girl of all her strength, and she could only let me withdraw from her body and place her on the other side of the bathtub.
With the afterglow of her orgasm, Jing Gongcai closed her eyes wearily, her small mouth panting, showing how exhausted she had been.
"Husband..."
Having finally waited for her sister to leave, Jing Gongmei could no longer hold back. Her soft body pressed against mine, and with a twist and turn of her round hips, she smoothly took my penis into her wet, tight, and fiery place.
"Mmm..."
Jing Gongmei involuntarily let out a groan. The feeling of being filled by a penis was indeed much better than just watching...
"Baby, you're so wet..."
I whispered in her ear, my large hands already grasping and kneading one of her round breasts.
"It's because... Mei... Mei wants her brother..."
the beautiful girl moaned, no longer caring about being shy, mimicking her sister's movements, her beautiful buttocks rising and falling, bringing pleasure and comfort to both
of us. The intense lovemaking lasted for more than an hour, with the two beautiful girls taking turns two or three times before my semen was finally absorbed into their tender bodies.
The bathwater was still slightly hot, because I had been circulating my energy while making love with the twin sisters, raising the water temperature.
As the water temperature rose, the jade pillar also heated up considerably. This natural heat alone caused the two girls to scream in pleasure, their cries almost echoing throughout the courtyard if not for the door.
Now, they were only able to breathe heavily with their eyes closed. Fenzhen leaned against my shoulder, letting me hold them, completely still and comfortable.
"My darlings, your stamina has improved,"
I said, slowly channeling my inner energy into their bodies, guiding its circulation. The Yin-Yang dual cultivation of the Heavenly Demon Art was now taking effect, not as immediately noticeable as sexual intercourse, but for both of us, there would be gradual progress.
"Hehe, we'll get stronger and stronger in the future..."
Jing Gongcai boasted lazily, "Brother, when we grow up, you won't be able to bully us anymore... we'll drain you dry!
" "Don't be so sure of yourself,"
I chuckled, gently pinching her little nose. "Didn't you see how Yuan'er and the others were utterly annihilated by me?" “
That’s different…we’re two people!”
The little beauty held up her jade-like finger. “My sister and I are connected at heart, so our power is more than doubled!”
“Hahaha…you think this is a war?”
I laughed loudly. “But even with doubled power, you still wouldn’t be a match for me.”
“Hmph…”
Jing Gongmei also let out a soft snort. The girl had been even more frantic than her younger sister. Jing Gongcai was just all talk, but this quiet older sister had real stamina.
“Screech…”
Suddenly, a sharp sound of something cutting through the air came from outside, interrupting our conversation.
Before I could react, a sense of danger suddenly leaped into my heart.
“Bang!” Suddenly ,
a huge object smashed open a large hole in the roof, and a massive black object, carrying fragments of bricks and tiles, crashed down upon us with tremendous force.
I was startled and, without thinking, leaped out of the bathtub with a whoosh, clasped my hands together, and struck it with all my might.
"Boom..."
The instant I struck the black behemoth, I knew it was a massive boulder. The immense impact, combined with my unleashed Heavenly Demon True Qi, instantly shattered it, scattering it in all directions.
The force of the boulder's impact, coupled with the unparalleled power of my Heavenly Demon True Qi, caused the seven or eight pieces to strike the surrounding walls. After several loud bangs, the walls, unable to withstand the immense force, collapsed with a deafening roar.
The walls around the room instantly crumbled, causing the entire house to collapse, and countless bricks and tiles rained down like a storm.
"Damn it!" "
Just as I landed back in the tub, I let out another loud shout, my inner energy exploding forth. The wooden tub shattered with a crash, water droplets splashing everywhere.
The water droplets didn't leave our surroundings; instead, they formed a water curtain around us, spinning rapidly but showing no signs of dissipating.
'Splash! Splash! Splash!'
Bricks and tiles repeatedly struck the water curtain, but they couldn't break through its defenses; the sounds were merely frightening.
'Bang! Bang! Bang!'" ...
After the houses collapsed, the sounds from the city magistrate's mansion and nearby buildings became even clearer. Huge stones flew through the air, smashing house after house, and the sounds of collapse were incessant.
After a moment, I clearly felt that the houses had completely collapsed, so I gestured to the two women who had already stood up. The girls nodded slightly, understanding.
The water curtain froze for a moment, then suddenly expanded rapidly outwards. After a loud bang, the water mist disappeared without a trace.
When I could see again, the two beauties had already wrapped bath towels around their necks and also draped a robe over me.
"Young Master, Young Madam, are you alright?" "
From the distant darkness came the cries of Little Turtle and Little Bird. We were in a separate room with a garden. The stone door separating us from the outside hadn't been smashed, but the two women didn't dare to rush in, so they could only shout from outside. However, this was because they knew my martial arts were high, and the large stones that had fallen shouldn't hurt me, so they didn't panic.
"It's alright. How's the situation at the city garrison and outside?"
I gestured for the two women to go to the area with broken walls and ruins to put on their clothes, while I also found new tight-fitting clothes from the ruins and began to change.
"It's good that everything's alright."
Little Turtle and Little Bird were relieved to hear my voice. "Only three stones were smashed at the city garrison, but I don't know about outside, it seems like there are many."
As we spoke, we dressed as quickly as possible and hurried outside, just in time to meet Chen Fuyue running towards us.
It was clear that there was really no one left at the city garrison. The dignified Prince of Chu, the commander of the "Silver Tiger Legion," and the boss of Xiliang City, came out in an emergency without even a single guard by his side.
"Lan Ting!"
Seeing that we were safe and sound, Chen Fuyue skipped the formalities. "Quick, let's go to the city wall together. Your two concubines, go over there and keep Xiaohan company!" I
nodded and told the Jinggong sisters to run towards the backyard as he directed. Chen Fuyue had good judgment; he knew the Jinggong sisters were skilled in martial arts, and he used the excuse of family members accompanying them to ensure his wife's safety.
Just as we were about to leave, a slender figure swept past us. It was the Second Miss of the Wang family, who arrived just in time. "I'll go with you."
"You should stay in the City Lord's Mansion."
Chen Fuyue pondered for a moment, then said, "The Wang family has put in a lot of effort this time. If something happens to their second young lady in Xiliang City, it will be terrible.
" "I didn't come to Xiliang City to watch a show,"
Wang Miao'er's face suddenly darkened. "Our Wang family members, regardless of gender, are all equally capable of killing enemies."
"Good!"
I clapped my hands in admiration. "Just for your generosity, Miss Wang, I'll agree on behalf of Brother Chen. Let's go!"
Chen Fuyue had to give me face, so he gave a wry smile and had no choice but to lead the way towards the city wall.
Wang Miao'er simply nodded at my help; the young lady was clearly still holding a grudge against me for my previous reprimand and wasn't so easily appeased.
The distance between the city lord's mansion and the city wall was only a hundred meters. With just a few leaps, the five of us were already atop the wall.
Hundreds of people were already on the wall in a state of readiness for battle, while many more soldiers were hidden in sturdy tunnels. The reason they weren't all standing on the wall together was because the catapults were too powerful; the denser the crowd, the greater the chance of being attacked.
The deputy general in charge of this section of the wall rushed over, drenched in sweat, clearly having been busy and tense for a while.
"What's the situation?"
Chen Fuyue asked, his expression grave yet puzzled, as he looked at the dozens of catapults thirty meters away.
These catapults were the last reserves of the grassland allied forces. Now that the allied forces had almost given up on a large-scale offensive, they treasured these remaining catapults like precious gems. Why would they so recklessly use them for an attack?
Beside the catapults stood a dense mass of cavalry. Unlike usual, they didn't fire arrows at the wall; instead, they silently guarded the catapults.
Huge stones continuously flew over the city wall, hurtling towards the city. Few managed to hit the wall; clearly, their target was the ordinary buildings within the city.
"Reporting to the General, they're just throwing stones incessantly, the infantry aren't making a move at all, it's like...like they're venting their anger."
The deputy general, a veteran of many battles and a member of the "Silver Tiger Legion," was familiar with all sorts of situations and had been entrusted with this important task by Chen Fuyue.
"Venting their anger?"
Chen Fuyue pondered for a moment, then smiled and looked at me. "Lanting, it seems you really gave them a good beating tonight."
"Just beating them a little isn't enough. They killed so many of our soldiers and civilians, and we'll get it all back. This is just interest."
I looked into the distance, finding the constantly flying boulders incredibly repulsive. Just when I was enjoying life with my wives, you guys came to cause trouble! You really have no respect for me!
"These tasks will be handled by you, Lanting. The rise of the steppe barbarians is detrimental to us,"
Chen Fuyue sighed, turning to his deputy. "Tell the brothers to be on their toes. Although a continued attack is unlikely, we must be wary of their combination of feints and real attacks, catching us off guard."
"Yes, sir."
The deputy smiled. "General, don't worry. These past few days have been incredibly tough. The brothers have endured so much hardship; we absolutely do not want to leave the hope of victory to them."
"That's good."
Chen Fuyue patted his shoulder. "Give the order to slaughter five fat pigs tomorrow to nourish the brothers."
"Thank you, General!"
The deputy chuckled. Defending the city was arduous; meat was a welcome boost, both psychologically and physically.
Fortunately, Chen Fuyue had managed the city well; Xiliang City was well-supplied with provisions, arrows, and crossbows—more than they could use. This abundance of supplies was one of the reasons the steppe allied forces were showing signs of retreat.
However…
I believe Chen Fuyue would rather his supplies weren't so plentiful. After all, using provisions and military equipment meant for 300,000 troops to feed only a few hundred thousand, and with the heavy casualties in defending the city, no matter how many reinforcements he made, supplies would still be plentiful.
If he had Man Zhen's 200,000 elite "Silver Tiger Legion" troops at his disposal, how dare the grassland allied forces outside be so arrogant as to besiege Xiliang City?

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