The guards saw the city lord step forward and all retreated, falling back behind him.

Lei Shenbao stood at the very front of his ranks, taking his time admiring Feng Jiu’er. His gaze shifted, and when he looked at Di Wu Ya, his eyes darkened at once.

“Jiu’er.” Lei Shenbao suddenly shouted with his internal energy.

“Is he the master of your Dragon Shadow sect?”

He was unwilling to accept it! Why was this man so handsome? More importantly, this man’s presence was so powerful that he found himself unable to meet his gaze directly. This was the first time Lei Shenbao had ever encountered someone so extraordinary. He had never put anyone in his eyes, not even His Majesty—he merely paid lip service to him. He never imagined he would actually be afraid of a commoner.

Before Feng Jiu’er could respond, Lei Ming rode up beside Lei Shenbao on horseback. Feng Jiu’er saw Lei Ming hand Lei Shenbao a letter, and Lei Shenbao’s expression turned even worse than before. He gripped the letter tightly, just as he had gripped the letter from the south that day in his tent.

“Jiu’er.” He composed himself and shouted again.

“Can you tell me exactly who you are? Tell me!”

“Deputy Master of Dragon Shadow.” Feng Jiu’er’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried easily to everyone’s ears—proof that her internal energy was truly formidable.

“Lei Shenbao, surrender! You cannot win this!”

Lei Shenbao laughed loudly and said again, “If you agree to marry me, I’ll surrender!”

“Jiu’er, I’ve said it before—if you agree to be my woman, everything I have is yours.”

“Even if you deceived me, I still say the same thing now. Jiu’er, be my woman.”

“Be my woman, and I can give you anything…”

“My apologies!” Feng Jiu’er cut him off.

She turned her head to look at her own man, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.

“This is my fiancé. Do you really think you’re a match for him?”

Feng Jiu’er’s words eased some of Di Wu Ya’s anger. She gave a light cough, leaned closer, and took his hand.

“He is the strongest man there is!”

Ninth Imperial Uncle, please don’t be angry—fighting a war isn’t a good thing. Lei Shenbao still had a hundred thousand troops at his command; he himself didn’t care, but she did! Moreover, if this battle truly broke out, both sides would suffer heavy casualties. No one wanted to see their brothers wounded or killed, and the most innocent of all would be the defenseless common people.

Feng Jiu’er had always believed that war should be avoided whenever possible—that had been true before, and it was true now.

Jian Yi was fine—comparatively obedient. She only needed to give him a look. But Ninth Imperial Uncle, with that foul temper of his—no good! Even though now wasn’t the time, she still had to work hard to flatter him. Feng Jiu’er truly suspected she’d run into a fake Ninth Imperial Uncle. Ninth Imperial Uncle was always composed; when it came to matters of war, he certainly wouldn’t let his emotions rule him—shouldn’t he understand that better than anyone? And yet, having just been provoked by Lei Shenbao, Ninth Imperial Uncle had actually felt the urge to strike.

What Feng Jiu’er didn’t know was that the ever-composed War God Prince had been changing in many ways ever since he met her. Just now, Di Wu Ya had recalled how the little girl had mentioned, that night, Jian Yi protecting her—and he felt he had to do better than Jian Yi. Otherwise, would the little girl come to admire Jian Yi instead? What would he do then?

With Feng Jiu’er’s reassurance, Di Wu Ya’s heavy, simmering energy finally settled. She continued holding his hand, facing the enemy troops.

“Lei Shenbao, surrender! You cannot win!”

“We have no intention of fighting. If you’re willing, we can negotiate peace instead.”

She only wanted to reclaim the Black Pool Earth Vein—why fight a war over it? And yet, to reclaim a territory without fighting was nearly impossible.

South of Songjiang in Feng Clan territory, all the way to Black Pool, was a stretch of land people called the Black Pool Earth Vein. Besides Yue City, Li City, Yongshan City, and Pingyuan City, it also included Xiang City—west of Yue City and south of Pingyuan City—along with a few more cities further west. This region wasn’t enormous, nor was it small, but because so much of it lay near Black Pool, it had come to be called the Black Pool Earth Vein. The entire Black Pool Earth Vein made up a third of Feng Clan’s territory.

Reclaiming the whole Black Pool Earth Vein was no longer simply Feng Jiu’er’s own wish. Di Wu Ya and Yue City’s city lord, Yue Jianfei, shared the same intent. To put it plainly, Yue Jianfei and Tang Xiaohua were devoted supporters of Feng Li, and anything that might help the Night Prince escape danger, they would do without hesitation. After Feng Jiu’er had spoken with the Yue couple about this matter, they had personally led their own troops north—their resolve plain to see.

“Jiu’er.” Lei Shenbao called out again.

Though there was some distance between them, his tone and the look in his eyes betrayed his longing for Feng Jiu’er. Setting aside that Lei Shenbao was rather ordinary in looks, that he was coldblooded and had killed without count, his fickle nature alone was enough that Feng Jiu’er would never have spared him a second glance. And whether the “devotion” he displayed even now was genuine, or had some ulterior motive—who could say?

“Lei Shenbao, do you still remember Bao Lei?” Feng Jiu’er remained quite patient.

Perhaps she knew Lei Shenbao was stalling for time—but it wasn’t only him who needed it; they needed it too. Lei Shenbao had thirty thousand men in hand, and their own numbers were roughly equal.

“He’s not actually surnamed Bao. His surname is Feng—he’s a prince of the current era.”

“Do you really think Feng Qiongcang intends to put you to good use? You’re far too naive!”

“Well then—will this battle be fought, or not?”

“Jiu’er, can you come over here? If you come, we won’t fight.” Lei Shenbao looked at Feng Jiu’er with an air of pitiful appeal.

Feng Jiu’er fixed her gaze on Feng Qiongcang in the distance for a moment, and before Di Wu Ya and Jian Yi could make a move, she raised the flag.

“Fight. Just looking at him makes me angry!”

“Fight!” Qiao Mu had long since lost her patience. She had never been one to hold back too much—some people simply deserved a beating.

Yu Jingfeng, given the signal by Di Wu Ya, ran forward holding the flag.

The battle was about to break out.

Everyone agreed: fighting on their own ground was worse than fighting on the enemy’s. And so the city gates were thrown open.

Feng Jiu’er had genuinely tried to persuade Lei Shenbao just now, but in truth, she had also been buying time. Their gate was only a single passage—getting over twenty thousand soldiers through it wasn’t something that happened in the blink of an eye.

By the time the battle formally began, roughly five thousand soldiers had emerged from Yongshan City, with more streaming out from behind continuously.

Within a single day, Dragon Shadow led the army to press right up to Li City. The situation remained relatively stable.

Seeing he could not win, Lei Shenbao ordered the troops to retreat before dawn.

The next day, the sun rose in the east, morning light spreading across the land. The gates of Li City closed, with fewer than twenty thousand guards making it back inside—the rest were dead, wounded, or captured before they could re-enter the city.

All the captured guards had their hands and feet bound, kneeling on the open ground not far outside the gates of Li City.

Among them was a familiar figure.