But the other person immediately woke up and raised his hand to catch hers.

Tie Ci flicked her finger toward his palm.

This person was extremely fierce, not withdrawing his hand. With a light sound, his arm visibly went limp and drooped down.

However, his other arm was already there, pressing down on Tie Ci’s shoulder.

Tie Ci heard him say hoarsely but clearly beside her ear: “Doesn’t Leopard Chief want to think about your brothers?”

Tie Ci paused, then said: “What, my brothers aren’t your brothers?”

That guy chuckled lowly: “You are my brother, so naturally they are too.”

Tie Ci said: “What, when was I not your brother?”

That person laughed again. His laughter was very low and deep, yet gave one a feeling of intensity, like seeing a furnace in the dark night—seemingly motionless, but you knew fire burned in the depths.

He said: “If we’re brothers, then stay by my side for life. If we’re brothers, then hold me!”

His one arm tightened, embracing Tie Ci’s shoulder.

Tie Ci could feel this was truly just an embrace, without any killing intent.

In that instant it was as if their hearts connected—she could vaguely sense the grief and joy in that person’s heart, boundless and vast like a desert sea.

This both startled and confused her.

Vaguely everything seemed familiar, vaguely everything seemed unfamiliar.

The Dan Ye in her memory was like an eagle flying low over golden sands—proud yet carefree, loving freedom over bonds throughout his life, wingtips skimming yellow sand dunes.

Exhilarating and bright, black shadows reflected in azure sky.

Not like the one before her—thin to the point of deformity, fire burning in his heart, full of suppression yet with fierce killing intent like a lone wolf.

Her heart wavered as she raised her hand, wanting to feel his bones.

But suddenly a gust of wind swept in, then the person on her was forcibly torn away. With a muffled thud, it sounded like someone took a punch, followed by another muffled thud that shook the entire tent.

By the time she sat up, two people were already fighting fiercely in the tent.

Without looking, she knew the intruder must be Feiyu.

Tie Ci stood up, sighed, and in the next instant flashed between the two.

One hand traced a circle, catching Eagle Chief’s fist and guiding it forward. The punch thundered like lightning, striking the ground with a bang and leaving a crater.

One palm opened in an encompassing gesture, wrapping around Feiyu’s fist.

Seeing her enter the fray, Feiyu’s movements immediately slowed. Tie Ci’s palm wrapped around his fist and gently twisted—Feiyu’s body whooshed up into the air.

Just in time to dodge Eagle Chief’s leg kick aimed through Tie Ci.

That kick carried tremendous force. Tie Ci could feel the powerful wind—if it had connected with Feiyu, it would have crushed his internal organs.

Tie Ci frowned slightly.

Feiyu had pulled back because of her, but the opponent hadn’t, and had even taken the opportunity to strike a killing blow at Feiyu.

This made her angry. The hand gripping the opponent’s fist rapidly climbed up his arm. Her five fingers tightened with a muffled thud, and she flung the man’s large body to the ground.

Dropping to one knee, Tie Ci knelt on his throat.

The tent overhead couldn’t withstand her sudden burst of inner force and the wind force from throwing the man, and was uprooted.

The winds from all sides suddenly intensified, carrying the tent away.

Tie Ci looked up to see fires and shouts erupting from multiple places in the forest below—clearly fighting had broken out there too.

She knelt on his throat and reached to remove his mask.

The opponent suddenly embraced with both hands, ignoring the death threat to grab at her ankle tendons.

Swishing sounds rang out as blue-black light and shadow formed a continuous stream, slashing toward Eagle Chief’s hands.

Feiyu’s iron fan had struck.

But Eagle Chief paid no attention, continuing to exert force with both hands.

He was using a mutual destruction strategy against Tie Ci.

Tie Ci had to withdraw her hand, using one to catch the iron fan and the other to slap away his hands.

She moved her knee aside slightly. Eagle Chief could speak now, coughing twice before laughing: “Press on, why did you stop pressing?”

“Coming right up.” Tie Ci replied in the indifferent tone of a waiter serving food, her knee dropping back down.

Eagle Chief had to say: “Let’s negotiate.”

Tie Ci’s knee hovered three inches from his throat: “Hmm?”

Eagle Chief said: “Your people are very experienced and prepared, but this is my army. They can’t escape.”

Tie Ci said: “When did you confirm we weren’t Leopard Chief’s people?”

“I was certain from the beginning, but later became doubtful because of the tattoos. After fighting in the water, I saw your face.”

Tie Ci found this strange. Seeing her face should have prompted a killing strike. Not striking should mean he was an acquaintance, but separating her from the others to defeat them individually didn’t seem like something an acquaintance would do.

If he was Dan Ye—regardless, Rong Pu and the others were also Dan Ye’s classmates.

If he was Dan Ye, why couldn’t they properly recognize each other?

“What do you want?”

“Originally I wanted you and your squad to become my people, to work with me from within to eliminate Di Yiwei.”

Tie Ci laughed upon hearing this.

“I think it would be more efficient to eliminate you and make this rabble immediately disperse.”

“Then you’re overthinking. Western Rong soldiers have all sworn heavy oaths—no matter what enemy they face, they will fight to the last drop of blood. It’s fine while I’m alive, but if I die, the people here will tear you to pieces regardless of cost.”

Tie Ci smiled and turned her head to look below.

The shack doors opened and Rong Pu, Qi Yuansi and others emerged. Lieutenant Yu and Qi Yuansi still held hostages.

“Let’s see who tears whom apart.”

Eagle Chief seemed to smile, then suddenly let out a sharp whistle.

The piercing whistle rolled across. Several Western Rong soldiers suddenly pounced forward, cold light flashing as curved blades chopped toward the hostages.

This move was very sudden, but Da Qian’s side was still prepared—several people protected their hostages while retreating rapidly.

But pulling hostages while retreating rapidly was precisely when one’s guard was down regarding the hostages. The hostage in Qi Yuansi’s hands suddenly threw himself onto the blade.

Blood splattered, spraying Qi Yuansi’s head and face. He stared blankly at the corpse with only half a head remaining, his whole body rigid.

The surrounding Western Rong soldiers showed no anger or grief. They were sinister and cold, accustomed to seeing companions’ blood and death, understanding that everything must be redeemed with life.

Just like Eagle Chief.

On the hillside, Eagle Chief said: “Let’s see who tears whom apart.”

Tie Ci fell silent.

While her side had demonstrated wisdom and force, the enemy had used vicious and fierce means to tell her that taking hostages was useless.

Negotiation was inherently a combination of psychological warfare and force. Facing such difficult and vicious enemies, negotiations would be bloody.

“Very courageous,” Tie Ci said. “Makes me want to test whether you’d also spill blood three feet if I took you hostage.”

Eagle Chief’s eyes gazed at Tie Ci through the curved eye holes of the lucky baby mask.

He knew the person before him grew stronger when facing strength, never fearing or retreating.

“You can try, but no matter how you try, no matter what price we pay, you will definitely have casualties too.”

This was fact. Tie Ci remained silent.

“You and your soldiers have earned my respect. If you’re unwilling to be traitors, then I have another path for you to choose.”

“You’ve seen our situation too. Trapped in the desert with no way out. Either go out through the passes to seize territory from Di Yiwei’s hands, or go inward to reclaim everything from those wolves. If you’re unwilling to help me strike at Di Yiwei, then accompany me westward.”

“You overestimate us. With your thousands of troops reduced to homeless dogs, adding a squad of over ten people would let us swallow ten thousand li like tigers?”

“I don’t overestimate them—I overestimate you.”

The conversation fell into silence.

After a long while, Tie Ci said: “Observing your martial arts and conduct, you should be a master; observing your subordinates, they can also be called fierce troops. Why are you still trapped in the great desert, unable to advance or retreat, in such a sorry state?”

Fierce winds blew from all directions, carrying distant and eerie long notes.

Crack—a tree trunk snapped and fell.

Tie Ci wondered why the wind had suddenly become so strong.

Eagle Chief was about to answer her when his pupils suddenly contracted and he urgently said: “It’s coming!”

Tie Ci turned back to see the sky suddenly change.

From black to yellow—the starlight disappeared. That deep yellow wall connecting heaven and earth continued advancing forward, the wind carrying many fine sand particles that struck their faces.

“Sandstorm!”

The sandstorm appeared abruptly, advancing countless times faster than imagined, almost instantly reaching them.

Yellow sand swept down like a massive tornado. The verdant oasis was instantly stained a uniform dark yellow.

Countless sounds of breaking trees arose as huge black shadows fell overhead.

Tie Ci couldn’t worry about Eagle Chief and reached to pull Feiyu.

These people had more experience than her group. In a sandstorm where nothing could be seen clearly, they couldn’t let anyone take advantage.

Suddenly her feet felt heavy as Eagle Chief grabbed her legs. With force added to the wind’s push, Tie Ci toppled over and the two rolled down the hillside together.

Tie Ci protected her head and face with both hands, rolling all the way to the bottom where she felt herself fall into a pit. Sand swished overhead then poured down with a rustling sound.

Between heaven and earth were only sounds of wind and sand, with continuous tree-breaking noises. In this chaos, she vaguely heard a quiet laugh.

This sound seemed right overhead yet also very distant. She almost thought she was hallucinating when she struggled to look up.

In the murky yellow she saw a black shadow, floating ghostlike. Though wind and sand filled the sky, drowning everything, when she looked up, that aerial phantom slowly lowered its head to look at her.

Tie Ci’s heart chilled and she immediately lowered her head.

Even across such distance, she could feel the forest coldness and fierce aura of that gaze.

Instinct told her she should remain quiet now.

Just like all the people in this oasis camp.

Even Eagle Chief pressing on her to block the sand buried his head in sand without making a sound.

Wind and sand still raged wildly, yet heaven and earth and breath seemed frozen.

But at this moment, a scream pierced through the wind.