In the crowd, beside the ox cart.

Rong Pu glanced at the royal palace, where a deep red flag flower indicated Dan Ye had succeeded.

He smiled and raised his hand, reattaching the concubine’s shoulder.

The concubine’s hand lifted.

Rong Pu hadn’t given her a weapon—he wouldn’t provide anyone with leverage against himself.

When it came to killing, there were always ways to accomplish it if you thought about it.

The concubine raised her hand and tore out the bloody rag from her mouth.

Excruciating pain twisted her face. One of her eyes had already been gnawed off by Zuo Siyan, while the other was smeared with blood foam, shooting out light of hatred and fury through the swollen slit.

Seeing this, Zuo Siyan remained unmoved, laughing hoarsely and spitting on her face.

The concubine took advantage of his head turning aside and suddenly bit down on his exposed Adam’s apple.

She used all her strength, her teeth sharp and keen, grinding down ruthlessly with deadly intent.

Zuo Siyan hadn’t expected her to pull such a move. Unable to raise his hands, he desperately shook his head trying to break free, but the powerful hatred made the concubine refuse to let go. The more he shook his head, the larger the wound became and the faster the blood flowed.

His trusted deputy general had been too embarrassed to look much in this direction, also fearing that watching too much would lead to settling scores later. By the time he realized something was wrong, Zuo Siyan’s blood had already stained the bedding red.

The deputy general was shocked and split the concubine’s forehead with a blade.

However, the concubine didn’t release her bite even in death.

When the deputy general finally managed to pry her teeth apart, he saw a huge bloody hole in Zuo Siyan’s throat, with blood gushing like a fountain. Anyone who saw it would immediately understand this person had no chance of survival.

Zuo Siyan’s trusted generals were all thunderstruck, gathering together to attempt rescue.

By this time they had reached the foot of the royal palace. Rong Pu glanced at the palace and quietly walked away with Tian Wu, Xiao Wu, and Yang Yixiu.

Hiding merit and fame.

Standing atop the royal palace, Dan Ye looked down and suddenly leaped.

The ministers beside him cried out in alarm.

Had he gone mad with joy?

Suddenly a clear eagle cry rang out, and a black shadow slashed across like lightning. Its spread wings from a distance seemed to cover almost half the palace’s golden roof. The wingtips cut through the mountain’s clouds and mist like sharp blades. The clouds parted and slowly closed again as Dan Ye and the gyrfalcon crossed paths, his arm hooking onto the steel ring on the gyrfalcon’s ankle.

The gyrfalcon let out a delighted sharp cry, carrying him through clouds and mist, soaring over layer after layer of palace buildings.

Finally landing atop the tall palace gates at the mountain’s base.

Zuo Siyan’s army in front of the royal palace looked up in shock at that magnificent gyrfalcon.

The bird that had almost become legendary in Western Rong, with the enormous size that ordinary gyrfalcons couldn’t possess, possessed spiritual intelligence and was invincible wherever it went.

And standing before it was the former Western Rong young master.

Dan Ye reached out and drew the bow and arrows from his back.

He used a heavy bow and heavy arrows, five arrows at once, with unmatched physical strength.

People had just seen the bow appear in his hands when the next instant black light flashed through the air. The sound of wind and thunder suddenly erupted, scattered snow on the ground flew up into the air, hitting people in the face.

They could only hear continuous whistling sounds by their ears. The arrows’ extreme speed through the air made their eardrums buzz, their scalps and hair suddenly exploded, their whole bodies turned cold, followed by the dull sound of sharp objects entering flesh and heavy objects hitting the ground…

When they opened their eyes again, they saw the generals surrounding their commander—those he valued most—had fallen scattered across the ground.

All pierced through the heart with one arrow.

Some were even pierced through two hearts with one arrow.

With just one shot, he had eliminated all the generals most loyal to Zuo Siyan.

No attempt at persuasion, no mention of detours.

He was stingy with giving even a trace of opportunity or time.

Everyone looked up at the man standing atop the palace gates.

He held a long bow with an eagle beside him, imposing as a demon god.

A large troop charged out from the palace gates beneath his feet, accompanied by loud shouting: “Subordinates of Zuo Siyan, hear the order!”

“Zuo Siyan and his subordinate generals were guilty of treason and have now met their punishment. Orders are given to investigate family assets and exile relatives to the Hanli Khan Desert. The new king has ascended with magnanimous benevolence. Past matters will not be investigated. Those who surrender will immediately be granted military positions—full positions without waiting!”

In Western Rong, military positions meant families would receive grasslands and freedom, not becoming slaves. With Zuo Siyan’s public disgrace, his status in the soldiers’ hearts had already plummeted. The generals they could follow had all been killed, and the new king’s divine bravery aroused their psychology of admiring strength. Now with military positions scattered like bait on a first-come-first-served basis, people no longer held fast to camps and loyalty. Immediately someone threw down their weapons and shouted loudly: “I’m willing to serve the Great King!”

“Good! Rewarded with the position of thousand-banner!”

Thousand-banner was a mid-level military officer position in Western Rong’s army, leading a thousand-man unit.

Immediately countless people threw down their weapons, competing to pledge loyalty.

Tie Ci had also come down and watched this scene from among the crowd behind the palace gates, smiling with relief.

Dan Ye hadn’t studied in vain at the academy. Being able to control these proud soldiers and fierce generals, sitting securely on the throne would be no problem.

Rong Pu walked over and took something from his chest to give her, pulling her to a secluded place. When Tie Ci opened it, it was actually a human skin mask as thin as cicada wings.

Looking carefully, it was Wuliang Yunzhu’s.

Tie Ci was momentarily silent.

Rong Pu said: “I always felt that what Wuliang Yunzhu ate probably had some connection to Qiu Wujiu. Keep this mask as backup…”

Hearing him mention Qiu Wujiu, Tie Ci’s heart stirred: “Still no news from Huyin’s main force?”

Rong Pu shook his head.

“Where is Qiu Wujiu’s army?”

Rong Pu was stunned.

“Huyin’s main force and Qiu Wujiu’s main force are in confrontation. After Huyin received our message, she should have quietly withdrawn. As long as she moved fast enough, even if Qiu Wujiu discovered it, he couldn’t catch up. But Huyin’s main force has been delayed—what held them up? Who held them up? Looking around, it could only be…”

“Qiu Wujiu.”

Rong Pu frowned. This was obviously not a good sign.

Tie Ci’s gaze swept around: “In all the chaos just now, now that it’s quiet, I’ve discovered something else…”

“Wha…”

Before Rong Pu could finish his question, he saw Dan Shuang running down from the upper steps, waving and shouting something while running.

She had originally gone with Yang Yixiu to count their own troops and incorporate surrendering soldiers. Obviously she had discovered something urgent now.

But at this moment, Tie Ci’s gaze fell on the bustling street ahead.

There seemed to be too many soldiers on the street…

As she thought this, her heart suddenly stirred, and then cold light flashed before her eyes.

“Get down!”

The next instant she had appeared atop the palace gates, grabbing Dan Ye in her arms.

Behind them were continuously rotating and enlarging arrowheads coming from several directions!

The gyrfalcon let out an angry sharp cry, its feathers bristling all over, suddenly spreading its wings wide.

The next instant, Tie Ci and Dan Ye disappeared behind it. Countless scattered feathers exploded in the wind. The gyrfalcon let out a sharp cry, soared high, then dove headfirst toward the center of the crowd where Zuo Siyan’s army was located.

In the next instant, Tie Ci appeared behind the palace gates holding Dan Ye, but immediately after lying on the ground, she heard rumbling sounds from the earth.

This sound was very familiar. In her youth when inspecting armies, she had also heard this sound during Di Yiwei’s army drills.

This was the sound of heavy cannons being dragged and crushing the ground!

She grabbed Rong Pu and Tian Wu, shouting to Dan Ye: “Tell your gyrfalcon to come back with us!”

At the same time, she exerted force and ran wildly, knocking the approaching Dan Shuang back. Dan Shuang, having been with her for a long time, immediately spun on her heel and charged back.

Dan Ye also reacted at this point, whistling to signal the gyrfalcon to return.

Just then, a thunderous roar erupted.

The enormous palace gates collapsed behind them.

Broken bricks and huge stones crashed at Tian Wu’s heels as he ran last—missing by mere inches.

Tie Ci couldn’t teleport with multiple people, and as her other talents awakened, the number of times she could teleport was also decreasing.

The gyrfalcon flew back swaying, one wing drooping—obviously injured. Dan Ye ran wildly to meet it, jumping up regardless of danger to catch it, throwing it over his shoulder and running all the way.

While running, he shouted: “Lower the gate!”

Behind them, screams filled the air. Zuo Siyan’s soldiers on the street were the first to suffer. Somehow, a mass of black troops had appeared behind them. The army surrounded the entire royal palace, blocked both ends of the street, and three cannons were slowly pushed out. Soldiers near the cannons were killed by shock or burns, while more were killed by arrows from the rear.

Another thunderous sound, but this time it occurred on the long street. Flames shot skyward, countless people were blasted into the air then crashed to the ground. This cannon was lucky for Tie Ci and the others—it had misfired.

Cannons were heavy and difficult to transport; long-distance raids made them even more prone to damage. Having three here was already a miracle. Tie Ci understood in her heart that Huyin had failed—it must be Qiu Wujiu who had come.

Only Qiu Wujiu could possibly bring siege equipment at this moment.

She had created chaos and gained victory through muddy waters, but at the same time had caused Western Rong’s royal city to be opened, entering its most vulnerable period. This crafty old fox had seized the best opportunity and appeared before the royal palace.

He must have first found a way to eliminate Huyin’s threat and scattered her main force before being able to appear at the royal city so quickly. But Huyin’s main camp was so well-hidden—how was it discovered?

Countless questions flashed through her mind as her steps moved swift as sparks. Western Rong’s royal palace had a special design, built against the mountain. At the end of each stone stair going up the mountain, at each turning point, there was an archway. Originally seeming decorative, now many soldiers were pulling an iron chain beside each archway under direction.

Suddenly Tie Ci felt a blockage in her chest, her qi circulation stopped flowing, and her form paused.

Dan Ye, carrying the gyrfalcon, entered the archway one step ahead of her and reached back to pull her: “Quick! Quick!”

Before the archway, the high walls of the palace gates still blocked the view, but after the archway, starting from the second level, they would be exposed to the street’s sight lines. Tie Ci avoided Dan Ye’s hand. Just before entering the archway, she pushed Rong Pu and Tian Wu upward while simultaneously taking out that thin human skin mask and pressing it to her face.

Dan Ye stared at her blankly, not understanding what trick she was playing at this moment.

But when Tie Ci raised her head, Dan Ye’s expression changed.

Wuliang Yunzhu appeared before his eyes.

He immediately understood Tie Ci had put on a mask. With no time to inquire, he urged anxiously with his gaze.

Rong Pu and Tian Wu had already entered the archway. Dan Shuang had originally gone ahead and entered first. Everyone watched as the third cannon on the street slowly moved, its muzzle already locked onto everyone on the first mountain path.

The gate had already dropped halfway—now one had to bend down to pass through.

But at this critical moment, Tie Ci’s speed slowed down.

Dan Ye was very surprised. He had calculated that Tie Ci’s speed would be fine before ordering the gate lowered. Who knew why she suddenly slowed down?

Tie Ci couldn’t explain.

Because she had to be Wuliang Yunzhu, and Wuliang Yunzhu’s martial arts were very ordinary—she had to match the character.

She also couldn’t display her talents to deal with this cannon.

Qiu Wujiu was watching from the army. He might already have suspicions about the Imperial Princess. She had to hide.

Everyone stared at her in bewilderment, not understanding how the lightning leopard had suddenly become a rabbit. Seeing the cannon about to fire and the gate about to close, some were so anxious they almost rushed back.

Once the gate fell, it temporarily couldn’t be raised. Now only child-height remained. Dan Ye rushed up and knelt down to shoulder it.

That gate was specially made for critical moments to resist ten thousand troops. How could one person of flesh and blood resist it?

Tie Ci was prepared. A stone from her fingers hit Dan Ye’s feet, making him slip and be caught by his men.

At this instant, Tie Ci turned back, Wuliang Yunzhu’s face showing fiery eyes as she glared toward the street.

Behind her came a thunderous roar. Tie Ci made a fierce dive, also seeming to slip, sliding into the gate just before the cannon fire arrived.

On the long street, Qiu Wujiu, who was also using a telescope to observe everything on the royal palace mountain path, frowned slightly and lowered his telescope.

He had just failed to discover anyone resembling the Imperial Princess.

He had contacted Chen Tuntian, who said among those who defeated him was someone with particularly strong talents. He suspected that was the Imperial Princess, but just now he hadn’t seen anyone displaying talents either.

This made him somewhat puzzled.

At such a moment of victory, there was no reason for the Imperial Princess not to be beside Dan Ye.

Could she still be remaining in the great hall above?

He also remembered the fleeting glimpse of Wuliang Yunzhu.

That young girl’s face was pale with a greenish tinge, the dark circles under her eyes especially severe—clearly she had taken his good medicine.

This made his heart stir as he looked up toward the royal palace above.

He knew the palace’s layout and design didn’t come from Western Rong hands, but from the legendary figure of rumors. That person had talents not only in martial arts but also in architecture and mechanisms. Supported by the Western Rong royal family, he had designed the royal palace. The palace used the mountain’s terrain for construction, forming a unified whole, layer upon layer upward, each level receding. The final level was very far from the street. Starting from the second mountain path, below the mountain path were various mechanical ambushes. The mountain itself couldn’t be climbed either, similarly having countless mechanisms. Each gate could hold off ten thousand with one defender—it could truly be called an iron fortress.

Originally he hadn’t chosen to immediately enter the royal city but hid his ambitions and stayed far from the royal city precisely because he didn’t want to waste too much strength at the royal city and palace, only to be taken advantage of later by Huyin, Dan Ye and others, then struck down by the Great Prince.

He concentrated his forces to eliminate those old royal family armies and sent addictive drugs to the relaxed Great Prince and his people. When the old royal family armies were destroyed and some of the Great Prince’s people fell into traps, then he would have his opportunity to easily take the royal city.

Now forced to act early, he had originally worried that the Great Prince’s side hadn’t lowered their guard and probably no one had been poisoned. Now it seemed his luck was very good.

The general beside him, knowing his plan, sincerely praised: “The Grand Minister’s calculations are flawless!”

The praise came from the heart. After all, he had never seen anyone who could remain safe beside Prince Da’an for many years and even develop their own power in two places.

Qiu Wujiu’s thin face, like an old scholar’s, showed a slight smile.

No, Western Rong was just one place.

His gaze turned toward the south, toward Great Qian.

In this world, where was not his chess game?

…

While Western Rong’s royal city underwent dramatic changes, undercurrents surged in Yong Ping Guard.

Closest to the main camp in Yong Ping Guard was the Niutou Ridge garrison—three thousand troops led by Guard General Liu Chen.

General Liu had recently caught a cold and stayed in his barracks without stepping out. Even his food and drink were delivered by trusted subordinates.

At dawn, someone came to deliver prepared medicine. General Liu personally came to receive it when suddenly horse hooves sounded outside. Someone shouted loudly: “Commander Lou and Deputy Commander Xiao have come to inspect! Order the Niutou Ridge garrison to prepare for reception!”

Liu Chen’s hand paused as he was closing the door. He slammed it shut and stuck his head out, bellowing: “I haven’t recovered from my cold yet! Can’t these bastards avoid harassing me three times a day!”

His bad temper was famous. He had even argued with Commander Di before. The soldier reporting didn’t dare put on airs with him and quickly smiled from afar to appease: “Orders from superiors—need to capture important criminals. Please bear with us, Guard General.”

“Criminal your mother!” Liu Chen cursed vulgarly. “You want to make trouble, go ahead, but why come bothering me here? Don’t you know I don’t get along with that old woman? When I see her, forget everything else—I’ll do her a hundred times first! Damn it, just for talking back once, she actually pulled down my pants to beat me. If she falls into my hands, forget about you coming to search—I’ll be the first to chop off her head!”

He spoke with murderous intent. Those below shrank their heads hearing this, but actually agreed somewhat in their hearts.

The original commander had disappeared during escort, turning Yong Ping Guard upside down. The military supervisor and new commander ordered a search at any cost. The whole army wanted to search through every bedding thoroughly. But in his opinion, while other places might need repeated searches, Niutou Ridge was most unnecessary. First, it was too close to the main camp—Commander Di would have to be brain-damaged to hide here. Second, Niutou Ridge’s commander had the worst relationship with the main camp and the poorest relations with Di Yiwei. The whole army knew they had even drawn swords on each other.

Precisely because their relationship was so poor, Di Yiwei had kept Liu Chen close by for convenient scolding. Everyone in the army knew this.

Whoever might hide Di Yiwei, this man certainly couldn’t.

But recently the military atmosphere was bad. The supervisor had lost Commander Di and was furious. Unable to determine where the commander had actually gone—some said she went to the capital to appeal and file complaints, some said she was lurking back waiting for an opportunity for revenge, others said she was already dead. And there were reports that the Imperial Princess was near Yong Ping, having heard of Commander Di’s injustice and conducting private investigations. When the time came, she would reveal her identity to support Commander Di. Plus because of previous incidents, military morale was low with great resentment. The supervisor and new chief and deputy commanders had to set up checkpoints on roads to the capital, search throughout the army, clean up nearby villages, and investigate where the Imperial Princess actually was. Not having smooth personnel to use, they were simply overwhelmed, a complete mess.

That messenger sighed and went back to report, couldn’t help thinking of when Commander Di was still there—how could it have come to this!

Here Liu Chen closed the door, his furious expression changed, and he turned around sheepishly.

On the soft couch in the room, someone half-reclined with long legs casually stretched out. Seeing him turn around, she raised an eyebrow: “Come on, come do me a hundred times.”