Bai Qingyan’s gaze fell upon Zhao Tong’s jet-black warhorse. In an instant, Zhao Tong perceived Bai Qingyan’s intention to attack his mount, his eyes likewise falling upon the white horse beneath Bai Qingyan, the corners of his lips curling upward. To shoot a man, first shoot his horse… It seemed this Princess Zhenguo intended to dismount him!

Zhao Tong’s eyes gleamed with confident victory as he raised his spear, striking first before Bai Qingyan could act, thrusting straight toward the white horse beneath her.

In a flash of lightning and spark of flint, Bai Qingyan twisted her wrist and swept her spear downward… The iron shafts of their long spears collided, producing sparks. She pressed Zhao Tong’s spear, aimed at her white horse, firmly to the ground, numbing Zhao Tong’s arm with the shock until his long spear slipped from his grasp.

Using the momentum to rise, Bai Qingyan kicked Zhao Tong from his horse while simultaneously drawing her spear. Spinning in midair, she plunged straight down toward Zhao Tong as he tumbled to the ground. Zhao Tong had never imagined that a woman could possess such tremendous strength. Unable to dodge in time, the cold-gleaming silver spearhead pierced straight through Zhao Tong’s shoulder armor, pinning him firmly to the ground.

Three moves to defeat the enemy!

“General! General Zhao!” Zhao Tong’s lieutenant cried out hoarsely.

Zhao Tong’s black horse reared with a neighing cry, then turned and galloped frantically back to the Liang army formation.

Zhao Tong still wanted to resist, but Bai Qingyan planted her foot on his chest and pressed him back down. His eyes bulged with rage as he gripped Bai Qingyan’s silver spear that pierced through his shoulder armor, yet he found himself unable to resist.

The twenty silver-armored guards behind Bai Qingyan quickly advanced. Only then did she withdraw her bloodied silver spear. Zhao Tong cried out in pain as the Bai family guards dragged him up and escorted him into the city.

Atop the city walls came the cheering voices of Jin troops, the war drums beating even more vigorously.

Bai Qingyan leaped onto her horse and galloped forward. The Liang army’s heavily armored shield bearers immediately stepped forward, protecting Zhao Tong’s lieutenant behind them.

Bai Qingyan rode swiftly to the side of the two thoroughly dead Liang soldiers, using her long spear to lift the Bai family army’s black sail white python banner and tucked it into her bosom. Her bone-chillingly cold gaze swept across the various Liang army generals mounted on horseback. Her silver armor gleamed coldly, her red cloak billowing and rustling. The bloodied long spear pointed toward the Liang army with seemingly invincible arrogance as she called out loudly: “Who else dares to fight!”

Blood dripped from the silver spearhead, its cold light menacing under the blazing sun.

Even though Zhao Tong had somewhat fallen due to underestimating his enemy, defeating him in three moves was sufficient proof that this woman was no ordinary person. Moreover, Bai Qingyan had earned the title of killing god in the Nan Jiang campaign, enough to make the Liang army’s liver and gallbladder turn cold with fear.

She was the granddaughter of Jin Kingdom’s Duke Zhenguo Bai Weiting. According to reports, she had once followed Duke Zhenguo into battle with an unblemished record of victory. Even in that battle where she was severely wounded, she had still beheaded the enemy commander!

Not to mention, this woman had incinerated a hundred thousand surrendered captives without blinking an eye, showing her ruthless heart.

Zhao Tong’s lieutenant felt fear from the bottom of his heart. Seeing that no one dared step forward to accept the challenge, he gripped the reins tightly in his hands and raised his hand: “Retreat!”

Bai Qingyan watched the Liang army withdraw, then turned her horse around and galloped back into the city.

The drawbridge rose, and the city gates closed.

The people and soldiers within the city were invigorated. Amid the cheering and jubilation of the citizens and soldiers, Bai Qingyan leaped down from her horse as Lu Ping hurried forward to take the reins.

She turned to fix Lin Kangle with her gaze and asked: “Where is Zhao Tong being held?”

“He’s being escorted to the prison right now,” Lin Kangle replied, turning his head to call out.

Bai Qingyan tossed her long spear to a Bai family guard, leaped back onto her horse, and looked at Lin Kangle: “Lead the way!”

What she was most anxious to know at this moment was news of Bai Jinzhi – she couldn’t wait!

When Bai Qingyan arrived at Longyang City’s great prison, Zhao Tong had already received simple bandaging from a military physician.

Zhao Tong was being pressed by Bai family guards to kneel on the ground. When Zhao Tong refused to kneel, the Bai family guards struck his face with sword hilts and forcibly pressed him down.

Zhao Tong’s eyes held sinister laughter, his face full of defiance as he looked up at Bai Qingyan, who stood there looking down from above with a gloomy expression. He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva: “What… has Princess Zhenguo taken a fancy to this old man? Want to sleep with this old man?”

The Bai family guards were filled with rage and kicked Zhao Tong in the face, immediately knocking out two teeth.

Zhao Tong, his face pale with pain, was dragged up and forced to kneel there. He heard Bai Qingyan ask: “Just with your capabilities… You still want to capture Princess Gaoyi?”

“It won’t be many more days. You don’t know where Princess Gaoyi is and can’t send reinforcements. Our great army can starve… starve them all to death!” Zhao Tong grinned with his bloody mouth, laughing directly. “Don’t think you can get Princess Gaoyi’s whereabouts from my mouth either. I’d rather die than speak! It’s just a bit of a pity that I couldn’t personally kill you… If I could have personally killed you, I, Zhao Tong, would surely have made a name for myself among all nations!”

Bai Qingyan walked calmly to the brazier, picked up a branding iron that had been heated red-hot, and examined it. Her voice was extremely light: “I’ll give you one chance. As long as you tell me where Princess Gaoyi is trapped, I’ll spare your life. When Great Liang sues for peace in the future, I’ll let you live.”

Zhao Tong’s gaze swept over the red-hot branding iron in Bai Qingyan’s hand and laughed out loud: “Our Great Liang has four hundred thousand troops with General Xun Tianzhang as commander! With just you, a woman… Do you think you can win? If your grandfather and father were still here, that might be different!”

Bai Qingyan’s cold and indifferent eyes gazed at the red-hot charcoal sparking with flames as she asked: “Are you married?”

Zhao Tong hadn’t expected Bai Qingyan to suddenly ask such a question and burst into laughter: “What, have you taken a fancy to your grandfather here! Though I haven’t married yet, I could certainly take a concubine first!”

“Good that you’re not married – saves ruining some other family’s daughter!” Bai Qingyan put down the branding iron in her hand, turned around to look down at Zhao Tong from above. “I once heard that your grandfather created a torture specifically for interrogating captured tongues – repeatedly branding the descendant’s root with red-hot iron until it’s cooked through and falls off!”

Zhao Tong’s face turned pale. He clenched his fists tightly and glared at Bai Qingyan through gritted teeth.

“Some say your grandfather, General Zhao, was still considered benevolent, using this interrogation method only on enemy soldiers who were married and had offspring. But perhaps… since I’m a woman, I can only think from a woman’s perspective! What right does a waste without his descendant’s root have to ruin some other family’s good daughter? Don’t you think so?”

Zhao Tong felt his crotch tighten, his throat constricting as his gaze fell upon the brazier containing the branding iron: “If you dare! When my Zhao family army captures that sister of yours, we’ll make her wish she were dead!”

Bai Qingyan turned to look at Lu Ping: “Uncle Ping, interrogate him until he talks! Don’t torment him to death – if he dies, it would be meaningless. We still need to keep him alive… to lure the Liang Kingdom’s Zhao family army to rescue him. Even if he’s hard-boned, I don’t believe all of the Zhao family army has such hard bones. There will always be someone we can get information from!”

“Rest assured, Miss! All the methods that old General Zhao once used on our Bai family army, Lu Ping knows how to use on Zhao Tong. It won’t waste old General Zhao’s effort in devising so many interrogation techniques,” Lu Ping replied with clasped fists.

Bai Qingyan took a deep look at Zhao Tong and turned to walk outside.

“Bai Qingyan! Stop right there!” Zhao Tong roared.

Lin Kangle followed behind Bai Qingyan, taking a deep look at the ashen-faced Zhao Tong before following closely behind Bai Qingyan.