Their weapons clashed with a thunderous sound, seeming to change the wind’s direction. Ripples spread across the grass, centered on the two combatants.

Wei Yunshan clenched his teeth, forcibly swallowing the blood that rose to his throat.

If this had happened right after he’d killed those twenty experts, when his killing intent was still strong and his fighting spirit high, Wei Yunshan might have had a chance. But now that tension had eased, leaving only exhaustion.

His mental energy was severely depleted. Combined with the anxiety of fleeing, he could no longer manipulate external objects.

Wei Yunshan finally understood the meaning of “the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.” Most frustrating was that he’d known there was an oriole behind him, yet had no other choice. He also realized Chu Dingjiang not only wanted to reclaim the medicine but also silence him permanently.

Wei Yunshan had become the prey, pursued by a fierce predator.

They had already exchanged four moves.

Blood trickled from the corner of Wei Yunshan’s mouth. He spat out a mouthful and said hoarsely, “I have a manual of secret martial arts techniques that would greatly benefit that young lady. If you spare me, I’ll give you the manual. As for the medicine, we can split it evenly. What do you say?”

Chu Dingjiang was somewhat tempted. An Jiu had no internal energy, so better utilization of mental energy could be a good path for her, superior to pure external cultivation.

Seeing Chu Dingjiang hesitate, Wei Yunshan immediately took out the medicine bottle and poured all the pills into his mouth, swallowing hard.

“Hahaha!” He laughed maniacally. “Even if you kill me now, it’s useless!”

Chu Dingjiang watched him, a slow smile spreading across his face.

As Wei Yunshan laughed, he felt his entire esophagus burning with pain. The agony quickly spread to his abdomen, then gradually to all his internal organs, as if they were being shredded. Large beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead, his face turning ashen.

Only the top few pills were real!

Wei Yunshan laughed bitterly. If he hadn’t taken one earlier if he hadn’t been pushed to such extremes… how could he have done something so foolish?

But now it was too late to understand.

“All my life I’ve been cautious, priding myself on my intelligence, yet I’ve been the most foolish of all!” Wei Yunshan’s face contorted in agony as his body disintegrated into a wisp of dust, scattering in the mist.

Wei Yunshan was always slow to realize things. Even after being trapped in a cage for so many years, he hadn’t figured it out. After being outmaneuvered by Wei Yuzi to such an extent, his first action upon escaping was to seek out Wei Yuzi. Only after falling into another trap did he finally see that the sickly youth wasn’t a rabbit, but a vicious wolf.

An Jiu watched coldly, finally understanding how Wei Yunshan had been so thoroughly outmaneuvered. His stupidity shocked her. He had seemed so cunning, nearly succeeding in deceiving her at Piaomiao Manor with various tricks.

This immediately made An Jiu wary. Was her intelligence even lower?

Seeing her serious expression, Chu Dingjiang asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Chu Dingjiang, did you anticipate he would take that medicine?” An Jiu wanted to examine his brain structure to see what was different.

“It’s always better to be prepared,” Chu Dingjiang said, pinching her cheek. “What are you thinking about?”

“Wei Yunshan almost deceived me,” An Jiu had always thought herself reasonably intelligent, if not brilliant, so this troubled her. “Am I really that stupid?”

Even stupider than Mei Jiu?

“Some people are cunning but narrow-minded. They’ll never achieve greatness,” Chu Dingjiang comforted her. “You’re different from him.”

An Jiu sighed in relief.

“Such a small matter has you so worried?” Chu Dingjiang walked over to pick up the medicine bottle that had fallen in the grass, pocketing it.

“I heard Wei Yunshan lost all his internal energy after being tricked by his two adopted sons and was trapped in a cage. This time it’s likely related to Wei Yuzi as well,” An Jiu frowned deeply, sighing. “How tragic!”

Chu Dingjiang put his arm around her, gently patting her shoulder without speaking.

Heavy mist surrounded them, the air tinged with a burnt smell.

Shortly after they left, a group of black-clad men arrived.

After searching, one said, “The trail ends here.”

“Look at the signs of battle over there. It must have been Wei Yunshan’s doing,” another added. “Let’s quickly report back that Wei Yunshan likely took the divine medicine for himself.”

“Let’s go!”

The group vanished into the wilderness.

…

Late at night.

The gates of Zhending Prefecture had not yet opened. The guards on the city wall watched a group approaching on the road. They immediately called out, “Who goes there!”

The group halted. A single rider came forward, “We’re under orders to transport imperial military provisions!”

The man placed a token and documents in a bamboo basket at the base of the city wall.

“Strange, I hadn’t heard of any military provisions passing through Zhending Prefecture,” the guard captain muttered, ordering someone to pull up the basket.

After carefully verifying the documents and token, finding them genuine, the captain called out, “Let them pass!”

The supply convoy immediately moved forward.

The captain watched from atop the wall, his gaze sweeping over the large carts of provisions. Suddenly, his peripheral vision caught a soldier whose armor seemed a few inches too small. Looking at the other soldiers, he saw most were similar. His heart sank. After a moment’s hesitation, he shouted, “Stop the supply convoy from entering the city immediately!”

He ordered his deputy to go down from the wall.

Most of the guards at the base of the wall had already been subdued. At that moment, battle cries echoed from the distance.

“Liao troops!” someone on the wall shouted.

The captain bellowed, “Archers and crossbowmen, ready!”

A dense mass of Liao cavalry appeared in an instant, closing in rapidly. Arrows rained down from the city wall like a torrential downpour. Liao riders fell continuously, but the city gates were already wide open. The cavalry charged recklessly towards the gate. Within minutes, a large number of riders had poured into the city.

Suddenly, an uproar erupted within the city.

At the Hebei main camp.

“Report—”

The urgent cry woke everyone.

A soldier carrying a red flag rode into the camp at full gallop, dismounting just before reaching the main tent.

A guard took his weapon, allowing him to enter.

The soldier knelt on one knee, “Reporting to the General, Zhending Prefecture has fallen!”

Ling Ziyue stood up abruptly.

Zhending Prefecture was the capital of western Hebei. All surrounding counties had garrisons. How could the Liao army have breached it?

“Someone!” Ling Ziyue reacted quickly, “Summon all the commanders!”

The camp suddenly blazed with more firelight.

Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu sensed something was wrong as soon as they returned.

Gao Dazhuang saw the two return and, before Chu Dingjiang could ask, said, “The Liao army has captured Zhending Prefecture.”

Chu Dingjiang’s heart tightened, “What happened?”

“The Liao army found the imperial supply convoy and followed it, directly entering the city with the supplies,” Gao Dazhuang said through gritted teeth.

The border defense forces weren’t limited to Ling Ziyue’s troops. Normally, imperial provisions would first stop at Zhending Prefecture, and then be distributed to various garrisons after allocation. But this time, the supplies were being transported directly to the Hebei main camp and shouldn’t have gone through Zhending Prefecture.