When Chu Yu’s flag bearing the character “Yu” was raised, there was some commotion among the Zhao army. The commander leading the troops, Fu Xin, was a fierce general under Zhao Yue. Though not the most skilled in military tactics, he had served Zhao Yue the longest and understood his mindset best. He had followed Zhao Yue since the latter was still the Crown Prince of Qin and was very clear about the reasons behind this military campaign. This was precisely why Zhao Yue had assigned him to lead the army this time.

“General,” the deputy commander rode up to Fu Xin’s side and said worriedly, “It’s the ‘Yu’ flag. I’m afraid the one defending the city isn’t Qian Yong, but Chu Yu.”

“That’s perfect,” Fu Xin let out a cold laugh. “His Majesty was hoping she would be here. No more talk. Attack the city with all our might, at any cost!”

At Fu Xin’s command, everyone charged toward the city walls with reckless abandon.

Chu Yu stood on the city wall, surveying the troops below with a single glance. Her heart sank.

There were at least 50,000 soldiers below the city walls, while Bai Ling had only 3,000 defenders.

In the past, Feng Ling had won despite being outnumbered, thanks to its terrain advantages and multiple traps. Now, Bai Ling was on flat plains without any geographical advantages or mechanisms. Even the supply of arrows wasn’t abundant. Defending the city would be extremely difficult.

As Chu Yu’s heart sank, she saw soldiers scaling the walls. She looked up at the enemy commander. She recognized most of Zhao Yue’s generals, and upon identifying Fu Xin, she became more certain of her speculation.

Although the Zhao army had come in full force, they had bypassed Jiu City and headed straight for Bai Ling. Even if they captured Bai Ling, once the Jiu City soldiers turned back, they would be caught in a pincer attack with Wei Yun’s forces. Fu Xin’s all-out assault on the city was not a normal tactic, which meant Bai Ling itself wasn’t important to them at all.

Given Zhao Yue’s cunning, what he wanted wasn’t Bai Ling, but the Wei family members inside it.

If other generals’ family members were captured, they might still abandon them. But for Wei Yun, who had lost his brother and father at a young age and single-handedly caused chaos in the empire to avenge the Wei family, it would be nearly impossible for him to abandon his family.

Even if he did forsake his family for the sake of his soldiers and people, he would likely be emotionally devastated and might even commit suicide to atone for his guilt.

Aware of Zhao Yue’s vicious nature and seeing Fu Xin’s determination, Chu Yu stood on the city wall and called out, “Fu Xin, I know what you want. You just want to capture someone to threaten Wei Yun, right? I’ll go with you!”

Fu Xin, sitting on his horse, heard Chu Yu’s voice and laughed loudly, “Chu Yu, what’s your relationship with Wei Yun? Capturing you would be useless! Hand over Old Madam Wei and the six young masters of the Wei family, and I’ll withdraw my troops immediately. Otherwise, when I enter Bai Ling, I’ll leave no one alive, not even a blade of grass!”

Hearing this, Chu Yu’s eyes instantly turned cold. By now, the assault had begun, with men swarming up the city walls like ants. Arrows rained down, but the attackers seemed fearless, setting up ladders and charging upwards.

Chu Yu stood on the wall, coldly staring at Fu Xin. She raised her voice, “General Fu, such big words. You’re surrounded by Wei army territory on all sides. The Jiu City garrison learned of your movements as soon as you appeared and were already on their way. I wonder if General Fu is prepared for that?”

“I may not be prepared for the Jiu City army,” Fu Xin laughed loudly, “but I am certainly prepared to capture General Chu!”

As he spoke, men had already climbed onto the walls. Fighting broke out on the city wall, with Jiang Chun swinging his sword at the soldiers, a look of urgency in his eyes.

Chu Yu understood that if the attackers had already reached the top of the walls, Bai Ling might not be able to hold out until Jiu City’s reinforcements arrived.

The most terrifying thing wasn’t just the vast difference in military strength between Bai Ling’s defenders and the Zhao army, but Fu Xin’s words—

Hand over the Wei family and they would withdraw immediately; refuse, and they would leave no one alive once they entered the city.

With these words, once someone felt resistance was futile, they might betray the Wei family to save their own lives.

This battle couldn’t drag on for too long, or internal traitors would soon appear.

Chu Yu never had high expectations of human nature. She bit her lip and was about to speak when she heard a loud cry: “I’ll go with you!”

Everyone was stunned and turned to look at the woman who had rushed to the top of the city wall.

Liu Xueyang, dressed in blue, stood on the high platform and shouted, “Aren’t you after this old woman? Withdraw your troops! I’ll go with you!”

Hearing this, Fu Xin raised his hand, and all the soldiers stopped their assault. As the two sides faced off, Liu Xueyang walked forward trembling, looking at Fu Xin and saying loudly, “General Fu, order your soldiers to retreat one li, and I’ll come down immediately.”

“Old Madam Wei,” Fu Xin sat on his horse, speaking casually, “You’re an elderly lady, you’ll need someone to take care of you when you come. Doesn’t the Wei family have six young masters? Bring them along too.”

“Grandmother!”

Hearing this, Jiang Chun finally reacted. He rushed forward in panic, grabbing Liu Xueyang’s sleeve anxiously, “What are you doing here? You can’t go, and neither can the young masters. If you go, what about Seventh Young Master?”

“It’s alright,” Liu Xueyang trembled, her face pale, but seeming to have made some decision. She held Jiang Chun’s hand, her teeth chattering, “I won’t bring the little ones. I’ll go alone. Once Bai Ling is safe, I won’t be a burden to Seventh Young Master.”

Hearing this, Jiang Chun was stunned, then he understood Liu Xueyang’s meaning. His eyes widened, and he hurriedly said, “Grandmother, things haven’t come to this yet, you…”

“Chu Yu,” Liu Xueyang raised her head, her gaze falling on Chu Yu. Chu Yu looked back at her, and Liu Xueyang’s expression was complex. After a long while, she finally said, “You’ve come back after all.”

Chu Yu nodded and raised her hand, saying, “Old Madam, please go back. This is not the solution.”

“I won’t burden Seventh Young Master. I’ll go with them, Bai Ling will be spared, I…” Liu Xueyang gritted her teeth. Chu Yu looked at her calmly and said gently, “If you do this, you’ll be burdening him for life.”

Liu Xueyang was taken aback. Chu Yu sighed, “Old Madam Wei, you are his mother. If his mother dies in such a way, I’m afraid Wei Yun will never be able to sleep peacefully again for the rest of his life.”

“But what else can we do?” Liu Xueyang’s eyes showed understanding. She raised her hand, pointing at the Zhao army, her eyes reddening, “Can you defend the city?”

Chu Yu didn’t speak, and Liu Xueyang already knew the outcome. She smiled bitterly, “If you can’t defend it, I can’t let Bai Ling perish for the sake of the Wei family.”

Chu Yu quietly looked at Liu Xueyang, realizing that she was always doing things beyond her expectations. Although she was muddle-headed, old-fashioned, pedantic, and even somewhat selfish, she had a strange kind of principle when it came to major issues.

In her previous life, to protect the women in the family, the frail Liu Xueyang had drawn her sword against the soldiers, trying to preserve the last dignity of the Wei household, only to be mistakenly killed.

In this life, she was willing to face certain death to protect the people of an entire city.

“Old Madam Wei,” Chu Yu sighed lightly. She looked at Liu Xueyang and said sincerely, “If we both survive to see peace in the world one day, could I be your daughter-in-law again?”

Surprised by Chu Yu’s unexpected question, Liu Xueyang was stunned. She didn’t answer for a long time. Finally, she lowered her eyes and said slowly, “I’ll be dead by then, so naturally, I won’t have a say.”

“You like him, and he likes you…” Liu Xueyang sighed softly, “Well, so be it.”

Hearing this, Chu Yu smiled, “With Old Madam’s words, I can rest easy. You’re right, Old Madam. This city full of people certainly can’t perish for the sake of the Wei family.”

Chu Yu sighed, and Liu Xueyang thought she had agreed. But before she could speak, she saw Chu Yu raise her hand and deliver a swift chop to Liu Xueyang’s neck, catching her as she fainted. Chu Yu gestured to Jiang Chun, “Take the Old Madam down.”

“Chu Yu!” Seeing the commotion on the city wall, Fu Xin became agitated, “What are you doing?! You dare to lay hands on Old Madam Wei, are you rebelling?!”

“Fu Xin,” Chu Yu looked at him across the crowd, smiling, “I won’t let Old Madam go with you. She’s elderly, and your fierce demeanor might frighten her.”

“Are you giving up on Bai Ling?!”

“No!” Chu Yu shouted. “I want Bai Ling. But you can only take one person from here. I know what Zhao Yue wants Old Madam – to threaten Wei Yun. I’ll tell you, there’s one person here that Wei Yun absolutely won’t ignore if you take them away.”

Fu Xin was taken aback. The deputy commander beside him quickly asked, “Who?”

“She’s Wei Yun’s bride-to-be, and she’s already six months pregnant. Wei Yun is only twenty-one, and this is his first child. Do you think Wei Yun will ignore this?”

Hearing this, everyone present was stunned.

Compared to the six young masters, Wei Yun’s child, especially the firstborn who would undoubtedly be either the heir or a princess, was naturally much more important.

But where did Wei Yun get a child? And where did he get a wife?

While others didn’t know, Fu Xin had an inkling. Before he came, Zhao Yue had thoroughly explained the situation to him. Now that Chu Yu was saying this, the only woman who could be carrying Wei Yun’s child was naturally—

“Me,” Chu Yu laughed loudly. “I, Chu Yu, the eldest young lady of the Chu family. I’ll go to the capital in place of Old Madam Wei. How about that?!”

“How do we know if you’re telling the truth?” The deputy commander shouted. “You have no betrothal gifts or ceremony with Wei Yun. What if you’re just trying to fool us with some illegitimate child?!”

“How dare you!” Chang Yue roared angrily. “Shut your dog mouth!”

“You…”

The deputy commander was about to curse back when Chu Yu spoke up: “Doesn’t Zhao Yue know whether the child in my belly is Wei Yun’s or not?”

As she spoke, Chu Yu looked at them with a half-smile. She caressed her long spear and stared at Fu Xin, saying, “General Fu, you have two choices today. Either I go with you, or we take a gamble to see if I can defend the city until the troops from Jiu City arrive. If you win the gamble, you can have everyone in Bai Ling. But I guarantee, you won’t get a single member of the Wei family. I wonder who you’ll use to threaten Wei Yun then, and how you’ll report back to Zhao Yue?”

“If I win,” Chu Yu laughed loudly, “and the Jiu City troops arrive, I promise that not a single one of your soldiers will make it back today!”

Hearing this, there was a commotion among the soldiers present.

Fu Xin stared intently at Chu Yu on the city wall. The deputy commander hesitated for a moment before finally saying, “General, Chu Yu once defended Feng Ling City for so long… And we don’t know when the Jiu City troops will arrive…”

Fu Xin remained silent. Chu Yu continued, “General Fu, you can think it over slowly. The longer you think, the happier I’ll be. Moreover, General Fu, do you know what you should be most concerned about right now?”

As she spoke, Chu Yu swept her gaze over the soldiers whispering beside Fu Xin and smiled, saying, “You should be most concerned about how many soldiers are afraid that the people from Jiu City might arrive at any moment, and are ready to flee at any time!”

These words made the deputy commander somewhat panicked. Dispersed army morale was taboo.

Fu Xin showed no expression, but he was also hesitant. Chu Yu sat on the city wall, polishing her spear.

Fu Xin didn’t have an exact count of Bai Ling’s defenders, nor was he very clear about the specific situation when Chu Yu defended Feng Ling in the past.

He had just followed Zhao Yue’s orders and led an army with an absolute advantage in numbers to attack this city. He hadn’t even thought that Chu Yu would be here before he came.

Chu Yu’s past military achievements and her current composed demeanor made Fu Xin waver slightly. Chu Yu was just sitting on the city wall, waiting for them carelessly, even chatting and laughing with Chang Yue beside her.

“General…”

Others in the Zhao army were also beginning to lose their nerve. They spoke up, and Fu Xin finally made his decision. He looked up and said, “Fine! If you come out now, we’ll withdraw our troops immediately.”

“General Fu is straightforward!” Chu Yu clapped her hands and jumped down from the city wall, walking to Jiang Chun’s side.

Jiang Chun looked at Chu Yu, clenching his fists.

“The Old Madam isn’t a clever person. If she went to Hua Jing, the best she could do would be to take her own life. You’re different. You have a chance…” Jiang Chun’s voice trembled slightly. Her eyes held hope that seemed ready to shatter at any moment. She looked at Chu Yu and said slowly, “Right?”

Chu Yu didn’t speak. She quietly looked at Jiang Chun, then suddenly smiled.

“Song Shilan is quite good. If you like him, go to him. If you don’t like him… then forget it.”

“Why are you suddenly saying these things?” Jiang Chun smiled with difficulty. “We can talk about this later.”

“Alright,” Chu Yu agreed as if nothing was going to happen. Then she said solemnly, “Well, I’m going then.”

“Mm.” Jiang Chun lowered her eyes. She didn’t dare look at Chu Yu, just lowered her head and spoke very quickly, “I’ll go find Seventh Young Master. He will come to save you. I’ll also go find your older brother and Song Shilan. I can agree to any of their demands. A Yu,” Jiang Chun called out to Chu Yu, staring hard at her back, “You will come back.”

Chu Yu didn’t speak. She had her back to Jiang Chun. After a long while, she turned her head and smiled, saying, “Actually, I didn’t want to say these things, but I’m afraid if I don’t say them now, I might not have the chance.”

Jiang Chun was stunned. Chu Yu thought for a moment, looked in the direction of Yu River, and slowly said, “Tell Seventh Young Master that I’ve announced the matter of the child to the world. He needs to go to my family with betrothal gifts and bring me back with proper marriage rites. If luck isn’t on our side, then he should at least bring back my coffin and place it in the Wei family mausoleum. I’ll wait there below, waiting for him. After a hundred years, when he comes down, we’ll be buried together then.”

After saying this, Chu Yu turned around and walked down quickly. Jiang Chun was dazed for a long time before she suddenly reacted.

“Chu Yu!”

She chased after her frantically, but Chu Yu was walking very fast. As she walked, she gestured to the soldiers: “Open the city gates!”

Jiang Chun chased behind, always a few steps behind. She cried out Chu Yu’s name, shouting, “Chu Yu, stop! Stop!”

But Chu Yu’s martial arts were far superior to hers. She watched as Chu Yu nimbly flipped down from the long ladder and ran straight out of the city gate.

Jiang Chun wanted to chase further, but Qian Yong rushed over and grabbed her, while nearby soldiers closed the city gate. Jiang Chun cried, her face full of tears. She ran up to the tower and saw Chu Yu with her back turned, in red clothes with a silver spear, walking alone on the plain. Yellow sand was scattered in the air by the wind as she walked towards Fu Xin with a smile.

She didn’t look back.