Both the Queen and the commander had their brains squeezed by doors, so everyone was helpless. They could only look tragically at the beacon fires, thinking they were done for this time. Well, dying with Her Majesty the Queen on Chentie soil wouldn’t be too bad. Since this was a one-way trip, they had to fight with gusto. Their subsequent actions were indeed faster, racing along and capturing three more cities. Three days later they approached the counties surrounding Chentie’s capital.
By this time, the surrounding areas had indeed moved upon hearing the news. Feicui Territory quickly deployed troops, using cavalry to flash out of the city and occupy the checkpoint adjacent to Chentie, blocking Jing Hengbo’s retreat route.
Other neighboring kingdoms and territories either observed or mobilized armies, stationing troops at borders, ready to profit from the chaos.
Three Gates Four Alliances Seven Gangs Thirteen Guardians and Shangyuan City almost simultaneously entered war readiness when the beacon fires were lit. Both sides crossed the three counties’ territory with frequent secret communications. The day after Jing Hengbo’s Horizontal Halberd Army entered Chentie’s royal city counties, Three Gates Four Alliances Seven Gangs Thirteen Guardians attacked from outside to inside, while Shangyuan City’s Ming Yan’an attacked from inside to outside, launching a surprise assault on the three counties caught in between.
Jing Hengbo had left civil officials in the three counties. Just when they were leaderless, Pei Shu returned with Meng Potian. Without waiting for appointment, Pei Shu immediately took command of military affairs, urgently ordering all forces to assemble. He used strategy to lure Shangyuan’s army out of the city, utilizing darkness and complex terrain, as well as the martial world alliance’s loose organization, causing Shangyuan’s army and the martial alliance army to collide and fight chaotically. He then led cavalry to charge in, taking advantage of the fire, engaging in battle and greatly defeating the alliance army, capturing thousands of prisoners from both sides, making his name in one battle.
Only then did people realize that the former Dragon City Young Marshal hadn’t had his spirit worn down by years in Tianhui Valley. He had transformed from an unsheathed sword to a sheathed sword—a cup of strong wine still gleamed, while sword-light gathered dust on its surface.
While Pei Shu’s reputation soared and he stabilized the rear, Jing Hengbo’s forces had stopped in Chentie’s heartland.
When her troops reached the royal city counties, Tie Fenglei was still in the royal palace, having just killed a minister who opposed him. Stepping through pools of blood, he admired the fearless expression of the woman below, using blood-stained fingers to lift her chin, grinning wickedly: “So you’re that… Xia Zirui? The female official beside the Queen?”
Heavy chains bound Tian Qi and Tie Xinze below the steps, both glaring angrily at Tie Fenglei, though they couldn’t even cry out.
Xia Zirui stubbornly turned her head away. Tie Fenglei gripped her chin forcefully and turned it back, laughing: “What a spirited little lady. Seeing your temperament makes me even more eager for our Queen. Pressing her beneath me, hearing her soft moans, would definitely be interesting. Or maybe both of you together, haha…”
Before his laughter ended, a general burst into the palace with urgent news: “Great King! The Black Water Queen has been advancing rapidly and is now approaching the city!”
Tie Fenglei’s fingers trembled, and Xia Zirui took the chance to break free. Tie Fenglei sneered and waved his hand: “Bring Black Wind!”
An attendant led up a black panther. The fierce beast had pure black fur, sleek and glossy, with a powerful build. Its golden eyes held the same cruel coldness that looked down on life as Tie Fenglei’s eyes.
This was Tie Fenglei’s mount, named Black Wind.
Tie Fenglei waved again: “Bring the hostages! This king will go to the city walls to meet the Black Water Queen!”
He mounted Black Wind with earth-swallowing momentum, patting its basket-sized head and laughing: “Kill well! I hear that Queen has delicate skin and tender flesh, quite delicious. After this king enjoys her, I’ll let you have a taste.”
The panther roared excitedly, seeming to understand human speech.
“Someone come.” Tie Fenglei waved again: “Tie my seventh brother behind Black Wind—I want him as my panther-driver!”
Immediately someone attached the chains binding Tie Xinze’s hands to the saddle on the panther’s back. His feet were also chained, so he could only stumble along behind the panther.
Xia Zirui’s face went deathly pale as she screamed: “A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated!”
“Gentleman? Gentleman?” Tie Fenglei laughed loudly: “In my eyes, you’re all just shit!”
He swept his sleeve with sounds of wind and thunder. The panther leaped up, and Tie Xinze couldn’t control his form, stumbling and falling to the ground, immediately being dragged along.
Xia Zirui couldn’t help but scream as she was driven forward by Tie Fenglei’s subordinates. Watching the billowing dust, tears instantly blurred her vision.
Through the blur, she saw that man struggling desperately, first propping up his body to half-kneel on the ground. The panther’s forward momentum hadn’t stopped, so his knees were immediately dragged bloody on the stone ground, leaving a vivid red bloodstain on the white marble surface.
But he didn’t fall. With a roll, he finally stood up. Though his subsequent running was unsteady, he had ultimately saved himself and wouldn’t be dragged to death.
In the dust, he still didn’t forget to look back and give Xia Zirui a comforting smile.
His smile was like warm sunlight, blooming brilliantly in this somewhat desolate winter evening.
Tears finally rolled down her cheeks like pearls. At this moment, Xia Zirui only wanted to throw herself into his arms and ask if it hurt.
The panther raced forward like wind, first passing through the imperial garden. Tie Fenglei liked to gallop through his own palace. He disliked flowers and plants, finding them obstructive, so his imperial garden had no flowering trees but kept many rare birds and exotic beasts, even cranes that walked on thin long legs, wandering in shallow lake water.
Those beautiful animals were his viewing objects when he was in a good mood, but mere snacks for Black Wind when he was in a bad mood.
Now was when he was in a bad mood.
A crane suddenly flew up, blocking his vision.
“Shoot it down!” He pointed at the crane, ordering brutally.
The imperial guards nocked arrows to shoot, but the crane suddenly did a somersault in mid-air. The guards looked at each other in confusion—before they could act, the crane had fallen down.
The next instant, the diving crane’s long beak viciously pecked at the panther’s eye!
Everyone, including the panther, was caught off guard. The panther gave a miserable shriek and instinctively rolled, throwing Tie Fenglei off its back.
Tie Fenglei crashed to the ground and immediately roared in fury: “Beast!” He raised his whip and lashed out.
“Crack!” The whip struck the panther’s spine. The animal, maddened by extreme pain and its wildness aroused by its own blood, raised its claw and actually caught Tie Fenglei’s whip, pressing it under its paw.
In its extreme fury, it was about to raise its paw and kill the person beneath with one strike. But hearing Tie Fenglei’s voice, it forcibly restrained itself and didn’t move.
Tie Fenglei tried to pull back his whip but couldn’t. Looking up, he saw the panther with one eye flashing golden light and the other dripping red blood—it looked as fierce as a demon beast. Greatly alarmed, he repeatedly ordered: “This beast has gone mad! Kill it! Kill it!”
The imperial guards drew bows and nocked arrows, firing ten thousand arrows at once. The panther raised its head and roared with infinite grief and anger. Stepping on Tie Fenglei’s arm, it leaped up.
In the sunset, its leaping form was like a black lightning bolt. Countless arrows scraped across its smooth back but couldn’t penetrate its muscles and bones.
With a final roar of grief, longing, and determination, the panther did a mid-air somersault, shaking off the saddle that symbolized its master, and disappeared in a flash.
Only Tie Fenglei’s miserable groan remained on the empty ground—his arm had been stepped on by the panther as it left, broken into four sections.
Someone tried to approach for treatment, but he pushed them away. He angrily pointed at Zirui and shouted: “She’s the one who did this! This king saw her whistle at the crane earlier! Kill her first!”
The archers immediately turned their arrows toward Xia Zirui.
Tie Xinze suddenly threw himself forward.
He had originally been tied behind the panther. When the panther shook off its saddle, he fell to one side. Now he charged forward like wind and thunder, dragging the saddle and chains, throwing himself over Zirui.
At the same time, Tian Qi kicked over his guard and lunged from another direction.
The three rolled together, with the two men protecting Zirui underneath. Arrows whistled overhead in the low air, filled with the cold metallic scent of iron weapons.
Xia Zirui was pressed at the bottom, hearing the sounds of iron arrows flying and colliding, feeling the slightly trembling bodies of the men above her. Her surging heartbeat and hot tears flowed together. She suddenly embraced Tie Xinze with one hand and grabbed Tian Qi with the other, loudly making a series of strange sounds.
Hoofbeats thundered and wings flapped continuously. Countless birds and beasts in the imperial garden seemed to receive orders and rushed over together. Beasts charged at the archers while birds covered people’s bodies. Arrows whistled through those birds and beasts’ bodies, with countless flapping wings flashing in the sky and blue-white feathers falling everywhere.
The imperial guards had never seen such a scene and were momentarily stunned, their hands slowing.
Tian Qi grabbed Zirui and Tie Xinze, saying through gritted teeth: “Into the water!” The three rolled into the lake beside them.
With a splash, a patch of pale red spread across the lake surface.
When Xia Zirui entered the water, she only felt bone-piercing cold. Her head banged against something unknown, her vision went black, and she fainted.
Before fainting, she only dimly saw a black shadow drift past her eyes.
…
Tie Fenglei was severely injured and couldn’t go to the city gates. He could only order his trusted generals to go up the city walls first while he returned to the rear palace to treat his wounds.
He was a suspicious person. Because he was too brutal and had killed too many people, he also feared being killed one day and trusted no one. After his mount and bodyguard Black Wind left, he actually felt that having anyone escort him back to the palace seemed inappropriate.
He feared being attacked while vulnerable, so he brought no armed guards, ordering a group of eunuchs and palace maids to escort him into the inner palace.
After seizing the throne, he had renovated his sleeping quarters, installing countless mechanisms there to ensure his safety.
To enter the sleeping quarters, one had to first pass the late king’s spirit hall. The late king’s mourning period wasn’t over, so this place should have had continuous sacrificial incense burning, but now it was cold and empty without even a gatekeeper.
When Tie Fenglei passed the hall entrance, he glanced subconsciously and discovered the hall door was half-open.
He thought somewhat angrily that some lazy gatekeeper hadn’t even closed the door properly.
On normal days he might have killed someone, but now his arm was in severe pain and he had no mood for anything. He snorted coldly and was about to walk past.
Just then, the door slowly opened.
Without wind, without people, the door slowly pushed outward with a long creaking sound echoing on the desolate palace path, sounding eerie.
Tie Fenglei couldn’t help but stop, looking inside. In the uniform sunset light and shadows, the dark hall was deep, and directly facing him against the dark background was a bright yellow giant coffin with four-clawed dragons whose angry eyes seemed like fire before his eyes.
He felt cold all over. Looking at the surrounding eunuchs, each was like winter quails, pale and trembling.
He secretly regretted his poor decision, becoming paranoid after being injured. He should have brought some experts.
He didn’t want to linger and tightened his clothes to walk quickly past, but then heard another sound.
Creaking sounds of wood rubbing against wood, something heavy being slowly pushed open, then rustling sounds of thick clothes rubbing against wood, followed by a thud as if something had jumped to the ground—heavy and clumsy—then a series of “thump, thump, thump…” sounds accompanied by the scratching of thick clothing against the ground, approaching step by step, each thump landing on people’s hearts.
These sounds were too conducive to certain unpleasant associations. The eunuchs’ faces had changed from deathly pale to ghastly blue. Everyone opened their mouths wanting to cry out but dared not break the eerie atmosphere, fearing that making a sound would cause whatever was behind the door to violently charge out.
But Tie Fenglei stood firm.
As a famous villain who could kill almost all his brothers and seize the throne, the most brutal prince, his pride and bloodthirsty nature wouldn’t allow him to retreat at this moment.
A corpse coming back to life? So what if it came back to life? If he let his father’s corpse run around the palace, he might as well not be king!
If he dared kill him once before, he dared kill him a second time now!
He shook off the eunuchs’ support, walked up the steps, and kicked the door open.
The door opened wide, revealing the inner hall’s spirit chamber. At a glance, one could see that giant coffin had indeed been opened.
Everyone’s hair stood on end—at this moment, was the old king’s corpse still in that opened coffin?
They dared not think about it.
Tie Fenglei was also stunned, then noticed something wrong behind the door.
Under the door crack, a corner of bright yellow robes was visible, the hem fluttering in the wind.
This color could only be worn by him or his dead father.
Really came back to life?
Tie Fenglei sneered and suddenly drew his sword.
Sword light flashed, piercing through the door panel.
Whether behind the door was human, ghost, or zombie, this sword would pierce the heart even if an immortal came!
The sword sliced through the wooden panel with a hiss, but he felt something was wrong—there seemed to be nothing behind the door!
Then what about that corner of robes?
In a flash of thought, he couldn’t pull out the sword and quickly retreated.
But from behind the door, a withered hand suddenly reached out, grabbed his broken arm, and pulled him violently inward.
Caught off guard and powerless to resist due to severe pain, he stumbled into the door.
Bang! As if pushed by wind or closed by someone, the double doors immediately slammed shut.
Then strange sounds arose—struggling, fluttering, tearing, gnawing, breaking, gasping… muffled and dull, with faint bloody smell in the air.
The eunuchs below the steps stood in a daze, cold inside and out, not knowing what was happening inside, not daring to guess what was happening inside, but everyone understood that the most terrifying and tragic scene in the world was taking place within…
A sharp-eyed eunuch suddenly gave a low cry, pointed at the steps, swayed, and fainted.
Everyone saw deep red blood slowly seeping out, flowing over the white marble steps like a blood snake slowly winding toward their feet…
After a moment of deathly silence.
Screams and cries exploded in the silent, murderous palace.
“The Great King has been killed by the Old King’s corpse!”
…
Rushing footsteps made the silent palace path ring with panicked sounds.
Only the footsteps in the spirit hall were calm and leisurely, as if walking in a spring garden.
Accompanying those calm steps, a leisurely voice arose.
The person said: “Sigh. You look rather miserable like this.”
Pausing, he added: “But if you don’t die, how can I leave an empty city to invite the Queen into the trap?”
Those footsteps gradually faded away.
“Bang!” The double red doors were knocked open, and a person—or rather a lump of meat—stumbled out from behind the door.
Looking carefully at that lump of meat, it seemed to be Tie Fenglei.
Actually, he could already be considered a dead man, yet he hadn’t breathed his last. Hanging with torn flesh all over his body, some places already showing white bone, he gasped and moved outward step by step, leaving bloody footprints, unwilling to give up.
A dying person’s mind was already confused, but his obsession remained. He remembered he was the Great King, ruling this Chentie territory. Now external enemies were invading and internal enemies had severely wounded him. He had to struggle out, he had to call for help.
On the blue stone palace path, a blood trail wound crookedly outward, wider and more vivid than the bloodstain Tie Xinze had been dragged through earlier.
…
“Splash!” Tian Qi’s head emerged from the lake water.
The surrounding imperial guards were gone, all having rushed to rescue because of the Great King’s attack. Tian Qi had held his breath underwater for a while, waiting until there was complete silence before emerging. After gasping for breath, he searched in the lake and dragged out Zirui, who had nearly been tangled by water weeds. Just as he was about to look for Tie Xinze, he suddenly saw someone stumbling toward them.
That person really couldn’t be called human—covered in scattered flesh and blood, grotesquely fierce, shocking Tian Qi’s eyes wide. Watching that person stagger forward, heading straight for Zirui on the shore, with half-skeletal hands waving in the air, the blood color blackened as if poisonous.
Tian Qi didn’t hesitate to send his sword flying. Lightning flashed, piercing the heart.
The person made a rattling sound in his throat, hanging on his sword without falling. Tian Qi vaguely felt this person was familiar and was about to look more carefully when he suddenly heard Tie Xinze’s voice behind him, saying sadly: “Third Brother…”
Tian Qi was shocked, only then recognizing this lump of rotten meat as Tie Fenglei. But in just this short time, how had the previously cruel and arrogant Tie Fenglei become like this?
He didn’t know whether to feel joy or sorrow, turning to look at Tie Xinze, whose face was pale with wet black hair stuck to his forehead.
“Do you want to avenge your third brother?” Tian Qi asked softly.
Tie Xinze stared at Tie Fenglei. Tie Fenglei was stuck on Tian Qi’s sword, never closing his eyes even in death. Those protruding eyes seemed to still retain shock, confusion, anger, regret… various complex emotions.
Tie Xinze reached out and slowly closed Tie Fenglei’s eyelids.
He said softly: “No. I said before that blood brothers are brothers, and sworn brothers are also brothers. If we meet on a narrow path, please freely pursue your vengeance. If he hurts you, I will personally act too.”
Tian Qi remained silent, then after a long while firmly squeezed his shoulder: “I’m glad to have you as a brother!” Thinking again, he said coquettishly: “I’m not quite used to calling someone ‘brother.’ How about ‘big brother’?”
Tie Xinze smiled: “As you wish.” He lifted Tie Fenglei’s corpse onto his back: “Regardless, he was my elder brother. I want to arrange his funeral first.”
“Go quickly.” Tian Qi waved and smiled: “All your brothers are dead. Whether you want it or not, this throne has to be yours now. Hahaha, fate determines gain and loss—you can’t see the result until the very end.”
Tie Xinze shook his head, saying bitterly: “If this throne only comes through such life-and-death struggle with relatives dying, I’d rather be an ordinary person…”
Tian Qi watched his figure gradually disappear carrying the corpse, sighing to the newly awakened Zirui: “Old Tie really is a good person. This Chentie throne should be his! Such a person who values emotion and righteousness… you’re blessed too.”
Zirui gazed at Tie Xinze’s retreating figure, a shallow blush of happiness spreading across her slightly pale face.
…
At the royal city gates, the battle hadn’t started yet.
Jing Hengbo patrolled below the city, waiting for Tie Fenglei to appear. Light cavalry charges and surprise attacks could take border cities, but taking even the royal city in one fell swoop was a dream.
But Jing Hengbo had her own ideas. Her teleportation was unmatched in the world, most suitable for capturing the leader first. Based on her understanding of Tie Fenglei, this kind of fierce thug would definitely come up the city walls personally. And this kind of fierce thug might not win people’s hearts. As long as she captured Tie Fenglei, with Tie Xinze readily available, and not coveting Chentie’s royal power herself, Chentie’s resistance wouldn’t be too fierce, allowing smooth transition of royal power.
Ultimately, she wasn’t here to grab territory—she was completely here to support a friend.
Tie Xinze had been a hostage for many years and had merit to the country. When the old king sent him as hostage, he had personally said that after Tie Xinze endured those years, he would pass the throne to him. Chentie officials and people now submitted to Tie Fenglei’s tyranny, but that didn’t mean they didn’t know where legitimate royal power should lie.
But now an hour had passed and Tie Fenglei hadn’t appeared. The defending general wouldn’t engage, with both sides staring at each other, neither wanting to start the battle first.
The generals were getting restless. Having fought this far, they’d rather have an immediate real battle than be worn down and then surrounded.
But no matter how they cursed and provoked, there was no response from the city walls. The defending general seemed to be just a defender who dared not engage without the Great King’s orders.
This showed Tie Fenglei’s tyrannical autocracy. Under such a controlling ruler, once cracks appeared in royal power, it could easily collapse immediately.
Beside Jing Hengbo, Ying Bai suddenly raised his eyebrows: “There’s commotion in the city.”
Qisha had already leaped up, forming a human pyramid in mid-air, competing to climb to the top to see the scene inside, laughing loudly: “Hey, what are they doing in there? Performing opera?”
After a while, Jing Hengbo heard shouting and neighing from the city, hoofbeats rushing toward the city gate—it sounded like a major incident had occurred.
She saw soldiers on the city walls looking down in panic, saw the general hurrying down and up the city, ordering reinforcement of city defenses, heard continuous horn and whistle signals from the city, with commotion on the walls too.
Instinct told her—the time had come!
“Give me a hand!” She slapped Ying Bai.
Ying Bai somehow had a bow in his hand—an extremely rare three-stone heavy bow, completely iron-wrapped, the kind ordinary people couldn’t even lift. That bow became a full moon easily in his hands. With a snap, a round object shot into the air.
All eyes on the city walls instinctively followed it. More people crowded around the defending general, pushing him back.
The Queen’s miraculous reputation had already spread throughout Dahuang. Everyone knew the Queen’s lightness skill was unmatched, appearing and disappearing mysteriously. They all guarded against her sudden capture, desperately blocking the main general, preferring retreat to engagement.
That round object tumbled in the air—familiar in shape, clearly a wine jug.
The wine jug weighed a full five catties, shot up by the heavy bow. But this arrow wasn’t aimed at the city walls—it had already passed over the battlements, heading straight above the city wall. Everyone on the walls looked up to see a black-silver mass growing larger, blocking the sunlight.
Then it exploded.
Wine sprayed like a fountain in all directions.
The scattered clear liquor, reflected in the evening sunlight, created five-colored ethereal rainbows spanning the sky, so dazzling it made people’s eyes water.
After the dazzling came dizziness. Everyone was mesmerized by that brilliance, forgetting that wine could be strong liquor.
The strong liquor drunk by someone who spent all year soaking in wine vats wasn’t something ordinary people could withstand.
Almost instantly, everyone on the walls felt dizzy, their steps slightly unsteady, and the circle protecting the commander involuntarily loosened.
Whether it was wine-light flashing on clouds or a figure flashing, wine rained down on the walls. After the rain passed, there was one more person in the crowd.
She walked nimbly through the crowd, kicking aside those still dizzy in front of her. A rope flew through the air in a beautiful spiral, looping around the main general’s neck.
Her other hand flashed a throwing knife—crack—the flagpole broke, and a half-flag was lowered on the walls.
Below, there was a roar as everyone shouted together: “Tie Fenglei has been killed! The main general surrenders and offers the city—quickly open the city gates!”
The cavalry racing from the city heard this and couldn’t help reining in their horses, greatly alarmed: “How do they know the Great King was killed? Could someone be collaborating with them?”
The soldiers on the walls saw their main general captured and reacted quickly, all aiming their bows and arrows at Jing Hengbo.
“Even if you killed General Wang, you can’t leave these walls!” the deputy general shouted.
“We can try that.” Jing Hengbo smiled, her figure flashing.
The next instant, everyone lost sight of her, only hearing a chuckling laugh overhead. Looking again, she was on the tower, robes fluttering.
Evening sunlight gathered at the tower’s peak, while dark crossbow light flowed within, and she was bright in contrast against the sunlight.
Everyone felt awed, their breathing disrupted.
Jing Hengbo raised her hand—she still held the rope, and due to her movement, the defending general Wang An was pulled up and suspended in mid-air, his face purple, nearly strangled to death.
“Cut the rope!” someone roared. Countless swords, knives, daggers, and arrows headed straight for that taut rope.
But that graceful figure flashed again, disappearing from the tower. The next instant she stood on the battlements, making the taut rope in her hand vibrate with twanging sounds.
The rope kept trembling, clearly showing the suspended person struggling desperately. But he was hanging on the city wall facing the enemy. The people on the walls couldn’t rescue him, while Jing Hengbo’s army below could turn him into a pincushion at any time.
Everyone on the walls was anxious but dared not approach, not even daring to shoot arrows at Jing Hengbo anymore. Once she fell to the walls, the main general would surely die.
Everyone looked up at the Queen in the vast evening glow. She still wore a skirt in battle—a red dress like fire, fluttering in the wind. From below, people could see her extremely slender waist, the billowing silk dress blown by wind. Sometimes the wind pressed the dress against her legs, revealing such long, straight legs and her vase-like silhouette. Like a goddess walking out of sunset, more brilliant than the sunset glow.
Yet that beauty made people feel both gorgeous and murderous, as if her current act of holding an enemy general by rope, facing the enemy army with her back turned, strolling on the city walls, wasn’t reckless bravery or false dominance, but an inner surging killing intent, deliberately seeking a spectacular death.
Jing Hengbo paused briefly on the walls, her laughter lazy yet loud: “He’s now hanging at the city gate. I’ll swing him three times. Open the city gates within those three swings and you still have a chance to rescue and treat him. Otherwise…”
She smiled and raised her hand.
Almost no one had time to think. Someone roared: “Go open the gate!”
Several figures shot up, heading straight for below the city—there was no time to think. Jing Hengbo hadn’t given them time to hesitate. Wang An was swinging at the city gate. Indeed, only by opening the gate could they snatch him down and cut the rope. The Queen had presented a choice with no alternatives—either open the gate or lose the main general. Either way, it was complete defeat.
Her dominance was hidden in lazy laughter, forcing people into dead ends while chatting and laughing.
The rope swung leisurely up. Below, Qisha laughed loudly: “A human kite—so pretty!”
But Jing Hengbo was somewhat lost in thought.
It seemed not long ago, she was still a carefree girl swinging on a swing outside that person’s window. She scattered laughter across his window, using all her strength just for him to look up once.
In the blink of an eye, seas had changed to mulberry fields. When had she become a cruel and brutal demon, standing on enemy city walls, swinging living human lives like a swing?
What had changed her? Fate? Enemies? Heartlessness? Or this world’s inexplicable deep emotion?
Suddenly she felt desolate disgust in her heart.
She released her hand.
With a thunderous sound, the city gate opened just at that moment. Several figures shot out like lightning, catching the barely breathing Wang An. When they prepared to cut the rope, they found it had already fallen away.
Jing Hengbo’s figure flashed as she descended the city. Facing the wide-open gates, she smiled gently.
“Enter the city.”
…