Yélu Xunru listened to the wind sounds from that direction and smiled, “He’s quite anxious.” She counted on her fingers and added, “At this rate he can break out of the formation within a quarter-hour… Tsk tsk, such speed, truly remarkable. Even if that old immortal came with his world-renowned formation mastery, it wouldn’t be much better. But this way he’ll be injured…”
“What, does sister feel sorry for him?” Yélu Qi’s horse also moved slowly and immediately stopped. He turned to smile at his sister from his saddle, light flowing in his eyes.
“I only feel sorry he won’t die.” Yélu Xunru snorted, but then sighed.
Yélu Qi also sighed at the same time.
The siblings looked at each other and both smiled helplessly.
“I really don’t want to interfere. What reason is there in this world to help one’s romantic rival?” Yélu Xunru murmured. “But since Gong Yin is so anxious, it means Jing Hengbo’s situation is truly critical. Only he can command those two cavalry forces, and Jing Hengbo must be waiting for him. So someone wants to hold him back here… Delaying him means delaying Jing Hengbo!”
Yélu Qi remained silent. This was truly something that made one very unwilling.
Yélu Xunru was stunned for a while, then suddenly patted her brother’s shoulder and said, “Can’t think about it that way. The key now is that if Gong Yin can’t go, Jing Hengbo will be in trouble. If Jing Hengbo gets in trouble, you’ll have no wife. Weighing two evils, choose the lesser—can’t lose the greater for the smaller. So I’ll go.”
Yélu Qi had been nodding at the first part, but was startled at the end. Knowing his sister’s character of acting immediately upon deciding, he had no time to dissuade her and quickly reached out to grab her, but Yélu Xunru had already leaped from her horse.
She had been feeling somewhat better recently, looking as if she temporarily wouldn’t die, and had inexplicably gained excellent lightness skills. When Yélu Qi asked her about this, she smiled mysteriously without answering, so Yélu Qi also smiled without pressing. Whatever the source, as long as his sister didn’t suffer losses.
Yélu Xunru waved back at him, “I’ve encountered this formation at Seven Peaks Mountain. Only blind people are suitable for breaking through. I’ll go replace him and get him out. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely make him pay some price.”
She muttered as she leaped away, feeling she was taking a huge loss and planning to properly extort Gong Yin later, while making sure he couldn’t tell she was extorting on Yélu Qi’s behalf.
…
Gong Yin had circulated his sword energy eighteen times, his true qi unified as one, having already touched eighteen formation nodes. If nothing unexpected happened, he could probably exit the formation within half an hour.
This naturally consumed tremendous true force, but he could no longer care about that.
His heart remained anxious—half an hour was still too long.
To save time, the two cavalry forces had already received his orders to march directly to the Chentie border. As a precaution, he had ordered that if he failed to arrive in time, the cavalry could proceed without waiting for him. But due to military secrecy and to prevent unrest, the cavalry didn’t know they would face Kanglong forces. Battlefields were perilous, and underestimating the enemy could easily lead to great losses when caught off guard.
Once military strength was damaged, it would be very difficult to break open Chentie’s royal city in the shortest time, and then Jing Hengbo…
One move affected the whole body.
The time he had agreed upon with the cavalry forces was only one hour away, with nearly a hundred li of road remaining. If he spent another half hour trapped in the formation, he would absolutely be too late.
And once the time came, the cavalry would depart and enter Chentie territory. If they encountered Kanglong forces there… the consequences would be unthinkable.
He knew the fastest way to break this formation. If there were someone who understood formations, they could strike the formation nodes from outside. When the formation briefly paused, they could enter and take his place, allowing him to escape most quickly.
But where in the world would such coincidence exist? Having someone present didn’t mean they understood formations; understanding formations didn’t mean they’d be willing to take his place; being willing to take his place still required not fearing the Baipu fluff. When entering the formation, the Baipu would surge and obscure vision. If they failed to find his position in that instant, entering would only trap another person. Moreover, this type of formation restrained those with higher martial arts more—only those without martial arts could possibly remain unharmed… It was full of contradictions. How could someone who understood formations not know martial arts? How could someone without martial arts quickly enter and replace him? Where could he find someone who understood formations, had no martial arts, wasn’t afraid of Baipu’s eye irritation, and had keen senses? Even if such a person existed, how could they appear at this moment?
His heart grew colder layer by layer, his chest aching faintly. He pressed his fingers to his chest, guiding a thread of true qi. Faintly, light flickered at his fingertips like about to ignite a fuse.
What would ignite was the fuse of his true qi. Once he triggered the protective true qi hidden within, even he couldn’t predict the consequences.
His fingertip was about to touch his chest.
Suddenly he felt the Baipu floating around him stop.
He immediately halted his action and raised his head, then heard whistling wind sounds from outside and a crack somewhere.
Someone was touching the formation nodes from outside and entering the formation!
A moment of wild joy—the most ecstatic moment of his life. But he still vigilantly stepped back, raising his ice-snow chains slightly toward the newcomer’s direction.
Though he knew the possibility was small, he still hoped beyond hope that this person could find his location as quickly as possible.
The next instant, a body truly lunged over!
His ice-snow chains instinctively flew up but immediately dropped as he sensed the other party had no martial arts.
Truly no martial arts!
Truly found the formation nodes!
Truly calculated his position!
Even unaffected by the Baipu.
Having scorned heaven all his life and resented his thin fate, at this moment he couldn’t help but thank the heavens, thank destiny for treating him generously.
He suddenly felt something wrong—that body was lunging straight into his embrace!
This posture…
The person who disliked human contact wanted to retreat again, but suddenly remembered that if he moved now, the formation would change and the other party might not find him. He had to stand still.
The next moment, a body crashed into his embrace and naturally wrapped around his waist.
Gong Yin’s entire body stiffened.
His first impulse was to kick the person away—no, he couldn’t. Then he wanted to pry the person off—still couldn’t. Finally he extended his fingers, preparing to lift the person up as politely as possible while apologizing.
But before his hand reached out, that person was already crying, “Oh, how I’ve missed you! You’ve worn me out searching!”
The voice was female, whimpering and muffled, using a thin, affected tone that wasn’t very clear.
But with these words, Gong Yin immediately didn’t dare move, as it sounded like the other party was an acquaintance, though the voice was unfamiliar.
“You are…”
“You don’t recognize me…” the woman sobbed pitifully, “but I recognize you. Ever since I first saw you at Qu River, I’ve felt… felt toward you…” She shyly sniffled twice. “I’ve searched for you so long, never expecting to see you here…”
Gong Yin was momentarily bewildered.
He now commanded all of Dahuang, wielding power over the realm. In his youth, his circumstances had been tumultuous, struggling at every step. Whether during his early destitution or later excessive nobility, both would make women afraid to approach, especially given his cold temperament.
So for many years, apart from Jing Hengbo, he truly hadn’t encountered anyone who confessed to him face-to-face.
With Jing Hengbo, they had traveled together through hardships from the beginning, naturally progressing—it hadn’t been this sudden and passionate.
His mysterious attention now focused on Qu River. He had gone to Qu River as Wei Yin to provide backup for Jing Hengbo. Because he had remained hidden on the small boat throughout, never showing himself, he had been in his true appearance. But he had barely left the boat—how could this woman have seen him? Could it have been when boarding or disembarking? Was this a fisherman’s daughter?
If not, how could this woman mention Qu River so precisely? That was the only time he hadn’t worn any mask.
But he immediately dismissed this in his mind. Impossible—there weren’t so many coincidences. This fisherman’s daughter couldn’t possibly break formations here. This person must be a familiar acquaintance who understood him.
Not wanting to remove the cloth covering his eyes—he still needed to lead troops and couldn’t let his eyes be injured.
Very well, see what the other party wanted. Whatever it was, escaping was most important.
“So it’s you.” He didn’t shake off the woman, lowering his head gently. “What do you want to say? Get up and speak, alright?”
Yélu Xunru was stunned, not expecting this reaction from Gong Yin. She had barely had any direct contact with Gong Yin, but knew this person was coldly noble and most unwilling to let people close. When she lunged to embrace him, she had intended to mess with him. If this fellow couldn’t bear it and threw her out, that would be her own courting death—couldn’t blame her.
Now that Gong Yin wasn’t playing by conventional rules, she was also quick to react. Curling her lips, she quickly stood up but still kept her arms around Gong Yin’s waist, incidentally pinching his waist while thinking: how is this waist even thinner than little Qi’s? Hmph, men with too-thin waists are the ugliest. While not caring whether Yélu Qi could see, she secretly made a victory gesture toward outside the formation—a gesture she had learned from Jing Hengbo.
“You seem to have trouble…” she sniffled.
“Yes, can you help me?” He got straight to the point.
“Mm… mm…” She hemmed and hawed, calculating how to avoid losses for little Qi.
“Whatever your demands, just state them.” Gong Yin was somewhat impatient. He was certain this person was taking advantage of his desperate situation, and had decided to agree to whatever she wanted first.
“I want… I want…” Yélu Xunru’s eyes rolled, and she suddenly embraced him. “I want you!”
Gong Yin froze, suppressing the urge to tear her off roughly, and smiled gently. “Stop joking. Tell me, what do you want?”
But Yélu Xunru had already made up her mind.
“I want you. Only you.” She raised her face, staring at Gong Yin’s cleanly lined profile, while reluctantly admitting in her heart that Gong Yin was indeed worthy of Jing Hengbo, and said tenderly, “I followed you all this way and risked my life to save you. Aren’t you moved? In storybooks, at times like this, one should pledge oneself and promise lifelong commitment…”
Gong Yin wondered: where did this weirdo come from? Having one Jing Hengbo in this world was already miraculous enough—how had another appeared?
“So, repay me with your lifetime…” Yélu Xunru moved quickly, proposing while feeling around Gong Yin’s waist. Gong Yin disliked wearing ornaments, so she didn’t find any jade pendants or similar items. With difficulty, she found a brocade pouch in his belt’s hidden layer and reached to take it.
“Let go!” Gong Yin suddenly changed expression.
Yélu Xunru paid no attention, continuing to feel around while saying sweetly, “You can’t bear to part with it? Don’t be like that—I risked my life to save you…”
Gong Yin’s outstretched hand froze mid-air, his posture suddenly very stiff.
Yélu Xunru lowered her head, concealing a triumphant smile, and openly took the pouch, tucking it into her own bosom.
“This counts as your agreement to me, right?” She looked up at Gong Yin, feeling the body she leaned against trembling slightly, and her heart also trembled with laughter.
Gong Yin didn’t answer. She didn’t speak either—after all, she wasn’t the anxious one.
After a long while, Gong Yin vaguely made a “mm” sound.
Yélu Xunru felt that forcing the heaven-overlooking Gong Yin to this point was adequate revenge for her brother.
She “gazed lovingly” at Gong Yin’s chest, playing with his robe front, and said softly, “I consider myself your fiancée now. I might die in this formation—dying for you would be no regret. But if I don’t die, when I come to find you in the future with this betrothal token, you mustn’t refuse to acknowledge me…”
After another pause, they heard Gong Yin’s even more muffled “mm.”
Yélu Xunru touched Gong Yin’s clothing, realizing this wasn’t the legendary white robes of Dahuang’s lord, and thinking of him impersonating her brother and taking many advantages, anger arose from within.
She took out clothing from her back bundle. She always carried her brother’s garments, mending them from time to time—not from virtue, purely for self-training.
“Your clothes aren’t very good, they have a messy scent of rouge and powder,” she had already automatically assumed the role of “fiancée,” while stripping his clothes and saying, “Change to this one.”
Gong Yin had to brush away her hands and undress himself, thinking that retribution came quickly—those who strip others shall be stripped in return.
Nothing to say—just humor her and leave.
Removing his outer robe and putting on what Yélu Xunru gave him, his “fiancée” earnestly instructed: “This is made stitch by stitch with my own hands. Don’t you dare change it.”
Gong Yin thought about changing it immediately when free while nodding.
Yélu Xunru chuckled, “Swear you won’t change it.”
“I swear.” He was very cooperative.
But Yélu Xunru wasn’t fooled—not specifying the content, what kind of oath was that?
Such a cunning person—Bobo shouldn’t be with him!
“You swear,” she said methodically, “if you change this garment within three days, or use other clothing to cover this garment, what you want to accomplish will fail, what you want to recover cannot be recovered, your lifelong wishes will come to nothing, and in heaven and earth, you’ll never find any hope again.”
Gong Yin’s eyes sharpened.
He had prepared to swear oaths like having his whole family die and go to hell, not expecting this woman’s oath to be more critical and vicious than he’d imagined.
How could he let things become irretrievable, let Hengbo perish in this battle?
Who was this woman?
Pressing step by step, each strike hitting vital points.
Unable to delay at this moment, he had to follow her lead and swear the oath, then put on the garments properly.
Though knowing there must be traps and schemes, he had to continue forward.
Seeing him dress quickly but stiffly, Yélu Xunru thought someone had reached his limit—playing further would be counterproductive. Better quit while ahead, quit while ahead, hehe.
“Good. You can go out now.” She stood on tiptoe, patting Gong Yin’s cheek, sighing, “Such good skin, so smooth, so beautiful. If it weren’t so inconvenient… I’d really want to finish our business right now…”
Gong Yin’s whole body trembled. His intention to snatch back the pouch immediately vanished, and he turned to leave.
At this moment the formation was paused. Yélu Xunru’s timing was excellent—a thread of clear light glowed faintly ahead. To Gong Yin, that was hope for Jing Hengbo’s survival. To pursue this light, anything could be disregarded.
He pushed past Yélu Xunru, flashed once, and exited the formation.
He didn’t even say thanks.
Couldn’t thank her—this was pure extortion.
In the shadows, Yélu Qi watched Gong Yin’s departing figure with complex emotions.
“Snap”—a brocade pouch flew out from the formation and landed in his palm.
“Sister, why aren’t you coming out?” Yélu Qi called.
“Oh dear, I’m trapped.” Someone lay on the ground, brushing away the Baipu, calling out completely unconcerned, “That old immortal Ziwei seems to be returning soon, right? You go your way and send someone toward Seven Peaks Mountain to tell him to save me! Say I’m trapped by the world-opening, universe-creating, unparalleled, star-shifting, mountain-moving, sea-relocating absolute formation, and if he doesn’t save me I’ll die. My death doesn’t matter, but what if it’s two lives lost…”
Yélu Qi nearly fell from his horse. “Sister, you’re pregnant?!”
Yélu Xunru touched her belly, pursing her lips, thinking it would be nice if it were true, while saying melodiously, “Hard to say, maybe? Some things are very mysterious, right? Just say it like that.”
Yélu Qi wiped sweat from his forehead in the winter night—could she not be so good at seizing opportunities? Could she not be so frightening?
With his fierce sister refusing to come out of the formation, he had to give up—probably no one capable of harming her had been born yet.
He looked back toward Chentie’s direction, gripping the pouch in his hand.
Gong Yin’s only personally treasured pouch—what could be inside?
…
Wind howled fiercely as his steed raced like light and lightning. He crouched low, his long hair streaming straight behind him in the wind.
Hengbo, how are you?
…
“Report! Kanglong and Chentie have pressed close to the palace city! Chentie forces control all key routes, and Kanglong forces have begun attacking the palace gates!”
“Pass down orders—once Kanglong forces gain momentum, don’t resist at the palace gates. Use the palace walls before Jingyuan Hall in the inner palace as protective walls, concentrate all weapons there!”
“No! Your Majesty! We can’t keep retreating step by step. Eventually the enemy will compress us into the inner palace’s dead corner. When there’s nowhere left to retreat, that will be our death!”
“Your Majesty! Our scouts discovered tunnels in the rear palace. We can resist desperately in the front palace while you and the elite forces exit through the tunnels. After leaving Chentie, summon Commander Pei to strike Chentie and Kanglong from behind. This is the only way to save everyone!”
“That will kill many people—I don’t want that!”
“Defending to the death now means no one gets out, and eventually everyone dies!”
“I won’t let you die. I brought you out, so I’ll definitely get you all back intact! Transmit my orders—don’t fight to the death to avoid excessive casualties. We’ll have a turning point. If heaven truly harms me and we reach the final moment, all of you surrender—not one person is allowed to resist! Cheng Gumo is ambitious. After this move he has no retreat and will definitely rebel. He most needs military strength and absolutely won’t kill you—he’ll only incorporate you. Everyone can live!”
“Your Majesty, what about you yourself?”
“Whatever!”
“Your Majesty, this matter cannot be treated lightly! Forget whether the soldiers are willing to surrender—even if we lay down our weapons, what about you? You definitely won’t survive! Cheng Gumo will never spare you!”
“The one who can decide my life or death is not Cheng Gumo!”
“Your Majesty, there’s clearly still hope for life—why do you insist on seeking death!”
“Because I believe—I won’t lose!”
…
From the highest point in the palace, she gazed at streets like blood vessels, while the black Kanglong army was poisonous blood, steadily pressing toward Chentie’s heart. Soon it would seep into the valves, then the ventricles and atria…
And she stood at the very center of the heart.
As everyone said, once that poisonous blood entered the heart, even if she had other preparations, even if others wouldn’t face mortal danger, she would have absolutely no path to survival.
The sun was high, beacon fires were high, wind and clouds were high, and her standing position was high.
Before I become everyone’s target, I want you to see me first.
Will you turn a blind eye?
The royal city’s gates had opened, the palace city’s warning bells had rung. Below the city, countless people busily moved supplies. She smelled the intermingled scents of firearms and iron weapons—burning hot yet bone-chilling.
Gong Yin.
Where are you?
…
He was on horseback.
His fierce steed galloped wildly. He didn’t even have time to bring his wounded subordinates. At the Chentie border, at the last moment, he rendezvoused with the two cavalry forces.
Along the way, he noticed there were no signals for cavalry departure, and his heart couldn’t help but rejoice. Then he heard the faint sounds of clashing weapons carried on the wind.
His figure streaked across the sky like a meteor. From mid-air, he could see his cavalry engaged in fierce battle with another army.
Looking at those soldiers’ uniforms and organization, they actually belonged to Shangyuan forces. Fortunately, though elite, their numbers weren’t large. After all, to circumvent Pei Shu’s military formation and cross most of others’ territory to set up ambushes at this border between tortoiseshell and Chentie lands, it would be impossible to deploy large forces.
As soon as he arrived, the army had a backbone and quickly routed the Shangyuan forces. The Shangyuan army didn’t linger in battle, because they had received Ming Yan’an’s orders a few days ago, rushing day and night to set up the ambush, and hadn’t received any further commands from the king since, not daring to act independently.
Ming Yan’an had been poisoned into a minor stroke by the brocade-robed man and was temporarily unable to give any follow-up instructions.
Gong Yin also didn’t linger in battle, leading the cavalry to withdraw and depart. He still had the original cavalry captain lead the troops while he hid among the soldiers, racing along.
Chentie territory had fallen into chaos. Successive waves of armies demanding passage had left the border cities unable to restore normal order. Gong Yin’s cavalry advanced through small roads, reaching Chentie’s heartland in one day and night.
Xiang Mountain was Chentie’s inland border dividing mountain, a necessary passage to the royal city. The mountain terrain wasn’t treacherous, but the mountain split in two, with a narrow pass between.
The cavalry formed a long line. They first sent scouts to explore, but before the men and horses could advance, someone in tattered armor came stumbling out of the mountain pass, shouting as he ran: “Danger ahead! Quickly change routes!”
The cavalry reined in their horses alertly. That person charged directly toward them. His armor was very familiar—a Dragon Cavalry soldier said in shock, “Could this be Kanglong army? Kanglong brothers, how are you here?”
That Kanglong army squad leader also looked up in shock, saying, “Could these be Yuzhao Dragon Cavalry brothers? How is Dragon Cavalry here? Did you also receive secret orders from the State Preceptor to come aid Chentie, like us?”
The Dragon Cavalry soldier immediately responded, “Exactly. So Kanglong army also received secret orders? Then brother, what’s the situation ahead?”
That Kanglong squad leader said, “There are ambushes ahead. We’ve already suffered losses and came specially to report.”
During this exchange, Gong Yin slowly raised his head from among the crowd.
His eyes flashed.
As expected.
He looked up at the sky. Kanglong’s ambush forces here wouldn’t be numerous, but resolving them would still take time.
Time, time.
Another delay.
Clouds raced across the horizon, pressing down a somber shadow.
Hengbo, how are you?
…
“Report! Kanglong army has broken through the palace gates!”
“Retreat to the inner palace!”
“Your Majesty!”
“Retreat! Hold the inner palace gates for me first! If there’s not enough wood, chop down the great halls; if there’s not enough brick, tear down walls; if there’s not enough fuel, take down the curtains—first defend Jingyuan Hall’s palace walls to the death!”
She stood on the high palace roof, with that pile of clothing at her feet, still waiting for an answer.
She knew the generals’ gazes were already wrong, knew the soldiers’ eyes were full of confusion, knew those who cared for her were discussing various ways to knock out their confused queen and spirit her away, knew everyone below was looking up at her, speculating about her, including Tie Xinze, whom her soldiers had later rescued, all watching her with worry.
Before she got an explanation, she didn’t want to explain.
This answer related to all her previous confusion and future direction. She was unwilling to grope in darkness anymore, suspecting she had long gone mad at every shadow.
If this was madness.
If you wanted her to be mad.
Then let you see clearly what true madness really was.
Gong Yin.
I can’t hold on much longer.
Where are you?
…
He was at Xiang Mountain.
His ice-snow chains whooshed as they withdrew from a corpse’s chest, bringing out a trail of blood-red light.
Blood splattered, staining his entire body.
He didn’t mind the filth, nor remember that Kanglong army were still comrades.
When he defeated the leader of those ambush forces and revealed his identity but failed to gain their loyalty, he ordered without hesitation: kill.
Those who block my rescue of her must die.
To save time, he personally entered battle. Chentie’s withered grass and his robe hem flew together in the gunpowder smoke.
Walking through piles of corpses—these had all been his subordinates, his army.
Even unto death, some might not understand how they came to die in a foreign land, at the hands of their comrades.
Those in power had their unavoidable sorrows; small people had their sorrows of being unable to control their fate.
Soldiers brought clothing to help him change from his blood-stained robes. Though black clothing didn’t show blood, the smell was filthy—something he couldn’t bear.
He waved them away, looking down at his own garments—black, wide-sleeved robes with a very low neckline but tightly bound waist. This really wasn’t his style, but very much like another person’s clothing style.
Thinking of that other person, he saw him. A black shadow swept overhead, leading his own subordinates, passing far beyond him while he was busy extricating himself from the battlefield.
Gong Yin watched Yélu Qi’s retreating figure with complex emotions. He wasn’t using a wheelchair anymore, wasn’t dressed as the blue-robed Gentleman Mu anymore. If just looking at a distant silhouette, he thought perhaps he and Yélu Qi looked quite similar now.
What was this called? Revenge?
Looking past Yélu Qi’s shoulder, he saw crimson clouds surging layer upon layer in the distance—the sky was growing dark.
Hengbo, how are you?
…
The desperate defense had entered its third day.
From the royal city gates to the palace gate square, from the palace gate square to the palace gates, from the front palace gates to the inner palace gates—others pressed step by step while she, changing from her initial domineering style, retreated step by step until stopping at the palace walls before Jingyuan Hall, falling into stalemate.
The palace had abundant bricks, tiles, timber, fire oil, and food to support short-term use, but with ten thousand people after all, by the third day’s morning they had almost no provisions left.
Jing Hengbo had eaten almost nothing these three days and hadn’t closed her eyes, remaining on the palace roof throughout. When extremely tired, she would sit on those clothes, gazing into the distance, not even looking at the step-by-step approach beneath her eyelids.
The wind from the heights could carry all unusual scents to her nose.
She smelled the odors of large quantities of fire oil and flint.
And the palace complex beneath her feet was mostly wood and stone construction.
The sky was darkly overcast, pressing down on the endangered city.
Gong Yin, you still won’t come!
…
The sky was darkly overcast as he raced frantically.
Only a hundred li remained to reach the royal city.
But the intelligence gathered by scouts chilled his heart. The royal city gates were tightly closed, iron armor stern and forbidding. Chentie hadn’t relaxed their guard of the city gates despite focusing all efforts on pressuring Jing Hengbo within the city.
On the contrary, the city gates he now faced were even harder to breach than when Jing Hengbo had faced them. Because this time there was an additional component—Kanglong forces who understood Dragon Cavalry very well.
Cavalry were excellent in field battles, but siege warfare was inherently disadvantageous for light cavalry that couldn’t carry heavy weapons due to their rapid advance capability. If enemies closed their cities and refused to emerge, dragging out time, no one could do much in the short term.
What he feared most was time.
Wind whipped banners hunting as he gazed up at the city head beneath the flags, iron armor and defending soldiers’ eyes equally cold as light.
He couldn’t bring all the cavalry into the city.
What he could do was leave the cavalry before the city gates, fully restraining the gate forces so that the combined Chentie and Kanglong armies within the city would have to abandon their pressure on Jing Hengbo and turn back to rescue the gates.
At dusk, without time to rest and reorganize, he was already commanding his forces in the first round of assault on the city head.
Without heavy weapons, the Yuzhao Dragon Cavalry possessed the world’s most powerful and rapid personal crossbows, wearing light armor made of snow iron—arguably the world’s lightest and most resilient, not hindering city scaling at all.
Before the royal city lay a moat three zhang wide, containing poisonous water and sharp blades—even birds could hardly cross. This alone had blocked countless enemies.
Previously, Ying Bai and Jing Hengbo hadn’t crossed the moat—one shot wine from a flask to intoxicate the whole city, the other used ghostly teleportation to control the main general. Now, learning from past lessons, everyone covered even their noses, and there was no second person in the world who could move ten zhang in one step, teleporting without trace like Jing Hengbo.
Gong Yin reined in his horse before the moat.
Just a casual glance.
Then he dismounted and stepped onto the moat.
Before those above and below the city could cry out in alarm, they saw the foaming black water beneath his feet suddenly solidify, turning to black ice, silently spreading forward.
He walked upon the moat with soundless steps, but continuous cracking sounds came from beneath his feet. The churning water froze inch by inch with his steps. Beneath the black ice surface, one could see the frozen blades’ ghastly blue gleam. And ahead, a jagged ice road continuously extended forward, forward.
Crossing the three-thousand-foot chasm, freezing a great road before the city gates.