Chapter 1065: Winner Takes All

Not exaggerating, with the spirit elixir's help, even serious wounds can quickly turn into minor ones. Liu Tiao asked again: "Did we win completely?"

He Lingchuan then said: "I pierced Fushanlie's heart, but he seems not dead; the Xiji and Jinju alliance was driven back beyond the border. I think they won't dare come again for a while."

He patted Liu Tiao's uninjured shoulder twice: "You played the Red General extremely well, holding off Fushanlie and achieving great merit."

Liu Tiao spoke frankly:

"Just now I was really scared to death."

She had forged the battle armor for collection, occasionally wearing it secretly at home, never expecting one day she'd don it for battle, using it to frighten Fushanlie? Facing that high-cultivation zombie, she had been nervous in her heart, afraid her disguise would fail and she'd be exposed.

At that time the southern city gate had already been breached, thanks to her holding the line, single-handedly dragging Fushanlie into the wengcheng, preventing the enemy army from spreading. This genuinely bought precious time for Yuheng City and He Lingchuan; otherwise, Fushanlie leading troops into the city would bring endless poison.

Even if He Lingchuan could retake the city later, it would come at a bloody cost.

From this perspective, today's battle, Liu Tiao's contribution is paramount.

"What reward do you want? During your recovery, think it over well." He Lingchuan is never stingy with rewards for meritorious service.

Liu Tiao immediately agreed.

He Lingchuan then looked at the Seven Blessings Wheel beside her.

This is of course also a replica; I didn't expect Liu Tiao to be interested in the immortal artifact Lu Xun wore close to his body.

But having a divine artifact in hand better fits the Red General's identity. Moreover, Fushanlie just suffered a loss from it, so he should still remember it vividly.

At this moment, Wen Daolun also rushed in from outside, his first words the same as He Lingchuan's:

"How is she?"

"Old Wen!" He Lingchuan grabbed his shoulders with both hands and shook him hard several times, "You're fine, that's good!"

Wen Daolun was stunned, not used to such close contact, but sensing his joy came from the heart, unfeigned, he felt moved: "Thanks to heaven, I am safe and sound, all thanks to your bravery, preserving Yuheng City!"

If Yuheng City fell, what face would he have to see Commander Zhong? "The battle at the eastern gate was equally difficult, fortunately you also held firm." Liu Tiao, pretending to be the Red General, deceived Fushanlie while the Jinju army also fiercely attacked the eastern gate. Although they were a feint force, making the feint real posed no problem.

Wen Daolun exchanged a few words with him, then hurried away.

He and Chao Qian were responsible for the eastern gate, also exerting great effort.

But he didn't know how torn He Lingchuan felt inside:

Wen Daolun escaping the deadly calamity shows his own fate can be changed!

But Zhao Linyang is dead, the omen "Yuheng City defender dies violently" still came true.

Tonight's incident, though ending in Yuheng City's victory, involved twists that were heart-stopping.

A little more, and Yuheng City would have returned to history's original track.

He Lingchuan was momentarily dazed.

What about Panlongcheng later? The Red General?

Can the predetermined fate really be reversed? Earlier he changed the fates of Nanke General and Zhu Erniang, and it wasn't difficult then.

If he had known this, he shouldn't have let the Great Fang Hu swallow Nafall Tian's avatar! This broken jar, since eating something it shouldn't have, who doesn't know it's secretly shaping what kind of causality?

As long as anyone fantasizes about deviating from the original fate trajectory, there will be a force in the dark pulling it back.

This is……very scary.

As he was lost in thought, the maid beside him approached with a medicine tray, wanting to apply medicine for him.

He Lingchuan was thinking about his worries, his face again stained with a few drops of blood, his gloomy and furious gaze made the maid's heart jump, nearly knocking over the tray.

The president's expression, too terrifying.

Fortunately someone nearby grabbed her wrist, gently taking the tray:

"Let me do it."

Sun Fuling arrived.

The master in green robes stood under the eaves, holding a tray in his hands, behind him busy soldiers.

He Lingchuan stared straight at her.

If Panlongcheng's final fate cannot be changed, then what about her?

He still remembered the words of the Qingyang National Teacher, remembered how she described the original owner of the Tianwu Bone Flute.

Being stared at like that, Sun Fuling lightly dampened the towel, wiped the blood from his face.

The towel turned red at once, she said indifferently: "What are you thinking? Your gaze is so frightening."

"I'm thinking, is fate unavoidable, only to be faced?" He had pushed Wen Daolun aside, wanting him to avoid the predetermined death, but the man returned before the great battle, and indeed the god of death found Wen Daolun again and again; thinking of himself, his original fate was probably to become Nafall Tian's skin bag, but he didn't avoid it, finally resolving this trouble in Panlongcheng.

Avoiding, cannot solve the problem.

Sun Fuling smiled: "Fate, you either accept it or overcome it."

"Quite right, no wonder as the master, your words are precise." He Lingchuan lightly pressed her hand, "How did you come here?"

"After the chaos in the city, I came to help." Sun Fuling pulled him to sit under the tree, treated his wounds.

He Lingchuan took off his outer armor, convenient for her to apply medicine. The earlier great melee, he had no fatal wounds on his body, but scars covered him, a half-cun deep hole on his left shoulder, dug out by the insect demon's foreclaws; on his broad back were three wounds, the longest one chi long, depth almost reaching the white bone.

This is what the Bei Jia elite left him as a memorial after he pierced Fushanlie's heart; if he hadn't dodged sideways quickly, he would also have become skewered meat.

Other minor wounds are countless.

When Sun Fuling cut open his upper garment, He Lingchuan's facial nerves twitched twice. During the pursuit of the Jinju army, blood and flesh had stuck to the wound on his clothes, now to apply medicine, he had to tear it open.

Damn, it really hurts.

Sun Fuling fed him a painkiller pill: "You need a good armor."

"Indeed." His clothes were all cut to rags, He Lingchuan took out another new set, "Let's slowly look for one."

Good swords and armors need to grow together with their owners, especially armor has the saying of "tuning." The Red General's battle armor's power, he himself has personally experienced.

But this matter cannot be rushed, slowly seek or forge it.

Sun Fuling also said: "There are many wounded in the city, also basically treated."

This is still Yuheng City's victory.

If the city falls, who knows how many will die tonight.

Sun Fuling seemed to hear the sigh at the bottom of his heart; she turned her head and said, "There is nothing perfect in this world. You have already done very well. The Longchuan flood disaster is about to be eliminated, and Yuheng City remains safe and sound. This round between you and Fu Shanlie — you won."

"But the process..." The process was truly perilous.

"The process doesn't matter." Sun Fuling's fingertips were still stained with He Lingchuan's blood, and just then they caught two more drops of Di Liujiang; without thinking further, she put them in her mouth and sucked them clean. "War only looks at the result — whether it is victory or defeat. Fu Shanlie also nearly took Yuheng City, but nearly is still not succeeding."

Not succeeding is not succeeding.

So Fu Shanlie was driven back to Jin Tao, while He Lingchuan reaped the fruit of victory.

"Do you think —" He Lingchuan glanced at her and asked, "if General Hong and I swapped places, would she attack Longchuan tonight?"

"That depends on whether the reason for attacking Longchuan is sufficient. I believe you have ample reason." Sun Fuling blinked. "I also know clearly that you are both people who shoulder responsibility — neither qualified to be soft-hearted, nor having time for regret."

He Lingchuan took her hand: "Then, what about afterward?"

"Afterward? Still forge ahead bravely." She said leisurely, "As always."

He Lingchuan laughed involuntarily: "Still you who knows how to comfort people."

She clearly hadn't said a single word of comfort, but He Lingchuan understood.

He was already the commander of a city; every action would have consequences, every mistake would incur losses.

The higher the position, the greater the power, the more these consequences and losses would be magnified accordingly.

But so what? Some decisions must be made, some risks must be taken, some mistakes must also be committed, even if they require paying a tremendous price and sacrifice —

possibly sacrificing oneself, possibly sacrificing others.

This is called knowing it is impossible yet doing it anyway.

The responsibility of those in high positions is not only to do good; sometimes one must even do evil.

"Comforted well?" Sun Fuling's dimples appeared again on her cheeks. "Treat me to a meal tomorrow morning."

Dawn would break in just a few hours.

"Tomorrow morning won't work; the day after tomorrow at noon — no, the day after tomorrow evening, I'll treat you to a feast."

"A deal." Master Sun knew he managed myriad affairs daily and said no more, turning to leave.

Next, He Lingchuan gave Chao Qian his task assignments.

The Di Liujiang had not yet ended, Yuheng City's curfew had not yet ended, so public order throughout the city still had to be strictly maintained.

Just now war calamity loomed; many Yuheng City residents were affected. Now order must be restored.

After explaining these matters, he took several personal guards and once more rode out of the city heading south! There was still a bandit-suppression battle in Longchuan Village.

Earlier he had let Hu Min act as military commander and led eight hundred men rushing back; now that Yuheng City had turned danger into safety, he still had to go oversee that battlefield.

The east turned white; the Di Liujiang ceased.

By the time He Lingchuan arrived at Longchuan, the fighting here had already entered the mopping-up phase.

The elite Xiji pseudo-troops who had stubbornly defended Longchuan had already been taken away by Fu Shanlie. Their sneak attack on Yuheng City failed, and they were pursued by He Lingchuan's army, so they directly entered Jin Tao territory.

Therefore, only some monsters and water bandits remained in the pseudo-army garrisons within Longchuan.

Fu Shanlie had them guard the base — in reality serving as disposable pawns that could be discarded at any moment.

Hu Min, acting as military commander, led the charge into Longchuan, first clearing the demon vines and opening a passage. Because of the Di Liujiang, the enemies' minds were somewhat confused, resistance was weak, and the Yuheng Army swept through even more easily than imagined.

On the Di Liujiang night just past, He Lingchuan and Fu Shanlie mutually raided each other's bases.

The rule of the game is winner takes all. He Lingchuan won; Longchuan became his rightful spoils of war, easily taken into his pocket.

This point was tacitly understood by both sides, so Fu Shanlie did not return to Longchuan again, but led the remaining usable elites to retreat to the Kingdom of Jin Tao.

Longchuan no longer had any foothold for him.

After this battle, all captives were sent to labor in the mines.

At this point, the Panshi Wilderness and Mahe Plain celebrated grandly for three days!

Upon receiving this joyous news, the Pánlóng Wasteland and the Máo River Plain celebrated for three days!

(End of chapter)