Chapter 117: with translation of chapter title

In the morning I woke up to find no one beside me. I heard faint drums outside, knew the siege had begun, leapt out of bed, quickly washed up and rushed toward the city wall.

Along the way I was blocked several times, each time by soldiers bowing and saluting me; I was too lazy to explain, and they gladly led the way. When we reached the city wall that gazed at the distant Yinchuan and Fenglan City, the first real wave of the siege had already started.

The first to notice me was Bu Sha. He now has extremely high spiritual perception, internal strength, and martial skill, already beyond reason; even Qi Ran might not be able to surpass him.

Following his gaze, Wei Lingfeng and Qi Ran also fixed their eyes on me. One was as calm as night, the other as gentle as water. I sighed, walked up to them and asked, "How's it going?"

"Overall the situation is still good," Qi Ran smiled, stepped closer, gathered the collar of my robe and said, "But without a clever stratagem, actually taking it would still need half a month."

"So you've thought of a clever stratagem?" I said, my face eager to try.

Qi Ran was startled and asked puzzledly, "What are you so excited about?"

"Why not?" I stepped forward two paces, both hands gripping the city‑wall rail, stared into the distance, and after a while turned back, sneering, "A gentleman does not let a grievance go unanswered. The suffering Yin Tianshu and Fu Junmo inflicted on me might just be due for repayment now."

The atmosphere was eerily quiet; I raised my pale hand and waved it before the three, laughing helplessly, "Relax! I'm fine now, aren't I? Their fate is doomed to be tragic, so drop those expressions."

"Your Majesty!" Cheng You's sudden voice burst in, relieving me. His face shone, and he said, "Scouts report that Xiao Yifei and Yin Ziheng's 500,000 Key Kingdom allied troops have crossed the Huai River from Yueyang and are rushing toward Fenglan."

"Is that so?" Wei Lingfeng gave a faint smile, a trace of cruelty in his eyes, and said calmly, "Send orders to the naval fleet stationed around the Huai River to encircle and block. Apart from Xiao Yifei and Yin Ziheng, kill or capture everyone, no one spared."

"Brother…" Qi Ran frowned slightly, "That's still 500,000 elite troops; are you so confident they'll be completely annihilated?"

"Elsewhere I might not be fully confident, but now we are hidden while they are exposed. The Key Kingdom soldiers rushing to aid are strong on land but unfamiliar with water; Xiao Yifei won't mind the Key Kingdom losses…," Wei Lingfeng gave me a faint glance, his smile inscrutable, "Moreover, aren't there warships designed by Bing Yi? If we don't destroy them now, when?"

Wei Lingfeng's gaze fixed on Fu Junmo, who was perched a few hundred meters ahead, a faint flame burning in his eyes. He sneered coldly, "Surrounded from front and rear, isolated and helpless. Bing Yi, rest assured, I will make them suffer a hundredfold more!"

I trembled, looked at him with mixed feelings, and sighed lightly, "Thank you!"

Ten days later.

Xiao Yifei and Yin Ziheng evaded the Qi Nation's naval fleet's encirclement, fled in disarray into Fenglan City with fewer than a hundred remaining men. The Profound Heaven's 300,000 elite naval fleet and 100,000 Heavenly Armor Elite led personally by Xuantian suffered losses of less than ten thousand, while the Key Kingdom allied forces of nearly 500,000 sent to aid under Yin Ziheng were almost completely wiped out.

Moreover, with nowhere to run, they fell into the trap Wei Lingfeng had meticulously set and retreated into Fenglan City. Yet they knew clearly that even temporary safety only brought death closer, that transformation from invader to outlaw, that sudden fall from heaven to hell, constantly tasting the terror of death, would be more cruel than being slain outright.

But I have no such compassion; Yin Ziheng's framing of Bu Sha, Fu Junmo's injury, Bu Sha's insult to me, and the myriad pains Xiao Yifei inflicted on me, Qi Ran, and Wei Lingfeng are enough for me to hate them utterly.

What worries me, however, is whether Xiao Yifei is truly such an easy person to get along with. This generation's hegemon, even at rock‑bottom, would never be so destitute as to be captured and slain!

"It seems they're finally making a desperate breakout," Qi Ran's voice reached my ears. I was startled and only then noticed the city gate of Fenglan suddenly flung open, soldiers in uniform streaming out like fish, scattering.

A flash of light sparked in Wei Lingfeng's eyes; he waved his hand backward and sneered, "Cheng You, give the order to set fire, seize the city!"

I circled to the left rear of the wall and saw Cheng You's expression calm, even indifferent, as he ordered the soldiers clad in uniform pure‑black armor. I knew these were Wei Lingfeng's most elite troops—the Heavenly Armor Elite. They wear only two styles of armor, pure black for total kill, pure white for guard.

All the soldiers' eyes flashed with a thirst for battle, yet their faces remained as calmly as always, neither proud nor discouraged, neither hurried nor restless—truly elite. At Cheng You's command, the Maochang city gate opened, and the Heavenly Armor Elite split into two formations, charging out in perfect unison.

Thirty thousand infantry led the charge, rushing forward without hesitation, storming into Fenglan City.

Ten thousand cavalry in the middle spread in a semicircle, encircling the fleeing soldiers in all directions; wherever they went, long blades rose, flashing coldly, freezing the already panicked Key Kingdom allied troops in place.

Ten thousand archers climbed onto the Maochang wall; since anyone fleeing through that gate had to pass beneath it, they calmly rained arrows from above, slaughtering any that slipped through.

After circling back I saw no Qi Ran or Bu Sha, only Wei Lingfeng; I hurried to his side, ready to ask.

"Your Majesty!" Cheng You's voice, brimming with confidence, suddenly rang in my ear. I startled, turned, but he seemed not to see me, his bright eyes fixed on Wei Lingfeng as he bowed, "According to Your Majesty's wishes, Yin Ziheng and all of Bing Ling's forces have abandoned and fled toward the Mist City. Moreover, just as you expected, Fu Junmo is fleeing toward the Huai River and is now trapped!"

I was shocked—so fast? I looked up at Wei Lingfeng and saw only a composed smile that seemed to understand everything, and he nodded, "Give the order, close the net."

Cheng You responded, took out a two‑sided black‑and‑white command banner and leapt to the highest point of the city tower. He crossed his hands three times, stretched, left hand above, right hand below, then swung the left down sharply and the right across, forming a closing gesture. I was watching intently when the Heavenly Armor cavalry below, previously encircling slowly, moved.

Ten thousand cavalry—many yet not too many—but exterminating so many soldiers is still quite difficult. Killing ten thousand enemies costs us three thousand of our own, the very elite troops; I'm sure Wei Lingfeng would never do such a thing.

Sure enough, they only retreated, expanding the encirclement; any remnants outside the circle were shot down one by one by the archers on the tower, without mercy.

I was wondering who should kill the enemy in such a formation? The cavalry's encirclement suddenly split an opening, dense ranks of soldiers in pure black armor poured in single file through the wide-open gates of Fenglan City, and then I recalled the thirty thousand Heavenly Armor infantry who had just stormed Fenglan to seize the city—clearly they were the most aboveboard ambush. Upon entering the battle, they did not encircle, nor did they pause; in groups of three, formations of five, they cut down any person or horse they saw, swiftly and cleanly. Considering how these brave and skilled warriors of Qi, having been humiliatingly besieged and suppressed by the Yin Yao allied forces for over a year, were already burning with rage, longing to slaughter them all to vent their fury. In an instant, the wails grew several times louder, and blood stained the whole land red.

I closed my eyes; even with my cold blood, seeing such a furnace still gave me a pang of remorse. Opening them again, I met Wei Lingfeng's bright, intertwined eyes, where faint pity and pain flickered, then vanished in an instant. He turned, extended his right hand, about to give Cheng You an order.

I lunged forward, grabbed his sleeve, and said urgently, "Don't worry about me. The battlefield is like this, I understand. Being merciful to the enemy is being cruel to oneself. Wei Lingfeng, just do as you see fit."

Wei Lingfeng stared at me steadily, his eyes—clearer than gems—flashing with dazzling light, yet I could not read their meaning. His hand tightened, and with a faint expression he pulled his own sleeve back.

I muttered, pulling my hand back, averting my gaze, "Where are Qi Ran and Bu Sha? Why haven't we seen them for so long?"

A sudden tightness at my waist made me tremble imperceptibly, and I heard Wei Lingfeng's calm voice beside my ear, "I will take you to see Fu Junmo's fate with your own eyes." Before he finished, my body rose into the air, and behind us, from the city tower, Cheng You's voice, nearly panicked and frantic, rang out.

Remembering his teasing of me half a month ago, seeing him leap to our side with a bruised face, I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Cheng You glared at me with murderous intent, but upon seeing Wei Lingfeng's deep, volatile smile, he retreated sulkily to the side, staying as guard, which made me burst into another laugh that could kill a person.

When we arrived at the battlefield near the Huai River, the first sight was not the black‑armored, grim‑faced Fu Junmo, but the lightly dressed, gently smiling Qi Ran and the black‑clad, black‑haired, cold‑looked Bu Sha.

Bu Sha was still the first to turn and see us; seeing Wei Lingfeng bring me onto the battlefield, a hint of disapproval flickered in his eyes. It lasted only a moment; his black eyes as cold as snow, he raised his hand, nocked an arrow, and shot. This bow, custom‑made for him by Qi Ran's order and named "Yingri," could have its ordinary string snapped by a single arrow thanks to his astonishing internal strength.

A whistling sound rang out, and the four soldiers who had slipped through the encirclement behind me were all killed instantly by a single arrow. Though I knew with Cheng You present nothing would likely go wrong, I couldn't help feeling warm inside and gave him a smile.

Immediately after, my vision blurred, and when I recovered, the smiling Qi Ran was already before me, his grin and his blue eyes fixed on my waist giving off a chilling aura.

"Brother." He lifted his head, smiling warmly, yet even under the brilliant sun his smile made me shiver, "Has the fighting on the western front ended?"

Wei Lingfeng raised an eyebrow, released the hand that had been around my waist, and said lightly, "Qi Ran, don't be too careless. Remember, the Key Kingdom's army has many who excel at water combat."

Qi Ran pulled me close, looked up and smiled modestly, "Brother is right. But you also said the Qi Nation's elite naval fleet is unmatched; today I also want to see it with my own eyes."

Even Wei Lingfeng's face now showed a helpless, amused expression, and he couldn't help saying, "Just for that, you deliberately left a flaw in the defense… no, that's not it…"

A flash of brilliance lit Wei Lingfeng's eyes, a faint cold smile curled his lips, and in a deep voice he said, "It's more satisfying to watch a fish struggle in a net than to kill it outright. Qi Ran, it seems you're no more benevolent than I am!"

Qi Ran let out a snort of laughter, reached out and embraced me, and said breezily, "Benevolent? Brother, he insulted my wife, hurt my friend, deceived my brother; why should I be benevolent toward him?"

Wei Lingfeng glanced at me, gave a light smile, turned and walked toward the battlefield without a word.

"Since you're here, stay obediently by my side, understand?"

I nodded obediently, though inside I felt a bit dismissive. I'm not a three‑year‑old child; I've survived formations of tens of thousands safely. Moreover, today's situation clearly left no danger.

My body suddenly warmed as I was enveloped in a fresh embrace; Qi Ran said helplessly, "The dying soldier's struggle before death isn't a joke; you know I don't want you to be in any danger."

A wave of warmth moved me, and as I was about to speak, Qi Ran let go, ruffled my hair, and sighed, "Enough, I know you can't stay idle. They're already at the end of a strong bow, mostly harmless, so let's go together!"

I cheerfully nodded vigorously, letting him pull me soaring to Wei Lingfeng and Bu Sha.

The battle on the field was stalemated; Fu Junmo had fewer than three thousand guards, while the Qi army besieging them numbered over thirty thousand. Though not as elite as the Heavenly Armor Elite, they were still formidable, advancing and retreating with discipline. Originally, such a disparity in strength left no doubt. However, rather than saying the Qi soldiers were sluggish or unhurried, they were…

I couldn't help but want to laugh; others might think Qi Ran intends to capture the Key Kingdom's crown prince for torture or humiliation. The four of us, however, know clearly that Wei Lingfeng's so‑called three‑formation kill‑or‑surrender means that regardless of surrender, Fu Junmo, Yin Ziheng, and Xiao Yifei must all be beheaded before the formation. Pitiable these Key Kingdom soldiers, including Fu Junmo, still cling to a sliver of hope because of this flaw, fearing they might miss that one chance of survival.

The shouts and cries of battle rose and fell, occasionally mixed with heavy, groaning breaths. The splatter of blood hitting the ground was completely drowned out, leaving only a sea of crimson, a ferocious blood‑red scene that embodied the onomatopoeia. Flesh and blood flew, limbs and bodies were severed, making me sigh at the wretchedness of life in this chaotic world.

Grief aside, my thoughts remain firmly fixed on the battlefield. So when a few warships bearing the Key Kingdom's flags, their hulls somewhat ragged and clearly breaking through, slowly sailed toward us, I spotted them at a glance.

Fu Junmo and those three thousand soldiers were originally stationed by the river to fight; the riverbank terrain was not wide, the footing was sticky and wet, hindering movement, and it was unfavorable for counterattacks. Often, charges failed and they were forced to retreat, whereupon dozens would fall into the water and be shot to death by archers lying in wait on the bank. For a moment the Huai River banks glowed red like fire, beautiful beyond compare, yet reeking of strong blood. Blood slowly seeped into the water, spreading in all directions, so that even the dense reeds along the Huai River, as tall as a person, were soaked through and through with blood.

But even so, Fu Junmo and his men stubbornly held the riverbank, only launching a desperate counterattack when the encirclement shrank to a point of imminent danger. What sustained them in their bitter fight to this moment, keeping their resolve unbroken, were those few warships of the Key State.

Thus, when the oars broke the water and the sails snapped in the wind, everyone couldn't help but cheer. Even a flash of joy at having survived the ordeal crossed Fu Junmo's face, but then his gaze toward us turned icy cold and hatred-filled to the bone.

The Qi State soldiers were obviously stunned by this sudden enemy force. They never imagined that these defeated troops, already like fish on a chopping board waiting to be slaughtered, could have any chance of escape. Consequently, a moment's hesitation caused the encirclement to close too late, and the Key State crown prince together with nearly two thousand remnant troops, shouting with joy and triumph, boarded the Key State warships.

Qi Ran watched with a faint smile as Fu Junmo boarded, gave orders, set sail, and even shot arrows in retaliation; the warship slowly pulled away from shore. When the anxious shouts from below reached him, his smile widened, he raised his right hand, and a sharp 'whoo—' rang out as red light flashed across the sky.

He lifted his gaze to the signal flare, red clouds like fireworks, and said lightly, 'What would it feel like when hope turns to despair, when heaven becomes hell, and one is swallowed by that overwhelming fear and disappointment? Fu Junmo!'

Before his words faded, the reeds, though soaked in blood and merely swaying in the wind, suddenly moved en masse. Dozens of small warships, both familiar and strange, seemed to appear out of nowhere, emerging in single file from among the reeds.

A familiar voice came from Xuantian in my ears: 'Damn it, I've been holding back old man, you useless bunch of scoundrels—if you don't come out now, I'll first slaughter that bastard crown prince of yours!'

I couldn't help but chuckle, looking at those craft that, while not as massive as the Key State warships, were small and agile, unstoppable as they darted left and right in the shallow waters—the Feng Huo. A feeling of pride mixed with disbelief welled up. 'This... is this really the warship I designed?'

In this modern year, I knew I would have to return, and I also knew that once back I would someday have to settle scores with the Ice Ling and Yin Xie states; thus I often pondered how I could be of help to Qi Ran and Wei Lingfeng.

Should I handle troop deployments and formations? I know I'm not cut out for that. Strategic planning? Forget it—with those two brothers around, when would it ever be my turn?

So I finally thought of warships. The Tang-era warship I had originally drawn for Wei Lingfeng—whether a tower ship, a assault ship, or a sea‑jaw—only had the form but lacked the spirit. Thus, during that idle year I soaked myself in books every day, checking various data and sketches; of course, it was also because of a sudden whim of some personal motive… but it indeed let me find several warship design drafts better suited to the Tianhe Continent.

The small warship Feng Huo now appearing along the Huai River banks is one of the designs I left for Wei Lingfeng. The Feng Huo's hull is covered with black cowhide and thin metal, its bow fitted with a sturdy blade for breaching, and its body is made of the strongest yet lightest jun wood. This jun wood is abundantly produced in the Yu Ting State, ideal for shipbuilding, but because it is difficult to cultivate on a large scale it is extraordinarily precious. Ordinary warships of the Tianhe Continent—let alone the tower ships and the assault ships before us, even the assault junks—are twice the size of Feng Huo; to save resources, jun wood is used only for the ship's central keel and could never be used for the hull itself. Moreover, Feng Huo's propulsion is not human‑rowed oars but a specially crafted underwater propeller, so its speed and attack power are incomparable to those few battered assault warships before us.

In the midst of my thoughts, Xuantian had already ordered the Qi State navy to attack. Dozens of Feng Huo darted left and right, sometimes ramming enemy ships with their bows, sometimes hurling large stones and firing crossbow bolts, yet they withdrew with ease before the enraged Key State soldiers could muster a furious counterattack. Their movements were as swift as a spirit snake, their attacks as sharp as a razor's edge, and their decisions as clear and decisive as a bright sky.

I must say, Xuantian appears boisterous and rash, brave but lacking foresight. Yet deep down he possesses an innate passion and keen insight for war. Such a person is usually loud and rough in daily life, but on the battlefield his bearing shines forth; he clearly ought to be an invincible, unbeatable legendary general, yet because his brilliance is restrained, people often overlook him without realizing it. Though gold always shines, I cannot help but admire Wei Lingfeng, this patron who spotted that thousand‑mile horse so early and made good use of him.

The Key State warships dwindled one by one, while the momentum of the Feng Huo grew ever sharper and unstoppable. After all, this is not the modern age of prevalent gunpowder—just a single shell could sink several warships. Perhaps they realized this too, so the ships that had been scattering in flight began to draw together, tightly guarding the central flagship. The formation made it clear: even if everyone had to be sacrificed, they would protect the crown prince's safe escape.

"He actually escaped." Qi Ran shook his head with a hint of helplessness, watching the Key State flagship flee in panic along the blood‑stained route. The shattered warships, their flags drooping, hulls listing, had sailors dead or wounded; the river surface was littered with corpses shot by the surrounding archers, the blood surging wildly, almost flooding the entire stretch of the Huai River tributary before our eyes.

I saw Qi Ran raise his right hand again, knowing he was about to unleash the second ambush. Raw oil poured into the water, a sea of flames spread across the sky—this would likely be not just a life‑or‑death struggle but another hell on earth. I wanted to stop it, yet felt powerless; letting the tiger return to the mountain would bring endless trouble, a fact I knew all too well. Moreover, whether it concerns us or not, for Wei Lingfeng, Fu Junmo remaining alive will ultimately become a grave threat.

My hand drooped limp, I sighed, and waited for that red light to flash again in the sky. But suddenly a black shadow, swift as wind and faster than lightning, streaked past. In an instant, cries of alarm filled the river inside and out. I focused my gaze and saw that on the warship already beyond arrow range, four soldiers had each been struck squarely in the chest by an arrow and collapsed limp. Meanwhile, on the mast, the formerly billowing gray‑white sail, now seemed to foretell its master's fate, hung limp from the heavens.

My heart gave a heavy thump. Turning back, I saw Bu Sha holding the long bow 'Ying Ri', calmly leaping back a few steps, retreating to where everyone thought he had no hope of hitting his target, yet he suddenly halted. His chiseled face bore his usual aloofness and steadfast composure, a faint, almost imperceptible carefree smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he drew the bow, nocked eight arrows on a single string, and aimed straight at the approaching warship.

A surge of excited blood pulsed in my chest. Looking back toward the pallid Fu Junmo shielded before him, the troops shivering all over found themselves unable to step forward or raise their swords under Bu Sha's icy aura locking them down. The bowstring twanged and the arrow flew; the black shadow swept past me even before the sound of the string, rushing toward the fleeing warship that was racing desperately for its life with a howl.

'Hit the willow leaf at a hundred paces, never miss.' I felt my hands trembling, my whole body filled with that strange heroic vigor, as if I had returned to the era when the Wu You gang roamed freely, when even every cell in my body could sense the wind of liberty whispering and making me tremble.

Fu Junmo was trembling too; even though far away, I could still clearly sense it. Because he had no soldiers left to protect him, his hands and feet were immobilized by Bu Sha's mental pull, leaving him bare‑faced to confront that icy, heaven‑shaking arrow, facing the fear and despair of life and death hanging by a thread.

"Whoa—" a tremendous roar split the heavens, as if tearing open the wind, seizing the vital qi of heaven and earth—not an ordinary iron arrow, but that sword which swallows mountains and rivers, whose power presses down ten thousand catties, the Blood‑Drawing Divine Blade. He had no blade in hand, yet a blade in heart; for him, whether he actually held a divine weapon was irrelevant. Condensing spirit into a sword, transforming true qi into a long blade—this is Bu Sha's present realm.

The arrow tip pierced straight through the body; though I heard no sound of steel entering flesh and saw no flash of surging icy true qi, I felt it clearly in my heart. That invisible cold radiance even masked the gushing blood, supremely yang yet bitterly yin.

Fu Junmo's body, weighing over a hundred catties, was actually dragged backward ten or so meters by that slender arrow; his eyes' panic, unwillingness, and disbelief all sank into that silver light, leaving only a trace of lifeless despair.

"Bang—" the tremendous roar of the sail tearing and the mast collapsing finally pulled everyone back from shock. Yet no one cheered, no one cried out in alarm; even the Qi State generals were deathly pale with shock, feeling that even in life and death they could not be enemies of this person.

Boom—" the tremendous sound of the sail tearing and the mast collapsing finally pulled everyone back from their shock. Yet no one cheered, no one cried out in alarm; even the Qi commanders' faces turned ashen with horror, feeling that even in this life and the next, should they die, they could not be enemies of this person.

I let out a breath, slowly turned around, and looked at the black‑clad, black‑haired cold‑faced man; his expression remained indifferent, his aura still chilly, as if the earth‑shaking event just now had nothing to do with him, or as if he thought he had merely done something trivial.

Qi Ran and I exchanged a smile, without the slightest hesitation or discord; as he walked toward me I reached out, and as we brushed past each other we clashed palms. The clear, crisp sound rang through heaven and earth, and our bright, tacit smiles melted into the Huai River.

At this moment, everyone seemed infected by that refreshing aura, faces breaking into smiles; at this moment, that unconstrained, that carefree spirit was finally etched deep into every mind, sweeping away all impurities.

Wei Lingfeng quietly watched us in the afterglow of the sunset, a faint smile appearing in his eyes before it dimmed.

Wei Lingfeng silently watched us in the afterglow of the sunset, a faint smile appearing in his eyes, then immediately dimmed.

(End of chapter)