Chapter 45: line with translation of title

His Majesty, why did they stop? Could it be they noticed something amiss?

Li Yao whispered a question beside Xiao Qidi.

The two hid in a slightly elevated spot, crouching among a pile of rubble.

From that height they could see the outline of the thirty-thousand-strong army in the distance.

Xiao Qidi's deep eyes reflected the lingering glow of the setting sun, "Be patient, wait a bit."

At the mouth of the valley——

General Luo, seated on the rear war chariot, woke from a doze, frowned, and asked, "Why did we stop?"

Reporting, General!

A Deputy General stepped forward, "We subordinates are discussing whether we should pass through here."

General Luo glanced at the sky, then asked, "How far are we still from Xi Tun Guan?"

The Deputy General replied, "About thirty-plus li remain."

General Luo snapped, "Why is it still so far? Didn't I say we should arrive before nightfall?"

At this moment the sun was about to set completely; it wouldn't be long before darkness fell.

The Deputy General said, "Please calm your anger, General; it's just that the closer we get to Xi Tun Guan, the more rugged the terrain becomes..."

"Then why not hurry up!" General Luo urged, "What's there to discuss?"

The Deputy General patiently explained, "Ahead lies a valley; according to the frontier map, the valley floor is gentle and suitable for passage, but we think if there are ambushers on either side, we would be trapped."

"So we plan to send someone in to scout a bit; if anything seems off, we'll take a detour."

General Luo, hearing this, suddenly burst out laughing.

The Deputy General was bewildered, "General, why are you laughing?"

General Luo said, "In the past, your consideration would have been quite correct, but now it's wrong."

The Deputy General puzzled, "Why is it wrong?"

General Luo's face showed full confidence, "The premise for them setting an ambush is knowing we're coming, yet we marched from the Royal City to the frontier in just five days—such speed, how could they know? And if they didn't know, how could they have prepared an ambush in advance?"

"General, you might not be aware," the Deputy General still said with slight worry, "The people at the frontier say that among the few carrier pigeons sent from the Royal City with orders, one is missing... I worry that news of our army's forced march here may have leaked."

General Luo grew a bit impatient, "What does it matter if one pigeon is missing? Carrier pigeons sometimes lose their way in transmission; otherwise why would we need to release several at once?"

The Deputy General added, "What if it really is a leak..."

"Enough!" General Luo could bear it no longer, "Even if news of our army's forced march leaked, the Xuan Guo side at Xi Tun Guan would never expect me to lead troops straight in without stopping! Unless they had heavenly eyes! Delay my advance again, and I'll behead you!"

"Pass down my order: no need to scout the valley, no need to detour! Continue marching!"

Seeing the General state his point thus, the Deputy General dared not speak further.

After a moment's thought, although he still felt uneasy, the Deputy General realized the General's reasoning was sound, so he turned and left to deliver the order.

General Luo lifted his gaze to the fading sunset glow, feeling a bit restless; these subordinates truly won't use their heads to adapt, they just follow routine and waste time.

High above, a drone hovered.

The light was too dim, the distance too far; it was almost just a tiny black dot.

Although General Luo saw it, he merely took it for an eagle soaring the sky and paid it no heed.

Soon, the thirty thousand elite troops of Yu Guo entered the valley.

Night fell at this moment.

The thirty-thousand-strong army marched with torches, the column like a fire dragon.

When they had reached the middle of the valley, General Luo wore a pleased expression and said to the officers following his war chariot, "See, wasn't I right?"

The Deputy General who had earlier explained the situation cupped his fists, "Still, General, your judgment was accurate; we overthought things."

General Luo laughed heartily, "Otherwise, how could I be the general and you the deputy generals? You still have much to learn!"

"The General is wise!" several officers shouted in unison.

Just then——

The Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Soldiers lying in ambush on both sides of the valley received the order.

They all used Fire Folding Tools to ignite the fuses hidden in the rock crevices.

More than ten faint flames wound their way down, straight toward the valley floor.

Boom!

The ground at the valley bottom suddenly burst open!

Flames and thick smoke shot up into the sky!

More than a dozen Yu Guo elite soldiers hadn't even realized what was happening before they were flung aloft by the tremendous force!

"What's going on!" General Luo exclaimed in shock.

Boom! Boom!

Deafening blasts followed one after another, for a moment the earth shook and mountains trembled!

The thirty-thousand-strong army instantly fell into chaos; this terrifying shock and roar were simply unprecedented!

"Quick! Turn around!" the officer beside the General's war chariot, without taking time to look, shouted the order.

But immediately after, another tremendous boom rang out beside them.

Boom!!!

The war chariot shattered into pieces; General Luo was hurled two zhang away, his iron-clad body instantly riddled with sharp metal fragments like a beehive, and he died before hitting the ground!

He died never understanding how he had met his end!

And those Yu Guo elite troops, who had always been well trained, had never seen such a heaven‑collapsing, earth‑shattering scene; they all ran about like headless flies.

Some were blown to death on the spot.

Others had just managed to dodge the blast a moment before, only to turn their heads and be trampled underfoot by the panicked fleeing men and horses.

When the deafening roar and tremor finally subsided, the thirty‑thousand troops had already suffered nearly half casualties!

The majority of the survivors scrambled desperately back, only to hear shouts of killing bearing down from all directions!

An hour later…

The valley finally fell silent.

"His Majesty, we blew up a batch, killed another batch, and captured nearly a thousand!" Li Yao reported to Xiao Qidi.

He then showed a hint of regret, "Unfortunately our manpower was insufficient, and about two to three thousand slipped away."

Xiao Qidi gave a slight nod, "Not bad, this is already a complete victory."

Capturing nearly a thousand and losing two to three thousand means that out of the thirty‑thousand enemy troops, twenty‑six to twenty‑seven thousand were eliminated!

This ambush was executed too beautifully!

"His Majesty, what shall be done with the captives?" Li Yao asked.

Xiao Qidi's gaze turned icy, and he spat out three words—"All killed."

He didn't want to bring these prisoners back and waste his soldiers' and people's provisions.

If the supplies at Lin Xian Pass were ample, they could consider using the captives as labor, but under the current circumstances, that is not permitted.

"Yes!" Li Yao obeyed and withdrew.

——

Midnight, Yu Guo Army camp.

Several thousand deserters who had thrown away their helmets and armor in terror rushed in.

The camp deployed over ten thousand men to finally subdue these hopeless deserters, then escorted a few who were still relatively coherent to the Crown Prince's tent.

The Crown Prince jolted awake, heard the gist, threw back his blanket and roared, "Thirty thousand elite troops! Gone like that? Where is General Luo?"

The deserter kneeling on the ground trembled, "General Luo... died... his several subordinate commanders... also... didn't survive."

The Crown Prince, incredulous, grabbed a deserter by the collar, "Speak! What on earth happened!"

The deserter babbled incoherently, recounting the situation.

He described earth shaking, mountains trembling, fire blazing into the sky, and a massive sound that could stun a person.

"Was it an earthquake?" the Crown Prince furrowed his brows, "At dusk, I seemed to hear a faint, muffled rumble from afar."

The deserter shook his head repeatedly, indicating it was even scarier than an earthquake.

He could not explain what exactly occurred; it was beyond his comprehension.

The Crown Prince slammed the deserter to the ground, coldly scanned the others, "You all, tell me what happened!"

The remaining few, panicked, hesitated for a while, then one said, "M‑… Master Crown Prince… I suspect this is… a celestial disaster omen…"

At those words, another deserter echoed the sentiment.

After all, aside from this explanation, no other reason could be found.

Since it was neither an earthquake nor something humans could achieve, it could only be some kind of heavenly calamity they had never seen or heard of.

Hearing that, the Crown Prince's complexion shifted slightly.

A deserter had a flash of insight and exclaimed, "Could Grand General Ba Yong and those fifty thousand troops have encountered this omen, causing their entire army to be wiped out!"

Immediately another deserter blurted out, "No wonder the rumors say Xi Tun Guan is aided by spirits; it truly is so! Such an omen… only ghosts and deities could cause it!"

"Ah! Could it be that because Xuan Guo's ruler Xiao Qidi is here, even spirits are assisting him?"

"…"

In the camp tent, these deserters were full of such speculation, not noticing the Crown Prince's expression growing increasingly grim.

At that moment, someone entered to report to the Crown Prince.

They said that the over two thousand defeated soldiers who fled back outside were also claiming that Xi Tun Guan, because Xiao Qidi was stationed there, received spirit assistance.

The Crown Prince listened, both shocked and angry.

Matters of spirits are generally revered and believed by most people, yet they have only heard of them, never seen them.

And this time, it seemed to confirm the existence of spirits.

But the Crown Prince refused to believe it, and was extremely unwilling!

Xiao Qidi, a ruler who disregards even Xuan Guo's court, what virtue or merit could grant him the aid of ghosts and deities?

The Crown Prince, growing angrier, drew his sword and slashed the deserter who had just claimed Xi Tun Guan had spirit aid.

Fresh blood splattered his face, further contorting his expression.

"By my command," he snarled, "execute all who have fled back! In my eyes, no deserter can be tolerated!"

"C‑... Crown Prince! Spare us!" the few deserters present cried, pleading and kowtowing.

Some generals nearby also pleaded on their behalf.

They argued that they had encountered unusual circumstances, so their situation was understandable.

The Crown Prince's temples bulged with veins, "If anyone else pleads, I will still kill them without hesitation!"

The generals could only stay silent, sighing inwardly, summoned someone to come in and give a brief report, then the deserters were dragged out of the tent.

The wailing and shouting ceased abruptly.

The Crown Prince wiped the blood from his face, returned to his couch, grabbed a jar of wine and drained it, then coldly addressed the generals, "Keep a close watch; after killing these men, if anyone in the army still talks about ghosts and deities aiding Xiao Qidi, that is sowing discord, and will be killed on the spot!"

"Yes…" the general clasped his fists.

In such a bizarre situation, one should actually convene all generals and the army's strategists to discuss.

Perhaps a countermeasure could be found, or the mystery unraveled.

But this time, the one leading the troops was the Crown Prince.

When his golden mouth opened, no one dared to defy him.

Now, not even a mention can be made.

"Xi Tun Guan... Xiao Qidi..." the Crown Prince's cheek twitched, and he sprang to his feet, about to don armor.

The general immediately blocked him, "Crown Prince! What are you trying to do?"

The Crown Prince said: "I, the Crown Prince, now intend to lead the remaining 170,000 elite to crush Xi Tun Guan!"

"No, no! Crown Prince, calm down, calm down!" the general knelt and clasped his leg, "If something happens to you, how will the junior generals report to His Majesty? You'd better wait until those 100,000 barbarian soldiers arrive before making plans... If something truly goes wrong, letting them go first wouldn't be too late!"

The Crown Prince frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Fine, I'll go with you; later don't say that I, the Crown Prince, am afraid of Xi Tun Guan, afraid of Xiao Qidi!"

The general breathed a sigh of relief in secret, then flattered, "The Crown Prince leading troops personally is evident throughout Yu Guo, and no one would speak such nonsense."

"Mm, go out, I, the Crown Prince, am taking a rest."

"Yes... Crown Prince."

——

The next day, it was again the day Ning Jinli delivered food as usual.

This time she not only delivered the same compressed biscuits, canned meat, fruits and vegetables as before, but also added rice, flour, grain, oil, some fresh meat, and a good amount of crop seeds and fertilizer.

Previously she had already supplied enough basic cookware—pots, bowls, ladles—for 60,000 to 70,000 people.

Moreover, Lin Xian Village now has groundwater supply, and there is also oil that can be used as fuel, which already provides the conditions for soldiers and civilians to improve daily meals and begin planting crops.

The oil in Lin Xian Village is of excellent quality, and, like the groundwater that wells up on the other side, it flows endlessly, clearly indicating a massive reserve.

However, the conditions are limited now; Ning Jinli cannot yet extract and use it, but it can currently be used for the locals to fire for cooking or night lighting, which is at least not wasted.

After transmitting those, Ning Jinli, holding the Walkie-Talkie, said: "Pay attention, there's more new stuff coming; first fence off the clearing outside the cave so they don't run away."

On the Immortal Cave side, the soldiers were quite puzzled.

New stuff can still run away?

Could it be that it grew long legs...?

Puzzled as they were, they dared not delay the Fairy's instructions.

After clearing the area, they built a fence of nearby stones and assigned people to guard it.

Once the preparations were complete, they informed Ning Jinli via the Walkie-Talkie.

Immediately, wind rose on the clearing out of nowhere; within the swirling yellow sand, small piglets suddenly leapt out!

Now everyone finally understood why the Fairy arranged it that way; it turned out to be something that truly grew long legs!

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of piglets scattered wildly before them.

And that wasn't all; from behind came several hundred chirping chicks!

The piglets and chicks were transmitted, and finally a huge pile of feed was delivered.

Xiao Qidi stood at the cave entrance, watching the soldiers react with surprise and joy, a smile tugging at his mouth.

Cultivating crops and raising livestock are the people's livelihood.

Although the war has not ended, the Yu Guo Army still eyes the area outside Xi Tun Guan like a tiger, yet the situation inside the pass has improved considerably, so it's time to consider these matters.

Otherwise, relying forever on Ning Jinli's food deliveries, the people would never be fully at ease.

Earlier he had been worrying about how the destitute Lin Xian Village could someday restore its livelihood.

He didn't expect that Ning Jinli had already laid out each step for him, crystal clear.

Now it's fine; fighting and guarding the pass and farming and animal husbandry are both unimpeded!

"Hm? Wait..." Xiao Qidi, looking at the lively piglets and chicks, suddenly remembered something, turned and ran into the cave, passed through the Spacetime Portal, and rushed to Ning Jinli's side.

In his eyes a hopeful expression was hard to hide, his mouth curled, "Miss Ning! Since living things can be sent over, then…"

"Is it that big black horse?" Ning Jinli, holding a cup of milk tea, said while sipping with a straw, "I've tried, it can't be transmitted; perhaps the Spacetime Portal has size limits for living things."

Xiao Qidi's brief bright smile instantly froze.

It was like a big boy suddenly learning he'll lose his favorite toy.

"Hey, it's okay, little brother," Ning Jinli stretched her arm and patted his head, "If I'm not mistaken, the Spacetime Portal can be upgraded; maybe later it can send it for you. Want to try some milk tea? I bought you a cup as well."

Xiao Qidi was surprised, "The Spacetime Portal can be upgraded?"

Ning Jinli, while inserting a straw into another cup of milk tea and handing it to him, said: "It should be, because the Spacetime Portal upgraded once when you were injured and hospitalized."

She briefly explained that at that time a light screen appeared covering a certain area, and she discovered she could telekinetically transmit items within that light screen.

Xiao Qidi immediately asked the crucial question: "Then, what caused it to upgrade?"