Chapter 59: then translation of title

Xiao Qidi looked back, only to see a vast black mass of people rushing toward this side.

By the moonlight, one could see at a glance that they were precisely the seventy thousand barbarian soldiers of Sha Yue Guo.

Their physique and attire were too distinctive, and the vast majority were infantry; running like monkeys, leaping up and down with extreme speed.

"Finally here." Xiao Qidi let out a slight sigh of relief.

Ning Jinli asked, "This time you don't have to personally go onto the battlefield, right?"

Xiao Qidi cautioned, "Let's see first, then talk."

As the barbarian troops rapidly approached, the Yu Guo Army camp and the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army also noticed the situation.

The Yu Guo soldiers' morale instantly surged.

The Crown Prince shouted, "Quick! Send orders! Have the barbarians kill these Xuan Guo cavalry for this Crown Prince! They are agile and well-suited to deal with!"

He felt a stifling resentment building inside him.

A few days ago, full of confidence, he led twenty thousand elite troops on a personal campaign, hoping to regain face for Da Yu and also to establish an image of himself as a future ruler.

He had thought it would be a crushing campaign easier than eating and drinking, that just making a show of going once would be enough to finish it.

But he never expected to end up in this situation.

Now, although it's unclear how many of the seventeen thousand elite have been lost, there are still at least over a hundred thousand, yet they were beaten by just a few thousand cavalry from Xi Tun Guan to the point of only being able to block and retreat.

Now with the barbarian army's support, no matter what, the pent-up bad air in his belly must be let out!

The Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army here instantly felt immense pressure.

On one hand, the Yu Guo Army's morale had already been revived; on the other hand, with the barbarians joining, the enemy camp's numbers would suddenly surge.

As they were about to reach the vicinity of the Crown Prince's guard detail, they never expected this situation to arise.

Duan Wu, though unwilling, could only decisively order, "Brothers! Retreat!"

The five thousand Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Soldiers reacted swiftly, turning around and running back.

Seeing the battle situation turn against them, the Crown Prince sneered, "You killed so many of this Crown Prince's men and want to flee? Stop them! Be sure to cut them to pieces!"

The sound of gongs, drums, and horns conveying the order rang out.

The Yu Guo Army switched from defense to offense, frantically pursuing the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor cavalry.

The Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Soldiers blocked while withdrawing; the Yu Guo Army closely followed, and further back, the barbarian army surged forward, in no time charging into the Yu Guo Army's camp.

"Good, good, good!" the Crown Prince's face showed a ferocious cold smile, "No wonder it's the fierce hound raised by my Da Yu, so ferocious!"

A few Deputy Generals beside him also let out a long breath.

But before that breath was fully exhaled, the Deputy Generals sensed something was off.

As the barbarians charged into the battlefield, wherever they went, the Yu Guo camp instead fell into chaos.

Because the distance was relatively far, everyone momentarily couldn't make out what was happening.

"Crown Prince, it seems… something's wrong." a Deputy General strained to look, worriedly said.

The Crown Prince waved his hand, showing a relaxed and composed demeanor, "Barbarians have always been this crude and rash; when they fight, they're like mad dogs, slaughtering without regard for tactics—let the chaos be chaos."

"Report!" a Yu Guo Scout came running in terror, tumbling and crawling to fall before the Crown Prince's chariot, "It's terrible! The barbarians have gone mad! They're actually killing our own people!"

"What?!" the Crown Prince and several Deputy Generals exclaimed in shock.

The Scout's eyes were filled with disbelief, "Our soldiers wanted to fight side by side with them, but instead…… they got stabbed in the back; now nobody knows what's going on! Please, Crown Prince, clarify!"

The Crown Prince found it hard to believe, "Could it be that because it's dark at night they can't see clearly, and this bunch of lunatics mistook the wrong people?"

"Impossible!" a Deputy General's face turned ashen, "The barbarians have excellent night vision, and they also recognize the armor worn by our Da Yu soldiers!"

The Scout also immediately added, "Report to the Crown Prince! When our commanders in each camp noticed something wrong, they tried their best to stop and identify themselves! But the barbarians turned a deaf ear! Even a commander, completely unprepared, was…… killed by them!"

The Crown Prince staggered, nearly losing his footing, his face instantly turning pale, "How…… could this happen…… this is impossible……"

At this moment another Scout came to report, saying the barbarians had already gone berserk, even the Deputy General in charge of command, caught off guard, suffered a sneak attack and fell in battle!

The Crown Prince's nearby Deputy Generals were greatly shocked, no longer able to attend to anything else; they took about a hundred guards and immediately escorted the Crown Prince away from the battlefield, while the remaining guards covered the retreat.

Even if today we lose the entire 170,000-strong army here, we must not let the Crown Prince suffer any mishap!

On the other side, Duan Wu and Li Yao led the five thousand Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Soldiers in retreat, when suddenly they noticed there were no Yu Guo pursuers behind them.

Looking back, they actually discovered that the Yu Guo Army was fighting the barbarian army.

The fighting was intensely fierce!

"What's going on, the barbarians weren't coming for us, were they?" Li Yao said in surprise.

Duan Wu laughed, "Could it be that both sides wanted to rush in to fight us, but failed to agree, causing internal strife?"

Li Yao shook his head, "I don't think so."

Duan Wu pondered, "Never mind that! Let's keep going to capture the Crown Prince!"

"Reporting, General," the Scout beside him said with a troubled expression, "Just now when you said to retreat, I didn't use the drone to track the Crown Prince's movements."

Duan Wu frowned, "Keep looking!"

"I think we don't need to," Li Yao said cautiously, "The Yu Guo Army and the Sha Yue Guo Army are fighting like dogs; this is too strange, the situation is unfathomable, we'd better play it safe—most important is to hold Xi Tun Guan."

"Alright, then let's withdraw." Duan Wu, though feeling regretful, heeded the advice and continued leading everyone out of the battlefield.

At this moment, the Yu Guo Army and the barbarian army had become a tangled mess.

Xiao Qidi stood on high ground, seeing the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army take advantage of the chaos to fully withdraw back into Xi Tun Guan, his heart that had been suspended finally settled.

This time, subduing the barbarians and then provoking them to attack the Yu Guo Army—this plan succeeded.

Suddenly, keen-eyed he spotted a Yu Guo chariot amidst the chaotic battlefield, maintaining an orderly formation as it had reached the edge of the combat zone.

Upon closer look, although he couldn't see the person's appearance on the chariot, that exquisite set of golden armor was enough to prove his identity was not ordinary.

Xiao Qidi sneered, "Only the Yu Guo Crown Prince would dress up so ostentatiously yet impractically."

"Miss Ning," he turned and clasped his fists, "Now is the perfect opportunity to capture the Yu Guo Crown Prince; please lend me your strength!"

"Get on the chariot!" Ning Jinli decisively agreed.

The Mercedes G-Class immediately started and chased in the direction the Yu Guo Crown Prince was fleeing.

Its two headlights bounced and sped across the rugged, dark wilderness mountains, far slower than driving on a flat road, yet much faster than a horse‑drawn war chariot.

The only drawback was that some sections were too narrow; the war chariot could pass, but the Mercedes G-Class could not.

Fortunately, Ning Jinli's driving skill was good; though she wound and turned, she drew ever closer to the Yu Guo Crown Prince's war chariot.

Gradually, the car's headlights illuminated far behind the war chariot.

"What is that?" the Crown Prince turned back, staring in shock at the two lights behind him.

The glow grew nearer and more dazzling, brighter than the moon that hangs like a jade disc in the sky.

It also emitted strange low growls never heard before.

Several Deputy Generals were uneasy and uncertain; they too could not discern what it was.

"Could there be a monster here?!" the Crown Prince broke out in cold sweat, suddenly realizing and exclaiming, "Yes! A monster! Earlier Grand General Ba Yong led fifty thousand troops to a sudden annihilation... and later my thirty thousand vanguard forces encountered an anomaly; this monster must be behind it!"

"Faster! Increase speed!" a Deputy General shouted at the guard piloting the war chariot.

Another Deputy General gritted his teeth and clasped his fists, "Everyone, protect the Crown Prince; I'll take some guards to hold back that monster!"

"Alright, alright! Make sure you hold the Crown Prince! In the future I'll grant you a posthumous title and treat your family well!" the Yu Guo Crown Prince promptly promised.

"Thank you, Crown Prince!"

That Deputy General immediately led dozens of guards to stay behind.

Seeing the two piercing lights draw nearer, he drew his war blade and shouted, "Whatever that monster is, kill it for me!"

"Kill!" the guards brandished their swords and shouted.

The crowd let out a roar to steel their courage and charged toward the light.

Ning Jinli was driving intently; although the off‑road vehicle had a high viewpoint, it could not smooth the uneven ground. When the car burst out of a shallow pit, the front lifted high, and she saw what seemed like a shadow flicker before the headlights.

Then—

Bang!

Bang bang!

A series of muffled crashing sounds followed.

"Hm? What is that?" Ning Jinli turned her head to glance at the rearview mirror.

But the car was moving too fast; the outside was pitch black, and in a flash the struck shadow was flung far away.

She had no time to think further and kept driving forward in pursuit.

The Crown Prince on the war chariot and the remaining Deputy Generals all wore pallid faces.

They had just seen the monster with a pair of glowing huge eyes; a casual collision could fling several people away, and its speed remained undiminished!

How terrifying!

"It's over... I'm... done for here!" the Crown Prince, terrified to the point of losing his spirit, clung to the war chariot and pounded his head like pounding garlic, "Heaven above, help!"

"Crown Prince! Generals! Get down quickly!" the guard driving the car shouted suddenly.

Several Deputy Generals hurriedly pressed the Crown Prince down and jointly shielded him.

In that instant, the war chariot passed through a narrow fissure in the mountain rocks, and the carriage sides were crushed into fragments!

Immediately after, a deep trench over two zhang ahead appeared.

Snap!

The guard driving the car snapped his whip hard!

The few horses in front surged forward, forcibly leaping the war chariot across the gap!

Boom!

A muffled thud.

The war chariot slammed onto the ground, shattering into pieces.

The pulling horses also broke their hooves and lay on the ground, struggling to rise.

The remaining dozens of mounted guards followed closely over the ravine; some who lost control fell directly into the trench, the scene utterly dreadful.

When everyone regained their senses, including the Crown Prince, only a dozen‑plus people and a few uninjured horses remained.

The Yu Guo Crown Prince was shielded by several Deputy Generals; though he was greatly frightened, he sustained little injury.

"Crown Prince! Get on a horse quickly!" the Deputy Generals dragged and pushed him onto a warhorse.

Then they rode other horses, taking fewer than ten guards, and continued escorting the Crown Prince away.

Squeak!

A sharp braking sound rang out.

Ning Jinli abruptly performed a drift, stopping just before the front of the car slammed into a rock.

That fissure could at most allow the Crown Prince's war chariot to barely pass, and this Mercedes G-Class off‑road vehicle would likely be stuck.

Moreover, the jagged rocks on both sides stretched endlessly as far as the eye could see.

Trying to go around, one would have no idea where it would lead.

Ning Jinli hurried out of the car, glanced at both sides, then looked at the deep trench before the rock fissure, and couldn't help exclaiming, "WTF!"

She was about to catch up, only to hit this heavenly obstacle.

So infuriating!

In that instant, she wished she could fly a plane over it!

Xiao Qidi also got out of the car, and seeing her eyes blazing and hair standing on end, he couldn't help showing a hint of surprise, "So you can be this fierce too."

Ning Jinli took a few deep breaths, calmed herself, and said, "Can't catch up. I'll take you back to Xi Tun Guan."

"Who said we can't catch up?" Xiao Qidi smirked.

"Huh? How…" before she could finish saying "chase," Ning Jinli was suddenly seized around the waist by Xiao Qidi.

Before she could react, Xiao Qidi grabbed her and rushed like lightning to the edge of the deep ditch, then kicked his legs and sprang up!

"Ah ah ah ah!" Ning Jinli's scream rang through the night sky...

Yu Guo Crown Prince's party hurried to escape, and only when the horse collapsed from exhaustion, refusing to move no matter how they whipped it, did they stop.

A few guards huffed like oxen; after a while they caught up.

No one knew how long they'd been running, but could judge that it was now the latter half of the night.

As for where they were, they were even less clear; panicked, they ran without choosing a path, and all around were desolate hills and wilderness.

"Crown Prince, keep moving," several Deputy Generals urged.

Yu Guo Crown Prince flopped onto the ground, waving his hands repeatedly, "No, no, I need a break!"

The Deputy Generals advised:

"It still doesn't look safe here; that monster might still be chasing us from behind!"

"At least find a hidden mountain cave, hide there and rest!"

But no matter what they said, the Crown Prince wouldn't budge.

He even put on an expression of indifference, disregarding his image, spreading his limbs and lying on his back, muttering: "I, this Crown Prince... when have I ever committed such a sin! I'm not running! Let the monster come! Let it bite me to death!"

The Deputy Generals, helpless, could only stay put and rest with him.

At that moment, a faint sound of a carriage slowly moving rose from nearby.

The Crown Prince jolted upright, "Someone passing by? Go check!"

A few guards immediately drew knives and ran toward the source of the sound.

In no time, the carriage convoy was brought before the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince adjusted his helmet, glanced around, and saw only five people outside the carriage.

One middle‑aged driver and four young women riding horses.

From their attire and looks, they were all Zhong Yuan people; as for which nation, it was indiscernible.

"Who are you?" a Deputy General asked.

The driver smiled, clasped his fists, "We are just passing by, gentlemen generals, any advice?"

Yu Guo Crown Prince stared at the carriage door curtain, "Is there water?"

"Got it, got it," the driver said to a young woman, "Give them some."

The young woman took a water bag from her waist and tossed it in front of the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince, unceremoniously, pulled the stopper and glug glug drank it down to the last drop, causing several Deputy Generals and guards to swallow their saliva.

"Is there food?" the Crown Prince asked again.

The driver gestured again, and another young woman tossed a small packet of dry rations over.

"Generals, we've given you drink and food; may we now be allowed to leave?" the driver asked with a grin.

The Crown Prince slowly rose, tentatively asking, "Your carriage is fine, may it carry me for a stretch?"

The driver politely replied, "Inside sits our master; there is a gender separation, so it's not very convenient for a general like you to sit inside."

"Oh? She's also a woman?" a sly smile rose in the Crown Prince's eyes, "Since you brought water and food, I'd like to thank you in person, may I?"

The driver turned his head, leaned close to the carriage door curtain, and whispered, "Sect Leader, this kid has ulterior motives, what do you think..."