Chapter 1367: [Breach] (Part 1)

Nobody expected Hu Xiaotian to suddenly strike. Besides Xie Jian, Guo Shaoxiong had three experts with him; seeing this, they rushed forward to rescue him. Hu Xiaotian glanced sideways at them and said, "All of you, stay over there and shut up!" He exerted a little force; the broken finger bones of Guo Shaoxiong ground together, pain making him almost faint. He panicked and screamed, "Retreat… retreat… down…"

Hu Xiaotian sneered, "What's the rush? The matter isn't settled yet, and you're already hurrying off? Are you rushing to be reborn?"

Guo Shaoxiong was in agony, left only with his wails.

Xie Jian said, "Lord Hu, let's talk this out, let's talk this out—first release my young master."

Su Yuchi also urged from the side, "Lord Hu, please don't ruin the harmony!" Actually, at this point there's no harmony left to speak of.

A thunderclap rolled down outside the tent, and a torrential rain poured from the sky. Hu Xiaotian flicked his left hand, shoving Guo Shaoxiong aside; meanwhile Xie Jian had just helped Guo Shaoxiong back up when the three experts from Xingzhou charged forward. Su Yuchi had anticipated this, hastily sent men to separate the two sides, and earnestly urged, "I hope everyone stays calm—give me some face."

Xie Jian gave Guo Shaoxiong a look; Guo Shaoxiong, still trembling with pain, gritted his teeth and said, "Hu Xiaotian, I won't let this slide—let's go!" He and his men prepared to leave.

Su Yuchi, however, said, "Wait, Young Master Guo should first tend to his hand injury before leaving." He also sensed something odd about Guo Shaoxiong; otherwise, why would he insist on leaving despite the situation?

Yang Daoyuan chuckled, "General Su's hospitality truly opens one's eyes, but I still have pressing matters—I'm off first!"

Su Yuchi said, "Regarding the peace talks…"

Yang Daoyuan replied, "Just consider this trip wasted on me." The middle-aged man beside him, however, kept his eyes on Hu Xiaotian and whispered, "I'll be waiting for you outside."

Hu Xiaotian secretly wondered what connection the Sword Palace had with Yang Daoyuan. He had thought everything was stirred up by Feng Xianlin, but he hadn't expected that behind Feng Xianlin stood Sword Palace experts backing him up. Although the other side hadn't moved yet, Hu Xiaotian judged from the man's aura and steps that his martial skill surpassed Feng Xianlin's. Yang Daoyuan had come this time on Li Tianheng's orders—was the current situation his deliberate provocation, or had Li Tianheng instructed him from the start to act this way?

Zhuge Guanqi whispered to Hu Xiaotian, "My lord, we should leave too." His inner unease grew stronger.

Xia Zhangming rode the Snow Eagle across the sky, the downpour pouring. Two Snow Eagles flew one after another through the rain; the scenery below began to blur. Xia Zhangming ordered the eagles to fly lower so he could see more clearly—the Xuyong River's muddy waves surged, the water level rising rapidly. However, the great dam was still far off, so a breach seemed unlikely.

Xia Zhangming also gazed toward Ox Head Mountain and Pingjin Hill; the figures of Chang Fanqi and his men had completely vanished into the wind and rain. A bitter smile tugged at Xia Zhangming's lips—if the weather were clear, he could spot changes along the Xuyong River from high above. But in such foul weather, visibility was low, and his eyesight could not reach far. Chang Fanqi and his two hundred subordinates likely fared worse; they probably couldn't even see the Xuyong River.

Xia Zhangming directed the two Snow Eagles to continue low flight. According to the earlier plan, they were to hold this position for one shichen; if no abnormality occurred within half a shichen, they could depart.

The two Snow Eagles were less than ten zhang from the Xuyong River, streaking past like white lightning, one ahead of the other. Suddenly a black shape flickered in his vision—a fishing boat tossing through the turbulent waves of the Xuyong River.

Xia Zhangming found it strange. In such weather, why would a fishing boat be out? After a moment's thought, he recalled that it had been clear skies earlier; presumably the fishermen, caught by the bad weather while out at sea, were now hurrying back. Yet the sight of a lone boat on the entire stormy stretch of the Xuyong River still seemed odd.

Xia Zhangming commanded the Snow Eagle to descend, trying to get a clear view of the situation on the boat.

The fishing boat bobbed in the wind and waves as it headed for shore, presumably aiming to land. Xia Zhangming rode the Snow Eagle past three zhang above the boat when a sudden flash of cold light shot straight upward.

Xia Zhangming startled, the Snow Eagle reacted instantly, making a sharp turn in midair; the cold light grazed its right wing and flew off. Had the reaction been a moment slower, it likely would have been struck by an arrow.

A man clad in black armor stepped out of the cabin, standing proudly on the deck. His face bore a pitch‑black mask, and through its eyeholes a pair of cold, gloomy eyes stared at the Snow Eagle in the sky. He sprang from the deck, shooting straight upward; as he leapt, countless bats burst from the cabin, swarming like a black cloud that bore his body upward to over ten zhang high.

Xia Zhangming was shocked; the Snow Eagle clearly sensed imminent danger and desperately flew due east.

From the back of his black armor, a pair of gleaming icy wings unfolded. He used the wind to begin gliding, pursuing Xia Zhangming at astonishing speed. The bat swarm resembled black smoke enveloping his body, accompanying him in flight; when he began to descend, the bats would lift him again, correcting his course.

Xia Zhangming directed the Snow Eagle to constantly change direction; though the eagle's movements were agile, it could not completely shake off that wing‑armored warrior.

At that moment the fishing boat had neared the great dam, and another wing‑armored warrior leapt from the cabin, flying upward under the protection of the bat swarm.

Xia Zhangming thought, "Oh no," drew his bow, and fired a signal arrow toward Ox Head Mountain; the arrow exploded in midair after a short flight. At the same instant, the fishing boat slammed into the great dam with a deafening blast, the hull shattering into pieces. The dam tore open under the massive explosion, and the surging river burst forth like a tiger released from a gate, or like a galaxy fallen to earth—white waves rolled out of the embankment, unstoppable as they rushed toward the southern lowlands.

Chang Fanqi and his companions couldn't see the scene across the Xuyong River, but they heard the earth‑shaking explosion. For a moment the ground trembled and mountains shook, then came the sound of ten thousand horses galloping. Though the blast faded, the tremors beneath their feet grew stronger. The soldiers on guard downhill ran upward, shouting, "The dam has burst! The dam has burst!"

Chang Fanqi's heart sank; everything unfortunately unfolded exactly as Zhuge Guanqi had predicted. While admiring Zhuge Guanqi's prophetic insight, he couldn't help thinking of Hu Xiaotian and the others still in Black Sand City—within half a shichen the raging flood would inundate the city, and if they couldn't evacuate in time, they'd likely perish.

A crane's cry rang from the air—actually it was Xia Zhangming, riding the Snow Eagle, desperately fleeing toward Ox Head Mountain. Chang Fanqi looked up and faintly saw two dark shadows hot on his heels behind Xia Zhangming. He roared, "Brothers, ready your bows!"

Aside from the hundred soldiers stationed at Pingjin Hill to observe the situation, the remaining hundred followed Chang Fanqi onto Ox Head Mountain. These troops were hand‑picked from Dongliang Jun, skilled in mounted or foot combat and long‑range attacks. At Chang Fanqi's command, they all nocked arrows and aimed at the wing‑armored warriors in the sky, shielded by the bat swarm.

Chang Fanqi lacked confidence he could shoot the two down, but he believed he could delay their pursuit of Xia Zhangming—only then could Xia Zhangming break free and fly to Black Sand City in time to warn Hu Xiaotian before the flood arrived.

Xia Zhangming's purpose in passing above Ox Head Mountain was precisely this: over a hundred feathered arrows whistled incessantly into the sky, striking many bats that fell from the air. Though the two wing‑armored warriors weren't hit by the stray arrows, their chase speed had to slow. Unlike the Snow Eagle's effortless flight, they needed the bat swarm to lift them aloft before they could glide with their twin wings. After Chang Fanqi and his men unleashed a barrage, many bats were slain on the spot, throwing the formation into chaos; the warriors could no longer continue chasing Xia Zhangming and were forced to land where they stood.

Over a hundred warriors fired in unison, trying to shoot the two wing‑armored warriors down in midair, but the arrows striking their wing armor produced only a constant clinking—unable to pierce the tough plating.

One of them had already plunged from the sky at high speed, raising his twin spears and using the momentum to deflect the arrows aimed at him, then viciously thrust them into the chests of two soldiers. With a shake of his arms, he flung the corpses sideways into the air.

Chang Fanqi bellowed, "Brothers, form ranks!" The other soldiers quickly discarded their longbows, grabbed shields, and huddled together. Chang Fanqi took two iron spears from behind, joined them end‑to‑end, glared at the warrior who had slaughtered his two men, then stepped forward with a heavy stomp of his left foot, knees slightly bent, then swiftly straightened, using the ground's rebound to launch his burly body a zhang into the air, and thrust his spear forward like a chasing wind, lightning‑fast, at the wing‑armored warrior.

The wing‑armored warrior met him without hesitation, swinging his right spear outward to try to block Chang Fanqi's spear, while his left spear thrust straight at Chang Fanqi's chest.

Spear and short spear clashed; Chang Fanqi's move was heavy and powerful, and the opponent, despite exerting all his strength, could not parry it. Chang Fanqi turned his wrist, winding the spearhead around the enemy's right spear, entangled and lifted, knocking the short spear aside; then the shot forth like a snake from its hole, stabbing beneath the enemy's right rib. The sequence flowed smoothly, seamless and uninterrupted. Although the wing‑armored warrior was skilled in both offense and defense, his weapon's length prevented him from closing in on Chang Fanqi, rendering his attacks ineffective.

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