Chapter 1699

Accompanying Guo Guangbi, there were about fifteen thousand people in total; they had thought the enemy would flee at the sight of them, but they never imagined that the enemy would not only not leave, but would stay there, ready for battle.

Guo Guangbi reined in his horse, Xie Jian gestured with his hand for everyone to stop, gave a signal, and the great army formed up in square formation on the grassland.

Xiong Tianba rode a tall horse, with a person placed sideways before the horse; this person wore Guo Shaoxiong's clothes, bound tightly with fivefold ropes, and was none other than Hu Xiaotian in disguise.

Hu Xiaotian glanced sideways and saw that Guo Guangbi's troops were clearly sluggish in forming ranks; compared to the people of the Enke tribe behind him, they were already fairly trained, but compared to his own soldiers they were still far inferior, for most of the soldiers Guo Guangbi had conscripted were raw recruits, and their current tactical level was largely thanks to Xie Jian's drilling; yet these men's foundations were simply too weak, and with so little time, even Xie Jian's abilities could not turn them into a brave and skilled fighting force in a short period.

Xiong Tianba spurred his horse to the front of the ranks and shouted loudly, 'Hey! Listen up! If you want Guo Shaoxiong's life, you'd better obey me, or I'll rip his head off!' He grabbed Hu Xiaotian's hair bun and forced him to lift his head; in fact Hu Xiaotian's hair was disheveled, and from a distance he looked like a ghost.

The distance between the two armies was about fifty zhang, and with the night dark, even if Guo Guangbi's side had keen eyesight they could not tell who Xiong Tianba had seized. Xie Jian, old and crafty, whispered a warning: 'Grand Marshal, be careful of a ruse.'

Guo Guangbi recognized from the voice that it was Qijin Kecha, and he shouted angrily, 'Damn thing, you actually dared to abduct my son and daughter-in-law!' Qijin Kecha screamed shrilly, 'Save me! Save me! Uncle Guo, quickly save us…' She did not know that Guo Shaoxiong was already dead, and thought the person Xiong Tianba had just seized was Guo Shaoxiong, seeing reinforcements arrive. Naturally she cried out for help. Her voice was sharp and thin, yet extremely recognizable.

Guo Guangbi recognized from the voice that it was Qijin Kecha, and he shouted angrily, 'Damn thing, you actually dared to abduct my son and daughter-in-law!'

Xie Jian said, 'Grand Marshal, there's no need to be anxious; they must have conditions.'

Hu Xiaotian instructed Xiong Tianba via sound transmission on what to do, and Xiong Tianba roared, 'Everyone listen to me! You all stay where you are, do not move!'

Guo Guangbi shouted loudly, 'Bold madman, you dare to abduct my son! Release him quickly, and I promise to spare your lives!' Concerned for his only son's safety, he naturally dared not act rashly and voluntarily offered a concession.

Xie Jian secretly sighed; the more Guo Guangbi acted this way, the more the other side might press harder, but Guo Shaoxiong's life was at stake. He also dared not rashly propose a plan, for if anything happened to Guo Shaoxiong he could not bear the responsibility.

Xiong Tianba waved his hand; the Enke tribe received his assent and immediately turned around and left. This was actually their prior agreement; even though Hu Xiaotian and Xiong Tianba were both valiant, with two thousand men facing the enemy's fifteen thousand, their chances of victory were still too low, and even if they could win they would have to pay a heavy price. Although Hu Xiaotian had rallied them with passion, the Enke tribe were not fools. After exhausting all pleasant words, they finally devised this risky plan to seek victory: let the Enke tribe withdraw first, and only then would they agree to accompany them in a daring attempt. In fact, it was merely to help as a show of force; they never intended to fight the Guo Guangbi forces to the death.

Having obtained Xiong Tianba's assent, the Enke tribe's troops withdrew swiftly; in a short while they pulled out completely clean. Guo Guangbi shouted loudly, 'They've all left already; why haven't you released my son yet?'

Xiong Tianba laughed heartily, 'What's the rush? If I release him now, you'll immediately lead your army to chase after us—wait! Anyway, we have plenty of time.'

Guo Guangbi, caught between a rock and a hard place, could only wait patiently. Hu Xiaotian deliberately struggled a few times; his mouth was bound with a cloth strip, and though he shouted loudly, only muffled 'uh-uh' sounds came out. Xiong Tianba slapped his butt hard, bellowing, 'Shout! Shout again and I'll castrate you!' Of course this was to increase credibility; although the fellow didn't dare use full force, the slap still hurt Hu Xiaotian's butt, and the fellow's hand was too heavy. Hu Xiaotian cursed via sound transmission, 'You brat, do you have a grudge against me?'

Only then did Xiong Tianba realize he had struck too hard, and he dared not deliver a second blow.

Worry makes one muddled; Guo Guangbi now believed it completely, and he shouted loudly, 'Why don't you release him quickly? I, Guo Guangbi, always keep my word; you only need to free my son, and I guarantee your safe departure from here.'

Hu Xiaotian guessed that the Enke tribe had already withdrawn nearly completely, and even if Guo Guangbi wanted to pursue now it would be too late. He then reminded Xiong Tianba to release the hostage; Xiong Tianba raised his hand, threw the fivefold-bound Hu Xiaotian aside, and with a casual pull of the rope lifted Qijin Kecha, who had been discarded on the ground, onto his horse sideways, then turned and fled.

Seeing his son thrown down by Xiong Tianba, Guo Guangbi was the first to rush out to meet him; Xie Jian wanted to stop him but it was already too late, and in a panic he led the crowd forward as well.

Hu Xiaotian lay on the ground, his eyes fixed on Guo Guangbi, gauging the distance; suddenly he sprang up from the ground, breaking the ropes on his body with inner force in midair, like a falcon stooping on a rabbit, and dove down lightning‑fast. This change happened too abruptly; before Guo Guangbi could realize what was happening, Hu Xiaotian had already swooped down to his head. From behind came Xie Jian's startled cry: 'Release the arrows! Release the arrows!'

Countless feathered arrows shot at Hu Xiaotian, but they could not penetrate his protective gangqi, let alone harm him in the slightest. Having broken through the arrow rain, Hu Xiaotian arrived before Guo Guangbi, kicked him with a foot that sent his own long sword flying, then lunged onto Guo Guangbi's back, pressing a dagger to his throat and shouting, 'Anyone who steps forward another pace will have his blood spatter five feet!'

Guo Guangbi's face turned ashen; he had thought the person seized by Xiong Tianba was his own son, but he never expected such a turn of events.

Although Xie Jian and his men were numerous, seeing Guo Guangbi fall into Hu Xiaotian's hands, no one dared to step forward rashly; Xie Jian trembled as he said, 'Everyone stay calm; under no circumstances act rashly.'

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, 'Still, Master Xie is wise.'

Only now did Xie Jian, from the voice, discern his identity, confirming that the person impersonating Guo Shaoxiong before him was undoubtedly Hu Xiaotian.

Xie Jian calmly said, 'I wondered who it was; turns out it's the King of Zhenhai—no wonder he has such gall. Do you think you can escape from here?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled, 'Who said I want to flee? If I intended to run, would I still be waiting here for you?'

Guo Guangbi angrily shouted, 'Never mind me, kill him!'

Hu Xiaotian laughed heartily, 'You still have some guts after all, far more than your worthless son.'

Guo Guangbi asked, 'What have you done to Shaoxiong?'

Hu Xiaotian replied, 'Why don't I take you to see him?'

At that moment a strange 'wa-ya-ya' cry came from afar; it was Xiong Tianba returning after having gone back, waving two large hammers to come to the rescue. Seeing that Hu Xiaotian had already succeeded, the fellow was overjoyed and laughed loudly, 'Third Uncle, I'm going to smash them!'

Hu Xiaotian glared at him; only then did Xiong Tianba, looking sheepish, rein in his horse beside him.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Master Xie, we are merely borrowing him for a use; once we are out of danger we will certainly release him.'

Xie Jian asked, 'Has my young master been killed by you?' He drew this conclusion from everything before him.

Before Hu Xiaotian could speak, Xiong Tianba interjected, 'What's wrong with killing him? That pus‑filled wretch actually dared to seize our horse troop, massacre our brothers—killing him is letting him off easy.'

Upon hearing the news that his son had been killed, Guo Guangbi felt as if struck by five thunderbolts, and he bellowed furiously, 'Kill him! Kill them! Never mind me!'

Hu Xiaotian slapped Guo Guangbi, knocking him unconscious, then coldly stared at Xie Jian; a chilling killing intent instantly enveloped Xie Jian, who felt a shiver from the depths of his heart, realizing that if Hu Xiaotian wished he could take his life at any moment. In fact this was no illusion; given Hu Xiaotian's present strength, plucking a commander's head from among ten thousand troops would be as easy as reaching into a bag.

Hu Xiaotian transmitted to Xie Jian via sound: 'Master Xie, rest assured they cannot hear these words; you are a person of great wisdom and virtue. Guo Shaoxiong allied with the Han'erjin tribe to kill my brothers and seize my horse herd—I must give my brothers an accounting no matter what. Guo Guangbi is already a spent force; even if I do not kill him, he will inevitably be swallowed by other powers later. Master Xie, think not only for yourself but also for your kin and friends; today if you let us go, I guarantee to leave you a way to survive. Otherwise, after I depart I will surely lead troops to massacre Ji City, slaughtering every soldier and civilian within.'

When Xie Jian heard Hu Xiaotian mention slaughtering the city, his heart tightened involuntarily; as he hesitated, someone from the ranks rushed out shouting, 'Release my lord!' It was Guo Guangbi's fierce general Liu Hutou. This man was also brave and skilled in battle, renowned for his great strength and valor, and famous in Guo Guangbi's army.

Liu Hutou leveled his bronze spear and charged out of the formation; Hu Xiaotian gave a glance, and Xiong Tianba spurred his horse forward to meet him, smashing a hammer onto Liu Hutou's great spear. The tremendous, overbearing force bent the spear shaft, Liu Hutou's tiger mouths on both hands were shattered, blood flowed out, and he could no longer grip the bronze spear; the deformed spear flew from his grasp.

Before the words were finished, Xiong Tianba's second hammer struck—*puff! *—sending Liu Hutou and his horse crashing to the ground, blood spraying everywhere, a horrifying sight.

Xiong Tianba was like a demon god, looking down on the enemy camp, raising his blood‑stained great hammer and roaring like thunder, 'Who dares to fight?'

In the opposing camp, a commander's body tilted and he fell from his horse to the ground; the soldiers at his sides helped him up, only to discover that he had been frightened to death.

Second update uploaded, seeking Monthly Tickets, Recommendation tickets, any votes! Whether you vote or not. (To be continued~^~)