Chapter 414: Clash of Blades

Night, there was rain, and it was a heavy rain.

In the rear courtyard of the manor, several clumps of lush banana trees surrounded a small pavilion; raindrops struck the banana leaves, making a "papa" sound, very pleasant.

Wu Tie and Pei Feng sat opposite each other in the pavilion, a chess set placed before them on the table; both stared at the board, sunk in prolonged contemplation.

The chess of the Great Jin Divine State differed from the chess in Wu Tie's impression.

The times had changed, the power system had changed, and the chessboard and pieces had undergone an earth‑shaking transformation; though roughly similar to the chess Lao Tie remembered, it was no longer the same thing.

On the three‑dimensional chessboard, the pieces representing flying warships hovered silently.

The pieces representing powerful cultivators and elite soldiers hovered on the second layer of the board, beneath the flying warships.

On the third layer, which is the board itself, hundreds of pieces with different functions were placed, including those representing large legions, siege engines, and various strange divine abilities and secret arts.

The former "general" and "marshal" pieces had disappeared; the key to winning a game lay in the two small pieces representing cities.

By employing all forces, scheming against each other, and capturing the opponent's city, one could ultimately win.

In total, the two sides had nearly a thousand pieces; the board had countless squares, and with so many pieces plus the myriad variations of divine abilities and secret arts, chess had become extremely complex, its variations astronomical, a truly brain‑racking game.

Without a doubt, Wu Tie was a hopeless chess player.

Fortunately, Pei Feng's chess skill was even worse than Wu Tie's.

They sat opposite each other for two hours; Huang Yu beside them had already boiled seven or eight pots of clear tea, yet the game remained undecided, and one could not even tell who had the advantage or who was losing.

"Bang!"

Pei Feng slapped the board with her palm, nonchalantly smashing Wu Tie's extremely important piece representing a heavy flagship warship to pieces; then she raised her head with a feigned look of surprise, her face devoid of any smile, and stared at Wu Tie with utter seriousness.

"My mistake… never mind, I can't find a replacement piece on short notice, General Huo Xiong—would it be all right if I'm missing one piece?"

Wu Tie's mouth twitched; he wanted to tell Pei Feng that losing a piece was a big problem, but seeing her icy, cold gaze, he gave a dry laugh: "As General, my chess skill is strong; a single piece is no issue."

Huang Yu beside them pulled at the corner of his mouth, revealing a hint of contempt.

Two hopeless chess players, and utterly hopeless at that… "Strong chess skill?" Heh, who would dare to compare with the former top youth chess player of Lang River Commandery, Young Master Huang Yu?

Wu Tie and Pei Feng both looked at Huang Yu: "Do you have an opinion?"

Huang Yu smiled charmingly, then bowed respectfully to Wu Tie and Pei Feng: "General, Military Lord, would you like some late‑night snacks? I recall that the kitchen just hauled up some superb cold‑water white fish, exceptionally fatty."

Wu Tie looked at Pei Feng.

Pei Feng furrowed her brow in thought, then waved her hand: "White fish is a bit greasy, and preparing this big white fish is quite troublesome; eating it for a late‑night snack? Let's keep it simple—bring over a few roasted wild boar legs."

Wu Tie and Huang Yu both looked at Pei Feng.

Pei Feng's fair complexion flushed slightly, then quickly returned to normal. Looking at Wu Tie, she said solemnly: "General, do not underestimate Pei Feng… Pei Feng has received the ancient inheritance titled *Extinction Devil Phoenix Classic*, cultivating both body and law; speaking solely of strength, Pei Feng's power is also considerable."

Wu Tie nodded seriously: "General, I harbor no other intent… body cultivation, you need to eat to have strength—I can understand that."

Pei Feng's face twitched; she exerted slight force with the five fingers of her right hand resting on the board, and they silently sank into the cold‑iron‑cast board, leaving several clear fingerprints.

After a deep exhale, Pei Feng smiled faintly: "Roast a few wild boar legs, bring some fine wine… General Huo Xiong, I wonder how your drinking capacity is?"

"Who's afraid of whom?" Wu Tie straightened his back, pointing at the interlocking, chaotic chessboard and laughing: "You and I are evenly matched; to decide a winner would take at least a day or two. In that case, let's see how the Military Lord holds her liquor."

Wu Tie narrowed his eyes and chuckled: "If the Military Lord loses, I ask her to promise me a small condition."

Pei Feng raised her eyebrows, interested, and asked Wu Tie: "Oh? What condition? Don't deliberately make things difficult for people."

"Not at all." Wu Tie laughed brightly: "I, Huo Xiong, am the very picture of propriety and seriousness—I would never deliberately make things difficult for anyone…"

Pei Feng and Huang Yu then laughed together.

"'Propriety,' 'seriousness'?"

Using those words to describe yourself, doesn't your conscience ache, Huo Xiong? Earlier today, who was spouting nonsense, leaving Zhao Yin as disordered as a flower branch in a storm, speechless for a long while?

"If the Military Lord loses, lend me Marshal Uncle Ma and his men for the Da Ze Zhou army…" Wu Tie gazed earnestly at Pei Feng: "The construction in Da Ze Zhou is basically finished; those youngsters need harsh drilling."

"As a lone commander arriving in Da Ze Zhou, I was fortunate to have the Huang Lang clan as my aides, putting various administrative affairs in order. But military matters… still need the Military Lord's extra help."

Pei Feng laughed and waved her hand, scattering the pieces on the board into utter chaos.

If it weren't for Wu Tie inviting her to discuss affairs and putting on an elegant display of chess… if anyone else dared to use this pretentious refinement to give her trouble, she would have long since turned hostile and beaten them up.

When Wu Tie began to discuss serious matters, Pei Feng naturally scattered the chess game.

"If I lose, I'll lend people for the General to train troops… but if the General loses?" Pei Feng narrowed her eyes at Wu Tie.

For no reason, Wu Tie sensed that Pei Feng's gaze was filled with a dangerous, aggressive intent… he felt as if he were being stared down by bandits.

After a moment's thought, Wu Tie raised a finger: "Well, if I lose, how about giving the Military Lord one hundred thousand sets of soldiers' equipment?"

Pei Feng's eyes lit up: "Is that for real? Are Ma Laohei and his crew really that valuable?"

Wu Tie remained silent.

Huang Yu remained silent.

Standing on the outer corridor of the pavilion, the several Black Phoenix Army officers serving as Pei Feng's escort, Uncle Ma among them, twitched at the corners of their mouths; especially the pitch‑black Uncle Ma, who looked utterly helpless yet indulgently fond of Pei Feng.

"Ma Laohei… hey, am I not just a bit dark? My parents gave me this look—can you blame me?" Uncle Ma muttered lowly: "Furthermore, what do you mean by 'I'm so valuable'? Back in the day, I too was a glorious first‑rank general!"

Wu Tie nodded with a smile: "General Ma and his men are, naturally… very… valuable."

Shaking his head, Wu Tie gave a dry laugh: "Wrong, wrong—you can't put it that way. How could the value of General Ma and his men be measured in money or goods? If it weren't for the Military Lord's grudge against petty people, a mere hundred thousand sets of soldiers' equipment would be nothing more than a trivial effort for General Ma and his crew."

Pei Feng narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together.

In her exceptionally clear pupils, a flash of icy, blade‑like sharpness passed.

She clapped her hands firmly, expressionless, and ordered: "Bring the wine… um, Zhao Yin, what are you up to? He and his people haven't even taken up residence in the inns you arranged; to this day they're still wandering the streets, inquiring everywhere."

"Let him go. What could he possibly uncover?" Wu Tie sneered, speaking bluntly: "Nowadays, every soul in the state military, from top to bottom, is wholly under my control; their words and deeds, their thoughts—if anything is unfavorable to me, they die on the spot."

Wu Tie's whole body exuded a cold, murderous aura like an old vulture.

He tapped his fingers on the board and said in a low voice: "Who dares to say I destroyed the Spatial Gate?"

"What if?" Pei Feng narrowed her eyes at Wu Tie.

"What if?" Wu Tie laughed, staring straight at Pei Feng, fixing his gaze on her icy, intense beautiful eyes: "If so, then let us learn a thing or two from the Military Lord, and let Zhao Yin spend the rest of his life in Da Ze Zhou."

Pointing a hand toward the countryside outside the city, Wu Tie said coldly: "A little more fertilizer on the outer farmlands would also be good."

Pei Feng nodded and praised, saying: "Good... General Huo Xiong's conduct suits my temperament."

Li Erhaozi led a squad of soldiers, eagerly shouldering over a dozen large wine jars the size of water tubs and ran over; with a few "dong dong dong" sounds, the heavy jars were set down on the corridor outside the pavilion.

After breaking the seal, a rich wine aroma wafted out.

Soon, a triangular wine cup the size of a head was placed before each of Wu Tie and Pei Feng, each capable of holding at least two catties of fine wine.

Without any side dishes, Wu Tie and Pei Feng simultaneously raised their bronze wine cups filled with fine liquor and gulped it down in big mouthfuls.

The two almost simultaneously finished the wine in their cups, then raised their cups high, not a single drop spilling.

"Hahaha! Good! Come, fill it up!" Wu Tie slapped his thigh, laughing loudly, and forcefully slapped the wine cup onto the chessboard.

In Daze City, undercurrents stirred.

Rank after rank of Black Phoenix troops and Daze Prefecture soldiers, fully armed, blockaded the entire city.

Hundreds of large and small tower ships and flying vessels hovered in the air, their bows and sides bearing main and secondary cannons, plus countless heavy bed-mounted crossbows, all primed and ready.

The Fire‑Wind Meteor that carried Zhao Yin and others to Daze Prefecture was encircled by hundreds of tower ships, like a small dolphin surrounded by a group of tranquil bay crocodiles, appearing rather forlorn.

The Fire‑Wind Meteor is extremely fast, but its focus is speed alone; in terms of defense and attack, it cannot even match the smallest military tower ship. Among the hundreds of tower ships, if any one of them accidentally fires a secondary cannon, it could shatter the Meteor to pieces.

Several judicial officers of the Military Law Division stood on the bow of the Fire‑Wind Meteor, grim‑faced, watching the tower ships arrogantly assume a surrounding formation.

"Daze Prefecture… truly is a land of tigers and wolves."

"Otherwise? Several successive prefects and military commanders have died in a row."

"Do you believe what Huo Xiong says?"

"Whether to believe or not depends on the superior's will—if the superior believes, we believe; if not, we don't. But whether the superior believes or not is not something the superior can decide."

The few judicial officers guarding the Fire‑Wind Meteor whispered among themselves, their knife‑sharp gazes sweeping over the officers on the near and far tower ships.

Do not fall into their hands, otherwise they will make those they have marked understand why the Military Law Division is called the "Hall of Yama."

In Daze City, Zhao Yin led dozens of judicial officers, kicked open the door of a wooden building, and entered with a grim expression.

Inside the wooden building, several men and women cried out in alarm; the two women, half‑naked, retreated backward, while the two men seized nearby long blades and shouted at Zhao Yin and his party.

"Where did you bird‑brained man and woman come from, seeking wild fire here?"

"If you want to die, we'll oblige you."

The two women had already slipped out the back door of the wooden building, screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Help! Thieves! Thieves… the bandits are looting!"

"Wuwu, they're so fierce, so fierce, they want to strip our clothes!"

Zhao Yin's face darkened.

After busying himself through most of the day and half the night, he sought out dozens of Daze Prefecture soldiers, hoping to extract some genuine information from them.

Yet the Daze Prefecture officers—whether threatened or bribed, even when Zhao Yin secretly tortured two commandants—revealed nothing useful that matched his expectations.

Zhao Yin was furious; he never imagined that Huo Xiong could, in such a short time, have forged the Daze Prefecture army into an impregnable unit.

Most crucially, over ninety percent of the troops in the Daze Prefecture army were originally Zhang Xibai's men, belonging to the private forces of several generals' families behind Sima Lang.

How could these people possibly have been won over by Huo Xiong in such a short time?

Zhao Yin refused to accept it, could not understand, was furious, and with pent‑up anger he boldly led men straight into the civilian homes of Daze City.

Since a breakthrough could not be obtained from the army, let's extract confessions from these exiled prisoners instead.

Moreover, these prisoners are easier to manipulate and easier to tamper with.

"Make them shut up!" Zhao Yin twisted his jaw and gave a cold snort.

Several judicial officers flickered, turned into a gust of wind, rushed out the back door, and punched the two women in the back of the head, knocking them unconscious.

In the neighboring houses, dozens of adult men had already rushed out brandishing weapons.

Under Wu Tie's direction, thanks to Huang Lang's efforts, the residents of Daze City have established a strict "baojia" system; Huang Lang instituted harsh statutes—if a household encounters trouble, all neighbors must rescue it fully, otherwise they face uniform punishment.

Several judicial officers, eyeing these men bristling with killing intent, barked coldly: "The Military Law Division conducts its affairs; if you don't want trouble, get lost!"

The name of the Military Law Division comes in handy even when facing senior military commanders.

Unfortunately, Daze City has no decent folk; its residents are basically exiles punished for major or minor crimes.

Moreover, few of them have read books, few know the Great Jin bureaucracy, and they have never even heard of the Military Law Division.

Because they are ignorant, they are fearless.

"Luo family elder sister? Huang family elder sister?" Several burly, muscle‑bound men brandished long blades and roared at the two women lying limp on the ground.

As previously stated, in Daze City the elderly, weak, women, and children suffer the most, and most of them have already died.

Those who survived are mostly able‑bodied men, so Daze City has a surplus of males over females, reaching a dangerous ratio.

Because males outnumber females, any woman with a modicum of beauty in Daze City is treasured like a heart‑and‑liver gem, worthy of being called the "city flower." As for these two women who were knocked unconscious, who knows how many neighboring men think of them each night.

Seeing their "dream lover" knocked unconscious, thrown brutally to the ground and drenched by the rain, these lawless, ignorant, fearless men instantly flew into a rage.

"Hack to death this damned lot… daring to come to our Daze Prefecture to stir trouble… they're asking for death!"

Dozens of men whose cultivation was only at the Ganxuan Realm, the strongest among them merely a Half‑Step Chonglou Realm, boldly wielded ordinary Yuan‑battle‑grade weapons and charged at the several judicial officers who were above the thirtieth heaven of the Chonglou Realm and fully equipped with three‑refined or higher spirit weapons.

The clash erupted and then ended in an instant.

Dozens of men were slain on the spot, their souls utterly annihilated, not a trace remaining.