Chapter 398: Ambush, Forbidden Character, Final Time Personally Involved

【Beiliang City】

【Passing through the city gate is no problem!】

【Long before this, Mercury's spies reported to you that Ye Mu is currently in the Changping Marquis's mansion within the city.】

【Your identities were already prepared; the guards' glances swept over you with a hint of scrutiny, sensing familiarity in your face, yet ultimately let you pass.】

【The city was bustling with people, thriving in commerce.】

Within Beiliang City, voices rose in clamor, merchants gathered in droves, the scene was extraordinarily lively, steeped in the bustle of the marketplace.

【No wonder it is a great city of an entire province.】

【Three riders arrived at the Changping Marquis's mansion; the gates were shut, not a single guard to be seen at the entrance.】

【With your cultivation, you sensed no movement within the mansion—as if the entire courtyard were empty, devoid of any trace of life.】

【Ji Qinxin, whose cultivation was still shallow, gazed at the dark red gates and felt the vast marquis's mansion was unnervingly silent.】

【At that moment, a sharp cry of an eagle pierced the sky; the Sea Hawk "Chufeng" soared down and landed steadily on your shoulder.】

【Its sharp talons gripped tightly a rolled paper slip.】

【You slowly unrolled the slip; the characters upon it were clear: "Ye Mu summoned his household troops at dawn today and departed north in haste."】

【You glanced briefly at the slip, revealing no expression.】

【Lu Yu asked coldly: "He fled north?"】

【Lu Yu was a peculiar figure within the Lu Family Army; everyone feared him, and he never engaged in conversation, always acting as he pleased.】

【Previously, when preparing for battle, he had to consult others, plan deployments—he found it tedious; after Lu Chen arrived, he simply stopped caring altogether.】

【He only cared about charging into battle and killing enemies!】

【Aside from Lu Chen and his father, he seemed close to no one; if anyone made a mistake, begging was useless.】

【Lu Yu became a sword within the Lu Family Army; everyone had to watch themselves.】

【You gave a slight nod, your voice calm and level: "Today, Ye Mu led his household troops north."】

【Upon hearing this, Ji Qinxin furrowed her brows slightly, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.】

【The mighty Marquis of Yan, choosing to flee in disgrace—this was an earth-shattering event, treasonous crime.】

【Moreover, Ye Mu was a key figure in the Lu Family Army; he held vital military and political secrets of Yan. If they fell into Northern Wind's hands, the consequences would be unimaginable.】

【Ji Qinxin felt growing concern. Now as your disciple and a subject of Yan, her changed identity compelled her to think from this new standpoint.】

【You gently released Chufeng; it spread its wings and soared high, as if searching for something.】

【Lu Yu's lips curled into a faint smile: "It's not too late to pursue now!"】

【With Chufeng's abilities, as long as the target isn't too distant, it will surely detect traces—it once won great glory within the Lu Family Army.】

【Moreover, Ye Mu's whereabouts are now confirmed.】

【The three of you spurred your horses out of the city, heading north.】

【You wanted to persuade Ji Qinxin to stay, but her gaze was resolute, insisting on coming along.】

【You saw Ji Qinxin's destiny aura swirling like golden light, the black qi gone entirely.】

【You nodded silently and allowed her to come.】

【Chufeng flew ahead, guiding you all.】

【Two days later, after crossing the steep ravines on either side, the view opened up before you—a vast plain stretched out.】

【Less than a hundred li ahead lay the border of Bozhou; beyond that, you would leave Northern Wind territory.】

【The eagle soared through the heavens; Chufeng circled high above, its sharp gaze piercing the distance—it had clearly detected movement ahead.】

【The hairs on the back of your hand rose slightly.】

【A strong wind swept across the plain, stirring Ji Qinxin's long hair; she brushed back the strands beside her ears and tied them with a cloth strip.】

【You pulled your horses to a halt; ahead, not far off, a large army had clearly been waiting.】

【A dense, dark mass—armored cavalry like a flood, lined up in front.】

【The number reached ten thousand.】

【Like black scales crushing the earth!】

【Ji Qinxin turned sharply, looking back—the ravines they had crossed now concealed hidden troops.】

【Black iron armor gleamed with cold light; three horses linked in a chain, the chains below clinking softly.】

【Enemies ahead, enemies behind!】

【The banner flying high bore the characters "Tuoba"—bold and imposing.】

【Ji Qinxin recognized it at once: Tuoba was the royal surname of Northern Wind—this meant they faced Northern Wind's iron cavalry.】

【Her heart sank—how could so many cavalry be here?】

【The two enemy forces had formed an encirclement; over ten thousand armored cavalry stood like a wall of bronze and iron, trapping the three of you like birds in a cage—with no escape.】

【Though this was a plain, the surrounding terrain subtly rose, forming a natural depression.】

【Now, it resembled a colossal cage, pinning you firmly inside, leaving no hiding place.】

【This was utter despair!】

【The warhorses, sensing their masters' inner turmoil, reacted violently; Ji Qinxin's steed reared up on its hind legs in terror.】

【You leaned sideways, gripping the reins tightly, calming the horse. Then you spoke calmly, your voice like still water:】

【"When facing great crises, do not panic. If your heart is unsettled, you lose your chance. Even if salvation lies just ahead, you cannot seize it."】

【Ji Qinxin gripped the reins tightly, her gaze turning to you.】

【On your face, there was not a trace of fear—only calmness, as if ten thousand soldiers were nothing but ordinary scenery.】

【One who remains unmoved even as Mount Tai collapses before him.】

【Her heart rippled with unseen waves.】

【Ji Qinxin did not know why, but on your face she caught a faint, indescribable expectation.】

【That expectation seemed to transcend the immediate peril; she noticed your gaze—not fixed on the forest of iron cavalry, but unconsciously lifting toward the heavens above.】

【Lu Yu noticed a talisman hovering in the empty air above the three of you; on it, the character "Jin" glowed faintly with mysterious dark light.】

【This place!】

【Had been sealed by an unfathomable prohibition—blocking the path ahead and completely severing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, turning it into a lifeless void.】

【You carefully sensed it: the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had been entirely excluded from this space, unusable by you.】

【After reaching the Heavenly Human realm, cultivators should have seamless connection between inner and outer realms, drawing spiritual energy endlessly, able to influence the outer world with their inner realm to unleash powerful "Outer Scene" attacks.】

【But without spiritual energy, a Heavenly Human cultivator can only rely on the energy stored within their body.】

【Once depleted, their power drops to the level of a Grand Master, with no advantage left.】

【In ancient times, when spiritual energy vanished, Emperor Jing used two thousand Mingguang-armored soldiers to slay Zhu Fuzi, who had already reached the Heavenly Human realm.】

【A Heavenly Human is no match for two thousand armored soldiers.】

【Yet here, in this open plain, armored cavalry stretch beyond count—not two thousand, but ten thousand, surrounding you completely.】

【Death is certain!】

【Ji Qinxin understood: this was a trap meticulously planned.】

【Ye Mu fled north, and you followed—but you never expected to encounter Northern Wind's ambush instead of Ye Mu.】

【But how could they have foreseen that the Yan Emperor would come personally, and then head north from Beiliang City?】

【Everything seemed too coincidental.】

【The Yan Emperor had fought countless battles, endured years of hardship, to build this empire—he was no reckless man.】

【After founding the state, someone within the Lu Family Army had slipped from control, and now, in Bozhou, so many Northern cavalry had appeared.】

【All of this reeked of something unnatural!】

【At this point, it seemed there was no turning back.】

【Lu Yu's gaze passed over the iron armor ahead; the cavalry parted, revealing seven riders advancing—clearly the leaders of this force.】

【Ji Qinxin's eyes followed—and she was stunned.】

【Among them walked a distinguished middle-aged scholar and a vigorous young man at the front.】

【They were Huang Dao and Xie Mu from the Yuetangjiang tavern.】

【Lu Yu also recognized one: Tuoba Hongyan, son of Tuoba Shu, and now the Crown Prince of Northern Wind.】

【The remaining three: a monk in saffron robes, solemn and radiant; a swordsman wielding a curved blade—both elite martial artists, their cultivation deeply advanced to the Grand Master level.】

【Your cultivation had reached Heavenly Human; your vision could clearly discern details miles away.】

【Among these three, the commander was a Master-level general—you had once met him during your journey north to Northern Wind for the White Horse Alliance.】

【He was Gao Wenxiao, a rising star in Northern Wind's military.】

【His eyes, sharp as falcons, locked onto the three of you, cold and merciless—as if you were already corpses.】

【You looked at him; his gaze burned with ambition and murderous intent, tangible as smoke.】

【You couldn't help but think: your head, worth more than ten thousand taels of silver?】

【Whoever takes your life will gain fame across the land, and carve out a place for themselves in this chaotic age.】

【The armored cavalry pressed forward, moving as one unit; when they reached a certain distance, they halted.】

【At this moment!】

【A terrifying chorus of bowstrings rang out in unison—like a continuous string of thunder, deafening.】

【At this range, powerful crossbows could pierce even heavy armor—deadly beyond measure.】

【"Fire!"】

【At the command, the sky was blotted out by endless arrows—like a swarm of bees, dense and overwhelming, blotting out the sun.】

Ji Qinxin looked up to see a cloud of arrows soaring toward her; her heart tightened, and her legs trembled involuntarily.

How could one possibly withstand the force of this arrow rain?

Even a terrestrial dragon would struggle to escape being pierced to death under such a barrage.

"Fire again!"

At another command, bowstrings snapped like a string of beads, and another cloud of arrows filled the sky.

Ji Qinxin could no longer remain calm; she knew her cultivation base was utterly incapable of withstanding this military killing technique.

Arrows poured down like a sudden storm, their piercing screams deafening, filling the heart with dread.

You and Lu Yu activated the primordial qi from the Primordial Qi Art, forming a solid barrier that shielded all three of you. You pulled Ji Qinxin onto the same warhorse as you; arrows fell like raindrops against the barrier.

Arrows struck the primordial qi barrier in a steady downpour, each impact echoing with a loud "thud," as if hammering against solid stone.

Arrowheads shattered on impact, shards flying in all directions.

Yet the arrows seemed endless, one wave following another without pause.

Ji Qinxin stared at the surging tide of arrows, then looked down at the warhorse she had just ridden—it knelt on the ground, its body bristling with arrows.

The horse had not even uttered a cry before it lost all life, a pool of blood pooling beneath it.

Even its gemlike eyes were not spared, pierced through by arrows; the ground was thickly littered with broken shafts and fletching, and her eyes—whether filled with tears or blood—could not tell.

Ji Qinxin dared not imagine what her fate would have been had she not been rescued in time.

The shooting did not stop.

Crossbow bolts rained in from all sides, volley after volley.

Ji Qinxin felt her breath growing harder to draw; her gaze fell upon your face, still calm as ever.

After the fourth volley.

She could clearly see the primordial qi barrier weakening—some arrowheads had pierced through, slipping inside.

Her face turned pale, a fear she could not suppress surging within her.

Lu Yu's expression was grim; he looked up at the "forbidden" character talisman hanging in the void.

If not for this talisman severing the connection to heavenly and earthly spiritual energy, such depletion of internal spiritual power would never occur.

"Fire again!"

"Prepare for charge!"

The cavalry behind began to stir, launching their assault; the clinking of chains echoed behind them.

The thunderous rumble of the army charging across the ground began.

Faced with this situation… you decide.

1. Simulate continuation. (Hint: Danger may be encountered.)

2. Participate personally. (2/3) (Hint: No danger, but may lead to the unknown—choose carefully.)

The pale blue text above the great tripod slowly froze in place.

Yu stared at the three options above.

For the first time, he felt confused.

According to earlier hints, choosing "go alone" should carry no danger.

Why, then, did the hint now mention danger?

Ah Ding, did you make a mistake this time?

Then what should I choose?

Yu Ke hesitated—Lu Chen was in danger, and he should avoid it.

But!

"Participate personally" was his last remaining use—was he to spend it now?

A terrible dilemma!

…

…

After the seventh wave of arrow rain, the primordial qi barrier bore increasingly obvious punctures, as if it might collapse at any moment.

Ji Qinxin anxiously looked to her master, Lu Chen; he held a flickering crimson flame in his palm, like a candle in the wind, ready to be snuffed out.

Yet!

Even so, his face remained utterly calm, as if he had foreseen all of this.

Ji Qinxin felt a surge of worry—if her master perished here, she too would likely not survive.

She gave a bitter smile.

If her master, with his current status and position, were to die here, the entire world would tremble.

Yet even in this moment of life and death, her master had not abandoned her.

Life or death—he would not forsake her.

A profound, indescribable emotion welled up within Ji Qinxin.

She had wandered the martial world for years, long accustomed to a life without support—but now, for the first time, she felt a sense of belonging to the Three True Teachings of Mount Zhongnan.

Next life, I hope I'm not born with this face again.

In my next life, I will become your disciple once more.

Just as she prepared to meet her end, Ji Qinxin suddenly noticed a faint smile on her master's face.

A calm voice drifted through the air.

"Enter the scheme with your body."

"I wonder… how you will choose."

Ji Qinxin, hearing this, was puzzled—she did not know who you were answering.

(End of Chapter)