Chapter 1086: First Volume, Chapter 1086: The Three Brothers of the Grassroots

First Volume, Chapter 1086: The Three Brothers of the Grassroots

The imperial spies Chang Cheng had sent out looked utterly ridiculous compared to Qin Feng's Brocade Uniform Guards…

Of course—what could a mere band of rabble compare to these terrifying killing machines capable of destroying an entire nation?

All the wealth accumulated over years was wiped out in a single battle.

Even with Chang Cheng's formidable mental resilience, he could not help but sink into despair.

Chen Yanzong suffered the worst injuries; had Wu Heli not risked his life to drag him back, he would already be dead beneath the black cavalry's hooves.

Yet even so, Chen Yanzong refused to be discouraged.

His face was deathly pale from blood loss, but his eyes burned with excitement.

"This is Qin Feng! This is the Black Cavalry!"

"Today I've finally seen the truth—how impossibly high the heavens truly are."

"Next time I meet Qin Feng, I'll still cut off his head."

Watching Chen Yanzong's fierce determination, Chang Cheng couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Elder Fourth, isn't it clear by now—do you still cling to illusions?"

"Qin Feng is not someone we can ever shake."

"Even the powerful clans of Nan Jing feel like thorns in their backs under Qin Feng's pressure—we're merely cannon fodder meant to consume him."

Hearing this, Chen Yanzong spat fiercely onto the ground.

"Let whoever wants to be cannon fodder take it—I won't be one!"

"When I left my hometown, I swore I'd return in glory."

"All of us either came from lowly origins or carried murder charges—we fled to escape, and there's no way we could rise through honest means."

"The only way is to make a name for ourselves on the battlefield."

"No matter how powerful Qin Feng is, no matter how invincible he seems—he's still just a man, and all men die!"

"So what if we lose once? Even if we lose hundreds of times, I don't care—as long as we win once, that's enough!"

Saying this, Chen Yanzong looked up at Chang Cheng and the dozen or so comrades still alive beside him.

"Lei Meng is dead—was his death in vain?"

"We must avenge Lei Meng!"

Seeing no one respond, Chen Yanzong turned sharply to Wu Heli and demanded in a low voice: "Big Brother, are you really ready to give up?"

"When you fled from Yuezhao Kingdom all the way into Shedynasty's borders, when we swore brotherhood, we vowed that if we didn't make something of ourselves in this life, we'd rather die."

"Have you forgotten that oath?"

Facing Chen Yanzong's accusation, Wu Heli let out a long sigh.

Undeniably, Wu Heli's fighting spirit had shattered under Qin Feng's assault—he no longer had any will to fight.

It wasn't fear he felt so much as… despair.

So many brothers dead, all our resources gone, and still we couldn't kill even one ordinary Black Cavalryman beside Qin Feng.

Continuing to fight Qin Feng is like trying to stop a cart with one's arms.

Even if we must rebuild, we should pick the softest targets—not challenge a monster like Qin Feng.

Wu Heli slowly lifted his head, meeting Chen Yanzong's gaze, and sighed again.

"Elder Fourth, if we keep fighting, Lei Meng's death won't be the end—you'll die, Chang Cheng will die, and I'll die too!"

"We were lucky this time—the forest was nearby, and the Black Cavalry aren't good at pursuit."

"If we keep challenging Qin Feng, we won't need to lose hundreds of times—just one more defeat, and we'll be annihilated."

"We do need to make a name for ourselves—but not with reckless bravado, blindly charging against an enemy we can never defeat."

Facing Wu Heli's lecture, Chen Yanzong remained resolute, his eyes blazing.

Since the moment he saw Qin Feng, Chen Yanzong had sworn a blood oath: in this life, he would become a dominant lord admired by all, just like Qin Feng!

That man, surrounded by hundreds of attackers, hadn't even blinked.

Surrounded by elite among elites, he wasn't Emperor—but his aura and presence chilled the soul more than any Emperor ever could.

Chen Yanzong had decided: Qin Feng was his lifelong goal, even if it meant being crushed to dust!

And the most direct way to become a lord is to kill the one before you.

"I don't care about any of that!"

"Back home, because I was too afraid to fight the village militia, my wife was seized, my parents beaten to death, my child starved on the street."

"What good was it when I finally took my blade, scaled the wall, and slaughtered that bastard's entire family in their sleep to avenge my blood-deep grudge?"

"My family still won't come back to life!"

"When I face a strong enemy again, I will never again show weakness!"

Feeling Chen Yanzong's unyielding determination, Wu Heli felt no disgust—only pride.

Perhaps Chen Yanzong was reckless, but he was the most trustworthy comrade—and Wu Heli had risked his life to save him precisely because his spirit could never be broken.

Back home, Chen Yanzong had already died once—so no one could ever defeat him again.

Wu Heli needed Chen Yanzong beside him; as long as Chen Yanzong lived, their morale would never collapse.

The remaining comrades all turned to look at Wu Heli.

They knew Chen Yanzong was just a fool—he could lift morale, but he couldn't lead them.

The only one who could truly rally them and restore their strength was Wu Heli.

Chang Cheng also took a deep breath and asked grimly: "Big Brother, tell us—what do we do now?"

Wu Heli closed his eyes and remained silent for a long while. When he opened them again, his gaze had regained its firm resolve.

"Elder Fourth is right—Lei Meng's death cannot be in vain."

"If we run every time we face a strong enemy, we'll never grow strong."

"Qin Feng is nearly invincible—but only nearly!"

Hearing this, Chen Yanzong's blood boiled instantly; he gripped his thigh pierced by the Black Riders and growled, "This humiliation today—I will repay it!"

But Wu Heli pressed his hand down, signaling Chen Yanzong to calm down.

"Even if we intend to challenge Qin Feng, it is not now."

"You have seen for yourselves—how fierce and elite Qin Feng's army is, and this is only what the eyes can see; the secret Jin Yi Wei hidden in the shadows are even more deadly."

"Before we possess sufficient strength, we must first avoid his sharp edge."

Speaking thus, Wu Heli turned his gaze once more toward Yuping County.

"Qin Feng has left and will not return—Yuping County remains our top choice for development."

"Beyond recruiting soldiers and buying horses, more importantly, we need proper Weapons."

"If we lack even the most basic Breakthrough Weapon capability, facing the Black Riders again will still be Beidi War Tactics."

Even the fiery-tempered Chen Yanzong was fully convinced by Wu Heli's words.

This crushing defeat, in the end, came down to a lack of Breakthrough Weapons!