Chapter 1113: First Volume_Chapter 1113: Risky Negotiation

First Volume_Chapter 1113: Risky Negotiation

The news brought by the Brocade Guard was like adding snow to an already frozen ground.

Under conditions where numbers, equipment, and morale were all inferior, any attack would be equivalent to suicide.

Moreover, the enemy commander had calculated precisely: by the time Qin Feng arrived in Ci County, time was already running out.

Qin Feng faced only two paths: either ignore the fate of the Li Family Village civilians and head straight for Beijing.

Or lead his men straight toward the Land Temple.

There was no time for Beidi War Mobilization Order.

If he chose the former, not only would the hostages in Li Family Village be slaughtered, but they would surely go to any lengths to dump the corpses of these elderly, weak, women, and children at Qin Feng's Da Huo ceremony.

Choosing the latter, however, was pure suicide.

For Qin Feng, the current situation seemed a dead end no matter which way he turned.

And…

The cruelest reality lay before him as well: even if Qin Feng had a sliver of chance to storm the Land Temple,

before he could defeat the Yuezhao Kingdom Death Warriors, the enemy had more than enough time to kill every hostage in their hands.

Thus, this meticulously planned ambush was nearly unsolvable.

But Qin Feng had not given up, because the Nangong Empress had overlooked one thing: the fact that the Yuezhao Kingdom Death Warriors were "Mercenaries."

These Death Warriors, hired to eliminate problems for payment, had loyalty to the Nangong Empress far from "impregnable" levels.

Therefore, Qin Feng's greatest challenge now was not how to defeat the Yuezhao Kingdom Death Warriors, but… how to meet their leader.

When Zhao Yuxiong learned Qin Feng's true intention, he did not relax even slightly—instead, he grew even more serious.

"Brother Qin!"

"No matter how we shout, the enemy will never be easily shaken."

"If you intend to act as bait, I will not allow it."

Zhao Yuxiong's tone was absolute; from the start, he had shut the door on Qin Feng risking himself.

In Zhao Yuxiong's view, even if the hostages from Li Family Village were all subjects of Shedynasty, they were not worth Qin Feng risking his life for.

From the most utilitarian perspective, the deaths of these common people would have negligible impact on the nation, but if Qin Feng suffered an accident, it would trigger a chain reaction—shaking even state policy.

For everyone, this would be a catastrophe.

Yet Qin Feng patted Zhao Yuxiong's shoulder and said solemnly: "Relax—I won't risk Shedynasty's future."

"I will do everything in my power. If it truly comes to Returning to Heaven, then… the people of Li Family Village simply have bad luck."

Though Zhao Yuxiong remained uneasy, Qin Feng had said enough—he could hardly argue further.

With no other choice, Zhao Yuxiong gritted his teeth and assembled every available man.

Five Black Cavalry, six Brocade Guards, eight Anwu Guards.

Including Zhao Yuxiong, exactly twenty men.

The five Black Cavalry stripped off portions of their Armor and assembled them onto Qin Feng, Arming Him to the Teeth.

Then Qin Feng marched forward with heavy steps, one step at a time toward the Land Temple, while Zhao Yuxiong and the others followed closely behind, maintaining ThirtySteps distance.

This distance was sufficient to demonstrate Qin Feng's sincerity, yet close enough for Zhao Yuxiong to reach him instantly if anything went wrong and rescue him.

The Yuezhao Kingdom Death Warriors hidden outside the Land Temple, seeing Qin Feng's "strange" behavior, remained unmoved—their eyes revealed only cold killing intent.

The moment Qin Feng entered arrow range, they would eliminate him without hesitation!

Closer! Closer!

The Yuezhao Kingdom Death Warriors remained utterly composed; only when Qin Feng entered Hundred Steps range did they raise their crossbows.

Though the crossbows had formidable penetration, Qin Feng wore Black Cavalry Heavy Armor—its defense had reached near-absurd levels.

To ensure Qin Feng's death, the Yuezhao Kingdom Death Warriors waited further; when Qin Feng reached SixtySteps, thirty of them simultaneously raised their crossbows, aiming from both flanks.

Just as they prepared to pull the triggers, Qin Feng's voice rang out.

"Do you wish to bring about the fall of Yuezhao Kingdom?!"

Faced with Qin Feng's sudden roar, the Yuezhao Kingdom Death Warriors looked utterly bewildered.

Though they had operated within Shedynasty for years, to avoid pursuit they rarely showed themselves and had neither time nor energy to learn Shedynasty's language.

Only their leader understood Shedynasty's language.

Since none understood what Qin Feng said, as they prepared to kill him outright, a Death Warrior on the left flank suddenly warned the group in Yuezhao Kingdom's tongue: for safety's sake, they should first report to the leader.

This Death Warrior was a native of Shedynasty—their Guide.

The right flank would act only upon the left flank's signal.

Seeing the left flank hesitate, the right flank—even though confident they could kill Qin Feng in one volley—held their ground and waited for the left flank's command.

Qin Feng knew clearly: at this moment, he had entered the enemy's attack range.

The enemy's delay was, for Qin Feng, a tremendous opportunity—he immediately halted his steps, refusing to advance further, lest he provoke the Yuezhao Kingdom Death Warriors.

Qin Feng's stop left the left flank Death Warriors even more confused.

After a moment's hesitation, they ultimately decided: for safety's sake, the Guide should return to the Land Temple and report the situation.

Meanwhile, inside the Land Temple, it was packed.

Half the temple hall was filled with elderly, weak, women, and children from Li Family Village; the remaining ten Yuezhao Kingdom Death Warriors stood guard around the perimeter.

Their leader, Lü Yi, sat quietly beside the broken statue.

Around thirty years old, his appearance was ordinary, his physique far from strong or Kong Wu—remove his Armor, and he was indistinguishable from Common People.

Under Lü Yi's gaze, the Guide rushed in, panting.

"Boss! Situation changed—Qin Feng hasn't launched an attack; he seems to want to negotiate."

Upon hearing this, Lü Yi's expression did not change.

"We took money from the Nangong Family, so we must complete the mission; this sum is enough to ensure our families have food and clothing for generations."

"No matter what Qin Feng does, it won't change the outcome."

"If we can kill him directly, all the better!"

"If we can't kill him, then in the end, these people of Li Family Village will die with us."

From the start, Lü Yi never intended to leave this place alive; he wasn't sure if he could kill Qin Feng, but one thing he was certain of was that every single hostage from Li Family Village would die inside the Land Temple.