Chapter 518: First Volume, Chapter 518: Bad News or Good News?

First Volume, Chapter 518: Bad News or Good News?

Beixi County, Rear Residence of the County Yamen.

Upon hearing the news brought back by the Brocade Guard, Li Zhang leapt straight out of his chair, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"What?! Eight thousand Search and Exterminate Army troops, three thousand Xiongying Brigade cavalry, besieging Qingyu Mountain? Is this information reliable?"

Li Zhang's roar echoed throughout the Inner Courtyard; every heart in the room instantly tightened in their throats.

Eleven thousand troops, including three thousand elite soldiers, besieging Qin Feng—yet Qin Feng had only two hundred men at his side. Unless a miracle occurred, Qin Feng was certain to die!

Yet on the battlefield, miracles were the most unreliable thing of all.

In an instant, every mind in the room conjured the same devastating thought.

Could it be…

Qin Feng, famed throughout Heaven, the man who founded Beixi County, truly about to perish in a foreign land?!

Sensing the sharp gazes upon him, even the Brocade Guard felt a private surge of tension and dared not slacken, quickly adding clarification.

"Your Highness, this information is absolutely true! After our men spared no effort in investigation, the full sequence of events is now crystal clear."

"Young Master Qin led the Beixi Light Cavalry into Di territory, encountered and slaughtered the Xiongying Lü Garrison Commander, then reunited with Ning Hu. On the return journey, however, the Di Night Owls spotted their trail; the Xiongying Brigade and Night Owls set an ambush and crushed Young Master Qin's forces."

"After Young Master Qin retreated to Qingyu Mountain, the mountain was immediately sealed off, and the entire Eastern Front border was blockaded by Di Raiding Cavalry."

Learning that Qin Feng had annihilated the entire Xiongying Lü Garrison Commander with his Beixi Light Cavalry, the crowd briefly drew breath in awe—only to turn pale again at the news of the ambush by the Xiongying Brigade and Night Owls.

Even Shen Qingci, usually unshakably calm, now showed signs of panic and demanded urgently: "Has the besieging army launched any attacks on Qingyu Mountain?"

The Brocade Guard blurted out: "Since the day the mountain was encircled, the attacks have never ceased."

At these words, despair settled over everyone.

Even if Qin Feng commanded with divine brilliance and his men were elite warriors, facing an enemy fifty times their number, they would likely be crushed in a single clash.

No one in this world could escape such a hopeless situation alive.

Shen Qingci's face turned ashen; she collapsed heavily into her chair, her gaze momentarily dazed.

After all, it was she who had decided to abandon Qin Feng's rescue—now that he faced death, she bore undeniable responsibility.

If only she had risked everything and sent reinforcements—even if the odds were nine deaths and one life—there would still have been hope. Now, it was ten deaths, zero chances.

If Qin Feng perished, she would never forgive herself for the rest of her life!

Liu Hongyan always wore two faces—appearing gentle as water, yet harboring deep cunning—but Liu Hongyan had watched Qin Feng grow up. The thought of him dying far from home made her eyes redden; all her composure and calculation shattered instantly under an unprecedented grief.

Tears slid down Liu Hongyan's cheeks; she clapped a hand over her mouth, stifling her sobs as best she could.

Jing Qianying gripped her Treasure Sword so tightly her knuckles turned white, her gaze piercing as she spoke slowly, each word deliberate: "I will make every soul who shed Feng'er's blood pay with blood!"

Qin Cheng Clan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and after a long while, slowly opened them. Though her gaze remained inward and resolute, her slightly pale face betrayed the unbearable pain of a mother.

"Feng'er… dead?"

When Qin Cheng Clan uttered those words, the atmosphere in the room became suffocating.

The Brocade Guard shook his head, his expression complex: "There are too many enemy troops surrounding Qingyu Mountain, and Night Owls are active in the vicinity. We could not get close enough. We cannot confirm whether Young Master Qin is alive or dead. All we know is that since the first day of the siege until today, the attacks have never stopped."

Qin Cheng Clan's mind was razor-sharp; she immediately grasped the key point in the Brocade Guard's words and pressed urgently: "If the attacks have not stopped, that means Feng'er and his guards are still resisting?!"

At these words, Liu Hongyan's tear-filled eyes instantly flickered with a sliver of hope.

The Brocade Guard shook his head, then quickly nodded: "We are spies, tasked solely with gathering military intelligence. We dare not make any claim without ironclad proof. It is our duty—please, Madam, understand. But the fact remains: Qingyu Mountain is still resisting."

If they were still resisting, then Qin Feng was very likely still alive!

Qin Cheng Clan exhaled a heavy sigh of relief, quietly picked up her shoe sole, threaded the needle, and stitched—she firmly believed Qin Feng would hold on to the very end.

Shen Qingci suddenly stood up and snapped at Li Zhang: "Immediately dispatch reinforcements to Qingyu Mountain! Spare no cost to rescue Feng'er!"

Li Zhang knew full well that sending reinforcements into enemy territory was not a wise move.

But given the circumstances, to save Qin Feng—even if the chance was a single thread—he must try.

After all, Beixi County without Qin Feng was no longer Beixi County.

Just as Li Zhang was about to order troops pulled from the Front Line, the Brocade Guard suddenly spoke up.

"Given the current battle situation on Qingyu Mountain, reinforcements are unnecessary."

Shen Qingci frowned sharply, her tone stern: "What do you mean by that?!"

Not just Shen Qingci—all eyes in the room locked onto the Brocade Guard.

The Brocade Guard hurriedly continued: "Since the enemy began their assault, they have been relentlessly repelled by the defenders. To this day, their losses have been catastrophic. Judging from the corpses brought down and the armor stripped from them, the enemy has likely lost over half their force! Moreover… among the hastily buried bodies, the number of Tianji Camp Guards is extremely low—fewer than ten so far. There may be some missed, but the discrepancy is negligible."

At this explanation, the room fell deathly silent.

Even though the Tianji Camp Guards were masters of Ji Zhan, to suffer only ten casualties while killing nearly five thousand enemy troops? A casualty ratio of one to five hundred?!

How could this be possible!

Even the most flamboyant storyteller would never dare boast such a tale!

Seeing the skepticism in everyone's eyes, the Brocade Guard paused, then added: "Qingyu Mountain is primarily a stone mountain, with steep terrain; the higher you go, the greater the proportion of rock, and vegetation grows sparse."

"I observed from afar—the summit appears to have a Watchtower, while the MountainWaist holds the enemy's main camp."

"The enemy seems to have suffered a severe blow—they now only attack during daylight. Based on the dense clusters of tiny black dots, it seems they cannot even breach the first defensive line at the summit."

"Also… at the start of the siege, Pingcang County in Di territory was plundered; the County Magistrate and defending soldiers were slaughtered, and vast quantities of grain, weapons, and arrows were lost."

"Meanwhile, near Qingyu Mountain, we found horse bones—all the meat stripped away—and stray horses wandering freely—all of them Beixi County's Warhorses!"