Erlang reacted quickly, turning his saber to dispatch the enemy soldier.
Knowing Zhao Kun was coming to ambush, Erlang had been on high alert. Though he had expended considerable strength, he felt it wouldn't affect him much.
He couldn't explain it, but today he felt as if he had an inexhaustible supply of energy.
Zhao Kun arrived swiftly, charging directly at Erlang.
Erlang met his aggression without faltering. They spurred their horses forward, and soon the two were locked in combat.
Jiang Wan watched the unfolding battle from a distance, a knot of tension in her heart. Zhao Kun was skilled, and Erlang struggled against him, narrowly avoiding injury several times.
Zhao Kun employed underhanded tactics, his weapon rigged with numerous tricks, making him particularly dangerous.
Jiang Wan, disregarding fairness, commanded her little creature to attack Zhao Kun.
Upon receiving the order, the little creature swooped down.
Seeing the little creature descend, Erlang quickly created a diversion, feinting in front of Zhao Kun. Distracted, Zhao Kun failed to notice the little creature. It moved with incredible speed, like lightning, striking Zhao Kun's face with a claw before he could swat it away, then swiftly retreated.
The little creature's form had been magnified several times by her ability, greatly increasing the power of its claws. With that single swipe, Zhao Kun's face was deeply gashed, blood gushing out and blurring his vision.
Upon seeing this, Erlang immediately swung his saber.
Zhao Kun quickly parried.
However, his focus was disrupted, and his vision obscured. Erlang, with all his might, swung his saber, cleaving Zhao Kun's weapon in two at the waist. His own saber also snapped into two pieces.
But he quickly drew a sword and swung it swiftly, a line of blood appearing on Zhao Kun's neck.
Zhao Kun's body stiffened on his horse, then swayed, before he crashed to the ground.
"Report—"
"Reporting to the Marshal, Young General Zhao he..."
Zhao Jingyun's expression tightened. "What happened to my Kun'er?"
"Young General Zhao has unfortunately perished."
"Kun'er!"
Zhao Jingyun let out a mournful roar.
His most cherished son had died on the battlefield. Zhao Jingyun momentarily lost control of his emotions, nearly collapsing from grief.
The soldiers of the Zhao Army, having witnessed Zhao Kun being cut down by Erlang, had their morale instantly crushed. They began to fight hesitantly.
Erlang, holding Zhao Kun's severed head aloft, addressed the soldiers behind him, "Kill them! Take down all these scoundrels!"
The Han Army's morale soared, their shouts of battle echoing to the heavens.
The Zhao Army was forced into a continuous retreat.
When the drums signaled a retreat, the majority of the casualties on the battlefield were from the Zhao Army.
The Han Army also suffered casualties, but compared to the Zhao Army, they were insignificant.
Jiang Wan made a special trip to the casualty area and used her ability to sustain the lives of the severely wounded soldiers.
With her ability upgraded, her capacity to heal injuries had naturally increased, no longer requiring strenuous effort for just one or two individuals. However, with so many wounded, each suffering grievous injuries, she had to attend to each one. After a full circuit, she still felt overwhelmed.
It had been years since her ability had been depleted, and the familiar feeling of exhaustion washed over her. Jiang Wan felt a pang of discomfort and wished to return to her tent to rest.
Suddenly, Gu Chenzhou, wearing a mask, appeared before her.
Without a word, he grabbed her and pulled her away.
"Hey, where are you taking me?"
Gu Chenzhou remained silent, pulling her into his tent and then offering her the corner of his robe.
Jiang Wan was bewildered.
What did this mean?
Gu Chenzhou said, "Don't you need this?"
He had long suspected the reason Jiang Wan liked to tug on his robe. Although he didn't understand why his abilities were linked to hers, at this moment, she couldn't afford to collapse.
Jiang Wan was truly lacking in strength at this moment, and since he had offered willingly, she immediately grasped the corner of his robe without hesitation.
A continuous stream of energy flowed into her, and soon, the feeling of being drained and exhausted rapidly dissipated.
The time and place were not right, so Jiang Wan only replenished a portion of her ability before releasing his robe and standing up to leave.
However, as she lifted the tent flap, she saw Erlang and General Han standing outside.
Erlang's eyes widened as he saw her emerge from Gu Chenzhou's tent. "Wanwan, what are you doing here?"
Jiang Wan maintained her composure. "I had something to discuss with Gu Chenzhou. General, Brother Er, are you looking for him? He's inside."
General Han glanced at her. "I came to find you. Your bird performed a great service today. Erlang said that without it, killing Zhao Kun would not have been so easy."
Many people had seen the little creature ambush Zhao Kun, so the matter could not be kept secret.
Jiang Wan smiled. "It's very intelligent. It probably knew my brother Er was in danger, so it risked its life to charge forward. Fortunately, it has some skill and didn't lose its life."
General Han marveled. He had often seen the unusual-looking bird perched on her shoulder, never expecting it to possess such abilities.
"It performed such a great service today; it deserves a good reward."
Jiang Wan chuckled. "General, it's just a bird."
Although she agreed the little creature deserved a reward, it was too conspicuous.
General Han said, "Even an ant, if it has performed a service, deserves reward."
So, Jiang Wan quickly thanked him on behalf of the little creature.
After she bid farewell to General Han and returned to her tent, Erlang followed shortly after. "Wanwan, the little creature actually spoke to me today! Do you know it can talk? It's not a parrot, so how can it talk?"
Jiang Wan quickly glared at him. "If you shout any louder, everyone will hear!"
Erlang quickly fell silent but still asked in a low voice, "What exactly is going on?"
Jiang Wan said, "The little creature has an extraordinary origin. I can't explain its specific origins clearly, but Brother Er, remember this: you cannot tell anyone about this. Only Mom and Dad know the little creature's secret at home; you are the third. If you don't want to get it killed, keep your mouth shut!"
Erlang nodded vigorously, indicating he understood the gravity of the situation.
Then, he changed the subject. "Why were you with that kid Gu Chenzhou just now?"
Jiang Wan felt a headache coming on. "Brother Er, we're at war right now. Can you be a little less curious? Go back and rest. We have a tough battle to fight tomorrow!"
Zhao Kun had lost his life today, and Zhao Jingyun would likely want to chop off Erlang's head and feed it to the dogs. Instead of figuring out how to face tomorrow's battle, he was here gossiping, as if he had a death wish!
After Jiang Wan sent Erlang out of the tent, she quickly dispatched the little creature to gather intelligence from the Zhao Army.
The Zhao Army's morale was somewhat low. Zhao Kun's death had dealt a significant blow to them. Zhao Jingyun was no longer young, and the day's events had taken a heavy toll. He was currently having a military doctor administer acupuncture.
After the doctor withdrew, Zhao Jingyun said, "Tomorrow, someone must chop off Jiang Jiacheng's head! And that bird too! Capture it, and I will tear it to shreds!"