The army retreated two li and waited quietly, while the enemy patrolling the city walls also observed every move of our side.
In this silent standoff, I wondered how Liu Shinian and his companions were progressing.
"Are they in Chengdu by now?" I murmured.
Lin'er, sensing my lingering worry, comforted me, "They should be. Now, we can only wait for the enemy army to arrive."
"According to the timing, those people should arrive tomorrow."
"Yes."
"Then we'll wait a little longer."
To create a false impression for the enemy, Lin'er specifically ordered several bonfires to be lit, with loud drinking and hearty eating. The sounds of revelry, like wind and rain, reached the ears of the soldiers guarding the pass, making them quite envious.
After a night of merriment, it only quieted down at dawn. Just as both sides were in a stalemate, the sound of galloping horses and rumbling wheels was heard from afar.
Then, someone came to inform Ke Erqin that General Wang Shenji and General Wen Yuan, along with the reinforcement army, had arrived ten li behind Peach Blossom Town.
Out of courtesy, Ke Erqin decided to personally go and welcome them. He ordered horses to be prepared and rode out alone. Soon after, he saw the army rushing towards him.
He spurred his horse and shouted, "General Wang, General Wen, I've come to meet you!"
The two looked up simultaneously and saw a person on horseback emerging from the wilderness, heading towards them. As they drew closer, they recognized the figure as General Ke Erqin of the border pass.
"General Ke," Wang Shenji responded.
Ke Erqin rode his horse to the front of the two, filled with emotion.
"Generals, you've finally arrived! With you here, I doubt the Myriad Demon King would dare to advance on the border pass."
Wen Yuan asked with some confusion, "Has the Myriad Demon King's army already arrived?"
"Yes, they are stationed two li outside Peach Blossom Town."
"And they haven't made any moves?" Wang Shenji also inquired.
"Not yet."
The two were puzzled, unable to fathom the Myriad Demon King's intentions. They could only make plans after entering the town.
"Then let's hurry to Peach Blossom Town," Wen Yuan urged.
"Alright, let's go."
"Let's go."
Thus, the three rode together, and their accompanying fifty thousand strong army arrived at Dongyue Town in the afternoon.
After the army entered Peach Blossom Town, the two generals, without pausing, followed Ke Erqin onto the newly constructed city walls to gaze at the Black Mountain army, which was distant yet seemingly within reach.
The dense mass, accompanied by wisps of lingering smoke, appeared so eerie and distinctive.
Wen Yuan looked at the dense host of one hundred thousand soldiers and felt an indescribable emotion, sighing, "I didn't expect the Myriad Demon King to be so swift."
"Indeed. I've heard of her cunning and decisive actions. It seems the rumors are true," Wang Shenji added.
Ke Erqin recounted the events of the past few days.
"Generals, you may not know, but ever since the Myriad Demon King brought her army to this border, she has been drinking and feasting all day, and shouting loudly at night, without any sign of attack."
"Could this be her strategy?" Wen Yuan speculated.
"Highly likely."
"His Excellency the Grand Tutor ordered us to defend the pass and not engage in battle outside. Therefore, the immediate priority is to deploy the entire border defense."
"General Wen Yuan is absolutely right. Let's deploy quickly," Wang Shenji agreed.
The three then descended and went before the army.
They were assigned to the city walls, the city gates, and the watchtowers. The remaining troops patrolled the streets within the town to prevent any suspicious individuals from sneaking in.
I gazed at the tiny figures moving back and forth in the distance and asked Lin'er, "Have they arrived?"
Lin'er smiled slightly, appearing confident, "They have. They are likely arranging personnel to strengthen defenses now."
"Then what should we do?"
"Your Majesty, do not worry. Tomorrow, we can send a junior general to issue a challenge."
"Good."
At night, our side once again lit bonfires and sang heartily in the open fields. Their leisurely demeanor, devoid of any signs of war, caused the three generals on the opposing city walls to become agitated.
"Just as General Ke said, it seems they have no intention of attacking," Wang Shenji speculated.
Wen Yuan, however, pondered, "Could there be some cunning scheme behind this?"
"Highly possible. But what is she trying to achieve by doing this?"
After a moment of thought, unable to figure it out, they asked Ke Erqin, "General Ke, have there been any suspicious individuals entering the pass recently?"
Ke Erqin suddenly recalled Chong Dang. Chong Dang had been kind to him, and only a family of old and young had entered the pass. How could there be anyone suspicious? He shook his head.
"No. With the war approaching, how could we allow suspicious individuals into the pass?"
If there were no suspicious individuals, what was the Myriad Demon King's motive?
Despite their inability to comprehend it, the three watched on the city walls all night.
The next morning, I sent a junior general to issue a challenge. The junior general arrived below the city tower and began shouting,
"They say men of Xi Zi Kingdom are bold and spirited. How is it that you are now hiding in this city tower like scared turtles?"
On the city wall, a fierce general under Ke Erqin cursed, "You villains, how dare you shout here!"
The junior general below laughed mockingly.
"What, are you scared? You only dare to hide on the city wall like a scared turtle?"
The fierce general, seeing the audacity of an unknown individual from our side, picked up his bow and shot an arrow at him.
The junior general, unfazed, dodged the flying arrow with his horse. Those on the wall laughed at him, "What, aren't you afraid of death? Why are you dodging?"
The junior general laughed and pointed at him, shouting, "If you have the guts, come down and fight me."
The fierce general, unable to withstand the taunts, requested Ke Erqin, "General, please let me go down and fight that person."
Ke Erqin shook his head, "No. If you go down, there might be unforeseen circumstances. If you are angry, just shoot him with an arrow."
The fierce general nodded, picked up his arrow again, and shot at the junior general below.
The junior general dodged left and right, evading the arrows. He then burst into laughter and rode away.
Meanwhile, the news of the standoff between Black Mountain and the border guards quickly reached the capital of Xi Zi Kingdom, causing widespread speculation and panic.
Liu Shinian, Xue Gucheng, and others also received the news. When the Shadow Guards handed a small piece of paper to Liu Shinian, the real battle began.
He opened the paper and read: "Elder's order, operation begins, create chaos."
Liu Shinian immediately passed the paper to Xue Gucheng. After reading it, Xue Gucheng burned it to ashes and then conveyed information through clinking cups and eye contact.
Shui Fang and Ying Lu had been to Xi Zi Kingdom before, but this time they arrived with new faces and new identities.
Upon hearing the news of the impending major operation, Shui Fang expressed some regret for the city, hinting, "I wonder if I'll be able to have a good jar of wine tomorrow?"
Ying Lu replied, "I expect there will be two jars of good wine."
The two exchanged smiles, understanding each other's thoughts.
At night, a cold wind blew. They had a general understanding of the situation within the city. The royal palace of the capital was now heavily guarded.
The city walls were also heavily patrolled, with only the western military camp showing slight signs of laxity.
Liu Shinian planned to start from there.
He led his men to the heavily guarded western camp, scaled the wall, and entered. With a signal, arrows were lit and fired in unison, instantly igniting a blaze.
"Fire!" the first alerted soldiers shouted, running around in a panic.
At this moment, on the main street, more people were shouting, "Black Mountain has broken in! Run for your lives! Black Mountain has broken in!"
The once quiet night suddenly became bustling. City residents woke up in the middle of the night, packing their belongings to flee to Beishen Capital.
However, the tightly shut city gates were not easily opened. Large crowds of citizens gathered at various city gates, pleading with the guards to let them out to escape.
Wei Youji, upon receiving the news, rushed to the southern city wall to pacify the crowd.
"Everyone, everyone, please listen to me. Xi Zi Kingdom is safe now. The Myriad Demon King is a thousand miles away.
We have sent people to stop them. The shouts last night were just because someone in the military camp accidentally set fire to a house, causing panic. Please rest assured and return."
While he was speaking, someone in the distance aimed at him. Suddenly, an arrow flew and struck his left shoulder. Caught off guard, he fell to the ground.
"Assassin! Protect His Highness, protect him!" the surrounding soldiers shouted in alarm.
Seeing this scene, the people below the city wall frantically pushed towards the city gate. The soldiers trying to block them were almost overwhelmed. At this moment, someone knocked out the guard commander and opened the city gate, allowing the citizens to leave.
Subsequently, the four city gates were opened one after another, and the populace fled in a frenzy, causing utter chaos.
The twenty-four Mountain Lords guarding outside the city also took the opportunity to enter the city and attack the soldiers who were trying to stop the escaping civilians.
Wei Youji was escorted back to the royal palace by the soldiers. Afterward, the army within the city was dispatched to apprehend the rioters.
The twenty-four Mountain Lords no longer concealed themselves, drawing their swords and standing on the streets, awaiting their arrival.
Soon, a contingent emerged from the royal palace, led by the Royal General Li Er.
He led his troops to quell the rebellion but found twenty-four people blocking his path.
"Who are you? Get out of the way!"
Feng Xiaoyi laughed and said to him, "We are the twenty-four Mountain Lords under the Myriad Demon King. I am Feng Xiaoyi, the Lord of Qiling Mountain."
Li Er looked incredulous and questioned, "The Myriad Demon King is currently confronting our army at the front pass. What makes you think you can take advantage of the situation?"
Feng Xiaoyi laughed and pointed his sword, "Since you don't believe me, then we can only prove it with swords."
With that, Feng Xiaoyi drew his sword and charged forward, followed closely by the other twenty-three Mountain Lords. Li Er, mounted on his horse, held a long spear and engaged Feng Xiaoyi in combat. Although Feng Xiaoyi was fierce, his opponent's strength was not inferior to his.
Meanwhile, Hao Yuelan, the Lord of Dayuan Mountain, who had shone brilliantly in the arena at Nanhai City, now used his incredible speed to dart among thousands of soldiers, untying their belts and causing their pants to fall.
The soldiers, momentarily distracted by their falling trousers and scrambling to pull them up, were then surrounded by a troop that rushed from a distance.
Li Er, leading the charge, refused to surrender and insisted on fighting Feng Xiaoyi. Feng Xiaoyi, respecting him as a man, also stopped his men from interfering, allowing them to duel.
Liu Shinian and his companions arrived from elsewhere and happened to see Feng Xiaoyi and Li Er fighting on the street, with large crowds surrounding them.
"I didn't expect them to make the first move," Liu Shinian remarked with a smile.
Ye Changfeng, looking at the two fighting, felt his hands itch and wanted to join in, "If I were to fight, I would leap up and kick that kid off his horse."
Liu Shinian patted his shoulder, "I know you are strong, brother, but I believe the entire city now knows we are here. They will surely mobilize their entire army to fight us next."
"Don't worry, we'll capture as many as come."
As they were talking, they suddenly heard shouting from afar, "Charge!"
Then, they saw a female general leading hundreds of cavalry charging towards the crowd on the street.
"Get out of the way!" Fu Zimo shouted to the crowd. The street immediately descended into chaos, with everyone running away from the female general to clear a path.
The female general arrived in the center of the street and immediately issued the command, "Kill!"
She then charged on her warhorse towards the twenty-four Mountain Lords. Ku Deng, the Lord of Wangyue Mountain, rolled under her horse, dodging her attack, and then leaped up to try and ambush her. However, she turned and drew her saber, stabbing him in the right shoulder and sending him to the ground.
Upon closer inspection, everyone saw that she was clad in silver armor, with two short, exquisite blades on her back. Her face was like a peach blossom, yet her gaze was fierce.
She was the renowned female general of Xi Zi Kingdom, known as "Double Saber Blood Rain," Wan Yemei.
"That's Wan Yemei?" Yan Wushuang had long heard of this female general's prowess and was indeed impressed by her ferocity upon seeing her.
"I'll go meet her," Yan Wushuang said.
"Shuang'er, be careful," Xue Gucheng said, looking at the impatient Yan Wushuang with some concern.
Yan Wushuang leaped forward, throwing a flying knife to the side, aiming at Wan Yemei. Wan Yemei parried the flying knife with her own.
Then, Yan Wushuang appeared before her.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I am Yan Wushuang."
"Yan Wushuang?" She slowly recalled the rumor she had heard: that there was a divine couple in the world known as the "Snow Saber Twin Oddities." They were originally chivalrous heroes who, misled by the Myriad Demon King, had fallen into demonic ways.
"You are the Snow Saber Twin Oddities."
"Indeed."
"I heard you are also a heroine. How did you fall into demonic ways?"
"The world considers demons to be demons, but I believe demons are not necessarily demons."
Wan Yemei sensed a hidden meaning in her words. Seeing her reasonable demeanor, she didn't seem to be misled. Thus, she asked, "Did you join Black Mountain willingly?"
"Yes."
Hearing this, a surge of anger rose within her.
"I thought you were misled into demonic ways and intended to spare you. I didn't expect you to shamelessly embrace demonhood and harm the world. Take this!"
Saying this, she dismounted and swung her saber. Yan Wushuang leaped up and met the attack with her flying knives.
Wan Yemei swung her saber with both hands as if cutting vegetables, and with a few swift movements, she knocked Yan Wushuang's flying knives to the ground. Yan Wushuang, however, remained unfazed and praised,
"Good swordsmanship! Take this!"
Then, she drew two more flying knives from her怀 and distributed them between her fingers, five in each hand. With a flurry of movements, she sent them flying.
Wan Yemei smiled faintly, leaped into the air, knocked away the flying knives, and landed behind Yan Wushuang, slashing her left sleeve with her saber.
Yan Wushuang looked down and smiled slightly. No longer underestimating her opponent, she removed her outer garment, revealing the Winged Robe underneath.
"Winged Robe!"
Wan Yemei had heard her father mention it years ago. After the fall of the divine race, only a few treasures had trickled down to the populace, and among them was the Winged Robe, impervious to swords and fire.
Winged Robe:
The Winged Robe was originally a unique garment made for the great generals of the ancient divine race.
This garment was woven from the molted feathers of adult phoenixes and the silk of ten-thousand-year-old ice silkworms.
Because the garment was woven from feathers and silkworm silk, it was named the Winged Robe.
Xue Gucheng and Yan Wushuang's master, Xue Yihou, were descendants of the ancient divine general Feitian Yu.
Due to the great war ten thousand years ago, the divine race perished, and they also descended into the mortal world and lived in seclusion. Because of the heroic deeds of the Feitian Yu couple, they were bestowed the Winged Robe for their protection.
After Feitian Yu's death, he passed down these two Winged Robes, which eventually reached Xue Yihou.
Before Xue Gucheng and Yan Wushuang left their master's tutelage, they were married under his witness. Xue Yihou then presented the Winged Robes as a wedding gift to Xue Gucheng and Yan Wushuang.
The characteristics of the Winged Robe are: it is snow-white throughout, capable of resisting the damage of flames and ice, and also preventing cuts from swords and blades.
As it is a rare divine artifact of ancient times, it ranks ninth on the list of Ten Great Demonic Artifacts, with a terror index of ★★★.