This news hit the surviving civilians and soldiers in the city like a hammer blow.
The previous battle, fought outnumbered against overwhelming odds, had been a desperate gamble where they burned their boats to cross the bridge. After barely managing to hold on with bated breath, they were now told that what they were about to face were beasts more terrifying than men.
The beasts came in all shapes and sizes—some weak, others capable of shaking mountains and splitting rocks. Such colossal creatures were no match for ordinary soldiers; opposing them would be like throwing an egg against a boulder. To make matters worse, there were over a thousand of them.
“Most beasts hide in deep mountains and dense forests all year round. Even when they do plague the mortal world, it’s only in pairs or trios. How did the barbarians manage to summon over a thousand beasts and make them obey?”
Inside a tent outside the city, several officers gathered around a sand table, utterly baffled.
“Now is not the time for such thoughts,” Song Yueyao cut in sternly, her gaze fixed on a flag at one spot on the sand table before shifting it a few inches northwest. “Based on Vice General Xiao’s patrol route, the place where he fell is only half a day’s journey from Deer City.”
She looked up, sweeping her eyes across the grim faces of the others.
"The barbarians are coming. We don’t have much time left. For now, our only option is to hold the line."
If Deer City fell, the barbarians and their beasts would charge straight in, not stopping to reorganize as they had before. They would carve a bloody path straight into the heartland. By then, the entire Liangya Prefecture would become a living hell.
Deer City—was the last line of defense.
"Princess, tell us, how are we supposed to hold?" one officer asked, his face etched with worry. "Leaving aside the wounded, we only have a few thousand men still fit to fight. With so few, how do we fend off over a thousand beasts?"
Song Yueyao glanced at him and countered instead of answering: "How did you get into the Nie Family Army?"
The officer straightened his back at once, a hint of pride in his eyes. "Princess may not know this, but my name is He Ji. After Old General Nie passed away, the remaining imperial garrison troops in the capital were left leaderless. I was recommended by Grand Preceptor Yin to temporarily oversee military affairs."
What he didn't say was that he didn’t have to come to the front lines at all. He had simply figured that the old general’s granddaughter might have some skill, and making the trip might score him some easy military merits.
Song Yueyao smiled disdainfully, then casually tossed a glance at the other officers. "Someone tell him what the ironclad creed of the Nie Family Army is."
"Yes, ma’am!"
A soldier immediately stepped forward, his voice ringing like a bell: "Live as a wall of flesh, die as a post of ghost! Fight to the last man, and never yield an inch!"
Song Yueyao raised an eyebrow. "Hear that?"
"The Nie Family Army doesn’t keep cowards. Even if only one soldier is left, he must hold the line."
“And—” She lifted her chin slightly. “In the army, address me as Commander. If I hear the word ‘Princess’ again, it’s a court-martial offense.”
He Ji met her sharp, blade-like eyes and felt an inexplicable tremor in his chest. He had heard that the princess was a beauty, but he never knew she could be so terrifying when angered—her gaze swept over him like a knife scraping his bones.
He moved his lips. "Your subordinate obeys."
Song Yueyao ignored him, turning back to the sand table and tapping her finger on it. "I hear beasts must hunt within five days or starve. So we just need to survive those five days. After five days, the starving beasts will turn on the barbarians."
"The outer defenses should lay a line of oil along the base of the city wall—make it as wide as possible. Gather all soldiers still fit to fight outside the wall, stockpile fire-stone cannons, and wait for my signal to fire all at once."
She paused, moving her finger toward the wall. "The remaining archers will ascend the wall with me and take positions."
The officers in the tent chorused their acknowledgment.
Just then, a lazy, pleasant laugh drifted in from outside the tent.
"Fire won’t do much against beasts."
The tone was so languid it sounded as if the speaker had just crawled out of bed, the tail end tinged with drowsiness.
It stood out starkly in the grave and perilous atmosphere.
A tall figure lifted the tent flap and stepped inside. The two guards outside stood frozen like statues, not moving to stop him.
His silver ornaments marked him as a man from Miaojiang. He Ji immediately drew his sword and barked, "Who dares trespass into a military tent!?"
"He’s one of us." Song Yueyao swung her crescent blade sideways to press down his sword.
She looked up at the newcomer, frowning slightly. "Wu Li, common folk have tried it—beasts fear fire."
Wu Li rolled his eyes in exasperation. "What common folk tried it on were beasts barely the size of wild dogs. Do you think real giant beasts can be scared off with a torch?"
He strolled to the sand table, his slender fingers casually tapping several positions outside the city.
"That oil line will be trampled out within an hour. Your fire-stone cannons might kill a dozen at most; the rest will just get enraged."
Song Yueyao stared at him silently.
"Want to hold out five days?" Wu Li raised his eyes. His mismatched pupils showed little emotion. "To keep them from eating people for five days, you first need to keep them from breaching the walls in five days."
His finger traced an arc on the sand table. "Beasts have ten times the sense of smell of dogs. You can lay a circle of..." Wu Li tilted his head, searching for a term—some Central Plains words he rarely used. After a moment, he recalled: "orpiment, quicklime, and mugwort mixed together and burned. It won’t choke them to death, but it’ll keep them away from the walls."
The tent fell silent.
He Ji muttered under his breath, "Orpiment? Isn’t that for driving off snakes..."
Wu Li didn’t even lift his eyelids. "Moron, snakes are the ancestors of beasts."
He Ji choked, wanting to snap back, but when he met those gloomy, icy eyes, he swallowed his words.
He knew better than to mess with someone from Miaojiang.
Song Yueyao nodded thoughtfully. According to books, snakes were descended from flood dragons—the serpent—and flood dragons ruled all beasts."
"This method works. Do as he says," she ordered the officers loudly.
Though skeptical of the young man, the officers heard their Commander’s command and cupped their fists. "Your subordinates obey!"
The faint unease Song Yueyao had felt in her heart was suppressed by Wu Li’s few words.
She knew that Wu Li hated meddling in other people’s business. Nine times out of ten, he’d come on behalf of Xiaomi to offer advice. But precisely because of this, she had an extra layer of concern. As Alchemist Ji had said before, Wu Li could not afford to involve himself in any killing right now. If he stayed in the city, when the beasts attacked—with Xiaomi there—he would find it hard to stand by.
If he broke the taboo...
She didn’t finish the thought.
"Wu Li, come with me."
When Deer City was first built, an underground passage had been dug leading to a neighboring city, prepared for emergencies. Song Yueyao had heard of this from a surviving elder who had been one of the craftsmen who built it. Unfortunately, the barbarian attack had been too swift back then for anyone to escape.
At least now, there was still time.
Song Yueyao led the person to the city gate, pointing at specific locations as she walked. “North of the city, there’s a well with one side collapsed. Beneath it lies a blue stone slab. Move it, and you’ll find the entrance to an underground passage. The main roads outside are no longer safe now. Once the barbarians attack, take Xiaomi and leave Lucheng through this passage.”
“There are also some children who were hidden away earlier in the city—few survivors remain. I can only entrust you to take them out as well.”
“She won’t go,” Wu Li replied casually, his gaze sweeping the area in search of that clever figure. A slight frown creased his brow. They had agreed she would wait for him here, but now she had vanished.
“If she refuses, just knock her unconscious and carry her away. Staying in the city means facing danger at every turn.”
“Knock her unconscious?” Wu Li turned to face her, his expression as if he had heard something absurd, a look that clearly said “Are you out of your mind?”
In the past, he had loved seeing Chai Xiaomi angry, but now he dreaded her anger most of all. This young woman had no leniency at all—when provoked, she would ban him from the bed without a second thought. Where would he ever find the nerve to knock her out? Besides, knocking her out would be painful.
“Spare me your lousy ideas. I only listen to my wife,” he said lightly, though impatience had already crept into his voice. “If she wants to stay, I’ll stay with her. In short, as long as I’m by her side, she won’t come to any harm. You don’t need to meddle where it’s none of your concern. Focus on fighting your war.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, his gaze suddenly froze, as if he had sensed something.
In the next moment, his figure had already flashed away.
