Xia Chanyi’s side was much more gentle. She held a long saber, clearing the way ahead, with dozens of Dragon Shadow Guards following her in seamless coordination, killing any Quzhao soldier they encountered. Behind them were Dragon Shadow Guards armed with Dragon Feather Crossbows, their arrows complementing the killings, as if they had entered an undefended territory, slaughtering their way all the way.
The outskirts of the military camp were pitch black.
Luo A'man, as a “special talent,” had been assigned to the “cleanup” squad.
Watching the panicked Quzhao soldiers fleeing, she drew her bow and released an arrow.
The arrow flew like lightning, shooting straight toward the Quzhao soldier running at the front.
Just as it was about to hit its target, before Luo A'man’s smile could even break out, a burning tent beside the soldier suddenly collapsed.
The wooden poles supporting the tent tilted and fell, clattering down just in time to block her arrow. Sparks flew everywhere, mirroring her mood at that moment.
Startled, the Quzhao soldier immediately realized there was an ambush and veered in another direction to escape.
Before they could run two steps, arrows whistled through the air, striking their necks...
The archers, naturally Luo A'man’s team members, knew about their company commander’s peculiar luck and were waiting to rack up military merits.
Their commander was notoriously unlucky; most of the time she couldn’t hit anything. Yet her arrows seemed cursed—anyone who got close was easily struck.
And they would inexplicably meet “death.”
Sure enough, at that moment a gust of wind blew over. Another tent, already burned and tottering, crashed down, directly crushing several Quzhao soldiers who had been running in front without being hit by arrows.
They instantly turned into “human torches,” their shrill screams piercing the night sky.
Overwhelmed by excruciating pain, they lost their minds, charging around blindly like headless flies.
Not only did they ignite a few tents that hadn’t yet caught fire, but they also toppled several more.
Amid the thuds of collapsing tents, another dozen cries of agony rang out, adding a dozen more “human torches.”
Then, the burning and collapsing tents spread like a contagion, more and more of them, and the “human torches” grew in number...
From afar, Yun Ce was dumbfounded. Like Luo A'man, he had been assigned to the “cleanup” task.
He and his squad watched the “bloodbath” triggered by a single arrow, their jaws dropping. This power—truly remarkable!
He couldn’t help but marvel internally. No wonder she had risen to company commander despite having killed so few enemies. She deserved it.
Just then, some Quzhao soldiers tried to break through toward his position. He quickly refocused and led his men to block them.
This was Jiang Jin’s first battle confronting the main force of the Quzhao army. Under the cover of darkness, when enemy morale was low, they launched a surprise attack at night, catching Quzhao completely off guard.
The battle lasted just over an hour before it ended. The scene now held only the crackling of flames, no more screams or clashing steel.
Jiang Jin wiped the blood off his face. “Treat the wounded, transport the grain back to the city, and clean up the battlefield by the firelight.”
“Yes, sir!” The troops were elated, their morale high, filled with excitement.
They had truly done it—annihilating nearly all of Quzhao’s forty-thousand-strong army in just a few days.
Everyone looked at Jiang Jin with admiration and reverence.
In the pitch-black night, urgent hoofbeats echoed along the official road.
Qu Bai lay slumped over his horse, rising and falling with its gallop. Heavy blood loss made his consciousness blurry; he knew he wouldn’t survive this time.
He felt bitter and fearful. With such a formidable enemy in Quzhao, unifying Fengzhou would be nearly impossible!
Now, he deeply regretted not having nipped Gebeng’s rise in the bud back then.
Qu Cong rode beside him, watching over him anxiously. “General, the Jinyang Army hasn’t pursued us. Should we stop and rest?”
Qu Bai’s wounds had been hastily treated earlier. He knew all too well how severely he was hurt.
But without medicine or a healer, they had to reach Zhou County first to find a doctor.
They had thought of heading to the closer Dancheng County, but the Jinyang Army seemed to have anticipated this, stationing guards in all directions. Forced into a corner, they had to flee desperately toward Zhou County.
Darkness flickered before Qu Bai’s eyes. He fought off the dizziness and gritted his teeth. “No need. Speed back. Remember, if I... don’t survive, make sure that the Great Khan eliminates the Jinyang Army first!”
Qu Cong’s heart ached. Even in such a critical moment, the general was still thinking of the future of their Quzhao people.
Suppressing his emotions, he asked, “General, ahead lies Gebeng. Should we detour around it?”
It wasn’t that they wanted to pass through Gebeng, but between Shan Pass County and Zhou County, including the eastern part of Ze’a Prefecture, almost all was high mountains and steep ridges with no roads. They had no choice but to go around through Gebeng.
This was also why their main army, starting from Ze’a Prefecture, had to detour through Zhou County, Gebeng, and then to Shan Pass County.
In daylight, they might have taken one of the several paths about a hundred li south of Gebeng. But with nightfall and poor visibility, they could only proceed along the flat official road of Gebeng.
Gebeng’s official road wasn’t far from Gebeng City. In the darkness, the city guards might not see them, but they would certainly hear the hoofbeats.
Fortunately, there was a small path near Gebeng’s official road, not long, that bypassed the stretch in front of Gebeng City. Since Gebeng had been taken by the Jinyang Army, they had rarely used this path. But now it was night—the Jinyang Army surely wouldn’t send scouts out at this hour.
Qu Bai breathed heavily. “Take the detour!”
The group quickly turned onto the small path. Night gloom allowed only vague shadows at close range. The rugged trail forced them to slow their already moderate pace.
“Everyone be careful. Stay alert,” Qu Cong ordered in a low voice.
Having fought their way out, Qu Bai’s personal guards now numbered fewer than three hundred, and many were wounded.
After advancing a short distance, Qu Cong finally let out a slight breath of relief. It seemed there was no ambush here.
Suddenly, he caught a faint scent—the smell of oil. His pupils contracted. He shouted, “Not good! Retreat!”
Before his words faded, fire suddenly blazed ahead and behind them.
The flames spread like snakes, and within a single breath, the front and rear of the column were surrounded by long lines of fire.
The flames flared abruptly, spooking the warhorses, which neighed and reared back. Qu Bai, dazed, nearly fell off his horse.
Before the remaining Quzhao soldiers could react, arrows rained down on them.
In an instant, over two hundred guards were struck and fell from their horses, their shrill screams tearing through the silent night.
Qu Bai and Qu Cong were shielded in the center by their surviving guards, watching one soldier after another fall, feeling only utter despair and heartache.
As the last few soldiers fell, the enemy’s arrows finally ceased.
Only then could Qu Cong make out a row of dark, indistinct figures standing on a nearby slope.
“Who’s there?” he bellowed, gripping his blade tightly.
Qu Bai strained to look toward the shadows in the distance and let out a bitter laugh. “Ha! I, Qu Bai, have fought my whole life. Never did I think I would die here, at the hands of a woman.”
“Haha, cough, cough...” He tried to laugh, but the movement aggravated his wound, making him cough painfully. It took a long moment for him to settle.
“Truly meticulous in thought, rooting out every threat. Good. I, Qu Bai, die without resentment. To fall at the hands of someone like this is no disgrace.”
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. “Before I die, can you at least tell me—who does the Jinyang Army truly belong to? Who is that woman?”
A soft sigh arose. "My lord is the sixth daughter of the Ink Emperor, and her title is Jinyang."
