Seven Swords Descend Mount Tianshan

Zhaixingzi and Zhuixingzi ran into Shi Mo on their way back to the Black Qiang camp. "Why didn't we hear any commotion on your end?" Zhaixingzi asked grimly. Although Zhaixingzi's questioning was displeasing, seeing that each of them had taken two or three arrows and knowing they were in foul moods, Shi Mo did not mind. "Yan Xiangxue had too many guards around her; I couldn't find an opening," Shi Mo brushed it off casually. He had lingered near the White Qiang King's pavilion awaiting an opportunity, and sure enough, not long after, commotion suddenly broke out at the Chengyuan Army camp, with faint shouts carrying over. Yet contrary to his expectations, the White Qiang King's pavilion remained completely unmoved. Whether it was the White Wolf Guards or the White Qiang experts, aside from a single White Qiang warrior sent to scout for news, no one else reacted in the slightest. Even the King's pavilion itself had not a single person step out. Hearing the commotion over at the Chengyuan Army camp gradually die down while the White Qiang King's pavilion still made no move, Shi Mo knew he had lost his chance. He quietly slipped away and waited midway for Zhaixingzi and his companion. Hearing Shi Mo's excuse, the pair felt all the more aggrieved, and suspicions began to sprout. Although they indeed bore a grudge against Wang Yu, that did not negate the truth in Wang Yu's words: assassinating the White Qiang King had indeed been their own idea, and this night raid to kill him had been proposed by them as well. However! Did Shi Mo bear no responsibility whatsoever? They themselves were unfamiliar with military warfare, but how could the Black Qiang King and Shi Mo not know? Even that Yuwen Haojie hadn't bothered to show up, clearly privy to the reality of the situation. Under such circumstances, Shi Mo hadn't brought Qubi Amu, had merely tagged along with them, and had even suggested splitting up. Had he been planning all along to use them as cat's paws? The more they thought about it, the more convinced they became. Zhuixingzi eyed him sidelong and asked, "Brother Shi, did you know all along that the White Qiang would surely be on guard?" "I guessed as much, but there was no harm in testing the waters. If their defenses proved too tight, we could simply refrain from acting." Shi Mo nodded, then asked, "Though I wonder, what did you two encounter in the Chengyuan camp that prompted you to strike?" Zhaixingzi's mouth twitched. "Zhao Yu deliberately slackened the main tent's defenses, but dug a tunnel beneath the bed and hid archers a hundred paces away." Zhaixingzi did not elaborate further, but Shi Mo already understood. The Twin Stars of the Xingxiu Sea had fallen into the trap and entered the tent, Wang Yu had escaped through the tunnel, and then the pair were concentrated on by archers. No wonder they had each brought back two or three souvenirs upon departing. It was only thanks to their formidable martial arts—and the enemy lacking true experts and being unwilling to sacrifice lives en masse—that the two were able to break through the encirclement. None of this was beyond Shi Mo's expectations. The only thing he hadn't anticipated was: "That Zhao Yu was actually in the tent himself, rather than using a body double?" Zhuixingzi nodded, gnashing his teeth. "It was him!" Zhaixingzi glanced at Shi Mo, his words laced with pointed insinuation. "Perhaps because he knew staying in the main tent was actually the safest place, since he never expected us to truly dare to assassinate him." Shi Mo finally caught the underlying accusation. Halting in his tracks, he looked at them. "Are you two blaming me?" "Let me remind you both, sneaking into the military camp to assassinate Zhao Yu was your idea," Shi Mo sneered. "I voluntarily accompanied you two, and now I'm in the wrong?" "If I hadn't come, would you two really have stayed put? Could you have held back?" Shi Mo scoffed. "If you fell into a trap then, would you blame me for failing to stop you?" Zhaixingzi and Zhuixingzi fell silent. Shi Mo pondered. The Twin Stars of the Xingxiu Sea were Xiantian experts after all, unaligned wanderers from the Xingxiu Sea, and still worth winning over. Once the two Qiang factions unified, they would have to deal with the Xiongnu. If he could retain the pair in the Black Qiang as consecrated elders, it would provide an extra bargaining chip when dealing with the Xiongnu. "Though you two fell into their trap, fortunately you suffered only superficial wounds that will heal with a few days of rest," Shi Mo consoled. "Within half a month, the White Qiang are doomed to fall. Once I capture that whelp and use him to breach Jinfeng Pass and Lingwu Pass, I shall hand him over to you to dispose of as you please." "When the time comes, whether you flay his skin, pull his tendons, light him as a human torch, or slice him to pieces by a thousand cuts, it will be entirely up to you." Shi Mo squeezed out a sinister smile. Zhaixingzi nodded, accepting Shi Mo's gesture. "Thank you, Brother Shi." The trio returned to the Black Qiang camp. Seeing Zhaixingzi and his companion wounded, Yuan Dingle hurriedly ordered army shamans to extract the arrows and treat their injuries, while asking expectantly, "May I ask if your venture yielded any results?" The corners of Zhaixingzi and Zhuixingzi's mouths twitched, feeling stung once again. Shi Mo quickly stepped in. "The enemy was heavily guarded. Brother Zhaixing and Brother Zhuixing sought to spare our Black Qiang warriors further bloodshed and decided to make a bold attempt, but regrettably fell into that whelp Zhao Yu's treacherous trap." Yuan Dingle had a flash of realization. He naturally didn't believe their selfless motives, but did not expose them either. Instead, he expressed his gratitude: "Thank you both for your noble intentions. I am deeply grateful. Once I absorb the White Qiang and capture that whelp Zhao Yu, I will give him to you to vent your anger!" Both Zhaixingzi and Zhuixingzi cupped their hands in return. Having endured an anticlimactic scout and assassination, the pair never again mentioned sneaking into the enemy camp at night. Thus, the war between the two sides ground to a stalemate. — There was no movement at Jinfeng Pass. Lingwu Pass deployed five thousand troops, but they pitched camp three li outside the fortress and made no further moves. The White Qiang Royal Court dug in stubbornly, enduring the Black Qiang's daily harassment and assaults with pure defense. Even when the Black Qiang deliberately showed vulnerabilities, they refused to counterattack, playing the turtle to the very end. With no other options, Yuan Dingle dispatched small bands of cavalry to raid some small tribes nearby, plundering cattle, sheep, and horses for military supplies. Yet the vast bulk of the wealth remained within the White Qiang Royal Court, leaving countless Black Qiang riders itching with greed. "What on earth are they doing?" "Would they rather starve to death than surrender? If this goes on any longer, those cattle and sheep will starve down to bone!" "I heard the Central Plains are mobilizing troops. The Prince of Zhenxi's Manor's thirty thousand troops stationed in Fengming Prefecture are marching north with all their might. If they are fast enough, they might exit the frontier before the White Qiang collapse." There were clever men in the Black Qiang army as well, who deduced the subsequent moves from the actions of the White Qiang and the two passes. The Prince of Zhenxi's Manor would inevitably mobilize the thirty thousand troops within the pass; now it was a race against time. Yet unlike the half-informed soldiers in the ranks, Yuan Dingle, Shi Mo, and the strategists had calculated six or seven times, and no matter how they deduced it, they did not believe the twenty thousand troops from Fengming Prefecture could exit the passes in time to provide relief. At most, it would be the ten thousand troops from Longshan Prefecture, and even for them time would be exceedingly tight. "Continue monitoring Jinfeng Pass and Lingwu Pass! Stay alert against a sudden sally!" "Continue besieging the White Qiang Royal Court! I want to see just how long they can last!" Thirty li west of the Black Qiang Royal Court. An army of twenty thousand had quietly approached the Black Qiang Royal Court. Along the way, all small tribes were swept up by the marching army to ensure not a whisper of news leaked to the Black Qiang main camp. Seeing the sun sinking westward, Feng Jing ordered the army to halt and pitch camp. Aside from small detachments patrolling on alert, the army rested well, preparing to advance west tomorrow morning straight toward the Black Qiang Royal Court. Inside the military camp, Feng Jing and Zhao Jingjun arrived together, only to see Zhao Rong already hosting an old man, two middle-aged men, and four young men as they took their seats. Feng Jing outlined tomorrow's plan. Zhao Rong nodded and said, "We know nothing of military affairs, so everything is at the General's discretion. If there are any experts left in the Black Qiang Royal Court, we will handle them." Stroking his beard, the old man smiled. "I reckon they have already gone with the army to the White Qiang. There shouldn't be anyone left at their royal court. When the time comes, only by pursuing the routed soldiers eastward might we run into Shi Mo." Zhao Rong chuckled. "If so, tomorrow's battle will be all the easier." The old man chuckled heartily. "It is rare for the Prince of Zhenxi to find such an opportunity to annihilate the Black Qiang in a single battle. Naturally, we should lend a helping hand." The old man was none other than Gu Nanfeng, an elder of the Tianshan Sect. Gu Nanfeng rarely stayed on Mount Tianshan. Recently, he had come down from the mountain planning to travel to the Central Plains, when he happened to run into the Prince of Zhenxi's army near Yumen Pass and spotted Zhao Rong leading the contingent. Piqued by curiosity, Gu Nanfeng stepped forward to inquire. Zhao Rong knew Wang Yu had learned the Seventy-Two Forms of Wind and Snow from Gu Nanfeng, and that Yan Xiangxue had sought help at Mount Tianshan when critically injured. Meeting Gu Nanfeng now, he harbored the thought of roping Gu Nanfeng in to assist, so he truthfully disclosed the battle plan. Upon hearing this, Gu Nanfeng indeed decided to help. "Shi Mo is a Xiantian Grandmaster, and the Twin Stars of the Xingxiu Sea are veteran Xiantian experts. Even if Elder Sister Yan has recovered from her injuries, two fists cannot rival four hands. I must lend a hand in this affair." "Manager Zhao, lead the army ahead. This old man will return to the mountain to fetch a few people and catch up shortly!" And so, merely a couple days after the twenty-thousand-strong army marched out of Yumen Pass heading north and then turning west, Gu Nanfeng arrived with his party. The Tianshan Twin Eagles: Yang Weiming and Feng Rigan. The One Dragon and Three Steeds: Xin Yilong, Ling Kaixuan, Ding Qi, and Wu Yuancong. Together with Gu Nanfeng himself, that made four Xiantian experts and three first-rate Houtian masters. Seven Swords Descend Mount Tianshan! Zhao Rong's eyes had practically turned green. Striking the enemy's home base while possessing superior experts—this battle was an overwhelming advantage handed to them on a silver platter; he truly had no idea how they could lose! He also had no idea how Wang Yu had managed, in a single trip beyond the passes, not only to forge good ties with the Northwestern Army, but also to bring the Tianshan Sect to lend their full support. Although Gu Nanfeng's full backing was mainly out of regard for Yan Xiangxue, if the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor had not intervened, the Tianshan Sect would not have stood against the Black Qiang solely for her sake—one had to remember that back then, even Ye Tianlin had been preparing to accept Yan Xiangxue's dying requests. This time, it could be said that each had borrowed the other's momentum. And so the company advanced swiftly and stealthily from the west, scouts fanning out without leaking the slightest trace, soon arriving outside the Black Qiang Royal Court. According to the scouts' reports, the Black Qiang Royal Court had indeed turned out in full force, leaving only the elderly and infirm. Before dawn the next day, fires were lit to cook food, and camp was struck to deploy the troops. By the end of the Chen hour, the army had drawn near the Black Qiang Royal Court. Inside, after a bout of chaos, only about a thousand elderly and weak riders came riding out in a fluster to meet them. At the head of the army, a cruel smirk appeared on Feng Jing's face. Drawing the longsword at his waist, he swung it forward with force. "Kill!"