Feng Li and Li Wuchang whirled around, their eyes boring into Niu Zilian.
Niu Zilian's expression shifted, and he spoke at once. "That man is an imperial guard of the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor, trying to drive a wedge between us! If we fall for it and get bogged down in a melee, the Iron Eagle Cavalry will ride into the city immediately!"
Feng Li said in a sinister rasp, "If that is so, then please, Strategist Niu, lead Brother Li and me into the palace to take a look. If it is truly the treasure, our two factions will cooperate in good faith. But if the treasure isn't right..."
Standing not far away, Li Wuchang spoke up suddenly. "Did Brother Han and Fairy Shi discover your scheme?"
Niu Zilian drew a deep breath. Having already guessed most of what had transpired, he offered no further explanation. Instead, he placed both hands onto a nearby wooden chest and released his inner strength. With a loud crack, the chest shattered.
Guessing his intention, Feng Li shot forward in a blur. "Niu Zilian, how dare you!"
In the next instant, Niu Zilian raised both palms, sending countless gold and silver coins swirling into the air like a storm.
At the same moment, Zhao Lü darted out from behind him. With a flick of his spear, a blossom of light as wide as a bowl flared into three phantom spearheads thrusting straight at Feng Li's chest.
Feng Li let out an odd cry. A blade of light flashed into existence as he slid along the spear's shaft to close the distance. Zhao Lü used that momentum to twist his spear, trying to fling him toward Li Wuchang on the other side.
However, Feng Li had clashed with Zhao Lü before. Knowing full well how formidable this Hundred Blazes Spear—one of the Four Great Generals of Shuntian—truly was, he dodged aside, landed deftly, and curved his saber like a crescent moon to lock in combat with Zhao Lü.
Li Wuchang slapped the scabbard on his back with his left hand. His longsword whistled free. Leaping into the air, he caught the hilt mid-flight and swept forward, the point of his blade aimed straight between Niu Zilian's brows.
Niu Zilian crossed his palms and traded two blows with Li Wuchang before leaping back. Behind him, Duan Rui and Song Yuanjing lunged forward to block Li Wuchang's advance.
Outside the palace gates, the Mount Qi bandits had naturally heard the black-clad man's shout. Seeing Niu Zilian scatter two large chests of gold, silver, and jewels into the sky while Feng Li and Li Wuchang drew their weapons, they surged toward the palace with a roar.
Yet the bandits were ultimately an undisciplined rabble. Some cared only for immediate gain and began scrambling for the coins and jewels Niu Zilian had tossed, while others stormed toward the palace to see if more treasure lay within, or to capture the Shuntian men and force them to lead the way to the rest.
The Shuntian Army had kept very few men stationed at the palace. Even with the scattered treasure serving as a distraction, they could not stem the bandits' charge and were forced to give ground.
Moments later, a whistling signal arrow shot high into the sky.
The Shuntian troops lying in wait at the west gate received the distress signal and heard that chaos had erupted at the northwestern palace, where Niu Zilian and Zhao Lü were fiercely battling the bandits.
Unable to keep waiting for that cloud of dust outside the west gate that remained forever neither near nor far, they left a few guards behind and immediately turned back to storm the Loulan Royal Palace.
Whoosh—
Clang, clang, clang!
Zhao Lü wielded his Hundred Blazes Spear with ferocious violence, attacking relentlessly with no regard for defense. Yet Feng Li was an old, cunning fox whose saber strikes were bizarre and treacherous. Though Zhao Lü held the upper hand, securing victory would take at least fifty exchanges.
However, Duan Rui and Song Yuanjing could not hold off Li Wuchang for fifty moves.
Li Wuchang's longsword moved with nimble cunning and unpredictable variations. Within just a few exchanges, his tip slashed open the flesh on Song Yuanjing's shoulder. Had Duan Rui not risked his life to intervene, Song Yuanjing's arm would have been severed entirely.
"The Nineteen Swords of the Jade Maiden truly lives up to its fame!" Niu Zilian praised.
As one of the Taihua Sect's four great sword styles, the Nineteen Swords of the Jade Maiden was nimble, subtle, and endlessly changing. In years past, a senior expert of the Taihua Sect had used a single technique—Jade Maiden Weaving the Shuttle—to defeat masters across the realm in succession, catapulting the art to renown.
"Niu Zilian, and to think you are the Shuntian Army's military strategist! Abandoning righteousness and breaking agreements like this, how could you ever conquer the world?" Li Wuchang sneered. "Hand over the treasure at once, or your two subordinates die!"
Niu Zilian gave no answer. He raised his right hand in a signal, and five sharp arrows whistled toward Li Wuchang from nearby.
Li Wuchang twisted his body to dodge three and casually swatted down two with his blade. Arrows of this caliber were far inferior to Han Dingyuan's.
Yet this brief delay was enough for Duan Rui and Song Yuanjing to break away from the fight.
"Strategist, what should we do?" Duan Rui asked.
Niu Zilian's face darkened. "Zhao Yu discovered our plan, but he also took care of half our bandit trouble. Coordinate with Guo Xiao and Wei Zhaoting to slay Li Wuchang and Feng Li!"
"Understood!" Duan Rui and Song Yuanjing nodded in unison, then joined the Shuntian experts returning from the west gate to charge at Li Wuchang once more.
Meanwhile, Zhao Lü's spear grew swifter and fiercer. Though Feng Li was famous for his fast saber, he was finding it difficult to hold his ground. With a glide of his feet, he drifted over to Li Wuchang's side.
"Han Dingyuan and Shi Yinyu still haven't shown up. They might have fallen."
Li Wuchang nodded. "The Shuntian archers are here too."
"Motherfucker! Hunting geese all our lives only to have our eyes pecked out by geese—the Shuntian Army plays dirtier than we do!" Feng Li rasped. "We're done for today. Wind's tight, bolt!"
"Go!" Li Wuchang snorted. "We'll wait for them on the Northwest trade route."
"Right." Feng Li nodded. "Once they enter the pass, we'll give them a proper reception!"
The two whistled sharply, rallied their men to disengage from the battlefield, and bolted toward the south gate.
Niu Zilian did not pursue them, nor did he pay heed to the remaining bandits fighting over the scattered treasures. Instead, he rallied his forces and hurried toward the east gate.
"Has the wagon convoy at the east gate already left the city?" Niu Zilian asked urgently.
Song Yuanjing checked the sky. "They should have left already. Your order was to depart at the second quarter of the Tiger hour. It is nearly the Rabbit hour now."
"Not good! The Iron Eagle Cavalry is probably blocking them outside the east gate!" Niu Zilian told Zhao Lü. "General Zhao, go ahead to take command. Don't let the Iron Eagle Cavalry scatter the convoy!"
"Right!"
Though he did not understand why Niu Zilian made this deduction, the situation was dire, so Zhao Lü asked no questions. Leaping forward, he sped off toward the east gate.
Only then did Niu Zilian explain to Duan Rui and Song Yuanjing, "The person who spoke up behind the palace earlier was undoubtedly a guard from the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor. Since they discovered this treasure was a decoy, they must have found the true treasure's trail as well.
"Combine that with the Iron Eagle Cavalry lingering outside the west gate without advancing, and the disappearance of Han Dingyuan and Shi Yinyu—it is very likely Ma Bojun killed them both to keep us from falling at a disadvantage when top experts clashed at the palace.
"I am certain the Iron Eagle Cavalry at the west gate is merely a feint designed to pin us and the Mount Qi bandits in a mutually destructive brawl at the palace, while their main force lies in ambush outside the east gate, waiting for our wagons to leave the city so they can strike on the open plains where cavalry excel."
Duan Rui and Song Yuanjing both drew a sharp breath. "Does that Zhao Yu possess such cunning?"
Niu Zilian shook his head. "Of course Zhao Yu has no such cunning."
The next instant, Feng Li's hoarse, shrill roar echoed from the south: "Li Wuchang, fuck your grandmother!"
Niu Zilian's brow twitched. "Good fortune!"
The Prince of Zhenxi's Manor clearly regarded the Mount Qi bandits as the greater priority, given that they posed an immediate threat right on their doorstep. Thus, upon seeing the two sides break off combat, they had not pursued Niu Zilian's party, but had instead moved to ambush Feng Li and Li Wuchang.
Of course, there was another possibility: they were certain Niu Zilian would head to rendezvous with the convoy leaving the east gate, where three hundred Iron Eagle Cavalry riders were already waiting for them.
Niu Zilian ground his teeth. "The female Zhuangyuan truly lives up to her reputation."
***
On the other side, Ma Bojun's spear had pierced Feng Li's chest. Old Freak Black Wind, who had struck fear across the northwest for decades, hung swinging from the spearpoint.
Wang Yu shook his head with some regret. "Li Wuchang still managed to get away."
When the bandits and the Shuntian Army were clashing, they had been lurking nearby and witnessed the melee firsthand. In the end, however, Feng Li and Li Wuchang had prudently chosen to withdraw rather than fight to the death with the Shuntian forces.
Seeing them flee toward the south gate, Wang Yu's party had launched a flanking ambush.
Because they had not been able to prepare an ambush position in advance, Feng Li and Li Wuchang had noticed them early on. Feng Li had assumed it was merely a reckless band of Shuntian soldiers and charged in to vent his fury. Li Wuchang, cautious by nature, realized something was amiss, played Feng Li for a fool, and bolted into the distance before Wang Yu and the others could catch up.
"Killing two is already plenty good." Ma Bojun laughed heartily, flicking his spear to fling Feng Li's corpse aside. "Shi Yinyu is just a woman, and Li Wuchang cannot prop up the rafters on his own. We'll find an opportunity to kill him later."
At this, Ma Bojun looked slightly puzzled. "After Shi Yinyu escaped, why didn't she meet up with Li Wuchang and the others? Did she flee back to Mount Qi alone?"
Wang Yu and Li Yunxiu both glanced at Qianqian. Qianqian gave a faint smile and kept silent.
"Never mind that. Let's head out the east gate to regroup with the Iron Eagle Cavalry. That spear wielder's martial arts are formidable—he must be a high general of the Shuntian Army. If the Iron Eagle Cavalry faces him alone, they might suffer heavy losses," Ma Bojun said.
Li Yunxiu said, "That man should be Zhao Lü of the Hundred Blazes Spear, one of the Four Great Generals of Shuntian."
The Prince of Zhenxi's Manor regularly received imperial gazettes and collected intelligence from the Central Plains, so they naturally knew the key figures within the Shuntian Army. Zhao Lü was a first-rate master whose spearmanship was fierce and explosive; Li Yunxiu had recognized him at a glance.
Leaving behind the Mount Qi bandits and the Shuntian rear guard still brawling at the Loulan Royal Palace, the group reunited with a dozen princely guards and hurried toward the east gate. They soon passed through the gate into the early morning light. The rising sun cast a warm glow across the sky, illuminating Niu Zilian's party hurrying ahead, as well as the slow-moving wagon convoy further in the distance.
Moments later, dust rose along the path ahead of the convoy. The Iron Eagle Cavalry lying in ambush had spotted the wagons. Seeing that the convoy had left the ancient city, the riders swept out from behind the sand dunes where they had been hiding, hooves churning up the earth as they charged toward the wagons.
Both Wang Yu's group and Niu Zilian's party quickened their pace.
Farther ahead, under Zhao Lü's command, the Shuntian wagon convoy had halted and formed a defensive barricade with their carts, bracing for the cavalry's assault. Niu Zilian's group managed to join up with the convoy just before the cavalry arrived.
Battle-hardened and seasoned, the Iron Eagle Cavalry did not charge into the barricade blindly upon seeing the convoy prepared. Instead, they circled the wagon perimeter, nocking arrows to prepare a barrage at range while greeting Wang Yu's party as they regrouped atop a low sand dune.
Yet right at that moment, an even larger cloud of dust billowed across the northern Gobi. Clearly, a massive contingent of cavalry was rapidly approaching.
Chapter 62