Behind Fu Shanlie were seven to eight hundred men, while the Yuheng defenders across from him numbered only two to three hundred. Aided by the civilians under the insect demons' control, his side held numerical superiority. But throw General Red into the mix, and what were his chances of winning?
The Gale Army was a renowned vanguard strike force, long adept at fighting against overwhelming odds. Most crucially, they always followed General Red into action.
He had studied General Red's tactics; she favored ambushes.
Had she hidden her troops somewhere, waiting for him to walk right into her trap?
Fu Shanlie had previously scolded his subordinates, claiming General Red's appearance was too coincidental and that she had to be a fake.
Yet there was always a "what if." What if she was real?
Had he known earlier that General Red was in the city, he most likely would have called off this operation. Alas, they had now met on a narrow path. If he retreated without a fight, how could he ever hold his head high in the Beijia Kingdom?
"Immortal Kongling's personal artifact—renowned far and wide." Speaking to this point, Fu Shanlie felt even more regret. His swarm of troops was jammed tightly inside the narrow barbican; if she unleashed the Seven Fortunes Wheel, it would reap lives en masse, and his side wouldn't even have room to dodge!
Cutting chives wouldn't be this effortless.
So many water demons in the river hadn't lasted a single exchange against it, let alone these Xiji puppet troops.
Just then, another two hundred infantrymen arrived behind General Red.
Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. Chao Qian had strained every nerve just to scrape together this many troops from elsewhere.
Now, if Fu Shanlie and the Xiji puppet troops wanted to avoid the wrath of the Seven Fortunes Wheel, their only option was to charge into the open ground before the barbican—where General Red stood—which meant a fierce battle was unavoidable.
General Red had truly pinned him in an awkward position, caught between two impossible choices.
Either advance to seize a chance at survival, or retreat out through the city gate.
Only these two paths lay before Fu Shanlie. Despite his wits and courage, he found it difficult to choose at that moment.
Perhaps because the standoff had dragged on too long, a confidant whispered a reminder: "General, the Jintao army in our rear has arrived." They were crowded outside the city, unable to get inside.
General Red's playful twirling of the Seven Fortunes Wheel suddenly paused, and she tilted it slightly toward the enemy.
Behind her, several mounted Gale Army riders lowered their spear tips and pressed forward step by step. The clatter of their hooves echoed especially loud beneath the quiet South Gate.
Behind them, the Yuheng infantry followed in lockstep, blades and shields in hand, their eyes turned crimson and their breaths ragged, stimulated by the spiritual dew drifting down from the heavens.
The Xiji puppet troops began backing away instinctively.
Fu Shanlie was furious. Just as he turned to berate them, a gust of wind blew from across the way, and he suddenly sensed something off.
There was a faint scent of blood.
Very faint.
He sniffed twice into the wind, then locked his gaze onto General Red's right hand, a faint red glint surfacing in his eyes.
"Is your hand injured?"
Earlier, when a stray arrow had flown her way, General Red caught it barehanded, snapped it, and tossed it aside. Neither side had paid it any mind.
Yet she was actually injured, merely doing her utmost to conceal it.
Heh. How could the real General Red fail to cleanly catch a mere arrow?
The fragrance of the Emperor's Flowing Dew in the air was simply too potent, masking that trace of blood so thoroughly that even he had been kept in the dark.
"You're not General Red! General Red isn't in the city at all!" Fu Shanlie's eyes turned crimson, and his roar rang out far and wide. "Kill them all! Leave none alive!"
So she was an impostor playing for time.
Now that Fu Shanlie had unmasked her, how could he waste this opportunity?
Hearing that General Red was not here, the Xiji puppet troops were instantly energized, shouting and swinging their blades and swords as they surged forward.
The two armies collided like opposing tides.
This battle was unavoidable after all.
In the next instant, General Red stowed the Seven Fortunes Wheel, unslung the bow from her back, and fired off several swift arrows.
Her archery was indeed exquisite, every arrow claiming an enemy.
Yet why didn't she use the Seven Fortunes Wheel? Fu Shanlie's heart settled completely. He threw his head back in a loud laugh. "Drag that fake off her mount! Let me see what this counterfeit 'General Red' looks like!"
Moving like a phantom, he bypassed the interception of several Gale Army soldiers and lunged straight at "General Red" from the ground. She leveled her spear tip and stabbed straight for his face.
With this test, Fu Shanlie immediately felt the discrepancy.
Her spear technique was fierce and her reflexes swift, yet it lacked the overbearing, ruthless aura of someone who could take an enemy general's head from amidst ten thousand soldiers!
She was indeed a top-tier general, but not qualified to be called a "demigod"!
Fu Shanlie was amused at first, then furious.
He had been deceived by such an impostor for so long!
Only draining her dry of blood could quell the fury in his heart!
His movements were erratic and elusive. "General Red"—played by Willow—wielded a spear in her left hand and a saber in her right, trading blows atop her bo beast for several rounds, secretly alarmed.
The movements of this ba were simply too fast and savage. Even channeling origin power, she felt increasingly hard-pressed to cope.
The Gale Army's origin power was no joke; whether in strength, speed, or armor-piercing capability, it provided a substantial boost and suppressed enemies.
Not to mention that Emperor's Flowing Dew had fallen frequently over the past two years, and she felt her cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, incomparable to when they hunted the tormentor at the mine.
Yet even so, it couldn't bridge the gap between her and Fu Shanlie.
The pressure was immense—was this the true strength of a Beijia general?
With a crisp clink, the armor on her left arm was swatted away by Fu Shanlie, leaving three bloody claw gashes across her arm.
"Your armor doesn't seem very sturdy, does it?" Fu Shanlie gave a savage grin, twisting mid-air to pounce at the nape of her neck.
Willow was mounted on the bo beast and could not turn easily.
Fu Shanlie needed a mere seven breaths to drain a living person completely.
Could he break his fastest record today? He was keen to try.
Willow remained agile. Throwing herself forward off the mount, she planted her spear tip into the ground and hurled it backward in a smooth motion, pointing straight at Fu Shanlie's face.
Still in mid-air, Fu Shanlie didn't change trajectory; he struck the spear shaft with a hand, rebounding ten to twenty feet away with the momentum.
"Now this is getting interesting."
Facing an opponent of this caliber, Willow was completely focused, yet she heard a buzzing noise from behind, like a swarm of bees diving down.
Black beetles?
Without thinking, she rolled aside, evading the beetles' first dive.
Yet Fu Shanlie struck at the same moment.
Just as she regained her footing, the ba closed in, razor claws thrusting straight at her throat.
In the blink of an eye, they traded several more blows.
Harassed from the side by the swarm of black beetles, Willow was stretched to her limits.
Taking advantage of Fu Shanlie leaping backward, she couldn't resist hurling an explosive arrow at the swarm of black beetles.
She possessed an exceptional talent with ranged weapons. This self-crafted throwing arrow contained special oil, which upon detonation would trigger a chain explosion.
The black beetle swarm exploded in midair into a massive ball of red flame, full of dazzling sound and light.
Yet in that very split second, Fu Shanlie burrowed into the ground, slipping under like a man plunging into water.
A second later, he burst from the ground behind Willow, his left claw plunging fiercely into "General Red's" shoulder, pulling himself forward to bite into the nape of her neck.
The armor truly couldn't withstand his assault; the razor claws pierced through the plates in an instant. Unable to turn around in time, Willow drew a dagger with her right hand and stabbed backward toward his chest and abdomen.
This monster had copper skin and iron bones, impervious to normal blades, but with origin power aiding her strike, she might wound a vital spot.
Unexpectedly, Fu Shanlie seized her arm in the flow of motion and wrenched violently.
With a sickening crunch, Willow's forearm was snapped clean in two.
She screamed in agonizing pain.
In the sky, the kestrel gave a piercing cry, diving like an arrow to claw at his eyes.
A second later, and Willow would have no way out.
Fu Shanlie swiped a claw, forcing the kestrel to beat its wings and retreat.
Then, tilting his head, he lunged to sink his fangs into Willow's neck!
As long as he bit in, Willow's strength would drain away along with her blood.
Right at this moment, someone grabbed Fu Shanlie's shoulder from behind and ripped him away with one jerk!
That force was fierce and overpowering, no less formidable than Fu Shanlie's own.
In truth, a breath earlier, a gray silhouette had closed in with blinding speed, too swift for the human eye to track. Of the two Xiji puppet soldiers blocking his path, one was kicked thirty feet away, while the other clutched his throat, eyes wide, unable to utter a sound.
By the time blood spurted from between the soldier's fingers, the gray silhouette had already swung a second slash, aiming straight for Fu Shanlie's nape!
Having just reaped a life, the saber Fusheng radiated an even more bloodthirsty killing intent, thirsting to drink the blood of a Beijia demon general.
If Fu Shanlie wanted to bite Willow's neck, this man would sever Fu Shanlie's neck.
He came too swiftly. Sensing the murderous intent but lacking time to turn, Fu Shanlie burrowed straight into the ground.
This left Willow exposed under He Lingchuan's blade!
Naturally, He Lingchuan would not make such an elementary mistake. The tip of his saber flicked sideways and flipped up like a swallow skimming water, carving a half-arc before returning to its master's side.
Retrieved effortlessly, without any backlash of force.
He Lingchuan spoke in time: "It's me!"
Hearing that familiar voice, Willow couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief.
She had finally held out until the commander returned; it really hadn't been easy!
"Hang on!" He Lingchuan caught her by the waist, threw her backward, and roared, "A'luo, treat her wounds!"
With Fu Shanlie right here, Willow could not stay.
He used his force deftly; though Willow's arm was broken, she felt little pain upon landing.
A'luo rode in on a bo beast from behind, grabbing his medicine kit and leaping down before his mount even came to a full stop, crouching before the wounded woman.
"Coming, coming!"
After galloping dozens of li behind He Lingchuan, he was panting heavily as he examined her injuries.
Willow removed "General Red's" mask and helmet with one hand, revealing a pale face.
She was still breathing with difficulty.
A'luo sealed several of her acupoints in quick succession to staunch the bleeding, while telling the guards: "Hold her steady, there's poison in the wounds!"
A ba's claws were venomous; the wounds had to be tended to immediately.
Twenty feet away, Fu Shanlie emerged from the ground, glaring coldly at He Lingchuan.
How had this nemesis appeared? Had he slipped back from Longchuan?
Did this fellow run back on his heels right after Fu Shanlie left Longchuan?
Then how many men did he bring back, or did he already have an ambush prepared in Yuheng City?
As his thoughts raced, He Lingchuan gave his saber a flourish: "The Jintao troops have already been repelled by us. You have no chance. Kneel and surrender now, and I'll still spare your life."
If he hadn't spoken, it might have been different; the moment he opened his mouth, Fu Shanlie chuckled: "Should I thank you for your generosity?"
He had nearly been bluffed by the guy again!
If the Jintao troops had truly been repelled, why would this kid announce it so openly? Wouldn't it be better to quietly deploy troops to intercept his seven or eight hundred men?
Thus, while this grand commander had rushed back huffing and puffing to Yuheng City, he was practically a general without an army—he had few men with him!
Reassured, Fu Shanlie clashed with He Lingchuan in the next instant.
With the leaders fighting, their subordinates naturally didn't stay idle.
The battle between the Xiji puppet troops and the Yuheng Army instantly turned white-hot.
Chapter 1040