86
Liu Ziyi fled in a sorry state.
In the span of a few days, strange occurrences had repeatedly happened within Anyang City. Both the weeping Holy Lord statue and the prophecy on the city wall caused Liu Ziyi a great headache. Seeing the unstable morale of the city and the soldiers showing signs of fear of battle, Liu Ziyi knew in his heart that he truly could not hold Anyang.
From the day he started the uprising, Liu Ziyi had held the determination to either succeed or die trying. Later, they captured Fengzhou and Longzhou, attracting both common people and righteous individuals to follow them. He declared himself King Yi. At that moment, Liu Ziyi almost saw the grand scene of him overthrowing Daliang and unifying the world.
Liu Ziyi was born into humble circumstances, losing his parents at a young age. Alone, he grew up eating food begged from door to door. Through a stroke of luck, he learned to read some characters and was quick-witted. Before long, he had become a small foreman at the docks.
At that time, Liu Ziyi’s greatest aspiration was to save up some silver, then hire a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for him, to marry a beautiful Kunze, and to buy a two-courtyard house in the prefectural city, just like the dock manager.
It wasn’t until he met Shengzun that Liu Ziyi realized there was another way for a person to live. He didn’t need to be obsequious or ingratiating; he could also build a career and strive for a prosperous and peaceful world for the suffering people under the heavens. They killed corrupt officials and fought to conquer the land. Liu Ziyi was full of ambition, seeing a bright future ahead. He never imagined that in the end, he would be stopped here.
Liu Ziyi was unwilling, but as Sun Qing said, although Anyang was lost, as long as they retreated to Longzhou, given the current situation, it wasn’t necessarily impossible for them to make a comeback someday.
Suddenly, Sun Qing said, “Stop.”
He raised his hand, and the soldiers following behind all stopped. Liu Ziyi turned his head to look at Sun Qing and asked, “General Sun, what’s wrong?”
Sun Qing reined in his horse, raised his head, and looked around. He saw lush trees standing all around, bare and without a hint of spring, with the ground covered in damp and decaying fallen leaves. Sun Qing listened intently for a moment. Everything around was quiet. It seemed peaceful, but he inexplicably felt a bit strange.
Sun Qing turned back and ordered scouts to go ahead and explore the path. He also sent a small group of soldiers forward several dozen yards. Seeing that they were safe and sound, he then said, “It’s nothing.”
Sun Qing held his Modao sword in one hand and the reins in the other. He said to Yun Zhuo, “Shengzun, let’s go.”
Yun Zhuo hummed in agreement. He was also riding a chestnut-colored warhorse, his posture upright, displaying a rather confident and composed air.
Sun Qing said, “Thirty more li ahead, and we can enter Linzhou for some supplies. Guo Yongda is guarding Li County; he’ll meet us…”
Before he could finish speaking, several warhorses neighed, mixed with cries of alarm rising and falling. They saw a scene of men and horses overturned. Sharp edges of iron wire emerged from the decaying fallen leaves — caltrops!
Sun Qing reacted extremely quickly. His arm tensed, and he gripped the reins tightly. His warhorse reared up, and with a few leaps, it miraculously regained its balance, demonstrating remarkable horsemanship. However, not everyone possessed such superb riding skills and reactions. Rebel soldiers fell from their horses one after another, and in an instant, chaos erupted.
Sun Qing subconsciously looked towards Yun Zhuo and breathed a sigh of relief seeing him still steady on his horse.
Liu Ziyi, however, did not have such equestrian skills as the other two and was thrown about, dizzy and seeing stars.
“King Yi,” Xu Jianghe said, helping Liu Ziyi up. Liu Ziyi waved his hand and said, “I’m fine.”
They raised their eyes and saw that a dense mass of cavalry had appeared ahead at some point — it was Mu Peixuan’s Black-armored Iron Cavalry! The large Mu character flag on a black background fluttered in the wind, and an intimidating killing intent and oppressive force surged towards them, chilling them to the bone.
Mu Peixuan had actually laid an ambush long ago.
Sun Qing and Yun Zhuo exchanged a glance. Sun Qing spurred his horse forward half a step, positioning himself protectively in front of Yun Zhuo.
And dozens of paces away, Mu Peixuan issued the order to charge.
Mu Peixuan had been fighting Liu Ziyi, or rather, the person behind him, for so long that he knew this person would not sit idly by and wait for death.
Once Anyang City fell, they would surely flee.
Mu Peixuan looked at the map and pondered for a long time. Finally, his gaze settled on the east gate and the north gate. The east gate led to Bu’er Pass, and the north gate led to Linzhou. Lan Duo was stationed at Bu’er Pass, so if Liu Ziyi went there, he could join up with him. However, Lan Duo held two thousand cavalry loyal to him, and now that Liu Ziyi had lost power, it was hard to guarantee that Lan Duo wouldn’t have ulterior motives. Guo Yongda in Linzhou had started the uprising with Liu Ziyi and would definitely be easier to control than Lan Duo.
In the end, Mu Peixuan decided to set up an ambush between Anyang and Linzhou.
Later, Xu Ying breached the relatively weak east gate of Anyang, and Liu Ziyi led his army to flee from the north gate. Everything was within Mu Peixuan’s plan.
The two armies clashed.
Mu Peixuan’s Black-armored Iron Cavalry were all elites chosen from a hundred. Under their charge, the rebel army was almost unstoppable. However, unexpectedly, after a moment of chaos, they quickly formed ranks, barely managing to withstand the slaughter of the Black-armored Iron Cavalry.
No wonder Liu Ziyi would flee with these people.
Mu Peixuan naturally didn’t know that these were all members of the Jiulian Sect. Over the years, the Jiulian Sect had been lying dormant in the shadows, constantly developing followers, secretly training, and building momentum. The fact that the rebel army could capture several prefectures in a short period, with local government forces unable to resist them, was largely due to these deliberately trained followers.
Mu Peixuan narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze falling on the Kunze in plain clothing in the distance. For some reason, Mu Peixuan was certain that this person was the mastermind hiding behind Liu Ziyi.
He hadn’t expected this person to be a Kunze.
Capture the leader to defeat the whole army.
Mu Peixuan reined in his horse, one hand holding his spear, and charged into the chaotic and bloody battlefield. His target was none other than Yun Zuo.
Before Mu Peixuan could get close, he saw a cold blade slash out diagonally. He raised his spear to block, and with a clang, the Modao and the spear collided. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged several moves.
Sun Qing was highly skilled, and Mu Peixuan was no less so. Both fought with fierce and powerful styles, each move deadly. From the first moment he saw Sun Qing, Mu Peixuan knew this man was not to be trifled with. In the fierce exchange, neither could injure the other in the slightest. Suddenly, Mu Peixuan felt a sharp gust of wind attack him from behind. He planted his spear on the ground, his upper body leaning back sharply, and a crossbow bolt grazed past his eyes.
Out of the corner of his eye, Mu Peixuan caught a glimpse of Yun Zuo raising his hand, a cold glint of the crossbow mechanism hidden in his sleeve.
Their eyes met. Yun Zuo gave him a slight smile, and in the blink of an eye, three more crossbow bolts shot towards him in quick succession. At the same time, Sun Qing’s Modao had already reached his face. Yun Zuo and Sun Qing had clearly been working together for a long time and had seamless coordination. While dealing with Sun Qing’s attacks, Mu Peixuan also had to be wary of the crossbow bolts shot by Yun Zuo. Even for him, he had to be extremely careful.
Hidden arrows are hard to defend against.
Suddenly, a crossbow bolt grazed Mu Peixuan’s cheek. If he hadn’t reacted quickly, it would have pierced his head already.
Sun Qing’s Modao also came down with the force of a thousand pounds. Clang, clang, clang — the blade and spear tip clashed repeatedly, scattering tiny sparks. Mu Peixuan took two steps back.
Suddenly, the sound of hooves thundered, and a large number of cavalry galloped over, raising clouds of yellow dust.
It was actually Lan Duo.
Sun Qing looked at Mu Peixuan and said, “Mu Peixuan, I truly don’t know whether to call you bold or ignorant. You wanted to ambush us, but little did you know that Shengzun is divinely wise and had long foreseen your move.”
Mu Peixuan watched Lan Duo galloping towards him with murder in his eyes. With a flick of his spear, he deflected Sun Qing’s Modao, the spear tip abruptly turning to pierce his neck. At the same time, he sneered, “Then did you foresee that your efforts would come to naught and you guys would scatter in all directions?”
Sun Qing’s gaze darkened. Just then, Lan Duo also charged in with his spear. Under their joint attack, Mu Peixuan was even more disheveled. Lan Duo, however, felt a great sense of satisfaction and sneered, “Your good brother Li Yue died by our hands just like this, Mu Peixuan. You are going to die too, which will perfectly fulfill your brotherly affection.”
Blood slowly trickled down Mu Peixuan’s lacerated cheek. He raised his eyes, looked at Sun Qing and Lan Duo, and suddenly smiled. The smile, coupled with the blood on his face, gave him a rather sinister and malevolent air. Mu Peixuan said softly, “Lan Duo, how do you know I wasn’t waiting for you?”
Mu Peixuan’s words were soft, but they made both Sun Qing and Lan Duo pause, a chill instantly spreading through them.
Mu Peixuan looked at them, and a sharp sense of pleasure suddenly arose in his heart. It was the gloom that had been suppressed since he arrived in Fengzhou, heard the shocking news of Li Yue’s death, and personally witnessed Mu Peizhi being tormented by the plague. It was the hatred that Mu Peixuan had gritted his teeth, swallowed blood, and barely managed to suppress.
As if in response to his words, the ground shook, and the sound of even more powerful hooves and battle cries came from all directions. Banners with the Mu character on them, like a sky-covering curtain, pressed in on their location.
Yun Zuo, Sun Qing, and Lan Duo’s expressions all changed drastically.
Sun Qing narrowed his eyes, and without hesitation, his grip on his blade tightened as he swung it even more fiercely at Mu Peixuan, attempting to seize him in one fell swoop to gain a chance at survival. Mu Peixuan raised his spear to block, the long weapon moving like a swimming dragon, imbued with a desperate, reckless force. He said, “How does it feel to be the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?”
“How you killed Li Yue at Wutou Ridge and how you plotted to harm my elder brother in Fengzhou, these debts of blood, one by one,” Mu Peixuan said, “We will — settle them all.”
The overall situation was already decided.
With both new and old grudges, Mu Peixuan hated Lan Duo and Sun Qing to the extreme, and Lan Duo and Sun Qing felt the same way. In an instant, the three of them seemed to have become desperate criminals, fighting with their lives on the line, wishing they could take each other’s heads. Lan Duo was no match for Mu Peixuan to begin with, and now he was also intimidated by the surrounding Southern Army. In a short time, several wounds appeared on his body. His chest was heavily struck by the spear shaft, and he was thrown several feet away, vomiting a large mouthful of blood.
In the midst of the chaotic battle, Xu Jianghe no longer cared about Liu Ziyi and roared at Sun Qing, “Sun Qing! Go!”
“Take Shengzun and leave!”
Sun Qing swallowed the blood in his mouth. Xu Jianghe had already charged forward, his blade blocking Mu Peixuan’s fiercely powerful spear thrust. A sweet taste instantly rose in his throat. “Go!” He urged.
Sun Qing didn’t linger in the fight any longer. He turned and grabbed a horse, leaping onto its back. He said to Yun Zhuo, “Shengzun, let’s go.”
Yun Zuo also knew that the situation was hopeless. He turned his head to glance at Mu Peixuan, picked up a sword from the ground, and mounted his horse. Seeing the two were about to escape, Mu Peixuan swung his spear, deflecting them, and was about to pursue. However, Xu Jianghe fearlessly entangled him again. Mu Peixuan’s expression was grim. He turned and thrust his spear through Xu Jianghe’s chest.
Mu Peixuan’s boot tip slightly moved, kicking up a bow that had fallen on the ground. His five fingers drew two arrows from his quiver. The two arrows shot out one after the other, directly piercing towards Sun Qing and Yun Zuo.
In the distance, Sun Qing’s Modao cut down an arrow with his sword, and the second arrow came through the wind and embedded itself directly into his back.
Sun Qing swayed but didn’t fall from his horse. The remaining rebels had also reacted, fighting desperately without retreating at all, only covering the two men’s withdrawal.
Mu Peixuan turned his head, looking at Lan Duo, whose face was pale and who was being protected behind the cavalry. Their eyes met. Mu Peixuan was expressionless, the tip of his spear dripping with fresh blood, appearing like a Yaksha.
After a long while, Zhou Zijin approached Mu Peixuan. His gaze swept over the foreign Tianqian, who was already dead on the ground, and he said, “Your Highness, what should be done with these surrendered rebels?”
Mu Peixuan said indifferently, “Kill them.”
Zhou Zijin was stunned. “…Kill all of them?”
Mu Peixuan glanced at him and said, “The remnants of traitors are useless to keep.”
Zhou Zijin’s heart tightened, and his voice held more respect as he replied, “Yes, Your Highness.”
