Yi Ding Qiankun

The north wind of Longshou Plain carried a heavy stench of blood and gunpowder, howling like a ghost's wail. At the breach in the collapsed western wing, corpses piled up like mountains, thick blood congealing into dark red ice shells on the frozen ground. Xiao Yuxuan and Sheng Guo stood back to back, like two blood-soaked reefs, teetering precariously under the frenzied assault of the Di Rong army. Xiao Yuxuan's Di Rong scimitar was chipped in several places, each swing sending up a spray of blood, his arm numb and almost devoid of feeling. Sheng Guo's only remaining right hand gripped a short spear pulled from a corpse, each thrust accompanied by the gushing blood from the wound on his left arm. His face had turned from sallow to a horrifying ashen white, his breathing like a broken bellows, each inhale frothing with blood.

"General...I...I'm afraid..." Sheng Guo's voice was hoarse and weak, almost drowned out by the shouts of battle.

"Shut up!" Xiao Yuxuan parried a slashing curved blade, then plunged the blade into the other man's throat, scalding blood splattering across his face. "It's not time to bury him yet! Hold on, you bastard!" His eyes were bloodshot, but his gaze pierced through the chaotic battlefield, fixed on the stone base of the beacon tower in the center of the plateau, silent amidst the rain of arrows—the bronze box! Gu Yan!

Just as the Di Rong soldiers, intimidated by their commander's ferocity, slowed their attack, Xiao Yuxuan suddenly pulled something from his robes—a dried, resilient locust seed! He pressed it hard into Sheng Guo's bloodied palm, roaring, "Sheng Guo! Take it! Think of the Wei River! Think of the locust trees we planted! As long as the roots are there, there's a way to survive!" Sheng Guo's unfocused eyes met the familiar seed, as if injected with a faint electric current. He trembled violently, his remaining right hand gripping the seed tightly, a low growl like a trapped beast escaping his throat!

Meanwhile, the stone base of the beacon tower was as silent as a tomb!

Gu Yan leaned against the cold stone wall, the chill of the bronze box in his arms seeping into his bones through his clothes. The thud of arrows striking the stone door outside sounded like a death knell. He had only three wounded guards left by his side, gripping their weapons tightly, holding their breath, staring intently at the heavy iron-clad wooden door. The bolt was thick, but by no means unbreakable.

"Click...snap..."

A very faint sound, like wood chips cracking, came from the door latch! Gu Yan's pupils contracted sharply! It's here!

boom!

A deafening crash! It wasn't a slamming of the door, but rather a fist-sized hole instantly eroded through the thick door panel near the bolt by some kind of specially formulated, highly concentrated corrosive liquid! Immediately afterward, several **powerful paralyzing smoke canisters**, each bearing a bronze beast head emblem at its tail, were shoved inside! Hissing white smoke instantly filled the air!

"Hold your breath! Cover your mouth and nose!" Gu Yan shouted a warning, while holding his breath! But the poisonous smoke spread extremely quickly. The two guards were a little slow and inhaled a small amount. Instantly, their bodies stiffened, and they collapsed to the ground with terrified eyes!

In the instant the poisonous smoke filled the air, a ghostly gray shadow, as swift as a boneless snake, squeezed through the fist-sized corroded hole! The movement was fluid and uncanny, the bone-shrinking technique of a top assassin of the Hanging Blade! The poisoned dagger in his hand gleamed with a chilling blue light in the dim light, aimed straight for Gu Yan's throat! Silent, ruthless, and deadly!

At the critical moment! Gu Yan was prepared! He did not retreat, but instead suddenly turned to the side to face the direction of the dagger, using the heavy bronze box in his arms as a shield and thrusting it forward fiercely!

clang!

The dark blue dagger slammed into the bronze box, producing a piercing scraping sound and sending sparks flying! The ancient "工" character on the box seemed to come alive from the impact! The immense recoil caused the assassin's arm to go numb slightly, and his movements faltered!

Now! Gu Yan's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his left hand, which had been hidden in his sleeve, suddenly lashed out! An almost invisible black light shot out—a hidden arrow! The distance was too close, and the assassin was unsteady due to the recoil, so he had no way to dodge!

Pfft!

The hidden dart pierced the assassin's shoulder with pinpoint accuracy! Although not a vital spot, the powerful anesthetic applied to the arrowhead took effect instantly! The assassin groaned as half his body went numb, his movements completely distorted!

"Take him down!" Gu Yan shouted! The last remaining guard roared and lunged forward, ignoring the corrosive effects of the paralyzing poison, using his body to pin down the paralyzed assassin! Gu Yan quickly stepped forward, tied him up tightly with the prepared cowhide rope, and skillfully dislocated his jaw to prevent him from committing suicide by poison.

However, the crisis was far from over! An even more violent thud came from outside the door! Clearly, there were other assassins! The hissing sound of corrosive liquid resumed, and the hole near the bolt was being rapidly widened! The heavy wooden door shook violently, on the verge of being breached!

Gu Yan's expression turned grave as his gaze swept rapidly across the interior of the stone base. The space was cramped and offered no defensible advantage. He looked at the bronze box in his arms, then at the narrow, spiraling stone steps leading upwards. An extremely risky idea flashed through his mind like lightning!

"You! Carry him (referring to the captured assassin) and follow me to the beacon tower!" Gu Yan ordered the guard, his tone leaving no room for argument. He quickly picked up the poisoned dagger the assassin had dropped and gripped it in his hand. Although the guard was confused, he did not hesitate to hoist the paralyzed assassin onto his back and follow closely behind Gu Yan, rushing towards the narrow and steep stone steps!

The stone steps spiraled upwards, barely wide enough for one person to pass, and were dimly lit. Gu Yan led the way, moving with incredible speed. Just as they stepped onto the relatively open platform of the beacon tower, they heard a deafening crash as a wooden door was smashed open behind them, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps! The pursuers had arrived!

The beacon tower was built of massive stone blocks, open to the wind on all sides, letting in a biting cold. In the center was a huge, abandoned stone hearth, filled with ashes. Gu Yan quickly looked around, his gaze settling on a stone recess beside the hearth—a spare pool for storing tinder, long since dried up.

"Throw him into the recess!" Gu Yan pointed to the recess. The guards immediately shoved the captured assassin inside. Gu Yan, holding the bronze box, stood at the edge of the recess, looking down at the only stone staircase entrance! He placed his poisoned dagger, blade down, gently against the captured assassin's throat!

"Don't move!" Gu Yan's voice rang out clearly in the howling wind, carrying a chilling killing intent. "Take another step forward, and I'll slit his throat first, then throw this box down from the beacon tower! You, the Hanging Blades, will get nothing!"

The few gray-clad assassins who had just rushed onto the platform abruptly stopped! The leader was the man with the scar on his face! He stared intently at the dagger in Gu Yan's hand and his companion in the groove, then at the bronze box so close at hand, his eyes so sinister they could drip water. He was caught between a rock and a hard place! Gu Yan had precisely grasped the weakness of the Hanging Blade—the box and his companion, neither of them could be easily abandoned!

"Put down the box, and I'll leave you with a whole corpse!" Scarface's voice was hoarse, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue.

“Heh,” Gu Yan sneered, pressing his dagger down slightly, and a bloody gash appeared on the neck of the captured assassin. “Do you think I’ll believe you?” He stalled for time, but his gaze anxiously turned towards the western wing of the plateau.

The western flank breached, the battle had reached its final stage! All of Xiao Yuxuan's personal guards had perished. Sheng Guo, with her last ounce of will, used her body to block a Di Rong centurion's axe strike; her short spear pierced the centurion's chest, but she herself staggered and fell, her fate unknown! Xiao Yuxuan was alone, surrounded, his scimitar slipping from his grasp. He was forced to the edge of a collapsing cliff by the spears of several Di Rong soldiers! Below him lay a steep cliff dozens of feet deep!

At this critical moment, a resolute madness flashed in Xiao Yuxuan's eyes! He abruptly pulled from his waist the specially made wooden box he always carried with him, the one used to record information! Hidden in the box's inner compartment was a rubbing of a wooden board, entrusted by Gong Xi, containing key information from the "Records of Gongzheng"! He wasn't going to hand over the real box, but rather to use himself as bait in a high-stakes gamble!

"Hanging Blade! The box you want is here!" Xiao Yuxuan roared with all his might, raising the ordinary wooden box high. "Come and take it if you dare!" His roar was unusually abrupt in the chaotic battlefield!

The roar was like a thunderclap! It not only attracted the attention of the nearby Di Rong soldiers, but also sent shivers down the spines of the assassins facing off on the beacon tower! Scarface abruptly turned his head to look towards the west wing, his eyes instantly filled with greed and suspicion! It was hard to tell if it was real or not! But what if it was true?!

In that split second when Scarface lost his composure, Gu Yan moved! He didn't attack, but instead kicked a seemingly loose but cleverly secured stone slab at the edge of the beacon tower! The slab tumbled and fell! At the same time, he shouted sharply, "Overturn the waterwheel! Now! Release it—!"

This shout was like a signal! Sun Qian, who had been lying in wait in a hidden ditch upstream of the cold water, had been staring intently at the direction of the beacon tower! Although he didn't understand why Gu Yan was issuing the order from the beacon tower, the words "overturn the cart to divert water" were like a thunderclap! Without hesitation, he swung down the command flag in his hand!

"Break the ropes! Release the water—!"

The soldiers, who were already prepared, swung their giant axes and chopped down several ropes as thick as a child's arm and taut!

Rumble—!

A deep, resounding roar, like the earth awakening, came from the upper reaches of the cold water! Immediately following was a deafening, thunderous sound, like ten thousand horses galloping!

Upstream on the icy water, the temporary dam—designed by Jing Zhi, secretly modified by Xiao Yuxuan according to the "Water Diversion by Overturning Wheel" diagram in the "Records of Gongzheng," and quietly frozen and reinforced by the recent drop in temperature—collapsed with a deafening roar under immense force! The icy water, which had accumulated for several days, surged forth like an angry dragon breaking free of its restraints, carrying with it shattered ice and silt, forming towering waves several meters high. With overwhelming force, it cascaded down towards the Di Rong camp and the troops attacking the plateau downstream!

"Flood! It's a flood!"

"Eternal Heaven!"

The terrified screams of the Di Rong soldiers instantly drowned out all the battle cries! They turned to see a white wall of death roaring and sweeping towards them! The troops attacking the plateau were the first to be hit! The climbing soldiers were swallowed and swept away like ants by the giant waves! The follow-up echelons, equipment, and livestock gathered on the riverbank were utterly helpless against the terrifying torrent! The icy river channel widened instantly, and the turbid waves crashed violently against the walls of Longshou Plain, sending up towering sprays of water!

The army collapsed like a house of cards! The once fierce Di Rong army instantly descended into utter chaos and collapse! Huyan Zhuo's royal banner fell in the flood, and his desperate cries echoed across the land!

"Heaven is on my side!" Just before the floodwaters arrived, Xiao Yuxuan was thrown back by the massive shockwave, narrowly avoiding the deadly spears, and crashed into a pile of corpses. Looking at the hellish scene below, he felt no joy, only a cold, desolate sorrow. This water attack, too, was a bloodbath! But to protect this key to the land, to preserve the sliver of life within the box, he had no other choice!

On the beacon tower, even Scarface was stunned by the power of the heavens and earth! The roar of the flood drowned out everything! He knew that all was lost! Di Rong was finished! The best opportunity to seize the box had been lost!

"Retreat!" Scarface made a decisive move, glaring venomously at Gu Yan before glancing at his companions trapped in the recess. Without hesitation, he turned and, with the remaining assassins, vanished like ghosts down the spiraling stone steps. The mission failed, but the Hanging Blade would not give up!

The flood came quickly and receded just as fast. The turbid waters, carrying countless corpses and debris, slowly receded, leaving behind a ravaged riverbank and a desolate battlefield. The surviving Di Rong soldiers were utterly dejected, like walking corpses.

At the top of Longshouyuan Plateau, the surviving defenders struggled to their feet from the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood. Looking down at the hellish scene below and then at the tattered battle flag still fluttering on the plateau, they erupted in a hoarse yet earth-shaking cheer of relief!

Xiao Yuxuan struggled to his feet and staggered toward Sheng Guo, who lay among the corpses. He trembled as he checked her breath—there was still a faint breath! He tightly grasped Sheng Guo's hand, which was still clutching the locust seed, and hot tears mixed with blood and mud silently streamed down his face.

Holding the cold bronze box, Gu Yan, supported by his guards, descended from the beacon tower. He looked at the ravaged battlefield, at the embracing master and servant, at the blood-stained locust seed, and let out a long sigh. The game had decided the fate of the world, at an unprecedented price. But, in the end, a glimmer of hope had been preserved.

He looked up towards the east. On the horizon, a faint glimmer of dawn was quietly tearing through the thick, leaden clouds. The long night seemed to finally be coming to an end. And the bronze box, bearing ancient wisdom and a heavy future, remained silent and enigmatic in the nascent morning light.