There was no sunshine in the early morning; the dark clouds looked like an inverted black iron pot over the sky, with only a sliver of blue sky peeking through the gaps in the clouds and the distant mountains.

Twenty thousand Jin soldiers poured out of the camp like a floodgate opening, and lined up on the plain one mile away from Jinhua Mountain.

In the camp, Meng Ruliu saddled his horse, put on the stirrups, and hung his double whips beside the saddle.

"General, the helmet." Su Yuze handed her the heavy iron helmet with both hands. The red feathers at the top of the helmet were heavily bent, as if they had absorbed all the moisture from the air.

Meng Ruliu took a deep breath, took the helmet, put it on her head, tightened the strap, and said to Su Yuze, "Sister is going to fight. Take good care of Xuehua."

She didn't ride Snowflake this time. Snowflake was a gift Zhao Xian left for Su Wan, and she didn't want anything to happen to it.

Su Yuze nodded earnestly and said, "Leave the snowflakes to me. I wish the General a resounding victory and swift success."

Wei Jingzhuo, clad in silver helmet and armor, with a red face and a black cloak, rode a white horse to Su Yuze's side and said, "Yuze, are you still insisting on not returning to Yanxun Pass? It's very dangerous here."

Su Yuze said, "Your Majesty, I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay here and wait for you to rescue my sister."

Wei Jingzhuo gave him a deep look and said, "I will."

"Oh, Your Highness, come back quickly!" Granny Cui ran up and pulled Su Yuze's hand back. "Little ancestor, you're standing too far forward. Don't let the warhorse kick you."

Su Yuze obediently followed Granny Cui to the side, standing on tiptoe to watch Wei Jingzhuo and Meng Ruliu ride out of the military camp. Behind them were the Great Jin cavalry holding the emperor's flag and the commander's flag.

Looking at the imposing military formation outside the open camp gates, with its forest of spears and halberds, Granny Cui asked, "How will Your Majesty and the General achieve victory?"

Su Yuze said, "His Majesty said that they will first occupy the Holy Land. Then they will open up the passage to the Life Factor Laboratory, try to capture Zhang Ying, and then force her to give up absorbing her sister's life."

"What was the purpose of burning that metal wall in the cave?"

"The general said it was an attempt to open another entrance, a backup plan in case a frontal assault fails."

Granny Cui was somewhat surprised: "Could it be that even an army of 50,000 can't break through?"

Su Yuze clenched his fists tightly and said, "The General said that the family of divine doctors is very terrifying. They are people from another world... But I still believe in my brother-in-law. He will definitely be able to rescue my sister."

A large raindrop landed on Granny Cui's head. She looked up at the dark clouds overhead and said, "Uncle, let's go back inside. It's going to rain."

"No, I want to stand here and watch," Su Yuze said. "My brother-in-law and the others are about to fight a decisive battle with the family of divine doctors. I can't help them, and if I hide again, it's not the style of a real man."

Having no other choice, Granny Cui turned back and went into the tent to get an umbrella.

As soon as they came out, Su Yuze pointed to the sacred residence halfway up Jinhua Mountain and said, "Granny, look! They're coming out. There's one wearing blue clothes..."

Granny Cui, with her failing eyesight and the dim light, stared at the sacred residence for a long time before rubbing her eyes and saying, "There seem to be eight or nine people coming down from the mountain. Which one is in blue?"

"Take the middle one. They came down the stone steps, and my brother-in-law and the others followed."

Eight people came down from Jinhua Mountain, five men and three women. Walking in the middle was a young woman with short hair, wearing a blue bodysuit. Meng Ruliu and Chu Yi, on horseback, escorted Wei Jingzhuo to meet them. The two groups met at the foot of Jinhua Mountain and stopped about twenty meters apart.

This was Meng Ruliu's first time meeting anyone other than the Jiang brothers, and she immediately recognized the short-haired girl in blue as Zhang Ying. Both her hair and clothing clearly indicated that she was not from this era.

Behind Zhang Ying were Jiang Yan and Jiang Wenpei, whom she recognized, holding defensive guns. In the last row were five young people dressed in ordinary Southern Chu clothing—three men and two women—each exuding a powerful aura. Especially the handsome young man in the very center; his exposed forearms seemed as strong as steel.

Chu Yi gripped the reins, stared at the defensive guns in the hands of the Jiang brothers, and whispered to Meng Ruliu, who was standing next to him, "The maximum damage range of the defensive gun is four zhang."

Su Wan had previously conducted power tests on defensive guns in the forge of the Holy Land, confirming that the guns were essentially ineffective beyond a distance of four zhang (approximately 13 meters). Currently, the distance between them and their opponent was seven zhang (approximately 33 meters).

Meng Ruliu hummed in agreement.

Chu Yi added, "Don't dismount. If they charge and open fire, we'll turn and run; they won't be able to catch us."

Meng Ruliu said, "Thank you for the reminder, Your Majesty. Please make sure Your Majesty escapes first."

"A real man can bend and stretch..."

"Shut up."

"good."

Wei Jingzhuo spurred his horse forward and said to the short-haired girl in the middle of the crowd, "Zhang Ying."

Zhang Ying crossed her arms and raised her head with a hint of disdain, saying, "Wei Jingzhuo."

“You know why I sent troops,” Wei Jingzhuo said. “Return Awan to me immediately, and I will immediately cease hostilities and the two sides will reconcile.”

Zhang Ying covered her mouth and laughed, "This is truly the biggest joke I've heard in five hundred years."

Wei Jingzhuo didn't speak, but just held the reins with both hands and stared at Zhang Ying, waiting for her to say something next.

Zhang Ying chuckled a few times, then lowered her hand and said, "Wei Jingzhuo, do you know why you're standing here talking to me?"

"It was Ah-Wan who saved me."

“At least you’re honest. Back then, you were shot in the chest by a defensive gun and were on the verge of death. Su Wan sacrificed her life to save you, which is why you are where you are today.” Zhang Ying pointed to Wei Jingzhuo’s chest. “Don’t forget, Su Wan agreed to my conditions willingly, which is why I saved you. This has been the rule of our family of divine healers for five hundred years. A goddess sacrifices her own life to save someone. I didn’t force her.”

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