Chapter Forty-Six

Jiang Manyan slowly raised her head, her gaze sweeping over the mottled yet still standing city wall in front of her, and over the faint sounds of people's daily lives that could be heard in the distance.

Here lies the order he poured his heart and soul into building, and here are those who trust him and follow him…

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the air filled with the smells of gunpowder and earth.

When he opened his eyes again, all the confusion, pain and struggle had settled down, turning into a kind of compassionate calm.

He realized that from the very beginning, this was not an equal war.

As Song Guansui led the weight of the entire old world down, this newly soaring eagle could not be shaken in the slightest.

The price of continued resistance will be the countless lives lost in this city.

He sacrificed himself to save the entire city, to give Qin Lingfeng and Jiang Zhong a sliver of hope... This deal was cruel, but there was no other choice.

I agree!

"Go and inform your master."

Jiang Manyan's tone was calm and even, like a stagnant pool of water that had been completely frozen.

After making that decision, Jiang Manyan displayed an almost cruel calmness.

He continued to plan Jincheng's "future" as if nothing had happened, systematically handing over tasks to the core personnel who remained, as if it were just a routine handover.

However, everyone who received the order clearly felt that their city lord seemed to have had his soul ripped out.

All that's left is an empty shell that acts according to procedures.

Those honey-brown eyes that had once soothed countless bewildered hearts were now devoid of light, shattered into pieces, leaving only a bottomless desolation and deathly silence.

He dismissed the people on the traitor list given to him by the third brother, and transferred them away from key positions under various seemingly reasonable pretexts to avoid internal infighting at the last moment.

He then summoned his last few trusted confidants to his side and whispered instructions to them one by one, detailing how to stabilize public morale and how to contact Qin Lingfeng if he were to return, once he was gone.

And... under what circumstances must Jincheng be abandoned, and the remaining soldiers and civilians be led to evacuate through the secret passage to Yancheng to seek the protection of Qin Moxuan and his wife?

His voice was eerily calm, as if he were arranging someone else's funeral.

The sixth brother, Lin Xiu, was already furious. He clenched his right fist tightly, his nails digging deep into the palm of his uninjured hand, and blood seeped from the bandage on his left hand again.

He can accept betrayal from anyone, but not from the third brother!

"Why...why him!"

Lin Xiu's heart was screaming wildly, and extreme anger and disappointment were burning through his internal organs.

"It was you, City Lord, who pulled him out of the mud, taught him to read and write, and led us all the way to where we are today! Why was it he who betrayed us and joined the enemy?!"

The excruciating pain of being stabbed in the back by a loved one spread silently through the hearts of every old subordinate who knew the inside story, more despairing than the enemy troops outside the city.

All possible arrangements have been made.

Jiang Manyan straightened her slender but unbent spine, turned around, and walked out of the tent. She didn't even glance at the third brother, who was guarding the corner outside the tent like a shadow. Step by step, she walked steadily towards the north gate.

"Order the city gates to be opened."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a thunderclap, clearly striking the ears of every guard around him.

The soldiers stared in astonishment at their city lord, at the serene calm on his face, devoid of any emotion, as he walked alone toward the heavy city gate that separated life and death from humiliation.

"City Lord!"

"No, Lord City Lord!"

"Lord of the city, we are willing to fight to the death!"

...

Cries of grief immediately arose, and some young soldiers knelt down, tears streaming down their faces, and banged their heads on the ground.

Jiang Manyan didn't stop walking, as if she hadn't heard the heart-wrenching plea to stay, and simply waved her hand gently.

A quiet, unquestionable gesture stopped anyone from trying to keep up.

He walked to the city gate and took one last look at the city he had built from scratch. His gaze swept over the familiar streets and fluttering flags, his eyes filled with deep love and a silent farewell.

With a sickening thud, the heavy city gate was slowly pushed open by the third brother's men, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Then, Jiang Manyan resolutely turned around and faced the all-consuming darkness outside the door.

Outside the door stretched an endless, dark mass of allied forces, countless swords, spears, and arrows gleaming coldly in the setting sun, and a bloodthirsty gaze.

Sunlight shone from the direction of Jincheng behind him, gilding his thin and frail figure with a tragic yet warm golden edge.

He was still dressed in a blue robe, unarmed, and as clean as a scholar going out to visit a friend. Calmly, step by step, he stepped out of the city gate of Jincheng and walked into that boundless shadow that belonged to Song Guansui.

But it was precisely this unguarded attitude, this almost sacrificial composure, that pierced the hearts of everyone on the city wall more than any heroic death.

On the city wall, suppressed cries finally coalesced into a deafening wail.

Outside the city gates, thousands of enemy soldiers fell into a brief, chilling silence because of the appearance of this lone figure.

The young generals, who had just learned the inside story, gritted their teeth, their eyes red-rimmed, their resentful and pained gazes like poisoned arrows, fiercely piercing the culprit who had caused all of this—Wang Jianglin—at the front of the ranks.

The third brother seemed oblivious. He stood there, his usually honest and steady eyes now like the most loyal yet most rebellious hunting dog, clinging tightly to Jiang Manyan's resolute back.

The emotions inside were turbulent and complex, difficult to discern—there was bottomless guilt and a desperate resolve.

Perhaps, there is an even deeper, uncomprehending sorrow...

Before the moat, Song Guansui sat upright on his tall horse, watching the person walking towards him step by step, his eyes filled with an irrepressible, radiant satisfaction.

He spurred his horse forward a few steps, his long whip lashing out like a venomous snake, precisely wrapping around Jiang Manyan's waist, easily lifting her onto the horse's back and placing her sideways in front of him.

"Back to camp."

He returned to the camp that symbolized victory and conquest, carrying his unique spoils and under the watchful eyes of thousands of soldiers.

---

Inside the tent, Jiang Manyan was thrown onto the rough hemp carpet without any pity.

The long, bumpy ride had left him feeling nauseous and his face as pale as paper.

The fall caused his leg and shoulder to slam heavily against the ground, and the sharp pain made his vision go black for a moment.

Before my eyes could focus, my chin was gripped tightly by a cold hand, forced upwards, and I immediately found it difficult to breathe.

"This eagle, which was so eager to spread its wings and soar, now looks quite pathetic."

Song Guansui's voice carried an undisguised mockery and a sense of smug control.

It took Jiang Manyan a long time to calm down before the swaying figures in front of her gradually became clear.

He didn't struggle; he simply looked at the other person with his eyes, which had lost their luster but were still clear.

"Song Guansui"

For the first time, he addressed her by her full name, abandoning all previous forms of address, whether genuine or not. His voice was slightly hoarse from discomfort, yet it conveyed an unprecedented firmness.

Even in its most wretched state, it is better than being a canary forever trapped in a luxurious cage.

"oh?"

Song Guansui released his hand, stood up, and looked down at him.

"You don't care whether Qin Lingfeng lives or dies?"

His tone was flat, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"How did you threaten Wang Jianglin?"

Jiang Manyan didn't answer but asked a question instead.

Qin Lingfeng was not in Song Guansui's hands, otherwise Song Guansui would definitely have humiliated Qin Lingfeng in front of him right now.

"threaten?"

Song Guansui chuckled softly, as if he had heard an amusing joke.

"No, you're wrong, Yan'er."

“He wasn’t threatened by me; he just saw reality earlier than you.”

Song Guansui's gaze was icy, firmly enveloping Jiang Manyan.

"You think you're not a canary, but an eagle. Fine, I acknowledge your ambition."

"But so what?"

His voice was soft yet deadly.

"In the face of this chess game that has stood for a thousand years, what are your mere six years of management worth? You are nothing more than a child holding a sharp blade, facing a group of hungry giants, naively laughable."

"Do you think your respite this past year was due to your political acumen and sound planning?"

His words were laced with sarcasm, peeling back the cruel truth piece by piece.

"That was merely a show of mercy I bestowed upon you. Without me secretly shielding you from those real wolves, this small town you built would have been devoured by the surrounding jackals long ago, without the Song family even needing to lift a finger, leaving not even bones behind!"

"Do you think Qin Moxuan, as the head of the powerful and influential, only dared to make concessions to Yancheng in private because he lacks your courage?"

"Do you think the Yu family of Yancheng has been groveling and fawning over the Liu family for generations because they are not as smart as you?"

Song Guansui's eyes held a cruelty mixed with pity.

"No, they just saw the true nature of this world earlier and more deeply than you."

"And you, my dear brother, all your rebellion, all your ideals, are nothing but a childish... game in my eyes."

These words, like heavy hammer blows, each one heavier than the last, shattered his six years of hard work and beliefs.

Jiang Manyan's body trembled uncontrollably, and her eyes flushed with intense red from excitement, as if she were about to collapse at any moment.

Song Guansui squatted down again, stretched out his long arm, and pulled the weak Jiang Manyan into his arms tightly, with such force that it almost crushed his bones.

His handsome face pressed close to the other's trembling neck, his nose brushing against the cool skin, and then he took a sudden bite!

That wasn't flirting; it was revenge with all its might, filled with a beastly hatred, as if it wanted to tear open a vein and leave an eternal mark.

"Ugh—!"

Jiang Manyan tilted her head back in pain, her neck forming a fragile arc, her body instantly tensing.

Song Guansui then grabbed his hair, forcing him to distance himself, and faced him, revealing his teeth stained with bright red blood, his smile both ferocious and alluring.

"Song Manyan, you're really naughty."

His voice was deep and hoarse, filled with a dangerous aura.

"I can play games with you, but you shouldn't have... provoked Qin Lingfeng."

"You are mine! From the inside out, every single hair on your head is mine!"

He appeared insane, and the obsession and destructive desire surging in his eyes instilled a genuine fear in Jiang Manyan from the bottom of her heart.

"You should be glad I didn't have the heart to really hurt you."

Song Guansui gritted his teeth, each word laced with tangible resentment that made it hard to breathe.

"Otherwise, I should have just broken your legs back then, so that you would be stuck in the Song residence for the rest of your life and could never go anywhere else!"

"If you dare to run away with him, you must be prepared to accept my punishment."

"I can't bear to harm you, so let this city of Jin, and those ants you care about, bear all the consequences!"