Chapter 123 Hunting

The two armies faced each other on a flat wasteland.

The Tianshui battle flag fluttered, the white horse and blue ox totems of the Northern Liao across from them clearly visible. The Feathered Guards, clad in black iron armor and armed with spears and swords, formed the center behind the main army. Border defenders surrounded them from both wings, solemnly confronting the fiercely watching Northern Liao cavalry. Zhongli He, clad in silver armor and a brilliant red tassel on his hat, gazed ahead with a cold and indifferent expression.

The pounding of war drums shook the heavens and earth, the rapid, swift beats sending blood racing. The Liao cavalry parted from the center like waves, clearing a path. Yelu Duhan, also clad in iron armor, flanked by two massive and muscular Northern Liao warriors.

One of the Northern Liao warriors wielded a heavy hammer, its iron teeth gleaming with a cold gleam. He squinted his eyes, then smiled and shouted in his half-familiar Tianshui dialect to the Tianshui Major General, who was several hundred meters away: "Boy! You don't look like your father! I smashed your father's head in, but I still remember his face! Go back and ask your mother who your real father is!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Liao cavalry behind him, who understood the Tianshui dialect, burst into laughter. Yelu Duhan tugged at the reins, staring at Zhao Xuanxu, who stood on horseback without armor beside Zhongli He, his face gloomy.

When two armies confronted each other, shouting and provoking each other before the battle was common. But it was rare to see a Northern Liao warrior so foul-mouthed. Seeing this, the many generals and guards following Zhongli He were enraged, their steeds brimming with rage, eager to charge forward and slaughter the Liao barbarians. Zhongli He, however, remained unmoved. He stared at the two Liao warriors behind Yelu Duhan and quickly recognized their identities.

The Northern Liao dominated the grasslands, forcing all surrounding tribes to shun and submit. Its forty-eight clans were renowned throughout the land. Nearly every clan boasted a formidable martial artist. The Tulu clan, for example, boasted a pair of twin brothers, both incredibly strong and brutal, known for their brutality, including a record of cannibalizing prisoners of war in public. Even within Northern Liao, they were notorious.

I didn't expect it to be here.

Yelu Duhan suddenly raised his hand and drew the long sword from his side, his jaw tensed as he raised the tip of the sword directly towards Zhao Xuanxu. The two Northern Liao warriors and several generals around him immediately fell silent, their faces respectful and submissive.

Yelu Duhan lowered his eyes, his sword flashing, and said, "Today, we will flatten this place. The cattle, sheep, pastures, and slaves will belong to the warriors of Northern Liao!"

"Good!" A deafening shout echoed into the sky as Yelu Duhan's words followed! As soon as Yelu Duhan finished speaking, two hundred thousand Liao cavalrymen galloped towards them like a mighty river!

At the forefront were the two twin brothers, truly unmatched in their bravery. Their powerful swords slashed through the Tianshui army, their hammers smashed through the skull of one. Like a tiger among a flock of sheep, they swiftly tore a hole through the Tianshui army and charged directly at Zhao Xuanxu and Zhongli He.

Zhongli He swung his sword in his hand, charging forward like an arrow, his sword raised to meet the blow. As the sword slashed from the side, he slapped his horse's back, leaping sideways and striking the man squarely in the chest. The man, unable to avoid the blow from his horse's back, took it, his bones cracking audibly. Without stopping, Zhongli He thrust his sword straight at the man's throat!

While he was engaged in a fierce battle, Gao Shaoshan was being pushed back by a group of Northern Liao cavalrymen, gradually moving away from Zhao Xuanxu. Seeing this, Yelu Duhan led another pair of archers and quickly approached Zhao Xuanxu.

His fingers rested on the crossbow's arrow catch, a mixture of old and new hatreds mingling. His brows furrowed in a cold, pointed gaze, and he pulled the catch without hesitation. Several short, sharp crossbow arrows flew near Zhao Xuanxu, their tips gleaming with a poisonous glare; even a single touch would be enough to kill.

Zhao Xuanxu didn't blink. He swung his sword across, his internal energy resonating and knocking away all the arrows. Wen Yao's investigation was correct. With the Burning Heart Fragment in hand, Zhao Xuanxu's previously broken internal energy had been replenished, and his strength had increased by more than 10% or 20%. After knocking down the arrows, he turned and charged forward. Yelu Duhan quickly dodged, the tip of his sword barely glancing at his throat.

Then, a cold light came from the side. Yelu Duhan gritted his teeth and raised his sword to block the attack. He immediately realized something was wrong. Last time outside the military camp, he was vaguely inferior to Zhao Xuanxu, but after a night, Zhao Xuanxu's strength was revealed, far surpassing the previous night!

Yelu Duhan was suddenly filled with doubts.

Why, if he was so powerful, why didn't he kill him before?

The attack missed, Zhao Xuanxu turned around and swung the sword with his other hand, holding the reins, his eyes looking at Yelu Duhan with disgust, his murderous intent revealed.

A stray dog, a damnable sin, staring at the bones in someone else's bowl and barking. It just so happened that this dog had a close past with Wen Yao, a past without him, Zhao Xuanxu, and he could never replace the time that Yelu Duhan and Wen Yao spent together when they were still Lou Chengyi.

Just thinking about this made Zhao Xuanxu feel like a fishbone stuck in his throat, scratching his heart and lungs. He wanted to dig that memory out of Yelu Duhan's mind, tear Wen Yao out of it, chew it up and swallow it into his stomach. How could he not want to kill Yelu Duhan? He just didn't plan to do it when no one was around.

Zhao Xuanxu knew full well that Wen Yao was soft-hearted and resigned to their past. He didn't intend to give Wen Yao even the slightest opportunity to speculate on the manner and circumstances of Yelü Duhan's death. With two nations at war, two armies facing each other, he would kill Yelü Duhan before all the other armies, in the face of overwhelming odds, openly and without question. Lou Chengyi had been reduced to ashes, and the only one who died here today was Yelü Duhan, the Third Prince of Northern Liao, who Wen Yao disliked in the least.

He and Yelu Duhan drew their swords simultaneously, their cold gleams gleaming as they chopped off the heads of anyone who came close. The surrounding Northern Liao archers were eager to attack, but because Zhao Xuanxu was too close to Yelu Duhan, they dared not act without authorization.

Yelu Duhan raised his hand, his longsword tangling with Zhao Xuanxu's. The sword trembled under the two immense forces, and was pushed to the side. Yelu Duhan quickly glanced at a crossbowman and exclaimed with a rapid breath, "Kill him!"

The crossbowman named by Yelu Duhan gritted his teeth, raised his crossbow, aimed it at the back of Zhao Xuanxu's head, and pressed it down without hesitation!

"Ding!" The next moment, a dagger flew over like a meteor and directly knocked down the crossbow arrow, and then continued to pierce the crossbowman's heart!

Wen Yao arrived to see Yelu Duhan leading a group of men to encircle Zhao Xuanxu. Her expression was cold as she leaped onto her horse, trampling over the heads charging onto the battlefield and rapidly approaching. Then, drawing her sword, she struck Yelu Duhan back, closing in on him and delivering a steady blow to his chest.

Yelu Duhan's bright green eyes suddenly widened, a hint of disbelief still lingering in his eyes. His gaze slowly swept over Wen Yao, who was standing close to him. He opened his mouth to speak, but a mouthful of extremely thick blood spurted out!

Wen Yao also looked at him, but her expression was too calm. She withdrew her hand, turned back, and landed on Zhao Xuanxu's horse. She watched as Yelu Duhan, unable to sit still due to the pain, tumbled to the ground in a panic. The ornate golden armband on his arm was immediately stained with dirt, his curly hair scattered, his face was stained with blood, and even the ornate jeweled headband on his forehead turned gray.

He propped himself up with his arms, spitting out blood intermittently, and looked up at Wen Yao.

Wen Yao watched him from above, and suddenly the scene struck her as very familiar. Back when the village was on fire, a green-eyed child followed her out, skinny and with a face covered in dirt. Wen Yao was much taller than Lou Chengyi, and looking down, she could only see his ragged, stained clothes and a pair of wolf-like green eyes peeking out from his unkempt hair.

The past could not be recalled. After that unexpected farewell in Bianliang City, Lou Chengyi, the lazy and carefree person who lit incense and brewed wine in Bianliang City, and Ning'er, along with their gorgeous and ostentatious appearance, vanished into thin air. She really didn't like Yelu Duhan who returned to Northern Liao, and she couldn't feel any pain for him.

Yelu Duhan's fall from his horse was like a massive firecracker set off amidst the galloping Liao cavalry. Wen Yao couldn't understand the Liao language; all she could hear was the roar of the Liao soldiers around her, rushing towards her and Zhao Xuanxu desperately. Bows and crossbows blazed, and she raised her hand and swung her sword. The light of the Xingyi Sword blossomed like a thousand lotus flowers, and a large number of people fell around her in an instant.

Amidst the crowd of people, Yelu Duhan was helped onto his horse. Countless people rushed forward, one after another, separating him from Wen Yao, keeping him safe. Instead, he seemed to be deeply disturbed. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot. His right hand pressed tightly against his aching heart. Veins bulged in his forehead. He bit his tongue hard, breaking it open, and the taste of blood instantly filled his mouth.

Yelu Duhan raised his eyes and looked over, his emerald green pupils a mixture of deep and shallow, and said in a hoarse voice: "You actually really wanted to kill me just now!"

Wen Yao: "I'm not a general, so I don't know much about leading troops in battle, but at least I know a little bit of martial arts, so taking your head won't be a problem."

Yelu Duhan's face was grim, but he still looked up at Wen Yao stubbornly, saying bitterly, "You saved me with your own hands back then. You saved me, brought me back, allowed me to survive, and allowed me to go to Bianliang and return to Shangjing—and yet you want to kill me for him today, Wen Yao, you and I have only been apart for a year at most, why have you fallen to this point!"

Wen Yao tilted her head and raised her sword. The Xingyi sword's hilt instantly pierced through two or three boxes and landed close to the Liao cavalry's chest. Without blinking, she twisted her wrist, stirring the flesh and blood inside into a mess. "I told you to fight, and you're here reciting poetry to me."

These words made Zhao Xuanxu's face light up, his spirits brightening. He raised his sword with one hand, and the surrounding Liao cavalry retreated in fear. Gao Shaoshan, who had been closely watching the movements in the outer circle, erupted in fury, slashing down three or four Liao soldiers. The surrounding Feathered Guards, poised for action, marched side by side in long rows. Their hands had unknowingly drawn up chains, their poison needles sharp and cold, meticulously prepared by Bai Rang. In an instant, they threw the Northern Liao cavalry forward, their horses and men falling to the ground, their lives being harvested by the Feathered Guards' long swords.

The Liao general who was holding Yelu Duhan looked around and felt something was wrong. He shouted at the top of his voice, "Not good! Quick! Clear the way out and get the master away!"

From the moment the drums sounded, Zhongli He's border troops charged forward, dispersing to both sides. This, combined with the terrifying charge of the vast majority of the Northern Liao cavalry, opened a gap in the Tianshui army. Yelu Du had rarely witnessed Zhao Xuanxu's murderous intent, and without further hesitation, he rode his horse and led his men through this deliberately created gap.

This time, the lone army penetrated deep into the heart of Tianshui Military Headquarters.

Gao Shaoshan gave the signal, and the previously indifferent Feathered Guards suddenly rode in, surrounding the Liao army like prey caught in a trap. The chains tightened, the narrow space holding back the Northern Liao cavalry's charge. The battlefield shifted rapidly, the balance tipping in an instant. The Northern Liao soldiers were caught off guard and retreated in rapid succession.

Something is wrong.

Seeing this, the Liao soldiers intensified their efforts to break out of the encirclement, grabbing Yelu Duhan and running away. Yelu Duhan remained silent, bright red blood trickling down the corner of his lips. His long, straight eyelashes drooped as more and more Liao cavalry, willing to die for him, squeezed between him and Wen Yao. He was being led from both sides, neither resisting nor reacting, further and further away from Wen Yao.