expedition
On the second day after Xiao Wan'er's shift, Liuyun and the other Fengming Guard monks returned to the Divine Capital. The ordinary team members were given a day off, and Liuyun and the other captains and vice-captains were going to report to the Empress.
Upon hearing the news at the government office, Xiao Wan'er rushed to the West Market as soon as her shift ended. After a bit of shopping, she rushed home. As soon as she entered the house, she called Liu Mingyin, and the two of them went straight to the kitchen. By the time Liuyun and Pei Yingguan returned, dinner was already ready.
"Master, you're back!" Xiao Wan'er walked out of the kitchen. "You weren't injured during this mission, were you?"
"No, your brother and I are doing fine," Liuyun said as he walked into the kitchen and brought dinner into the main room with his apprentice. "I haven't had Wan'er's cooking for a while, and I'm a little craving it."
"This meal was not cooked by me alone. My junior brother also helped out." Xiao Wan'er did not forget Liu Mingyin. The four masters and apprentices walked into the main room chatting and laughing.
After dinner, Liuyun talked about Fengmingwei.
"The Fengming Guard suffered heavy casualties during this expedition, and His Majesty has decided to recruit a new group of cultivators. I saw that you joined Team A1 alone, so I reported Mingyin as well. Starting tomorrow, Mingyin and Wan'er will serve in Team A1 together," Liuyun instructed solemnly. "Team A1 is Huaiming's territory. You two are entering suddenly, so it's inevitable that you will feel a little uncomfortable. Remember to support each other and treat your colleagues with courtesy."
Xiao Wan'er and Liu Mingyin nodded in agreement.
"Your senior brother also brought you gifts this time. You two can go and take a look."
Upon hearing that there were gifts, the two children immediately looked at Pei Yingguan expectantly. Pei Yingguan did not delay and immediately took them to his room.
When the gift box was opened, Xiao Wan'er received a set of flower ornaments and hairpins inlaid with gold, silver and turquoise, while Liu Mingyin received a fur hat.
Liu Mingyin couldn't let go of the hat, but Xiao Wan'er only had a slight liking for it in her heart and thanked Pei Yingguan with a smile.
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
The next morning, Xiao Wan'er and Liu Mingyin arrived at the Fengming Guards' office and ran into Yuan Kong. Yuan Kong, embarrassed that the man who had once defeated him was now his subordinate, stopped at the door with Xiao Wan'er and her fellow apprentice.
"Captain, please go first." Seeing someone else coming from behind, Xiao Wan'er took a half step back to let Yuan Kong go in first. Yuan Kong bowed and walked in front of them.
When they entered Team A1's office, the team members were already at their posts. Xiao Wan'er followed Yuan Kong and saw a sea of shiny bald heads—except for her and Liu Mingyin, Team A1 was entirely composed of monks.
The monks in the team were also very uncomfortable, and the two sides did not exchange a single word during the entire day's duty.
"How do you feel about your shift today?" After finishing their shift, the four masters and apprentices went to Nanshi for dinner together. While walking on the road, Liuyun asked Xiao Wan'er and Liu Mingyin with a smile.
"Not so good," Liu Mingyin complained bitterly, "Except for me and my senior sister, everyone else on the team is a monk. We can't even talk to each other."
"We are indeed quite distinct from others." Xiao Wan'er was helpless about this.
"So why did His Majesty let me serve as an adjutant to a defeated general?" Liu Mingyin grumbled dissatisfiedly. Seeing this, Liuyun dragged his three disciples into a restaurant and blocked Liu Mingyin's mouth with food.
After being on duty for less than a month, Xiao Wan'er received another imperial edict.
The Khitan shamans have been wiped out. Last month, the empress appointed Wu Yizong, Prince of Hanoi, as the commander-in-chief of the Divine Soldiers Road, and appointed Lou Shide as the deputy commander-in-chief of the Jingbian Road, ordering him to lead an army of 200,000 to attack Sun Wanrong again, and ordered Xiao Wan'er to accompany the army.
"Your Majesty has ordered that Deputy Captain Xiao does not need to report to the Fengmingwei official office until the army sets out. He only needs to prepare seriously for the expedition." After putting the imperial edict scroll away, the eunuch who delivered the edict read out the empress's oral order.
"Your humble servant obeys the order." Xiao Wan'er returned home after receiving the order.
When Liuyun and the other two got home from their shift, Xiao Wan'er was in her room. There was a stack of talismans on the desk, and she was carving an array plate.
Hearing the footsteps that stopped abruptly outside the door, she didn't even look up. "I've already had dinner. You don't have to wait for me. I'm going to draw this formation tonight."
The person outside the door left without saying a word.
Xiao Wan'er held the brush, meticulously drawing on the wooden plate. Spiritual energy flowed through her fingers, gathering at the tip of the brush, then imprinted onto the wood through ink, becoming part of the formation. The formation was complex, and every part of the wooden plate bore a distinct mark. Finally, at dawn, Xiao Wan'er completed the last stroke, the first and last merging into one. Amidst the radiance of spiritual energy, the formation plate was completely finished.
Xiao Wan'er's eyes were red after a tiring night. She had no intention of meditating and fell on the bed. She fell asleep the moment her eyes closed.
When she awoke, it was already dawn. Next to the formation she'd finished overnight was a bundle. Xiao Wan'er opened it and found it was filled with fried noodles. She walked into the courtyard and found a brand new set of armor next to the weapons rack. Trying it on, Xiao Wan'er found it fit perfectly. The armor was light yet covered every vital part. Next to the armor was a longbow, a large bundle of newly made arrows, and a heavy sword.
On the day of the expedition, Xiao Wan'er, clad in armor, carrying a longbow and a sword at her waist, rode atop a warhorse. The Empress personally led the officials in seeing the soldiers off. Looking back, Xiao Wan'er saw Master Liuyun and his three disciples standing on the city wall. The commander bid farewell to the Empress and whipped off the army, which marched northward in a mighty procession.
Xiao Wan'er had never ridden a horse before. She struggled to control the warhorse using her strength at the Dao Entry Realm, followed behind the commander, and used medical techniques to heal her abraded thigh.
Only after dark did the army halt its march, set up camp, and light a fire to cook. At night, the army rested, and Xiao Wan'er meditated while relaxing her mind, paying attention to the movements of the camp. After a peaceful night, she ate breakfast and continued her march.
The army marched rapidly all the way and finally reunited with the King of Hanoi as ordered by the Empress. The prince, dressed in a brocade robe, stood up to greet Lou Shide upon seeing him. After a few pleasantries, he turned his gaze to Xiao Wan'er, who had been standing quietly to the side.
"Is this little girl Deputy Captain Xiao?" Although Fengmingwei is an organization directly under the Queen, the King of Hanoi is also the Queen's cousin. Naturally, he is not as respectful and cautious as other officials when facing Fengmingwei.
"Your humble servant Xiao Wan'er greets the Prince." Xiao Wan'er saluted.
The King of Henei waved his hand, and the attendants around him immediately understood and led Xiao Wan'er to a military tent.
"This is the residence of Deputy Captain Xiao. I still need to report to the Prince. Goodbye." Without waiting for Xiao Wan'er to say anything, the attendant bowed and left.
Xiao Wan'er walked into the tent. It was located in a remote area, near the edge of the barracks. It was small and the interior was simple, but fortunately, it was just for Xiao Wan'er. She had been in a state of high tension since the army set out, and now she could finally rest.
After resting for a few days, the army set out again, and by June, they finally reached Zhaozhou.
"General Manager, the scouts ahead report that the Khitan cavalry are marching towards Jizhou, and there are thousands of them!" Inside the commander's tent, everyone was discussing matters when a soldier suddenly came to report.
The King of Hanoi's face suddenly turned pale.
The officers were discussing matters. Xiao Wan'er, an officer accompanying the army from the Divine Capital, was naturally also in the commander-in-chief's tent. Seeing the King of Henei's expression change drastically, she frowned secretly.
"Don't panic, Prince. It's better to ask him to explain the enemy situation in detail."
After the soldier explained the enemy's situation in detail, King Hejian's expression became even uglier.
After pondering for a while, he gave the order: "Order the army to retreat to Xiangzhou."
"Your Highness, this is unacceptable! If we retreat, Jizhou and Zhaozhou will fall into the hands of the rebels!" Lou Shide immediately objected. "Our Great Zhou has a full 200,000 troops, while the Khitans have only a few thousand cavalry. Why retreat? Furthermore, a 200,000-man army carries a large amount of baggage. A hasty retreat would inevitably result in severe losses. Your Highness, please reconsider!"
"Please think twice, Your Majesty!" The generals who were discussing the matter tried to dissuade King Henei, but King Henei did not change his mind.
"Leave this cavalry to me." Amidst the tense atmosphere, a sudden girl's voice rang out, attracting the attention of a group of generals. The speaker was none other than Xiao Wan'er.
Facing the eagerly-eyed generals and the skeptical King of Hanoi, Xiao Wan'er was confident, "If the Khitan shaman could ambush my Great Zhou soldiers that day, I can also make sure his Khitan cavalry never return today!"
After some debate, the King of Hanoi finally gave in, but Xiao Wan'er also signed the military order.
Xiao Wan'er rode alone, taking a secluded path, heading straight for Jizhou. When she arrived, the Khitan cavalry were about to set foot on Jizhou soil. After tying up her horse, Xiao Wan'er's figure gradually faded, eventually disappearing in the wind.
After several days of rapid march, the Khitan cavalry finally came into sight of the city walls of Jizhou.
"My men, Jizhou is right in front of us, charge!" The cavalry leader raised his lance and rushed forward.
The cavalrymen urged their horses forward at full speed, but no matter how hard they ran, the distance to the Jizhou city walls remained unchanged. It was still afternoon when they saw the walls, but by then, darkness had already fallen, and they kept running. Finally, the leading general noticed something was wrong and halted the troops.
"Let's rest here first." He thought of the Fengming Guards who had previously wiped out the shamans, but he didn't dare to say it out loud. He just dismounted and investigated the situation alone.
Just at this moment, a feather arrow suddenly came and pierced his head.
The corpse made a sound when it fell to the ground, causing the soldier to turn around and look. His eyes were bloodshot, and he shouted with all his strength: "Enemy attack--"
But the warning was too late.
The cavalry, exhausted from a day's work, had finally managed to rest on the ground. They hurriedly got up, grabbed their weapons, and were about to mount their horses to fight the enemy when heavy rain began to pour down. Along with the heavy rain came dense thunder.
Thick purple lightning thundered down, piercing the entire area where the Khitan cavalry were stationed. The warhorses bore the brunt of the thunder's relentless pounding. Unprotected, already soaked in water, the horses, struck by the lightning, neighed and fell to the ground, dying. The cavalrymen were no match for the lightning; the destructive power of the combined force of water and thunder was unimaginable.
In the distant Jizhou City, the guards saw a huge purple ball of light and were so scared that they ran directly into the governor's mansion.
"What are you doing so late at night?" The governor had already fallen asleep when he was dragged out of bed by the housekeeper. He looked irritated. Seeing the guard who had disturbed his sleep, he spoke in a chilling voice, "You'd better be on to something."
The guards had no time to understand the governor's anger.
"Sir, I saw a huge purple ball of light outside the city from the north wall."
"Come here, drag him away for me!" The governor's first reaction was that he had been fooled. He immediately ordered the guards in the mansion to drag the guard away, but the guard managed to break free from the guards and knelt on the ground, unable to get up.
"Sir, please go and take a look. If I tell even a single lie, I will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death without any descendants!"
The governor followed him back to the city wall, and they saw the purple ball of light together.
"Quick! Gather a thousand men and go with me to the ball of light!" The governor was experienced and made a judgment immediately, leading his troops out of the city and heading north.
By the time he arrived at the place, all the Khitan cavalry, including their horses, had been chopped to charcoal.
"I am honored to meet you, Immortal." The governor was slightly stunned when he saw Xiao Wan'er, and then he saluted respectfully. Xiao Wan'er immediately stepped aside.
"Your Excellency, there is no need to be so polite. I am Xiao Wan'er, deputy captain of the first team of Fengming Guard. This time I am following the deputy chief of Jingbian Road to fight against the Khitan. Earlier, the scouts reported that the Khitan cavalry would reach Jizhou, and I was ordered to stop them. Now that the mission is completed, I need to hurry back to report, so I will not stay any longer." After saying this, she turned into a wisp of green smoke, rushed to the warhorse at the fastest speed, and rode away.
Arriving at breakneck speed, he returned at a leisurely pace. Taking on thousands of cavalry alone was no easy feat, and Xiao Wan'er had already exhausted the array plates she had prepared. Thanks to the ink used to carve the array, ground with water condensed with spiritual energy, and the wooden plates also brimming with spiritual energy, he had managed to elevate the Dao Entry Realm's trapping formation by half a level, barely reaching the Transcendent Realm. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to trap an entire cavalry unit. Then came the massive rain spell and numerous Heavenly Thunder Talismans. By this point, Xiao Wan'er's energy was at its limit.
It took several days for Xiao Wan'er to return to the Zhaozhou military camp, but the letter from the Jizhou governor had already arrived.
"Deputy Captain Xiao, please come in." After Xiao Wan'er single-handedly annihilated thousands of cavalrymen, the King of Hanoi dared not neglect her any longer and immediately moved her to a tent several times more exquisite than her previous one, located right next to the commander's tent. After forcing herself to report, Xiao Wan'er immediately went back to sleep, sleeping soundly for a whole day and night.
The attack was thwarted and the Khitans remained quiet for some time, but the King of Henei did not want to remain quiet any longer - he had an army of 200,000 and such a powerful immortal, so why not take the initiative to attack?
"Your Highness, you may send your troops with peace of mind." After some discussion, Xiao Wan'er gave an affirmative answer to the King of Henei's question.
"Okay!" King Hanoi beamed and promised, "After we win this battle, I will write to my aunt to commend Vice Captain Xiao for his achievements!"
Unlike the King of Henei, who was eager to establish his own achievements, Sun Wanrong was in a state of despair. Since he launched his rebellion, first his co-rebel Li Jinzhong died, then all his shamans were slain by the Fengming Guards. Now, his elite cavalry had been slaughtered by Fengming Guard monks outside Jizhou. Worse still, it was said that only one Fengming Guard member had been dispatched that day. And then, just then, two hundred thousand soldiers from the Great Zhou arrived. In his haste to fight, he had forgotten about the Fengming Guard monk he hated so much.
Compared with him, the King of Henei was really not good at leading troops. Even with an army of 200,000, he was able to fight him back and forth. Looking at the battle situation, his depressed mood gradually cleared up.
"Captain, be careful!" He suddenly heard the deputy's shrill roar. Following the sound, he saw an arrow. By the time he realized what was happening, it had already pierced his eye and penetrated his brain. He felt a sharp pain and fell to the ground, unconscious forever.
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