It was just a fluke.
This was to let Li Chongyu know that she was the one behind him, so that he would not misunderstand that he was attacked from both sides and lose his composure.
Upon hearing this, Li Chongyu's spirits lifted, but he didn't turn around. He chuckled and said, "Your reputation as the successor of the Young Master is well-deserved. Zhao Lingying didn't hurt you, Dian Le, did she?"
Remembering what Zhao Lingying had said before, A Qiu was unsure how she would explain it to Mu Huaying, so she vaguely said, "I was fortunate to escape because Zhao Zhaorong showed leniency for my master's sake, but it was just luck."
Hearing that her voice was still strong, Li Chongyu knew she was not injured, and felt relieved. He then smiled and said to the city wall, "Miss Pei, you are also a daughter of a military family, a phoenix of your generation, yet you refuse to fight me to the death and instead release these vicious dogs, hiding behind many innocent soldiers and making others die for you. This is unbecoming of the dignified style of the Pei family, a military family for five generations."
Having served as a commander on the battlefield for many years, he deeply understood the mindset of the army. As soon as he said this, the Divine Hound Battalion, which was openly armed, immediately stirred up a commotion.
If Pei Yu's intention to capture and kill him was for official business, and Gu Yi's successor was holding the Junior Tutor's Order behind Li Chongyu, clearly indicating his escort, given Gu Yi's prestige in the Southern Dynasty, this statement would hardly convince the public.
If Pei Yu is here to avenge her father, then she should do as he suggested and fight him personally, instead of hiding behind the army. The saying "the hatred for the murderer of one's father is irreconcilable" means she should take matters into her own hands, not have her soldiers avenge her.
Moreover, Li Chongyu is known as the immortal war god, and his Sky-Splitting Blade is the number one blade on the northern frontier battlefield. Even if they could successfully kill him, the soldiers at the front would have to pay a heavy price and suffer countless casualties.
On the city tower, the torches shone as brightly as day, and Pei Yu appeared, dressed in red robes and golden armor, but a white turban tied around his forehead as if he were in mourning for his father, which was extremely conspicuous.
She coldly raised her voice and said, "Li Chongyu, the difference between me and my late father is that if I want someone to die, I will not care how they die, as long as they are dead, do you understand?"
She raised her hand in a gesture, and two rows of archers from the Imperial Guard's Divine Machine Battalion immediately appeared on the city wall, raising their crossbows and aiming at Li Chongyu.
The Shenji Battalion's crossbows are incredibly powerful; if dozens of them were to fire simultaneously, no human body could withstand them.
Even with Ah Qiu's composure, his expression changed at this moment.
Today, she finally witnessed Pei Yu's ruthless side. Once she made up her mind, she would not allow the enemy to return alive, and she didn't care what means she used. She was far more than just an arrogant and domineering young lady.
A Qiu raised her voice towards the city wall and said, "Miss Pei, have you considered the consequences of your actions?"
If all the crossbow bolts were fired simultaneously, A Qiu behind Li Chongyu would also be doomed. The consequence A Qiu spoke of was simply that Gu Yi would certainly not let Pei Yu go. After all, killing a disciple is like cutting off one's lineage, let alone her, who is Gu Yi's only disciple in all these years. Even in any other sect in the martial arts world, they would never let it go.
Pei Yu then looked at her, sighed, and said, "I will count to three. If you are willing to turn around and leave on the spot, the Pei family will have already given the young master enough face."
Without waiting for Ah Qiu's agreement, she shouted, "One!"
A Qiu felt a chill run down her spine. Perhaps it was Pei Yuanli's death that dealt a blow to Pei Yu. She had become different from before, clearly more mature, calmer, and more adept at making ruthless decisions.
Before A Qiu could argue, she immediately shouted, forcing A Qiu to abandon Li Chongyu and leave quickly.
If A Qiu insists on not retreating, she will have no more worries and will surely order the crossbows to fire all at once after the third blast. At that time, she will also have a sufficient excuse to explain to Gu Yi.
She did give A Qiu a chance, as everyone can witness; it was A Qiu herself who chose to stay with Li Chongyu to the death.
A Qiu's mind raced, but he couldn't find a way out of the predicament. In no time, his back was soaked with cold sweat.
If it comes to taking action, she is not afraid of any number of people coming from the other side. She will meet force with force and deal with any situation. She has her own strategies and tactics for dealing with multiple opponents.
But on the other side were cold, ruthless firearms that launched indiscriminate, large-scale, and widespread attacks.
Pei Yu's deep voice rang out again: "Two!"
For a moment, all around fell into dead silence. The crowd surged before them, and the torches flickered between light and shadow, yet no one uttered a sound.
A-Qiu suddenly realized: Everyone wanted to see what choice she would make.
Should they stay and die with Li Chongyu, or abandon him and escape alone?
While the latter choice at this time was not inherently wrong, the public was unaware that Li Chongyu had sworn brotherhood with her; they only knew she was an official acting under orders. Therefore, it was not wrong for her not to share life and death with Li Chongyu in a life-or-death situation. This provision is not found in the current dynasty's "Official Service Law."
The law may not hold anyone accountable, but above the law, there is a moral high ground. And Gu Yi is now universally recognized as a moral exemplar.
Li Chongyu came here at Gu Yi's invitation to form an alliance with the Southern Dynasty. Would Gu Yi's disciple abandon this ally in this time of crisis?
A Qiu suddenly realized that he, a nobody, was now in the same predicament as Shangguan Jin, the former Grand Secretary, simply because he represented Gu Yi.
She was sweating profusely, her face contorted with anxiety, but she realized there was no other way. Only one thought remained clear in her mind: she must not back down.
If we retreat, we will break the hearts of all the heroes and valiant men in the world.
The Southern Dynasties lacked capable advisors, and even the Junior Tutor could not be relied upon.
Pei Yu, standing on the city wall, watched as A Qiu stood motionless and refused to retreat. Looking at the situation of everyone else, he realized that he had originally intended to give A Qiu, an outsider, a way out, but had instead put A Qiu in a dilemma.
However, she was resolute and ruthless. Since she had already decided to ambush and kill Li Chongyu here to avenge her father, she would not allow anyone or anything to change this outcome.
Ah Qiu's insistence on getting involved was just an unexpected interlude; whether she lives or dies, it cannot affect Pei Yu's final decision.
She sighed softly, raised her hand as if to order the Shenji Battalion to fire their crossbows.
At this critical moment, a series of sharp blades suddenly gleamed from the city wall.
The light was as sharp and bright as snowflakes, flashing and spreading in an instant.
It only shone for a fleeting moment before dimming.
But it wasn't just the light of the blades that dimmed; the dozens of torches that illuminated them also went out. Only Pei Yu's sharp shouts could be heard, and the sounds of weapons clashing continued.
The Divine Mastiff Camp below the city wall immediately became agitated, and some soldiers were about to rush up to see what was going on.
In this situation, it would be foolish not to know that Commander Pei Yu had encountered the enemy and that the city tower had been taken over by others.
When the torches on the city tower were lit again, Pei Yu was seen looking disheveled, his hair disheveled under his golden crown, and he held his Dragon Returning Spear horizontally to one side of the eaves.
The dozens of Shenji Battalion archers who were originally ready to fire their crossbows had all been killed by having their throats slit. Some archers even fell from the city wall during the fierce fighting, their crossbows and bodies being smashed to pieces.
Thirteen figures in flowing white robes stood like zombies on the city wall, their most striking features being the strange, gleaming weapons in their hands.
The city tower was completely silent, because apart from Li Chongyu and A Qiu, the people present were either soldiers of the Divine Hound Camp or city guards. They were not martial arts practitioners, and for the time being, they could not identify which martial arts sect these thirteen white-clad men belonged to.
This is because the thirteen shadows of the Divine Weapon Hall rarely travel together as a whole; in the past, they usually only had one or two people on missions.
Ah Qiu suddenly understood. The Thirteen Shadows had only said that if they entered the palace, it would be inconvenient for them to follow and protect Li Chongyu, and that Li Chongyu's safety would no longer be their responsibility. However, most of the time, as soon as they left the palace through the Zhengyang Gate, the Thirteen Shadows had already followed Li Chongyu and secretly protected him. Only now had they sneaked onto the city wall and appeared, taking the crossbowmen who posed the greatest threat to the two of them first.
Pei Yu stood alone on the city wall, fighting against the Thirteen Shadows. Despite her precarious situation, she showed no fear. Her gaze swept downwards as she shouted, "Don't worry about me! Fight with all your might! Whoever takes Li Chongyu's head will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and appointed as a Martial Guard General!"
Even though they were enemies at this moment, A Qiu couldn't help but secretly admire Pei Yu's keen insight and decisive judgment. She was facing thirteen opponents alone, seemingly at a disadvantage, but the city wall was narrow, preventing all thirteen from rushing in at once. Moreover, she was a Flying Phoenix Guard expert comparable to Shangguan Yuqi, and for the time being, even the thirteen shadows were helpless against her. On the other hand, Pei Yu, unable to command the Divine Hound Camp below the city wall and fearing the loss of an opportunity for Li Chongyu to escape, simply issued an order for a full-scale attack to kill Li Chongyu.
The Divine Hound Camp was mostly composed of young noblemen from the capital, each dreaming of winning riches and becoming a powerful nobleman. Given the opportunity to kill the renowned general "Immortal God of War" Li Chongyu, and with Pei Yu's promise of wealth and power, even those who harbored resentment and blamed Pei Yu for avenging them by taking the lives of others were now mostly eager to try, their faces filled with hope.
Because while one's life is one's own, the honors, official positions, and money earned by risking one's life are also one's own. Who wouldn't be tempted?
Upon hearing Pei Yu's order, A Qiu disregarded all taboos, drew her Moon-Carving Sword, and leaned back to back with Li Chongyu, whispering, "If you get the chance later, brother, don't worry about me, just leave immediately. I reckon someone will meet you once you get out of this door."
Before Li Chongyu could reply, a thunderous roar of hooves thundered from the direction of the palace, heading straight for the Grand Marshal's Gate. A voice called out from afar, "Miss Pei, you've arbitrarily mobilized troops and murdered a border general! Are you plotting a rebellion?!"
His voice was gentle and refined, yet full of energy and extremely penetrating. The restless Grand Marshal seemed to freeze instantly.
Upon hearing that person's voice, A Qiu finally breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that her back was drenched in cold sweat, her heavy clothes completely soaked.
In the darkness of the night, Gongyi Xiu, dressed in a brocade robe bathed in moonlight, rode a white horse and arrived, followed by a dense mass of heads of men and horses—the Imperial Guard, the emperor's personal army, fully armed and exuding a chilling aura.
Gongyi Xiu had originally accompanied Crown Prince Xie Tiao to suppress the Jianzhang Army's northern camp, but now he led the Imperial Guards to the rescue. A Qiu recalled Shangguan Yuqi's parting words to her: "I must return to Jixian Palace to report the results and see if the Imperial Guards can control the situation in the palace." She knew that Shangguan Yuqi and Xie Tiao must have succeeded, and that Shangguan Yuqi had lent part of the Imperial Guards to Gongyi Xiu, which allowed him to arrive in time to provide assistance.
Upon seeing their senior brother, "Jade-Faced Marquis Liu," appear on the city tower, the thirteen shadow warriors of the Divine Weapon Hall knew that they were no longer needed here. They immediately abandoned their battle with Pei Yu and, without prior arrangement, gracefully descended from the city tower, disappearing without a trace into the dark doorway.
Pei Yu was truly stunned at this moment, sweat streaming down her forehead and sticking her hair to her forehead.
She looked at Gongyi Xiu rushing towards her and the two people surrounded in the middle of the field, her expression shifting between light and dark.
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