Chapter 435: Even the Wise Make Mistakes

The sight of Meng Shanming with his beard and hair bristling in fury startled Shang Shuqing. In her memory, Uncle Meng had always been steady and composed. When had she ever seen him like this?

She hurried over and called, "Uncle Meng."

Lan Ruoting looked back. Seeing that it was her, he could not hide a measure of relief and delight. Everything had happened too suddenly for anyone to look after everyone else, and he had been worried something might have happened to the Commandery Princess. Seeing her alive and well lifted one burden from his heart.

Shang Chaozong turned at the sound as well. Seeing his younger sister still alive, he said nothing more. The sound of people battering the doors had already begun outside, and there was no time for brother and sister to question one another. He immediately ran to one side to help his men barricade the doors and windows.

"Girl, grab a weapon!" Meng Shanming glanced at Shang Shuqing, planted both hands on the floor, and crawled rapidly forward. His old arms still possessed surprising strength; only the useless legs dragging behind him made his movement awkward.

He quickly reached a weapon rack and seized a long spear. Shang Shuqing's eyes reddened and tears fell at once. A famous general of his generation had actually been reduced to crawling across the floor.

She hurried over, crouched beside him, and tried to support him. "Uncle Meng, leave this to us. Rest to the side."

Meng Shanming saw the arrow protruding from her back. He caught her arm and pulled her closer, examined the wound, and saw that it had missed anything vital. Then he laid the spear shaft across the back of her neck and pressed down. Under the force, Shang Shuqing had no choice but to bend forward and lower her head.

Shing!

With his free hand, Meng Shanming drew a sword from the weapon rack beside him. The blade flashed close along Shang Shuqing's back. With a swift cut, he sliced the arrow lodged in her shoulder blade almost flush with the wound. The shaft was buried too deeply. There were no conditions for proper treatment now, and forcibly pulling it free would be unwise. Meng Shanming had experience with injuries like this and knew how best to handle them under such circumstances.

Pain twisted Shang Shuqing's face, but Meng Shanming had moved fast. The agony came violently and passed just as quickly. Before she could fully register it, the worst was already over, leaving only waves of lingering pain. The spear shaft lifted from her neck. The moment she raised her head, Meng Shanming had already extended the sword toward her.

"Do not disgrace your father's mighty name. If the worst happens, you must not fall into the enemy's hands and suffer humiliation!"

Shang Shuqing took the sword and understood his meaning. It was a weapon with which to resist the enemy. And at the final moment, it was also something she could use to take her own life. For Meng Shanming to say such words now showed that he no longer held much hope for the outcome.

Shang Shuqing said, "Uncle Meng, don't worry. Master Dao will definitely find a way to save us."

Meng Shanming swept her with a cold glance. At a time like this, she was still talking about Master Dao? But he said nothing. There was no point discussing such things now.

He planted one hand against the floor and crawled away again, moving swiftly toward a window piled high with furniture. Spear in hand, he took position beside it. Shang Shuqing ran over with the sword and guarded the opposite side.

"Your Highness!" Meng Shanming called, then signaled to Shang Chaozong and the others.

Shang Chaozong immediately ran to the weapon rack, took up a Saber, and returned to guard another window. Lan Ruoting tucked a sword into his belt, took a long spear as well, and stationed himself beside Shang Chaozong.

The five remaining personal guards hurried to the weapon rack and armed themselves with longer weapons. One held a spear behind the main door, which had been piled high with furniture. The other four ran to defend the rear hall.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The pounding outside continued without pause. The barricaded furniture kept shifting and loosening beneath the impacts.

Outside, axemen rushed forward and hacked furiously at the doors. Others simply swung their axes into the walls. At this rate, the defenses inside clearly would not hold for long. It would only be a matter of time before the attackers broke through.

Boom!

A section of wall collapsed inward and opened a hole. A young officer charged through. Meng Shanming, sitting beside the window, turned his cold gaze and instantly swept the spear backward.

Thud!

The shaft smashed squarely into the young officer's face. Blood burst from his features as he fell backward into the man following behind him. The second man's momentum stalled for an instant. Meng Shanming drew the spear back and thrust. The gleaming spearhead punched in beneath the man's ribs and tore through his lungs.

"Aah!"

A scream burst from his throat. The sun blazed overhead. On a sheer cliff, beneath the shade of an old tree, Niu Youdao sat cross-legged with his eyes closed in meditation. Skirts fluttered down onto the cliff top.

Guan Fangyi landed beside him and said, "Xiaoyue Pavilion has replied."

Niu Youdao slowly brought his exercise to a close. His hands rose and fell before settling.

"Why did it take so long for news to come back?"

Guan Fangyi said, "As soon as Xiaoyue Pavilion received your message, they contacted their people around Changping City. They've had men investigate it repeatedly. They say the matter is troublesome."

Niu Youdao asked, "Are they trying to bargain with me?"

"The reason they've given isn't entirely bargaining." Guan Fangyi explained, "Xiaoyue Pavilion says Changping City is currently packed with troops and filled with Tianyu Sect cultivators. The entire city is completely under the control of Tianyu Sect and the garrison. You could say they've filtered the whole city once over. Every unrelated cultivator has been driven out."

"Xiaoyue Pavilion did have people inside Changping City originally. But they knew this sort of screening was unavoidable. It's normal for those who have just taken a city and seized territory to guard carefully before the situation stabilizes. So rather than wait to be searched, their people withdrew in advance. Xiaoyue Pavilion no longer has anyone inside Changping City."

"After receiving your request, they sent people over to take another look. The defenses are extremely tight. There is simply no way to enter the city."

Niu Youdao said, "That's an excuse. They have quite a few flying mounts. They could infiltrate under cover of night."

"Which is why they replied that getting people into Changping City isn't impossible," Guan Fangyi said. "But there are too many Tianyu Sect cultivators inside. Even if they descend from the air, they're easily discovered, and that could turn directly into a confrontation with Tianyu Sect."

"Xiaoyue Pavilion would have to bear enormous risk. This isn't merely the small favor you described. They're asking what benefit you can offer them."

Niu Youdao opened his eyes and rose. His expression had grown solemn. He realized that he still understood too little about some of the rules of this world. For example, he had not fully appreciated what it meant when those who seized a city and territory screened an entire city like this. But that was not the only thing weighing on him. He had sent Old Second Wu with a group of Fufang Garden's capable hands to Changping City. They had been unable to enter.

Then he had ordered the people from the three sects to go to Changping City. He had never placed much hope in those three sects to begin with. Now even Xiaoyue Pavilion was saying the city was difficult to penetrate. Standing there from the perspective of a cultivator, he had never expected simply getting into a city to become this difficult. Only now did he realize that Changping City had become a flaw in his plan. What if Feng Lingbo truly became a cornered dog and leaped the wall?

Niu Youdao still did not believe Feng Lingbo could succeed while Tianyu Sect held the city under control. But Changping City had nonetheless become the weakest link in his entire plan, the place he had the least ability to control. His unease continued to deepen. He was not some immortal capable of divine calculation.

He had not foreseen that the constantly moving army command center would eventually stop at Changping City, leaving him no time to make preparations there beforehand. There was no way to predict every change in a shifting situation. It was impossible for everything to remain within his control. Small changes in the details were normal. As long as he held the larger direction, that was enough. That was why he had not paid much attention to this change at first.

But now he had mobilized so many cultivators and still could not get anyone into the city. His mood grew heavy. For the first time, he deeply understood what it meant that even the wise, after a thousand considerations, must still make one mistake.

Guan Fangyi asked, "How should we reply to Xiaoyue Pavilion?"

Niu Youdao said, "By the time Xiaoyue Pavilion receives our response and makes arrangements, Peng Youzai will already have returned to Changping City. Do you think there's still any point replying?"

Guan Fangyi said, "Aren't you worrying too much? You've already placed enormous pressure on Tianyu Sect. With the interests of the entire sect at stake under that kind of pressure, they cannot let anything happen to Shang Chaozong. Otherwise, they won't be able to bear the consequences. Changping City has so many Tianyu Sect disciples inside. Even if Feng Lingbo wants to make a move, where would he find the opportunity? Tianyu Sect's people aren't decorations."

Niu Youdao slowly said, "I hope so."

In truth, he also could not imagine where Feng Lingbo could find an opportunity to act. But once he had discovered a flaw in the plan, he could not settle his heart.

He disliked that feeling intensely...

Two soldiers guarded the entrance to an alley. Three more lounged behind them. It was a temporary inspection point, set up to search anyone moving through the area. Yuan Gang came around the corner with a round timber over one shoulder and walked directly toward the two guards.

"What are you doing? Do you live inside?"

The two soldiers crossed their spears to block him. The three men loitering behind them began walking over as well. The one who appeared to be in charge shouted while waving a hand.

"Search him!"

From outside the alley came a sudden cough. That was the signal from the lookout. It meant they could act: for the moment no one else was about to pass the alley mouth, and no outsider would see. The timber on Yuan Gang's shoulder dropped sideways into the crook of his arms. He drove it forward violently. It smashed into the chests of the two soldiers in front. Both spat blood and flew backward. Yuan Gang raised one leg and kicked the end of the timber as it surged forward.

The round beam shot out. Several heavy impacts sounded. The three men behind had not even had time to raise an alarm before all of them hit the ground.

Outside the alley, Yuan Feng leaned his head in after hearing the commotion. Seeing the way clear, he beckoned, then turned the corner himself. More men followed in rapid succession. Yuan Gang retrieved the timber, shouldered it, and broke into a run. The group raced after him down the alley. Those at the rear quickly dragged the fallen soldiers away. When they reached the doorway of an abandoned house, they simply threw the bodies inside.

As they ran, men pulled parts from the bundles they carried and rapidly assembled Nine-Bolt Repeating Crossbows on the move. Belts fitted with daggers were strapped around waists, arms, and thighs. When they reached the designated point, Yuan Gang clamped the timber under one arm. The wooden casing split apart. The Three-Roars Saber dropped into his hand. The group scaled the wall with crisp efficiency. Yuan Gang was the last one over. They landed directly inside someone's residence, immediately throwing the household into uproar.

"Garrison troops hunting a criminal! Keep quiet!"

One shout was enough to make the entire family tremble and shut their mouths. The household soon discovered that this group came quickly and left just as quickly. They climbed over one wall into the courtyard, then immediately vaulted another and disappeared. The group continued passing through private homes, sometimes over walls, sometimes directly through front and rear doors. Whenever they opened a gate or crossed a wall and found patrolling soldiers outside, crossbows hissed at once. Bolts struck vital points.

The men racing past simply dragged the bodies into the next household along their route. Ignoring every home they crossed, the group drove in a straight line toward their target. No one dared waste even the slightest time. They ran at full speed.

[End of Chapter 435]