Chapter 1439: Trapped in a Beleaguered City

Yun Ji reacted as though she had been shocked. “How could you give something like that to Wu Chang?”

Niu Youdao said, “Don’t worry. I naturally made sure it was safe to hand over before I dared give it to him. The Demon Canon is something meant for someone who can actually understand it.”

Yun Ji followed close behind him. “Crow Generals—he’s refining Crow Generals too. If he ever builds them into a real force, what then?”

“His Crow Generals started too late. They can’t compare with the power accumulated by the ones here. Besides, now that we know what he’s doing, why would we allow him to slowly build up his strength? If there truly comes a day when his Crow Generals become a force, whether we’re still alive by then will already be another question.”

Yun Ji heard the other meaning in his words. “In other words, you have a way to command the Crow Generals here... Who can command them?”

Niu Youdao shook his head. “Don’t ask about that. Take your time guessing. In any case, neither you nor I can command them.” He climbed onto a high platform and once again looked over the magnificent scene.

Yun Ji followed him up. “You don’t intend to take these Crow Generals out now?”

“I’d like to, but if we moved this many Crow Generals outside, could we possibly hide them? The moment we brought them out, it would mean tearing away the last pretense. There would be no way to avoid exposing ourselves, and the Six Sacred Venerables would certainly join forces and come at us with everything they have.”

“You saw what happened inside the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm. There were far more Butterfly Rakshasas there than these hundred thousand Crow Generals, yet even they could hardly do anything to several Sacred Venerables. These Crow Generals may be beyond even your ability to suppress, but they still can’t stop the Six Sacred Venerables. Before we have enough confidence, I don’t dare move rashly.”

Yun Ji silently nodded. “I understand. You came looking for these things now only to confirm that they truly exist.”

“Once they’re confirmed, I know what I have in hand. If the worst happens, we can bring them out in time for an emergency.”

Yun Ji silently surveyed their surroundings, then suddenly sighed. “Just what kind of person was Li Ge, to know such sinister arts?”

“You saw what the Fifth Domain was like. She probably wasn’t from this world. Shang Song and his wife should have come from a higher cultivation plane.”

“A higher plane...” Yun Ji murmured to herself.

“All right. We’ve confirmed what we came to confirm. There shouldn’t be anything else here. Let’s go.” Niu Youdao jumped down from the platform and walked toward the exit with his hands clasped behind his back.

Yun Ji jumped down after him. Looking from side to side as she followed, she asked, “Should we put out the fires inside?”

“No need. They won’t burn for long. Once the lamp oil runs dry, they’ll go out on their own.”

The two left the enormous underground cavern and stood at the wind passage, turning back for one last look. Niu Youdao slowly stepped aside while Yun Ji went to move the massive round sealing stone again.

With a deep, drawn-out rumble, the stone rolled back into place and sealed the entrance once more.

The instant the wind passage was blocked, the airflow inside the enormous underground cavern weakened sharply. The fierce flames winding through the long oil channels immediately grew much calmer.

Without enough wind to sustain it, the great banner bearing the character “Shang” slowly sagged from where it stood amid the flames and fell silent, as though waiting for the day the wind would rise again and set it snapping once more.

The hundred thousand dark-feathered crows slept on...

They had already explored the route once, so there was no longer any need to move so cautiously on the way out. The two sped rapidly through the underground passages.

When they finally burst back through the waterfall, they had returned to the cavern of the underground river.

Niu Youdao flashed upward and landed on the bank. Following his instructions, Yun Ji dropped into the deep pool beneath the waterfall.

A short while later, she shot up from below with the enormous stone spur they had pulled free earlier held above her and plunged into the torrent.

After resealing the cave entrance, Yun Ji landed beside Niu Youdao and nodded. “It’s sealed.”

They did not retrace their original route. Niu Youdao flew downstream from the waterfall, continued for some distance, then had Yun Ji dig a passage upward so their exit would be farther from Prince Ning’s Villa.

By the time they opened a path to the surface and emerged, it was already deep into the night.

Yun Ji used her art to seal the exit behind them, while Niu Youdao carefully studied the surrounding terrain and committed the location to memory.

This was also why he had asked Yun Ji to open a passage here. Next time, even if she did not come with him, he could enter the underground river by the most convenient route without alarming anyone. The underground end of this new passage was not far from the entrance behind the subterranean waterfall, making any future visit much easier.

The two slipped back into Canglu County seat and returned to their inn for the night. Around midmorning the next day, they left the city and hurried all the way back to Nanzhou’s provincial capital.

...

“There’s no other way besides holding the city to the death. With no reinforcements, they can only remain completely passive. Huyan Wuhen spent the entire march making thorough preparations. With ten times the troop strength, he’s surrounding the city slowly and methodically. I’m afraid Gu Yuanda won’t escape this calamity.”

Inside the Hall of Martial Valor, Meng Shanming spoke in an even voice.

Standing before the map, Shang Chaozong said, “There is no city beneath Heaven that cannot be taken. Huyan Wuhen has concentrated an overwhelming superiority in troops, has no shortage of provisions, and does not need to fear enemy reinforcements. If he takes his time, there is no possibility Gu Yuanda can hold the Qi capital. The city will certainly fall. The only question is whether those retainer cultivators can get Gu Yuanda out alive.”

Meng Shanming chuckled. “Gu Yuanda killed Hao Yuntu, Emperor of Qi, looted the entire Qi capital, and killed two of Huyan Wuhen’s sons. If Huyan Wuhen does not kill him, he cannot give an account to Qi’s officials and people, nor will it be enough to intimidate the regional lords and steady wavering hearts. Just watch, Your Highness. Once the rebel army loses the city, Huyan Wuhen will pay any price necessary to kill Gu Yuanda. He will never let him escape!”

Shang Chaozong nodded. “That’s true. Qi could originally have held out for quite some time, yet Gu Yuanda managed to shake the entire state to its foundations in an instant. You could say he rendered truly ‘outstanding service.’ But a traitor like him deserves death.”

The two continued talking as they left the Hall of Martial Valor. Shang Chaozong personally pushed Meng Shanming’s wheelchair. At the doorway, he called out, and soldiers immediately came over to help lift the chair across the threshold.

Feng Ruonan, who had been pacing outside waiting, came over with her ornaments softly chiming. By rule, without permission, even she could not simply enter a military command center like the Hall of Martial Valor. She could only wait outside.

Meng Shanming exchanged courtesies with her. Seeing that she had come all the way here, he guessed the husband and wife probably had something to discuss and took his leave.

“Cough, cough...” A violent fit of coughing came from the receding wheelchair.

Shang Chaozong watched him go, worry appearing on his face. “Uncle Meng’s health gets worse every year. This time he endured all the criticism and insisted on letting Da’an and Lu Zheng serve as chief commanders. It feels as though he’s in a hurry to temper the two of them...”

Feng Ruonan understood his meaning. “You should have the cultivators examine him more often and help regulate his body.”

Shang Chaozong shook his head slightly. “The injuries from his early years were too severe. They left him crippled and damaged his vital true essence. The cultivators say medicinal elixirs can dispel illness, regulate the body, and prolong life, but they cannot restore years of lifespan already lost...” He waved the matter aside. “Forget it. Let’s not talk about this. Did you come looking for me because something happened?”

Feng Ruonan gave a quiet acknowledgment and tugged lightly at his arm, drawing him toward a secluded path. “Something has been wrong with Qing’er lately. I keep finding her staring blankly into space. This morning I went to see her and found her sitting at her dressing table staring into the mirror. I called her several times and she didn’t react at all. Only when I walked over and shook her did she finally come back to herself.”

Shang Chaozong frowned. “Her mind is that heavily burdened? Did something happen recently?”

“Nothing in particular. Oh, right. It seems she became like this after that Yin’er arrived.”

Shang Chaozong thought for a moment. “Could Yin’er have caused trouble?”

“Doesn’t seem like it. She’s a silly, simple-minded girl with no schemes at all, and Qing’er likes her quite a lot. Qing’er wouldn’t hold anything against her. But Your Highness, that Yin’er truly can eat. I hardly ever see her mouth stop. Maolu Annex spoils her terribly too. They even specially sent two monks over from Nanshan Temple to cook separate meals just for her. I’ve never seen anyone indulged like that.”

Shang Chaozong knew Niu Youdao was alive, and he also knew Yin’er had once followed Master Dao everywhere. If she was being indulged to this extent, it was almost certainly Master Dao’s wish.

Unwilling to say more about that, he returned to the original subject. “I’ve been focused on the wars lately and haven’t had the attention to spare for Qing’er. You’re her sister-in-law. Go see her more often.”

Inside the schoolhouse, Shang Shuqing drifted off again while watching her students practice calligraphy. Sitting behind the long desk at the front, she stared blankly ahead. Lately, she had not even been fully attentive while teaching.

By the doorway, Yin’er sat against the wall on a little stool, shelling boiled peanuts and eating them with great satisfaction. So long as she had something to eat, she was content and carefree.

Naturally, she preferred chicken drumsticks, but Shang Shuqing had been frightened by how much she could eat and worried that continuing like that might cause trouble. So she usually varied things and gave her smaller snacks instead.

Guan Fangyi appeared outside the schoolhouse window. She had been coming by frequently of late.

Looking at Shang Shuqing sitting there in a daze, Guan Fangyi smiled bitterly to herself. That Master Dao really was ruthless. With just a few light words, he had brushed the whole matter aside.

Did he think Shang Shuqing was a fool?

Wang Xiao was Master Dao. Back then, Shang Shuqing had caused such an uproar over Master Dao and had even broken off an engagement because of him. Wang Xiao knew all about that.

Which meant Shang Shuqing now knew that Master Dao knew how she felt about him.

Yet Master Dao had acted as though nothing had ever happened and casually pressed the whole matter down. How could this woman not be tangled up inside? Judging from her poor spirits, she was probably tossing and turning every night, unable even to sleep properly.

But none of that was Niu Youdao’s present concern.

The moment he returned from Canglu County and felt how inconvenient travel had become, he called Yuan Gang over and discussed whether they could bring a few flying mounts out of the Fifth Domain.

With Yun Ji’s help, getting a few flying mounts out would not be difficult. The problem Yuan Gang explained was that he himself could control them, but when he was not present, there was no way to make those wild, untamed birds obey anyone else.

Other than Yuan Gang, no one could control them. And Yuan Gang could not conveniently show himself outside very often.

Niu Youdao thought it over and ultimately abandoned the idea.

...

On the walls of the Qi capital, Gu Yuanda looked utterly haggard as he stood staring at yet another high earthen rampart rising outside the city.

After arriving at his leisure with the army, Huyan Wuhen had shown no urgency to attack. Instead, he ordered the troops to begin enormous earthworks beyond the walls, continuously piling up soil.

Once an earthen hill had been built, they pushed it forward and collapsed it. Then they piled up more soil and pushed that forward in turn. The mound grew higher and higher, while the earth pushed out in front was now almost level with the city wall.

Huyan Wuhen’s intention could not have been clearer. He could not even be bothered launching a conventional siege and had no need to chase quick results. He would simply proceed slowly. Once the works were complete, he could storm into the city with a downhill charge and without paying any great price in casualties.

Against a method like this, bows and other weapons from the walls were useless. What effect could shooting arrows into a mountain of earth possibly have?

They were welcome to come out and attack if they had the courage. Huyan Wuhen’s army was ready to receive them at any time.

Gu Yuanda regretted his betrayal so deeply his intestines might have turned green. More than that, he hated Gao Pin, having finally realized that Gao Pin had used him.

At this point, how could he still fail to understand that Gao Pin had never intended to send troops to rescue him?

From the moment Gao Pin deceived him into attacking the Qi capital, the Qin army and Qi’s three hundred thousand reinforcements had then closed around the capital and trapped his army inside.

The crucial point was that Jin had sent no reinforcements at all. Huyan Wuhen, though late to arrive, had no worries behind him and could calmly conduct the siege at his own pace.

Worse still, Misty Pavilion had suddenly ordered every flying mount confiscated.

Even if Gu Yuanda wanted to flee now, there was only one road left to him:

Fight his way through layer after layer of encirclement.

[End of Chapter 1439]