On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, peasant soldier leader Wu Shuang led three thousand peasant soldiers in an attempt to forcibly break through Jiaping Pass, engaging in fierce combat with the stationed imperial troops. It was amidst this chaos that Lu Qianqiao arrived at Jiaping Pass bearing the emperor's Imperial Decree.
The decree had been delivered by a War Ghost. Emperor Rong Zhengdi, who spent his days indulging in pleasures and had never shown interest in military affairs, had written the decree after Li Chao Yang's remark: "The General of Agile Cavalry has the power to repel the enemy—all he lacks is an opportunity." With this, two thousand troops were transferred from veteran general Bai Zongying to Lu Qianqiao's command.
It was easy to imagine how the long-stationed troops at Jiaping Pass would react to such a decree.
And most crucially—this legendary General of Agile Cavalry was like a dead man, lying motionless in bed all day. Was the emperor toying with the fate of his own empire?
On the twenty-fifth day of the seventh month, General Bai Zongying, unable to endure the humiliation, swiftly sent a memorial back to the capital, vehemently denouncing this utterly incomprehensible affair.
By the thirtieth day of the seventh month, an even more absurd reply arrived: the emperor had a half-sister, titled Princess of the Lake, renowned as the "Eyes of the Gods." This princess had made a prophecy on behalf of Emperor Rong Zhengdi, claiming that the battle at Jiaping Pass would surely end in victory, with the credit going to someone surnamed Lu. The emperor, deeply convinced of his sister's divine insight, urged General Bai to set his mind at ease.
No doubt Bai Zongying would have spat blood upon reading this response.
However, Lu Qianqiao and Si Lan knew nothing of this. Lu Qianqiao remained his lifeless self—save for a faint warmth in his chest, the rest of his body seemed stiff and dead. They had been assigned to a small, desolate tent, so neglected that even the cooks in the pass disdained passing by. Hot water and meals were nowhere to be seen.
The War Ghost who had escorted them was named Li Yan, a promising young War Ghost from Li Chao Yang's clan. To this day, Si Lan still didn’t know where he usually hid. Every day at dusk without fail, Li Yan would come to check on Lu Qianqiao. As time passed, the calm on his face finally wavered, his striking crimson eyes betraying a trace of anxiety.
Tonight at dusk, he lifted the tent flap as usual to inspect Lu Qianqiao. Si Lan was simmering lean meat porridge over the fire, its rich aroma filling the air. Li Yan approached the bed and touched Lu Qianqiao’s forehead, sighing softly.
"Um... Sir Li, the general..."
Hearing his sigh made Si Lan’s heart race. This War Ghost seemed not yet of age, and his temperament was gentler, so Si Lan gathered the courage to speak.
Li Yan walked over, sniffed the porridge, and praised, "It smells wonderful. You’ve been taking good care of the young master. Can he still eat now?"
"He can’t swallow, so feeding him takes some effort."
Li Yan nodded, ladled himself a bowl of porridge, and drank it as he spoke. "If I recall correctly, the young master’s birthday is on the ninth day of the eighth month, isn’t it? Today is the third—only six days left."
...And so? Si Lan’s hands trembled uncontrollably.
"There’s no harm in telling a little Demon like you. For a War Ghost undergoing the Transformation Tribulation, success or failure hinges on the ten days before their birthday. The first sense to return is touch, followed by taste and hearing—by their birthday, all five senses should be restored. That’s how we know the power awakening has succeeded. The young master still hasn’t shown signs of his senses returning... It doesn’t bode well."
Si Lan’s face paled, and he fell silent.
"Well, let’s wait and see."Li Yan patted his shoulder reassuringly, finished his porridge, and left.
The wait dragged on until the fifth day of the eighth month, yet Lu Qianqiao still showed no signs of awakening. The long-suffering old General Bai Zongying finally arrived, his face flushed with anger. He stood with hands on hips, glaring at the comatose figure on the bed, his voice booming like thunder: "Is this corpse of a general what the Emperor is counting on to repel the Peasant Soldiers?! If one holds a position, one must fulfill its duties! To think I must hand over two thousand troops to him—this is utterly unacceptable!"
Si Lan bowed his head and presented a sealed letter, speaking softly: "Old General Bai, before the general fell into this state, he wrote this confidential letter and instructed me to deliver it to you. Please review it."
Bai Zongying sneered, "So, if I hadn't come to see this esteemed general, his letter would never have reached me? The General of Agile Cavalry truly knows how to assert his authority."
"I attempted to request an audience with you several times, but was blocked each time. Knowing how busy you are, I dared not impose."
Bai Zongying's face darkened at Si Lan's measured words. He snatched the envelope, tore it open, and skimmed the contents. His expression shifted instantly, and he began reading carefully, taking as long as a meal would last before finally stuffing the thick stack of papers back into the envelope.
"Who does he think I am? A mere whelp dares to dictate to me?!"
He hurled the envelope to the ground and stormed out, adding over his shoulder, "Since the General of Agile Cavalry has such brilliant strategies, why doesn't he lead the charge himself? Bai dares not steal his glory. Such a monumental achievement should be earned by the general himself."
Si Lan silently watched as the group left the tent. He glanced back at Lu Qianqiao, who remained in peaceful slumber, oblivious to the world.
How could such a general possibly lead troops into battle?
But the battlefield was merciless. The next day, two thousand reinforcements from the Peasant Soldiers arrived. Wu Shuang led five thousand men to challenge them, their taunts and provocations audible from miles away. Bai Zongying gritted his teeth and held back, sending only two sets of armor with a message: "Two thousand troops are ready. The general may mount up."
Si Lan could only stare blankly at the tattered armor. How could he send the general out to fight in this state? Impossible! It was infuriating that Bai Zongying had never witnessed the general's prowess—had he seen it, he wouldn’t dare act so arrogantly today.
As Si Lan reminisced about the general's past valor, the tent flap was suddenly thrown open. Li Yan, who usually appeared only at dusk, strode in. Seeing Si Lan seated, Lu Qianqiao lying still, and the armor discarded on the ground, his youthful face hardened.
"Put on the armor and mount up!" His voice was icy.
Si Lan protested urgently, "How can the general fight like this?!"
"I don’t care! Support him, carry him—do whatever it takes! If we retreat today, our clan’s honor will be trampled into the dirt!"
Tears welling in his eyes, Si Lan fastened the armor onto Lu Qianqiao and hoisted him up. Outside, he whistled sharply, and the Fierce Cloud Colt, grazing leisurely in the distance, galloped over like the wind. Si Lan secured the general tightly to the horse’s back with ropes, whispering, "Good boy, don’t let the general fall! Run at the first sign of danger!"
"Victory is the only option!" Li Yan’s voice rang out behind them.
Si Lan glanced back at him but said nothing.The so-called two thousand troops were mostly the old, weak, sick, and disabled from within the pass, with even two rows of wounded soldiers among them. When they saw Lu Qianqiao tied to the Fierce Cloud Colt, each of them wore expressions of mockery and resentment.
Si Lan said coldly, "The general's orders: Ascend the high platform and prepare boulders and boiling oil!"
Not a single person moved.
"The general's orders: Ascend the high platform and prepare boulders and boiling oil!"
Dead silence.
Si Lan clenched his teeth, suddenly turned around, and loudly responded, "Orders received!" He picked up a massive boulder used to weigh down tents—half a man's height—and carried it step by step up the high platform. When he returned, a broken arrow was lodged in his shoulder, clearly shot by the Peasant Soldiers below.
He picked up another boulder and ascended the platform again.
This time, an arrow struck his waist, blood staining his armor.
The two thousand troops began to stir, restless and uneasy. All eyes were fixed on Si Lan, unmoving.
By the time he returned from carrying the fifth boulder, the broken arrows on his body had disappeared, leaving only dripping blood and a long trail of crimson behind.
Finally, someone couldn't bear it any longer. Silently stepping forward, two or three men lifted a boulder together and accompanied him to the high platform. Gradually, more and more joined—until eventually, all two thousand silently followed his lead, transporting boulders and boiling oil in turn. The old general Bai Zongying, who had been sitting in his tent watching the spectacle, widened his eyes in shock.
Outside the pass, there were five thousand Peasant Soldiers, outnumbering the two thousand by more than double. Wu Shuang was an exceptionally skilled leader, making his five thousand no less formidable than elite troops. The attacks with boulders and boiling oil only slightly disrupted their front lines, causing minimal actual damage.
There was no other choice—they had to fight with everything they had.
Si Lan vaulted onto the Fierce Cloud Colt and glanced down at Lu Qianqiao, who remained asleep, unaware and serene. But perhaps it was better this way—he wouldn’t have to know that his own clan, in pursuit of honor, had abandoned his life.
Si Lan’s eyes burned with heat. "General! I won’t let you die!"
The Fierce Cloud Colt let out a long neigh and charged through the opened stone gate of the pass like a red meteor. The two thousand troops followed hesitantly and slowly, but on the battlefield of life and death, there was no room for delay. Almost immediately, the Peasant Soldiers shattered their formation like splitting bamboo—Wu Shuang’s target was the still-open stone gate!
Bai Zongying, who had somehow climbed the high platform, bellowed, "Close the gate now!"
The stone gate creaked shrilly as it slowly shut, ignoring the distant cries of the two thousand beleaguered soldiers. This crushed morale to its lowest point. Most lost the will to fight, fleeing or hiding—only Si Lan continued charging forward at the forefront.
In their five years of battlefield experience, neither he nor the general had ever known the meaning of "fighting alone." Yet today, they learned its brutality firsthand.
Blades and shouts surrounded him on all sides. For every enemy he cut down, ten more surged forward.
How he wished he could let the Fierce Cloud Colt carry the general far from this hellish battlefield!
But he couldn’t! Li Yan stood atop the high platform, his longbow drawn taut. Si Lan knew that if they showed even a hint of cowardice, the War Ghost’s arrow would pierce Lu Qianqiao’s heart.
The honor of the War Ghost Clan was inviolable—their spirit of never retreating, never failing, was stricter than iron law.Every War Ghost awakens like this—amid the clamor of slaughter, in the ceaseless splatter of blood, the ancient ferocity deep within them is roused, growing into a powerful and invincible true War Ghost.
A sharp pain shot through his shoulder, and Si Lan could no longer hold on. He dropped to one knee, barely managing to block the fierce attack overhead with his long blade. Even as a Demon with formidable physical strength, he couldn’t hold off five thousand soldiers alone. He didn’t even know how much blood he had lost—whether he would make it back alive this time.
Fierce Cloud Colt suddenly let out a mournful whinny—a group of Peasant Soldiers had looped ropes around its neck and were yanking it down violently. "Capture the leader first"—everyone knew this tactic. What could be more satisfying than an unconscious general still strapped to his horse?
Si Lan mustered the last of his strength to rush forward, trying to shield Lu Qianqiao beneath him. But the next moment, a tremendous force yanked him up by the back of his collar, lifting him into the air.
Exhausted and bewildered, he raised his head. The sunlight was blinding, but he could just make out the shape of a massive bird clutching him in one talon. Its other claw held Fierce Cloud Colt, while Lu Qianqiao remained securely tied to the horse, unharmed.
"What kind of dangerous stunt are you guys pulling?"
A soft, sweet voice—filled with shock—rang out from the bird’s back.
So familiar. So headache-inducing, the kind of voice that made him want to vomit blood just hearing it. Yet, at this moment, Si Lan suddenly felt that her voice was more beautiful than celestial music.
A hand grabbed the back of his collar and effortlessly pulled him onto the broad bird’s back. Gasping for breath, he lay there, too exhausted to move. The next moment, the unconscious Lu Qianqiao was tossed beside him, his dark hair disheveled over his face, looking utterly wretched.
With great effort, Si Lan leaned over to inspect him, confirming that the general was unharmed before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
"Are you still alive?" A finger poked at him. Xin Mei crouched opposite him, her eyes wide.
It took Si Lan a long moment to speak. "You… how did you get here…?"
Xin Mei glanced down at the Peasant Soldiers below, still shouting and firing arrows indiscriminately, then shook her head. "Let’s go first. We’ll talk later."
Si Lan immediately panicked. "No! We can’t leave!"
Before his words even finished, an ear-splitting whistle tore through the air like thunder from the distance. Xin Mei spun around just in time to see a War Ghost standing on a distant platform, his longbow aimed at them—the first arrow already loosed.
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