Their weapons clashed with a thunderous impact, sending shockwaves through the air that rippled outward like concentric circles across the grass.
Wei Yunshan clenched his teeth, forcing the blood rising in his throat back down.
Had this battle occurred right after he slaughtered those twenty elite warriors—when his killing intent was still sharp and his fighting spirit unbroken—he might have stood a chance. But now, with that tension released, only exhaustion remained.
His mental strength was severely depleted, and the anxiety of his desperate escape had left him incapable of manipulating external objects.
What did it mean to be the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind? Wei Yunshan finally understood. The most frustrating part was that he had known about the oriole all along, yet had no other choice. Moreover, it was clear that Chu Dingjiang wasn’t just here to reclaim the medicine—he intended to silence him permanently.
And Wei Yunshan had already become the prey, relentlessly pursued by a beast.
Four exchanges had passed between them.
A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Wei Yunshan’s mouth. He spat out the metallic taste, his voice hoarse. "I possess a martial arts manual that would be of great use to that girl. Spare me, and I’ll give it to you. As for the medicine… we can split it evenly. How does that sound?"
An Jiu lacked inner force, so refining her mental strength would be a viable path—far better than pure external cultivation. Chu Dingjiang hesitated, tempted by the offer.
Seeing his hesitation, Wei Yunshan immediately pulled out the medicine bottle and poured all the pills into his mouth, swallowing them forcefully.
"Hahaha!" He laughed wildly. "Killing me now is useless!"
Chu Dingjiang watched him, a slow smirk curling his lips.
Wei Yunshan’s laughter soon turned to agony as a searing pain burned through his esophagus, spreading rapidly to his stomach. Soon, it felt as though his organs were being shredded, cold sweat beading on his forehead as his face turned ashen.
The medicine… only the top few pills were real!
Wei Yunshan let out a bitter laugh. If he hadn’t taken one earlier, if he hadn’t been pushed to such desperation… he would never have made such a foolish move.
But it was too late for regrets now.
"All my life, I prided myself on caution and cunning… yet in the end, I was the greatest fool!" Wei Yunshan’s face twisted in agony before his body dissolved into dust, scattering into the mist.
Wei Yunshan had always been slow to realize the truth. Years of imprisonment hadn’t enlightened him. Even after being manipulated to such extremes by Wei Yuzhi, his first instinct upon escaping had been to seek him out—only to fall into another trap. Only then did he finally see that the frail young man was no rabbit, but a vicious wolf.
An Jiu observed coldly, finally understanding why Wei Yunshan had been outmaneuvered to the point of annihilation. His sheer stupidity astonished her. He had seemed so shrewd back at Misty Villa, nearly deceiving her with his tricks.
This realization sent a jolt of alarm through her. Was she even dumber?
Chu Dingjiang noticed her grim expression. "What’s wrong?"
"Chu Dingjiang… did you predict he would take the medicine?" An Jiu wanted to pry open his skull and see how his mind worked.
"Better safe than sorry." He pinched her cheek. "What’s on your mind?"
"Wei Yunshan almost fooled me." An Jiu had never considered herself a genius, but she thought she was at least reasonably sharp. This incident gnawed at her. "Am I really that stupid?"
…Stupider than Mei Jiu?"Some people are cunning but short-sighted, and they won't achieve much," Chu Dingjiang comforted her. "You're different from him."
An Jiu let out a sigh of relief.
"Such a small matter has you so worried?" Chu Dingjiang walked over and picked up the Medicine Bottle that had fallen into the grass, tucking it into his pocket.
"I heard Wei Yunshan was betrayed by his two adopted sons, lost all his Inner Force, and was trapped in a cage. This time, Wei Yuzhi must be involved too," An Jiu frowned deeply, sighing with pity. "How tragic!"
Chu Dingjiang reached out, pulling her close and gently patting her shoulder without saying a word.
The surroundings were shrouded in heavy mist, the air mixed with a burnt smell.
Not long after the two left, a group of black-clad men arrived.
After searching the area, one of them said, "The trail ends here."
"Judging by the signs of a fight over there, it must have been Wei Yunshan's doing," another added. "Quick, report back—say it's suspected that Wei Yunshan stole the Miracle drug."
"Move out!"
The group vanished into the wilderness.
...
Late at night.
The gates of Zhending Prefecture had yet to open. The guards on the city wall spotted a group of people approaching and immediately shouted, "Halt! Who goes there?"
The procession paused, and a single rider came forward. "We are escorting military provisions under orders!"
The man placed a token and documents into a bamboo basket lowered from the wall.
"Strange, I haven't heard of any military provisions passing through Zhending," the guard muttered before ordering the basket to be hauled up.
After carefully examining the documents and token, the guard confirmed their authenticity and called out, "Open the gates!"
The supply convoy immediately advanced.
As the guard looked down from the wall, his gaze swept over the carts of provisions. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one soldier's armor seemed slightly too small. Upon closer inspection, most of the soldiers' armor was ill-fitting. His heart sank, and after a moment's hesitation, he bellowed, "Stop that convoy from entering the city!"
With that, he ordered his deputy to descend the wall.
By then, most of the guards below had already been subdued. Suddenly, deafening battle cries erupted in the distance.
"Liao troops!" someone on the wall roared.
The guard commander shouted, "Archers, ready!"
A dense wave of Liao cavalry closed in within moments. Arrows rained down from the walls like a storm. Though many Liao riders fell, the city gates were already open, and the cavalry charged recklessly forward. In less than half an hour, a flood of horsemen had poured into the city.
Chaos erupted instantly within the walls.
Hebei Military Camp.
"Report—!"
The urgent cry startled everyone awake.
A soldier bearing a red flag galloped straight into the camp, dismounting only when he reached the command tent.
Guards took his weapons and allowed him inside.
The soldier dropped to one knee. "General, Zhending Prefecture has fallen!"
Ling Ziyue sprang to his feet.
Zhending was the capital of Hebei West Circuit, surrounded by counties with garrisons. How could the Liao army have breached it!?
"Summon all officers at once!" Ling Ziyue snapped as soon as he regained his composure.
Throughout the camp, torchlight suddenly flared brighter.
Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu sensed something amiss the moment they returned.
Before Chu Dingjiang could ask, Gao Dazhuang blurted out, "The Liao army has taken Zhending."
Chu Dingjiang's heart chilled. "How?"
"They found an imperial supply convoy, trailed it, and followed it straight into the city," Gao Dazhuang said through gritted teeth.The border defenses were not solely under Ling Ziyue's command. Normally, the grain and fodder sent by the imperial court would first stop at Zhending Prefecture for distribution before being dispatched to various garrisons. However, this batch of provisions was directly transported to the Hebei military camp, so logically, it shouldn't have passed through Zhending Prefecture. (To be continued...)
PS: Damn it! In my haste to post yesterday, I actually mislabeled the chapter number—it's 249, not 289!
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