June 15th.
...
Snow fell heavily at Gu Xiao Pass, as if the entire world's seasons were condensed into one endless winter.
Within the pass, the contiguous encampments and military tents had been dismantled. Fifty-three million Yunzhou cavalry, twenty million Yanzhou armored soldiers, and twenty million Ningzhou armored soldiers, a combined force of ninety-three million troops, surged forward, poised for battle.
At dawn, the aged general Yue Hao, clad in armor and a golden marshal's cloak, rode his warhorse through Gu Xiao Pass. This moment marked humanity's first proactive offensive against the four northern tribes.
Behind Yue Hao, eleven golden-armored generals followed closely, the eleven grand governors.
These generals hailed from various prefectures, each a first-rank grand governor. After the Great Shang unified the realm, grand governors were appointed to control local armies. However, to prevent excessive military power, an imperial decree was issued across all prefectures: no grand governor could command more than one hundred thousand troops, or face severe punishment. Thus, in the three northern prefectures, there were eleven grand governors, all renowned generals of their time.
The seven leading them, each mounted on a swift steed and clad in golden armor, five men and two women, were the seven grand governors from Yunzhou: Lin Wuyang, Li Xuanji, Zhou Congyu, Li Ji, Luo Chong, Ning Ze, and Wen Tingwan. To their left were two grand governors from Yanzhou, Han Shanyi and Yang Zhi, and to their right were two grand governors from Ningzhou, Qin Yiran and Zhao Cong. This group commanded nearly a million troops from the three northern prefectures, wielding considerable influence.
At this moment, they were prepared to follow Marshal Yue Hao to their deaths.
"My Lord!"
Qin Yiran spurred his horse forward, riding alongside Yue Hao. "The armored troops should advance first, followed by the cavalry, to ensure coordinated infantry and cavalry operations. Otherwise, the Yunzhou cavalry might lose the cover and support of the armored units."
"A surprise attack relies on catching them off guard."
Yue Hao frowned. "We have borrowed over a thousand Mo family earth masters from the Mo family's ancestral home to obscure all traces within hundreds of miles of Gu Xiao Pass. This is precisely to catch the demon race by surprise. Our vanguard has sent word that the main demon army is hundreds of miles to our northwest, with as many as fourteen encampments. Our cavalry can sweep through these camps overnight. If we wait for the armored troops to march together, we will lose our chance."
"Understood!"
Qin Yiran nodded.
"Yiran..."
Yue Hao smiled faintly. "I will lead the seven Yunzhou grand governors to charge into the demon encampments at the fastest speed to engage them in decisive battle. You are to lead the forty million armored troops from Yanzhou and Ningzhou to follow as quickly as possible. The lives of the fifty-three million Yunzhou cavalry rest entirely in your hands."
"Yes, your subordinate will certainly not disappoint you, my Lord!"
"Good!"
Yue Hao raised his hand. Immediately, the fifty-three million Yunzhou cavalry surged forward, emerging from Gu Xiao Pass. They spread across the vast snowy expanse like an endless tide, heading straight for the densely packed demon army encampments.
...
Early morning.
Lin Zhao rode his horse to Luoxia Valley, but the sun had already risen, so Zhang Xicheng and the others were nowhere to be seen. Lin Zhao cupped his fists towards Luoxia Valley from his warhorse and then rode away. A day later, he arrived at Xi Jian River. The young man led his warhorse to the riverbank, looked at the winter waters of the river, and lightly tapped the ground, smiling, "Aunt, I'm back."
"Good!"
Above the river, strands of golden light flowed, transforming into an exquisite figure. It was the River God's wife, Lin Xingchu, clad in golden armor and a golden cloak, with a golden greatsword at her waist. When Lin Xingchu saw the young man by the river, her face immediately broke into a gentle smile. "My little Zhao must have gained a lot on this journey~~~"
Lin Zhao felt a little embarrassed, scratched his head, and smiled, "Both my martial and sword cultivation have broken through. It's not bad, not bad. I asked Aunt to come because I need a favor – to help me cross the river, can you?"
"A trivial matter."
Lin Xingchu laid her sword across the Xi Jian River, instantly transforming it into a golden bridge. Lin Zhao carefully led his warhorse across.
"Little Zhao."
Lin Xingchu looked at him. "Won't you stay for a few more days? Aunt has many things to tell you..."
Lin Zhao pursed his lips, cupped his fists towards his aunt to apologize, and said, "Aunt, there might be movement in the north. I dare not delay further and must return to Tianchi Ridge to await orders. When peace returns... when peace returns, I will visit Aunt often. I only fear that Aunt will eventually find me tiresome."
Lin Xingchu chuckled, "How could that be? Aunt wishes you would stay forever. Next time... remember to bring the girl you love. Aunt will certainly entertain her well."
"Oh!"
Lin Zhao's mind conjured the face of Chen Yu, the eldest princess of the Great Chen Dynasty. His face immediately turned red, and he turned to bid farewell and leave.
Dusk, passing by Tongjing Lake.
When Lin Zhao returned with his warhorse, the Peach Blossom Demon Han Yurou and the Reed Flower Demon emerged from Tongjing Lake. Han Yurou, as a peach blossom demon, was still breathtakingly beautiful. She curtsied and smiled, "Young Master, you're back!"
"Yes!"
Lin Zhao walked forward with a smile.
"Reed Flower!"
Han Yurou chuckled, "Quickly cook a few of your signature dishes. I want to have a drink with Young Master!"
"Alright, it will be ready soon."
The Reed Flower Demon turned and left.
Lin Zhao led his warhorse into the cave dwelling. Soon, the table was filled with river delicacies and home-style dishes. Lin Zhao felt his appetite awaken. He picked up his chopsticks and wine cup, quickly finishing the meal. Beside him, the Peach Blossom Demon kept him company, her face smiling like a flower.
After eating, Lin Zhao stood up and said, "Actually, I saw him on this trip."
"Who?"
The Peach Blossom Demon was startled.
"Your 'him'," Lin Zhao said.
"You mean Zhang Xicheng, right?"
"Yes..."
The Peach Blossom Demon immediately became tearful. "Young Master, how is he?"
"He died in battle a long time ago. His situation is not much better than yours."
Lin Zhao continued, "He is now leading a Legion of Heroes of the Xia clan, stationed a thousand miles away in a place called Luoxia Valley, guarding humanity's mountains and rivers, fighting against demons and devils. He told me that he cannot come to see you because his bones are buried beneath the green hills along with tens of thousands of soldiers, indistinguishable. If he set out at night and did not arrive before dawn, his soul would automatically return to the burial ground at dawn. And that place is a thousand miles from here; he cannot travel that far in one night."
"I..."
The Peach Blossom Demon was heartbroken.
Lin Zhao took out a stack of letters from his懷, "These are letters he wrote to you. Read them slowly. If you wish to reply, do so after you finish reading. I will wait for you here. But I cannot guarantee when my next trip to Fusu Great Wall will be. There will be war in the north, and I might not even know if I will survive."
"Yes... yes..."
The Peach Blossom Demon slowly read the letters, crying more intensely as she read. After a long while, she picked up a brush and paper and wrote a thick stack of replies. Lin Zhao tucked them into his robes, bid farewell, and left, riding his warhorse directly towards Tianchi Lake in the snowy region. At this moment, an overwhelming longing for home filled his mind; he missed Xiao Jiao'er and Xiao Shitong terribly.
...
Meanwhile, in the northern border.
At dusk, heavy snow continued to fall. The sky gradually darkened. Amidst the snow, demon encampments stretched in all directions. Approximately every two hundred thousand demon troops formed one encampment. At this moment, the demon soldiers were resting within their tents. They had received orders to garrison here long ago, but there were no further commands.
Soon after, the ground began to tremble slightly.
"Hmm?"
A demon cultivator standing on a watchtower squinted towards the distance. "What was that? It sounds like the hooves of cavalry? Many, and rather chaotic."
"Yes."
A demon soldier beside him frowned. "That's odd... Among our four northern tribes, only those demons have cavalry. Could it be the demons coming?"
"What are they coming for? We barely have enough to eat. Those guys who call themselves gods... tell them to get lost!"
"Exactly!"
However, a few minutes later, a dark mass of human cavalry appeared before their eyes.
"Not good!"
The demon cultivator roared, "It's human cavalry! Relay the message to the entire army, human cavalry has arrived!"
On the ground, countless Yunzhou cavalry rolled forward, directly crushing the encampment gate. Immediately, flashes of sword light and spear light flickered. Amidst spurting blood, the unsuspecting demon army was almost wiped out. Those demons who had not yet managed to pick up their weapons or don their armor were cut down and rolled around the snow by the white sword light.
In the falling snow, hundreds of thousands of Yunzhou cavalry seemed to descend from the heavens, instantly reaching the central command of the demon encampment.
"Scoundrel!"
Inside the military tent, an eleventh-realm great demon suddenly stood up. As he stepped out of the tent, he was met with a fiery red fist print descending from the heavens, thrown by the human marshal Yue Hao, a cultivator of the Tianyuan realm!
"Boom!"
This eleventh-realm great demon had no time to retaliate before being blasted back into the tent. Subsequently, the human cavalry surged forth, and the cultivators hidden within the cavalry unleashed their spells, tearing the entire demon commander's tent to shreds. Under the rolling heavenly might of this cavalry formation, the eleventh-realm great demon was utterly defenseless!
"Full deployment!"
Yue Hao emerged from the demon encampment, holding the bloody head of the eleventh-realm great demon, and shouted, "The fifty-three million Yunzhou cavalry will be divided into seven attack lines, one for each grand governor, simultaneously assaulting their three encampments!"
"Yes, my Lord!"
On the ground, five hundred thousand cavalry surged forward, and the demon race was caught completely off guard and slaughtered.
...
Snowy Region Tianchi.
Under the moonlight, Leng Yan, who had just returned from leveling up in the north, looked exhausted. After repairing her equipment and buying potions at the NPC camp north of the town, she entered the town and then came to the stone bridge south of the town, where she sat looking at the moonlight.
It was simply too boring. There was nothing to do even after logging off, so why not enjoy the scenery in the game, and also... wait for that person?
Soon after, the sound of horse hooves echoed.
Under the moonlight, a young man with an ancient sword and a bamboo basket on his back, clad in a green cloak, rode his horse onto the stone bridge. At this moment, his body exuded a flowing fist intent, making him seem like a young hero.
"Ah?"
Leng Yan saw him and was so excited she could barely speak.
"Hmm?"
Lin Zhao stopped his horse and, seeing Leng Yan, felt a sense of familiarity. He dismounted and cupped his fists, smiling, "Miss Leng, you're here! Long time no see!"
"Yes!"
Leng Yan nodded emphatically, "Long time no see. You're back?"
"Yes!"
Lin Zhao asked, "Have you eaten dinner?"
"Yes, I have..."
"Then I'm going home to eat. I'm so hungry. We'll chat later!"
The person remounted his horse and galloped away.
Leng Yan stomped her feet in anger. Was going home to eat so important? Couldn't he have stayed to talk a bit longer?!