Before the battle even began, Lin Feng clearly sensed that the morale of the Yan Pass defenders, which had been passable moments ago, suddenly dropped significantly. The morale stirred up by Garrison General Pan Feng had swiftly evaporated in the face of this real battlefield. The excitement just now was gone, replaced by pale, fearful expressions.
But Lin Feng wasn’t the least bit concerned about how his fellow soldiers were reacting. His eyes remained locked on the incoming Blood Wolf Army, refusing to look away. Even though the enemy was an A-rank elite force, in Lin Feng’s eyes, they weren’t enemies at all—they were walking “Slaughter Point vaults,” precious gifts sent to him for harvest. He could hardly wait to kill them, so how could he possibly fear them?
At the same time, on the city tower, Garrison General Pan Feng was still wearing the same golden light armor he had worn the past two days instead of switching to heavy armor. The higher a martial artist’s cultivation, the less useful external equipment became. Wearing heavy armor would only hinder his combat abilities.
Now, looking at the Blood Wolf Army surrounding all four walls of the city—north, south, east, and west—Pan Feng’s mouth twitched, his brows furrowed with deep worry. “How are we supposed to win this? If we can hold out, it’ll be nothing short of a miracle…”
In that moment, Pan Feng’s thoughts drifted back to a few days prior.
That day, the Northern Frontier’s highest commander, General of the North Yan Nantian, had come secretly and delivered some troubling news. “Pan Feng, we’ve confirmed it—the Northern Barbarians are launching a full-scale assault, not just on Yan Pass.”
“All border areas are under imminent threat. I need you and the garrison of Yan Pass to hold out for ten days.”
“Reinforcements will arrive in ten days.”
“But if the city falls before then, you’ll be remembered as a traitor to the Great Zhou. However, if you’re still standing when the reinforcements arrive, I’ll personally ask the Emperor to reward you.”
“Rest assured, General. As long as I, Pan Feng, still draw breath, the enemy will not step one foot across Yan Pass!”
…
The memory cut off there.
Standing atop the city wall, the worry on Pan Feng’s face suddenly vanished, and his gaze grew resolute. He slammed his calloused right hand heavily onto the wall before him, and with a loud clang, his gleaming blade was drawn from his waist.
At this moment, Pan Feng’s eyes gleamed with fearless determination as he shouted, “If the city stands, I live! If the city falls, I die!”
…
At the same time, in the village, a sharp and urgent horn sounded.
He Caiwei’s earlobes twitched. She walked directly to the window, her gaze full of worry as she stared into the direction of Yan Pass’s city walls. She clasped her hands over her chest and murmured, “It’s already begun?”
Because she had once been captured by the Northern Barbarians, He Caiwei knew better than most just how terrifying they were.
“Husband, please come back… come back safe and sound. I pray to all the gods and Buddhas of heaven…”
She had wandered from place to place, displaced and without refuge, and had long stopped believing in gods or spirits. But now, for Lin Feng’s sake, she silently prayed—just to offer whatever strength she could.
She saw that the villagers were all packing their belongings—it was clear they were preparing to flee and avoid the chaos of war. Even her neighbors, like Second Aunt, Carpenter Liu, and the hunter Zhang Lie, were hurriedly gathering supplies.
Once the battle began, it would be fine if they won. But if they lost, the garrison would be wiped out, and the civilians wouldn’t fare much better.
Seeing He Caiwei come out, the few neighbors who had interacted with her in recent days all came forward to urge her to pack up and leave quickly.
“You silly girl, why are you still standing around? Hurry and grab your things and run! If Yan Pass falls, none of us will be able to escape,” Second Aunt said anxiously.
Carpenter Liu and Zhang Lie also approached to kindly remind her, “My man went into town yesterday and heard the invading barbarians are elite A-rank troops. They’re terrifying. Just the few soldiers at Yan Pass aren’t enough to hold them.”
“You’re a pretty girl, even with heterochromia. Go somewhere else—you can still survive and make a living.”
“Staying alive is the most important thing.”
…
“Second Aunt, Master Liu, Brother Zhang,” He Caiwei said, parting her lips slightly. After taking a deep breath, she looked at the three and sincerely said, “You’re all good people. Besides my husband, you’re the only ones willing to help someone as ‘unlucky’ as me.”
She held no grudge for how they had distanced themselves before. It was only human nature. Had it been her in their position, she probably would’ve done the same.
“You should all go quickly. As for me, I’ll stay and wait for my husband to return.”
He Caiwei’s eyes were filled with determination.
After saying that, she no longer spoke with the three and turned to head back inside.
“My husband will definitely be fine…”
“He’s a 3rd grade martial artist, and so strong… he’ll definitely, definitely be okay…”
Back in her room, He Caiwei kept repeating these words in her heart. Yet she couldn’t help but worry for Lin Feng’s safety.
As a noble’s daughter, she had certainly heard of the Blood Wolf Army, the Northern Barbarians’ A-rank elite force. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
All she could hope now was that reinforcements would arrive soon—to save Yan Pass from peril…
Signal fires blazed atop the city walls.
Smoke billowed into the sky, drifting in every direction. The garrison on all four sides of the wall was now fully prepared for combat.
Looking out, one could see spears, sharp arrows, bolts, rolling stones, wooden logs, and fire oil all readied along the walls.
Lin Feng stood on the eastern side of the city wall.
After the initial excitement wore off and the adrenaline faded, he finally began to calm down.
The Heaven-Slaughter Blade Technique was ideal for close combat. If he wanted to rack up Slaughter Points, he had two options—wait for the enemy to climb the walls, or use a bow to kill from a distance.
But whether by coincidence or intent, when it came time to distribute bows, Wang Erhu just happened to run out right when it was Lin Feng’s turn.
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes, a faint smile curling at his lips. He turned to Jiang Yi—the only one in the unit who had some rapport with him—and reached out his hand.
“Brother Feng, this is my first time holding a bow. I haven’t even fired a single shot yet. Can you let me have a try first?” Jiang Yi pleaded pitifully, as if the bow had originally belonged to Lin Feng.
But Lin Feng was blunt. He snatched the bow without hesitation and warned, “If the enemy breaches the walls later, stay behind me. Stay sharp, got it?”
“Got it, Brother Feng!” Jiang Yi grinned from ear to ear after hearing that.
Lin Feng tested the bow’s weight and found it decent.
A one-stone bow weighed 60 kilograms. Even for a grown man, drawing it required significant effort. But to Lin Feng, a genuine 3rd grade martial artist, it was no challenge at all.
In the army, aside from one-stone bows, there were also two-stone and three-stone bows. A three-stone bow had triple the draw strength of a normal adult man and counted as top-tier equipment within Yan Pass, reserved only for a few Decurions and Centurions.
At this moment, Jiang Yi stole a glance at Lin Feng, feeling a bit reassured.
Others might not know how much Lin Feng had changed since returning to camp, but he, who spent every day with Lin Feng—even training side by side—couldn’t help but notice.
In Jiang Yi’s mind, Lin Feng had already broken through and become a martial artist. As long as they won this tough battle, he’d definitely be promoted.
After all, even during training, many Grade A soldiers hadn’t been as good as Lin Feng.
No matter what happened next, Jiang Yi had made up his mind—he was sticking to Lin Feng like glue!