Night Fiend's Fright

That arrow shattered the battlements, and with it, the last breath of hope the defenders had managed to muster.

Night had fallen, but Black Stone County did not sleep.

A bonfire burned every ten paces along the city walls, illuminating the ramparts as bright as day. This wasn't for warmth, but to guard against the Wolf Cavalry, who were as adept at night raids as ghosts.

Ji Ye leaned in the blind spot of a watchtower, holding half a cold, hard steamed bun and chewing mechanically.

His gaze never left the giant arrow impaled on the pillar. The shaft was as thick as a thumb, made entirely of iron, and the fletching was from eagle feathers.

"Organ Tempering realm..."

Ji Ye swallowed the bun, feeling as if he'd swallowed a piece of iron.

That was the third stage of martial arts: a long-lasting internal breath, resilient organs, immense strength, and precision. On the battlefield, such individuals were mobile fortresses. As long as Ji Ye dared to show his head and command, the next arrow would surely pierce his skull.

"Boss, have some water."

Pockmarked hobbled over, offering a waterskin. His left leg had been grazed by a stray arrow, hastily bandaged, and was still bleeding.

"What are the casualties?" Ji Ye took the waterskin but didn't drink. He first used it to cool his scorching spear shaft.

"Fifty-six dead, over a hundred wounded," Pockmarked said in a low voice. "Mainly during the first wave filling the moat. Our men faltered... and the barbarians took the chance to climb up and cut down quite a few."

Hesitation came at a price.

"Tell the men not to hold back," Ji Ye pointed below the city walls. "Rolling logs, rocks, night soil. If we run out, tear down houses, then tear down the yamen. As long as it can kill someone, you can even throw me down."

"Yes."

Just then, a dull creaking sound came from the darkness below the city.

It was the sound of heavy objects crushing frozen earth.

Ji Ye's eyes narrowed. He pressed himself to the ground to listen.

"Battering rams."

The barbarians hadn't rested; they'd brought out the heavy equipment.

Several battering rams, covered in thick raw hides and resembling monstrous beasts, slowly advanced towards the city gate under the cover of night. The raw hides had been doused with water and frozen over, making them slippery and impossible for fire arrows to ignite. Ordinary rocks would bounce off them.

Once they reached the city gate, the battering rams inside could shatter it into pieces within the time it took half an incense stick to burn.

"Fire arrows!"

Pockmarked roared.

A volley of arrows rained down, but under the protection of the battering rams, the barbarian soldiers were unharmed. Instead, they let out strange cries from behind the vehicles.

"It's useless."

Ji Ye stood up and tightened his sable fur coat.

Conventional methods couldn't breach these turtle shells.

"Bring that thing up," Ji Ye turned and ordered.

A moment later, several strong men carefully carried over a dozen sealed pottery jars to the ramparts. The jars were heavy, and the sound of liquid sloshing could be heard as they moved.

This was Fierce Fire Oil, recovered from the Black Tiger Gang's secret vault.

Zhao Hei Hu had originally intended to sell it at a high price to the barbarians to attack Da Liang's fortified cities. Now, it was returning to its rightful owners.

"Boss, will this stuff really work?" Pockmarked sounded doubtful.

"We'll know when we try."

Ji Ye picked up two pottery jars, feeling their weight.

The battering rams had approached the remains of the drawbridge over the moat. The barbarian soldiers were attempting to lay down planks to allow the rams to cross.

"Launch!"

Ji Ye wasted no words. With a surge of strength in his arms, he hurled the pottery jars outwards.

Empowered by Triple Brute Force, the jars flew like stones from a catapult, tracing a precise parabolic arc.

"Bang! Bang!"

The pottery jars smashed against the raw hide roofs of the battering rams, instantly shattering. A dark brown, viscous liquid spread out, emitting a pungent odor.

The barbarian soldiers below were stunned for a moment, thinking it was night soil. They instinctively raised their shields to block.

Then, more pottery jars fell.

Some hit the rams, some hit the ground, and the black oil flowed past the barbarians' ankles.

"Ignite."

Ji Ye grabbed a torch from a nearby brazier and tossed it down casually.

The torch tumbled through the air, and the moment it landed in the black oil.

"BOOM—!!!"

It wasn't combustion; it was an explosion.

Flames of orange-red instantly surged thirty feet high, like an awakened fire dragon, engulfing the battering rams and dozens of barbarian soldiers around them.

Fierce Fire Oil has extremely strong adhesion; it burns wherever it sticks, and water cannot extinguish it. Instead, it spreads with the water flow.

"Aaaah--!!!"

Screams instantly tore through the night sky.

The barbarian soldiers hiding under the battering rams turned into fireballs. They rolled frantically, jumping into the moat, but the flames continued to burn on the water's surface, boiling the river.

The stench of burnt flesh mixed with the black smoke of Fierce Fire Oil wafted straight towards the city walls.

The defenders stared blankly at the scene, so shocked by this hellish spectacle that they were speechless.

This was the power of Fierce Fire Oil.

In this era of cold weapons, this was a biological weapon that brought a dimensional advantage.

In the distant barbarian camp.

The giant commander watched the wall of fire rising ahead. His previously playful expression finally vanished, replaced by a look of solemnity and rage.

"Fierce Fire Oil..."

He recognized this thing. This was supposed to be a gift from the Black Tiger Gang.

"That Ji Ye, I'm going to skin him alive."

The giant slowly put down the wine cup in his hand, and it turned to powder.

"Pass down the order: Wolf Cavalry dismount and fight on foot."

"No quarter tonight. Even if you have to gnaw with your teeth, you will chew through this city wall for me."

As the military order was issued, countless pairs of green eyes lit up in the darkness.

Thousands of elite barbarians abandoned their warhorses, curved sabers held in their mouths. Like a pack of wolves, they used the cover of night and smoke to launch a silent charge towards the city walls.

There were no shouts, only a suffocating killing intent.

The real night battle had begun.

Ji Ye watched the figures appearing and disappearing in the smoke, gripping his iron spear tightly.

"Everyone, draw your swords."

"Prepare for close combat."

What followed would be the true meat grinder.