The Day Had Died, Leaving Only Years and Months

"No, sir!"

Upon hearing this, the girl who had spoken at the beginning immediately scrambled to Zhu Shan's feet, rolling and crawling on all fours. She grabbed Zhu Shan's legs and cried out in a hoarse voice.

Not only her, but all the other women had the same expression, filled with fear and deep despair.

They were barely clothed, and some of the more timid ones even fainted.

The sound of wheels rolling on the ground came from afar, and soon two soldiers pushed a cart and stopped in the center of the campfire.

The cart was covered with a net made of woven iron chains.

The soldiers flung the iron net out, and it immediately spread out, stretching for more than ten meters.

Zhu Shan kicked the woman away, curled his lip, and said with disdain, "You lowly commoner of the Great Chu Kingdom, how dare you touch my armor? Get lost!"

The woman was kicked away and rolled several times before struggling to get up from the ground.

Zhu Shan ignored the woman and pointed to the iron fence on the ground, his face shining with excitement. He said, "Didn't you want me to release you? I agree, but you must pay the price."

"See these things? If you roll around ten times, I will release you."

There are sharp spikes less than an inch long on the wire mesh.

These spikes are short and small. Rolling on them once won't kill you, but if you roll on them ten times, how can human flesh and skin handle it so easily? The pain is obvious. They are covered with dense spikes, and after rolling on them ten times, they become like a sieve.

Upon seeing the barbed wire and the spikes on it, the women huddled together, each with a look of fear on their face.

They were just ordinary rural women, living in a small Border Pass village, and had never been involved in the conflict between the two countries.

They were citizens of the Great Chu Kingdom, but they always lived honest and upright lives.

I never imagined that being captured would lead to such an ending.

"Perhaps, death is the only true relief."

Several women couldn't help but feel a pang of envy when they thought of their deceased fellow villagers.

The girl who spoke first couldn't hold back any longer and stood up from the crowd, pointing at Zhu Shan.

"You are not human, you are beasts!"

"I have heard that some of you have also been captured by the Great Chu Kingdom, but you have not been subjected to such atrocities."

"Even after finding out the reason, they will release the person, but why do you treat us like this?"

It was now a foregone conclusion; they couldn't escape. The girl, for some reason, suddenly mustered a desperate courage, wanting to vent her anger and resentment before she died.

"You guys?" Zhu Shan was surprised that this woman still had the courage.

"Every country is different. Your Great Chu Kingdom still has to abide by those strict rules, but we don't need to. In our eyes, you are no different from animals."

"If you fall into the hands of the Barbarian Tribe, it won't be so easy. Have you ever experienced having your flesh sliced off piece by piece, and then watching others eat it?"

As he spoke, Zhu Shan's expression grew even more sinister.

"Whether you leave or not is up to you. If you leave, then I'll let you go."

"I'll only give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Someone, put the incense in. I'm a man of my word. If I say it's one incense stick, then it's one incense stick."

Two soldiers stepped forward and stuck the incense sticks into the ground.

Blue smoke drifted from the incense, but to these women, it seemed like a deadly poison, slowly eroding their spirits.

Hesitation and doubt were evident on everyone's face.

"Will they really let us go?"

"If it's just ten laps, at most it will cause pain, but it won't kill anyone."

A gust of wind blew by, bringing a chill.

The women, barely clothed, got goosebumps and shivered in unison.

The scene fell silent. Clearly, they were deep in thought, pondering what to do next.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn is neither long nor short.

If you're just sitting somewhere bored, time seems to drag on. But when life and death are at stake, the incense stick burns incredibly fast in the blink of an eye.

"You don't have much time left. This general is eager to see whether you want to live or die." Zhu Shan put his hands behind his back, but he couldn't hide the excitement on his face.

In his view, this was a perfectly normal thing.

Playing with the lowly people of the Great Chu Kingdom was already a rule passed down in the army, and almost everyone did it.

Sometimes Zhu Shan would think that if the Great Yue Kingdom had the same strict military discipline as the Great Chu Kingdom, he would probably have much less fun.

The incense continued to burn, its wisps of smoke drifting into the black night sky.

In the darkness far from the military camp, Xu Bai changed his form and used his divine sense to perceive what was happening.

His gaze was calm, but beneath that calm lay a terrifying depth, a depth that carried an overwhelming killing intent.

"Call..."

With a sigh of relief, Xu Bai lifted his foot and walked towards the military camp, each step covering an enormous distance.

He walked steadily with each step, without a knife in his hand, but his murderous aura remained undiminished.

He came here early tonight, his purpose being to kill.

Seeing that scene on the street that morning made him feel as if he had finally traveled through time.

This finally made him see the extreme cruelty of this world.

In the Great Chu Kingdom, rules and regulations were very strict in all aspects, and Rising Dusk King made sure that everyone in the army strictly abided by the rules, so such a thing did not happen.

But here, these things are commonplace.

Especially the piles of corpses in the morning, and the various dense wounds on the corpses, clearly showed that the group of female corpses were indeed thrown into the beggar's den when they were alive.

Xu Bai felt that he had never been a particularly kind person, but sometimes, there were things that he really couldn't tolerate.

Pity, or something else.

In short, Xu Bai wanted to kill someone tonight, especially after his soul sensed Zhu Shan's actions just now.

These things, which appear to be human on the surface, have actually long been psychologically twisted.

He had already devised a strategy and a method, and even his move today would make him more certain of obtaining the top-tier information.

Could a single assassin carry enough weight to obtain top-tier information? Xu Bai wasn't sure if it was a sure thing, but he felt it was worth adding another option.

Kill these bastards, then have the people at the Shadow Building find a scapegoat, plus that assassin, and together we'll be truly safe.

As for whether the Shadow Building will help, they definitely will.

Just as Ying Yue had said before, this was their only chance, since they had truly infiltrated the Dark Building.

Therefore, they will never give up easily, and will even erase all traces of themselves to ensure their safety.

"It can make the Shadow Building and the Dark Building fight like dogs, I can get top-notch information from it, and I can kill these bastards. It's like killing three birds with one stone."

With these thoughts in mind, Xu Bai had already approached the military camp.

Through his spiritual senses, Xu Bai detected several of the hidden sentries.

This place is not far from the Border Pass, and with the Border Pass there, the defenses here are actually quite lax.

After all, countries like the Great Chu Kingdom and the Barbarian Tribe couldn't even cross the Border Pass, so their tight defenses were useless.

Unless the Border Pass is breached, the soldiers Border Pass will return to Fallen Phoenix City to defend it, and that will be when the defenses are truly tight.

Of course, necessary precautions should still be taken.

After Xu Bai sensed it, he was preparing to eliminate these hidden sentries.

Unexpectedly, under the perception of his soul, another scene unfolded.

Suddenly, black shadows emerged from beneath the feet of the sentries, like black ropes, and then coiled around their bodies.

Soon, these sentries lost their lives.

A shadowy figure?

Xu Bai raised an eyebrow, already having a guess.

Anything related to shadows is likely the Ying Yue.

The times when Ying Yue met him were all when she emerged from the shadows.

As he was thinking this, he noticed that next to the last dead sentry, Ying Yue was slowly emerging from the black shadows.

"It really is her. Why do I feel like I can't see through this woman?"

Xu Bai originally intended to take action immediately, but now he has changed his mind.

After Ying Yue appeared, he spat and said, "You beast, good riddance!"

At this moment, they were very close to the military camp, so Ying Yue spoke very softly to avoid being discovered.

After cursing under his breath, he put his hand on the ground.

The next moment, starting from the position of Ying Yue's palm, the shadow kept interlacing between her hands, and soon spread along her palm towards the direction of the military camp.

"Since I can neither help you nor rescue you, then let you go peacefully," Ying Yue murmured to herself.

To leave in peace?

Upon hearing this, Xu Bai, who was hiding in the shadows, realized what Ying Yue was trying to do.

Even if we intervene and save these people, what can we do? Can we possibly lead them out of the Border Pass?

It's troublesome and dangerous.

What Ying Yue did was to kill these women directly, to stop them from suffering, and to at least preserve a shred of dignity before they died.

In Xu Bai's view, Zhu Shan's earlier statement to those women that they would gain freedom by rolling over those ten-meter-long Iron Thorn was just a ridiculous statement.

The pile of corpses on the cart told him that these guys would never let a single person leave alive.

"There's something strange about this woman; she's excessively compassionate."

"What could be the reason? Could she be hiding something?"

Xu Bai had originally planned to make a move, but he hasn't yet, though he's still thinking about it.

Ying Yue is from the Great Yue Kingdom and is a spy for the Shadow Building. Why would she want to save these captured women at this time? It doesn't make much sense from any perspective.

Previously on the street, Xu Bai could have attributed this woman to excessive sympathy and pity, but now it seemed she had gone a bit too far.

"Let's wait and see," Xu Bai thought to himself.

He also came to kill these people, but the situation has changed.

The black shadow moved silently forward, and in the blink of an eye, it reached the military camp without anyone noticing.

Even Xu Bai would have a hard time spotting this shadow if he didn't spread out his divine soul.

After entering the military camp, the shadow quietly slipped into the shadow of one of the soldiers, moving nimbly and stealthily within it, unseen by anyone around it.

At this moment, Zhu Shan was still there, patiently waiting for the group of women to make a decision.

He really enjoyed the feeling of having other people's lives in his own hands. He knew that if he said the word, these people would do whatever he wanted. This feeling greatly satisfied his twisted psychology.

"A person of low social standing must have the awareness of a person of low social standing."

"The Great Chu Kingdom was only established by chance after the collapse of the Great Feng Kingdom. How dare you talk about strict military discipline?"

"They're nothing but a bunch of chickens and dogs."

Zhu Shan's smile deepened, and he even imagined these women as the emperors of the Great Chu Kingdom, his perverse psychology growing ever more pronounced.

A woman stepped out from the crowd, her face filled with fear, and pointed tremblingly at the spikes on the barbed wire.

"I... I'm willing to go roll."

Thinking of the torment suffered by the women in her village this morning, the woman felt that physical pain might be less of a problem.

Once the first person stepped forward, others followed suit.

Soon, the group of timid women all expressed their willingness to go up there and roll around.

Rolling around ten meters of iron netting and Iron Thorn ten times would probably leave little flesh on your body, but it's still better than suffering that kind of torture.

Zhu Shan smiled dismissively, "Go ahead, start with you."

As soon as he said those words, the woman who had spoken first bit her lip, trembling as she approached the iron fence, preparing to squat down.

The Iron Thorn before me gleamed coldly, sending shivers down one's spine with just a glance.

The woman took a deep breath and prepared to roll over it.

Just then, the shadows hidden in the darkness finally moved, transforming into countless sharp spikes that swept towards the women.

Hiding in the shadows Ying Yue gritted her teeth, a look of reluctance in her eyes.

"Even if you roll over those spikes, they won't let you go. You will suffer even more torment. I might as well just give you a quick death."

She had been here for a long time and understood that these soldiers of the Great Yue Kingdom, who were like livestock, would not care if you were covered in blood and rolled around in the ground, and that you would still suffer that kind of terrible torture.

Therefore, rather than letting these women suffer, it's better to give them a quick death.

The Shadow Spikes, radiating coldness, was about to make contact with the group of women.

But at that moment, a white light suddenly shone around them, illuminating the entire military camp.

"Heh... I knew you'd come back, so I waited here specifically."

Zhu Shan looked at the Shadow Spikes in front of him and smiled.

As the white light illuminated the area, the Shadow Spikes had nowhere to hide and instantly dissolved.

"Shadow Controller, ha, when all of this is shrouded in light, without shadows, you have nothing."

In Zhu Shan's hand, he held a fist-sized gemstone, and the light shone from the gemstone.

"Chase them in that direction!"

Zhu Shan pointed to the spot where Ying Yue was hiding and shouted.

The soldiers around seemed to have been ready all along, raising their weapons and rushing towards Ying Yue's location.

Once the Military Formation Method is activated, a single step can cover a distance of dozens or even hundreds of steps.

Hiding in the shadows, Ying Yue witnessed this scene, gritted her teeth, and her lips moved slightly.

"Go and save them. If you can't, just kill them and give them a quick death. It's better than them suffering endless torment."

Ying Yue turned around and fled in a certain direction.

Xu Bai: "..."

He knew perfectly well who he was talking to.

"This woman, although her combat strength is not very good, her special ability is extremely powerful, and she was able to detect that I was here."

He understood why Ying Yue had done those things earlier.

This woman must have discovered her a long time ago, and did it right in front of her.

If she succeeds in killing those scantily clad women, that's fine; if she fails, she'll have Xu Bai as her accomplice.

"Hmm... how many times has this happened? I'll settle the score with you later," Xu Bai thought to himself.

In the military camp.

Most of the soldiers went to chase Ying Yue, leaving only a dozen or so men in the camp to guard the area.

The women dared not make a move, even though there were only a dozen or so people there, each of them holding a terrifying weapon.

One of the soldiers licked his lips. "The general has gone after that guy. Why don't we catch one and have some fun?"

Another soldier said, "Why only capture one? We can easily divide them up; the general doesn't care about such things."

"Hey, what do you know? Letting one of them be constantly attacked by ten of us... that's what would make them despair!"

"I see, you really know how to do these things."

The soldiers chuckled, their eyes lingering on the group of women until they found the prettiest one and slowly walked forward.

The women huddled together and retreated quickly.

"What do you want? We agreed to roll over that iron fence. You said you would let us go as long as we rolled over it."

"Let them go?" the soldier scoffed. "Do you really think we'll let them go? You're dreaming."

Upon hearing this, everyone present turned pale.

A woman was pulled out by the soldiers and they prepared to start undressing her.

The woman struggled frantically, but to no avail; she had very little strength.

Her face was filled with despair, and she closed her eyes as if resigned to her fate.

"More than ten people... who can save me?"

The despair in my heart is gradually spreading.

Just then, a gasp rang out from the crowd. She realized that the strength in her hand had disappeared, and after the gasp, there was silence.

The woman couldn't help but open her eyes, and saw the heads of more than a dozen soldiers in front of her fall to the ground, roll around once, their eyes wide open, still in pain before they died.

Behind the headless corpse, an ordinary-looking man dressed in ordinary clothes slowly walked towards them.

"You... you..."

The woman didn't know what to say, she just kept repeating herself, stunned by the scene before her.

Xu Bai said calmly, "Come out."

He uttered this simple sentence not to everyone present, but while looking in a certain direction.

The shadow twisted and turned, and soon Ying Yue emerged from it. Before she could speak, Xu Bai grabbed her by the neck.

"A brilliant plan, no wonder it's Shadow Building." Xu Bai said slowly, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"First, he deliberately showed up, then he acted as if he was going to kill these women and give them a quick death, all just to show me."

"You're doing this to make me believe you've already escaped, right?"

"Then you can quietly hide to the side and see if I have any flaws, so as to guess my true identity."

With each word she spoke, Ying Yue's face grew paler.

Xu Bai had always been puzzled, and what he couldn't understand the most was why it was such a coincidence today.

Later, he changed his approach. If everything revolves around him, then things become quite normal.

Ying Yue deliberately revealed her intention to kill these women in front of Xu Bai, and even whispered it aloud, saying she wanted to give them a quick death.

To put it simply, all of this was a performance for Xu Bai's benefit, designed to create a sense of realism.

After all, we are currently in the Great Yue Kingdom, and it is impossible to take these women away from the Border Pass.

Therefore, killing them directly is better.

This sense of realism will make Xu Bai believe that Ying Yue is right now.

Ying Yue didn't actually leave, or rather, the one who left wasn't Ying Yue.

"Being able to control shadows, that thing must be related to shadows, right?" Xu Bai said with a smile.

Although he was smiling, there was a murderous aura on his face.

Ying Yue shivered. She had no doubt that if she answered too late, she would lose her head.

"You want me to knock them all out? I'm telling you, what happens next must never be known to anyone else."

Xu Bai didn't let go, but tilted his head, meaning you do it yourself.

Ying Yue manipulated shadows, covering the group of women, whose eyes rolled back and they fainted on the spot.

Then, Ying Yue raised her right hand and punched her chest.

Nothing special.

"Shadow Ying Yue, Bureau of Surveillance Hidden Agent."

A simple sentence came from Ying Yue's mouth.

Xu Bai was taken aback, but quickly recovered. "What do you mean?"

"It was no coincidence that we met. How could we possibly run into each other on our first meeting? Think about it carefully," Ying Yue continued.

Xu Bai released his grip, frowning.

In his mind, the scene of his first meeting with Ying Yue kept coming together.

The first time was when he killed the spy from the Dark Building.

If you look at it carefully, you'll find that it was too much of a coincidence.

"I am Chief Mu's daughter." Ying Yue added, "He made me do all of this, deliberately bringing me together with you. He also said that you could get the information for the top-tier case."

Chief Mu?

As Xu Bai uttered those three words, he gazed intently at Ying Yue.

"I cannot determine whether what you said is true or false."

"But there is one way to be sure: let me control my soul."

Xu Bai knew that Ying Yue could shield him from the control of his soul, but if she let go, he could still control her.

"What if I disagree?" Ying Yue asked tentatively.

Xu Bai laughed and said, "My patience has its limits. If you don't agree, then I will have no choice but to reluctantly kill you here."

Although he wore a faint smile, his words were laced with murderous intent.

Ying Yue knew very well that if she didn't do as Xu Bai said, she would really become a corpse the next moment.

Thinking of this, she closed her eyes.

"Bring it on."

His expression made it seem as if Xu Bai was about to do something against all reason.

Without hesitation, Xu Bai immediately used the Soul Control Technique.

The next moment, Ying Yue's eyes became completely vacant.

As a master of using his divine soul, Xu Bai could sense that Ying Yue was now under his control.

"Was what you just saying true or false?" Xu Bai asked.

Ying Yue said slowly, "It's true."

These three simple words already indicate that everything said before is true.

Xu Bai released his control over the soul.

We're still in the enemy's camp, a place fraught with danger, so it's not a good time to ask too many questions.

He only needed one result, and now he has obtained that result.

As for what happens next, it's not too late to talk about it once we find a safe place.

He originally intended to kill everyone in the military camp, but now was not the right time to act, because Ying Yue seemed unaware of his true identity.

The chaotic characteristics of the Heavenly Change were far too obvious.

There will be plenty of time to kill people later.

Ying Yue quickly recovered and realized that the situation was not right. She hurriedly said, "Take the person away first, we can talk later."

Xu Bai nodded.

Ying Yue raised her fair index finger and pointed it at the group of unconscious women.

A shadow suddenly appeared, enveloping the group of women before vanishing without a trace.

"My special ability allows me to hide Dong XZ in my shadow. Let's get out of here first," Ying Yue explained, then hurriedly headed towards a certain place. "Hurry, my shadow can't hold them off for long. They'll be back soon."

Xu Bai didn't waste any words and followed behind.

After they left, there was a commotion in the military camp. Zhu Shan returned to the camp with over a hundred soldiers. Looking at the empty space, his face was gloomy.

He had chased after it for so long, only to find a shadow in the end. He knew he had fallen into a trap and quickly ran back, but it was too late.

"Shadow Controller!" Zhu Shan said grimly, "I will catch you. As long as you are in Fallen Phoenix City, you won't escape!"

Zhu Shan's voice echoed in the deep night sky.

The Capital City the Great Chu Kingdom.

Chief Mu, with his white hair, held a white chess piece in his hand, preparing to place it on the chessboard.

There was no one on the other side; he was playing against himself.

Suddenly, a person emerged from the corner of the room.

The man was dressed plainly, but he was middle-aged and possessed an extraordinary aura.

—The Extraordinary Realm.

"My lord, Ying Yue has revealed her identity to King Xu, and everything is proceeding according to plan."

"Understood." Chief Mu frowned, not looking up. After hesitating for a moment, he placed the white pieces in one of the corners.

After waiting for a while, Chief Mu raised his head and looked at the middle-aged man who was still standing in the same place, his brows furrowing even more.

Why don't you leave?

"My lord, I don't understand." The middle-aged man said respectfully, "Why go through so many roundabout ways? Why make Ying Yue reveal her identity herself? Why not just tell Xu Bai directly from the beginning?"

Chief Mu smiled and said meaningfully, "Don't you think this is unnecessary?"

The middle-aged man remained silent; as a subordinate, it was not appropriate to directly point it out at this time.

But he didn't speak; everything was understood without being said.

Chief Mu waved his sleeve, and the chessboard in front of him automatically returned to its original position. The black pieces fell into one of the chess boxes, and the other white pieces fell into the other chess box.

He stood up, went to the window, and looked at the masses of people outside.

"I left Ying Yue a way out. Originally, it was a certain death, but now it's a nine out of ten chance of survival."

Middle-aged people still don't understand.

Chief Mu continued, "If Ying Yue doesn't go to save those people today, she won't live; she'll only die."

"Why?" the middle-aged man asked.

Chief Mu raised his hand but did not speak.

The middle-aged man was very knowledgeable about these things. He took out a teacup from the side and handed it to Chief Mu.

Chief Mu took a sip.

"From childhood to adulthood, she has always stayed in the Great Yue Kingdom. Although she is our spy, what I want to know is whether her heart is still in the Great Yue Kingdom."

What are the principles of our Great Chu Kingdom?

The middle-aged man thought for a moment and said, "The people are the most important. Although there are still many dirty places, most people have done their part."

When a group has a large enough population, some unsavory phenomena are inevitable. It is impossible to guarantee 100% cleanliness, but at least the Great Chu Kingdom can maintain a high level of cleanliness.

Chief Mu said, "So I need to take this opportunity to see her. If I go to rescue her, it will prove that Ying Yue still has principles and has not been corrupted by the Great Yue Kingdom."

"What if there isn't one?"

"No?" Chief Mu's eyes remained calm. "I will have someone kill her, and then send someone else instead."

"Me?" the middle-aged man asked.

Chief Mu nodded.

After pondering for a long time, the middle-aged man finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Sister... is there any way for her to survive?"

Chief Mu patted the middle-aged man on the shoulder and said, "Ying Nian, she has a slim chance of survival. It all depends on whether Xu Bai can help her survive."

Mu Yingnian remained silent.

"Do you hate me? You even scheme against your own children?" Chief Mu asked.

Mu Yingnian did not respond.

Chief Mu continued, "All of this is for the sake of the common people."

"I've been planning this for so many years, and I even included you and your sister in this plan. I have to make sure it goes perfectly."

"Now my chance has come. If your sister can shoulder this responsibility, then let her go. If she can't, then you go. This is destiny."

"I am in this position, enjoying the admiration of the people and the life of luxury, so I must do my own thing. You are the same. You are my children, so you must do what you should do, even if it means dying."

Mu Yingnian quickly clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute. "Yes, sir!"

"Since no one is around today, please call me Father," Chief Mu sighed.

Mu Yingnian said, "Father!"

Chief Mu seemed uninterested and waved his hand, as if he didn't intend to say anything more.

Mu Yingnian didn't say anything more and turned to leave, but before leaving, he looked back at his father.

Beneath that white-haired figure, there always seemed to be an indescribable sense of loneliness.

On that day, they were the three children of Chief Mu.

The sun is dead; only years and months remain.

This old man spent decades devising a plan for the sake of the Great Chu Kingdom, even sacrificing his descendants in the process.

"Is it worth it?" Mu Yingnian muttered to himself.

A medicinal herb shop in the Great Yue Kingdom.

Xu Bai sat upright in his chair, looked at Ying Yue in front of him, and calmly took a sip of tea.

"Tell me, what kind of news is it that deserves your attention so much?"