My Army's Chief Commandant, Spotted on the Enemy City Wall!

Zhao Cheng remained unhurried. "All right, we'll go with you."

Feng Quan and Feng Ruo were alarmed. They were Qin Army spies, and couldn't withstand a thorough investigation.

The city had household registers and official records. If anyone checked them, the records wouldn't match, and their identities would be exposed.

What were they supposed to do?

Feng Quan and Feng Ruo both grew anxious.

But Zhao Cheng wasn't worried at all. Unlike the others, he knew the truth.

He had already burned all the household registers and official records in the city to ashes.

Trying to investigate their identities through those records was wishful thinking.

Seeing how relaxed and composed Zhao Cheng was, the soldier let down his guard a little. "Let's go."

Zhao Cheng followed him forward and said, "There's one more thing I need to report to your lord. Yesterday, the Centurion from the north of the city assigned us a task. He ordered us to go into the mountains today, hunt some game, and offer it to the general, then roast some meat for him."

"It concerns the general, so we wouldn't dare delay for even a moment. We're afraid we couldn't bear the responsibility."

"Please help us pass along a message and tell him we can't go this morning."

The soldier froze, his face showing his dilemma.

He hadn't expected these hunters and woodcutters to have a connection to the general.

Anything concerning the general wasn't a small matter to him. The hunters couldn't bear the responsibility, and neither could he.

"This..." He asked, "Are you sure you know the Centurion from the north of the city?"

Zhao Cheng said, "Yesterday, I roasted roe deer and wild rabbit for Lord Xu. Lord Xu even praised my cooking. Otherwise, how would I have the honor of roasting meat for the general?"

Xu Shan was on friendly terms with General Han; that was no secret. The soldier had heard about it too. After hearing Zhao Cheng's explanation, he also felt it sounded like something Xu Shan would do.

After thinking it over, he said, "Then come with me to Lord Xu in the north of the city so we can verify it. If you're lying, you'll be executed on the spot!"

Zhao Cheng readily agreed.

The soldier led the three of them toward the north of the city. Whenever they encountered the strict patrols and checkpoints along the way, he explained the situation.

Before long, Zhao Cheng and the others arrived in the north of the city.

As soon as he saw Xu Shan, the soldier immediately explained the situation. Xu Shan burst out laughing.

Looking at Zhao Cheng and the other two, he said, "You three sure have nerves of steel. There was such a commotion last night, and you slept right through until dawn."

"All right, I gave that order. This lad's a fine hand at roasting meat. The general's been in low spirits lately; some roasted meat might cheer him up."

The soldier was reassured. He saluted and left.

Xu Shan then gave Zhao Cheng another order, telling him to bring back at least two wild roe deer before noon. After that, he let Zhao Cheng leave the city and enter the mountains.

Once they entered the woods, the three of them went deeper and deeper, and soon spotted the signs and signals left by their allies.

Zhao Cheng said, "Send a message to the general. Tell him Ye County can be taken today. Have him wait for my signal. Once the time is right, he can attack the city."

Feng Quan and Feng Ruo were confused. "What signal should we use? If you get into the city, it won't be easy to send one."

Feng Ruo added, "My lord, you're not planning to assassinate the enemy commander while roasting meat, are you?"

"That's the enemy's stronghold! Please don't do anything reckless!"

Zhao Cheng impatiently said, "Why all the questions? Just pass along what I said."

Feng Quan and Feng Ruo exchanged glances. They had no choice, so they split up and followed the signs, passing the intelligence along from several different locations.

Meanwhile, Zhao Cheng plunged into the mountains and played the hunter, darting through the dense forest like the wind as he searched for game.

He had been a skilled hunter even before. Now that he had reached the peak of body refinement, with Primordial Qi surging within him like an ocean, how hard could it be to catch a couple of wild roe deer?

In a short while, he had skewered three wild roe deer on his wooden spear and roasted one right there.

Just as the roe deer's skin turned golden brown, crisp on the outside and tender within—

Footsteps approached quickly, followed by an angry shout.

"Who's making a fire here? Could you be a Qin Army spy?"

That familiar line again? Really?

Zhao Cheng was utterly speechless.

He looked up and saw two soldiers striding over, their eyes glued to the roe deer as they swallowed greedily.

Zhao Cheng said nothing.

The two came closer and shouted, "You lit a fire and raised smoke to send a message, didn't you?"

Zhao Cheng acted as if he hadn't heard them. Calmly, he picked up two pebbles from the ground and toyed with them in his palm.

Seeing that Zhao Cheng was ignoring them, the two soldiers flew into a rage. "You must be a Qin Army spy! Seize him!"

They actually charged at him, trying to pin him to the ground and subdue him.

Zhao Cheng simply smiled and flicked his fingers.

Primordial Qi erupted, sending the pebbles streaking through the air like bullets with a shrill whistle.

Thwip! Thwip!

The two soldiers had only just rushed up to Zhao Cheng when the pebbles pierced their foreheads. They pitched forward and hit the ground, lifeless.

[You killed an enemy. You seized fifteen years of his lifespan]

[You killed an enemy. You seized eleven years of his lifespan]

"What, you think it's still yesterday? Trying to swindle the old man out of his meat again?"

Zhao Cheng curled his lip, grabbed the two bodies, and casually tossed them up into the branches, where they hung.

By now, everyone in the city knew about the spies, and Zhao Cheng's identity had already been confirmed. Why would he worry about alerting the enemy?

After finishing his roasted meat, Zhao Cheng reckoned he had enough time, picked up two roe deer, and headed toward Ye County.

Along the way, whenever enemy soldiers tried to swindle him out of his roe deer, he killed them with a flick of his fingers, then hung their bodies in the treetops.

By the time he reached Yu Pass, he had seized more than a hundred and forty years of lifespan. That counted as a decent haul.

"Not bad, not bad. It's still early. I can make it in time for the general's lunch."

"Someone, take this man to the East City Camp. Tell the general that Xu Shan heard he's been worrying about the city's defenses lately and is very concerned. Unfortunately, he's unable to ease the general's burden, which makes him feel deeply ashamed... A few days ago, he encountered a hunter who's skilled at roasting meat. He's sending him along with the military supplies as a gift to roast meat for the general and ease his worries."

"All right, off you go. Wait, there's more. If the general refuses, say this..."

The string of flattery in the middle was so long that the subordinate couldn't remember it all.

He tried hard to memorize it, muttering to himself as he led Zhao Cheng toward the East City Camp in a daze.

East of Ye County, at the Qin Army camp, a cavalryman arrived with a report.

"General, intelligence from inside the city has arrived."

"Bring it here."

Meng Wu and Meng Tian sat in the tent and began reading the reports.

Zhao Cheng wasn't the only Death Spy who had infiltrated the city. Intelligence from other Death Spies who had slipped in later had also been sent back, allowing them to corroborate information from multiple sources.

The more the two men read, the stranger their expressions became.

"...Not long after the hour of the pig began, the city's Night Patrol Battalion suddenly mobilized and encircled the west of the city. Upon investigation, we discovered that one of our comrades was causing chaos everywhere. The enemy couldn't catch him and kept sending more troops to surround and kill him... Bodies lay scattered all over the west of the city. Every arrow struck the throat..."

"...In the middle of the hour of the pig, flames suddenly blazed at the Government Office in the city, and the sounds of fighting rose all around. Over a thousand men attacked the office but couldn't take it for a long time. Hundreds were killed or wounded. After their commander died, the thousand men fled, and the Chief Commandant alone chased them all the way to the east of the city..."

"...The city camp then dispatched another two thousand soldiers to encircle and kill him. The Chief Commandant fought his way across the city, breaking through one encirclement after another, until he was finally trapped in Dark Alley. The enemy fought with desperate courage, throwing themselves into the fray one after another. I was shaking with fear and powerless to help..."

"...After the hour of the rat began, fewer and fewer soldiers remained to surround him. The defending commander realized more than half his men had been killed or wounded and fled. The Chief Commandant pursued him relentlessly. Later, I entered the alley and saw bodies piled like a mountain, with blood flowing like a river. He truly held the pass against ten thousand men. The Chief Commandant's valor was unmatched..."

The tent fell silent. At first, father and son had been on edge. The further they read, the more speechless they became.

This was only what the spies had seen from various vantage points.

How many other incredible things had Zhao Cheng done where no one had seen him?

Meng Tian was so excited he was sweating. He scratched his head as he read. "So this is how you can use a Death Spy? Ah Cheng turned the whole city upside down. No wonder the Han Army on the walls was in such disarray last night."

"But after facing such a perilous encirclement, Ah Cheng must have escaped by the skin of his teeth."

Meng Wu also couldn't help sighing at Zhao Cheng's recklessness. "The enemy surrounded that lad in Dark Alley, giving him the advantage of the terrain. Otherwise, he really would've been in danger."

"Han Jiang's probably so furious he's spitting blood."

"Look at this one. It's very detailed."

He picked up the report from Feng Quan and Feng Ruo, and his expression quickly turned serious.

It detailed the city's defenses and weaknesses, along with the condition of its walls.

That report alone would have been enough for Meng Wu to breach the city within four days.

Yet at the end, it included a message from Zhao Cheng saying they could attack the city today and that Meng Wu should wait for his signal.

Meng Wu examined it carefully.

He turned the message over and over, searching for a long time, then scratched his head and frowned deeply.

"...Where's the signal?"

He wanted him to wait for a signal, but he hadn't even explained what the signal was!

Meng Wu was furious. How could Zhao Cheng fail to make things clear about such an important matter?

If he didn't explain, how was Meng Wu supposed to make arrangements?

Meng Tian gave a helpless laugh. "Perhaps Ah Cheng was afraid the intelligence would be intercepted and the plan exposed, so he could only send the signal when the time was right?"

Meng Wu rubbed his temples and decided to trust Zhao Cheng. "Let's prepare for both possibilities. If we can't take the city today, we can still breach it within four days."

"Based on this report, send men to secretly dig under the wall's foundations, and send others to lie in wait at the weakly defended section south of the city."

"If we really get Zhao Cheng's signal today, and the timing's right, attack the city immediately."

The orders were quickly issued. Many of the officers in charge of troops were baffled by the arrangements, but none objected. They immediately got to work.

At the end of the hour of the snake, the Qin Army suddenly advanced, pitching camp and deploying troops beyond the enemy's bow range. They faced off against the Han Army on the city wall from close range.

A murderous aura loomed overhead like dark clouds.

The atmosphere was so tense it could almost squeeze out water.

Han Jiang stood on the city wall, brows tightly furrowed and heart racing with worry.

In that suffocating atmosphere, someone suddenly came to report.

"General, Centurion Xu Shan from the north of the city has sent military supplies."

Han Jiang waved his hand. "Put them in storage."

His subordinate continued, "Xu Shan said he knows you've been worried lately, and feels ashamed that he can't ease your burden..."

"...So he's also sent some game and a hunter skilled at roasting meat, saying the man should roast meat for you."

Han Jiang was getting impatient. What the hell kind of time was this? How could he have an appetite?

"I don't want it!"

The subordinate still didn't leave. Han Jiang snapped, "What else did he say? Spit it all out!"

"He said that if you roast meat on the city wall, looking completely composed, it'll undermine the Qin Army's morale and show them you have everything under control. It'll make them wary and suspicious, and they won't dare attack lightly."

Han Jiang narrowed his eyes at the subordinate, staring until sweat began to bead on the man's back.

Only then did he say, "Is he trying to tell me what to do?"

"What the hell does he know?"

"Tell him to get lost!"

"Yes!"

The subordinate obeyed and stormed off, ready to go back and give the man a piece of his mind.

Just then, another urgent report arrived.

"General, a secret letter from Wan City."

"Bring it here, quickly."

Han Jiang opened the letter and read a couple of lines, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"Ha ha ha ha! Chu State's reinforcements will arrive tomorrow. We can attack from within and without, encircle the Qin Army, and wipe them out here."

"Brilliant!"

His spirits soaring, he suddenly called after the subordinate who was about to leave.

"Wait!"

"Let the hunter in. I think Xu Shan has a point. Today, I'll roast meat on the city wall and let the Qin Army see how calm and collected I am, with everything under control!"

An hour later.

Meng Wu stood in camp, gazing at the city wall in the distance. Suddenly, he saw Han Jiang on the wall, looking back at him.

There was no longer any worry or anxiety in Han Jiang's eyes. Instead, he looked completely composed. He met Meng Wu's gaze without flinching, brimming with confidence and looking considerably better.

Meng Wu frowned, sensing that something might have changed.

"Could reinforcements be on the way?"

"Or is he just putting on an act?"

As he considered the possibilities, he suddenly noticed a familiar figure flicker across the city wall.

Meng Wu raised an eyebrow and looked in that direction.

The figure appeared and disappeared behind the battlements. He had only caught a glimpse of it from the corner of his eye, and now it was gone again.

Meng Wu was uncertain. Could he have imagined it?

But in the next instant, the figure wandered back to the edge of the wall.

He was tall and powerfully built, with heroic features faintly visible beneath the wood ash smeared over his face. Carrying two roe deer, he hurried back and forth as if busy with something, yet he kept milling around right beside the wall.

Who else could it be but Zhao Cheng?!