Zhao Cheng was waiting for the roast.
Han Jiang must have been a noble of Han. The things he'd brought out of the cookhouse were all rare delicacies.
Combined with Zhao Cheng's skill, this roe deer had become a masterpiece.
He had prepared it for himself, of course, so he'd put extra care into it. Now that it was nearly done, he was completely absorbed, focused to the utmost.
There were plenty of chances to kill, but a roast roe deer this good didn't come along every day.
He adjusted the heat, sprinkled on seasoning, and brushed on a layer of fine honey. Zhao Cheng's movements were leisurely and unhurried, practiced yet elegant.
Even just to look at, the roe deer was a work of art now. The soldiers nearby stared, their throats bobbing as they swallowed mouthful after mouthful of drool.
But then Zhao Cheng suddenly lifted the spit, inspected the roe deer, and gave it a sniff. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
He stood and walked toward Han Jiang.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the roast roe deer, which was a work of art. No one thought anything was amiss.
Until Zhao Cheng reached out, pulled the roe deer off the spit, and took a huge bite, eating until grease ran down his chin!
The Captain's eyes widened. Enraged, he bellowed, "Have you gone completely mad, you hunter?"
He stepped forward and kicked at him.
The next moment, the Captain's vision blurred. Somehow, his own sword had appeared in Zhao Cheng's hand.
The sword flashed past, and a line of icy cold ran across his thigh.
Before he could even react, the leg he'd kicked out at Zhao Cheng went flying.
As pain struck, the Captain crumpled to the ground, staring in terror at the seemingly harmless hunter.
"You... How dare you! Ah!!"
The Captain's leg, severed clean at the root, flew straight toward Han Jiang. Blood spattered, abruptly staining Han Jiang's armor and the roast in his hands.
Han Jiang, who had been gesticulating as he spoke, froze in astonishment.
Behind him came the Captain's agonized scream.
"What's going on?!"
He turned in alarm—and saw Zhao Cheng holding the roast roe deer in his left hand and a bloodstained long sword in his right.
Eating in huge mouthfuls, he walked toward Han Jiang.
Beside him, the Captain clutched his leg and screamed. The leg that had flown over was clearly his, and the sword that had cut it off was in the hunter's hand.
Even Han Jiang couldn't make sense of this sudden turn of events at first.
The other soldiers were even more dumbfounded.
Then Zhao Cheng frowned. "Quiet."
Without even looking at the Captain beside him, he swept his sword across. The Captain's head flew up, and his screams cut off abruptly.
Such a casual stroke of the sword, on a city wall bristling with troops, was so jarring, so out of place, so utterly unexpected.
Everyone stared blankly at Zhao Cheng, thinking the hunter had truly lost his mind.
A hunter had actually dared to kill a Captain atop the city wall?
Only when one of Han Jiang's trusted men shouted, "Protect the general! Kill him!" did anyone react.
But it was too late. Zhao Cheng was right beside Han Jiang.
Only the few trusted men standing next to Han Jiang, the ones who'd been boasting with him, drew their swords to stop Zhao Cheng.
Zhao Cheng's wrist moved slightly. His sword flashed, leaving afterimages, and the five men's heads went flying one after another.
Before the first head had hit the ground, the last man's head was already in the air.
Thud! Thud!
The five trusted men died in an instant. Zhao Cheng walked through them as if no one were there, stopping in front of Han Jiang.
Their eyes met.
Han Jiang felt like a ferocious tiger had pinned him beneath its claws. The hair on his body stood on end, and cold sweat soaked his back in an instant.
"Who... Who are you, really?"
Just then, the Qin Army below the city suddenly surged forward. A boundless black torrent rushed toward the walls, reaching them in the blink of an eye.
"Bravo!"
"The Assault Cavalry Commandant is mighty!"
"Great Wind!"
"Our mighty general is unmatched! The enemy commander is doomed! Storm the walls and support the Commandant!"
"Kill!"
Amid the thunder of the city gates came the crash of the wall's foundations collapsing. Shouts of soldiers storming the city and cries of the wounded rang without end.
Amid this sudden upheaval, Zhao Cheng wiped his face, revealing his heroic features, and grinned.
"Weren't you looking for a Qin Army spy?"
"That's me!"
His calm voice mingled with the violent uproar on the wall, so utterly out of place.
Han Jiang's heart sank to the bottom. The events of the previous night flashed through his mind, and he went cold all over!
How had this fiend managed to get right beside him?
And he'd even let him roast his meat! Xu Shan, you son of a—!
"I'll kill you!"
Han Jiang raised his sword, but his throat suddenly turned cold. The city wall lurched and spun...
Zhao Cheng caught Han Jiang's flying head, then leaped onto the battlement, holding the defender's head high!
"The commander is dead! Those who open the gates and surrender will be spared!"
"The rest will be shown no mercy!"
Countless soldiers had just rushed toward him when they saw their general's lonely head. What was the point of protecting him now that he was just a head?
On top of that, the violent sounds of the city's defenses being breached kept battering the soldiers' resolve. Some were ready to jump down and open the gates.
But on the wall, another deputy general rushed out of the tower and shouted his orders.
"Listen to my command! The Third Battalion will surround the enemy spy. The Second Battalion will hold the wall. Prepare the crossbows on the Corner Towers! Drop the logs and Defensive Stones! The troops below will hold the city gates!"
"Prepare the Barbican..."
Zhao Cheng's gaze instantly locked onto the man. Like a tiger descending the mountain, he charged into the chaotic ranks, and a Precision Cast Great Halberd suddenly appeared in his hands.
The Great Halberd was twelve feet long and weighed more than seventy catties. In Zhao Cheng's hands, its swings carried the weight of a mountain, sweeping through a thousand troops!
Primordial Qi exploded from him like an ocean. The instant he entered the ranks, he swung the halberd, and the space before him was swept clear.
More than a dozen soldiers were cleaved in two, bodies and weapons alike. Another seven or eight were swept off the wall by the halberd's long shaft, sent flying down below!
In an instant, seventeen or eighteen life-stealing notifications appeared in the system, and his lifespan surged by nearly three hundred years!
Soldiers fell like rain.
The troops still attacking the city below were stunned.
On the wall, it was as if someone were tossing dumplings from a pot. Wave after wave of enemy soldiers burst into the air, their bones and tendons snapping as they spat blood and fell.
The rain of bodies showed no sign of stopping. Before the first wave had even cleared the wall, another mass followed close behind, crashing down with a clatter.
Some Qin Army soldiers who hadn't dodged in time were struck by the falling bodies.
The commanders saw this and hurriedly ordered, "Clear that area!"
"No one is to stand beneath the wall where the Commandant is fighting!"
"Hey, move faster! The Commandant is killing them faster than you can run!"
"Get out of the way! The Commandant is coming! Watch out, you'll get crushed!"
"My heavens, why are they falling like dumplings?"
"Ow, that hit hard! They flew so far and still knocked me dizzy! The Commandant really is strong! Ow, ow, someone help me..."
Zhao Cheng was alone on the wall, yet he had an army of thousands trembling in fear. Even his allies kept dodging, and plenty were left bawling for their mothers after being hit by falling bodies.
A single sweep of his Great Halberd took out a whole swath of soldiers. He swung so fast he could clear a ten-zhang area in the blink of an eye.
Like a sharp arrow, he drove straight toward the deputy general giving orders.
The deputy general had just issued two commands when he saw the fiend charging toward him at full speed. No one could stop him.
The surging soldiers were like paper in front of him, swept away in a single blow.
Facing him head-on, the deputy general finally understood the terror Wen Mao and Du Shuang had felt the night before. The Killing Intent in those eyes struck him, and his legs went weak.
He turned and ran.
But he hadn't even taken two steps before Zhao Cheng was on him. The halberd came down like Mount Tai crashing from the heavens, cleaving the deputy general in two.
"Let's see who dares give orders now!"
Zhao Cheng swung again, sweeping a ten-zhang swath of enemy soldiers from the wall. He stood amid the empty space.
"Everyone, obey my orders!"
"Get off the wall and open the gates, or I'll kill every last one of you!"
Clang, clang, clatter.
Weapons fell to the ground. Faced with a fiend like this, the soldiers felt truly helpless and hopeless.
Many actually ran down from the wall, ready to surrender.
Just then, someone shouted, "Reinforcements from Chu State will be here any day now! Hold out today, and the Qin Army is finished! Brothers, kill him! He's only one man!"
"The general died by his hand! Whoever kills him will take his place!"
At those words, quite a few soldiers began to waver again.
Zhao Cheng grinned. He loved this kind of hardheaded fool.
Fine, then. He'd kill them. The calls to surrender and open the gates were only a smokescreen, meant to spare his allies from casualties.
Speaking of which, this Precision Cast Great Halberd was fantastic.
He charged back into the densely packed defenders, cutting down a thousand troops as he drove straight toward the wall of the Barbican.
Primordial Qi surged within him like a tide. Even when he unleashed it at full power, he could replenish it in a single breath.
It was practically inexhaustible. Zhao Cheng couldn't have felt more exhilarated.
Zhao Cheng leaped several zhang. The Great Halberd whistled sharply as he swung it. In the blink of an eye, he reached the Barbican and brought the halberd down. It cleaved through the Repeating Crossbow Mechanism and the logs together, splitting all the soldiers behind them in two.
At that moment, one of the great crossbows atop the Barbican silently took aim at him. Four strong soldiers drew its string together, and the enormous bolt thundered from the bow, flying straight at Zhao Cheng.
By the time Zhao Cheng noticed it, the giant bolt was already right in front of him. He neither dodged nor retreated, but swung his halberd to meet it.
The Great Halberd struck the bolt, and instantly began to bend. The immense force traveled from Zhao Cheng's arm through his whole body. He braced against it with sheer strength, his Primordial Qi erupting as he stamped down.
Boom!
The top of the wall shattered as he forcibly brought the giant bolt to a stop.
He seized the bolt, Primordial Qi surging inside him. Then, like a volcano erupting, he hurled it back the way it had come.
With a bang!
The bolt broke the sound barrier as it flew even faster, shooting back toward the crossbow!
The soldiers beside the crossbow were dumbstruck.
It took three or four of us just to draw the string!
He threw it back all by himself, and with more force than the crossbow had!
What kind of human being could do something like that?!
Before you continue