Fame in Chu State, the King of Chu Cannot Sleep at Night!

"F***ing hell..."

Clearly, this resentment had been festering in Zhang Yu's gut for many years; now that he had started, he couldn't stop, unleashing a long string of curses in one breath.

With every curse he spat out, Dun Ruo's heart skipped a beat, his expression growing a fraction more panicked.

By the end, Dun Ruo was almost afraid to keep listening, but Zhang Yu finally felt satisfied.

"Actually, I know it's not entirely that man's fault. I know my own sister's temperament; that girl was bold and headstrong since she was a child. Once she set her mind to something, no one could stop her, and she never cared what others thought."

"She liked that noble—I saw the signs and tried to warn her. People like that are from a different world than us; there was never going to be a good outcome."

"But it wasn't until that noble had been gone for months that I realized she had made a grave mistake. She was pregnant, but it was too late. I couldn't even get his name out of her."

"Fortunately, that noble seemed to have a powerful background, and since the girl had saved his life, neither the village elders nor the county officials dared to impose any punishment."

"But for a lone woman with a fatherless child, life in the village became unbearable."

"Not only did she have to endure the wagging tongues of others, but she also bore the burden of the farm work and household chores alone. Even with my help, her health withered day by day. The cold words of those people took their toll, and living in constant gloom only made her condition worse."

Zhang Yu sighed. "Later, I joined the army. Holding onto that bitterness, I fought my way to military merit and became the Village Head. Her situation improved slightly, but only for a few years before she passed away."

"Before she left, she entrusted Zhao Cheng to us. We treated him as our own, and the boy is a fighter. Even though he's always hungry, his frame is as sturdy as a young bull."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu suddenly patted Dun Ruo on the shoulder.

"Brother, I can see you have an extraordinary status and are a trusted figure under His Majesty the King. Since you're investigating Zhao Cheng's background, why not help us find his father?"

"This isn't Zhao Cheng's fault. Finding out who his father is isn't about climbing the social ladder—we aren't the type to cling to wealth—but living in such uncertainty is just not right."

"Besides, if you know who his father is, you'll be able to clear up his background, won't you?"

Facing Zhang Yu's expectant gaze, Dun Ruo felt his scalp tingle.

That is a dangerous idea you have there.

Is that something that can be investigated?

Whoever investigates that will lose their head!

I was wondering why all those officials in Yang City County died off back then—wasn't it because they knew too much?

Dun Ruo didn't refuse outright. Instead, he glanced around and said quietly, "I will look into it, but it cannot be too obvious."

"You know the Qin laws are strict and distinguish clearly between legitimate and illegitimate status. If we dig too deep, it might actually harm Zhao Cheng."

Zhang Yu nodded repeatedly. "I understand that."

Dun Ruo chatted with Zhang Yu for a while longer, then visited the village to verify the information through various channels before leading the Black Ice Terrace secret agents back toward Xianyang.

Inside the carriage, Dun Ruo organized the intelligence.

When he reached the part Zhang Yu had spoken about, he found himself in a bind.

He couldn't let the King see that he knew the full story, yet he couldn't write down everything Zhang Yu had said either—otherwise, how would that be any different from cursing the King to his face?

After much deliberation, he wrote in the report:

"...That year, an unnamed noble was stranded in Huaiyang. The Zhang woman saved his life, and during the time he stayed to recover, they developed feelings for each other, resulting in a child, Zhao Cheng...

Later, the father left. The mother and son relied on each other, facing the scorn of the villagers. When Zhao Cheng was twelve, the Zhang woman died of melancholy. Her brother took guardianship, treating him as his own. Cheng took on the household fields alone, showing early signs of natural talent and strength, as well as an astonishing appetite..."

"...Although his uncle Zhang Yu harbored much resentment, he understands the law and human sentiment, wishing only that this matter does not affect Zhao Cheng's prospects for promotion..."

Chu State was filled with rolling hills.

From the mountain wilderness on the border, a troop of soldiers galloped out, their bodies covered in dried, dark-red blood, weary and dust-laden.

This panicked group fled directly toward Chen City in Chu State.

Once they entered the Sima Gate of Chen City, they began to wail in grief.

"General Xiang, this subordinate has urgent military intelligence to report!"

The forty-something Xiang Yan narrowed his tiger-like eyes, a bad premonition rising in his heart. He hurriedly received them, and upon seeing their state, his unease intensified.

"What happened?"

The leading officer fell to his knees with a thud.

"Our army has been crushed. The entire force is annihilated."

Xiang Yan was stunned, staring at him with wide, fierce eyes.

"How could this be!?"

"Sixty thousand Chu troops, thirty thousand reinforcements from Wan City, and thirty thousand Han Army garrison troops—we attacked the Qin Army from both sides! How could we be defeated? How could the entire force be annihilated!?"

With such a tactical advantage, even if they couldn't secure a total victory to wipe out the Qin Army, they should have at least managed a minor victory to decimate the majority of the Qin forces.

In any case, this should never have been the outcome!

Xiang Yan couldn't fathom it; for a moment, he even felt the urge to kill.

"Where is Xiang Tuo!?"

"Stop hiding and bring him before This General!"

The general kneeling on the ground wore an expression of profound grief.

"General Xiang Tuo has fallen in battle!"

Xiang Yan was stunned, struck dumb for a long while.

Then, he collapsed into his chair, eyes squeezed shut, his heart feeling as if it were being shredded by knives.

No matter how great his fury, in this moment, it all dissolved into heartache.

After all, this was the cousin who had followed behind him since childhood, calling him 'Big Brother.'

"How could this be? How could this be?"

"Even if the battle was lost, with Xiang Tuo's martial prowess, breaking through the encirclement should not have been difficult. How could he have fallen on the front lines?"

Xiang Yan found it hard to accept. He steadied his mind before asking in detail, "Tell me the course of the battle clearly."

The general replied, "My unit followed General Xiang to reinforce Han, intending to coordinate with the defenders of Ye County to catch the Qin Army in a pincer and annihilate them outside the city."

"Who would have thought that Ye County had already been breached by Meng Wu several days prior? As General Xiang charged the formation, he immediately fell into Meng Wu's ambush."

"The enemy had already deployed heavy forces, waiting for us to enter the pocket, using a Triple-Layer Formation to grind down our vanguard and surround our rear."

"General Xiang Tuo realized something was wrong and made a split-second decision to break out, but while retreating to a canyon pass, he was blocked by a detachment of cavalry."

"The enemy had only ten thousand men, and General Xiang led thirty thousand. He intended to force his way through, but who could have known that a fierce warrior would emerge from the Qin Army? General Xiang Tuo was not even a match for a single blow from him."

"The man wielded a Great Halberd, forcing General Xiang Tuo back with one strike, then charged into our formation to slaughter as if walking through empty land. General Xiang Tuo, unable to bear the humiliation, turned to fight again, only to be decapitated by that man with a single strike..."

Xiang Yan frowned deeply as he listened, finding it hard to believe.

Xiang Tuo possessed the family's martial arts and extraordinary strength; ordinary fierce generals were not his match for even one exchange. How could he be forced back by one strike and then decapitated by another?

How vast must the gap in martial power be?

"Does Meng Wu have such a fierce warrior under his command?"

"Who is this person? What is his reputation?"

The general said, "This man is named Zhao Cheng. He is only sixteen and has been in the army for barely a month, but his reputation in the ranks is already soaring. It is said that the reason Ye County fell so quickly was entirely because of him!"

"Tell me in detail."

"When I was breaking out, I captured several enemy pursuers and interrogated them under torture. These Qin soldiers would rather die than speak, refusing to reveal any information about him."

"Only one fool let the truth slip."

"He said that Ye County should have held for several more days, but that young general Zhao Cheng infiltrated the city alone. Not only did he create chaos everywhere, slaughtering the guards who tried to surround him, but he even snuck onto the ramparts, approached the defending general, and slew him before both armies. He then breached the Barbican and opened the city gates, allowing Ye County to be taken days early, which led our army into the ambush."

Xiang Yan was speechless. "Such divine courage, and he is merely a sixteen-year-old boy?"

Sixteen years old.

One strike to force back the Tiger of the Xiang Clan, one strike to behead him. A man capable of fighting ten thousand was not even a match for one blow before him.

Given time, what kind of terrifying might would he possess?

Infiltrating deep behind enemy lines, fighting out of an encirclement, slaying a defending general, and opening the city gates.

With such siege tactics, who could stop him?

"This matter is of great importance. Send an urgent report to Shouchun immediately and present it to the King!"

Xiang Yan personally took up his brush to record the defeat and death of Xiang Tuo, as well as the emergence of this young divine warrior within the Qin Army, onto a silk scroll. He then dispatched a Courier to ride through the night to the Chu capital, Shouchun!

"...This child must be dealt with as soon as possible, or he will surely become a grave threat to the Six States in the future!"

Half a day later, the entire Chu State was shaken.

Xiang Tuo had been defeated!

Sixty thousand Chu troops had been wiped out!

A young boy had defeated the Tiger of the Xiang Clan with a single strike!

In a short span of time, the name of Zhao Cheng spread throughout the Chu court.

Everyone who understood the weight of Xiang Tuo's martial prowess was left speechless upon hearing the news.

King You of Chu, Xiong Han, did not sleep all night and summoned his ministers at the crack of dawn to discuss the defeat.

Chu had intended to take advantage of the chaos to deal a heavy blow to the Qin Army and claim a share of Nanyang Commandery, but who could have expected that they would lose sixty thousand troops and a great general? It was truly a case of losing the bait along with the fish.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Xiang Tuo was headstrong and lacked strategy; the total annihilation of the army is entirely his own fault. As for this so-called 'young divine warrior,' it must be a fabrication!"

"I do not agree. Although Ye County is not a major stronghold like Wan City, it was built on difficult terrain and guarded by thirty thousand heavy troops. Even if Meng Wu employed the 'Water-Cutting' strategy, he could not have breached the city in a mere three days."

"If not for that young warrior's extraordinary martial power, which allowed him to breach Ye County early, how could General Xiang have fallen into an ambush?"

"I share this view. The enemy taking Ye County early defies all logic. The Qin Army could not take the city, and our reinforcements were launching a surprise attack with coordination from within—it was a heaven-sent opportunity."

"But it was precisely because of the variable of that boy that the situation changed drastically, turning a battle that favored us into one that did not. General Xiang's defeat is understandable!"

"Your subject believes that because a renowned general like Meng Wu personally laid out the strategy, it was seamless, which is why General Xiang Tuo's entire army was annihilated."

Listening to the group of civil officials arguing fiercely, the veteran general Jing Qi could no longer hold back; he stepped forward and shouted:

"Nonsense! Have any of you ever fought a war, that you dare spout such drivel here?

Even if it weren't Meng Wu, but the Heavenly King himself, he could not have taken Ye County in such a short time. Even a forced siege with heavy casualties would struggle to succeed, let alone a strategy of besieging the city by cutting off its water supply."

"Although the news of that young fierce general sounds fantastical, in my view, it is entirely traceable. Whether it was the premature seizure of Ye County or General Xiang's failed breakout, both are sufficient proof that this youth's divine martial prowess cannot be underestimated.

Your Majesty, imagine this: if this youth were to infiltrate Chu State alone, sneaking into the capital or even the royal palace, who among the capital's defenses could stop him?

Are we to send these fellows who only know how to wag their tongues to stop him?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire court fell into dead silence.

The civil officials dared not utter another word, fearing that if they said anything more, they would truly be sent to intercept that youth.

King You of Chu narrowed his eyes, a chill running down his spine.

The military report stated that the Tiger of the Xiang Clan, Xiang Tuo, was not even a match for a single blow from this youth.

This person was able to continuously break through the encirclement of thousands of guards within the city, and even counter-kill more than half of those who besieged him.

If he were to silently sneak into the royal palace, who could stop him?

Could the head of This Lonely One remain securely on its neck?

The more King You of Chu thought about it, the more he shuddered with fear.

If this youth is not eliminated, This Lonely One shall not be able to sleep at night!