Regular Army

When Li Jinshui returned to camp, dawn was just breaking.

Wan Niang was still asleep. He had left without waking her.

The girls at Gentle Haven were used to customers arriving at night and leaving at dawn. They wouldn't even bat an eyelid.

Monkey trailed behind him, his steps unsteady as he muttered things like, "That girl was really something." Li Jinshui couldn't be bothered with him and simply hurried toward camp.

As soon as they reached the camp entrance, they heard a rapid burst of war drums.

It wasn't the usual warning signal.

It was a deep, urgent drumbeat, each thud pounding against their hearts.

Everyone to the walls.

Li Jinshui stopped short, his face changing in an instant.

"Move!"

He grabbed Monkey, and the two of them raced toward camp.

They rushed into the barracks, put on their armor, grabbed their blades, and ran outside. The northern sky was already glowing red with firelight.

It wasn't one fire. There were countless fires.

The Di People's regular army had arrived.

The city wall was already in chaos.

When Li Jinshui rushed up, he froze.

Beyond the wall, the Di Army stretched to the horizon like a dark tide. It wasn't five thousand, nor ten thousand. There were at least thirty thousand.

Thirty thousand Di soldiers.

Battle flags crowded together. Siege towers stood shoulder to shoulder, scaling ladders filled the field like a forest, and they had everything from battering rams and catapults to ballistae.

The regular army.

This was the Di People's regular army.

"Form ranks!!!"

A hoarse shout rang out from the city wall. It was Zhou Kui. His wounds hadn't even healed properly, yet he was already standing at the front.

Li Jinshui took a deep breath, gripped his sword, and glanced back at Monkey, who had caught up with him.

"Stay close."

Before the words had left his mouth, a rain of arrows blotted out the sky.

This volley was denser than any that had come before.

Li Jinshui raised his shield to protect Monkey. Three arrows struck his left arm, but he endured them with his perfected Iron Shirt. A new recruit nearby failed to block the volley and was riddled with arrows.

"Kill!!!"

Scaling ladders were hooked over the wall, and Di soldiers began surging up.

The first one to show his head was at the eighth level of Body Forging.

Li Jinshui brought his blade down. The man fell without even a groan.

[Slain Northern Di soldier, points +1]

The second, the third, the fourth...

He held the gap midway along the city wall and didn't take a single step back.

His perfected Wolf Killing Seven Forms sent his blade flashing like a bolt of silk. Every strike claimed a life. His sword qi was as solid as the real thing; one slash split armor and flesh alike, and not even bone could stop it.

[+1]

[+1]

[+2, slain Northern Di squad leader]

[+1]

[+1]

[+3, slain Northern Di squad leader (Body Forging, ninth level)]

...

But there were too many Di soldiers.

He killed one, and two more climbed up. He killed two, and four more came.

The Zhou Army soldiers beside him fell one by one, only for fresh troops to take their places.

Qin Lie was nearby on the left, surrounded by three Di soldiers. He was covered in blood, yet still fought to the death. Zhou Tai's blade broke, so he picked up one from the ground and kept hacking. Zhao Tieniu took a slash to the right shoulder, but still swung his blade with his left hand.

Monkey was behind him. He was at the fifth level of Body Forging, and his swordsmanship was still rough, but he didn't retreat a single step. He fought desperately to guard Li Jinshui's back.

[+1]

[+1]

[+1...]

The points kept climbing at a furious pace.

As he fought, Li Jinshui roared in his mind:

"Upgrade Rock Body!"

[Rock Body: Not yet initiated (0/100)]

[100 points consumed, Rock Body initiated]

Boom—

The force inside him suddenly grew heavy, flowing slowly through his body like lead.

A faint blue-gray sheen rose across the surface of his skin, then quickly faded.

He could feel some kind of power strengthening his flesh, muscles, and bones, making them denser and tougher.

Rock Body, initiated.

But the Di soldiers were still pouring in.

"Upgrade White Tiger Blade Technique!"

[White Tiger Blade Technique: Not yet initiated (0/50)]

[50 points consumed, White Tiger Blade Technique initiated]

A flood of memories surged into his mind—a gigantic white tiger pouncing on prey in the mountains and forests. Every leap, every swipe, every sweep carried the force of thunder.

His sword style changed!

No longer the wolf's vicious cunning. Now it was the tiger's fierce, domineering power!

He brought his blade down, cleaving the Di soldier in front of him in two, along with his weapon!

[+1]

[+1]

[+2...]

"Upgrade Inch Step!"

[Inch Step: Not yet initiated (0/40)]

[40 points consumed, Inch Step initiated]

A strange sensation suddenly came over his feet. Within a square inch, he could unleash astonishing speed over a very short distance.

A Di soldier's blade was already falling toward him. He shifted his foot slightly, and his entire body darted three feet to the side. The blade skimmed past his ear. He countered with a slash, and the soldier's head flew off.

"Upgrade Iron Thread Fist!"

[Iron Thread Fist: Not yet initiated (0/40)]

[40 points consumed, Iron Thread Fist initiated]

Memories of the fist technique poured into his mind. Iron Thread Fist balanced hardness and softness. Its strikes seemed light, like threads of iron, yet their force pierced flesh and bone.

A Di soldier charged at him and brought down a curved blade. Li Jinshui dodged to the side and punched him in the chest.

"Crack!"

The sound of breaking ribs rang clear. Blood spurted from the Di soldier's mouth as he flew backward, knocking down two men behind him.

[+1]

[+1]

[+1...]

All four techniques had been initiated.

Li Jinshui took a deep breath, feeling the surging power within him.

Rock Body made his defense stronger, White Tiger Blade Technique made his attacks fiercer, Inch Step made him faster on his feet, and Iron Thread Fist gave him a surer hand in close combat.

He was now more than twice as strong as he had been an hour ago.

He could easily kill five of his former self.

"Kill!!!"

He charged at the Di soldiers again.

He fought from dawn until noon, then from noon until dusk.

The sun rose and set. On the city wall, one group of defenders replaced another.

Li Jinshui had no idea how many he had killed. He only knew that the point notifications kept appearing, again and again, until he lost count.

[+1]

[+1]

[+3]

[+2]

[+1...]

He only knew that there were fewer and fewer comrades beside him.

Qin Lie was wounded. As they carried him away, he was still shouting, "I can still fight!"

Zhou Tai was dead. A Di Centurion had hacked through his neck with one slash, and his head had rolled a long way. Zhao Tieniu had disappeared. No one knew whether he was dead or had been carried away.

Monkey was still there.

That kid was covered in blood, some his own and some the enemy's. It was impossible to tell which was which. Yet he kept fighting, and his swordsmanship was getting better and better. He had reached the sixth level of Body Forging.

"Jinshui!" Monkey suddenly shouted. "Look!"

Li Jinshui followed the direction he was pointing—

Thick smoke billowed over the city.

The Di hadn't broken through. Someone was burning things.

Deserters?

Or rioters?

He didn't know.

But he knew things inside the city were probably no better than things on the wall.

Inside the city.

Everyone was on edge.

People had started fleeing the day before.

First came wealthy merchants. They hired carriages, loaded them with bundles, and headed south.

Then ordinary citizens, carrying their belongings and leading their families, streamed toward the southern gate.

But the southern gate was closed.

The Governor had given an order: during wartime, no one was allowed to leave the city. Anyone who disobeyed would be executed.

Those who couldn't escape had no choice but to burn incense at home and pray that the soldiers on the wall could hold back the Di.

But news traveled faster than anything.

"I heard thirty thousand Di soldiers are here!"

"Thirty thousand? How many troops do we have? Less than twenty thousand, right?"

"It's over, it's over. North-Rejecting City can't hold..."

"I heard thousands died in a single day yesterday. The bodies piled up higher than the city wall..."

"Stop talking, stop..."

Panic spread like a plague.

Some people smashed and looted in the streets, taking advantage of the chaos to make a fortune.

Some hid at home, afraid to go out, doors and windows shut tight. Others rushed to kneel outside the General's Mansion, begging the Governor to open the gates and let them leave.

Some of the soldiers were still fighting desperately on the city wall, while others had already slipped away in secret.

The thick smoke Li Jinshui saw from the wall had come from a group of deserters. They had looted a grain shop, set it on fire to cover their tracks, and then fled into the mountains.

Whether they'd make it out alive, no one knew.

The General's Mansion.

Zhao Zheng stood before a map, his face ashen.

"The western wall is in danger. We need reinforcements."

"The eastern wall is about to fall. The Camp Commander has been killed!"

"The Di have sent more troops to the northern wall..."

One messenger after another rushed in, each bearing nothing but bad news.

Zhao Zheng said nothing. He only stared at the map.

The deputy commander of the Personal Guard Battalion stood nearby and lowered his voice. "Governor, we don't have enough troops. At this rate, we won't last more than a few days."

Zhao Zheng raised his head and looked at him.

"Even if we can't hold, we have to hold."

He paused. His voice came out heavy, as though it had been struck from his chest:

"The regular army won't arrive for another three days. North-Rejecting City must hold for those three days."

The deputy commander fell silent.

Three days.

Thirty thousand Di soldiers attacking the city, fewer than twenty thousand defenders, and they had to hold for three days.

He didn't know whether they could hold the line.

But he knew the commander wouldn't retreat.

And neither would he.

The battle cries along the city wall rang out all night without pause.

The Di People charged up like madmen, wave after wave, giving the defenders no chance to catch their breath.

Torchlight illuminated the entire wall, the contorted faces, and the sprays of blood.

Li Jinshui had grown numb from killing.

All he knew was to swing his blade, swing it, and swing it again.

His White Tiger Blade Technique grew more practiced with every strike, each one fiercer than the last. He dodged and weaved within a square inch with Inch Step, evading countless deadly attacks. Every time he threw a punch with Iron Thread Fist, a Di soldier fell.

[+1]

[+1]

[+3...]

The points kept ticking up.

But he no longer had the heart to look.

All he knew was that there were fewer and fewer comrades by his side.

One by one, the familiar faces disappeared.

One by one, unfamiliar faces took their places, only to disappear in turn.

Blood had pooled half an inch deep on the wall, slick beneath their feet.

Monkey was still there.

The kid had no idea where he'd found the willpower, but he'd held on until now. He was covered in wounds, yet his eyes still shone, and that refusal to give in was still there.

Li Jinshui stole a glance at him and suddenly said, "Fall back."

Monkey froze. "What?"

"Fall back," Li Jinshui repeated. "You can't hold out any longer."

Monkey looked at him, and his eyes suddenly reddened.

"What about you?"

Li Jinshui said nothing. He just kept swinging his blade.

Monkey stood still, watching him for a couple of breaths. Then he turned and staggered toward the stairs.

After a few steps, he looked back and shouted:

"Jinshui! You fucking better not die!"

Li Jinshui didn't look back.

He just kept swinging his blade.

Kill.

Kill.

Kill.

At last, dawn broke.

The Di soldiers withdrew.

Not for good, only to rest for a while.

On the wall, those who were still alive knelt and gasped for breath. Some began to cry, some began to laugh, and some clung to whoever was beside them, whether they knew them or not.

Li Jinshui leaned on his blade at the edge of the wall.

He was covered in blood, some his own, some his enemies', and he could no longer tell which was which. He had gained seven or eight new wounds. The deepest, beneath his left ribs, exposed the bone.

But he stood there, straight and tall.

He opened his panel:

[Name: Li Jinshui]

[Realm: Inner Strength Realm (Early Stage)]

[Techniques: Evergreen Art (Beginner 0/200), Rock Body (Beginner 0/100), White Tiger Blade Technique (Beginner 0/80), Iron Thread Fist (Beginner 0/60), Inch Step (Beginner 0/50), Marching Step (Not Yet Initiated), Iron Shirt (Mastery), Wolf Killing Seven Forms (Mastery), Tiger Walk (Mastery)]

[Points: 376]

In one night, he had accumulated more than three hundred points.

But he didn't rush to spend them.

Because he knew this was only the beginning.

In the distance, war drums sounded again in the Di camp.

They were coming again.

Li Jinshui drew a deep breath and tightened his grip on his blade.

Behind him, thick smoke still rose over the city, and faint cries carried through the air.

He didn't know how many more days the city could hold.

But he knew that as long as he was still standing, the Di People wouldn't get past him.

He lifted his head and watched the rising sun.

A new day had begun.