Regular Army

Li Jinshui returned to the camp just as the sky was beginning to brighten.

Wan Niang was still asleep; he hadn't woken her when he left.

The girls of Gentle Haven were accustomed to guests arriving at night and leaving at dawn, so they wouldn't even bother to lift an eyelid.

Monkey followed behind him, his steps unsteady, muttering nonsense about how "that sister was truly something." Li Jinshui couldn't be bothered to acknowledge him, simply walking quickly toward the camp.

Just as he reached the camp gate, he heard a burst of urgent war drums.

It wasn't the usual alarm.

It was that dull, rapid rhythm that struck directly at the heart.

All personnel to the walls.

Li Jinshui's pace faltered, his expression changing in an instant.

"Move!"

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

They rushed into the barracks, donned their armor, grabbed their blades, and as they ran back out, they saw the northern sky illuminated a deep, burning red.

It wasn't one fire; it was countless fires.

The regular Di Army had arrived.

The city wall was already in total chaos.

When Li Jinshui charged up, he froze.

Outside the wall, the dark mass of the Di Army spread to the horizon like a tide. It wasn't five thousand, nor ten thousand; it was at least thirty thousand.

Thirty thousand Di soldiers.

War banners were packed tight, siege towers stood side by side, scaling ladders were as numerous as a forest, and there were battering rams, catapults, and ballistae—everything one could imagine.

Regular troops.

This was the true regular army of the Northern Di.

"Form ranks!!!"

A hoarse roar echoed across the wall. It was the voice of Zhou Kui; though his wounds hadn't fully healed, he was already standing at the very front.

Li Jinshui took a deep breath, tightened his grip on his blade, and glanced back at Monkey, who had caught up.

"Stay close to me."

Before the words had even faded, 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, taking three arrows to his left arm. His perfected Iron Shirt allowed him to tank the hits, but a new recruit nearby failed to block in time and was turned into a hedgehog.

"Kill!!!"

Scaling ladders hooked onto the parapet, and Di soldiers began to swarm up.

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

Li Jinshui slashed down, and the man fell without even a groan.

[Killed Northern Di soldier, points +1]

The second, the third, the fourth...

He held his ground at the gap in the middle of the wall, not retreating a single step.

With the Wolf Killing Seven Forms perfected, his blade light moved like a streak of silk, each strike claiming a life. His blade aura was so condensed it felt tangible; one strike could cleave through both armor and flesh, and even bone could not stop it.

[+1]

[+1]

[+2, killed Northern Di decurion]

[+1]

[+1]

[+3, killed Northern Di decurion (Body Forging level 9)]

But there were too many Di soldiers.

Kill one, and two more climbed up. Kill two, and four more followed.

The Zhou Army soldiers around him fell one by one, only to be replaced by others.

Qin Lie was not far to the left, surrounded by three Di soldiers, fighting to the death while covered in blood. Zhou Tai's blade had snapped, so he picked up a fallen weapon and continued to hack away. Zhao Tieniu had taken a blade to his right shoulder, yet he still swung his weapon with his left hand.

Monkey was behind him, only at the fifth level of Body Forging with crude blade skills, yet he did not retreat a single step, fighting desperately to protect Li Jinshui's back.

[+1]

[+1]

[+1...]

The points were jumping frantically.

As Li Jinshui slaughtered, he roared in his heart:

"Add to Rock Body!"

[Rock Body: Uninitiated (0/100)]

[Consumed 100 points, Rock Body initiated]

BOOM—

The energy within his body suddenly grew heavy, flowing sluggishly like molten lead.

A faint, stone-blue hue rippled across the surface of his skin before quickly fading away.

He could feel his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones being reinforced by some unknown force, becoming denser and tougher.

Rock Body, initiated.

Yet the Di soldiers kept surging forward.

"Add to White Tiger Blade Technique!"

[White Tiger Blade Technique: Uninitiated (0/50)]

[Consumed 50 points, White Tiger Blade Technique initiated]

A flood of memories surged into his mind—a massive white tiger pouncing on prey in the mountains; every leap, every snap, every swipe carried the force of a thunderbolt.

His blade style shifted!

It was no longer the sinister, cunning nature of a wolf, but the fierce, domineering power of a tiger!

With a single downward slash, a Di soldier in front of him was cleaved in two, blade and body alike!

[+1]

[+1]

[+2...]

"Add to Inch Step!"

[Inch Step: Uninitiated (0/40)]

[Consumed 40 points, Inch Step initiated]

A strange sensation suddenly took hold of his feet. Within a square inch, he could now erupt with astonishing speed over an extremely short distance.

A Di soldier's blade was already descending toward his face—with a slight shift of his feet, he instantly slid three feet to the side, the blade edge grazing his ear. With a backhand strike, the soldier's head went flying.

"Add to Iron Thread Fist!"

[Iron Thread Fist: Uninitiated (0/40)]

[Consumed 40 points, Iron Thread Fist initiated]

Memories of the fist technique flooded in. Iron Thread Fist combined hardness with softness; the strikes were like iron wires—seemingly light, but in reality, they pierced through tendons and bones.

A Di soldier rushed before him, swinging a scimitar down. He dodged to the side and slammed a fist into the man's chest.

"CRACK!"

The sound of shattering ribs was clearly audible. The Di soldier spat out blood and flew backward, knocking down two others behind him.

[+1]

[+1]

[+1...]

Four techniques, all initiated.

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

Rock Body made his defense stronger, White Tiger Blade Technique made his attacks fiercer, Inch Step made his movement faster, and Iron Thread Fist gave him more certainty in close-quarters 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 lunged toward the Di soldiers once more.

He killed from dawn until noon, and from noon until dusk.

The sun rose and set, and the people on the city walls were replaced batch after batch.

Li Jinshui did not know how many he had killed; he only knew that the point notifications kept jumping, kept jumping, until eventually, he could no longer count them.

[+1]

[+1]

[+3]

[+2]

[+1...]

He only knew that the comrades around him were becoming fewer and fewer.

Qin Lie was wounded; as he was being carried away, he was still shouting, "I can still fight!"

Zhou Tai was dead, his neck severed by a single blade strike from a Di People centurion, his head rolling far away. Zhao Tieniu was nowhere to be seen; he did not know if he had died or been carried off.

Monkey was still there.

That lad was covered in blood—his own, the enemy's, it was impossible to tell anymore. Yet he was still killing, his blade technique becoming unexpectedly more proficient; he had reached the sixth level of Body Forging.

"Jinshui!" Monkey suddenly shouted, "Look!"

Li Jinshui followed the direction he pointed—

Within the city, thick smoke billowed.

It was not that the Di People had broken in; someone was burning things.

Deserters?

Or rioters?

He did not know.

But he knew that the situation inside the city was likely no better than it was on the city walls.

Inside the city.

Hearts were filled with trepidation.

Since yesterday, people had begun to flee.

First, it was the wealthy merchants, hiring carriages, loading up large bags and small bundles, and running toward the south.

Then came the common folk, carrying packs, dragging their families along, surging toward the south gate of the city.

But the south gate was closed.

The Governor had issued an order: no one was to leave the city during wartime; violators would be beheaded.

Those who could not escape could only burn incense and pray to Buddha at home, begging the soldiers on the walls to hold back the Di People.

But news traveled faster than anything else.

"I heard the Di People brought thirty thousand!"

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

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

"I heard that thousands died just yesterday, the corpses piled higher than the city walls..."

"Stop it, stop talking..."

Panic spread like a plague.

Some were smashing, looting, and robbing in the streets, making a fortune in the chaos.

Some hid at home, not daring to step out, doors and windows shut tight. Some rushed to the gates of the General's Mansion to kneel, begging the Governor to open the city gates and let them go.

As for the soldiers, some were still fighting for their lives on the walls, while others had already secretly fled.

The plume of smoke Li Jinshui saw from the wall was set by a group of deserters—they had robbed a grain store, set it on fire to cover their tracks, and then fled into the mountains.

Whether they could escape or not, no one knew.

General's Mansion.

Zhao Zheng stood before the map, his face ashen.

"West wall in critical condition, requesting reinforcements."

"East wall can't hold much longer, the battalion commander has been killed in action!"

"On the north wall, the Di People have increased their troops again..."

Messenger after messenger rushed in, bringing nothing but bad news.

Zhao Zheng said nothing, merely staring at the map.

The deputy commander of the Personal Guard Battalion stood to the side, lowering his voice: "Governor, our forces are insufficient. At this rate, we won't last a few days."

Zhao Zheng looked up at him.

"Even if we can't hold, we must."

He paused, his voice sounding as if it were being hammered out from his chest:

"The regular army won't arrive for another three days. For these three days, North-Rejecting City must be held."

The deputy commander fell silent.

Three days.

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

He did not know if they could hold the line.

But he knew the Governor would not retreat.

And he would not retreat either.

The sounds of slaughter on the city walls did not cease for the entire night.

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

The light of the torches illuminated the entire wall, lighting up those ferocious faces and the blood splashing through the air.

Li Jinshui had become numb to the killing.

He only knew how to swing his blade, swing it again, and swing it once more.

His White Tiger Blade Technique grew increasingly proficient, each strike fiercer than the last. His Inch Step allowed him to maneuver in the tightest of spaces, helping him dodge countless fatal attacks. Every time he threw a punch with his Iron Thread Fist, a Di soldier was sure to fall.

[+1]

[+1]

[+3...]

The points were still jumping.

But he no longer had the heart to look at them.

He only knew that the comrades beside him were becoming fewer and fewer.

Those familiar faces were disappearing, one by one.

Those unfamiliar faces were filling the gaps, only to disappear one by one as well.

The blood on the city wall had pooled to a depth of half an inch, making the ground slick and greasy underfoot.

Monkey was still there.

That kid possessed an unknown well of perseverance, actually managing to hold on until now. He was covered in wounds, yet his eyes remained bright, and that stubborn, unyielding spirit was still burning.

Li Jinshui took a moment to glance at him and suddenly said, "Fall back."

Monkey was stunned. "What?"

"Fall back," Li Jinshui repeated. "You can't hold on anymore."

Monkey looked at him, his eyes suddenly turning red.

"What about you?"

Li Jinshui did not speak; he simply continued to swing his blade.

Monkey stood where he was for two breaths, then turned and stumbled toward the bottom of the wall.

After running a few steps, he turned back and shouted:

"Jinshui! Don't you fucking die!"

Li Jinshui did not look back.

He just kept swinging his blade.

Kill.

Kill.

Kill.

The sky finally brightened.

The Di soldiers retreated.

It was not a total withdrawal, merely a temporary respite.

On the city wall, the survivors knelt on the ground, gasping for air. Some began to cry, some began to laugh, and some hugged those beside them, regardless of whether they knew them or not.

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

He was covered in blood—his own, the enemy's—it was impossible to tell them apart. Seven or eight new wounds had been added to his body, the deepest one on his left ribcage, where the bone was visible.

Yet he stood, standing straight as a rod.

He pulled up his panel:

[Name: Li Jinshui]

[Realm: Inner Strength Realm (Early Stage)]

[Arts: Evergreen Art (Entry 0/200), Rock Body (Entry 0/100), White Tiger Blade Technique (Entry 0/80), Iron Thread Fist (Entry 0/60), Inch Step (Entry 0/50), Marching Step (Not Started), Iron Shirt (Mastered), Wolf Killing Seven Forms (Mastered), Tiger Walk (Mastered)]

[Points: 376]

In a single night, he had accumulated over three hundred points.

But he was in no rush to spend them.

Because he knew that this was only the beginning.

In the distance, within the camp of the Di People, the war drums began to sound once more.

They were coming again.

Li Jinshui took a deep breath and gripped his blade tight.

Behind him, thick smoke continued to rise from the city, and the faint sounds of wailing drifted over.

He did not know how many more days this city could hold out.

But he knew that as long as he was still standing, the Di People would not get past him.

He raised his head and looked at the rising sun.

A new day had begun once more.