Outside Tiange Pass, Barbarians at the City Gates

Inside Tiange Pass, Xu Qian, as the Chief Commander, did not look pleased.

"Tiange Pass is likely untenable," Xu Qian said.

In this meeting, besides himself, there were three others: two from the martial world—one was Lu Xingshi's master, the Star Plucking Rogue Murong Xuan, and the other was a First-Rate Expert of the jianghu, Sand Tiger Bi Sheng—and the last was his Deputy General.

Beyond the grasslands of Saibei lay the Gobi Desert, from which Sand Tiger Bi Sheng and Desert Saber Gao Li both hailed.

The Great Song Dynasty Court's first line of defense was not these formidable passes but that desert; for the barbarians to invade southward, they had to cross it. Thus, the barbarians who arrived were in poor condition and had already rested for some time.

"Our grain has run out, and morale within the pass is shaky. Just yesterday, another battalion defected to the Prince of Liao."

"Now we have only three battalions left to deploy."

One battalion numbered five hundred men, so three battalions made fifteen hundred.

The barbarians had a full ten thousand men on this southward campaign. If not for the grain shortage and the Prince of Liao's pressure, with his ten battalions and the advantage of terrain, Xu Qian could have annihilated all ten thousand barbarians without issue. After all, the barbarians were far inferior in armor and combat strength; even though the court prioritized civil over military rule and suppressed generals, their development was still leagues beyond what the barbarians could match.

Unfortunately, now with wavering morale and low spirits, even holding the pass was impossible, let alone fighting.

"So, Commander Xu, what do you have in mind?" Murong Xuan spoke up. Old and shrewd, he had already guessed the other's intent—surrender to the Prince of Liao.

Before coming, he hadn't expected the rebellion to be so convoluted.

"Surrender to Liao!"

"That will resolve the border crisis," Xu Qian said, waiting for someone to bring it up.

His Deputy General sat calmly, clearly in cahoots with Xu Qian.

Thus, he needed to convince Murong Xuan and Bi Sheng.

Bringing a Grandmaster and a First-Rate Expert along as tribute would be enough of a pledge.

"Very well, I'll go along with it. But after repelling the barbarians, I want the Prince of Liao to allow my tribe to enter the pass. Even if no land is given, just a means to survive will do," Bi Sheng said after a moment's silence, laying out his terms.

"That... can be arranged," Xu Qian agreed. This showed that Bi Sheng wasn't just considering surrender—he had already defected.

Xu Qian knew the desert tribe Bi Sheng belonged to lived harshly, but this wasn't a bad thing; it was a great opportunity. The tribe's people were fierce by nature—the elderly and weak aside, the able-bodied all knew martial arts. Once brought in, they could form their own battalion. Whether charging on the battlefield or fighting in city streets, these people held immense value.

Then Xu Qian turned to Murong Xuan, signaling it was his turn to speak.

"As for this... forget it. You open the gates and surrender; I'll return to Langya Pavilion and not oppose the Prince of Liao," Murong Xuan said. He had no desire to defect.

He had a weakness: if the court learned of his betrayal, they would surely strike at Langya Pavilion and Lu Xingshi.

Xu Qian's expression shifted slightly, but since Murong Xuan wasn't planning to fight and would simply leave, he agreed.

"Senior Murong, you're missing a golden opportunity. The Prince of Liao has raised an army to Purge the Emperor's Entourage for the sake of us martial artists."

"If you lend him a hand now, when he ascends, your Langya Pavilion will surely rise further," Xu Qian urged again.

But Murong Xuan shook his head. "A gentleman has things he will and will not do."

"The Late Emperor showed me kindness in recognizing my talent and saved my life. I will never witness the imperial family turn on each other."

This meant he refused.

Murong Xuan served the court not for profit but for gratitude and loyalty.

Thus, his status was unique. While other martial artists held nominal posts—only the True Martial Sect and Zen Heart Sect had National Preceptors, and Murong Xuan held the civil title of Yun Zhang Academician—others were given military ranks. It was precisely because of his ties to the Late Emperor and the current emperor's favor that he had this special position. The Prince of Liao's recruitment of Murong Xuan was also for this reason.

"Since Senior refuses, I'll have to ask you to stay in the pass for a few days until the Prince of Liao can speak with you," Xu Qian said, shifting from soft to hard tactics.

Murong Xuan lowered his gaze, watching the soldiers pour in, armored and armed with bows and crossbows. Escape was impossible.

"Fine." He valued his life; for now, they wouldn't dare harm him.

He just didn't know whether Tiange Pass surrendering to the Prince of Liao at this moment was a blessing or a curse.

He could be captured or detained, but he couldn't defect—he still had to consider his disciple.

Just as the soldiers were about to escort Murong Xuan away, one stumbled in frantically.

"Disaster! The barbarians are attacking the city!"

At these words, Xu Qian, Bi Sheng, and even Murong Xuan's faces changed. They hadn't expected the barbarians to strike now.

"Escort Senior Murong to rest. Great Hero Bi, come with me," Xu Qian ordered, not letting Murong Xuan follow, fearing complications.

"Good thing my lightness skill is up to par, or I might not have made it over," Lu Xingshi muttered.

He noticed Tiange Pass was under martial law, which caught him off guard.

Once inside, he saw it looked somewhat dilapidated. But thinking about how long it had held out with supplies cut off, how could it be otherwise?

Moreover, when he had arrived earlier, he had also seen quite a few people fleeing.

Clearly, they were going to defect to the Prince of Liao.

"At this rate, Tiange Pass won't hold out much longer." Lu Xingshi took a look at the situation.

"I came at the worst possible time. Where am I supposed to find my master?"

Lu Xingshi thought it over and decided to just ask someone.

Just as he was thinking, he heard urgent horn blasts and drumbeats, and his expression turned serious.

"The barbarians are making a move?" Lu Xingshi knew what this meant—it was a warning that someone was attacking.

He had come from the rear, and the Prince of Liao hadn't acted, so the only ones attacking were the barbarians advancing from the front.

"My master should be among the higher-ups, so in this situation..."

Just as Lu Xingshi was thinking of heading to the city gate to take a look, he spotted a familiar figure walking out.

"What's this? Under arrest?" Lu Xingshi observed his master's condition but didn't immediately approach to speak; instead, he followed from a distance.

Since there was no immediate danger to his life, there was no rush to rescue. He could wait until they reached their destination before making a move.

Here, in full public view, if he actually acted, he might end up being ganged up on.

"Few people" meant they didn't match the scale of Tiange Pass, not that the actual numbers were small.

"It seems someone at Tiange Pass has defected to the Prince of Liao, or maybe my master has." Lu Xingshi couldn't think of any other reason for being taken into custody.

Defecting to the barbarians would mean immediate execution, but defecting to the Prince of Liao was a different matter.