"Father, Ruonan has sent a signal!"
Zhao Dachui, who was standing at the edge of the woods, saw a torchlight flickering on the western city wall. He had an idea and quickly ran to the back to report to his father.
"All personnel, listen up! Depart immediately!"
Zhao Fengxue, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly stood up and gave the order. The thousands of the Blood Wind Hall assassins behind her also silently rose to their feet.
After three Tokiomi of rest, they had basically recovered and were ready to join the battle.
The group, all dressed in dark gray clothes, rushed quickly toward the territory defended by the nomadic tribes of the grasslands. As if by divine intervention, a dark cloud suddenly drifted in, obscuring the bright moon and making the Nightfall below even darker.
Even with torches illuminating the way, visibility was only about fifty feet.
Soon, Zhao Fengxue and the others silently rushed to a point fifty feet in front of the grassland alien tribe's defense zone, and at this moment, they were finally discovered by the vigilant grassland alien tribe.
After all, Sun Ruonan's earlier commotion had already put the grassland army on alert, but unfortunately, before they could issue a warning, they were killed by crossbow bolts fired by Zhao Fengxue and others.
These people were not discovered until they rushed close to the front of the army's defense zone. Before the army could react, Zhao Fengxue gave an order, and countless fist-sized black balls were thrown out, exploding before hitting the ground with a thunderous sound.
Such a loud noise would startle even a human, let alone other animals. The nearby horses were immediately frightened and kicked wildly, and no amount of calming by the surrounding grassland army could quickly bring them back to control.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhao Fengxue and the others made a rapid advance at an extremely fast speed.
After confirming that there was no danger ahead, Zhao Fengxue moved to the rear to cover the retreat, while keeping an eye out for any potential Grandmaster -level experts among the grassland army.
At this moment, charging forward were Zhao Dachui, 9527, and Tie Niu, with Tie Niu being the main force among the main forces.
Even Zhao Dachui, clad in Purple Gold soft armor, had to dodge the spears thrust at him by the grassland army, since his head and throat were undefended.
However, Tie Niu's entire set of heavy armor was the same type as Sun Ruonan's Xun Feather Cloth, with no blind spots in defense, and even a thick mask on his face.
Fully armed, he was practically a tank. With his immense strength of three thousand pounds and the battle axe in his hand, he was truly invincible. On this battlefield, his combat power far surpassed that of Zhao Dachui and 9527, who both had higher cultivation levels.
With Tie Niu leading the charge and Zhao Dachui and 9527 clearing the way on the flanks, the group quickly broke through the grassland army's defense zone. There was nothing blocking their path to the city walls ahead.
Just then, the grassland warriors, who were already on guard, rushed over. The two Grandmaster -level warriors in the lead confronted Zhao Fengxue, who was covering the rear, while some other Super-First-Rate warriors rushed towards the other assassins, trying to intercept them here.
The commander in charge of this area also rushed over and immediately mobilized his chaotic army to surround and kill Zhao Fengxue and his group, while also dispatching archers.
Sensing the arrival of the grassland experts, Zhao Dachui and his two companions, who had already carved out a path, rushed back to join Zhao Fengxue. Together, they covered the rear and, with the help of the other Super-First-Rate experts from the Blood Wind Hall, blocked the grassland experts.
The remaining assassins quickly advanced towards the west gate of the citadel. Some steppe cavalry tried to flank them from both sides, but were forced back by a hail of arrows fired from the citadel walls.
"Release the arrows!"
The commander of the steppe army coldly ordered that today he would leave those Han Chinese experts here forever.
The opponent was indeed a master, but even a Grandmaster would perish under a barrage of arrows.
"Throw your shield!"
At the same time, a deep, powerful shout rang out from the top of the western city wall, followed by hundreds or even thousands of large shields being swung down and crashing down in front of the assassins.
The group consisted of elite assassins trained by the Blood Wind Hall, and they were not stupid. They quickly picked up the shields and worked together to form a shield wall, which blocked the rain of arrows fired by the grassland army.
These shields are made of fine hardwood, with an iron plating on the outside and three layers of cowhide in the middle, more than enough to stop ordinary arrows.
"Bang!"
A figure in Purple Gold and gold leaped down from the ten-zhang-high city wall; it was none other than Sun Ruonan.
"Get ready, I'm going to throw you up."
Sun Ruonan didn't waste any words. She called out and grabbed the nearest assassin, then flung him and his shield into the air.
Although the assassin, along with his large shield, was quite heavy, it was nothing to Sun Ruonan, who possessed tens of thousands of pounds of strength. She could easily throw him up a ten-zhang-high city wall.
The assassin, worthy of being an elite member trained by the Blood Wind Hall, was able to manipulate his shield to deflect arrows while in mid-air, hiding behind the large shield.
Finally, with a twist of his body, he landed steadily on the city wall.
Sun Ruonan below swung her hands repeatedly, tossing the assassins one by one onto the city wall. In no time, over a thousand assassins had been tossed onto the wall by Sun Ruonan, and not a single one of them was injured.
After sending all the assassins to the city walls, Sun Ruonan didn't stop and rushed towards Zhao Fengxue. Arrows shot from the grassland army along the way were all blocked by the Xun Feather Cloth she wore.
"Father-in-law, the people have already entered the city, we should retreat too!"
Sun Ruonan shouted, "Now is indeed the time to retreat!"
"Wait, you help me kill these two barbarians from the grasslands first."
Zhao Fengxue did not retreat immediately, but instead joined forces with Sun Ruonan to deal with the two Grandmaster- level experts from the grassland army.
Neither of them were actually his match, but they knew a combined attack technique, and their spiked clubs were exceptionally heavy, making their moves incredibly powerful. He dared not take them head-on, so he was in a very sorry state.
But now that my daughter-in-law has come to help, things are different!
Upon hearing this, Sun Ruonan immediately rushed forward, knocking away and entangled one of the Grandmaster- level experts from the grasslands. Relying on the powerful defense of the Xun Feather Cloth and her own immense strength, she managed to suppress the man and put him at a disadvantage.
While this type of power-based martial artist often has a significant advantage, they will be at a serious disadvantage when facing an opponent with even greater strength.
It was obvious that Sun Ruonan was stronger than him, so after a short while, the spiked club in his hand was taken away. Before he could react, Sun Ruonan swung the spiked club down from his hand.
One can only imagine how terrifying the force would be if someone with tens of thousands of pounds of strength swung a spiked club weighing thousands of pounds. The grassland warrior was smashed into a pile of lumps on the spot, a truly miserable sight.
On the other side, Zhao Fengxue, who had just slit the throat of that grassland expert, turned around and looked at the battle situation here. Especially when she saw her daughter-in-law's brutal fighting style and the miserable state of that grassland expert, her face couldn't help but twitch.
"Release the arrows!"
The deaths of the two Grandmaster- level experts enraged the commander, who, disregarding the other grassland warriors still locked in combat with Zhao Dachui and his group, immediately ordered his men to fire arrows.
Instantly, a barrage of arrows rained down upon Zhao Fengxue and the others.
"Get behind me!"
At this critical moment, Sun Ruonan stepped forward, unfolding her folded Purple Gold wings that covered a space of three zhang.
Zhao Fengxue and the others did not dare to be reckless and hid behind the Purple Gold Wings.
"Ding ding ding..."
A sound even more intense than a torrential downpour rang out, and countless powerful arrows struck the Purple Gold wings but were all deflected, without harming the people behind them in the slightest.
"Slowly retreat!"
With her experience, Zhao Fengxue gave the order, and everyone immediately cooperated with Sun Ruonan to slowly retreat towards the rear of the city.
At this critical moment, Li Xiongxin, atop the city wall, once again ordered his archers to provide support, halting the pursuit of the steppe army and allowing Sun Ruonan and the others to retreat safely to the city walls.
As before, Sun Ruonan tossed Zhao Fengxue and the others onto the city wall one by one. She only had a little effort when tossing Tie Niu. Finally, she used her grappling hook to climb onto the city wall again.
This raid has now come to a successful conclusion.
Regardless of how furious the grassland army outside was, Li Xiongxin inside the city warmly welcomed Zhao Fengxue and his party.
"The conditions are simple, and we can only offer some coarse tea and plain food. We hope Zhao Da will not mind. Here, I, the Zhao Da, would like to offer you a cup of tea instead of wine!"
Li Xiongxin raised his teacup to Zhao Fengxue, after all, Zhao Fengxue's current identity was that of a messenger carrying official documents from the Directorate of Ceremonial, which in some ways was almost like an imperial envoy, and his rank was no lower than his, so he naturally had to be given a certain degree of respect.
" General Li, General Li are too kind. I presume you have already read the documents. My duty is only to supervise the army and apprehend any potential traitors; I will not concern myself with anything else. However..."
At this point, Zhao Fengxue glanced coldly at the generals under Li Xiongxin's command and said grimly, " General Li, please give the order not to let certain people do anything unusual, otherwise it would be bad if it caused an overreaction from me and my men. You should know that I have the authority to act first and report later this time."
He had already planned this mission carefully and was fairly certain that there was a traitor among Li Xiongxin's men, but the traitor was well hidden and waiting to strike at the most crucial moment.
He must be prepared for this; it is better to kill three thousand innocent people than to let one guilty person escape.
Otherwise, not only would the nearly 10,000 soldiers in the garrison city be completely wiped out, but the entire Datong Prefecture area would also be ravaged by the grassland army, and it might even threaten the capital.
"The defeat at Hulan City is still fresh in my mind, and I deeply hate those traitors who colluded with foreign tribes. I will fully cooperate with Zhao Da's actions to ensure the safety of this garrison city."
Li Xiongxin echoed this sentiment, saying that he shared the same goal as Zhao Fengxue in this regard.
Even if we can't find those traitors this time, we must at least ensure they don't cause trouble again and cause the city to fall once more.
It was precisely because of the restraint exerted by Wei Cheng and Li Xiongxin's 10,000 troops that the grassland army dared not venture further into the heart of the Da Ming; otherwise, they would have already charged in.
Therefore, this citadel is of utmost importance and must not be lost!
After discussing official business and future arrangements, and after Li Xiongxin dismissed the others, Zhao Fengxue's cold expression changed. She gestured to Zhao Dachui and Sun Ruonan standing behind her and said with a smile, " Dachui, Ruonan, go and offer a toast to Brother Li."
After saying that, Zhao Fengxue turned to Li Xiongxin and chuckled, "Brother Li, you couldn't come back for my son's wedding that day, so today I'll make up for it with tea instead of wine. This gift of yours can't be too small!"
Now that we've finished discussing the important matters, it's time to talk about personal things. This will help us get closer and make our cooperation smoother in the future.
"You old bastard!"
Amused, Li Xiongxin glared at Zhao Fengxue, then turned his gaze to his niece, finally settling on Zhao Dachui. After looking him up and down, he exclaimed with satisfaction, "Not bad, not bad! With you marrying my Ruonan, I can finally rest easy. I used to worry about how Ruonan would get married!"
There was no way around it; Ruonan's superhuman strength was simply terrifying, and the girl herself didn't know how to control it, so she could easily break someone's bones if she wasn't careful.
Finding a husband willing to marry this girl under these circumstances wouldn't be easy, but luckily, this young man has come along.
Zhao Dachui felt extremely uncomfortable under Li Xiongxin's gaze. He felt as if Li Xiongxin was looking at a sucker, which made him very awkward.
"Uncle!"
Sun Ruonan protested coquettishly, even stomping her foot.
The force was so great that it shook the entire floor of the room, and the bluestone floor tile underneath shattered and caved in.
This scene made Li Xiongxin's eyelids twitch, his lips twitched, and his eyes looked at Zhao Dachui with pity.
This kid's had it tough!
"Uncle, I'd like to offer you a toast with tea instead of wine!"
Zhao Dachui, whose lips also twitched, quickly picked up the teacup beside him and offered it to Li Xiongxin to cover up his embarrassment.
Sun Ruonan realized her lapse in composure, stuck out her tongue sheepishly, and quickly lifted her foot out of the dent.