Feeding the Spring of Life

Ye Fan drove his Inner World onward at breakneck speed, points of starlight flashing past.

Wuling City

"Grand Commander, it's been more than half a month since Commander Zha led his troops to reinforce Qixia City. By now, a military report should have arrived. But we still haven't received any news from Qixia City. I have no idea what that Chahar is playing at!" Commander Wan Que, clad in armor and gripping the hilt of his sword, spoke to Commander Cao.

"Commander Wan, there's no need to rush! Wuling City is a long way from Qixia City. Even a messenger needs time to bring back news. Let's wait another two days. The fighting is deadlocked now. Both sides have fallen silent, neither able to do anything to the other. It won't hurt to wait a few more days."

"Yes, Grand Commander!" Wan Que acknowledged the order.

Wuling City's defenders held the gates fast, refusing to come out and fight no matter how the Wu soldiers shouted and cursed. Whenever the enemy used catapults, the defenders withdrew from their onslaught, then counterattacked as soon as they heard the army charge. The two sides traded blows, neither gaining the upper hand. As time wore on, the Wu soldiers' tempers were ground down, until they had strength left only to shout and curse...

"General Yan, the Qian army refuses to come out and fight, and our army consumes enormous supplies every day. Why not request reinforcements and join Chen Haoran's forces to defeat the enemy?" Wu Pojun naturally knew that his great general was fiercely competitive and cared more about his own achievements, so he spoke with great care.

"Request reinforcements? Deputy General Wu, can't you even take one little Wuling City? Has it shut you, the Pojun War God, outside its gates? And you still want reinforcements? Do you know why I came to the front? Chen Haoran and that Sima Heru buzz around me all day like flies. They drive me mad!!!" When Yan Fengxiao heard this, he nearly jumped to his feet.

"If the Qian army refuses to fight, then think of another way. Old Guo Youshan left for Qixia City more than twenty days ago. If he takes Qixia City first, I'll die of shame before him. Get out and think of a way to defeat the enemy. If you dare bring up reinforcements again, you'll be dealt with under military law." Yan Fengxiao glared angrily at the Pojun War God before him and spoke through gritted teeth.

"Yes, this subordinate accepts the order," Wu Pojun said in a low voice, slowly withdrawing from the tent.

Had he really chosen the wrong man to serve? It was the first time Wu Pojun's faith had begun to waver.

"Prepare the troops. Attack the city again!" Wu Pojun arrived at the front of the camp, feeling weary at heart for the first time.

The troops quickly emerged from their tents and assembled in front of them. Though they did not know what point there was in fighting like this, military orders were as immovable as mountains: commands had to be obeyed and prohibitions observed. Whatever the general said, ordinary soldiers like them could only do as told.

"This should be the right direction." Inside his Inner World, Ye Fan peered outward with his eyes open. Though it was pitch-black, he could still make out the rough outlines if he looked carefully.

He hoped Wuling City could hold out. If the Wu soldiers really breached it, Sunset City would surely be the next to fall. The villagers had only just settled down. Their new village had just been established; they would never agree to return to the increasingly chaotic mountains.

"Huh? There's a city ahead, with flames reaching the sky! Could it be Wuling City?" Ye Fan saw lights burning in a city. If he listened closely, he could also hear the clamor of commotion.

Ye Fan drew steadily closer in his Inner World. He only dared watch from high in the sky. If there happened to be a great expert like the one in Sunset City, the consequences would be troublesome.

"It really is Wuling City. The place is in a terrible state." Ye Fan saw that the city gate was broken, and even the large characters above it were somewhat damaged. Still, on closer inspection, he could make out the words "Wuling."

Below, a new siege was underway at Wuling City. The Wu soldiers attacked while the Qian army defended, striking back from time to time. The Wu soldiers were like a heavy punch landing on cotton: they had strength to spare but nowhere to use it. The Qian army simply refused to come out and fight.

Ye Fan approached cautiously. Having learned his lesson in Sunset City, he did not dare poke his head out again. Not a single part of his body could stick out. In this manner, he slowly drifted into Wuling City.

The guards on Wuling City's walls were bent over, dodging the sharp arrows fired by the Wu soldiers. Ladders had long since been set up at the broken sections of the wall, though they were makeshift ones. After dodging each volley, the defenders nocked arrows and returned the favor. Below the walls lay scattered Wu soldiers who had been unfortunate enough to be hit.

For the Wu soldiers, this battle was truly frustrating.

Ye Fan lingered high in the sky, carefully looking over the city inside and out. Wuling City's defending general was no ordinary man. After all this time, he had still kept the enemy outside the gates. Ye Fan had heard that the Wu Kingdom had sent an army of two hundred thousand to attack Wuling City.

The city gate was largely intact. Though boulders were still embedded in the outer walls and the masonry looked badly damaged, the walls remained standing. The defenders were still holding their posts. This proved that Wuling City was still in the Qian Kingdom's hands and had not fallen.

Ye Fan continued drifting toward the rear, wanting a closer look at Wuling City. Although the army was concentrated at the city gate, Ye Fan knew there would surely be wounded men or bodies from his own side in the rear. That was the nature of war; how could it be fought without anyone dying? Though it was cruel, these soldiers had long since put life and death out of their minds to defend their nation's gates.

The lights grew gradually sparser toward the rear of the city, and there were far fewer people as well. Even so, by the faint light, Ye Fan could still see groups of figures.

Ye Fan descended a little, wanting a closer look. They were all wounded men from his own side. Though injured, they could still walk. Several of them were working together to carry supplies to the city gate, without using carts. Most of the city was reduced to broken walls and ruins, and the roads were blocked. Carts were not convenient to use.

Ye Fan went farther in. The lights were brighter here, illuminating rows of makeshift beds and military physicians hurrying back and forth. This appeared to be where the wounded were gathered for treatment.

From high above, Ye Fan looked at the Qian soldiers with missing limbs and thought of the Wu soldiers he had seen falling one after another at the city gate. He understood well how terrible war was, and the harm it inflicted on ordinary people.

"It looks like I need to step up the planting of medicinal herbs. Every extra portion might save another life."

Ye Fan did not stop as he flew high above. He was searching for a water source, hoping to introduce the Spring of Life from his Inner World into the city's water supply. He knew how potent the Source of Life was. Granny Chen had been in such a state back then, but after drinking spring water mixed with water from the Spring of Life, she had long since recovered and was in even better physical condition than before.

If water from the Spring of Life were introduced into the city's water supply, it would surely help the wounded soldiers.

Ye Fan made a circuit high above the city but found no great rivers. Could they be using groundwater?

Ye Fan lowered his altitude again and searched more carefully. Sure enough? The general in the city had posted soldiers to guard the wells, presumably to prevent enemy troops or spies who had slipped into the city from poisoning them.

"There are guards? Heh, that won't stop me. Besides, night has fallen deep." Ye Fan shrank the entrance to his world, leaving only a tiny slit to see where he was going, and slowly descended into a well. The soldiers guarding it were ordinary mortals and naturally could not detect him. In this way, Ye Fan went deep into the well and introduced water from the Spring of Life.

Ye Fan went back and forth searching for other wells. He found more than ten in all and added water from the Spring of Life to each one.

"Defenders of the Qian Kingdom, this is all I, Ye Fan, can do for you right now. I'll make sure to step up the planting of medicinal herbs. Please, take good care of yourselves, and protect the Qian Kingdom!"