Inside Lin Hai City, Tu Ling Si was once again roaring like a lioness, pointing at Gui Xing Fu’s nose and shouting loudly.
“You immediately take all the soldiers of Lin Hai City, and if that is not enough, borrow more from my elder brother. In short, charge into Tian Shui City immediately and rescue our son.”
Gui Xing Fu ignored her. Instead, he lowered his head to read the secret letter in his hand. After reading it a second time, he calmly placed it in the candle flame to burn.
“Did you hear me? Immediately lead troops to Tian Shui City, kill that beast Suo Lun, and then rescue our son.” Tu Ling Si shouted loudly, “If anything happens to our son, I will never let you off.”
Gui Xing Fu looked at his wife, his gaze gentle, and said, “Little Si, that son of my elder brother is truly formidable.”
Tu Ling Si was taken aback and said, “Have you taken the wrong medicine? Going to praise that beast.”
Gui Xing Fu took his wife’s hand, let her plump and round buttocks sit upon his lap, and caressed them lovingly as he said, “He only had fifteen thousand mercenaries, while Ji Ning had more than thirty thousand troops in her hands, and she was defending a fortified city. No matter from which angle one looked at it, this battle was certain to be lost. Yet Suo Lun not only won, but achieved a great victory in just over ten days. Ji Ning was nearly completely annihilated. Formidable… truly formidable!”
Tu Ling Si said curiously, “How did he do it?”
Gui Xing Fu said, “He merely brought one thousand men by sea into the heartland of Tian Shui City. At that time, Tian Shui main city had ten thousand troops, and each high-ranking warrior’s territory also had ten thousand defence forces. Suo Lun only had one thousand men, facing twenty thousand troops. In less than two or three days, he killed Suo Han Yi, reclaimed Tian Shui main city, subdued the Tian Shui city guard army, and carried out a great massacre, killing all opposition cleanly. Reclaiming Tian Shui main city. Formidable, his wisdom is nearly demonic!”
Tu Ling Si’s delicate body trembled, then she said fiercely, “Since he is so terrifying, then isn’t Gui Qin Qu in danger? Our Lin Hai City is also in danger. He will definitely carry out revenge. We must strike first and be strong, kill him, and exterminate the entire Suo clan root and branch.”
“There is no need.” Gui Xing Fu said, “He… is already certain to die. Duke Ji Wei’s one hundred thousand troops are about to enter Tian Shui City. They will use the most direct methods to flatten Tian Shui City and kill every single person of the Suo clan cleanly.”
“That is wonderful…” Tu Ling Si clapped her hands, then said with puzzlement, “But, didn’t they say before that they could not dispatch royal army troops into Tian Shui City? Our Lin Hai City’s army went over secretly.”
“Because Suo Lun’s heaven has collapsed.” Gui Xing Fu said, “So, even if he has greater genius, he is certain to die.”
“That is wonderful. This is the best news I have heard.” Tu Ling Si said excitedly.
Gui Xing Fu sighed and said, “What a pity. Suo Lun was born in the wrong place, and at the wrong time.”
…
Yan Nai Er led four thousand troops into Wind Thunder Fortress. It was already the second day.
Duke Ji Wei’s one hundred thousand troops were less than a hundred li from Wind Thunder Fortress.
Could four thousand troops block one hundred thousand troops? And in a dilapidated Wind Thunder Fortress at that?
This was completely impossible. Even if an immortal descended to earth, it would be impossible. This was completely different from the guerrilla warfare in the desert. Here was Suo Lun’s castle, Suo Lun’s territory. Once lost, there would be no hope of reclaiming it.
This was not the desert either, and the opponent was not the Tian Ye City allied army. The rules of the game had completely changed.
Yan Nai Er even knew very clearly that once Ji Wei’s one hundred thousand troops attacked Wind Thunder Fortress, the four thousand troops in her hands would not last even one hour.
But she had no other choice. She could not retreat, and had nowhere to retreat to.
“Miss, there is a person outside the castle requesting an audience. He says he is an old acquaintance of yours.” A close female warrior came in to report.
Yan Nai Er walked to the window to look, and immediately saw a familiar face.
Her former bosom friend Liu Chen, or as he should be called now, Tu Ling Chen.
“Invite him in.” Nai Er said, then she added, “No, I shall go to receive him personally.”
So, she put on her striking silver-white armour and walked towards outside the castle.
“Elder brother, why have you come?” Nai Er said.
Tu Ling Chen (Liu Chen) was slightly taken aback. This was the first time Yan Nai Er had called him this. Previously, every time she had directly called him by name.
His appearance had also changed greatly. Originally, he had the appearance of a dissolute young master, always a carefree and unrestrained wanderer. But now he wore a brocade robe, his hair combed meticulously without a single strand out of place, more resembling a noble young gentleman.
Tu Ling Chen looked at Yan Nai Er’s face. Although it was filled with weariness and worry, she was even more stunningly beautiful, truly so beautiful it made one’s heart tremble.
“I originally thought that we would probably never see each other again until old age, but I never imagined we would meet again so soon.” Tu Ling Chen mocked himself, “Let us go inside and talk.”
Entering the simple reception room within the castle, the two sat face to face. A close female warrior came forward to brew two cups of tea.
“Suo Lun is very formidable, completely different from what I imagined before.” Tu Ling Chen said, “In this Tian Shui City great battle, everyone thought that Princess Ji Ning was certain to win, because the disparity in strength between the two sides was too great. No one imagined that Suo Lun would actually win, and achieve a great victory in just over ten days, completely capturing every single soldier in Ji Ning’s hands.”
Speaking up to here, Tu Ling Chen paused slightly and said, “When the news arrived, all of us completely could not believe our own ears. Ji Ning possessed more than thirty thousand troops and was defending a fortified city, yet in eleven days she lost everything cleanly. It is the same Suo Lun, but compared to a year ago, he is completely a different person.”
Nai Er said, “People always grow up. He was merely a bit playful before. He has always been brilliantly intelligent.”
“But this time, he is certain to die.” Tu Ling Chen said indifferently, “I believe the answer is already in your heart. Even if a heavenly deity descended to earth, he could not be saved.”
Yan Nai Er remained silent.
Tu Ling Chen said, “But you should not be buried with him. That should not be your fate.”
Yan Nai Er still did not speak.
“Go back.” Tu Ling Chen said, “Return to Tian Ye City. That is the place of destiny for you father and daughter. Only when you are there are you a carefree and worry-free Yan Nai Er.”
Yan Nai Er still did not speak.
Tu Ling Chen said, “I am not making any demands of you. You only need to leave Wind Thunder Fortress. Because in a few hours, Duke Ji Wei’s great army will flatten the entire Tian Shui City. Your few thousand troops can only be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.”
Seeing that Nai Er still did not utter a word, Tu Ling Chen grew somewhat displeased and said, “You may think that I have come here with ulterior motives towards you, perhaps fancying you as a person, or perhaps fancying your army. But I must tell you, I begged for more than an hour, even staking the honour of the Tu Ling family, just to have the opportunity to see you before the great battle, just to have the opportunity to save your life. In Duke Ji Wei’s eyes, you are Suo Lun’s accomplice, deserving of death ten thousand times over.”
“I have not come as a persuader, but as a saviour. Your few thousand troops, facing Duke Ji Wei’s one hundred thousand troops, cannot last even half an hour.” Tu Ling Chen’s tone gradually carried anger as he said, “Go, leave this place. Follow your father, take your people back to Tian Ye City. Do not be buried with Suo Lun.”
“Elder brother, thank you.” Yan Nai Er said, “I know that Duke Ji Wei’s great army can easily crush Wind Thunder Fortress to powder. You wanted to save my life, which is why you appeared before me. But…”
Nai Er paused, then said, “But, marry a chicken, follow the chicken. Marry a dog, follow the dog. Since I have become his woman, then whatever fate it is, I accept it!”
The moment these words were spoken, Tu Ling Chen’s face twitched, and his eyes swiftly flashed with jealousy and hatred.
Nai Er continued, “Secondly, I do not like being a mercenary at all, and I like Tian Ye City even less. Back then, I liked running about carefree everywhere. It was not that I truly pursued that kind of carefree, do-as-I-please life, but merely that I wanted to escape from my father’s side, escape from being a mercenary. I am just an ordinary woman. What I pursue is a life of being a wife and raising children. And it just so happens that my martial arts are quite good, and I can also lead troops to fight, which happens to allow me to share my husband’s burdens and solve his difficulties.”
Yan Nai Er thought for a while, then organised her words and said, “I am very happy now, although this time is very brief, and even destruction may arrive immediately. But when Suo Lun was flirting with me, he said a phrase, that when the golden wind and jade dew meet once, it surpasses countless meetings in the mortal world. And what I want to say is that these few short days of happiness surpass countless years of loneliness. Even if I am destroyed together with Suo Lun, I shall die without regrets.”
Tu Ling Chen’s face twitched again and again, then he once more let out a shrill laugh and said, “I… I have truly come to humiliate myself. Very well then, I have done all that benevolence and righteousness require. If you want to be buried with Suo Lun, then be buried with him! Perhaps, I have always been blind.”
After speaking, Tu Ling Chen directly left, without looking back.
…
Tian Shui City, in the underground prison cells of the city lord’s residence.
No one knew how much time had passed before everything finally quietened down.
Ji Ning was already exhausted, while Suo Lun’s body was covered in scars, filled with bite marks and scratch marks.
All of this was the work of Princess Ji Ning.
The instant Suo Lun completely possessed her, she was completely stunned, as if struck by thunder from a clear sky.
Then, she began cursing loudly, screaming, struggling desperately, biting.
However… all this resistance lasted merely less than ten seconds.
Afterwards, she began to sink into depravity!
A full one or two hours passed before everything finally calmed down, the wind ceasing and the clouds scattering.
Princess Ji Ning felt that every single finger was numb and powerless. Every part of her body ached, completely burning hot, even including her throat.
She curled her delicate body like a shrimp. Every night she slept like this, because it seemed to give her more security.
Suo Lun embraced her from behind, gently stroking her stomach, rubbing softly yet forcefully.
Then, he kissed her earlobe, biting gently.
Instantly, Ji Ning’s delicate body trembled slightly, her temperature gradually rising.
“Why, why like this?” Ji Ning asked, her voice completely hoarse, tears sliding down as she said, “You have ruined me.”
Suo Lun said, “But you were clearly enjoying it, even more intensely than me.”
Ji Ning said, “Since my purity is destroyed, there is no need to pretend to be a chaste and virtuous woman. Since I am powerless to resist, I might as well close my eyes and enjoy it.”
“Is that the reason?” Suo Lun asked, “If the person who had defiled you just now was Suo Han Yi, or perhaps Jian Ning?”
“Shut up.” Ji Ning shrieked, her delicate body trembling violently.
She had just imagined this possibility, and it truly felt as if she had been licked by a snake, so nauseating that she convulsed.
“Ji Ning, you like me, don’t you?” Suo Lun asked.
Ji Ning shut her mouth and did not speak. She did not even need to answer, because her body had already told everything. From inside to outside, her body was enjoying Suo Lun’s intimacy.
“You are truly shameless…” Ji Ning said furiously.
“Yes, I am truly shameless!” Suo Lun pinched her little mouth, then kissed her.
Another deep, wet kiss, so long it nearly made her suffocate, biting her little tongue until it was nearly numb.
“You pervert…” After releasing her, Ji Ning increasingly clearly felt that her throat hurt very much. It should already be swollen. This perverted man before her was capable of doing anything.
“Ji Ning, is that plan your brother Ji Li mentioned still valid?” Suo Lun asked.
“What plan?” Ji Ning said, “You pledge allegiance to him, and then he marries me to you, and in the future makes you the kingdom’s Prime Minister, or the foremost military commander?”
“Yes.” Suo Lun said.
Ji Ning shook her head and said, “Do not dream. It is impossible for me to marry you, because your status is too low. The future Prime Minister or military commander cannot be given to you, because he hates you.”
Suo Lun said, “But he seemed to value me very much.”
Ji Ning sneered coldly, “You are truly naive. That was merely his performance. The reason he showed such efforts to win you over was all for the King to see. We do not need someone like you.”
“I am very formidable. Why do you not need me?” Suo Lun said.
“You are very formidable, but also even more stupid.” Ji Ning said.
Then, Ji Ning sighed and said, “Of course, I am also very stupid. In this Tian Shui City battle, if I had handed all military matters over to Suo Han Yi, we would have won long ago, and you would already be dead without a burial ground. Or even if I had handed it over to Nu Er Dan.”
Suo Lun said, “So, you cannot marry me?”
Ji Ning said, “Absolutely impossible.”
Suo Lun said, “Then let me be your secret lover, sleeping with you without any status. Tian Shui City still belongs to me, and then I serve as one of the commanders-in-chief of the southern expedition to the Savage Plains. You could give all these things even to Suo Han Yi. You and I already have skin-to-skin intimacy. Surely you cannot not give them to me?”
Looking at Suo Lun’s face, so beautiful it made one sink into depravity, Ji Ning said, “Suo Lun, what scheme are you plotting?”
“What scheme could I have?” Suo Lun said, “The King and Ji Yan, in order to win over that bastard A Shi Luo, have thoroughly abandoned me. I must save myself somehow, so I am using my body to exchange for Tian Shui City.”
Ji Ning said through gritted teeth, “You raped me and obtained my body.”
“It was mutual obtaining.” Suo Lun emphasised, then flipped over and pressed down upon Ji Ning, looking into her eyes and saying, “Ning, spare me.”
How many times had Ji Ning fantasised about the scene of Suo Lun begging her for mercy? Whenever this happened, she would feel secretly thrilled.
But when it truly happened, it was not thrilling at all. Instead, it was very… sad.
“Impossible. You are begging me now, it is too late.” Ji Ning said, then felt her legs being parted once more. She was greatly startled and said, “You, what are you doing? I, I truly cannot endure any more, mmm…”
“I will be very gentle.” Suo Lun said.
…
Half an hour later, Ji Ning sat in a carriage. She had completely been carried into the carriage, almost unable to walk.
Her carriage was escorted by a squad of cavalry, leaving Tian Shui main city. Outside the city, she bid farewell to Suo Lun.
“Suo Lun, as soon as I return to Ji Wei’s great army, the first thing I will do is have their one hundred thousand troops destroy your Tian Shui City.” Ji Ning sneered coldly, “Do not harbour any illusions. You may have slept with me, but this changes nothing.”
Suo Lun took out a piece of white silk, upon which were plum blossom-like bloodstains, Ji Ning’s virgin blood, along with other fluids.
Ji Ning’s face reddened, and she said, “You, what are you doing?”
Suo Lun kissed the bloodstain and said, “I have already done my best. As for the result, let heaven decide. If heaven wishes to destroy my Suo clan, then… let it be destroyed. I shall wait for you here. If your one hundred thousand troops enter Tian Shui City territory, then I shall lead all my troops and fight you to the death, even if it is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.”
Ji Ning pursed her lips and said cruelly, “Very soon it will no longer be one hundred thousand troops. The outcome of your destruction can no longer be changed.”
Suo Lun said, “Ji Ning, I do not ask for much. I merely ask for the same promises you previously made to Suo Han Yi.”
Ji Ning said, “No, we can give them to Suo Han Yi, but we cannot give them to you. Because he is a good dog. Are you?”
Suo Lun naturally could not become a dog.
Ji Ning suddenly said, “I do not believe you. Of course, there is one way that can make me believe you.”
“What?” Suo Lun asked.
Ji Ning said, “Castrate yourself and come to my side as a eunuch. Then I will believe you.”
Suo Lun’s face twitched.
“Suo Lun, just you wait. I shall come again very soon, bringing destruction with me.” Ji Ning said, then slapped the carriage wall and said, “Go.”
Immediately, the cavalry escorted Ji Ning, heading towards the direction of Ji Wei’s great army to the west.
Suo Lun stood just outside the city gate, watching her departure.
After leaving Suo Lun’s sight, Ji Ning could no longer endure it. She curled her entire delicate body up, hugged her legs, buried her face in her knees, and wept aloud.
…
And after Suo Lun left Ji Ning’s sight, he immediately mounted his lion-tiger beast, followed deserted mountain paths, and left Tian Shui City at the fastest speed, heading towards the royal capital Ji Du.
Would he become Ji Ning’s secret lover, exchanging for Tian Shui City’s survival? How could that be possible!
Would he kneel and beg Ji Li for mercy? How could that be possible!
What he wanted was merely time.
The lion-tiger beast galloped as if walking on flat ground along the mountain paths, racing madly.
All the way west, west, west…
From Tian Shui City to the royal capital Ji Du was a full several thousand li.
Suo Lun did not sleep or rest, galloping day and night.
A full day and night later, the royal capital Ji Du was before his eyes.
Suo Lun disguised himself, blended into the royal city, and arrived before Duke Ting’s ducal residence.
He took out a jade pendant and handed it to the gatekeeper eunuch of the ducal residence, saying, “Take this to Ji Ting and tell him I have come.”