Chapter 3: Chapter 436: Wu Hao Leads Apocalypse to Besiege the City

At the city gate, a gust of cold wind blew, making the armor of the soldiers clatter.

Wu Hao narrowed his eyes slightly. He was the State Preceptor of the Tianqi Kingdom. The Great Tianqi Divine Temple was located within the Tianqi Kingdom; if not for the presence of Great Qin, he feared that in this world, aside from the cultivators, he would be the greatest of all!

But as he looked at the composed Helian Mingshuo, thinking of how that calm face would instantly change color the moment Mingshuo saw *that person* in a moment, the anger that had just risen in his heart vanished instantly.

Wu Hao gave a cold laugh. "I will not engage in a war of words with you. If you are sensible, hand over Pingcheng early."

Outside the city gate, there was a vast silence. Tens of thousands of soldiers stood densely packed together in neat rows.

When Ye Jinxi ascended the city gate, this was the scene she saw, along with Wu Hao's obnoxious expression that made her want to hit him.

"You're dreaming. Pingcheng will never be surrendered."

This abrupt yet calm female voice spread across the entire city gate, and the echo even drifted slowly into the capital. The nobles and commoners who were still feeling anxious, packing their luggage, or burying their gold and silver, all stopped their movements and looked up. This voice seemed to pierce through their very souls, instantly calming their panicked hearts, followed by a surge of heroic, hot-blooded emotion!

A woman of Great Qin could speak so calmly, saying they would not surrender even unto death. They were all citizens of Great Qin; how could they not believe in and support their own country?!

It had to be said that the inexplicable worship and faith the people of Great Qin held for their nation allowed them to coalesce into a single entity at this very moment.

Hearing this voice, a look of joy couldn't help but appear on Helian Mingshuo's face. He abruptly turned his head to look and saw two women walking slowly toward them from not far away. One was dressed in red, yet possessed an imposing aura of nobility; the other was dressed in white, surrounded by a celestial air.

Helian Mingshuo's gaze shifted over Ye Jinxi before settling on the figure in red. He took two steps forward. "Chuchu! Are you alright?"

Hearing this concerned voice, Helian Chuchu's slow-moving body couldn't help but tremble. Remembering that Ye Jinxi had said the one who wanted her dead was the Imperial Concubine—Helian Mingshuo's mother—she instinctively looked at Helian Mingshuo with a scrutinizing and unpredictable gaze.

Helian Mingshuo did not notice Helian Chuchu's abnormality. He sized her up and, seeing that her face was flushed and she seemed to be in no great harm, his brows instantly furrowed. "Chuchu, why are you being so reckless! To dare rush out of the palace with a squad of soldiers—if something happens, how can I face Imperial Father!"

Seeing how smooth and natural the concern on Helian Mingshuo's face was, Helian Chuchu's tense body slowly relaxed. She thought back to her childhood, when she was mischievous and caused trouble everywhere; her Eldest Brother would always use this same expression to reprimand her. In the past, she had always felt impatient, but in this situation, she felt a wave of warmth in her heart. Eldest Brother was still Eldest Brother; he and the Imperial Concubine were not on the same side.

Thinking of this, Helian Chuchu revealed a slight smile. "I am fine."

Ye Jinxi stood beside Helian Chuchu, holding Deng Ling'er's hand. Thinking about how Helian Chuchu had known to use spiritual power to broadcast her voice so far when she spoke of not surrendering Pingcheng, she couldn't help but marvel. As expected of a member of the imperial family; they picked up these things so quickly.

Helian Mingshuo turned his head to look at Ye Jinxi, his gaze somewhat fervent, yet he still gave a refined smile. "With Miss Ye coming here, my chances of victory increase a bit more."

As soon as he finished speaking, he sensed a cold gaze falling upon him. He looked around but saw no one. Was it his illusion?

Ye Jinxi, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow. She was merely a cultivator and lacked the ability to contend with tens of thousands of people; how could she affect his chances of victory?!

Helian Chuchu took a step forward, precisely blocking Helian Mingshuo's line of sight toward Ye Jinxi. She knew that Bu Feichen was nearby.

"Eldest Brother, how much military force is left in the capital?"

Upon hearing this, Helian Mingshuo finally noticed the difference in Helian Chuchu. She didn't seem so impulsive anymore. If it were before, asking such a question would have surely been accompanied by extreme anxiety and panic, but now...

She actually possessed a bit of an Empress's aura...

After a long pause.

When Helian Mingshuo snapped out of it, he saw Helian Chuchu still looking at him with a calm face, waiting for his answer.

Helian Mingshuo felt a tremor in his heart, feeling a sense of heartache. Was this still the Chuchu who would pull on his arm and act spoiled?

"Thirty thousand."

Helian Mingshuo wanted to say something more, but he felt as if his throat were choked. By the time he spoke again, his voice was somewhat raspy; those two words seemed extremely difficult to utter.

Standing to the side, Ye Jinxi turned her head to look at the dark mass below the city gate. Roughly counting, the Tianqi soldiers were only about twenty thousand. The two sides originally had comparable numbers, but Helian Mingshuo was defending the city while Wu Hao was attacking. Therefore, no matter how one looked at it, Helian Mingshuo should have the advantage. So, what was with the look of certainty on Wu Hao's face?

"Hmph! Great Qin may be a great power, but I didn't know that since when a little girl would be the one calling the shots!" Wu Hao snorted coldly and said chillingly, "First Prince, I advise you to just welcome us in, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" Helian Chuchu interrupted Wu Hao. She stepped forward to the city gate and looked coldly at Wu Hao. "Do not forget that within our Great Qin's Pingcheng, there is still the Immortal Pavilion. This is not something a mere disciple of the Wind Bell Sword Sect like you can act upon!"

Ye Jinxi couldn't help but want to clap in approval. Wu Hao used the status of nations to oppress Helian Chuchu's female identity, but Helian Chuchu first interrupted him—which was a slap to his face—and then used the matter of cultivators, invoking the pressure of the Immortal Pavilion to reject him, instantly gaining the upper hand!

Truly spectacular!

As expected of the future Empress she had her eyes on; she really was someone no one could bully!

Wu Hao's face turned red then black. Clearly, being rebuked by a little girl made him lose face, yet he couldn't refute what she said!

However, he was no ordinary cultivator who focused solely on cultivation; he was also quite adept in such matters. Being the State Preceptor of the Tianqi Kingdom, he adjusted his mood instantly. He merely turned to look at Helian Mingshuo, as if saying, *I am your elder; I will not hold this against you.*

"First Prince, I will give you one last chance. Will you surrender Great Qin's Pingcheng?"

Ye Jinxi curled her lip. This man's skin was unusually thick!

Helian Chuchu frowned slightly, then relaxed, a smile hanging on her lips. She was at a disadvantage in terms of age; since Wu Hao had already assumed the posture of an elder, if she continued to be stubborn and unyielding, it would only make her appear more willful and arrogant!

Once Wu Hao finished speaking, both of them instantly looked toward Helian Mingshuo.

At this moment, Helian Mingshuo had already discovered that Helian Chuchu not only resembled the Empress in some ways, but also resembled his father, Helian Jian!

In just one night, his sister had actually grown to be so noble...

He knew Wu Hao must have something to rely on, which was why he had wanted to make him surrender Pingcheng and Great Qin without losing a single soldier from the very beginning. His maneuvering with Wu Hao was merely to buy time, racking his brains to figure out what Wu Hao's leverage actually was. Meanwhile, his spies had already been sent out; as the saying goes, know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated.

He opened his mouth, but amidst everyone's anticipation, he said, "Give me some time to consider."

*Gasp!*

The generals behind him all looked up at Helian Mingshuo in surprise, their original heroic ambitions instantly plummeting. Was Great Qin truly finished? Otherwise, why would the only remaining First Prince of Great Qin choose to give up?

Ye Jinxi looked at Helian Mingshuo with some surprise. When she saw the indifferent expression on his face, she suddenly realized—he likely had a difficult secret and was currently... stalling for time!

Suddenly, a cold gaze tinged with dissatisfaction fell upon her. Ye Jinxi blinked, her lips curling into a smile as she shifted her gaze away from Helian Mingshuo.

In the distance, standing at the highest point, Yuan Bao turned to look at Bu Feichen, then turned to look at Ye Jinxi on the distant city tower. His eyes darted around, and he looked up, saying in a milky voice, "Daddy! You don't know, while you weren't here fighting, that Prince Wen was so caring toward Mommy!"

Having said that, he raised his hand to pat his small chest. "Daddy, Mommy's peach blossom luck was all blocked by Yuan Bao's own hands!"

After Yuan Bao finished, he stretched out a small hand and said righteously, "But Mommy took all of Yuan Bao's silver."

Bu Feichen raised an eyebrow slightly. With a movement of his hand, a stack of silver notes fell into Yuan Bao's hand.

Yuan Bao grinned, his chubby little hand carefully hiding the silver notes on his person. Only then did he look up, reaching out again and saying, "Also, when the First Prince went to the courtyard to find Mommy, Mommy was still asking him about his well-being!"

Ye Jinxi wanted to cry but had no tears: *Baby, you can't leave the story half-finished! Mommy was only asking about his well-being so that the First Prince wouldn't ask for mercy for the Imperial Concubine!*

Bu Feichen's mouth twitched. With a flick of his finger, another stack of silver notes fell into Yuan Bao's arms...

"And also..."

"And also, and also..."

The shadow hiding in the darkness watched in astonishment as Bu Feichen produced what seemed to be an endless supply of silver notes. His eyes blinked again and again. Since when did his master hide so many silver notes on him?

He turned to look at Yuan Bao and suddenly understood—could it be to coax the little master into playing?!

Outside the city gate.

Wu Hao waited for a moment. Someone beside him whispered something, and he looked up at Helian Mingshuo with a smile, saying loudly, "First Prince, do not waste your efforts. Your people cannot even infiltrate the outer perimeter of my army! Do not count on them; think it over carefully!"

Helian Mingshuo frowned slightly. His subordinates all possessed excellent martial skills; even if they weren't first-rate experts, they were more than enough to be considered second-rate. How could they not be able to infiltrate?

Suddenly, thinking of a possibility, Helian Mingshuo's entire heart trembled. Could it be...

Cultivators!

Tianqi had sent many cultivators!

"Eldest Brother, there is no need to stall for time anymore." Helian Chuchu's voice rang in his ear.

Helian Mingshuo pursed his lips and turned his head to see Helian Chuchu looking at him with a pair of calm eyes.

From the beginning, when he had said those words to stall for time, the minds of the generals behind him had been in turmoil, but she had been looking at him with eyes of trust all along. He felt his heart instantly fill with strength and courage.

This was his sister, and behind him were his people. He had to use all his strength to protect them!