Chapter 11: Leaving the City

Zhang Yuan had only ever heard his father say that as a Martial Guard, one’s life belonged to the Great Qin; he had never thought that far ahead, nor that deeply.

“That’s right, to live standing tall.” Zhang Yuan whispered softly.

If not to live standing tall, how could three thousand martial soldiers have held Fengtian County for three months against twenty thousand Yan troops?

If not to live standing tall, why would five hundred remnants fight to the death rather than surrender?

“Lad Zhang, this is a formula I, Hu Chunnian, have spent my life perfecting.” Hu Chunnian turned around, looking at Zhang Yuan with a solemn expression.

He held a few thin pages of paper in his hand.

“Medicines for the army, medicinal diets, and some methods for treating wounded soldiers.” Rolling up the pages and handing them to Zhang Yuan, Hu Chunnian lowered his voice. “Lad, take these out. Maybe you can save more people.”

Zhang Yuan gripped the pages tightly, took a deep breath, and nodded.

This old man, Hu Chunnian, valued medical traditions above all else; the formulas he kept were guarded like gold, never shown to anyone.

“Don’t worry, I have all these formulas memorized. Giving you a copy is just a precaution.”

Hu Chunnian chuckled, then walked toward the backyard with his hands behind his back.

Watching him walk away, Zhang Yuan unfolded the scroll, silently recited it once by the moonlight, and tucked it into his tunic.

By consuming a sliver of the Insight Bead’s dissipated energy, he could achieve photographic memory.

The formulas on these pages were now etched in his mind.

……

At noon the next day, Zhang Yuan saw Yu Lin, the Commander of the Red Scale Army, once again.

At this moment, Yu Lin was fully armored, a long saber hanging at his waist, his sturdy frame standing like a mountain.

“Practice the Mountainous Saber Technique for me to see.”

Seeing Zhang Yuan, Yu Lin waved his hand to dismiss the other officers, then spoke indifferently.

Zhang Yuan nodded, drew his saber, and began to practice within the small hall.

His movements were not fast, but every strike was steady and powerful.

Once the technique was finished, Zhang Yuan sheathed his blade and looked at Yu Lin.

Yu Lin nodded, softly pointing out a few places where Zhang Yuan’s strength and posture were lacking.

Then, he demonstrated the saber technique himself and went through the Mountainous Fist Technique twice.

“The saber technique is the way of slaughter, while the fist technique is for tempering the body, meridians, bones, and flesh.”

“I only taught you the saber technique before because I thought it was more useful. I didn’t expect your martial talent to be so high. Once you master this fist technique and lay a solid foundation…”

“Dong—”

“Dong—”

“Dong—”

The sound of drums from the city walls interrupted Yu Lin.

The Yan army was attacking.

The Yan army’s offensive had not ceased for days.

Putting away his stance, Yu Lin looked at Zhang Yuan, who stood bowing before him, and said in a low voice, “Lad, stay alive.”

With that, he reached out, picked up the war helmet from the long table, and put it on. He snapped the faceplate shut, leaving only his eyes shining with a sharp, brilliant light. Holding his war saber, he strode out.

Outside the courtyard, the clanging sound of armor in motion rang out.

Zhang Yuan stood where he was, looked toward the courtyard, and whispered, “Stay alive…”

When he returned to the infirmary, all the wounded soldiers had been gathered outside by the townspeople, either supported or carried.

Over two hundred townspeople were there; some looked terrified, others deathly pale.

The South Gate was completely surrounded by the Yan army. For them to leave the city was a life-or-death gamble.

“How is it?” Zhang Yuan asked in a low voice as he reached Young Master Tao.

Two townspeople in plain clothes were supporting Young Master Tao, who leaned against a pillar.

“Won’t die yet.” Young Master Tao grinned, which pulled at the wounds on his chest and abdomen, causing his mouth to twitch.

Not far away, Hu Chunnian was carrying a large medicine chest, still scavenging for herbs as if he wished to take the entire infirmary with him.

“Zhang Yuan, can you still fight?”

Duan Hong, wearing half-body scale armor and holding a long spear, strode over and shouted.

“I can fight.” Zhang Yuan cupped his fists and shouted back.

“Chen Wuxiong, get him a set of armor.” Duan Hong waved his hand and hurried off without stopping.

“Wait for the signal from the city walls, then we move out.”

Leading over a dozen martial soldiers to protect a hundred wounded and civilians out of the city—only Duan Hong knew how difficult this task was. He ran back and forth, drenched in sweat, clutching a map soaked with perspiration. Whenever he saw a soldier or civilian not ready, he would shout at them.

Surprisingly, his shouting helped dispel much of the terror that had filled the small courtyard.

With Chen Wuxiong’s help, Zhang Yuan put on a set of armor from which the Yan army’s insignia had been ground off.

It was a suit of chainmail, weighing over twenty pounds, consisting only of the outer shell without waist guards, knee pads, or shoulder guards.

Even so, it was the most complete set of armor among the dozen soldiers present.

“Follow me after we charge out.” Chen Wuxiong tightened the leather strap on Zhang Yuan’s back and lowered his voice. “My hometown is Chen Village outside the South Gate; I know the roads out there.”

Seeing Zhang Yuan turn his head, Chen Wuxiong said solemnly, “This is the Commander’s order.”

Duan Hong’s arrangement.

Everyone in their battalion knew Zhang Yuan’s background.

A Martial Guard who inherited his father’s mantle, the only surviving member of the Zhang family.

In every previous battle, he and Young Master Tao had been kept in the rear.

Zhang Yuan nodded, looked at Duan Hong, who was striding about with the character “Prisoner” stained in sweat on his forehead, and said nothing more.

The noise in the small courtyard faded into silence.

Everyone waited, drenched in sweat.

Outside the courtyard, the sounds of weapons clashing, battle cries, arrows piercing the air, and war drums seemed to strike at their very hearts.

Zhang Yuan pressed his left hand against the scabbard at his waist, tilting the hilt slightly to the position best suited for his right hand to draw.

He closed his eyes slightly, his internal energy slowly surging, and a phantom image moved through the forms in his mind.

The Mountainous Fist Technique.

————————————

“Boom—”

A roar of clashing energy erupted, and half of the South City seemed to shake.

“Yu Lin, if you surrender to our Great Yan, I, Chen, guarantee you the position of a Fifth-Rank General.”

The rough, booming voice carried the powerful aura unique to an Innate-realm expert, seemingly causing the low-hanging clouds to ripple.

The Innate Realm was not just about cultivating internal energy; it was about cultivating Innate True Essence.

The power of True Essence was a sublimation of internal energy, the beginning of truly transcendent power.

The gap between the Post-natal and Innate realms seemed like a single step, but in reality, it was a chasm.

The limit of the Post-natal realm was the strength of one ox—two thousand pounds—but with the aid of Innate True Essence, those Innate experts could easily exert power far beyond that.

It wasn’t just strength; it was speed and more profound methods that could only be unleashed by the Innate True Essence condensed at the Innate level.

In the martial world, an Innate expert could establish a sect and rule a region.

“Boom—”

The rumbling sound came again.

“Chen Jitang, you are not qualified to speak to me.” The voice of Red Scale Army Commander Yu Lin rang out, his momentum instantly overpowering the other.

The roaring vibrations and the energy piercing the air clearly indicated a battle between two Innate experts.

Zhang Yuan looked up toward the city walls, watching the collision of energy that stirred the clouds.

As his cultivation improved, his insights into practice grew broader, and his understanding of martial combat deepened.

“Bang—”

The clash of energy sent stones flying from the city walls and caused the flags to tear with a crisp, snapping sound.

On the city wall, a red flag waved.

“Move out!” Duan Hong gave a low shout and charged out of the courtyard.

“Charge—”

Seven or eight soldiers shouted at the top of their lungs, stepping onto the city wall using the stones piled by the ramparts.

Zhang Yuan followed behind Chen Wuxiong, reaching the top of the wall in a few strides.

From a height, one can see far.

The last time he had fought the Yan army on the walls was a month ago; since the garrison had dropped below a thousand, they had been unable to hold the walls against the Yan army.

Standing on the wall now, he could see rows of Yan army tents in the distance, along with scattered battle formations.

On the surrounding walls, the Red Scale Army in red armor and the Yan army in black armor were locked in a tug-of-war at various breaches.

At the city gate, a general in red armor held a war saber, hacking away, pushing a black-armored officer off the wall with every strike.

The Mountainous Saber Technique.

With the aid of Innate True Essence, every strike truly possessed the power of a collapsing mountain.

Seeming to sense Zhang Yuan’s gaze, the red-armored general a hundred paces away turned his head. With his faceplate down, his features were invisible, but he nodded slightly before leaping down.

Below the wall, two streams of energy entangled and collided again, and the Yan soldiers near the wall swarmed toward them.

Commander Yu Lin was personally intervening, pinning down the Yan army’s Innate expert to cover the city’s civilians and wounded as they escaped!

“Go!”

Chen Wuxiong handed a knotted hemp rope to Zhang Yuan, jumped off the wall himself, and descended using a rope over twenty feet long.

Zhang Yuan took a breath and followed him down.

The rope burned his palms as he slid, his body slammed against the wall, he let go, rolled forward, and landed on his feet.

(End of chapter)