Don't mess with that Miao boy, he's sickly and perverted.

On the fourth day of the siege, it was still dark.

After Zhu Yu and Chai Xiaomi finished counting all the surviving children in the city, they brought them to the well one by one.

"Don't be afraid, someone's down there to catch you," Chai Xiaomi said softly, picking up the child and carefully handing him into the well.

The girls in the well were already in position, reaching out their hands to catch it steadily.

The last one was Zhu Yu. She clung to the edge of the well, not rushing down, but looking up at Chai Xiaomi.

"Come find me after the war is over, and I'll definitely get you a shopkeeper position!"

Chai Xiaomi smiled and nodded: "Okay."

She knew that Zhu Yu and the group of girls' appearance was just a small variable brought about by the butterfly effect. Once the barbarians were defeated, everything would return to normal.

This should be their last meeting.

Seeing Chai Xiaomi's reddened eyes, Zhu Yu gripped her hand tightly, his knuckles turning white: "Swords have no eyes. Since you're determined to stay in the city, I won't try to persuade you any further. No matter what, you must live, you absolutely must live!"

Chai Xiaomi paused for a moment, then laughed out loud: "Don't worry, I'm not that easy to die. When I was a child, my mother had my fortune told, and she said I would live to at least eighty-eight. The fortune teller said I was tough, and even the King of Hell would have to give way to me."

Zhu Yu was amused by her and finally let go, disappearing into the well.

Just as darkness engulfed her, Chai Xiaomi was about to turn around when she suddenly heard a childish voice from the bottom of the well: "Oh, right, sister, I forgot to tell you a secret!"

She was the most well-behaved little girl, nicknamed Ya Ya.

Chai Xiaomi leaned closer to the well opening: "What secret is it?"

"It's that older brother. He secretly checked on you several times while you were asleep the other day," Ya Ya said in her childish voice. "He even covered you with a blanket and fixed your hair, just like my mother does for me. So, I bet he's not angry with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the girls below began to cheer:

"Oh my, so that young man can be stubborn too."

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a pity. I didn't even get a chance to see Xiaomi's husband this time. I only caught a glimpse of him at the Illusionary Sound Pavilion, and I've been thinking about him ever since!"

"Exactly! That look, that figure, I've never seen another like her in my entire life!"

"Xiaomi, keep a close eye on her. After the battle is over, bring her out so the sisters can feast their eyes!"

The girls chattered amongst themselves, their laughter rising muffledly from the bottom of the well, yet crisp and bright.

He hasn't changed his old habit of making jokes.

As Chai Xiaomi listened, she felt as if she had returned to the days at Huanyin Pavilion, those chattering afternoons, those winking jokes, and those girls who could laugh carefree even though they were having a hard time.

She wiped away her tears, bent down, and shouted into the well, "Alright, alright, don't waste any more time! Go now! Have a safe journey!"

"Xiaomi, take care of yourself too!"

The footsteps below gradually faded into the distance.

She stood by the well and whispered, "Girls, run! The road ahead is wide open. May you run the way you want to be, and may everything go well for you. Farewell."

*

The attacks of the monsters became more and more frequent, crashing against the barrier of Deer City wave after wave.

The light curtain that covered the city, though covered with fine cracks, stubbornly maintained its last vestige of integrity.

The barbarians looked up at the shaky yet unbreakable barrier, their anxiety growing stronger.

They knew all too well that the beasts temporarily driven around them were already ravenously hungry for flesh and blood. If they weren't allowed to break through the city and devour people, once their hunger completely severed the thin thread of control, these bloodthirsty monsters would first tear them apart.

On a distant tower, Wu Li stood intently, doing his utmost to reinforce the barrier.

He had no time to be distracted; beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead. Even so, the cracks on the light screen that enveloped the city continued to spread and deepen visibly, spreading out like a spider web.

The barbarian artillery fire and the repeated attacks from thousands of frenzied monsters had pushed the barrier to its limit.

The soldiers on the city wall gradually stopped fighting. They discovered that all the demonic beasts seemed to have received a command and rushed towards the deepest crack in the barrier, tearing and ramming at it frantically.

"Commander! At this rate, this last barrier might not hold out much longer!"

Song Yueyao's face was solemn, her eyes reflecting the layers of ferocious beast shadows in the distance. She knew in her heart that they were now at a critical moment of life and death.

Wu Li has been able to protect the city until now using the barrier magic he just learned, not because of divine power; he is, after all, human, not a god. The reason he is protecting the city with such relentless effort is simply because there is a Xiao Mi living in the city.

Moreover, he cannot commit murder recklessly now. Even if he could go all out, a few demonic beasts would be no problem for him, but he would have to face thousands of them.

She took a deep breath and commanded in a low voice, "Everyone, grip your weapons tightly! Be ready to fight the barbarians and those beasts to the death!"

The voice just fell.

A piercing muffled sound suddenly came from the barrier, and the cracks caused by the concentrated attack became even deeper, with white light pouring out and scattering from the gaps.

Chai Xiaomi moved among the wounded, handing out weapons to each of them as they asked. Most of the wounded were unable to move easily; some were lying down, unable to even sit up, yet they still gripped their knife hilts tightly, their eyes burning with their last breath.

An old soldier took the weapon and suddenly asked, "Xiao Mi, why didn't you escape from the city through the secret passage with those girls and children?"

"Uncle, why didn't you ever think of escaping through the secret passage? A soldier did manage to escape before."

The old soldier spat, "What kind of soldier was that who escaped? He wasn't even a member of the Nie family army. The real Nie family army, even if they're on their last breath, will never retreat a single step. The commander said, 'The city stands as my witness, the city falls as my soldier,' we swear to advance and retreat together to the death!"

"What a coincidence!" Chai Xiaomi smiled, her eyes curving into two crescent moons. "Your commander is my best friend. As long as she's here, I'm here; if she dies, I'm here—"

She suddenly stopped, waving her hands repeatedly: "Pah, pah, pah! We must avoid saying prophetic things. Say something auspicious, and you won't die!"

The veteran was amused by her; he never expected that this young girl could be so optimistic even at such a critical moment.

After laughing, he still earnestly advised, "You are a young lady, and you are quite beautiful. We men can't defeat you, so we will die. But in wars throughout history, women have suffered the most tragic fates, especially if they fall into the hands of those barbarian bastards. They can neither live nor die. You should run away as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, Uncle." Chai Xiaomi raised her head, pointed to the figure standing on the towering spire in the distance, her eyes shining with certainty, "With my husband here, he will never let anything happen to me."

"And besides, I've already sent a messenger by hawk to call for reinforcements."

Chai Xiaomi's eyes lit up as she gazed at the shattering barrier and silently prayed.

The red dragon swam up her ankle to her shoulder, and now, under its master's command, it stayed by her side without leaving her side.

The barrier is about to break, and it must be ready to fight at any time.

"Reinforcements?" the old soldier asked, puzzled.

Just then.

boom--!

A deafening roar shook the city, and a huge hole suddenly tore open in the barrier, allowing a ferocious Qiongqi beast to crash in!

Its scarlet beastly eyes swept across the area, and it pounced straight towards the direction where the wounded were gathered.

"Millet!"

On the city wall, Song Yueyao shouted, but the moment her words fell, Qiongqi suddenly froze.

Its massive body seemed to be bound by invisible chains, suspended in mid-air, unable to move.

At the top of the tower, the boy was forming a hand seal with one hand, desperately blocking the gap in the barrier, while his other hand was secretly casting a Gu spell to forcibly control the Qiongqi.

He unleashed both immortal and poisonous arts simultaneously, the two spells tearing at his mind. Demonic beasts scrambled against the breach, the controlled Qiongqi roaring and struggling desperately, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, drop after drop.

Chai Xiaomi saw this and her heart tightened.

The Qiongqi struggled more and more violently, and it looked like it was about to break free.

She gritted her teeth, rushed forward, and suddenly pulled out a handful of realgar from her clothes, slapping it hard on the beast's face!

This was given to her by Wu Li in the armory, in case of emergencies.

The realgar hit Qiongqi's nose, and Qiongqi trembled all over. Its fierce roar suddenly got stuck in its throat, and its struggling movements froze instantly.

"Red Dragon, quick! Entangle it!"

The red dragon emerged in response, its body moving like lightning. In an instant, it grew dozens of times larger. Without the enhancement of its malevolent energy, its attack power was no longer what it used to be, but it was more than enough to entangle a ferocious beast.

Wu Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then turned his head to focus on the light in his palm, trying his best to repair the still widening gap. The consumption of spiritual energy over the past few days had already brought him to the limit, and the light gradually dimmed, almost going out.

Suddenly, two brighter beams of light pierced down from the sky and precisely entered his light, completely filling the gap!

"Old Ji—!"

"Brother Yu—!"

Chai Xiaomi looked up and waved, her eyes shining brightly.

A giant eagle circled overhead, carrying two familiar figures on its back.

The reinforcements have finally arrived!