My lord, spare his life!

"Lü Bafeng's men came again to urge us."

A few days ago, Lu Yuan arrived with over five hundred men and more than a hundred jars of fine wine, claiming she wanted to reminisce. They immediately became wary. While feigning politeness, they detained her men. Lu Yuan now only has forty or fifty men with her; the rest have been separated.

If there is any unusual movement, Lu Yuan and her soldiers will all die.

Surprisingly, Lu Yuan behaved himself.

Every day, she would just wander around with a bottle of wine, chatting and reminiscing, seemingly having completely forgotten her identity. The more than five hundred people she brought were also quiet, neither trying to spy on the military camp nor contacting outsiders, staying obediently in the designated area.

This is really baffling.

They couldn't even find an excuse to kill Lu Yuan.

Just as they were wondering if Lu Yuan had some kind of conspiracy, starting the next evening, Lu Yuan's headquarters, which had been silent until then, began sending people to urge him to return. Heh heh heh, they certainly couldn't let Lu Yuan go so easily.

On the third and fourth days, the urging became more and more frequent.

There were also signs of troop movements at Lu Yuan's headquarters.

It seems he's getting a little restless.

"Another urging? This is the third time today, isn't it? Send them away as usual. If they come again, detain the messenger as well. Is Lü Bafeng still the same? Have you inquired about anything?"

"Still the same old story, only reminiscing and talking about personal matters, not business, and there's not even any attempt to persuade him." Everyone was quite annoyed when talking about Lu Yuan; this guy was incredibly shameless. The more Lu Yuan acted this way, the less they could figure out what he was up to. It wasn't that they hadn't suspected that Lu Yuan was just bait on the surface, and that he might be doing other dirty tricks behind the scenes.

However, the scouts did not find any signs that the enemy had divided their forces.

This left them wondering what Lu Yuan was up to.

"Given her arrogance and overconfidence in her own strength, she dared to charge into battle even with only a hundred men, let alone with over five hundred... Perhaps she truly is skilled and daring, preparing to launch a night attack from within while we are off guard?"

This situation is very likely to happen to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan neatly drew the character "止" (stop).

He laughed as he tossed the pebble in his hand, clapped his hands to brush off the dust, and stared at the character "止" (stop) for a moment, lost in thought: "I thought it would only be three days."

As a result, it lasted for a full four days.

These past few days, Lu Yuan has been on edge.

She slept in her armor, weapons at her side, only daring to close her eyes and drift into light sleep, never daring to fall into a deep slumber. She could clearly feel the atmosphere around her gradually tightening, filled with a suffocating sense of danger. She had only forty-odd men left with her; the rest were kept at bay—Lu Yuan was confident their lives were still intact, but she also knew the blade was always at her throat, ready to fall at the slightest provocation. Not only her soldiers, but she herself was now being watched intently by countless eyes wherever she went.

Today is the fourth day.

As the sun sets in the west, the sultry heat, carrying the earthy smell, begins to dissipate.

Lu Yuan's intuition told her that at the earliest tonight, or at the latest tomorrow morning, these people would definitely find out about the attack on Zongren County. The first thing they would do upon hearing the news was to use her as a scapegoat and behead her—they hadn't acted yet because they hadn't completely broken off relations openly, which was why they could endure stomach aches and drink when Lu Yuan invited them for drinks. But the attack on Zongren County was a completely different matter.

Inside the tent, Lu Yuan stepped on the "stop" sign with his toes.

He drew his sword and glanced at its gleaming blade.

He murmured to himself, "Tonight."

It still seems unbelievable to me now.

Four days ago, how could she have risked her life, personally venturing into danger to mislead the enemy and offering her own head as a gambling chip for her lord? She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and pushed the sword back into its sheath. For the first time, Lu Yuan realized that she too was a gambler.

I wonder if we can break through the encirclement if we make a move tonight?

Out of caution, she had abstained from food and water since noon, and now, with her mouth dry, she could only quench her thirst by swallowing saliva—after all, they were friends of many years, and those people knew her, and she knew them too. They were indeed capable of poisoning Lu Yuan's food.

As the last rays of sunlight disappeared below the horizon, the cavalry charged toward the camp like arrows released from a bow, each horse bearing a banner with the character "信" (meaning "trust"). The sentries in the camp saw the fluttering banner from afar and ordered all obstacles along the way to be cleared, allowing the cavalry to advance unimpeded.

"Report—"

The hoarse sound of rapid, panting breaths broke the silence of the camp.

The messenger cavalryman tumbled off his horse, nearly falling, his chest and lungs burning from the rapid breathing: "The county seat has fallen."

By the light of the fire, everyone was able to see what the cavalrymen looked like.

The man's clothes were covered in dried blood, and he had two finger-length wounds on his face. His armor plates on his chest and back were split open. If he hadn't been lucky enough to avoid fatal wounds, he probably wouldn't have been able to bring back the message alive.

"What?!"

The news exploded like a thunderbolt in everyone's ears.

"When?!"

"Which faction did this?!"

The messenger cavalry was already at its last gasp; two of their warhorses had died along the way while trying to evade pursuit. They had only managed to hold on until now because they were holding onto their last bit of strength. As soon as they delivered the message, they swayed and were about to collapse, but someone caught them and infused them with some star power, which helped them regain consciousness.

After that, he intermittently shared some intelligence.

Time is of the essence, so all messages should be kept as brief as possible.

There were three main incidents: the granary was robbed, the frontline troops were falsely accused of absconding with the grain, and the county seat was attacked by the enemy in less than half a day after a mob mutiny caused by a feigned ambush.

The people who received the news almost fainted from anger.

After finding out when these incidents occurred, I became even angrier.

"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"

How was the grain depot emptied in less than 15 minutes?

These idiots didn't even send someone to verify it right away.

They can't really believe that the frontline troops have absconded with the supplies, can they?

The thought of being unwittingly framed and unfairly implicated filled everyone with rage; they were practically murderous. What on earth was this mob mutiny? Why did it have to happen now of all times? Was the county seat completely infiltrated? Didn't any of those idiots notice anything amiss? Was the thing on their shoulders filled with shit?

If they calmed down and put themselves in the other person's shoes, they would most likely have made the same judgment as those people in the county government: "they ran away with the supplies from the front lines." But right now, they have no reason, only anger.

Even more infuriating things were yet to come.

After the bandits entered the city, they took advantage of the chaos to kill several heads of households.

With a whoosh, the blade was drawn.

The man said hatefully, "I'll kill Lü Bafeng right now!"

This sentence also served as a reminder to everyone.

It also reminded them that the culprit, Lü Yuan, was in the camp—the drinking these past few days was just a smokescreen that Lü Yuan had planned long ago; he had long harbored the idea of ​​launching a sneak attack on Zongren County.

"Capture Lü Yuan, behead him, and hang his head on the camp gate."

Does Lü Bafeng consider himself a god?

Let them see if she can survive this time!

"Also, don't make a fuss—"

Before the warning could even be uttered, the man with bloodshot eyes, who was about to kill Lu Yuan, roared: "Lu—Ba—Feng—!"

He charged towards Lu Yuan's camp like a crimson cannonball.

boom--

An explosion occurred.

Crimson flames surged and roared toward the sky.

"No, the sound is coming from the wrong direction—"

The direction of the explosion was opposite to the location of Lu Yuan's camp.

The noise also brought the general, whose eyes were blinded by hatred, to his senses for a moment, and he subconsciously looked up in the direction from which the explosion came.

Enemy attack!

It's an enemy attack!

The thought suddenly popped into my head.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a white light streak through the air, a chilling sense of danger shooting straight to the top of his head. The general raised his sword and slashed down, the clang of metal striking metal ringing out as it struck a familiar blade. The tents behind him collapsed with a deafening roar, all engulfed in the raging flames. His eyes widened in fury as he glared hatefully at the person before him: "Lu Yuan!"

The flickering firelight illuminated an extremely cold and sinister face.

She simply uttered a single word.

"kill!"

"You think you can escape!"

Did Lu Yuanzhen think she was a god, breaking out of the enemy's camp from the inside out? Today is her death day!

The long sword, accompanied by a strong wind and brilliance, cleaved straight at Lü Yuan's face.

They blocked Lu Yuan's escape route and attacked her vitals from a tricky angle.

He wished he could kill Lü Yuan with his sword.

The blades clashed like a dense net, impenetrable. He had always favored bold and unrestrained attacks, and now, driven mad by intense hatred, his blades moved with immense force and weight. Lu Yuan was caught off guard; a tightness gripped his chest, and his hand tingled with numbness: "If the one stopping me is you, then of course you can."

The clang of metal on metal was deafening, and both men's swords snapped in two.

Within Lu Yuan's body, stellar power surged, and crimson-purple light transformed into a twin-winged fire serpent several dozen feet tall, spitting out its fiery tongue as it crashed down upon the general. With a deafening boom, countless sparks leaped outwards.

Wherever they passed, the flames blazed brightly.

Anything that comes into contact with a spark will ignite instantly.

With a flick of her wrist, Lu Yuan's broken sword, as if with eyes, drew an arc in the air, striking a soldier precisely in the heart. She then spread her five fingers, and a gentle, crimson-purple fire snake slithered through her palm until it coalesced into a long spear. The spear's shadow transformed into an impenetrable net before her, deflecting arrows that came from all directions with a clang.

call out--

A hidden arrow struck the general in the back.

He dodged aside, but Lu Yuan showed no intention of continuing the fight. Instead, he joined up with his personal guards who had been firing arrows from the shadows, slashed down enemy soldiers who were closing in on him, and pulled them away, saying, "Break through. Someone will be there to meet you."

Lu Yuan also noticed the direction of the explosion.

My heavy mood has finally eased a little.

It's unclear whether the one who made the move was Xiao Sui, or one of the more than four hundred who were separated. If it's the former, they only need to hold out until they can reunite with them, and they'll have a chance to survive. If it's the latter, tonight will likely be dangerous.

The forty or so men she brought with her surrounded her as soon as they heard the commotion, spontaneously forming a dense military formation, supporting each other, combining offense and defense, and preventing the enemy from easily breaking them apart. Lü Yuan and the others moved towards the direction of the explosion, while she still had to deal with the military officer.

"I'll hold him off."

"Lv Yuan, don't run away!"

Enemy soldiers surged toward Lü Yuan's side like a tide.

The forty or so people who transformed into swords were indeed sharp, tearing a gap in the tide. But the water curtain closed again in the blink of an eye, and even more people surged in, seemingly endless. Lu Yuan's mind was completely clear of distractions; his pupils reflected only the enemy.

She shouted, "Charge out!"

If one of them falls, he will immediately be riddled with spears!

Those around her fell one by one, then two or three at a time. Although many enemies fell, they were quickly replaced, while her men were one less to go. Lu Yuan gritted her teeth and released Winged Fire Serpents, using the thick, double-winged fire serpents to surround the remaining troops. She then disarmed the enemy soldiers with her bare hands and stabbed them back into their bodies.

He occasionally deflected deadly attacks that were everywhere.

She resolutely moved closer to the direction of the explosion.

The distance between them shortened extremely slowly.

It's even getting slower and slower.

When Xiao Sui saw the commotion, her face turned so grave it could drip water. She snapped the handle of the sword-wielding fan in two: "Who did this?"

She calculated the time and guessed that the enemy was about to lose patience.

Moreover, the later the time goes, the more dangerous it becomes for Lu Yuan.

She must take action today.

The night raiding troops were still halfway there when an explosion occurred in the direction of the enemy camp, the towering flames visible to the naked eye from her side. Xiao Sui suppressed the spasm rising in her throat, veins bulging on her forehead. In an instant, countless chaotic thoughts flashed through her mind.

"Find Wang Gongsun and let him go first!"

Lu Bafeng absolutely cannot die here!

It wasn't out of consideration for their personal friendship, but rather because their lord, Zhang Yang, hadn't yet firmly established himself in the mountains, and the entire Panchesi prefecture still needed Lü Yuan's assistance for stability. If Lü Yuan died here, their plans would collapse!

Therefore, even if Wang Qi is in danger, we must give him a try.

Wang Qi chuckled, flicked his finger to his lips, and let out a loud whistle. A cry rang out from the sky, and a dark shadow hurtled towards them like a meteor, abruptly changing direction just before hitting the ground.

Wang Qi leaped forward and was caught.

"Let's go, the mountain spirit owes me a huge favor!"

Lu Yuan, however, was thinking.

"I don't owe Xiuying a favor tonight."

A dozen or so feet away stood a banner as thick as a man's waist.

It is Zhang Yang's banner.

? ?|??w?`)

There are still some words left to fill in this chapter; the extra words are free of charge. _(:3」∠)_

PS: It's fixed now, 10,000-word update the day after tomorrow.