"What do you mean grown up? Don't you know what kind of person Tuoba Yan is?" Cai Lihua was extremely dissatisfied with the man's reaction.
From the moment they met Tuoba Yan, his eyes on their daughter were practically glowing.
Clearly, he had ulterior motives.
Meng Shaode was a man, and his thoughts differed from a woman's. After recounting how Tuoba Yan led his troops back to Menghua City, Cai Lihua was astonished.
"Three days? Is that possible?"
"If it's impossible, then Tuoba Yan would be dead. What are you worried about? If a miracle happens and he succeeds, it means he's a talented general and a wise leader. Your daughter wouldn't be at a disadvantage marrying him, right?"
Meng Shaode's words made Cai Lihua feel that everything he said made sense.
...
The Qi soldiers defending Qimingshan felt like they were facing an enemy akin to demons.
The undying charged ahead, with infantry and cavalry following. Tuoba Yan's appearance instantly shattered the enemy's morale. By the time the rear guard cleaned up the mess, the enemy had lost all courage and retreated steadily.
This continued until the second day, when they were a hundred li from the gates of Menghua City.
The city gates remained closed. Tuoba Ling urged his horse, "Zhao Kun, break the city gates."
"Yes!" Zhao Kun, with ten men and fifty ordinary cavalry, immediately charged towards the city gates.
The city gates were difficult to open. Zhao Kun leaped onto the city walls. The sparks from the friction of blades flashed, but they did not push Zhao Kun and his men back.
Unable to open the city gates, Zhao Kun took his men, killed all the guards on the wall, and leaped down. He pulled open the gates, creating an inside-and-outside coordinated attack.
The cavalry outside were the first to pour in.
Within two days, Tuoba Yan's name had struck deep into the enemy's heart.
Instantly, the Qi soldiers garrisoned in Menghua City suffered a significant drop in morale, disintegrating into a disorganized mob, like scattered sand without any regard for each other.
When this news reached King Qiming, he was so enraged that he kicked over the messenger reporting the military situation.
He punched a vermilion wooden pillar in the hall, cracking it.
"Tuoba Yan, you traitor! I never expected the King of Nanming to still employ you."
King Qiming narrowed his eyes, a cruel glint in them. "Send a message to my elder brother, the King of Nanming. Tell him that Tuoba Yan once served under me, and now he is attacking the former ruler. This is considered disloyalty. Such a person is not to be used."
The messenger, who had been kicked over, had just gotten up to report when he suddenly thought of something. He stopped in his tracks and slowly turned back, saying, "Your Highness, Menghua City's defenses have been breached. The most terrifying aspect of the enemy is a charge of fifty men who seem impervious to blades and arrows."
"Hahaha, are you afraid?" King Qiming waved his large sleeves. "How can there be people in this world who are impervious to blades and arrows?"
The beaten messenger dared not utter another word of flattery. "Yes, Your Highness is absolutely correct."
He turned to leave, his hands and feet trembling. He had personally witnessed how steel arrows, long blades, and bows and crossbows only managed to create slight sparks on those men, causing no damage whatsoever.
"Report..."
"Reporting to Your Highness, Menghua City has fallen."
"Report..."
"Reporting to Your Highness, the general guarding Menghua City has... has died in service."
"Report..."
"What is it now? A small city like Menghua City cannot shake my foundations. Why are you all so panicked?"
King Qiming's brow furrowed, his eyes like knives.
"Messenger... Messenger Lord Zhang was ambushed and killed just outside the city gates. His body has been returned, and there is a letter in his embrace."
The person, trembling, took out the letter from his embrace.
It was clear that the envelope was not made of the paper used by King Qiming's manor.
Because it was too obvious, a leaf was drawn out from inside.
The leaf was as large as a palm, with only a few characters – "Surrender, and live."
King Qiming's goatee twitched upwards. He slammed the leaf onto the table, and the table instantly split into pieces.
He began to ponder what the messenger had said earlier. Those people were impervious to blades and arrows. Otherwise, how could eight thousand elite soldiers defending Menghua City be defeated by an army of only two thousand?
"Xue Zhen."
"Your subject is here."
The person named Xue Zhen was instantly summoned.
He was in his early thirties, his hair bone-white, tied carelessly with a red ribbon that hung down his back.
A white robe made him look like an immortal.
His lean frame gave him an air of ethereal grace.
"For these eighteen years, I have granted your every wish. I have never been stingy with fine herbs for you. Now, I face a difficult problem. Are you willing to help me solve it?"
"Your subject is indebted to Your Highness for your favor in this barren land. Naturally, I am willing to resolve Your Highness's worries," Xue Zhen said, cupping his hands.
"Good." King Qiming laughed heartily and explained the current situation, adding,
"Do you think this person possesses extraordinary abilities?"
Xue Zhen began to calculate, and suddenly gasped,
"Are you referring to a young woman of eighteen years, Your Highness?"