Hassen stood up amid the tremors. He turned back and saw thunderclouds surging this way.
The torrential rain washed over the iron cavalry, mud splashing between the horses’ hooves. The wolf pack howled as they charged, that long-absent pressure sweeping across the battlefield—this was the edge that belonged to the Libei Iron Cavalry.
When Xiao Chiye appeared on the Zhongbo battlefield, Hassen’s swift assault had already failed. He had not broken into Duanzhou City; instead, he had lost fierce generals and elite troops here. Staying any longer would only drain him—he should withdraw now.
The vanguard at the city gate had already fallen from their horses and turned back. Behind the moat, messengers galloped while waving the rainbow hawk banners. The Libei Iron Cavalry stretched into a long line, cutting off the southeast. The Scorpions pushed the siege engines, beginning their retreat eastward toward the Chashi River.
The city gates opened at once. Tantai Hu, leading the garrison that had been stifled for two days, charged out with blades raised, shouting at full strength, “Second Master has arrived!”
Hassen flipped onto a riderless horse with his curved blade, ordering in Biansha tongue for the elites to step forward. They split into two rearguard shields, blocking the Jin Yi Cavalry and the Libei Iron Cavalry from the west and southeast, buying time for the supply train retreating in the center.
“Prefect!” Huo Lingyun rode with one hand, rushing to Shen Zechuan’s side, wind and frost trailing his garments.
Shen Zechuan picked up Yangshan Snow with his left hand. He did not mount, but watched as Hassen led his elites south to meet Xiao Chiye.
The Prefect said, “Prepare.”
Huo Lingyun reacted swiftly. Raising his arm on horseback, he shouted toward the city wall, “Prepare—!”
Hassen’s figure was about to vanish into the rain, but his red hair was too striking, like a living target lit within the storm. Shen Zechuan fixed his gaze on him, as if watching a moving rabbit. Hassen seemed to sense something amid the raindrops; he turned abruptly and, through the downpour, saw Shen Zechuan say something.
From the wall, the bed crossbows fired at once. The massive bolts tore through the air like rampaging carts, reaching the rear of Hassen’s formation in a blink. Forced off his horse in the critical moment, Hassen rolled to the ground just as the bolts smashed into the elite riders. Cavalry were hurled down; horses could not evade in time—anyone struck died on the spot.
Warhorses shrieked, collapsing sideways into the mud. Blood sprayed instantly, the formation shattered. The bed crossbows struck terror into cavalry—their overwhelming lethality could not be resisted by any individual. Each appearance on the battlefield brought countless casualties.
Hassen scrambled up, his curved blade slashing forward, blocking Xiao Chiye’s Langli Blade. But Xiao Chiye was not Shen Zechuan—Hassen’s blade held for only a moment before Xiao Chiye smashed it down toward the ground, nearly knocking it from his hands.
The force was terrifying.
Hassen’s whole body sank with it. He steadied the blade with both hands, roaring as he tried to lift it back up.
Xiao Chiye wore no helmet. Rain streamed down his temples, unwashed blood sliding past his brows and eyes. Slowly dragging the Langli Blade, he looked down at Hassen and smiled—a smile that made one’s hair stand on end.
“I… have… been… looking… for… you.”
Thunder roared, the dark clouds pressing low over the battlefield. Lightning exploded overhead. In the gloom, Hassen saw the wolf’s fangs.
The curved blade struck aside with a bang, deflecting the Langli Blade.
As Hassen retreated, the forehooves of Langtao Xuejin stepped into the prints he had just left, splashing filthy mud. Around them, cavalry mixed with the Libei Iron Cavalry; their fresh blades, soaked in blood at the frontier, gleamed like open maws ready to roar. Hassen remounted amid his retreat, but the Langli Blade struck again. His horse staggered back. Xiao Chiye pressed forward relentlessly.
Tantai Hu leapt into the retreating cavalry, swinging his blade to hack at horse legs, then led men in pursuit of the Scorpions moving the siege engines. With a savage grin, he shouted, “To hell with you! Bald bastard, pay with your life!”
Duanzhou finally began its counterattack. The Jin Yi Cavalry surged across the moat, pushing like a tide toward the east. Near the Chashi River, the Libei Iron Cavalry cut off the riverbank, severing the cavalry’s retreat and forming a three-sided encirclement with the garrison and Jin Yi Cavalry, forcing them into the central open ground.
Only the north remained open—but Hassen did not order a retreat there. To the north lay Sha Third Camp. He feared it was a trap deliberately left by Xiao Chiye, and feared Lu Guangbai might be lying in ambush. He was already at the end of a desperate, surrounded situation.
The Langli Blade slashed toward his throat. Hassen ducked swiftly, blocking as he spoke in Biansha tongue, “Vanguard, rotate!”
The elites engaging the Libei Iron Cavalry withdrew at once. The Scorpions seized the gap, forming a slanted wall in the southeast, raising iron hammers as they charged.
The Langli Blade lifted sharply, catching the pounding rain, held in midair like the final chain binding the cavalry. Xiao Chiye did not move. Neither did the Libei Iron Cavalry behind him.
Hassen shouted, “Charge!”
The Scorpions’ horses thundered through the mud, shouting in Biansha tongue. Xiao Chiye lowered his arm. Before the garrison on the walls could understand, they heard the unified sound of sheathing—astonishingly, the cavalry put away their blades.
Xiao Chiye turned, drawing a new long blade. It was as if a metal cover had been lifted—at once, with a sweeping sound, long blades appeared along the flanks of every horse. These blades had not tasted blood in the frontier; they had only shown their edge at the Chashi Sinkhole. Now, under the rain, their gleaming tips carried only water.
The Scorpions swung their hammers forward—but the Libei Iron Cavalry suddenly opened, splitting their front ranks and shifting to both sides, letting the Scorpions charge straight in. Halfway through, Hassen sensed something was wrong—but his order to withdraw could not reach them. The flanking cavalry had already begun to close in.
Xiao Chiye rode at the front, brushing past the Scorpions. Thunder roared, rain intensified. Before the hammers could strike armor, heads were already severed by long blades.
The Libei Iron Cavalry in the southeast became a reinforced iron cage. They “swallowed” the Scorpions, trapping them deeper before cutting them down on the spot with long blades.
Blades flashed in unison, followed by the sound of heads hitting the ground.
Hassen immediately ordered, “Break east!”
They could not fight any longer. The cavalry’s advantage was gone. Once inside the encirclement, the Scorpions would only be slaughtered. Hassen had already lost too much in this risky assault on Duanzhou—he had to cut losses and break out across the river.
The rear Scorpions abandoned the fight, mounting and urging the infantry hauling siege engines, all charging east.
Hassen galloped through the rain, cold water striking his face. He fixed his eyes ahead, carving a bloody path at full speed. But hoofbeats suddenly sounded beside him—Langtao Xuejin would not yield an inch. His curved blade chipped under the clash. Xiao Chiye was faster; both men charged like cannonballs through the storm.
Hassen reached the edge. The Gobi by the Chashi River lay ahead. Cavalry entering the water clashed fiercely with Imperial troops lying in ambush; the shallows ran red.
Hassen plunged into the river. Langtao Xuejin slammed into his horse’s flank, knocking it off balance. He had to pull the reins to control it. Xiao Chiye slashed through the reins. The horse faltered, twisting, and threw Hassen into the shallows.
Hassen rolled as he landed. His spike weapon had been lost by the moat earlier; now he had only his curved blade and dagger. The battlefield roared around him. Scooping water, he wiped the blood from his eyes.
Xiao Chiye dismounted as well. His tall frame blocked Hassen’s view eastward, standing like a mountain between him and the desert. Hassen raised his chipped blade, adjusting his breath, then lunged as Xiao Chiye surged forward.
The clash of blades rang sharply.
Xiao Chiye pressed forward, forcing Hassen back. Barely holding his ground, Hassen felt the rain splash off the blades. In that instant, he withdrew his weapon and slipped aside through the gap.
Water splashed wildly around their feet.
Xiao Chiye fought like a man without retreat, driven by a fierce urge to attack. Each strike numbed Hassen’s arms; his curved blade was nearly scrap under the relentless assault.
Hassen was knocked down mid-strike, but braced his arm and forced himself back up, crouching and raising his blade again to block.
Xiao Chiye did not change stance, pressing down with full force. Hassen’s blade sank lower and lower, nearing his shoulder. He could feel the sharpness of the Langli Blade. His breathing grew heavy; his legs trembled under the pressure.
Hassen would not kneel to Xiao Chiye.
The Twelve Tribes had knelt before Great Zhou and starved countless people. Hassen had come this far to find a way out. He loved Red Tili Lake, yet had slept among blades for years. He never bowed to the cavalry—he was an eagle soaring the heavens.
With all his strength, Hassen roared and forced the Langli Blade back up, surging forward in a desperate strike that nearly cut Xiao Chiye’s throat.
Xiao Chiye stepped back sharply, then drove his elbow, knocking the curved blade away. Horses screamed and fell nearby. Hassen drew his dagger and lunged again. The Langli Blade could not turn in time; Xiao Chiye released it, blocking with his arm guard and smashing Hassen into the water with a punch.
Hassen hit the water hard, coughing, then lunged again, wrapping Xiao Chiye’s waist, hooking his legs and dragging him down into the water. They crashed in a splash. Xiao Chiye twisted, locking Hassen’s neck from behind.
Hassen could not breathe. His dagger struck armor and failed. He shifted, aiming for Xiao Chiye’s eyes. Xiao Chiye released and retreated. Hassen seized his arm, turning to throw him over his shoulder.
Hassen pinned Xiao Chiye’s face underwater, trying to drown him. Raising the dagger, he aimed to cut off Xiao Chiye’s head—but Xiao Chiye grabbed the blade. As it bit into flesh, he surged up violently, smashing Hassen’s jaw.
Hassen’s vision blurred. In that instant, Xiao Chiye struck his chest with an elbow. Blood filled his mouth. Xiao Chiye released the dagger and struck again, knocking Hassen down.
The blow was brutal.
Blood streamed from Hassen’s nose and mouth. Dizzy, he struggled to rise. The battle sounds blurred. Rain obscured everything. As he braced himself, he realized his sleeve had torn—Red Tili flowers drifted out into the water. He failed to catch them; they were trampled under hooves.
Xiao Chiye picked up the Langli Blade again, eyes wet. Hassen had seen such a wolf before—during that snowstorm, when Xiao Chiye had chased him for miles with that same gaze.
The Libei Iron Cavalry had scattered the enemy. Along the Chashi River, no escape remained. The shallows ran crimson, bodies piling at bends. Rain bleached every face. No reinforcements came from Gedale.
Hassen tilted his head back, breathing hard under the rain. He could not see beyond Xiao Chiye’s shoulder, could not see the far bank. In despair, he murmured, “Heavenly gods, protect me—”
The Langli Blade plunged into the shallows. Blood spread along the water. Hassen’s body dropped to its knees, then collapsed into the current.
The storm roared. Xiao Chiye’s chest heaved. Behind him, all hoofbeats had stilled. In the vast world, the cavalry watched him.
Facing the Chashi River, Xiao Chiye raised his arm, holding the red hair.
A long silence—only the rushing water.
Tantai Hu stepped through the water, threw away his blade, and cried out, “We won!”
“We…” The cavalry choked, then roared to the heavens, “We are wolves!”
Half a year of gloom finally lifted. The Chashi River, running north to south, carried the blood of countless lives. In the storm, Libei reclaimed its honor.
Xiao Chiye clenched his fist, his eyes reddening in silence.