Chapter 521: An Abrupt Downpour! (1/2)

The brush in Xu Qiqin's hand was both fast and agile. As if all the answers were already in her head, she wrote at a constant speed. Though all sorts of trivial matters continued to assail her, Xu Qiqin remained calm and farsighted, a composed and easygoing expression perpetually on her face. It seemed like there was nothing in this world that could hold her down.

”Ah, I wonder how he's doing?”

After some time, Xu Qiqin suddenly gave a deep sigh. With a flick of her wrist, she put down her brush.

In their confrontation in Deflecting Blade Manor, she had once more lost to Wang Chong, had once more been humiliated. The haughty Xu Qiqin was forced to bow her head and agree to Wang Chong's request. Logically speaking, she should have hated Wang Chong to the bone, but for some reason, when she thought about the situation in the southwest and how Wang Chong would have to face the armies of Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang at any moment, Xu Qiqin felt deeply conflicted.

Inexplicably, Xu Qiqin recalled the four words Wang Chong had whispered to her before leaving.

'I believe in you!'

Wang Chong had uttered those words with absolute solemnity.

In the final moment, Xu Qiqin had seen Wang Chong's resolute figure leading those countless clan experts down the mountain, vanishing toward the southwest. He had clearly understood something at that time, but he had still chosen to leave without hesitation. He was like a moth, flying toward the sparks of a bonfire.

Xu Qiqin had watched with eyes wide open, an unprecedented wave of emotion sweeping through her mind.

Xu Qiqin had always believed Wang Chong to be a selfish, smug, and extremely irresponsible person who didn't know what was good for himself and never let go of his advantage once he got it. At the same time, he was also the only fellow that could continuously contend against her. But now, Xu Qiqin had seen the other side of Wang Chong, the true self that he hid deep under his bones.

That side was so attractive…

”Ah, just don't die! No matter what, you can't die…!”

Xu Qiqin turned her head, her gaze flitting past the window to rest on a map on the wall. A few needles and red strings had been used to single out a few places on the map. Wang Chong had left this map behind before he left, and no one besides him and Xu Qiqin understood what the symbols on the map meant.

All the caravans, both horse and camel, had already been dispatched. She had even managed to mobilize the caravans of the capital's great clans, so it had been even easier for her to mobilize the noble clans and wealthy families of other areas. Only Xu Qiqin could have taken care of everything with such neatness and orderliness. Armaments, provisions, and everything else had all been sent out.

Hundreds of caravans surged like ants toward that place, traveling day and night. Based on how much time had passed, the first batch of resources should have arrived by now at the place Wang Chong had indicated.

”You'll have to rely on yourself for what comes next!”

Xu Qiqin gave a deep sigh, turned her head back around, and continued to take care of the files on her desk.

……

The skies were dark and gloomy in the empire's southwest.

The stomping of hooves resounded over the main road, accompanied by flying grass and mud.

”Warning! Half a day remains! If user does not reach the designated area in time, user will be obliterated and the mission will be failed!”

”Warning! The Annan Protectorate army has experienced large casualties. User is deducted 20 points of Destiny Energy!”

”Warning! User must proceed as quickly as possible. If user does not cover twenty kilometers each hour, 15 points of Destiny Energy will be deducted every two hours!”

”Warning!…”

Message after message flew through Wang Chong's mind. Although everything seemed calm as the army marched south, Wang Chong knew that it was anything but. In just a few short days, Wang Chong had already been deducted 80 points of Destiny Energy. He had defeated Batunlu and Bachicheng, and opened the passes to the south, but Wang Chong could feel that the undercurrent was getting stronger.

Wang Chong didn't understand what had happened in Lion City. Its walls were firm, so why had he lost so much Destiny Energy in just a few short days? The situation in the southwest was continuing to worsen, and the continued warnings about deductions of Destiny Energy in his mind told him that it was far from over.

The Stone of Destiny was continuing to increase the pressure on him.

But at this moment, Wang Chong was less concerned about himself and more about the Annan Protectorate army in Lion City.

Father is already there. I can only hope that it's still not too late! Wang Chong quietly said to himself.

This campaign wasn't to protect himself, but to save the Annan Protectorate army. If the Annan Protectorate army was destroyed, everything else would lose meaning.

”All troops, heed my orders! Advance at full speed!”

Wang Chong held aloft his sword and picked up speed.

The 300,000 Mengshe Zhao soldiers and 200,000 Ü-Tsang soldiers were like a mountain weighing down on Wang Chong's stomach. The farther south he went, the closer he got to Erhai, the closer he got to peril and death. The earlier victories did not mean that his situation had improved. On the contrary, they had only increased the pressure.

A rapid advance over thousands of li had never been simple. A moment of carelessness might lead to Mengshe Zhao discovering Wang Chong's ten thousand troops and crushing them like an egg.

Whoosh!

Dark clouds carpeted the skies. At some point, a powerful wind began blowing in from the south, bringing with it the thick scent of blood, the stench of the southwest battlefield.

It seemed like they weren't very far from Erhai now.

Wang Chong stopped and looked up at the sky. The clouds were hanging low and seemed like gloomy waves ready to sweep over the world.

This was the smell of a coming storm.

”It's about to rain!” Wang Chong muttered to himself as he looked at the skies.

He was no stranger to this sort of odor. If everything was as normal, the southern plains were probably already facing a torrential downpour, one that was rapidly making its way north.

”Milord, our brothers can't last much longer. Why don't we rest for a while?”

While Wang Chong was deep in thought, somebody suddenly spoke. It was Commandants Xu Shiping and Xu Andun.

”Milord, our brothers have been marching nonstop for several days now,” Xu Andun respectfully said, clasping his hands. ”I know that Milord is anxious, but without sufficient rest, I worry that even if our brothers reach the Erhai plains, they won't be able to do much.”

”I agree with Brother Xu. Our brothers truly do need to rest.”

Xu Shiping glanced at the army behind him and voiced his agreement.

The soldiers of the army were all typical warriors, assuredly stronger than the ordinary man, but even so, they weren't cast from steel. These many days of forced march had left them fatigued. Only a glance was needed to notice that the entire army was exhausted. This was very dangerous.

Both of the commandants clearly agreed on this point.

Wang Chong turned his head and said with absolute resolve, ”No! Now is not the time to rest!”

The army truly was tired. This was something he knew without even thinking. But this was simply not the time to rest. Man's potential was infinite, and the battlefield did not wait for soldiers to eat their fill and rest well before fighting. This was what it meant to be at war. There were many wars in the history of the Central Plains where soldiers had to fight for several days and nights without rest.

Or would they retreat only halfway through the battle?

Wang Chong was not worried about whether the army could rest or not. His concern was that today was the day when Lion City would be broken. If the Annan Protectorate army was completely lost, a well-rested army would be just as useless as a fatigued one.

Boom!

Before Wang Chong could finish, thunder began to rumble overhead while silver snakes began to wriggle through the clouds. Then there was a slap as a raindrop the size a soybean struck Wang Chong's face. Wang Chong subconsciously wiped this raindrop away while Xu Shiping and Xu Andun looked dumbstruck at the sky.

This was the first storm the pair had encountered ever since the start of their march south.

Slap! Slap!

What started as a few drops of rain quickly intensified. In the blink of an eye, a massive downpour began to howl down from the skies. The curtains of rain smashed against the armor of the soldiers, the clinging and clanging seeming to be playing a tune.

It was raining.

One, two, three… one soldier after another raised their head to that majestic downpour, all of them flabbergasted.

This massive downpour was completely unanticipated, and everyone knew what it meant.

Even Wang Chong, Xu Shiping, and Xu Andun were dumbstruck.

”A downpour, a downpour, three days, three days, the city broken…”

Wang Chong muttered to himself as he gazed at the skies. Suddenly, he had a flash of insight, his body shivering in understanding.

”Xu Shiping, Xu Andun, I'm only giving you fifteen minutes of rest. Old Eagle, Zhao Jingdian, lead all of our cavalry and follow me!”