Green Mountain

Both the Ning and Jing Dynasties believed in ghosts and deities.

The courts of both dynasties issued Imperial Decrees to appoint City Gods, including four classes of Yin Cha at the Dao, Zhou, Fu, and county levels. Households worshipped the God of Stove and door gods, prayed to Mazu before setting to sea, to the God of Wealth for merchants, to the Medicine King for physicians, and to the Five Grain Gods for farming.

If two armies confront each other, and the banner of one side is broken, black clouds cover the camp, the well water boils, and ghosts cry at night, the military morale is bound to collapse.

And at this very moment, Chen Ji returned to life, and just the sight of his blood-soaked garments riddled with holes was enough to scare the county soldiers to death.

On the pier and Berth Pier, hundreds of county soldiers pushed and shoved each other in a panic to escape.

The Military Officer stood among the crowd being jostled by retreating soldiers, swaying left and right as he loudly shouted, "Those who flee on the battlefield, behead them!"

No matter how he shouted, the soldiers ignored him.

He tried to stop a few, but as soon as he caught one’s arm, the person shook him off and ran away without a trace.

The Military Officer angrily watched his troops flee in disarray. The soldiers in front stumbled as those in the back, seeing no way forward, fearfully jumped into the sea.

The sound of splashing water was endless beside the pier, and soldiers blocked by the path jumped into the sea like dumplings, afraid of being the last to be blocked by Chen Ji.

They found the long spears in their hands cumbersome and threw them to the ground or into the sea.

The Military Officer stood there, watching from afar as Chen Ji single-handedly chased after hundreds of fleeing soldiers, driving them like sheep.

In a brief moment, the area around the Military Officer had become empty.

In the empty Yingkou Port, he stood in the midst of scattered long spears, gritting his teeth as he drew his sword.

A shadow gradually enveloped him, and Zhaolei’s strong hooves stopped in front of him. Zhaolei’s hot breath sprayed on his face, yet he did not dare to look up at the person seated on the horse.

The Military Officer looked up, first seeing Zhaolei, and then Chen Ji sitting on the horse looking down at him while holding the reins.

He confirmed again and again—Chen Ji’s previous wounds had indeed all healed. The person whom he had personally seen die in battle had truly come back to life.

The Military Officer’s hand, holding the sword, trembled slightly, unwilling to drop it, yet afraid to strike.

Chen Ji casually placed the spear tip on the Military Officer’s shoulder and said, "Where can you exit the city? Spare you from death."

The Military Officer seemed stung by the words "spare you from death" and abruptly raised his head, staring directly at Chen Ji, "I may not be your opponent, but I’m not someone who would surrender on the battlefield. I won’t commit treason. You won’t escape; the city gates have all dropped, and Yuan Xing with the Right Martial Guard is in the city, arriving soon. The Hu Ben Army is also on the way. I may just die half an hour earlier than you!"

Chen Ji scrutinized the Military Officer, noting his resolute and stubborn complexion at around thirty years old.

At that moment, Chen Ji saw the Shadow of Si Caogui on the man’s face.

It was precisely this Military Officer’s command of the county soldiers that nearly pushed him to the brink. If not for the Mountain Lord’s Stripes, he would have indeed perished here.

Chen Ji looked around, the high city walls encircled the port on three sides, as mentioned by the Military Officer, they were dead ends without a path to life.

Even if he could kill this Military Officer, there’s still Yuan Xing and the Right Martial Guard. Even if he could evade Yuan Xing, he couldn’t leave Yingkou. Even if he left Yingkou, he couldn’t escape the Hu Ben Army’s siege.

Where is the path to life?

The Military Officer looked at Chen Ji’s expression and suddenly laughed heartily, "You realize your time of death is looming, right? If you hadn’t cut all the sails, it might have been better. Now, even if you sail out with those broken ships, the Jing Dynasty Navy will catch up by dawn."

Chen Ji’s expression shifted, "Jing Dynasty Navy?"

At this moment, the sound of hooves came from afar, stepping on the Bluestone Long Street, heavy as a drum.

Chen Ji turned to look, his gaze crossed the port archway towards the end of the long street, where Yuan Xing was leading more than twenty Iron Cavalry, charging swiftly.

The Military Officer sneered, "Yuan Xing is here. Kill me and flee, but you won’t get far."

Chen Ji wasted no more words, commanded a sword seed to slash across the man’s neck, leaving a fine wound.

The Military Officer slowly fell to the ground, his cheek against the cold bluestone bricks, struggling to hold his neck, but the warm blood kept spewing out.

With his last strength, he rasped, "General Yuan, don’t let him escape..."

But as he finished speaking, he found Chen Ji hadn’t fled.

Chen Ji commanded the sword seed, picking up long spears from the ground, catching them, one by one placing them across the saddle.

The next moment, the Military Officer lay on the cold ground, watching in astonishment as Chen Ji spurred his horse through the port arch, charging straight towards Yuan Xing.

The Military Officer’s eyes widened in shock, "You..."

Before he finished speaking, his breath ceased.

...

...

On the long street, Yuan Xing aged nine years in a day, his face worn and weary.

Seeing Chen Ji not only not running away but coming straight at him, he erupted in fury, raising his Big Halberd and ordering, "Kill!"

At that moment, Chen Ji drew a long spear from the saddle and hurled it with great force, the spear flew through the long street between white walls and black tiles, whistling loudly.

Yuan Xing raised his long spear to block, but the spear was not aimed at him.

He watched as the spear swept past him, piercing straight into a Xing Camp attendant, the spear’s massive momentum penetrated the Chest Armor, pulling the attendant off the horse.

The bodyguards heavily crashed to the ground, leaving their warhorses galloping forward on their own.

Yuan Xing looked back, only to see long spears shooting like arrows, some passing by him, while others knocked his bodyguards off their horses.

In that short hundred-step distance, Yuan Xing had lost over ten bodyguards, gaining more than ten riderless horses.

Yuan Xing’s eyes widened in rage: "Hide behind me!"

As the long spears were thrown again, he shielded his bodyguards, wielding his Big Halberd to smash the long spears into splinters.

Amidst the flying woodchips, Chen Ji reached Yuan Xing and thrust his spear, while Yuan Xing also thrust his Big Halberd, both using the most desperate fighting style upon their first encounter.

Riderless horses galloped past the two, continuing down the bluestone path of the long street.

Neither paid attention to those riderless horses, their eyes filled only with a resolute intent to kill.

Just as the Big Halberd was about to stab Chen Ji, Yuan Xing found himself unable to resist raising the Big Halberd to deflect the incoming spear, swinging it in a circle towards Chen Ji’s head.

In that split second, Chen Ji raised his spear, forcefully blocking the downward strike of the Halberd shaft. But the county soldier’s spear was just an ordinary wooden pole, which snapped in half under the impact of the Halberd.

"Get down!" Yuan Xing shouted, swinging his Big Halberd down heavily onto Chen Ji’s right shoulder, a sound of bones cracking, yet the assault came to a halt.

Yuan Xing’s pupils contracted, for this strike should have broken Chen Ji’s bones, but it didn’t. In the past, even if Chen Ji endured it, his warhorse would have collapsed beneath him.

Yet Zhaolei unexpectedly withstood the blow.

Chen Ji’s biggest weakness now was his lower body, if he had been on flat ground, his legs would not have withstood the Halberd. But riding Zhaolei, he fought on horseback with the prowess of the Seeking Dao Realm.

At this moment, Yuan Xing exerted strength to pull back, tugging the crescent blade of the Halberd towards Chen Ji’s neck, as Chen Ji suddenly bent down, barely evading the crescent blade grazing his nape.

Just as Yuan Xing was about to swing the Halberd again, he found himself unable to move it, as Chen Ji, after ducking, had risen and gripped the Halberd’s shaft behind the crescent blade with both hands, entering a stalemate with Yuan Xing.

In their stalemate, the remaining eight or nine from the Xing Camp charged from behind, but before they reached Chen Ji, sword seeds slashed along the ground, severing the hooves of the Xing Camp’s horses.

The bodyguards of the Xing Camp stumbled and fell from their horses.

Yuan Xing erupted in fury, shaking his Big Halberd with both hands to shake off Chen Ji: "Let go!"

An inexplicable force followed the Halberd towards Chen Ji, a foreign gleam flickered in Chen Ji’s eyes.

Yuan Xing had thought for sure this shake would make Chen Ji release, but Chen Ji’s hands seemed glued to the Halberd shaft, impossible to pull off.

At that moment, seven hundred and twenty stove fires flared within Chen Ji, as the molten flow surged into his hands, shaking the Halberd with identical force: "Let go!"

A mysterious force traveled along the Halberd shaft, numbing Yuan Xing’s hands, causing him to release his grasp involuntarily.

Yuan Xing was horrified: "Who are you?"

He hadn’t expected to not gain an upper hand against Chen Ji, nor that Chen Ji could mimic his technique to seize the Big Halberd!

The next instant, Chen Ji swung the Big Halberd down, Yuan Xing hastily crossed his arms to block above his head, and with several snaps, his warhorse’s four legs broke, collapsing with a crash!

By the time Yuan Xing struggled back to his feet, Chen Ji had already placed the Big Halberd on his shoulder, the cold crescent blade against his neck.

Yuan Xing stood still, daring not to move, coldly saying: "You kid, don’t expect to walk out of Yingkou alive if you kill me."

Chen Ji ignored him, just looked up at Yuan Xing’s bodyguards: "Step back twenty paces."

The bodyguards exchanged glances, looked at Yuan Xing, but Yuan Xing refused to speak.

Chen Ji’s wrist shook, pressing the crescent blade against Yuan Xing’s neck, cutting a red line into his skin.

Yuan Xing remained silent for a moment, gritting his teeth: "Step back twenty paces."

Once the bodyguards retreated and stood firm, Yuan Xing said in a deep voice: "Kid, if I hadn’t had nine years of my lifespan taken today, how would you be..."

Before he could finish, Yuan Xing felt pain in his ankles, involuntarily kneeling forward. Looking down, he saw two sword seeds had cut both his Achilles tendons.

"Courting death!" Yuan Xing erupted in fury, struggling to rise and fight.

But before he could get up, Chen Ji tugged the reins to lift the Halberd, Zhaolei suddenly rose.

Chen Ji, with the downward momentum, swung the Big Halberd down.

Yuan Xing crossed his arms above his head again, but this time, the Big Halberd shattered his arms completely!

"Great Commander!" Yuan Xing’s bodyguards rushed forward.

Chen Ji flicked the Big Halberd, lifting Yuan Xing into the air: "Take another step forward, and he dies."

Yuan Xing’s bodyguards halted, gritting their teeth: "Kid, hand over the Great Commander, do not doom yourself."

Chen Ji withdrew the Halberd, placing Yuan Xing horizontally on the horse’s back.

He coldly gazed at the bodyguards: "Go tell the gate guards, tell them who this man is, and whose nephew he is. If they don’t want Yuan Xiang’s wrath, open the gate and let me outside twenty miles, spare his life. Remember, this is his only way out."

Chen Ji had to bet, bet that Yuan Xing was important enough, bet that Yuan Xiang would protect his own, bet that no one would dare watch Yuan Xing die in Yingkou.

This was also his only way out.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!