Chapter 114: Let Them Despair

A sudden commotion erupted at the camp entrance as the Wolf Riders, led by Ye Xin, filed into the grounds. Behind him rode Xue Baiqi, Xie En, and Hao Fei, followed by Fu Shang and his brothers, as well as Yang Xuantong, Lin Tong, and Zhou Suying. Ye Ling and Wen Rong rode in the center, while the veteran commanders of the Sky Wolf Legion brought up the rear. Every Wolf Rider wore an expression of haughty pride as they marched straight ahead; the students and retainers in the camp, seeing the Sky Wolves—beasts larger than oxen—approaching, scattered far out of their path.

Ye Xin wore a joyous smile. Neither the Great Wei Kingdom nor the Great Zhao Kingdom had won this war; only he emerged as the ultimate victor. By slaying Zhuang Buxiu in battle, he had exacted bloody revenge for his fallen brothers at Taisui Plains, and by plundering the Origin Stones of Nine-Tripod City, he had truly gained both fame and fortune. He had every right to laugh.

If anyone knew what Ye Xin had done and what he had obtained, they would surely tremble with fear. Those proud sons of heaven, those formidable and legendary generals—they were all merely pawns in Ye Xin’s game. When it came to schemes and depth of character, no one could surpass him.

The Great Zhao Kingdom had been played by Ye Xin, the Great Wei Kingdom had been played by Ye Xin, and the Great Yu Kingdom had been played just the same. Successes that should have belonged to them were all swept into Ye Xin’s pockets.

The imposing aura of the Wolf Riders was stifling. Qiu Xiang, standing in the center of the training grounds, caught sight of them, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Every single Wolf Rider was a proud and fierce warrior, arrogant to a fault. Was it possible that such men would bow in obedience merely because of the legacy of Ye Guanhai? Regardless of what others said, Qiu Xiang absolutely did not believe it!

Ever since Shen Wangji had entered the cabinet, Qiu Xiang had served as the chief administrator of the Longteng Military Academy. When it came to the ability to judge character, he was confident he was second to none. After analyzing all the evidence, he firmly believed that Ye Xin must possess some unknown talent that commanded the genuine admiration of these prideful warriors.

He could see the respect the Wolf Riders held for Ye Xin, a respect that seemed to grow with each passing day. This time, the riders appeared even more arrogant than before—they must have secured another great victory. But what could it be?

Ye Xin rode into the field and, spotting Tie Renhao standing there, felt a brief moment of surprise before a smile spread across his face.

"Fifth Prince, what a coincidence... I understand now. You stayed here on purpose just to let me step on you, didn't you? I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful," Ye Xin said. "Fine! I’ll make a note of this favor!"

"Ye Xin, what are you implying?" Tie Renhao frowned. He was in a foul mood and had no desire to bicker with Ye Xin; in the past, he would not have been so restrained.

Wen Rong, Shen Miao, and Shao Xue all looked on with pity. Thinking back on the last dozen years, Tie Renhao’s life had been miserable enough. As a child, he was constantly beaten by Ye Xin, and just as he grew up and became a warrior capable of condensing Origin Power, Ye Xin vanished for four years. Tie Renhao never even had a chance to exact his revenge.

The last time Ye Xin came to report his merits, it had been right after Tie Renhao’s own report, and now they had crossed paths again. It seemed the greatest purpose in Tie Renhao’s life was to be constantly humiliated and trampled by Ye Xin.

"Nothing at all," Ye Xin chuckled, glancing around. "Everyone seems a bit down. Why the long faces?"

"Let's set that aside for now," Qiu Xiang said solemnly. "Ye Xin, you saved the Fenwu Battalion last time. On behalf of all the students at the Longteng Military Academy, I thank you!"

"Oh?" Ye Xin asked. "What happened?"

"Feng Qishan was indeed a traitor!" Qiu Xiang said in a deep voice. "You exposed his identity just in time, yet he still dared to take such a risk, attempting to relay our marching route to the Demon Army. Fortunately, his messenger was captured by Lord Deng’s retainer. Our commander used the situation to his advantage and taught Xiao Mozhi a lesson he won't soon forget! Now, Xiao Mozhi has retreated with his entire army!"

"Dean Feng was actually a traitor? I never would have imagined..." Ye Xin sighed. "Last time I just happened to pass a message along for him; I didn't think much of it."

Qiu Xiang, of course, did not believe such nonsense. His gaze swept over the Wolf Riders before he asked quietly, "Ye Xin, where have you been with the Wolf Riders these past days?"

"The Hanwu Palace is already in our Fifth Battalion's hands, so I didn't want to earn too many contribution points. I had to leave some face for the other battalions, right?" Ye Xin said with a grin. "So, I just took them out for a stroll."

"That’s not necessarily true!" Seeing Ye Xin’s arrogance, Tie Renhao could no longer hold back. "Slaying those demon soldiers was just a matter of luck. Do you think the soldiers of our First Battalion are cowards?"

"That is indeed not necessarily true," Qiu Xiang nodded. "The First Battalion is full of talent. Not to mention the Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Seventh Princess, but students like Zong Yunjin, Wei Qingfan, Wang Meng, and Deng Duojie are all from the First Battalion. Ye Xin, the Fenwu Battalion has participated in battles against the demons, and the soldiers of the First Battalion have earned many merits. Although your slaying of Sima Qinghong was an extraordinary feat, their collective contributions may not be inferior to yours. If you want to keep the Hanwu Palace, you still need to work hard!"

Ye Xin did not speak; he turned his head and stared deeply at Tie Renhao.

"You... what are you looking at?" Tie Renhao felt very uncomfortable.

"Why are you being so cooperative with me? Huh? Why are you being so good to me?" Ye Xin said with genuine emotion.

"I..." Tie Renhao was momentarily speechless. He could tell the difference between a sincere remark and a jab, and Ye Xin’s tone was filled with profound gratitude, yet it was all so bizarre.

Ye Xin reached out, and Xue Baiqi stepped forward to hand him a bundle. Ye Xin slowly approached the table; without dismounting, he leaned over and gently placed the bundle upon it. "Since they are so determined to surpass the Fifth Battalion... very well, then I have no choice but to make them feel despair."

Qiu Xiang hurried to open the bundle, revealing a severed head inside.

"Ye Xin, you are truly delusional, heh... You have no idea what the soldiers of our First Battalion have done. You think you can beat us with just one head? And you want to make us feel despair? Hahaha..." Zong Yunjin sneered. Over the past few days, the First Battalion’s performance had been excellent; they had captured over two thousand prisoners alone, and Tie Shudeng had also secured many kills. If one compared single combat merits, perhaps it couldn't match the slaying of Sima Qinghong, but merits were converted into points, and added all together, they should surely surpass Ye Xin.

Qiu Xiang’s face, however, turned rigid. Although Zhuang Buxiu had been dead for some time and his face was coated in lime, his awe-inspiring presence remained. Qiu Xiang immediately deduced that this man must have been extraordinary in life.

"This... whose head is this?" Qiu Xiang asked with a trembling voice.

"Tiger-Head Army, Zhuang Buxiu," Ye Xin replied indifferently.

The surrounding chatter suddenly died down. Tie Renhao’s mouth hung wide open, large enough to fit several eggs; Zong Yunjin turned into a statue, and even Qiu Xiang shuddered so violently that Zhuang Buxiu’s head slipped from the table and rolled onto the ground. He could not keep his footing and had to brace himself against the table with both hands, gasping for air.

The other deans were equally dumbstruck. What kind of joke was this? Did Ye Xin even know who Zhuang Buxiu was?

Having dominated the battlefield for fifty years, Zhuang Buxiu was a god-like existence in the Great Zhao Kingdom. Even in his prime, Wei Juan, or Ye Guanhai at his peak, had at most only defeated Zhuang Buxiu’s Tiger-Head Army on a tactical level. And that was only a defeat; they, too, had been beaten by him. To completely destroy Zhuang Buxiu was nothing more than a pipe dream. If it were that easy, he would have been dead long ago!

No one believed it, not even Qiu Xiang. Although he realized Ye Xin must possess great ability, this news was too sensational to be true.

Wei Juan and Ye Guanhai had spent decades of effort and failed; had Ye Xin achieved it after only a few dozen days?

After a long silence, Zong Yunjin’s sharp scream shattered the stillness. "Ridiculous! Ye Xin, you grab some random head and dare to pass it off as Zhuang Buxiu? Have you gone mad? Who is Zhuang Buxiu? He is the Pillar of the State! You, with your band of broken soldiers and old veterans from the Sky Wolf Legion, dare to provoke Zhuang Buxiu?!"

The crowd erupted into an uproar, condemning Ye Xin for his absurdity. Zong Yunjin’s argument was logical—who was Ye Xin to challenge Zhuang Buxiu, the commander of the Tiger-Head Army?

"Quiet! Quiet!!" Qiu Xiang snapped out of his daze. He had entered a state of mania, pounding the table until it shattered into pieces. His emotions were so turbulent that he could no longer control his own strength. Seeing his ferocious expression, the students’ murmurs gradually subsided.

As the crowd fell silent again, Qiu Xiang stared fixedly at Ye Xin. "Ye Xin, is this truly the head of Zhuang Buxiu?"

"Who is the one making a joke?" Ye Xin glanced at Zong Yunjin and chuckled. "Since Zhuang Buxiu has been slain, the Great Zhao Kingdom will surely hold a state funeral. Moreover, there are many soldiers under Marshal Wei who recognize him; just bring one over to ask, and you’ll know. Would I try to deceive people with a random head? Who could I possibly fool?"

"Let me see!" As the words fell, Wei Qingfan stumbled forward. Without waiting for Qiu Xiang’s consent, he lunged ahead and grabbed the head.

A moment later, Wei Qingfan’s gaze shifted slowly and laboriously toward Ye Xin, looking at him as if he were looking at a devil.

Seeing the change in Wei Qingfan’s expression, Qiu Xiang knew this could not be false, but he still wanted to hear the confirmation. "Wei Qingfan, is this truly the head of Zhuang Buxiu?"

"That is correct..." Wei Qingfan gently passed the head over, then walked toward the crowd with heavy steps.

Qiu Xiang cradled the head of Zhuang Buxiu. A moment later, two lines of tears fell. Then, he suddenly threw his head back and let out a long, thunderous laugh. After this war, the entire Great Wei Kingdom had been filled with mourning, its morale at an all-time low, but in Ye Xin, he saw hope. With such a brilliant general, the Great Wei Kingdom would never fall!

"Prepare my horse! I want the best horse! Quickly, quickly, quickly..." Qiu Xiang roared frantically. "I must set off immediately to catch up to the Commander! Quickly!"

The crowd erupted once more. Before, they had been accusing Ye Xin of absurdity, but now that the news was confirmed, the excitement of the soldiers could not be described in words. It could even be said that this was the greatest martial achievement in the Great Wei Kingdom for a century! Nothing could compare to this.