Chapter Ninety-Seven: You Must Strive

After a night’s rest, the Wolf Riders, led by Ye Xin, turned southward. Before long, they encountered scouts from the Grand Zhao Kingdom. With Ye Xin and his men mounted atop the Boundless Sky Wolves, their identities were beyond doubt, and the scouts had no reason to suspect them. After several rounds of inquiry, Ye Xin clarified Tie Xin Sheng’s arrangements.

Wei Juan’s remnants had been reinforced; Han Sanmei sent him some soldiers, and now Wei Juan was headed northwest to intercept the Grand Zhao’s Yudao army. Yudao, once obscure, had gained fame for defending Lingding and repelling Wei Juan’s fierce assault. Among Grand Zhao’s three main commanders, Yudao had the smallest force and was the easiest to deal with; Wei Juan’s battered troops should manage, and it gave Wei Juan a chance to avenge his defeat.

Han Sanmei led the city defense forces, bolstered by reinforcements from various military towns, to confront Zhuang Buxiu. Tie Xin Sheng himself commanded the palace guards, preparing for a showdown with Xiao Demon Finger. Their armies were only a hundred miles away—at most two days before reaching Qiuxi City.

The students from the Dragon Soaring Martial Academy and the retainers of various noble families formed the Vigorous Martial Battalion, positioned as the left wing of Tie Xin Sheng’s central army.

Ye Xin led the Wolf Riders toward the Vigorous Martial Battalion. His ultimate goal was to steal the national artifact, the Nine Cauldrons of Heaven and Earth. Naturally, he couldn’t allow Xiao Demon Finger to annihilate the future core strength of the David Kingdom, especially since Ye Ling, Wang Meng, Tie Shudeng, Wen Rong, and others were among them. He couldn’t rest easy.

The Boundless Sky Wolves raced ahead, covering the distance in an hour to the location described by the scouts. Ahead lay a valley strewn with nearly a hundred Grand Zhao soldiers, sprawled haphazardly on the ground, while some David Kingdom soldiers cleaned up the battlefield.

Ye Xin charged into the valley with his Wolf Riders. The David soldiers grew tense at the sight of the fierce troop, but upon recognizing the massive Boundless Sky Wolves, their tension melted into envy.

“What a coincidence…” Ye Xin laughed, for the victors here were Tie Renhao and his group—Zong Yunjin, Wei Qingfan, and even Deng Duojie were present.

“Master Ye, it’s indeed a coincidence,” Wei Qingfan replied.

Except for Wei Qingfan, no one bothered with Ye Xin, acting as if he wasn’t there.

Ye Xin’s Boundless Sky Wolf paced forward. Passing a corpse, Ye Xin suddenly found the side of its face familiar. Alarmed, he reached out with his Killing God Blade and flipped the body over. Seeing the full face, he exhaled in relief. It was only a resemblance.

“Ye Xin, what are you doing?!” Tie Renhao shouted angrily. “This is my accomplishment, don’t touch it!”

Tie Hui Zhen appeared nervous, hurrying forward to tug Tie Renhao’s arm, signaling him to keep quiet. Ye Xin was notorious for his lawlessness in Nine Cauldron City, even toward royalty like them. Out here in the wilderness, if Ye Xin harbored ill intent, the consequences would be dire. Though they were protected by many retainers, they couldn’t compare to the Wolf Riders.

“Master Ye, your men are seasoned veterans. If you want merit, go challenge Xiao Demon Finger. Bullying your classmates here isn’t right,” Deng Duojie said sarcastically.

“I’ll tell you a story,” Ye Xin said, turning to Xue Baiqi and the others.

“Please, sir, do tell,” Xue Baiqi and his group responded enthusiastically.

“In the countryside, there was a petty landlord. One day, he received an invitation: a wealthy magnate was holding a grand banquet. For the sake of local ties, he was included. The petty landlord knew the host’s house was filled with delicacies, and, eager to broaden his horizons, set out on the road. At a fork, he saw two dogs guarding a bone. Seeing him, the dogs thought he was there to steal their bone and barked madly. The petty landlord couldn’t get through. Helpless, he tried to reason with the dogs, explaining he wasn’t after their bone but was headed to the feast…”

“Would those dogs believe him?” Hao Fei laughed.

“I don’t know, but one must try, or else there’s no way through,” Ye Xin sighed, then turned to Tie Renhao. “Your Highness, I truly have no intention of taking your credit. Honestly, I’m headed to the Vigorous Martial Battalion. Could you please ask your retainers to clear the way? If trouble arises, neither of us will look good.”

Tie Renhao felt his chest about to burst with anger. Had Ye Xin simply asked him to step aside without the ridiculous story, he would’ve done so—it wasn’t worth quarreling with such a notorious playboy. But what was the meaning of that story? Was Tie Renhao one of the bone-guarding dogs?!

Tie Hui Zhen pulled Tie Renhao back a few steps, then stood forward and addressed Ye Xin coolly: “Ye Xin, my brother just fought a fierce battle and is emotionally unstable, too agitated. Don’t take offense. If you wish to reach the Vigorous Martial Battalion, go northeast past this valley for thirty miles.”

“Thank you,” Ye Xin nodded with a smile, surveying the scene. “A fierce battle indeed. Your Highness, you must keep striving! I believe that someday, you’ll surpass me.”

With that, Ye Xin laughed heartily, his Boundless Sky Wolf quickening pace toward the other end of the valley.

Xue Baiqi and the others laughed as well. To kill a hundred odd soldiers—a fierce battle? Even the veteran generals like Qiu Jiecha showed amused, mocking smiles. Tie Renhao was a year younger than Ye Xin, while Wei Qingfan was somewhat older, all of similar age, but in terms of achievement, the difference was vast. They had once worried if Ye Xin was worthy of inheriting the mantle of Wolf Marshal, but now, they felt proud of him.

Soon, the Wolf Riders vanished at the far end of the valley, leaving Tie Renhao and his group exchanging puzzled glances.

“What did Ye Xin mean by that?” Tie Renhao fumed. “Striving? Who does he think he is? And… ‘keep fighting’? What does that mean?”

“To add fuel to the fire, perhaps he hopes Your Highness will reach new heights,” Wei Qingfan mused.

“He dares speak to me this way?” Tie Renhao sneered. “He holds the command of the Sky Wolf Legion yet does nothing. How pitiable those old generals are, their talents wasted. If only they’d follow me…”

“Impossible, brother,” Tie Hui Zhen replied. In truth, the legion’s veteran generals belonged to Ye Guan Hai’s household. Unless the Ye family had no heirs, they wouldn’t switch allegiance—it would violate their moral code.

“I know it’s impossible, just saying,” Tie Renhao sighed.

“Enough about Ye Xin; thinking of him annoys me,” Deng Duojie said. “This time we gained plenty; next year we’ll surely reclaim the Hanwu Hall!”

“Yes, yes!” Tie Renhao beamed. “The Fifth Battalion are fools, even Xie En is a fool. He abandoned his students to follow Ye Xin and waste time—what was he thinking?”

“Your Highness, you didn’t see the faces of the Fifth Battalion,” Deng Duojie laughed. “With their instructor gone, the academy wouldn’t let them fight. They sulked every day—ha ha ha! They came for nothing, and will be the academy’s laughingstock.”

Before long, Ye Xin and the Wolf Riders found the Vigorous Martial Battalion’s camp. The guards at the gate didn’t recognize Ye Xin, but they knew Xie En. There were few in the academy with pillar-level strength, and Xie En was one, now an honorary vice president.

The gates opened; Ye Xin and his men rode in, attracting everyone’s attention—the Boundless Sky Wolves were wild and majestic. Any warrior would dream of such a mount.

The Fifth Battalion students heard the commotion outside. Shao Xue spotted Xie En in the distance and called out, prompting Wen Rong and others to rush from their tents.

“Instructor Xie, you’re back!” Shen Miao cried, both surprised and delighted.

“Instructor Xie, where did you run off to?” Li Chonglou shouted. “Without you, the academy wouldn’t let us fight!”

Xie En’s reply was perfunctory. He’d joined the Dragon Soaring Martial Academy years ago only to stay close to Ye Ling. Now, with Ye Xin returning to the battlefield, he had to follow. Staying would drive him mad.

“Brother!” Ye Ling’s voice rang out. All the students watched Xie En, but she paid him no mind, striding straight toward Ye Xin.

Ye Xin handed his Killing God Blade to Hao Fei and dismounted.

“Brother, why didn’t you say anything when you left?” Ye Ling’s tears shimmered in her eyes. “You found something exciting and didn’t take me?”

Ye Xin pinched her cheek. “I went to war, and war isn’t fun.”

A few like Wen Rong managed to keep straight faces, but the rest of the Fifth Battalion couldn’t help snickering. He’d just begun to channel his energy—so arrogant? Going to war? Surely he relied on his household retainers. If they had Ye Xin’s men, they could do better.

You have a long way to go! Li Chonglou nearly blurted out, but after losing face last time, he didn’t dare provoke Ye Xin again.

“Brother, next time bring me! Please? Please?” Ye Ling clung tightly to Ye Xin’s hand, shamelessly pleading to get her way.

Ye Ling knew Ye Xin’s strength. It was obvious—her abilities might fall short, but she could tag along. Better to follow a pride of lions than waste time with mongrels.

Ye Xin thought for a moment. “How’s your riding?”

“No problem!” Ye Ling exclaimed. “Brother, wait—I’ll get my horse.”

“No need.” Ye Xin turned and whistled, then gestured to a Boundless Sky Wolf, which slowly padded over to him.

(To be continued.)

PS:
My apologies, I forgot to schedule the update. Please forgive me, everyone.