Chapter Seventeen: Capturing the Enemy Marshal Alive

Xu Zhihui saw that the general in white helmet and armor was about to escape the ravine and immediately refused to let it happen.

He shouted loudly, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Gripping his longsword, he leaped down the cliffs, blocking the general’s way.

Ye Feng cried out anxiously, “Brother Xu, don’t pursue a cornered enemy—let him go!”

But the general in white, seeing someone bar his retreat, grew even more desperate. His white horse surged forward, the silver spear in his hand thrusting with full force. With the momentum of the charging horse, the power behind that spear was no less than a thousand pounds!

A fierce wind howled toward Xu Zhihui, startling him so much he broke out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly raised his sword to block.

A series of metallic crashes rang out; sparks flew, and Xu Zhihui was jolted back a dozen steps before tumbling to the ground.

Before he could recover, the general in white bore down on him atop his horse. Leaning from the saddle, he reached out with his left arm and seized Xu Zhihui around the waist.

With a grunt, he hauled Xu Zhihui up onto the horse.

By this time, the soldiers outside the ravine had regrouped with the general. With a flick of his arm, the general tossed Xu Zhihui down from his horse.

As Xu Zhihui lay dazed from the fall, he heard a shout: “Bind him!”

At once, a swarm of soldiers rushed forward, tying him up tightly.

The general in white then called up to the defenders on the hillside, gloating, “Friends on the mountain, cease your arrows and rolling stones. Release our commander! We have your brother here; let’s exchange hostages!”

At this, Ye Feng quickly ordered his men to stop attacking. The general—now emboldened under the protection of his shield bearers—began to withdraw from the ravine.

Ye Feng realized the gravity of the situation: if he let them escape, he would lose his leverage and Brother Xu would be doomed. He shouted, “Charge!” and leapt down, blocking their path.

The soldiers followed Ye Feng down the hill, surrounding the shield bearers.

Ye Feng swung his twin whips, barring their way. “Stop! None of you are leaving!”

The shield bearers, intimidated by Ye Feng’s imposing presence, froze in fear. Yet their desperation overcame their terror, and emboldened by their numbers, they surged forward, encircling Ye Feng.

He remained calm, shouting, “General in white! I’ll release your commander if you let my brother go. If not, your commander won’t escape so easily!”

Seeing the general in white hesitate, the shield bearers refused to retreat, shouting in unison, “We’ll fight you to the end!” Pressing in with their shields, they slashed at Ye Feng with steel blades.

Ye Feng cursed, “You court death!” and swung his twin whips, bringing them down from above. At the same time, he struck two shields with his palms.

There was a flurry of sharp cracks and thuds, as several shield bearers were sent flying, crashing to the ground and instantly losing consciousness.

The other shield bearers, terrified, dared not approach and could only protect their commander as they slowly retreated.

Ye Feng, twin whips in hand, pressed forward relentlessly, while his own soldiers rushed in to encircle the shield bearers completely.

“Don’t harm our commander!”

The general in white, seeing his commander in peril, charged in with his silver spear, followed by his men. A fierce melee broke out between the two sides—a brutal and chaotic clash of soldiers and generals alike.

Upon seeing Ye Feng, the general in white’s eyes blazed with hatred. He swirled his spear, sending a volley of spear flowers flashing toward Ye Feng’s vital points.

Ye Feng dared not be careless, blocking with his twin whips.

His eyes never left the whirling spear, searching to discern which thrusts were real and which were feints. When the spear flowers closed in, Ye Feng struck.

With a metallic clang, he deflected the spear with his left whip. The spear slid past, scraping the steel whip and showering sparks.

As the general’s horse charged past, Ye Feng ducked low and whipped at the horse’s hind legs with his right hand. Just as he was about to strike, he sensed a cold wind behind his head—a chill so sharp it sent a shiver down his spine. What was this? Some hidden weapon? But the general was already ahead—how could there be a hidden weapon from behind?

There was no time to ponder. Instinctively, Ye Feng ducked his head and hunched his neck just as a shadow flashed overhead. His headscarf was sliced off, and his long black hair fell over his face in disarray.

“What was that? You dare use hidden weapons?!” Ye Feng roared in fury.

By now, the general in white had turned his horse. “Well done, boy,” he sneered. “You dodged even my Vajra Whip. I see I must take you seriously!”

With that, he urged his steed forward again.

This time, Ye Feng took no chances. He crossed his whips before him, guarding his vital points as the gleaming spearhead lunged toward him. With his left whip, he lifted and knocked aside the spear, spinning away and raising his right whip to strike at the horse’s rump. But the general’s spear butt swept back in time, meeting Ye Feng’s whip with a shower of sparks.

One man on horseback, one on foot—they fought with no clear advantage. But Ye Feng’s position beneath the horse gave him less leverage, and his shorter whips put him at a further disadvantage. He also had to stay alert for more tricks, leaving him on the defensive from the start.

The general in white was secretly pleased. His silver spear danced like a whirlwind, targeting Ye Feng’s most vulnerable spots. Ye Feng focused solely on defense, relying on the strength granted by the mystical herbs he’d consumed, hoping to wear down his opponent.

Fifty exchanges passed, and the general’s spear remained tireless, spinning like a windmill. Ye Feng grew anxious: this couldn’t continue—he needed to change tactics.

He sprang forward, weaving around the horse’s front and rear, launching sudden attacks. As the saying goes: “An inch longer, an inch stronger; an inch shorter, an inch more dangerous.” Up close, the general’s spear couldn’t maneuver as well, while Ye Feng’s twin whips gained the advantage.

Soon, the general’s spear slowed, and sweat beaded on his brow. Realizing he was losing, he decided to use his ultimate technique. Feinting with his spear, he urged his horse forward in feigned retreat.

Ye Feng shouted, “You’re not getting away!” and gave chase.

The general stole a glance behind—seeing Ye Feng pursue, he was inwardly delighted: Just what I wanted! Let’s see how you deal with this!

He slowed his horse, allowing Ye Feng to close in. Ye Feng darted forward, swinging his whip at the horse’s leg.

But just as he was about to strike, a shadow flashed before his eyes—a black blur hurtled toward his forehead, so swift he couldn’t see what it was. Startled, Ye Feng raised his right whip to block.

With a sharp crack, the shadow struck his whip and coiled tightly around it. Looking closely, Ye Feng saw it was a mottled, segmented beast’s tail.

Before he could react, a powerful force wrenched the whip from his grasp—Ye Feng’s hand was suddenly empty.

“Oh no!” he cried, rolling away just in time.

As he scrambled to his feet, the black shadow struck again. This time, Ye Feng was ready, leaping aside to evade the blow. The shadow slammed into the ground, leaving a deep groove in the earth.

Ye Feng realized this was a deadly trick—if he didn’t act first, he’d be in grave danger.

He shouted, “Using tricks and cheap shots—what kind of hero are you? Take this!” and lashed out with his left whip, aiming directly for the general’s back.

The general, absorbed in wielding his beast’s tail against Ye Feng, was caught off guard by the sudden counterattack. Before he could react, the whip landed squarely between his shoulder blades.

The blow sent the general reeling, blood spurting from his mouth as he fled in panic.

Ye Feng did not pursue. Instead, he retrieved his twin whips and looked around—the battle still raged fiercely. His own men, hardened by tough training and driven by the duty to defend their homeland, grew only more courageous as the fight wore on. The invaders, though greater in number, had lost their will to fight and were on the verge of collapse.

Raising his whips high, Ye Feng called out, “Your commander and general have fled or been captured—they don’t care about you anymore! Will you persist in resisting? Surrender now—don’t throw your lives away for them!”

His voice echoed over the battlefield, reaching every corner of the fighting ranks.

Soon, the enemy soldiers, already weary and resentful from their long campaign, shaken by the ambush and heavy casualties, heard him clearly. News of their commander’s capture and their general’s flight spread panic, and they threw down their weapons, surrendering en masse.

Ye Feng pulled Zhao Liang out from the crowd, looked at his terrified, groveling form with contempt, and ordered him bound.

Xu Zhihui, finally freed, shoved through the crowd, spotted Zhao Liang, and in a fury, seized his sword to execute him. Ye Feng intervened, calming Xu Zhihui, “Brother Xu, don’t be angry. Anger harms the body. We still need to turn him over to the chief and question him for information.”

Only then did Xu Zhihui, still seething, lower his sword.

The army, elated, marched the prisoners and spoils of war back to Black Earth City.

The citizens, marveling at the bounty, spread word throughout the city. Spontaneously, they formed welcoming lines along the streets, and the whole city erupted in celebration.

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