There was once someone who took the wrong path.
The initial impression Meng Qi left on Li Yuanze and a few of his close advisors was that โhe can fight, but seldom has brilliant strategies; he has foresight, but isnโt rigid in his actions, and he is very steady in his military operations.โ Isnโt this exactly the right person to guard the rear and ensure the safe transport of grain supplies?
Other than being young, he had no other flaws.
The truth was that Meng Qiโs understanding of military strategy at that time was mostly self-taught. Although he could recite and apply it fluently, the sudden responsibility of managing the lives of hundreds to thousands of men under his command and ensuring the safe passage of grain for an army of over a hundred thousand men at the front line made him cautious. Could he afford not to be careful?
This was a task where he aimed not to make mistakes rather than to achieve merits.
As a result, he did the job too well and was misunderstood.
Fortunately, it was a mistake that worked out. Initially, the Chu army was not the strongest among the rebel forces in the land, so the threat to the grain supplies was not very great. Meng Qi, with his half-baked military knowledge, happened to use this rear-guard position to learn many things from his colleagues.
Li Yuanzeโs advisors also appreciated Meng Qi because, after all, young people tend to be impulsive, eager to make achievements. Everyone fought over the position of vanguard officer, but someone like Meng Qi, who was willing to stay in the rear and earnestly learn skills, was a rare find.
According to historical records, as the war progressed and the situation in the country began to stabilize, the fourteen meritorious officials around Li Yuanze gradually emerged, forming deep friendships with one another.
To Meng Qi, some of these people were both teachers and friends.
Mainly because he learned a lot, learned quickly, and was good at drawing inferences from one instance, soon there was nothing more they could teach him. Everyone felt that Meng Qi, coming from a humble background and without a famous teacher, had been delayed, and since heroes admire heroes, and men of ambition admire outstanding peers, they quickly changed their attitude and began treating Meng Qi as an equal.
This status was earned through skill.
Initially, Li Yuanze sent veteran generals and advisors to escort the grain supplies with Meng Qi, but later, he trusted Meng Qi enough to let him guard the rear and oversee the entire grain route.
This achievement was well understood by the advisors and generals but not widely known to outsiders.
Marquis Leyang, Zhu Yan, once jokingly said that Meng Qi was the epitome of โa good warrior who has no dazzling achievements.โ
โThe enemy wouldnโt publicize their failure to steal the grain, and the Chu army wouldnโt foolishly brag everywhere about having a particularly skilled grain guard.
Meng Qi guarded the camp so tightly that not even a needle could penetrate, and he wasnโt swayed by enemy provocations. Even when the enemy tried tunneling (Fat Mouse: Are you kidding me?), it was to no avail. Several times, the Chen army reached the outskirts of Meng Qiโs camp, but seeing no flaws and sensing a murderous aura, they reluctantly retreated along the same path.
To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest realm of military strategy.
This was no longer the Spring and Autumn Period, where strategists could resolve conflicts between nations with mere words.
Achieving what Meng Qi did, yet having no fame outside, even Zhu Yan felt that Meng Qi was extraordinaryโhe had seen through the vanity of external fame!
Meng Qi: โ…โ
Not really, the Fat Mouse may boast, but he still has self-awareness.
In the company of scholars, all were famous men. These great generals and wise ministers, those who could be rivals of the Chu army, were not too bad either. After all, the less competent would be defeated in one round.
The Dragon Vein isnโt omnipotent; there are many things Meng Qi cannot do.
He has no talent for writing reports, no patience for internal affairs, and his martial skills werenโt good enough to charge into the enemy ranks alone.
All that strategy and planning to win a thousand miles away, frowning and coming up with ideasโtoo difficult.
Recalling the past, Meng Qi couldnโt help but sigh to Mo Li:
โWhen we were fighting for the world, it seemed like there were countless wise men and fierce generals in the world, emerging one after another, all with the ambition to compete for the throne in the Central Plains. Often after defeating one, another would come, leaving us exhausted from dealing with them. But once the Chu dynasty was established, ruling the world made it feel like everyone was foolish and greedy, impossible to teach or manage, making one wonder if all the smart people emerged in times of chaos to compete for the world and then died out…โ
โAhem.โ
Mo Li discreetly glared at Meng Qi, hinting at people like Old Mister Qin who had gone into seclusion.
Meng Qi, following the cue, amended his words: โThere are too many mediocre people in the world. If I had met the doctor earlier, my temperament wouldnโt be so wild.โ
The swordsman thought to himself, this isnโt wild; itโs clearly in need of a beating!
โEver since meeting Meng Qi, his hand holding the sword had been itching! Even now, without the sword in hand, he could hardly suppress the urge to draw it and strike.
The camp was right in front of them; since they understood the formation, they should just take action! Whatโs the point of whispering? Everyone here is a martial arts master; whatโs the use of talking in a low voice? If you donโt want me to hear, just use sound transmission! The swordsman grumbled silently, still coldly looking down at the military camp.
Under the eaves, one has to bow their head.
The National Teacher wants to boast, so let him boast.
After figuring this out on his own, the swordsmanโs aura, which had been chaotic due to internal conflict, gradually calmed down.
Mo Li: โ…โ
Fortunately, Master Yuan Zhi had left; otherwise, the old monk would have happily praised Meng Qi for mastering Zen principles and being skilled at โenlighteningโ others.
The Fat Mouse was already quite boastful; add an old monk who thought highly of him, and he might just soar to the heavens.
Meng Qi noticed the reactions of the two and, with a twitch at the corner of his eye, turned his head and said solemnly, โI can break this formation.โ
โWhat is the plan?โ
Mo Li instinctively responded, as the script would have it.
Meng Qiโs throat moved, and he smiled, โMy lord, please sit here peacefully, Iโll be back shortly.โ
Mo Li was caught off guard by Meng Qi addressing him as โmy lordโ and froze in place.
When he recalled the playful tone in Meng Qiโs voice when he mentioned โmy lordโ just now, as if he was trying to suppress something, a sudden chill ran through his heart.
Mo Li suddenly looked up at Meng Qi’s back.
However, Meng Qi did not react as Mo Li feared, with a drastic change in mood or disrupted breathing upon mentioning the unspeakable matter. In fact, after uttering “My lord,” Meng Qi felt that a heavy stone that had been vaguely pressing on his heart suddenly lifted.
Meng Qi originally intended to engage in a humorous banter with Mo Li by performing the traditional play of accepting the military order and challenging the enemy. However, Meng Qi had only ever referred to Li Yuanze as “My lord.” Normally, hearing or mentioning these two words would ignite uncontrollable anger in Meng Qi, yet after the anger subsided, there would be even more regret.
The regret was for not realizing in time that everything was heading towards an irreversible situation.
The hatred wasn’t for not understanding why things ended up this way but for hating everything.
The sudden change in Li Yuanze’s personality, those who continuously sowed discord among the emperor and his ministers for their own benefit, the colleagues who clearly sensed something was wrong but remained helpless…
The saying that a loyal minister must die if the emperor commands it was a joke; none of the twelve meritorious ministers were that naive.
As colleagues started to meet with misfortunes, accused of treason, people were initially shocked and suspicious, but how could they not figure it out afterward?
It was just a matter of weighing the pros and cons, realizing that rebellion was too late, and they were not alone. The stability and prosperity of the Chu Dynasty were hard-earned through countless trials, and as Li Yuanze was about to die, so were the twelve meritorious ministers. Who in this world does not die? This life, already in its twilight, was the last thing they could do for their past ideals and the peace of the world.
So, those who sensed something wrong said nothing. They did not inform their old, sick, and muddled friends but instead supported each other to attend the final imperial banquet of the Chu Emperor. In the midst of the prosperous and peaceful music and dance, they calmly drank the poison.
In his early years, Li Yuanze thought Meng Qi was indifferent to fame and fortune and later did not consider Meng Qi a threat to the Chu Dynasty.
Meng Qi had no wife or children, no powerful family behind him, no students, and no power in the court. Although Li Yuanze was radical and insane enough to eliminate old ministers for his son, ironically, he still understood each of his former trusted ministers very well.
He knew who was easily agitated and would cause trouble, so he dealt with them first; he knew who was concerned about their family, so he used that as leverage.
He knew the temperaments of Prime Minister Deng and Duke Wei, as well as Meng Qi’s character, so he found an excuse to send Meng Qi away. When Meng Qi returned in anger, he received their final letters, and in the end, he did not kill the emperor but merely stole the imperial seal and resigned.
Although Li Yuanze did not know how skilled Meng Qi was in martial arts or his true identity, he was still Li Yuanze. Even if he went mad and became senile, he could still accomplish what he wanted.
Meng Qi suddenly understood that perhaps at that time, he also hated himself.
โWhy did he have to be a clear-headed person? Why couldn’t he be swayed by the letter and completely lose control? If he had gone mad and lost control, he wouldn’t have remembered the Chu Dynasty, its people, or the world! He would have killed Li Yuanze’s sons one by one, making Li Yuanze watch helplessly as the Li family lost the Chu Dynasty!
However, reason suppressed the rage, turning into a wound deep in his heart that could never heal.
This was the true cause and root of Meng Qi’s illness, not the mercury leakage from Emperor Li’s tomb.
When the Qi Emperor sent someone to burn the small dragon vein of Mount Shangyun, Meng Qi’s madness finally erupted completely.
The past was gone.
No matter how much regret or unwillingness there was, it was all to no avail.
Meng Qi’s gaze was deep, his expression showing neither joy nor sorrow, but the murderous aura around him suddenly surged.
The swordsman watched Meng Qi’s back, his pupils shrinking, and he took a step back sharply.
Mo Li quickly caught up, his expression hesitant.
He could sense that Meng Qi’s breathing was unusually steady, not like the onset of madness, but the killing intent was very real. Mo Li couldn’t help but grip the blunt sword hidden in his sleeve, ready to act if anything went wrong.
“Buzz.”
The sound of a trigger mechanism rang out, and several sharp arrows flew toward them.
The guards in the camp, unable to withstand the almost tangible killing aura, instinctively released the crossbows they were holding.
“Enemy attack!”
Someone shouted sharply, and the entire camp was shaken.
Meng Qi brushed aside the arrows with a wave of his sleeve, the wind lifting his robe as he landed on top of a tent in the southeast corner like a hawk.
In an instant, all the arrows were aimed at that spot.
Meng Qi gathered strength at his toes, and with a forceful step, overturned the towering tent.
“Not good, save Mr. Li quickly!”
The soldiers were thrown into chaos.
Some rubbed their eyes, their pants still not fully on, getting up and cursing, wanting to know what was going on; others shouted loudly as they ran over, seemingly to rescue the people in the collapsed tent. Still, others, dazed and confused, followed the shouts and rushed over.
“Where is Mr. Li?”
“The tent over there… the collapsed one…”
The soldiers hurriedly looked up, only to find that the number of collapsed tents had increased to three.
Though familiar with the camp, in the pitch-black night, in the midst of the chaos, many could no longer find their way.
The swordsman standing on high suddenly realized that the identities of the people in the camp were now clear: those running around aimlessly were obviously the real soldiers, while those who had some understanding of the formation and were heading straight for Meng Qi’s direction were most likely people related to the Piaoping Pavilion.
This rough estimate was shockingโalmost one-fifth of the soldiers had issues.
“So that’s it, this formation… maybe it doesn’t have any obvious flaws, but the soldiers in the camp aren’t united, and Piaoping Pavilion couldn’t entirely replace the official soldiers with their own people. Once chaos breaks out, most of them would run around wildly, and the formation would collapse without being attacked.” Mo Li pondered, feeling a bit more at ease.
Doctor Mo didn’t particularly like boiling medicine for the sand mouse, but when Meng Qi had to drink medicine, he liked to make it more bitter.
At this moment, Meng Qi had already taken advantage of the night, dragging over a guy whose head had been smashed by a fallen tent.
Mo Li asked in confusion, “Who is thisโ”
“That tent is the formation’s core,” Meng Qi deliberately shook the person in his hand, and only then did Mo Li notice that the man was in tattered clothes, his face swollen, with his head tilted to one side.
Mo Li quickly realized that Meng Qi had torn off this man’s clothes and knocked out a few of his teeth.
Probably out of fear that the man might have hidden explosives on his body or poison in his mouth.
“I thought it was the shopkeeper from the Sun family, but this one will do. Anyone who can issue orders at the core of the formation must not have a low status, and they must understand this formation,” Meng Qi said, satisfied, handing the man over to Mo Li. He suggested, “Let’s retreat for now.”
The swordsman looked at the camp, hesitating.
Meng Qi saw through his thoughts and said nonchalantly, “They’ve failed twice with this formation, which has already alerted the enemy. The Sun family’s shopkeeper is probably out of reach, and we can’t search every soldier. It’s not wise to stay here any longer. Let’s go.”
Vaguely, the sound of wind whistling reached his ears, and the dizzy man barely opened his eyes, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the wind filled it, causing him to choke and cough violently.
His forehead was still bleeding, and his face was turning blue from holding his breath.
At that moment, the person carrying him suddenly stopped, the abrupt change in speed making his vision go black. He then struggled to the ground, rolling and crawling, and vomited violently.
“…Meng, youโre too harsh…”
“…Bad luck… He happened to be standing there when the tent collapsed.”
The voices gradually brought the vomiting man back to consciousness. He suddenly remembered that in the chaos, someone had forcibly taken him from the military camp. The other person’s martial arts were incredibly high; not only had they dismantled the tent he was in, but they also escaped unscathed from the encirclement of thousands.
This unfortunate man had never imagined that someone could treat that deadly formation as nothing, coming and going freely as if in an empty place.
“Who are you?”
Mo Li intended to stop the bleeding, but the man suddenly backed away, watching them warily.
The sky had not yet lightened; it was the darkest time just before dawn.
Meng Qi stood leisurely under a locust tree, ten steps away.
The dense canopy blocked the distant light from the city walls, making Meng Qi’s figure blurred, like a ghostly shadow formed by the intertwining branches. Because he did not reveal a single trace of his aura, he seemed to merge into the deep darkness.
And for some reason, whether it was the distant Meng Qi or the nearby Mo Li, the abducted man felt he couldn’t see clearly.
The more he squinted to discern, the more his head hurt.
He didn’t even realize there were three people, only feeling as if enemies surrounded him, so he blustered, “I am an official of the court! You bandits, are you planning a rebellion?”
Mo Li focused on the wound on the man’s forehead. The bleeding wasn’t much, but his face looked terrible, and he seemed about to collapse.
“He can’t go any further; his head was hit, and there’s internal bleeding,” Mo Li quickly took his pulse while the man was still disoriented.
“Hit dumb?”
“…No, it’s just that carrying him while using lightness skills at high speed worsened the injury.”
Meng Qi, well-versed in such matters, understood as soon as Mo Li reminded him.
This condition was common, usually caused by being hit by something or taking a severe fall.
Swelling on the head, blurred vision, vomiting… there’s no quick cure; it takes three to five days of rest to gradually recover.
“As long as he doesn’t die,” Meng Qi was utterly indifferent to the man’s survival.
The man, hearing this, was even more frightened, his face hardening, “There are three thousand soldiers here, you traitors…”
Mo Li took out a silver needle and inserted it into the acupoints on the back of his head.
The man immediately felt the double vision ease slightly. Coincidentally, when he focused, he found himself staring directly at the swordsman’s scarred face.
“Su Li’er?!”
Mo Li was startled.
At first, it sounded like a name, but on closer thought, it was likely a nickname.
Su Li’er meant someone who wore a bamboo hat all day and night, which wasn’t unusual. But adding the third character made it slightly derogatory.
It meant something like “kid” or “child.”
If the swordsman were young and handsome, merely covering his face with a bamboo hat like a chivalrous hero from a storybook, being called Su Li’er might be a playful, even endearing, nickname. However, using it on a disfigured assassin who didn’t want to be seen was anything but complimentary.
“You know me.”
The swordsman spoke each word slowly, and even a fool could hear the killing intent in his voice.
The man shivered, and the swordsman took a step closer, speaking coldly, “I heard others call you Mr. Li, and you claim to be an official of the court. May I ask what rank you hold and whose salary you draw?”
They were still within the Qi Empire’s borders, and naturally, Qi officials were paid by the Lu family of Qi. The swordsman’s question carried an intent to condemn.
Mr. Li wanted to retort, but the dizziness hadn’t fully subsided, and his mind buzzed, unable to come up with a clever response.
A court official naturally had no reason to know a killer from the Piaoping Pavilion.
Feeling the swordsman’s gaze full of malicious intent, Mr. Li instinctively shuddered.
“He doesn’t know any martial arts,” Mo Li suddenly said.
The meridians were empty, his body weak and frailโjust a scholarly man.
Meng Qi looked at the sky, estimating that dawn was approaching, and once the daylight fully emerged, it would be difficult to hide with such a burden. After some careful thought, he suddenly smiled and said, “I didn’t expect that there would still be descendants of the Wangli clan. In the old days, at the Pingkou Alliance, the eight tribes joined forces to execute the governor of Xiazhou, establishing the Xiliang Kingdom. The Wangli clan was full of talented strategists, highly respected in the nation. I see that you bear much of your ancestor’s likeness!”
Mr. Li’s eyes widened in shock, almost believing that Meng Qi was also a Xiliang Qiang person.
However, Meng Qi showed no characteristics of a northerner, so Mr. Li quickly began to calculate in his mind.
Too many things had happened that night, and too suddenly.
Though they held strong power in Run County, this was also their weakness. The group under Mr. Li’s control was fundamentally different from that of the Sun family’s business. Because Mr. Li didn’t know martial arts, the nominal leader of Run County was Shopkeeper Sun, which Mr. Li resented but could do nothing about.
Mr. Li, or rather Li Zhubo, was only an eighth-rank official, relying on the trust of the stationed military officers and the county constable in Run County.
That night, the Sun family suddenly made a move, sending word that there was a change in the plan; the people from Fengxing Pavilion had arrived early, and they needed Li Zhubo to assist in the military camp.
After a chaotic night of setting fires and capturing people, they gained nothing.
Just as Li Zhubo was about to send someone to question Shopkeeper Sun, he learned that the man had used a secret passage to escape into the camp, claiming that he had encountered a formidable opponent, that Su Li’er from Piaoping Pavilion had been captured, and that someone had already searched the merchant warehouse. With the grand plan on the brink of success, they couldn’t let anyone disrupt the setup, so they decided to use the military camp as a trap to kill all those who attempted to uncover the secret.
Li Zhubo was both angry and puzzled by the turn of events.
They had been hiding in Run County for years, with deep roots and many tricks up their sleeves, even managing to fool the meddling Fengxing Pavilion. How could someone suddenly appear out of nowhere to ruin their plans? Who was this unexpected obstacle, and how could they save the Fengxing Pavilion master from a hopeless situation?
The houses on the streets of Run County were protected by the Six Ding Six Jia Four Symbols Formation.
This was an ancient formation passed down through generations, and moving freely within it, even for a prodigy in sorcery, would require thirty years of immersion in Qimen Dunjia.
โEscaping without a sound was a hundred times harder than breaking the formation.
Yet, in this world, there still existed such a master of formations?
Qimen Dunjia was on the verge of being lost, especially after the chaos at the end of the Chen Dynasty, the extermination of old ministers by Emperor Yuan and Emperor Ling of Chu, and the bloodshed during the Qi Dynasty’s establishment. These three events nearly wiped out the study of formations, and even the field of arithmetic suffered, losing many texts.
Li Zhubo had thought it unlikely to encounter a worthy opponent, but now that one had appeared, he had no time to question Shopkeeper Sun about what had happened. He believed that once he captured this person, everything would become clear.
As for his own defeat? Li Zhubo had never considered it possible!
He had learned the complete Qimen Dunjia technique, unlike those who followed broken and incomplete paths.
He had the advantage of timing, geography, and human resources.
Li Zhubo, sitting in his tent, could command a thousand soldiers. Aside from the unpredictable timing, the other factors of geography and human resources were not in the enemy’s favor. How could he lose?
And yet, he lost…
The defeat was so inexplicable that Li Zhubo even suspected he was dreaming.
Just as Meng Qi had guessed, proud people never believe they can fail. If they do, they are sure there was a traitor who betrayed them.
Suddenly, anger surged within Li Zhubo, causing his vision to darken again. He staggered to his feet, trembling, and pointed at Meng Qi, “Who told you these things?”
“The Wangli clan was cowardly and feared battle. When the Xiliang Kingdom fell, the entire clan surrendered to Chu. I didn’t expect anyone to still believe in your Wangli clan today,” Meng Qi said mockingly. “When I said you had the demeanor of your ancestor, wasn’t it precisely because you are powerless, driving others to fight on your behalf, and once captured, you cower and submit, showing no responsibility!”
“Shut up!”
Li Zhubo roared, blood rushing to his head, and he blacked out again.
Mo Li quickly took out silver needles and inserted them into several key acupoints.
“The smell of mugwort is strong. If we use it again, someone will come looking,” Mo Li said, holding a firestone in one hand and a silver needle in the other, casting a sidelong glance at Meng Qi.
Meng Qi quickly explained, “The situation was urgent, and drastic measures were needed. Doctor, please forgive me.”
The swordsman listened, completely bewilderedโwhat was all this about Xiliang and the Wangli clan? Had these things really happened?
How he regretted not studying more history, especially when he had never read any books. The more he listened, the more anxious he became.
As Li Zhubo remained unconscious, the swordsman couldn’t help but ask, “How did you know he was… from the Wangli clan?”
“The eight great tribes of Xiliang were almost entirely wiped out when the kingdom fell, with only the Wangli clan surviving in greater numbers. And the Wangli clan is the only one among the eight surnames that phonetically resembles this Mr. Li’s surname,” Meng Qi suddenly laughed, looking at Mo Li, and said, “Doctor, I once told you that many people in this world have obsessions, some of which are quite laughable. For instance, when they change their names, they must somehow connect it to their original surname, either by splitting it or finding a similar sound, claiming it’s to ‘remember their roots.'”
Mo Li rubbed his temples and sighed helplessly, “You mock their foolishness, but doesn’t this habit make things easier for you? Like right now?”
Guessing right saves so much trouble.
Meng Qi simply smiled without saying a word.
The swordsman: “…”
These two started staring at each other again, and the atmosphere turned strange.
The swordsman couldn’t see his blade, so he kicked Li Zhubo instead.
Mo Li was startled; the silver needles were still in Li Zhubo’s head. If he were to fall again, the man might not survive.
The swordsman felt a cold chill at his neck and looked up to see Meng Qi staring at him coldly.
“I was afraid he was pretending to be unconscious,” the swordsman said dryly.
Li Zhubo struggled to regain consciousness. Before he even opened his eyes, he began to mutter curses intermittently, “Is it Shopkeeper Sun? I should have reported it to the lord earlier. Those of servant origins are all opportunistic traitors.”
Mo Li frowned and removed the silver needles, speaking in a low voice, “The power of the Southern Border’s sacred medicineโyou know it better than I do. With it, wealth flows endlessly, and power is within reach. Why risk your life, letting others control you?”
Li Zhubo originally couldn’t figure out why Shopkeeper Sun would betray him, but the reason Mo Li provided made perfect sense.
Of course, he wouldn’t trust the enemy’s words outright, but he already harbored resentment toward Shopkeeper Sun.
If it weren’t for Shopkeeper Sun, how could the formation in the camp have been broken? How could the enemy have found the formation’s core so quickly and captured him?
“Ruining my Black Tortoise Killing Formationโthe lord won’t spare you,” Li Zhubo gritted his teeth in hatred.
Mo Li wondered, what is the Black Tortoise Killing Formation?
He quickly realized it must be the formation in the camp.
Mo Li silently looked at Meng Qi: Did you name the formation that?
Meng Qi firmly shook his head: Does that sound like a name I’d come up with?
Black Tortoise Killing Formationโjust because it has a defensive capability like a turtle shell, you don’t have to be that literal!
The swordsman: “…”
That feeling of wanting to find his blade came back.
“That wasn’t the Black Tortoise Killing Formation; the Chu army called it the Long Snake Defensive Formation.”
Meng Qi was determined to clear his name for his naming abilities.
“Defend like a rock, strike like a serpentโisn’t that the essence of the Black Tortoise among the Four Symbols?” Li Zhubo said bitterly, “This formation did indeed originate from the Chu army, but I added several enhancements, which gave it such power. If it weren’t for that traitor… wait, Shopkeeper Sun only knew my location and barely understood Qimen Dunjia!”
“Have you heard of camp panic?” Meng Qi interrupted him calmly.
Li Zhubo froze.
Meng Qi continued slowly, “In the middle of the night, someone in a tent suddenly wakes up from a nightmare and screams, causing others to panic, running around in confusion, mistakenly thinking the camp is under attack. Some, unwilling to be soldiers or face death, become consumed by anxiety day and night, eventually losing control and screaming, slashing wildly, leading to a full-blown melee. Camp panic can cause an army of over a hundred thousand to collapse without a fight. Your formation may be clever, but you had no contingency for the tents collapsingโstrategies on paper, nothing more.”
“Youโ”
“Indeed, even if the tents hadn’t collapsed, all I would need to do is let out a single sharp scream, and your so-called Black Tortoise Killing Formation would crumble like clay chickens and pottery dogs. How dare you boast?”
Li Zhubo trembled all over, spat out a mouthful of blood, and fainted again.
Mo Li: “…”
Doctor Mo looked up and asked softly, “Brother Meng, are you perhaps trying to test my medical skills, especially my ability to bring someone back from the dead?”
Author’s Note:
Mo Li: I’m telling you, you’re making things difficult for me, Fat Tiger.jpg
โโโ
One of the eight aristocratic surnames of the Tangut people in real history was Wangli, but since we’re in a fictional setting, I changed a character and must declare that this has nothing to do with real history.
โโโ
Swordsman: Ah, they’re at it againโthat power that destroys everything! ใThis line is a referenceใ
Author: The power of feeding dog food!