Chapter 73

The initial victory brought a bit of vitality to the gloomy city of Hezhou. However, the Mongols were ultimately powerful, and Mongke, enraged by the loss of a major general, urged his troops to attack the city day and night with all their might.

The Song soldiers in Hezhou hated the cruel Mongol soldiers to the extreme, and each one fought with all their strength. The Song and Mongol forces were evenly matched, and after more than ten days of intense fighting, the situation became a stalemate, with no clear winner.

The Mongol army suffered heavy casualties, and the Song army also suffered significant losses. The morale of the Mongols gradually declined, and in Hezhou, every household was in mourning, and everyone was in tears.

Finally, Bai Pu proposed a plan to burn the Mongol army's stockpile of grain and fodder. Liang Tiande was the first to volunteer, and Yan Gang, Liu Jingcao, and others were also willing to follow. Only Duanmu Changge remained calm and composed.

...

The autumn wind howled past the city walls. The stars and moon in the sky were dark and lost their light. The Mongol camp was dotted with flickering lights, as if they had replaced the stars in the sky.

Suddenly, a distant spark gradually became brighter. It grew brighter and larger, like a scorching sun rising from the northern sky.

"We've succeeded."

The generals on the city walls cheered in unison.

The fire grew larger, and in the Mongol camp, people shouted and horses neighed, creating a chaotic scene.

Suddenly, the Mongol camp gates were breached, and more than twenty riders rushed towards the city walls, with a group of Mongol cavalry in hot pursuit.

"More than a hundred people, and most of them are gone?"

Bai Pu exclaimed.

These people approached the city walls of Hezhou one after another. Liang Wenjing shouted, "Open the city gates."

The generals were taken aback. Li Hansheng said, "No, the Tartars are too close behind. If we open the gates, they will surely take advantage of the situation and rush in."

"Lower the ropes."

Bai Pu shouted.

This reminder prompted the generals to lower more than ten ropes from the city walls.

Liang Tiande and others arrived just in time. Liu Jingcao leaped off his horse, grabbed a rope, and in a few swift movements, reached the city walls. Yan Gang followed suit, and Liang Tiande covered the rear with his bow, shooting down several Tartars before grabbing a rope.

Arrows from the Mongols rained down on the city walls. Yan Gang and three other heroes from Sichuan were hit and fell.

Yan Gang's arm was injured, and he struggled to stand up. Dozens of Mongols rushed over, and their swords and spears descended, about to turn him into a bloody mess.

Suddenly, a figure leaped down from the city walls, moving as fast as lightning, as if he had jumped directly down. However, if one looked closely, one could see that he was holding a rope with one hand.

Once he reached the ground, a bright sword light flashed, like stars in the sky. Several Mongol soldiers were cut down, their blood splattering on the ground.

On the city walls, the sight of his heroic feat made Bai Pu exclaim in surprise, "Great, Brother Leng has taken action."

"Leng Brother, save my father."

Liang Wenjing, both delighted and anxious, shouted down from the city walls.

"Yan Brother, go up."

With two consecutive sword strikes, Leng Wuchang killed more than twenty Mongol soldiers. Taking advantage of their shock and hesitation, Li Wuchang grabbed Yan Gang and threw him up with all his strength.

Although Yan Gang's personality was fiery, he was not a bad person and had a heart for the country and its people. He could not be left behind, and the other heroes were also brave and valiant, so they should be saved as well.

After sending the heroes who had fallen to the ground up to the city walls, Li Wuchang grabbed a rope and climbed up like a wisp of smoke.

Li Wuchang's speed was extremely fast, and in a few breaths, he caught up with Liang Tiande. At that moment, a strange sound echoed, and an arrow flew towards them.

This arrow was exceptionally swift and different from ordinary arrows. Liang Tiande, in mid-air, saw no way to avoid it. Li Wuchang swung over, and his sword, the Lengbi, emitted a faint blue light. He struck the arrow, sending it flying.

"Liang Uncle, go up."

Li Wuchang placed a hand on Liang Tiande's shoulder and lifted him with all his strength. Liang Tiande flew in a parabolic arc and landed on the city walls.

"Whoosh," the second arrow came, its whistling sound piercing and sharp. The cold, sharp light made Li Wuchang feel a great sense of danger.

The Lengbi sword's edge was like snow, and with a twist of the sword, the arrow shattered into several pieces. Li Wuchang felt a jolt in his wrist and, without hesitation, lightly touched the city wall with his toes, and he fell towards the city walls like a great bird spreading its wings.

"Gratitude, I owe you a great debt, Liang Tiande is deeply grateful."

As soon as Li Wuchang landed on the city walls, Liang Tiande immediately came forward, deeply bowing to Li Wuchang, his eyes filled with gratitude.

After accepting the mission to burn the Mongol army's grain and fodder, Liang Tiande had put his life on the line, never expecting to return alive. However, when he truly survived, he was still overwhelmed with emotion.

"Gratitude, Yan Gang thanks you. If you need me to climb a mountain of knives or jump into a sea of fire, just say the word."

Yan Gang, still in pain, came over and knelt on one knee, expressing his deep gratitude.

"Please stand up, please stand up."

Li Wuchang quickly extended his hand to help him up, smiling.

After Liang Tiande and Yan Gang, many others came to express their gratitude, all of whom Li Wuchang had saved. Additionally, Liang Wenjing and Bai Pu also came to thank him.

While acknowledging the gratitude of the others, Li Wuchang paid more attention to the spatial mark, which indicated that he had completed a hidden task and earned 5,000 main god points.

The task system in the main god space is divided into ordinary tasks and hidden tasks. Ordinary tasks are the first tasks issued by the main god space when the trainee enters the plot space, and completing them yields a small reward.

Hidden tasks, on the other hand, are not clearly defined and are hidden within the plot. Completing them yields a substantial reward.

There are no hints for hidden tasks, making them very difficult to discover, let alone complete. However, if one is familiar with the plot, one might have some premonitions.

Saving Liang Tiande was something Li Wuchang had planned from the beginning, not only because he admired his character but also because he suspected it might be a hidden task.

The result confirmed his suspicion. Not only saving Liang Tiande, but also saving Yan Gang, was a point in the hidden task, otherwise, there would not have been such a high reward of 5,000 main god points.

...

To save Xiao Yuling, Xiao Leng went on a rampage in Hezhou, killing more than a hundred soldiers and civilians, causing a river of blood to flow.

To force Xiao Leng to appear, Bai Pu sent a message: in three hours, at the Canglong Temple in the east of the city, one life for another—his junior sister for his life. If he did not come on time, Xiao Yuling would surely die.

In the main hall of Canglong Temple, Bai Pu stood tall, while Xiao Yuling's hands were tied behind her back, and she was being dragged along the ground, continuously cursing.

Liang Wenjing was also there but hid in the corner, not daring to show himself. He felt guilty for not stopping Bai Pu's plan and was too ashamed to face Xiao Yuling.

Not long after, Xiao Leng arrived.

Bai Pu smiled coldly, pointed his fan at Xiao Yuling's head, and said calmly, "Why are you still standing? Commit suicide with your sword!" Xiao Leng shook his head.

"What, do you only act when your junior sister has suffered enough?"

Bai Pu sneered, mocking him.

Xiao Leng said, "Now that the two countries are at war, each serves their own master. I have no words to say about your methods."

With a "clang," he threw his "Hai Ruo Dao" to the side and stared at Bai Pu with a fierce gaze, saying, "If I came today not as a brave warrior under Mongke but as a disciple of Heishui, what would you do?"