Chapter 74

Xue Wanche was a ruthless man, not only to others but also to himself. At this moment, when he was about to be surrounded by Li Er, he did not think about how to break through but instead decided to use his last strength to take down the people of Qin Wang's residence.

He was very clear that as long as he could capture the women and children in front of him, even if Li Er surrounded him, he would still have a glimmer of hope. If he tried to break through, not only would his horse be blinded, but even the few fierce generals by Li Er's side could easily kill him.

Therefore, he endured the burning pain in his eyes and opened them. His vision was blurry, but he could勉强 see the road ahead. He used all his strength to pull the horse back onto the right path. The horse neighed in pain, but Xue Wanche was unmoved, even though his heart ached. No general did not love his horse, for the horse was his legs on the battlefield, his closest comrade-in-arms, and sometimes more reliable than a human.

Li Kuan stood on a gentle slope, stretching his limbs. The series of shooting actions had made his arms ache. He was only nine years old, far from his peak. Although the Heart Intent Fist had given him the strength of a grown man, his endurance was far from comparable. A regular soldier in the army could pull a three-stone slingshot a hundred times without even panting. After all, this was not the future, the era of high technology, where bulletproof vests were as light as a coat. Now, everyone wore armor, which could weigh dozens of pounds. A weak person would find it difficult to walk, let alone fight.

Just as Li Kuan was rubbing his wrist, he saw Xue Wanche pulling the horse's head. How much strength did it take to change the direction of a galloping horse? Without at least three to five hundred pounds of strength, it was impossible. Now, Xue Wanche did it so effortlessly, as if he were casually pulling a pet dog that had gone the wrong way. This man had astonishing strength!

Seeing Xue Wanche charging forward, Li Kuan turned to look at the household servants who were already showing signs of fear. He thought to himself: I can't let him come over, or these dozens of servants will never be able to stop such a formidable warrior. He raised his slingshot again and aimed at the galloping horse.

With a "whoosh," the stone quickly sliced through the air, heading for Xue Wanche's horse's legs.

With a "clang," Xue Wanche's saber accurately cut the stone, deflecting it away. This move was simply divine. After all, a stone is not like an arrow; it is small and much faster. It was not easy to block, but Xue Wanche casually deflected Li Kuan's stone, leaving Li Kuan with his mouth wide open in disbelief.

"Shameless man, you only use flying stones to ambush, you are not a hero!" Xue Wanche shouted, and with a reverse stroke, he cut his horse, stimulating its life potential to make it run faster.

With this cut, Xue Wanche's horse sped up again, and Li Kuan became anxious: I won't believe you can block every time.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." Li Kuan filled the slingshot with stones and fired them rapidly. In just a few seconds, he shot five or six stones. This was his current limit. If these were all blocked, he would have to think of another way to deal with this mad Xue Wanche.

"Clang..." Xue Wanche blocked Li Kuan's stones again. Listening to the sound to determine the position was something every martial artist had to do, but few could intercept such fast-moving stones like Xue Wanche. One, two, three... his saber swung, always deflecting a stone. This was not a battle charge; it was like playing baseball. Li Kuan thought to himself.

Since stones couldn't stop you, I'll retreat. Li Kuan thought about retreating, but then he rejected the idea. They were already surrounded; where could they retreat to? The wall was behind them, and they might not be able to climb it. The battlefield was in front, and that was even more impossible. So, they could only fight with their backs against the wall, with no other choice.

Li Kuan threw away the slingshot and snatched a saber from a nearby servant, rushing forward.

This action made everyone gape in shock. Changsun was directing a few servants to try to make a hole in the wall, but when she turned and saw Li Kuan's action, she just stared, speechless. Not only her, but also Yang Fei, Yin Fei, Wei Fei, and Li Er's many children all watched the small figure rushing out.

Li Chengqian's lips curled in disdain: Just because you pulled a strange slingshot a few times and slowed down those people, you think you're so great? Blocking Xue Wanche is like going to your death.

Li Lizhi, however, watched Li Kuan's departing back with worry, tears welling up in her eyes. She turned away, unable to bear to watch, but saw Li You hiding behind his mother and Li Yin cowering in a corner like a turtle, feeling disdain for her two younger brothers.

Li Ke also watched Li Kuan, a hint of envy flashing in his eyes. He knew himself; if he went up, he would only be split in two by Xue Wanche. But being powerless also made him feel incredibly disappointed and angry.

Li Kuan was very fast, and Xue Wanche was also charging towards him. They met quickly. Xue Wanche, with the advantage of his horse and height, swung his saber at Li Kuan. The blade flashed like a white lightning bolt, dazzling everyone.

Li Kuan, being short, rolled on the ground to dodge the blow. His saber was quick, and he slashed at Xue Wanche's horse's legs.

"Neigh..." The horse's mournful cry echoed on the small battlefield. Li Kuan's saber cut off one of Xue Wanche's horse's front legs. The horse stumbled and fell, throwing Xue Wanche off.

Li Kuan dodged the falling horse and quickly turned to charge at the flying figure. Before Xue Wanche landed, Li Kuan was already behind him, slashing diagonally.

Xue Wanche heard the wind behind him and used the "Su Qin Back Sword" technique, holding his saber on his back to block Li Kuan's blow. However, the impact made him lose his balance, and he stumbled. But years of martial arts training made his stance very stable, and he quickly regained his footing.

But in a battle between experts, Li Kuan would not miss this opportunity. As Xue Wanche turned, Li Kuan changed his saber from a slash to a sweep, aiming at Xue Wanche's back and his hand holding the saber. He shouted, "Drop it!"

Xue Wanche dared not block with his hand and had to let go. As soon as he let go, Li Kuan's saber knocked his saber away. Without a weapon, Xue Wanche was no match for Li Kuan, especially since he had just regained his footing and was still unsteady.

Li Kuan's wrist turned flexibly, and he raised his saber to Xue Wanche's neck. "Don't move!"

This description may seem long, but it all happened in a few moments. Their clash was like a rabbit rising and a hawk swooping down. The others only saw them clash, and then Xue Wanche was thrown, and Li Kuan quickly disarmed him and captured him.

"This... This can't be true!" Changsun could not believe her eyes. Who was Xue Wanche? One of the two great generals under the Crown Prince, Xue Wanche and Xue Wanren, both had the courage of ten thousand men and could fight three hundred rounds with Cheng Zhijie and Yu Chigong. How could a mere nine-year-old child capture him in just a few moves? No wonder Changsun could not believe it, and even Li Kuan could not believe that he had captured this famous general. He had only intended to hold off this great general and wait for Li Er's rescue.

Actually, this was not Xue Wanche's fault. He was truly wronged: he was blinded by a bag of lime powder as soon as he appeared, and his horse was frightened, running wildly. He had to struggle to control it and fight through the battlefield filled with lime powder. After finally regaining his composure, he was surrounded by Li Er and had to use all his strength to turn his horse, which had already drained him of half his strength.

Li Kuan's stones also consumed his strength. Although pulling the slingshot was tiring, using a saber to deflect the stones required much more effort. He had to listen to the sound, make quick judgments, and swiftly strike with his saber, which further drained his energy.

Finally, in close combat, his blurry vision made him misjudge, and his saber cut too high, allowing Li Kuan to easily dodge. Li Kuan, on the other hand, was well-rested and cut the horse's leg. The horse's momentum was enough to sever its leg. When Xue Wanche was thrown, he lost his composure. Being in the air is the most insecure state, and Xue Wanche could block Li Kuan's blow even before landing, which was already impressive.

Under these coincidences, the famous general Xue Wanche was captured by a nine-year-old child.

"Xue Wanche has been captured, and you are surrounded. Surrender quickly!" Li Kuan's young voice echoed across the battlefield, and the Crown Prince's cavalry, who had been ready to fight to the death, lost their last bit of courage. They looked at Xue Wanche, who was kneeling with a saber at his neck, and all their strength drained away, leaving them with no will to resist.

No one knew who dropped their spear first, but the sound of the spear hitting the ground spread like a contagion. One by one, the cavalry dropped their weapons, waiting to be captured.