When Liu Shinian's group arrived at the capital of Xizi Kingdom, the city was heavily guarded with its gates shut, making entry difficult. They were forced to camp outside for two days.
On the morning of the third day, the city gates swung open, and waves of soldiers marched out.
Leading them was a general clad in armor, wielding a spear, his fierce demeanor clearly indicating that a battle was imminent.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhong, along with several wealthy merchants, bribed the guards at the city gates, allowing Liu Shinian and his companions to enter.
However, the subsequent twenty-four mountain lords were unable to enter the capital and had to wait outside for news from Liu Shinian's group, planning to coordinate an attack from within and without.
Meanwhile, Lin'er and I were leading a large army towards Taohua Town. Along the way, I asked him, "Elder, are we really going to fight this battle?"
Lin'er smiled faintly.
"We would like to fight, but I fear the other side may not be willing. They must have guessed that our army has other movements, so they will likely refuse to leave the city and defend it rigorously."
"Then what should we do?"
"Demon King, you need not worry. We only need to tie down the majority of their forces while waiting for Liu Shinian and the others to successfully capture the city."
"Good, Elder, you are always so thoughtful."
"This also owes something to the inspiration of some Demon Kings."
"That's good too, our Elder is truly capable."
After some casual conversation, we arrived at Xiaokou Bay, not far from Taohua Town. Twenty li further ahead was Taohua Town.
I ordered the army to rest there and continue the advance the next day.
In Taohua Town, Ke'erqin received a summons from above. The summons read:
The Royal City has received news of the Myriad Demon King's army approaching. Therefore, Wang Shenji and Wen Yuan have been dispatched to assist the General. The General need not sally forth to meet the enemy, but merely hold the pass and delay them.
Taibao's summons received.
Reading the contents of the summons, his heart sank. It seemed the capital was already prepared.
Just then, a scout reported.
"Reporting, General, the Myriad Demon King's army is resting and reorganizing in Xiaokou Bay, twenty li from Taohua Town."
He set the imperial decree aside and, after much deliberation, devised a plan.
"I have heard that a wandering swordsman named Li Zilai has arrived at our border. I heard that he once fought the Myriad Demon King alone in Dongyue Town. Go quickly and invite him here."
"Yes."
The scout received the order and retreated, hurrying to find Li Zilai, who was passing through.
Li Zilai had indeed arrived at Taohua Town, but not to fight; he was there to observe the excitement.
Although Taohua Town was located on the border, it was renowned throughout the land for its sweet and refreshing peach wine, which could clear the mind and sharpen the senses.
Therefore, if not for the impending conflict, it might have been bustling with people and full of life.
He had somehow obtained a bottle of peach wine and was walking alone on the empty streets, drinking as he went.
So, finding him was not difficult.
"Great Hero Li! Great Hero Li!"
Hearing someone call him, he turned around to see three or four men in military uniforms running towards him.
He smiled playfully and teased.
"What? Are you heartbroken because I'm drinking your wine?"
The men in front quickly explained, "No, no, Great Hero Li, our General requests your presence."
"Your General?" Li Zilai shook his head dismissively, "Who is it?" He then leaped onto a tree.
The men below quickly gathered around, explaining to him from beneath the tree.
"Our General is General Ke'erqin."
"The very General who guards this pass."
"The General has many fine wines at his home, such as Peach Blossom Wine and First Grade Dew, as much as you desire."
Li Zilai was delighted to hear this. "Ah, I like what you're saying. Does he truly have so much good wine?"
"Yes," the men below replied in unison.
"Then hurry and take me there."
"Sir, please come down first."
"What a bother, I'll go myself."
Saying this, he leaped down from the tree and landed on a rooftop, then flew forward.
The men below called out anxiously.
"Great Hero Li, wait for us." They then quickened their pace, trying to catch up to him.
At this moment, Ke'erqin was on the watchtower, anxiously observing the movements at the border.
His gaze was also fixed on the other side of the mountain, fearing that the Myriad Demon King would charge with her army at any moment.
"I heard you were looking for me?" a voice suddenly sounded from behind him. He turned to see Li Zilai standing behind him.
Although Ke'erqin had never met Li Zilai in person, judging by his superb martial arts skills and his ability to come and go silently, he could tell it was Li Zilai.
Ke'erqin was overjoyed and immediately cupped his hands in greeting. "You must be Great Hero Li Zilai, correct?"
"Indeed."
"I heard that Great Hero Li once fought the Myriad Demon King in Dongyue Town. I have invited the Great Hero here today to ask for a favor."
Mentioning Dongyue Town brought back memories of his defeat by the Myriad Demon King. He had only come here to see if her army would engage the border guards.
"What favor do you ask of me?"
Ke'erqin said.
"I presume Great Hero Li already knows that the Myriad Demon King is leading her hundred thousand troops towards Taohua Town. I wish for the Great Hero to lead my elite soldiers to scout for information."
"Don't you already have scouts?"
"I wish for the Great Hero to disrupt their formation and delay their approach to Taohua Town."
Li Zilai smiled faintly. The Myriad Demon King would come here sooner or later, so what was the point of delaying them?
"General, you are not joking, are you?"
"My plan is to create a leaderless situation."
"How do you mean, leaderless?"
Ke'erqin revealed his true plan. "Great Hero, you only need to lure the Myriad Demon King into our ambush."
Li Zilai looked at him in disbelief, then burst into laughter. He sighed, "I am no match for her. What brilliant strategy does the General have to deal with her?"
"I naturally have my ways."
"Then what will I gain?"
"I've heard that the Great Hero enjoys fine wine. You can take as much as you can carry."
"Good, it's a deal."
"The Great Hero can act tonight. My elite soldiers will await your arrival in Yezi Forest."
"Alright, it's a deal." With that, he leaped out and flew away towards the outskirts of the town.
At night, a cool breeze rustled, and I listened to the cold wind blowing from the mountains, my mind filled with endless thoughts.
Lin'er personally started a fire and draped a coat over me. "Demon King, it's cold at night."
I took off the coat and returned it to him, shaking my head. "My mind has been a bit restless these past few days. This cold wind is just what I need to blow away my unease."
Lin'er smiled faintly and asked me, "Demon King, are you worried about the people ahead?"
"Yes, I wonder how they are doing now."
"Don't worry, Liu Shinian and the others will complete their mission."
I nodded, agreeing with his words.
Suddenly, a dart flew out from the woods, and I caught it with one hand.
Everyone immediately drew their swords, on alert. I saw a letter attached to the dart. Upon opening it, I read:
I said we would meet again, you haven't forgotten, have you, Myriad Demon King.
"We will meet again?" I murmured.
Lin'er took the note and examined it closely, puzzled. "Demon King, do you recognize this person?"
It was then that I remembered. In Dongyue Town, that arrogant Li Zilai had said we would definitely meet again. Could it be him?
As we were speculating, we suddenly heard laughter from mid-air.
"Hahaha," then we heard that familiar voice say, "Myriad Demon King, how have you been?"
"It's Li Zilai." His arrogant laughter and self-assured words were something anyone who heard them once would remember.
"Li Zilai, I've heard he's a villain, perhaps escaped from hell like the Four Great Villains," Lin'er analyzed.
"You are absolutely correct."
At this moment, Li Zilai shouted again.
"Myriad Demon King, do you dare to come to Yezi Forest and fight me? If you don't dare, I will proclaim to the world that you, the Myriad Demon King, are nothing but a coward."
Lin'er sensed a plot within this and immediately stopped me. "Demon King, you must not go. This is likely a trap."
I patted his shoulder and told him.
"Don't worry, I must resolve this matter, otherwise, he will surely return. If anything happens to me, you must proceed according to the plan."
With that, I drew my sword and walked into the forest. Several soldiers wanted to follow to protect me, but Lin'er stopped them, confident that Li Zilai's strength was no match for the Demon King.
I followed Li Zilai's voice into Yezi Forest. He then jumped down from a tree, landing behind me, his arms crossed, as arrogant as ever.
"I didn't expect you to come."
"Since you wished to see me, how could I refuse your invitation?"
"You are still so confident, but I now have a way to subdue you."
"Is that so?"
"Do you dare to fight me for real?"
"Why should I not dare?"
"Good, let's rely on our strength alone. Don't let your Myriad Ghost King interfere."
"Alright, I promise."
He shouted, "Attack!"
Then he drew his sword and lunged forward with a thrust. I also drew my sword, and tearing off the willow bark, a cold air immediately surged out.
Li Zilai had learned his lesson. He took out the peach wine from his waist, took a sip, and sprayed it onto his sword. Then, he used his hand to ignite the sword, wrapping it in flames.
With a sword strike, he cut through the cold air.
He looked at me triumphantly and declared, "How about it? My Fire Sword can definitely counter your Dragon Roar Sword."
"Then let's try."
He swung his sword at me, and I met it with mine.
The Dragon Roar Sword clashed with his Fire Sword, and a strong cold air erupted, engulfing his flames and then freezing his sword from top to bottom.
His face was filled with shock. He quickly withdrew his sword, incredulously exclaiming, "Why not? Why not?"
I laughed and explained to him.
"This sword of mine is an ancient divine sword. How could it be broken by your mere flames?"
He, however, showed rare affirmation.
"You are right, the Dragon Roar Sword is indeed a good sword."
Just then, a strange fragrance drifted in the wind. He quickly shouted.
"Quick, cover your mouths and noses."
I followed his words and covered my mouth and nose.
He recognized the fragrance as the legendary Misty Fragrance, which could confuse the minds of demons.
So this was Ke'erqin's plan. It was too insidious.
"Quick, let's go!" He swung a sword qi to disperse the Misty Fragrance, then grabbed me and flew out of Yezi Forest.
After escaping to a distance, he stopped. I asked him, "Why did you save me?"
He became arrogant again. "I do things openly. You may go. This is repayment for not killing you in Dongyue Town."
With that, he turned and left.
I smiled faintly and returned to the army. Lin'er, seeing me safe, stood up and asked, "Demon King, how was it?"
"Everything is resolved. However, I must thank Black Wind for the Dragon Roar Sword. It is indeed a good sword."
"A good sword finds a good master. It only has its value when wielded by the Demon King."
"It's getting late. Let's get some sleep. We have to head to Taohua Town tomorrow."
"Yes, Demon King, you should rest too."
"Alright."
The elite soldiers, whose plan had failed, hurried back to Taohua Town and reported the incident to Ke'erqin.
"General, your plan has failed. That Great Hero Li, he, he let the Myriad Demon King escape."
"What! I thought he could help me capture the Myriad Demon King. It seems no one can be trusted now."
"General, what should we do next?"
"For now, we will remain stationary and await reinforcements."
"Yes."
"Alright, you may withdraw."
"Yes."
After the elite soldiers left, he was still filled with anger. He grabbed a teacup from the table and smashed it to the ground. The teacup shattered into pieces.
The next morning, the army set off for Taohua Town and arrived outside the town in the afternoon.
Ke'erqin also arrayed his army on the newly constructed city walls outside Taohua Town, confronting us.
Looking at the vast army, he felt a slight apprehension and sent someone to shout, "Who goes there?"
Our side replied, "We are the generals of Heishan."
"For what purpose have you come?"
"To attack and seize territory."
"What arrogance!" Ke'erqin was somewhat indignant, but given the disparity in strength between him and Heishan, he dared not act rashly and chose to defend the city.
I asked Lin'er, "What should we do now?"
"Retreat two li and wait for the opportune moment."
"Good."
I relayed the order to retreat two li.
At this moment, one of Ke'erqin's subordinates observing from the city walls shouted, "General, look quickly, the Myriad Demon King is retreating."
Hearing the shout, he immediately looked up and saw them retreating two li. Although he was somewhat pleased, he was still puzzled.
"Why did they retreat two li?"
Left Deputy General Shao Qing explained.
"I've heard that this Myriad Demon King is cunning and unpredictable. I surmise she is devising another strategy."
Ke'erqin nodded thoughtfully, agreeing with his words. "It seems we can only remain stationary and observe the situation."
"Yes, I heard that Lord Taibao has already dispatched reinforcements. I believe they should arrive tomorrow."
"Hmm, then we shall confront the Myriad Demon King. You guard this place, I will go down and think of a counter-strategy."
"Yes."
As he descended the city wall and turned a corner, a sharp sword was pressed against his neck.
"Li, Li Zilai." His expression was fearful, but he still managed to utter the name.
"I thought you, as a dignified General, would employ upright methods. I didn't expect you to resort to such underhanded tactics."
Ke'erqin sneered and retorted.
"As the Great General of Xizi Kingdom, I must consider the safety and prosperity of my people. Let alone underhanded tactics, I would even exchange my life for it."
Li Zilai saw his calm demeanor and the reasonableness of his words, so he lowered his sword and let him go. "You may go."
Ke'erqin shook his head. "From the moment you let the Myriad Demon King go, we were destined to fight her. I will inevitably fall by her hand then."
Li Zilai said coldly, "That is your business, it has nothing to do with me." With that, he flew away.
Ke'erqin shook his head helplessly. It seemed Xizi Kingdom was doomed.