Hanping Prefecture, East City Pass, atop the city wall...

The moon had moved to the west, with clouds drifting by.

The wind was filled with the stench of blood and the scent of dew-covered grass and trees before dawn, both new sprouts and rotting deadwood.

Insects chirped in the distance, and crows flitted near.

Though death was tragic, victory could also lift the spirits.

"We've beaten the Barbarians back, that's all there is to it!" an Armored Warrior shouted excitedly, "Nothing more than that!"

"Right, Barbarians are human too, they die when they're stabbed! Those Demon Beasts may be terrifying, but we have the masters from Shanhe Martial Arts Hall!" another Armored Warrior chimed in.

There was a clamor, a bustling scene.

General Yuan did not stop them, merely watching silently as his subordinates gathered the corpses.

Song Cheng retracted his Mechanical Shield, then walked over, clasped his hands together, and praised, "General, your military strategy is truly intricate and marvelous."

General Yuan was startled for a moment; he had already been pondering over the matter for quite some time.

Usually, his days were spent practicing, suppressing bandits, but this was his first time facing a real life-and-death battle.

The feeling was like suddenly moving from a low-level game to a high-difficulty setting.

In this high-difficulty setting, he often felt helpless, as if everything was about to collapse, because he had never fought at such a level before...

But ironically, every time, it did not collapse, as if divine intervention were at play.

The Military Momentum that seemed on the verge of a complete and precipitous downfall would always adjust in an "odd curve", slowing down the urgency and giving him time to react and quickly organize his troops.

What was going on?

However, General Yuan thought otherwise, perhaps military strategy is indeed profoundly mysterious, or maybe he, Yuan, had truly improved, or perhaps he, Yuan, was a born general, destined for great battles.

Once filled with trepidation, General Yuan suddenly found a hint of confidence.

Upon hearing the praise, he stopped thinking too much and replied with a slight smile, "It was largely thanks to Mr. Song and the two Envoys of External Affairs fighting bravely. Otherwise... even with my command, what use would it have been?"

While speaking, footsteps sounded from the stone stairs on the city wall: "thump, thump, thump." It was the External Affairs Envoys, Hong Shi, making their way up.

Earlier, the two had led troops out from a side gate and engaged in a bloody fight. Now their entire bodies were stained red, and their clothing was tattered.

Apart from the blood of Barbarians and Demon Beasts, their clothes were also torn, and their skin bore numerous white marks.

For a short-term battle, these two "Form Realm Warriors" fortified with Gang Qi were very resilient; as long as there were no experts surpassing them, they wouldn't die.

But with every real blow they took, their Gang Qi was depleted, and over time, once the Gang Qi became unsustainable and they were still surrounded by enemies, they could meet with fatal consequences.

If the disparity between the two sides' Military Momentum reached a certain extent, something very frightening could occur: a soldier, or even a commander, might suddenly pierce through their defense with condensed Military Momentum and leave them in a dire situation.

This kind of event is often described in history books with just four words: killed in a chaotic army.

A real battlefield is extremely terrifying, constantly changing, and the grave of Martial Artists.

Previously, both of them had mixed in the Martial Arts Hall, in the Martial Arts World, and at most had practiced by suppressing bandits.

This was their first time clashing with Barbarians and Demon Beasts.

Now that An Ran had returned, both were unable to contain their excitement.

Hong Juguang patted Song Cheng on the shoulder, then stepping past him, gave General Yuan a bear hug, saying, "Great! I've really seen how important your military family is!

The strength of one individual is truly minuscule on the battlefield, different generals command differently, leading to different outcomes. Good job, young Yuan!"

General Yuan felt quite pleased inside but humbly said, "It was just good fortune. Were the two Envoys of External Affairs injured?"

They shook their heads.

Shi Zhongjian glanced over at Song Cheng and noticed that this blind youth was unkempt, his body clad in a blood-stained Mysterious Robe, and the indifference he had initially seen was gone.

He took the initiative to approach and gave Song Cheng a pat on the shoulder.

Song Cheng also smiled, noticing that the Envoy of External Affairs Shi's favorability towards him had clearly increased.

Having fought together on the battlefield, within the same camp, there truly was a change.

After the great battle, many sat directly on the city wall, engrossed in conversation with each other.

Song Cheng also sat down cross-legged, next to Shi Zhongjian, and casually struck up a conversation.

"Is your son about the same age as me, Envoy of External Affairs Shi?" he brought up the topic.

Shi Zhongjian looked at the sky, pursed his lips, and finally let out a sigh, "About that."

He then added, "At his best, he wasn't even half as good as you; now, there's even less to say."

Song Cheng laughed and said, "But I am blind, at least Envoy of External Affairs Shi's son can see the colors of the sky and earth. He can still see the beauty of a woman, can't he?"

Shi Zhongjian was taken aback, turning his head to look at the young blind man.

Blood-stained black hair, a resolute face, and the bandage covering his eyes fluttering in the bloody wind.

The muscular man replied, "Brother Song is truly a good person."

Song Cheng asked, "What happened to Brother Shi's son?"

"He's been stricken with rot."

"Rot?"

"His soul is slowly decaying, aging rapidly, living through a few years what takes others several decades. In a little while, if I walked down the street with him, onlookers might think he's my father."

"..."

"During the last Ghost Tide, he encountered an exceptionally powerful Ghost Servant, and then he was poisoned.

After the Ghost Tide receded, I wanted to ask Lady Zhushan to save him.

In this Prefectural City, if there was one person who could save him, it would surely be Lady Zhushan.

But Lady Zhushan did not show up."

Shi Zhongjian sighed deeply, "I understand, she was injured as well, but now... she should have recovered."

Song Cheng couldn't help but inwardly sigh: Every household has its own difficult scripture to chant, and if someone doesn't interact with you, it might not be about you, but because they can't move past their own pain.

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