Chapter 996: One Man Guards the Pass, Ten Thousand Cannot Breach It

Corpses littered the ground; countless men had died on this battlefield.

Blood seemed to flow like a river.

Chen Changsheng gazed at the scene, silently shaking his head.

This city was about to fall...

The battle was already lost.

This city was the second line of defense in the Borderland. Once this pass was crossed and the final city breached, the Northern Desert army would march straight into the realm, completely unstoppable.

There was a wine tavern in the city. Notably, its keeper was a woman; though visibly older, she still retained a mature charm.

The tavern's patrons treated this keeper with particular respect. Mostly, this was because they couldn't beat her in a fight, so they kept their heads down, never daring to offend her.

At the counter, the keeper was talking with a young woman.

A tabby cat lay sprawled by the edge of the counter, sleeping soundly. It occasionally rolled over, its whiskers twitching every so often.

"Say, are you really not leaving, Keeper? The North Desert people are about to break in. They might massacre the city."

The North Desert forces were ruthless, and massacres had occurred frequently in the past. Now that the city was visibly on the verge of falling, all the commoners had evacuated to the final city a few days ago. Very few civilians remained here.

Listening to the young woman before her, Du Aniang wiped a cup and shook her head. "They won't massacre the city."

"Why do you say that?" Ruyi asked.

Du Aniang replied, "Because in their eyes, this is their former homeland. It was supposed to be their territory in the first place."

Ruyi paused, feeling that the keeper's words made some sense.

After all, the former West Xiao was an empire established by the North Desert people.

Ruyi said, "But it still isn't safe for you to stay here, Keeper."

Du Aniang smiled. "Don't worry about me. No matter who comes, they won't necessarily be able to do anything to me. But you, on the other hand..."

Du Aniang glanced outside. The endless sounds of slaughter had yet to cease.

"In less than four hours, the North Desert people will enter the city."

Ruyi, however, wore a playful smile. "If you aren't afraid, Keeper, then neither am I."

"You aren't a child anymore, yet you still treat everything like a game." Du Aniang sighed helplessly and continued, "This isn't a laughing matter. Many have already died, including quite a few highly skilled martial artists."

With that, Du Aniang went to warm some wine.

She warmed one pot of wine and set out five cups.

Ruyi didn't reply to the scolding. Watching Du Aniang's actions, she asked, "Who are you warming wine for, Keeper?"

"The old regulars of the tavern," Du Aniang replied.

Ruyi nodded, roughly understanding her meaning.

The wine was warmed, yet no one came.

Ruyi didn't pay it much mind, though the keeper would occasionally glance toward the door.

Suddenly, Ruyi seemed to realize something. "Did they go to the city walls?"

Du Aniang nodded. "Yes. They are all hot-blooded men."

Ruyi lowered her head slightly, somewhat distracted. Inexplicably, her gaze fell upon the sleeping cat.

"Lihua, wake up! Stop sleeping!"

Ruyi shook the cat awake.

Lihua was bleary-eyed. Yawning, it asked, "Is it time to eat?"

Ruyi facepalmed, and even Du Aniang couldn't help but laugh out loud.

This cat really was interesting.

Ruyi curled her lip. "The sounds of slaughter are filling the skies outside, and you can still sleep?"

Lihua hummed softly. "Is Lihua not supposed to sleep?"

Ruyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She reached out and knocked it lightly on the head.

Amidst their playful banter, a sudden noise came from the doorway.

A man, drenched in blood from head to toe, walked in carrying a short blade.

One of his sleeves was tied in a knot, and blood dripped steadily from the knotted fabric.

Ruyi didn't recognize him; she hadn't been here for very long.

Du Aniang looked over, watching the man approach step by step.

"Keeper, get me a warm bowl."

Du Aniang said, "If you don't treat that arm, you're going to lose your life."

The man didn't answer. He just shook his head.

Du Aniang sighed softly. She then went and brought out the warmed wine and the cups.

Unfortunately, the warmed cups were useless.

The man lifted the wine pot and poured it directly into his mouth. With a few heavy gulps, half the pot was gone.

The warmth entering his stomach brought him a slight measure of relief. A fraction of color returned to his face, but it quickly faded away, leaving him as pale as before.

"Many thanks, Keeper. However, I'm afraid I have no silver taels to pay for the wine."

"It's on the house," the keeper said.

"Mhm..."

The man forced out a strained smile. Immediately after, he coughed violently. A streak of blood seeped from between his teeth, but he swallowed it down hard.

The man holding the broken blade let out a long breath and said simply, "I'm off..."

Du Aniang watched him.

Step by step, the man walked out the door.

Ruyi, Lihua, and the keeper all kept their eyes on him.

Just as his front foot cleared the doorway, he looked up at the sky, which appeared somewhat sallow beneath the blowing sand. His body swayed, and he collapsed.

With a heavy thud, dust and sand swirled into the air. The man's breathing ceased entirely.

Lihua froze. "He... he..."

Ruyi reached out and stroked Lihua to comfort it.

Lihua looked left and right, completely at a loss for a moment.

'Why did this person just go to sleep?'

Ruyi asked, "Was he one of your old regulars, Keeper?"

Du Aniang nodded. "Yes, an old regular. I can't remember his name, but he was a reckless one. He and his four brothers fled here from the southern parts. They said they killed some corrupt official and were being hunted by the Imperial Court. This morning, the five of them headed up to the city walls and even told me to warm a pot of wine for them."

Du Aniang gave a helpless smile. "In their own boastful words, they said they'd massacre those North Desert people to the last man before the wine even finished warming."

As she spoke, the keeper's expression dimmed. "Five men went, and only one returned. He didn't even finish the pot of wine before he walked out the door and went straight to sleep..."

Ruyi parted her lips slightly, a bitter feeling rising in her heart as she listened.

"Why? They aren't even from here."

"Perhaps they wanted to be great heroes."

Ruyi was momentarily dazed by the answer. "But they aren't children anymore," she said.

Du Aniang replied, "Don't people say that men remain youths until the day they die? Perhaps that's how it is."

Ruyi looked at the corpse lying outside the door. He was already beyond saving.

It wasn't that they were cruel and refused to save him; it was that the man himself no longer wanted to live. His brothers, who had braved life and death with him, had all perished. Being the only one left alive was an unbearable torment.

Having drunk the promised wine, he simply let go, departing in peace to join them.

Ruyi turned to the keeper. "Keeper, you took my spear last time. Why don't you return it to me for now?"

Du Aniang paused. "There's no point in going now. The North Desert people are about to enter the city."

Ruyi smiled. "What's there to be afraid of? The teacher who taught me the spear told me that a spearman must have the aura that one man guards the pass, ten thousand cannot breach it. If I hold the city gate, I can kill seventy, eighty, or ninety of them at the very least."

Du Aniang hesitated. She glanced at the cat, hesitated a moment longer, and finally returned the long spear to Ruyi.

Taking the long spear in hand, Ruyi carefully stroked the shaft.

"I will be right back."

Ruyi left with a free and easy stride, never once looking back.

The cat followed right behind her, refusing to leave her side.

Du Aniang watched her go, and suddenly remembered something. She murmured, "This girl... she's quite a bit like Mu Cang was back in the day."

When he gripped his spear, his aura was also unmatched.