Chapter 1226 - 318: Frozen Snow Locks Suzhou, Schemes Shake the Jianghu (Part 2)

Lv Yuan’s face changed dramatically: "Not good! There’s poison in the mist! Retreat quickly..."

His reply was met with a deafening roar. Dozens of logs as thick as water barrels fell from the treetops, unable to dodge, the Jinyi Guards were crushed into meat paste.

At the same time, arrows came like locusts, tearing through the air with a sharp sound. Massive rocks rolled down the mountain, wherever they passed, severed limbs and snow splattered together. In this wave of attack, over two thousand Jinyi Guards were left dead or wounded, their blood mingled with brain matter, staining the mountain path a sticky dark red.

Lu Bing wiped the blood off his face, his eyes filled with terror: "Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

He turned and ran desperately with the remaining few dozen trusted followers, only to freeze at the foot of the mountain.

Wei Xiaodao’s thirty thousand Ming army had dwindled to merely a thousand, the corpses hanging densely on the large trees, each one filled with hidden weapons, looked like porcupines strung up. Blood dripped down the tree trunks, pooling into small blood puddles on the ground.

Xiang Yushan looked at this Asura-like scene and suddenly laughed: "Lu Bing! Is this what you call ’leveling Piaomiao Peak’?"

Reluctant to accept that his position as Commander of the Jinyi Guards had been taken by Lu Bing.

Lu Bing clenched his fist, blood seeping through his fingers: "Shi Feiyang! I will tear you to pieces..."

The cold wind howled, blowing away his unfinished harsh words, leaving only the chaotic corpses on the ground, gradually cooling in the snowy night.

The harsh wind carried ice crystals, stabbing the vermilion corridor pillars of Gusu Government Office like countless tiny steel needles, making the copper bells at the eaves ring with a broken sound. Lu Bing stood in the center of the hall with his hands behind his back, the dragon embroidered with gold thread on his python robe writhed and deformed in the flickering candlelight, much like his tumultuous thoughts at that moment. He looked at the shattered porcelain on the floor, his anger blazed like a flame doused with tung oil, burning fiercely—how could the dignified Commander of the Jinyi Guards swallow such a huge setback at Piaomiao Peak?

"Useless! All useless!" Lu Bing kicked the table over, shaking dust from the rafters.

He squinted, his cold gaze like a poison-dipped dagger, stabbing fiercely at Wu Zhong and others, "After following Shi Feiyang for many years, you can’t even uncover the truth about the headquarters, what use are you?"

His angry roar echoed in the empty hall, startling the clerks in the corners to duck their heads, not daring to make a sound.

Wu Zhong knelt heavily on the ground with a "thud," his knees banging painfully against the cold stone slabs, hissing in pain.

He knew well that a slight mistake now could lead to an irrevocable disaster. "My Lord, allow me to report!" He pressed his forehead tightly to the floor, his voice trembling slightly, "This humble servant followed the Stone Thieves into battles everywhere, always on the move, the affairs of Piaomiao Peak were always handled by Liao Pei and Lie Quan. We really..."

Before he finished speaking, he received a heavy slap on the face from Xiang Yushan. The slap was full of force, making his head buzz, blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and a few teeth loosened.

Xiang Yushan looked down at Wu Zhong condescendingly, eyes full of disdain: "The Imperial Court doesn’t feed you to listen to excuses! Speak! Where else can you land a fatal blow on the Heroic Sakura Association?"

Wu Zhong shuddered at the angry shout, his mind racing, desperately trying to grab a lifeline.

Miao Menlong stood by, his legs trembling slightly. He glanced at Lu Bing’s sullen face, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration, as if seeing a glimmer of hope in the darkness.

"Tiger Cave Sword Pool!" He slapped his thigh fiercely, causing the feathered arrows in the quiver to buzz, "Although Jiangnan Cao Bang is a branch of the Heroic Sakura Association, its headquarters isn’t as perilous as Piaomiao Peak. If we can..."

"Good! Good! Good!" Lu Bing said ’good’ three times in a row, a fierce gleam rekindling in his eyes. He grabbed the gilded token from the desk and slammed it down, the crisp sound of token meeting the table echoed like a death god’s call.

"Kang Fusheng, hear my command! Immediately take this token to mobilize my Great Ming Army’s naval forces, and flatten Jiangnan Cao Bang within three days!" His voice was filled with unquestionable authority, as if envisioning the Heroic Sakura Association’s destruction.

Kang Fusheng took the token with both hands, his palms quietly activating the Fossil Divine Technique, leaving five deep finger marks on the golden surface.

He felt secretly pleased, thinking that if he could achieve this merit, his status in the Jinyi Guards would surely rise significantly.

"Rest assured, my Lord, I will make the entire Cao Bang become unjust souls at the bottom of Taihu Lake!" He vowed, his eyes glinting with greedy ambition.

However, Lv Yuan was not overwhelmed by the fantasy of victory.

He spoke sinisterly: "Wait. Shi Feiyang is cunning, I’m afraid the Cao Bang might have set an ambush. In my humble opinion, we should first send death warriors to scout the way." As he spoke, he observed Lu Bing’s reaction from the corner of his eye, calculating how to gain the most benefit for himself in this struggle.

Lu Bing stroked his chin, deep in thought. After a moment, he sneered: "Lord Lv is quite right. Wu Zhong, since you are familiar with Cao Bang, lead three hundred death warriors ahead of us. If there’s any mistake..."

He deliberately paused, his gaze gliding over the tiger-head guillotine models hanging from everyone’s waist, their cold metallic sheen seemingly already tainted with blood, "my instruments of execution have not tasted blood for a long time."

Xiao Lingling stood behind Wu Zhong, her face as white as paper. She looked at her husband’s determined yet slightly tired back, filled with worry and regret.

If only she had known that submitting to the Imperial Court would lead to such an end, why would she have... She subconsciously moved closer behind Wu Zhong, softly saying: "Husband, this is too dangerous, maybe..."