Chapter 460

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Chapter 460: Falling Leaves Drift Down Endlessly

In the City Pastoral Mansion, Ximen Liu, adorned in a general’s robe and radiating the aura of a battlefield veteran, sat in the reception hall. It was as if the scent of blood clung to his every breath.

His mood wasn’t good, even though Longyao City Ranch had given him many bribes and treasures. But he still couldn’t lift his spirits. He didn’t value wealth much personally and distributed the gold and silver he received among his sixty personal guards. With power and status in hand, a true man of honor didn’t need to worry about money. What he truly desired was to achieve great deeds on the battlefield.

Ximen Liu was a young officer under Lord Qiongqi, coming from a prestigious family with a mix of Western White Tiger bloodline and a hint of fierce beast bloodline. The fusion of these two bloodlines gave birth to a naturally ominous star. He was born with an aura of danger and killings, and was thrown into the army for training before reaching adulthood. After fighting alongside Lord Qiongqi for over twenty or thirty years, he displayed his brilliance. Not only did he possess a deep understanding of military strategy and tactics, but he also charged into every battle with exceptional bravery.

He was the kind of person whom everyone had high hopes for. Given enough time, he would undoubtedly become the tiger general under Lord Qiongqi, which is why no one dared to offend him.

However, whether it’s Ximen Liu or Lord Qiongqi, both suffered setbacks in the remote territory of Bai Ze Kingdom.

After fighting for five years, they still couldn’t conquer it.

This time, he went to Bai Ze Kingdom with the determination to conquer it, but after several attempts and continuous attacks for more than half a month, he realized that even with his five armies, it was impossible to take this tough challenge. He even prepared for the fierce battle of Bai Ze launching an all-out war, but soon received three military orders, which were like mountains. None of the five armies dared to advance. As one of the main forces in the siege, he chose to continue the assault, trying to break through the city gates. However, the heavy losses suffered by his soldiers led to accusations and demotion, and he was secretly ordered to return to Qiongqi Country for duty.

In the short term, he couldn’t return to the military. He hurriedly led sixty elite cavalrymen to cross Liu State and return.

His mood was naturally not good. The knot of Bai Ze Kingdom had to be resolved, but the people above were dragging their feet and not making it smooth.

Even at this critical moment, he was asked to return to the country, which made this fierce tiger extremely unhappy. He couldn’t taste the military merits that were almost within his grasp, nor could he participate in the military action of Bai Ze’s city siege. This made his temper very bad, and without realizing it, he pulled at the white fur on his shoulder and back.

Ximen Liu hadn’t suffered many defeats in his life, but the most tragic one was under Yunmeng City. That’s why he personally peeled off this piece of skin as a memento. Now, this piece of skin instead made him feel humiliated and angry, and he had nowhere to vent his frustration.

"No more rest!" Ximen Liu pushed open the door of the guest room and said to the nearby guards, "Leave the city tonight!"

The guards saluted and agreed. Traveling all night was demanding for both soldiers and horses, but for the monster clan, it was not a big deal.

They marched day and night for five days and nights, and still maintained above average combat strength because they were all elite soldiers.

When Ximen Liu walked out of the city lord’s mansion, the shepherd of Longyao City hurriedly came to stop him.

"Captain Tiger Vanguard, please wait." The shepherd bowed and said, "But what have I done wrong? Please tell me, I can change."

Ximen Liu glanced at the shepherd’s flattery expression, and said expressionlessly, "It has nothing to do with you. I have urgent matters to attend to. This place is too clean. I’m afraid the smell of blood on me will be masked by the smell of copper."

The shepherd hesitated and said, "But going out at night might be too dangerous."

"Who has the courage to challenge me?"

Ximen Liu sneered, confident in his superior martial arts skills. After countless battles in the army, he had single-handedly fought and killed three Bai Ze Kingdom generals.

This place is close to Ba Xia. Even if there are assassins, they have clearly missed the best opportunity.

If there are such foolish people looking for death, it would be a good opportunity for him to vent his anger.

Chengmu wanted to say something, but he saw the horse galloping and the tiger general leading the cavalry guards directly out of the city.

Chengmu’s expression changed, he straightened his back, and his flattering look disappeared as if it had never existed.

"If he dies outside the city, Longyao City will be in trouble."

The servants no longer bent down, but listened to the sound of horseshoes echoing throughout the street.

"Lord Chengmu, it’s not too late to regret now."

"No matter, although it’s troublesome, I can handle it. Compared to what needs to be done afterwards, a fierce tiger is just an appetizer… I also want to see how brave this tiger general is, whether he really is as formidable as the intelligence reports say on the battlefield." Chengmu said, "The question is, do you really have confidence?"

"I have no confidence." The servant rubbed his eyes and revealed a face of an old scholar under the light, "Confidence lies with Miss."

"This step was taken too hastily. If I didn’t know enough, I would have suspected her of losing her mind." Chengmu said.

"When soldiers take risks, since it’s a matter of life or death anyway, let’s take a small risk to achieve something great. How can one hesitate?" The old scholar asked, "Does Lord Chengmu regret it?"

"Huh…" Longyao City’s Mu chuckled, saying, "I don’t care about fame and fortune. I live for her last wish. But a city without people is a dead city. Our foundation is not strong, so I hope this time you can gamble and get a result."

"This can’t be considered gambling." Liu Tingyun sighed and said, "This is just the first card."

"The first card is on the table, but the card in my hand is hidden, and I don’t even know its value… If it’s a fake move, it will shatter with just a touch, and there’s nothing to regret." Longyao City’s Mu said calmly, "Failure carries no risk; only success makes my heart tremble."

"Maybe the young lady knows the value of this hidden card." The old scholar said, "At least it surpasses the rank of this tiger’s guard captain."

"How can she be so sure?"

"There’s no way to know." Liu Tingyun bowed and said, "The night wind is cold, and this old man will go back. City Lord, you should also rest. Tomorrow morning, there will definitely be heads offered. You can finally have a peaceful sleep and comfort the spirits of the departed."

Longyao City’s Mu watched the old scholar leave and continued to stand at the doorway, gazing towards the west.

"Kind words won’t change the mind of someone seeking death… Unfortunately, I cannot witness it with my own eyes."

…

There is a bamboo forest outside of Longyao City that is ten miles long.

Over sixty guards rode on horseback, and the road gradually became narrower. Instead of riding side by side in groups of seven or eight, they now rode in groups of three or five. However, the formation remained orderly, which showed Ximen Liu’s skill in leading the troops.

Ximen Liu was a tiger guard officer. The position of officer may not have been high-ranking, but it still carried real authority. In chaotic times, military power was especially important. Those who could command an army had unshakable influence. Many of the soldiers under Ximen Liu’s command were personally trained by him. He was a competent leader in the military, living and fighting alongside his soldiers. It was difficult for a officer like him not to be respected and loved.

Therefore, Ximen Liu was not worried about his future. The most likely outcome was a temporary deprivation of his military authority. He would be assigned to a city or county for a period of time, a form of demotion. He would be sent to the edge of the territory to hone his patience for two years and accumulate local achievements. Afterward, he would be promoted again. In fact, this kind of promotion was faster than accumulating military merit in battle. When the time came, it would be natural for a civilian official to return to a military role.

He understood the reasoning, but as he held the reins, his temples throbbed and his veins popped.

Youthful and full of energy, it wasn’t easy to suppress oneself, but even if one couldn’t bear it, one still had to endure. Military orders were to be followed like a mountain.

One of the guards next to the officer held up a crow and said, "We haven’t detected anything unusual within five miles ahead."

Ximen Liu nodded, a hint of disappointment flickering in his eyes. "I can’t believe that I purposefully left the city to find an opportunity, and not a single one of those weaklings thought of coming to take my head? I thought maybe there would be remnants from Liu State or skilled soldiers from Xiangliu who had some ability, but they just let me go so easily."

A cavalry guard laughed and said, "Officer, you are incredibly brave. With over sixty of us guards, unless there were five hundred of them, it would be difficult to even injure us. If there were soldiers as brave and fierce as you, Liu State’s spine would not have been broken after Bi Fang’s death. It would have been better than Bai Ze Kingdom."

The officer kicked the horse’s belly and looked at the moon, saying, "Go faster."

The other cavalry were ready to go faster, but just as they had gone less than three hundred meters, Ximen Liu raised his hand suddenly.

The cavalry all held their reins and the horses stopped one after another, their hooves nervously stomping on the frozen mud and rocks on the ground.

In this narrow bamboo path that only allowed three riders side by side, it was inevitable to meet face to face.

Ximen Liu stared at the man in black standing fifty meters away at the downhill position. He had a sword hanging at his waist, his hands tucked in his sleeves. Moonlight shone through the bamboo forest, illuminating his face. The bronze mask made him look like a fearsome demon.

The royal guards were shocked. He possessed the skill to control birds in flight, being able to have a good understanding of what was happening around him. He had always been successful in his investigations, so how could this crow, so close by, not have detected him?

A message came from the rear of the formation, "Sir, there’s someone behind us too."

Ximen Liu didn’t look back at the enemy and asked, "How many?"

"Just one."

"When you add them together, it’s two people, one in front and one behind… Are you sure there are no hidden enemies?"

"Most likely there are none, but there might be traps," the guard said uncertainly.

"Send thirty riders to kill those behind us," Ximen Liu’s face revealed a wicked grin. "Leave the ones in front to me."

Ximen Liu let out a long sigh, feeling frustrated inside. He desperately needed a way to release his bottled-up emotions. He just hoped the assassins in front wouldn’t die too quickly.

"Who are you?" He gripped the standard-issue sword at his waist.

"Are you the Tiger Heavy Cavalry Colonel?" the newcomer asked.

"I am Ximen Liu, you haven’t mistaken. "The Tiger Heavy Cavalry Colonel drew his sword an inch just upon hearing the steady response. If the person was here to defect, they wouldn’t ask that way.

"Is the fur on your shoulder from Bai Ze?" the newcomer asked again.

"I personally stripped it off!" Ximen Liu grinned, revealing sharp tiger-like teeth. "He held on for half an hour before he died."

The endless falling leaves rustle down. The young man catches a piece of bamboo leaf, saying, "I will use this later… to peel off your skin."

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