In addition to his military personal guards like Li Du, Li Yan had five personal attendants at home. They were once giants of the martial world's underworld, each with formidable martial arts, especially skilled in coordinated attacks. After being subdued by Li Yan, they became his followers.
After following Li Yan, these five men concealed their original names, all taking Li Yan's surname and adopting common names like Li Da, Li Er, Li San, and so on.
Under Li Yan's guidance, their martial arts improved by leaps and bounds, and they all advanced to the ranks of peerless masters of the martial world. When the five of them joined forces, even a Transformation Realm expert would find it difficult to kill or defeat them.
Earlier, when Li Yan was standing at the top of the tree, he had recognized Li Si at a glance. He didn't even need to ask about the rest; he knew something major had happened at home.
With Li Yan's murderous nature, he didn't care whether those dozen or so men were truly Imperial Dynasty soldiers or enemy spies in disguise. He would kill them all the same.
Hearing Li Si's few short sentences, Li Yan's heart turned to ice. He was usually adept at hiding his emotions, but upon learning of Kong Xiao's rebellion and the heroic deaths of Li Da and Li San, a wave of sorrow washed over him, and an anxious look appeared on his face.
Though anxious, how could he disregard Li Si and let him die here?
Not giving Li Si any chance to waste time, he knocked him unconscious. He then quickly carried him into the forest, laid him down, and carefully examined his injuries. Li Yan's heart eased with a sigh of relief.
Li Si had no less than twenty wounds on his body, but the most serious were the arrow wounds on his shoulder blade and lower back, with two feathered arrows still embedded in them.
Li Si had not dared to pull out these two arrows. They were military-grade Armor-Piercing Arrows. Not only were they heavy, but an ordinary person struck by one would have their armor penetrated, the arrow reaching their internal organs.
Because Li Si's martial arts were outstanding, he had used his internal strength to deflect most of the force at the moment of impact, which was why he hadn't died instantly.
Furthermore, the tip of an Armor-Piercing Arrow had a ring of barbs. Pulling it out forcefully would tear out a large chunk of flesh, expanding the wound several times over. One could bleed to death before receiving treatment.
Li Yan laid Li Si face down on the ground, then tore open the clothes and soft armor on his back. Although this soft armor couldn't block heavy arrows, it was difficult to cut through with ordinary swords and sabers. But Li Yan simply sliced it open with his fingernail.
He first sealed several acupoints around the arrow wound on Li Si's shoulder blade, then grasped the lower part of the arrow shaft with his right hand, channeling a thick stream of internal power into it.
When the internal power reached the arrowhead, it created an outward tension, slowly expanding the muscles around the tip. This created some space around the arrowhead. Fortunately, Li Si was already unconscious; otherwise, the pain would have been unbearable.
Li Yan's control over his internal power had reached a state of complete mastery, but he was still afraid of hurting Li Si. So, despite his seemingly relaxed movements, large beads of sweat gradually formed on his forehead. He continuously channeled his internal power with his right hand while pulling the feathered arrow out bit by bit...
After more than half a cup of tea's time, Li Yan had simply dressed Li Si's wounds. After confirming that his life was not in immediate danger, he tied him securely to the fork of a large tree to prevent him from becoming food for wild beasts.
He then tied his saber firmly in his hand. After lightly tapping a major acupoint on Li Si, Li Yan vanished into the dark night the moment he regained consciousness.
This was the most Li Yan could do. If Li Si was truly unlucky and a tree-climbing beast came along before he had recovered enough to lift his saber, then there was nothing more Li Yan could do.
However, as long as Li Si could hold out until dawn, Li Du's army would arrive.
At noon the next day, outside the south gate of Green Mountain Pass, a figure sped from the distance, approaching like the wind.
For dozens of li outside the south gate of Green Mountain Pass, the terrain was a flat plain. This was an area Li Yan had ordered cleared to prevent the men of Meng from hiding for sneak attacks. But now, it had become a life-or-death barrier for Li Yan himself, exposing him completely in broad daylight.
He did not know the situation inside the city. If he could approach stealthily at night, he would be completely confident.
But two days had already passed since Li Si and his men broke out. Every extra moment could bring another change. So, Li Yan knew that a direct assault would expose him immediately, but he had no other choice.
Sure enough, just as Li Yan approached within three li of the city, he was spotted by the soldiers on the walls. When he got a little closer, a sky-blotting volley of crossbow bolts rained down on him.
These were not man-powered crossbows but mechanically controlled ones, requiring four soldiers to operate each. They had a range of up to two li and were truly deadly weapons. Their accuracy was less than satisfactory, but their quantity could make up for this shortcoming.
Li Yan moved like a swimming dragon, simultaneously letting out a great shout, "I am Li Yan! Who is defending the city now?" He weaved through the arrows, occasionally slapping away a crossbow bolt he couldn't dodge, while gracefully closing the distance.
Li Yan's great shout did indeed cause a pause in the crossbow fire from the city walls. Then, a sharp command was heard from the city tower, "Fire at will! Hold out until the midnight hour tonight, and wealth and glory will be ours for the taking!"
Hearing this, Li Yan's heart went cold. He was extremely familiar with that voice—it was Kong Xiao.
His last sliver of hope was shattered. Green Mountain Pass was now under Kong Xiao's control. His thoughts were filled with his wife and children; more words were useless. His eyes became bloodshot, and he charged forward with even greater ferocity.
Just as the command from the city tower was given, a man appeared from behind a crenelation. He looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six, with a fair, beardless face and a pair of eagle eyes that gleamed with a chilling light. The person he least wanted to see and most feared had actually come alone.
The chaos in the city had not yet subsided. The so-called city defense was a lie. As long as Li Yan's direct subordinates in the city were not wiped out, he could not immediately march south to form a pincer attack.
Kong Xiao had not expected that even after years of maneuvering and placing his trusted soldiers in as many important positions as possible, he had still underestimated Li Yan's prestige.
In this city, besides him, Li Yan had left a garrison of less than four hundred men. Two days had passed, and over a hundred of them were still resisting from the city's main barracks. The barracks were filled with heavy weaponry. In two days, they had suffered a thousand casualties but still couldn't break in.
He was burning with anxiety but dared not leave the city. To do so would be to leave his back exposed to others. Moreover, these soldiers could call for reinforcements from the north. He didn't even know how long he could block the news from going north.
A long time after Kong Xiao's voice had faded, only a dozen or so crossbows fired. The soldiers around most of the other crossbows had begun to hesitate.
Although these soldiers had the intention to rebel, Li Yan's prestige was too deeply ingrained. Now, seeing him arrive alone as if soaring through the sky, they were already in a panic. For a moment, they didn't dare to work together to fire the crossbows.
"Do you want to die?!" Kong Xiao's eyes surged with killing intent. The long sword at his waist was already drawn. Several screams then rang out from the city tower.
"You have all already defected to the State of Meng! If that god of death enters the city, do you think he will spare any of you?" Kong Xiao roared hoarsely.
Under his threats and intimidation, crossbow bolts rained down from the city walls like free money again. These heavy crossbows were extremely difficult to make, so their stockpiles were limited. They were usually used without restraint only when the main army of the State of Meng attacked.
Afterward, it would require a great deal of silver to rebuild them. Today, they were all being fired at once.
Li Yan's movement skill was pushed to its limit. As he got closer, he lost his earlier ease. The long sword in his hand either flicked or parried, but his forward speed was still astonishing.
He didn't say another word to Kong Xiao or anyone else on the city walls. What needed to be said had been said. Those faces, whether strange or familiar, were all now enemies.
A moment later, the path of over a li was covered in a thick layer of crossbow bolts, some slanted, some straight. By this time, Li Yan had reached the city gate.
All the rebel soldiers on the city walls were so shocked their hands and feet went cold. They all knew their Marshal was the bravest in the three armies, but today they truly witnessed what it meant to be divinely valiant and invincible. This was simply not human.
The most terrified of all was Kong Xiao. The precious sword in his hand was trembling ceaselessly, and his face grew paler, but his eyes revealed a look of desperation.
Li Yan had fought his way to the base of the city walls. Here, the heavy crossbows on the walls no longer posed a threat to him. What he needed to be careful of were things like rolling logs, giant rocks, and hot oil.
Li Yan looked up. His arms were also a bit sore. The short distance of over a li had seemed easy, but those were heavy crossbows that could pierce stone and mountains. His internal power had been heavily consumed, but at this moment, he was still fearless.
Suddenly, Li Yan let out a long howl. The sound shook the wilds and tore through the clouds. He was about to use his lightness skill to scale the wall.
But just then, a cold voice came from above. "Marshal Li, Lord Li, why are you in such a hurry to enter the city? Come and see, what is this?"
Hearing this, Li Yan's body came to a sudden halt. He looked up with an icy expression. From a crenelation, half a figure was revealed. It was Kong Xiao, and in his hand, he held an object, dangling it down.
The city tower of Green Mountain Pass was dozens of zhang high. The object in Kong Xiao's hand was very small. An ordinary person would not be able to see it clearly from such a distance. But Li Yan, focusing his vision, saw it perfectly.
His body, which had been about to leap up, was suddenly struck as if by a heavy blow. He froze, motionless like a clay sculpture.
It was a jade ring, a small, delicate ring of emerald green. He was all too familiar with the patterns on it. It was the personal item his wife wore around her neck.
Li Yan felt a tightness in his chest. Just as he was about to ask, Kong Xiao above seemed to see the change in his expression and finally breathed a sigh of relief. This god of death was simply not human. If he truly risked his life to come up, probably no one here could stop him.
Although Li Yan couldn't kill everyone here if he got onto the walls, he himself would certainly be the primary target.
"My lord, your residence is as solid as a fortress, and the Matriarch is a heroine among women. But in the end, it could not withstand my volley of fire arrows. A pity, a pity. In the entire Marshal's Residence, I only found this jade ring. From its style, I could see that it could only be owned by a person of great nobility, so I kept it. I wonder which noble in the residence this item belongs to? Hmm, is it the Matriarch, or the two young masters and miss?"
Hearing the cold words from above, images of the scorched earth of the Marshal's Residence flashed through Li Yan's mind—that jade-like beauty, and the most precious gifts heaven had bestowed upon him in this life, his pair of exquisitely carved children.
Scene after scene he did not want to see flashed rapidly before his eyes.
Li Yan felt a tightness in his chest, a sweetness in his throat, and a wave of dizziness in his head. A mouthful of blood then sprayed out.
His mountain-like body swayed a few times. The long sword in his hand drooped limply. His eyes were filled with the color of dead ashes. For a moment, he didn't know where he was and had to lean against the city wall for support.
Kong Xiao, high on the wall, saw this and was overjoyed. He quickly turned back. "Quick, quick, throw all the rolling logs and giant rocks down at me! And the cauldrons of hot oil! Quick, quick..."