Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
At the T-shaped intersection, the two groups of riders whirled out of their own streets and ruthlessly crashed together in the opening at the northwest corner of the square.
The Black Riders were in full armor and rode forward at a high speed. They held their reins with one hand. In their other hands they held a crossbow. In the split second before the crash, before anyone could react, they pulled the triggers.
Qing Kingdom’s troops were skilled in the art of riding and shooting. In a forward charge like this, they were used to spears. Almost no one used crossbows to carry out a vanguard charge because of their weight With such a short distance to charge, if one’s movement was a little bit slow, the two sides would crash before the arrow could be fired.
However, the Black Knights were not like others. From the day they entered the Overwatch Council, they had developed the habit of holding the crossbow steadily with one hand. The almost 1,000 Overwatch Council Black Knights were just a large collective weapon of assassination.
Arrows whistled through the air. In this short distance, hundreds of sharp and poison-tipped arrows fired out together. They didn’t give the riders suddenly appearing below Zhengyang Gate any chance to resist.
After a number of thuds, countless riders of the forward camp were hit with arrows and fell wretchedly from their horses. Some managed to stay on their horses and pulled out knives to chop down at the bodies of the rapidly approaching riders with a wild cry.
The Black Knights abandoned their crossbows and pulled out knives from under their saddles. Turning their hand, a flash of snow-white light chopped off the riders’ heads.
The 200 Black Knights performed this action simultaneously. They abandoned their crossbows cleanly and pulled out their knives with great conviction. When they sliced down, it was a hair-raising experience. With 200 people neatly and tidily performed a difficult attack procedure. It carried with it a beauty to the battlefield.
On one side were the large group of rebel soldiers. They had been bitterly ambushed outside Zhengyang Gate and fought for a long time with over a thousand Overwatch Council officials and imperial soldiers before they finally opened up a path and arrived with great difficulty in front of the Royal Palace. On the other side were the mysterious Black Knights. They had honed their strength and were just waiting for the Commissioner’s command before striking out with the Overwatch Council’s strongest power.
The power, energy, and stamina of both sides had been roughly the same. Because of the current situation, the difference between them had abruptly stretched to a size that was unsustainable on a battlefield.
The 200 Black Knights were like a heated knife, slicing sharply through the majority of the Qin army. They easily and happily left a giant opening through the riders that had reached deep into the square in front of the Royal Palace. Following the countless spurts of fresh blood and heads falling from the back of horses, the Black Knights successfully cut off the Qin family’s army. They separated Qin Heng, along with 300 riders from the main army, forcing them to become an isolated branch.
The Black Knights had superb riding skills and successfully turned the situation around quickly. The entire group suddenly spread out. The riders at the front pulled their reins toward the right and, relying on their remarkable speed and charging power, they blockaded the main troop behind them.
The remaining 100 or so Black Knights went left. Like a pack of wolves, they quickly picked out their targets and went toward the vanguard where Qin Heng was. They stuck together closely and used the knives in their hands to tear and kill.
In an instant, the vanguard suffered great injuries and casualties. The riders in the back were shocked into chaos by this lightning strike and momentarily unable to charge forward in rescue. Although there were many rebel soldiers on the field, they were separated by some distance. The rebel soldiers were changing their formation, so the situation was messy. Looking at the Black Knights’ lightning speed charge, no one knew whether or not the Black Knights would kill all these hundreds of riders once the main troop surrounded them.
Horses’ hooves thundered. The horses below the Black Knights struggled forward silently. The horses below the Qin riders gave mournful cries and bolted wildly, just like their riders’ present state of minds. The speed at which the Black Knights gave chase was too fast.
The old Qin Master and Ye Zhong had come to their senses long ago and ordered the rebel soldiers below to gather quickly at the gap in the northwest direction. It was imperative they met up with Qin Heng before the Black Knights succeeded.
If the tens of thousands of rebel soldiers joined together successfully, the Black Knights would be dead regardless of how powerful they were. Even if the Black Knights successfully followed Fan Xian’s orders to kill Qin Heng, it might still be a dead end for them. However, the Black Knights, with Jing Ge at the head, seemed to have forgotten this one thing. In the eyes of the tens of thousands of people and encircled by tens of thousands of rebels, the Black Knights were brave and reckless enough to arrogantly chase after the tail of Qin Heng’s camp.
Dust rose gradually. A hundred Black Knights chased hundreds of elite Qin soldiers under the eyes of tens of thousands of rebel soldiers. This kind of determined posture, wild and reckless attitude, and fear-inducing sight would be forever frozen in their memories.
A dust dragon and hundreds of riders in a mindless pursuit entered into the center of the court.
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Qin Heng was not a weak man. Otherwise, he would not have been able to become the second youngest Commander of the Jingdou Garrison after Ye Zhong when he was only 30-something. And, he wouldn’t have become a Deputy of the Bureau of Military Affairs at such a young age. He was skilled in leading troops. His reactions were quick.
When the shadow of the Black Knights had appeared in the corner of his vision, he had immediately come to a decision and carried out the first head-on attack. As long as they could stand against the first wave and the main group caught up in the back, the oppositions mere 200 or so riders would not be able to have any effect.
However, the current battle in Jingdou was completely different from the killings on the battlefield. The street battle by Zhengyang Gate was very different from the street battles described in military books. Qin Heng had never thought the Overwatch Council, a department that carried out assassinations based on intelligence reports, would be able to demonstrate such explosive might in a street battle. The Qin cavalry took heavy casualties and burned through too much morale and stamina.
Most importantly, Qin Heng never thought that a mere 200 black-armored riders would have such powerful strength, quick charging power, and cold methods of killing.
He could never have expected that the 500 vanguard riders would not be able to stand against the first wave of the enemies attack, which he forcefully split into two.
Qin Heng’s heart was chilled, but his reaction was remarkably quick. Whipping his horse, he didn’t stay where he was to face the Black Knights. Instead, he increased his speed and led his riders toward the center of the square. All around were rebel soldiers. As long as they joined them, the Black Riders could only wait for their death.
He had to do it as quickly as possible.
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Qin Heng’s reaction was remarkably fast. Additionally, the Qin riders’ training was very effective. Although they were chased wildly by the Black Knights, who were like wolves, the vanguard riders still successfully escaped from the T-shaped intersection to the square.
However, the Black Knights were even faster and more ruthless. They weren’t left behind at all. The Black Knight leader with the silver mask charged in from the side and was only three horse-lengths away from Qin Heng.
An icy light flashed through Qin Heng’s eyes. The enemy actually dared to follow him deep into the rebel army. This leader was willing to risk death to kill him. Although the courage of the Black Knights had caught him by surprise, he knew the Black Knights’ surprise had failed. He knew his father would not just watch him die. Plus, the rebel army’s aide had already arrived.
The rebel army’s camp change was half done when they realized Qin Heng had sunk into great danger. Naturally, they sent out two large groups forward to provide help. At the same time, they attempted to wipe out the Black Knights, who seemed to have suddenly fallen down from heaven. The two large groups were still some distance from the dust dragon. Since most of them were infantry, how could they catch up to the Black Knights’ surprise attack and Qin Heng’s remarkable speed as he ran for his life?
Suddenly, a formidable order rang out from the rebel army camp, “Release!”
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There were idols on the Palace walls, so the rain of arrows did not have the glory of falling there. The shocking and startling sight in the square had no effect on the old Qin Master’s determination. Following this order, countless arrows flew toward where the dust dragon was.
The sound of arrows flying through the air rang out densely and covered a wide area, completely enveloping the riders who were struggling for their lives. They completely disregarded the fact that the people the Black Knights were chasing down were riders of their family.
Qin Heng had long guessed that his father never had any hesitation on the battlefield. He also knew that this rain of arrows would come. His face was ashen. his high-speed riding caused his lips to turn white. Before this rain of arrows arrived, he had turned and shot toward the rear of his steed.
The merciless arrows pierced into everyone’s body, splitting open the fast-moving riders. The rotating arrowheads tore through the riders’ light armor, wormed into fragile flesh, and pierced into their organs and bones.
In an instant, the fast-moving riders on both sides were attacked by the rain of arrows at the same time. They all fell from their horses to the ground, splitting bone from flesh. Muffled cries rang out continuously.
At such a moment, both the Qin family’s cavalry and Overwatch Council’s Black Knights met with the same wretched fate.
Although the Black Knights’ armor was specially made by the Second Workshop in the palace treasury with lightweight, superior quality materials, they still suffered heavy casualties under this rain of arrows. The cavalry that belonged to the Qin family suffered even more of a disaster.
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The Crown Prince abruptly turned his head. He looked with disbelief at the old Qin Master. He did not understand why he would give such a horrifying order. Was he not worried about Qin Heng’s life? These 200 Black Knights would not be able to cause any major destruction. Was he not worried that this indiscriminate rain of arrows would cause instability in the army?
The old Qin Master narrowed his eyes. An icy light shone out from the two slights. Of all the people present, only he knew the exact purpose of this group of Black Knights. Only he knew that if these Black Knights were allowed to continue, the vanguard led by Qin Heng would have no chance of escaping before the rebel army’s backup arrived.
He knew the power of the Black Knights. He believed that Fan Xian’s arrangement under Zhengyang Gate and the ambush of Black Knights were all for the words he had said earlier on the top of the Palace walls that had caused him great rage.
“I’ll make sure the Qin family has no heirs and your bloodline ends!”
The old Qin Master was a ruthless man. Since Fan Xian wanted him to have no heirs, he would rather take action himself than watch pathetically as his son was killed by someone Fan Xian arranged. Besides, his son would not die so easily.
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Qin Heng didn’t die. His steed was shot full of arrows. After two mournful neighs, it fell heavily toward the ground. Although his forward roll off his falling horse caused him to crash heavily into the ground, sending sparks from his armor up due to the friction against the ground, he was prepared. He had already mitigated a large amount of the force. Because of the cover his steed provided, he was not hit by an arrow.
There was only one wave of arrows. Immediately after, they stopped. Most of the riders chasing or being chased had fallen into puddles of blood. Although there were more Black Knights who survived, they had lost their steeds and suffered injuries of varying severity. However, they did not startle in fright. They continued to raise their knives and began to kill the Qin riders who had fallen beside them.
At this time, Qin Heng had already stood up. The backup rebel soldiers around him quickly came close.
Jing Ge, this silver-masked Deputy Commander of the Black Knights, had become the focal point of the Black Knights from the beginning of the battle. With the most determined attitude and fastest speed, he locked his eyes on Qin Heng and did not allow him to leave his line of sight.
When the rain of arrows fell, Jing Ge and his steed were also brutally attacked. An arrow just happened to pierce through the armor on his body and entered his left arm. A dribble of blood seeped out. The front legs of the horse below him weakened and silently fell toward the ground.
He tapped his foot heavily against the saddle and leaped out like a wolf king the moment before the rain of arrows stopped with a long black spear in his hand. With a bloodthirstiness he had hidden for many years, he was unstoppable.
Nine meters of distance disappeared in an instant. Qin Heng had just pulled his thigh out from under his horse and was rising to his feet with difficulty. Looking strong and spirited, he was actually exhausted to the extreme. With the stern and murderous black spear pointed toward him, it seemed that he could only wait for death.
No one expected for Qin Heng’s exhausted-looking body to suddenly gain new energy. They only heard him give a wild cry. He had already drawn out his sword before he turned. His entire body spun quickly and, like a shadow, he brushed past the ruthless black shadow of the spear with great craftiness.
Jing Ge struck out with all his strength and could not have expected for his opponent to have such a remarkable ability to counter his attack. All his energy and spirit was concentrated on this attack. The point of his spear landed in the air and pierced ruthlessly into the stone pavement beside Qin Heng. With a dink, the stone pavement was shattered into countless pieces.
Qin Heng’s body continued to spin. In a moment, he came closer to Jing Ge’s body. With a cold huff, his left arm struck out. The blade of the sword in his hand swung toward Jing Ge’s neck.
A flash, a spin, and a strike. The three strikes were executed cleanly and continuously. They were also demonstrated on such a complex battlefield situation. Qin Heng was indeed valiant. It was no wonder the old Qin Master had so much confidence in him and allowed him to meet Jing Ge’s sudden assassination alone.
At such a close distance and with such a powerful strike, even Fan Xian would find it difficult to block. Jing Ge was probably dead for sure.
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In the midst of this terrifying killing attempt, the rebel army’s attack on the Palace walls did not stop. The heavy carriages used to break down the gates still did not know of exhaustion and were not fearful of falling rocks or burning fire. It continued to crash into the three gates with a giant crash. Periodically, it would echo below the walls. It sounded like a shocking drumbeat.
In the last moment of the strange killing on the square, when Qin Heng’s sword was only six centimeters from Jing Ge’s throat, a shocking change happened to the attack on the gates.
With a giant crash, the thick middle gate was charged open.
None of the rebel soldiers believed their eyes. Immediately after, a crazed joy and excitement took over.
At this time, the Black Knights had already fallen, General Jing Ge was dead, and the gates were open. The scales of victory had tipped.
Seeing this sight, the Crown Prince’s attention was roused. Glancing at the old Qin Master and Ye Zhong at his side, he took a deep breath and said, “Attack with full strength!”
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Fan Xian stood on top of the black coffins and gently used the tip of his foot to tap out a rhythm no one could understand. Looking at the fatal change that happened in an instant on the walls, he still did not decisively kick open the coffin and take out the assault rifle inside.
Since he was standing taller than anyone, just as Chen Pingping had once taught him, he could see further than anyone. He could see details that had not been noticed by others.
He could see the Dingzhou generals, who were still stopped in the west rebel army camp, discussing something with the Second Prince. Gradually, they leaned closer and kept the Second Prince’s trusted aides on the outside.
He saw Ye Zhong’s calm as usual face beside the Crown Prince’s face, which was showing joy for the first time, while Gong Dian had fallen back one position. In the process of the rebel army changing camps, in the chaos that rescuing Qin Heng had caused, the Dingzhou troops and army had gradually swapped situations. Although it was slight, it was particularly eye-catching to Fan Xian perched up high
If a complicated scenario was made up of countless pictures, then these pictures were undergoing a mysterious change in Fan Xian’s eyes. He knew that the success and failure of his gambling depended on the change in these pictures.
He tightly bound the Wei Kingdom’s Emperor’s sword on his back. His hand pulled on the chain the Third Bureau had prepared for him last year. Glancing at the direction of the city guarding crossbow, he narrowed his eyes and said, “Get ready.”
Then, he tapped the coffin with the tip of his foot, thinking that he wouldn’t need it today.
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The change in the situation happened in the next moment. The change this time would determine Qing Kingdom’s future. It was guaranteed to have content that future young historians with a conscience would discuss enthusiastically.
The first change in the situation was that Jing Ge, who was about to face his death, lowered his head the moment before the blade of Qin Heng’s sword reached his neck.
It appeared to be simple but was actually very difficult. He did it so naturally and quickly that it seemed like he already knew where Qin Heng’s sword would come from and where it would go.
It was the gentleness of that movement that caused Qin Heng’s killing strike to run across Jing Ge’s silver mask and send up a line of sparks. But, it did not slice across his neck.
Unexpectedly, the spear Jing Ge seemed to have poured all his spirit into, which had struck air and split open the stone pavement, seemed to have a life of its own and quickly bounced back. Moving along the emptiness between his finger and thumb, it bounced back with a dink.
Jing Ge’s hand tightly grasped the spear six centimeters below the blade and thrust it upward with force.
All of this happened quickly. The silver mask on Jing Ge’s face flew with sparks while the point of the spear in his hand had already pierced toward Qin Heng’s chin.
With a crack, the sharp spear pierced into Qin Heng’s brain from below his chin. Fresh blood spurted out. Qin Heng’s body froze and softened, dying instantly.
Jing Ge held the shaft of the spear tightly and lifted Qin Heng’s body on the tip.
With a crisp sound, Jing Ge’s silver mast was cut in half and slid to the ground, revealing his true appearance. It revealed the face Fan Xian had long wanted to see. The face that had been hidden under a silver mask ever since Chen Pingping had raised him out from the dark prison and he had become a member of the Black Knights.
This face appeared delicate but from his left ear to his right ear, it had been split open by some unknown sharp object. It was an old wound, but it still appeared terrifying. One could imagine what kind of injury he had once sustained.
The wound was very large, revealing the bone and teeth within and appearing particularly horrifying. Although Qin Heng’s strike earlier had been blocked by his silver mask, the sword intent had still pierced through and split open his old wound. Fresh blood flowed out, appearing even more malevolent.
The entire square was silent as everyone stared in shock. They looked at the fierce leader of the Black Knights using the spear in his hand to lift up the old Qin Master’s only son and involuntarily thought of Fan Xian’s curse to end the Qin family’s bloodline.
Fresh blood dripped down from Qin Heng’s throat along his sword and onto Jing Ge’s hand, making everything slippery. Jing Ge was silent. He was thinking that his brother had once used this move and wrecked his face. These years, his hatred toward the Qin family forced him to wear a silver mask. He constantly watched the Qin family’s movements on the battlefield. Today, you still used this move and died in my hands, so don’t cry out in grievance!
Jing Ge raised Qin Heng’s body and looked at where the old Qin Master was in the rebel camp. He roared in a stern voice, “I am Jing Ge!”
“Qing Ye! You killed my entire family, so I will kill your entire family!”
