"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
"Someone is attacking the stronghold! Someone is attacking the stronghold!"
Inside the Flying Dragon Mountain stronghold, shouts suddenly erupted, throwing everything into chaos. Zhou Fugui and Yuan Meiyu, startled in the bridal chamber, leaped from the bed and stood face to face, wondering what had happened.
"What happened?" Zhou Fugui asked Yuan Meiyu.
"Are your ears deaf? Didn't you hear someone attacking the stronghold?" Yuan Meiyu retorted, giving Zhou Fugui a sideways glance.
"Oh, the imperial army?" Zhou Fugui asked again.
Could it be the Yan army attacking the stronghold? Or was it General Ji Duor with the Yan army coming to rescue him? Zhou Fugui mused to himself.
"It can't be the imperial army. It's too cold for them to come into the mountains," Yuan Meiyu said, shaking her head.
"Oh, then who is attacking the stronghold?" Zhou Fugui asked with a hint of disappointment. His eyes darted about as he said, "Miss Yuan, I have inconvenienced you for so long, and I truly feel remiss. If someone is attacking the stronghold today, I can offer some assistance."
"Oh, no need for your intervention." Yuan Meiyu, holding her short sword, looked at Zhou Fugui suspiciously and said, "Bandits attacking the stronghold is a common occurrence. There's no need to make a fuss. Young sir, you stay in the room and don't go anywhere. I will go out and see."
"Oh, be careful then," Zhou Fugui nodded.
Yuan Meiyu nodded in return, then pushed open the door without even changing out of her wedding robes.
"My lady, be careful..." After Yuan Meiyu left, Zhou Fugui, reluctant to part, waved after her retreating figure.
"Be careful I don't run away..." Yuan Meiyu disappeared from sight before Zhou Fugui whispered to himself.
In the dead of night, with an attack on the stronghold, wasn't this the perfect opportunity to escape? Zhou Fugui rejoiced inwardly.
Zhou Fugui had already scouted the terrain of Flying Dragon Mountain thoroughly and was just waiting for a good chance to escape. Now that the opportunity had arrived, how could Zhou Fugui let it pass?
He blew out the candle, removed his cumbersome wedding robe, changed into a fur-lined short jacket, and, under the cover of the chaos in the stronghold, he quietly slipped out the back door and headed towards the rear mountain.
...
"Congratulations, Brother Zhou."
When Zhou Fugui escaped, he naturally brought the young Taoist priest Ge Rufeng with him. Otherwise, wouldn't his trip to Flying Dragon Mountain be in vain?
Under the cover of night, they successfully slipped to the rear mountain of Flying Dragon Mountain amidst the chaos. In the dead of night, they lay on a cliff, diligently searching for a path down. The young Taoist priest Ge Rufeng's mouth, however, was not idle. As he searched for a path, he said to Zhou Fugui.
"Congratulations to me for what?" Zhou Fugui took out his thousand-mile eye, using the moonlight to meticulously search for a path, and asked as he searched.
The bandits of Flying Dragon Mountain knew nothing of the thousand-mile eye, so they let Zhou Fugui keep it.
"Congratulations on your wedding night..." Ge Rufeng, though young, had a sharp mind. He chuckled and said, "Brother Zhou, what happens on a wedding night?"
"You'll know when you're older," Zhou Fugui said with a pout, in a low voice.
Was he regretting it? At this moment, Zhou Fugui felt a twinge of regret. Such a beautiful woman had been delivered to him, yet he had slipped away on their wedding night...
"I know now, no need to wait until I'm older," Ge Rufeng chuckled softly. "You did that to Sister Mei, yet you fled. Aren't you a faithless scoundrel, a heartless man?"
"Bang!" Hearing this, Zhou Fugui used the thousand-mile eye to tap Ge Rufeng on the head and rebuked, "What did I do to her? I didn't do anything. Faithless? Heartless? Stop chattering and quickly find a way down the mountain. It will be too late when dawn breaks."
"Who believes that?" Ge Rufeng muttered. Just as Zhou Fugui was about to get angry, he quickly leaned next to Zhou Fugui, feigning to observe the terrain.
"Brother Zhou, what is that thing in your hand?" Ge Rufeng asked after a moment.
"Thousand-mile eye," Zhou Fugui replied.
"Thousand-mile eye? Let me see?" Ge Rufeng said with immense curiosity.
Ge Rufeng always felt that Zhou Fugui was an exceptionally mysterious person, capable of speaking of or creating rare items that had never existed in this world. This was one of the reasons why Ge Rufeng was willing to descend the mountain with Zhou Fugui.
"Here, take it. Look closely." Zhou Fugui wanted to rest for a while, so he handed the thousand-mile eye to him.
"Ah! Ah!" After holding the thousand-mile eye and observing for a moment, Ge Rufeng pointed at the cliff below and exclaimed in shock.
"What are you exclaiming about? Isn't this thing curious? But there's no need for you to be so alarmed," Zhou Fugui said, glancing at Ge Rufeng.
"What is it? There are people below the mountain..." Ge Rufeng pointed towards the cliff below.
"What?" Zhou Fugui snatched the thousand-mile eye and looked down the cliff. He saw faint lights in a mountain hollow below the cliff, and within the lights, indistinct figures could be seen.
Who could it be? Zhou Fugui and Ge Rufeng exchanged glances, musing inwardly. Could it be people from the Flying Dragon Mountain stronghold, waiting for him and the young Taoist priest Ge Rufeng here?
That's impossible, Zhou Fugui quickly dismissed the thought. The bandits of Flying Dragon Mountain were busy defending against the attacking enemy. Moreover, how would they know that he and Ge Rufeng had come here? Unless they were clairvoyant.
"It's the attackers," Ge Rufeng then said in a low voice to Zhou Fugui.
Zhou Fugui nodded, his heart filled with dread.
They had finally escaped the stronghold, only to have their path blocked by these people. Now they were in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.
"How many fireworks did you make these past two days?"
These people were indeed here to attack the Flying Dragon Mountain stronghold. They had already thrown grappling hooks, ropes, and other items, and were climbing the cliff. Seeing this, Zhou Fugui pointed at the bundle on Ge Rufeng's back and asked.
"Not many, only a little over ten," Ge Rufeng replied in surprise.
"Come, I'll count to three, and we'll throw them down together," Zhou Fugui said in a low voice to Ge Rufeng.
There was no other choice but to descend the mountain resolutely, Zhou Fugui thought. At this moment, it was impossible to return to the stronghold. If he went back, he might never be able to escape.
Ge Rufeng nodded, took out the fireworks and fire starters, and looked at Zhou Fugui, waiting for him to count.
"One, two, three, throw them down." Zhou Fugui lit a firework, counted to three, and then threw it down the cliff. Ge Rufeng followed suit, and the two of them continuously lit fireworks, tossing over a dozen fireworks down the cliff in one go.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Sizzle!"
"Hiss..."
As the fireworks were thrown down the cliff, they emitted continuous explosions and bloomed with colorful, brilliant light, like scattered celestial flowers, startling the attackers.
"Ghosts!"
"So beautiful, could it be a ghost? Or something divine?"
"Does Flying Dragon Mountain have divine protection?"
"Momma, retreat! Quickly retreat!"
"Ah! Bang!"
"..."
Fireworks had never appeared in this world before, and the attackers had naturally never seen them. They were so terrified that their souls nearly departed their bodies, not knowing what was happening. Those who were climbing the cliff lost their grip and fell to the bottom, many being injured or killed. The remaining few cried out and fled down the mountain with their lives.
"Hahahaha!" Seeing this, Ge Rufeng stood on the cliff, placed his hands on his hips, and burst into triumphant laughter.
"Bang!" Zhou Fugui tapped Ge Rufeng again and said, "What are you laughing at? The time is right, let's quickly descend the mountain."
Thus, the two of them escaped from Flying Dragon Mountain.
As Zhou Fugui descended the mountain, he inadvertently helped Flying Dragon Mountain resolve a problem, and in a small way repaid their "hospitality." His guilt towards Yuan Meiyu was somewhat lessened.
...
Tiefu Tribe of the Xibei匈奴 (Xiongnu) arrives at Daicheng.
"My lord, the troops have been assembled. Please give your orders." Jun Jin, clad in iron armor, bowed on horseback towards Princess Consort Lin Yue.
Behind Jun Jin stood over ten thousand elite Xiongnu cavalry, standing silently in the cold wind. Apart from the sound of horses, hardly anyone spoke, nor dared to make a loud noise.
These over ten thousand Xiongnu cavalry were all equipped with iron helmets and armor, wearing short, straight-collared jackets over them, split crotch trousers, and leather boots. They were armed with curved sabers, strong bows, and rode sturdy horses. They were a particularly elite contingent under Commander Duo Yongjian.
Over ten thousand elite cavalry, their faces covered with terrifying bronze masks, stood majestically in the cold wind, sending shivers down the spine.
"General Jun Jin, you are an expert in leading troops in battle. Everything is up to you," Lin Yue, also on horseback, said with a slight smile.
The Tiefu tribe was a branch of the Southern Xiongnu, with a long-standing feud with Duo Yongjian's Xiongnu tribe. The two tribes had been at war for many years, plundering each other's populations, livestock, and wealth.
Duo Yongjian, feeling his time was short, and in order to establish prestige for Prince Bian and ensure his smooth succession to the throne, ordered Prince Bian to lead troops to attack the Tiefu tribe's Daicheng today.
However, Prince Bian, who was in his early teens, had been sickly since childhood. How could he lead troops in battle? Therefore, these over ten thousand elite cavalry were essentially commanded by Lin Yue, Jun Jin, and other generals.
Jun Jin nodded, then spurred his horse away to arrange the siege operations for the army.
"Lin Yue, I'm sleepy," said Prince Bian to Lin Yue, held in her arms.
Prince Bian then nuzzled into Lin Yue's embrace, sucking on her, feeling incredibly comfortable as he closed his eyes.
To bring good fortune to Prince Bian, Duo Yongjian had given Lin Yue to him. However, Prince Bian was sickly, and his ten-year-old body was like that of an eight or nine-year-old child. Therefore, their relationship was less like husband and wife and more like mother and son. Prince Bian's mother had died early, and at this moment, he regarded Lin Yue as his own mother.
Prince Bian was not only sickly and childlike in his physical development but also in his intelligence. Whenever he craved maternal affection, he would do so regardless of the occasion or place.
"Mmm, if the prince is sleepy, then rest," Lin Yue said, gently patting Prince Bian's back, just like a mother soothing her child.