Nightfall

The grassland was seventy miles away to the southwest of Wei. Although it was to the south of Xiangwan Plain, the weather here was much colder and the fields were much less fertile. However the Tang Empire was willing to pay great prices to station their troops here in the storm and keep prepared for the war.

Why was that? It was because the Tang army was running out of warhorses. They had to regain this grassland before next spring as that was their last chance.

On the other side of the storm, campfires were lit everywhere and the remaining warhorses were covered with quilts. The Tang army treasured these warhorses more than their own lives now. And it made A Da even more contemptuous of them because he never felt for the weak.

Just like how he never felt for the one he had defeated.

Was the army without warhorses still the unbeatable Tang army? Was the man that was killed still the renowned general?

Hua Ying was drinking inside the Tang battalion. The shirtless middle aged warrior was suffering from great pains and sweating profusely.

This summer, he was defeated by the young barbarian and never recovered ever since. He ignored the military order and sought for liquor. Because only the liquor as strong as the Kiu Kiang Shuangzheng could suppress the pain and make him sober, so that he could still lead his two thousand cavalrymen.

During the previous war, Tang signed a peace treaty with the Divine Halls of West-Hill and ceded the Xiangwan Plain to the Golden Tribe Royal Court. For that cession, the Tang Princess Li Yu officially apologized to the Tang people and Prince Li Peiyan hung himself.

Without the Xiangwan Plain, the Tang had lost their main supply of warhorses. But in the following years, minor wars were continuously fought along the border.

Chanyu tried viciously to exhaust the Tang’s warhorses. He was even willing to pay twice or triple the price. The reason was that the Royal Court had enough supply of warhorses, while the Tang army did not.

The number of warhorses the Northern Battlefront Army owned had decreased rapidly after the continuous wars. They were almost desperate now.

As a Tang general, Hua Ying was a powerful and vigorous cultivator. He was probably only second to General Xu Chi in the Northern Battlefront Army. He used to lead over ten thousand cavalrymen among which three thousands were heavy cavalry. However now… Two thousand four hundred and thirty two men with two thousand four hundred and thirty two warhorses were the only cavalry left now. They were the last cavalry of the Northern Battlefront Army.

Hua Ying had received the command and took all his cavalrymen here to confront the Golden Tribe Royal Court ever since the summer. They threw all of their hopes into this battle because the Tang army desperately needed the grassland. And they had to figure out a way.

Of course these were not the only warhorses that the Tang had. But there was no point of delivering the warhorses from the south because that would not change the situation. Yet what made the Northern Battlefront Army restless and even angry was that the imperial court never even thought of it.

Hua Ying looked at his bowl of liquor and flames were burning in his eyes. It was the Academy who decided to cede the Xiangwan Plain to the Golden Tribe of Royal Court. And it was Ning Que who promised he would find a supply of warhorses. But several years had passed. Countless Tang soldiers died on the grassland and his warriors were tortured into ghostly figures. But where were the horses?

“If you are lying to me, then I’ll come to Chang’an for you even if I die here,” he raised he bowl and said to Ning Que while looking to the south.

Right then a warning came from outside the yurt and a vicious howling was heard in the storm. It was distinct and resounding.

Hua Ying looked at the reflection of his face in the bowl of liquor. It was an exhausted face and no longer handsome. But he laughed.

He put on his armor with the help of his men and walked outside. He walked out of the yurt, through their battalion and toward the battlefield. Snowflakes fell on his armor and immediately filled up the cracks instead of melting.

Tang soldiers stood by their yurts and watched their chief commander silently.

Outside the battalion, he stood in the storm and stared at the young barbarian afar. “The general will probably punish me intensely,” he mocked himself.

Of course he knew who that young barbarian was. Right here in the summer, he was defeated by this young nobody, and never recovered.

No one knew when the Golden Tribe Royal Court found such a powerful figure. If it had been the famous General Lebu, Hua Ying would probably have found it easier to swallow. But he did not understand where this young man came from and why he was so powerful.

It was not until when words spread on the grassland that people came to know that he was called A Da, a former slave. Just like Hengmu Liren from the West-Hill, he was also a gift from Haotian to the human world, a gifted power.

Hengmu Liren was a legendary figure to Haotian’s follower nowadays. If it was not for A Da living in the remote Wilderness, he would have become just as famous.

Upon knowing this, Hua Ying realized that it was not a shameful failure. Haotian had abandoned the Tang just like how she abandoned the Wild People a thousand years ago. He would never be intimidated, but still could not help from being a bit upset.

He looked to the center of the storm at the far away horizon. There was a magnificent mountain that connected the two continents. That was the Min Mountain, which was also known as the Tianqi Mountain.

“Is it a terrible thing … to be abandoned by Haotian?” Hua Ying smiled and reached out for the Podao his man handed to him. The coldness of the tilt thrilled him.

The young barbarian was powerful and scary. He knew he could never win. If he were to fight, he would definitely be dead. There seemed to be no reason for him to try.

It was not a tradition for two chief commanders to fight in a battle. He never believed in the saying that the brave always won. No one could reproach him even if he were to choose not to fight.

But when he was walking through their battalion and was confronted with the expressions on the soldiers’ faces, he saw extreme exhaustion and fatigue. When he saw the old warhorses covered in quilts, he knew that their morale was unprecedentedly low.

If he were to choose to fight, it would be a thrill for the soldiers even if he were to die. A mourning troop might not be able to win the war. But they would definitely fight harder until the last moment. And there could probably be a favorable turn in the end.

Therefore he hold the Podao and walked toward the storm.

“I’ll sacrifice your head to my tribe.” A Da stared at Hua Ying and said emotionlessly, “Eventually I will lead our warriors to your Chang’an and kill that man.”

Hua Ying whisked off the snowflakes on his armor and said, “You probably could kill me. But I will not let you leave alive. You won’t make it to Chang’an.” When he saying this, the second strongest man in the Northern Battlefront Army looked extremely calm. He did not have the confidence to defeat Haotoian’s gift to the human world. But he was sure that he could give his life for a life.

When a man was fearless, fate could not defeat him.

His fingers clenched onto the tilt one after another, as if they became a part of the iron blade. Snowflakes fell onto his hand but did not melt. Because his hand was as cold as the snow.

From his body to the slim tilt and the dark blade, an extremely chilling energy spread out and elevated.

The dancing snowflakes were disturbed by the energy and scattered around, as if they were sharp arrows piercing through the air.

A Da pulled out his machete emotionlessly. It was bestowed by Chanyu. The blade was extremely sharp and bright as his eyes. As he did before every important battle, the young man started praying to the Tengri and asking for the power to defeat every enemy. The scattering snowflakes seemed to have received his prayer and slowed down. They flew helplessly while the snow on the grassland melted and unveiled the dying grass beneath. With snow melting and grass unveiled, it felt gloomy rather than lively.

A Da stared at Hua Ying. His eyes were bright as jewels and sharp as blades. He seemed sympathetic and contemptuous. Then he stepped forward. But he stopped at only one step. He sensed that something was wrong.

He looked above to the sky and snow, and could not help feeling the tremendous grief. His lips were trembling as if he was groaning, “The mighty Tengri…”

When their tribe was defeated many years ago, he was too young to know grief. When he served in the royal court as a slave, he did not have time for grief. When he was collecting the cow dung, he did not have the strength to grief. Then he became the new power and no longer needed to grief.

But right now, the grief was so heavy that it occupied his whole body and soul. He almost saw his own death in the next moment.

But why?

He no longer looked above but to somewhere afar in the south. He felt like someone was watching him. Although it was ten thousand miles away and no actual sounds could be heard, he sensed it distinctively and heard that person talking to him. If he were to take one step further, he would be dead.

A Da’s swarthy and innocent face was covered with anger and confusion. If that person could kill him from ten thousand miles away, why did he not kill him during that summer?

What enraged him the most was that he also sensed the undisguised pride of that person. Even the Tengri was silenced by his pride.

And he began to fear.

A neigh was heard in the storm. He could not tell whose warhorse that was, but it was arrogant enough.

A Da looked at the battalion of Tang and held his machete. He was not sure whether he should take that step forward.

…

…

It was ten thousand miles away in the South.

Snow fell on the city wall. Ning Que stood on top the city of Chang’an behind him, and his eyes were looking toward the far away Wilderness and the battlefield he could not see.

The heavy iron bow was placed in front of him on the bricks. He hold the Core Vajra of the God-Stunning Array tightly and his consciousness spread out to the fields.

It was his command for the Northern Battlefront Army to kill all the captives of the Golden Tribe. He knew it placed tremendous pressure on the army but he could not care. Because he had to talk to the world with the killing as well as with his iron arrows.

But he could not understand why he was not able to sense the Wilderness and the entire world even with the help of the array and Chang’an. His ocean of consciousness was a blurry gray. If the powerful one from the Golden Tribe was not stupid enough to expose himself, then there was be nothing he could do.

But he was still looking to the north as if he could find the lights there, shoot that person with his iron arrow, and deliver him to hell or the Divine Kingdom. Or perhaps the Academy should be the one who will light him up?