The Young Swordsman of Dalu

In the northern border, Shangguan Chenxing led the generals and soldiers of the Great Lu Kingdom and the Northern Dynasty army in a fierce battle that lasted from morning until afternoon before both sides sounded the drums to call a retreat.

After everyone came down from the battlefield, the officers of each unit first counted the number of wounded and killed soldiers. After a day of fierce fighting, the army suffered quite a lot of casualties.

Wen Fei fought until his eyes were bloodshot, and he didn't even notice the several wounds on his body. Only when he stopped did he feel the pain in his wounds.

Wen Fei never imagined that one day he would be on the battlefield fighting bravely, especially on an ancient battlefield he had traveled to. It was so exciting that he felt no fear at all.

Wenfei had his wounds bandaged by a military doctor. He then joined the others in cleaning up the battlefield, burying the bodies of the fallen soldiers together, and treating the wounded separately according to their serious and minor injuries.

War is cruel, so cruel that you don't have time to think before you're thrown into the next war at any moment.

The Northern Dynasty suffered heavy losses, which greatly angered them. The Western Regions army was merely observing the situation between the Northern Dynasty and the Great Lu Kingdom's armies, showing no intention of joining in.

The news quickly reached the Northern Dynasty's imperial palace. Murong Xuan was alarmed and immediately summoned the envoys from the Western Regions to ask them what they meant.

The envoy from the Western Regions said, "Our army from the Western Regions was invited by you to intimidate the Great Lu Kingdom. My Khan never said he wanted to participate in the war!"

"Shameful! You are all utterly shameful! I actually believed you!" Murong Xuan roared.

As darkness fell, the soldiers of the Great Lu Kingdom were cooking over a fire in the military camp when Wen Fei entered Shangguan Chenxing's tent.

"General Shangguan."

"Wenfei, how are you? I've been so busy I haven't even had a chance to check on you," Shangguan Chenxing said.

"General, there's no need to be so polite with me. With a formidable enemy at hand, as a commander, you should prioritize the battle," Wen Fei said.

"Do you have something to say to me?" Shangguan Chenxing asked.

“General, I want to explore the Northern Dynasty’s palace again under the cover of night. I still can’t let go of my master,” Wen Fei said.

“Going now would be very dangerous. Murong Xuan didn’t gain any advantage on the battlefield. If you fall into his hands, he will definitely not be lenient,” Shangguan Chenxing said.

“I’m not afraid, I just want to know if my master is still alive,” Wenfei said.

"Seeing that you have made up your mind, remember to be very careful and act according to circumstances," Shangguan Chenxing instructed.

"I've got it, General! Farewell!" Wenfei said before walking out of the military tent.

Wen Fei flew at breakneck speed, his lightness skill having improved again. He felt much lighter as he flew, bypassing the Northern Dynasty's army and quickly arriving in Yan City. He flew into Yuxuan Palace, where it was completely silent, without a single light.

Wen Fei gently opened the door of Yuxuan Palace, went inside, and then gently closed the door again. He took out a tinderbox from his sleeve, struck it lightly, and went to Jin Yuanying's bedroom, which was also empty.

"Where did he go? Master, where are you?" Wenfei thought to himself.

Just then, the door creaked open, and the person who entered said, "Quickly light the candles, they're terrifying!"

Then, the room lights came on.

"Our Emperor is ruthless; he could even be so cruel to his own grandmother."

"Keep your voice down, or someone will hear you."

"Everyone's gone, what's the point of us coming here? There's not a soul in sight."

"Stop complaining. Just do whatever you're told. The most important thing these days is to live well."

"Tell me, where did the Empress Dowager and her lover go?"

"If I had known, would I still be here with you?"

"The Empress Dowager was such a good person! I really miss her."

"Stop talking, let's check each room and get going. Staying any longer is too creepy."

"Look! Let's go!"

It turned out to be two palace eunuchs who came to Yuxuan Palace to conduct a routine inspection as instructed. The two of them hurriedly walked around the palace and prepared to leave.

"Don't move." Wenfei used acupressure to immobilize the two of them.

The two eunuchs were so frightened they almost jumped out of their skin.

"Spare us! It has nothing to do with us; it was all His Majesty's will."

“I’m asking you questions, and you must answer truthfully. If you tell even one lie, I’ll kill you all…” Wenfei said, making a snapping motion.

"We will definitely tell the truth."

"Where did your Empress Dowager and the Flying Hero of the Western Continent hide them, according to your young emperor?"

"No, I heard that when the imperial guards besieged Yuxuan Palace this morning, the Empress Dowager and the Flying Hero of Xizhou disappeared together. The imperial guards almost demolished Yuxuan Palace but still couldn't find them."

"You mean, the Empress Dowager and the Flying Hero of the West just vanished into thin air in front of everyone."

"Yes, we are not lying. Please let us go. We are just insignificant eunuchs in the palace."

Wenfei raised his hand and knocked them both unconscious: "I'm sorry."

Wenfei wondered how his master and the others could have vanished into thin air. Could it be that there was a secret passage in Yuxuan Palace? The existence of the secret passage might be unknown to the people in the palace, not even to Murong Xuan. It was used by Jin Yuanying to save his life in a critical moment.

Wenfei picked up the candle lit by the young eunuch and carefully searched each room for the secret passage. He felt around in every possible place that could be the entrance, but still couldn't find it. Despite the cold weather, Wenfei was sweating profusely with anxiety. Undeterred, he plopped down on Jin Yuanying's bed and began to think. Suddenly, he remembered something and got up to examine Jin Yuanying's bed.

Sure enough, Jin Yuanying's wooden bed looked like a large, square wooden box. He lifted the bedding, and Wenfei tapped on it, but didn't hear a hollow sound. It felt like a solid wood bed. Wenfei was still not giving up, so he looked at the bed board carefully again, trying to find any gaps. He couldn't find any, and just when he was about to give up, Wenfei lifted the entire bed board with his hand. Sure enough, it was hollow underneath. Wenfei was overjoyed and said, "Master, I'm here!" With that, he jumped down.

Furthermore, Wenjie rode his horse at breakneck speed, exhausting countless horses to death. The token given to him by Shangguan Chenxing proved truly effective; upon seeing the yellow token, the generals from all sides were eager to mobilize their troops to support the northern frontier, which reassured Wenjie considerably.

Wenjie encountered some tough opponents along the way. Zhao Youzhi, the general of the Northwest Army, ignored the token that Wenjie presented, saying that the situation on their Northwest border was tense, and that the Western Regions were also eager to make moves against the Great Lu Kingdom. He also wanted the imperial court to provide him with support.

Wenjie and Zhao Youzhi argued for a whole day, but Zhao Youzhi wouldn't mention sending troops. Wenjie had no choice but to leave and go to the Northwest Camp to find Marshal Tao. From Marshal Tao, Wenjie learned why Zhao Youzhi had been making things difficult for him. It turned out he was the younger brother of Minister Zhao, whose brother had been dismissed by the emperor because of Wenfei, and whose nephew Zhao Meng had been exiled. Naturally, he wanted to vent his anger on Wenjie.

“This person holds such an important position in the military, yet he disobeyed military orders for personal grudges. How shameful!” Wenjie said.

"I will definitely handle it. I will immediately dispatch the elite troops from my Northwest Camp to provide support to the Northern Frontier," Marshal Tao said.

"Farewell, Commander Tao!" Wenjie rode off westward once more.