Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

"Fellow martial arts enthusiasts, I won't say any more. Once you arrive at Twenty Mile Fort, I hope you can wait patiently and try not to cause any disturbance. Once you see the barbarian army begin to collapse, that will be the time for you to launch your attack." Shen Qing said, giving Zhao Kai a wink.

Zhao Kai, understanding the implication, stepped forward and said, “Thank you all for your trust in me. As the King of Yue, I hereby promise that as long as you kill the barbarians, I guarantee that you will receive all the divine martial arts manuals, gold, silver and jewels you are entitled to. In addition, I have already ordered a victory banquet to be prepared in the city, and we will celebrate your triumphant return.”

"Mr. Han, we'll have to trouble you to make this trip. Only your reputation can keep them in check," Shen Qing said in a low voice, taking a step back closer to Han Shengxuan as Zhao Kai spoke.

Martial arts practitioners have always been lawless, so don't expect them to be truly law-abiding. In view of this, Shen Qing planned to arrange for Han Shengxuan to travel with these martial arts practitioners. Only the infamous human cat could make these lawless people behave themselves and not dare to overstep the rules.

Han Shengxuan nodded blankly upon hearing this. Although he held a grudge against Shen Qing for preventing Zhao Kai from entering the Western Regions, he would naturally not hinder Zhao Kai's future in such a crucial matter.

Seeing that Han Shengxuan had agreed, Shen Qing breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that Han Shengxuan would hold a grudge against him because of the Western Regions incident.

Then a dramatic scene unfolded. Just as the group of martial artists were noisily leaving Kuaiji City, Han Shengxuan appeared before them like a ghost. The martial artists were stunned for a moment, and then some of them recognized Han Shengxuan's identity. They were immediately terrified and fell silent. Some of their companions who were unaware of the situation hurriedly asked him questions.

In an instant, all the martial artists present knew of the appearance of the Human Cat. Among the three great demons of the world, the most renowned was Xu Xiao, the Butcher, but the one with the greatest deterrent effect on the martial arts world was Han Shengxuan, the Human Cat. It can be said that nearly a third of the top masters with a good reputation in the martial arts world were skinned to death by him, so much so that the mere mention of the Human Cat's name made people tremble with fear.

"Let's go." With just two simple words and Han Shengxuan's cold, emotionless gaze, all the originally unruly martial arts practitioners wisely followed behind Han Shengxuan. Even the hot-tempered, burly men tiptoed like unmarried young girls, afraid of making a sound that would displease the cat and the man.

Looking at the scene before him, Shen Qing sighed with emotion. It was truly a case of "one thing subdues another." These lawless people of the martial world needed a ruthless character like the human-cat to keep them in check.

After the group of warriors left, Shen Qing turned his attention to Hama and the others, who were the last remaining armed forces of the Liyue tribe.

Originally, Shen Qing didn't plan to send them into battle. Firstly, he was still uneasy about their recent surrender, and secondly, the number of these few dozen men wouldn't make a significant difference. Shen Qing had already made thorough arrangements for the night, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Chi Yue Tiger Tribe was destined for defeat. However, after learning that Shen Qing was going to deal with the Chi Yue Tiger Tribe, Li Ying repeatedly requested to fight to avenge the Li Yue tribe. After much consideration and discussion with Zhao Kai, Shen Qing finally agreed.

However, as a condition for Hama and the others to launch an attack, Li Ying had to stay by Shen Qing and Zhao Kai's side and not accompany the army. After all, one can never be too careful, and if Li Ying were to escape with the surrendered soldiers of the Li Yue tribe, Shen Qing would have gained nothing.

“Shen Lang, I’ll go with them.” Xuan Yuan Qingfeng stepped forward as Hama and the others approached the city gate.

Hama and the others had only just surrendered, and even with Li Ying as a hostage, there was still the possibility that the others might harbor rebellious intentions, which could be a destabilizing factor. Therefore, Xuan Yuan Qingfeng planned to personally take charge. With her strength as a second-grade martial artist, even if these people wanted to play tricks, they wouldn't be able to cause much trouble, and in the worst-case scenario, she could at least protect herself.

"Qingfeng, then thank you for your trouble." Shen Qing said softly to Xuan Yuan Qingfeng, knowing that Xuan Yuan Qingfeng had come personally for his sake.

In addition to trust, the military also needs a certain degree of supervision. You can't gamble everything on a person's character, or you'll suffer the consequences one day.

"Giddy up, follow me." Xuan Yuan Qingfeng gracefully mounted his horse, then forcefully seized command from Hama, leading the surrendered soldiers of the Li Yue tribe towards the distance.

Accompanied by the clatter of hooves, the last troop of soldiers left Kuaiji City, and then the city gates closed again.

"Brother Shen, do you think we can win tonight?" Zhao Kai looked into the darkness in the distance with a hint of worry.

"You can remove the 'ma' part. Tonight, we will definitely defeat the Chi Yue Tiger Tribe." Shen Qing glanced at Zhao Kai with disdain, looking utterly confident.

However, his gaze would occasionally drift into the distance, suggesting that his heart wasn't as resolute as his words. After all, with war, no one could know the true outcome until the dust settled, and he didn't want anything to happen to Xuan Yuan Qingfeng.

"Young Shen, young Zhao, I'm feeling a bit itchy tonight. I have nothing else to do, so I'll stretch my muscles a bit." Old Jian noticed Shen Qing's expression and then said in a pretentious manner.

Shen Qing was overjoyed upon hearing this. With the old sword god personally taking action, even if a god came tonight, the Chi Yue Tiger Tribe would perish here.

As night deepened, the Chi Yuehu tribe, having been ambushed by martial artists during the day, was on exceptionally tight defense tonight. They relied on the villages and towns of Ershilibao, and with the addition of palisades and wooden stakes, they built an extremely secure and sturdy camp.

With watchtowers, campfires, patrols, and sentries both visible and hidden, the defenses were comprehensive. Chi Hu personally ordered that anyone who made a mistake tonight would be beheaded as a warning. Therefore, the guards were all on high alert tonight and dared not slack off.

Meanwhile, outside Twenty Mile Fort, Hong Biao led the Xuanyuan family's cavalry as scouts, patrolling the surrounding area and keeping a close eye on the movements of the barbarian army camp.

Before long, Pan Yang led four hundred local militiamen, escorting dozens of horse-drawn carts, and quietly approached. Under the cover of darkness, they began unloading the equipment from the carts about four hundred meters west of the camp.

The darkness provided the best cover. The lookouts in the camp could only see what the campfires illuminated around the perimeter, with the furthest observation distance being less than one or two hundred meters. In addition, there were several trees blocking the view from where Pan Yang and his men were located, so even if one or two torches were lit, they would be difficult for them to spot in the darkness.

Just as Pan Yang and the others began assembling the equipment, Han Shengxuan led a group of martial artists to a spot 300 meters east of the camp and stopped. When the martial artists saw Han Shengxuan stop, they all followed closely behind, without uttering a single complaint or commotion.

Finally, Xuanyuan Qingfeng led Hama and the others around Twenty Mile Fort and appeared in the woods beside the southern official road leading to the Baiyue barbarians, where they lay in ambush.