After being reborn, I went on a killing spree in the imperial court.

Cao Yuan seemed to sense someone breathing beside her and asked, "Master, is that you?"

Upon hearing the word "old," Immortal Ying objected, "Who's old! I'm in my prime!"

Cao Yuan smiled. "Then how should I address you?"

Call me an immortal!

"Immortal! Thank you so much for saving my life! I haven't had a chance to properly thank you these past few days!"

"You are Chu Yan's master, so you shouldn't care much about money. If you have any wishes that I can help you with, Cao Yuan will definitely do my best!"

Ying Xianren changed the subject, "Are you from the State of Wei?"

Cao Yuan nodded.

"That's strange! That's strange!"

"???"

Ying Xianren frowned, his eyes fixed on the woman before him like those of a hawk, as if trying to see through her appearance to the secrets deep within her soul.

His gaze was sharp and focused.

After a long silence, Immortal Ying finally broke the silence and said in an incredulous tone, "You! Have two lives!"

These few words, however, were like a thunderclap, exploding in the silent space.

Upon hearing this, Cao Yuan, who had been calm and composed, froze instantly. Her expression seemed to be frozen in that moment, and her eyes revealed astonishment and fear.

Her heart sank suddenly, as if she had fallen into an abyss, filled with shock and confusion.

"Immortal, is it... is it possible to see it?"

"You know a little bit, don't you!" Immortal Ying raised his head arrogantly.

Cao Yuan tensed up.

"I never expected that someone with such a destiny would be such an ordinary woman! It seems you must be very important to that person!"

"Why is that?" Cao Yuan asked, puzzled.

"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed! You must cherish this hard-won opportunity! Defying fate will likely backfire! What a pity..."

Cao Yuan was puzzled. What did he mean by that?

Could it be that she was given a second chance because of someone else?

But in her previous life, she was clearly deceived and lost everything.

Nobody would care about her at all.

Cao Yuan turned her head away forlornly.

Are you guys chatting?

Chu Yan brought over the wine.

"Immortal, you're telling my fortune!" Cao Yuan rubbed her eyes and forced a smile.

Chu Yan glanced at him sideways, clearly not believing him at all, "Master, you're lying to people again!"

"Ah Yuan, my master wouldn't have told you you have two lives, would he?"

Cao Yuan's expression froze again.

"You absolutely mustn't believe him! That's how he tricked me into becoming his apprentice years ago!"

Chu Yan's words only made Cao Yuan more confused.

Is it just a guess?

But everything he just said makes perfect sense.

Immortal Ying slapped him on the head, "You brat, you've been eating and wearing my clothes! And you actually dared to expose my past!"

"I'll teach you a lesson today!" Immortal Ying grabbed a broom and swung it at Chu Yan, who ran around the yard in a flash.

Hearing the two bickering, Cao Yuan's brows relaxed a little. Oh well!

Doesn't she understand herself?

How could anyone defy fate and change her destiny?!

Cao Yuan chuckled softly.

-

Dark clouds gathered over Liucheng, war drums thundered, and shouts of battle were deafening; the battle had reached an extremely critical moment.

The Shu army, like tigers descending the mountain, launched two fierce attacks with overwhelming momentum. Each charge was like a surging tide, wave after wave, giving the Wei army no chance to catch their breath.

Despite their desperate resistance, the Wei forces suffered crushing defeats each time. The new weapons equipped by the Shu army were simply more powerful than anyone could have imagined.

The deafening roars of cannons, like the fury of death, shattered the Wei army, leaving them in disarray. Faced with such overwhelming firepower, the Wei army was utterly powerless to resist.

In Liucheng today, wounded soldiers can be seen lying haphazardly in the streets and alleys. The air is thick with the stench of blood and the smell of despair.

Fan Qingli stood atop the city wall, gazing at the horrific scenes before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He saw innocent civilians displaced and terrified; he saw his own soldiers lying one by one in pools of blood, groaning in agony.

Enraged, he swung his fist and slammed it hard against the city wall beside him. With a deafening crash, he smashed a deep dent into the solid brick!

"Lord Fan, the enemy's military weaponry is too strong. We can't just fight them head-on like this!"

Commander Hou at the city gate was also extremely anxious.

"You're right! This can't go on! We need to prepare for the worst!"

"Why don't we surrender? So many people have been injured or killed; the death toll is incalculable!"

Fan Qingli looked at him in surprise, "If the Marquis of Zhenbei were here, would he choose to surrender?"

Commander Hou pursed his lips and remained silent. If the Marquis of Zhenbei were here, he would surely have persisted until the very last moment.

Fan Qingli rubbed his temples and said earnestly, "First, evacuate the people in the city! Go to the border! We'll lead the troops to defend the city! We won't give up until the very last moment!"

"Even the Marquis of Zhenbei on the border has been killed in battle, are we still going to the border?"

Fan Qingli didn't want to tell him much about the Marquis of Zhenbei. The letter Chu Yan sent before falling off the cliff said that the Marquis of Zhenbei was alright, so he must be alright!

Commander Hou sighed; at this point, this was the only option. Under the cover of night, the people of Liucheng, along with their families, headed towards the border.

After the soldiers had just returned to Liucheng after withdrawing from the city, the Shu army attacked the city again, giving them no chance to rest.

Fan Qingli led his troops out of the city gate to meet the enemy.

The cannons behind Xiao Hanfeng were ready.

"Fan Qingli! You're really tough! After so many battles, how many soldiers do you still have in your city to fight us?"

"Until the very last moment! It's still uncertain who will win or lose!" Fan Qingli's gaze was firm. Although he knew that the Wei army was already severely weakened and could not compare with the Shu army, he could not lose in terms of morale.

"I heard you're the eldest son of the Minister. If you're going to stubbornly guard the city like this, you might as well go home and be a proper civil official!"

Xiao Hanfeng spoke lightly.

"The Fifth Prince has the mind to pry into other people's affairs while he's fighting a war! He really has a lot of free time!"

"Know yourself and know your enemy!"

"Since I'm here, I'm prepared to risk my life! Serving the country is the same for both civil and military officials!"

Xiao Hanfeng chuckled. Wei truly had a wealth of talent; anyone you could pick out to go to the battlefield was a man of principle. They were nothing compared to the bunch of scoundrels from Chen.

It's really interesting to fight against people like them.

The soldier whispered something to Hanting, and Hanting rode his horse to Xiao Hanfeng.

"Your Highness is ready!"

Xiao Hanfeng nodded.

"Fan Qingli, I respect you as a man of honor. I'll give you one last chance! If you surrender, I can withdraw my troops!"

Fan Qingli tugged at the reins, her heart pounding. "Enough with the nonsense!"

"Report from the capital! Report from the capital!"