Chapter 52: The Final Barrier to Home

 

Dawn broke, with the morning light shimmering through the breeze and flowers, spilling across the vast, endless grassland.

 

“Your Highness, are we really going to let those two sentinel hawks keep following us?” Xuanwu raised his eyes, focusing on the two black dots circling above their heads.

 

Sentinel hawks were a type of fierce bird specifically raised by the barbarians for reconnaissance and to hunt carrier pigeons and messenger birds. From a young age, they were fed a special potion that enhanced their eyesight, endurance, and speed far beyond other hawk species. Combined with a secret technique, they could share their vision with their trainers, allowing real-time battlefield insights during wartime.

 

Unfortunately, due to the high attrition rate and the expensive potion, each sentinel hawk was extremely precious.

 

The fact that two sentinel hawks were allowed to follow just the six of them on this journey clearly showed that the barbarians were getting a bit anxious.

 

“Let them follow. Let’s rest for a while,” Shen Yian said as he walked to a large boulder, lifted his robe, and sat down to enjoy the beautiful grassland view.

 

Seeing this, Yin Hai and the other three found places to sit or stand and rest as well.

 

This series of actions left Xuanwu at a loss. 

 

Everyone, we’re very close to Sebei City, but we’re still in barbarian territory. Who knows how many barbarian experts are pursuing us at full speed?

 

Xuanwu suddenly wondered why he was thinking so much. Back in the capital, if he hadn’t overthought things, he wouldn’t have run slower than the other five and wouldn’t have had to endure the bombardment of four Guardian Knights alone.

 

He now understood one thing. When he was with Shen Yian, he just needed to follow the footsteps of this prince without thinking too much.

 

Xuanwu walked forward with a thick face and sat on the other corner of the boulder.

 

“Your Highness, we’re about twenty li away from Sebei City.”

 

“Mm.” Shen Yian nodded in response, gazing at the distant horizon, lost in thought.

 

The six of them brazenly rested for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, right under the noses of the two sentinel hawks.

 

“That’s enough. Shen Jun, shoot down those two annoying hawks,” Shen Yian stood up, stretching his muscles.

 

Xuanwu was startled. Why didn’t they shoot earlier?

 

“Yes, Your Highness.”

 

Lightly tapping the black wooden case on his back, a series of gear-turning sounds rang out as Shen Jun reached in and took out a folding bow.

 

As true qi infused the golden bowstring, connecting its ends, the folding bow revealed its complete form before the group. Xuanwu exclaimed in confusion, “The Hou Yi Bow?!”

 

“No, this is a replica?!”

 

Shen Jun ignored Xuanwu’s shock and raised his head, drawing the bowstring fully, condensing arrows with qi.

 

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

 

Streams of golden arrows pierced the sky. The two sentinel hawks tried to dodge but had nowhere to escape, meeting their demise.

 

Xuanwu’s mouth twitched slightly. It was the first time he’d seen such terrible archery, but what the archer lacked in skill, he made up for in quantity.

 

“Xuanwu, have you ever eaten sentinel hawk?” Shen Yian asked.

 

“Uh… In response to Your Highness, I’ve eaten it once. It wasn’t good – the meat was tough and had a medicinal taste,” Xuanwu replied thoughtfully after a moment.

 

Having been stationed in the northern frontier for so many years, he had indeed eaten sentinel hawk once. The taste was like very tough chicken breast boiled in some unknown medicinal soup.

 

“Then let’s continue on our way,” Shen Yian said, abandoning the idea. He had thought that if it tasted good, he could bring some back to try with the silly girl.

 

The six continued on their journey. After walking three or four li up a hillside, their view suddenly opened up. About a thousand meters away, they saw banners blotting out the sky, with a sea of people moving like a dense colony of ants.

 

A huge Barbarian Nation flag waved in the center, making their identity clear.

 

Over 30,000 allied troops formed an iron wall, becoming the last barrier between the six and their return to Great Qing.

 

If the six were determined to fight their way through, these 30,000 troops without any experts among them couldn’t stop them.

 

But if someone didn’t want to fight through, and instead wanted to bury these 30,000 allied troops here…

 

Long Yuan trembled excitedly in Shen Yian’s hand.

 

To ensure Sebei City’s safety after Ye Feng returned to Tianwu City, causing internal strife among the barbarians wasn’t enough.

 

The 20,000 barbarian troops stationed outside Sebei City year-round had to be cleared out.

 

He was actually gambling, betting on whether the stationed barbarian troops would react after the sentinel hawks discovered them.

 

If they didn’t react, it wouldn’t matter. They would just walk further and kill their way into their military camp.

 

He just hadn’t expected the 20,000 barbarian troops to become over 30,000. Had they added the nobles’ private armies?

 

Shen Yian’s eyes narrowed as he noticed other colored flags and insignias mixed in with the Barbarian Nation flag.

 

“Xuanwu, can you ‘shake people’?” Shen Yian asked.

 

“Your Highness, what does ‘shake people’ mean?” Xuanwu didn’t understand for a moment.

 

“It means to call for reinforcements.”

 

“I see. However, Your Highness, there are no experts among these 30,000 people. With the five of us clearing the way, we can ensure Your Highness’s safety and break through!” Xuanwu said, cupping his hands.

 

Shen Yian shook his head. “Xuanwu, I’m tired of running.”

 

Xuanwu: “Huh?”

 

Your Highness, what are you planning to do this time?

 

“Your Highness, shall I carry you on my back?” Xuanwu suggested after a moment of hesitation.

 

Shen Yian shook his head again. “You call for reinforcements first.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Xuanwu took out a cube, infused it with true qi to activate it, and a lifelike mechanical bird fluttered its wings and flew up.

 

“Zhuque! Urgent! Aid!”

 

The mechanical bird recorded the four characters and fluttered its wings, flying towards Sebei City.

 

“Do you have any faster methods to call for help?” Shen Yian asked.

 

“Yes, but Your Highness, we’re too far from Sebei City. They might not see it,” Xuanwu replied.

 

“Use it anyway.”

 

“As you wish, Your Highness.”

 

In the allied army, the commanding general grew impatient seeing the six standing motionless on the hillside. He ordered, “Send the slave army to charge! Wear down their strength!”

 

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

 

War drums thundered. Two gaps appeared in the allied army’s formation, and two thousand slave soldiers, like mad dogs, charged towards the six with old weapons.

 

The Crown Prince had decreed: Regardless of status, anyone who could kill even one of these six would be made an earl and awarded a city!

 

For these slaves, it was a chance to ascend to heaven in a single step! What if there were only six of them? No matter how strong, they were just six against thousands. They could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers!

 

“Whoosh! Bang!”

 

A red firework suddenly rose and exploded high in the sky. The sunlight made the pattern unclear.

 

At Sebei City, the north gate opened wide.

 

“Follow me to kill the barbarians!” Ye Feng led the charge, mounted on a blood-red steed, wielding a black ink-like long halberd, with five thousand Great Qing iron cavalry close behind.

 

When his deputy reported the barbarians’ mobilization, he had guessed their purpose. He hoped they weren’t too late, despite the slightly longer assembly time.

 

“They’re sending distress signals! Archers, prepare!” The barbarian general sneered.

 

This meant the six Qing experts were exhausted after a night of forced marching, making a last desperate attempt!

 

If he could take these six heads, a duke’s position would be within his grasp!

 

“Your Highness, let me handle these small fry!” Xuanwu swung his weapon, the four-edged meteorite whip transforming into a meters-long lightning whip, leaving a visible scorched mark on the grass.

 

“No rush,” Shen Yian raised an eyebrow. His divine sense scanned the surrounding dozen li like radar, sensing Ye Feng’s presence and the five thousand cavalry.

 

With the six of them plus Ye Feng and five thousand iron cavalry, dealing with these 30,000 barbarian allied troops would be much easier.

 

He was solving problems for his father-in-law, and unexpectedly, his father-in-law could lend a hand at this critical moment.

 

“Bai Shi! Shen Jun! Don’t let them get within a hundred paces!”

 

Shen Yian immediately saw through the barbarian general’s strategy – using the slave army as cannon fodder, then launching an arrow barrage when they were entangled.

 

“Yes, Your Highness!”

 

Shen Jun opened his folding bow, shooting beams of light that constantly exploded among the slave army.

 

Bai Shi was even more direct and brutal, his ten fingers transforming into a human Gatling gun, countless qi bullets firing from his fingertips.

 

One bombarding, one sweeping – they displayed the aesthetics of modern warfare. In the blink of an eye, large numbers of slave soldiers died miserably under their coordination.

 

As the saying goes, to catch thieves, first catch their king!

 

Shen Yian locked his energy onto the barbarian general.

 

“Long Yuan! Go!”