231: Chapter 0231 Gemini

"General Yelu, you misunderstand. Our Yanyu Pavilion has now forsaken the darkness for the light and works for His Highness Prince Bai. We stopped taking those dirty jobs long ago."

The black-clad Wubing said, "We came here today on the orders of His Highness Prince Bai to deliver a gift to General Yelu."

Yelu Chuku, however, acted as if he hadn't understood.

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"I have heard that the two of you share a connection of hearts and minds, and your martial arts are far beyond the ordinary."

"Five years ago, you hunted down a Martial Arts Grandmaster of the Daoist Sect. That fellow was nearly killed by you."

"After all these years, I imagine your martial arts have become even more refined..."

Before the twins could say anything, Yelu Chuku suddenly took a step forward. His figure moved with the force of a thunderbolt as he threw a punch aimed directly at Wuzai's vitals!

Wuzai overlapped his hands to deflect the force and retreated, while Wubing delivered a sweeping kick from the side, targeting Yelu Chuku's arm joint.

Yelu Chuku was well-prepared; his other hand struck toward Wubing's face!

In a flash, Wuzai kicked Wubing aside, helping his brother dodge the fatal palm strike, while he himself flew back over a dozen meters.

"Interesting. As expected of the Twin Assassins, your coordination is truly seamless."

Yelu Chuku spoke with a faint, mocking smile.

All traces of smiles had vanished from the faces of Wubing and Wuzai, replaced only by vigilance and coldness.

Their eyes met, and the same thought rose in both their minds: This Number One Warrior of the Khitan truly lived up to his reputation!

Even among those at the Martial Arts Grandmaster level, there were differences in combat strength.

Martial Arts Grandmasters tempered on the battlefield were often the strongest in direct combat.

It wasn't that peerless experts couldn't emerge from deep mountains and old forests, but killing required more than just strength and skill—it also required mindset, experience, and various other complex factors.

Clearly, Yelu Chuku was a top-tier powerhouse among Martial Arts Grandmasters!

If not for their shared mind, being even half a second slower just now would have resulted in a heavy injury.

"General Yelu is matchless in bravery; we brothers are filled with admiration!"

"The gift from His Highness Prince Bai has already been delivered to the martial arts field in the rear courtyard."

"Lin Xiao of the Zhenbei Army is full of schemes. We hope General Yelu does not underestimate the enemy!"

Having said their piece, the two immediately flew off, not lingering for a single moment.

Upon hearing the name 'Lin Xiao,' Yelu Chuku's brow furrowed.

"Li Sibai... you insidious villain. Do you want this general to kill Lin Xiao for you?"

Yelu Chuku leaped onto the roof, his heavy frame nearly causing the tiles to shatter.

He gazed toward the west, his eyes burning like torches...

"The man who made that old fellow Zhao bow his head, the God of Slaughter at the Border..."

"Don't you dare disappoint this general..."

...

Songyuan City.

When the Zhenbei Army led by Lin Xiao arrived, it was practically a dead city.

The Iron Kite Army had long since pillaged, burned, and slaughtered everything clean.

Large numbers of commoners' bodies were left exposed in the wilderness, while officials and generals were hung directly from the city walls.

Lin Xiao ordered the army to gather the corpses and burn them together to prevent a plague from breaking out once spring arrived.

Many soldiers from the Yan Region even found their own relatives among the corpses.

The army was filled with heavy sorrow and grief, which also accumulated into a greater fury.

"Damn Khitan dogs... sooner or later, I'll kill them all!!"

"That Marquis of Ruyang also deserves to die! Even if the King of Yan was captured, does he just not care about the people of the Yan Region anymore!?"

"Exactly! My biggest regret is having ever risked my life for Prince Yan!"

Atop the city wall.

Lin Xiao watched the bodies being continuously sent out for cremation, his mood complex.

Logically, he had seen too many life-and-death partings, but every time he saw the tragic state of women and children who couldn't escape such a fate, he still felt a sense of melancholy.

At times like this, Lin Xiao realized that he was ultimately a human being, not a killing machine with a system.

"Husband, the corpses in the city are mostly cleared. Some soldiers hope to give their relatives a proper burial..."

Zhao Caiwei could sense the man's sorrow, and her tone was exceptionally gentle.

"Granted. Tell them there's no rush. We will rest and reorganize in Songyuan for three days. After three days, we will decide whether to attack Qizhou."

Zhao Caiwei was puzzled. "Rest for three days? The army isn't that exhausted; is it necessary? Entering Qizhou a day earlier might save more commoners..."

Lin Xiao shook his head. "We cannot attack Qizhou so directly. I've realized over these past two days that what Li Sibai wants to see most is the Yan Region in chaos."

"If we fight with the seventy thousand Yan Kings Army and the Khitan Army, regardless of who wins in the end, the casualties will be heavy."

"Therefore, we cannot fight a muddled battle! We must first figure out who is the enemy and who can be won over."

"Husband, you mean... Li Cong's seventy thousand Yan Kings Army might be able to join forces with us?"

Zhao Caiwei hurriedly advised, "Based on my understanding of the Marquis of Ruyang, this man must never be an ally. He will stab us in the back sooner or later."

"If Li Cong is untrustworthy, then we change to someone who is," Lin Xiao said.

"Change? How do we change?"

Zhao Caiwei was curious. "Does husband intend to go and kill Li Cong directly?"

"But even if you do that, there's no guarantee that there aren't still Li Sibai's people within those seventy thousand Yan Kings Army troops."

Lin Xiao smiled at the woman. "You're right. The water in a seventy-thousand-strong army is too deep... that's why I need these three days."

Zhao Caiwei's eyes flickered for a moment as she suddenly thought of something...

"Husband, do you want to go to Qizhou alone first to check the situation?"

Lin Xiao didn't deny it. "Correct. Just like when I ran from Sha Prefecture to Tai Prefecture alone before, it's actually more convenient for me to do certain things by myself."

Many words were left unsaid in Zhao Caiwei's eyes, eventually turning into a long sigh.

"Fine. Husband's intelligence is extraordinary and your martial arts are peerless; your thinking is surely more thorough than mine."

"Thirty thousand troops fighting a hundred thousand would indeed be too tragic. If we can avoid such a massacre, it is naturally for the best..."

Lin Xiao opened his arms and hugged the woman's delicate body.

"Caiwei, although there shouldn't be many enemy scouts in Songyuan, we must still try our best to keep my absence from the army a secret."

"For at least three days, you have to help me stall."

Zhao Caiwei pondered for a moment and then smiled brightly. "Don't worry, husband. I have my ways."

After nightfall.

Lin Xiao whipped his horse, once again heading toward Qizhou alone under the cover of night.

This time, Lin Xiao didn't particularly want to rack up a kill count. On the contrary, he hoped a major battle wouldn't break out.

The population of the Three Prefectures of Yan was already less than that of the Six Prefectures of the Northern Territory. If he had to conscript new soldiers to garrison the area, it would be too time-consuming and a drain on the people's resources.

Now that Prince Yan had been captured by the Khitan, it was a golden opportunity for him to take over the three prefectures.

Lin Xiao's idea was simple: he wanted both the people and the land!

Since it would be his territory in the future, and these would be his subjects and soldiers, he naturally wanted to minimize casualties as much as possible.

Therefore, he planned to sneak in and see exactly what the situation was with Li Cong's seventy thousand Yan Kings Army.

At the same time.

Outside Qizhou City, in the camp of the Yan Kings Army.

Inside the commander's tent, the Marquis of Ruyang, Li Cong—who wore a two-pronged mustache and a vermilion robe—was currently embracing a beautiful woman.

"Zaner, you are truly beautiful. You don't look at all like someone who has given birth to three..."

Zaner, however, said with a face full of resentment, "Marquis, when exactly are you going into the city to save my three children?"

"Oh... don't worry. This Marquis has already spoken with Yelu Chuku; he won't harm them."

"But I heard that the female members of the Prince of Yan's household were all killed... several of my sisters had their heads cut off..."

Zaner's face turned pale as she said, "Marquis, you wouldn't lie to me, would you? For your sake, I stayed by the Prince of Yan's side for over a decade, and my heart has always been with you. But those three children are my own flesh and blood after all..."

Li Cong said with righteous conviction, "Rest assured, this Marquis values sentiment and loyalty above all. When have I ever lied to you? Once I become the King of Yan, you will be the Princess Consort of Yan!"

Just as Li Cong intended to steal a kiss, he heard someone reporting from outside.

"Marquis! There is a secret report! It was sent by someone entrusted by the Prince from within the city!"

Li Cong's expression changed. "Prince Yan? He can still send a message out?"

His eyes darted around. He first covered Zaner with a quilt, then fastened his belt and stepped down from the bed.

"Bring it in!"