Chapter 400
The entire Qin family had joined the army and no longer lived in Hengyang. At the border, Qin soldiers stood guard in layers—so thick they were three deep inside and three deep out.
[里三层外三层 (lǐ sān céng wài sān céng): lit. three layers inside and three layers outside; fig. packed tightly with people on all sides.]
Not far from the border was Yangguan Town, which together with the surrounding villages, housed over ninety thousand people. If the border were breached, Yangguan Town would be the first to fall. So even during a temporary ceasefire, the Qin family didn't dare return to Hengyang—they held the border at all times.
Old General Qin was weary beyond words. He slept soundly until midnight, when the urgent blast of a horn tore through the air, echoing into every corner.
Every soldier burst out of their tents in an instant, fully alert—some forming ranks, others grabbing their weapons.
Qin Yi's voice came from outside the tent: "General! Scout reports—the Chao troops are leading eighty thousand men toward our southwest. Likely a night raid."
They'd just fought a battle the day before, and now another wave—no chance to catch their breath.
Old General Qin rose and hastily donned his armor: "Assemble the troops at once."
"Yes, sir."
Old General Qin entered the main tent, where his deputy generals had already gathered—Qin Hengxuan among them.
After hearing the scout's detailed report, Old General Qin's face darkened immediately.
The two armies faced off at Luoxia Gully.
In war, it wasn't simply a matter of charging in and fighting the moment they met. Usually, the commanders exchanged a few words first.
Jiang Zhanying was the same age as Old General Qin — both of them in their sixties. Most people at that age looked kindly, but this man's eyes were too narrow, giving him a somewhat gloomy air.
Now seated atop a sturdy red warhorse, he smiled at Old General Qin—a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"You old bastard, you got here fast enough."
Old General Qin looked back at him coldly. "Not as fast as you, you old beast."
Jiang Zhanying's face immediately darkened. He and Old General Qin were like Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang—rivals who had spent their whole lives locked in struggle. The moment they laid eyes on each other, they wanted nothing more than to tear into the other like wild beasts. Every time they met, it started with a war of words, then escalated to a war of fists. Back in the day, Jiang Zhanying couldn't beat Old General Qin in fighting, and he couldn't beat him in verbal sparring either.
[Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang were two legendary strategists from the Three Kingdoms period. Historically, they were allies who worked together to defeat Cao Cao at the Red Cliff, but in the famous novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, their relationship was transformed into a bitter rivalry.]
But twenty years had passed since then...
Now, spotting Qin Hengyi standing beside Old General Qin, Jiang Zhanying let out a hearty laugh. "You've only got that sharp tongue of yours going for you, really. Sometimes I just can't figure you out—what are you even fighting for at this point? At your age, instead of enjoying your twilight years in peace, you come all the way out here. What if you slip up and lose your life? That would be a real shame."
Old General Qin gripped his long spear tightly and let out a few cold chuckles. "And what are you fighting for? A cripple with missing limbs, biting off more than you can chew by coming here—looking to get yourself chopped up?"
Jiang Zhanying didn't take the bait. "I'm doing it for my grandsons, of course. An old man's got to leave some foundation for his family, doesn't he? But what about you?"
Every word landed like a knife.
Old General Qin was instantly hit where it hurt most.
Seeing his face turn black as ink, Jiang Zhanying grinned. "The fortune you've already amassed—isn't that enough to last you till your dying day?"
The Qin family was on the verge of extinction—so why on earth was he still fighting so hard? If he had grandsons and descendants to protect, to secure their safety and wealth, then sure, that would be understandable. But now? What was the point? Their fate was already sealed.
Old General Qin said coldly, "The men of the Qin family are sworn to defend Da Xia."
For family, for Da Xia — and even with no family left, still for Da Xia.
"You old beast, shut your mouth! Don’t force me to show you I’m a master of both the brush and the blade."
Jiang Zhanying laughed. "You old fool, you've slaughtered too many, committed too many evils—that's why your Qin line has died out..." Before he could even finish, Qin Hengyi, who had been silent all along, suddenly drew the sword from his waist and hurled it straight at him.
Jiang Zhanying didn't move. Half a meter from him, the sword was knocked down by A-Zuo.
Without a word, Qin Hengyi swung his long spear and charged forward on horseback.
The two armies formally engaged.
Qin Hengyi and A-Zuo clashed.
Old General Qin kept a close eye on Qin Hengyi—something was off about his second son.
That masked, mysterious A-Zuo seemed remarkably familiar with Qin Hengyi's moves. No matter what angle Qin Hengyi thrust from, no matter how tricky the strike, A-Zuo could predict it and parry with his sword in an instant.
The battle raged fiercely, with casualties on both sides. Within moments, the air was thick with the heavy stench of blood—a scent that jolted everyone's nerves. The soldiers fought with absolute focus, not daring to be distracted, because this was no game. The enemy’s blades gleamed with cold, deadly light — one moment of distraction and their heads would stay on the field.
Swords clashed in endless clanging. The fighting was fierce, every soldier strung tight as a bow. And yet, right in the middle of it, a sharp, jarring laugh rang out.
Who was laughing?
Damn it—they were in the middle of a battle! Could they show some respect? This was real steel, real bloodshed! Who the hell was laughing?
Everyone froze.
Instinctively, they turned toward the sound.
It was Qin Hengyi.
Jiang Zhanying, along with another man, was locked in combat with Old General Qin and was currently losing ground. Seeing that the enemy was aiming to capture the leader, he immediately shouted, "What's going on here? You old bastard, has your son lost his mind? At a time like this... Heaven truly is abandoning your Qin family! A-Zuo!"
This was the perfect chance to take his head.
Cut him down.
Old General Qin didn't move. A-Zuo seemed momentarily stunned by Qin Hengyi's outburst and had stopped in a daze. Now that he'd received the order, he didn't act right away. Jiang Zhanying called his name again. A-Zuo gripped his sword hilt tightly. After a long pause, his palms were drenched in sweat. If one looked closely, they'd even notice his whole body trembling faintly.
A few soldiers from the Chao Kingdom, probably desperate to earn merit, saw Qin Hengyi in this state and immediately charged at him with their swords raised—some aiming for his horse, others for his legs. But none of them even got close—Qin Hengyi sent them all flying with a single sweep of his long spear.
His eyes were bloodshot. His voice was low and hoarse as he fixed his gaze on A-Zuo, not looking away for even a moment. Nearly gnashing his teeth, he spat out each word as if it were mixed with blood: "You lied to me. You son of a bitch—you actually dared to lie to me."
A-Zuo's face was hidden behind his mask, making his expression unreadable. But at those words—so much like an accusation, yet so full of burning fury—his body stiffened, and his gaze flickered uneasily.
"A-Zuo!" A-You shouted sharply. "Don't forget your parents."
A flicker of hesitation passed through A-Zuo's eyes, and a nameless sorrow welled up in his heart.
But when he saw a soldier of the Chao Kingdom get his throat slit by Qin Hengyi's spear, he still raised his blade and charged.
At that, Qin Hengyi simply tossed his long spear aside and called out to Qin Er.
Qin Er fought off the enemies surrounding him and, with practiced coordination, tossed a soft whip to his hand.
Outsiders only knew that the eldest young master of the Qin family fainted at the sight of blood, and that the second young master was skilled with both sword and spear but poor at strategy—especially famous for his red-tasseled spear work. But few knew that he was also exceptionally skilled with the soft whip.
Still, the soft whip had limited killing power. On the battlefield, where circumstances changed in the blink of an eye, it was best to silence an enemy with a single cut and give them no chance to strike back. Besides, a man wielding a whip looked somewhat effeminate. So after he grew older, Qin Hengyi never trained with the whip again.
So this move now caught everyone by surprise.
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