The Jing River flowed before the South Gate of Jing City, curving around nearly half of the city.
It entered Jing City beneath the western city wall, then turned northward within the city.
The boat was silent, everyone fearing detection by the enemy.
But fortunately, after being fooled by Qin Yu’s feint, the enemy’s morale was somewhat unsettled, and their guards were less vigilant.
Soon, the boat reached the west side of Jing City.
There was a breach in the city wall where the Jing River flowed into the city.
On both sides of the riverbank, the city walls rose eight meters high, illuminated by dazzling spotlights shining down onto the water.
Rows of Magic-conducting Guns were aimed straight at the river surface.
The guards atop the walls also stared intently at the water.
But Qin Yu noticed that the massive iron chains, meant to block boats, weren’t in use—they merely hung from the wall.
A surge of joy welled up in Qin Yu’s heart.
She had expected the river to be blocked by iron chains, which would have forced a fierce battle, but now the way was clear, sparing them unnecessary bloodshed.
Luo Shangyu lightly tapped the ship’s rail with her Magic Staff and activated her light-attribute invisibility combat technique, causing the entire boat and everyone on it to vanish from sight.
Thus, the small boat slipped past the guards’ eyes without a single trace of suspicion.
Shortly after passing the city wall, Luo Shangyu dispelled the invisibility magic.
The invisibility technique was a Pseudo-Divine Technique Magic Array, and using it over such a wide area was quite taxing for her.
Visible to the naked eye, Luo Shangyu’s chest rose and fell rapidly beneath her military uniform as she gasped for breath.
The boat moved along the banks of the Jing River inside Jing City, soon arriving at a dock.
Qin Yu directed the soldiers to dock the boat.
With a gentle scraping sound, the boat came to a steady stop by the shore.
Everyone quietly disembarked, secured the boat, and covered the Magic-conducting Guns on board with a waterproof cloth.
Qin Yu led the group toward the enemy’s main camp.
The streets of Jing City were eerily quiet; many shops were deserted.
“They probably fled to avoid the chaos of war,” Luo Shangyu guessed.
Qin Yu shrugged, offering no comment.
***
Two gates stood on the southeast side of Jing City, each guarded by troops: one thousand at the south gate, and two thousand at the east gate.
The eastern gate’s city tower was where the Yang brothers were staying tonight.
Qin Yu led her unit to the south gate, intending to strike where the defenses were lighter.
Following Qin Yu’s orders, ten soldiers took their positions, each hiding in the shadows near the enemy camp’s gate, lying in wait.
Luo Shangyu wielded her magic, and from the tip of her Magic Staff erupted an S-Rank Combat Technique Holy Fireball aimed at the enemy camp.
The soldiers inside were resting, but suddenly, the fireball descended, shattering the camp’s tranquility.
It was autumn, and the dry weather caused the flames to spread rapidly through the tents.
The towering blaze immediately caught the attention of the night guards.
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!” The horns atop the city walls sounded the alarm.
Inside the camp, the commander of the one thousand guards at the south gate, the South Gate Captain, was sleeping in the central military tent.
Still groggy, he and the entire command post were engulfed by the fireball.
Having spent considerable energy casting, Luo Shangyu grew weary and ceased the fireball assault.
Though the fireballs stopped, chaos reigned within the camp.
The raging inferno consumed everything, killing countless enemy soldiers.
Only a handful managed to barely escape the tents, but all were cut down one by one by Qin Yu’s soldiers.
Yang Dan, being a soldier by birth, had innate alertness.
Hearing the commotion outside the city tower, he jolted awake, sensing grave danger.
He hurriedly woke Yang Wei, and the two, still groggy, went outside the tower to find the south gate engulfed in flames.
Yang Wei was struck dumb, immediately wide awake.
“Quick! Organize a defense!” Yang Wei ordered Yang Dan loudly.
“Yes!” Yang Dan responded and rushed down the city wall to coordinate the east gate troops’ defense.
Watching the firelight flicker in the distance, Yang Wei sighed deeply and muttered into the shadows beside him, “Cover my retreat!”
***
Qin Yu hid near the south gate camp’s entrance, silently observing the situation inside.
After confirming all enemy soldiers had been eliminated, Qin Yu led the troops to withdraw.
A victory with a thousand kills at the first strike!
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu exchanged glances and smiled faintly, surprised by how smoothly the battle had gone.
The group reached the riverbank and boarded the small boat.
Driven by magic, it swiftly sailed away from Jing City.
Suddenly, shouts and curses echoed from the riverbank.
Qin Yu turned to see enemy troops in hot pursuit.
The enemy assembled densely on both sides of the river, many archers firing arrows at Qin Yu’s boat.
“Cover fire!” Qin Yu ordered her soldiers to open fire, sweeping the riverbanks.
“Click.” The soldiers removed safeties in unison.
Ten streams of fiery bullets shot from the boat, piercing into the enemy ranks on both shores.
The enemy soldiers fell like wheat beneath a strong wind.
The arrow barrage ceased, and the enemy retreated.
“Phew—” Qin Yu exhaled deeply, “Looks like all the trouble on the way is settled!”
The soldiers cheered.
Twelve of them had taken down over a thousand enemies—a great achievement!
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu happily high-fived, the soldiers erupting in cheers.
However…
When the boat approached the west city gate, they suddenly noticed the iron chain across the river had been raised.
The chain glowed faintly red, radiating scorching heat.
Qin Yu quickly raised her Magic Staff and cast a Wind Blade to slice through the iron chain.
At that moment, gunfire erupted around them, bullets flying toward Qin Yu.
In this critical moment, Luo Shangyu swung her Magic Staff horizontally, tracing a wide arc in the air.
A Base-State Magic Shield formed around the boat, protecting it.
“These are elite troops!” Qin Yu’s heart sank.
According to the Ministry of War’s records, Jing City had only three thousand ordinary soldiers—those wielding cold weapons—and no mention of elite troops armed with Magic-conducting Guns!
Without this intel, how could they have planned the operation properly?
Clearly, Vice Minister of War Guo Qing had sabotaged Zhong Chang Gong.
The soldiers quickly responded, opening fire.
Thanks to Luo Shangyu’s shield, the enemy’s attacks were nearly ineffective.
But the enemy lacked mages to sustain their own shield!
Within a minute, the enemy began to suffer casualties.
Qin Yu concentrated on breaking the iron chain, hoping to break through quickly.
Suddenly, gunfire came from behind.
Turning around, Qin Yu saw an armed boat charging toward them, packed with soldiers.
“Boarding action?” Qin Yu eyed the soldiers warily.
The boat drew closer, and a man appeared on deck.
Dressed in a general’s uniform, it was Yang Dan.
“Surrender! We hold the numerical advantage now. Even if your mage can hold the shield longer, it won’t last forever. And even if the magic won’t deplete immediately, it’s still a huge drain on her. You can ask your mage.”
Qin Yu looked toward Luo Shangyu for confirmation, who nodded: “I have to give my all just to keep the shield stable.”
Qin Yu glanced at the shield, which was intermittently covered with crack-like fissures that quickly healed.
Luo Shangyu’s face was pale, her hands trembling as she gripped the Magic Staff.
Qin Yu knew Luo Shangyu was hiding how difficult it was to sustain such a massive shield.
They had to act now!
Qin Yu ordered her soldiers to redirect their guns and unleash a barrage toward the armed boat.
A flash of light surrounded the enemy boat as a Base-State Magic Shield appeared, blocking the bullets.
Seeing the attack fail, Qin Yu commanded the soldiers to cease fire.
As soon as the guns stopped, the shield vanished.
Qin Yu understood immediately: the enemy boat’s shield also consumed significant energy and couldn’t remain active indefinitely.
So…
She had a plan.
Yang Dan, seeing no response, continued to urge surrender.
“Surrender and be spared with a reward! Resist to the end and die!”
Ignoring Yang Dan’s words, Qin Yu traced an arc in the air with her Magic Staff, pointing it at the armed boat and shouted, “A warrior before the army faces life and death; beneath the beauty’s tent, still songs and dances!”
Instantly, influenced by the domain magic, the enemy soldiers on the boat became disoriented.
They thought to themselves: tonight they stood watch, while Yang Dan and Yang Wei indulged themselves in revelry.
Resentment flared.
The soldiers glared fiercely at Yang Dan, as if questioning his behavior.
Yang Dan felt the effect of the domain magic.
Seeing the hatred in his soldiers’ eyes, he wanted to say something to calm them, but found himself powerless.
Qin Yu ignored the reaction across from her.
She kicked open a box of ammunition on the boat, pulled out a 75mm cannon shell, loaded it into the Magic-conducting Gun, and closed the breech.
The cannon shell was made of transparent glass, clearly showing the liquefied mana inside.
Qin Yu operated the Magic-conducting Gun, which auto-aimed.
Magic surged through the barrel, propelling the shell toward the armed boat.
The soldiers on board were still emotionally unsettled by the domain magic and failed to activate their shield in time.
A deafening explosion tore through the hull at the waterline, triggering a violent blast.
The fully loaded soldier boat sank beneath the waves, vanishing without a trace.
With their commander Yang Dan dead, the enemy soldiers onshore scattered like frightened birds, disappearing into the night.
Luo Shangyu dispelled her shield and leaned against the boat’s side to catch her breath.
Qin Yu aimed the cannon at the iron chain again.
Two shots later, the chain shattered, and they safely exited the city.
Luo Shangyu touched her chest, panting heavily.
The earlier battle had drained her greatly.
The enemy’s hundreds of soldiers had fired bullets infused with magic that corroded her shield.
Minimizing consumption to maintain the shield’s stability for as long as possible was a challenge even for Luo Shangyu.
As Luo Shangyu rested, a pair of hands gently took her shoulders, guiding her to lie down.
She felt the warmth, softness, and delicacy of those hands and surrendered to the comfort.
Luo Shangyu rested her head on Qin Yu’s soft lap.
Qin Yu sat on the boat floor.
Luo Shangyu opened her eyes and saw Qin Yu’s face.
Qin Yu was looking down at her, her bangs floating in the air, her long hair neatly tied behind her—hardly the appearance of someone fresh from battle.
Qin Yu cupped Luo Shangyu’s face with concern and said, “If you’re tired, rest a while. You saved us just now.”
Luo Shangyu smiled gently and met Qin Yu’s gaze.
The girl’s blue eyes sparkled brightly, like stars shining over the Tianshan Mountains.