Chapter 97: Salvation

With this maneuver, Ye Pei instantly stunned a large group of soldiers nearby, buying himself and Jiang Zhongqing a rare moment of respite.

However, observing the rescue team led by Yang Tianrui, Ye Pei saw they were still far off and had suffered significant casualties along the way. He shook his head slightly, murmuring, "I truly do not know where the hope for breaking this deadlock lies."

From the gate tower, Chen Mo witnessed the situation. In a rare gesture, he folded his fan and began tapping the rampart unconsciously with one hand, muttering, "Jiazhou, oh, hurry with the reinforcements..."

"Insolent brat, cease your arrogance!" Suddenly, an officer leaped from the rear of the Lin army into the encirclement, wielding a long halberd.

Ye Pei sneered, "You let your foot soldiers swarm me for so long, and only now that a 'general' appears do you dare to spout threats? You truly are capable."

The officer was about to retort, but Ye Pei’s mocking voice cut him off: "Besides... are you even worthy of using a halberd?"

Incensed, the officer roared, "And why shouldn't I be?"

Ye Pei pointed his spear and declared, "The mere fact that you dared not face me from the start proves you are unworthy of touching any weapon, let alone a halberd! A true master of the halberd is not a scholar, but a sovereign of peerless grace and crushing might. You will never know what true grandeur looks like in the hands of a warrior."

Enraged, the officer shouted, "Enough talk! Come!" He swung his halberd and charged at Ye Pei.

Ye Pei did not shrink back; he met the charge with his spear held horizontally. This officer was clearly sharper than Dong Yang; he avoided techniques like the vertical hack that left one exposed, opting instead for direct thrusts.

Ye Pei nimbly twisted his body to evade the thrust, using the momentum to swing his spear toward the officer’s head. When the strike missed, the officer rapidly adjusted his guard to block Ye Pei’s blow. Unsurprised, Ye Pei used the force of the collision to drive the butt of his spear toward the officer's midsection, forcing him to shift his halberd downward to defend.

The stalemate continued. Ye Pei realized he couldn't find a breakthrough in such a back-and-forth rhythm. He lunged forward and kicked the shaft of the officer's halberd, forcing them apart. Taking a deep breath, Ye Pei prepared to shift his tactics. He could not afford a war of attrition; he had to break through.

On the gate tower, Chen Mo finally saw the soldier he had dispatched to Jiazhou. Seeing the man gasping for air, Chen Mo urged, "How is it? Where are the reinforcements?"

The soldier replied, "Strategist... ha..."

"Take a breath and speak!" Chen Mo said helplessly.

The soldier swallowed hard, took a few deep breaths, and reported, "Strategist, the reinforcements from Jiazhou are right behind me; they will be here soon!"

Chen Mo’s face brightened with relief. Looking down at the battlefield, he sighed, "Ye’s combat prowess is truly astonishing..."

The intensity of the siege had waned. Ye Pei and his group had drawn much of the enemy's fire, and the exhausted defenders were holding on. Once Ye Pei’s side reached a resolution, the battle could be considered over.

However, the siege continued, and given the numerical inferiority of his own forces, Chen Mo could not afford to send more men to rescue Ye Pei.

Below, the fight between Ye Pei and the officer reached its climax. Ye Pei fully unleashed the elegance and agility of his style, leaving the officer scrambling to defend. Just as Ye Pei was about to finish the man with a flurry of strikes, another figure emerged from the rear, forcing Ye Pei back with a sword.

Ye Pei retreated, steadying his stance as he looked at the newcomer. "What is this? Addicted to tag-team fighting?"

Exhausted and wounded, Ye Pei had been forced back by the sudden strike. Had he been in his prime, he would have easily handled both. But with Jiang Zhongqing caught in the fray nearby, Ye Pei had no choice but to raise his spear and engage again.

Chen Mo, watching from above, grew anxious once more. Just as he was about to ask how much longer the reinforcements would take, a sky-blue radiance flashed before his eyes.

Below, Ye Pei forced himself to channel his remaining internal energy, holding his own against the two officers. Yet, he knew he was nearing his limit; he would collapse within a quarter of an hour if this continued.

At that moment, a sky-blue figure descended, wielding two swords to force the officers back, shielding Ye Pei behind her. As the officers prepared to charge again, they caught sight of the massive, luminous blue wings unfurling behind the newcomer.

"Star... Star Envoy?" The sight froze them in terror.

Ye Pei smiled, "I didn't expect you to be the one to save me..."

Xing Yan nodded without a word. She hovered in the air, carried by the bloody winds of the battlefield, and projected her voice with spiritual power: "The Star Envoy is here! Cease your hands at once!"

The cold, ethereal voice resonated across the entire battlefield, cutting through the clamor of war as if it belonged to a different dimension.

"The Star Envoy?!"

"Look at the western gate! It really is the Star Envoy!"

Soon, everyone noticed Xing Yan in the air, and the fighting ground to a halt.

"This battle ends here! Both sides, withdraw your troops!" Her voice carried an irresistible majesty.

The combatants dared not defy a Star Envoy. The Lin army sounded the retreat, and Chen Mo’s forces followed suit, beginning to clear the field.

However, Lin Yuzhe rode his horse forward, knelt, and roared at Xing Yan: "Star Envoy! This man murdered my three brothers during the Battle of Wangmai, harmed my father upon arriving in the Yan lands, and is now assisting rebels in attacking my Lin family territory. I beg you to investigate!"

Lin Yuzhe hoped that because the Star Envoys had lobbied the clans to punish Wangmai, they would side with him. He did not know that the person before him was not a loyal Star Envoy, but a princess who had long since defected.

Ye Pei nearly laughed aloud, wondering how Lin Yuzhe would react if he knew that the plan to support Dongfang Boyi was concocted by Ye Pei and this very "Star Envoy."

Xing Yan replied, "I am aware of this matter. I shall go to judge your 'rebels,' and I will certainly give the Lin clan an answer in due time!"

With that, Xing Yan accompanied Ye Pei and the others toward Huasu City. Lin Yuzhe, overjoyed, assumed she was heading to deliver justice and withdrew his troops, cursing Ye Pei under his breath.

Because of the urgency, the Jiazhou reinforcements had been rushed, totaling only five thousand men. Fortunately, Xing Yan had arrived in Jiazhou shortly before and, hearing the news, had followed them. Unable to shake her worry, she had unfurled her wings to arrive in time to save Ye Pei.

The Feng clan generals from Jiazhou were stunned. When they first saw this beauty arrive in Jiazhou, they assumed she was one of Ye Pei’s romantic entanglements; they never imagined she was a Star Goddess.

Inside the city, the crowd treated Xing Yan with great respect, though people like Yang Tianrui remained uneasy, unable to gauge her true intentions. Only Chen Mo remained lost in deep thought.

Back at the City Lord's mansion, the group sat scattered in the courtyard. As a physician tended to Ye Pei’s wounds, he asked, "Princess Yan, about what we discussed..."

"Princess?" The onlookers were even more surprised.

Xing Yan smiled. "You know, there are many Star Envoys in both Wangmai and the Yan lands. The shift change should have just concluded, and they are currently active. While they don't usually live in bustling areas, one can never be certain they won't get wind of this. Helping you as I did carries risks, though I must admit, your plan is sound. Was it your idea?"

"It was Qingrong's," Ye Pei replied. "But what you say makes sense... what should we do?"

Xing Yan shook her head. "I cannot easily obtain their rosters or locations. Otherwise, I would have dealt with them already."

Ye Pei blinked. "Are you always this ruthless toward your own kind?"

Xing Yan whispered in his ear, "I have killed many of them in the past. I cannot detail the reasons here."

Ye Pei nodded. "Then we shall discuss it later. For now, having Dongfang Boyi issue a verbal call to arms will suffice." He turned to Chen Mo. "Xiao Mo, where is Qingrong?"

"Ah? Cough..." Chen Mo leaned in and whispered, "She wanted to go to the city wall to see you, so I knocked her unconscious. She's in the bedroom..."

Before he could finish, Ye Pei kicked him, sending him flying against the wall. He slumped to the ground amid a cloud of dust. Ye Pei then told the physician, "Doctor, please check on his injuries."

Ignoring the stunned onlookers, Ye Pei headed toward the bedroom. Entering, he saw Zi Qingrong lying peacefully on the bed. He sat by her side, watching her sleeping face. He knew Chen Mo had acted correctly—it would have been dangerous for her to be near the walls. But that didn't change the fact that he had knocked her out. Protecting her was one thing; how he did it was another.

Within minutes of Ye Pei sitting down, Zi Qingrong stirred.

"Ye...zi..." She opened her eyes, dazed. After realizing it was Ye Pei, she sat up, threw herself into his arms, and wept, "You've returned..."