“We’ve won, we’ve won!”

“Zhuo Yifeng actually beat that Pi swordsman!”

“Amazing! Now the Pi family knows that we’re not to be trifled with, either!”

The dubious looks that the Feng swordsmen cast at Zhuo Yifeng instantly turned to excitement and respect. When Zhuo Yifeng left the stage, he was lifted into the air by a throng of excited soldiers.

“You secretly advanced your cultivation this much without me realizing!” Qin Feng gave Zhuo Yifeng a light-hearted thump on his shoulder.

“Ouch!” Zhuo Yifeng yelped, then clutched the area where Qin Feng had hit him in pain.

“What’s the matter?” Qin Feng asked. He’d used more strength than usual in his excitement, but given Zhuo Yifeng’s cultivation, it shouldn’t have had much of an effect at all. Why would he be shouting out in pain?

“To be quite honest, I only broke through to the realm of a sword saint within the last few days,” Zhuo Yifeng murmured, rubbing his shoulder. “When I fought with that Pi swordsman just now, I only won because of pure chance. He took me too lightly, but even so, I still received an injury from the fight. That’s why I was unable to take Brother Qin’s blow.”

“Ah, you should’ve mentioned it earlier! And here I thought… I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“It’s no big deal. I’ll recover once I’ve had some time to rest,” Zhuo Yifeng replied.

Zhuo Yifeng was about to head back to the military encampment when Feng Yicheng’s personal guard stopped him. “Zhuo Yifeng, Lord Feng requests your presence,” the swordsman began respectfully. Zhuo Yifeng’s defeat of Ju Tian marked the Feng family’s victory. As the swordsmen returned to their encampment, Zhuo Yifeng was escorted to Feng Yicheng’s tent.

Yun Ruoyan, Li Mo, Feng Yicheng, and Feng Bo were all in the tent. The moment Zhuo Yifeng walked in, he saw Feng Yicheng sitting in Feng Yanyang’s usual seat. He frowned, then looked all around him. Li Mo, Yun Ruoyan, and Feng Bo were the only three people by Feng Yicheng’s side. Zhuo Yifeng didn’t detect either Feng Yanyang or Feng Mian, who had returned with Yun Ruoyan and Li Mo.

“Feng—Young Master Feng, why are you sitting in Lord Feng’s seat? Where’s Lord Feng?” Zhuo Yifeng asked, confused.

“Zhuo Yifeng, I called you here today to reward you with a prize as well as to tell you something,” Feng Yicheng replied.

“May I ask what’s the matter?” Zhuo Yifeng frowned. Because he didn’t see Feng Yanyang, he simply stood in the center of the tent, without bowing.

Feng Yicheng described to Zhuo Yifeng how Feng Yanyang had been assassinated by Feng Mian, who had secretly been sent back to the Feng manor. This information was kept under lock and key, and only those present, as well as a few elite members of the Feng secret troops, knew what had happened. Including Zhuo Yifeng, there were no more than ten people who knew.

“Lord Feng’s… dead?” Zhuo Yifeng was shocked.

“Indeed,” Feng Bo replied. “Before he passed away, Lord Feng handed the position of lord of the Feng family to Feng Yicheng. Zhuo Yifeng, are you willing to be loyal to him?”

Zhuo Yifeng stilled, then subconsciously turned toward Yun Ruoyan. However, Yun Ruoyan wasn’t looking at him. She was looking absent-mindedly to the side, as though the conversation wasn’t particularly relevant to her. When Zhuo Yifeng turned aside, he noticed that Li Mo was casually holding her hand.

He finally turned back to Feng Yicheng, a sudden ache suffusing his heart. “I’m not a citizen of the Feng city, nor even an inhabitant of the Mingyuan continent, so I don’t think it appropriate to speak of loyalty and devotion.”

Feng Bo and Feng Yicheng both frowned, but before they could say anything, Zhuo Yifeng continued, “However, since I’m currently being hosted by the Feng city, and because I harbor great enmity against the Pis, I’m willing to help eradicate the Pi family with the troops of the Feng family.”

“Good!” Feng Yicheng stood up from his seat, clearly satisfied with Zhuo Yifeng’s words. “In that case, I have a mission for you. Would you be willing to participate?”

“What mission?”

“We want to launch a sneak attack against the town of Yan tonight. After the bout today, I’m sure Pi Yan and Pi Batian won’t expect us to engage. If we can, we’ll take the entire town in one fell swoop.”

Feng Yicheng had proposed the plan after seeing Zhuo Yifeng fight against Ju Tian, and it had received unanimous approval from all gathered.

“Zhuo Yifeng, we believe you’d be the best leader for the attack. Feng Bo will infiltrate the town of Yan and open the town gates for you. With your combat capabilities, you’ll certainly take the Yan guards by storm.”

“I would be honored to participate.” With Zhuo Yifeng’s approval, Feng Yicheng and Feng Bo ran over their plan carefully with him, then left the tent and got ready for their own roles. Feng Bo headed straight to the town of Yan, whereas Zhuo Yifeng led over a hundred soldiers to the outskirts of Yan, where they would hide until nighttime, until Feng Bo sent out a signal for them to invade the town.

After Zhuo Yifeng and Feng Bo left, Feng Yicheng headed to Yun Ruoyan and Li Mo. “Brother Li, Miss Yun, please help me with Hong’er.”

According to news that his informants had gathered, Madam Hong was currently within the town of Yan. After the success of Zhuo Yifeng’s sneak attack, Feng Yicheng was slated to immediately follow up with a larger troop of swordsmen, so he couldn’t rescue Madam Hong himself. Instead, he had requested a favor from Yun Ruoyan and Li Mo.

“Madam Hong is as close as a sister to me, and I’ll naturally do my best to save her,” Yun Ruoyan replied. “But given her personality, if she refuses to leave with me…”

Pi Yan and Pi Batian didn’t know of the relationship between Madam Hong and Feng Yicheng, and neither did they know that Feng Yicheng was now the lord of the Feng family, so she wasn’t a particularly useful hostage to them. What could be the reason for their having sent for Madam Hong from such a distance?

No matter what their plans were, Yun Ruoyan didn’t plan on letting them get away with them. Even without Feng Yicheng’s request, Yun Ruoyan would have gone to see her again, despite not being confident that Madam Hong would agree to be saved.

“Take this.” Feng Yicheng handed a bottle to Yun Ruoyan. “These are special pills that I had Uncle concoct for me. They’re particularly strong, and can even be used against sword saints.”

“Alright. With this, I’ll have a greater chance of bringing Madam Hong back safely.” She headed out with Li Mo.

“Yan’er, I hope you’ll agree to stay here and allow me to rescue Madam Hong myself,” Li Mo suddenly said, just as they were about to fly off. Yun Ruoyan’s body wasn’t just her own anymore, and Li Mo didn’t want her to take part in such a risky endeavor if he could help it. However, he knew Yun Ruoyan’s personality, and he didn’t forbid her participation outright.

“I’m really not as fragile as you imagine,” Yun Ruoyan said. “If you don’t let me participate in something like this, I’ll definitely worry. Qingchen said that I have to remain calm and collected, that I can’t experience too large a shift in my emotions, or it might have adverse effects on our baby.”

Yun Ruoyan pulled on Li Mo’s hand and placed it on her abdomen.

Li Mo’s eyes immediately turned gentle, but his face remained severe.

“You’re not allowed to fly on your own or to fight. You have to stay behind me at all times and not take even half a step away from me.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you.” Yun Ruoyan smiled. “Can we take off now, Your Highness?”

Li Mo sighed, clutched Yun Ruoyan tightly, and soared off into the skies in the direction of Yan. The manor of the governor of Yan was in the southernmost part of the city, and was where Madam Hong was being kept. Li Mo flew close to the manor, then landed. Given the tense situation, there were sentries posted everywhere within the town and on the walls surrounding the town. If they were caught flying, signals would immediately be sent out all throughout the town.

They landed, evaded a patrolling troop, and walked up to the walls surrounding the governor’s manor.

“Climb up, Yan’er.” Li Mo bent his waist and motioned to Yun Ruoyan. She clambered onto his back and Li Mo scaled the wall like a lizard, circulating a technique to create suction from his palms. Yun Ruoyan couldn’t help but be reminded of a time when he had done this exact same thing to enter the Yuelu Villa.

At the time, Yun Ruoyan was still somewhat dissatisfied and annoyed by Li Mo, but now they were husband and wife, and would even soon have a baby. Yun Ruoyan squeezed Li Mo’s shoulders, whispering into his ear, “We’ll eradicate the Pi family during this war. If we can ferret out their mysterious backer, we’ll be able to return to the Chenyuan continent without any further worry.”

“Once the Pi family’s eradicated, its backer will definitely make a move. We’ll have the support of the Feng family, as well as of Kongming Academy and the Li royalty when we return to the Chenyuan continent. If we combine these three powers, we might have a fighting chance against that backer.”