A flash of lightning briefly illuminated the battlefield. In that moment, the bold silhouettes of the two men were forever etched into the minds of those watching.
The rain showed no signs of easing, only intensifying further with the bloody melee.
"Keep going," Ye Beizhi exhorted as he reached Xue Qiming's side. His right thumb resting on the hilt of his blade. The blade would occasionally flash out of its sheath for an instant, glimmering with reflected fire and lightning before disappearing into its sheath again.
Xue Qiming turned his head and smiled at Ye Beizhi, pointing to the army blocking their way. "How long is this going to take? Let's pick up the pace."
"Alright." Ye Beizhi's measured voice drifted back.
By the time Xue Qiming refocused, he could only see a blur of motion accompanied by dazzling flashes of blade light racing ahead!
"Stop him!" shouted one of the Northern Qiang cavalry officers blocking their path. The warning came at the right time, but the soldiers were too slow. By the time the soldiers reacted, Ye Beizhi was already among them with his blade unsheathed.
His figure crouched slightly, hands holding the Tang blade horizontally, the blade resting on his left shoulder and glowing faintly in the night.
"Kill!" roared the first Northern Qiang soldier to react, which acted as a signal. Everyone around, whether mounted or on foot, raised their weapons and struck toward Ye Beizhi!
Ye Beizhi's eyes grew distant and, at the critical moment when weapons were about to reach him, he took a step forward. In an instant, blade light spread out like a full moon blazing through the clouds. In the next moment... blood sprayed everywhere!
Anyone within three zhang of Ye Beizhi was cut in half by that single strike. Those on foot were sliced cleanly at the waist, while those still mounted narrowly escaped with their lives. However, their horses let out mournful cries as their legs were severed at the base, collapsing one after another into a whinnying heap.
"Don't let him attack again! Get him!"
That same voice shouted again, and this time Ye Beizhi saw its source. Not far ahead stood a Northern Qiang soldier dressed differently from the rest. He looked like the battalion officer overseeing this section of the siege.
The man remained calm as he instructed his soldiers again, "Don't let him draw his blade! Get him!"
Ye Beizhi squinted, fixing his gaze on the man. The officer's voice faltered under Ye Beizhi's intimidating aura, but he quickly shouted even louder, "Stop him now!"
A thunderous burst rent the air as Ye Beizhi stepped forward again. In an instant, he appeared above the officer's head, the Tang blade held horizontally in his hands.
The officer's eyes widened in horror, despair written all over his face. The moment Ye Beizhi's gaze locked onto him, he felt as though he had fallen into an icy abyss.
That stare was like a sharp blade pressed against his throat. In the blink of an eye, Ye Beizhi was upon him, moving with ghostly speed. He had no time to even swing his weapon, managing only to scream hoarsely, "Kill him!"
The blade moved silently, trailing a burst of blood that sprayed across the sky.
A Northern Qiang soldier flew backward from behind Ye Beizhi, his chest a mangled mess of flesh and blood.
Xue Qiming caught up from behind, his chain-bound gourd still whirling in his hand.
"These guys really aren't afraid of death... they're charging in like crazy!"
"Don't stop." Ye Beizhi didn't even look back as he charged forward again, blade in hand. "Getting surrounded means certain death."
Xue Qiming followed with large strides and clamoured after him, "Do you really need to say that?"
After their ferocious offensive, Ye Beizhi and Xue Qiming finally broke through the enemy lines blocking their path. Up ahead was the cavalry unit armed with crossbows that was providing cover for the siege.
Zhou Tong stood atop the city wall, watching the two men with a face full of astonishment. He had assumed the two were suicidal when they leapt off the wall, yet they had achieved such an incredible feat.
From his vantage point, he could see a peculiar scene. Two tiny black dots rushing toward the enemy army on the plains outside Liangzhou. They were trailed by a massive shadow; it was a large contingent of Northern Qiang soldiers pursuing the pair.
The commotion caused by Ye Beizhi and Xue Qiming was so great that most of the troops initially preparing to scale the walls had diverted to attack the two. As a result, the pressure on the city walls significantly eased.
"G-General..." one of Zhou Tong's personal guards stammered hesitantly, "What should we do now... Should we provide support?"
Zhou Tong squinted, pondering for a moment before replying, "No... Not yet. Hold the walls and keep observing."
Meanwhile, on Ye Beizhi's side, the duo's bold charge made them too conspicuous. The front ranks of the Northern Qiang army had turned their crossbows away from the defenders on the walls and at them.
Ye Beizhi turned to look back, locking eyes with Xue Qiming, whose expression showed growing excitement. Grinning, Xue Qiming stepped closer to Ye Beizhi and said, "When it rains, you need shelter. Mute Ye, stay safe, or you'll end up full of holes!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a rustling sound filled the air. A rain of arrows descended upon them!
"Good timing!" Xue Qiming shouted, channeling all his strength into his right arm. His veins bulged as he raised the gourd over his head, spinning it faster and faster until the afterimages formed a dense gray shield.
A series of ping ping ping sounds echoed as countless arrows were smashed through or deflected. Not a single arrow managed to breach his defenses.
Ye Beizhi stayed close behind Xue Qiming as they closed in on the enemy. Suddenly, Xue Qiming shouted, "We're here! Charge!"
As his words fell, he hurled the gourd directly into the enemy ranks with tremendous force!
The gourd crashed through the throng of soldiers, unleashing a burst of blood. The leading soldier was instantly torn in half by its tremendous force, his body collapsing to the ground like tattered cloth. The gourd continued its momentum, plowing through the crowd for nearly ten zhang before finally slowing to a stop.
Ye Beizhi reacted swiftly, springing into the shattered enemy ranks with a single step. In an instant, he disappeared from view. Within the formation, streaks of blade light erupted without pause, carving a bloody path through the crowd. Wails of pain and anguish filled the air.
Seizing the chaos, Xue Qiming followed, grabbing the gourd mid-stride and swinging it again. Though weighing over a thousand jin, it moved like a charmed serpent in his hands, obeying his every whim. Anyone struck even slightly by the gourd either suffered broken bones or was pounded into a gorey smear... he was truly an unstoppable force.
"Martial artists of the jianghu..." Lin Zhongbao muttered to himself as he gazed from afar at the storm of blood and chaos stirred up by Ye Beizhi and Xue Qiming. "You're strong but what can just the two of you hope to achieve?"
Before Lin Zhongbao could finish, the blade-wielding figure in the crowd suddenly looked up, locking eyes with him. The gaze was as sharp as a blade, cutting into Lin Zhongbao's cheeks with a chilling sting.
Lin Zhongbao's heart tightened abruptly, his pupils contracting. "Damn it! Are you kidding me?... Don't tell me he's planning on killing me?"
"Men to me!" Lin Zhongbao roared.
His guards immediately spurred their horses to his side, bowing and asking, "General?"
"Flying Leopard Battalion come with me! I’ll personally take those two lives!" Lin Zhongbao cursed loudly.
"Do they think they can take the enemy's head in the midst of thousands? Let's show them that this war isn't one of their fantasies!"