The Defender of Tiemen Pass’s expression changed drastically at these words.
What did he mean, their military provisions were gone?
Their provisions came from the fresh fish they caught in Lotus Lake. The lake was extraordinarily rich in fish, and ordinary civilians were forbidden from fishing there.
As a result, every time they fished, they had an excellent haul. After several months, gathering hundreds of thousands of kilograms was nothing unusual.
Apart from supplying Tiemen Pass, some of the catch was sent to the other strongholds in the Jiangbei fortress cluster.
It was the source of their supplies.
How could it…
be gone?
It wasn’t as if someone had seized their provisions and carried them away. How could fish simply disappear?
The Defender hurried downstairs and nearly collided with the soldier who had returned to deliver the report. The soldier immediately said, “General, our provisions… someone released them.”
“The fresh fish have all been carried away by the current.”
“Although we tried our best to stop them afterward, we didn’t have enough men. Seventy or eighty percent of the fish have already escaped. Only a tiny number remain.”
The Defender of Tiemen Pass’s face instantly turned livid.
He shouted, “Come on. Take me there!”
He mounted his horse and galloped away.
Riding at full speed, he arrived at Lotus Lake before long. The Defender stared at what had once been a lake teeming with fresh fish. Now it was almost empty, with only a few fish left wriggling in the water.
Some of the fish even leaped deliberately above the surface, as though mocking him. The emotions the Defender of Tiemen Pass had barely been able to contain finally exploded.
“Who?”
“Who did this?”
“How could anyone be so vicious?”
“Our entire Tiemen Pass depends on these fish! Releasing them is tantamount to condemning us to death!”
“Could it be…”
The Commander of Tiemen Pass’s expression shifted.
“Ren Tianye?”
The soldiers guarding the lake hurriedly spoke up.
“G-General, it shouldn’t be Ren Tianye’s men.”
“It was…”
“A woman.”
The Defender frowned. “A woman?”
“Yes. The woman who was traveling with General Chen Song’s personal guards.”
The moment the soldier reported this, the Defender understood. It was Wen He, the woman Deputy General Chen Song had mentioned—the woman Marquis Jingyi Pei Wugou was infatuated with.
“But why would Wen He cut off our provisions?”
“We don’t know. However…” the soldier said, “I heard her say earlier that the fish were pitiful and that they should be released. She tried to let them go, but someone stopped her…”
With a thud, the soldier fell to his knees.
“General, it’s all my fault. I failed to take precautions and allowed that Wen He to succeed.”
“I deserve to die!”
The Defender remained silent, but he did not pass judgment.
Could this soldier really be blamed?
Perhaps he bore some responsibility, but in previous years, they had never guarded the catch particularly closely. After all, these were not provisions stored securely in a warehouse. They were fish swimming in a lake.
Even the Defender himself had never paid much attention to the matter.
There was no point blaming a mere foot soldier now.
The Defender was thinking about Wen He’s motives.
But the more he thought about it, the more devastated he became.
“She cut off our provisions simply because she was kindhearted?”
“Hmph! Marquis Jingyi must give me an explanation for this. Otherwise, I’ll take this all the way to Yunjing!”
The Defender shouted those words.
But the moment he finished, he felt that something was wrong.
Marquis Jingyi Pei Wugou was willing to find a stand-in for Wen He. Even if he went to confront the Marquis, what could he possibly do?
Besides…
Their provisions were already gone.
The window of opportunity had vanished. If they began fishing again, who knew how long it would take to replenish their supplies? Ren Tianye’s army was already bearing down on them. Would they even give them the chance?
The Defender felt as though his head were about to split open.
At that moment, one of the cleverer soldiers cautiously offered a suggestion.
“General, Lord Duke has plenty of provisions.”
Those words sent ripples through the silent crowd.
Seeing that the Defender did not object, several men began whispering among themselves.
“How could Lord Duke not have plenty of provisions? I heard General Zhang Shi has gathered every sweet-potato-growing area outside Pukou City. Ah, if only we could join Lord Duke’s forces—we wouldn’t have to worry about going hungry.”
“I heard Lord Duke has never been troubled by women. If something like this happened under his command, that woman would have to take at least a hundred cuts.”
“I’m jealous. I’ve never dared imagine how wonderful it would be for a military camp not to be burdened by women. I wonder if I’ll ever have that chance in this lifetime.”
“It feels like there’s no way out this time. Our provisions are gone, and we can’t replenish them anytime soon. What are we supposed to use to defend Tiemen Pass? How am I supposed to fight on an empty stomach?”
…
Every word fell into the Defender’s ears. He was no fool and quickly realized what the soldiers were thinking. Yet he could not help feeling shocked.
In Yunjing, the people of the Tongxin Alliance constantly spread propaganda, claiming that Ren Tianye’s army burned, looted, and slaughtered wherever it went, that they were utterly inhuman.
And yet…
These soldiers had still learned the truth about Ren Tianye’s army through various channels—and every one of them favored Ren Tianye!
Ren Tianye had truly won the people’s hearts.
If that was the case…
The Defender tentatively asked, “What if we surrender to Lord Duke?”
The crowd erupted instantly.
Their shouts were a hundred times louder than before.
“Brilliant, General! Let’s surrender to Lord Duke!”
“Just for saying that, General, I swear I’ll serve you loyally for the rest of my life!”
“General, mighty!”
…
Watching the morale of the troops surge in an instant, the Defender understood.
What did it matter that their provisions were gone?
Lord Duke had plenty!
As long as they surrendered, they would not have to endure Pei Wugou’s bizarre schemes, nor bear the consequences of Wen He’s outrageous actions.
Their future was bright!
What reason could there possibly be not to surrender?
“Good!” the Defender shouted. “Then we’ll surrender to Lord Duke!”
“From this day onward, Tiemen Pass belongs to Lord Duke!”
…
Pukou City, the City Lord’s Residence.
The place had originally possessed a gentle and elegant atmosphere, but it had now been transformed into a scene of cold, solemn austerity.
Ren Tianye sat high upon the tiger-backed chair. Two rows of personal guards stood below him.
Several chairs had been arranged before the guards.
Seated in them were all the generals under Ren Tianye’s command.
The stern formation made it obvious that this was a military council. The main topic of discussion was how to seize the next pass.
That was none other than…
the Jiangbei fortress cluster!
The group was in the midst of deliberations when a personal guard entered to report.
“Lord Duke, General Zhang Shi has returned.”
“Oh?” Ren Tianye exclaimed in delight. “Show him in.”
A short while later, Zhang Shi strode in, radiating murderous intent. The moment he saw Ren Tianye, he dropped to one knee.
“This subordinate has fulfilled the mission Lord Duke entrusted to me. I have now returned to report.”
Ren Tianye waved a hand, and Zhang Shi rose to his feet.
Ren Tianye noticed that Zhang Shi…
was different.
He was no longer the same as before.
…
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
