Chapter 265: With One Move, He Killed an Expert!
“Lin Beifan!” Xia Tianqiong gritted his teeth, rain and sweat soaking his forehead. If he had admired Lin Beifan before, now he utterly hated him. Because his pursuit had turned him into a desperate, miserable dog without a way out.
“Crown Prince, you can’t escape now. Surrender and put down your weapons obediently! Otherwise, accidents can happen in the heat of battle, and losing your life wouldn’t be good!” Lin Beifan urged loudly.
Xia Tianqiong found this sentence both familiar and grating!
Didn’t he say the same thing to Lin Beifan when they had brought 800,000 soldiers to the city walls? Back then, he had been full of vigor and self-satisfaction.
In less than two days, the tables had turned!
Xia Tianqiong was filled with rage and frustration. He yelled, “Surrender? Dream on! We are the strong sons of Great Xia. We can only stand and die, never kneel and live!”
“Stand and die, never kneel and live!” roared the Great Xia army.
Xia Tianqiong drew his crimson-threaded spear and pointed it towards Lin Beifan, shouting, “Strong sons of Great Xia, follow me and kill!”
“Kill!!!” Tens of thousands of soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking heaven and earth.
Their morale surged in response.
“Clang, clang…”
The soldiers of Great Wu beside Lin Beifan raised their weapons – spears, swords, and shields – preparing for battle.
Lin Beifan ordered, “General Zhao, General Wang… Take down the Great Xia Crown Prince first!”
“Yes, Sir Lin!” The eight innate experts moved forward in unison, fierce flames engulfing them as they charged into the ranks of the Great Xia army.
“Protect the Crown Prince!”
“Protect His Highness!”
…
However, the Great Xia experts were already wiped out, and the Grandmaster had been led away by Night Fragrance. Who could stop the eight innate experts?
They cut through enemies and created a bloody path, heading straight for Crown Prince Xia Tianqiong!
Xia Tianqiong knew that the situation was hopeless. His face was filled with despair as he grabbed a blood-stained knife and moved it towards his neck.
He would rather die heroically than surrender to the enemy!
But just then, his body unexpectedly froze. He couldn’t move at all.
General Zhao and the others easily closed in on him, capturing him and bringing him before Lin Beifan.
Lin Beifan picked up a knife, placed it against Xia Tianqiong’s neck, and shouted, “The Crown Prince of Great Xia is here! If you don’t surrender, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
“Crown Prince!”
“Your Highness!”
…
The Great Xia soldiers exclaimed in sorrow.
Xia Tianqiong’s face twisted with rage, and he struggled to speak, to tell them not to surrender.
But unfortunately, for some unknown reason, he couldn’t move his body or utter a word.
He could only watch helplessly as the Great Xia soldiers, one after another, dropped their weapons and surrendered.
The shock was too great, the emotions too intense, and he passed out.
Lin Beifan then ordered the soldiers to confiscate the weapons of the Great Xia soldiers and to bring them back to Hulao Pass.
After everything was settled, Lin Beifan waved excitedly, “This battle is a great victory! Let’s return and celebrate!”
“Yes, Sir Lin!” The soldiers rejoiced.
The victorious soldiers marched proudly, escorting the captured Great Xia soldiers.
Meanwhile, the outcome of this battle had been witnessed by various spies from all sides, leaving them astonished.
“Great Wu actually won?”
“The Great Xia Crown Prince Xia Tianqiong has been captured, and tens of thousands of Great Xia soldiers have also been captured! When did the military power of Great Wu become so strong?”
“It’s been less than 10 days, and the war between the two countries has already ended!”
“The situation is critical, quickly send this information back!”
“Great Wu’s forces are formidable and strong, we must not act recklessly!”
…
The capture of the Great Xia Crown Prince Xia Tianqiong and tens of thousands of soldiers not only marked the end of the war between the two nations but also meant unparalleled military achievements, rewards for everyone. Everyone was extremely happy, the common soldiers indulged in feasting and drinking, singing and dancing. The generals gathered together, enjoying fine wines and delicacies, abundant and exquisite.
Among them, Lin Beifan sat in the main seat, receiving toasts from the other generals.
General Zhao raised a cup of wine and said humbly, “Sir Lin, if it weren’t for your decisive action, we might have missed the opportunity! I’ll punish myself with a drink, please forgive me, Sir Lin!”
Lin Beifan smiled and said, “General Zhao, you’re too polite! While our opinions might differ, our goals are the same – serving Her Majesty and Great Wu. I understand. No need to punish yourself, let me offer you a drink!”
Saying that, he raised his glass of strong liquor.
General Zhao was delighted, “Sir Lin, your magnanimity is the reason why you are held in such high regard by Her Majesty. I’m not worthy! Come, let’s raise our cups together and toast Sir Lin!”
The generals stood up one after another, raised their wine cups, and congratulated in unison, “A toast to Sir Lin!”
“Cheers, generals!” Lin Beifan toasted in return.
After finishing this round of drinks, everyone burst into laughter.
“This wine isn’t being drunk heartily enough!” Lin Beifan exclaimed loudly. “Servants, bring the fine wines I brought from the capital and share them with the generals!”
“Yes, Sir!”
Pitchers of palace-grade wines were brought in one after another.
The generals were all seasoned warriors, as well as seasoned drinkers. As soon as they caught a whiff of the wine’s fragrance, they couldn’t restrain themselves and lunged forward, vying to grab the exquisite wines.
Lin Beifan exclaimed, “There’s plenty for everyone, a pitcher each! I’ve planned it well in advance!”
“Haha, many thanks to Sir Lin!” Everyone smiled joyfully.
General Zhao joked, “Preparing so much wine in advance, it seems Sir Lin had foreseen our victory in this battle!”
Lin Beifan declared loudly, “Indeed! We are the force of righteousness, and victory is only natural!”
“Well said!” Everyone raised their thumbs in approval.
That evening, everyone left in high spirits.
After the drinking, Lin Beifan didn’t rest. Instead, he went to the prison cells to visit the captured Crown Prince Xia Tianqiong.
At this point, Xia Tianqiong had already regained consciousness. His martial arts were sealed, and he was bound in heavy chains, deep within the cell.
In front of him were some drinks, rice, and meat – a decent meal.
However, he remained unmoved, half-lying against the wall, disheveled, haggard, with lifeless eyes, appearing utterly despondent.
Seeing this, Lin Beifan advised, “Crown Prince, why don’t you have a little? Now that you’re already captured, it’s better to cling to life. There’s a saying, ‘better to live to fight another day,’ isn’t there?”
Xia Tianqiong remained unresponsive.
Lin Beifan sighed, “Your Highness, if you continue refusing to eat, we’ll have to resort to special measures to make you eat. Crown Prince, have you ever eaten the roasted duck from the capital? Do you know how they feed the ducks in the capital?”
Still, there was no reaction from Xia Tianqiong.
Lin Beifan continued, “Feeding the ducks in the capital for roasting is a meticulous process. They constantly stuff food into their stomachs from a young age, forcing them to eat, even if they can’t, even if they vomit, they’re forced to eat. This is how they become tender and plump. Your Highness, if you continue refusing to eat, we’ll have to resort to using this method!”
Xia Tianqiong’s expression finally changed, and he roared, “If you have the guts, just kill me with a single sword!”
“Your Highness, your words are too harsh. How could we bear to kill you?” Lin Beifan said with a grin, “A living prince is more useful than a dead one, isn’t that right?”
Xia Tianqiong snorted.
Just then, a hint of delight flashed across Xia Tianqiong’s face.
With a smile, Lin Beifan remarked, “Your Highness, you seem so joyous. Have you thought of something delightful?”
Through gritted teeth, Xia Tianqiong spat, “Lin Beifan, you’re finished! Everyone here is finished!”
Lin Beifan remained composed and calm, smiling, “Your Highness, why would you say that?”
“Because I’ve arrived!”
Suddenly, an elder appeared outside the cell, the same one who had always protected Xia Tianqiong.
Xia Tianqiong shouted, “Elder Hei, quickly save me and kill everyone here!”
“Yes, Your Highness!” Elder Hei responded.
The fact that someone he protected had been captured was a tremendous disgrace to him. He was extremely irritated, stating, “Your Highness, I’ll get you out first, and then I’ll return to unleash carnage! Rest assured, I won’t spare anyone!”
…
Xia Tianqiong excitedly exclaimed, “Alright, alright, hurry!”
Elder Hei burst in, disregarding Lin Beifan as he rescued Xia Tianqiong.
Lin Beifan watched calmly and composedly, smiling, “Great Xia’s Grandmaster, I’ve been waiting for you!”
Elder Hei sneered, “Waiting for me to do what? Waiting to be killed?”
Shaking his head, Lin Beifan said, “No, waiting to kill you! If you don’t die, I won’t be at ease!”
Elder Hei seemed to have heard a colossal joke and burst into uproarious laughter, “You? Haha…”
“Yes, me!” Lin Beifan extended his right hand, quickly condensing mist in his hand, shaping it into a clear and transparent ice blade.
Elder Hei’s laughter abruptly ceased as he sensed a fatal threat from this ice blade.
Just as he was about to act preemptively, the ice blade in Lin Beifan’s hand vanished!
When it reappeared, it was already embedded in Elder Hei’s forehead.
It went straight through, penetrating the back of his head!
Elder Hei’s face was filled with astonishment. He mumbled, “Such a swift blade!”
Then, a chill spread from his head, freezing him into an ice sculpture.
Witnessing this scene, Xia Tianqiong’s eyes bulged in shock.
Wide-eyed and stuttering, he exclaimed, “You… you… you… you actually killed Elder Hei!”
He had initially thought of Lin Beifan as an innocent civil official, but who would have thought he was a hidden, ferocious tiger?
With just a single move, he had eradicated Xia Tianqiong’s support.
In one move, he had slain a Grandmaster!
He was formidable!
Lin Beifan waved his hand dismissively, shattering the frozen Elder Hei into pieces, turning him into a pool of blood. Then, Lin Beifan condensed a ball of scorching flames in his hand, letting it fall on the blood on the ground. The flames quickly burned and evaporated the blood, leaving no trace behind.
Feeling a chilling sensation throughout his body, Xia Tianqiong was taken aback.
What kind of sorcery was this?
He had never heard of any martial artist who could manipulate ice and fire like this. It was almost godlike.
He shrunk back to a corner of the wall, trembling and pale, stammering, “You… are you human or a ghost?”
“You don’t need to know!” Lin Beifan’s gaze focused on him.
Xia Tianqiong only saw a pair of purple eyes, then fainted.
“By tomorrow, you won’t remember anything!”
With everything settled, Lin Beifan walked out of the prison cell calmly.
