Chapter 20 – Take Care!

Xiao Jing returned to Chaoyang City with Wildbear and Song Yan. The Prefect, Zhao Lian, had already written a report on the victory and presented it to Xiao Jing.

After reading it and finding no issues, Xiao Jing instructed Zhao Lian to send the victory report to Xiao Zheng.

Zhao Lian suggested holding a celebration to honor their great triumph. Song Yan instantly perked up, eagerly agreeing. Ever since he parted ways with Xiao Jing, he hadn’t had a proper meal.

Xiao Jing didn’t object.

Within an hour, the Prefect had arranged a grand banquet. The guests gradually took their seats.

General Ling Qian was the first to rise and propose a toast.

“General Ni! This victory over Ji Kingdom is due in large part to you! And to Deputy General Wildbear, who came to our aid along with you! I’m a blunt man, not good with flowery words. My gratitude is all in this wine!” Ling Qian said as he raised his brimming cup and downed it in one gulp.

Xiao Jing, feeling slightly guilty, rubbed his nose and followed suit, drinking his cup in one go.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone was a bit tipsy. Xiao Jing had the music and dancing stopped and asked all unrelated personnel to leave.

Then he addressed the remaining crowd:

“Though Ji Kingdom suffered defeat today, we’ve only barely scraped through with a bitter victory! The reinforcements we requested have yet to arrive, and our defenses are thin. I have an informant who knows the precise location of the Ji Kingdom’s general. If we strike tonight and take down their commander, the army will be leaderless and fall apart without a fight!”

Everyone was instantly energized. General Ni truly had eyes and ears everywhere—he’d already managed to bribe someone from Ji Kingdom to work for Liang, and obtained such crucial intel!

No one doubted him. After all, on the battlefield, although he hadn’t been seen in the beginning, later he’d appeared like a divine warrior falling from the heavens! He had risked his life to defend the city.

Only someone willing to shed blood for Liang would act like this!

Just an hour earlier, Xiao Jing had secretly ordered Lin Wenyu to send word to Wang Kai, telling him that tonight he would take the remaining usable troops in the city—and the troublesome Wildbear—to their camp, asking Wang Kai to set an ambush and wipe them out in one swoop! Then, they would seize control of Chaoyang City.

Wang Kai was thrilled upon receiving the letter and immediately ordered his men to prepare an ambush outside the city.

That evening, a soldier clad in Ji Kingdom armor stealthily slipped into the outskirts of Chaoyang City. Xiao Jing had Song Yan pretend to defend the city while he led Wildbear and the remaining 3,000 troops outside to rendezvous.

They quietly followed the Ji soldier into Ji’s general’s encampment. Wildbear volunteered to behead Wang Kai and entered the tent with Xiao Jing.

The tent was sparsely furnished, with a lump under the blanket on the bed clearly visible.

Wildbear crept up silently and swung his blade!

Feathers flew everywhere—but no one was there. No blood. No body.

“It’s a trap!” Even someone as dense as Wildbear realized too late. He immediately tried to flee.

But Xiao Jing lunged forward. Wang Kai emerged from the shadows. Together, they struck Wildbear down!

Outside the camp, the 3,000 Liang soldiers were starting to grow uneasy, sensing something was wrong.

Then, Ji Kingdom soldiers launched a barrage of arrows into their ranks. A rain of arrows filled the sky—death and destruction followed.

They were surrounded! Without a general to command them, the troops fell into chaos. The brave ones died fighting. The rest dropped their weapons and surrendered.

Less than 200 were captured alive. The rest were dead.

This battle was a stunning success—and Xiao Jing was the key!

He’d eliminated Wildbear and decimated the remaining forces in Chaoyang City.

Xiao Jing then explained his plan to Wang Kai: Wang would lead 3,000 soldiers dressed in Liang uniforms and return to the city with Xiao Jing, claiming they had assassinated the Ji general. The captured soldiers, now “turned,” would stay behind in the city. Once Liang’s reinforcements arrived, the thousand disguised Ji soldiers would eliminate them—be it through a night ambush or poison. Once that was done, Chaoyang City would be firmly under Ji’s control. Some troops would be left to guard it.

Then, General Ling Qian would declare surrender. Xiao Jing would be credited with destroying Ji Kingdom, capturing Mo City, and could return the Tiger Tally, awaiting his reward and promotion. Afterward, he would assassinate Xiao Zheng, with Lin Wenyu leading ten thousand troops to support him. They would lure the die-hard Liang warriors to Chaoyang City and wipe them out with Wang Kai’s forces joining Lin Wenyu and Xiao Jing.

Wang Kai was overjoyed upon hearing this. “Brilliant! Feign surrender, break the city, draw out the troops, and crush them all at once! Ingenious! Your mother must be named Brilliance!”

Under the cover of night, Wang Kai selected 3,000 soldiers to wear Liang armor and joined the group of 1,000 fake defectors himself.

Just as Xiao Jing had predicted, Liang had no suspicion at all. They completely trusted their mighty general.

“General Ni returns victorious!” a scout relayed the message to Song Yan.

“Excellent! Wonderful! Diedie is truly a divine being! Announce it—prepare a celebration for him!” Song Yan was so excited he nearly jumped for joy.

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During the banquet, Zhao Lian, as usual, presented the written victory report for Xiao Jing to review.

Xiao Jing’s voice carried a tinge of sorrow. “Include that Deputy General Wildbear died in action. He was our greatest hero. If he hadn’t taken the fatal blow meant for me from that traitor Wang Kai, I’d be the one lying dead instead of him.”

“Yes, sir!” Zhao Lian nodded solemnly.

Song Yan quickly tried to lift the mood. “Let’s not dwell on sad things. We’ve taken down Wang Kai—tomorrow we’ll charge forth and capture Mo City!”

“One final push! Capture Mo City!” everyone cheered in agreement.

Still melancholic, Xiao Jing lifted his wine-filled cup and poured it out slowly to the heavens, uttering, “Brother Wildbear, travel safely on your journey…”

Everyone followed suit. “General Wildbear, may you rest in peace!”

Whispers spread across the room: “General Ni is truly a man of sentiment and loyalty… Even in celebration, he cannot smile, thinking only of his fallen brother. Such righteousness!” “Indeed… loyalty that pierces the heavens! If I had a friend like that, I’d take a blade for him too!”

Little did they know that Xiao Jing was laughing inside: Ahahaha, sorry Brother Wildbear! Once I get paid, I’ll burn you lots of paper offerings!

“You’re such a drama king. The Oscars owe you a golden statue,” the system sneered.

After the banquet, Xiao Jing sought out Song Yan alone.

Song Yan, that sweet, naïve fool… Xiao Jing hesitated. But in the end, he hid the prepared poison powder beneath his fingernail and secretly sprinkled it into Song Yan’s wine during the toast.

Once Song Yan drank it, he began chatting as usual. But soon, his speech became slurred, and his body weak. The warmth in his chest turned to nausea—he coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

He was poisoned.

Still, he fought to speak. “I always thought of you as my best brother! You were my first real friend in this life! I gave you my heart, and all this time… you wanted to kill me?”

He coughed again and continued, “I’ve always been carefree and wild. I joined the army just to make my father look at me with pride, just once. He always saw me as a worthless playboy. I wanted him to see I’d grown up, that I wasn’t some mischievous child anymore. I was always grateful to have met you—you took me in when I was homeless, fought beside me in arena matches, stood up for me in front of my father… Whatever we did, even in battle, as long as you were there, I felt calm, like there was always warmth in my heart. Maybe that’s what it means to have a true friend…”

Xiao Jing’s nose stung. He interrupted, “Enough!”

But Song Yan wasn’t done. “If you were from Liang, or I was from Ji… would you have ever truly treated me with sincerity? Have you… ever truly cared for me?”

Xiao Jing paused. Then answered, “Yes.”

Hearing the answer he longed for, Song Yan finally stopped resisting and closed his eyes.

Xiao Jing ordered his men to carry Song Yan to Ji Kingdom territory, specifically under the jurisdiction of the Duke of Zhen State.

He also tucked a letter into Song Yan’s clothes.

The letter read:

“Song Jinli, congratulations—you’re not dead! That was just a drug to induce a state of fake death. Sorry, I need you far away from here, away from Liang. Because my plan isn’t done yet, and I can’t let you mess it up. I hope you’ll live freely and happily…”