My Cultivation Starting from Archery

"What?"

Sun Li sheathed her sword, "They haven't returned?"

"Right!"

Sun Buqi nodded heavily, "I asked that Liu Households Commander, and he said they waited at the rendezvous for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, but then they returned ahead of time."

"Sister Tong!"

Listening to the conversation,

Tong Family collapsed on the spot in the yard, nearly fainting away.

Gu Xinlan supported her, asking, "Li, has something... happened?"

"Don't panic just yet."

Sun Li soothed, "They might have lost their way, or something delayed them. If we wait a little longer, they might return."

"Lost their way?"

Gu Xinlan seized on the key point, "Did Brother Shi and the others leave the Great Wall?"

How could she not understand her man?

Roaming around Tiger Head Mountain day and night, how could they possibly lose their way?

If they were said to be lost, it could only be on the unfamiliar grasslands.

"Mhm."

Sun Li acknowledged, "Let's wait some more."

The atmosphere of the residence suddenly seemed to freeze over.

Until dawn, there was not the slightest noise.

Toward the latter part of the night, even Xu Wencai led Wang Li and the others to inquire about the situation.

With women at home, it wasn't convenient to approach, so they just stood far outside the gate.

"Could Mr. Chen have met with some mishap?"

Wang Li's face was grave as he touched the sword at his waist, "Old Xu, say something. Both Vice Thousand Households Luo and Households Commander Liu have returned, but the only one who hasn't is the Lord."

Xu Wencai paced back and forth, "Don't panic, don't panic! The Lord has good fortune; nothing will happen to him!"

Though that was said,

An entire night passed.

Until the sky began to brighten, the encampment remained ominously quiet.

"I've always known, Tang Ruoshan is useless!"

Sun Buqi cursed aloud, "He caused the death of Third Brother back then, and now he can't even protect Sansi! That Xi River tribe only has one Refining Organ Martial Artist!"

"Xi River..."

Gu Xinlan's heart went cold.

The people of Po Yang County knew all too well.

The barbarians who came years ago to slaughter their villages were from the Xi River tribe.

Were they sent to the enemy's main camp?

And have yet to return?

Could it be...

Sun Buqi anxiously said, "Sister, what do we do? Shall we borrow some troops and go look for them?"

"Nonsense!"

Sun Li scolded, "Can you resist a thousand troops and ten thousand horses? Wait longer, and if they don't return today..."

She paused, "Then I can only say, we were fated to meet this junior brother but not destined to keep him."

The words were cruel.

But such was the reality.

Soldiers.

Who amongst them doesn't die?

Let alone Chen Sansi.

Even in the Eight Camps of the past, there were countless talented individuals who died before they could grow up.

"Sigh!"

Sun Buqi stamped his foot.

But that was the fact he had to accept.

"Wuuu..."

Tong Family wept bitterly, "Always insisting on going to war, always ranting about earning merits at home, without considering if he possesses the ability. The child isn't even born yet..."

"..."

Gu Xinlan's eyes reddened, but she did not cry or make a fuss.

She simply returned to the room to fetch her needlework and sat on a stone stool, meticulously sewing stitch by stitch.

The East began to light up softly.

In people's hearts, hope was extinguished.

"Let's go."

Finally, Sun Li couldn't bear it, "Buqi, you come with me out of the city to look for him."

"Okay!"

Sun Buqi had been restless.

The siblings left the residence, preparing to fetch their horses.

"Buzz——"

It was at that moment.

A deafening horn sounded, and rolling black smoke rose up, darkening the sky.

"Raise three beacon fires, indicate with two on the watchtower, burn three stacks of firewood; it signals an attack by an enemy army of more than two thousand!"

Sun Buqi recognized the signal.

...

The Great Wall.

Zhao Kang, responsible for the watch, had stayed awake all night, yet the other Night Patrol Team still hadn't returned.

"All dead."

He shook his head slightly, murmuring to himself, "What's the use of talent, said to have so much potential, but died before even leaving Po Yang County, with Fatty Wang also gone. This will please many lords back in the city."

Zhao Kang went back inside the tower, leaned against the wall, and prepared to rest for a bit.

Just as he closed his eyes, the lookout on the tower shouted loudly.

"Enemy attack!"

"A large army is invading! A large army is invading!"

"..."

"What large army?!"

Zhao Kang immediately became wide awake, scrambling up the lookout platform using the rope ladder.

He saw, ten miles out on the vast and boundless land, a dense mass of Iron Cavalry emerging, numbering at least two thousand!

The Xi River tribe indeed had two thousand people, but they weren't all cavalry.

Had they really reinforced their numbers?

Zhao Kang was even more baffled.

Who wages war like this?

To conquer a city is not the work of a day.

Even if the Xi River tribe intended to attack Po Yang, they should have chosen a place to set up camp first, then slowly strategize. Who rides straight toward us on horses, isn't that akin to courting death?

Wait a minute!

They're chasing someone!

Zhao Kang squinted hard, trying to make his vision clearer.

He spotted eight riders ahead of the barbarian horde.

The barbarian cavalry were chasing these eight riders, and they seemed wary of getting too close, only following from a distance as if they were fearful of something.

"Charge——"

The Households ordered a full army assault.

The Cavalry arrived at the Great Wall first.

Xiang Tingchun led the charge onto the city wall, rushing up like the wind, followed closely by Luo Dongquan. Then came Sun Buqi and Sun Li, and finally Wang Li, Wu Da, and others also arrived on their warhorses.

"What's happening!"

Xiang Tingchun climbed up to the lookout tower.

It was all too sudden.

He had heard about the Xi River tribe's reinforcements through Luo Dongquan.

But it was too soon! They absolutely couldn't have launched an attack right away.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Sir, it's... it's Households Commander Chen and the others!"

Zhao Kang finally made out the eight riders ahead.

"The junior brother?"

Sun Li and others also followed up to the lookout tower.

Among the leading eight riders, one white horse was particularly conspicuous.

If not Chen Sansi seated on the horse, who else could it be?

In front of him, he also held hostage a barbarian-dressed noble youth.

"A hostage?"

How could everyone not understand even this much?

Clearly.

Chen Sansi and his group had been surrounded by barbarians, but had captured a hostage, threatening the enemy with it to obtain a chance at survival.

How precious must the hostage be to make two thousand barbarian cavalry hesitate to act recklessly?

How could such a precious person appear in the Xi River tribe?!

"How could this..."

Luo Dongquan subconsciously leaned forward, his arms resting on the crenellation, stretching his neck to look ahead,

...

"Fall back!"

After several days and nights of continuos exertion, everyone was already exhausted.

Even Chen Sansi's eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse, "Fall back five miles!"

"This young brother."

The barbarian Thousand Households rode his horse at a distance, following them, "You have reached the border, isn't it time to return His Highness to us?"

"Cut the crap, we'll talk after we enter the city!"

Chen Sansi indicated for the prince to speak.

The prince understood and complied, "Do as he says, fall back five miles, give them enough safe distance to enter the city!"

Under the watch of a thousand pairs of eyes.

The barbarian cavalry kept retreating and didn't dare to step forward.

Chen Sansi led the people, prudently arriving at the city walls.

"Little junior brother!"

Sun Li called out to the wall below, "What happened, how did you attract so many cavalrymen!"

Chen Sansi answered, "We were surrounded by Xi River tribal cavalry during our reconnaissance; fortunately, we had him, which is why we were able to escape by sheer luck!"

Actually confronted by cavalry.

In such a situation.

Yet they were still alive!

Truly a rare feat in a decade.

Not only that.

The people also saw two separate horses carrying bodies, they even brought back the bodies of their dead comrades!

A remarkable feat!

Xiang Tingchun hurriedly inquired, "Who is this person?!"

"Probably a prince, I suppose!"

Chen Sansi commanded, "Introduce yourself to everyone."

"Alright... alright! You, all of you listen!"

The prince said, "I am the Ninth Prince from the Yuwen clan! If you dare to kill me, my father the Great Khan will certainly blood-wash Po Yang County."

A prince!

"The Ninth Prince?"

Sun Buqi muttered, "I have heard that the Great Khan of the Yuwen clan has ten sons, but adores only the Ninth Prince, said to be grooming him as the next Great Khan. He should be staying in the Great Capital, how did he end up in the Xi River tribe and get captured alive by Sansi."

Capturing a prince alive...

Xiang Tingchun's expression became excited.

A remarkable feat!

Who would have thought.

Sending out a few Night Patrol Teams.

Could actually bring back a Yuwen clan future Great Khan alive!

What a tremendous feat it was!

Subordinates achieving great success

The superiors would also bask in the glory!

"Good, good, good!"

Xiang Tingchun repeated the word 'good' three times, "Open the city gate, quick, quickly bring Chen Household Commander and his men inside!"

Over a hundred cavalry rode out to meet them.

The moment they returned to their own territory, five out of six men had fallen.

Only Chen Sansi was still able to hold on.

He casually threw the prince off the horse and was immediately restrained by the officials.

"Luo Dongquan! I want your damn life!"

"Clang—"

Wang Zhi, having caught his breath, got up from the ground, drew a long knife from the waist of a soldier beside him, and charged straight at Luo Dongquan, but with bones merely trained and already heavily injured, he was no match for his opponent.

Luo Dongquan blocked the attack with his sword effortlessly, repelling Wang Zhi and exclaimed, "Have you gone mad?!"

"Households Commander Xiang!"

Wang Zhi screamed hoarsely, "We were surrounded by barbarian cavalry out of nowhere on the grassland. I suspect someone intentionally startled the barbarians to put us in a death trap! That person is Luo Dongquan!"

"Slanderous accusations! Why would I scheme against my own people?!"

Luo Dongquan angrily responded, "Your own carelessness exposed you; what does that have to do with me! Thirty pairs of eyes saw for themselves; I wasn't even heading in the same direction as you! You defame me, but where is your evidence?"

"Liu Jinkui!"

Xiang Tingchun demanded, "Tell the truth, speak!"

"Luo Qianhu speaks the truth."

Liu Jinkui reported honestly, "He was at the very northwest, I was in between him and Chen Household Commander, at a great distance."

"Hmm."

Xiang Tingchun nodded, "Wang Zhi, this must be a misunderstanding. Leaking secrets and plotting against comrades is a capital offense. Besides, didn't you all return alive, safe and sound, and even achieved a remarkable feat!"

"I..."

Wang Zhi was at a loss for words.

Indeed it was just a suspicion; there was no concrete evidence.

Returned alive?

Chen Sansi sneered inwardly.

He returned alive, but what about Li Dazhi, Xia Erniu, and the others?

Evidence.

If it's so hard to find, then just fucking forget about it!

Is Refining Internal that far-fetched?

Xiang Tingchun also obviously didn't want to blow things out of proportion.

Because Luo Dongquan was a confidant among his trusted men.

If procedural justice isn't possible,

then it has to be outcome justice.

Chen Sansi maintained a placid demeanor but simply stated, "Please, Lord Thousand Households, provide compensation for the families of the fallen brothers!"

"Not just that,"

Xiang Tingchun was exceedingly pleased, "After this matter is reported to the court, it will surely shock both the government and the people! Each and every one of you on this mission will be rewarded!"

"Listen up, soldiers of Dasheng—"

Outside the city walls.

There came a lone messenger on horseback to the foot of the wall, loudly proclaiming, "If you do not hand over His Highness, we will definitely massacre Po Yang!"

"Then you are welcome to try!"

Xiang Tingchun stated deliberately and slowly, "I will be right here waiting for you to attack!"

"Good! You just wait!"

The barbarian cavalry gradually retreated and disappeared beyond the line of sight.

Laying siege was not something one could simply do at a moment's notice—it required extensive preparation.

Today, a challenge was issued.

...

Seven days later, a war report from a remote small county on the frontier was delivered by the Ministry of War to the Cabinet, then transferred to the Ritual Supervision, and finally presented in the Longevity Palace by the Chamberlain of the Ritual Supervision himself:

"On the second day of the eleventh month, Sixth-rank Captain Chen Sansi from Po Yang County led a ten-member Night Patrol Team deep into enemy territory. Amidst a siege of two thousand cavalry, they captured Ninth Prince Yuwen alive and returned in one piece."

"Interesting,"

came a voice from behind the curtain, flat and emotionless.

"Pity, he was born in the wrong place."

"Nevermind, I have three treasures, and one of them is mercy."

"Give this young captain a chance."