Chapter Sixty-Five: Unforeseen Complications

When Xu Kang said he had his own way to leave the city, Lu Zhi was just about to ask how, but before he could open his mouth, Xu Kang shouted loudly.

“Master Uncle, I’m off!”

With that, he leapt into the air and, while still mid-flight, transformed into a mighty eagle. With a single beat of his wings, he soared into the clouds.

Witnessing this, Lu Zhi was once again stunned. He remained speechless until Xu Kang’s figure had completely vanished into the night sky, and then he could not help but sigh deeply.

“To have such a disciple—how fortunate is Bojie!”

His words were filled with envy.

Just as he finished, Huangfu Song’s voice came from the direction of the courtyard gate.

“Zigan, are you thinking of Bojie again? Don’t worry, with his talent, it’s only a matter of time before he returns. If not after this battle, you and I can both petition His Majesty to summon him back to the capital… By the way, where’s Yide?”

“Yide was worried there might be trouble in the camp, so he went back,” Lu Zhi replied.

“He went back?” Huangfu Song’s eyes were filled with confusion. “I just came from the city gate and didn’t see him at all. Don’t tell me he can fly now?”

“Indeed!” Lu Zhi nodded, then pointed upwards. “He flew off just there!”

“…”

With Huangfu Song wearing an expression of utter envy, Lu Zhi vividly recounted the scene of Xu Kang transforming into an eagle and flying away.

Meanwhile, Xu Kang had already flown out of Changshe County. Guided by the glow of fires, he soon returned to his own camp and landed accurately in front of his command tent.

At the entrance stood a soldier on guard. Suddenly seeing a giant eagle land before him, the soldier was startled. But the next moment, as the eagle transformed into Xu Kang in his official robes, excitement replaced his fear, and he dropped to one knee.

“Greetings, General!”

Xu Kang smiled faintly at the soldier’s excitement and gently patted his shoulder.

“Go and fetch Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng for me.”

“Yes, General!”

The soldier shouted his reply with enthusiasm and dashed off to carry out the order.

Watching this, Xu Kang stroked his sparse beard and grinned.

“Heh, heh. Looks like word of my turning into an eagle has spread throughout the camp. That’s just as well—maybe now those fellows will stop harping on about ‘being strong, being strong’ all day long. Do they think I have no pride?”

Unconsciously, Xu Kang was once again at odds with his pet.

To his surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, a big dark head poked out from his tent, snorting and looking at him with two round, shiny black eyes.

Who else could it be but Strong Pig?

Xu Kang was momentarily taken aback, then burst out laughing.

“Ha! I was wondering where you’d run off to. Turns out you were here all along!”

He laughed as he patted Strong Pig’s big head. “Well, we haven’t seen each other for a whole day. Did you miss me?”

Strong Pig: “Snort, snort…(´･ω･`)”

Xu Kang was greatly amused by its silly expression. He drew out over twenty magic loaves of bread from his spatial pack and tossed them to the pig, patting its head again.

“Since you’re so well-behaved, you get a few extra this time. Eat up!”

“Chomp, chomp, chomp…”

By now, Strong Pig’s palate had been completely spoiled by Xu Kang. Apart from magic bread, only the occasional snake that slithered out of the grass could stir his appetite; he’d long since turned his nose up at roots and bark.

Fortunately, magic bread was incredibly filling—one piece a day was enough for an ordinary person. For a glutton like Strong Pig, a dozen or so a day was sufficient to satisfy him.

Of course, even if he ate more, there was no fear he wouldn’t finish; after all, gluttons are a breed apart.

While Strong Pig was happily eating, Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng arrived and saluted Xu Kang in unison.

“My lord!”

“Good, you’re here,” Xu Kang nodded. “Come in, let’s talk inside the tent.”

“Yes, my lord!” Both men responded together and followed him in.

Once inside, Xu Kang got straight to the point. “Since I left last night, has anything happened in the army?”

“My lord, all is as usual,” Zhao Hong replied at once.

Zhang Cheng, however, frowned and cupped his fists. “My lord, at noon today, Bo Cai’s men came looking for Peng Tuo. I sent them away, but this can’t go on forever. I fear trouble may arise—please make a decision soon!”

After hearing their reports, Xu Kang smiled and nodded.

“I understand. I’ve made arrangements with the authorities in Changshe. Tomorrow morning, have everyone pack up the supplies and head for the county seat. After nightfall, I’ll open the city gate for you. Understood?”

Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng were overjoyed and saluted again. “Understood, my lord!”

Seeing their delight, Xu Kang smiled. “Good. It’s getting late—go get some rest.”

“Yes, my lord!”

The two withdrew to rest, while Xu Kang sat on his bed and began using the Create Food and Water spell to make more magic bread and enchanted water.

He had been so busy these last two days that he’d barely had time to sit down. Now that he was free, he wasted no time in replenishing his spatial pack.

He toiled through the night, finally adding over eight thousand loaves of magic bread to his reserves.

He would have made more, but after drinking so much enchanted water, his stomach was too full to continue. He had no choice but to stop and drifted off into a deep sleep.

When he next opened his eyes, daylight had already flooded the camp.

The sounds of soldiers talking, marching, horses snorting, and supply wagons creaking filtered steadily into his ears.

Hearing that everyone was busy, he immediately lost all desire to sleep. He dressed, stepped out of his tent, and began directing the troops to break camp.

There were over seventy thousand people in the camp—ten thousand soldiers and fifty or sixty thousand old men, women, and children—so it wasn’t until afternoon that preparations for departure were complete.

After that, everything was much simpler. At Xu Kang’s command, Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng raised the great “Peng” banner, symbolizing the chieftain Peng Tuo, and led the main force in a mighty procession toward Changshe County.

Xu Kang did not join them, but instead transformed once more into a giant eagle and flew to Lu Zhi’s residence in Changshe, informing him and Huangfu Song of his plan to bring the troops into the city.

Both men had been worried about the city’s lack of soldiers. On hearing Xu Kang was bringing reinforcements, they hesitated no longer and accompanied him to the city gate.

When they arrived, Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng had just reached the open ground two hundred meters from the walls at the head of their advance party.

Soon after, the rest of the force arrived in waves. Seventy thousand people, all together, formed a vast, dense mass that looked truly formidable.

At this sight, not only the nervous city garrison but even Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song grew uneasy. They quickly turned to Xu Kang.

“Yide, are these your troops?”

“Yes, Yide, make sure these aren’t Yellow Turban rebels coming to attack!”

Xu Kang laughed. “Relax, Master Uncle, Uncle. No matter how confused I am, I wouldn’t mistake my own men! See the ‘Peng’ banner they’re carrying? I took it after killing Peng Tuo and absorbing his troops. So, there’s nothing to worry about!”

Reassured by his words, the two immediately ordered the garrison to tell the soldiers on the wall that the troops below were friendly forces disguised as Yellow Turbans and not to attack—after nightfall, they would open the gates.

The soldiers, learning that the force below was friendly and not the enemy, breathed a sigh of relief and turned to watch the sun, waiting for darkness.

But it was summer—long days and short nights—so the sun set slowly. The garrison had already waited for several hours but nightfall had not yet arrived. Instead, another contingent of Yellow Turban troops appeared.

This force was even larger; just from their immense formation, it was clear they numbered at least a hundred thousand, more than Xu Kang’s own.

And from the great “Bo” banner flying high above them, it was clear this was Bo Cai, the Yellow Turban chieftain himself.

Seeing this, Xu Kang’s brow furrowed deeply.

“This is trouble!”

Bo Cai’s arrival utterly disrupted Xu Kang’s original plan for entering the city, leaving him in a dilemma.

If he forced his way in now, Bo Cai’s army would seize the chance to follow. The city would face grave danger.

But if he didn’t enter, once his true identity was exposed, he and his troops would be surrounded and likely annihilated by the Yellow Turbans.

After all, in the chaos of battle, artillery would be useless—he couldn’t attack his own men along with the enemy.

With no solution in sight, he could only turn to Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song for help.

“Master Uncle, Uncle, how do we break this impasse?”

Truthfully, Xu Kang did not expect much from this question. He had already steeled himself to sacrifice some of the surrendered Yellow Turbans in order to get his main force into the city.

But to his astonishment, as soon as he asked, Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song burst out laughing.

“Yide, don’t worry. The one who should be concerned is Bo Cai!”

“Precisely. Now that he’s come here, today is likely his last!”

“Ah?” Xu Kang’s eyes went wide with confusion. “What do you mean by that?”