Primordial Era: I rule the great sect and command all immortals.

Chapter 91 Su Hu Regrets, Marquis of Xibo Mediates

The two armies joined forces and settled in for three days. Then, the brothers Chong Houhu and Chong Heihu personally led their troops to attack Jizhou City once again.

The next morning, the army arrived at the city of Jizhou, and Chong Heihu sent his personal guards to challenge them.

Su Hu was initially shocked that Chong Houhu dared to launch another attack despite his crushing defeat, but when he reached the city wall and saw Chong Heihu's banner, he immediately understood what this man relied on.

With a sigh, Su Hu slammed his palm against the wall and lamented, "Chong Heihu's martial arts are superb. He has been a disciple of an immortal since childhood and has learned supernatural powers. None of the generals in the city are his match. What can we do?"

The generals looked at each other in bewilderment. Having defeated Chong Houhu twice before, they thought that the Marquis of the North was nothing special. If he challenged them again now, it would only be to humiliate himself. They couldn't understand why the Marquis would boost the morale of others and diminish his own.

"Father, why boost others' morale and diminish your own? He admires Black Tiger's martial arts skills, but I am no less skilled. I will go and capture him and hand him over to you for your disposal."

Others dared not say anything, but Su Quanzhong was not convinced. Ignoring his father's objections, he picked up his halberd, mounted his horse, and ordered his troops to leave the city.

"Chong Heihu, I've heard you're a master of martial arts and possess extraordinary protective abilities, but I refuse to accept that. Come out now, and I'll fight you a hundred rounds!"

Once outside the city, they deployed into battle formation. Su Quanzhong rode forward and challenged Chong Heihu to a duel.

"Second brother, this lad is Su Quanzhong, Su Hu's eldest son. He is extremely brave and skilled in martial arts; none of my generals can match him!"

Upon seeing Su Quanzhong challenge him, Chong Houhu quickly told his second brother about the boy's situation. He didn't care about exposing the family's dirty laundry; his second brother's priority was to be careful in dealing with the enemy.

"Brother, rest assured! I will go forward and speak with my nephew Quan Zhongxian."

Chong Heihu led his warhorse to the front of the battle and said to Su Quanzhong, "Nephew Quanzhong, you may go back and invite your father here. I have something to say to him."

It turns out that Marquis Chong Heihu of Caozhou and Marquis Su Hu of Jizhou had a past relationship. They served under Grand Tutor Wen in the past and had a fairly good relationship.

Chong Heihu came here for two reasons: first, to relieve his brother's predicament after his defeat; and second, to persuade Su Hu.

"We are sworn enemies; what does my father have to say to you?"

After saying that, Su Quanzhong spurred his horse and charged straight at Chong Heihu.

"Good lad! If you remain so arrogant, you will surely bring trouble upon yourself in the future. I've captured you today to teach you humility!"

Seeing Su Quanzhong arrive, Chong Heihu was also enraged. He picked up a pair of golden axes and charged at Su Quanzhong.

Su Quanzhong was brave and fierce. Seeing that Chong Heihu was using a short axe, he didn't take him seriously at all. Su Quanzhong used all his skills, his spear thrusts faster and faster, like a sky full of stars, until Chong Heihu broke out in a cold sweat.

"Good lad, truly a tiger cub from a military family!"

Chong Heihu brandished his axe, then turned his horse and rode away.

"Hahaha! I thought you were something special, that my father would praise you so highly!"

Seeing that Chong Heihu was no match for him, Su Quanzhong laughed and spurred his horse to give chase, determined to capture the man alive and show him to his father.

Chong Heihu looked back and saw Su Quanzhong relentlessly pursuing him. He quickly opened the spout of the red gourd on his back and muttered incantations.

A plume of black smoke emerged from the gourd, spreading out like a net. The black smoke, obscuring the sky and reflecting the sun, flew in and transformed into a divine eagle with an iron beak. It opened its mouth and pecked at Su Quanzhong.

No matter how brave Su Quanzhong was, he was just a mere mortal. Where had he ever seen such extraordinary skills?

With a single peck, the iron-beaked eagle startled Su Quanzhong so much that he fell off his horse.

"Take it!"

Seeing this, Chong Heihu withdrew his supernatural powers, waved his hand, and the soldiers rushed forward, binding Su Quanzhong tightly.

After bringing Su Quanzhong back to the camp, Chong Houhu wanted to kill him to avenge the deep-seated hatred caused by their mutual defeat.

"Brother, Su Hu's daughter is the one His Majesty desires. Today, you killed Su Quanzhong for a moment of pleasure. If Su Daji enters the palace and gains the Emperor's favor, neither of us brothers will have a good ending."

Upon seeing this, Chong Heihu quickly spoke up to stop him, saying that this person must not be killed!

"Second Brother's idea is indeed the most thoughtful. Su Quanzhong will be imprisoned for now. Once Su Hu and his entire family are captured, they will be escorted to Chaoge and dealt with by the Emperor!"

Upon hearing this, Chong Houhu broke out in a cold sweat. It was fortunate that his second brother was quick-witted; otherwise, he would have been in real trouble.

Meanwhile, Su Hu, standing atop the city wall, saw Su Quanzhong captured by Chong Heihu. His vision blurred, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

"My son is arrogant and will not listen to his father. Now his life is over."

Just as he was lamenting, he heard his men say, "My lord, Chong Heihu has challenged you to a duel."

Su Hu considered that Chong Heihu possessed extraordinary abilities that no one could rival, so he ordered his generals not to engage in battle, but to hold the city and defend it to the death.

"Brother Su, only if you come out and discuss this with me can we withdraw our troops. If you don't come out, how can this matter be resolved?"

Chong Heihu, standing below the city, was secretly anxious as he watched Su Hu leave the city.

"If we simply cut off their supply lines, preventing the people inside the city from receiving aid, the city will fall without a fight. Besides, the Marquis of Xibo and his brother both received the king's orders, yet he hasn't come. Why should we risk losses to fight Su Hu to the death?"

Chong Heihu's last words immediately moved Chong Houhu. He had been on the expedition for more than half a month and had lost tens of thousands of elite soldiers and several generals. And that old man Ji Chang had returned to Xiqi and had not sent reinforcements yet. He was truly hateful and deserving of death!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. So Chong Houhu withdrew his army, set up camp outside the city, surrounded Jizhou City, and waited for the arrival of Ji Chang, the Marquis of the West.

At this time, Su Hu was trapped in the city. He thought that he had no strong generals inside and no reinforcements outside. He was essentially waiting to die, but he had no choice.

Just then, a personal guard came to report that Zheng Lun, the grain supervisor, was waiting for orders outside the gate.

Su Hu ordered Zheng Lun to come and meet him.

After bowing, Zheng Lun said, "On the way, I heard that Your Excellency had rebelled against the Shang, and that Marquis Chong had been ordered to lead an expedition against you. I was very worried and traveled day and night. I wonder what the outcome of Your Excellency's campaign will be?"

"The other day, when the Shang dynasty was in session, the foolish emperor listened to slander and wanted to take my daughter as his concubine; I was so angry that I wrote a poem in protest against Shang. Now, the emperor has ordered Chong Houhu to attack us, and we have won two or three battles in succession, suffering heavy losses and achieving a great victory."

"Unexpectedly, Chong Heihu from Caozhou came to his brother's aid and captured my son, Quanzhong. That Chong Heihu possesses extraordinary skills and is the bravest in the army; I am no match for him. Alas!"

At this point, Su Hu, missing his eldest son, wept bitterly.

Upon hearing Su Hu's words, Zheng Lun loudly proclaimed, "My lord, do not be discouraged! Tomorrow, I will personally lead the troops to capture Chong Heihu and exchange him for the eldest prince!"

"It is not that I, Marquis, am boosting the morale of others while diminishing my own prestige, but that Chong Heihu once studied under a strange man and received his Taoist arts, which terrify even gods and ghosts. No one in Ji Province can rival him. What should we do?"

Zheng Lun said, "Your Majesty, that Chong Heihu has extraordinary protective abilities, and I, your humble servant, also possess supernatural powers. I do not believe we cannot defeat him!"

Sure enough, early the next morning, Zheng Lun mounted his mount, the "Fiery-Eyed Beast," and carrying a demon-subduing pestle, he opened the city gates wide, arrayed three thousand crow soldiers, and marched to the camp, loudly proclaiming, "Summon Chong Heihu to come see me!"

"Is this Brother Su's trump card? Perfect! Let's break this man's spirit, Brother Su, abandon your illusions, surrender quickly, and save your family's lives!"

Upon hearing the news, Chong Heihu was overjoyed and immediately mobilized his troops to meet the enemy in battle.

Upon arriving at the front lines, Chong Heihu, not recognizing Zheng Lun, called out, "General from Ji Province, state your name."

"I am Zheng Lun, a general of Ji Province. I was not in the city the other day, and you seized my eldest son. You think you're so powerful? If you hand over the young marquis today, all will be well. But if you utter a single word of dissent, may you all become dead!"

Zheng Lun slapped the "Fiery-Eyed Beast" and entered the formation, his Vajra Pestle pointing at Chong Heihu.

"You madman! Watch how I deal with you."

Enraged by this, Chong Heihu spurred his warhorse forward and charged at Zheng Lun, brandishing a pair of golden axes.

Seeing this, Zheng Lun also urged his "Fiery-Eyed Beast" to attack Chong Heihu.

Zheng Lun and Chong Heihu clashed and fought for dozens of rounds, but neither could gain the upper hand. When Chong Heihu saw that Zheng Lun was riding the "Fiery-Eyed Golden-Pierced Beast", he knew that this person also possessed Taoist arts.

Thinking of this, Chong Heihu made a feint, turned his mount around, and left, taking out a red gourd from his back, intending to use magic to injure his enemy.

When Zheng Lun saw Chong Heihu take the red gourd off his back, he knew that Chong Heihu was about to unleash a spell.

"Watch how I capture you!"

Zheng Lun sneered, brandished the Vajra Pestle in his hand, and three thousand crow soldiers behind him shouted, moving like a long snake, holding grappling hooks and dragging chains, rushing over.

Zheng Lun snorted, making a sound from his nose, and two beams of white light shot out from his orifices.

Upon hearing the voice, Chong Heihu felt dizzy and fell off his warhorse.

The crow soldiers approached, bound him tightly, and captured him.

After a long while, Chong Heihu finally woke up. Looking around, he found himself bound. He saw that all around him were generals from Ji Province, with Su Hu and Zheng Lun leading the way.

"Quickly untie the Black Tiger brothers!"

Upon seeing Chong Heihu awaken, Su Hu gave an order, and his personal guards stepped forward to remove Chong Heihu's ropes and set him free.

Chong Heihu replied, "We both served under the Grand Tutor and are sworn brothers. I am truly ashamed to have been captured by Brother Su's subordinates!"

Su Hu then ordered his men to prepare a seat for Chong Heihu before saying, "I never imagined that you and I, brothers, would meet on the battlefield, swords drawn!"

"I came here for two reasons: first, because of your defeat, and second, to help Brother Su out of his predicament. Unexpectedly, your son is young and arrogant, and refused to ask Brother Su to speak. Therefore, I captured him and brought him back to the rear camp. However, I have not treated your son badly."

Chong Heihu then said to Su Hu, "Brother Su, although you have won several battles and have a master like Zheng Lun to assist you, Ji Province is no match for the Great Shang. Brother Su should make plans as soon as possible and submit a petition to apologize. I, along with the other lords, will jointly persuade His Majesty to forgive Brother Su this once."

"My dear brother, you saved my son. I will never forget this kindness and virtue."

Su Hu's heart stirred. How could he not know what Chong Heihu had said?

If Chong Heihu is willing to mediate with Chong Houhu, in order to protect his family and the people of the city, he may have no choice but to submit, and his daughter will be hard to save.

With this in mind, and considering his eldest son Wuyou, Su Hu hosted a banquet to entertain Chong Heihu.

Outside the city, Chong Houhu was shocked to hear from his scouts that his brother, Chong Heihu, had been captured by Zheng Lun, a general from Ji Province, and his fate was unknown.

Just as Chong Houhu was at a loss, another soldier came in to report: "The Marquis of Xiqi has sent Grand Master San Yisheng to wait outside the gate for the Marquis to summon him."

"How many troops did San Yisheng bring?"

Chong Houhu was overjoyed and quickly asked.

"Reporting to the Marquis, there is only San Yisheng!"

"You, Ji Chang! I see you've also harbored rebellious intentions! The King ordered you, Ji Chang, to join me in sending troops! Yet you haven't sent a single soldier. I'd like to hear what San Yisheng has to say!"

Upon hearing his personal guard's words, Chong Houhu was so angry that he almost lost his temper. He had sent out a large army to fight against the Jizhou army several times and suffered heavy losses. Ji Chang had been watching from the sidelines. He was determined to impeach him!

Just as Chong Houhu had predicted, Ji Chang, after returning to Xiqi, prepared to watch from the sidelines, letting Jizhou and Yin Shang fight a major battle to weaken Yin Shang's strength.

Unexpectedly, Chong Houhu was so useless, and the strength of Ji Province was also extraordinary, which actually caused Chong Houhu's army to be routed.

Seeing this, Ji Chang knew he could not wait any longer, or he would surely incur King Zhou's fury. Although he had rebellious intentions, the power of Xiqi was not strong and he was not yet fully prepared, so he dared not reveal his rebellious thoughts.

It was just in time to send San Yisheng to persuade Su Hu to surrender. This time, Su Hu's family was spared, which also made Su Hu owe him a favor. In the future, if he were to raise an army, he might be able to subdue him and make him an ally.

Chong Houhu summoned San Yisheng to answer questions. San Yisheng, relying on his silver tongue, persuaded Chong Houhu to believe him, which made Chong Houhu doubtful. So he sent him to Jizhou City to see if he could persuade Su Hu to surrender.

When Su Hu, who was in the midst of a grand banquet, heard that San Yisheng, the Grand Master of the Western Marquis Ji Chang, had arrived, he was overjoyed, knowing that he was saved. If the marquises of the North and West pleaded for him and offered his daughter, he thought that King Zhou might forgive him this time.

Sure enough, upon meeting San Yisheng and hearing that Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, was willing to plead for him, and with Chong Heihu also intervening, Su Hu was finally moved. He gritted his teeth and had no choice but to sacrifice his daughter's happiness to save his family.

Soon, the two armies ceased fighting, and Chong Heihu and Su Quanzhong were released.

The joint memorial from the Marquis of the West and the Marquis of the North was also delivered to Chaoge.

Soon, news spread throughout Chaoge that Jizhou Hou had been defeated and that Su Hu was bringing his beloved daughter Su Daji to Chaoge.

This news was quickly learned by the three demons of "Xuanyuan Tomb".

Upon learning the news, the nine-headed pheasant spirit immediately returned to "Xuanyuan Tomb" and informed the nine-tailed fox spirit and the jade-faced pipa spirit.

"As long as we possess Su Daji's body, we can enter the Shang King's harem, and the plan will be more than half complete."

With the help of the Nine-Headed Pheasants, and relying on their magical powers, they entered the palace. Dealing with a mortal emperor would be a piece of cake for them.

"My two sisters, we must be careful about this matter. If it were so easy to succeed, Her Majesty would not have allowed the three of us to secretly bewitch King Zhou," the nine-tailed fox spirit said cautiously.

"What should we do then?" asked the Jade-Faced Pipa Fairy.

"My two sisters, you stay here and wait. I'll possess Su Daji's body first and get into the palace. If the plan succeeds, I'll find a way to get you into the palace too!"

The nine-tailed fox spirit thought for a moment. She couldn't disobey the decree of the Goddess Nuwa. This was a rare opportunity, and she had to act.

(End of this chapter)