No title, no marriage? Do you think I'm some kind of lapdog?

"General Ye has given the order! Slaughter all the Xiongnu dogs! Leave no one alive—!"

The roar echoed around the earthen fortress, and the torchlight flickered in the wind.

The images revealed faces painted with black ash, obscuring their features, but the arrows were frighteningly accurate.

"Pfft!"

"Ah—my leg!"

The arrows rained down wave after wave, aiming straight for the crowd.

The Xiongnu soldiers were in complete chaos. Their horses were startled and neighed, collided and trampled each other, and screams never stopped.

Bald Wolf's eyes turned bloodshot. He brandished his scimitar, slicing through several arrows, and roared:

"Form a circular formation! Shields in front! Archers, return fire!"

But where can I find a shield?

They were a light cavalry raider, and in order to speed up, they didn't even wear heavy armor; each of them carried only a scimitar and a bow.

Now they are ambushed in narrow terrain, and there is no time to even draw the bow.

"General! There's a breach on the east side!"

The lieutenant pointed to a collapsed corner of the earthen fort.

Bald Wolf gritted his teeth: "Break through to the east! Take as many as you can!"

He led his personal guards in the charge, wielding his scimitar and slicing two "Black Feather Guards" away.

But the opponent didn't engage in combat at all; after shooting the arrow, he shrank into the darkness like a ghost.

What's even more infuriating is that those "Black Feather Guards" shouted as they fought:

"General Ye said, not a single Xiongnu bastard will be spared!"

"Kill them! Report this to the general!"

"kill--!"

Every word and phrase was aimed at Ye Qingyue.

Bald Wolf was furious.

He recalled Wanyan Honglie's words of advice before he set off: "Don't trust Ye Qingyue completely, be careful."

He didn't think much of it at the time, believing that no matter how cunning a Han woman was, she would still have to do something after taking the money.

Right now, all he wants to do is slap himself twice.

"Ye Qingyue! I'll fuck your ancestors—!"

The bald wolf roared and cleaved a Black Feather Guard who had rushed too close with a single blow. The man coughed up blood and fell to the ground, dropping a wooden plaque from his arms.

Under the moonlight, the five characters "Yumen Pass General's Mansion" on the wooden sign were clearly visible.

The lieutenant picked it up, his hands trembling: "General...it really is Ye Qingyue's person..."

"Damn it! Damn it!"

Bald Wolf snatched the wooden sign, slammed it to the ground, and crushed it with his feet.

"Break through! Go back and report to the Prince! That bitch Ye Qingyue dared to scheme against us!"

The remaining Xiongnu soldiers followed the bald wolf outwards, abandoning their armor and weapons in a chaotic and disorganized manner.

Three miles outside the earthen fort, on a hillside, Su Chuang squatted in a grassy hollow, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, squinting at the firelight below.

"That's about it."

He spat out a blade of grass. "Lu Bing, let's call it a day."

In the shadows, Lu Bing knelt on one knee:

"My lord, the Xiongnu suffered approximately 800 casualties, with about 500 escaping. The remaining 1,700 have fled north with the Bald Wolf."

Where are our people?

"Seventeen people were lightly wounded; no one was killed in action."

Lu Bing paused for a moment, then said, "As instructed by our lord, we released more than thirty Xiongnu soldiers. They all heard what we were shouting."

Su Chuang grinned: "Well done."

Xu Mengran lay beside him, her brows furrowed slightly: "Chuang, if Bald Wolf goes back now, Wanyan Honglie will definitely be furious, especially at Yumen Pass..."

"Then let him get angry."

Su Chuang rubbed his hands together. "Didn't Ye Qingyue want to use someone else to do her dirty work? I'll sharpen this knife and then put it back in her hand."

He stood up, patted the dirt off his backside, and said, "Let's go, back to work."

For the next few hours, Wangbeitai was like a boiling pot.

First, Yue Fei led the Mo Dao Guards sixty li west to wipe out the last band of horse bandits at Huangfeng Ridge.

The chieftain still tried to resist, but Yue Fei pierced his heart with a spear, and his body was hung on the gate of the stronghold for three days as a warning.

Eighty-two people were recruited.

Then, Zhao Yun led the Flying Tiger Army forty miles south and wiped out the "Black Water Ditch" stronghold.

That place was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Zhao Yun personally led twenty light cavalry to sneak up from the cliff behind the mountain, and with the help of both inside and outside, they broke into the camp in half an hour.

Fifty-three people were recruited.

Finally, Li Cunxiao, carrying a knife as wide as a door, swaggered to a riverbank downstream of the "Liusha River".

The last remaining band of horse bandits, about forty people, were hidden there.

Li Cunxiao stood there, planted his sword on the ground, and said: "My lord said, surrender and you will have food to eat; don't surrender and you will be buried."

The forty or so bandits looked at his muscular body and then at the knife, and wisely threw away their weapons.

At this point, all organized bandit groups within a radius of a hundred miles were completely wiped out.

Inside the earthen house on Wangbeitai, Su Chuang was sitting with his legs crossed, munching on an apple, when that thing in his head suddenly popped into his head:

[Second stage of the chain mission, "Clearing the Fields," completion rate: 100%]

[Mission Reward: 300 SS-rank special cavalry "White Horse Cavalry" (already issued)]

[The White Horse Cavalry has arrived. Current location: Baishui River Beach, ten miles outside Wangbeitai. Identity: Northern Frontier Rider. They will "encounter" Zhao Yun in one incense stick's time.]

With a "crunch," Su Chuang took a large bite out of the apple in his hand, and juice dripped down his chin.

He wiped his face haphazardly and grinned.

White Horse Cavalry!

Gongsun Zan's elite cavalry, renowned throughout the land during the Three Kingdoms period, were swift as the wind, skilled in archery and horsemanship, and especially adept at mounted archery and guerrilla warfare.

Once we get our hands on this thing, we can do whatever we want in the northern border region.

"Zilong!" Su Chuang shouted at the top of his lungs.

Zhao Yun pushed open the door and entered, his silver armor spotless: "My lord."

"Take your people and go for a walk on the Baishui River beach."

Su Chuang blinked. "There's a 'big gift' waiting for you to collect."

Zhao Yun was taken aback for a moment, then understood: "Yes."

He turned to leave, but Su Chuang called out to him again, "Wait."

"Does my lord have any further instructions?"

"Have you heard of the White Horse Cavalry?" Su Chuang asked.

Zhao Yun's pupils contracted slightly: "Elite cavalry, white horses and silver spears, swift as the wind, skilled in mounted archery and guerrilla warfare."

"Yes." Su Chuang grinned. "Now, they're yours."

Zhao Yun tightened his grip on his spear, remained silent for three breaths, and then knelt on one knee: "Yun will certainly live up to my lord's high expectations."

"Go."

Zhao Yun strode away.

Su Chuang then looked at Li Cunxiao, who was dozing off beside him while holding a knife: "Thirteen, from now on you will stay by my side and be specifically responsible for my safety."

Li Cunxiao opened his eyes and scratched his head: "My lord, can I still fight?"

"Yes, you can."

Su Chuang chuckled. "If anyone wants to kill me, you can beat them up first, then you can start a fight, right?"

Li Cunxiao grinned: "Alright!"

The earthen house fell silent.

Xu Mengran sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), holding a letter in her hand, her face somewhat pale.

Lin Ruxue, standing beside her, asked softly, "Sister Xu, what's wrong?"

Xu Mengran handed her the letter.

Lin Ruxue took it and glanced at it, her expression changing as well.

The letter was sent by the Xu family in the capital, via express courier service. It contained only three sentences:

Emperor Wu issued an edict summoning the woman back to the capital.

"Disobeying the imperial decree is treason, and the entire Xu family will be in grave danger."

"Three days to return immediately."

Su Chuang leaned closer, glanced at the letter, and the playful expression on his face faded a little.

"Sister Xu," he said, "you have to go."

Xu Mengran looked up at him, her eyes a little red: "I'm not leaving."

"You have no choice but to leave." Su Chuang shook his head. "This decree from Emperor Wu is forcing you to choose sides."

He counted on his fingers:

"If you follow me now, it's equivalent to the Xu family's 200,000 border troops standing on my side. Emperor Wu can't sleep at night."

"So he used the lives of the entire Xu family to force you to go back."

"If you go back, he'll be at ease; if you don't go back, the Xu family..."

He didn't go on.

Xu Mengran gritted her teeth: "Then I shouldn't leave even more! If I leave, what will happen to you..."

"I don't need you."

Su Chuang grinned, but the smile seemed a little forced.

"With Pengju, Zilong, Thirteen, and that old fox Wenhe, they won't die."

Xu Mengran looked at him, and tears finally fell.

She wasn't a crybaby; she hadn't shed a tear even when wounded and bleeding on the battlefield. But right now, the tears just wouldn't stop.

"Break through..." Her voice trembled.

Su Chuang reached out and pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back.

"Sister Xu, be a good girl."

He said in a low voice.

"You go back to the capital first and help me stabilize the Xu family. Once I've established a foothold in the northern frontier, we have a long road ahead of us."

Lin Ruxue watched from the side, her eyes also reddening. She quietly slipped out and closed the door behind her.

Only two people remained in the mud house.

Xu Mengran buried her face in Su Chuang's shoulder, her tears soaking his clothes.

"I will come back," she said in a hoarse voice.

"I know." Su Chuang nodded. "I'll come to the capital to pick you up after I've conquered the northern frontier."

Xu Mengran raised her head and looked at him: "You are not allowed to die."

"Don't worry," Su Chuang grinned, "I'm tough as nails."

He took out a jade pendant from his pocket and put it into Xu Mengran's hand.

The jade pendant was warm and smooth, carved with a qilin pattern. He had obtained it from Ye Qingyue, and it was said to ward off evil spirits.

"Take it, keep it as a memento," Su Chuang said.

Xu Mengran gripped the jade pendant tightly and nodded emphatically.

The following morning, looking out from the North Terrace.

Xu Mengran, dressed in red, rode on a horse, followed by ten Xu family guards.

He secretly came to meet her a few days ago.

Su Chuang stood in front of the horse, looking up at her.

The morning light shone on her face, revealing a radiant face tinged with weariness, yet her eyes remained resolute.

"Sister Xu," Su Chuang grinned, "be careful on the road, don't get kidnapped."

"Who dares to kidnap me?" Xu Mengran glared at him. "I'll stab him to death with my sword."

"That's true." Su Chuang rubbed his hands together. "When you get to the capital, send me a message."

"Um."

The two stared at each other, a thousand words stuck in their throats, yet they couldn't utter a single one.

Finally, Xu Mengran spoke first: "I'm leaving."

She tugged on the reins, and the horse snorted and turned around.

"Sister Xu!" Su Chuang suddenly called out.

Xu Mengran turned around.

Su Chuang pulled a small cloth bag from his pocket and tossed it over: "This is for eating on the road, dried meat, which I roasted myself."

Xu Mengran took the cloth bag, held it in her hand, and her eyes reddened again.

But she didn't cry; she just gave Su Chuang a deep look.

"I love you! Chuang!"