Martial Arts Universe: With a single command, 100,000 iron cavalry will sweep across the martial wor

"Yes."

After Liu Kai left, Su Yan rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment: If Li Shimin or Li Xiuning were to lead the troops this time, should we do what Father did and capture them to demand a ransom?

She suddenly realized something was amiss—the four bandit groups had a large force, so why choose to launch a night attack? Wouldn't it have been more advantageous to attack during the day?

"Liu Teng," she immediately ordered, "keep a close eye on the ranch. I suspect there's an inside man. Otherwise, the Four Great Bandits wouldn't have attacked at night."

"Yes, ma'am."

At the gate of the stronghold, the four bandits' men had already formed a dense, dark mass. Seeing the brightly lit pasture, Cao Yinglong knew that the enemy was well-prepared.

He shouted at Shang Xiuxun on the stockade wall, "Businesswoman, open the gate and surrender obediently, and we might spare your life! This time, no one will come to save you."

Shang Xiuxun gazed at the densely packed enemy soldiers below, her expression grave. These were the elite troops of the Four Great Bandits; the ranch would likely be difficult to hold for long.

"Don't even think about it!" she retorted loudly. "Cao Yinglong, aren't you afraid that the nearby Sui army and the Li clan will come to surround and annihilate us?"

Cao Yinglong burst into laughter upon hearing this. This ranch owner actually hoped for reinforcements from the Li family—little did she know that the Li family had already sold off Pegasus Ranch completely.

"Haha, Shang Xiuxun, do you really think we, the Four Great Bandits, came to attack Feima Ranch for no reason? The Li Clan has already joined forces with us. The Sui army has taken the money and won't come to our aid. You are now all alone!"

Shang Xiuxun's heart sank; she hadn't expected Su Yan to guess correctly. Although she suspected the Four Bandits were talking nonsense, Su Yan's previous words convinced her that the Li Clan had indeed betrayed the Pegasus Ranch. She was filled with anger and resentment, gritting her teeth as she said:

"How despicable! The Li clan actually colluded with bandits to invade my ranch! I was so wrong to trust them!"

Shang Zhen whispered, "Master, the situation is critical. You should go with the young princess first, and we'll hold them off here." Shang Xiuxun shook her head, "We can't escape. Since the Li clan dared to collude with the Four Great Bandits, they won't let anyone leave alive. Otherwise, what will become of the Li family's reputation? I'm afraid even the Four Great Bandits... they won't let them off the hook afterward."

She gazed into the distance, her voice heavy: "The Four Great Bandits boast over 100,000 troops, but only 30,000 have arrived. The rest are undoubtedly lying in ambush nearby, possibly also wary of the Li Clan. We can't escape." Shang Zhen sighed deeply: "Is the centuries-old foundation of the Pegasus Ranch truly going to be destroyed today?"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Four Bandits' territory, Cao Yinglong, seeing that the Flying Horse Ranch refused to surrender, prepared to attack. He also feared the Li clan might suddenly turn against him and wanted a swift victory, so he shouted, "Second brother, order the attack! Third brother, have you made contact with Tao Dongcheng at the Flying Horse Ranch?"

"Brother, we've made contact. He'll open the city gates as soon as we attack."

"Alright! Take Pegasus Ranch before dawn!"

As the bugle sounded, the second-in-command of the four bandits raised his troops and shouted, "Charge in! The money and women are all ours!"

On the city wall, Shang Xiuxun saw the enemy troops charging and immediately ordered Shang Zhen, "Have the archers fire!"

Shang Zhen shouted, "Fire the arrows—"

As the arrows rained down, many bandits fell to the ground, but even more enemies continued to surge toward the city gate in a dark mass.

"Princess, there are about 40,000 to 50,000 troops of the Li clan hidden in the northwest corner, led by Li Xiuning. There are also 50,000 troops of the Four Great Bandits lying in ambush nearby."

"Interesting. It seems the Four Great Bandits aren't stupid after all; they know to be wary of the Li Clan. That's fine; we can just watch the show."

Hearing the sounds of fighting outside, Su Yan knew that war had broken out. Li Xiuning, leading 50,000 men, had tried to play the role of the hunter-gatherer, but this time it seemed unlikely. The four major bandits, who had occupied Jingling for many years, were indeed not reckless; they had long been on guard against the Li clan.

"Go to sleep first, we still need to watch the excitement tomorrow morning. Liu Teng, if you see any traitors from Pegasus Ranch, kill them on sight."

Su Yan turned and went back to his room to rest. The Four Great Bandits wouldn't be able to break in during the second half of the night, and even if they did, he wasn't afraid—the Netherworld Iron Cavalry was no pushover.

If the four bandits don't know when to advance or retreat, Su Yan wouldn't mind having the Netherworld Iron Cavalry and Dark Guards take action to eliminate them.

Eastern Continent, Han Kingdom, Xinzheng.

Early in the morning, three outstandingly beautiful women arrived in Xinzheng City, and were immediately targeted by the Poison Scorpion Gang.

They are Chu Liuxiang's three confidantes: Su Rongrong, who is skilled in medicine and disguise; Li Hongxiu, who is knowledgeable about all the sects and martial arts in the world; and Song Tian'er, who is an excellent cook.

Seeing the soldiers searching everywhere in the city, Song Tian'er asked worriedly:

"Sister Rongrong, where is Brother Chu now? The city is in such chaos, will we be able to find him? Are these soldiers searching for Brother Chu and Brother Hu?"

Su Rongrong also felt uneasy. The Han army was searching the entire city for the murderer, and now Xinzheng only allowed entry but not exit. Even if Chu Liuxiang disguised himself, he would probably have difficulty escaping.

“It’s not about searching them,” Li Hongxiu continued. “I’ve inquired. The Crown Prince of Han was kidnapped, and the Qin envoy was killed outside the city. The government is investigating the murderer.”

She looked at the chaotic street scene and frowned, saying:

"The masters of the Mohist and Agriculturalist schools haven't arrived in Xinzheng yet. We need to find Brother Chu as soon as possible, otherwise it will be even more troublesome when they arrive."

Su Rongrong glanced at the person following her and smiled slightly:

"Let's find a place to settle down first and shake off our tails."

Song Tian'er looked at the inn by the roadside:

"Sister Rongrong, which inn are we staying at?"

"I don't need to stay at an inn," Su Rongrong said softly. "I have somewhere to go. Follow me."

"Sister Rongrong, do you know someone in South Korea?"

"I think... she'll help us, since we met once before."

Su Rongrong smiled at the thought of Zi Nu. Although she had only exchanged a few casual words with her in Yangzhou during the Sui Dynasty, Su Rongrong had already figured out Zi Nu's personality. She believed that Zi Nu would definitely lend a helping hand.

Before long, Su Rongrong led Li Hongxiu and Song Tian'er to the entrance of Zilan Pavilion. Li Hongxiu and Song Tian'er were speechless upon seeing that Su Rongrong had led them to such a place. They hadn't expected Su Rongrong to meet such a woman. Seeing the door tightly shut, Su Rongrong stepped forward and knocked.

"Who is it? Zilan Pavilion isn't open yet. Come back in the afternoon."

The door opened, and a woman peeked out. Seeing three strikingly beautiful young women standing outside, she looked surprised. Su Rongrong stepped forward and said:

"Young lady, I am a friend of your boss, Zi Nu. Please inform her that Su Rongrong of the Great Sui Dynasty requests an audience."

"So you are Sister Zi Nu's friends. Please come in and wait a moment. I will go and inform her right away."

Thank you for your trouble.

The woman turned and went upstairs. Li Hongxiu took the opportunity to survey the interior of Zilan Pavilion, secretly marveling at its luxurious decor. For such a grand and imposing establishment to be located in the capital of Han Kingdom, it must be something extraordinary. Unable to contain her curiosity, she whispered to Su Rongrong:

"Sister Rongrong, is the owner of Zilan Pavilion a friend of yours? This place seems extraordinary. Although that woman was only at the fifth level of the Acquired Realm, she also knew martial arts. To be able to run such a large establishment in Xinzheng, she must have considerable strength to maintain order."

Su Rongrong nodded with a smile:

"Yes, I recognize her. You'll meet Zi Nu soon; she's an extremely intelligent woman."

"Then I really must meet him."

The woman who led them in had already gone to inform the others, and the Poison Scorpion Gang members who had followed them all the way here quickly retreated upon seeing this. Purple Orchid Pavilion was a forbidden area they dared not provoke; many of their gang members had already perished there, and they absolutely dared not cause trouble.

At this moment, in a room on the second floor of Zilan Pavilion, Zi Nu sat alone with a sullen face. The thought of Su Qingfeng occupying her room last night filled her with anger and resentment; she wished she could strangle that bastard immediately…

"Sister Zi Nu, three girls have come to see you. One of them claims to be your friend, named Su Rongrong."

"Su Rongrong? What's she doing here... Chu Liuxiang? Oh, right, she's Chu Liuxiang's confidante. She must be here to rescue Chu Liuxiang. Bring them here." Zi Nu was slightly surprised. She had heard last night that Chu Liuxiang and his companions had stolen the Suihou Pearl, a treasure of the Chu Kingdom, and were now being hunted by the Mohists and the Farmers, and their chances of survival were slim.

"Yes, Sister Zi Nu."

Before long, Su Rongrong and Li Hongxiu were led to Zi Nu's room by the women of Zi Lan Xuan.

As soon as they entered, they saw Zi Nu sitting in the room. Su Rongrong looked at the still beautiful and charming Zi Nu, stepped forward and said with a smile, "Sister Zi Nu, we've come to ask for your help this time."

Zi Nu invited the three to sit down, secretly marveling at how beautiful the two women Su Rongrong had brought were.

She guessed that these two were probably also Chu Liuxiang's confidantes, and that Chu Liuxiang was probably like Su Qingfeng, a womanizer. Zi Nu poured them tea and gently shook her head.

"Rongrong, I'm afraid I can't help you this time. Chu Liuxiang has offended the Chu Kingdom, how could they possibly touch the Suihou Pearl?"

"Now, many experts have come from the State of Chu, and even many people from the Mohist and Agriculturalist schools have arrived in Xinzheng, including several grandmaster-level figures. I am merely at the peak of the Innate Realm; I simply cannot afford to offend these powerful forces."

Upon hearing this, Su Rongrong knew that Chu Liuxiang was in a difficult situation and, feeling anxious, quickly pleaded:

"Sister Zi Nu, we understand all of this. But you are my only friend in Han Kingdom. Could you please help me find Chu Liuxiang and the others?"

"I can find the person, but once I find them, I can no longer interfere, otherwise it will implicate Zilanxuan."

"Thank you, Sister Zi Nu. We understand. As long as we can find them, that's all that matters."

Seeing Zi Nu agree, Su Rongrong was overjoyed. As long as Chu Liuxiang was found, she could disguise them; though not a long-term solution, it would at least allow them to temporarily avoid the limelight. She then remembered she hadn't introduced her companions and hurriedly said to Zi Nu:

"Sister Zi Nu, these two are my good sisters Li Hongxiu and Song Tian'er. They are also Chu Liuxiang's friends."

Zi Nu nodded and smiled at Li Hongxiu and Song Tian'er:

"It seems she's also one of Chu Liuxiang's confidantes? Chu Liuxiang is quite similar to Su Qingfeng, always chasing after pretty girls."

"Sister Zi Nu, you misunderstand. We are not Brother Chu's confidantes, but merely his friends. Brother Chu is not like Su Qingfeng..."

Mentioning Su Qingfeng reminded Su Rongrong of the old times when he mocked her. That guy always called her a poor girl, just because she didn't have any money with her for a moment, yet he still gave her that nickname—thinking of this, Su Rongrong was still so angry she wanted to punch him.

Although Zi Nu found it strange, she was too lazy to investigate further. She was currently preoccupied with Su Qingfeng and didn't know what kind of mess that scoundrel would have made of her room. "No need to explain to me. I'll go and ask Chu Liuxiang and the others about their whereabouts later." "Thank you, Sister Zi Nu."