The Empress has abandoned me? I'll support a new emperor and destroy your kingdom!

Several bloodthirsty cavalrymen roared, raised their spears, spurred their horses, and charged towards Su Che! Their iron hooves thundered, and the tips of their spears flashed coldly, determined to crush this obstacle into a bloody pulp!

Su Che didn't move.

When the spearhead was less than three feet from his chest, he slightly turned his body, the movement seemingly slow, yet perfectly timedodge the spearhead. At the same time, his left hand flashed out, lightly touching and guiding the spear shaft. The cavalryman felt an irresistible, supple yet powerful force, and was involuntarily thrown from his horse, flying towards the stone wall beside him with a scream, before crashing to the ground and passing out with a thud.

The warhorse lost control, bolted sideways, and knocked over another rider next to it.

Su Che's figure, barely a blur in the eyes of onlookers, had already passed through the brief chaos and appeared beside the second cavalryman's horse. He pointed his fingers like a sword and lightly tapped a spot on the horse's neck. The mighty warhorse immediately let out a mournful cry, its hooves buckled, and it crashed to the ground, throwing its rider far away.

The third rider, the fourth rider… Su Che strolled leisurely through the chaotic cavalry. He used no weapons, merely patting, pointing, guiding, and leading with simple, elegant movements, as if he were instructing his disciples rather than fighting a life-or-death battle. But with each strike, a rider and a horse would lose their fighting ability, either fainting, falling to the ground, or colliding with each other.

Wherever he went, men and horses fell over, and not a single person or horse could get more than three feet away from him!

This effortless mastery, this terrifyingly precise control over power, timing, and angle, completely shattered the last shred of fighting spirit of the remaining pursuers.

This isn't a battle, it's a crushing defeat! It's a game!

"Demon... Demonic magic!" Liu Meng was terrified. He finally understood why General Gao and His Majesty were so wary of this person! This was something no human could do! He roared and, instead of moving forward, he suddenly pulled on the reins, trying to escape by rushing up the hillside from the side!

"General Liu, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

A soft voice seemed to ring in his ears. Liu Meng turned around in shock, only to see that the blue figure had somehow become as clinging to his horse's side, and he could even see the cold mockery in the other's eyes.

A slender, fair hand gently pressed against his wrist, which was holding the gun.

Liu Meng felt a numbness in his wrist, as if it had been clamped by red-hot iron clamps, and the iron spear clattered to the ground. Immediately afterward, a gentle yet irresistible force came over him, and his two-hundred-pound body was lifted up lightly like a rag doll. Then, he spun around and was slammed heavily onto the hard ground with a thud. His internal organs felt displaced, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His vision went black, and he could no longer move.

Su Che didn't even glance at Liu Meng, who was sprawled on the ground like a dead dog. He raised his eyes and swept them over the remaining dumbfounded and trembling cavalrymen.

The valley had fallen completely silent. Only the groans of the wounded and the mournful neighing of warhorses echoed through the air.

Zhao Jianing and his men, who had been lying in ambush on both sides, appeared, armed with bows and crossbows, and took control of the situation. The remaining pursuers, numbering only about a hundred, were already terrified and dropped their weapons, kneeling and begging for mercy.

"Clean up the battlefield, collect horses, armor, and rations." Su Che's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "The wounded brothers should be treated first. Those among the pursuers who are too badly wounded to die should be given a quick death. Those with minor injuries or no injuries should be gathered together and kept under guard."

"Yes!" Zhao Jianing and the others responded in unison, their gazes towards Su Che filled with fervor and awe. They knew their master was strong, but witnessing his godlike abilities firsthand still left them utterly shocked. This was merely a casual strike from their master.

Su Che walked to Liu Meng, who was limp as a rag doll, squatted down, and looked into his unfocused and fearful eyes.

"General Liu, please ask you, or someone still able to, to pass on a message to Gao Tianci." Su Che's tone was calm, as if he were chatting casually. "Tell him to accept the 'shadow guards' and spies he wants, and to play with them slowly. This 'return gift' today is to thank him for his hospitality over the past few days. There will be plenty of time in the future. I, Su, will be waiting for him and... His Majesty to come and visit me in Jiangqiong."

He paused slightly on the word "Your Majesty," and the smile on his lips was icy and chilling.

"As for this Fallen Maple Gorge," Su Che stood up, dusted off non-existent dust from his hands, and surveyed the ravaged battlefield, "the scenery is quite nice. Burying three hundred elite Tiger Might Camp soldiers isn't a disgrace."

After saying that, he stopped looking at Liu Meng, whose face was ashen, turned around, and leisurely walked towards the other side of the canyon, in the direction where Pang Xiaopan and the carriages were waiting.

The figure in the green robe gradually disappeared into the distance, as if the ambush just now, in which dozens of men annihilated three hundred elite pursuers and captured the enemy general, was merely a fallen leaf that was casually brushed away.

Zhao Jianing left some men to handle the aftermath, while he quickly led his men to follow. He glanced back at the horrific scene in the canyon, only one thought in his mind:

Gao Tianci, Lin Chu...

Your nightmare has only just begun.

……

Two days later, in the capital city, at the imperial palace.

A battle report, stained with blood and written in illegible handwriting, was presented to Lin Chu's desk by Gao Tianci with trembling hands.

"This humble general... is incompetent! Liu Meng's three hundred elite troops were ambushed by the traitor Su Che at Luofeng Gorge... The entire army... was wiped out! Liu Meng was seriously wounded and captured, but was later released along with dozens of wounded soldiers... bringing back a message..." Gao Tianci knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold floor tiles, his voice hoarse, not daring to raise his head.

Lin Chu sat quietly, her face expressionless. She picked up the battle report and read it slowly and carefully. It described in detail the terrain of Falling Maple Gorge, the ambush, Su Che's ghostly skills, and... the two sentences he had given to Gao Tianci and her.

"In Jiang Qiong... wait for him and me... to go as guests?" Lin Chu repeated softly, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.

She suddenly remembered the words Chen Gonggong brought back the night Su Che left: "When I return, the empire will have fallen."

It turns out that it wasn't just said in anger, nor was it a curse.

It's a preview.

A chilling fear, like a venomous snake, tightened around her heart once more, clearer and more suffocating than ever before.

She looked at Gao Tianci, who was kneeling and trembling. This "loyal and brave" general, whom she once thought she could rely on and who could keep Su Che in check, now seemed so pale and so... useless.

The hall was deathly silent, except for the rustling sound of her fingertips tracing the war newspaper.

After a long silence, she closed the battle report, her voice eerily calm:

"General Gao."

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is here!"

"From this day forward, all news of the disastrous defeat at Luofeng Gorge is to be sealed off. The fallen soldiers will be compensated according to the highest standards, but anyone who dares to speak out will be executed."

"……yes."

"Furthermore," Lin Chu raised his eyes, his gaze falling on the gloomy sky outside the palace, "draft an edict for me and send it to Jiang Qiong."

Gao Tianci looked up in astonishment.

Lin Chu spoke each word slowly and deliberately, as if using all his strength:

"Emperor Tianming sends his greetings to the King of Jiangqiong. Our traitor Su Che has taken officials hostage, killed and wounded soldiers, and fled in fear of punishment. He may have already entered your country's territory. This man is extremely dangerous and harbors malicious intentions. I hope your country will consider the diplomatic relations between our two nations and quickly capture him and send him to Tianming. I... will certainly reward you handsomely."

After she finished speaking, she closed her eyes, leaned back in the dragon throne, and waved her hand.

Gao Tianci felt as if he had been granted a pardon and scrambled out of the room.

In the empty hall, Lin Chu sat alone. On the imperial desk, the cup of "Autumn Dew White" that had long since gone cold and remained untouched quietly gleamed with a cold light.

The poisoned wine she prepared herself never even had a chance to be served.

But the "wine" Su Che returned the favor to her had already broken her heart and chilled her to the bone.