At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

At the south gate, flames soared into the sky.

Saki Musashi spurred his horse to the city gate, with the defeated remnants of his army behind him and Ninghai City's last line of defense ahead.

More than a hundred Daqian soldiers blocked the city gate, their shields linked together and their spears pointing outwards, ready to fight to the death.

These soldiers knew that if the road fell, the Dongyi people would escape, so they were determined to block it at all costs.

"Stop them! Don't let them out!"

The leading captain roared.

Samurai reined in his horse, looked at the wall of people, and gave a contemptuous smile.

He glanced back at the soldiers behind him, whose faces were filled with terror.

"Useless." Saki Musashi sneered, turning his horse around with twin swords in hand. "Open your eyes wide and watch how this general fights his way out."

After saying that, he charged towards the Daqian soldiers in front of him.

The twin swords were like the spitting tongues of a venomous snake.

The three Daqian soldiers at the front raised their shields, trying to block his way.

With a left-hand slash, Musashi Saki cleaved his sword horizontally, the blade cutting through a shield with a "crack." The iron-clad shield was split open in one stroke, and the soldier inside didn't even have time to react before his throat was slashed by the sword's energy, blood gushing out as he fell backward.

At the same time, he slashed diagonally with his right hand, the tip of the blade precisely deflecting the second soldier's spear, and then cleaved downwards, splitting the soldier from shoulder to waist.

The left-handed sword then slashed horizontally, cutting the third soldier's neck in half. His head tilted to one side, and his body slumped to the ground.

Three knives.

Three people!

Fast as lightning.

"Kill him! Attack together!" The captain of the Daqian garrison charged forward through gritted teeth, his spear aimed straight at Saki Musashi's chest.

Without even glancing at him, Musashi Saki slightly shifted his body on horseback, the tip of his spear grazing his clothes.

He swung his sword backhand, the back of the blade slamming into the captain's spear shaft, the impact numbing the captain's hand and nearly causing him to drop his spear.

"Too slow."

Saki Musashi sneered, and with his left hand, he thrust his sword in from below, through the gap in the captain's armor, and pierced his abdomen.

The captain's body stiffened abruptly, and blood gushed out.

With a flick of his wrist, Musashi drew his sword, and the captain swayed twice before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

A dozen or so Daqian soldiers rushed up, back to back with their swords facing outwards, trying to use sheer numbers to hold off Saki Musashi.

Saki Musashi spurred his horse into a circle, his twin swords spinning like windmills, leaving a trail of blood wherever they passed.

Saki Musashi's swordsmanship is extremely unpredictable, sometimes as fast as lightning, sometimes as graceful as a snake, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, sometimes up, sometimes down, making it impossible to defend against.

"Useless! Useless! All of you are useless!"

As Sasaki Musashi hacked and slashed, he laughed maniacally and shrilly.

"The soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty can't even withstand a single strike from this general! What famous generals, what elite troops—they're all incompetent fools!"

He grew increasingly frenzied with each kill, his twin blades slicing through the air in a bloody mess.

The soldiers who blocked the city gate were beheaded, disemboweled, or cut in half at the waist; their bodies lay scattered on the ground, blood splattered everywhere.

Seeing the general's bravery, the Dongyi soldiers around him regained hope in their previously tense and panicked eyes.

Someone started yelling:

"Follow the general and charge! Fight your way out!"

"Kill them!"

Sasaki Musashi rushed to the front of the city gate. The last Daqian soldier trembled all over, but he did not run. He gripped his long sword with both hands and stared at Sasaki Musashi as if waiting for death.

Saki Musashi chuckled and slashed down with his sword.

Just then...

"clang!"

A sword slashed horizontally from the side, striking Sasaki Musashi's blade precisely.

Sparks flew everywhere, and Sasaki Musashi's sword was deflected by three points. The soldier narrowly escaped by grazing the blade, and was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground.

Sasaki Musashi frowned sharply, turned his horse around, and saw the person approaching.

Xiao Jingyu sat on his horse, his battle sword held horizontally in front of him, blood still dripping from the blade.

His gaze was piercing, fixed on Sasaki Musashi, without fear, only an extremely calm scrutiny.

Saki Musashi looked him up and down and gave him an interesting smile.

He immediately sensed that the person in front of him was different from the soldiers he had just killed with a flick of his wrist.

He exuded a murderous aura, a murderous aura that had seen blood!

"Oh?" A hint of interest flashed in Sasaki Musashi's eyes. "Finally, someone who can fight."

Xiao Jingyu remained silent.

He dismounted and walked forward step by step, his sword pointing diagonally at the ground.

He could already tell that the Dongyi general in front of him was extremely skilled in martial arts, with unpredictable and treacherous swordsmanship, and ruthless and decisive in his attacks.

Neither Zhao Huaizhong nor the ordinary soldiers were his match.

This battle can only be won by him.

"You lot, step back," Xiao Jingyu said in a deep voice to the soldiers behind him. "Don't come any closer."

The soldiers quickly retreated, leaving an open space, leaving only Xiao Jingyu and Zuo Musashi facing off.

Sasaki Musashi also dismounted, holding two swords in his hands, a smile on his lips.

"Are you a general of the Great Qian Dynasty? State your name, for this general does not kill nameless nobodies."

Xiao Jingyu did not answer, but slowly raised his sword, the tip pointing at Saki Musashi.

Sasaki Musashi's smile faded slightly.

"Not going to talk? Then die!"

Before he could finish speaking, Musashi Saki made the first move.

He drew both swords simultaneously, one above the other, one aimed at Xiao Jingyu's head, and the other at his abdomen.

The blade's path was unpredictable, its angles tricky, accompanied by a whistling sound.

Xiao Jingyu did not back down.

He dodged to the side, avoiding the blade aimed at his head, and at the same time, used his sword to deflect the blade aimed at his abdomen.

With a loud clang, sparks flew everywhere.

Xiao Jingyu's wrist trembled slightly.

The opponent's strength was greater than he had imagined.

Sasaki Musashi missed his first attack and immediately changed his tactics.

With a horizontal sweep of the sword in his left hand and a diagonal slash in his right, the two swords unleashed a continuous barrage of blows, one after another, each faster than the last.

His swordsmanship had no fixed pattern; each strike changed with the battle situation, sometimes bold and sweeping, sometimes subtle and unpredictable, making him impossible to fathom.

Xiao Jingyu's swordsmanship, however, was as steady as a mountain.

He proceeded cautiously, each strike perfectly timed, each parry precise and accurate.

No matter how fast Sasaki Musashi's sword was, it couldn't outrun his eyes.

No matter how unpredictable the sword's path, he neutralized it all.

The two became entangled in a fierce battle, their swords flashing and their fight proving incredibly close.

Ten tricks!

Twenty moves!

Fifty moves...

Both of them had beads of sweat on their foreheads and were breathing rapidly.

Saki Musashi's twin swords slowed down, and Xiao Jingyu's blocking became more difficult.

The two are evenly matched, neither has the upper hand, and neither can win.

"Interesting..." Musashi Saki panted, his interest growing even stronger. "In all these years of fighting, this is the first time I've encountered a Daqian man who can withstand a hundred of my blades. What's your name?"

Xiao Jingyu remained silent.

He gripped his sword tightly, his eyes fixed on Musashi Saki's twin swords, searching for an opening.

Just then, the Dongyi soldiers behind them finally tore open a gap, and fifty or sixty men rushed out of the city gate and ran wildly towards the outside of the city.

Out of the corner of his eye, Musashi Saki saw this and knew that if he dragged it out any longer, all of his soldiers would desert him.

His eyes changed, and he suddenly laughed:

"I'm not playing with you anymore."

Suddenly, Musashi Saki sprang up, his twin swords slashing down in mid-air in a cross pattern. The two blades converged like scissors, carrying a sharp gust of wind, heading straight for Xiao Jingyu's neck.

This strike, imbued with all his strength, was powerful, heavy, and lightning fast.

Xiao Jingyu parried with his sword, and with a loud clang, the blade vibrated violently. He was forced back three steps and staggered a few times before regaining his balance.

By the time he looked up, Musashi Saki had already mounted his horse, swung his twin swords at the horse's back, and charged toward the city gate.

"Stop!" Xiao Jingyu gritted his teeth and chased after him.

Without turning his head, Musashi Saki flicked his left hand, and two black shadows flew out from his sleeves, accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, heading straight for Xiao Jingyu's face.

hidden weapon!

Xiao Jingyu had no choice but to dodge to the side. Two dark shadows flew past his ears and landed on the wooden door behind him with two "thuds." They were two poisoned cross-shaped darts.

Xiao Jingyu dodged the hidden weapon, but when he looked up again, Sasaki Musashi had already rushed out of the city gate and disappeared.

Behind them, the remaining Dongyi soldiers also poured out of the city gates in droves and fled in all directions.

Zhao Huaizhong led a troop of cavalry to catch up from behind and asked urgently, "Your Highness, should we give chase?"

Xiao Jingyu stood at the city gate, gazing in the direction where Sasaki Musashi had disappeared, his sword slowly lowering.

"There's no need to chase after them."

Zhao Huaizhong was taken aback: "Why? He's already at his last gasp..."

"Don't pursue a desperate enemy."

"If we chase after him, we won't be able to kill him; it will only increase casualties."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huaizhong had no choice but to give up.

Xiao Jingyu turned around and looked at the corpses scattered all over the city gate, the houses that were still burning, and the Daqian soldiers lying in pools of blood. There was no joy of victory in his eyes, only a deep worry.

"The most urgent task is to strengthen the defenses of Ninghai City and prevent the Dongyi people from taking advantage of the situation to enter."

Zhao Huaizhong nodded and turned to arrange defenses.

Xiao Jingyu stood alone at the city gate, his sword still sheathed.

He recalled the hundred-plus moves of grueling combat just now, and the Eastern Yi general he had sparred with—his bloodthirsty yet calm eyes, and his eerie and ruthless swordsmanship…

"This man is highly skilled in martial arts, possesses unpredictable swordsmanship, acts decisively, and has a clear mind... He is no ordinary military general."

"There are probably more than one such person in the Eastern Barbarian army."

He felt that even if General Xu Cheng, the vanguard general, came, he probably wouldn't gain any advantage.

"Could it be..." Xiao Jingyu gazed at the main road ahead, his eyes filled with complex emotions, "that we really have no choice but to send Elder Su?"

He shook his head, trying to suppress the thought.

After all, Su Mu had just finished fighting in the northern border and had finally reunited with his granddaughter. He didn't want Su Mu to go back to the battlefield so soon.

But he knew that the Dongyi people wouldn't give Donghai much time.