Chapter 86: No Longer Willing to Wait Another Twenty Years

“Old Wu, be careful!”
Jiang Chen’s urgent shout was all but drowned out amid the chaotic tumult of the battlefield, barely reaching Old Wu’s ears.
At that very moment, Wei Ziyu quietly drew a dagger from his bosom, aiming to stab Old Wu in the heart.
Sensing the murderous intent behind him, Old Wu was caught off guard, but he reacted instantly and tried to dodge. However, atop the horse, the two were pressed close together, leaving him little time or space to evade.
Wei Ziyu’s blade found its mark, plunging deep into Old Wu’s body, yet he did not fully succeed.
A veteran of countless battles, Old Wu, who had crawled out of the abyss of death time and again, met the crisis with fierce resolve, thrusting his right shoulder forward. The dagger pierced his shoulder instead, sparing him a fatal blow.
With a dull thud, Wei Ziyu was stunned, not expecting Old Wu to make such a decisive and correct choice in such extremity. By the time he realized what had happened, Old Wu’s palm had already struck his chest hard.
Wei Ziyu tumbled from his horse, aggravating his previous wounds, and soon, wracked by pain, he ceased to breathe.
Jiang Chen rode over, seeing blood streaming from Old Wu’s right shoulder—the wound was grave. He immediately offered to treat and staunch it.
But Old Wu refused outright. “Jiang Chen, that man killed a hundred and seventy-three brothers of mine twenty years ago. Because of him, I could no longer show my face at Qishan and ended up in Shanguan Town.”
“Now, at last, I have a chance for vengeance. As long as I draw breath, I must kill him! Otherwise, how could I face my brothers?”
With those words, Old Wu charged after Qi Zhaoxuan, who was fleeing, paying no heed to Jiang Chen’s anxious calls behind him.
“You’ll die this way! There will be plenty of chances for revenge!”
“I’ve waited twenty years—I cannot wait any longer.”
Though Old Wu’s mount was only a pack horse, it seemed to share his determination, gradually widening the distance from Jiang Chen as it galloped into the woods.
Jiang Chen, helpless, had no choice but to pursue him, while the battle itself underwent a dramatic shift.
The Tianfeng Battalion had brought four thousand troops, while the main force at Qishan’s northern front numbered more than ten thousand—a disparity obvious to the eye. The Tianfeng Battalion had acted boldly, convinced that Qishan’s forces would never dare rebel against the imperial court.

However, the sudden beating of war drums and the emergence of two flanking cavalry units shattered their confidence. Faced with the imminent threat of encirclement, they began an orderly retreat.
But soon the cavalry scattered their formation, and they fled in disarray, unable to regroup—ultimately cowed by the overwhelming might of Qishan’s main camp.
Old Wu pursued Qi Zhaoxuan into the woods, tracking their hoof prints and deducing that no more than ten men remained at Qi Zhaoxuan’s side. Today was the perfect opportunity to settle scores.
Riding forward, Old Wu soon felt a surge of killing intent around him. A veteran who had fought and bled countless times on the battlefield, he possessed a keen instinct for danger and ambush—nothing escaped his notice.
Even if the forest were a snare, none could prevent him from killing Qi Zhaoxuan!
“I’m here—aren’t you going to strike?”
At Old Wu’s challenge, enemies attacked from four directions simultaneously. They were Qi Zhaoxuan’s trusted guards, including surviving members of the Ten Riders of the Breaking Wind.
Today, confronted by such formidable foes as Old Wu and Jiang Chen, the Ten Riders were reduced to four, and after this battle, none might remain.
Qi Zhaoxuan hid behind a tree, watching the fight between Old Wu and his men. The man once called the “Butcher of Men,” even at his age, remained fierce and relentless.
He had to bide his time; Old Wu was badly wounded, and the harder he fought, the worse his injury would become, the more blood he would lose.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen, in pursuit of Old Wu, caught sight of a few familiar faces amidst the chaos—faces he had seen at the western gate of Ziyang City.
To his astonishment, those faces belonged to rebels he had encountered before, but now they wore the armor of Qishan’s cavalry, hunting down the Tianfeng Battalion.
No, there was more to this than it seemed...
Jiang Chen realized something, but he could not afford to be distracted. He had to find Old Wu—nothing else mattered now.
Just as he was about to enter the woods, several horsemen suddenly charged from his side, bows drawn and arrows loosed at him.
Jiang Chen wielded his spear like lightning, easily deflecting the arrows. Looking up, he saw his assailants were led by Yin Mufan and his men.
Those rebels were all Yin Mufan’s people!

“Where do you think you’re going? If you want this spear, come and take it yourself.”
Yin Mufan had not forgotten the promise he had made to Jiang Chen, but Jiang Chen’s mind was not on the spear.
“Attacking the Qishan patrol camp, beating the drums to disrupt the formation, impersonating Qishan’s iron cavalry—all of it was you. If I’m not mistaken, you intend to provoke a war between Qishan and the imperial court.”
Yin Mufan nodded in admiration. “Indeed, that is our purpose here.”
“It seems you’ve succeeded.”
“No, not yet. We must wait until Qishan’s men are utterly disillusioned with the court, and then persuade them to rebel. With Qishan’s strength on our side, overthrowing the imperial dynasty will be within reach.”
Yin Mufan made no effort to conceal his ambition before Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen said, “You’d best let me pass—I am truly pressed for time.”
But judging from Yin Mufan and his men’s reaction, Jiang Chen knew words were useless. He was wasting precious time here; he had to find Old Wu, and there was only one way forward.
“The Fierce Wind Spear—I’m taking it back now.”
Jiang Chen suddenly spurred his horse forward, wielding the gold-hooked, silver-tipped spear wrested from his enemies. He struck like a storm, swift as lightning, cutting down three men in an instant before charging straight at Yin Mufan.
Seeing this, the rest hurried to Yin Mufan’s side, and a fierce battle erupted.
Jiang Chen fought with ferocious strength, nearly unstoppable. In just a few exchanges, all but Yin Mufan were knocked from their horses. Yin Mufan, seeing the tide turn, prepared to flee.
The last time they had dueled on the boat, the two had fought for over forty rounds, but he had never realized Jiang Chen’s strength was so formidable.
He had just begun to retreat when Jiang Chen cut off every avenue of escape. The two clashed fiercely, leaving Yin Mufan no chance to break free.