Chapter 83: The End of the War and the Descent of the God

With the tiger-tooth spear driving hard into the ground, Li Yi used the recoil to vault back into the saddle. A mouthful of blood burst from his lips, but his eyes were dark and merciless.

At once, he spotted his target. He seized the reins and yanked hard; the warhorse screamed, wheeled about, and charged left.

Even seasoned veteran Bu Yan felt a flicker of fear at the sight.

He had never imagined he would miss again.

Since he had been found out, Bu Yan abandoned concealment altogether. With a grave expression, he drew his bow and nocked another arrow.

Li Yi swept his spear aside and knocked the shaft away. He had long since prepared for this; he would not be struck by the same trick twice.

No one dared bar his path again. Li Yi rose in the saddle and drove the tiger-tooth spear straight at Bu Yan.

Bu Yan leapt as well, his heavy long blade chopping down with force.

With a sharp clash, the two weapons met in midair. Bu Yan’s face flushed crimson, and his horse reared and backpedaled, helping him absorb the blow.

Li Yi’s chest seared with pain. The arrow lodged in his wound was dragged by the tremendous force, and he spat out another jet of hot blood.

Yet he did not retreat a single step. The instant his horse touched down, he controlled the tiger-tooth spear with one hand, the blade carving a half-moon through the air before sweeping upward in a horizontal strike aimed straight for Bu Yan’s throat.

Bu Yan crazily hacked down with his long blade. The cold edge even chipped and notched, while his warhorse danced on its hooves, repeatedly helping him bleed off the impact.

But as Li Yi’s tiger-tooth spear came at him blow after blow, sweat broke out on Bu Yan’s brow. His ragged breathing made the blade in his hand feel heavier and heavier. At last, Li Yi spun the spear shaft; the spearhead flashed with a murderous, icy gleam and came at him with a force that seemed able to break through anything.

Bu Yan did not dare take the thrust head-on. He swung the blade with all his strength, but under such overwhelming power, he felt like a small boat beneath towering waves, with no power to resist.

Killing intent surged from the spearhead. Bu Yan only had time to twist aside before the blade pierced his chest.

Blood burst into the air like a flower opening in flight. Bu Yan, the Uryanhai commander most revered by the barbarian cavalry, was flung out like a discarded puppet and crashed heavily to the ground.

Every barbarian rider turned to stare at Bu Yan, half-dead on the earth, their eyes filled with terror and panic.

Then all the imperial soldiers let out a united roar and, like a rising tide bearing the force to crush all things, charged at the already shattered barbarian cavalry.

Warhorses snorted and surged forward, but before the armored riders could even turn around, long spears were already stabbing in from the front.

Cries rang out one after another as barbarian riders were cut down. Yet the rest had no will to fight; they frantically wheeled their mounts and tried to flee.

Wolfbrush spears rose high, sweeping men out of their saddles. Sharp spearheads glittered with cold light as they pierced the barbarian cavalry through the chest.

In an instant, the deadlock was broken and reversed. Horses and men tumbled everywhere. Screams, pleas, and roars mingled together, only to be interrupted in the end by the sound of blood spraying forth.

Prince Batu watched helplessly as his elite men were killed one by one, and his vision went dark.

It was over. All of it was over. His people, his achievements, his glory, everything was finished.

Despair drove him into boundless fury. He raised his battle blade and tried to rush forward to fight, but Noyan clutched the reins in a death grip.

"Prince Batu, we have lost. Run. If we do not flee now, it will be too late," Noyan pleaded bitterly.

"I am a descendant of Altan Khan, a noble prince. I would rather die in battle here."

Batu hacked at Noyan’s arm with one stroke and shouted as he prepared to lead his guards in a final charge.

But the moment he lifted his head, he saw a figure seated upright on horseback, looking at him coldly.

That one glance extinguished the fury he had just raised.

Without the slightest hesitation, Batu wheeled his horse and fled madly toward the north.

Li Yi fixed him with those horrific, predatory eyes. Blood from his wounds had stained his armor a dark red, making him seem like a demon emerging from a mountain of corpses and seas of blood, someone whose mere glance sent a chill through the bones.

Though grievously wounded, he still forced his horse onward, charging straight for the barbarian leader.

"Stop him! Stop him for me!" Batu cried out in terror.

The guards gritted their teeth and turned their mounts around, charging toward Li Yi.

Lifting the tiger-tooth spear, Li Yi drove it through one man’s chest. A long spear swept across his back, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

He paid no heed to the enemy behind him. In the glow of the firelight, he stared icily at the fleeing Prince Batu, while the horse beneath him mustered its last strength and rushed forward.

Li Yi tightened his grip on the tiger-tooth spear. In that moment, he felt his body become astonishingly light, and even the heavy spear seemed to lose much of its weight. In the instant his consciousness began to blur, he hurled the spear from his hand.

Prince Batu heard the roar of a tiger tearing through the air and could not help but look back.

With a dull thud, the tiger-tooth spear pierced the iron armor on his body and entered his chest, driving through him and pinning him to the ground.

Batu’s eyes flew wide open as he fell onto his back. Even in death, he could not believe that death had come so suddenly.

"The prince is dead! The prince is dead!"

The guards were terrified out of their wits. After one look at Li Yi seated on horseback, they wheeled around and fled in panic.

When the barbarian cavalry on the battlefield heard the news, they collapsed at once.

Under the pursuit of the imperial troops, they were either slain or scattered in every direction.

"Kill them!"

The soldiers erupted with astonishing courage. They pursued for more than a mile in one breath before exhausting themselves and giving up the chase.

They gathered around Li Yi and burst into excited cheers.

A faint smile appeared at the corners of Li Yi’s pale mouth. He had intended to dismount, but his body was too weak, and he pitched forward straight to the ground.

Everyone rushed forward at once. Whether they were sturdy young men from Clear Spring Village or soldiers from the camp and the garrisons, they opened their arms in awe and reverence and caught Li Yi firmly.

Like believers lifting a holy relic and begging heaven for mercy, they held him aloft with utmost devotion, fearful that he might suffer the slightest harm.

"Move aside. All of you, get out of the way!"

Li Guo, with Gao Xiaoji by his side, pushed and shoved his way into the crowd.

Li Yi was slowly laid on the ground.

Li Guo rushed forward and tore away the bloodstained armor, revealing the inner lining soaked through with blood.

"Master, Master, wake up. I’ll study hard. Don’t leave me behind."

Li Guo’s face was wet with tears.

Gao Xiaoji took out a pair of scissors and cut open the lining, exposing the terrible wounds on Li Yi’s body.

At a glance, there were wounds and bruises everywhere from his left shoulder down to his thigh.

His body was covered in injuries, and at the left shoulder there was a finger-thick hole in the flesh, still gushing blood without pause.

With wounds this severe, an ordinary man would have long since died.

Not to mention the sharp armor-piercing arrow buried in his chest.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, unable to believe that a man could survive such injuries.

And yet Li Yi not only lived, he had ridden at the front on horseback and held back the fiercest barbarian assault.

At that moment, his figure expanded without limit in their hearts. The impossible thing they had witnessed was proof that a miracle had appeared.

Working together, Gao Xiaoji and Li Guo used strong liquor to cleanse Li Yi’s wounds, pulled out the armor-piercing arrow, and quickly stitched him up.

They had done this too many times that night, but this time they were extraordinarily careful, afraid of causing Li Yi even the slightest pain.

Fortunately, Li Yi’s body healed quickly. Just as the treatment was finished, he stirred awake in a daze.

Li Guo, who had been waiting anxiously, hurried forward. Looking at Li Yi’s ashen face, he could not hold back his tears again.

Li Yi smiled and said, "You little brat, why are you crying? I’m not dead yet."

"I won’t let you talk about dying," Li Guo shouted angrily.

Li Yi only smiled and reached out as if to stand.

Li Guo hurried up to stop him, wiping his nose as he said, "Master, you’re badly hurt. You can’t move around recklessly."

"I know. It was I who taught you battlefield first aid when I gave you lessons. Don’t worry, I’m different from the others."

Li Yi forced himself to stand. The pain from his wounds made him grimace involuntarily.

Li Guo quickly came to support him.

Li Yi slowly walked out of the room. A cold wind swept over him, instantly clearing much of the haze from his mind.

The fortifications were still burning, their flames lighting the battlefield.

The acrid stench of blood mingled with gunpowder. A few sturdy young men and prisoners stood on the muddy, blood-red ground, carrying away the dead.

The others sat on the ground nearby, utterly exhausted, resting by the fire.

Seeing Li Yi come out, Gao Laoshi hurried over and bowed his head. "Captain, are you all right?"

Li Yi looked at him and shook his head. "I won’t die. What are the losses?"

Gao Laoshi said in a heavy voice, "Three militia youths died, five were badly wounded, and thirty suffered lighter injuries. The badly wounded ones may recover, but I’m afraid they’ll be left disabled."

Gao Laoshi’s words struck Li Yi’s heart like a hammer.

These were all fine young men from Clear Spring Village, and in the end they had died here because of him.

For a moment, Li Yi felt a stabbing pain of guilt and self-reproach.

"Treat them as we did our brothers before. Find coffins, gather the bodies, record their names and addresses. I will take them home."

Gao Laoshi, too, looked stricken with grief and nodded hard.

"What about the others? How many dead and wounded?"

"The banner soldiers and garrison troops have suffered more than half casualties. Right now they are gathering the bodies of their comrades."

At this, Gao Laoshi lowered his voice. "Captain, I’ve had men gather the horses and armor. Should we..."

He did not finish the sentence, but Li Yi understood what he meant.

Taking a deep breath, Li Yi said, "Don’t overdo it. Leave some behind. Hide the rest somewhere."

Gao Laoshi understood and quickly went to carry out the order.

Just then, Li Guo came over with several Uryanhai men.

At a glance, Li Yi saw that the Uryanhai men were actually carrying a door panel. On it lay an almost dead Mongol man, the very same sharpshooter who had nearly killed him several times.

"What is this?" Li Yi asked coldly.

The Uryanhai men were so frightened that they immediately set the panel down and prostrated themselves.

Li Guo pointed at them and said, "Master, these Mongol men say the person on the panel is their leader, the Uryanhai commander Bu Yan. He’s not a Tumed man. They want to beg you to save him."

The middle-aged Uryanhai leader raised both hands and said respectfully, "Invincible general, he truly is not a Tumed man. He is our most valiant and battle-proven Uryanhai commander. Please, spare him."

Li Yi looked coldly at the kneeling Uryanhai men and said, "Do you know that the arrow wounds in my shoulder and chest were left by your commander?"

Hearing this, all the Uryanhai men were instantly shocked.

The middle-aged Uryanhai man knocked his head to the ground twice and said anxiously, "Great Ming general, there must be some misunderstanding here. Bu Yan hates Prince Batu the most. In every battle, he always shot the horses and never the men. There must be some reason for this."

"I don’t know what reason there was. You are poor Uryanhai people, and your ancestors fought for us Han people, so I spared you and let you go. But you should not take my mercy lightly, and ask me to spare an enemy who wanted to kill me."