You Kong flees; Ji Shi rebukes Liu Hua. Zhu Fa rallies his men and plots to slay Ji Shi.

After successfully capturing Jiangcheng, Commander Ji looked at the jubilant soldiers and sighed. “Leibu, what are the casualties?”

“Reporting, my lord, the Divine Strategy Army suffered 1,314 deaths, with 2,025 soldiers remaining. The Tiger Might Army lost 2,024 men. As for the troops outside the city previously under You Kongfei’s command, they suffered minimal losses and still number over 50,000.”

“Understood. You may leave now.”

“Yes, sir!”

Hearing the report, Commander Ji remained standing by the table, staring at the map for a long time without moving, his expression inscrutable.

After a while, he picked up a pen and circled a location on the map—Baling.

“Trouble! General Ji, You Kongfei has disappeared!” A servant burst in, flustered.

“Disappeared!” Ji’s voice suddenly rose. “That Xiao Liuhua—what kind of unreliable eunuch is he? Bring him here immediately!”

Shortly, Xiao Liuhua stumbled in. “General Ji, I swear, the medicine I gave You Kongfei should have put her into a three-hour coma! Unless… yes, she must be a martial artist of no low rank, at least at the Division level! That’s it!”

“So, you could have easily taken her down, meaning your rank isn’t low either?”

“Yes, General Ji. I have spent my life training and have barely reached the early Yuan tier.”

“Very well, I won’t kill you. Go capture You Kongfei for me—alive, or at least bring back her body. If you fail, find a good place outside and die!”

“Does General Jia have any objections?” Ji looked toward Jia Kang, who had just arrived. After all, as the Southern King’s agent, his opinion mattered.

“He’s just a dog. If the mission fails, handle it as you see fit, General Ji.” With that, Jia Kang kicked Xiao Liuhua out and turned to Ji.

“Now that Jiangcheng is ours, what are your next plans?”

Ji smiled faintly and looked at the map. Jia Kang followed his gaze and froze. “Truly ambitious…”

“Ambitious what?” Ji asked, puzzled.

“Nothing. Let’s discuss the next steps.” Jia Kang rubbed his nose, avoiding eye contact.

Meanwhile, on the dirt road near the border between Jiangcheng and Yuzhou, a woman in tattered clothes walked slowly. “Commander Ji, when I return home, I will have my father tear you limb from limb—but my eldest sister will mock me again. Sigh.” If Ji were here, he would recognize her instantly: the escaped You Kongfei. Yet she didn’t know a hungry “wolf” was stalking behind her.

Within Ruzhou territory, a scholar laughed heartily. “Ha ha ha, beautiful lady, you’ve finally awakened! Quick, go wash up, I want to enjoy you properly!” He looked at the disheveled female beggar.

“Sir, why bring a beggar home? Could it be…” The servant cast a lecherous glance at the scholar, but only saw a face twisted with countless expressions—indeed, this was the disturbed and repulsive “Fan Wei Ji.”

“Go, go, go. She’s a rare treasure. Don’t be fooled by her current state. With a little care, she’ll be a great beauty. Trust my ten years of experience with women—I never fail! Now, quickly wash her up. I can’t wait to enjoy her!”

At the hour of Hai, Fan Wei Ji gently pushed open the door and gazed at the shapely figure lying on the bed. “Little beauty, did you miss your brother?” His face shifted continuously.

Just as his greedy, lustful hand reached for the woman’s collar, she suddenly sprang like a venomous snake, swift and precise, flipping Fan Wei Ji onto the floor.

Dust rose as he was thrown about, dazed. Before he could recover, the woman pressed down, one hand clutching his throat, the other fishing into a pouch at her waist. She pulled out a writhing worm, her eyes cold and merciless. Without a word, she forced the worm into Fan Wei Ji’s wide-open mouth. Terror filled his eyes as the creature slithered down his throat, and he gasped desperately.

“Luckily, this bone needle toxin hasn’t died. But that Ji… who knows what secret arts he used? He couldn’t possibly be just a late-stage Grandmaster! And this scholar… what a piece of work. I belong solely to Lady Ni Zhan, but her… sigh, forget it.” If Ji were here, he would be shocked—this dreaded “Fan Ke Xing,” thought long destroyed beneath his gaze, had appeared in Ruzhou!

Seeing the woman muttering to herself, Fan Wei Ji panicked. “P-please, take the worm out!”

“Ha ha ha, take it out? What tone is that? You’re my dog now. If you’re disobedient, the worm will devour your organs. But if you behave, I’ll give you medicine to control it regularly. Otherwise, ah ha ha!”

Faced with this blend of beauty and madness, Fan Wei Ji’s face continued to shift, but inside he was nearly speechless with fear.

“Do you know Zhu Sheng Zhiyin?” The woman suddenly asked.

“I-I do, I do! Please spare me if I tell you! I beg you!”

“Stop stalling, or I’ll castrate you first!” She slapped him impatiently.

Stunned, Fan Wei Ji realized she didn’t intend to drain him dry and felt slightly relieved, though still tense. “I can introduce you to Zhu Sheng Zhiyin. My brother works in his household.”

“Good dog, lead the way!”

With Fan Wei Ji’s resentful gaze upon her, the woman tied him with a rope, and the two—man and dog—headed toward the Zhu estate.

The guards were puzzled by Fan Wei Ji’s strange appearance but said nothing. Most who knew him understood he was a hypocritical scoundrel hiding behind a polished exterior, having done countless vile deeds.

A guard went inside to report. Soon, “You may enter. The master awaits in the outer hall.”

Fan Wei Ji was led inside, and in the outer hall, Zhu Sheng Zhiyin looked at him suspiciously. Fan Wei Ji’s ever-changing face flushed red. “My lord, you must help me! This wretched woman fed me a venomous worm. Kill her at once!”

Hearing this, Zhu Sheng Zhiyin’s expression darkened. “Miss, what is the meaning of this?”

“Zhu Sheng Zhiyin, don’t you recognize me? Three years ago at the Great Competition of Qianzhong, you were soundly defeated. I see you are still at the Yuan tier, while I have long since become a Grandmaster! Ha ha ha!”

“It’s you, Fa Kexing! Your Blood Alliance accepted my bounty, failed to capture Ji Shi’s beauty, and pocketed the money? What’s that about?”

“Don’t bring up your bounty. Your faulty intel nearly destroyed my Blood Alliance and even ruined my Ni Zhan beauty…” Fa Kexing glared venomously at Zhu Sheng Zhiyin.

Under her stare, Zhu Sheng Zhiyin felt a chill. “Impossible. Even with the Southern King’s help and Jia Kang’s protection, how could Ji Shi…”

Fa Kexing then detailed everything about Ji Shi, paying no attention to the watching Fan Wei Ji, who wore a look of detached amusement.

Just as she finished, a soldier stumbled in. “Bad news, my lord! Urgent intelligence!”

“How many times have I told you to remain calm in crises? Look at you, panicked and out of shape!” Zhu Sheng Zhiyin scowled. “What is it?”

The soldier ignored them and told Fa Kexing and the others, “Our spy in Jiangcheng reports that Ji Shi has taken the city!”

“Jiangcheng, huh? No big deal!” Zhu Sheng Zhiyin suddenly stood, startling the kneeling Fan Wei Ji. “Jiangcheng? What use is You Kongfei then? I knew that woman was no great force! Now Ji Shi has the power to cut me down!” He sank into his chair, utterly defeated. “Fa Kexing, Ji Shi’s rise means I won’t get to enjoy him. Alas!”

“Don’t despair. Just speak well to your father, have him secretly assist you. First take Shaozhou, then attack Gannan. When the time comes, muster your forces and you may stand a chance against Ji Shi. Besides, if he wants to attack you, he must face Liu Shoucong, the Prince of Zhongshan. Passing that hurdle is uncertain.”

Hearing this, Zhu Sheng Zhiyin looked northward, clenching his teeth. “Ji Shi beauty, you are truly hard to enjoy!”

Ha Qiu! “Who’s thinking of me? Could it be Chiao?” Ji Shi sat at the table, endlessly studying military strategy. Suddenly, he stood up. “I understand now!”

Then he gazed toward Xingcheng. “Chiao, I look forward to our next encounter!”