The Villain Slaps The Protagonist’s Halo - Chapter 75 (Patreon)

Chapter 75: The Protagonist Must Die

The moonlit shadows stretched across the quiet canyon, devoid of even the sound of horses snorting. In the distant horizon, there was no flicker of fire, causing unease in the heart of the Crown Prince, who had waited half the night in the canyon, impatient. Sikong Han was already dead, and the young tyrant had lost the support of the military. His arrival at the northwest front would only agitate the northwest army further. Moreover, the epidemic must have spread by now, and Victory City was practically in their grasp, an easy conquest.

Suddenly, KK noticed the movement of horse ears, and soon several figures on horseback came riding in haste – the Golden Feather Guards! KK's joy turned to dismay as he noticed countless arrows piercing their bodies, bloodstains marking their clothes.

"Crown Prince, there are enemy troops ahead!" gasped a Golden Feather Guard, barely holding on as he fell off his horse.

KK's eyes widened when he saw more figures approaching from the front. There were only twenty-two of them, all dressed in black, faces covered with iron masks, riding horses and wielding swords, exuding a majestic aura. The leading youth, dressed differently in a black robe with a dragon motif embroidered in gold thread on his chest, caught KK's attention.

"Jun Changsheng!" KK's excitement turned his eyes red; he never expected to encounter the sovereign of Yan tonight!

He couldn't fathom the recklessness of the young tyrant, leading a mere dozen soldiers to pursue them. KK gestured, and the cavalry behind him immediately surrounded Nie Jia and others. "Capture them alive!"

Nie Jia pulled the reins, a cold smirk on his lips. He hadn't anticipated that the foolish KK would personally lead an attack.

The soldiers from Qi were surrounded by more than a thousand cavalry, seemingly in a hopeless situation, yet they remained calm. Especially the young sovereign, who locked eyes with KK, raised two fingers, and with a cold tone, commanded, "Take them alive."

Xuanjia 21 seized the opportunity, his sword slashing like ink on paper, beheading enemies effortlessly.

Countless lives were lost that night on the shores of the Qilin River. Left General Yunhui, with a hazy mind, followed Ji Jiarong into the dense forest. He had hoped to find survivors, but the scenes within the woods left him stunned and horrified.

The forest was littered with dismembered bodies, resembling hedgehogs. There was no possibility of survivors.

"These are the traps General and I set up earlier," explained Ji Jiarong with a trembling voice. Although she understood, at the time of setting up the crossbows in the forest, she hadn't anticipated such devastating effectiveness, causing over a thousand deaths on the spot.

The soldiers, witnessing the gruesome scene, shivered in horror. In their many years of military service, they had never seen such sophisticated traps that killed the enemy without losing a single soldier.

Left General, finding an empty ten-crossbow, carefully examined it, marveling at the precision mechanism. "I've never seen such intricate machinery before."

"It was equipped by the cavalry under the command of the Grand King, unrelated to you and me," Ji Jiarong dismissed with a smile. She had the same look of an inexperienced person as Left General when she first encountered it. She waved her hand, ordering her soldiers to clean the battlefield and retrieve the arrows.

Left General felt a sudden shock at her words and looked at Ji Jiarong with a fearful gaze.

Ji Jiarong made a throat-slitting gesture to him, lowering her voice, "The Northwest Army is restless and does not submit to royal authority. The Grand King is well aware, but do you see him caring? He simply ignores it. We, loyal to the royal authority, only need to obey orders. If you follow the rebels, and one day the Grand King decides to deal with those ants, do you think the rebels will survive?"

Left General's throat tightened, especially standing in this river of blood. He nodded shakily, "I understand."

After a simple cleanup of the battlefield, the two returned to the camp. General Yunhui, who had previously returned to Victory City, learned about the Grand King's ambush and anxiously dispatched a small team to investigate, pacing restlessly in front of the royal tent.

A messenger arrived, "General Guide has returned with the army!"

General Yunhui immediately walked towards Ji Jiarong's tent. Sikong Han also followed, his brows furrowed with a complicated mood. The King left the camp, the information only mentioning Ji Jiarong, but with Xuanjia 21 present, he found it hard to believe the young sovereign would die so easily.

On the way, General Yunhui inquired about the casualties. The messenger wore an incredulous expression, "Qi's forces – 1,300 dead. General Guide's forces… no one injured or killed."

General Yunhui and Sikong Han were both astonished, hastening their steps.

Ji Jiarong, clad in a blood-stained battle robe, observed the terrain in the canyon with both hands supporting the sand table. She felt a vague worry about the Grand King's safety.

As General Yunhui arrived, Ji Jiarong disclosed the situation. General Yunhui, pale-faced, asked, "Where is the Grand King?"

Ji Jiarong pointed to the Qilin River on the sand table, "He's gone to chase the enemy."

General Yunhui's face turned even paler, "Chase… chase whom?! Why didn't you go with him to protect the Grand King!"

Ji Jiarong scratched her cheek, "The Grand King doesn't need our protection."

She remembered earlier, on the river, the Grand King had left her and Left General, ordering Xuanjia 21 to accompany him. She didn't refuse, but she couldn't catch up, only watching the majestic figure of the King disappear into the distance. It made her truly understand that, despite his youth, the Grand King didn't need others to worry about his safety. The moment she realized this was when Xuanjia 21 cast his gaze.

Filled with reverence, admiration, submission, and loyalty, even the ninth-ranked who always followed her closely, displaying an attitude of disregard, seemed to submit to the King's blade at that moment, as if he was the faith of the twenty-one people.

For the person who could subdue Xuanjia, these generals were nothing but obstacles.

The news of the Grand King leading General Guide to kill 1,303 enemies at the Qilin River without losing a single soldier quickly spread throughout the army. Especially among the two hundred soldiers who were present and those who later went to clean up the battlefield, the vivid descriptions of the bloody scene kept them talking all night long. Even though they didn't witness the process, the screams of the Qi soldiers and the corpses scattered everywhere were enough to fuel their discussions for the entire night.

In the confrontation between the Yan and Qi armies, regardless of the leader, most battles resulted in a Pyrrhic victory, causing more harm to oneself. In a situation like this ambush, where not a single soldier was lost, even the soldiers themselves dared not to dramatize it so much.

Although it was only a small victory, the miraculous success spread like wildfire in the military before dawn. People attributed it to the king's strategic deployment, claiming that the king was a true dragon descended to the mortal realm, and Yan Country would surely unite the world. Some skeptics dismissed it as a mere minor victory, suggesting that the foolish king deliberately put on a show in front of the army to regain lost morale.

At least, Sikong Han felt this way.

He knew Jun Changsheng too well. If the foolish king possessed such cunning, why would he have rebelled in the first place? All of this was just an illusion deliberately created by Jun Changsheng!

Soon, those who thought this way in the army found their faces swollen.

Early the next day, a loud and excited cheer echoed throughout the camp.

"The king is back! The king captured the Crown Prince of Qi! The king captured Qi Jinyu!"

General Yunhui and Ji Jiarong were startled, and many soldiers rushed out of their tents, crowding together to see. Indeed, under the morning light, a row of dark figures pressed forward, the young king leading twenty-one black-armored horsemen. They were all covered in bloodstains, yet not a hint of disarray could be seen. The robes of the young king, ruler of a small nation, were still dripping with blood, and the murderous aura from countless killings overwhelmed the army, causing a shiver in their morale. They knelt in reverence as the king returned.

Nie Jia's expression was devoid of a smile. In his hand, he held a rope, and at the other end, he dragged the disheveled Crown Prince of Qi, returning triumphantly before the entire army.

"Lock him up and give him some water." Nie Jia pulled the rope, and Qi Jinyu stumbled forward a few steps before being kicked down by Nie Jia, landing at Ji Jiarong's feet.

It was indeed the Crown Prince of Qi, Qi Jinyu... He had been captured... The king had really captured Qi Jinyu!

At this moment, the entire army fell into a silent stillness, followed by a deafening and intense cheer! No one knew exactly what they were shouting, but the excitement and various intense emotions were mixed together. If they didn't shout, they might go insane!

They only felt that Yan Country was truly on the rise.

Sikong Han looked at Qi Jinyu, who was lying on the ground with a terrified expression, and for some unknown reason, he took a step back in fear.

The entire army knelt in praise of the king's martial prowess, and Sikong Han had no choice but to kneel along with them in the crowd.

Due to the importance of Qi Jinyu's identity, Ji Jiarong, not trusting anyone else, personally escorted him away.

Shi Chen dismounted, holding Nie Jia's reins, ready to return to the royal tent. He said to General Yunhui, "Prepare water; the king is tired."

General Yunhui immediately took orders and was about to prepare personally when he heard a soft voice say, "Carry me back."

Turning around, he saw the once fierce-eyed young king now reaching out his hands to Shi Chen, his eyes filled with tenderness and a hint of playful coquetry. Shi Chen indeed carried the young king off the horse in front of the entire army, without any reservation.

Suddenly, General Yunhui remembered that between the king and the chief commander, it seemed like they had never deliberately avoided anything. He looked at the kneeling soldiers, feeling somewhat uneasy, and silently walked away.

At this point, those who had been dissatisfied and resentful earlier, witnessing the moment when Qi Jinyu was dragged back by the king, wished they could slap themselves twice.

Nie Jia was thoroughly cleaned by Shi Chen in the water, every trace of blood washed away from even the crevices of his fingernails, before being laid back on the bed. Nie Jia was indeed a bit exhausted, having fought all night and then making a trip to the Lu Platform. Now, lying on Shi Chen's legs while his hair was being wiped, he felt like he could fall asleep.

General Yunhui thought it was about time and sent someone into the royal tent. What they saw was the two of them intimately sharing a moment, and he immediately dared not look for long. Bowing his head, he said, "Your Majesty, I have already assigned someone to closely guard Qi Jinyu. But given his formidable martial skills, I'm afraid there might be a leak. Would it be more appropriate to have the Xuanjia guards watch over him?"

"A timid person doesn't need to watch; he won't dare to escape." Shi Chen indifferently replied.

Nie Jia closed his eyes and said, "Heard that? You can leave."

General Yunhui hesitated but ultimately gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice, "Your Majesty and Chief Commander have feelings, and we understand. However, we are currently in the military, and Your Majesty has just established prestige. To avoid gossip, could Your Majesty..."

Before he could finish, he heard the arrogant and icy laughter of the young king, "Where I am and what I do with my beloved, why should I need the consent of others?"

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