Forty: The Flood

"Kill me, I beg you." Yan crawled on the ground, gazing at the corpses strewn across the floor. At last, she understood why the girls in the prison never cried or made a fuss, only wished for death. Faced with this demon, living was harder than dying.

"Come here," Guan Canghai ordered, kicking Yan aside.

"As you command, Master," the maidservants knelt, awaiting further instruction.

"Clean up these filthy corpses. Their presence vexes me." Guan Canghai was a stickler for cleanliness.

Yan lay on the ground in pain, tears filling her eyes, hatred and confusion mingling in her gaze.

"I shall take you to the city tower to view Moon City. Rain has fallen for days, shrouding the city in mist—perfect for admiring the rainy scenery," said Guan Canghai, striding out. Two maids appeared, supporting the injured Yan as they followed him.

The heavy rain enveloped Moon City. Guan Canghai, naturally, remained dry, his shadow guards dutifully holding umbrellas. Yan was not so fortunate; dragged behind him like a stray dog, she suffered the relentless beating of rain upon her body.

Guan Canghai stood atop the city tower, gazing down at the distant encampments beyond the walls. "Hang her from the top of the tower! I want Pan Yueyang—the War God of Panlong Kingdom—to see how his woman suffers at my hands."

Yan’s body was tightly bound with ropes, lifted slowly into the air. She was suspended atop the tower, her strength spent, head drooping. Using the last of her clarity, she managed a faint smile at Guan Canghai.

Guan Canghai’s heart clenched. The muscles in his face tightened. Was this woman smiling—gratefully—at him?

"Order the troops: begin harassing the enemy today!" Guan Canghai turned away, refusing to look at Yan. The sight of her stirred a pain in his heart he hadn’t felt for years. Pain was a stranger to him now.

...

"General Pan!" The army physician knelt outside the tent.

"Come in," Pan Yueyang said, worriedly watching over Gu Yinhe, who remained unconscious on the bed.

"General, I have determined the poison afflicting General Gu," the physician knelt before the bed. "General Gu has been poisoned by the Black-Belly Grass from the Savage Lands. The toxin slowly invades the body: first causing unconsciousness, then gradual internal decay, ultimately reducing the victim to blood."

"Is there a cure?"

"It can only be found in the Savage Lands." The physician glanced anxiously at Gu Yinhe. "I will do my utmost to preserve General Gu’s life, but if the poison reaches the heart..."

"Go," Pan Yueyang closed his eyes. This battle was lost before it began.

"General!" A young soldier outside the tent urgently requested an audience.

"What is it?" Pan Yueyang, annoyed, looked at him.

"A woman has been hung atop Moon City’s tower… It looks like the lady," the soldier’s voice grew weaker with each word.

Pan Yueyang sprang to his feet, smashing the wooden table with a fist. "Guan Canghai!"

Braving the rain, Pan Yueyang, Xueqing, and Baili Mubai sped toward the city gate. Raising their eyes, they saw her: it was Yan.

Baili Mubai’s furious gaze fixed on Yan, suspended atop the tower, her bloodstained body made even more pitiful by the rain.

"Yan!" Baili Mubai shouted toward the tower; the figure above remained lifeless, battered by wind and rain.

Baili Mubai anxiously turned to his senior brother. "Brother! Yan..."

Pan Yueyang raised a hand, stopping him before he could say more. He smiled up at Guan Canghai, who stood atop the tower. "Guan Canghai, do you intend to use a woman against me?"

Guan Canghai tilted his head, smiling. "Hardly, General Pan."

"You should know—I, Pan Yueyang, will not abandon the campaign for Moon City for the sake of a woman." With just a moment’s hesitation, he no longer looked at Yan.

"I only know this woman trusts you to come for her!" Guan Canghai spoke, channeling his internal energy. Yan, stunned into consciousness, was jolted awake.

"Ah!" The rope swayed high in the air, Yan spinning from the impact. Her perspective was from above; three familiar figures stood below—Yueyang?

Baili Mubai looked up. "Yan, are you alright?"

Yan forced a smile, one uglier than any before. "Yue… Yueyang." Her faint call never reached Pan Yueyang’s ears.

"Stay conscious and watch as your beloved gives up on you," Guan Canghai whispered, audible only atop the tower.

"Pan Yueyang! The undefeated general of Panlong Kingdom! Today I’ll see how you rescue your beloved woman," Guan Canghai clasped his hands behind his back, watching Yan, ignoring Pan Yueyang.

"Hah, what a joke!" Pan Yueyang’s cold voice was as chilling as the weather. "I came to reclaim Moon City, and I will succeed. As for that woman… I do like her, but to use a woman to threaten me? Guan Canghai, you’ve chosen the wrong strategy. I never thought my opponent would be such a fool!"

Yan listened with closed eyes to Pan Yueyang’s words, coldly laughing inside. A single tear slipped down, unseen. "Let me die!" Yan cried, eyes tightly shut.

"Yan!" Baili Mubai, seeing his senior brother’s indifference, leapt onto the city wall.

Guan Canghai raised his hand. Suddenly, archers appeared atop the wall, arrows drawn and aimed—at Yan.

"I know your martial skills are formidable, young hero. But should you advance, you’ll only receive this woman’s corpse," Guan Canghai said coolly.

Baili Mubai spun away before reaching Yan, landing below, defeated, staring at Guan Canghai.

"Pan Yueyang, this woman… she awaits you, yet you are so heartless. Even if not for her, you should act for the child in her womb! Ahahahaha..." Guan Canghai laughed wickedly, watching Pan Yueyang’s every move.

Pan Yueyang clasped his hands behind his back, retreating a mile with lightness skill, projecting his voice across the distance: "Guan Canghai, I will not waste my efforts on a woman. Within three days, Moon City will fall!"

Xueqing dragged Baili Mubai away, following Pan Yueyang back to camp.

"Regroup, retreat!" Pan Yueyang began a large-scale mobilization, preparing to withdraw. Gu Yinhe was placed in a carriage. "Xueqing, the water keeps rising. Take Yinhe and the others to safety." Pan Yueyang changed out of his wet clothes, revealing his robust physique.

"And you?" Xueqing lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.

"Mubai and I will take a small vanguard. We’ll act according to signal." Pan Yueyang donned a black robe and armor, exhaling deeply. Guan Canghai!

"Everyone, listen! We’ll use cunning in this battle. The vanguard stays, the rest withdraw with me!" Xueqing rallied the troops.

She glanced at Baili Mubai, whose face was ashen. "Mubai, your senior brother has his own plan. He won’t abandon Yan. Obey his commands!" Xueqing worried most about Baili Mubai’s impulsiveness.

Baili Mubai moved his lips but said nothing.

"Enough, everyone begin withdrawing. Vanguard, hold Moon City’s outskirts with me!" Pan Yueyang, holding the Panlong spear, mounted his horse, his face taut.

A hundred men stood outside Moon City. Pan Yueyang watched the rain. Let it fall!

...

Within Moon City

"Master!" Guan Canghai had just finished training with ten young girls, now washing his hands.

"Report." He picked up a silk cloth, carefully wiping his hands.

"Moon City has endured days of rain. The embankments outside are weakening."

Guan Canghai was silent, swiftly considering why Pan Yueyang defended rather than attacked.

"Moon City suffers floods every year. With this heavy rain, the embankments may soon be breached!" The man hurried to add.

Crack! Something shattered.

"Pan Yueyang! Clever indeed! Gather men and hurry to the embankments—block them at all costs." Only now did Guan Canghai understand: Pan Yueyang was waiting for time, intending to reclaim Moon City through natural disaster. How cunning! Once the flood struck, half the city would be destroyed. If they remained, they’d be trapped; with troops depleted, his chances against Pan Yueyang would dwindle.

"Report!" Another man rushed in, kneeling.

"Speak!"

"Master! The northern embankment has been breached. The soldiers can’t hold for long—we weren’t prepared."

"Breach? Send the townsfolk to repair it!" Guan Canghai gritted his teeth.

"Master! The breach is massive. Soldiers are holding, but supplies are limited—we weren’t prepared for this!" The man faltered, unable to continue.

Guan Canghai’s face darkened. "Useless!"

"Master! We must retreat quickly. Otherwise, our army will suffer heavy losses!"

"Order everyone to withdraw from Moon City! No delays!" Guan Canghai clenched his fist. Was fate favoring his enemy?

"Yes!" The man hurried out.

"Come with me to the city tower," Guan Canghai said to the one still kneeling.

"Master, there are twenty girls remaining in the prison."

Without a word, Guan Canghai ascended the tower. Yan still hung there, her frail body swaying. With a surge of internal energy, he snapped the rope, casting Yan onto the stone floor.

"Take her with us. Send the townsfolk to repair the embankments," Guan Canghai gazed over Moon City. Well played, Pan Yueyang!

"The army is preparing to retreat, Master."

"You go first—withdraw!" He wanted to confront Pan Yueyang personally.

"Master, you mustn’t!" The man knelt. "The greater cause comes first."

"No need to worry. With my skills, I’ll return safely. Withdraw to Tianfeng and hold firmly," Guan Canghai glanced at the woman on the ground.

Seeing their master’s resolve, the man had no choice but to obey.

By then, the floodwaters had burst through the embankments, surging in like wild beasts. Desperate cries echoed, the flood mercilessly swallowing every street, every inch of land. The screams, the cries for help—all were drowned by the waters.

Guan Canghai looked back at Moon City. Some citizens, desperate for survival, broke through the gates, flung open the city doors, and fled madly into the night—