Sebastian Zhao stared quietly at the thickly clustered horse hoof prints on the ground. They must have been left in the last day or two. There had been no snow lately, and he only brought a little over a hundred cavalry. This main road led straight to Grant City.
With a local hunter familiar with the terrain leading the way, they had been weaving through the forests these past few days, carefully marking the paths and drawing detailed maps.
"Looks like there are at least several hundred of them."
On the snow-covered mountain peak, Wraithshade gazed quietly toward the west. Beside him, Old One-Eye sat on the ground, sniffing the air.
"Devour them."
Wraithshade asked.
"Didn’t expect them to send people so soon."
As Phoenix Yu spoke, Sebastian Zhao mounted his horse, immediately ordering the soldiers to draw their weapons and to follow the hoof prints at a slow pace. All the while, he closely observed the tracks in the snow—it seemed the enemy was also moving unusually slowly.
"Order the nearby scouts to circle around and block the main road. Don’t let a single enemy escape."
Sebastian Zhao shouted to a general, who immediately took a few soldiers down a side path. The enemy, it seemed, had the same idea—to first get a feel for the terrain so that, when spring came and they attacked Grant City, they wouldn’t be hindered by unfamiliar ground.
Gradually, they drew closer—the distant valley was now in sight, nestled between two mountains and surrounded by forest. All they had to do was circle around the far patch of woods, and the valley would come into view.
From here, it took less than three days to reach Grant City. The enemy seemed clever—they wouldn’t push further in, but would likely use this spot as a base to scout the surrounding terrain, then return to report.
Sebastian Zhao led his troops into the forest, then he and Phoenix Yu, along with a dozen soldiers, quietly climbed the mountain. Soon, they could see figures and hear voices. On the left ridge, Sebastian stopped, quickly climbed a tree, and looked down. Sure enough, it was the enemy—far more numerous than his own men, with at least five hundred cavalry. Among them were several generals, all deep in discussion, while patrol soldiers circled the area.
"Let’s forget it, Sebastian. There are too many of them."
But Sebastian Zhao just smiled.
"All wiped out—the Wynn Domain’s scouting party."
Phoenix Yu sighed helplessly, glancing at the fewer than a hundred soldiers in the woods. But then he noticed something interesting: despite knowing the enemy outnumbered them, these veterans displayed no fear, only relaxed confidence.
"You lead the charge with the soldiers. I’ll take care of the generals."
Sebastian Zhao spoke, confidently gripping the dagger at his waist and pulling the bow from his back. The unit began to move slowly. At that moment, the nearby enemy spotted them and shouted.
Sebastian Zhao cracked his whip and charged forward. As soon as he rounded the woods, he saw the panicked enemy. He nocked an arrow, aimed at a general about to mount his horse, and with a swift shot, the general fell. Sebastian immediately fired two more arrows, skimming past enemies who were grabbing weapons to fight back. His goal was clear: the cluster of generals he’d seen from the treetop.
With a sharp sound, Sebastian Zhao pulled his horse’s reins, dodged the thrust of a spear to the left, and drove his dagger into the enemy’s throat. The surrounding soldiers quickly realized they were outnumbered, grabbed their weapons, and scrambled to mount up for a counterattack.
But it was already too late. The battle ended quickly. Many enemies fled, but over three hundred bodies were left behind. Sebastian Zhao, panting, looked at the scene before him and smiled.
"We have to get word back. We can’t let the enemy map out the terrain. Every time they come, we’ll wipe them out."
On the snow-covered mountain peak, Wraithshade gazed quietly toward the west. Beside him, Old One-Eye sat on the ground, sniffing the air with his nose.
"What is it?"
Wraithshade asked.
"There’s a strong scent of blood. Looks like another battle just broke out nearby."
"Alright, let’s get moving. We need to reach Grant City quickly."
Old One-Eye stood up.
"No need to rush. Didn’t you say that whatever was born inside Yuna Ji’s body would recognize you?"
Wraithshade glanced at Old One-Eye and laughed.
"When the time comes, I’ll need you. For now, I can’t get close to Yuna Ji."
The two started down the mountain. After a while, Wraithshade stopped and looked at the nearby valley. Even through the trees, the thick scent of blood and the animals darting through the snow told them a battle had just taken place there.
"Looks like things won’t be as easy as we thought."
Old One-Eye had already hurried over. In a short while, he returned.
"All wiped out—the Wynn Domain’s scouting party."
A swirl of black mist coiled behind Old One-Eye. He looked satisfied, rubbing the eye beneath his patch.
"Don’t overindulge. The Wraith Pit is unstable right now—one wrong move and it’ll backfire."
Wraithshade said, starting to walk again. Then he paused and added:
"By the way, when we reach Grant City, I’ll head to Jiang Capital first to confirm a few things."
"You mentioned it before—the living dead in Jiang Capital."
Wraithshade nodded.
"That thing is clearly dead—no emotion, no life—but it can think, move, and is incredibly powerful."
"What exactly is it?"
[Irrelevant passage: End-of-chapter prompt. Skip translation.]
Wraithshade smiled.
"Not human, not ghost, not a sorcerer—just a cold corpse. Quite peculiar! I saw it long ago in Jiang Capital, but we didn’t speak. Some folks warned me to be wary of that body."
"The Dark Banquet, huh? Can I go too?"
Old One-Eye asked, but Wraithshade shook his head.
"Eligibility is set at birth. You don’t qualify."
Soon, the two disappeared into the snow-covered forest.
Phoenix Yu held a map, already marked with numerous red arrows.
"What’s wrong? You look troubled."
Sebastian Zhao asked. Phoenix Yu shook her head, holding up the map.
"What do you think these arrows mean?"
Sebastian Zhao studied it for a while, then shook his head.
"We should have left a few alive."
"I think these are the enemy’s planned routes for their spring offensive. Besides the three main roads, there are other mountain paths—they’re preparing a full-scale assault. Burning their outposts must have made them determined to wipe us out in one blow."
Sebastian Zhao nodded.
"Let’s hurry. We need to reach the next path and mark it properly."
The temperature on the grasslands was even colder than in the forests. Days of biting wind and heavy snow made life unbearable for the soldiers, even inside their outposts. By dusk, they huddled together in sheds for warmth—just a few minutes outside at night could mean frostbite.
On the exposed grasslands, more and more soldiers had fallen ill from the cold. Bella Liang and Cyrus Sage had finished their morning drills and now sat quietly in the sunlight streaming into the room, listening to a report from soldiers returning from Zou City.
"Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall, right?"
Cyrus Sage smiled. Bella Liang waved her hand, and the soldier at the door withdrew.
"That woman—if she’d just taken action, our soldiers in Zou City could’ve easily dealt with Harold Zou."
"Is it really that urgent?"
Cyrus Sage looked at Bella Liang, puzzled. He felt there was no need to be so anxious—the Zou Clan was now their subordinate and wouldn’t dare defy them. The civil war was over, and Harold Zou should be more obedient than before.
"That’s exactly the problem—he won’t just sit and wait for death."
Cyrus Sage pondered Bella Liang’s words and gradually realized the truth. His expression changed suddenly as he looked at Bella.
"So that’s it? If they collude with the Grant Domain, we’ll be caught off guard. I’ll have some trusted soldiers watch the Zou Clan and report any suspicious activity."
Bella Liang clenched her fist and slammed it angrily on the table.
"Who knows what that woman is thinking? This is the most critical moment of the war—eliminating instability should be our top priority. Harold Zou probably already realizes that once the war ends, not only will he lose any share of the spoils, his whole clan will become our labor force."
This feeling of being caught between a rock and a hard place made Bella Liang deeply uncomfortable. The front line was already tense, and now problems were cropping up in the rear at this crucial time.
"Maybe we should wait for Grand Commander Lydia Lien to return and ask her directly. She should arrive by dusk today."
At dusk, Lydia Lien and Cyrus Sage waited at the outpost gate for Lydia’s arrival. In the distance, a column of cavalry sped toward them, escorting supply wagons.
"What does it mean?"
As soon as they met, Bella Liang asked angrily.
"What if we spread false information about our advance? Only Wynn and Sage Domain would know, while the Zou Clan would be excluded."
Instantly, the anger vanished from Bella Liang’s face, replaced by delight.
"Sorry, Lydia, I..."
"Hahaha, Grand Commander Lydia, I truly admire you!"