After the oath-taking rally, to prevent any leaks that could ruin their plans, William Bo and Walter Huan rushed through the night at full speed.
This time, not many islands joined the rebellion—mostly just three main factions. Walter Huan, as the organizer, pulled in a few familiar island lords for his side. William Bo, ever the opportunist, gathered his own cronies for another. Then there was Iron Tyrant, representing the 'everyone else is doing it, so screw it, let's rebel!' brainless crowd, which barely counted as a faction. Add in a smattering of scattered groups and fence-sitters who joined halfway—each sent a rep to the rally.
But the real main force was actually lying in wait, hidden near Misty Peak, ready for the right moment. Walter Huan and William Bo sent messages by carrier bird, and not long after the rally, the battle kicked off. Their main force stormed Misty Peak to take Spirit Eagle Palace, while a hundred men stayed behind at camp waiting for Walter and William.
The two of them, leading over two hundred men, galloped from the western foothills, worn out but finally making it to camp.
After listening to their subordinates' reports, they decided to split up. Walter Huan, as the main leader, would head to Misty Peak to oversee the big picture. William Bo, meanwhile, would take two hundred exhausted troops plus a hundred fresh ones—three hundred in total—to attack Cold Frost Cave.
“Cold Frost Cave is full of die-hard loyalists to that witch. To keep us from getting flanked, Brother William, you go clear them out first,” Walter Huan schemed. At a moment like this, with the future at stake, he wasn’t about to let anyone else take the credit for the main fight. Plus, after seeing Yang Qi smash people with a cauldron, he was still a bit shaken and had zero interest in facing Cold Frost Cave himself.
“You’re absolutely right, big brother. I’ll go,” William Bo replied, also scheming. He feared Wu Zhengfeng even more than Yang Qi. There was an old rumor that the Mistress of Spirit Eagle Palace would weaken dramatically every thirty years—at least ten days to half a month of being no threat at all. But no one really knew how bad it got, and he certainly didn’t know the details.
Even though their army was now besieging Misty Peak and things looked great, if they didn’t manage to kill the Child Empress in the end, they’d be in deep trouble. So, William figured he’d go mess around at Cold Frost Cave and play it by ear. If things went well, he’d get credit and rewards. If not, well, he hadn’t killed anyone from Spirit Eagle Palace, so maybe he’d get to keep his head. Besides, he didn’t believe Yang Qi could survive and come back anyway, so he took the job: “Don’t worry, big brother, I’ve got your back.”
“Ha! Good!” Walter Huan’s eyes gleamed with a plan. “When you hit Cold Frost Cave, try to capture as many as you can—take prisoners rather than kill. According to Lord Shade’s intel, Spirit Eagle Palace is a tough nut to crack, and the fight could go back and forth. If things get bogged down, you can march the Cold Frost Cave folks up to Misty Peak, and if the battle stalls, I can use them as leverage.”
“Understood.”
“Brother, Cold Frost Cave has been stuck in the bitter cold for ages—there aren’t that many people there. Besides, rumor has it most of them are women. Your three hundred elite should be able to take it easily. It’s about a day’s march from Cold Frost Cave to Spirit Eagle Palace, so you should have it done in three days, no matter what.” Walter Huan gave William Bo a deep, meaningful smile as he patted his shoulder. “I’ll be waiting for you at Misty Peak in three days.”
Damn, did he see right through my plan to drag things out? William cursed the old fox, but could only force a fake smile and cup his fists. “Got it, got it...”
So William led his three hundred ragtag troops to attack Cold Frost Cave. The mountain roads were treacherous, so they had to dismount and go on foot. After trekking through the snowy plains, they finally found Cold Frost Cave. The locals sounded the alarm as soon as they saw the army, and the standoff began. William relaxed a bit—there were less than two hundred people in Cold Frost Cave, and seventy percent were women, none of them very skilled.
According to martial arts tradition—and William’s own desire to stall—there had to be a round of trash talk before any fighting. That’s just how it goes: even with armies at the gate, folks would still shout stuff like, “Which heroes are you?” or “Why are you waving swords at my door?” or “We’ve got no beef with you!” As if talking could solve anything.
And the attackers were no better. They’d come to pillage and burn, but still had to throw on a fig leaf and pretend they had the moral high ground.
So, with time to kill, William argued with the Cold Frost Cave folks for three whole incense sticks’ worth. The gist went like this:
First incense stick—
William: “Your cave lord injured Iron Island Lord! How are you going to settle this?”
Reply: “Our cave lord’s a homebody, never even left the cave.”
William: “Nonsense! I saw it with my own eyes, you know!”
Second incense stick—
William: “Your cave lord killed dozens of our brothers! How are you going to settle this?”
Reply: “Told you, our cave lord’s a shut-in—never even left the cave!”
William: “Nonsense! I saw it with my own eyes, you know!”
Third incense stick—
William: “Your cave lord...”
Reply: “Are you nuts? You keep repeating yourself—padding the word count?”
William: “Nonsense, this is already super streamlined! If I went by the traditional style, it’d take several chapters—like storming Wudang Mountain or besieging Bright Summit!”
After three rounds of pointless bickering, a woman in her forties stepped out of Cold Frost Cave. She was beautiful, but her crow’s feet showed her age, and a few white streaks ran through her black hair. She carried herself with authority. With sharp eyes, she glared at William Bo, demanding, “I just sent a message by carrier bird to the palace, but got no reply. Are you people messing with my messages?” This was the real Frost Hollow Lord.
William was about to stall some more when someone in the crowd shouted, “That’s right! Lord Huan has already led the heroes to storm Misty Peak. Today, those witchy old hags are doomed! Cold Frost Cave ladies, if you’re smart, join us and help lead the charge—you might even live. If not, well, you’ll wish you were dead!”
William’s brow furrowed. Clearly, the guy who spoke up was planted by Walter Huan. The moment he opened his mouth, things were about to blow up.
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Sure enough, the real cave lord was furious. She shouted, “You traitors dare to rebel! Unforgivable! Our lord has treated us with kindness beyond measure, and today you’ll pay for your treachery!” She drew her sword—a three-foot blade, gleaming like autumn water, clearly a fine weapon. But the three hundred men opposite her also drew their weapons, sunlight glinting off cold steel.
With arrows nocked and ready, William had no choice but to shout, full of murderous intent, “We’re all island and cave folk here, but your cave lord sides with the wicked! If you don’t repent and surrender, we’ll act as heaven’s enforcers and wipe out Cold Frost Cave!”
But the real cave lord was done with the talking. She roared, “Everyone, follow me! Slay these traitors, then head up to Misty Peak to punish the wicked!”
“Kill!” Led by the real cave lord, the Cold Frost Cave disciples swallowed their fear, grabbed their swords, and charged.
On a nearby mountaintop, Jill Young watched the scene, stunned. Then she slapped her forehead: “Is this supposed to be a battle? Ever heard of military tactics? This isn’t fighting, it’s suicide!” The Cold Frost Cave folks were all waving swords, showing off fancy flourishes and light footwork, as if looking for a one-on-one duel. They even kept space between each other, making room for acrobatics.
In a martial arts duel, maybe these folks could hold their own. But in a full-on battle, this strategy was pure suicide. The three hundred attackers, though charging brainlessly, had tight formations and heavy weapons—axes and broadswords. Once the sides clashed, Cold Frost Cave would be wiped out in seconds. The attackers almost looked like a real army charging.
Wu Zhengfeng noticed something was off, too. He wasn’t an expert, but he knew Cold Frost Cave was in trouble. He asked Jill Young, “Got any ideas?”
“Let me think...” William’s excuse for attacking Cold Frost Cave was this fake cave lord, Jill Young. Of course, if you want to frame someone, you’ll always find a reason, so the legitimacy didn’t matter. But Jill herself still wanted to clear her name.
It was still a long way down this slope, so it would take some time to reach the battlefield. Something had to be done now to get the situation under control.
“Right, you’ve got internal energy now—can you focus my voice toward the battlefield?”
“I can’t transmit sound over miles, but I can try to concentrate it in one direction.” Wu Zhengfeng reached around Jill Young’s neck from behind, placing a soft, pale hand on her throat. She hesitated. “The throat’s a vital spot—are you sure you want me to go ahead?”
In martial arts circles, people don’t even let others touch their wrists, let alone their throats. The throat is on the Ren meridian, close to the heart below and the brain above—who’d dare let someone touch it?
But Jill just waved it off. “If I was worried, I wouldn’t have my back to you. Is my back much safer than my throat? Enough stalling—get on with it! Once the fighting starts, there’ll be no stopping it!”
“Alright, but you might feel a bit uncomfortable—just bear with it!” Seeing Jill so bold, Wu Zhengfeng’s eyes flashed. He channeled Supreme Six Harmonies Skill’s Pure Yang Energy through his palm into Jill’s throat, letting it circulate through her meridian points. He only had five years of internal energy, but his skill was far superior to ordinary practitioners with thirty years’ worth.
Jill just felt a tickle in her throat, but that was it. She took a deep breath and shouted downhill with all her might, “Hey—!” The powerful sound wave made the snow-laden pine branches shake, her shout echoing through the valley. Instantly, heads turned in her direction.
That’s right—if you want to survive in the martial world, you’ve got to master the classic eight-character rescue catchphrase. The first four: ‘Spare him!’ The last four: ‘Wait, my friend!’ These are the magic words for stopping a fight. But with chaos everywhere, Jill needed something even more dramatic to shock everyone.
Jill took a moment to think, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration—she remembered the perfect line for the moment. She raised her voice, pointed her sword, and shouted, “Through the forest—across the snowfields—” With a dramatic shoulder shake and clap, she hit the classic pose and roared, “Let the spirit soar to the sky!!”
Down in the valley, everyone—including William Bo and the real cave lord—was stunned into silence.