On the seventh day, the temperature soared to unprecedented heights. Countless soldiers collapsed from the heat. Helpless, Bella Liang could only order the able-bodied troops to carry the sick deeper into the denser woods. Even she was nearing her limit.
What shocked Bella Liang most was that the Sage Domain’s people still pushed into the forest, continuing Lydia Lien’s plan. She herself was barely holding on in this sudden wave of heat.
"Tomorrow it might all be over. You can attack then."
Lydia Lien spoke, and as Bella Liang looked at her entering, her head was spinning. Lydia seemed completely unfazed by the heat, standing tall right before her.
"How do you know?"
"Didn’t I tell you? Autumn’s tiger. This kind of weather—I lived through it as a child. The heat rose day after day, people even died. My parents were among those lost in that climate disaster, so of course I remember. Gather the able-bodied soldiers and prepare for tomorrow’s assault."
After finishing, Lydia Lien left. The sun was nearly set. She glanced at the thick smoke rising from the woods, worry filling her eyes, but quickly shook her head.
"It’ll catch—fire."
A gentle breeze swept through. Many soldiers began to run across the grassland, now turning yellow. The weather was cooling, and Joseph Qiao felt more comfortable, though his body was still weak.
After two days, they finally reached the grassland. Looking back at the rolling mountains behind, Joseph Qiao sighed.
"If the wildfire breaks out, everything will be lost. The autumn harvest has just begun. The enemy will throw everything into reaching the south first, and the right-side pass will be surrounded in an instant. The scattered, fleeing soldiers won’t be able to regroup quickly. It’ll all be over."
"You’re always like this, Joseph. Since we were kids, you’ve worried about everything. There’s so much on your mind—one day your brain’s going to burn out."
Lucille Xing teased from the side. Joseph Qiao smiled and kept walking. In less than half a day, they’d reach the Lin Clan’s first outpost on the grassland—a sprawling tent city for a hundred thousand people.
Now, with the sun setting, the temperature dropped. The wild wind howled across the prairie. Joseph Qiao shivered on horseback, and Lucille Xing handed him a fur coat.
After a long trek, the moon hung directly overhead. In the distant breeze, sounds drifted closer, and soon they saw the glow of fire.
The light ahead grew brighter. Joseph Qiao relaxed into a smile as figures bustled about, the clatter of activity ringing out.
"Joseph, you’re back! Come in, quick! I made some good food, waiting for you all!"
Standing before them was the current chief of the Lin Clan, Aaron Lin. Two years ago, he’d inherited the tribe from his late father. Just past twenty-five, Aaron was tall, handsome, and unfailingly polite. Though he’d only met Joseph Qiao a handful of times, they’d quickly become friends.
"Sorry to trouble you, Aaron."
Joseph Qiao dismounted and followed Aaron Lin into a massive tent, already a third built. The outer wooden walls were Joseph’s idea from long ago, but hauling timber from the mountain forests took time. Now, with the autumn harvest underway and a shortage of hands, Lin Clan’s soldiers were split—some sent to the pass, others to the south. Everyone was racing to finish the walls.
"The other two clan outposts have started construction too. It’ll probably take another month. When the harvest’s done and people return, we’ll have enough hands to finish quickly."
The wooden walls on the grassland had to be built from thick, long timbers, with sturdy ropes and mud packed into the gaps.
Joseph Qiao had planned for this long ago. If the pass fell, the three outposts could still hold for a while. Even if the enemy seized the southern granaries, it would be winter by then—they wouldn’t attack. The outposts would serve as Grant City’s final line of defense. Then they could counterattack, using the prairie troops’ advantage.
"Joseph, is Edward Grant still refusing to withdraw from the pass?"
Aaron Lin asked. Joseph Qiao sipped some hot soup and nodded.
"Joseph, I heard you’re back! Ha, I’ve always said—a body like yours isn’t made for the battlefield."
Mason Mao burst in, laughing. Joseph Qiao glanced at him.
"How’s your horse supply holding up?"
"Don’t worry, Joseph. If it comes to that, we should be able to provide five thousand horses."
Joseph Qiao looked at Mason Mao in surprise. Mason grinned happily.
Inside the pass, the soldiers cheered—the deadly heat had finally dropped. A cool breeze swept through, a relief after days of stifling heat. Exhausted troops felt revived, some even able to move again.
Edward Grant lounged comfortably atop the watchtower, gazing into the distance and laughing to himself.
"Tomorrow the enemy will be upon us. We need to be ready. Pass the word—let the soldiers rest well tonight. At dawn, strike the enemy hard."
In the woods, flickers of firelight remained. Phoenix Yu, looking pale, watched from another watchtower. The fire and smoke lingered longer each time—she’d told Edward Grant as much, but he insisted there’d be no problem.
Just as Lydia Lien predicted, the temperature really had dropped. At the foot of the mountain, Bella Liang began giving orders—move the battering rams into place, get ready for a dawn assault. The pass had to be taken quickly.
In the darkness, a column of cavalry sped through the forest. All wore black fur uniforms, and a flag bearing the character for 'Lien' was strapped to the lead rider’s back—three or four thousand strong.
They were Lydia Lien’s elite Black Riders. After receiving her orders, they raced to the front lines. Leading them was a young man in his twenties, with long black hair and a confident smile on his handsome face.
"Commander Bella Liang, the Black Riders have arrived."
Someone rushed into the room. Bella Liang immediately stood, pressing her forehead.
"Why won’t that woman ever listen? Her troops must be held back—they can only come after the pass is breached. Sigh."
Frustrated, Bella Liang left the room and headed straight for Lydia Lien’s residence. By now, columns of cavalry were arriving, and laughter rang out from inside. Bella entered.
"Isn’t this Commander Bella Liang?"
A man with long black hair and a striking, handsome face turned to greet her.
"Henry Lien, why are you here too? Isn’t the rear guard still under your command?"
"What can I do? The front line’s stuck, and no one wants to follow our orders. So, we came ourselves."
"How many did you bring?"
Bella Liang asked, puzzled, watching the steady stream of cavalry outside.
"Don’t worry, Commander—just over three thousand cavalry."
"Alright, but we won’t need your cavalry just yet."
With that, Bella Liang turned and walked out, finally relieved—only a little over three thousand had arrived.
"Commander Lydia Lien, what you’re doing this time is pure fantasy."
Lydia Lien laughed heartily.
"Tomorrow, send everyone into the mountains to set the fires."
"Understood. Repairs on the fishery are done, so you can relax."
Lydia Lien nodded, looking at Henry Lien with deep trust—her cousin, the most reliable man in the clan.
"Oh, I almost forgot—the Zou Clan sent someone to contact us."
Lydia Lien glanced around. Henry Lien closed the door and sat down, looking at her seriously.
"Sis, I think the Zou Clan is pretty much useless now. Maybe we should..."
Lydia Lien raised her hand, then waved it dismissively.
"No matter how useless, they’ve got the numbers. Tell them—the Lien Clan will accept them if they’re sincere. But they must attack the pass seriously."
Henry Lien nodded, then looked at Lydia Lien.
"Sis, those two were full of bravado at first, swearing they didn’t need our help and could take the pass themselves. But look at them now—it’s not happening. Let’s just gather our troops and take the pass in one go."
"The army needs people like them, too. The losses at the front were far less than we feared. Once the pass falls, that’s when we make our move. Start shifting the troops this way. When the fire breaks out, that’s our moment to crush the Grant Family."
A rumbling echoed through the pass. Soldiers climbed onto the scaffolds as the enemy advanced. The sun hadn’t risen yet, and the sky was gray.
"They’re finally here, heh."
Edward Grant took up a bow and fired an arrow into the distance. The enemy began their slow charge, and a volley of arrows rained down on them.
Phoenix Yu stood on the watchtower, anxiously watching a spot on the right side of the woods. Smoke was still rising there—smoke that had started last night and hadn’t gone out by morning.
The enemy had reached the spike barriers and began smashing them with stone hammers. The front line carried shields, their only goal to destroy and clear the spikes—not to attack, it seemed.
"Don’t rush. Take your time and aim—so many live targets, hahaha..."
Edward Grant laughed gleefully.
After the morning battle, the enemy left many corpses behind and retreated. Most of the spike barriers had been broken and removed—only two rows outside the city walls remained.
Phoenix Yu’s eyes never left the rising smoke all morning—it only grew larger.