"I have come by order of the King of Xiliang to persuade you to surrender," I continued. "If you defect on the battlefield and redeem yourselves, the King of Xiliang will spare your lives. If you stubbornly persist in aiding the wicked, then do not blame the King of Xiliang for showing no mercy. After we finish off the remaining forces of Long Que, we will come for you!"
The men exchanged glances. Their commander had died too suddenly, and they hadn't had time to elect a new leader.
"I forgot to tell you, your Marshal, Ha Shuai, was ambushed by the imperial army. Ha Yachaku is dead!"
"Impossible!"
"Impossible? Heh heh," I gave Li Yuanba a look. "Yuanba, go and bring back Ha Yachaku's head."
"Yes, sir!" Li Yuanba flashed away, sword in hand, and ran off.
Although Ha Yachaku was a fierce general, his individual combat power was not strong. I had asked Li Yuanba to test his skills earlier, also using the opportunity to gauge the strength of the rebel forces. They were mediocre, and as an advance unit, this cavalry's combat power would undoubtedly be stronger than the main infantry force behind them. Since Li Yuanba could easily kill the cavalry's commander, Commander Yin, it would be no problem for him to kill Ha Yachaku in the rear.
The cavalry formation halted, facing me, no longer daring to advance rashly. Fortunately, the wait was not long. Before I could finish the cigarette I had just lit, Li Yuanba returned, tossing a head onto the ground.
The commanders stepped forward to examine it. There was no doubt that while Li Yuanba was a bit simple-minded, he wouldn't fail to distinguish Ha Yachaku. He was surely the highest-ranking officer among the rear forces.
"Commander Long is dead, Commander Yin is dead, and Marshal Ha is dead! Then what are we still fighting for?" a portly commander was the first to yield.
"Nonsense!" another commander seemed to realize something. "Wait! You kid, you're trying to trick us!"
"How am I tricking you?" I chuckled.
"Ha Shuai's head is still warm! This disheveled boy clearly just cut it off! I can tell he has extremely high martial arts skills, so it's possible he took Marshal Ha's head from the rear army. But if you say he could kill Commander Long, I don't believe it! Commander Long's martial arts are the best in the world!"
"He indeed cannot defeat Long Que," I said calmly. "It wasn't him who killed Long Que, but me."
"You? Who are you?"
"I am Wu Chengfeng, a living Underworld Emissary." I finally revealed my true identity. Whether this gambit would succeed depended on this move!
"Wu Chengfeng... you are Wu Chengfeng!"
It seemed they had heard of my deeds. My exploits in the underworld were far more renowned than my achievements in the mortal realm.
"That's right. If you don't believe I killed Long Que, then I will go and retrieve Long Que's head for you!"
The men exchanged glances, none daring to speak. But I understood that only by truly bringing back Long Que's head would they believe me.
"Yuanba, don't kill them yet. Give them a chance to redeem themselves. I'll return later," I said disdainfully, as if Li Yuanba alone could take down these twenty thousand men.
"Yes, Lord Wu!"
I activated the Gale Art and vanished instantly, returning to the enemy camp. The enemy scouts who could hold off the cavalry of the Three Yin Hall could not stop me.
I smoothly infiltrated the enemy's main command tent. Several officers were inside, discussing their next move. No one even noticed me enter. I scanned the surroundings and saw a large coffin in the corner. I walked over and looked inside. Long Que's body lay peacefully within. His head had been reattached, but it was merely wrapped in a white cloth, not sewn.
I picked up Long Que's head and fled using the Gale Art. I even suspected that until the very last moment, they had no idea I had entered.
Upon returning to the cavalry, they clearly recognized Long Que. They all dismounted and knelt on the ground.
"You have two opportunities to atone for your crimes. Choose yourselves," I said imposingly, holding up Long Que's head. "First, lay down your weapons and wait here to be captured by the imperial army. As for how the imperial army will deal with you, I don't know."
"They will surely send us to hell," the portly commander muttered.
"More or less," I added. "Second, follow me to the Three Yin Hall, assist the imperial army in eliminating Long Que's remaining forces, and you will be credited with redeeming yourselves. His Highness, the Little King of Hell, will personally pardon your rebellion."