Chapter 2 The Lion Opens Its Mouth

  Lei Meng and his three companions entered the city through the blood-stained and damaged city gate, followed by a burst of cheers from the crowd: "Long live the General! Long live the General!"

  Luoyang Tian and others were beaming with smiles at the city gate, waiting for the heroes to arrive. Seeing the faint bloodstains on Lei Meng's and Yang Tian's mouths, everyone involuntarily put away their smiles. This battle was indeed not easy, as they had never seen the two of them injured before, but now both were wounded.

  "Thunder rumbles, how is it?" asked Luoyang Tian with concern.

  "It's fine, I won't die." Lei Meng's face showed a tired smile, and he continued, "Bury the corpses outside. Yang Tian and I are going to rest for a bit."

  "Yes sir!" Luoyang Tian replied solemnly, and Lei Meng's strict and secretive handling of matters had indeed won over this Han man.

  They walked back to the city master's mansion through a path cleared by the crowd, and then returned to their own rooms, where Lei Ming and Yang Tian each sat down to meditate and recover from their injuries.

  Sit cross-legged on the bed, thunderous operation starts from Dantian, guiding the breath in Ren and Du meridians for several rounds. After controlling the true Qi to be pure and round, guide the true Qi directly from Dantian up to the chest, along the left arm's meridian painfully forcing towards the palm...

  Qigong therapy is an extremely painful thing, it's like relaxing muscles being cut from the inside with a small knife, and iron wires are randomly poked in your arm, while you can't resist, just hard to endure...

  Sweat seeped out from the forehead, left shoulder and left arm, one drop at a time, then transformed into a spring of sweat gushing out, finally carrying with it threads of red...

  The thunder shook, inch by inch, painfully massaging the meridians on both arms and collarbone, sweat kept flowing non-stop, until both arms and chest were covered in bloodstains, lips dry and cracked, face pale before barely finishing.

  After a short nap, he woke up with his vital energy circulating smoothly and feeling refreshed in his heart. However, when he opened his eyes to see the bloodstains on his body, he couldn't help but let out a bitter smile: "It seems that fierce battles aren't easy!"

  After he shook off the blood clots on his body, he walked out and saw that the sun was setting in the west. He couldn't help but feel a wave of surprise - how could the sun be setting already? It should have been much later than this.

  "Ah! You've finally come out?" Yang Tian turned around from a corner of the courtyard, exclaiming in surprise, "You've been cooped up in your room for an entire day and night!"

  The thunder rumbled in his heart, and it suddenly became clear that a whole day and night had passed. No wonder the sun was still in the west. He licked his dry, cracked lips, and his voice was hoarse as he said, "My meridians have been healed, how about yours?"

  "There's still some lingering pain, but it's bearable and doesn't affect me much." Yang Tian was nonchalant.

  "Oh, I see. If it can be cured, then put in more effort to cure it thoroughly, lest there be lingering consequences." Lei Meng furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before advising Yang Tian.

  "It's nothing, similar to a muscle strain, it'll be fine in a few days." Yang Tian said carelessly.

  "Alas, never mind. It's your own body, no one can interfere." Leimeng curled his lips and said, "Let's find some water to drink, I'm dying of thirst."

  The thunderous applause came out, and the whole audience was in a state of jubilation. In his heart, he became even more determined.

  It is said that after Emperor Huatian learned of Liu Jin's defeat and the loss of his arm, he was greatly shocked. He paced back and forth, thinking deeply about what this thunderous sound could be, but no matter how much he investigated, he couldn't find any clues, as if these two people had descended from heaven.

  Liu Jin's arm was severed, and he was already seriously injured. Apart from being able to bandage the wound to stop the bleeding, there were no damaged meridians that needed treatment. Therefore, after nursing his injury for a night in Tianyuan, he advised Emperor Hua Tian Chu Wei: "Why not surrender Yaocheng instead? The other side's martial arts are powerful, and they may have a big background; moreover, surrendering can make Emperor Hua obtain a batch of fierce generals!"

  Chu Wei thought for a long time, but he really couldn't think of any clever plan to easily get rid of those two people. Unless he sent out 200,000 troops to besiege the city and gather most of the top experts from the Kunlun Realm to launch an all-out attack, forcing him into a desperate fight, but that would likely result in huge losses.

  "Cai Yan, you have some connection with Meng Fan, I order you to be the envoy and go to Yucheng to persuade them to surrender!" Chu Wei finally made up his mind. If they could be persuaded to surrender, it would indeed be a great help.

  "Yes!" Cai Yan rubbed his ribcage, although it no longer hurt, he still clearly remembered the feeling of being punched. He slightly furrowed his brow and nodded in response to the matter. After kneeling on one knee, he swiftly disappeared into the darkness.

  The next day at ten o'clock in the morning, the sun was shining brightly. Although the crops outside the city were a bit disheveled, they still formed a lush green landscape that could be described as a peaceful rural scenery. However, the faint smell of blood ruined the overall aesthetic.

  Cai Yan arrived again outside the city of Yao, he saw that the soldiers on the city wall were wearing fresh clothes and armor, all dressed in the attire of Huang Tian. He was overjoyed, thinking that the city of Yao had surrendered. But just one angry shout startled him awake.

  "Who's there! Report your name!" The soldiers on the city wall apparently didn't recognize this as the attire of the Emperor's personal bodyguards, and seeing Cai Yan smile and walk straight towards the closed city gate, they hastily drew their bows and shouted. If Cai Yan hadn't stopped, he might have been pierced by a hail of arrows in his imagination.

  Cai Yansu's face turned red with anger, but he thought of his mission and restrained himself. He still didn't have a good expression on his face as he shouted: "I am Cai Yan, here to visit General Meng Fanmeng, please announce my arrival!"

  "General Meng?" The guard on the city wall didn't know him very well, and muttered to himself. The soldier next to him whispered: "He's one of the strong men who charged outside the city the day before yesterday."

  "Ah? It's him!" The guard reacted and said, "Then you quickly go and report, I'll keep watch here."

  "Good!" A soldier next to him ran down the city wall in a flash.

  "Good fellow, please wait a moment, someone has been sent to report and there will be an answer soon." The guard hastily put on a smile.

  Cai Yan heard that Meng Fan was also unknown in Yaocity, and the guardian's welcoming smile made his anger subside slightly. He replied calmly: "It doesn't matter!"

  Not long after, the soldiers on the city wall suddenly stood up straight. Lei Meng, Yang Tian and Meng Fan came to the top of the city wall. Yang Tian stood behind the battlements, chuckled and said in a low voice: "General Meng, Cai Da Shiwei has come to invite you for a drink."

  Meng Fan recalled the scene of teasing Cai Yan that day, and a smile also appeared on his face. He leaned forward to the city below and said: "Cai Da Shi Wei, is it that the gold has been used up and come back to ask for more?"

  Cai Yan's face turned dark, he was also very unhappy about being drenched in the rain that day. But thinking that he couldn't beat them and had come on a mission from the Emperor, he forced a smile and bowed his hands: "General Meng's reward, Cai Yan will remember it in his heart. This time I came under the command of His Majesty to discuss important matters with General Meng and General Lei."

  "Get out! Meng has nothing to discuss with you!" As soon as Meng Fan heard this, he understood what was going on. This was a defeat that had come to surrender, so he took the initiative to play the villain and drove him away.

  Cai Yan was choked for a moment, suppressing the anger that surged up to his forehead, and remained silent for half a day.

  Lei Meng glanced at Cai Yan under the city and said softly to Meng Fan, "Maybe it's good to see him too. We also have some things to discuss with Haotian. It's not a solution to be a floating duckweed for a long time." After finishing speaking, Lei Meng let out a soft sigh, facing the sunlight and looking towards the distant east, wondering how Yangjia Village was doing, and how Old Yang Fu and Erwu were doing.

  Meng Fan glanced at Lei Meng, whose mind was wandering afar, and a certain string in his heart was also touched. Where was his root again? He looked up at the soldier's inquiring gaze and opened his mouth to say, "Open the door and let him come in."

  After finishing speaking, he and Lei Meng and Yang Tian also walked down from the city wall.

  Arriving at the city gate, he saw Cai Yan flash in and enter from the half-opened city gate. Meng Fan smiled and said, "Not bad, want to exchange a few moves with me?"

  "Uh, never mind. I wouldn't dare to show my ugliness in front of a superior person." Cai Yan hastily waved his hand and involuntarily took a small step back, leaning against the city gate.

  "Hehe, don't be afraid!" Meng Fan saw Cai Yan's frightened appearance and couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. He then pointed at Lei Ming and Yang Tian, "This is General Lei Ming, the highest commander here; this is General Yang Tian, the deputy chief."

  Cai Yan listened in a daze, muttering to himself: "How can two children be made commanders? Is there no one else in Jin Yuan? Are they dwarves...?" He was a bit bewildered and lost his train of thought for a while, even forgetting how he walked into the council hall later on.

  In the conference hall surrounded by tables and chairs, Lei Meng asked: "I don't know what Cai Da Shi Wei came here for?" He completely regarded Yao Cheng as his own home.

  Cai Yan casually replied, "I was sent by the Emperor's order to offer amnesty..." He spoke up to this point and found that he had misspoken, so he hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand and didn't say another word.

  Lei Meng and Yang Tian exchanged a glance, smiled, and said: "I don't know what kind of generous treatment the Emperor of the Vast Heavens has offered? If it's generous enough, we can consider it."

  Cai Yan listened, and to his surprise, the other party did not get angry. Instead, they brought over a ladder for him to climb down, indicating that they had intended this all along. Thinking of this, Cai Yan felt a sense of pride well up within him, puffed out his chest, and said: "His Majesty will confer upon the commander of the surrendering army the title of Grand General, commanding an army of one hundred thousand; the rest will be rewarded according to their ranks."

  Yang Tian and Meng Fanqi looked at Lei Ming, waiting for his response. Lei Ming smiled and said: "Thanks to the Emperor's appreciation, I am deeply grateful." Cai Yan's face showed joy, and Lei Ming continued: "Such a reward seems not bad, but it still has some distance from my expectations."

  Cai Yanzhong was shocked in his heart, and after being demoted, he still felt that the promotion of officials and nobles was not enough. Did he want to be the only one under heaven and above all others? What a ridiculous fantasy! With such thoughts in mind, his face remained expressionless, and he respectfully said: "I don't know what General Lei's expectations are."

  Lei Meng Yang Guang smiled and said: "Divide two cities for us. In name, we will be under the jurisdiction of Huang Tian, but you must not interfere with our affairs."

  "This... This Cai Yan can't make the decision. Can... Can't... Change a condition?" Cai Yan didn't expect Lei Meng to still be so bold, he was tongue-tied for a while and even broke out in a cold sweat.

  "Then go back and ask for instructions. We stay in Yucheng, I'm afraid the emperor will not be happy." Lei Meng directly blocked the way to talk up, and also slightly reminded Cai Yan that we are here, and it's not easy to get along with Huang Tian.

  Cai Yan wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead and said, "I'll go back and ask for instructions." He was now somewhat timid and didn't look like a martial artist at all.

  "All right, General Meng, please see off your old acquaintance. I still have some military matters to attend to." Lei Meng turned and ordered Meng Fan to send the guest off.

  Cai Yan's heart skipped a beat, what was this about? Were they going to fight if the negotiations fell through? He stood up, cupped his hands together in respect, and quickly turned around to leave. He had to hurry and ask for Chu Wei's instructions.

  Meng Fan hastily caught up and said: "Hey, don't go yet, let's have a meal first..."

  "General Meng, I must hurry back to ask for instructions..."

  The two people walked further and further away from each other.

  Yang Tian smiled and said, "It seems like we're one step closer to our goal."

  "That's it, you don't even look at who is coming out." Leiming also had high hopes for the future.

  Yang Tian rolled his eyes and ignored him.

  ……

  Cai Yan returned to the imperial palace that night and reported to Chu Wei in the study. Chu Wei paced back and forth a few times, saying: "I also guessed that this trip would not be easy. However, it doesn't matter, what's the harm in giving them three cities?"

  "Give them the Baihe River, Baishan and Hexi, let them guard the border for me. Jin Yuan has abandoned them, they may hate him more than us, Jin Yuan!" Then, Chu Wei wrote a full imperial edict on silk, stamped it with red seal, and handed it to Cai Yan to carry out.