A light rain pattered steadily outside. The sky hung low and gloomy. Yet to Su Chen, the weather had never felt better.

  Yu Zhengde gritted his teeth. The old man's knees buckled, and he dropped heavily before Su Chen in a deep kowtow.

  "Young marquis, I beg you—save Tianlu! He is my only son. I cannot stand by and watch him die!"

  Yu Zhengde understood perfectly. The decision to retreat or press on did not rest with him. It rested entirely with the young man seated before him.

  Su Chen's fingers tapped rhythmically against the arm of his chair—tap, tap, tap—blending with the steady drip of rain outside the tent. Each beat echoed in Yu Zhengde's chest, making his heart rise and fall in time.

  The faintest trace of a smile curved Su Chen's lips. He spoke softly.

  "I understand how Marquis Black Tortoise feels."

  Yu Zhengde's face lit with desperate hope. Could it be—the young marquis was willing to order a withdrawal? But the next words plunged him straight into an abyss.

  "Yet I also know that war is no child's game. Countless soldiers of the Heavenly Wind Kingdom have already given their lives. If we retreat so easily now, how could we ever face those who fell?"

  Su Chen's tone remained perfectly calm.

  "How can the outcome of an entire war hinge on the life or death of one man? Marshal Yu, please return to your post."

  With a casual wave of his hand, Su Chen dismissed the kneeling elder, consigning him to his fate.

  Without Su Chen's explicit permission, any retreat Yu Zhengde ordered would constitute defiance of the king's command. Everything he had built—rank, honor, power—would vanish overnight. A few carefully chosen words from Su Chen would be enough to brand him a traitor who had defected to the Azure Wave Kingdom.

  Yu Zhengde raised his head. He stared at the indifferent youth so close before him and let out a bitter, broken laugh.

  "Young marquis… I understand."

  One question burned on his tongue, yet he dared not voice it. He wanted to ask: Who was the one who started this war in the first place? But the last shred of reason held his lips sealed.

  Yu Zhengde had no memory of how he left the tent. His mind was a chaotic storm. Cold rain struck his face and shoulders. He could only stand there like a trapped, wounded beast, roaring uselessly into the downpour. He was nothing more than a pawn on someone else's board, moved and discarded at will.

  Inside the tent, Su Chen sipped his tea leisurely. Behind him, the gray-robed elder snorted with disdain.

  "A force without even a single Spirit Soul realm expert is destined to remain a disposable piece on the board. When our Feng clan wishes it, he becomes a marquis second only to the king. When our Feng clan wishes otherwise, he is no more than fish on the chopping block."

  Su Chen gave a soft chuckle. This damned world truly embodied the core truth of every xianxia realm.

  Strength reigned supreme.

  ...

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  When the Azure Wave Kingdom saw that the Heavenly Wind forces had no intention of withdrawing, they dragged Yu Tianlu out to the front lines.

  "Father, save me! I don't want to die!"

  Yu Tianlu knelt on a high platform. An executioner stood beside him, the broad blade of a great saber resting against the young man's neck. Terror made his whole body tremble uncontrollably.

  "Yu Zhengde, withdraw your army at once, and we will return your precious son to you!"

  Yu Zhengde's lips turned pale. Tears streamed down his weathered face.

  "Tianlu… my son… it isn't that your father doesn't want to save you… It's that I cannot. I dare not."

  A piercing pain shot from his clenched fist straight into his heart. His throat worked again and again. After a long moment, he forced out a single hoarse word.

  "Kill."

  The vast army pressed forward relentlessly. The Azure Wave generals' faces turned ashen.

  High on the platform, the executioner received the order. The saber flashed downward.

  Yu Tianlu's head tumbled free.

  Yu Zhengde's gaze went blank. He stood frozen even as his troops drove the Azure Wave forces back. Only then did he stumble forward like a man sleepwalking. He knelt beside the headless corpse, lifted the severed head, and placed it carefully—again and again—onto the neck where it no longer belonged.

  "Please accept my condolences, Marshal Yu."

  Su Chen approached and spoke in a flat, emotionless tone.

  Yu Zhengde snapped back to awareness. He raised his head and met Su Chen's calm gaze.

  In those deep eyes, he saw something towering over him—high above, looking down. There was mockery in them.

  Su Chen met the venomous hatred in Yu Zhengde's stare without concern. If the marshal lost control and attacked him in rage, it would take no effort at all to crush the man where he stood. But Yu Zhengde held back.

  Su Chen found it faintly disappointing. Still, the game could continue a while longer. There was no need to end it so soon.

  Back inside his tent, Yu Zhengde could restrain himself no longer. A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips. To watch his own child die before his eyes.

  A white-haired man sending off a black-haired one. No tragedy in the world could be crueler. He only hoped the campaign would end quickly so he could return home to the Yu family.

  Unfortunately, Su Chen had not yet had his fill of amusement. There would be no early withdrawal for Yu Zhengde. He had become nothing more than a hunting dog—moving only as Su Chen directed.

  One month later, on a certain day, Yu Zhengde received a mysterious letter. It came from the Azure Wave Kingdom. Yet the handwriting was painfully familiar.

  "His Majesty… His Majesty intends to use this opportunity to eliminate that young marquis, Feng Chen!"

  Yu Zhengde's eyes widened. He could not be mistaken. The letter had been written by the king himself. Understanding crashed over him like a wave. A genius like Su Chen was a mortal taboo to any ruler. No sovereign could tolerate the rise of an uncontrollable powerhouse right under his nose. Yu Zhengde was to cooperate with the Azure Wave Kingdom, set an ambush and eliminate Su Chen.

  Without a second thought, he agreed. He hated the Azure Wave Kingdom, but he hated Su Chen—the one who had stood by and let his son die—even more.

  Moreover, he had no other choice. Though he still did not understand why the young marquis insisted on pressing this war so relentlessly, if he made even one mistake now, he would fall into an abyss from which there was no return. He still had a family. He still had a grandson. He could not die here on this battlefield.

  …

  "Just as the old marquis predicted. That king truly refuses to give up!"

  The gray-robed elder following Su Chen let out a cold snort. Under his deliberate attention, every move Yu Zhengde made had been laid bare.

  Su Chen sank into thought.

  He still won't give up? He had met that fat king before. The man had always smiled at him—warm, amiable. It turned out he was a smiling tiger, hiding a blade behind every grin.

  In this life, Su Chen would never let that fat bastard live comfortably.

  "Is the king simply this foolish, or is it deliberate?"

  The situation felt increasingly murky to Su Chen. If it was pure stupidity, that was one thing. If it was deliberate, then he would have to reassess just how dangerous that king truly was.

  Yu Zhengde knew nothing of this. Hatred had blinded him completely. As long as there was even the slimmest chance, he would take the gamble. In the end, the army pushed deep into enemy territory. Yu Zhengde "carelessly" reassigned the guards protecting Su Chen.

  The night was dark, the wind high.

  A shadowy figure drifted silently into the tent. He was a middle-aged man clad in profound black robes. His hair stood up wildly, white as frost. Vast vital energy surged around him. Merely standing there, he seemed to make the spiritual energy of heaven and earth tremble in response.

  "Marquis Purple Lightning… I never expected the Azure Wave Kingdom would actually send you."