Transmigrated into the Villain's Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife (Transmigrated into a Book) - Chapter 25

At that moment, Lin Chu’s hands and feet felt ice-cold.

The barbarians below the city walls let out strange, excited howls as they saw someone fall from the basket, as if they were eagerly waiting for Yan Mingge to crash to his death.

Lin Chu leaned forward on the parapet of the city wall, her entire upper body nearly hanging over the edge.

When she saw Yan Mingge, mid-fall, plunge the sharp dagger in his hand deep into the cracks between the bricks of the wall and firmly grip the hilt to stabilize himself, she finally let out a long, hard sigh of relief.

Wang Hu and the others also stood at the parapet of the city wall, their tense expressions finally breaking into relieved smiles at the sight.

“Big Brother, catch the rope!” Wang Hu called out as he grabbed a coil of thick hemp rope. Holding one end in his hand, he tossed the other down to Yan Mingge.

Yan Mingge caught the rope, wrapped it tightly around his left hand twice, and secured his grip. With both hands anchored, he braced his toes against the wall and began climbing upward.

With the weight of an adult man no longer pulling on the rope, the basket carrying little Han Junye no longer risked snapping its cord and was slowly being pulled upward.

However, the basket carrying Yuan San and the others was far heavier. Despite dozens of soldiers on the city wall straining with all their might, their faces flushed red from the effort, it rose at an excruciatingly slow pace. Meanwhile, Yan Mingge who is climbing the rope, had already ascended above the basket.

Lin Chu’s sharp eyes noticed the thick hemp rope rubbing against the edge of the battlement, fraying with each passing moment. An idea struck her.

The friction was increasing resistance, no wonder the soldiers were struggling so much.

As a former engineering student who had spent countless days dealing with physics and mathematics, Lin Chu immediately thought of a pulley system. If they could create a pulley to lift the baskets, the smooth surface of the pulley would reduce the friction on the rope and prevent it from fraying. Additionally, by increasing the mechanical advantage, the soldiers would need far less effort to pull the baskets. In times of war, this would also greatly speed up the process of hauling people up.

“Big Brother, give me your hand!”

Wang Hu and his group kept pulling on the rope with all their strength, while Yan Mingge pushed off the wall with his feet and climbed swiftly. Before long, he was nearly at the top.

Wang Hu stretched out his hand toward Yan Mingge, who was just about to grab it when Lin Chu glanced downward. Her pupils shrank sharply, and she shouted, 

“Dodge!”

The sharp sound of something slicing through the air made Yan Mingge realize danger was approaching. He immediately released the rope, letting himself fall once more.

A gleaming iron arrow whizzed past, narrowly grazing his scalp and slicing off a few strands of his hair.

With a loud “clang,” the arrow embedded itself halfway into the hard bricks of the city wall. Cracks spread like a spiderweb across the brick, leaving it on the verge of shattering.

In an instant, the battlefield fell eerily silent, as if the entire world was holding its breath.

Yuan San reacted swiftly, tossing his waist-hung saber toward Yan Mingge as the latter plummeted past him.

Yan Mingge grabbed the saber, mimicking his earlier maneuver by plunging the blade into a gap between the bricks of the city wall, stabilizing his descent once more.

To the untrained eye, it seemed as though Yan Mingge was effortlessly slicing through the bricks as if cutting tofu. But those who understood the craft knew just how much strength and precision were required to achieve such a feat.

Yao City’s walls were famously known as the “Iron Fortress,” as molten iron had been poured into the gaps between the bricks during its construction. This made the walls incredibly sturdy.

The soldiers on the wall erupted in murmurs at the sight.

Clutching the hilt of his blade tightly, Yan Mingge raised his gaze toward the barbarians across the Dark River.

The opposing side was a sea of black-clad warriors, their numbers seemingly endless.

Leading them was a man astride a towering Akhal-Teke horse, his face framed by a thick, scruffy beard that softened the definition of his facial features. Only his sharp, hawk-like eyes stood out with a piercing intensity.

“Hu Yanlie!” Yan Mingge spat the name through gritted teeth, his eyes dark and foreboding.

On the wall, Wang Hu and his men, who had just felt relief at Yan Mingge’s recovery, froze upon recognizing the figure across the river. Their expressions turned grim.

“That bastard Hu Yanlie! Why isn’t he attacking Jintong Pass? What’s he doing here at Yao City, testing our defenses against this natural barrier?”

The basket carrying little Han Junye was finally pulled to the top of the wall. Lin Chu didn’t have time to check on the boy and hurriedly ordered a nearby soldier to take him to safety.

“Keep pulling! Get all the baskets up here!” Lin Chu commanded sharply.

The soldiers, momentarily stunned by Hu Yanlie’s earlier arrow, snapped back to their senses and resumed pulling the baskets with renewed effort.

Yuan San’s basket was closest to Yan Mingge. Yuan San reached out a hand to help him, but Yan Mingge shook his head, his expression grim as he kept his eyes fixed on the barbarians across the river.

“Hah! You’re truly the son of Yan Shichang! You haven’t disgraced your father!” Hu Yanlie’s voice boomed like a great bell. He laughed heartily before pulling three arrows from his quiver and notching them onto his bow. Beneath his thick felt coat, his muscular arms bulged as he drew the bowstring taut. The three arrows gleamed with deadly intent.

“You dodged one arrow; let’s see if you can dodge all three!”

“Whoosh!”

“Whoosh!”

“Whoosh!”

The three arrows streaked through the air, aiming for Yan Mingge’s head, chest, and abdomen. With his blade still lodged in the bricks to support his weight, Yan Mingge had no room to evade!

“Catch!” Lin Chu’s sudden shout came from above.

Yan Mingge looked up and saw Lin Chu tossing several blades down to him.

Without hesitation, he abandoned the blade in his hand and leaped forward. With a powerful kick, he drove two of the falling blades into the gaps in the bricks, using them as footholds. His feet now secured, he caught two more blades mid-air.

Behind him, a series of “thunk” sounds rang out as Hu Yanlie’s three arrows embedded themselves deeply into the wall where Yan Mingge had just been. One arrow struck with such force that it shattered a brick, sending shards flying. One fragment sliced a shallow cut across Yan Mingge’s cheek, the crimson streak adding a sharp, almost feral allure to his striking features.

Yan Mingge’s piercing gaze locked onto Hu Yanlie across the river, a predatory intensity akin to a wolf’s.

Hu Yanlie’s eyes narrowed as he took in the scene, clearly not expecting things to unfold this way. He drew three more arrows, his voice icy. 

“The Yan clan of Mingshan, the wolves of Da Zhao—if I don’t kill you today, you’ll be a scourge in the future!”

The air whistled with the sound of more arrows slicing through the wind, streaking toward the city wall like meteor bolts. On the battlements, the soldiers split into two groups—one continued pulling up the remaining baskets, while the other threw down blades and swords toward Yan Mingge.

Amid the deafening whistle of arrows, Yan Mingge moved with precision. Each time a blade or sword fell, he grabbed it, plunged it into the brick gaps, and stepped onto it. Thin blades bent under his weight, quivering on the verge of snapping, but he always seized another weapon just in time to move forward.

Brick by brick, blade by blade, Yan Mingge carved a path upward with nothing but steel and resolve.

By the time Yan Mingge planted his foot on the top of the wall, all the baskets had been pulled up.

The brothers of Qiang City swarmed around him, their faces red with emotion, a mix of relief and joy at having survived.

Yan Mingge said a few simple words to his comrades before turning his sharp gaze toward the battlefield beyond the wall.

“Bring me my bow,” he ordered, his voice steady yet filled with cold determination.

Yuan San handed over Yan Mingge’s black iron bow.

Yan Mingge drew only one wild goose-feathered arrow, nocking it on the string as he aimed straight at Hu Yanlie, who sat on horseback.

With a sharp “whoosh,” the arrow shot through the air.

Hu Yanlie’s pupils constricted, and he hastily reined his warhorse back several steps. Even so, the arrow brushed dangerously past his ear.

Though unscathed, the sheer speed of the arrow caused a rush of wind that made half of Hu Yanlie’s face sting as if it had been struck.

The barbarian warhorse neighed and retreated a few paces, while the foot soldiers behind it were visibly shaken. Their previous arrogance was now replaced by palpable fear; the barbarians had clearly lost their momentum.

Yan Mingge discarded his bow, planted his hands firmly on the parapet of the city wall, and shouted at Hu Yanlie, 

“As long as one member of the Yan family remains, you will never set foot in Da Zhao! Those who invade our homeland shall die!”

His words immediately ignited the soldiers’ fighting spirit.

Thousands of voices shouted in unison, 

“Those who invade our homeland shall die!”

The battle cry echoed through the skies, filling every heart with fervor and courage.

Hu Yanlie, though furious, wasn’t foolish. He knew better than to attack a city whose defenders were riding high on morale. Swallowing his frustration, he led his massive barbarian army to retreat for the time being.

Earlier, the beacon fires had been lit, war drums sounded, and the people of Yao City—already alarmed by the fall of Qiang City—were thrown into panic, hastily packing their belongings to flee to the Central Plains. But now, hearing the victorious shouts from the city wall, they abandoned their preparations and poured into the streets, cheering.

“Did the barbarians retreat?”

“Did we win this battle?”

“I told you, those savages from the grasslands aren’t worth a damn!”

“We won! We won!”

…

On the city wall, Yan Mingge exchanged a few words with his comrades, his gaze scanning the crowd for Lin Chu.

He scrutinized every shorter figure he saw, but none of them turned out to be her.

Shi Liu, who had been despairing since learning of Qiang City’s fall, finally felt some relief seeing that most of his brothers were still alive. His eyes were red with emotion, and he looked like he might burst into tears if not for the soldiers around them.

“Big brother,” Shi Liu called in a hoarse voice. Before he could say more, Yan Mingge grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him to a corner.

Shi Liu stared blankly at Yan Mingge, whose bloodied face made him look both wild and menacing.

“Where’s your sister-in-law?” Yan Mingge demanded without preamble.

Shi Liu’s brewing tears vanished instantly. Glancing around at the bustling soldiers, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. 

“I… I haven’t seen her. But she was on the parapet earlier.”

Yan Mingge immediately turned to leave, grabbing the collars of a few more soldiers to repeat his question. Finally, he learned that Lin Chu had gone to the teahouse with Han Junye in her arms.

Meanwhile, Yao City’s general, An Dingyuan, rushed over upon hearing the battle had ended, intending to meet Yan Mingge. But before he could speak, Yan Mingge had already strode off toward the teahouse.

At the teahouse, Lin Chu had requested a bowl of hot water from Madam Qin and was carefully feeding it to Han Junye.

The pavilion was bustling with people, their faces alight with joy from the victory.

Madam Qin, a fellow mother, noticed Lin Chu struggling to care for Han Junye and kindly invited her into the inner room for some peace.

Han Junye, still feverish and unconscious, managed to drink a few sips of water before Lin Chu laid him on the bed to rest.

The half-day on the parapet had left her on edge, and now that the danger had passed, she finally noticed how weak her limbs felt.

She poured herself a cup of water, intending to take a much-needed break, when the door suddenly slammed open.

Seeing it was Yan Mingge, Lin Chu let out a breath of relief. Just as she was about to ask if he wanted some water, he grabbed her by the arm. He lifted her off the ground and pressed her against the table.

Lin Chu was stunned. As the cold-faced, dangerously handsome man leaned in close, she swallowed nervously and stammered, 

“What… what are you doing?”