The Outbreak of War

"We both got new weapons. Where should we test them out?" I grinned at Gu Bing, the Zhanmadao in my hand gleaming coldly under the sunlight.

"Let's go to the Orc Cave." Gu Bing answered without hesitation, his eyes flashing with excitement.

"You really are a training maniac." I shook my head helplessly. Once Gu Bing got passionate about something, he would dive into it with relentless enthusiasm, even if others found it dull and tedious.

We made some simple preparations, bringing food and water, before heading straight into the Orc Cave. Following our previous route for a while, we realized that there were barely any monsters left. So, Gu Bing and I decided to explore a different path.

Sure enough, after changing directions, we started encountering skeletal monsters. However, with our improved swordsmanship and upgraded gear, these skeletons were no longer a threat. It only took two or three slashes to take one down. As we continued forward, we discovered an entrance leading deeper underground.

"This cave is truly massive. There's more than one way down to the second level." I sighed in admiration, and we continued exploring.

Over the next few days, we not only refined our sword techniques but also worked on coordinating our combat strategies. However, for me, the training here was starting to feel tedious. We hadn't encountered any Blood-Red Skeletons lately, only low-level monsters that we could easily dispatch with a few strikes. Even when faced with four or five skeletons attacking us at once, we cut them down effortlessly.

On the third night, while resting, Gu Bing was toying with the black crystal ring and unexpectedly discovered that he could now wear it. The moment he put it on, he felt his strength increase again.

"It seems that these types of Magic Equipment are tied to a person's own cultivation level," I mused, explaining, "Since I started training in swordsmanship earlier than you, I was able to wear the ring right away when we first obtained it. Now, after a few days of intense training, you can wear it too. This shows that the gap between us has become very small."

Gu Bing nodded in agreement and then said, "Have you noticed? The number of monsters around here has been decreasing over the past two days."

"Now that you mention it… could it be that we killed them all?" I joked.

"This place isn't helping us improve much anymore." Gu Bing was still focused on honing his swordsmanship and strength.

"Today should be the thirteenth of July, right?" I calculated the days. That meant in just two days, the Orcs were planning to attack Baiqi City. I had no idea what the situation outside was like. Thinking of this, I suggested, "Why don't we head out? The siege battle could start anytime, and Aunt Yu, Da Xiong, and the others are all in Baiqi City. I'm starting to worry about them."

"Alright! Let's rest for a bit, then head out." Gu Bing agreed.

By the time we emerged from the cave, it was already noon. We hastily ate some food before continuing our journey toward Baiqi City.

Suddenly, a deep "Doo… Doo… Doo!" echoed from the distance—three horn blasts.

Gu Bing and I exchanged glances and quickly climbed a small hill nearby to get a better view of what was happening.

From our vantage point, we saw thousands of Orcs forming five well-organized battle formations near Baiqi City. Each formation had a flag at the front. Squinting, I recognized the White Fang's Tribe banner and another with a bear's head emblem. The other three banners were unfamiliar to me.

Behind each flag stood Orc soldiers wielding wooden clubs and wearing beast-hide armor, making up the bulk of their forces. Behind them were Orc Warriors wielding axes or swords, comprising about thirty percent of the army. At the very rear were the tribal chieftains, each flanked by two heavily armored Orc champions armed with massive axes or greatswords.

"Are these the Orcs of Woma Forest?" I asked in confusion.

"They should be."

"Whoever said the Orcs of Woma Forest were few in number was completely wrong. These five tribes alone have at least four to five thousand warriors." I finally realized I had underestimated their siege attack. Not only did they have the numbers, but they were also well-equipped and well-organized.

"Look over there!" Gu Bing suddenly called out.

Following his gaze, I saw five massive Siege Engines slowly being pushed forward. Behind them, large numbers of Orcswere carrying supplies, stacking shields and wooden planks on top.

"There's no way we can return to the city through the North Gate anymore. And judging by their formation, the battle is about to begin the moment those Siege Engines reach the front lines." It dawned on me that both the Orc army and we were heading toward Baiqi City's North Gate. But with their forces already in battle formation so close to the gate, it was clear that war was imminent.

"Let's take a detour and enter through the West Gate instead. Hopefully, there are fewer Orcs there, and we can sneak into the city." I suggested.

As we hurried along, I silently prayed that the West Gate wouldn't be in the same situation. If Orc forces were also attacking there, Baiqi City would surely fall. Our best troops—the five thousand Wolf Guards and the five hundred Eagle Guards—were strong, but I had always assumed we would have a numbers advantage over the Orcs. Now, seeing the Orc army's sheer size and organization, I wasn't so sure anymore.

As we approached the West Gate, my prayers seemed to have worked—there wasn't a single Orc in sight. But I couldn't feel relieved at all.

The reason we had been encountering fewer skeletal monsters in the Orc Cave was now painfully clear—they were all here.

A massive horde of skeletons was already engaged in chaotic battle against Baiqi City's Security Patrol. Screams of panic, cries of the wounded, and the sounds of terrified citizens fleeing filled the air. The scene was utter chaos.

Sweeping my gaze over the battlefield, I estimated there were at least four to five hundred skeletons, wielding various weapons—some carried wooden clubs, some held axes, while others were clad in armor, swinging deadly scythes. The most dangerous were the ones throwing flying axes, launching surprise attacks that struck down Security Patrol soldiersbefore they could react. In the distance, I spotted several Blood-Red Skeletons slaughtering their way through the crowd.

"These Security Patrol guys are useless! They bully civilians all the time, but the moment they face real monsters, they piss their pants before the fight even starts." Gu Bing and I cursed in frustration.

"Exactly. That's why we need to show them these monsters aren't as terrifying as they think. Only then will they have the courage to fight, and only then do we have a chance to win." I declared. The Security Patrol might be weak, but they weren't completely useless. Their biggest issue was inexperience—this was likely their first battle against monstrous creatures, and they were simply too frightened to fight properly.

Gripping our weapons tightly, we charged into battle.

"Ha!"

I leaped high into the air, bringing my blade down on a skeleton that had just thrown an axe at me. This was the power of the Offensive and Killing Fencing—a heavy strike. As a white arc of blade light slashed downward, Gu Bing's Lingfeng Sword swung horizontally, sending a burst of sword energy that instantly shattered the skeleton into a pile of bone fragments scattered across the ground.

The Security Patrol soldiers closest to us were initially shocked by what they saw, but they quickly understood and swung their broadswords toward the skeletons before them.

Gu Bing and I weaved through the battlefield, relentlessly slaying skeleton monsters. The coordination we had honed in the caves allowed us to take down a skeleton in just two or three strikes. As we killed more of these creatures, the morale of the soldiers gradually recovered. Initially, they had hesitated, keeping their distance from the skeletons, but now they were boldly surrounding and attacking them in groups of two or three.

With a sharp "whoosh," just as I dodged another flying axe, a scythe whizzed past my ear, slicing off a portion of my hair. The near miss sent a shiver down my spine. Without hesitation, I struck back at the skeleton that had attacked me.

Though the creature was slain, the scare was real. If that strike had been just a little closer, it could have taken my head instead of my hair. At that moment, I noticed a fallen guard nearby, his bronze helmet still intact. Wasting no time, I picked it up and put it on. Seeing this, Gu Bing quickly found a helmet for himself as well.

With our addition to the fight, the battle began to shift. The chaos from earlier settled, and the civilians who needed to escape had mostly fled. The soldiers, now regaining their confidence, engaged in a proper battle against the skeletons. Although many soldiers were still injured, the number of fallen skeletons was even greater.

"Look over there!" Gu Bing shouted, pointing ahead.

Amidst the battle, a Blood-Red Skeleton was slaughtering its way through the crowd. A group of soldiers surrounded it with their broadswords raised, but none dared to strike. Seeing this, Gu Bing and I hurried toward them, though the dense cluster of skeletons along the way forced us to cut our way through while keeping an eye on the fight ahead.

Two more soldiers fell.

For ordinary people, the sheer strength of a Blood-Red Skeleton was overwhelming. These soldiers, untrained for real combat and lacking experience against demonic creatures, were clearly no match.

Just as the Blood-Red Skeleton was about to strike the last standing soldier, Gu Bing and I arrived simultaneously.

"Ha!" "Ha!"

Two flashes of white light stabbed toward the skeleton. It finally abandoned its intended target and turned toward us. Seizing the moment, I took a closer look at the soldier who had nearly been killed—none other than that damn Lord Wang of the Security Patrol.

"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath. Gu Bing also recognized him. At this point, the Blood-Red Skeleton's hostility toward us had undoubtedly reached its peak.

After a fierce battle, the Blood-Red Skeleton finally collapsed into a heap of bones.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked Lord Wang, who was sitting on the ground in his armor, paralyzed with fear.

"Thank you, heroes! Thank you for saving my life!" Lord Wang wiped the sweat from his face and slowly got up. I couldn't stand him, so I didn't bother offering him a hand.

"Wasn't the siege supposed to happen on the fifteenth of the seventh month? Why did it start early?" I asked. As soon as I spoke, I regretted it—how could someone like me, an unknown figure, know about the attack's planned date?

Lord Wang looked momentarily stunned. Perhaps because we had saved him, or maybe he saw us as highly skilled warriors, he decided to answer honestly.

"I don't know. Early this morning, we received intelligence that the attack had begun. The North Gate is facing the most severe assault, so the Wolf Guard and Eagle Guard have deployed all their forces there."

"And the West Gate? Was it abandoned?" I pressed on.

"Not exactly. Our Security Patrol was originally only responsible for maintaining order inside the city. The Orc Clanforces that were supposed to attack the West City instead went for the border village, so we assumed no enemy would come here. That's why we were left to guard this area. But unexpectedly, instead of the Orcs, these skeleton creatures showed up." Lord Wang was so shaken that he spoke in a disjointed manner.

"What?! They went for the border village?" My mind went blank. "Who is defending the village now?"

I remembered Da Xiong mentioning that five hundred Wolf Guards had been sent there.

"Rest assured, heroes," Lord Wang quickly explained, seeing my rising panic. "The border village was previously reinforced with five hundred Wolf Guards, and the Orc Clan's attacking force wasn't too large. Moreover, the Two Great Clans, the Bairi Daoist Sanctuary, and the Silverleaf Sect reacted swiftly, destroying both bridges over the Woma River before heading to reinforce the village."

"Ah Zheng, with so many people defending, it should be fine," Gu Bing reassured me. I could only hope he was right.

"Gather your men and prepare to fight! These skeletons aren't as tough as you think—just hack them with your broadswords. A few good strikes will bring them down!" I didn't want to waste any more time on Lord Wang. After giving him instructions, I pulled Gu Bing along and fought our way toward the city gates.

More skeletons had already pushed further into the city.

Compared to the border village, I was now more worried about Aunt Yu, Xiao Han, and Da Xiong. Their shops were located in the West City, and the monsters were already closing in.