Chapter 413 Colluding with the Enemy

Ti Heya, that old fellow, was very experienced in battle. His act was incredibly convincing; his posture and demeanor were perfect, making him seem genuinely unsteady, as if he couldn't stand and was about to fall backward.

Anyone else might have been fooled. But Li Man'er was no ordinary person. How could she be deceived by such a trick? Though she charged forward with her saber drawn, her attention never wavered.

As expected, when Ti Heya saw Li Man'er charging, his face lit up with joy. He fumbled at his waist and threw something out.

A dark shadow lunged towards Li Man'er, its gaping maw bared mid-air as a stream of venom shot out, aimed directly at her face.

Li Man'er had been prepared. She deftly dodged to the side, and the venom missed its mark. With a swing of her saber, she cleaved the dark shadow in two – it was a venomous snake.

Ti Heya seized the opportunity and lunged forward, his saber hacking towards Li Man'er's head and neck as if he'd been injected with steroids. Though the venomous snake had failed, it had earned its keep by creating an opening for Ti Heya.

During a confrontation, every fraction of a second could alter the course of battle. Ti Heya believed Li Man'er's death was imminent, unaware that Li Man'er was a master of poisons herself.

"Shameless old dog, you low-class immortal fossil, I f***ing..." Li Man'er unleashed a torrent of colorful curses that left Ti Heya utterly bewildered.

He could never have imagined that the young warrior he'd been fighting for so long was actually a woman. Where had he ever seen a woman curse without batting an eye? The words she spewed were utterly vile, astonishing to hear.

Li Man'er's tirade grew more intense, but her saber remained just as relentless. As she cursed, she continued to engage Ti Heya, occasionally spitting at him during brief lulls in their fight. The old scoundrel's beard seemed to be on fire with rage, and he roared in anger.

It wasn't just Ti Heya who was losing his mind; even A'Si couldn't bear to watch.

*My lady, do you still care about your image? It's war, so gender differences aside, cursing him might be a way to enrage the old brute. But must you spit? That behavior is no different from the cleaning women or the rough maids in the manor.*

*So vulgar.*

Li Man'er, however, didn't care. Her own enjoyment was paramount, and besides, she was distracting Ti Heya.

Seeing Ti Heya fuming with anger and his saber techniques becoming increasingly chaotic, Li Man'er's eyes gleamed. She fumbled at her waist and, with a swish, threw something out.

"Ah!" Ti Heya cried out in alarm, thinking Li Man'er had also thrown out some poisonous object. He instinctively dodged to the side.

This move proved disastrous. Li Man'er's saber arrived in the next instant, a whistling gale. Ti Heya had no time to react.

With a crisp *crack*, a large head flew into the air, and a torrent of blood drenched Li Man'er like a bloody gourd.

Ti Heya, a formidable warlord of the grasslands, met his end at Li Man'er's hands, dying in such a ignominious fashion.

Ignoring the blood splattered all over her, Li Man'er lightly tapped her toes, leaped high into the air, and snatched Ti Heya's severed head, impaling it on her long saber.

Those nearby were already locked in a bloody frenzy. Several soldiers who had followed Ti Heya charged at Li Man'er like madmen. However, most of them had lost their morale and were no match for A'Si and his men, falling under their blades.

"Ti Heya is dead! Ti Heya is dead!"

Li Man'er shouted loudly, raising her saber so everyone could clearly see Ti Heya's head.

A'Si and the others seemed to understand her intent and joined in, shouting, "Ti Heya is dead, Ti Heya is dead!"

Like a tree falling, the monkeys scattered. When the barbarian soldiers saw their king was dead, the last thread of their resolve snapped.

With their leader gone, who were they to fight for? Their tribe had once been one of the most powerful on the grasslands, but after this battle, they would likely be severely weakened, subject to oppression, or even annexation by other tribes.

The barbarian army completely lost the will to resist. Some fled, while others, like mindless zombies, surrendered, dropping their weapons.

All the soldiers of the Honor Kingdom erupted in cheers, scarcely believing what they were seeing. The barbarians had been defeated, and so utterly and embarrassingly.

"We won!"

"We won!"

Li Man'er raised her saber, now adorned with a human head, and also began to laugh. She completely forgot she was covered in blood. Her grin revealed a row of white teeth, making her look somewhat fearsome.

But she didn't care.

Not far away, Qi Yihan sat regally on his horse, also seeming pleased. His gaze briefly rested on Li Man'er before he gently shifted it away, as if afraid to linger.

The wind died down, and the snow stopped.

The barbarian encampment was like a scene from hell, but regardless, everything finally fell silent.

"Reporting to the General, Ti Heya is dead. Of his five great generals, four have fallen, and one is severely wounded. In this battle, our army has dealt a heavy blow to Ti Heya's forces, killing over sixty thousand, capturing nearly ten thousand, and with a small number of scattered remnants unaccounted for."

Qi Yihan said, "It is as it is. In this weather, survival is unlikely for them."

Someone remarked, "For so many years, we've harbored so much resentment towards the barbarians. Today, we've finally vented our anger."

"This matter must be reported to General Xiao immediately, and a memorial must be sent to the capital."

As everyone debated, Qi Yihan spoke, "Everyone, I fear things are not as simple as they seem."

"What makes you say that, General?"

Qi Yihan looked at Li Man'er and asked, "General Li, what are your thoughts?"

Li Man'er sighed, "General Han, you likely already have a plan in mind. Why do you make me play the villain?"

The men below exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what the two generals were hinting at.

"General, what is the matter?"

"Yes, do the two generals face some difficulty?"

At this moment, Li Man'er's image in the hearts of the soldiers had far surpassed that of any ordinary person. She had repeatedly undertaken dangerous raids on enemy camps, meticulously planned, and decimated the barbarians, becoming a heroic figure in everyone's eyes.

"I fear we may not be able to return."

"Ah?"

"General Li, why do you say that?"

Li Man'er produced some letters from her embrace and threw them onto the table. "A'Si, pass these to the generals for them to see."

"Yes!"

A'Si stepped forward and presented the letters Li Man'er had taken out to the generals below.

"These are the evidence of the Xiao family's treason and collaboration!"

The declaration struck everyone like a thunderclap, shattering their hearts.

"This, how could this be?" One general recognized the personal seal on the letter and looked at Li Man'er in despair. "General Li, this letter..."

"This letter, naturally, was found in Ti Heya's tent."

Inside the tent, silence reigned supreme.