Feng Qingyan was stunned for a moment, then she sighed with a hint of envy in her voice:

"Alright... your Lord Lin really is too lucky. With you around, his life is tougher than anyone's."

Su Yurou's face flushed slightly, and she didn't respond.

Feng Qingshuang coughed softly from behind, and only then did Feng Qingyan let go of Su Yurou's hand and step back.

Su Yuehua checked the time. Nine-fifty.

She looked up toward the sky.

The moon was still there. Large and round, its silvery moonlight spilled onto the city walls, illuminating everyone's faces clearly.

Then, the moon changed. It wasn't a gradual darkening, but as if someone had splashed a basin of fresh blood across the sky.

A thick, piercing, and heart-palpitating red surged from the moon's edges, spreading rapidly until it swallowed the entire lunar surface.

The moonlight fell, dyeing the city walls, soldiers, and weapons in an eerie dark red.

No one spoke on the city walls. Over five hundred figures stood tall under the blood moon, their expressions shifting from relaxed to solemn, and then to murderous.

No one cried out, no one retreated, and no one whispered. They simply gripped their weapons tighter and stood a bit straighter.

Su Yuehua turned her head to look at Zhao Hu. The light of the blood moon fell on her face, making her gentle features look somewhat pale, but her gaze remained calm.

"Captain Zhao, we might have to trouble you tonight."

Zhao Hu shook his head, his voice steady: "President Su, it is our Beacon Fire Territory that is troubling you.

You have come from afar to help us defend the city; we will remember this friendship."

He paused, then turned to Arrow Eye and said, "Go tell Meng Yi to move all the reserves over here."

Arrow Eye acknowledged and turned, vanishing into the shadows of the city wall.

Zhao Hu turned back and stood side-by-side with Su Yuehua behind the battlements, looking out at the plain beyond the West Gate.

The plain was pitch black; nothing could be seen.

But everyone knew that something was brewing in that darkness.

The wind blew from the west, growing faster and colder, carrying an increasingly thick scent of blood.

Zhao Hu's hand pressed onto the hilt of his bone-crushing greatsword. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Su Yuehua gripped her staff.

Feng Qingyan stopped joking, holding her staff up in front of her chest.

Feng Qingshuang stood beside her; the sisters' flames flickered, one bright and one dim, like two beating hearts.

Shi Pojun planted his tower shield in front of him, silent as iron.

The five hundred Awakened of the Yuehua Guild raised their weapons in unison.

Spears pointed diagonally forward, sabers and shields stood side-by-side, crossbows were cocked, and arrowheads glinted coldly under the blood moon.

Everyone stared into that darkness. Waiting.

...

By the time Arrow Eye came down from the city wall, Liu Ming had already lined up his men in the open space on the inner side of the wall.

Nine hundred County Soldiers, all in grey cloth uniforms, stood in neat rows holding spears and shields.

They were only level nine, and their equipment was of the most basic white quality, but every face bore a simple, resigned determination.

Two hundred and forty Beacon Guards stood on either side of the County Soldiers, their halberds like a forest, silent as iron.

Their equipment was much better than the County Soldiers', consisting of standard leather armor and bronze halberds.

Although they were only level thirteen, their murderous aura was far beyond what the County Soldiers could match.

Liu Ming stood by the catapults, directing the carpenter apprentices in their final checks.

Twenty catapults were arranged in two rows, each over two people tall, with bases reinforced by heavy timber and wheels bound in iron hoops.

In the nearby open space, stones were piled up like a small mountain, and dozens of jars of Explosive Potions were neatly stacked in wooden crates.

Arrow Eye walked over, his eyes scanning the catapults, then looking at the pile of stones and potions; he felt a bit more at ease.

He turned to Liu Ming and said, "Magistrate Liu, I will have to trouble you here."

Liu Ming smiled and cupped his hands: "It is my duty."

Arrow Eye found Meng Yi, who was checking the ballistae at the foot of the city wall.

"Captain Meng, the plan has changed." Arrow Eye lowered his voice, "Big Brother Zhao sent word for all our men to head to the west wall."

Meng Yi looked up, glanced at Arrow Eye, and said nothing, merely pointing his finger at the arrow towers on both sides of the wall.

Thirty Crossbowmen immediately stepped out, split into two squads, and carried the ballistae up onto the arrow towers.

Fifteen men per tower; ballistae cocked, quivers full, they spread out across the towers, occupying the best firing positions.

Meng Yi watched them take their positions before withdrawing his gaze and leading Bai Yi and the others up onto the city wall.

Zhao Hu stood behind the battlements; seeing Arrow Eye and Meng Yi arrive, he felt a bit more at ease.

He glanced at the time. Nine-fifty-nine. One minute left.

He took a deep breath, his right hand pressing on the hilt of his bone-crushing greatsword.

Tie Dun was beside him, gripping his shield with both hands, his palms drenched in sweat.

A Wang and Scarface Liu were on his left and right, their blades already unsheathed.

Wang Wu's bowstring was pulled taut, the arrowhead glinting coldly in the firelight.

Su Yurou stood on the steps on the inner side of the wall, the blue crystal staff in her hand.

Her face was still a bit pale; casting Blessing of All Living Beings on over five hundred people all at once just now had taken quite a toll, but that bottle of intermediate blue potion had already restored most of her mana.

Su Yuehua stood beside her, her plain white robes fluttering slightly in the night wind, the moonlight on her silver hairpin shimmering faintly.

Feng Qingyan and Feng Qingshuang stood behind the battlements, their staffs raised together, the flames on their fire crystals already leaping over a foot high.

Ten o'clock sharp.

Boom—!!!

Five hundred meters outside the West Gate, space suddenly tore open. Not just one rift, but two.

Two massive rifts hung side-by-side in mid-air, purple-black light gushing from them, illuminating the surrounding wilderness in a ghastly white.

The edges of the rifts were like charred paper, curling and churning, as black fragments peeled off from the edges and vanished into the void.

Then, they came.

The Yellow Turban Army surged out from both rifts simultaneously, like a tide, like a swarm of ants, dense and seemingly endless.

Their yellow turbans were particularly eye-catching under the blood moon; worn leather armor, rusted iron axes, maces, and spears glinted coldly in the moonlight.

Infantry in the front, Strongmen in the center, Archers in the rear, and cavalry on the flanks.

The formation was orderly, and their murderous intent soared to the heavens.

One thousand. Two thousand. Three thousand. Four thousand. Five thousand.

A full five thousand Yellow Turban Army soldiers arrayed themselves five hundred meters outside ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ the West Gate.

At the very front of the army, two figures stood side-by-side on horseback, clad in black iron armor and holding long-handled battle axes.

Two Yellow Turban Channel Chiefs, both level twenty-five Rare Bosses.

On the city wall, someone cried out in alarm.

"A double Nightmare Tide!"

"Five thousand men! Two Rare Bosses!"

"It's over, it's over... how can we defend against this..."