Chapter 122: The Sudden Appearance of Ma Chao

Liu Yao, however, remained motionless. His soldiers behind him also stood still, watching the dog-eat-dog struggle before them with smiles on their faces.

At this moment, Li Wenhou and Beigong Boyu were blinded by bloodlust, having long forgotten to pay any attention to Liu Yao’s side. Knowing they were doomed, they had only one thought: to kill Han Sui, the culprit who had led them to this defeat.

The Qiang tribesmen under their commands were also locked in a brutal slaughter, with screams filling the air. Since both sides were evenly matched in strength, within a short time, nearly ten thousand Qiang warriors lay dead in pools of blood. Yet, they continued to hack at one another as if they harbored an irreconcilable, blood-deep feud.

"Li Wenhou, stop this! I..." Han Sui roared while parrying a spear thrust from Li Wenhou. He had seen that Liu Yao’s forces remained completely idle. He now hated Liu Yao to the core for using him as a pawn to deal with Li Wenhou, intending to swoop in and reap the rewards once they had both exhausted each other.

With bloodshot eyes, Li Wenhou turned a deaf ear to Han Sui’s words, driven only by the urge to kill him.

"Look, Liu Yao’s side hasn't moved at all!" Han Sui blocked a spear strike with his left arm, grabbed the shaft tightly with his right, and mustered all his strength to shout. Li Wenhou paused, his movements faltering as he looked toward Liu Yao’s position. It was exactly as Han Sui had said—Liu Yao and his men were merely watching from the sidelines. Li Wenhou was no fool; he instantly realized this was Liu Yao’s ploy to sow discord, especially after seeing the countless casualties among the Qiang warriors.

"Hahaha! Liu Yao, you little brat. I, Han Sui, have campaigned on the battlefield for years, yet I never expected to be played like a puppet by a youth such as you," Han Sui lamented, his voice heavy with grief and despair, knowing full well there was no hope for survival.

"Charge!" Seeing that the time was ripe, Liu Yao issued the order. It was time to clean up the remnants; if Han Sui and the others were killed by each other, Liu Yao would be devastated, as it would make completing his task involving the ancient texts impossible.

Fifteen thousand elite cavalry surged toward Han Sui and his forces. The battle quickly turned into a one-sided massacre. Zhang Fei and his men charged directly toward Li Wenhou and Beigong Boyu, while Ma Teng and Pang De, eager for glory, followed suit.

"Kill!" Two high-pitched, youthful cries rang out. Suddenly, two small figures emerged from Ma Teng’s cavalry—one wielding a spear, the other a sword—and charged fearlessly toward Han Sui before anyone could react.

"Chao'er! Dai'er!" Ma Teng had initially only found their figures familiar, but upon seeing their weapons, he realized who they were. His heart burned with anxiety. These two were the future of the Ma family; if anything happened to them, he would never be able to face his ancestors.

"Fine! Fine! I, Han Sui, am a veteran of the battlefield, yet I am treated with such contempt by two mere brats? Give me your lives!" Seeing Ma Chao and Ma Dai rushing at him, Han Sui felt a surge of rage. Together with Yan Xing, he engaged the two boys.

Although both Han Sui and Yan Xing had injuries on their left arms and were forced to fight with their right, they were still far beyond the capabilities of Ma Chao and Ma Dai. Despite the boys' bravery, they were only eleven or twelve years old, their martial arts and strength not yet fully developed. They were quickly suppressed, narrowly avoiding injury time and again.

Ma Chao and Ma Dai resisted desperately, escaping death by a hair’s breadth multiple times, yet they gritted their teeth and refused to yield. The men of the Ma family might lose their heads and shed their blood, but they would never sacrifice their pride. They had been raised by Ma Teng to become peerless warriors, though he had never permitted them on the battlefield due to their youth.

Like newborn calves unafraid of tigers—or in Ma Chao’s case, a true tiger cub—they had snuck out to prove their prowess to their father.

"Lingming!" Ma Teng roared. Pang De understood instantly, having recognized the young masters, Ma Chao and Ma Dai. "Young masters, fear not! Pang De is here!" he bellowed, charging toward Han Sui with his great blade.

"Hm? Chao'er and Dai'er? Could it be Ma Chao and Ma Dai? Damn it," Liu Yao thought to himself.

"Zilong, go save those two!" Liu Yao commanded Zhao Yun. Ma Chao and Ma Dai were absolutely not to be lost. Regardless of why they were in Ma Teng’s army, their future potential was immense; Ma Chao alone would eventually become a top-tier warrior rivaling Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun was momentarily stunned but reacted quickly, spurring his horse toward Han Sui.

"Han Sui, Yan Xing, surrender your lives!" At Zhao Yun’s thunderous shout, Han Sui and Yan Xing faltered, easing the pressure on Ma Chao and Ma Dai. However, the two boys were so focused on holding back their opponents that they didn't even hear the shout. The next moment, they saw two flashes of silver light.

When the light faded, Han Sui’s head was sent flying, and a bloody hole appeared in Yan Xing’s throat. Both bodies tumbled from their horses.

"Uncle Pang." Ma Chao and Ma Dai recognized Pang De, though they were unfamiliar with the man who had accompanied him—the great general under Liu Yao. Ma Chao stared at Zhao Yun with eyes full of fighting spirit.

He, too, was a spearman, and he had been unable to track the strike that killed Yan Xing. The desire to challenge such a master burned within him, regardless of whether he was currently strong enough.

Pang De thanked Zhao Yun with a nod, and Zhao Yun rode off without a word to continue mopping up the Qiang forces.

"Young masters, are you unharmed?" Pang De asked with concern.

"Uncle Pang, who was that man?" Ma Chao asked excitedly.

"Him?" Pang De hesitated before answering, "He is General Zhao Yun, Zhao Zilong, under the command of our Lord."

"Zhao Zilong!" Ma Chao etched the name deep into his heart.

"Enough, follow me back quickly. Your father is worried about you," Pang De said sternly. Though he now served Liu Yao, he still referred to Ma Teng as "Master" out of gratitude for saving his life. He didn't care if Liu Yao viewed it as forming a faction.

Seeing Pang De’s stern expression, Ma Chao and Ma Dai, who deeply respected him, obeyed and followed him back toward Ma Teng.