Su Yu's face darkened abruptly, and he cursed under his breath, "You arrogant woman!"
Gu Yun pointed ahead with a faint smile. "Just wait and see."
Following her gesture, Su Yu looked up—only for his words to catch in his throat.
"They…"
The soldiers who had just been standing beneath the wall were now scaling it at an impossible speed. Their agility and coordination defied belief, and the silver spears they had planted in the ground seemed to be positioned with calculated precision.
Dressed entirely in black, they resembled geckos, scaling the fortress wall not with the light, drifting elegance of martial footwork, but with raw, physical ascent—making the sight even more astonishing. And it wasn't just a few of them—seven or eight dozen figures surged upward almost simultaneously, completing the climb in under the time it takes to burn half an incense stick.
Their astonishing momentum and strange tactics left not only Su Yu's men speechless, but even the soldiers still ramming the gates were struck dumb in awe.
"What in the world are they trying to do?" Han Shu muttered, eyes fixed on the rear courtyard in confusion.
A column of warriors advanced steadily, raising large, thick shields. Along the way, even when confronted by camp sentries, they didn't retaliate—just huddled together and pushed forward, shielding one another as they pressed into the central courtyard. They defended fiercely but launched no attacks.
Upon reaching the junction between the rear yard and the central courtyard—where guards were most concentrated—their formation suddenly split, then split again. Whenever attacked, they would instantly regroup, using their shields to encircle the attackers. This bizarre method of combining and separating caught many of the guards between layers of shields.
The more Su Ren and Han Shu watched, the stranger it seemed. After all, at most they were stalling the rear yard's defenders—what was the point of this?
The clashing of blades atop the city tower brought their attention snapping back. They had only glanced away a moment, and now the tower had already fallen to the enemy?
Su Ren's expression finally shifted. He barked at the lieutenant beside him, "What's going on?"
Seeing his commander rarely so rattled, the officer replied at once, "The black-clad soldiers drove their spears into the walls using crossbows and climbed up the shafts. Over a hundred men made the ascent in less than half an incense stick's time. Our forces didn't even have time to react before they were already upon us!"
Sure enough, scattered spear shafts still jutted from the wall—proof of the feat.
Su Ren didn't know whether to be impressed or furious. He couldn't help but mutter, "To think they managed to breach the wall relying on those few spears… these new recruits are remarkably capable."
Han Shu shook his head. "The recruits are indeed well-trained—but I'm even more impressed by the one who trained them. I saw them clumsily scaling cliffs not long ago—less than ten days have passed, and now look at them. Madam is no ordinary woman."
The tower, easy to defend and hard to assault, had been manned by 300 elite soldiers—a number Su Ren thought more than sufficient. But now over a hundred enemies had taken it by storm, with another squad still battering the gates, and fire arrows continued to rain upon the walls. The scene had descended into chaos. Without reinforcements, the gates would soon be lost.
Su Ren and Han Shu turned simultaneously, looking toward the rear courtyard, where the shield-wielding warriors still kept the guards boxed in. In that moment, understanding dawned.
Su Ren's expression darkened even further, while Han Shu let out a hearty laugh.
"Commander Su, this strategy goes beyond a mere feint. I'd call it a pincer strike! Ha! Your Twin Sun Formation is about to be shattered!"
Su Ren had outsmarted himself this time.
He gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. Meanwhile, several black-clad soldiers had already abandoned the fight atop the tower, sprinting directly toward the small rest chambers behind the gate.
They flung open the wooden door—and there it was: a chest nearly as tall as a man, lying atop a table.
Lieutenant Liu Xing grinned with delight. "Just as the boss predicted—the box is here!"
He reached for it, only to recoil from an icy chill that seemed to seep from within.
"What's in this thing? It's freezing!"
"It doesn't matter what's inside," Leng Xiao said curtly. "Victory only counts once the boss has it in hand."
He wrapped the box in a tablecloth and slung it over his back, bolting out first.
By the time they returned to the tower, the defenders were stunned. No one expected Leng Xiao, having secured the box, to flee the tower entirely.
Covered by Liu Xing and the others, Leng Xiao leapt from the tower. A practiced martial artist with solid lightness skills, the three-zhang drop posed no problem for him.
At that very moment, soldiers stationed to launch fire arrows emerged from the shadows, providing further cover. Leng Xiao didn't pause, racing toward Gu Yun's position—and soon stood before her, out of breath but triumphant.
"Boss! We got the box!"
Only now did he realize the numbness in his back, a near-complete loss of sensation from the chill of the box. What exactly was inside?
Gu Yun accepted the box without flinching from the cold, setting it upright on the ground.
She looked to Su Yu and smiled. "Looks like the game is over."
With the box in her hands, the match was effectively decided.
Su Ren and Han Shu descended from the tower, stepping beyond the city gates, where the assembled troops stood in formation across the open field. At that moment, the soft red light of dawn pierced the clouds, heralding a new day.
Standing between Gu Yun and Su Yu, Su Ren turned to his younger brother and asked,
"The outcome is clear. Third Brother, do you have anything more to say?"
Before the gathered soldiers, Su Yu did not try to conceal his defeat. "A wager is a wager. I have nothing to add."
Gu Yun offered a faint smile. This man, though reckless and proud, was also forthright and honorable—earning her a touch more respect.
Remembering the box in her hand, she held it out to Su Ren. "This is yours."
But Su Ren shook his head with a smile. "You won it fair and square—it belongs to you now."
A war trophy? Gu Yun had always felt something odd in Su Ren's gaze.
She brushed her hand over the smooth wooden surface, chilled to the touch. "Is this… Icefrost?"
She opened the box—and there it lay: a sword of pure white, gleaming with silver light—Icefrost indeed.
Su Yu's face changed drastically. "Second Brother! You can't just hand that over!"
That was the heirloom sword reserved for the future wife of the Su Clan's heir. How could Su Ren…
Su Ren cut him off coolly. "It's not my decision—it's the sword's."
"You can't—"
Before he could finish, his words were swallowed in shock. Gu Yun had drawn the blade and was gently caressing its surface, unaffected by its deadly chill.
Could it be… Icefrost had truly chosen her?
Gu Yun had always been fond of the sword. Since their hasty parting, she had longed to see it again. Now, unable to resist, she unsheathed it to admire it once more.
The moment the blade rang out, a clear, crisp tone echoed—like moonlight distilled into frost, cold light slicing through the dawn.
Within a zhang of the blade's edge, the temperature plummeted.
Su Yu, no matter what he wished to say, could only choke back his words.
And yet… a strange, sour anger welled up within him—disproportionate, inexplicable, more painful than the sting of defeat.
Sensing the shift in the air, Gu Yun swiftly sheathed the sword and returned it to the box, intending to hand it back to Su Ren.
But he saw through her intent and deftly changed the subject. "Sister-in-law, since you've won the match, and the wager was never settled—now's the time to name your prize."
The wager? Right—she had nearly forgotten.
This match had begun partly from boredom, partly to curb Su Yu's arrogant, misogynistic ways. That goal had already been achieved. She found herself wanting nothing more.
Her gaze swept over the crowd—faces lit by defeat, disappointment, excitement, anticipation. A smile touched her lips...