Chapter 99.1: Three Men, One City

Zhang Sheng and Chen Jiao hauled themselves up the crumbling city wall, panting for breath by the time they reached the top.

"You've been guarding this place alone?" Zhang Sheng asked, trembling with awe.

This was the heart of the Central Plains war zone, a land of death. Out of the 108,000 human cities, one third had already fallen to the demons. The City of No Return was one such half-doomed fortress. For over a decade, Great Xia had been too drained to reclaim it.

Qi Yuan sat on the wall, absently tracing the edge of his broken sword.

"It's been a while," he murmured. "A shame I haven't seen any demons lately."

"You're not one of Great Xia's soldiers," Zhang Sheng said after glancing at the bare city walls. His expression softened. "A wandering soldier, then?"

It made sense. There were always lone heroes who roamed the frontlines, joining the human wars of their own will. Most of them were cultivators. Zhang Sheng and Chen Jiao weren’t. Of the troops who had come here, half had been. Yet none remained.

"Something like that," Qi Yuan said lightly.

"Then..." Zhang Sheng hesitated. "May I raise the flag of Great Xia here? If it flies above these walls, it means this city still belongs to us."

"Sure." Qi Yuan regarded them both.

These two NPCs’ auras are so faint that death already clung to their skin, yet their eyes were filled not with fear but elation

, he thought wryly.

Chen Jiao pulled a blood-stained, wrinkled flag from his chest and began smoothing it carefully. Zhang Sheng helped him, his hands trembling. To plant that flag was like performing a sacred rite. It was a simple act, but both men treated it with reverence, their breath coming hard and fast.

The wind howled. Dust rose in thick veils. The flag of Great Xia flapped high against the darkening sky.

"I wonder how long it will stand," Zhang Sheng whispered.

"Too bad General Yuan can't see it himself," Chen Jiao said softly.

General Yuan was the commander of the Song Battalion. He had fallen after the battle with the hundred demons, cutting down dozens before exhaustion took him. He had died with his eyes open, staring toward the City of No Return.

Before they'd set out, he'd warned them,

"If Great Xia loses the City of No Return for twenty years, that's the last of the kingdom. It will dissolve into Great Sui, and their name will fade from the world."

The men bowed their heads. Then, they looked up at Qi Yuan.

"Hero," Zhang Sheng said quietly. "Where are the demons of this city?"

"Killed most of them," Qi Yuan replied with a yawn, as if bored by the question.

In truth, he had been studying the divine techniques he got from Canglan World and refining the Qi Yuan Scripture. The game's time dilation was a blessing: one day outside meant ten years inside. Hence, there was plenty of time to fix the mental instability and memory lapses the scripture could cause.

Thus he sat there, day after day, adjusting his technique and waiting for new demons to spawn.

"There must have been hundreds once," Chen Jiao said hesitantly. "You're a cultivator then? May I ask what realm?"

Zhang Sheng shot him a glare. Such questions were rude.

Qi Yuan chuckled. "Level 49. Weak, really."

The two soldiers blinked in confusion. They thought he was merely being modest.

Night fell swiftly. Darkness thickened until the world was drowned in ink.

Qi Yuan looked up and frowned. "Hey, why are there no stars here?"

"Stars?" Zhang Sheng echoed blankly. "What do you mean?"

Qi Yuan fell silent, realization dawning. This world's sky held no stars, none at all.

Did someone eat them?

he wondered, a little thrilled at the thought.

"Never mind. It's dark. You two can't see at night, find a place to rest," he said, kindly enough.

They obeyed. Before descending, they turned and gazed long at the Great Xia flag, silhouetted against the night sky.

***

At dawn, Qi Yuan still sat on the wall, immersed in looking through the divine techniques of Canglan World. Below, the two soldiers were struggling to bury the countless white bones that littered the streets. They were dying men, their breaths shallow, yet they toiled as if clinging to purpose alone.

By dusk, they returned, hauling up a large wooden chest.

"Hero," Zhang Sheng said, grinning weakly. "Would you drink with us?"

The chest was full of wine jars. When they opened one, a sharp, sweet aroma filled the air. The wine was a blend of sour and sweetness.

On Blue Planet, Qi Yuan had never touched alcohol due to illness. Even now, he rarely drank.

"Thank you," he said. "But I don't drink. Makes me go mad."

Chen Jiao laughed hoarsely. "This isn't ordinary wine, it's

Daughter's Fragrance

, unique to Great Xia. When a daughter is born, her family buries a few jars, to be unearthed only when she marries. We soldiers are given some when we march to war. If we don't drink it now, we never will."

He raised a jar and drank deeply. Zhang Sheng followed, gulping until the jar was dry.

"If we don't drink," he continued, wiping his mouth, "no one will."

The smell of wine and dying dreams filled the wall.

Afterward, Zhang Sheng placed a few small bottles before Qi Yuan. "I found these in the city. Blood-Nourishing Pills, medicine to heal wounds. They might help you, Hero."

Qi Yuan frowned. "Your injuries are worse. Use them and you might live a day longer."

Zhang Sheng smiled sheepishly. "We're as good as dead. When the demons come, we might only be able to take one or two out. But you, you might kill a few more demons yet. Better you take them."

Qi Yuan sighed, taking one bottle. "I'll use this. You can keep the rest."

When Zhang Sheng tried to insist, Qi Yuan's eyes narrowed. "What, are you cursing me to get injured? These demons couldn't scratch me if they tried. To me, they're all just XP fodder."

The two soldiers stared, bewildered. They didn't understand a word of what he meant, but they nodded solemnly anyway.

"The hero truly lives up to his name," Chen Jiao murmured.

They drank together as the sun sank.

"I wonder when the demon army will come," Zhang Sheng said. "I wonder how long the flag will last," Chen Jiao said. "Hero, why not leave now?" Zhang Sheng urged. "A man of your caliber would be a high ranking commander. If you leave this city and head to others, you could still survive elsewhere."

The classification of cultivators was simple, they were divided into: Unranked, and the First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Realms.

Those of the First Realm were known as Commanders. Those of the Second Realm were called Overlords, rulers of their own domains. Those of the Third Realm were Nation Subjugators—a single one could hold an entire country in check. Those of the Fourth Realm were Mythwalkers—beings as close to gods as mortals could be. And those of the Fifth Realm were called Supremes—the strongest existences in the whole world.

Apparently, some of the 108,000 cities were guarded by Supremes. Only those cities could truly be called impregnable, as no demon could ever breach their walls.

Qi Yuan chuckled. "Leave? I'm the guardian of the City of No Return. Why would I abandon it?"

In truth, he had no intention of going anywhere. The longer he defended, the greater his rewards would be. Killing demons in Moonwatch Continent earned XP, but defending the city earned loot.

Zhang Sheng's face turned grave. "Once the flag is raised, the demons will know. Within five days, their army will come."

Granted, Zhang Sheng knew that even if the flag was not up, the demon army would eventually find out that the city was stolen.

Qi Yuan blinked. "Wait, you mean, if the flag isn't up, they don't come?"

I waited so long for the demons! Is it all because I didn't raise a flag?

"Sure, but it'll take some time," Zhang Sheng replied, puzzled. This young man seemed strangely ignorant of such things, thus he explained in detail.

"So you're saying," Qi Yuan murmured, "as long as the flag remains, the demon army will come within five days?"

That meant he could control the army's arrival by using the flag.

"More or less," Zhang Sheng answered.

Qi Yuan stared at the two men, a faint gleam of greed flashing in his eyes. Both men felt their hearts skip a beat.

"Do you have any extra flags here? The more, the better."

"We... we do," Zhang Sheng said, still confused, but he took out several flags nonetheless. They had collected these from around the city and kept them by habit.

"Hero, why do you need so many flags?" Zhang Sheng couldn't help ask.

"One flag isn't enough. I plan to hold this place for a long time," Qi Yuan said honestly.

One day outside was nearly ten years in the game. He had to make use of this time to train, to strengthen his cultivation.

Zhang Sheng fell silent. He wanted to persuade Qi Yuan to leave, but the words stuck in his throat.

Chen Jue, on the other hand, gave it no thought at all. He took a long swig of wine, his face flushed with boldness. "I didn't expect that I would have the honor of dying alongside a hero like you in this city!"

He had no doubt when the demon army pressed in, they were all doomed.

Qi Yuan shot him a glance. "You might die, but I won't. No player ever dies permanently in a game."

NPCs, though... Too bad they didn't respawn at fixed points.

Zhang Sheng quickly tugged at Chen Jue's sleeve and said, "The hero's skills are unmatched, surely the demon army will scatter before him in terror!"

Chen Jue caught on and joined in the flattery. Though Zhang Sheng said the words, inwardly, he felt nothing but admiration. The demon army was on the march, yet this young hero showed no intent to retreat.

A swirl of emotions welled up in Zhang Sheng's chest. To know a city could not be held, yet still choose to defend it, such courage truly commanded respect!