Chapter 71 - Treaty

Xinyi's sword vanished from her hand. It was now with Lifen. The mother-in-law held the blade up, diverting Mafan's sword from hitting Xinyi's face and kicked Sir Gerd's (Mafan) stomach, pushing him away from them. Her short height came in handy. She successfully inserted herself between them with ease because she was shorter than Xinyi.

"Run to the gate while I'll stop him," said Lifen. She fixated her attention at Mafan's every step and movements. Lifen would not allow this man to lay a finger at Xinyi and Ming.

"But you?" Xinyi was hesitant to leave Lifen by herself.

"Don't worry about me. I can handle this scoundrel. Go, now!" Lifen said as she swung the sword several times in front of her. And gestured a palm at Mafan encouraging him to attack first.

Xinyi was unwilling but obeyed when she saw Lifen was in full control. Mafan tried to catch up with Xinyi but Lifen stubbornly blocked his path with equal speed. His annoyance flared up.

'Why are there many women protecting this governor?' He thought with gritted teeth and transferred his wrath at Lifen after Xinyi entered the gate.

They exchanged blows and scr.a.p.ed blades but Lifen parried with ease. She was not a veteran fighter for nothing. Also, Mafan's speed was trivial with the fruits' essences sharpening her eyesight and energizing her body. Lifen came prepared with her own strategy.

"Archers!" Lifen shouted, alerting Mafan. By instinct, he glanced toward the walls. Lifen took this opportunity.

With this split second distraction, Lifen ran with great speed to her opponent's front and slashed the blade crossways at the man's face. Mafan made a sinister scream as his helmet flew up and landed on a pit while blood gushed out from his pale face.

Lifen did not waste any second and flipped her wrist, reversing the sharp blade's direction and cut the man's uncovered neck in one smooth stroke. This time, Mafan terribly felt the pain because it was not only his mind controlling Sir Gerd but his very own soul.

In the abandoned village, Mafan screamed and twisted his body side to side, feeling the pain in his neck. Then his eyes opened with face likened to a man who newly woke up from a nightmare: red eyes, paled face, and beads of sweat all over his forehead and body. He abruptly sat with lungs wheezing, having a hard time breathing after experiencing death in a different body... and screamed again in anger.

In the field, Sir Gerd's body dropped on the ground, lifeless. The man on the walls saw what happened and bellowed with jubilation. The scared people's hearts lightened and began passing the good news throughout the city. The fighting in the fields ceased as everyone turned toward the walls, curious about the reason for the victory cry.

To see Sir Gerd's way of death horrified the Goding army. They instantly fled for their lives.

This was the scene General Lofey and the remaining army witnessed as they set foot on the battlefield.

Lifen saw the incoming army and sprinted into the city, thinking General Lofey would attack. They brought down the steel gate and shut tight the huge wooden gate.

Ming's strength had recovered after he was far from the Wag stones. He saw the incoming army and took charge with his men. "Archers, ready!"

With that, the archers pulled arrows from a pail of oil and held it on a lighted torch. Fire ablaze on the arrows' tips as they positioned it on the bow.

However, General Lofey waved a white flag on his head as he let the horse moved forward. The rest of the soldiers followed behind him.

Ming was still uncertain and kept his hand up in the air, ready to bring it down to let the archers send their burning arrows to the grassy field.

General Lofey reached the gate. He jumped down from his horse, took his sword, laid it gently near the gate, and moved back. The rest of Goding's army threw their weapons down as well.

"I'm sorry, I was late Governor and miss the feast you prepared." General Lofey shouted and pointed a finger to the fallen Sir Gerd. "That man accused me and Sir Tyriece of treason and we have to flee. I sent Sir Tyriece to warn you but I understand he was too late. Please accept our apologies, Governor. Please believe me that I'm not in cahoots with that man. To show my sincerity, let's signed a peace treaty, right now."

General Lofey said this for they don't know Mafan's soul was the one controlling Sir Gerd. He also had no heart to continue this war because he didn't want Mafan to have his way. But all the while he was also curious to know what Fengfu City had to drive Mafan to send them to war.

Ming looked down at Tyriece and the three knights inside the gate. They were scared stiff standing in the middle of Lei clansmen's raised swords.

"Please trust the general, Sire," Tyriece said and laid his sword down. The three did the same.

Minutes after, Ming walked out the gate but his sword was in his hand. The archers didn't budge in their position either, waiting for Ming's last-minute command. Lifen followed with a cloth and a cup half-filled with water.

"If you're truly not lying, General, let your men bring all their weapons here," said Ming.

The knights didn't wait for the general's signal. Rather, they picked their subordinate's weapons and piled them in front of Lei Ming.

That night, Governor Lei Ming and General Lofey Lethmo signed a peace treaty. Each one wounded a finger and wrote their names using their blood on the cloth Lifen prepared. They completed the agreement by dropping their blood in the cup of water and took turns drinking it.

The war was over on General Lofey's side and the war in Ninpu also drew to a close. Youshi's army sadly lost but Goding's army didn't capture the city. Their job was over. General Wu Qian and his men were badly wounded and no chance to reinforce Lei Ming's men in the city. Goding's General Hester and his men would head back to Fengfu tomorrow.

While Mafan was in a great rage, hacking everything inside the abandoned house. He was infuriated for losing against two women and for realizing that he no longer had any control with anyone in General Lofey's army. But he wouldn't give up taking over Fengfu. He still had more ways to own the secrets of this city.

Late in the evening, he sent his black knights to check the true situation in the city and ordered them to kill General Lofey and Lei Ming if an opportunity presented itself.