Competing for supremacy in the central plains, they breach fortified cities and rely on strategy to decide the outcome; in the emptiness of the void, she refuses, leaving behind only the regrets of a love too strong to bear.

Upon receiving news of the approaching armies from three regions, the defenders of Star City immediately entered a state of high alert. Soldiers patrolled the ramparts day and night, their vigilant gazes fixed on the distant river. On the arrow towers, archers stood ready, their feathered shafts glinting coldly in their quivers. Piles of logs and boulders were stacked high, prepared to rain destruction upon any enemy attempting to storm the walls. Yet, all these defensive preparations were rendered precarious by one pivotal figure: the ruler of Star City, the Prince of Zhongshan, Liu Shoucong.

Liu Shoucong, raised in luxury and shielded by his forebears, possessed no understanding of governance or military strategy. Stubborn and arrogant, he refused to heed any wise counsel. Faced with such a grave military crisis, he failed to display the composure or wisdom expected of a leader, instead spending his days in his mansion sighing and spiraling into a panic.

"What is to be done? With the armies of three regions pressing upon us, Star City is in immediate peril!" Liu Shoucong paced back and forth in his palace, his expression frantic, bearing no resemblance to the overbearing arrogance he had shown in his correspondence with Ji Shi.

His subordinates exchanged uneasy glances, unable to devise a sound strategy. It was then that a young general named Zhen Rui, a secondary commander of the Star City garrison, stepped forward.

"My Prince, though the enemy is numerous, we hold the advantage of terrain. If we allocate our forces reasonably, hold the city firmly, and dispatch messengers to seek reinforcements, we may well repel them," Zhen Rui said earnestly.

However, Liu Shoucong waved him off impatiently. "What do you know? The combined forces of the three regions number nearly a hundred thousand. While we also have a hundred thousand troops, they cannot be mobilized at once. How are we to withstand them?"

While Liu Shoucong remained indecisive and at a loss, the armies of the three regions arrived beneath the city walls.

The Jingzhou army launched the first attack. Deng Fu, standing at the prow of his flagship with a long saber in hand, roared, "Lads, charge! Take Star City, and all the treasures and beauties within shall be yours to enjoy!" At his command, the Jingzhou warships surged toward the city walls like arrows released from a bow.

The defenders on the walls immediately ignited signal fires and beat war drums. The air filled with shouts of slaughter. Archers unleashed volleys of arrows that rained down upon the Jingzhou ships like a downpour. The Jingzhou soldiers raised their shields in defense, while the heavy crossbows on their vessels retaliated, their bolts possessing enough force to pierce through both the shields and the bodies of the soldiers on the walls.

Amidst the fierce exchange of arrows, the Jingzhou ships drew closer to the walls. Soldiers quickly lowered ladders, attempting to force their way up. The defenders pushed back with all their might, hurling logs and stones below. Flesh and blood flew, and cries of agony echoed incessantly. The first assault by the Jingzhou army was thus repelled by the tenacious defenders.

Seeing the initial failure, Deng Fu was enraged. He adjusted his tactics, ordering his ships to disperse and attack the walls from different directions to divide the defenders' attention. Simultaneously, the Jiangcheng and Yuzhang armies joined the fray.

Chen Huaijin commanded the Jiangcheng army, utilizing the maneuverability of their ships to flank Star City. He ordered his men to use catapults to launch stones at the walls. Massive boulders whistled through the air, smashing into the battlements and collapsing several sections, forcing the defenders to scramble for cover.

Qi Tui led the Yuzhang army in a frontal assault. He charged at the vanguard, holding a great blade as he led his men toward the walls. Fearless, the Yuzhang soldiers swarmed up the ladders like a rising tide under Qi Tui’s command.

Faced with the fierce onslaught from the three regions, the Star City defenders fought hard, but with no reinforcements arriving, they were increasingly outnumbered and overwhelmed. Breaches appeared across the walls, and enemy soldiers began to pour into the city.

At this critical juncture, Ji Shi, having settled You Kongyu safely, arrived at a gallop from Baling. After observing the battlefield, he pondered to himself, "The Star City defenders are indeed stubborn; a frontal assault is too costly. It seems I must employ a cunning stratagem."

He immediately summoned Deng Fu, Chen Huaijin, and Qi Tui to discuss the battle plan.

"Since a frontal assault is ineffective, we must find a way to disrupt the enemy's morale and then break through from within," Ji Shi said calmly.

Deng Fu frowned and asked, "Prince Ji, what is your plan?"

Ji Shi smiled slightly. "The Prince of Zhongshan, Liu Shoucong, is cowardly, incompetent, and arrogant. We can exploit this by spreading rumors that we have colluded with a high-ranking general inside Star City to coordinate an inside-out attack. Liu Shoucong will inevitably grow suspicious of those around him, sparking internal chaos."

Chen Huaijin nodded in agreement. "A brilliant plan. At the same time, we can send an elite unit to infiltrate the city under the cover of night to cause chaos and distract the guards. Then, we launch a full-scale frontal assault to take Star City in one stroke."

With the plan settled, they began to act.

That night, the coalition forces spread the rumors as planned. As expected, Liu Shoucong was terrified upon hearing them. He immediately ordered several of his top generals to be imprisoned, intending to extract confessions through torture. Panic spread throughout Star City, and the morale of the garrison was severely crippled.

Meanwhile, Ji Shi personally selected an elite force of five hundred men, led by his trusted commander Li Meng, to infiltrate the city through a hidden waterway under the cover of darkness.

Li Meng and his soldiers moved silently through the streets and alleys toward the palace in the city center. Along the way, they encountered several patrols, all of whom were quickly dispatched.

When they neared the Prince of Zhongshan’s residence, they were suddenly discovered by a group of guards. A fierce battle erupted. Li Meng brandished his blade, fighting valiantly, while his soldiers proved that each was worth ten. The sounds of battle erupted near the palace.

Hearing the commotion outside, Liu Shoucong turned pale with fear. He hastily summoned the city’s defenders to protect the palace, further thinning the ranks of those guarding the walls.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Ji Shi ordered the entire army to launch a full-scale assault. The coalition warships charged the walls once more. This time, due to the internal chaos and the depletion of their ranks, the defenders could no longer organize an effective resistance.

Jingzhou soldiers were the first to scale the walls, engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat. The Jiangcheng and Yuzhang armies followed, quickly expanding their gains. Fire erupted throughout Star City, and the sounds of slaughter were deafening.

Despite their desperate resistance, the Star City defenders were ultimately unable to withstand the joint offensive. When the city fell, Liu Shoucong was killed in the chaos. Zhen Rui led a remaining group of defenders in street fighting, but was eventually overwhelmed and died a heroic death.

After a brutal battle, the coalition forces finally captured Star City. Although the coalition suffered over ten thousand casualties, they successfully annihilated more than thirty thousand of the enemy, securing a glorious victory.

After the battle, Ji Shi stood upon the walls of Star City, looking out over the scarred and devastated city with deep emotion. He knew that this victory had been hard-won, bought with the lives and blood of countless soldiers. He also understood that while the war had brought victory, it had also inflicted immense suffering upon the people.

Ji Shi ordered the battlefield cleared and the people comforted. Soldiers collected the remains of the fallen, holding solemn funerals for them. The commoners searched the ruins for their loved ones, their weeping echoing in every corner of the city.

The cold wind of Star City cut like a blade through the devastated streets. Ji Shi and You Kongyu, whom he had brought back from Baling, stood side by side on the mottled city walls. Beneath their feet lay shattered bricks and tiles; in the distance, wisps of black smoke rose. The entire city seemed to have been violently crushed by the hand of fate, stripped of its former vitality.

The two watched the tragic scene in silence. A deathly stillness bound them like an invisible net. Ji Shi’s gaze swept slowly across the ruins, his brow furrowed, his eyes filled with sorrow and fury. You Kongyu’s hand tightened around the corner of her robe, trembling slightly; she felt the suffering of the city as if it were her own.

After a long while, Ji Shi slowly turned his head to gaze affectionately at You Kongyu. His eyes were tender and burning, as if he wished to imprint her into the depths of his soul. "Youyu," he said softly, his voice trembling in the cold wind, "I love you. Will you marry me?" These simple words, as if fueled by long-accumulated courage, finally broke through all obstacles.

You Kongyu’s body jolted, and mist welled up in her eyes. She opened her mouth but could make no sound; she was nearly drowned in joy and emotion. She looked at Ji Shi, at his sincere eyes—this was the man she loved so deeply. Yet, at the very moment she was about to touch this happiness, the words of You Kongchi pierced her heart like a sharp blade.

"Ji Shi is not yet powerful enough. You know the strength of the You Kong family. Ji Shi still cannot contend with them!" The words of You Kongchi echoed in her ears. She thought of her family’s vast and complex influence, the countless eyes hidden in the shadows, and the lives sacrificed for the sake of the family’s interests.

Tears streamed down You Kongyu’s face. She shook her head desperately, trying to cast out these harrowing thoughts. "Ji Shi," she choked out, "surely you can see that I come from a great family. Although I love you very much, you are not yet strong enough." Her voice trembled, every word seemingly torn from the depths of her heart. "So, when you have the strength to fear nothing, will you come for me on clouds of seven colors?"

Ji Shi’s body stiffened. He lowered his head, his hands clenching into fists until the veins stood out on the back of his hands. He knew You Kongyu spoke the truth. Though he was now the Prince of Jiangcheng, everything was still subject to the King of Jiangnan.

With his current strength—a mere practitioner of the Rain-Calling Realm—he was indeed like an ant before those powerful families. His overflowing love was doused by the cold water of reality, and he was filled with endless bitterness and resentment.

Seeing Ji Shi’s silence, You Kongyu felt a sharp pang of pain. Her nose stung, and unable to bear it any longer, she turned and hurried away. Tears flowed freely, wetting her clothes. She dared not look back, fearing that if she saw the disappointment in Ji Shi’s eyes, she would not be able to leave.

Ji Shi looked up at You Kongyu’s departing figure. He opened his mouth to call out to her, to tell her he would surely become strong and surely marry her. But the words died in his throat, and he swallowed them back. He knew that at this moment, any words were pale and hollow; only strength would grant him the qualification to stand by her side.

The cold wind remained biting, whipping up the dust and blurring Ji Shi’s vision. He stood for a long time, watching the direction in which You Kongyu had disappeared. On the city wall, only his lonely and resolute figure remained, like a statue forgotten by time.

"In the mire of this chaotic world, love is a rose that struggles to bloom, only to be splattered by the filth of reality—beautiful, yet full of the vicissitudes of life." — Master Chicken