Liu Bei POV
“What?!” I exclaimed as I stared at Wen Yuan and shifted my gaze to the trapped troops, “Zi Long and Chen Dao are inside?”
Wen Yuan nodded, “After the first batch of troops died. Lord Zhao Yun proposed tearing through the formation and set out to do it.”
“But she got trapped in the end anyway! Eh!” Feng Xiang finally spoke up and stuck her halberd deeply into the ground, making cracks which spread out from the center. I was rather shaken by Feng Xian’s show of rage and saw Wen Yuan looking at me as though she was hoping that I would say something.
“Feng Xian, calm down.” I said to Feng Xian as Wen Yuan wanted but her expression did not change at all as she pulled up her halberd, sending dirt flying about.
“I’m not angry, I’m frustrated.” Feng Xian said with a regretful look as she closed her eyes, “Once again, I’m met with a situation in battle that I can’t resolve. I really don’t know what I can do here.”
“Which is why you should calm down.” I consoled her again but I have to say that I feel the same and I am just not showing it. All I could do was watch Zi Long and her troops helplessly, “It’s a good thing that they’re not tightening the surround.”
The enemy troops were just circling around and running laps and have not done anything to our troops trapped in the middle who have not tried to break out yet as well.
“Yes,” Wen Yuan nodded, “As long as Lord Zhao Yun does not try to blindly break out, the enemy formation will only stay as it is.”
“They’re waiting for more of our troops to go in.” Yuan Zhi said, more calmly than before, “Yes, given how things look now, they’re probably waiting to see what we’ll do next. The questions is, will we abandon the troops who charged in and retreat or will we continue fighting?”
“Will we abandon the troops who charged in and retreat or will we continue fighting…?” I repeated the question and looked at Yuan Zhi expectantly, wondering if she had any idea or countermeasure.
But Yuan Zhi had no intention of continuing the conversation and sank into silence. Could this be too difficult for her? If that’s the case, then there really is nothing we can do.
“Feng Xian, Wen Yuan, how much of a chance do we have if we attack them with full force?” I asked despite knowing that this would only increase their troubles, “And you both were here the entire time right? Did you see how the enemy surrounded them?”
“We don’t,” Wen Yuan explained, “The enemy has been constantly moving and the dust has obscured our view. Additionally, the enemy moves all at once and very swiftly so we weren’t able to catch how they reacted.”
“…” Feng Xian closed her eyes and sank into silence as she reached into her chest and rubbed Red Hare to alleviate her frustration.
“In any case, it will be difficult to prevail if we mount a frontal assault.” Wen Yuan continued in place of Feng Xian, “At the very least, we don’t know the purpose of this formation, how it works and how we can negate it.”
“Un…”
I did not know what else I could say and looked at the formation and saw that some changes had taken place. Zi Long and her troops were originally in the center but was now enclosed in 1 of the 8 mini formations.
“Has the enemy begun to tighten its surround?”
“Kuh.” Feng Xian grinded her teeth but she knew she could not give the order to attack.
My heart began to race and the anxiety and pressure I felt were fast exceeding levels which I could take. At this moment, I really wanted to vent it out like Feng Xian but this would not help improve the situation at all. What could we do?
“8 Doors Golden Lock formation.” Just then, Yuan Zhi spoke up and said these 5 words clearly and quickly.
“Yuan Zhi, you said… 8 Doors Golden Lock formation? What does that mean?”
“Lord Xu Shu, could it be that you recognise what this formation is?!” Wen Yuan hurriedly asked as Feng Xian looked at Yuan Zhi with wide open eyes.
“…” Yuan Zhi silently looked at the formation and nodded.
“This is the 8 Doors Golden Lock formation. The 8 Doors are named Rest, Life, Injury, Fabrication, Scenery, Death, Fright and Open.” She began to explain as she raised her hand and pointed at each of the smaller formations in turn, “If one enters from the Doors of Life, Scenery or Open, one will be blessed. If one enters from the Doors of Injury, Fright or Rest, one will suffer injuries. If one enters from the Doors of Fabrication or Death, one will die.”
I do not really understand how it works but knowing that Yuan Zhi knows what it’s about is enough for me.
“Lord Zhao Yun likely entered the formation through the Door of Fright which prohibits one from exiting. Fortunately, they did not reach the edge so they were only surrounded. Now the formation has changed and they are now at the Door of Fabrication and the surround is slowly shrinking.”
“Is there any way to negate the formation!” Feng Xian asked as she looked at Zi Long and her troops, “We need to save them!”
“Un…” Yuan Zhi grunted and sank into silence.
“So can we or can we not?” Feng Xian asked impatiently as she rode over to where Yuan Zhi was.
“Un…” Yuan Zhi continued to grunt but did not reply her. Normally, she would have been nervous by now and begun stammering but she merely continued to think silently as she lowered her head. After a while, she began to speak up as though she were reciting from a book, “Though the 8 Doors are well formed, the center lacks a support. If we attack from southeast corner through the Door of Life and go west and exit through the Door of Scenery, the formation will go into disarray.”
Though the enemy was constantly moving, it was still possible to identify which Door was which and so, Wen Yuan followed Yuan Zhi’s fingers and pointed as well as she replied, “Like this? Meaning we go in from here and exit here.”
“Yes, that is indeed the case.” Yuan Zhi replied and Wen Yuan broke into smiles.
“That’s great!” Wen Yuan exclaimed and hurried over to Feng Xian, “My lord, let’s start acting right away!”
“Un,” Feng Xian nodded but still looked troubled as she shifted her gaze to Yuan Zhi, “But if Lord Xu Shu knew about this, why did you not say anything at the beginning.”
“…” Yuan Zhi lowered her gaze and tightened her grip on her reins as she replied, “I was told about this from someone else so I wasn’t sure.”
Ah… I understand why now. Even though many deviations have occurred in between, the final battle has now coincided with what was supposed to happen in history and Yuan Zhi’s knowledge of what should happen has not gone to waste.
(TL: You should realise by now that the author is essentially blending historical and original novel-only elements. Chen Dao is a historical example, same with Hulao Pass being Sishui Pass much earlier. This 8 Doors Golden Lock formation is also a work of fiction and exists only in the original novel but our dear MC does not know that of course.)
“How could that be? That advice was beyond useful. Now then, let’s not wait any longer–” Wen Yuan was rather agitated as she replied Yuan Zhi and made large gestures as she did so before kicking her horse and galloping back to her troops to get ready.
If this is the choice of history then I have nothing to worry about because there is no way Liu Bei will be allowed to be defeated here by history right? If not, Yuan Zhi would not have been sent here.
“B-but–” Yuan Zhi finally began to stammer just as Feng Xian, Wen Yuan and I began to feel relieved. I looked at her in surprise when I heard her stammer and when I saw that she had a very troubled expression on, my heart began to race again.
“B-but this is o-only the way to defeat the enemy.” Yuan Zhi forced herself to speak out loud to reach Wen Yuan and Feng Xian.
“Eh?” Wen Yuan was stunned by Yuan Zhi and stopped directing the troops to form up.
“What do you mean by that?” Feng Xian suppressed her frustration and asked softly as her expression stiffened up.
“What I mean in,” Yuan Zhi said as she looked at Zi Long and her troops, “You must not enter the Door of Fabrication to save Lord Zhao Yun and her troops. The method I gave you will only allow you to break the formation, not save them.”
“Then…”
“Yes.” Yuan Zhi nodded and interrupted me when she saw that I was about to speak, “If Lord Zhao Yun and her troops are not saved in time, I’m afraid…”
Eh? My head felt numb and I did not know what to say as I looked at Yuan Zhi who calmly looked back at me and turned away.
“… Xuan De.” Just then, Feng Xian called out to me and I looked at her, “What do we do now?”
“That is…” I really did not know what to say and my eyes began to glaze over as perspiration began to stream down my face despite it being winter.
It was still rather chilly the past few days too. As expected, spring is short in this era huh? We should be in summer soon.
I began to think of random things as the desire to run away took hold when I realised I did not have a choice to reach a happy ending. I could guess what the correct choice was. The choice of history is for me to safely pass through this trial but should I choose it? Does this mean Zi Long will fall here?
Liu Bei POV
“What?!” I exclaimed as I stared at Wen Yuan and shifted my gaze to the trapped troops, “Zi Long and Chen Dao are inside?”
Wen Yuan nodded, “After the first batch of troops died. Lord Zhao Yun proposed tearing through the formation and set out to do it.”
“But she got trapped in the end anyway! Eh!” Feng Xiang finally spoke up and stuck her halberd deeply into the ground, making cracks which spread out from the center. I was rather shaken by Feng Xian’s show of rage and saw Wen Yuan looking at me as though she was hoping that I would say something.
“Feng Xian, calm down.” I said to Feng Xian as Wen Yuan wanted but her expression did not change at all as she pulled up her halberd, sending dirt flying about.
“I’m not angry, I’m frustrated.” Feng Xian said with a regretful look as she closed her eyes, “Once again, I’m met with a situation in battle that I can’t resolve. I really don’t know what I can do here.”
“Which is why you should calm down.” I consoled her again but I have to say that I feel the same and I am just not showing it. All I could do was watch Zi Long and her troops helplessly, “It’s a good thing that they’re not tightening the surround.”
The enemy troops were just circling around and running laps and have not done anything to our troops trapped in the middle who have not tried to break out yet as well.
“Yes,” Wen Yuan nodded, “As long as Lord Zhao Yun does not try to blindly break out, the enemy formation will only stay as it is.”
“They’re waiting for more of our troops to go in.” Yuan Zhi said, more calmly than before, “Yes, given how things look now, they’re probably waiting to see what we’ll do next. The questions is, will we abandon the troops who charged in and retreat or will we continue fighting?”
“Will we abandon the troops who charged in and retreat or will we continue fighting…?” I repeated the question and looked at Yuan Zhi expectantly, wondering if she had any idea or countermeasure.
But Yuan Zhi had no intention of continuing the conversation and sank into silence. Could this be too difficult for her? If that’s the case, then there really is nothing we can do.
“Feng Xian, Wen Yuan, how much of a chance do we have if we attack them with full force?” I asked despite knowing that this would only increase their troubles, “And you both were here the entire time right? Did you see how the enemy surrounded them?”
“We don’t,” Wen Yuan explained, “The enemy has been constantly moving and the dust has obscured our view. Additionally, the enemy moves all at once and very swiftly so we weren’t able to catch how they reacted.”
“…” Feng Xian closed her eyes and sank into silence as she reached into her chest and rubbed Red Hare to alleviate her frustration.
“In any case, it will be difficult to prevail if we mount a frontal assault.” Wen Yuan continued in place of Feng Xian, “At the very least, we don’t know the purpose of this formation, how it works and how we can negate it.”
“Un…”
I did not know what else I could say and looked at the formation and saw that some changes had taken place. Zi Long and her troops were originally in the center but was now enclosed in 1 of the 8 mini formations.
“Has the enemy begun to tighten its surround?”
“Kuh.” Feng Xian grinded her teeth but she knew she could not give the order to attack.
My heart began to race and the anxiety and pressure I felt were fast exceeding levels which I could take. At this moment, I really wanted to vent it out like Feng Xian but this would not help improve the situation at all. What could we do?
“8 Doors Golden Lock formation.” Just then, Yuan Zhi spoke up and said these 5 words clearly and quickly.
“Yuan Zhi, you said… 8 Doors Golden Lock formation? What does that mean?”
“Lord Xu Shu, could it be that you recognise what this formation is?!” Wen Yuan hurriedly asked as Feng Xian looked at Yuan Zhi with wide open eyes.
“…” Yuan Zhi silently looked at the formation and nodded.
“This is the 8 Doors Golden Lock formation. The 8 Doors are named Rest, Life, Injury, Fabrication, Scenery, Death, Fright and Open.” She began to explain as she raised her hand and pointed at each of the smaller formations in turn, “If one enters from the Doors of Life, Scenery or Open, one will be blessed. If one enters from the Doors of Injury, Fright or Rest, one will suffer injuries. If one enters from the Doors of Fabrication or Death, one will die.”
I do not really understand how it works but knowing that Yuan Zhi knows what it’s about is enough for me.
“Lord Zhao Yun likely entered the formation through the Door of Fright which prohibits one from exiting. Fortunately, they did not reach the edge so they were only surrounded. Now the formation has changed and they are now at the Door of Fabrication and the surround is slowly shrinking.”
“Is there any way to negate the formation!” Feng Xian asked as she looked at Zi Long and her troops, “We need to save them!”
“Un…” Yuan Zhi grunted and sank into silence.
“So can we or can we not?” Feng Xian asked impatiently as she rode over to where Yuan Zhi was.
“Un…” Yuan Zhi continued to grunt but did not reply her. Normally, she would have been nervous by now and begun stammering but she merely continued to think silently as she lowered her head. After a while, she began to speak up as though she were reciting from a book, “Though the 8 Doors are well formed, the center lacks a support. If we attack from southeast corner through the Door of Life and go west and exit through the Door of Scenery, the formation will go into disarray.”
Though the enemy was constantly moving, it was still possible to identify which Door was which and so, Wen Yuan followed Yuan Zhi’s fingers and pointed as well as she replied, “Like this? Meaning we go in from here and exit here.”
“Yes, that is indeed the case.” Yuan Zhi replied and Wen Yuan broke into smiles.
“That’s great!” Wen Yuan exclaimed and hurried over to Feng Xian, “My lord, let’s start acting right away!”
“Un,” Feng Xian nodded but still looked troubled as she shifted her gaze to Yuan Zhi, “But if Lord Xu Shu knew about this, why did you not say anything at the beginning.”
“…” Yuan Zhi lowered her gaze and tightened her grip on her reins as she replied, “I was told about this from someone else so I wasn’t sure.”
Ah… I understand why now. Even though many deviations have occurred in between, the final battle has now coincided with what was supposed to happen in history and Yuan Zhi’s knowledge of what should happen has not gone to waste.
(TL: You should realise by now that the author is essentially blending historical and original novel-only elements. Chen Dao is a historical example, same with Hulao Pass being Sishui Pass much earlier. This 8 Doors Golden Lock formation is also a work of fiction and exists only in the original novel but our dear MC does not know that of course.)
“How could that be? That advice was beyond useful. Now then, let’s not wait any longer–” Wen Yuan was rather agitated as she replied Yuan Zhi and made large gestures as she did so before kicking her horse and galloping back to her troops to get ready.
If this is the choice of history then I have nothing to worry about because there is no way Liu Bei will be allowed to be defeated here by history right? If not, Yuan Zhi would not have been sent here.
“B-but–” Yuan Zhi finally began to stammer just as Feng Xian, Wen Yuan and I began to feel relieved. I looked at her in surprise when I heard her stammer and when I saw that she had a very troubled expression on, my heart began to race again.
“B-but this is o-only the way to defeat the enemy.” Yuan Zhi forced herself to speak out loud to reach Wen Yuan and Feng Xian.
“Eh?” Wen Yuan was stunned by Yuan Zhi and stopped directing the troops to form up.
“What do you mean by that?” Feng Xian suppressed her frustration and asked softly as her expression stiffened up.
“What I mean in,” Yuan Zhi said as she looked at Zi Long and her troops, “You must not enter the Door of Fabrication to save Lord Zhao Yun and her troops. The method I gave you will only allow you to break the formation, not save them.”
“Then…”
“Yes.” Yuan Zhi nodded and interrupted me when she saw that I was about to speak, “If Lord Zhao Yun and her troops are not saved in time, I’m afraid…”
Eh? My head felt numb and I did not know what to say as I looked at Yuan Zhi who calmly looked back at me and turned away.
“… Xuan De.” Just then, Feng Xian called out to me and I looked at her, “What do we do now?”
“That is…” I really did not know what to say and my eyes began to glaze over as perspiration began to stream down my face despite it being winter.
It was still rather chilly the past few days too. As expected, spring is short in this era huh? We should be in summer soon.
I began to think of random things as the desire to run away took hold when I realised I did not have a choice to reach a happy ending. I could guess what the correct choice was. The choice of history is for me to safely pass through this trial but should I choose it? Does this mean Zi Long will fall here?
