Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

"Lady, we're going to Longyuan!" Duan Qifeng, ignoring his own injuries, was still thinking of heading to Longyuan to gather the retreating troops.

"My lord, don't worry. This time, we have harvested a good deal of blood food!" Consort Ming Yue, dressed in a flowing red silk robe, swayed her waist gracefully, her eyes brimming with seductive charm.

Duan Qifeng was taken aback at first but then quickly realized.

During this time, he had been preoccupied with defending the city and had forgotten his original purpose.

"Where is the blood food?"

"Right here!"

Consort Ming Yue said with a smile.

At that moment, a soldier clad in iron armor walked in, "Lady, the other blood food has been properly arranged!"

Duan Qifeng wasn't surprised to see the newcomer, as it was his trusted aide Duan Ninghe.

Duan Ninghe was not only his confidant but also his clan nephew.

Consort Ming Yue nodded slightly and reached out to help Duan Qifeng up, "My lord, let me accompany you to enjoy the blood food!"

Duan Qifeng nodded, quite pleased inside.

Blood food!

As long as he had enough blood food, his cultivation could advance further, and by then, he would surely be able to slay that enemy general from the Hu Clan.

But just as he stood up, he felt a sharp pain in his neck.

"You~~"

He turned to look at Consort Ming Yue beside him, eyes filled with disbelief.

Consort Ming Yue was biting into his neck, her eyes welling with tears as she gazed at him, the fresh red blood seeping from the corners of her lips, making them even more enchantingly red.

She was smiling, a bright, self-satisfied smile.

And a mocking one too.

Duan Qifeng wanted to resist, but he was seriously injured and his hands were being controlled by Consort Ming Yue.

The Innate True Qi in his body was draining away rapidly, and his vitality was dissipating continuously.

A feeling of powerlessness and fear surged inside him.

"Ninghe!"

He looked towards Duan Ninghe with pleading eyes.

However, Duan Ninghe was looking at Consort Ming Yue with eyes full of infatuation.

"You~~"

He fell into despair.

Consort Ming Yue sucked for a long time before slowly lifting her head, her delicate red tongue licking her lips.

"Do not fear, my lord, your consort will cherish you dearly!"

"You said, everything you have can be given to your consort!"

"Now your consort needs you to fulfill the promise you made back then!"

Her voice was as exquisite as a brilliantly red rose, filled with a desirous allure.

"You venomous woman~"

Duan Qifeng felt utterly weak, his consciousness increasingly blurry.

"Giggle~~"

Consort Ming Yue laughed coyly, "Foolish my lord, they are the blood food, but you are my blood slave! Everything you have belongs to your consort!"

"Being a consort's blood slave is an honor you should feel proud of!"

Duan Qifeng roared, "Get away, you venomous woman!"

Yet his roar was incredibly feeble.

Consort Ming Yue shook her head, turning to Duan Ninghe, "Isn't it an honor to be a consort's blood slave?"

Duan Ninghe nodded vigorously and knelt to the ground with a thud, "This servant is immensely honored!"

"You see!"

Consort Ming Yue looked tenderly at Duan Qifeng, her soft hand caressing his cheek, and she whispered, "My lord, let your consort see you off on your last journey!"

Her soft voice was enchanting to the senses.

What a pity Duan Qifeng was in no mood to appreciate this ultimate tenderness.

Pain shot through his neck again, his consciousness became even more muddled, and moments later, he lost his last bit of awareness.

...

After retreating from Yemi City, the situation was much better than Yang Zhenshan had anticipated.

Yang Zhenshan was originally worried that the Wuliang Tribe would continue to marshal their young men to follow them, but after Yang Chengxu led a charge against them, there were no more Hu Clan youths in their wake.

Until they entered the edge of the snowy plains, there were no Hu Clan youths within tens of miles.

Such an outcome was somewhat unexpected by Yang Zhenshan.

But it also proved from the side that the small tribes of the Wuliang Tribe did not have much autonomy.

Even if they couldn't intercept the retreat, they could have followed behind to determine their position and direction of the retreat to provide information to the returning Wu Tuo.

But it turned out the leaders of these small tribes did not show such initiative, and just like turtles retracting their heads, they hid away.

This way, Yang Zhenshan led his wounded soldiers and hauled a wealth of goods to retreat with ease.

And three days after they marched along the edge of the snowy plains, Yang Mingzhen and Yang Chengze also caught up with the left and right Camps.

Yang Zhenshan breathed another sigh of relief as he looked at the soldiers who had caught up.

"How are the casualties?" he asked.

Yang Mingzhen replied gravely, "There are still over eight thousand able to fight, including more than two hundred who stayed in Menghe Mountain, who should be able to return."

"As for the others, we have already buried over two thousand eight hundred, and there are more than four hundred seriously injured."

Yang Zhenshan nodded. A thirty percent casualty rate wasn't too large, but for Camp, it wasn't small either.

His own front, middle, and rear Camps also had about a thirty percent reduction, which means that in this battle, aside from the auxiliary troops, nearly seven thousand soldiers died, plus over a thousand were seriously wounded and being transported as they moved.

"How about your supplies?" inquired Yang Zhenshan.

Yang Mingzhen showed a hint of a smile and said, "We are not short on provisions; each of us carried at least twenty days' worth of food!"

"Not enough, but we have an excess of supplies!" Yang Zhenshan answered with a smile, pulling on his reins and heading toward the front of the column.

The journey here took almost a month, and it would take at least that long to return.

The journey back would not be faster than the journey here, nor would it be slower.

There are no roads to begin with, but as more and more people walk, roads are made.

The path through the snowy plains has been trampled by over twenty thousand men and tens of thousands of horses, so the way back should now be much easier, and thus not more difficult to travel.