Smoke billowed over the harbor of Liyue. Beneath the flying eaves of Wangshu Inn, Zhang He, clad in the armor of Yuan Shao's army, stared at the night sky torn apart by the flames of war. Behind him, soldiers were blocking the inn's entrance with hastily reinforced wooden barriers; arrowheads glinted coldly in the moonlight.
Three days prior, they had seized this cliffside fortress amid chaos, turning it into a bridgehead overlooking the heart of Liyue.
"General! Movement on the western mountain path!"
No sooner had the guard's cry faded than rapid hoofbeats rolled like thunder. Zhang He spun around sharply. A cloud of dust rose at the end of the path, and over a hundred Liyue iron cavalry burst through the morning mist. The figures of the four leading the charge stood out clearly in the dawn light:
Yun Jin's spear hoisted the tattered banner of Liyue, Xingqiu's twin swords shimmering with watery light before his saddle, Xinyan's firelock barrel wrapped in crimson silk ribbons, and Chongyun's single-handed sword condensed with faint frost energy.
"Perfect timing."
Zhang He sneered and waved for his archers to prepare. Yet the cavalry did not charge the gates directly; they formed up on the platform below the inn. Yun Jin reined in her horse, pointing her spear toward the cliff.
"Zhang He, you villain! You seized Wangshu Inn and slaughtered innocent people—today is your day of reckoning!"
Before her voice faded, a piercing sound cut through the sky. Everyone looked up to see the Jade Chamber hovering at the edge of the clouds. Ningguang stood at the rim of the floating palace, her fingertips tapping lightly on a jade table. Dozens of cannons extended from the chamber's sides, their muzzles glinting with metallic luster in the sun.
"Shall the land of Liyue be trampled by foreign invaders?"
Her voice carried on the wind, carrying unshakable authority.
"Fire!"
Deafening roars shook the air. Cannon fire streaked across the sky like a meteor shower, slamming into Wangshu Inn. The wooden barriers shattered instantly, bricks and stones flying, screams echoing everywhere.
As Zhang He ordered his soldiers to retreat, a shell struck the main inn's attic dead-on. The crossbeam collapsed with a thunderous crash. Caught off guard, he was buried under rubble. In his final moments, all he saw were the raised long blades of the cavalry below the cliff.
"General!"
Yuan Shao's soldiers lunged toward the ruins in panic, their formation descending into chaos. Yun Jin's eyes flashed with resolve.
"Press the attack! Retake Wangshu Inn!"
Just as the cavalry prepared to charge, a sudden upheaval occurred.
An overwhelming, irresistible aura pressed down from the northern mountain path, as if the entire mountain trembled. A figure in red robes strode through the dust, his Sky-Shattering Halberd dragging along the ground, carving deep furrows.
Lu Bu's Red Hare followed closely behind, hooves shattering stone slabs. He lifted his head to gaze at the Jade Chamber in the sky, his eyes as cold as ice.
"A bunch of ants—daring to act recklessly?"
Lu Bu's voice was soft, yet drowned out all the noise. He abruptly raised his Sky-Shattering Halberd; a blinding red light blazed at its tip. A scarlet laser beam tore through the air in an instant, shooting straight for the Jade Chamber!
Ningguang's pupils constricted violently. She hastily maneuvered the floating palace to dodge, but the laser struck its core. Jade pillars splintered, glazed tiles cascading down. The Jade Chamber tilted amid explosions, and Ningguang's figure vanished into the fire and smoke.
"Lady Ningguang!"
Yun Jin cried out in horror. Distraught, a formation of heavy infantry suddenly charged from the west. Their steps were steady as bedrock, armor glinting darkly in the sun—this was Gao Shun's elite Trap Camp.
"Form the shield wall!"
Gao Shun's command rang out. The Trap Camp soldiers quickly assembled a wall of shields, long halberds thrusting through gaps. The forest of spear points instantly halted the Liyue cavalry's charge.
The cavalry's impact crashed against the shields as if striking a mountain. Xinyan's firelock roared, yet only left faint white marks on the shield surface. Chongyun's frost energy dissipated the moment it drew near, torn apart by halberds from behind the wall. Xingqiu's water-imbued swords attempted to flank, only to be encircled by Trap Camp soldiers.
Yun Jin charged forward, her spear felling several men, only to be pierced through the shoulder by three halberds at once.
She fell from her horse, blood soaking her opera-like armor. The Trap Camp pressed forward relentlessly. Over half the cavalry lay dead or wounded. Xingqiu's swords were knocked away, Xinyan's firelock out of ammunition, Chongyun's frost energy exhausted. The three were surrounded, watching their comrades fall one by one.
"Surrender… or die?"
Gao Shun's voice was devoid of emotion. Xingqiu stared at the bodies on the ground, gritted his teeth, and discarded his broken sword. Xinyan looked down at her firelock, finally letting go. Chongyun closed his eyes and laid his sword on the ground.
Only Yun Jin struggled to rise. Leaning on her spear, she pushed herself up, blood seeping from her shoulder wound, yet she stood tall and unyielding.
She recalled the operas she watched as a child in Liyue Harbor, the fates of loyal and brave martyrs. Straightening her tattered robes, she stepped forward with her left leg, planted her spear firmly, and rested her right hand at her waist—striking the final pose of Yu Ji from Farewell My Concubine.
Her posture was upright, her gaze resolute, as if she would sing the tragic lines at any moment: "Han soldiers have occupied our land; Chu songs echo on all sides."
At the moment Gao Shun's halberd lunged forward, a faint, almost imperceptible smile lingered on Yun Jin's lips.
Lu Bu stood at the cliff's edge, staring at the three surrendering figures below. He glanced at the wreckage of the Jade Chamber in the sky, and the red glow on his Sky-Shattering Halberd slowly faded.
The Red Hare snorted. He mounted his steed, leaving only one command:
"Clear the battlefield. Hold this position."
Wind swept through the ruins of Wangshu Inn, carrying the tattered banner and the blood-stained silhouette of Yun Jin. Liyue Harbor burned in the distance, and the cliffside inn had a new master.