The second wall was different from the first. Besides its superior height, it was also defended by a Grand General. However, this general was not famous; he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Shadow Corps (ám B? Quan) ??, unknown to them, but possessing astonishing strength. Wherever he went, cheers erupted ??. The four Lang King's Grand Generals attacked the four gates but failed to overwhelm this old general.
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South Gate ??: The Fire Wolf General attacked but withdrew halfway through to search for the killer of his youngest son ??.
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North Gate ??: The Earth Wolf General continuously used Wall-Penetration Art to infiltrate soldiers, but failed because the wall was too thick and consumed too much energy ?. The number of soldiers sent in was small and the unit was quickly discovered and annihilated afterward.
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West Gate ??: The Iron Wolf General could create gigantic chains ??, linking the ground to the wall, allowing soldiers to climb up, and used magic to turn wooden siege machines into steel, to breach the gate. However, boiling oil and bricks continuously rained down, killing many soldiers ??.
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East Gate ??: The Black Guardian Divine Dog General, reputed to be the strongest general in the Lang Kingdom, was still observing the situation ??. The Wind Wolf Guards had suffered more than half casualties due to the super-powerful archers on the city wall ??.
The court was in chaos ??, as no Grand Generals came to the rescue, due to the King’s excessively cruel policies and King Chau Ng?c T?’s love for play ??. Most of the dismissed generals, sent back to their hometowns, harbored resentment. The court was now filled only with corrupt officials and the incompetent; no one dared to face the invaders. Only the Grand Imperial Guard Ng?c Tr?n, a close general of previous kings, dared to stay and fight the enemy. He was the general currently defending the second wall.
Under pressure from the officials, Phong Tr?n, the remaining Grand Imperial Guard, was also forced to go to the second wall, to cooperate with Ng?c Tr?n, his master. Phong Tr?n questioned: “Your Majesty, my duty is to protect you. If I leave, who will guard you? What if the second wall falls?” ??
King Chau Ng?c T? laughed confidently: “Haha, I trust the structure I built; it will block any enemy. I am sending you merely for the spectacle, to give you a chance to earn merit ??. Regarding your vow to protect me, I release you from that promise; you just need to defend the second wall. If that wall is breached, you will be of no value to me anyway. Now go.” ??
Phong Tr?n bowed to accept the order, his heart filled with joy ??, because he was unexpectedly released from the King’s curse upon him, transferring his duty to defending the second wall. If it fell, he would be free. As he walked, he thought about his master, a strict yet deeply affectionate teacher.
He recalled: when he was young, the age of 1-5 was a very happy time, nurtured by wet nurses and sponsored by the King, so he had no worries. The age of 5-10 was the terrible period of his life ??. A person from the Lang Kingdom trained him and his peers like hungry beasts ??, feeding them very little each day, letting hunger drive them to fight each other for food and survival. At that time, he was no different from an animal that would do anything for food, even forgetting his own name, retaining only meaningless numbers.
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But the King who ushered in the kingdom's golden age appeared. He realized that this training method was too cruel, training humans no differently than training beasts. So, he replaced the trainer with Ng?c Tr?n ?, an escaped Elder from the Black Heaven Sect (H?c Thiên T?ng), which followed extreme rationalism. He did not accept that rigid legalistic philosophy, always believing in a Heavenly Way with compassion. This new master was quite affectionate yet incredibly strict, and these qualities gradually changed Phong Tr?n, little by little, up until now.
Phong Tr?n climbed the second wall and looked at his aging master with a heavy heart ??. Ng?c Tr?n, originally a Golden Core (K?t ?an) cultivator who could live up to 500 years and was only 200 years old, attempted to break through his power realm to strengthen himself and defend this wall, but he failed. The consequence of the failed breakthrough was a plummeting lifespan—he could only live for two more years ?, and the hair on his body turned completely white. Yet, he still had to stand here, defending this rotten dynasty.
Phong Tr?n sadly asked: “Is this worth it, Master?”
Ng?c Tr?n sighed, immediately understanding, and replied: “Yes, it is worth it. Although I know my strength is almost depleted, and my limbs are not what they used to be, it is absolutely worth it.”
Phong Tr?n sighed: “For what reason? Why defend a rotten dynasty? Why not let it decay, let it die, and then we rebuild it from scratch? Wouldn't that be better?” ???
Ng?c Tr?n said: “That is good, very good indeed, like the Phoenix rising from its own ashes ??. But what you lack is legitimacy. Only with a good reputation will many people follow and support you. Our Shadow Corps took an oath to the King, so we must follow all the King's orders, whether good or bad. But since the time of King Chau Ng?c T?, our Shadow Corps has done nothing but evil deeds. People hate us, and our reputation is as bad as it can get.” ??
Phong Tr?n said: “What does it matter? From now on, we will just do good deeds.”
Ng?c Tr?n said: “No, my son. People won't forget so easily. There always needs to be someone to take responsibility, a scapegoat ??. Let that be me, a loyal watchdog. I will bear all the past sins. The future of the Shadow Corps is in your hands.” ??
Phong Tr?n said: “But...”
Ng?c Tr?n said with a firm voice: “No more discussion. Prepare to retreat. A Nh?t, A Nh?, A Tam, come out.”
Three young men stepped out, all possessing super strength ($\text{STR}: 300$) ??, and taller than $4m$ (where ordinary people are $2.5m - 3m$). All three belonged to the Long-Arm Tribe; when they stood straight, their hands touched the ground, but their minds were simple and dull (low $\text{INT, WIS}$), like children. Their speech was unclear and stammering: “We... we... don’t want... to go, let us... stay... Foster Father.” ??
Ng?c Tr?n became angry: “SILENCE, LISTEN. From now on, you follow Brother Phong Tr?n. Whatever he tells you to do, you do it, even if he says to die, you must do it for me.”
The three brothers mumbled: “Yes, sir.”
Ng?c Tr?n lowered his voice and said to Phong Tr?n: “Among all my disciples, these three brothers are the ones I worry about the most. Take care of them for me.”
Phong Tr?n bowed and said: “Yes, Master.”
Ng?c Tr?n said: “Do what needs to be done. We don't have much time.” ?
Phong Tr?n bowed respectfully to his master, then left. He went to the defensive positions and recalled several teams from the Shadow Corps. All headed to the treasure vault ?? area in the imperial palace, which held the kingdom's most precious artifacts.
Phong Tr?n entered the armory and said to the three Long-Arm brothers: “Choose a weapon that fits your hands.” ??
A Nh?t, the eldest and most articulate, spoke up: “We can’t. We are too strong; all weapons break.”
Phong Tr?n said: “These are all masterpieces. If you break them, they are definitely fakes, so just discard them for me.”
A Nh? nodded, picked up a sword, and tried to bend it. The sword bent, but immediately returned to its original shape when released: “Oh... it... it... recovers, not broken... not broken...” ??
A Tam picked up another item: “Light... too light...”
Eventually, the three brothers chose 3 preferred weapons: A Nh?t chose the Sword-Shield, A Nh? chose the Bow, and A Tam chose the Long Spear ????? spear. All three were unusually large ancient weapons, each over $4m$ in size.
Phong Tr?n said: “Shadow Corps, listen to my order: clear all the items here, leaving only gold, silver, and precious stones.” ??
The other members immediately complied, but A Nh?t naively asked: “Are we stealing from the King?”
Phong Tr?n laughed and said: “Haha, we are the King’s treasury protectors. We are taking them to store them in a safer place, not stealing.” ??
A Nh?t laughed, seeming to understand something, and eagerly joined the clearing. They took everything into the underground tunnel ?? leading to the underground city, which was also the main headquarters of the Shadow Corps. Once the important items were removed, they began setting traps ??? in the King’s treasury area and the path leading down to the underground city.