0016.

How did you know about this?" Commander Fang's bloodied face resembled that of a demon.

"Know what?" Fang's accusation was met with feigned innocence from Su Jin.

"Don't toy with me. You knew exactly what would happen. You orchestrated this to create openings for the charging bulls to trip and fall," Fang accused, his tone sharp with suspicion.

"Ah, did it play out that way? How fascinating," Su Jin replied casually, his words dripping with insincerity.

"I warn you, don't deceive me. What do you gain from all of this?" Fang's warning was clear as he pressed Su Jin for answers.

"What do you want to hear?" Su Jin answered with a question. "If I say what you want to hear, would that satisfy you?"

Su Jin's words were still dripping with ambiguity, frustrating Fang further. He knew Su Jin was playing games with him, dancing around the truth like a skilled puppeteer pulling the strings. But Fang refused to be manipulated any longer.

"I want the truth," Fang growled, his voice low and menacing.

"Truth? What is the truth? What are you even suggesting here? Are you blaming me for all this? You are accusing me of villainy?" Su Jin's words were open provocation, with hidden meaning behind them as if he is blatantly saying, that even if what you are saying is true, you can't prove it or risk exposing yourself mad to even consider the possibility.

Commander Fang, still reeling from the shock of surviving, filled with turmoil of emotion. Moments ago he was ready to lay down his life, along with luring the new recruits in the same sacrifice to save the city walls. He is still reeling with emotions, his mind still not calm and clear.

He is almost on the verge of putting his hands on Su Jin's neck. His fists clenched with the urge to squeeze the truth out of him. But even Fang didn't understand his own anger. Shouldn't he be thanking Su Jin? After all, the man had just saved their lives. Yet a dark feeling, like a shadow in his gut, gnawed at his trust in Su Jin. Fang's breath hitched, caught between relief and a simmering fury. Su Jin had played them all like pieces on a game board.

"What is going on? Commander Fang!? You are hurt!?" In the tense moment, Mayor Yi Nang's voice called out from behind. "Quick! Call physicians!"

Commander Fang snapped out of his anger as he turned to address Mayor Yi Nang. "I am fine, Mayor. This is not my blood," he clarified.

"Oh!" Mayor Yi Nang took a sigh of relief. "I got worried, anyway, why the urgent matter?"

"Urgent Matter?" Commander Fang was not sure, other than the war what else is to say, is the Mayor looking for a casualty report.

"Yes, you called me urgently to report an urgent matter," Mayor Yi Nang repeated, his voice laced with a hint of suspicion. "What seems to be the trouble, Commander?"

Commander Fang immediately turned and glared at Su Jin.

"What? I had to…" Su Jin tried to defend himself, his voice losing its earlier confidence under the Commander's scrutiny.

Commander Fang did not want to participate in Su Jin's ploy and was about to say everything was under control when he noticed all the archers holding the shattered remains of their bows.

"What just happened here suddenly?" He barked.

"Our bows broke," one of the closest archers meekly answered.

"What? Everyone's bow?" the archer nodded like a guilty child as the Commander questioned.

"How?"

Fang's gaze snapped back to Su Jin, his suspicions reignited. "Su Jin," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "did you have anything to do with this?"

Mayor Yi Nang's eyes darted between Fang's questioning look and the shattered bows in the archers' hands. "Broken?" he echoed, confusion etched on his face. "How in the world did that happen?"

Su Jin feigned innocence, widening his eyes in mock surprise. "Broken bows? What a dreadful occurrence!"

Fang's scowl deepened. He knew Su Jin would evade his question, so he directed it at the archer who spoke up. "Explain. Why did the bows shatter?"

The archer stammered, "We...we were commanded to shoot arrows infused with our Cultivation Base."

With that revelation, Commander Fang understood why the arrows had exploded upon impact – they were imbued with cultivation base.

"Why would you do that? Whose idiotic command was this?" Commander Fang already had the answer but it was Mayor Ni Yang who asked this. Without bows, half of the force would now be useless, their firepower reduced.

"Ahem…what's done is done, Mayor Yi Nang. Crying over spilled milk is useless. What's important is to buy…I mean getting new bows." Su Jin interjected smoothly, his tone oozing with false sympathy. "Perhaps it was a miscalculation on someone's part. But now, we must focus on finding a solution. Mayor Yi Nang, I suggest we prioritize repairing or acquiring new bows for our archers as soon as possible."

Mayor Yi Nang nodded, his expression grave. "Yes, you're right. We can't afford to be without our archers' support, especially in times like these."

Fang's suspicion only deepened as he watched Su Jin effortlessly manipulate the situation. He knew Su Jin was behind the shattered bows, yet his gratitude toward this manipulative scoundrel restrained him from voicing his concerns further. Besides, Su Jin was right – there was no use crying over spilled milk.

"But how?" Fang mused aloud, examining one of the shattered bows. Its wood crumbled in his palms as if it had been burnt from the inside out.

"Perhaps wooden bows aren't the best choice anymore," Su Jin remarked casually, as if offering genuine advice. "You should consider investing in stronger materials, Mayor Yi Nang."

"Stronger material? Do you mean metal bows? Where would we find such a quick supply of metal bows?" Mayor Yi Nang contemplated while Su Jin looked at Commander Fang with a meaningful gaze.

Commander Fang didn't want to participate in this ploy, but he found it hard to deny the truth. The archers needed their weapons, and if Su Jin was so enthusiastically suggesting metal bows, it meant he had a supply to offer.

"Perhaps," Fang conceded reluctantly. "Just like our armor and sword were arranged, bows can be arranged too?"