Chapter 94 The Enemy is at the Gates (Part 3)

The night was eerily quiet, and Ji Shi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. A faint smell of blood kept wafting from his nose, sending chills down his spine.

Later, someone came in and lit some calming incense, which allowed him to get a short nap, but unfortunately, he didn't have a peaceful dream.

When Ji Shi woke up again, it was already broad daylight. He stood up abruptly, pushed open the door, and found Lin Mumu.

"Has the letter been sent out?" Ji Shi asked hurriedly.

Lin Mumu looked at him and shook her head. "They were intercepted by Mei Haoshi's men last night."

Ji Shishuang's hand fell limp. "Even the last resort has failed?"

Lin Mumu hesitated and said, "Should we... send out another person?"

Ji Shi shook his head. "No need. They're already on guard. Adding more would just be a waste of lives."

In yesterday's battle, almost all those willing to die perished here. Those who remained were those willing to serve Jiang Yan. They survived the battle thanks to the lives of half of them, but the rest of them were utterly powerless to resist.

How can we get through this today?

"Mumu," Ji Shi suddenly called to her.

"What's wrong?" Lin Mumu turned around.

"Protect the people in the city, and I will go to meet the enemy today."

"I won't agree." As if she had guessed what he was going to say, Lin Mumu rejected him before he could finish speaking.

Ji Shi laughed and said, "I'm just asking you to help protect them. After this battle is over, I'll let you go tomorrow. Don't worry, I won't steal your thunder."

Lin Mumu looked up, her eyes reddening. "I don't want any limelight. Ji Shi, at worst we'll die together. I'm not afraid."

The clumsy lie was exposed, and Ji Shi stood there in silence. He smiled bitterly and said, "It's really not easy to lie to you."

Lin Mumu turned around, trying to hold back her sobs, but her shoulders were still trembling slightly.

Ji Shi didn't know how to comfort him, so she withdrew her outstretched hand.

After a long pause, he stammered, "Is the cook in the manor still here? I... I want to eat steamed buns."

After a moment of silence, Lin Mumu said, "Yes, it's still the same as before, nothing has changed."

Ji Shi laughed and said, "That's good. I thought I'd never get to eat this in my life. I hope the chef's skills haven't gotten rusty."

Lin Mumu wiped away her tears and said firmly, "Whether you're a beginner or not, you have to eat it."

Ji Shi nodded. "I promise."

...

The sun quickly set, but Mei Haoshi still hadn't appeared. Lin Mumu, clinging to a sliver of hope, asked, "Is he not coming?"

Ji Shi leaned against the railing of the city tower, gazing into the distance, and slowly shook his head. "He's just like Jiang Yan, he likes to torment people. The longer he arrives, the more anxious we become. He loves seeing others like that."

Lin Mumu was somewhat surprised and asked, "How do you know so much detail?"

Ji Shi retorted, "Do you know how a good-for-nothing like me became Jiang Yan's disciple?"

Lin Mumu shook her head: "You didn't tell me."

Ji Shi recalled, "I grew up in Changjin Mountain. Although I was young at the time, I still felt different from others. I could never learn what others knew, and when I finally learned something, I found that others could understand it with just one glance. But I was not discouraged. I could just spend more time."

So he practiced swordsmanship on the back mountain day after day, not seeking to reach the top level, but only hoping to be like others and no longer be bullied.

Perhaps it was a stroke of luck that allowed Jiang Yan, who was passing by, to encounter him. He stood behind the tree, watching the boy clumsily swing his sword, again and again, refusing to give up.

Jiang Yan seemed to be touched, walked up to him, and said coldly, "From now on, follow me."

“He only left behind these eight words,” Ji Shi said with emotion, “and these eight words have made me grateful to him for the rest of my life.”

Unfortunately, Jiang Yan was not a discerning judge of talent, and Ji Shi was certainly not a promising individual.

Throughout their interactions, Jiang Yan was always cold and indifferent. No matter how hard Ji Shi tried, he would never offer a word of praise, and even if he cultivated in the wrong direction, Jiang Yan would never tell him the correct method.

Later, Mei Haoshi came to Changjin Mountain. He was a bully who preyed on the weak and feared the strong. He often made things difficult for Ji Shi, both openly and secretly, but never in front of others. One day, Ji Shi could no longer bear the bullying, so he went to Jiang Yan to complain. He thought that his master could uphold justice for him, but Jiang Yan said, "If you are incompetent, don't blame others."

“So I still don’t understand,” Ji Shi’s voice was tinged with disappointment, “He was clearly willing to take me as his apprentice, but why did he always look at me with a thin layer of hatred in his eyes?”

Lin Mumu's voice was somewhat soft in the cold wind: "This story isn't very pleasant."

Ji Shi laughed and said, "I think so too, but since it happened, I can't forget it."

Lin Mumu comforted him, "That's all in the past. You can't let memories trap you for a lifetime."

“It’s a pity,” Ji Shi paused, gazing at the lights that were beginning to flicker in the distance, “what’s meant to happen will happen.”

Lin Mumu paused for a moment, then followed his gaze and saw the distant lights growing larger and larger.

They've arrived.

"alert!"

At Lin Mumu's command, all the archers drew their bows.

But what came first were enemy arrows, their arrowheads coated with burning oil, hurtling towards them. Ji Shi raised his sword to block several arrows, and looking down, he saw that the group was moving very fast; before he could even reach them, they were already quite a distance away.

Ji Shi still wanted Lin Mumu to go back, but seeing her resolute expression, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

The city gate hinges creaked loudly, and Ji Shi led his men out. He used his sword to cleave through the oncoming fire arrows, clearing a path for those behind him.

Lin Mumu didn't stay on the city wall. Instead, he stood on the side of the city gate with his short bow in hand, his eyes fixed on the person in the enemy formation.

To catch a thief, you must first catch his leader; unfortunately, he was surrounded by too many people.

A burning arrow grazed her hair and embedded itself in a city pillar behind her. Without even blinking, she drew three arrows from her quiver.

"Whoosh—" The three arrows left the bowstring almost simultaneously, piercing through the chaotic crowd, and the three people in the front row fell to the ground.

Ji Shi seized the opportunity, knocking away the weapons of two enemy soldiers in front of him. He grabbed one of them by the collar with his left hand and used him as a shield to block the arrow flying from the side.

"Lin Mumu!" Ji Shi's roar pierced the fighting: "Are you even capable?!"

Lin Mumu nocked another arrow, this time aiming at a small group of people trying to flank from the side.

She didn't respond to Ji Shi, but just as she shot the arrow, she shouted in his direction, "Mind your own business! I'm luckier than you!"

Ji Shi couldn't help but laugh. He raised his hand and deflected the swords and knives of the others, then slit their throats with a single sword strike.

The firelight illuminated the determination in her eyes. Ji Shi felt a surge of warmth in his heart, cleaved through the last obstacle in front of him, and charged deep into the enemy's territory.

The battlefield in front of the city gate was a sea of ​​fire, with the sounds of clashing weapons, screams of soldiers, and arrows piercing the air all mixed together.

However, the enemy forces had a numerical advantage, and even if they couldn't kill Ji Shi, they could wear him down.

Ji Shi's sword was almost too heavy to wield; the blade was stuck in the body of an enemy soldier, and scalding blood flowed down his arm, accumulating into a sticky red puddle in his palm.

Taking advantage of the moment, someone nearby thrust his sword at him, but was deflected by an arrow that was shot at him.

Ji Shi glanced back at Lin Mumu and saw her put down her bow and arrows, draw her sword, and fight with the crowd. The enemy was getting closer and closer, and more and more guards were dying. They were about to lose their hold.

Several people surrounded Ji Shi. Ji Shi used his sword to brace himself against the ground, looking coldly at the person behind him.

Mei Haoshi walked over slowly, smiling at him: "Weren't you very capable? You're already exhausted after just a short while?"

Ji Shi's chest heaved violently, his bloodied fingers gripping the sword hilt tightly, his knuckles turning white. He ignored Mei Haoshi's mockery, his gaze passing over the gaps in the enemy ranks and landing on Lin Mumu.

Her body was covered with wounds of all sizes, yet she still stood in front of everyone, fighting fiercely.

"Kill me or torture me, stop talking nonsense." Ji Shi's voice was a little hoarse.

Upon hearing this, Mei Haoshi suddenly threw his head back and laughed: "Hahahaha, wouldn't killing you like this be too easy for you?"

Ji Shi stared at him: "Then what do you think?"

Mei Haoshi slowly approached him: "I want you to witness the city fall and people die, to see them die in front of you."

Ji Shi's hand gripping the sword hilt trembled as he gritted his teeth and said, "Don't even think about it."

The firelight reflected in his eyes, showing no sign of yielding. He turned his head and looked at Lin Mumu again. Lin Mumu seemed to have noticed the commotion and was looking in his direction.

Just as she shook off the people around her and ran towards him, Ji Shi shouted, "Everyone! Retreat into the city!"

The city gate slowly opened, and all the guards ran towards it. Lin Mumu had no choice but to stop and cover their retreat.

Seeing this, Mei Haoshi disregarded Ji Shi and hurriedly shouted, "Quickly, chase after them!"

Countless pursuers headed towards the city gate, but Lin Mumu stopped them one after another, protecting everyone as they entered. At that moment, the city gate was slowly closing.

She shouted, "Ji Shi! Come here quickly!"

Ji Shi did indeed come in her direction, but he had no intention of entering the city. Instead, he blocked Lin Mumu's way, exhausting his remaining strength.

His eyes were bloodshot, frighteningly red, and he expressionlessly pierced the bodies of one person after another with his sword.

Lin Mumu looked back and saw that the city gate was almost completely closed, but she ran in the opposite direction and took several sword blows for Ji Shi.

Seeing the person next to him, Ji Shi finally snapped out of his daze and angrily shouted, "What are you doing here!"

Lin Mumu kicked one of them away: "I told you, we might as well die together!"

Ji Shi roared, "Who needs you to come with me?! Go back now!"

Lin Mumu: "You have no right to tell me what to do."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade her, Ji Shi said, "I promise you, I'll go with you."

Lin Mumu didn't believe his nonsense. She grabbed his wrist and ran with him toward the city gate. Although the gatekeeper was waiting, the gap was now so small that only one person could pass through.

The moment they reached the city gate, Ji Shi suddenly let go of Lin Mumu's hand.

Before Lin Mumu could speak, he slapped her hard on the back. The force of the impact caused her to fall forward and into the city gate.

Ji Shi shouted, "Close the city gates!"

Lin Mumu sensed something was wrong and hurriedly turned around to pull him back, but the city gate slowly closed. She was far too slow to catch up and could only watch the person in front of her slowly disappear through the narrow gap.

"Ji Shi!!" Lin Mumu frantically pounded on the city gate, crying out, "You bastard!!"

Ji Shi was the only one left outside the city gate. Mei Haoshi's men quickly surrounded him and dragged him to the front of the city gate.

Ji Shi did not struggle, letting Mei Haoshi hold a sword to his neck and threaten the people inside the city gate.

"Listen up, you people inside! Ji Shi is in my hands right now! If you open the city gates now, kowtow and beg for forgiveness, I might show some mercy and spare a few lives! Otherwise..."

His gaze turned cold, and he used his sword to draw blood from Ji Shi's neck.

"No!" Lin Mumu saw Ji Shi being held captive through the gap.

Mei Haoshi laughed and said, "Lord Lin, it seems you care about him a lot. How about this, you open the city gate, and I'll spare your lives, how about it?"

Lin Mumu hesitated and did not reply.

"Lin Mumu!" Ji Shi suddenly shouted, "Don't open it!"

“The decision isn’t yours,” Mei Haoshi said, peering intently through the crack at the person behind the door. “It’s up to her to decide.”

"I..." Lin Mumu's hands were pinched until they bled, but she still couldn't make a decision.

"Tsk," Mei Haoshi seemed to have lost patience after waiting for an unknown amount of time, and said coldly, "I'm giving you one last chance, open it! Or not!"

Behind the door, all was still deathly silent.

Mei Haoshi completely lost his temper, turned around, grabbed his sword, and stabbed it hard into Ji Shi's lower abdomen.

"No!" Lin Mumu cried out.

The moment the longsword pierced his abdomen, Ji Shi's body stiffened abruptly, a muffled groan escaped his throat, and blood gushed out along the blade, quickly soaking his clothes.

Mei Haoshi grabbed his hair and pressed him against the city gate. When he struggled to lift his head, his gaze pierced through the cracks in the gate, locking onto Lin Mumu behind it. His lips trembled as he said, "Don't open the gate... You know what I'm going to do."

Mei Haoshi drew his sword, drawing blood as he looked at Lin Mumu, who remained motionless inside the city gate, his mockery deepening: "Don't worry, this sword won't kill anyone."

After saying that, he raised his hand and swung his sword again, this time aiming directly at Ji Shi's shoulder blade. The blade penetrated most of the way in, causing Ji Shi's vision to go black from the pain, but he still gritted his teeth and did not let out another cry of pain.

Inside the city gate, Lin Mumu covered her mouth tightly with both hands, tears streaming down her face like broken beads. Her nails dug deep into her palms, drawing blood, but she was completely unaware of it.

Enraged, Mei Haoshi was about to strike Ji Shi again when he saw Ji Shi suddenly break free of his restraints, snatch a sword from someone nearby, and charge at him.

"Stop him!" Mei Haoshi shouted in panic.

Countless swords were pointed at Ji Shi; if he dared to move forward, these swords would pierce his body.

But the season didn't stop.

"Pfft—"

As expected, their swords pierced Ji Shi's heart, while Ji Shi's sword stabbed Mei Haoshi in the neck.

The sounds of swords and blades falling to the ground were numerous and chaotic, and it was impossible to tell whose blood was mixed on the ground. Mei Haoshi fell to the ground with a thud, and stopped breathing after struggling for a few moments.

"this……"

Seeing this, Mei Haoshi's men were momentarily at a loss. Without their commander, the army was like a pile of sand, and someone in the crowd shouted, "Retreat!"

Then the others echoed, "Retreat! Retreat now!"

The crowd scattered and fled. Ji Shi looked up and saw that it was finally snowing. The first snow of the year was coming.

The next second, he collapsed to the ground.

"Ji Shi—!" Lin Mumu frantically pried open the door, trying to get out.

Ji Shifei smiled faintly: "Don't come out, I don't look good like this."

Lin Mumu cried and didn't agree to his request, but her hand loosened its grip and slipped off the vermilion city gate.

"You..." she cried, "Remove the formation, I can save you, Ji Shi, I can save you..."

Ji Shi peered through the crack but couldn't see the person inside. His voice was so soft it was almost inaudible: "A sword piercing three inches into the heart means certain death. You know that."

Lin Mumu was almost sobbing uncontrollably, shaking her head and crying out, "No, it's not like that! I can definitely save you! I beg you... please remove the formation!"

Ji Shi's eyelids drooped, and he felt blood flowing from his heart. The intense pain seemed to become increasingly blurred. He used his last bit of strength to raise his hand, but he didn't know what to grab.

"Apologize to Cheng Yuan for me. Tell him... I owe him, and I'll repay him in the next life."

"I'm not going..." Lin Mumu lowered her head, tears dripping onto the ground: "How can you apologize for someone else? You can't do this..."

Ji Shi could no longer see what was in front of him, but he felt something cold fall on his face. He understood and closed his eyes.

The late snow finally fell in abundance, piling up and covering the absurd scene.

Inside the mourning hall, Lin Mumu, dressed in white mourning clothes, stood in front of the coffin that had been prepared for her. The candles flickered violently in the wind.

After being besieged for several days, there wasn't much left in the city; they could only hang a few white cloths to cover the damage. Lin Mumu stopped crying and just stood there for most of the night, her thin body standing in the howling north wind and snowy night.

"Someone come here..." her voice was terribly hoarse, "...bring the coffin."

"This..." The servant asked, puzzled, "It's not even dawn yet, is the city lord to be buried at this hour?"

Lin Mumu lowered her eyes: "Yes, give the order."

The funeral procession was short, consisting of a few people carrying the coffin, a few scattering paper money, and Lin Mumu carrying the memorial tablet.

This small group walked through the snow without cries or mournful music; only the crunching sound of their feet on the snow was clearly audible in the quiet night.

Snowflakes continued to fall, landing on the coffin and in Lin Mumu's hair, quickly accumulating into a thin layer.

Lin Mumu held Ji Shi's memorial tablet, her fingertips red from the cold, yet she still gripped the edge of the wooden tablet tightly, her fingertips rubbing against the two characters "Ji Shi," the rough wood grain hurting her palms.

She carved the memorial tablet herself; time was limited, and she couldn't prepare anything fancy.

She led the funeral procession step by step toward Yunshan. It was a beautiful place, shrouded in mist all year round, with evergreen pines and cypresses covering the mountains, and peach blossoms blooming all over the hillsides in spring.

The night was as dark as ink that could not be dissolved. The mountain path was originally only illuminated by the faint cold light reflected from the snow. But from some unknown time, a few sparks suddenly lit up in the dark forest.

At first, there were only scattered clusters of light swaying gently in the wind. Gradually, the firelight became denser and closer, spreading out along the mountain road and eventually forming a warm yellow sea of ​​light.

Lin Mumu paused slightly, and only then, by the light, could she see that they were people from the city. The elderly leaned on canes, the women held children, and even the toddlers held up homemade paper lanterns, standing quietly on both sides of the mountain path.

They didn't make a fuss or crowd around; instead, as the coffin passed by, they all knelt down slowly, the light of the oil lamp reflecting the tears in their eyes.

Those scattered lights stretched from the foot of the mountain all the way to the mountainside, dispelling the chill of the night and illuminating the way forward.

Looking at the kneeling people on both sides, Lin Mumu felt a sudden pang of sadness, and her eyes instantly reddened, but she stubbornly held back her tears.

She raised her hand and gently stroked the edge of the coffin, her voice very soft, as she usually spoke to Ji Shi, with a hint of joking: "Look, you're a real hero this time."

The wind blew through the forest, carrying the crisp scent of pine needles, and also stirred the lamps in the hands of the people. In the flickering light and shadow, she seemed to hear Ji Shi's answer.

"This time, I can finally give my sword a proper name."

"Yes," Lin Mumu thought to herself, "Ji Shi's sword hasn't been named yet."

When he was buried, it was almost dawn. Lin Mumu gently placed his sword in front of the tombstone and remained silent for a long time.

As she was leaving, she inexplicably picked up the sword again and gently stroked it. When she touched a rough spot, she curiously turned the sword over.

She clearly saw the words branded on it—Aoki.

Lin Mumu smiled slightly; she understood someone's intentions.