Chapter 31: Choice

"Xianzhu, are you in a hurry? If you hesitate any longer, Ji Linyou and your grandfather's soldiers will be dead!"

After hearing what Mingjiu blurted out, Qiandeng's expression finally turned completely cold.

"So, Prince Mingjiu is using this as a threat to force Kucha and me to agree to the Uighurs' terms?"

"How could that be? Didn't I give you the fairy pearl and let you choose..."

"Since that's the case, I choose to end my cooperation with the Uighurs. All further discussions are off the table," Qian Deng said resolutely. "To achieve your goals, you deliberately created loopholes for the Western Fan people in your operations, hoping to exploit them to your advantage. Such treachery is unacceptable to both Kucha and me. Therefore, our cooperation is written off. Prince, please return!"

Seeing Qiandeng turning around and heading back to the camp, Mingjiu became anxious and quickly chased after him: "Xianzhu, wait a minute, don't worry about Ji Linyou and your grandfather's veterans..."

"Don't worry, Prince Mingjiu. The county lady entrusted this matter to me before we set out."

A frightening sound came from behind Mingjiu. He turned around and saw Li Yingshang already galloping in front of him. He thought to himself that something was wrong.

He dismounted, threw his whip to the guard beside him, strode over to Qiandeng, and said to her, "The Western Fan army is already defeated, but the veterans under Prince Changhua have suffered few casualties. Don't worry, County Lady."

With his words, Qiandeng knew that the war would be safe and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Mingjiu and Meilu were extremely upset, knowing that their plan had failed. They exchanged dejected glances and prepared to run away.

Suddenly, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside the military camp. Several old soldiers from the former subordinates of King Changhua rushed in anxiously.

As soon as they saw Qian Deng, even though they were all grown men, their eyes reddened and they choked with sobs, "County Lady, the recorder...he..."

Seeing this, Qian Deng knew something must have happened and immediately asked, "What happened?"

The person who spoke wiped away his tears and turned to look behind him.

Outside the camp gate, several people were carrying a sedan chair and walking towards them with heavy steps.

Seeing the blood-stained rag covering it, Qian Deng suddenly felt an ominous premonition in his heart.

She turned to look at Li Yingshang, who also showed a trace of surprise on his face: "Impossible, when I left, the Western Fan army had already collapsed. How could they have the energy to organize another offensive?"

After saying this, he strode to the sedan chair and gestured to lift the bloody cloth covering it.

The rag was lifted, and the body covered in dust and blood was revealed before everyone.

The young face with no breath below was Ji Linyou.

Qian Deng felt as if her heart was hit hard. She walked stiffly to Ji Linyou's body and stood there for a long time. Even though she knew that he had no chance of life, she still leaned over and used her trembling hands to feel his breath.

She didn't feel the breath, just touched his cheek, and the coldness spread to her fingertips and penetrated into her bones.

He set out several hours ago, promising that he would guard the rear. Now he has indeed guarded the rear, but he can never come back.

Those clear and innocent eyes, which could always be seen through at a glance, have been closed forever, and there is no longer the brilliance of youthful vigor in them.

Qiandeng's breathing stopped for a long time, and no one around made a sound.

After a long moment, she heard Cui Fufeng's deep, stagnant voice. He was asking the veterans, "Hasn't the Shuofang Army come to the rescue? When did the record-keeping incident happen?"

"Yes... We thought the battle was over, so we split up and pursued the enemy. Some of us were cleaning up the battlefield, but when we regrouped, we couldn't find the Recorder. After searching everywhere, we found him lying in a pool of blood, lifeless..."

Qiandeng used trembling hands to lift the cloth covering Ji Linyou and looked at his chest.

The bloody hole in the heart had long since drained all of its blood. In the dry summer of Kucha, the skin and flesh were curled up and the blood was cracked, which was shocking to see.

She stared at the bloody hole, as if she saw the horrible wound that took her mother's life. Her breath stopped and she couldn't breathe.

A pair of steady and strong hands behind her helped her up. She heard Li Yingshang's voice ringing in her ears: "There is something strange about his death. We need to investigate."

Cui Fufeng signaled the veterans to carry Ji Linyou's body into the tent. When he turned around, he saw Ming Jiu standing blankly at the camp gate, not yet leaving.

He knew very well that if the Uighurs had no ill intentions and had guarded the rear well, Ji Linyou might not have been in danger.

And now, what he used to threaten Qian Deng actually came true, and Ji Linyou really died on the battlefield.

Thinking of the serious consequences of this matter, he gritted his teeth, slapped his thigh, rushed over and shouted at Ji Linyou's corpse: "It was the Westerners who did it! I will lead my men to Zuiji (drunk chicken) to chase them and kill them to avenge Ji Linyou!"

Before he could finish, Qian Deng glanced at him coldly.

Just one glance and his heart tightened. He shrank his head and dared not speak again.

He had an ominous premonition in his heart that she would never forgive him again, and he probably had no chance of getting her again.

Ji Linyou's body was carried into the camp, and all outsiders were dismissed. Qiandeng, Li Yingshang and Cui Fufeng began to examine the body as usual, with Li Yingshang examining, Cui Fufeng assisting, and Qiandeng recording.

"Autopsy: The deceased had no other obvious injuries except for a single knife wound on the left side of his back. The wound entered from the inside of the lower corner of the left shoulder blade and exited between the fifth and sixth intercostal spaces. A large amount of dried blood, in the form of splatter and stream, was observed around the wound. It is clear that the knife tip was blunt and not sharp, yet the force was strong enough to penetrate the heart and kill with one blow."

"The killer's actions were clean and decisive, clearly a veteran. However, this isn't the kind of killing you'd expect on a battlefield." Cui Fufeng examined the wound as he had described, lost in thought. "He was attacked from behind after the enemy's defeat... I'm afraid he wasn't killed by Xifan."

Li Yingshang agreed: "In battle, spears, lances, and thick-backed, broad-bladed swords are the only ones that are effective. The weapon that killed Ji Linyou had a narrow, thin, and long blade, which is definitely not suitable for chopping. It would be destroyed in a few blows."

Qian Deng quickly wrote down the document in a cold voice, "It has a blunt tip. It's a standard sword modified by the Imperial Guards for the Twilight Tiger decoration. It's very similar to the sword that Ji Linyou was carrying, which we investigated earlier."

"Yes, it's the Ruihu sword worn in front of the palace, which was replaced after the Fengtian Incident. It's the same style as the one used to kill Shi Jingning and Princess Changyi."

Because of this style of knife, they once suspected Ji Linyou, which led to him being imprisoned.

And now, even he died by this knife.

Li Yingshang pulled up a white cloth to cover Ji Linyou's remains.

Qian Deng clutched the ink-stained file tightly and murmured, "It seems... he really won't let anyone around me go."

She didn't say who it was, but they all knew.

Li Yingshang pondered for a moment and asked, "How are you going to respond?"

She knew he was fearless and would do his best to help her no matter who the opponent was or what the situation was. But at this moment, she subconsciously hesitated, not knowing how to make a decision.

As if sensing her conflicted pain, Cui Fufeng sighed softly and said, "Originally, the county lady had followed your mother's will and returned to Kucha, freeing herself from the past and ignoring past grudges. But now, it seems the wind is blowing even though the tree wants to be still. Even if you yield, I'm afraid you'll eventually be forced into a desperate situation, and it won't be easy to resolve."

Qian Deng listened to his words, his fingers tightly grasping Ji Linyou's autopsy file, as if he was clutching his mother's death, the deep hatred, and the unspeakable pain along the way.

Li Yingshang saw the whitening of her knuckles and the cramping veins on the back of her hand, and pity welled up in his heart. He raised his hand to hold hers to comfort her, but Cui Fufeng had already reached out and took the file from her hand. He gently stroked the back of her hand with his fingers and whispered, "County Lady, there is no need to worry. Follow your heart. Do whatever you want to do. Just follow your heart."

Original intention, what is her original intention?

The nightmare that had haunted her for countless dark nights came upon her again at this moment, and she could not get rid of it and it lingered on her.

And the culprit of all this, the person who caused the death of all her loved ones and made her toss and turn sleeplessly every night, was right in front of her.

She had to say goodbye to all this, dispel the darkness that shrouded her, and live well in the abundant sunlight of Kucha.

As if waking from a dream, she clenched her fists and said in a hoarse but resolute voice, "Yes, my entire Bai family was killed. I shouldn't be the one to escape. No matter whether I face life or death after the truth is revealed, I must know it clearly. My mother cannot die in obscurity; I cannot swallow the injustice I have suffered along the way. My Bai family is full of loyal heroes and should not end up like this! The truth must be made public, and the murderer must eat the bitter fruit of his evil deeds. I will never tolerate him living a carefree life!"