Chapter 31 Inner Demons

The day Su Muying left the capital, she fainted from exhaustion and happened to run into Meng Yangqiu, who had come to the capital to look for her.

Meng Yangqiu brought her back to Anzhou. When Su Muying woke up, the first thing she did upon seeing Meng Yangqiu was to ask him to hide the news of her return.

She also didn't let Meng Yangqiu tell his parents, who were her uncle and aunt.

She returned silently, and after arranging her parents' graves, Su Muying found a place to stay near the cemetery.

She bought this abandoned wooden house from the villagers. Although the village is far from the hustle and bustle of Anzhou city, it is quiet and peaceful, with large areas of locust trees planted in the village.

These were the locust flowers that her mother loved most when she was alive.

Su Muying also likes it.

Her previous home had been burned down due to the war, so Su Muying settled her parents here, erected a tombstone, and lived here as well.

Meng Yangqiu was once a schoolteacher in this village. The villagers respected scholars and took good care of her.

Su Muying was also well-versed in poetry and literature. Through Meng Yangqiu's introduction, she became a schoolteacher in the village, teaching the village children to recognize characters and read.

Children all like her very much.

She didn't hide the news of her return from Xiao Rong. As soon as Xiao Rong found out, she came here to see her. Seeing her like this, she was both crying and laughing, and hugged her for a long time without letting go.

When others asked her whose child it was, she would always reply, "It's Xie Lin'an's child."

When the child is born, she will tell the child that the father is Xie Lin'an.

Xiao Rong returned to Anzhou, and her older brother found her and brought her back home.

She still had close relatives in Anzhou. Previously, because Anzhou was occupied by rebels, who burned, killed, looted, and caused bloodshed, she and Xiao Rong had to go north.

Now that the rebels have been wiped out, Xie Linyuan has quelled the rebellion and occupied this area, using it as a boundary to establish a separatist regime with the imperial court.

Xie Linyuan's name was truly known to everyone. After he quelled the rebellion, he himself became a traitor. The people of Anzhou were mostly worried that the army led by Xie Linyuan would burn, kill, and plunder like the previous rebels.

But Xie Linyuan did not do that.

The army was strictly disciplined and never harassed the people. If one or two soldiers committed a crime and seized the people's property, they would be executed on the spot, and no soldiers would commit the crime again.

Now that Anju has been occupied by rebels, it is much more stable than before.

After all, the presence of Xie Linyuan, the undefeated general, is the greatest deterrent.

But now, the imperial army has attacked, but the commander-in-chief has yet to appear, and various rumors have spread throughout Anzhou City.

Some say that Xie Linyuan was bewitched by the enemy and is in critical condition.

Some people say that he has somehow become possessed and is in a coma.

Some say that his only wife died in a fire, taking the life of both mother and child. He was devastated and fell seriously ill.

Su Muying just smiled faintly when she heard these things.

wife……

She wasn't even his concubine; she was just a plaything.

Xie Linyuan thought she was dead, which was the result she wanted.

She could live peacefully in Anzhou. Even if he stationed his troops in Anzhou, as long as she stayed in this small village, she would never run into him.

Moreover, he cannot keep his troops stationed here indefinitely.

The imperial court will send troops; his ambitions are definitely not limited to just half the territory.

He must be leading his troops north to attack the capital.

But...

With war raging on, it is always the ordinary people who suffer.

If he wins the battle, he can protect Anzhou; if he loses...

Will the people of Anju survive?

It seems we're about to experience another bloodbath.

——

Xie Linyuan left the room.

His body was covered in blood and gore, with cuts all over his body; no one who saw it could help but be horrified.

Xie's mother burst into tears repeatedly.

Even if she prefers her eldest son, this younger son is still her own flesh and blood. Now, for the sake of a woman, she has brought herself to this state...

Why bother?

She wanted to tell Xie Linyuan several times that Su Muying was still alive, but seeing his current state made her truly terrified.

He survived this time, but if he did something crazy for that woman again later, would he still be alive?

Well, that's how it is now. At least I've been saved. Let's not dwell on the past.

Xie's mother didn't say anything, thinking that as time went on, he would forget about the woman.

The matter at hand is more urgent.

Everyone was waiting for Xie Linyuan, the commander, to appear.

The imperial army has already attacked. They should have taken advantage of their winning streak and high morale to launch a full-scale attack, advance northwards, and thus conquer the capital city.

But that breath caught in the throat.

If Xie Linyuan, the commander-in-chief, does not appear when the army attacks, the morale of the troops will surely collapse. However, given his current injuries, it is uncertain whether he can survive if he goes to the battlefield like this.

After being treated by the military doctor and having his wounds treated and bandaged, Xie Linyuan put on his armor.

The stench of blood lingered, and his aura was colder than before. His former arrogant and ferocious spirit had gradually disappeared, seemingly subdued into a more somber deathly aura.

The phrase "walking dead" is now perfectly embodied in him.

But Xie Linyuan is still Xie Linyuan.

In the hearts of the soldiers he led, he was a god of war.

The moment he appeared, the moment he stood in armor, riding a warhorse, sword in hand, the morale of the army, which had just begun to crumble, immediately rallied, and they all roared with excitement:

"General! General!"

"General! General!"

Xie Linyuan raised his long sword, its sharp, cold light flashing across the gloomy sky. At his command, the war drums sounded, and morale soared.

No matter how many schemes or tricks Wu Zizhuo used, he was no match for Xie Linyuan, a man who had truly fought his way through the battlefield.

Xie Linyuan's current position as a general and his status in the army he leads are all earned through countless battles fought with his own flesh and blood.

Wu Zizhuo had spent a long time in the capital, dealing with various powerful figures, and was indeed out of practice on the battlefield, as were the soldiers he led.

All the skilled soldiers of the Great Liang were under Xie Linyuan's command.

In this battle, the commander-in-chief charged into the enemy ranks first, instantly igniting the fighting spirit of all the soldiers.

They all raised their weapons and shouted in unison, "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Unsurprisingly, the battle resulted in a crushing defeat for the opposing side, and Xie Linyuan's silver armor was once again soaked in crimson blood.

Wu Zizhuo was completely powerless against Xie Linyuan.

Xie Linyuan swung his sword, and sparks flew from the impact. Wu Zizhuo's warhorse knelt down, and he fell to the ground, rolled to his feet, and Xie Linyuan's blood-soaked sword came down again.

Wu Zizhuo was sweating profusely; the weapon he was using to defend himself had already developed cracks.

He was adept at using tricks and schemes, but on the real battlefield, those tricks and schemes were useless.

In terms of combat command ability, he is indeed no match for Xie Linyuan.

However, when it comes to calculating human nature...

Just as Xie Linyuan slashed down again, cleaving his sword in two, Wu Zizhuo smiled slightly. Amidst the sounds of swordplay, the neighing of horses, and the shouts of men, Wu Zizhuo said:

Do you know why Su Muying perished in the fire?

These words seemed like a curse. In this battlefield filled with the clash of swords and the flying of flesh, Xie Linyuan actually stopped, and his bloodshot eyes seemed to turn into two huge blood holes.

There is no focus whatsoever.

Qingshan, who was not far away, quickly noticed the abnormality and hurriedly shouted to Chen Ling, "Chen Ling! The general is in danger! Go quickly!"

Upon seeing this, Wu Zizhuo knew... that his initial judgment was indeed correct...

Xie Linyuan will die sooner or later because of that woman.

As expected, as expected...

Wu Zizhuo's smile deepened as he continued, "Brother Xie, it's all because of you..."

"She never loved you. She loved your brother. You tormented her to the point of wishing she were dead. She hated you to the core, but couldn't get rid of you, so she had no choice but to end her life with a fire..."

"Brother Xie, don't you understand... she died because of you."

"Because of you, she set herself on fire..."

"Burn you and her child too..."

"Xie Linyuan, you killed her with your own hands, and you also killed your child..."

"Hahaha, tell me, what use is it for you to be a general?"

"That's terrible."

Wu Zizhuo's words pierced through the surrounding sounds of battle and fighting, landing precisely in Xie Linyuan's ears.

This was Wu Zizhuo's scheme; though despicable, it was indeed effective...

He did succeed.

These words, once they reached Xie Linyuan's ears, were like killing someone without any ulterior motives, or destroying their very soul.

Xie Linyuan froze, his pupils widening suddenly, the bloodshot color spreading like a spider web, and drops of bloody tears seeping from his once affectionate peach blossom eyes.

He felt as if he had returned to that room.

He lay there on the cold ground again, watching helplessly as the girl died time and time again.

Watching her cry, crying as she told him how scared she was, how much it hurt, how afraid she was of the dark...

She was begging him, begging him to let her go...

He watched her wither away, lifeless, until finally…

He was indeed the one who killed her.

He broke off the flower and then roughly crushed it.

She was so fragile; he never felt a shred of pity for her.

He killed her...

Xie Linyuan was once again trapped in that inescapable inner demon.

On the battlefield, even a moment's distraction can be fatal.

Wu Zizhuo had planned this all along.

Taking advantage of the moment, he raised his hand, and rows of archers appeared behind him, firing arrows in unison at Xie Linyuan.

An arrow pierced his chest.

Then came two arrows, three arrows...

Upon seeing this, Qingshan and Chen Ling were truly enraged. They shouted and fought their way through, rushing towards their general.