Chapter 39 "Do you want me to die, or do you want me to...?"

He was actually begging her to kill him.

As his hoarse words reached her ears, Su Muying watched the bright red blood flow from the hilt of the knife into her fingers, coiling around them like a snake, and her eyes widened.

Her hand holding the knife handle was still trembling.

Su Muying never imagined that killing someone... even stabbing a knife into flesh and watching the blood slowly stain her skin, watching the glaring blood redden her hands, would be such a terrifying and frightening thing.

She... she can't kill anyone.

She can't do it, she really can't...

Moreover, she cannot kill Xie Linyuan.

Xie Linyuan cannot die.

He cannot die.

If he dies, all her plans today will have been in vain, and her trip will have been for nothing.

Su Muying tried her best to calm herself down, gripping the knife tightly, waiting for Wu Zizhuo to speak.

Is this still not enough?

Wu Zizhuo, do you really want her to kill him?

No.

If he wanted to kill him, he would have done it long ago and wouldn't have waited until now. Right now, Xie Linyuan is more useful to him than Xie Linyuan is dead.

He did this to test her.

To test whether what she said was true or false.

She couldn't hesitate...

With this thought in mind, Su Muying managed to steady her mind, which was on the verge of collapse, and forced herself not to loosen her grip on the blood-stained hilt of the knife.

Wu Zizhuo, who was not far away, saw this scene. From his perspective, he saw Su Muying holding a knife and stabbing it into Xie Linyuan's chest.

He laughed, his fox-like eyes narrowing, brimming with pleasure and smugness, but...

That's not enough.

He did see Su Muying plunge the knife into Xie Linyuan's chest, and he saw blood flowing from Xie Linyuan's chest, but... he also saw Su Muying hesitate for a moment.

At this moment, time seems to have slowed to the point of standing still.

The entire camp was shrouded in a thick stench of blood, and also in an eerie silence.

The dripping sound of blood and Xie Linyuan's increasingly slow breathing seemed to overlap; he was bleeding.

Xie Linyuan smiled, his peach blossom eyes, which were lowered and looking at the woman in front of him, were red as if they were soaked in blood. He saw her trembling, her fear, her terror, and he also saw the tears on her eyelashes.

But he also knew clearly that her fear and dread, her hesitation and reluctance, were not because he was Xie Linyuan, but simply because she was too compassionate and soft-hearted. She was afraid of blood, afraid of killing, and did not want to kill.

ha……

Should he be happy?

He should be happy.

If it weren't for her compassion and soft heart, she wouldn't have brought him home that day...

He would never have the chance to be by her side.

That's enough.

Xie Linyuan looked at Su Muying, who was trying her best to remain calm but couldn't help trembling. His eyes drooped slightly, and a bitter smile appeared on his face. He lowered his head, moved closer to her ear, and spoke very softly and gently.

"Ying'er, don't hesitate, and don't be soft-hearted."

"Don't be afraid, just lower the knife an inch, I won't die."

But in reality, he was already at his limit. No matter where the knife went in his chest, any deeper would be fatal.

Her burning breath made her earlobes turn bright red. Hearing his words, Su Muying looked up in a daze and saw Xie Linyuan's eyes, which were like spring water, filled with a hint of a smile.

He has probably never been this gentle before.

Tell her gently, tell her not to be soft-hearted.

Let her stab the knife.

But will he really not die?

But Su Muying had no time to think.

Su Muying knew that Wu Zizhuo's patience would soon run out, and if she didn't continue, neither she nor he would survive today.

Then, in the next moment, Su Muying swallowed hard, closed her eyes, and thrust her trembling hand forward.

It was that sound again, the sound of a blade piercing flesh, amplified clearly in her ears. Though faint, it sounded like thunder to her.

This time, however, blood splattered onto her face.

A few drops even landed on her lips; she licked them, and they tasted sweet and metallic blood.

It's blood.

Xie Linyuan couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

Large swathes of thick, red blood dripped down, and when it landed on Su Muying's already blood-soaked palms, the scorching, bloody temperature became unbearable for her.

She didn't even dare to look up at Xie Linyuan.

"Don't be afraid, Ying'er."

"I'm sorry... Yes, I scared you..."

"Don't be afraid..."

His voice was broken and intermittent, as tattered as a leaky burlap sack. He was telling her not to be afraid, but as soon as he opened his mouth, thick blood kept dripping down his chest, which was also bleeding profusely.

Su Muying stared blankly at the bright red blood on the back of her hand. Suddenly, she gasped for breath. Just as she released her grip on the knife handle, Wu Zizhuo's loud laughter, accompanied by clapping, rang out.

"Alright, this general believes Miss Su."

He witnessed Su Muying plunge the knife into Xie Linyuan's chest and saw Xie Linyuan's gruesome state of bleeding profusely. He feared Xie Linyuan was barely clinging to life and would die if she stabbed him again.

That's enough.

He still has a use for Xie Linyuan's life.

Su Muying quickly withdrew her hand and took a step back.

She lowered her head, constantly wiping the blood from her palms, and without warning, a tear fell.

Su Muying was stunned for a moment.

Xie Linyuan saw it.

He raised his hand, trembling and convulsing, as if wanting to touch her, but just before he could touch her, he lowered his hand again.

"General Xie is truly devoted, what a pity..." Wu Zizhuo said leisurely, then turned to Su Muying, "In that case, I would like to invite Miss Su to have a chat."

Su Muying snapped out of her daze, and almost in fear of him, she took two steps back and turned to leave.

She never looked up at him.

——

Su Muying presented the defense map, which was indeed a very realistic one.

The arrangement of the troop deployment above is indeed reasonable, and can even be described as ingenious. The places where heavy troops should be deployed are heavily defended, and the places where troops should be reduced are reduced. The number of troops in each place, whether they are infantry or cavalry, and even the locations of trenches and traps are clearly marked.

Every city is.

Such a defense map was undeniably convincing. Coupled with Su Muying's tearful performance just now, which genuinely stabbed Xie Linyuan, the undeniable blood and wound convinced Wu Zizhuo that this defense map was indeed the ten-city defense map that Su Muying had stolen from Anzhou.

You have to understand, if she didn't truly hate Xie Linyuan as she claimed, why would she have stabbed him in the back?

That cut could be fatal.

Isn't that hatred?

However, Wu Zizhuo was too arrogant. Xie Linyuan had been leading troops in battle for many years, which made him different from Wu Zizhuo, a general who only talked about war on paper.

Fighting a war relies on real combat experience, not on empty talk or court intrigues.

Some hidden fortresses and key defensive areas are not marked on the defense map.

To convince others, one must blend truth and falsehood, and the hidden fortress is the key to turning the tide of battle.

After Su Muying presented the defense map, just in case, Wu Zizhuo immediately summoned his generals to discuss the map together.

After some discussion and confirming the authenticity of the defense map, Wu Zizhuo seemed to have released a pent-up feeling from the past few days. He immediately held a banquet and started drinking with his entourage.

It was as if they had won a great victory, and taking these ten cities would be a piece of cake.

Su Muying put on another show at the banquet. Besides crying and pleading for their help, she also flattered them, saying that they would definitely win a great victory.

Hearing this made them feel elated, and they drank even more recklessly.

When they were all drunk and practically slumped over the table, Su Muying left the tent.

She was going to find the granary.

There were patrolling soldiers along the way. She moved around using Wu Zizhuo's name. Their general held a banquet in the camp, and she was treated as an honored guest. Naturally, no one dared to stop her.

The wind was strong that night, and in the darkness, her dress was billowing in the wind. Su Muying took out a tinderbox that she had hidden beforehand and threw it out.

——

A banquet was held in the camp, sweeping away the previous dejected atmosphere and also to boost morale. Apart from the guards and patrolling soldiers, everyone was drinking and eating meat, as if they were holding a victory celebration in advance.

The generals were drinking, so the guards relaxed their guard. Moreover, the people inside had been beaten so badly that the stench of blood was so strong that they couldn't even open their eyes. They were probably just hanging on by a thread.

There's no need to guard him; that person can't escape anyway.

Therefore, outside Xie Linyuan's tent, the two soldiers guarding him kept yawning, behaving lazily, and muttering curses.

"You know what, this guy really lives up to his reputation as General Xie, the God of War. He's endured so much torture and he's still alive, he's really tough. He's not even human, he's made me stay here and can't even have a drink!"

He even spat after saying that.

"Who says otherwise? These bones are really tough. They survived so much torture. No wonder we've been attacking them for years without success."

"That's enough. We were just dragged here to the battlefield. How can we compare to those soldiers guarding the border? General Xie has fought in real battles. It's said that all the generals under his command were trained by him. He and his generals and soldiers have risked their lives together, and his men are loyal to him. Now that their general has been tortured like this by our general, he might not even die. They will definitely come for revenge later, and there will definitely be a fierce battle."

One of them yawned again, almost dropping his weapon: "What does this have to do with us? If you can't beat them, just run away. Take our general, for example, he's barely fought a few battles. How can he compare to General Xie? I heard he used some underhanded tricks to capture this guy. It makes sense, otherwise how could he have captured Xie Linyuan?"

"How were you captured? Tell me quickly, I've been wondering about that too. Even in remote areas of Anzhou, there are always soldiers stationed nearby. How did our general manage to capture you?"

"From what I've heard, it seems to be related to the young lady who came today. They say that General Xie, who kills without hesitation, was betrayed by a woman, which led to his capture by our general and his current predicament..."

“I just glanced at that woman, and I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful before. She doesn’t seem like a person from this mundane world.”

"It's true that heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman. General Xie is no exception. Look at him, he's about to lose his life because of a woman. I just saw him, he was no longer human, he was truly living a life worse than death..."

"If you ask me, that's true. It would be better to just give them a quick death..."

...

The two soldiers guarding the area were talking back and forth, not like they were guarding someone, but more like they were chatting.

Su Muying listened to a few words from the shadows, her eyes lowered and her mind wandering for only a moment before she walked up. Her voice was filled with laughter, sounding both charming and alluring, enough to melt anyone's bones.

"You two have worked hard. It's chilly at night. Why don't you have a drink to warm up? It'll keep you alert while you keep watch."

Su Muying handed over two cups of wine, walked to Xie Linyuan's tent, and said this to the two soldiers guarding it.

Su Muying spoke softly and gently, her tone filled with concern. With her stunningly beautiful face, she smiled sweetly at the two of them, making the guards in front of her feel dizzy. They quickly took over.

"I have a few words to say to the person inside, and I would be grateful if you two brothers could make an exception for me." Su Muying frowned slightly, her voice pleading, "You see, the person inside is so badly injured that he can't escape. And you two brothers are so valiant. With you two guarding outside, he will surely be safe."

After Su Muying finished speaking, the two men drank the wine in one gulp and were completely dizzy. They quickly ushered her in: "Please come in, Miss. You are an honored guest of our general. We will stand guard outside. If that man goes crazy, just give him a shout."

Although the two men bowed respectfully, they still couldn't help but steal glances at Su Muying.

She was so beautiful that just a glance would make anyone lose their mind, leaving no room to think about her motives.

Moreover, I heard that General Xie was captured because of this woman, and this woman even presented their general with a defense map, which clearly shows that she hates General Xie very much. I suppose nothing will happen to her.

And so, the two of them let Su Muying in.

"Thank you both, brothers." Su Muying bowed gracefully and thanked the two men, who were so captivated that they quickly made way for her.

Su Muying entered the tent, and the stench of blood filled the air. Her eyes were momentarily disoriented, and when she opened them again, they seemed to be tinged with red by the blood.

As the red in her eyes deepened, Su Muying walked towards Xie Linyuan.

Xie Linyuan was still tied to the rack, his head bowed low, blood stained a section of his neck, and his whole body was covered in bloodstains so sharp that it was hard to open one's eyes. He looked as if he had just been beheaded and had been slowly tortured to death.

But Su Muying knew he wasn't dead.

He is still alive.

Amidst the dripping sound of blood, she could hear his rising and falling breaths, with an occasional rapid, heavy gasp standing out like the dying struggle of a wild beast.

Moreover, amidst the heavy, viscous smell of blood, she could also strangely detect a faint, yet distinct, scent emanating from him, mixed with the chill of wind and snow.

In the past, she would tremble with fear whenever she smelled it, or even when the scent brushed against her skin.

But she didn't today.

She stood a step away from him, looked up at Xie Linyuan's mangled body, and without trembling, fear, or terror, calmly asked him:

"Xie Linyuan."

Do you want to live or die?

"Ying'er." Xie Linyuan smiled, looking at her through the misty water. He blinked and chuckled softly, "That depends on you."

"Whether you want me to die or live, it's up to you."

Su Muying did not answer his question.

The moment he finished speaking, a deafening shout suddenly rang out from outside the tent:

"Fire! Fire!"

"The granary is on fire!"

"Fire! Put it out!"

Amidst the chaotic shouts, Su Muying looked directly into his eyes, staring intently at him, and said:

"I want you to return to Anzhou and continue being your general."

"Xie Linyuan."