Chapter 40 As long as she lives, that's all that matters.

The granary caught fire, and many soldiers were drinking alcohol. By the time the fire was discovered, it had already spread to an uncontrollable extent.

Flames shot into the sky, and since it was a vital grain warehouse, chaos ensued as everyone shouted for help to put out the fire.

Su Muying used her knife to cut the thick rope binding Xie Linyuan, and then took advantage of the chaos to leave the tent.

The soldiers guarding outside the tent drank the wine that Su Muying handed them and all collapsed to the ground.

As night fell and the light dimmed, the remaining sober soldiers were busy putting out the fire, leaving the area undefended.

"Ying'er, follow behind me, don't be afraid."

Xie Linyuan bent down, picked up the blood-soaked red hair ribbon from the ground, tied up his loose hair, and said this to her in a relaxed tone, as if nothing had happened.

Su Muying couldn't help but frown.

Through a few strands of hair falling across his profile, in the dim light, Su Muying looked at his face, which was stained with blood and looked almost eerie. Looking at his blood-covered appearance, her eyes were full of confusion.

She was really puzzled. Did someone like Xie Linyuan not feel pain?

He's already in this state, how can he still tell her not to be afraid?

Does he really think his body is an impenetrable fortress, that he won't die?

Isn't the blood he sheds blood blood?

Looking at Su Muying's confused expression, her brows furrowed and lips pursed, her dirty face scrunched up, yet her eyes were so bright they could dazzle the soul.

They were no longer those dim, withered eyes in the darkness, filled only with fear and terror.

Xie Linyuan's broken heart suddenly trembled violently.

He thought that for that glimmer of light in her eyes, he would gladly suffer a thousand cuts.

Xie Linyuan raised his hand and gently tapped her forehead between her brows with his fingertips, his eyes welling up with tears as he smiled: "Ying'er, I will protect you like my brother, don't be afraid."

The blood from his fingertips stained Su Muying's brow, making it look like a bright red cinnabar dot, highlighting her radiant beauty.

The touch of his fingertips was fleeting, leaving only a burning sensation, very hot.

Su Muying looked up at him, hesitant to speak. She opened her lips as if to say something, but then stopped herself from speaking, her long eyelashes drooping.

Her plan was that after she set fire to the granary, she and he could escape from the military camp in the chaos, with Qingshan and his men waiting outside to meet them.

As long as he and she escape this military camp, that's all that matters.

Outside, chaos reigned. Some were putting out fires, while others, thinking enemy troops were attacking, set fire to the granary and fled in panic. No one paid any attention to what was happening here.

Xie Linyuan's wounds were still bleeding. He could ignore the minor injuries that did not affect vital organs, but he had to stop the bleeding from the more important ones first.

He was covered in blood, his robes were torn by knives and whips, and looked tattered and worn, with hardly a piece of good cloth to be found.

As Xie Linyuan bent down to tear off a piece of his robe to bandage his wound, Su Muying saw this and, without thinking, instinctively reached out and waved her hand in front of him.

His eyes fell upon the clean sleeves, and beneath them, a section of wrist was as flawless as frost and snow, more exquisite than jade.

Xie Linyuan was stunned. Before he could even process what she meant, he stared at the faint knife mark under her sleeve. His thin eyelids twitched violently, and when he looked up again, his peach blossom eyes were tinged with red.

"Does it hurt?" he suddenly asked, his voice very soft, hoarse as if it contained grit and blood, but at the same time, the words were so gentle that they didn't sound like they came from him. They sounded so cautious, and contained a strange sense of self-reproach.

He held her hand, but dared not touch it, as if he were holding a precious treasure that would shatter at the slightest touch.

Su Muying found his reaction a little strange, but he just held her hand and didn't do anything else, so she nodded, staring at him with wide eyes, finding Xie Linyuan's behavior odd.

She answered him honestly, saying only, "It hurts a little, not much."

It did hurt a little, but she couldn't say it didn't hurt at all.

"Don't do this kind of thing again." Xie Linyuan only tore off a small piece, still holding back his strength.

Then, while roughly stopping the bleeding from the wound, sweating profusely, he bit down on the bandage with his teeth and told her, "You can point the knife at others, at me, but don't point it at yourself, understand?"

Su Muying was initially stunned by his rough treatment of her wound, but she was still taken aback when she heard his words.

What does that mean?

But the situation was urgent, so she didn't ask any more questions. She saw Xie Linyuan stop the bleeding in a few places, then turn his head and smile at her: "Alright, let's go, Ying'er."

He spoke lightly, even with a hint of eager excitement in his eyes, as if he were not running for his life, but rather addicted to killing and wanting to go out and slaughter for revenge.

"Don't linger, don't cause any unnecessary trouble, just go." Su Muying pulled him, her big, dark eyes staring at him with a very serious expression.

As she looked into his eyes, Xie Linyuan's bleeding wounds seemed to boil again, but the excitement in his eyes cooled down.

He nodded like a dog obeying its master's command: "Yes, I won't cause any trouble. I'll take you away from here."

"No... I will never let you get hurt again."

When he said the last sentence, there seemed to be a slight tremor in his voice.

Su Muying's long eyelashes fluttered and then drooped again. She hummed in agreement and said, "Let's go. The granary is on fire, and Wu Zizhuo and the others have been drinking. They won't be able to reach us here for a while. Let's take advantage of the chaos to escape from the military camp here. Once we cross the river ahead, Qingshan and the others will be there to meet us. Then we'll be safe."

The fire was growing larger and larger, and shouts outside were deafening as everyone tried to put it out. Although there was wind tonight, which would worsen the fire, there was a river in front of Wu Zizhuo's camp, so they could quickly fetch water to extinguish it. Therefore, they had to hurry.

Not to mention that Wu Zizhuo must have already woken up by now, and by the time he realizes what's happening, it will probably be...

Both of them understood, so after Xie Linyuan finished bandaging his wounds, they left the tent. Xie Linyuan took the sword from the fallen soldier, held the sword in one hand, and took Su Muying's hand in the other.

He gripped her very tightly, so tightly that it seemed he was going to crush her hand, but at that moment, Su Muying knew the situation was urgent, so she didn't move.

"Quick, fetch water! Go fetch water!"

"Damn it, the fire is spreading here!"

"Oh no...they're still locked up here..."

"Quickly report to the general! Quickly report to the general!"

...

When the patrolmen remembered that Xie Linyuan was being held there, they rushed to investigate, only to find that not only were the guards lying on the ground, but the person inside was nowhere to be seen. They immediately shouted for help.

But Su Muying and Xie Linyuan had already left.

——

As Su Muying had envisioned, the initial situation was indeed as described. They took advantage of the chaos to escape and rendezvous with the green mountains outside, thus avoiding any hindrance.

But a crucial question is how they will get out of this military camp.

Enemies are on all sides; if we are exposed, thousands of troops will surround us.

They were in the enemy camp. Although the fire in the granary could buy them some time, their numbers were too great, and putting out the fire was only a matter of time. Their exposure was also only a matter of time.

Su Muying knew, but she still came.

Xie Linyuan was well aware of this, and he had long been prepared to fight to the death.

He didn't care about anything else; he thought that as long as he risked his life to break through and get her out, that would be enough.

As long as she lives, that's enough.

As the night deepened, the towering flames gradually subsided, and the wind stopped. Just as Xie Linyuan and Su Muying reached the gate of the military camp, Wu Zizhuo and his men surrounded them.

Xie Linyuan had just fought his way here with her, and his already exhausted stamina was nearly depleted. The wounds on his body, which were bound by Su Muying's sleeve, were bleeding profusely, staining the snow-white sleeves crimson.

Xie Linyuan breathed heavily, glanced at it, and thought to himself what a pity, this was Ying'er's stuff, and he had dirtied it.

This is all the things Ying'er gave him.

Xie Linyuan had many more wounds on his body, and his white sleeves were completely blood red, but he still held his long sword, the sword light sharp and blood-stained, protecting Su Muying behind him.

He is covered in wounds now, and the pain has numbed his senses. Whether he has one more wound or one less wound makes no difference to him.

With so many fatal wounds already, a few more wouldn't matter.

But he had to get her out of there before he bled dry.

He had to get her out of here no matter what.

Xie Linyuan's expression turned cold. The night wind chilled the blood flowing from his wounds, and he raised his sword again.

The soldiers who had just surrounded him almost instinctively took a step back. The person in front of them was so terrifyingly powerful, with so many wounds on his body. So many people had tried to kill him, but they couldn't! Going forward would only be sending them to their deaths!

But they were soldiers, and could only obey the general's orders. Going forward meant certain death, but if they didn't go forward, they would likely be dealt with by the general's military law immediately and beheaded as a warning to others!

Besides, with so many of them attacking together, with so many people, one slash and another sword, they're bound to kill him eventually! Is he really a god, unkillable?

The group exchanged glances and then crowded around again.

Holding swords, they approached Xie Linyuan, who was covered in blood, step by step, waiting for their general to give orders.

Su Muying was unharmed.

She was protected by Xie Linyuan until this point. Xie Linyuan really protected her tightly. Not only was there no wound on her, but not even a drop of blood was splattered on her.

However, Su Muying witnessed Xie Linyuan's miserable state firsthand.

She watched with her own eyes as he wielded his sword, killing one soldier after another who slashed at him. She also saw him besieged on all sides, ultimately unable to withstand the onslaught. As swords and blades fell, his wounds multiplied, blood splattering everywhere, almost turning into a blood mist.

When swords and knives were aimed at her, he blocked them all.

When he encountered something that a sword couldn't block, he would simply shield her with his body.

Swords and blades slashed at him, drawing blood and impacting his chest and lungs. He couldn't help but vomit blood, his suppressed, painful groans barely audible, as if he didn't want her to hear them. But Su Muying heard them clearly nonetheless.

And these sounds kept amplifying in her ears.

I heard everything.

As Su Muying listened to this, she watched Xie Linyuan shield her from swords time and time again, getting injured for her, his skin torn and bleeding profusely. Each time a sword or blade came down, after blocking it, he would smile and tell her not to be afraid.

This was no longer a matter of being afraid or not; Su Muying's heart was being torn apart, and she felt as if she were being fried in a pan of oil.

She didn't understand why he was doing this.

To atone for sins?

Is he also still bothered by the past and wants her forgiveness to ease his conscience?

If that's the case, Su Muying wanted to say... that's fine.

That's fine.

He doesn't have to do that.

The past is now just a distant memory for her; she only wants to live well in the present, and she only wants Anzhou to be well, and for everyone in Anzhou to be well...

She didn't want to see her parents suffer the same fate again.

Moreover, she didn't want to see Xie Linyuan die in front of her, just like Xie Lin'an.

He died right in front of her.

Because of her, he died in front of her.

She didn't want to...

"You, you can leave..." As Xie Linyuan stared fiercely at the soldiers around him like a wild beast, looking ready to fight to the death, Su Muying's weak voice came from behind him, but it clearly reached his ears.

"Xie Linyuan, whether you want to atone for your sins or to ease your conscience, there's no need for this. I'm here today for Anzhou's sake. Anzhou needs this general. You cannot die, do you understand?"

Does he understand?

What does he need to understand?

Xie Linyuan smiled slightly, his blood-stained face appearing even paler in the night.

"But Ying'er, you have to live."

"Live happily."

"It's not because I want to atone for my sins, but because—"

"I truly believe so."

"You should live happily and joyfully."

"Otherwise, even if I die, my heart will not be at peace."

A dreamlike scene suddenly flashed before his eyes: the girl who bumped into him while holding a branch of flowers on the veranda when they first met; the woman who dozed off under a tree with a book covering her; and Su Muying, who stared at him with those bright eyes...

These images flashed by one by one, as if Heaven were showing him a little mercy as he lay dying.

Xie Linyuan laughed and replied to her in this way.

However, the wound was getting deeper and deeper, his blood was flowing out rapidly, his consciousness was gradually fading, and even the hand holding the sword was trembling slightly.

Cold sweat beaded on Xie Linyuan's forehead. His brows furrowed, and he bit his tongue hard.

The taste of blood spread between his lips and teeth, and more blood oozed from the corner of his mouth.

He wiped his hand away, then gripped his sword tightly, staring coldly at Wu Zizhuo as he walked out of the crowd.

Wu Zizhuo was still holding the so-called defense map of the ten cities that Su Muying had just presented.

At this moment, there was no smile on his face, and his fox-like eyes were gloomy, completely devoid of the elation and determination he had shown just moments before.

"So, Miss Su... you put on this whole show for me?"