Chapter 47 "Until the very last moment."...

Su Muying soon learned about this.

Eighty thousand troops were transferred to the border, and Qingshan led the troops to set off immediately.

Su Muying saw this and felt a sense of unease, already having a bad feeling.

Wu Zizhuo has probably made a move, and the situation is already brewing.

Can Anju be saved?

That evening, after she had coaxed Xiao Nian to sleep, Xie Linyuan arrived.

His wounds seemed to have fully healed, or perhaps he had concealed them well. In any case, he had become the same fierce and ruthless general he always was.

She still wore a red ribbon tied in a high ponytail, dressed in all black, with a strong waist and long legs. When she walked over, she seemed to still carry the dust from the training ground.

Su Muying looked at him through the gauze curtain. His handsome face appeared blurry, as if shrouded in mist. Yet, his cold aura seeped in silently like smoke, clinging to her skin and into her blood.

Su Muying trembled involuntarily. Perhaps it was because her fear of this kind of aura had been ingrained in her bones in the past, but even now, she could not stop the subconscious fear in her body.

Just as Su Muying was about to lean back, a hand with distinct knuckles, seemingly veiled in moonlight, lifted the gauze curtain. She was slightly startled, and in her haste, she saw Xie Linyuan.

I saw his strikingly handsome face.

As always, she was beautiful, handsome, and exuded a cool and alluring charm; for a moment, she almost made one lose their senses.

Xie Linyuan was indeed too beautiful. Under normal circumstances, his sharp and piercing aura could well conceal his appearance, making people feel only fear towards him and not the slightest romantic thoughts.

Su Muying had always felt this way; when she saw his face and his eyes, all she felt was fear and dread.

But now, at this very moment, under the moonlight and the lamplight swaying in the wind, he lowered his head and looked into her eyes, which had become true peach blossom eyes.

He smiled at her, his eyes slightly upturned at the corners, sparkling with tender affection, no longer the bottomless, unfathomable abyss of ice.

Those desires that were once twisted by jealousy, possessiveness, and tyranny have now all become cautious love and fear.

Xie Linyuan... is not the Xie Linyuan of the past.

Is he asleep?

In the moment when Su Muying stared at him in a daze, Xie Linyuan asked this question.

Even as he asked this question, his gaze never left her face, remaining fixed on her bright, sparkling eyes.

Seemingly noticing Su Muying's bewildered gaze, Xie Linyuan's lips curled up, and the smile in his eyes deepened.

Seeing the somewhat inexplicable, childlike smile in his eyes, Su Muying finally realized what was going on.

She was a little annoyed for a moment, but then realized that her annoyance was unfounded. Her face flushed slightly, and she hummed softly in a calm voice.

"Then let him sleep." Xie Linyuan gently touched Xiao Nian'an's face, and then whispered to Su Muying, "Ying'er, I have something to tell you."

Su Muying sensed something was wrong, so she put Xiao Nian aside and got out of bed.

The two walked around the screen and went to the outer room.

The moonlight was beautiful tonight. The two stood by the window, and the moonlight shone through them, casting a silvery glow that seemed like a dream.

Xie Linyuan didn't hide anything from her and told her everything.

“The border must be defended. I have sent Qingshan with 80,000 troops. He has been by my side for many years and fought alongside me. With his troops supporting us, the border cannot be breached.”

Su Muying understood, gave a soft "hmm," and lowered her head without saying anything.

At this time, the Yi tribes, in alliance with various border states, suddenly attacked the border. It must be that Wu Zizhuo colluded with them, wanting to take advantage of Xie Linyuan's absence while he was sending troops to support the border.

Su Muying knew that Xie Linyuan had been training and reorganizing his troops recently and had long planned a counterattack. Now that 80,000 troops had been sent to the border, how much chance of a successful counterattack did he have?

Even without a counterattack, just defending the city, Anzhou has lost 80,000 troops. If Wu Zizhuo takes this opportunity to attack, can Anzhou still hold out?

Upon hearing this, Su Muying knew that this was a dilemma. They had risked their lives to guard the border for so many years, and they could never hand it over to others and allow the barbarians to drive in and slaughter the people.

Anzhou...

What will Xie Linyuan do...?

But she also knew that in this situation, no matter what choice she made, it would be a helpless move.

Su Muying lowered her eyelashes in thought, her brows furrowing unconsciously.

The moonlight fell upon her, making her appear as calm and gentle as a lake.

Xie Linyuan's eyes showed a moment of realization.

He used to be covered in blood, squatting on the ground, unable to reach the distant moon. Now, it is so close that it seems he can touch the bright moonlight as soon as he reaches out.

Can he do it?

Can he...?

Xie Linyuan's long eyelashes drooped involuntarily, and his peach blossom eyes seemed to be bathed in moonlight, becoming hazy and dreamy.

He looked at her, at her serene and peaceful profile, at the moonlight falling on her eyelashes, at her long hair that cascaded like silk over her shoulders and back, held up only by a purple ribbon, and the dreaminess in his eyes deepened.

So he slowly raised his hand.

As he had done many times before, he couldn't help but raise his hand, wanting to touch her.

His hands began to tremble, his slender fingers bending and spasming, the trembling becoming more and more pronounced the closer he got to her strands of hair that were being blown about by the evening breeze.

Su Muying was still deep in thought, completely unaware of Xie Linyuan's actions.

Just as he was about to touch her, as the strands of hair were about to brush against her fingertips, Xie Linyuan seemed to remember something, suddenly stopped, lowered his hand, and bowed his head low.

Su Muying was unaware of his persistent actions, nor the complex emotions swirling within him. Worried about the current situation, she thought for a long time before softly humming in agreement, saying, "Yes, we must send troops to the border. The border cannot be left undefended. If it falls, they can advance unimpeded, and the consequences will be unimaginable..."

But what about Anju?

Su Muying hesitated, her hands clasped tightly together, her fingertips turning white, but she never uttered the question.

She knew that given the current situation, even if they had to abandon Anzhou, it would be a last resort.

Anzhou's terrain is not suitable for defending the city, and with a significant reduction in troop strength, holding it would be extremely difficult.

Cangzhou, located behind Anzhou, is easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it more suitable for defense under these circumstances.

But are we just going to abandon Anzhou like this...?

What should the people of Anju do...?

Will Anju experience another bloodbath...?

Will the people be looted and slaughtered? Will Anju be engulfed in flames that burn for days and nights...?

The fire began to spread in front of her, with flames shooting into the sky. The flames seemed to have burned her as well, and Su Muying trembled violently. Before she could ask about Anzhou, Xie Linyuan's voice reached her ears first.

"Don't worry, Anzhou will not be abandoned."

Upon hearing this, Su Muying abruptly pulled away from the raging fire. She looked up at Xie Linyuan with a start, unaware that her eyes were already brimming with tears.

Xie Linyuan's mind was still racing, but when he saw the tears in her eyes, he panicked.

He bent down to look at her expression and said with utmost seriousness, "I'm not lying to you. We must defend the border, and we will not abandon Anzhou. I will defend Anzhou, I will defend this city..."

In the soft, silvery light, the two looked into each other's eyes, and for a moment their gazes seemed to meet.

It's like the wind blowing through blooming flowers in spring; the wind is warm, and the petals sway gently in the breeze.

However, Su Muying quickly looked away.

His gaze was too intense; his dark eyes were fixed on her without moving, and she feared that she would be burned to ashes by that gaze at any moment.

Xie Linyuan laughed, his reddened peach blossom eyes tilted upwards, and his unique general's spirit swept over him like a whirlwind.

Su Muying heard him say, "Until the very last moment."