Chapter 1088: What Do You Know About Loyalty to the Emperor? (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Bones, all bones!

Wu Xian had seen all sorts of storms in his life, but the hellish scene before him was something he had never witnessed before. Piles of bones covered the entire battlefield, so dense that there was nowhere to even step.

The corpses of tens of thousands of fallen soldiers dotted the landscape, the air thick with the nauseating stench of blood, and the embers of flames combined with the bodies to create a bizarre, burnt smell, a scene of utter desolation.

Has this battle ended?

No, it's just the beginning.

As the skeleton warriors retreated to the strains of "Soul Crossing," the battle between Kang and Gao officially began. Shen Tang lost count of how many times she played "Soul Crossing," and when she came to her senses, a profound emptiness overwhelmed her like a tidal wave. Her flute slipped from her hand, her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed to the ground, but just before her knees touched the cold, hard floor, a pair of strong hands caught her shoulders.

Shen Tang closed her eyes weakly and said, "Wu Hui, I'm fine."

She was weak several times, and Chu Yao and a few others were usually there for her.

This time should be the same, but unexpectedly a rough and gruff male voice came from beside him. Qian Yong deliberately raised his voice and said in a sarcastic tone, "Alas, this humble general is not Chu Shangjun, and has disappointed the lord."

Although Qian Yong had no ambition for the emperor's favor, he was still very unhappy about being admitted to a mistake. Over the years, he had been diligent and conscientious, always on duty on time, never late or leaving early, and rarely taking leave. He spent 365 days a year helping the unreliable General Chu Jie manage the Tian Shu Guard. He had done his best, even if he hadn't made any great contributions.

As a result, I was so inconspicuous that I was mistaken for someone else!

What, does Chu Yao have only a few trusted confidants in the entire Kang Kingdom?

Is he just a beast of burden?

Shen Tang suddenly opened her eyes and turned to meet Qian Yong's gaze.

Only then did Qian Yong notice how pale Shen Tang's lips were, her cheeks almost bloodless, her steps unsteady, her breath faint, and she barely managed to stand with his help. To put it bluntly, if someone were to stab her at this moment, Shen Youli would undoubtedly suffer a fatal wound. Qian Yong coughed twice, suppressing the hypothetical scenario that surfaced in his mind: "Lord Chu, leading the central army, will join forces with the flanks led by Attendant Ning and others to pursue the main force of the Gao Kingdom. If nothing unexpected happens, the outcome should be decided within two days."

Our side has a greater than 90% chance of winning.

Whether it will be a major victory, a minor victory, or a decisive battle depends on how many of Gao's elite troops can be defeated this time. Under normal circumstances, Qian Yong felt that another day of fighting would be enough. However, this time both sides have suffered a sharp decline in strength, and the imbalance between civil and military affairs has led to an awkward situation where both sides are like novice fighters pecking at each other, so this battle will naturally drag on for longer.

In the end, it all comes down to individual will.

Shen Tang remained silent, continuing to look at him with her eyes.

As a shrewd man, Qian Yong was adept at reading people's expressions and said with displeasure, "...The words of scholars are too subtle and profound; this humble general is not yet familiar with them."

This is a rather convincing way of putting it.

In reality, it made little difference whether Qian Yong accompanied the army or not, so he was left behind to look after Shen Tang and ensure her safety. Qian Yong's old face was long and drawn, and Shen Tang didn't recognize him, causing her mood to plummet. Shen Tang, considerate of Qian Yong's feelings, didn't expose him.

After a while, a strange trickle of tiny streams of literary energy suddenly emerged from his depleted dantian. Turning to look at the source, Qian Yong awkwardly put down his hand seals: "Isn't this... better than nothing?"

Shen Tang didn't have the strength to speak at the moment.

She cleared her mind of distractions and sat down to meditate and regulate her breathing.

She prepared to regain half of her literary energy, allowing her weak limbs to regain strength before stopping. Seeing her enter a meditative state, Qian Yong rose and ordered the remaining two thousand royal guards to strengthen patrols and vigilance. In these extraordinary times, not even a stranger's mosquito could be overlooked! If the lord were injured under his nose, wouldn't Chu Wuhui and the others skin him alive?

Qian Yong had no desire to clash head-on with these cunning and scheming officials, especially Chu Yao and Ning Yan. In all his life, Qian Yong had never seen such fierce and ruthless scholars. While others were restrained by the inversion of literary and martial arts, these living devils seemed to have broken some kind of seal, charging into battle with a ferocity even more reckless than martial arts masters. Qian Yong was terrified by their bloodthirsty appearance.

Shen Tang did not enter the Literary Palace during this meditation.

She had only been meditating for a short while when she heard a series of strange whimpering sounds. Opening her eyes, she instinctively pushed herself up and was surprised to find that her body was excessively light, like a goose feather, and could be carried three or five feet away by a mere gust of wind. Shen Tang quickly realized that something was wrong.

Qian Yong was less than ten feet away from him.

He woke up on his own, so there's no reason why he wouldn't react.

Shen Tang looked down at her hands, her gaze passing through the transparent fabric to see herself still standing there. Was she... having an out-of-body experience? The thought had barely formed when her soul began to float uncontrollably upwards. Confirming that she was still connected to her body, and having a premonition that she could return at any time, Shen Tang's anxious heart finally settled. She then guided her soul to circle around the vicinity.

She didn't dare run too far.

This area is quite lively.

There were at least a hundred "people" dressed as soldiers of the Kang State. They were covered in blood and had wounds of all sizes. Some had half of their heads cut off by sharp weapons, exposing their brains, and some even had their eyeballs popped out and hanging on their faces.

They stood there, stunned.

Their bodies lay on the ground.

Shen Tang floated over, but they didn't react.

A look of pity flashed in her eyes, and she sighed, "Go to the afterlife."

The transparent warrior closest to her finally reacted, turning its head from an upward tilt to a level gaze, its only remaining good eye empty and dark. Shen Tang said, "Go to the afterlife. Your family and relatives will be properly taken care of by the royal court. They will not let you die in vain."

As she spoke these words, the last remaining gaze of the soldier gradually focused, his pupils becoming dark, bright, and clear, as if he were a living person.

This time, the soldier remained silent.

He simply nodded and smiled at Chen Tang.

A fist-sized ball of white light slowly descended from the sky, landing on Wu Zu's brow and smoothing away his gruesome wound. In just three breaths, Wu Zu's body transformed from translucent into countless specks of light, riding on invisible wisps of green smoke, slowly drifting into the sky.

Upon witnessing this scene, Shen Tang vaguely understood something.

A thousand thoughts mingled into a single sigh.

Do not speak of the glory of being enfeoffed as a marquis, for the success of one general is built upon the bones of ten thousand.

How high are the mountains of corpses behind the kings, nobles, generals and ministers?

Even the parties involved themselves probably can't explain it clearly.

Shen Tang wasn't in a hurry to return to her body. She sat down cross-legged, reciting the "Soul Crossing" melody in her mind, wishing she had a short flute in her hand. As soon as the thought arose, her right hand conjured a white jade short flute. Although it was called white jade, its texture felt more like bone.

Without thinking much about it, she played "Soul Crossing" again.

This time, she was the only living listener for the "Soul Crossing" ritual; the rest were all lingering obsessions from the battlefield. She played one tune after another, and these tunes of "Soul Crossing" did not deplete her literary energy. Shen Tang was unsure if they would be effective. When Shen Tang played the ninth tune, Qian Yong, who was earnestly protecting Shen Tang, seemed to sense something.

He looked up at the sky and spaced out for a while.

He muttered to himself, "It snows this time of year?"

He seemed to see specks of white snow falling from the sky.

I squinted my nose and opened my eyes again, but the snow scene seemed to have never appeared.

Qian Yong pulled over the nearest soldier and asked, "Has it snowed?"

The soldier asked, puzzled, "Snow? There's no snow right now."

Qian Yong said, "No?"

Was I hallucinating?

This illusion occurred twice more, but it was fleeting. There was no unusual activity from the scouts, so Qian Yong simply assumed he was too tired. Being a literary scholar was no easy task; the flow of literary energy and the content of his words were far more complex than before.

"...I must have seen wrong..."

At the same time, Shen Tang also put away her piccolo.

The battlefield was eerily quiet; no more "souls" were to be seen.

I had just thought that when I was proven wrong.

Shen Tang discovered something hidden at the foot of the mountain, where bones were piled up. The light was very faint, and its color blended perfectly with the surrounding environment; it would be easy to miss without careful observation. She floated over, took a closer look, and fell into an eerie silence at the first glance.

This little girl had a ponytail that just reached her shoulders, wore a white short-sleeved shirt and loose black wide-leg casual pants, and sneakers with a slam dunk split pattern on her feet. Judging from her appearance alone, she looked to be in her early twenties, and her mouth opened and closed.

Shen Tang patted her on the shoulder.

She clutched her head like a frightened bird.

His facial features were contorted with fear.

Shen Tang knew a little lip reading and could barely understand what she was yelling about.

As previously speculated, the third wave of remains was indeed two to three thousand years old. According to the young girl's recollection, she was originally a university student who lived on campus during the lockdown. She had experienced something similar before and quickly got used to it.

Unexpectedly, zombies appeared this time.

Alas, she unfortunately became one of the zombies.

After that, I lived a zombie life wandering around with my classmates. Not two years later, there were earthquakes, tsunamis, and explosions, and not many zombies survived. The world was tough, and even zombies couldn't survive, let alone find food.

She didn't know how much time had passed, nor what had happened during that time. She only knew that one day something suddenly drew her and her companions there, and then there was endless darkness. She only felt a flash of light and darkness before her eyes, and she had traveled through time.

They traveled to an ancient battlefield.

The little girl sobbed, "...Waaah, so much blood... Eyeballs were thrown in my face, brain matter was spraying all over me, and I was only a fist's distance from the owner of the eyeballs... There was also an arm in my mouth, and I even tripped over my head..."

Finally, let me end with a sentence.

Ancient times were so scary, sob sob...

Shen Tang: [...]

Not knowing how to explain to her that this wasn't ancient times but the future, Shen Tang could only wait for her to calm down before telling her the truth. Upon hearing this, the little girl became even more distraught: "You mean... people two or three thousand years from now haven't entered the interstellar age, but instead have fought their way back to the agrarian feudal era? Isn't this ridiculous? Sister, you're actually advising me to reincarnate! How cruel and heartless!"

Shen Tang: [...]

The little girl refused to be reincarnated no matter what.

Shen Tang's patience vanished instantly. Suppressing the urge to forcibly send the person to the afterlife, she said harshly, "Just go reincarnate. Do you think being a wandering ghost is so easy? There are still spots available now; after this, no one will be able to reincarnate anymore."

The little girl pouted: "Nominally a human being, but in reality a beast of burden."

Shen Tang: [...]

Despite her reluctance, the little girl truly couldn't remain in the mortal realm any longer. Shen Tang had agreed, something Shen Tang had refused to do despite her numerous attempts at "soul-crossing" rituals. The little girl also had a premonition of her impending reincarnation, and suddenly grabbed Shen Tang's hand, blurting out rapidly: "Waaah, sister, you know so much, you must be the female lead, right? Whether you're a powerful female lead or a cold-faced, delicate wife washing underwear, I only ask one thing of you: don't embarrass us transmigrated women. My quality of life after reincarnation depends entirely on you!"

Shen Tang stiffly withdrew her hand.

No matter how strong the little girl was, she couldn't overpower her.

She sobbed, "We 21st-century people, though perhaps a bit too martial-minded, have swept civilization back to its roots in one fell swoop, but we must also remember—a life lived without achieving great deeds is a wasted life! Awake, wield power over the world; drunk, rest your head on a beauty's lap!"

The little girl was muttering these things before she disappeared.

"Build high walls, store up grain, and delay declaring yourself king," "It's getting cold, put on a layer of clothing," "Your mandate from Heaven grants you eternal life," "You've all truly caused me so much suffering..." Shen Tang had to admit the little girl was quite interesting: "[What's your major?]"

[Art.]

Shen Tang smiled and said, "Yes, it's a perfect match for your major. If you have talent, you can come work for me in the future, high salary!"

The little girl had now floated above the pile of bones.

He also got a clear look at Shen Tang and that group of fierce-looking soldiers.

Little girl: [...]

These two women look ruthless!

She didn't understand how it could be related to her major.

But before he could ask those questions, he was plunged back into darkness.

Shen Tang floated around the battlefield, making sure there were no stubborn individuals with excessive obsessions, before returning to her physical body. Her eyes opened again, and the protector Qian Yong noticed immediately.

"Is there any news from Wu Hui?" Shen Tang stood up, her limbs still weak, but finally she no longer needed anyone's help.

"Twenty thousand enemies were killed, a great victory."

Qian Yong's eyes gleamed with undisguised joy. If the losses suffered by the Gao Kingdom at the hands of the Skeleton Warriors were taken into account, Gao's casualties had already exceeded half. And if the losses due to inadequate post-battle care were also factored in, Gao had no chance of turning the tide in this battle. Most importantly—

"My lord, Gongxi Chou has captured King Wu Xian of Gao Kingdom alive."

Shen Tang asked in surprise: "Captured alive?"

Capture the enemy's ruler alive?

This is even more difficult than capturing the flag first.

No matter how fierce the battle becomes, the king's guards are always the most elite. Although the Gao Kingdom has suffered more than half its losses, it certainly wouldn't have wiped out all its elite troops at this point. How could Wu Xian possibly allow Gongxi Chou and his men to reach the central army and capture him alive?

Qian Yong's expression turned strange for a moment.

"Yes, capture them alive."

The capture occurred before the defeat of Gao Guo's three armies.

The details are quite dramatic.

Shen Tang: "..."

Shen Tang wasn't the only one speechless and shocked.

Wu Xian never expected things to turn out this way in just two or three days.

Before this battle, he was still full of vigor and high spirits.

He thought that even if he lost, he could escape unscathed, but he never expected to suffer a complete defeat. What's even more ridiculous is that the Gao army was routed and retreated again and again, while he could only watch helplessly.

It wasn't that he didn't want to struggle, but that Gongxi Chou wouldn't give in.

Gong Xichou grabbed him by the neck and wouldn't let go.

Beneath his fingertips was Wu Xian's wildly pounding pulse, his life hanging by a thread. Even if both Gong Xichou and Wu Xian were using the Wenxin Scholar Experience Card, the former's skills would be enough to kill Wu Xian on the spot.

Gong Xichou said, "I advise you not to make any underhanded moves, otherwise, I can't guarantee that my hand won't tremble."

His hands trembled, and his neck broke.

Wu Xian: "..."

He looked at Gongxi Chou, who was standing close at hand, and Gongxi Chou stared back at him coldly. Wu Xian swallowed hard and took a few deep breaths. He finally remembered that the Gongxi Chou brothers had come to deal with the Grand Preceptor, and that saving him and fighting alongside him was just a side effect.

_(:3」∠)_

Sigh, my throat is hoarse again at the end of the month. I feel like I've been getting sick so frequently lately. I don't know if it's because of the temperature fluctuations or because I've caught another cold.

Sigh, everyone please be careful.

(End of this chapter)