Chapter 87 Twin Blood Donation as a Catalyst, Living and Dying Together

Pei Xiaoyun's breath hitched, and a strange sense of panic arose in his heart. He glanced at Lin Xian a few more times and said, "Take him away first."

His men understood his meaning: this young master surnamed Lin was a meritorious messenger, and His Majesty wanted them to escort him safely back to Langzhou.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xian assumed that Pei Xiaoyun would not disrupt the army's marching plans because of a woman and was unwilling to rescue Mingying.

He knelt down again and kowtowed, his forehead turning red from the effort. "This humble subject only begs Your Majesty to send someone to save her!"

Where is she?

He dared not even think about being chased by thieves, alone on horseback.

Pei Xiaoyun ignored his pleas and ordered him to be taken away. Afterward, he flipped through the medical book and gave the antidote that Lin Xian had sent to a trusted general.

"Find a water source, dissolve this medicine powder in water, and the poison will be neutralized. Then send a signal to directly attack the city gate and rendezvous with Shen Mingshu's men."

The Wuhuan people were already at their last gasp; their only remaining weapon was the poison barrier. Once the barrier was removed, the army could sweep through the enemy lines and make them pay for their crimes with their lives.

"Your Majesty, you..." The deputy general hesitated and asked when he saw him mount his horse and turn it around, seemingly not intending to go with the army.

Could it be that His Majesty is really going to personally rescue a woman just because of a few words from that young master Lin?

Pei Xiaoyun's eyes were deep and his silver sword was held close to his body. "You lead the men in first, I will cover the rear."

"Your Majesty, why don't you allow me to lead men to rescue that woman?"

The deputy general was worried; after all, he was the ruler of a country.

Pei Xiaoyun didn't know why hearing that woman's name made him feel unprecedentedly worried.

He immediately rejected the idea, his voice deepening: "I know what I'm doing. Just do as I say."

No one could persuade this decisive emperor, nor did anyone dare to step forward to advise him.

Pei Xiaoyun rode his horse out of the camp and heard a soldier report.

"Your Majesty, Young Master Lin escaped while we were off guard."

Pei Xiaoyun sat high on his horse, frowning. The rosy sunlight reflected in his eyes was swallowed by the bottomless darkness of the pool.

He tightened the reins, spurred the horse, and headed towards the mountains and forests to the east.

The powder was indeed remarkably effective. When dissolved in water and sprinkled into the center of the poisonous barrier, the gray-black dust particles that filled the air slowly dissipated, allowing the army to move forward without hindrance.

With a "whoosh," the signal exploded in the air.

Seeing the flames rising in the sky, Shen Mingshu donned his armor and rallied his fully armed and ready soldiers, shouting, "Follow me and storm the city gates!"

In an instant, yellow sand rose from both sides of the Wuhuan Kingdom's city gate, and the sound of horses' hooves was like the beating of drums.

—

On the mountain path, a figure in white robes could be seen fluttering in the wind. Mingying had a mouthful of cold air, and her internal organs felt frozen solid.

Five or six fast horses were chasing behind him; if he stopped for even a moment, he would be killed without a burial place.

"stop!"

She clenched her horse's belly, her fear not only of death but also the possibility that if she delayed even a moment longer, Lin Xian might be able to deliver the goods. If that happened, and the imperial army breached the city gates, even her death would be worthwhile.

The wind and frost cut away at her face inch by inch like sharp knives, her vision blurred, and she could only hear the wind rushing past her ears.

A lone swallow soars in the sky, it is unknown whether it flies to hide in the mountains and forests or to fly into the homes of ordinary people.

She vaguely remembered seeing a swallow under a tree in her family's yard when she was a child. At that time, she was just an ordinary girl.

She had experienced too much in her life, falling into the abyss of darkness, using her beauty to serve others, and traveling by river and across the country, from south to north, but it seemed that nowhere was her final destination.

At the time, she could never have imagined that her life would be so tumultuous and difficult.

She thought that the ill-fated relationship would eventually end and the road ahead would be smooth, but such days seemed too far away for her.

From a lowly courtesan to a maidservant in a wealthy household, and finally to a respectable commoner, she was timid, humble, and also stood tall.

Even if she dies on the border between the two countries, her body severed from her head, and no one cares, she will have no regrets!

She gasped for breath, blood and foam rising in her throat, tasting a metallic sweetness.

Her facial features were stiff and numb; she didn't even know if she was crying or laughing, whether she was feeling fear or relief.

As they reached the muddy area, the horse's hooves stepped on the loose rocks and suddenly slipped. It raised its neck and neighed loudly. She was pulled down by the force of its weight and fell to the ground under a tree, a sharp pain shooting through her chest.

"Cough cough..."

The man behind her reined in his horse, grabbed her, and with a fierce look in his eyes, demanded, "Where's the stuff?"

The question, of course, was about the antidote.

Mingying's face was covered in mud, and there were specks of blood on her teeth. Her dark eyes held a hint of mockery: "You can all just wait to die."

The man realized it was a diversionary tactic; they had been abandoned by a woman. Instantly, he drew his short blade, his brow furrowed with murderous intent.

Mingying had guessed her fate. She wasn't afraid of death at all; she'd rather die a quick death.

Just as the short blade was about to pierce her heart, it was stopped by another leader.

"Wait, you bastard!"

The leader, named Ning Yimu, seemed to hold some rank in the army. After hearing his words, the man holding the knife put it down.

Do you know who this woman is?

Mingying looked blankly up, then suddenly looked up, her ears ringing.

What do they want to do?

"That ever-victorious general Shen Mingshu, whom the people of the Central Plains have called him, who has repeatedly ruined our plans, is her brother."

The news was relayed back by spies in Langzhou early on.

Ning Yimu glanced at Ming Ying and said sarcastically, "I heard that their emperor also has an ambiguous relationship with this woman."

Mingying's blood was ice-cold, her knuckles were white and bloodless.

If they want to use her to threaten her brother, she might as well be dead.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the gleaming white knife reflecting a sharp, cold light. Taking advantage of the moment when these people were relaxed and gathered together to discuss something, she used all her strength to break free from the arms that were holding her and lunged towards the tip of the knife.

Before the knife even touched his chest, he was pulled back by a strong force and slammed heavily to the ground.

"Want to die?" Ning Yimu took out a bottle from his body, poured out a white pill, pried open her mouth, and forcibly stuffed it into her mouth. The pill slid down her throat and was swallowed.

Mingying didn't know what she had swallowed. She clutched her chest and gasped for breath, feeling as if a hand was churning inside her, making her nauseous.

"What...what is this..." Her pupils lost their color, and her whole body trembled.

She knew that the Wuhuan people were skilled at making and refining poisons, and being fed unknown substances by them was more torturous than being killed.

Ning Yimu shook the last pill in the bottle, his eyes flashing with a fierce light as he stared at her.

Back then, his brother died by Shen Mingshu's knife, and his body could not even be found. Now that his sister has been captured, how could he not seek revenge!

Moreover, news had already arrived that the Central Plains army had breached their city gates. Thinking of the hatred for the destruction of his country, his knuckles clenched tightly: "I gave this poison a fine name in your Central Plains language: Twin. You've taken one pill, and there's another. Guess who will save you more, your elder brother or your Emperor?"

If two people ingest this poison at the same time, the poison will flare up simultaneously once a month, and when it does, they will both suffer excruciating pain, as if their hearts and livers have been torn apart.

They can concoct an antidote, but the antidote alone is not enough. They need to use the victim's blood as a catalyst to mix with the antidote in order to alleviate the symptoms.

If a person doesn't take the medicine, they can only rely on their willpower to survive the poisoning. Each time they survive, they will consume their vital energy and lifespan.

The best solution would be for the two to exchange blood as a medicinal ingredient, thus sharing both life and death.

But he just wanted to see if the blood ties and loyalty that the people of the Central Plains talked about were just empty words.

Could this woman's brother be so heartless as to use his own sister's blood to make medicine? Would the emperor of the Central Plains be willing to give up the blood of his beloved woman to save himself?

Thinking of this, his eyes gleamed with a strange light, and his features relaxed with excitement.

Seeing his twisted and terrifying expression, Mingying knew that he had swallowed the poison meant to threaten his brother.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, her jaw twitched slightly, as if she had been struck on the heart, and her whole body trembled.

Someone stepped forward and whispered, "General, one of them is a famous general from the Central Plains, and the other is the emperor. Would they really retreat for a mere woman?"

"Either way, it's the same as death." Ning Yimu narrowed her eyes slightly.

The Central Plains army breached the city gates; they had no way out.

His face hardened: "I want to see just how much this woman means to them, and how far they'll go."

Mingying attempted suicide but failed. Her hands were bound, a wad of cloth was stuffed in her mouth, and her fists were clenched so tightly that the cracking of her knuckles could still be heard.

She really wanted to tear them to pieces!

"Take her away and back to the city."

Both city gates had long since fallen, but they had a secret passage back to the city.

Lin Xian ran wildly along the east road. He was a scholar, his hair and hat were disheveled, his clothes were dirty, and he was in a sorry state.

He only delivered the medical books and medicine to fulfill her last wish; otherwise, he would never have gone against her wishes and abandoned her.

Now that the supplies have been delivered, and since His Majesty refuses to save her, he cannot simply sit idly by and wait for his death. If anything happens to her, he will never be able to forgive himself for the rest of his life.

He chased after her in the direction she rode away, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, so much so that he could barely hear his own breathing.

Finally, he saw five or six fast horses galloping ahead and stopping in front of a hidden stone cave. He hid behind a tree to investigate.

The stone cave was covered with green leaves, like a dense curtain of grass, which were cut down by knives in mid-air. The woman being pushed and shoved by them was Mingying.

Seeing that she was still unharmed, he was shocked and his breathing became disordered.

He took a step forward and crept up quietly. When he got close, he only heard the sound of the stone door slowly closing, and the person had already disappeared.

Is this a passage? Where are they taking her?

He was about to go forward to investigate when suddenly two armored soldiers with swords came out. Just as he was wondering what to do, one of the two men gave the other a few instructions and went back into the cave.

With only one person left guarding the entrance, he used the bushes for cover, quietly circled around to the man's back, picked up a heavy stone, and smashed it against the man's head.

Before the soldier could react, his head was already bleeding profusely, and he was knocked unconscious.

Lin Xian's hands trembled, his palms still stained with blood. Seeing the man faint, he dragged him to the bushes and hastily covered him up. He then stripped off the man's armor and put it on, tucked the curved sword, a weapon used by the Wuhuan people, into his waistband, disguised himself as an ordinary soldier, and strode into the cave.

—

Pei Xiaoyun chased after him alone, but the mountains and forests were deserted and he was too late.

He thought of Lin Xian's words, which meant that Ying was probably in danger. His temples throbbed, and a surge of emotion welled up in his heart, which he tried his best to suppress.

A voice kept telling him in his mind: He had to find her!

He was about to continue his pursuit when he heard the heavy sound of hooves behind him; soldiers were riding up to catch up with him.

He turned his horse around and heard a loud voice: "Your Majesty, we followed General Shen into the city gates, and the enemy was no threat at all, but General Shen..."

Pei Xiaoyun frowned, a bad feeling rising in her heart: "What's wrong with Shen Mingshu?"

Shen Mingshu was brave and skilled in battle, and he trusted him completely, never considering the possibility that something might go wrong on his end.

The pursuing soldiers urgently reported: "The enemy has captured General Shen's sister, forcing General Shen to retreat to the outside of Cuifeng Pass. General Shen has already led his troops to the city gate, where they are locked in a stalemate with the enemy."

Pei Xiaoyun was suddenly stunned, feeling as if her heart was being pierced by an awl, and her brows furrowed in extreme pain.

Without hesitation, he pulled hard on the reins and rode back.

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Author's Note: Tomorrow's episode is going to be super exciting! [crying emoji][crying emoji]