Chapter 1037 is about my father...

This glance sent a shiver down Lei Yu's spine, and he subconsciously sensed something.

Then the soldier said, "The battle in Luoyang is fierce. After Yuwen Ye captured Dagu and Huanyuan Pass, the soldiers in the other passes and towns were in chaos. Just a few days ago, the soldiers of Xiaopingjin Pass killed the garrison commander and surrendered to Dasheng."

"...!"

These words struck Lei Yu like a thunderbolt from the sky, hitting him squarely on the head.

She seemed completely empty, standing there blankly, speechless for a moment.

The guards on Shang Ruyi's side were overjoyed to hear this news. Before setting off, they had already heard about the Qin King's battle in Luoyang, in which he successfully captured several passes in the eight capital cities, achieving remarkable military exploits. They never expected that he would not even need to personally fight at the important Xiaopingjin Pass. Under the weight of his imposing presence, the soldiers guarding the pass surrendered on their own.

Isn't this divine intervention for a great success?

Li Miao and Gao Chen, along with the other young people, exchanged glances and even excitedly whispered, "Great!"

While one side remained indignant and the other side was jubilant, Shang Ruyi fell silent.

At that moment, she felt an indescribable unease, as if a huge net had suddenly fallen from the sky, enveloping her completely, making it difficult to even breathe and feel her heartbeat. She took a deep breath, but still felt her chest was bound, unable to relax. She could only squeeze out a few words from her throat and ask the soldier, "Who is the garrison commander of Xiaopingjin Pass?"

"Yes, my father..."

A hoarse, low voice rang out. Lei Yu slowly turned his head, his pale face devoid of any life, and his eyes had lost all light. He glanced at Shang Ruyi with his dark pupils.

One glance was enough to make her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave, her limbs and body instantly turning cold.

Wo Xue, who was protecting Shang Ruyi, also gasped at this moment.

The garrison commander of Xiaopingjin Pass was none other than Lei Yu's father, Lei Yi?!

Shang Ruyi clenched her fists tightly, but at this moment, looking into Lei Yu's dark eyes, she felt her whole body go empty. She couldn't feel her fingers at all, and she couldn't even feel her own body. There was only an indescribable pain surging from all directions.

She took another deep breath, but didn't know where that breath went.

She said, "Lei Yu..."

After calling out her name, Shang Ruyi's throat tightened, though she had so much to say—was all of this a lie? Could all of this be a lie? If Yuwen Ye had known that Lei Yi was the general guarding Xiaopingjin Pass, he might not have launched a fierce attack; he would have devised a foolproof plan to outwit him.

But just thinking about it made her heart turn completely cold.

Indeed, whether considering the war situation, their old acquaintance with the Lei family, or even just the possibility that Liang Shide would send reinforcements from Luoyang if Xiaopingjin Pass were to be attacked again after losing the previous passes such as Dagu and Huanyuan, it is unlikely that Yuwen Ye would use the aforementioned methods to attack Xiaopingjin Pass.

The most likely scenario is that he would use the fact that he and Lei Yi were old acquaintances and that the other three passes in the eight cities had already been captured to lure the garrison commander of Xiaopingjin Pass into surrendering.

But what will Lei Yi do?

Under normal circumstances, he might have turned against them, since it was, after all, his only way out.

But now, Lei Yu is in the Western Turkic Khaganate, and was forcibly seized after Ashina Zhuxie killed Shali Khan and Yiasu; and Liang Shide has sent Wang Shaoqiu to the Western Turkic Khaganate to seek help. Without knowing that Wang Shaoqiu has died at Tianding Mountain, Lei Yi would certainly not dare to act rashly for the sake of his daughter's safety.

The only thing he could do for his daughter's safety was to stay by her side.

But his subordinates, the other generals at Xiaopingjin Pass, didn't need to consider this. They only needed to consider how to choose sides and how to keep their own positions. Under these circumstances, joining forces with the invincible Yuwen Ye was their choice!

The only obstacle preventing them from making their choice was Lei Yi...

so……

All of this is real!

Shang Ruyi's eyes were scalded red by a sudden surge of emotion, and tears almost welled up. She choked back sobs, a struggling, hoarse sound escaping her throat. She tried to say something more, but only a weak "Lei Yu..." escaped her lips.

Lei Yu slowly turned her head away.

Her eyes had lost their light, and at this moment, it seemed as if she was about to be swallowed by the darkness. Although the soldiers and guards around her were holding up torches, they could no longer illuminate her path. Only Ashina Zhuxie stepped forward and grabbed her arm tightly.

It was only at this moment that Lei Yu suddenly realized that she had been swaying and almost fell over.

Ashina Zhuxie grabbed her and helped her up.

In his haste, he didn't control his strength. Lei Yu felt her arm being squeezed painfully, but this pain was like a thin thread that pulled her back from an endless abyss.

When Lei Yu looked up, she saw the wounds on his neck and jaw, which now looked like burns, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

"I, I—"

She wanted to say something, but she couldn't utter a single word. Silent weeping filled the silence of that moment.

Ashina Zhuxie pulled her into his arms, and when he looked up at Shang Ruyi again, there was no trace of pity left in his cold, wolfish eyes. He said in a deep voice, "Kill them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Turkic soldiers behind him, who had long been unable to contain their anger, rushed forward, their steel swords flashing brightly in the night sky as they slashed at Shang Ruyi and the others.

"Your Highness, be careful!"

Wo Xue exclaimed in surprise and immediately pulled Shang Ruyi behind her. Li Miao, Gao Chen, and the others reacted quickly and rushed forward with the people behind them. They immediately engaged in a fierce battle with the Turkic soldiers. In an instant, the roars and screams completely broke the silence of this wasteland, and the cold night was immediately stained with a strong smell of blood.

"Your Highness, let's go quickly!"

With lightning speed, Wo Xue kicked over a Turkic soldier who was rushing through the crowd to kill Shang Ruyi. She then grabbed Shang Ruyi's wrist and tried to take her back to the camp. Although their guards were carefully selected, they were far inferior to the Turkic soldiers brought by Ashina Zhuxie. They had no chance of winning in a fight, and if Shang Ruyi were to be injured, it would be disastrous!

Just as she was about to escape with Shang Ruyi, she felt a weight on her wrist. When she turned around, she saw that Shang Ruyi's hand had covered the back of her hand.

Looking up at her again, I saw that her eyes were flickering, as if she were trying to comfort me, or as if she was waiting for something.

Shang Ruyi said, "Don't panic."