Emperor Liang

The military camp was in chaos.

Arrows of fire streaked across the sky, whistling with death and destruction, leaving behind bright trails. They finally poured down, filling the earth with the smell of scorched earth and gunpowder.

"What a beautiful sight! Fire dragons dancing across the sky. I've finally seen it today." A smile spread across Hua Yuan's face, a flicker of fire dancing in his eyes. Around him, hundreds of Liang soldiers lined up in neat rows, holding arrows wrapped in grease-soaked cloth, awaiting their king's command to create a living hell for the Northern Frontier Army.

Why would the dignified monarch of Liang appear here? Because fleshy bones always attract wild beasts, and Yuan Zi is that fleshy bone.

Where the flames fell, Yuan Ming led Rulan through the panicked crowd. Initially, the arrow carried only a single flame, but as it landed on the tent, it instantly transformed into a blazing ball of fire. With a crackling sound, the tent suddenly collapsed. Their figures, stretched and shortened in the flickering flames, felt helpless and insignificant.

Amidst the flurry of activity, Yuan Ming spotted a nimble old man. It was none other than Jiang Kai, the man who had recently gone to see Zhong Yingqi. Facing the chaos, Jiang Kai appeared to be at ease, like a nimble fish, weaving freely through it without a trace of embarrassment.

Yuan Ming quickly rushed to Jiang Kai's side and asked about Zhong Yingqi's condition. The military camp was attacked by the enemy, and the backbone couldn't be harmed. And Yuan Zi, if she died here, Qiguo couldn't afford to lose her.

"General Zhong asked me to flee from here first, and he himself will go to escort Her Royal Highness the Princess away." Jiang Kai's tone was not as leisurely as his actions. He breathed heavily and didn't even pretend to be old.

Yuan Ming's palms, holding Rulan's, were sweating. As she pondered, thousands of rockets rained down from the sky again, marking the start of the second round of attacks. There was no time to waste. Yuan Ming whispered in Rulan's ear, "Follow Doctor Jiang and leave. Remember, no matter where you are, hold the knife tightly."

She pushed Rulan away again, and amid Rulan's shouts, she stepped into the firelight, her figure getting farther and farther away.

Jiang Kai pulled Ru Lan up, looked at Yuan Ming's departing back, and said worriedly, "This guy, I'm afraid he's had another attack."

Just as Jiang Kai had predicted, Yuan Ming's mood was like a raging fire, agitated and excited, like a demon seeing blood. Ignoring the burning pain, she glanced around excitedly, her mind focused solely on finding Zhong Yingqi and Yuan Zi.

Yuan Zi's situation was not optimistic. Most of the arrows were fired at her tent, and the guards who had escorted her were all killed or wounded. Song Lan held her hand as she stumbled out.

In the panic, a stone tripped Yuan Zi, and Song Lan bit into the mud. Song Lan quickly climbed to her feet, her eyes focused on escaping, not caring whether Yuan Zi stood up or not. She pulled and dragged Yuan Zi to safety, even if it meant dragging her to save both of them.

This was the first time Yuan Zi was in such a mess. She spat out a mouthful of mud, her eyes were fierce, and she used Song Lan as support to pull Song Lan down with force. She then used the force to stand up and ran out desperately.

But those arrows seemed to have eyes and kept chasing Yuan Zi. Yuan Zi came to her senses and realized that those flaming arrows were actually coming towards her.

Exhausted, Yuan Zi subconsciously turned her head, her pupils shrinking sharply at that moment - she saw a cluster of fire approaching at an alarming speed, and the strong wind it brought seemed to be felt in the air.

At the critical moment, Yuan Zi pulled Song Lan to use as a shield, blocking her in front of her. The arrow pierced Song Lan's shoulder, and Yuan Zi, who was so close, could even smell the smell of burning flesh.

Song Lan fell to the ground, wailing in agony, her body convulsing in pain. Yuan Zi watched it all in a daze, and while she was still dazed, another arrow dropped from the sky, aimed at her heart.

When Yuan Zi looked up and saw it, there was no escape. She closed her eyes subconsciously, but the expected pain did not come. She suddenly opened her eyes and saw Zhong Yingqi, wearing armor, blocking her way. She once again escaped the ambush of death.

"I am late in rescuing you, Your Highness, and I beg your forgiveness."

Zhong Yingqi knelt on the ground with blood oozing from his chest. Fortunately, he was protected by armor and the arrow did not penetrate his flesh completely, but he still suffered some injuries.

Yuan Zi came back to her senses and said hurriedly, "Send me away."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of horse hooves gradually approached and became continuous. It seemed that the creator of this disaster was about to come to this sea of ​​fire in person.

"Your Highness, head east. There are the personal soldiers I have arranged to escort Your Highness back to the capital."

Zhong Yingqi spoke calmly. Yuan Zi looked at him carefully and asked, "What about you? Do you want to stay?"

"Yes." Zhong Yingqi answered without hesitation.

Yuan Zi nodded slightly, drew the decorative sword from her waist, pointed it at Zhong Yingqi, her eyes full of murderous intent.

This sudden murderous intent caused a flash of confusion in Zhong Yingqi's eyes, but he remained motionless. This action seemed to further infuriate Yuan Zi, and she took another step closer, sword in hand.

Three words flashed through Yuan Zi's mind—so similar. At that moment, Zhong Yingqi's demeanor resembled Yuan Ming's.

The sound of horse hooves grew closer, and the flames continued to crackle. Zhong Yingqi couldn't help but sweat on his forehead. He spoke very quickly, "Your Highness! Please leave immediately!"

Yuan Zi woke up from her trance and put away her sword in a daze.

Seeing that Yuan Zi had returned to normal, Zhong Yingqi immediately got up and left, taking the remaining soldiers with him to prepare to meet the enemy.

At this time, Yuan Zi called out to Zhong Yingqi, but Zhong Yingqi was already very impatient. He did not stop or look back.

Through the hazy ashes of smoke and heat, Yuan Zi shouted, "You are the commander of the Northern Frontier Camp. You are not allowed to give up even an inch of our territory!"

Zhong Yingqi cursed in a low voice: "You're talking nonsense!"

After Yuan Zi yelled, she turned around and ran, but a pair of hands grabbed her ankles.

"Save me, Your Highness." Song Lan's voice trembled. The arrow that shot her was still stuck in her shoulder. Half of her body was soaked in blood, which was a shocking sight.

Yuan Zi gritted her teeth, kicked away Song Lan's weak hand, and walked away without looking back.

Tears mixed with dust made Songlan's face dirty. Her eyes were wide open as she stared at Yuanzi's back, full of despair.

The life of a servant is so humble.

Kesonglan refused to give up. She didn't want to die here, in a corner where no one would notice her. She still wanted to enjoy life and be a noble person. She couldn't die here! Absolutely not!

She struggled desperately, her face grim and pain pounding her brain. It felt as if she'd bitten off a piece of flesh from the inside of her lip. But even with all her might, she could only manage a single cry: "Your Highness!"

The words "Your Highness" were so mournful that Yuan Zi, who had just walked a short distance, actually stopped in her tracks. She turned her head slowly, her lips trembling slightly, and a mist clouded her eyes. After a few struggles, she turned away and stopped looking at Song Lan.

The moment Yuan Zi turned around, Song Lan shed what was probably the last tear of her life, waiting for death to come in despair.

But the next moment, Yuan Zi, who had left, ran towards Song Lan again, stopped in front of her, eyes full of anger, and slapped her hard. Song Lan was beaten so hard that she spat out a mouthful of blood, and her mind miraculously became clearer.

Yuan Zi grabbed Song Lan's uninjured hand and pulled her eastward like a cart, cursing non-stop: "Slave, if you cause me to die here, I will torture you to death!"

Perhaps it was some kind of sisterly connection, but Yuan Zi, dragging Song Lan, inadvertently saw a figure gazing back at her from the flames. The edges of objects softened by the heat, losing their distinct outlines, and the figure itself became blurred.

But Yuan Zi was absolutely certain of who she was—blood was thicker than water, yet she couldn't wait to kill her herself. The roaring flames blocked the spread of hatred, and they stared at each other across the sea of ​​fire.

Either you die or I die, there is no turning back.

…

Hua Yuan walked leisurely on the burning ashes, holding the horse rein in his hand, with a large number of iron-blooded cavalrymen behind him. At first glance, he looked like a young master strolling in the garden, admiring the exquisite garden with his guards.

Hua Yuan crushed the finger bones of a Qi Kingdom soldier, then paused, laughing heartily: "This must be General Zhong of Qi Kingdom. This is our first meeting. I've heard about General Zhong's deeds from spies. He's a man of steel, and I admire him very much."

Zhong Yingqi, commanding his troops, stood in the ruins of the military camp, his face grim. He had assumed this surprise attack was at most a test by the Liang border generals, aimed at halting the Qi army's recent advance. But now... Zhong Yingqi was unsure. Could it be that he had been too aggressive recently, forcing the other king into battle? He probably wasn't that capable, was he?

Wait a minute, this guy should be Emperor Hua Yuan of Liang, right? Legend has it that the Tiger-Slaying Emperor was tall, mighty, and unruly. And this man before him, Zhong Yingqi observed, was indeed a towering figure, with a sharply defined face and deep, untamed eyes beneath thick brows, revealing a certain wildness. Especially on this battlefield, where everyone was in armor, he stood out in his long, dark robes.

Hua Yuan didn't say anything else, but jumped back, stepped his right foot accurately on the stirrup, and his whole body moved as smoothly as a crescent moon.

"General of Qi, I know that the heir to Qi, your princess, is staying in this camp. Now that I have revealed myself, there is no reason for her to hide. Why not come out and see me? Let me see the demeanor of this woman who stands above the imperial power."

There was silence for a long time, only the flames were jumping and dancing.

"It seems I have to go and ask Her Royal Highness the Princess in person." Hua Yuan leaned forward slightly, stroking the horse's mane with one hand while holding the reins firmly with the other. He looked at Zhong Yingqi's battle-ready posture and smiled contemptuously, "General Zhong, please don't be ungrateful."

After saying this, his eyes were as sharp as an eagle, and he exuded a murderous aura. He held a long sword in his hand and attacked Zhong Yingqi. The two sides followed closely behind him, and a chaotic battle began.

When Yuan Ming arrived, Zhong Yingqi and the fallen soldiers were surrounded by Liang soldiers. Zhong Yingqi knelt on one knee, his armor covered in blemishes. Blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, a few strands of hair drooped from his forehead, and his face was as pale as snow.

Hua Yuan wiped the blood off the knife. Under his dark robe, one could only see a few drops of bright red blood that accidentally splashed from the corners of his eyes, making him look even more wild.

Yuan Ming shook her head. After walking with the firelight for a long time, her eyes were full of brilliance. The people she looked at were like stars that flickered on and off, but she was confident that she could see clearly.

The feeling that changed her destiny came back again - her soul was floating, her body was also floating, it was suitable for seeing blood and having a big fight.

Under the cover of flames, Yuan Ming's hands were shaking with excitement. She heard Hua Yuan say, "I shouldn't have challenged you to a duel. You caused several more wounds on my body, even though I clearly had the advantage in numbers." His tone was full of regret.

Who is this guy? Yuan Ming tilted his head, kicked aside a burnt piece of wood, and swaggered into the crowd's sight.