Chapter 508: Life and Death Game (Part 2)

Ever since Huo Gannian led the Tianwei Army away, Yan Shijiu hadn't had a good night's sleep for more than half a month.

He never returned to Yan Mansion once, but asked the servants in the mansion to report Yun Chen's situation three times a day, including how much food he ate and what he said, and he would tell him every detail.

He didn't know why he didn't dare to go back and face Yun Chen.

Was he afraid of seeing her eyes that were as sharp as a knife and filled with disgust, or was he afraid that one day she would suddenly remember what really happened by the Green Water Pond that night?

Yan Shijiu didn't dare to delve into this issue, nor did he have time to think about it.

Now is the critical moment for him to plot against the Kingdom of Nan and unify the three kingdoms. He cannot be distracted by love affairs.

Thinking of this, he looked at the dark sky. It was the darkest time before dawn.

He left Nan Lijun who was still sleeping, got up and went to the desk, and began to read the secret letter sent by the secret guards of Guangyu Lanzhou.

The situation is now treacherous and unpredictable, so he ordered all the secret guards on Guangyulan Island to take action.

A small number of people stayed on the island, keeping Concubine Zhao under house arrest from time to time to control Yan Lang and ensure that everything was normal for him in Dongyan's Regency. The Dongyan army was ready and was only waiting for the Black Scale Cavalry to occupy the Nan Kingdom and then come to perform a "Dongyan Saves Nan" scene.

Most people divided into three groups and went to the battlefield to investigate the situation.

According to the secret guards' reports, the rebel army in the southeastern Guying City has been suppressed by the nearby border defense troops and has not caused any trouble.

The Southwest battlefield is going as planned——

Yan Shijiu flipped through the latest issue of the Southwest Military News and glanced at it casually.

Sure enough, Su Zhengyang was no match for the Black Scale Cavalry and was defeated in every battle.

Even though he would rather die than surrender and had some courage of a great general, he could not withstand the fierceness and power of the Black Scale Cavalry, and was defeated step by step, with more than half of his men killed or wounded.

It is estimated that in twenty days at most, the Black Scale Cavalry will be able to slaughter all the Jing troops and reach Kyoto City.

Yan Shijiu casually threw the military report aside and went to look at the secret letter sent by the secret guard about the Luojiang battlefield.

Compared to the cursory glance just now, he read every letter from Huo Gannian carefully, not missing a single word.

From big things like the date and month when Huo Gannian led the Tianwei Army to engage in a head-on battle with Luo Jiang, to small things like what injuries Huo Gannian suffered on what day and how many enemies he killed, the secret guards meticulously and meticulously laid out on paper.

Every time Yan Shijiu read it, he would compare it with Zhuang Fengtian's letter to check if there were any discrepancies.

Yan Shijiu saw clearly that everything in reality was under his control.

But for some reason, he just felt uneasy.

He threw the secret letter into the inkstone on the table and burned it, then lay back in the chair, watching the letter paper slowly curl up and turn black, burning vigorously.

The blazing firelight made his dark pupils shine suddenly, but unfortunately it was only a fleeting brilliance before dimming again.

He kept recalling all the layouts and details in his mind, pondering them over and over again, his palms unconsciously clenched tightly, trying to find a sense of solid and firm control.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from far away, breaking all his thoughts.

A messenger fell off his horse in panic and rushed into the hall covered in dust. The first sentence he said shocked Yan Shijiu:

"Urgent news! The Northern Expedition Army fought hard in Luojiang but was defeated! During the retreat, they were suddenly hit by an avalanche! The entire army was wiped out! General Huo was killed!"

The last five words made Yan Shijiu break out in a cold sweat. He jumped up from his chair, rushed to the messenger, grabbed his collar tightly, and almost pulled the messenger's feet off the ground.

He glared and gnashed his teeth:

"Say it again! Who was killed?!"

The messenger was frightened, and after riding his horse day and night to deliver military intelligence, he couldn't help but feel weak in the knees. He forced himself to repeat the last sentence:

"It's... it's General Huo... Huo Gannian was killed in action..."

Yan Shijiu bit his cheeks and unconsciously tightened his grip on the messenger's collar, almost making it difficult for the messenger to breathe.

"Impossible... Impossible... I don't believe it." Yan Shijiu kept shaking his head, his voice changing from an uncertain muttering to a roar, completely waking up the silent palace at dawn:

"I don't believe it! He won't die so easily! It must be a trick! Go! Bring back his body! I want to see him alive or dead! I must see him!"

Soon, the whole palace was shocked, and the news of Huo Gannian's death spread throughout the court and the country in an instant, shocking the entire capital city.

Seeing Nan Lijun sitting on the throne in a daze, and the civil and military officials chattering and arguing about how to transport Huo Gannian's body back from a long distance using ice and snow, people realized:

That incredibly talented and omnipotent Huo Gannian turned out to be just a mortal, mortal...

That battlefield, where swords and spears are merciless, has taken away countless young and brave lives.

In the end, Huo Gannian was also taken away.

People went from initial shock to gradual acceptance, and couldn't help but shed tears for the passing of the hero.

Only Yan Shijiu refused to listen and accept it. He insisted that there was something fishy going on.

Unfortunately, no one believed him. Even Nan Lijun was puzzled. Why didn't he believe the news of Huo Gannian's death? Could he lie about death in battle? What reason could he have for lying?

Yan Shijiu couldn't give a reason, because except Huo Gannian, no one else knew his true plan and identity.

He felt extremely depressed and irritated, and urgently needed someone to agree with his ideas and share his doubts.

So he rushed back to Yan's house and went straight to the iron cage in the bedroom.

He deliberately ignored Yun Chen's guarded and cold eyes and told her word by word:

"Huo Gannian is dead."

Yun Chen was stunned for a moment, then immediately came to his senses and shook his head firmly:

"I don't believe it."

Hearing these three words, Yan Shijiu breathed a sigh of relief, relaxed completely, and lay down on the bed beside him.

After a long pause, he spoke softly:

"Only you believe me, Yun Chen, only you. Huo Gannian won't die so easily, no... Nan Lijun has ordered that the most ice and snow, and the fastest warhorses, be used to bring back Huo Gannian's body. In ten days at most, we will know the result."

Without waiting for Yun Chen's response, Yan Shijiu climbed up from the couch again and left in a hurry.

When the dormitory door closed again, Yun Chen let out a trembling breath, and all his determination just now disappeared without a trace.

She was like a restless trapped animal, turning around and around in the cage, making low whimpers that sounded like crying, and tearing her hair unconsciously.

She didn't believe that Huo Gannian was dead.

It wasn't that she thought there was something fishy going on, like Yan Shijiu.

She simply didn't want to believe that her Anian was dead.

In front of Yan Shijiu, she could still pretend to be strong.

But when she was alone, she couldn't help but start to have wild thoughts.

"A-Nian, A-Nian..."

She kept repeating these two words, and for ten whole days she had no idea of ​​day or night.

He couldn't eat or sleep, and only closed his eyes when he was extremely sleepy. But as soon as he closed his eyes, he couldn't help but imagine all kinds of ways Huo Gannian would die.

Ten days, ten days that are longer and more difficult than a lifetime.

Finally, the carriage from distant Luojiang arrived.

The carriage was almost falling apart, with snow and mud from the grassland stuck between the wheels. The huge coffin was placed on the flatbed cart, shaking precariously, and foul-smelling icy water was constantly flowing down from the gaps.

Logically, Huo Gannian's body should be sent to the palace for examination.

At the very least, the body must be sent back to the Huo Mansion before the coffin can be opened.

But Yan Shijiu couldn't care less about that. He ordered the carriage to drive into the Yan Mansion. He was eager to see for himself whether it was true or not.

During these long ten days of waiting, his anxiety was no less than Yun Chen's.

However, he did not go to see Huo Gannian's appearance in the coffin in person.

In his opinion, there are too many people in the world who look alike, and the corpse can be faked.

What's more, even if the body was kept cool with ice during the journey, it might have been completely disfigured and difficult to identify.

So he just asked someone to release Yun Chen and let Yun Chen identify the body.

Yun Chen is a man who never lies, and he knows Huo Gannian better than anyone else in the world.

Only she can identify the body most accurately.

If the corpse was fake, with her personality, she would not be able to hide it at all, and Yan Shijiu would find out immediately.

Yan Shijiu stared at Yun Chen's reaction nervously.

She crawled out of the cage, her hair disheveled and her clothes in tatters. She rushed to the coffin eagerly, but then stopped in fear.

Eight servants stepped forward and used crowbars to open the coffin. With a loud "crash", the ice used to suppress the corpse melted into broken ice and smelly water, pouring all over the ground, and the strong stench of the corpse hit them in the face.

A thin brown wooden coffin appeared in front of Yun Chen, making her feel cold all over.

She sniffed, but there was no familiar pear wood scent, only a horrible stench.

She walked forward slowly, and a pale, stiff body covered with sword scars appeared in her sight. Only the upper half of the body was left, quietly covering the Nine Dragons official flag of the Nan Kingdom.

She leaned over to look at the coffin, tentatively reached out her hand, and brushed away the frost and broken ice between her brows.

A thin face, a sharp nose, and quietly closed eyes. The ends of the eyes are sharp and narrow, which complements the thick eyebrows.

She had seen and touched this face countless times.

Just one look and her face turned pale, and she had to hold on to the coffin to avoid falling.

Seeing Yun Chen's reaction, Yan Shijiu's heart suddenly sank.

But he still refused to believe it and continued to stare at Yun Chen.

Her face was as pale as ice, but she still reached out her hand tremblingly and touched Huo Gannian's earlobe.

There was a little thing that no one in the world knew except her and Huo Gannian.

When she was borrowing troops from Dongzhao Kingdom, she went with Huo Gannian to get her ears pierced.

One of Huo Gannian's earlobes accidentally got wet, causing the ear hole to become infected and heal, and a soybean-sized lump of flesh gradually grew on it.

That tiny thing is wrapped in the earlobe and cannot be seen at all. It can only be felt. It is a secret detail that only Yun Chen knows.

Yun Chen took a deep breath and gently touched the earlobe. When she touched the cold skin, she couldn't help but shudder. She almost wanted to escape and give up, but she forced herself:

Just touch it and make sure it’s not Anian, and it’s over!

She mustered up all her courage and carefully felt around again and again.

Finally, his body collapsed beside the coffin, tears of despair rolling down his face.

At the same time, Yan Shijiu finally gave up hope and had to believe that Huo Gannian was really dead.