Chapter 19 The Death of Bai Heng
As the sun and moon passed and the stars shifted, ten years had gone by in the blink of an eye. In those ten years, countless wars, large and small, had taken place, and you were either on the battlefield or on your starships on expeditions.
You haven't spent a full day with Danfeng in ten years. Every time, you're in a hurry, barely having time to be affectionate before rushing off to a new battlefield with your sword.
This time, you won't have to endure the pain of separation anymore, because Danfeng will also be going to the battlefield with you.
This time, the people of Fengrao joined forces with the Antimatter Legion to launch a major attack on Luofu.
General Teng Xiao personally took to the battlefield, and the six of you also joined hands and went to the front lines.
The enemy is coming on strong, and you are scattered in various places, commanding the Cloud Cavalry to fight in battle.
Countless days and nights, you counted the fallen teammates, wiped away your tears, and fearlessly faced the evil creatures with their will.
But the evil creatures keep coming in waves, and you can never kill them all.
More and more corpses lay beneath your feet, and familiar comrades were leaving you one by one, some of them even before they reached adulthood, their lives taken by the war.
Your heart has become numb; you mechanically swing your sword, one after another... You can no longer distinguish whether the bloodstains on your body are yours or your enemy's.
On this day, you lead your squad to support Bai Heng's squad, which has been attacked by the Abundant Beasts. Before you even reach your destination, you see a starship going out of control and crashing to the left front.
That symbol is Bai Heng's Star Chariot.
You run forward frantically, trying to intercept the out-of-control starship.
But you were too late. The Starship collided with the horde of evil creatures, causing a violent explosion that shattered the creatures into pieces.
Bai Heng piloted his star raft into the monster horde, perishing alongside them.
You watched helplessly as the purple flag that symbolized her snapped in two and then fell apart.
You want to shout, but no sound comes out.
The shockwave from the explosion quickly spread outwards, and because you were closest to it, you were hit the hardest.
You feel a fireball pierce your chest, followed by a searing pain.
The aftershocks tossed you high into the air, then flung you several meters away, leaving you lying on the ground strewn with corpses.
Your vision goes black, and you feel like the world has turned black and white in an instant.
So sleepy, so sleepy...
You tried to open your eyes, but your body was too weak and you slowly closed them...
Several hours had passed by the time Danfeng arrived. Following the signal you left behind, he found the survivors in a pile of ruins and, based on your clues, located the crashed starship and you, who were unconscious.
He visibly panicked in that instant. He checked your breath; you were barely breathing.
He desperately channeled the Cloud Chant Technique into you, even though his body was already severely exhausted, he still tried to save you with his magic.
"Thump—thump—" Your heart begins to beat slowly. Danfeng bursts into tears of joy, holding you tightly as tears stream down his face, unable to calm down for a long time.
After a while, he carefully laid you flat on the spot, and then went to check the crashed starship.
Everything was blown to pieces; he couldn't find a single intact part of his body.
He sealed the remaining hair of Bai Heng in a bag and carefully put it away. Then he carried you, who was on the verge of death, back to the Cloud Cavalry base camp.
...
39
When you open your eyes again, you are back in your familiar room—your and Danfeng's bedroom.
Upon seeing you wake up, Danfeng, who had been brewing medicine, excitedly grasped your hand.
"Madam, you're awake." He uttered the words tremblingly, his eyes filled with unconcealed excitement and heartache.
"..." You want to say something, but you don't know where to begin.
Danfeng helped you lie half-reclined on the bed and fed you some water. He said the war was gradually subsiding and you had all returned.
"What about Sister Bai Heng?" The name suddenly popped into your mind.
"..." Danfeng lowered his eyes and remained silent.
You could tell from his expression that Bai Heng had truly sacrificed himself.
This was not a dream; it actually happened.
That fox-girl who always pinched your cheeks the moment you met, that pilot who was like your own sister, sacrificed herself so heroically, without even having a chance to say a last word.
Before you went to war, you made a promise to go to Jinren Lane together to eat Qiongshi bird skewers after the war ended. She also said she would teach you how to fly a star raft and take you to her hometown Yaoqing to fly kites...
But she broke her promise. She betrayed your agreement and left you behind.
You didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to her...
Your heart begins to ache, and tears blur your vision.
If you had been a little faster, could you have prevented the accident?
It's all because of you, it's all your fault.
"...I failed to protect her, it's all my fault..." You feel incredibly guilty and are trapped in a state of deep sorrow and remorse.
Danfeng embraced you, his eyes moist, and tried to comfort you while suppressing his grief.
"It's not your fault, don't blame yourself."
You ignored his words completely, nestled in his arms and sobbed silently, soaking his shirt.
Danfeng lets you vent your painful emotions. He empathizes with you through the ring, and his heart is also gripped by pain.
After a long while, you vented your emotions and fell asleep in his arms, exhausted.
He soaked a handkerchief in warm water and gently wiped away your tears, then fed you a bowl of dark red, unidentified liquid.
That was the solution he found by searching through forbidden books in order to save you.
Dragon blood has powerful healing properties; if one feeds something with dragon blood, it can restore its vitality and give it a new lease on life.
The moment Danfeng found a way to save you, he didn't hesitate to cut his own wrist and feed you his dark red blood, hoping it would really work.
It turns out that his blood does indeed have powerful healing abilities. After only a few doses, your heartbeat gradually returned to a normal frequency, and your wounds slowly healed.
Overjoyed at the results, Danfeng became even more convinced of the feasibility of the plan and, disregarding his own health, resolutely fed you with his own blood.
The massive blood loss, coupled with the high intensity of his work, caused his nerves to weaken rapidly, and his physical condition deteriorated day by day.
Yingxing repeatedly urged him to rest, but he wouldn't listen. He wanted to stay by your side and wait for the moment you woke up.
He's all alone now; he can't lose you too.
He will save you no matter the cost.
Afterwards, his lips were bloodless, and he lay wearily beside you, his fingers intertwined with yours, gazing longingly at your sleeping face.
It's been so long since he's looked at you this closely.
Several months? A year? Two years?
He couldn't remember anymore.
Since the outbreak of the war, you have always been in a hurry. Sometimes he just wants to have a good talk with you, but less than five minutes after you meet, you receive a message from your superiors, apologize to him, say that you have something to do, and leave in a hurry, leaving him staring blankly at your departing figure.
Sometimes he really wants to imprison you by his side, to have you with him day and night.
He didn't care about war or the common people. What did the lives of others matter to him? Why sacrifice so many people to save the weak? Why did so many Cloud Cavalry choose you?
He only cares about you, your safety, and your joys and sorrows.
His love for you has reached an almost obsessive level, but reason prevents him from taking advantage of you.
He knows your duties as a Cloud Rider, he knows this is your mission as a soldier, and he shouldn't stop you.
But what did you get in return for protecting Luofu with all your might?
He lost his comrades, his best friend left without saying goodbye, and almost lost his own life in the end.
"Is it worth it?" he murmured to himself, as if asking you.
Your breathing is shallow, and you can't give a response.
...
You had a dream in which many kites floated in the sky. A purple-haired fox girl reached out her hand to you and pulled you to fly a fox-shaped kite together.
You hear her calling your name, telling you to run faster so the kite can fly higher.
You obeyed her command and ran forward with all your might. You heard the whistling wind as you passed through the lush green grass.
As she said, the kite soared high into the sky, flying higher and higher until you could hardly see its shape.
You ask Bai Heng what to do, but when you turn around, you find that there is no one behind you.
"Sister Baiheng, Sister Baiheng!" you call her name, searching for her everywhere.
But she couldn't be found anywhere. It was as if she had vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.
Soon, dark clouds gathered, and lightning flashed and thunder roared. A torrential downpour pounded on your head, making it impossible to open your eyes.
But you couldn't stop, and kept walking and shouting.
A flash of white light appeared, and you saw her deathly pale face.
Instantly, a spray of blood splattered on your face, and the face opposite you began to twist and deform, turning from white to a bloody dark red.
A bolt of lightning struck, severing the kite string.
The kite, its string broken, quickly lost its direction and drifted further and further away in the wind and rain.
A distorted face screams, demanding to know why you didn't hold the kite string tighter. You stare wide-eyed as it slowly pulls closer to you, and boundless fear quickly overwhelms you. Then you scream as you open your eyes, gasping for breath.
"ah!"
Danfeng was quickly awakened by your scream. He tried to comfort you, but you pushed him away and shouted in strong resistance that you shouldn't come any closer.
Danfeng could only wait for you to slowly regain your senses before gently patting your shoulder.
"It's alright, I'm here." He tried to lower his voice as much as possible, gently coaxing you.
You instinctively grab his hand and place it on your chest, as if it were the only source of security.
"I dreamt of Sister Bai Heng. She asked me why I wasn't holding the kite string tightly..." You said in a trembling voice, curling yourself up into a ball.
Fear and grief overwhelm you, and you dare not close your eyes for a moment, afraid that if you do, you will see that bloody, distorted face.
"I'm here, don't be afraid, I'm with you." Danfeng hummed a song softly, pulling you into his arms. His gentle voice and calming melody quickly soothed you.
You remained curled up, motionless, and silent...
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