Someone has to take care of them.
Qinghe City, like a giant that had just struggled to rise from a pool of blood, was breathing heavily and recovering its strength under the bleak sky.
The smoke of gunpowder had not yet cleared, and collapsed houses could be seen everywhere. Among the broken walls and ruins, the surviving people were like frightened ants, numbly cleaning up the ruins and searching for possible remaining food.
The government office was also filled with post-war fatigue.
Tuoba Hong was dressed in the military uniform of the Beishu royal family, and covered with a black cloak with wolfskin trim, which made his figure look even more majestic. He walked step by step, his eyes sweeping over the busy Mingzhu guards in the courtyard, and finally, his eyes stopped on the figure behind the desk.
That's Ning Lingyi.
Tuoba Hong paused for a moment. He had seen her many times.
Initially in the Southern Dynasty, she was the dazzling Princess Pearl, breathtakingly beautiful, but also like the most exquisite porcelain, as if it would break at the slightest touch.
Later, in a hunting ground outside Beijing, she was dressed in a fiery red riding habit, riding a horse and drawing a bow to shoot a tiger. She was like a newly sharpened sword, and the cold light flashed, which was frightening.
Later, in Mingzhou, she cut off the head of a corrupt official with a sword in front of thousands of people. Warm blood splashed on her fair cheek. She looked at him coldly, her eyes full of awe-inspiring majesty, dangerous and dazzling.
He had also seen her trapped in the deep palace, with a hint of sadness between her eyebrows, as soft as the misty rain in March in the south of the Yangtze River, which made people want to take her under their wings and protect her from being disturbed and worried.
When a coup occurred in the capital and she met him on the post road, he really wanted to take her back to Beishuo and hide her in his golden tent, but the sword in her hand and the resolute look in her eyes forced him to let go.
That meeting was not a pleasant one.
Later, he went south on the pretext of food and fodder, but eventually took a detour to Mingzhou.
He saw her standing at the Mingzhou Bridge, and saw the people kneeling to her from the bottom of their hearts, praising her kindness. At that time, she had shed a lot of the palace luxury, and had become more calm, gentle and dazzling.
But none of them shocked him as much as this time.
Ning Lingyi in front of him had her clothes torn in many places, and the simple strips of cloth wrapped around her arms and shoulders were still faintly stained with dark red. Her face was full of fatigue, and a few strands of hair were stuck to her forehead and cheeks with sweat and blood. She looked very miserable.
However, it was this almost haggard and miserable appearance that made Tuoba Hong's heart feel as if it was hit by something, shaking inexplicably.
There was no trace of the delicate elegance that came from being pampered in the deep palace in her. Even the sharp, majestic, and lively aura that she had shown during their previous meetings had become restrained.
Instead, there is another precious thing.
Like the green pine trees that have weathered the ravages of wind, frost, snow and rain, they are still deeply rooted in the cracks of the cliffs, silently facing all hardships.
Fatigue was etched between her brows, scars covered her body, and dirt stained her clothes, but only her eyes were astonishingly bright.
So unique, so tenacious, different from anyone else he had ever seen in the world. She was no longer a treasure that needed to be protected, but the backbone of the world that could hold up its own.
Tuoba Hong stood in the courtyard for a long time without saying a word. His eyes followed her every move almost greedily, trying to find some traces of the past from this figure.
After Ning Lingyi finished instructing Su Qingfan, she seemed to sense something, raised her eyes, and looked over in the direction of that strong presence.
Their eyes met, and their gazes met in the air.
Tuoba Hong saw a hint of surprise flash across her eyes, and then the surprise quickly settled and turned into a kind of understanding. There was no surprise, no resentment, no vigilance, just a kind of calmness of "you are here".
She walked towards him step by step.
The scars and stains on her body became increasingly clear and glaring in the dimming light.
Tuoba Hong watched her approaching him, and the inexplicable emotion in his chest became more and more turbulent, making him feel an almost unreal trance.
Is the woman walking towards him step by step really Ning Lingyi?
He couldn't describe what was surging in his heart. He just felt a little dry in the mouth, a little astringent, and an indescribable unnaturalness, as if he was holding a handful of quicksand, but the tighter he held it, the faster it flowed away. He wanted to cherish it, but he didn't know what to do with it.
Ning Lingyi walked up to him and stopped, then bowed in thanks according to etiquette.
"Thank you, Khan, for your timely assistance and for saving tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Qinghe from danger. I will always remember this kindness." Her voice was hoarse with fatigue.
Tuoba Hong watched the pale lips opening and closing, and the unnatural feeling in his heart became more and more obvious.
His jawline tensed for a moment before he nodded slightly: "It's just a piece of cake."
His eyes uncontrollably swept over her broken and bloody shoulder and arm again, passed over her ash-stained clothes, and finally landed on her face, which was obviously much thinner. She seemed to be completely unconcerned about her own miserable injuries.
An impulse made him raise his hand almost subconsciously and untie the wolf fur cloak tied around his neck.
The dark cloak carried the chill of wind and snow, and the next moment it was draped over Ning Lingyi's thin shoulders. The thick wolf fur almost wrapped up most of her body, making her face, stained with blood and dust, look even more fragile.
Of course, this was just an illusion, Tuoba Hong knew it.
Ning Lingyi obviously did not expect him to do this suddenly. She was stunned and looked up at him in surprise. Tuoba Hong himself was also stunned.
There was no closeness between them, not even familiarity.
The two fell into a delicate silence.
Ning Lingting's gaze lingered on his face for a moment. There was no shyness or anger in his eyes, only a hint of complex emotions that quickly passed by.
Then, she lowered her eyes slightly, without saying a word, but silently reached out, gathered the front of her cloak, and tied the laces carefully herself.
“…”
Tuoba Hong's Adam's apple rolled, but he didn't say anything else in the end.
He looked away, trying to break the strange atmosphere: "Why are you here? The Qinghe front is a place where swords have no eyes. It's not a place for you to be."
After these words came out of his mouth, he realized that something was wrong, as if he still regarded her as a delicate girl who needed protection.
Ning Lingyi fastened the belt of her cloak and looked up at him. "What will they do if I don't come?"
"The court has given up on them. If I don't come, they really have no hope. Someone has to take care of them."
"What do they have to do with you?"
Tuoba Hong almost blurted out that in his opinion, it is natural for the king to protect his people, but the king's own safety is far more important than that of ordinary soldiers and civilians.
Putting yourself in such danger for these "irrelevant" people is almost stupid.
Ning Lingyi looked at him quietly and did not refute immediately.
After a moment, she slowly spoke, "The Khan has 30,000 elite cavalrymen under his command, who follow him on his campaigns. Are they related to the Khan?"
Tuoba Hong was suddenly speechless.
Seeing him speechless, Ning Lingyi changed the subject: "Khan is a guest from afar, and he has given Qinghe a new life. The city is simple and we can't offer anything decent to entertain you. If Khan doesn't mind, I will have someone prepare some simple meals for you to enjoy before you leave."
Tuoba Hong looked at her and saw that she was obviously exhausted to the extreme, but she still forced herself to entertain him politely. The slight bitter feeling in his heart resurfaced.
He nodded. "Okay."
The food was quickly delivered to the side room which had been barely cleaned up.
It was indeed extremely simple, even shabby: a bowl of porridge, a plate of pickles, a plate of dried meat jerky, a plate of fried meat slices, and a large bowl of vegetable soup, that was all.
There was a world of difference between the roasted meat and strong liquor that Tuoba Hong enjoyed in the royal court and the delicacies that Ning Lingyi had enjoyed in the palace in the past.
Ning Lingyi seemed to have gotten used to it. Qinghe had been occupied for a long time and there were no more extra supplies. It was good enough to have enough food to eat.
After she sat down, she made a "please" gesture to Tuoba Hong, then picked up the rough pottery bowl, filled it with porridge, and began to eat silently. She ate very seriously, obviously she was really hungry and tired, and needed food to replenish her energy.
Tuoba Hong sat down and watched her eat the bland porridge with pickles, mouthful by mouthful. Her wrist, which was inadvertently revealed during her movements, was so slender that it seemed that it could be broken with a little force. However, this seemingly fragile wrist was the one that had held a sword and fought with the fierce soldiers of the Western Qiang not long ago.
The complex emotions in his heart became stronger and stronger, with a bitter feeling, shock, and some other emotions that were difficult to explain.
He also picked up the bowl and chopsticks and took a mouthful of the porridge. It didn't taste very good, but it was enough to fill his stomach. He had never eaten such a thing before.
He looked at Ning Lingyi who was dining quietly across from him, and many words came to his lips: about the war situation, about the future, about Beishuo and the Southern Dynasty, and even about their engagement that was in name only...
But in the end, he looked at her eyelashes that were almost drooping, and the fatigue that was forced upon her, and swallowed back all the words.
"Eat more."
In the end, he only said this dryly and pushed the untouched plate of jerky in front of him.
Ning Lingyi paused for a moment, looked up at him, and seemed a little surprised, but still whispered, "Thank you."
The silent and simple meal was quickly finished.
Tuoba Hong put down his bowl and chopsticks and said in a deep voice, "You should have a good rest. We will discuss the follow-up matters later."
Ning Lingyi nodded: "I understand, thank you Khan."
Tuoba Hong stood up: "It's time for me to go back."
"I'll send Khan."
Ning Lingyi also stood up.
The two walked out of the government office side by side.
The guards had already brought the horses. They mounted their horses and rode slowly along the ruined streets of Qinghe.
The afterglow of the setting sun stretched their shadows very long. A cold wind blew past, lifting the fur of the wolfskin cloak and also blowing the scattered hair on Ning Lingyi's forehead.
Both of them were silent.
Tuoba Hong glanced sideways at the woman on horseback beside him. Her back was straight, her eyes were looking calmly at the road ahead, and her profile outlined a firm arc in the sunset.
At this moment, it seemed as if they were back in time many years ago, in the suburbs of the Southern Dynasty capital, when they had also walked side by side like this, perhaps still having some youthful spirit at that time.
But both of them knew in their hearts that everything was different.
Time, experience, identity, and responsibility have long created a deep gap between them.
No one mentioned the engagement that once connected the two of them. It seemed like an old dream that had long been blown away by the wind. They tacitly enjoyed the calm after the storm and walked this long and broken road side by side.
They were escorted all the way to the city gate, where the Beishuo camp flag was in sight.
Ning Lingyi reined in the horse and looked at Tuoba Hong: "Just send him here. Khan, take care."
Tuoba Hong looked at her deeply. In the end, he just nodded, turned his horse's head, and said in a low voice: "Take care of yourself too."
After saying this, he kicked his horse's belly and galloped towards the Beishuo camp with his personal guards.
After running for a distance, Tuoba Hong inexplicably reined in his horse and looked back as if possessed by a mysterious force.
A cool breeze blew across his face and also blew the corner of Ning Lingyi's clothes in the distance.
In Tuoba Hong's eyes, the figure wearing his black wolf fur cloak was still riding on the horse, standing quietly at the entrance of the city gate, watching him leave. Her figure was coated with a layer of dark golden light by the setting sun, as if she was born to belong here, to this miserable and tenacious land.
He just looked at her for a long, long time, as if he saw the divine light of Eternal Heaven.
It was not until the figure turned his horse's head and slowly disappeared into the shadow of the city gate, no longer visible, that Tuoba Hong withdrew his gaze and looked towards the vast horizon in the north, his heart filled with emptiness.
In the end, he said nothing, waved his whip, and rode away into the twilight.
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