"elder brother!!"
Holding Zhan Yinshu's neck, Zhan Xinjia called out in a clear and crisp voice.
Zhan Yinshu agreed, carefully placed her on the ground, and smiled as he bent down to touch a stray strand of hair sticking up on her forehead.
In the vast天地 (heaven and earth), in the boundless wilderness, only the long wind remains.
A deep crimson glow, burning intensely on the horizon, adorned the corners of her eyes and brows, casting a golden hue on her stray hairs. Her fair face was stained with blurry bloodstains, yet her smiling eyes remained clear and pure as ever.
The little girl who used to cling to his sleeve and hide behind him with tears in her eyes when she got into trouble is now capable of standing on her own.
Zhan Yinshu felt both proud and heartbroken.
If he were still alive, she wouldn't have had to suffer so much all these years. Some responsibilities should have been borne by him, her older brother...
Having just escaped death, Zhan Xinjia was celebrating her narrow escape from the jaws of death. She had no idea what Zhan Yinshu was thinking. Seeing that he was still lost in thought, she hurriedly tugged at his sleeve and shook him.
"Brother! The pursuers are almost here. How many men did you bring to rescue me?"
There are at least 20,000 to 30,000 troops from Nanjun in Nian'an City. If the troops fighting against Canghan's garrison come to support them, there will be even more.
Zhan Yinshu was taken aback, then winked mischievously at her.
"Isn't having one brother enough?"
"ah?!"
Zhan Xinjia froze, choked for a moment, and after a long while, she spoke blankly like a little fool, "Aren't we being a bit too arrogant?"
At that moment, Zhan Yinshu had already picked her up again.
Behind him were pursuers led by Wu Lanlian, and in front of him was an endless wasteland of snow. Zhan Yinshu's expression was very calm. He strolled leisurely, not like he was fleeing for his life, but rather like he was taking a spring outing, only his speed did not decrease.
Even Zhan Xinjia, who was being held in someone's arms, was almost nauseous from the jostling. Once she was sure that no one was coming to meet them, she swallowed hard and cursed that idiot Yan Huishi countless times in her heart.
"No, the imperial court is really treating us Zhan family members like cattle and horses!"
After thinking for a moment, another line of poetry popped into her head.
"He fought across three thousand miles, and with one sword he once faced a million soldiers?"
Zhan Yinshu raised an eyebrow, unusually giving this illiterate boy a second glance.
"Our little sister is actually quite cultured."
Alright, brother, I won't tease you anymore. Reinforcements are on their way. Just hold on for another half an hour—you still have a leg injury, so I'll find a place to hide you first, and then draw the pursuers away.”
Upon hearing this, Zhan Xinjia became displeased. She struggled to get out of Zhan Yinshu's arms, picked through the rubble and corpses, and found a long spear. She weighed it in her hand and found it quite easy to handle.
Wiping away the splattered blood from her eyelashes with her sleeve, Zhan Xinjia smiled innocently and a little foolishly.
"Hehe, let's do it together!"
Before the age of seven, Zhan Xinjia never dreamed that one day she would be able to fight side by side with her brother on the battlefield.
She always preferred longswords because they were easy to carry, and they were also her brother's most proficient weapon. Subconsciously, she wanted to inherit her brother's "legacy." But when it came to her favorite and most skilled weapon, she was still all kinds of spears. After all, the attack range was greater, and so was her sense of security.
Just like now, the two stand back to back.
One man gripped the scabbard at his waist with one hand, his knuckles pressing against the guard, while the other assumed a high-hanging, level stance with the butt of the spear slightly off his chest and the tip held high. Both men had identical peach blossom eyes filled with unwavering determination.
In the world of martial arts, speed is the only way to break through!
Zhan Xinjia, aside from everything else, is unparalleled in his speed; even when he is not in good physical condition, his momentum is still astonishing.
The Azure Dragon swings its tail, the Green Dragon offers its claws, it storms through the Hongmen Gate, and vanishes without a trace.
The various spear techniques are incredibly diverse, including thrusting, parrying, chopping, picking, entangling, and blocking. Whether attacking or defending, they are already second nature to the user, and can be used instinctively without any thought. Well, there's nothing special about it but practice makes perfect.
In an instant, the two shielded each other's backs and fought swiftly. Although they had never fought side by side before, it seemed that the brother and sister had an innate tacit understanding etched into their bones by blood ties.
The setting sun was like blood, its afterglow almost burning away the last ray of light.
On the battlefield, shrouded in smoke, as far as the eye could see, corpses lay strewn everywhere, and the land was a scene of devastation.
After pulling the spearhead from the throat of which Southern County soldier, Zhan Xinjia gasped for breath, already somewhat exhausted. Despite this, she did not slacken her efforts but instead looked for an opportunity.
"Brother, we'll never finish killing them all at this rate! Even if we were gods descended from heaven, we couldn't possibly take on ten thousand people! This is too unbelievable!"
Sheathed her sword and held it horizontally in front of her to protect her silly little sister, Zhan Yinshu gave her a wink.
Zhan Xinjia was taken aback, but immediately understood.
Feigning exhaustion, Zhan Xinjia staggered a few steps, then collapsed to one knee, panting heavily and looking utterly exhausted, deliberately creating a false impression.
Wu Lanlian, who had been hidden in the crowd, showed a slight change in expression. She rode out on horseback, her expression one of doubt and disbelief.
At that very moment, Zhan Xinjia leaped up like a startled swan, her toes lightly touching the blade of Zhan Yinshu's horizontally held sword. With a light touch, she propelled herself forward like an arrow drawn taut from a bow, her figure so fast that only a blur remained.
Squinting to calculate the distance and direction, taking advantage of the enemy's chaotic formation, Zhan Xinjia took a half step back, gritted his teeth, steadied his body, and directly raised his hand and wrist to throw the close-combat spear in his hand as a hidden weapon!
The spearhead cut through the wind, carrying an unstoppable momentum of thunderous fury, almost sparking as it rubbed against the air.
With a muffled groan, Wu Lanlian, who was sitting on the horse, stared in disbelief at the spear that had pierced through her chest.
Large spurts of blood spilled from her lips, her pupils dilated and trembling. She tried to say something more, but her exhausted body collapsed from the horse and fell silent.
With the death of the eldest princess, the soldiers of Nanjun, who were leaderless, immediately lost their composure and their morale plummeted.
Zhan Xinjia caught the longsword thrown at him from behind without turning his head, and in one swift motion, he cut down the banner of Nanjun.
In the twilight, as dusk and night merged, in the sliver of light where the line between day and night converged, the girl appeared as if stained with blood. Her blood-blurred face resembled that of a vengeful ghost born from a battlefield. A constant gust of wind whipped her disheveled black hair, filling her sleeves and causing her robes to flutter wildly.
She leaned on her sword and slowly straightened up, her back ramrod straight, like a new battle flag belonging to the Great Sheng, guarding the world.
Just like the saying goes, "Genius is just the threshold to my understanding."
She has plenty of confidence and self-assurance.
The soldiers from Nanjun who led the charge were ashen-faced and trembling. For a moment, no one dared to step forward. Even though they were an entire army facing only two men, the trembling and fear that arose from the bottom of their hearts felt like chains gripping their throats.
Just as they were about to flee, two more horses caught up from afar, followed by a large swarm of armored soldiers.
Upon closer inspection, it was clear that Pei Yi and Yan Wuju were sitting on the horse.
Wild geese are unrestrained?!
Why is he out here? Where is Mu Yunlan?
A sense of unease welled up in Zhan Xinjia's heart, and he hurriedly waved to Zhan Yinshu, signaling to retreat.
What followed was a situation that was beyond their ability to handle.
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