Chapter 85 "Or perhaps, you are unable to move, and it is best to..."
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, almost all attention was focused on him.
Qian Xiaojiu's face was deathly pale, and he hesitated for a long time without uttering a single word.
Zhang Rang grew impatient. Taking advantage of the girl's body blocking him, he pinched her vest hard and threatened in a low voice, "What about what I just taught you? Have you forgotten!"
Xiao Dingguan frowned. "Let her speak slowly."
Zhang Rang immediately lowered his head.
"Speak," he urged.
Qian Xiaojiu's body trembled violently.
The unseeing faces of her elder sister and brother flashed before her eyes, black blood gushing from their mouths. The hope and smile in their eyes had not yet completely faded before they were completely extinguished.
"Speak."
If you disobey, the tall, strong man will lift her face with the blade of a knife and warn her, word by word: You will die a more gruesome death than your brothers and sisters.
Do you see this knife? We'll stab you in the stomach with this knife. Have you ever seen a chicken killed? Killing you is almost the same as slaughtering an animal. But I won't let you die immediately. There are countless tortures in prison that make life worse than death. You must obey.
Listen to what Lord Zhang says.
Her long, wet hair clung tightly to her face, making it impossible for Zhang Rang to see her expression.
He suddenly noticed that the little beggar-like girl's face was actually quite white after she washed it, a porcelain-like pale white.
As if sensing something, Ji Chengnin spurred his horse and quietly approached the city wall.
Swift as the wind.
Zhang Rang could feel the gazes coming from all directions—incomprehension, doubt, and disappointment.
Xiao Dingguan stood not far away, looking at him coldly, as if rebuking him, "You can't even handle such a small matter."
"Speak!" he urged.
Qian Xiaojiu turned around abruptly, and the girl opened her bloodless lips and shouted hoarsely, "You did it all!"
Before she could finish speaking, she jumped down.
A fierce wind, carrying sand and gravel, lashed her face. The ground suddenly rose upwards, becoming level with the city wall in an instant. Qian Xiaojiu tightly closed her eyes.
She had seen what people who fell to their deaths looked like. Although they were smashed to pieces, they wouldn't die immediately. They could only struggle futilely on the ground, their fingernails digging into the cracks in the ground!
She didn't want to die like this!
"Release the arrows!" the authoritative voice commanded loudly.
"Bang!"
The next second, she slammed heavily into something.
"Click".
Suddenly, a sound that made your teeth ache rang in your ears.
It wasn't soft, but it wasn't nearly as hard as the ground either. Was it—a human arm?!
Qian Xiaojiu opened her eyes, trembling.
What catches the eye is the man's resolute and sharp jawline; whether from pain or tension, the lines are taut.
She stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
The man let out a trembling breath, as if he was in great pain, but when he met her wide-open eyes, he gave her a very gentle, almost reassuring smile.
He held her arm tightly, his body still trembling instinctively.
"Whoosh—"
In an instant, arrows rained down.
The arrowhead suddenly loomed larger before my eyes!
Ji Chengning held her tightly in his arms, his uninjured arm wielding the sword with a swift and ruthless motion, severing the arrow shaft.
The horse, startled, let out a long neigh and galloped back the way it came, covering more than ten feet in an instant.
"Click-click-click-click-click—"
"Fire arrows! Fire arrows now!"
The heavy city gates rattled as the rebel army surged out like a tide. Their leader, his face flushed with excitement, brandished his weapon, shouting, "The general said that whoever captures Ji Chengning alive will be rewarded with a thousand pieces of gold!"
A sharp arrow came flying straight at them.
Ji Chengnin abruptly turned his head, and the arrow whizzed past his ear.
Scarlet splatter.
He ignored the pain, only covering the little girl in his arms more thoroughly, and spurred his horse to gallop.
Behind them, shouts and the sound of horses' hooves echoed continuously, as if they were right next to them.
Qian Xiaojiu trembled in Ji Chengnin's arms. She didn't dare to look up, and her voice was still trembling with sobs, "General Ji, just throw me down."
Upon hearing this, her heart pounded wildly. She had long heard rumors that the young Marquis Ji was bloodthirsty and could devour children's hearts and livers. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for Ji Chengnin to abandon her.
The next moment, she heard Ji Chengnin scoff, "Nonsense."
Qian Xiaojiu was taken aback.
Ji Chengnin's tone was clearly not gentle, but a strange sense of peace welled up from his heart and flowed through his body.
Before he finished speaking, a soldier drew his bow and aimed at Ji Chengnin's back.
"Whoosh—"
An arrow pierced his skull.
A spray of blood spurted from between the soldier's eyebrows.
Ji Chengnin suddenly turned around.
The cavalrymen who had been lying in ambush surged out. The man who had just shot the arrow lowered his hand, his face still as gentle as a jade beauty, yet as expressionless as a dead object.
But the moment he put down the bow and arrow, he clenched his fingers tightly, and his knuckles were suddenly subjected to heavy pressure, making a cracking sound.
Elite troops surged forward, and the battle situation instantly reversed.
The pursuing squad was caught off guard by Ji Chengnin's contingency plan, and they quickly reined in their horses, turned around, and galloped towards the city.
"Stop chasing," Ji Chengnin ordered.
Xiao Dingguan is a man of deep thoughts and unscrupulous means. Rashly pursuing that group of soldiers would do far more harm than good, especially since they did not bring any siege equipment to scale the city walls, making it difficult for them to climb them.
The cavalry immediately turned their horses around and escorted Ji Chengnin towards Yan County.
Amidst swirling yellow sand and a gust of wind sweeping across faces, Ji Chengnin, seemingly lost in thought, suddenly turned around.
From a distance of a hundred feet, he could no longer see people clearly, only their shadowy figures.
But he inexplicably sensed that Xiao Dingguan was staring intently at him.
Ji Chengnin curled his lips into a cold smile.
Over there, on the city wall, the arrow shaft in Xiao Dingguan's hand was easily broken in two.
"Click".
Zhang Rang knelt down with a thud, cold sweat instantly soaking his back. "General, it is my incompetence," he kowtowed repeatedly, "Please, General, spare my lowly life for my unwavering loyalty, so that I may serve you!"
However, to his surprise, the general did not rebuke him; instead, he chuckled softly.
The grinding of the soft cartilage in his throat sent chills down his spine.
Ji Chengning left without saying anything, but he had already understood what Ji Chengning meant—I have done more than enough to persuade him to surrender, but it is you, Xiao Dingguan, who are stubborn and unrepentant. If war breaks out in the future and lives are lost, it will all be your fault!
"General...?"
The officials present dared not even breathe loudly.
“Qian Xiaojiu betrayed his master and colluded with the enemy, or was instigated by his sister,” Xiao Dingguan said calmly. “Dig up the remains of the Qian siblings and expose them for three days as a warning to others.”
Zhang Rang slammed his head heavily onto the ground.
"yes."
...
Ji Chengnin led his troops straight back to the city without stopping.
Qian Xiaojiu was a child, and a young girl at that. Ji Chengning couldn't bring her into the military camp, so he ordered someone to select a loyal and honest military household to raise her. He also allocated an extra hundred catties of grain to this military household and sent a military doctor to examine Qian Xiaojiu.
As for Ji Chengnin... the once imposing young general Ji has been hanging his head ever since parting ways with his subordinates, not even daring to lift his eyelids.
He was afraid to make eye contact with Cui Yao.
Fear? What a joke! He's not afraid.
But his cousin is quick-witted and sharp-tongued when she gets angry, and she's very difficult to appease, so it's best to avoid attracting her attention if possible.
He thought he was hiding well, but such a tall person riding a tall horse was extremely conspicuous. Even if Cui Yao were blind, he would have noticed him. Besides, his heart was completely focused on Ji Chengning.
Ji Chengning pulled the reins with one hand, while Qian Xiaojiu's arm hung limply at his sides.
He hadn't felt any pain before, but after being alone with A-Yao, perhaps because it was too quiet around him, his mind was unsettled. A sharp pain shot through his left arm, as if several pieces of shards were stuck inside, making it painful to even breathe.
The young general's eyes darted around, and he preemptively struck, "Hiss."
The pain was real, and so was the pretense.
After whimpering, he immediately looked up at his cousin, cautiously, as if afraid of being scolded by her.
The two looked at each other.
Ji Chengnin stared wide-eyed in horror.
Cui Yao's eyes were red, clearly not the type to reprimand him.
The next second, the tears that had been welling up in her eyes fell.
"Clatter."
He was born with the appearance of a beautiful, ethereal person, and when he shed tears, it was as if his jade marrow was overflowing and cracking. Ji Chengning was shocked by this sight, and for a moment he was overwhelmed with guilt and pity, unable to describe the feeling.
But this person, seemingly born from the heavens, had a deep, blood-red eye, adding to his ghostly aura. He stared intently at Ji Chengning, as if he wanted to tear him apart and devour him alive.
Did A-Yao cry?
Ji Chengning was so startled by the tear that he almost fell off his horse.
“Ah Yao, I…”
Cui Yao suddenly turned her head, flicked her whip, and rode away.
Ji Chengnin touched his nose with his still-intact hand and muttered to himself, "Such a temper."
But he only dared to say this to himself, and he absolutely could not say it out loud, lest his cousin hear it.
He dragged his battered arm and slowly rode his horse toward the military camp.
Although Qian Xiaojiu wasn't heavy, the impact of him falling from the city wall into his arms was considerable. He had been fighting and retreating, and his other hand was so weak from swinging his knife that he could barely lift it. So he simply slowed down to avoid aggravating his injury.
However, not long afterward, he heard the clattering of horses' hooves again.
Ji Chengnin looked up.
Not far away, Cui Yao rode up at full speed on horseback.
“Your Highness,” he said in a cold, hoarse voice, “please dismount.”
Ji Chengnin was taken aback, "Here?"
He turned his head and found that this was the government office of Yan County. However, since he dealt with a group of officials and made the clerks move to the military camp to work under his nose, the place had been empty, with only a few old servants sweeping and cleaning.
He didn't understand why, but since Cui Yao had spoken, he dismounted without thinking.
Cui Yao immediately came up to help him.
Seeing Cui Yao's cold face, Ji Chengning let out a soft "oh," a sound so deliberate that anyone who wasn't a fool could tell.
Hearing his pretentious act, Cui Yao's expression softened, and she loosened her grip even further. "Serves you right."
Ji Chengnin feigned displeasure, "How dare I speak to your general like that?"
My general?
Cui Yao paused, her anger inexplicably lessened, but she didn't show it on her face, saying calmly, "Be careful when you walk."
The two entered the main hall, where Cui Yao helped Ji Chengning sit down.
Ji Chengning saw him take out several bottles and jars from his sleeve, as well as splints and bandages, and then he understood, "So my cousin just went back to get medicine."
Cui Yao did not answer.
Ji Chengnin found it interesting.
Cui Yao was meticulous; everything was arranged according to size and height, even the medicine bottles.
"Ah Yao, you're skilled in medicine?" Ji Chengning asked with a smile.
His arm ached as if a dull knife was grinding against his bone, sharp pain throbbing up in waves, yet the smile on his face was even brighter than before.
Cui Yao replied softly, "I didn't know how at first, but after being by the Crown Prince's side for a while, I learned how."
His fingertip lit up, and Ji Chengnin stared intently at it.
A thin, sharp knife was held between his two fingers.
“Your Highness,” Cui Yao’s voice was polite, “please take off your coat.”
Before Ji Chengnin could answer, the cold light from the fingertip flashed before Ji Chengnin's eyes. "Or is it that you are unable to move and need me to help you undress?"
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Author's note: I'll fix it tomorrow morning.
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