Chapter 5: Xiaoba’s confession is so cool!
However, the man dodged it by a hair's breadth and at the same time slapped her hard on the shoulder.
She was thrown to the ground in the outer courtyard, and when she landed, she felt that her shoulder blade was probably broken.
The man flexed his wrist and smirked, "Tsk tsk, I really underestimated Your Highness. It's a shame you can't even use something as good as the Blood Pills. You deserve this!"
Then, he walked over and grabbed Qi Xin's neck: "Although I am a little reluctant, you are too much of a hindrance. You are just a princess, so let her die."
Qi Xin only felt that the air in her throat was getting thinner and thinner. Her eyes were bloodshot and she almost lost her voice.
How could she die in such an unclear way?
However, the helpless feeling of suffocation became stronger, and her struggling fists and feet gradually became weak.
The images in her mind kept changing like a flash of light. There were no carved beams and painted buildings, no lonely smoke in the desert, but only scenes of her playing with Zheng Qi and Zheng Ba in this small farmyard these days.
Finally, he paused in Zheng Qi's bright and deep amber eyes...
She is unwilling to accept it!
At the same time, the familiar burning sensation in Qi Xin's body flowed through his blood vessels from the soles of his feet back to his brain.
She suddenly felt dizzy, and her hands miraculously raised up, using all her strength to strangle the throat of the person on her.
The man was caught off guard and jumped up due to her iron-like palm. He stared at her in surprise from a distance.
Oxygen mixed with a fishy smell rushed into Qi Xin's throat. He coughed violently like a dead tree coming back to life in spring. Black blood seeped into the cracks in the rocks, merged into the mud, and spread out in all directions, leaving a trace that looked like a red spider lily in full bloom.
Before she could catch her breath, the man with quick eyes and hands grabbed her neck again and covered her mouth and nose, blocking her from breathing heavily.
Why, she fought to the death, but in the end, it still ended like this!
She doesn't admit it!
The next moment, the forearm that was clamping Qi Xin's neck was wrapped in a strong wind by the person who came, and the arm bone was shattered from the elbow, and it hung down limply.
And his head was pierced by a sharp blade as thin as a bamboo stick.
In this way, it was pierced through.
Qi Xin crawled on the ground, feeling ashamed.
Then, she was gently picked up from the ground by the man and held in his arms to avoid being splashed with the blood spurting out when he drew his sword.
"Holding the Hanging Star Blade in his hand, and the Soft Moon Sword on his waist, he is like a pair of male and female legs, and he comes and goes without a trace."
Among the huge group of assassins, someone recognized this person: "You are, you are——"
Before he could finish his words, a thin blade stabbed his throat.
The assassins were leaderless and in a panic. The man half-grabbed Qi Xin and jumped onto the assassins' fast horses. They rushed out of the town amid the corpses that fell one after another.
He didn't dare to stop for a moment until he entered a lush green bamboo forest, and then his speed gradually slowed down.
The ride on horseback was too bumpy just now, and Qi Xin kept his hands on the man's lower back to prevent him from falling.
All the way in silence.
The man wore a wart mask the entire time, leaving only the occasional scorching breath brushing past her ears.
Qi Xin vaguely remembered that when she was twelve or thirteen years old, she once sneaked into the dark room of Zhaowen Pavilion in Shengdu and read several secret books that contained graphic descriptions of warts:
"Since the Shengtianli era, wart armor has been made by cold forging to achieve a soft, thin, yet tough surface. It has proven effective in numerous battles in Ningbei."
But it is indeed a rare item, and due to its high cost, it is difficult to distribute it to all parts of Sheng State.
Qi Xin barely managed to straighten up slightly, following the man's half-closed posture. She smiled to herself and took a breath.
"What are you trying to achieve by going to such great lengths to save me, a dying man with one foot halfway in his coffin?"
The man still said nothing.
Qi Xin chuckled self-deprecatingly, then pointed out the man's identity directly:
"Brother Zheng Ba, how long do you want to keep pretending?"
The man hesitated for a moment, then removed his visor and hung it on the side of his horse, revealing Zheng Ba's sharp features that had once been so incongruous.
"These assassins didn't intend to kill you, so why are you trying so hard to get out of this situation? The best way to get out of this situation is to be pragmatic."
"You know, you've known it for a long time, you've always known it," Qi Xin's tone became increasingly uncontrollable, and he could no longer hold back, "You're not an ordinary farmer, are you? What's your real job?"
Zheng Ba shook his head, awkwardly putting on an expression of being at the mercy of others, and helplessly introduced himself:
"I, your humble servant, am in charge of the Ningbei 'Bubazi' Light Infantry Battalion and am the commander of the Jingguo Army."
Ningbei? Yasukuni Shrine?
Such a close relationship.
Qi Xin thought about it day and night, but never expected that the curse of "darkness under the lamp" would come true.
Yes, the secret is contained:
"Ningbei Camp is a strategic location for the National Salvation Army, built along the river and meticulously planned. It is divided into three camps, each with its own specialties. The Earth Vein's light infantry are known as the 'Bubazi'; the Water Vein's heavy ship soldiers are known as the 'Shuichizi'; and the Wind Vein's cavalry are known as the 'Iron Harriers'. They all exist alongside each other, under the command of Lord Shen."
However, it was not detailed who was in charge of each of the three major camps in Ningbei.
If you think about it carefully, Zheng Bacheng is always unkempt and unkempt, while Zheng Qi is elegant and graceful but has difficulty in moving. These two really have nothing to do with the awe-inspiring generals.
The two of them never deliberately concealed their identities from me. After all, it was my own fault and I couldn't blame anyone else.
But her words were filled with dissatisfaction, as if not saying a few words would be a disservice to the time she had wasted in painstakingly searching for Chen Yu.
"Hiss, you guys are quite capable. You haven't even cleaned up your own mess, yet you still have the mind to meddle in other people's business." After Qi Xin finished mocking, he felt worried.
What was Zheng Qi's position in the National Salvation Army? Even with that terrible leg injury, how could he command such a large army?
It's really strange!
Qi Xin snorted twice from his nostrils and asked indifferently, "Where's Zheng Qi?"
Zheng Ba said without hesitation: "Your Highness, don't worry too much. The Seventh Master has his own arrangements."
Qi Xin was horrified, his tone unconsciously rising: "What? What did you call me?"
"Your Highness Princess Jialing, be well and safe. We have offended you many times in recent days, but we have no choice. This place is in chaos now, so it would be best if Your Highness does not wander around."
Zheng Bayi's tone was obviously much more humble, which was contrary to his usual behavior.
"Which princess has the leisure to visit this shabby place? It's really incomprehensible." Qi Xin became angry and struggled to get off the horse.
Zheng Ba no longer cared about etiquette and hierarchy. He tightly grasped her waist and said gently, "The red lines in your eyes haven't completely faded yet, Your Highness. This..."
"You!" Qi Xin interrupted him, covering his eyes. "Today I've finally witnessed the all-powerful abilities of the Jingguo Army. There's no need to pretend you only just realized it. You've noticed it a long time ago, right?"
Zheng Ba sighed and said slowly, "I didn't mean to deceive you. I knew the general idea when we first met."
"Why?" Qi Xin felt his voice trembling.
"I am not talented, but I have become a doctor after suffering from illness for a long time. I can detect the power of your highness's blood pill. In addition, the wooden sign on your highness's body--" Zheng Ba seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Qi Xin immediately realized what was happening and asked, "Her name is Shuangjiang? Is she one of yours?"
"Yeah." Zheng Ba responded hastily.
"So, Zheng Ba—is your real name? And why do you call him Seventh Master?"
"Real name. For convenience." Zheng Bayi answered the question in response, being very frugal with words.
"Are you not afraid of being recognized?"
As soon as he said it, Qi Xin felt that it was redundant. Since the secret was not recorded, how many people would know the real names of the leaders of the three veins? He was probably just given many nicknames, which became a common practice due to rumors.
"I am indeed a commoner, fortunately I was taken in by Commander Shen. As for my name, no one really cares."
Zheng Ba's emotions did not fluctuate, as if he was describing three meals a day as normal. But when he mentioned "Commander Chen", his obsidian eyes lit up for a moment.
"That's really strange. You knew that I had been looking for Chen Yu and had been with him for several months, so why didn't you tell me?" Qi Xin said dejectedly.
"Your Highness has already said that we, the ministers, have a stigma against us. It is not easy for Your Highness to see through us. However, if our status as envoys leads Your Highness into danger again, we will die."
Qi Xin raised his eyebrows and said with a wry smile, "Brother Zheng Ba, do you really have to talk to me like this?"
Zheng Ba seemed to ignore him and continued, "Your Highness, please forgive me. The most important thing now is to escort Your Highness to a safe place."
The smile that had been hanging on Qi Xin's lips disappeared completely, his face gradually turned cold, and he said:
"Oh, if that's the case, then how can anyone else interfere with my whereabouts?"
Seeing that she was serious, Zheng Ba could only patiently persuade her kindly: "Your Highness, please don't embarrass me."
Qi Xin ignored him and asked indirectly, "So, according to you, you are hiding because of these frequent assassination attempts?"
"It's not entirely due to that reason. It's a long story." Zheng Ba's eyes were uncertain, and his tone sounded like he was sighing.
Qi Xin was puzzled. Zheng Qi and Zheng Ba had always treated her well. But even before her arrival, this village had been a rare paradise, abundant with supplies and in perfect order. They had gone to such great lengths to establish roots here, it didn't seem like a hasty settlement.
Furthermore, he had encountered an assassin this time, and presumably, assassinations were a constant stream. He hadn't leaked anything before, so why was he exposed now?
Qi Xin was in a state of confusion. He stared at Zheng Ba intently and asked, "What was the truth back then? Did Shen Yu surrender?"
"Marshal..." Zheng Ba was silent for a while, as if he was thinking about his words:
"He did surrender—but it was a feint. This is a long story. The human heart is unpredictable, let alone an emperor's. The emperor already suspected that the Marshal's achievements surpassed his own, and he was also being alienated by treacherous villains. He sent the Shadow Capital Guards to secretly escort the victorious Marshal back to the capital, or behead him on the spot if he refused. At that time, slanderous words were spreading in Ningbei. For unknown reasons, people from the Moon Kingdom had infiltrated the civilian population. The Marshal was afraid that he would lead to the encirclement and suppression of the entire National Defense Army, so he pretended to surrender."
"So, you saved Shuangjiang at the same time?" Qi Xin asked.
"No, it was Shuangjiang who saved the Marshal." Zheng Ba corrected him:
"Shuangjiang was originally an orphan. As a child, she received food aid from the old Duke. When the Marshal was killed, she was the only female slave to survive the blood pill fusion. It was she who secretly rescued the Marshal with 50% of the blood pill's power. However, she herself was abducted here by an established trafficking organization."
Qi Xin understood a little. When the nest is overturned, no one can escape unscathed. The situation within Sheng State was indeed complicated. Chen Yu pretended to surrender, presumably to explore something...
"Is Shuangjiang okay? She helped me when I was escaping from the Moon Country. She must have been exposed." Qi Xin said with a hint of regret.
"Your Highness, please bear with me." Zheng Ba pulled the reins and laughed:
"Shuangjiang is proficient in medicine, poisons, and witchcraft, and she can combine them all into one, turning danger into fortune. She has been collecting intelligence on the Blood Pill for us and developing a method to crack it. I never thought that the Crown Prince of Yue Kingdom would dare to touch even Your Highness, the Princess. Let me say a few words, the power of the Blood Pill is extraordinary. You have already become a Zero Blood, and therefore are coveted by various forces. Your Highness must be more careful and return to the palace as soon as possible to protect yourself."
"Commander Zheng, now that you've said that, you don't think Shengdu can still accommodate me now, do you?"
She really didn't want to leave. After all, everything had just begun to take shape. If she left now, she would undoubtedly be trapped in the palace again.
Zheng Ba said calmly, "Although His Majesty is the heir of the royal family, Your Highness is, after all, the eldest princess of the royal family. She is different from us, the outsiders."
Are they different?
Qi Xin didn't want to argue with him about this matter, but after hearing his words, he felt it was extremely ironic.
On the eve of her marriage, in the cold palace, the words she had written in blood on her own handkerchief seemed to be still before her eyes:
Su Zhongqing: This expedition is in vain
The Hu sky frost covered the lonely city, and the iron cavalry tore the cold flags.
I can't bear to throw the phoenix chariot away lightly, and play the flute with the waning moon to offer sacrifices to the camp.
The blood has not yet been extinguished, the dust has not been collected, and the strings are ringing in the air.
How can I sigh for this life? I want to fly out of the sky and become a hawk alone.
The author has something to say:
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ps——
Zheng Ba: Wow wow wow wow, Master Qi, you have committed a sin, why do you want others to bear the consequences? When will you come out?
Zheng Qi: Be good, hold on a little longer! [Smirk]
Other--
I am not very talented, but I love to write poetry and prose. Unless otherwise indicated, the poems and lyrics in this article are quoted from ancient times and are written in the style of the ancients. My original works are simple, so I hope you will bear with me!
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