Female General (Twenty-four)
"Horse! Horse faster! If you delay for a moment, I will take his life!" Huang Heng roared loudly, and the sound scraped across everyone's eardrums.
The Dali Temple official's hair and beard were all standing on end. He stared at the bloodstain on Ah Chou's neck with bloodshot eyes. His throat was rolling, and he finally waved his hand hoarsely: "Give it to him!"
Then, a jet-black horse with snow-white hooves was led over, its mane flying and it pawed the ground restlessly.
A murderous light flashed in Huang Heng's eyes, and he grabbed Ah Chou and almost dragged him to the front of the horse.
He tightened his left hand around Achou's neck, and with a flash of cold light from the dagger in his right hand, he cut the reins that tied the horse. Then, he pushed the saddle with one hand and pulled Achou onto the horse.
"Don't chase us! Do you hear me?" He roared and waved his sword to disperse the soldiers who were approaching the door.
Xiao Lin was so frightened that he immediately hid behind Mu You. Mu You was in front of him, but he couldn't hide his racing heart.
What to do? Ah Chou was in his hand, and his dagger was so close to his throat. If the arrow fell, there was no guarantee that the dagger in his hand would be faster.
What should I do?
On this side, Huang Heng took the reins and squeezed the horse's belly with his legs. The black horse felt pain, neighed loudly, and rushed out like an arrow.
The horseshoes slammed heavily on the bluestone slabs, making a series of rapid and deafening crisp sounds. In an instant, they rushed out dozens of feet, stirring up a trail of dust, and headed straight for the open gate to the west.
"Damn it!" A clear shout rang out. Gou Su turned his head suddenly, trying to break free from the shackles on his wrists, but found it was futile. So he turned around and shouted angrily, "What are you standing there for! Unlock this general now!"
The Dali Temple Minister was struck by her gaze and snapped back to his senses. Without caring about his manners, he shouted at the jailer beside him, whose legs were weak with fear: "Quick! Remove the shackles! Quick!"
At the command, two yamen runners rushed over in a panic, and the key was shaking so much that they could hardly align it with the keyhole.
The spikes of the shackles pricked her arms, and the chains felt cold and heavy.
In the distance, the sound of horse hooves is almost inaudible.
"Waste!" She bared her teeth and smacked her lips.
Then he suddenly raised his foot and kicked hard on the corner of the shackles, sending wood chips flying.
The force of this kick was so strong that the two yamen runners who were unlocking the door almost dropped their hands.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Gou Su put all his strength into every step he took towards the wooden yoke, and all the pent-up anger burst out.
Finally, there was a dull "click" sound, the wooden yoke broke, and the lock popped open.
The heavy wooden yoke and iron chain fell to the ground with a loud bang, hitting the bluestone slabs and raising a cloud of dust.
"Horse! Give me the horse!"
Gou Su didn't even have time to move his stiff wrist, let alone care about the blood marks on his wrist caused by the shackles. His eyes were fixed on the late-coming chestnut horse. He tapped the ground with his toes and rushed to the side of the horse in a few steps.
Without any hesitation, he grabbed the front bridge of the saddle with one hand, pressed the horse's back with the other hand, exerted force from his waist and abdomen, and then he flipped onto the horse's back like a light cloud.
She twisted and shook the reins in her hands, her movements quick and smooth.
"I will capture him first. I hope you will send more men to follow!"
In the blink of an eye, Gou Su grabbed the red tasseled spear held by the officer beside him, used the force to throw it upwards, and just held it firmly in his palm. Then he raised it, and a cold light broke through the air, contrasting with the flying horse mane.
"Gee!" Her voice was short and powerful. The chestnut horse moved at the sound, its four hooves churning, and chased wildly in the direction where Huang Heng disappeared.
"Hurry! Chase them!" The Dali Temple Minister also gave a loud order. The detectives immediately received the order and ran to the backyard with the clanging of armor.
Xiao Lin and Mu You were as anxious as ants on a hot pan. Seeing that things had come to this point, Huang Heng was about to get his punishment, but he failed to take good care of Achou, allowing him to have a chance to survive.
She stared at the detectives who were leaving one after another, praying in her heart: "Please, please, nothing will happen to you..."
I don’t know if he suddenly developed a conscience or what, but the usually indifferent Chu Mo suddenly came over and gave the two of them some comfort.
Little did they know that behind the figures, Wang Xuhan's boots quietly stopped behind the threshold.
His eyebrows and eyes became deeper due to his age, revealing a fierceness all the time, but they relaxed a lot when they fell on the back of Chu Mo's head.
"Sir..." The followers that Wang Xuhan brought with him bent over, trying to remind him something.
Without waiting for him to explain the reason, Wang Xuhan held out his hand to stop him from finishing his words: "Don't panic, just accompany me to watch this wonderful show first."
---
It was hard to say how long Huang Heng had been holding Achou hostage, but when Gou Su found the fast horse he had stolen, they had already reached the middle of the mountain.
In the hottest time of July, the north wind howled halfway up the mountain, and the broken snow was like salt, rustling on the rugged cliffs.
Huang Heng, looking extremely disheveled, was dragging Achou towards the top of the mountain. His luxurious official robe had already been torn into tatters by thorns and rocks, and was stained with mud and dark brown blood.
He leaned his back against the cold rock wall, his jade crown tilted, a few strands of wet hair stuck to his pale cheek from blood loss, one hand tightly holding Ah Chou, the other hand tightly grasping the dagger.
The cold blade pressed against the side of Ah Chou's neck, leaving a glaring bloody mark.
"Mr. Huang, please confess your crime. You will only add to your sins by doing this now. If you stop now, you still have a way out..." Ah Chou panted and tried to awaken Huang Heng's remaining conscience.
Unexpectedly, Huang Heng was furious and refused to budge: "Shut up! Where can I escape? Collaboration with the enemy and treason is a capital crime! It will bring disaster to my entire clan!"
"But it's useless to tie me up now. This mountaintop is a dead end. When the adults arrive, you still have to confess your guilt."
"Who said I was going to confess?" Huang Heng's words were like a cold thorn, piercing Ah Chou's heart, "I was going to drag you down with me to die together..."
Ah Scandal swallowed silently and didn't say another word.
After all, Huang Heng is going to die anyway, and taking hostages is just to get someone to be buried with him.
We stumbled to the top of the mountain, which was an open field with sparse bushes and only a patch of remaining snow.
Ice chips stuck to the soles of their shoes, making a crisp sound with every step, appearing and disappearing in the howling cold wind.
"Mr. Huang, you don't want to kill me..." Achou thought for a long time and spoke tentatively.
Huang Heng chuckled: "What a joke."
"If you really wanted to kill me, you could have attacked me every moment you came here, but you still brought me here. Why bother..."
It seemed that Achou's provocation worked. Huang Heng paused, and the arm that was strangling Achou loosened a little.
Seeing this good opportunity, Ah Chou secretly bent his knees a few inches and glanced around, trying to escape from Huang Heng's arms and dagger.
Seeing the dagger getting further and further away, Huang Heng suddenly came to his senses and pushed the tip of the knife deeper, threatening: "You want to die quickly? I won't! Aren't you the most important person to Gou Su? I want Gou Su to watch with her own eyes how her beloved dies while she does nothing!"
The stinging pain in his neck spread throughout his body. If the dagger had been half an inch closer, Ah Chou would have suffocated to death.
Huang Heng was already enraged, and as reinforcements were slow to arrive, Achou became increasingly anxious.
After a moment, the sound of horse hooves stepping on the snow came from a distance. Huang Heng woke up immediately, grabbed Achou's clothes and turned around immediately.
The horse's neigh pierced the air, the crisp sound coming from far away and finally stopping abruptly ten steps away.
"Huang Heng..." She called his name condescendingly.
Gou Su sat upright on the chestnut horse, and thick white air came out of the horse's nose, which was instantly blown away by the strong wind.
She was wearing a thin martial arts robe, with wrinkles on her shoulders and arms from being imprisoned in the palace. On her wrists, several purple-black scrapes and bleeding scabs were particularly eye-catching in the cold wind.
The protagonist has arrived and the show begins.
Perhaps it was because Gou Su in his red and white martial robe caught Huang Heng's eye, his dark pupils suddenly turned a little scarlet.
He let out a muffled sound from his throat, and then he shouted at the top of his voice: "Gou Su! I tried to win you over with good intentions, but you chose to become my enemy! If you had agreed back then, I wouldn't be ending up like this today!"
Gou Su did not put down the two-meter-long spear in his hand, the tip of the spear pointed obliquely at the snow, with a cold light condensed in it.
The wind blew up her untied hair and fluttered her thin clothes.
She panted slightly, but her figure on horseback was as imposing as a mountain and a deep abyss, her eyes looking down from above: "Huang Heng, this general has always been different from you. You have made one mistake after another in your pursuit of power. If you can come to your senses now, this general will petition His Majesty to spare your life!"
"Haha, spare my life?" Huang Heng suddenly lost his strength, his tone full of self-mockery. "Every one of you wants to punish me, but do you know how much suffering I have endured over the years?"
Gou Su: “…”
Huang Heng continued, "As a bastard, with a ruined mother's family, what's the point of studying hard? My father has disliked me since I was born. You can see how I behave like a noble son in the Huang family. He dismissed all his servants, and even forbade me from joining my father's family at court. I was forced to work for the Ministry of Rites..."
"You have never understood my difficulties, nor can you understand my difficulties..." Huang Heng spoke bitterly, tears welling up in his eyes. "Do I have a choice, Gou Su? I ask you, do I have a choice?"
Gou Su said nothing, but quietly tightened the spear in his hand.
Huang Heng knew that it was pointless to say more, so he turned and stared at Achou with a squint, and in an instant he pulled off the mask he had worn for several years.
The mask was suddenly torn off and fell lightly into the snow like a piece of dead skin.
In fact, Gou Su had only seen his true face a few times when she met Achou. Now that his features were revealed to the world again, she was stunned.
That was no ordinary scar, but rather a mark severely branded by heavenly fire, with bumps and depressions, like melted wax that solidified and then solidified.
The scarred flesh was twisted and tangled, dark red mixed with pale white, with varying shades of light and dark, and the lines were ferocious and brutal. Where the skin and flesh were tangled, the edges were slightly curled up, revealing the darker new flesh underneath.
He shuddered violently, stood frozen in place, his eyes fixed.
"Gou Su, isn't he very important to you? Then, how about watching him die?"
"Huang Heng, wake up!"
"I'm sober!" Huang Heng roared, nearly shaking the snow off the treetops. "Or, I'll give you another chance..."
"Stop!" Gou Su fell from his horse, his spear still clutched in his palm. He stretched out his other hand to appease the madman in front of him, "Don't make the same mistake again. Let him go and come back with me. I'll plead for you..."
Her voice trembled, and her heart was colder than the chill brought by the snow seeds hitting her body.
Huang Heng pressed the blade deeper into Ah Chou's skin, causing blood to seep out. "Gou Su, listen carefully! Confess your crime and overturn my verdict. Then I will release him."
"you!"
"If you take another step forward, I will kill him with one blow!"
Gou Su paused, his body did not move, but the snow under his feet sank slightly.
She stared into Achou's eyes, and Achou was also looking at her. There was no pleading in his eyes, only a calmness that was almost relief.
He understood, better than anyone else, what Gou Su wanted.
He stared at Gou Su blankly, watching her face express conflict, watching her loosen her grip on the gun to protect him.
Ah Chou had but a worthless life. If the general had not rescued him when he was young, he would have turned into a pool of bones and blood in the mud.
It was obvious that she had generously given him hope for life, so how could he be willing to become a burden on her road to revenge?
"General! Thirteen years ago, Achou failed to save you, but today! Achou wants to fulfill your wish!" His lips, covered with mud and snow water, moved, and his voice penetrated the thin snow and reached Gou Su's ears.
"Ah ugly you!"
By the time Gou Su realized what Achou said, everything was already irreversible.
Just when Huang Heng's heart was startled by Gou Su and the strength in his arms was slightly loosened, in a flash, the seemingly weak and powerless Ah Chou burst out with his last strength from somewhere, suddenly tilted his head back, and slammed his neck into the trembling dagger blade.
At the same time, his skinny and dusty hand tightly grasped Huang Heng's wrist holding the dagger, and with all the remaining weight of his body, he pulled it down violently.
"No--!"
Gou Su's exclamation drowned out the muffled sound, clearly enough to pierce the howling wind and snow.
A stream of warm blood instantly gushed out from the side of Achou's neck, splashing on Huang Heng's shocked and distorted face, and staining the cold snow under his feet red.
Ah Chou's body slid down softly, the last light in his eyes faded away, but there was a hint of relief at the corner of his mouth.
"you!"
Huang Heng was simply unbelievable about what Achou did. The dagger in his hand suddenly fell and rolled into the snow. He also threw the exhausted Achou into the snow.
"Achou! Achou——!" Gou Su screamed heartbreakingly, taking uneven steps, stumbling and kneeling beside Achou's twitching body.
The wound on his neck was still bleeding, and Ah Chou could no longer keep his eyelids open. His scarred face showed no expression at all.
"No...no..." Gou Su hooked him into her arms, despair overwhelming her, "No...no..."
She suddenly lost her mind and could not utter anything else.
Achou took his last breath and moved his eyes, looking at the general he had guarded for half his life. He wanted to speak, but the smell of thick blood took his first step.
"Achou, don't worry, I... I will find a doctor for you right away... Just hold on..." Gou Su subconsciously covered the narrow wound on Achou's neck, letting the blood slip out from between her fingers and disappear into the snow in pools.
The separation of the two was just the opportunity for Huang Heng to escape.
He strode forward hurriedly, in the opposite direction of Gou Su's movement, grabbed the reins of the chestnut horse, and jumped onto its back.
When Gou Su heard the movement behind him, he suddenly became murderous and kicked the red tasseled spear lying on the ground without hesitation. His five fingers, which were frozen purple, suddenly tightened the spear shaft like iron clamps. The scabbed wound on his wrist instantly burst, and fresh hot blood oozed out.
She channeled all her strength from her waist and legs into her arms, and with grief and anger, she threw it out.
The long spear cut through the wind and snow, and the cold light at the tip of the spear suddenly surged, heading straight for Huang Heng's unprotected back.
The huge force carried his entire body forward, and he fell heavily from the horse's back, which had stood up in shock.
Huang Heng's eyes bulged out, blood gushed out of his mouth, his body was pierced by a spear, and he lay on the frozen ground. His limbs twitched in vain twice, and the madness in his eyes was quickly swallowed up by the death aura.
Gou Su stood trembling in the spot, with Ah Chou, who had died quietly, at his feet. His thin crimson robe fluttered wildly in the wind and snow.
The stinging pain from the wound on her wrist was sharp, intertwined with the all-consuming burning sensation in her heart, almost devouring her.
The north wind still howled mercilessly, bringing with it fallen leaves and the sound of iron boots in the distance.
The chestnut horse calmed down as it paced back and forth. The crowds of people and horses coming from the end of the mountain road brought life to the lonely mountain top.
But Gou Su's heart and Achou's last trace of concern disappeared with the wind in this endless snow.
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