Ren Xuan, I will accompany you.
The gray-robed Yanshi sighed softly, and finally devoted some of his attention to relieving Yao Li's stress.
Ren Xuan only felt a tremor between his eyebrows, and it seemed that countless threads were forcibly seeping into the depths of his sea of consciousness.
An overwhelming number of old acquaintances came over him, as if to tear him apart.
The blade in his hand paused slightly at this moment.
Yao Li roared, and with all his remaining strength, he swung his weapon forward, causing mountains to collapse and thunder to roar as he charged forward.
The wind and sand rolled up like a raging tide, instantly covering the sky and the sun. Ten-foot-high waves of dust rose up, and the sky and the earth were turbid.
When the sand fog dissipated, Yao Li's breath had completely disappeared, leaving only an unfathomable pit on the ground.
Qin Shu: “…”
He stared at the huge hole created by the explosion in silence for three breaths... As expected of the Barbarian King, he ran really fast.
However, Ren Xuan did not take even a single step forward.
His eyes slowly turned blood red, the blade dropped, and a faint bloodthirsty murderous intent emanated from his whole body.
Pei Jiming, who was watching the battle from the dark, suddenly changed his expression and shouted loudly: "Your Highness, retreat quickly! Old Ren is being infected by the life sword--"
Pei Jiming's eyes were filled with disbelief and shock. In his lifetime, he could actually see Ren Xuan... being attacked by the evil soldiers.
Ren Xuan came to his senses and saw a lone lamp in the military tent, casting mottled and fragmented shadows.
Jiang En stood in front of the desk, hesitant for a long time.
"General..."
Ren Xuan rubbed his somewhat confused head and responded casually: "What?"
Jiang En seemed to have swallowed a mouthful of blood. Finally, the young man took out a letter that had been read many times from his arms.
His tone was agonizing. "It's from Minister Lu of the Imperial City... He wrote to you. He invited you to join forces with him to capture Taixuan City."
Ren Xuan didn't even raise his head.
Among the generals, many advocated war, but he was one of the very few who advocated peace talks.
Recently, there has been an endless stream of messengers in the imperial city, and those who are sending chips, reporting surrender, and willing to be pioneers are as numerous as fish in the river.
There must be a gap in the siege army. Qin Shu was happy to see the internal division of the imperial city, and the day of the siege was postponed again and again.
But if Lu Jiefang could talk to him in person, Ren Xuan wouldn't even say a word.
Ren Xuan sneered, "Lu Jie would bow his head? Go see if the sun rises from the west. He's the type who would rather see us traitors die on the battlefield. Can he change his ways overnight? He's probably setting me up for another trap."
He raised his eyes and glanced at Jiang En, but he didn't pay attention to the man's white knuckles holding the letter.
Jiang En didn't respond. He just put the letter on the corner of the desk and lowered his voice: "General... Lu Jie was accused of treason... and his entire clan was implicated."
Ren Xuan paused for a moment before he said coldly, "When did it happen?"
Jiang En lowered his eyes: "Seven days later."
Ren Xuan tapped the corner of the table lightly, trying to straighten out the line.
Lu Jie was arrested, and this letter was not the trap he thought it was.
It was an internal struggle in the imperial city. Someone was taking advantage of it to accuse Lu Jie of collaborating with the enemy.
Ren Xuan spoke, his tone almost sarcastic: "I told you long ago, Lu Jie is just foolishly loyal."
Ren Xuan didn't want to care about Lu Jie, but he still said: "Send a few good people into the imperial city to see what's going on."
Jiang En's tone lowered a little: "General, this letter... has been withheld at the Marshal's Office for a while."
It is a clear trap and alienation, so withholding the trust is the wise thing to do.
But Ren Xuan finally noticed that something was wrong with the other party. He looked at Jiang En, frowning slightly: "What's wrong with you? Why do you look so ugly?"
Jiang En's throat moved, and he almost gritted his teeth. He still owed a life, and he owed a blood debt to his entire family.
But now, he could only lower his head, his voice so low it almost broke: "... General, you must be prepared."
"Our secret report in the capital—three days ago..."
He paused, as if he had to use up all his strength to say: "Lu... Lord Lu... died in prison."
The tent suddenly became quiet.
Ren Xuan stared at the young man, and his eyes were like knives when they fell on him.
He asked, "Lu Jie?"
Gann didn't answer.
Jiang En raised his head and wanted to say something, but he couldn't say anything and his throat felt dry.
Ren Xuan was waiting there, as if eagerly waiting for his nod.
But Gann said nothing.
That kind of surprise and uneasiness... piled up little by little.
Ren Xuan's breathing began to quicken. He pressed fiercely, "What crime? Even if Lu Jie was involved in a rebellion, he would still have to go through a joint trial and the three courts. How could we not have any information at all?!"
He seemed to have grasped something, so he put all his strength into those few words, trying to overturn all the illogical things and start over again.
Jiang En lowered his head, his voice so hoarse that it was almost inaudible: "...No. No charges."
Ren Xuan's voice suddenly dropped: "Then why did he die?"
He was still young, not even used to drinking alcohol, and he hadn't even worn official robes for many years.
Why did he die?
Gann also didn't know the answer to this question. His throat tightened and he managed to utter, "...it can only be collective punishment."
Ren Xuan suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing with disbelief. "Lu Jie's guilt has just been determined! How could there be any implication before Lu Jie was convicted?!"
Jiang En heard his own heartbeats exploding in his eardrums.
He looked at Ren Xuan, and the struggle in the other's eyes became frantic.
Ren Xuan tried to use logic to sort everything out, but that "reasonable" line had already completely collapsed.
The man who had always been calm in the face of adversity gradually became incoherent.
He looked at Jiang En and said, "I'm going to the headquarters."
The next moment, Ren Xuan seemed to have thought of something: "No, you go to the commander's office and tell His Highness that I'm going to the Imperial City."
As he spoke, his speed became faster and faster: "No, it's too late, call the troops——"
Jiang En hugged him tightly, "General... it's too late... During yesterday's interrogation, Lu Jie refused to plead guilty... and cursed in the court... It was all... all said by Lu Jie himself... Lord Lu... Lord Lu was beaten to death by those beasts."
Ren Xuan broke free from Jiang En, not pushing too hard, as if he was just breaking free from an irrelevant dream.
"He was imprisoned, why didn't you tell me?"
He has 80,000 soldiers in armor, deployed in Taixuan, with arrows on the bowstring and blades in the sheath, just waiting for the order.
He could obviously save him, and he would definitely save him.
As long as Lu Shian is willing to contact him, as long as the other party is willing to call him.
Even if it's just writing two words on a piece of paper.
With just two words, he could massacre the entire imperial city.
Jiang En was speechless for a long time. Perhaps he wanted to ask this question, but he finally whispered, "Lu Jie has been accused of treason. If Lord Lu contacts you, it will confirm Lu Jie's crime."
Ren Xuan's eyes were bloodshot. "Just for Lu Jie's worthless reputation. He let me watch him die?!"
As long as that person turned around and looked at him, even if he was a little cruel or selfish——
He's obviously not afraid of anything.
As for Lu Shian, he was too reluctant to even say the two simple words "save me" to him.
He suddenly grabbed Jiang En by the collar and blurted out in a stern voice: "Why didn't he call me? Why didn't he tell me anything?!"
Jiang En's Adam's apple moved slightly, and he finally spoke up for Lu Shi'an: "If... the people in the Imperial City find out about this, and use Lord Lu to threaten you... General... how will you deal with it...?"
Ren Xuan's expression grew increasingly grim, his knuckles practically bleeding from pinching. "What are you afraid of?! Then I'll kill Qin Shu!"
He was able to assassinate the prince of the court alone; he was able to not pursue Lu Jie's conspiracy and only rebel against the imperial city himself; he was able to go against the majority opinion and find a way out for the imperial city when the six armies were at the gates.
For Lu Shian, he would do anything. Everyone laughs at Fang Weian, but who isn't Fang Weian?!
Suddenly, a voice invaded Ren Xuan's sea of consciousness, entwined like a poisonous snake, cold as a fierce wind:
"Ren Xuan. Do you want to save someone?"
"You, a traitor, betrayed your master and killed Qin Shu."
Ren Xuan was suddenly shocked, his heart suddenly turned cold, and he was forcibly pulled out of the blood rage and heartache.
Damn, I’m trapped in the technique.
He suddenly calmed down, thinking about Xiao Jingxiu's strange behavior a few days ago, and was afraid that he might have been tricked in the same way.
Ren Xuan's thoughts raced as he recalled the day on the cliff when the gray-robed Yanshi attacked him. He was afraid that it was at that time that the hidden mine was planted in his sea of consciousness.
Fortunately, after so many times, he has almost developed resistance.
Ren Xuan gritted his teeth and sneered, "It's just the Void Realm of the Sea of Consciousness, stop playing tricks on me."
As the words fell, the cold voice in the void paused for a moment, and then suddenly laughed.
The voice was low and cold, and every word struck Ren Xuan's heart:
"How do you think Wen Congren saved Lu Shi'an back then? He used the method of tracing back to the past."
"Do you think I can't take over Lu Shian's body?"
Ren Xuan's mind exploded, his chest heaved violently, his blood and energy instantly became chaotic, and his breathing suddenly became rapid: "If you dare to touch him!"
In his sea of consciousness, the shadowy figure inched closer, looking down at him. His voice was cold and stern: "Ren Xuan, the battle is chaotic. Your one-way exchange of letters is a murderous tactic. You can easily kill Qin Shu. No one will suspect you."
The whispers piled up layer by layer, like a poisonous snake coiling around the heart, pressing closer and closer.
"Ren Xuan, can't you be a traitor for Lu Shi'an?"
Ren Xuan felt his breathing tighten, and in his mind, he kept repeating the teasing words he usually used in front of Lu Shian.
——Ability has its price.
——Loyalty, of course, exists.
For a moment, the rainy night and the lonely city buried in his previous life almost made him breathless.
The remaining fire from the past year shone through, and the blood seeped into his eyes.
Ren Xuan stood there without saying a word, as if something had pulled his spine hard.
He was stunned for a moment. Could he really betray his gratitude, his trust, and his righteousness without any burden?
The answer, separated by two lifetimes, finally became clear at this moment.
——He can’t do it.
Of course he remembered that he had gone out alone all night, assembled troops to attack the city, without asking for deployment or following orders, and had a total of 80,000 armored soldiers.
That night, I just wanted to rush to the imperial city and give that man a good scolding.
Ren Xuanxing reported at night and ordered troops to attack the city without any approval.
Half an hour later, he received a reply from Shuai Suo.
Qin Shu scolded him for half an incense stick of time, scolding him harshly.
"Did your brain burn out when you were counting the troops? Within the four great citadels within a hundred miles of the capital, you were the only one moving?"
"All these years of fighting were for nothing?! ...
"You're secretly mobilizing troops and plotting something treacherous. Do you want to be reported to death by the Censor?! Do you know how many eyes are watching you?!"
"Ren Xuan, next time you mobilize troops, ask me first. Otherwise, I will kill you first."
Qin Shu cursed very fiercely, but after he finished cursing, he didn't ask anything and didn't expose anything.
Qin Shu only added one edict to him, which was righteous and awe-inspiring:
"Evil ministers have usurped power, and discipline has been lost; the people are suffering, and this is beyond the reach of Heaven. Now, I obey Heaven and quell the rebellion, uphold the righteousness of the people, and raise an army to suppress the rebellion. I will clean up the central government to restore order, and bring peace to the country to comfort the nine ancestors."
In just a few words, the killing began.
Qin Shu simply wrapped him up in the mighty kingly way with the words "obeying the will of heaven to quell the rebellion" and gave him a legitimate reason to go on the expedition.
That night, within a hundred miles of the capital, in the four major citadels, iron hooves were shaking the ground and a raging tide suddenly arose.
The world is overturned.
Qin Shu is such a person.
It is never bound by morality. As long as it is used conveniently, it can be carried out smoothly.
He can scold you while covering up for you and not mentioning your mistake at all.
Qin Shu clearly understands everything, but as long as he values you, he can protect you from anything.
I won’t tear you apart or embarrass you, I will just downplay it and pull you out of the quagmire.
Ren Xuan realized his own contradiction and even felt a little guilty.
Has he ever cared about something like conscience?
He should have chosen Shi'an without hesitation. He should have done so long ago.
But at this moment, he truly realized that he couldn't do it.
The next moment, a burst of light invaded this sea of consciousness, and a young man rushed in with an anxious look: "Ren Xuan! You've been hit by the soul-controlling technique, and the evil soldiers are corroding you! Pei Jiming can't hold on any longer, come with me!"
Ren Xuan looked at him, his voice so low it was almost inaudible: "...Shi'an, did Wen Congren...use the Tracing Life Technique on you?"
Lu Shi'an paused. He himself had no idea how Wen Congren saved him back then.
The young man simply asked gently, "So what if it is? So what if it isn't?"
Ren Xuan was speechless. He was defeated by the young man's clear-headed gaze.
He murmured, his voice hoarse: "He... wants to use Qin Shu... to exchange for you..."
A pair of hands slowly covered his shoulders. Lu Shian's voice was not loud, but it was filled with a calmness that was almost certain:
"Ren Xuan, my uncle taught me a lot. Loyalty, filial piety, propriety, and righteousness may sound like empty words, but they have also supported countless people in the history books."
"So, don't lose yourself for me."
Ren Xuan's throat moved slightly, and at this moment, he suddenly felt absurd.
He once thought that he was protecting the other person, but now, he suddenly realized that at many critical moments, it was the other person who had been leaving room for him.
Ren Xuan muttered a restrained "hmm" in response, his tone as if forced through gritted teeth. He buried his head in the man's shoulder and muffled his words, "Shi'an...if there's anything wrong with you, you have to tell me."
He whispered, "Don't tell me nothing. I beg you."
Lu Shian agreed without hesitation: "Okay."
The response was so soft that it was almost inaudible, yet as steady as the stillness of mountains and rivers.
Ren Xuan heard the young man speak slowly. His voice was not loud, but it was as firm as an oath:
"Ren Xuan, I will accompany you. Come out with me, I will accompany you no matter what."
The young man looked at him quietly, his eyes as clear as fresh snow, a pure land in this turbulent world, not reflecting any trace of the world's turbidity.
Ren Xuan looked at him, as if it were the same look he had given him many years ago when the lights in Qionglin Temple first came on.
Ever since that night when he saw the stunning reflection between the clinking golden cups, he had plunged headfirst into this light, letting the past turn and fate rotate. He did not care about the cost or the consequences, and was willing to accept it and has been addicted to it ever since.
Pei Jiming is right——
These dark ghosts who have escaped from hell are born to chase the clean, bright light that does not belong to them.
And that light fell squarely on him.
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