Chapter 116
The royal tent was located at the eye of the storm. In the original story, Anguo and Xili engaged in several battles, both ending in defeat. Finally, Anguo was forced to take a risky tactic: during a battle, they sent several skilled assassins to infiltrate the royal tent and assassinate the King of Xili, thus completely dismantling the royal alliance from within. The area around the royal tent was undoubtedly fraught with danger, making it a place where survival was virtually impossible.
The plot is nearing its end, and in the decisive final battle, Gu Shuan is absent, and Zhan Xian is still recovering from serious injuries. Who can now complete the story that should have been completed by the male and female leads?
The answer is only the obvious choice.
Lin Yi, however, was unwilling to continue following the plot.
Is it correct to continue following the major events in the original plot and complete the entire storyline when the plot has already deviated from its original course?
If we travel the same path, can we arrive at the same destination? If we travel different paths, how can we achieve the same result?
Her mind was in turmoil, and she deliberately avoided the real reason for her resistance, and the possibility that had not yet occurred but might happen. She just kept telling herself that the plot was not necessarily the only path to victory.
Until Anjun suffered defeat after defeat, all methods failed to influence the course of the war, and all efforts were in vain.
She suddenly realized that she could no longer deceive herself.
Even if she does nothing and says nothing, the plot will continue to unfold according to its predetermined trajectory. No matter how the details change, there is always a powerful force guiding it back on track. Just like a leaf, no matter how unique or flamboyant its veins are, it cannot escape the fate of withering and falling.
The leaves had long since fallen, and a thick layer of snow had accumulated beneath the withered branches.
There is no snow in Mingzhou City. This is the first snow of the winter, and also the first snow that Qiu Qingye's body has ever seen.
The snowflakes were still falling softly.
"It must be because the snow is too heavy," Lin thought, "otherwise, how could I not hear what Xie Chengnan was saying or see his face clearly?"
She tried to wave away the chaotic, cold snowflakes, telling them to stop bothering her, but a warmer hand took her hand first.
"Aye, don't cry."
Did she cry?
The scalding tears slid from my eyes, only to be chilled by the cold weather. Snowflakes whistled past, bringing a slight sting.
She cried again. How pathetic.
Xie Chengnan put his arm around her and murmured a few words of apology.
What did he do to wrong himself?
My brain feels rusty and can't function properly.
It took Lin Yi a while to remember what he had said to her.
He said the situation wasn't irreversible, but he had to do something very dangerous. He said that even the most dangerous things have to be done by someone. If he didn't go, the danger wouldn't just be his alone. He said he would be extra careful and would always remember that someone was waiting for him to come back, telling him not to worry…
How could she not worry? And how could he know she wouldn't worry? He knew, so what he really wanted to say was, don't stop her.
Lin Yi couldn't help but worry, yet she couldn't stop him. No one knew better or was more certain than her that this might be the only way for An Guo to win.
But why him of all people?
Why not Gu Shuan or Zhan Xian? They are the male and female leads. Saving the world and turning the tide is what they should be doing. They have the protagonist's halo, able to escape from desperate situations and turn danger into safety, but her Xie Chengnan does not.
Why not someone else? Anyone would be fine, as long as it wasn't Xie Chengnan, as long as it wasn't him, she wouldn't feel this heartache, this excruciating pain.
But it was him who insisted on going.
She felt those words were like poisoned thorns piercing her heart. And the perpetrator, oblivious to her plight, continued to offer words of comfort with an air of self-righteousness and insignificance.
Neither she nor the person holding her are as insignificant as they are in this world, in the face of fate.
For a moment, Lin Yi felt that there was no system at all, no time travel. She came from the 21st century, had received advanced education in modern science, and held the script and the system in her hands, yet she still felt as if she were in a dream, dazed and unable to control her own destiny.
She can't change or stop anything.
She doesn't believe in gods or Buddhas, but at this moment she wanted to ask for divine protection.
There are always things in this world more important than romantic love. If the gods can hear her and won't blame her for seeking help at the last minute, please bless her beloved so he can return safely.
Currently, the one who holds real power in Xili is the King of Xili, who has reigned for over thirty years and is now over fifty. Besides him is the Crown Prince of Xili, who will be the most likely successor should the King die. Therefore, only when these two are truly dead will Xili be truly leaderless and descend into complete chaos.
Lin Yi told him this.
It was as if she had already considered assassination and had done her homework in advance.
However, there wasn't a single soldier in the An army at her disposal, nor were there any informants or powerful figures. He was her only support and her only close confidant in the army. Besides her, only Zhan Xian could talk to her more than a few words. He knew her background best.
Xie Chengnan knew that the woman he had married because of their business partnership had some secrets.
She would often drift off into her own thoughts for no apparent reason, and it would take a long time for her to come back to her senses. Sometimes, she would offer a few unintentional words of guidance, which would hit the nail on the head and be incisive. Sometimes, and more often, she was unlike Qiu Qingye.
He desperately wanted to tell her that if he were to return alive, she could please stop hiding the truth from him.
But I'll give up on that idea. If I'm lucky enough to survive, I'll wait until I do.
The largest and roundest golden-topped tent was the felt tent where the King of Xili resided.
To coordinate with his actions, An Jun launched his attack an hour earlier than usual.
The sky was still dark. As the Li army was still half asleep, the An army's artillery fire lit up the sky, leaving long trails of flame as it roared in.
Explosions and the sounds of charging soldiers filled the air. The offensive was more ferocious than ever before.
The Li army, unfazed, readily accepted the challenge, hurling insults as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. Both sides knew this wasn't the main battlefield between their nations. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Anguo would likely suffer a humiliating and fruitless defeat, just as it had done in the past.
As a result, no one noticed that several dark figures flashed past in the instant the sentry let the Li army pass.
The sky was already turning white, and it would be bright in less than an hour. Xie Chengnan knew that he had to finish the operation before dawn.
He concealed himself behind the yurt, constantly changing his position during the intervals of his patrol, gradually approaching the royal tent.
As expected, the area outside the royal tent was brightly lit and heavily guarded.
With layers of defense, even he couldn't get in unscathed.
He exchanged a glance with the assassin hidden nearby. The latter received the signal and immediately took action.
A black figure flashed past, and a poisoned dagger silently ended the lives of two guards. The other Li soldiers outside the tent quickly reacted and launched a pursuit. The assassins retreated rapidly, drawing away half of the guards.
Another assassin fired several crossbow bolts, which pierced the chests of several Li soldiers guarding the felt gate.
Before his body slammed into the ground with a sound that would attract more Li soldiers, Xie Chengnan slipped into the royal tent.
The tent was dimly lit, with only the faint light of a single candle.
He walked close to the felt wall, holding his breath, with only one other heavy, long breath remaining in the tent.
No, not just one.
By candlelight, he saw a burly man guarding the sleeping King of Xili not far from his bedside.
With a large, broad sword tucked into his waistband, he was half-asleep, like a tiger taking a nap.
The footsteps outside the tent seemed to become chaotic.
With this burly man present, the Li army outside the tent wouldn't come in to investigate unless something unusual happened. But he didn't have much time left!
In a flash, several possibilities flashed through Xie Chengnan's mind. He wasn't confident he could finish off the big man in one strike, and the commotion from the fight would inevitably attract the Li army; if he killed the King of Xili, the big man would surely wake up, or he might be killed by the man the moment he made his move, even before he could kill him.
The hesitation lasted only a fleeting moment; in the blink of an eye, Xie Chengnan had already followed his most instinctive thought.
He focused all his energy on holding his breath and moving his feet, trying his best not to make a sound.
The short blade flashed like lightning across the throat of the man on the bed, and blood spurted out.
Xie Chengnan simultaneously flew backward and retreated.
It's too late.
The moment the blade pierced flesh, the burly man immediately opened his eyes. His deep eyes didn't even need to be clear; he didn't even check on the king's safety first. He roared like a wild beast and swung his sword, then drew it to protect himself.
The movements were performed in one smooth motion.
Xie Chengnan was sent flying by the blow, crashing into the animal skin screen.
His internal organs ruptured instantly from the heavy blow, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
He was just lucky that the big man's first reaction was to throw a punch instead of drawing his knife, and at the very moment the big man made his move, Xie Chengnan's sharp blade cut him.
To ensure absolute safety, it was coated with poison, which would kill instantly upon contact with blood.
However, it would obviously take some time for the poison to spread to the heart. And the sound of the impact was enough to attract the surrounding Li army.
The burly man glanced at the horizontal wound on his arm, clearly unaware that his life was nearing its end. After driving Xie Chengnan away, he finally remembered to check on the king's condition.
Even before the dark red carpet, the strong smell of blood was immediately noticeable.
Blood flowed from the couch into the snow-white animal skin carpet.
Their king died quickly, without experiencing any further suffering.
The burly man roared!
The hesitant footsteps outside the tent immediately entered.
The moment the felt curtain was lifted, Xie Chengnan quickly pulled the nearest Li soldier over to block the flying knife thrown at him by the big man.
The giant sword pierced through the entire abdomen of the Li army soldier. The blade emerged from behind the soldier, tearing through Xie Chengnan's night clothes. It was blocked by the soft armor worn underneath, but the enormous force still made him stagger.
That forceful throw accelerated the spread of the poison; the burly man staggered a couple of steps before finally collapsing.
Xie Chengnan dared not delay. He carried the Li army soldier who had been pierced by the giant sword and left the royal tent under the cover of human shields.
A hail of arrows rained down on them.
The Li army continued to converge on the royal tent, and Xie Chengnan had to dodge and fight back, making every step difficult.
A strange bird cry was heard particularly clearly amidst the sound of arrows piercing the air.
Xie Chengnan strained to look and saw the assassins hiding a hundred paces away, ready to provide cover.
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