embers
The rugged mountains undulated in the thick darkness of night, like the stiff spine of a lurking beast. A biting wind whipped up snowflakes, like icy sand, lashing against his face and hands with a stinging pain. Xiao Yuxuan trudged through knee-deep snow, each step aggravating the lacerated arrow wound beneath his ribs, the excruciating pain like a red-hot iron churning within him. The icy air he inhaled carried a heavy stench of blood and a bone-chilling cold; each breath felt like swallowing razor blades. Even heavier was the withered body he carried on his back—Xuan Weizi.
The old Taoist priest was as light as a dried reed, wrapped in a rough Qin army fur coat, almost weightless. Only his extremely faint, intermittent breath, like a candle flickering in the wind, brushed against Xiao Yuxuan's neck, bringing a faint warmth, proving that life had not yet been completely extinguished. This breath was Xiao Yuxuan's only anchor at this moment. He forced himself to circulate the "Guarding Qi" technique, sinking his mind into the equally faint, firefly-like warm current deep in his dantian, painstakingly guiding it to flow through his nearly depleted meridians, as if digging for life in frozen soil, trying to rekindle the dying flame of life on his back.
“The root of Qi is not extinguished…the fire of the heart…still remains…guard this… kindling…” Xuanweizi’s faint, almost inaudible murmur reached Xiao Yuxuan’s ears like a wisp of smoke. The murmur carried a strange rhythm, like some ancient incantation, or perhaps a final, desperate struggle for life. Xiao Yuxuan gritted his teeth, focusing all his will on his faltering trek. Each step, sinking deep into the snow and then forcefully pulling himself out, felt like a battle against boundless darkness and death.
Behind them, in the direction of Guzhu Fortress, at the edge of the snow-covered night sky, a blinding red light suddenly appeared! The red light expanded instantly, like the eye of hell suddenly opening! Immediately afterward, a muffled roar, deep enough to shake the soul, like a mournful cry from the depths of the earth, carrying a violent shockwave, slammed heavily onto everyone's backs!
Boom—!!!
The snow beneath our feet trembled violently! The echoes from the distant mountains sounded like the wails of a thousand vengeful ghosts, layer upon layer, lingering endlessly! The mountain peak where Guzhu Fortress stood had been completely engulfed by a towering, rolling orange-red flame! Within the flames, countless burning fragments could be vaguely seen being hurled into the air, like death flowers blooming in the apocalypse! Thick smoke billowed, obscuring the sky and the moon, turning the already gloomy night sky a despairing dark red!
Ji Di!
The final echo of the conservative way!
A fire that extinguishes war, a fire that destroys everything!
Xiao Yuxuan's body stiffened abruptly, his steps halting involuntarily. He turned with difficulty, gazing at the towering flames that had utterly reduced Guzhu Fortress to ashes. The leaping firelight reflected in his pupils resembled two burning, silent balls of sorrow. Xuan Weizi, perched on his back, seemed to experience a barely perceptible fluctuation in his aura amidst the earth-shattering explosion.
Wang Ben, Gu Yan, and the others ahead also stopped and silently looked back. The firelight illuminated the congealed blood, the bluish-purple frostbite, and the unfathomable exhaustion on their faces. There were no cheers, no words, only a deathly silence. The fire that Ji Zhai had ignited with his life had burned away the filth of Guzhu Fortress and the pursuers, and it had also burned away the last glimmer of hope in their hearts. Ahead, only the cold reality of survival remained.
"Go!" Sun Qian's hoarse voice broke the silence, as if it had been polished by sand and gravel. Leaning on his wooden cane, he continued forward, his steps uneven, without looking back. Against the backdrop of the wind, snow, and distant firelight, his back resembled stubborn iron forged a thousand times by a heavy hammer, scarred yet still upright.
The procession moved once more in the deathly silence. The wind and snow seemed to intensify, attempting to cover all traces and bury all cries of sorrow with their icy whiteness.
As a faint, leaden-gray dawn finally broke over the eastern horizon, they struggled to cross the last steep ridge. Before them stretched a relatively flat valley, shrouded in the lingering darkness. In the center of the valley, a winding glacier reflected a faint, cold light. On the opposite bank lay a vast, undulating forest covered in snow.
On the edge of the valley, on the gentle slopes near the upper reaches of the glacier, stood a vast, steel-like camp! The continuous tents covered an area of several miles, like a colossal beast crouching on the earth. Within the camp, countless campfires, like stars, dotted the landscape, dispelling the pre-dawn chill and illuminating the layers upon layers of fortified barricades and treacherous moats, the deep trenches, and the forest of gleaming spears and banners! A huge, jet-black banner bearing the character "Wei" fluttered in the biting morning wind!
It's the Wei army! Their main force!
After overcoming countless hardships and narrowly escaping death, they finally reached their destination!
Amidst the utter exhaustion of the ranks, several suppressed cheers, tinged with tears, erupted. Wang Ben and Gu Yan, supporting the severely wounded who could barely walk, quickened their pace. Xiao Yuxuan also felt a faint warmth rising from his dantian, supporting his swaying body as he struggled toward the camp that symbolized protection and hope.
However, when the troops stumbled closer to the outposts on the outskirts of the camp, they were not greeted with cheers and welcome, but with cold weapons and vigilant scrutiny!
"Halt! Who goes there?!" A group of elite Wei soldiers in full armor shouted from behind the fence, their crossbows gleaming with a cold light as they pointed them at the group of "refugees" who looked like they had crawled out of hell.
"Sun Qian, Commandant of the Left Army of the Great Liang! Ordered to return to camp!" Sun Qian forced his back straight, his voice hoarse yet carrying the authority honed by battle. He untied a blood-stained bronze tiger tally from his waist and held it high. The tally reflected a cold gleam in the firelight.
The platoon leader (a junior officer) carefully examined the tally, his tense expression easing slightly, but his vigilance remained undiminished. He waved his hand, and the fence slowly opened a crack. "Lieutenant Sun, please enter! But... everyone else must disarm and await inspection here! There are strict orders from the camp!"
Sun Qian frowned slightly but said nothing, stepping into the camp first. Xiao Yuxuan carried Xuanweizi on his back, while Wang Ben, Gu Yan, and others helped the wounded. Under the cold gaze of the Wei soldiers, they took off their simple weapons and silently followed inside.
Upon entering the camp, a pungent, pungent odor, a mixture of sweat, leather, animal dung, cheap millet, and strong herbs, assaulted the senses. Inside, the camp was far larger and more oppressive than it appeared from the outside. Squads of soldiers patrolled with heavy, orderly steps, their armor clanging, their faces expressionless. Ox-drawn carts carrying provisions and supplies moved slowly along the muddy roads, their axles groaning under the weight of their loads. From the distant drill ground, the shouts of new recruits and the stern reprimands of instructors echoed, the clanging of metal on metal relentlessly filling the air.
However, beneath this seemingly strict and orderly facade, Xiao Yuxuan keenly sensed an unusual sense of oppression and restlessness. Many soldiers wore faces etched with undisguised exhaustion and numbness, their eyes vacant. Between the tents, the cries of wounded soldiers rose and fell, the air thick with an increasingly heavy stench of herbs mixed with the stench of blood and decay—the stench of plague! At the entrances of some tents, glaring quicklime was even scattered, the implication of isolation unmistakable. Further away, near the edge of the camp, newly mounds covered with a thin layer of snow could be vaguely seen… those were graves.
"Captain Sun!" A messenger rushed over, his face filled with anxiety. "The central command tent has issued an order! Captain, proceed immediately! The rest of you, remain here for now!" He pointed to a nearby empty, windswept corner where some hay and broken barricades were haphazardly piled up. "The seriously wounded... can be sent to the medical camp... but..." He glanced at the barely breathing Xuan Weizi on Xiao Yuxuan's back and the several seriously wounded men supported by Wang Bengu Yan, hesitated, and a hint of barely perceptible indifference flashed in his eyes.
Sun Qian's face darkened, a flash of anger crossing his eyes, but he ultimately refrained from lashing out. He took a deep breath and said to Wang Benguyan in a low voice, "Keep an eye on them! Wait for me to return!" He then glanced deeply at Xuanweizi on Xiao Yuxuan's back, turned around, and strode after the messenger towards the tallest, brightly lit, and heavily guarded central command tent in the center of the camp.
Xiao Yuxuan and the others were settled in that cold, drafty corner. Wang Ben and Gu Yan immediately set to work, trying to build a makeshift shelter using the straw and tattered felt they could find. Xiao Yuxuan carefully laid Xuan Weizi down, letting him lean against a bundle of relatively dry straw. In the dim morning light, the old Taoist's face appeared a chillingly ashen and translucent, like jade covered in dust. His breath was so faint it was almost imperceptible.
"Water... find some water..." Xiao Yuxuan said hoarsely to a soldier who could still move beside him. The soldier nodded and staggered toward the direction where smoke was rising from the chimney in the distance.
The wait was long and agonizing. The cold wind swept across the land like knives, whipping up snow and dust. The groans of the wounded sounded especially pitiful in the wind. The suppressed clamor in the camp, the distant cries of the wounded, and the pervasive stench of plague weighed on everyone's hearts like heavy lead weights.
After an unknown amount of time, Sun Qian finally appeared on the road leading to the central command tent. His steps were heavy, his face covered with an unyielding frost, and his eyes were sharp as knives, yet also carried a deep, indescribable weariness and solemnity. In his hand, he tightly gripped a scroll of military orders sealed with cinnabar.
He walked up to the crowd, his gaze slowly sweeping over the faces filled with anticipation and unease, finally settling on Xiao Yuxuan and Xuan Weizi, lingering for a moment. He took a deep breath, as if trying to absorb all the coldness and heaviness of the camp, his voice low and hoarse, as if crushed by a heavy stone:
"Tomorrow at 3:45 AM..."
"Weishui..."
"decisive battle--!"
These two words, like two massive boulders, crashed down on everyone's hearts! They instantly froze all sound!
decisive battle?
After experiencing the bloodshed and fire of Guzhu Fortress, the long escape, witnessing Ji Zhai's sacrifice, and Xuan Weizi's near death... the final battle suddenly descended in such an abrupt and ruthless manner.
Xiao Yuxuan felt a chill run from his feet to the top of his head, as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an icy hand! He subconsciously looked at Xuan Weizi, who was leaning against him, barely breathing. The old Taoist's withered fingers seemed to twitch very slightly. The Wei River… that place where broken swords were buried, locust trees were planted, and the blood of countless dead souls was soaked… was it ultimately impossible to escape?
Sun Qian's gaze swept past the crowd, landing on the sky beyond the camp, towards the Wei River, still shrouded in leaden-gray clouds. His eyes were complex and unfathomable, containing a chilling killing intent, a resolute determination as firm as a rock, an unfathomable weariness, and a trace of... a sorrow no one could understand. He slowly raised his right hand, the blood-stained bronze tiger tally gleaming with a cold and heavy luster in the dim light of dawn.
The flame is about to go out.
Meanwhile, the flames of war that will consume the world have quietly been ignited on the banks of the Wei River.
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