Chapter 103 A Deadly Snatch from the Tiger's Mouth: The Jackal Appears
"Help! The horse can't be held!"
"Untie the rope! Quick! Don't hurt it!"
The next moment, the reins were suddenly released, and before anyone could react, a red light flew straight toward the rack, the urgent sound of hooves and mournful cries echoing in everyone's ears.
Before the two axemen could figure out what was going on, Chi Lian rushed over without regard for anything and kicked at them with her hoof.
The two men had no time to dodge and hurriedly raised their military batons to block. But with a "crack," their batons were snapped in two, and the two men, unable to withstand Chi Lian's force, were sent flying.
"Red Flame..." Yang Xiao gripped the iron chain tightly, making a rustling sound. She mustered her strength and called out to the warhorse that had been with her for six years.
But then Chi Lian let out a few mournful cries and flew over from behind her, kneeling down in front of her with a thud, stretching her neck to rub against Yang Xiao's face, which was covered in sweat and tears.
A surge of indescribable warmth welled up in Yang Xiao's heart. Her nose tingled, and tears streamed down her face, dripping onto the crimson fur of the red-brown dog.
The horse understood everything. It neighed softly and, as usual, gently rested its head on Yang Xiao's shoulder, nuzzling her face.
In an instant, the entire audience erupted in uproar. Everyone stared at the scene in disbelief, yet involuntarily burst into tears and sobbed.
“Since Chi Lian saved the master, then let this criminal be spared for now.” Xue Chang frowned, suppressing the bitterness in his heart as he looked at the man and horse huddled together beside the executioner. “Once Chi Lian calms down, then take her away.”
After saying that, he gritted his teeth, turned around, and walked into the tent.
As soon as he entered the room, he could no longer contain his emotions. He raised his hand to press his forehead and let out a long, sorrowful sigh. He looked up into the room and saw Bai Ming with one hand on the table and the other hand clenched into a fist, pressing against his chest.
Xue Chang held back his tears, stepped forward, patted Bai Ming's shoulder, and choked out, "Before the fifty lashes were finished, Chi Lian saved her."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ming took a deep breath, looked up and sighed, letting tears stream down his face. "If I were the one who came to deliver the brocade pouch, there would still be room for maneuver."
Zhongli An, lying on the bedside, pressed his forehead to his side, sighing incessantly, "Why is this the only path that lies before her..."
“My lord, things have come to this…” Qi Kun raised his hand and placed it on Zhong Li’an’s shoulder, forcing back tears and choking out, “She set up this scheme at all costs, how can we betray her?” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “What we can do now is trust her, use every means possible, and cooperate with her with all our might.”
"Strategist." Bai Ming closed his eyes briefly and turned to look at Qi Kun. The fist he had been clenching in front of his chest slowly lowered, and the five fingers that had been digging into his flesh gradually opened, revealing a bone flute as clear as white jade in front of Qi Kun.
"This is..." Qi Kun took a step back upon seeing this. The bone flute in front of him suddenly became blurry. He involuntarily stepped forward, tightly grasped Bai Ming's wrist, and then looked up at Bai Ming with tears in his eyes. When their eyes met, they instantly resonated with each other.
Qi Kun let out a long sigh, grasped Bai Ming's fingers, and together they tightly wrapped the bone flute in their palms. "She has entrusted her life and fortune to you."
A crisp, heavy clanging of iron chains came from outside the door, the neighing of warhorses could be heard faintly, and the clamor of soldiers eventually dissipated in the west wind.
Outside the tent, there was only deathly silence.
Bai Ming's tears had long since dried. He stepped outside the tent expressionlessly, glanced at the corpse that Yang Xiao had stabbed to death the night before, and coldly shouted, "Guards!"
The soldier beside him quickly ran over and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Bai Ming.
"Drag this man away." Bai Ming's eyes were dark and unfathomable as he frowned at the blood-soaked rack. "Behead him, and use him as a sacrifice to the flag."
-
Night fell silently, and then, without anyone knowing when, the unconscious Yang Xiao was carried by soldiers into a dilapidated tent.
A belated, excruciating pain surged up her back, pressing down on her like a mountain, rendering her completely immobile. Sweat had already soaked the sheets, seeping into her wounds along with the blood, feeling as if a thousand steel needles were piercing her spine.
She turned her head away in pain, wanting to say something, but felt a dryness in her throat and could not utter a sound.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, clutching the pillow tightly in her hands, burying her head in her arms and panting heavily.
Although she was saved by Chi Lian, she still received more than thirty lashes. She shook her head with a wry smile, secretly admiring her own physical strength.
"General, you're awake?" A bright yet gentle voice came from beside Yang Xiao. "How are you? Are you alright?"
Yang Xiao shook her head laboriously, suddenly realizing that her sleeves were already soaked with sweat from her forehead. She leaned on the bed frame with her elbow, tilted her head to reveal half of her face, and looked into the tent.
The dim light made her squint, and the next moment, a thin and childlike soldier suddenly appeared in front of her.
His delicate eyes were filled with worry and anxiety. Before Yang Xiao could say anything, he patted his thigh and paced anxiously in the tent, muttering to himself, "After suffering such severe torture and being unconscious for a whole day and night, how could he possibly be alright?"
Yang Xiao stared intently at the soldier pacing around, seemingly forgetting the pain of her wound, and a faint smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
"That's right! Water!" The soldier suddenly remembered that Yang Xiao hadn't had a drop of water for two days. He quickly clapped his hands, pointed at his colleague who was watching with a cold smile, and shouted, "What are you standing there for? Quickly pour the general a bowl of hot water, hurry!"
Yang Xiao then realized that there was another person in the room.
A soldier was seen standing far to the side, and only reluctantly got up to pour hot water after being urged by the other soldier.
"Come, General," the soldier jogged a few steps, took the hot water from the man's hand, and squatted down in front of Yang Xiao's bed to hold the bowl to her lips, "Drink some water, General."
Yang Xiao chuckled and sighed, slightly raising her head to take a sip of water from the bowl from the soldier's hand. Unexpectedly, this barely perceptible action triggered a sharp pain in her back, causing her to choke and furrow her brows as she lay face down on the pillow.
"General, how are you, General!" The soldier panicked immediately. He quickly stood up, wanting to pat Yang Xiao's back to help her catch her breath, but then suddenly realized that her back was covered in wounds. He froze on the spot, at a loss for what to do. "Such serious injuries, how could an ordinary military doctor treat them?"
Yang Xiao leaned her head against her arm, took a few breaths, and then looked at the young soldier with a smile, "Don't worry, I can handle it."
"How could that be?" The soldier frowned and squatted down in front of Yang Xiao. "General, I'm so sorry for my rudeness." The next moment, he reached out and touched Yang Xiao's forehead, and the furrows between his brows deepened. "You still have a fever."
He stood up anxiously, pinching his brow as he pondered. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him, and he clapped his hands. "That's it! We can go find Miss Cen!"
"Who?" A soldier who had been standing by watching the commotion suddenly spoke up, immediately drawing everyone's attention in the tent. He chuckled and glanced at the boyish-looking soldier. "You called Cen Xun here? Aren't you trying to harm your General Yang?"
"What do you know!" The soldier angrily pointed at the man. "The general and the young lady have a bond forged in life and death. How could they become enemies because of a scheme deliberately set up by Xiao Yan, the spy? Just you wait," he pointed at the man, "the truth will come out one day."
After saying that, he rushed out of the tent without looking back. Not long after, a shout came from outside the door, "I'm going to find Miss Cen. You take good care of the general!"
The soldier standing to the side chuckled softly upon hearing this. He gave a perfunctory "okay" and turned to look at Yang Xiao, who was lying on the bed with great interest.
"Never seen a criminal who has been tortured? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"General Yang." The man's voice was contemptuous and tinged with mockery.
"He's just a prisoner," Yang Xiao sneered, continuing his line of thought, "What makes him a general?"
The man also put on a smile and squatted down in front of Yang Xiao's bed. "Why don't you defend yourself? You only wrote a letter to Lord Zhongli, how did you become a prisoner for murdering your lord overnight?"
“You know perfectly well,” Yang Xiao turned and looked at the person with amusement, “Why ask when you already know?”
“Yes,” the man chuckled and sighed, getting up while supporting himself on his knees, “faced with irrefutable evidence, sentiment is worthless. Tell me, is such a cold-blooded person worthy of your loyalty for so many years?”
"I won't live much longer either," Yang Xiao said with a sneer. "You don't need to waste your breath on me. Just take my life and go back to your Chang'an to claim your credit." As if suddenly remembering something, she sneered, "Eating rice? Why don't you just say you're from Chang'an?"
"What do you mean, 'eat'?" The soldier was taken aback. He cleared his throat and resumed his mocking expression. "You are a renowned general. If I were to kill you, wouldn't I become a sinner to the world?"
"You've said all the right and wrong things," Yang Xiao clicked her tongue and sneered, "Isn't it you who drove me to this point?"
The soldier stood there, tilting his head in thought, when suddenly an idea struck him. He took two steps forward, chuckled, and squatted down beside the bed. "A great general is a great general wherever he is, whether he's under Zhongli An or under someone else."
He looked at Yang Xiao, who was lying motionless on the bed, then stood up again. "A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and a wise minister chooses a good lord to serve. Since he doesn't trust you at all, why waste your life under Zhong Li'an?"
The sweat on Yang Xiao's body seeped into her wound, causing her to shudder and furrow her brows as she gripped the pillow.
"You mean, you want me to vote for Xiao Yan?" She gritted her teeth and squeezed out the words.
Seeing her trembling, the soldier mistakenly thought she was about to get angry, so he quickly stood up and took a step back. "His Highness's love for talent is well known. With such a great reputation, His Highness will certainly not treat you unfairly."
Yang Xiao closed her eyes briefly, then smiled and let out a long breath. "I'm sure Xiao Yan and I will have a very good chat about the matter of 'regicide' after we meet."
"You mean," the man frowned slightly upon hearing this, "that you agreed?"
"Do I have any other choice?" Yang Xiao sighed with a laugh, collapsing onto the couch as if all her strength had been drained. "Go get paper and pen and write a letter of recommendation for Xiao Yan."
Upon hearing this, the soldier's face lit up with joy, and he clenched his fist. He breathed a sigh of relief and took two steps towards Yang Xiao, "Now General Xiao Yun holds military power in Chang'an, and everything related to military expenses is under his control, so..."
"Do you even believe what you're saying?" Before he could finish speaking, Yang Xiao glanced at him and interrupted him coldly, "Write the recommendation letter to Xiao Yan and have your colleagues send it out in front of me. Otherwise, I'll commit suicide to atone for my sins and completely shatter your dreams of promotion and wealth."
"This..." The man was taken aback. "What if Xiao Yan wanted to kill you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yang Xiao interrupted her with a cold laugh, "Xiao Yan might kill me; but Xiao Yun will definitely not let me live." She glanced at the soldier, "Will you write it or not?"
The man frowned in embarrassment, then clapped his hands in compromise, "Alright, Xiao Yan it is. I'll write it in front of you when I have time tomorrow."
"There's one more thing you must do for me." Yang Xiao lay on the pillow, glancing at him sideways.
The soldier tilted his head slightly. "What is it?"
"Go steal my gun, and before you leave, get me the Crimson Flame."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
