Chapter 121 Fame and Success Achieved, Green Branches Remain
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Yang Xiao was galloping up the mountain on horseback. The howling wind drowned out the cheers and clamor, and the name Bai Ming had spoken with tears in his eyes, yet still couldn't bring himself to call out, still echoed in his ears.
She gripped the gun tightly, suppressing the pain in her heart, then spurred her horse to Xiao Yan and clasped her hands in a fist salute.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan raised his hand and patted her shoulder, "This battle was fought brilliantly, and no soldier or general in the camp has any objections."
"You flatter me." Yang Xiao's voice was slightly hoarse. She looked up at Xiao Yun's helpless expression and breathed a sigh of relief.
“You actually shot down Bai Ming’s battle flag to humiliate him, and then you managed to defeat him,” Xiao Yun glanced at Yang Xiao, then looked at Xiao Yan, “You won, and I’m willing to accept my loss. I will not cause her any more trouble from now on.”
Yang Xiao seemed not to hear Xiao Yun's words of dissatisfaction. Her mind was a mess, and her chest felt like it was being crushed by a huge rock, making it hard to breathe. She frowned, clasped her hands in a fist salute to Xiao Yan, and said, "This battle was not easy to win. I am extremely exhausted. Please allow me to return to the camp and rest for a while."
“Okay,” Xiao Yan patted her shoulder and nodded knowingly, “Go back and rest first. I’ll send someone to invite you to the celebration banquet.”
"Thank you for your understanding." Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and spurred his horse forward through the wet snow.
As the sun set and night fell, Yang Xiao was dragged away by the soldier to a victory banquet before she could even process her thoughts. She had no choice but to suppress her myriad emotions, as if a huge boulder were weighing on her heart.
"Come on, drink!"
At the banquet, the lights were dim, and Xiao Yan sat down with Yang Xiao, watching everyone bustling around and drinking happily.
Xiao Yan propped his head up, looked at Xiao Yun and his subordinates who were not very interested, and then at the group of people who were oblivious to the situation and were only excited because the famous surrendered general had won a battle. He couldn't help but smile and shake his head, and then drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.
"Come on, hero." Xiao Yan filled Yang Xiao's glass with wine. "You've completely shut them up this time."
Yang Xiao smiled gently and looked at Xiao Yan, who was leaning back in his chair. "Thank you."
Xiao Yan waved his hand, "Why thank me?"
Yang Xiao swallowed the wine in her glass; the sourness of her first drink was gone. She seemed to recall the night she was drunk, and couldn't help but smile bitterly. She clenched her fist, took a deep breath, and forcefully suppressed the turmoil in her heart.
"It's hard to explain why they would call a retreat when they were already victorious, isn't it?" Yang Xiao asked, holding her wine glass and examining it closely.
"So that's what you were thinking about," Xiao Yan waved his hand. "How could ants understand the bigger picture?"
Looking at the snowflakes falling outside the tent, she sighed and said, "Jiangnan is in chaos now. He Yuan seems to have become a puppet. Zhongli An in the east was assassinated but faked his death. We have never had peace here. Moreover, ever since that tyrannical emperor came to power, the relationship between the Central Plains and the Northern Qiang has always been tense. If it weren't for your mother, this place would have been in complete chaos long ago."
Yang Xiao glanced at Xiao Yan and gave a slight smile. "Your Highness, have we gone off on a tangent?"
"It's enough to argue with them about this; they won't understand anyway." Xiao Yan put down his wine glass, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Yang Xiao. "How could I not guess what you're thinking?"
Yang Xiao gripped her wine glass tightly and sighed, "So you knew from the beginning that you were just putting on this so-called 'breaking the formation' act with me, right?"
“Perhaps,” Xiao Yan rested his elbows on his knees, “that our goals align.”
Yang Xiao paused in her pouring of wine, turning to look at Xiao Yan. "Do you think I believe you?"
Xiao Yan put down his wine glass, a slight smile playing on his lips. "There are too many people around to say anything more. My stance has always been this way. Whether you believe it or not is up to you to decide later."
Yang Xiao ignored her and just kept drinking.
Xiao Yan turned around and looked at Yang Xiao, who was coughing incessantly from the alcohol. He reached out and patted her back. "Drink slowly. I've never seen you drink so much before."
Yang Xiao raised her hand to wipe away the tears that had welled up from her cough, and immediately felt dizzy. She stared at Xiao Yan, who was now a double image in front of her, and silently pinched her leg, forcing herself to clear her head.
Xiao Yan sighed softly, patted her shoulder, and said nothing more.
Yang Xiao propped her head up, looking at the crooked osmanthus cake on the table, and tears welled up in her eyes. She shook her head, gave a bitter smile, and tried to forget Bai Ming's figure.
How could she forget? Ever since returning to camp, Bai Ming's last appearance after the retreat was imprinted in her mind, impossible to forget.
The incredulous expression after the flag fell, the helpless movements when comparing the past and present, the grief-stricken eyes when the gun was pointed at his throat... all of these pierced Yang Xiao's heart like sharp swords.
However, she could not reveal the slightest emotion. In front of Bai Ming, who was so affectionate and helpless, she had to put on a fierce and unstoppable appearance.
Thinking of this, Yang Xiao felt a sharp pain in her heart, and her stomach felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on it. She forced herself to stand up, supporting herself on the table. "I can't hold out any longer, Xiao Yan. I will personally demand the explanation you owe me tomorrow."
Xiao Yan frowned and stood up as well. She looked at Yang Song, who was poised to act, and nodded slightly. Yang Song rushed forward to support the swaying Yang Xiao. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xiao Yan, "Your Highness, we shall take our leave now."
"Okay, take good care of her."
Yang Song nodded and led Yang Xiao away from the main hall.
She had only taken a few steps when Yang Xiao suddenly felt dizzy, her steps faltered, and she almost lost her balance.
Seeing this, Yang Song quickly pulled her into his arms. "Ah Xiao, are you alright? Wait for me, I'll send someone to call the army doctor right away."
Yang Xiao frowned and quickly grabbed Yang Song's arm to steady herself. She gently shook her head, "Don't worry, brother, I'm fine..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yang Xiao felt a sharp pain in her heart. In a daze, a mouthful of blood rushed into her throat. She quickly drew her sword, leaned on the ground, and gasped for breath.
Yang Song was startled by the scene. He gently supported Yang Xiao, frowning as he said, "How can you be alright...?"
"I'm really fine, brother." Yang Xiao's breath was weak as he raised his hand to interrupt, "It was just a sudden shock from anger. I'll go back and rest for a while."
"How can I let you go with peace of mind if you're like this..."
Yang Xiao gave a bitter smile, raised her hand to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth, "Just consider it saving my life, brother." With that, she took a deep breath, looked up at the hazy moonlight in the sky, pulled her sword out of the ground, picked it up without saying a word, and walked towards her tent.
Yang Song took two quick steps to catch up, but his steps felt like they were made of lead, and he couldn't help but stop. He looked at Yang Xiao's back with heartache until she disappeared into the moonlight.
-
The snow continued to fall heavily, but Bai Ming's mood was much calmer than before the battle.
He spurred his horse toward the camp, clutching the arrow Yang Xiao had shot in his hand, his fingertips carefully tracing the inscription carved on the fletching. Even as the burrs on the inscription drew blood, he paid no heed, repeatedly rubbing and confirming the marks.
Seeing this, Cen Xun, who had been lying in ambush nearby, also withdrew her troops and rushed over. She carried her gun on her back, ran lightly to Bai Ming's side, and asked with a frown, "How are you? Are you alright?"
“That arrow…” Bai Ming closed his eyes, took a long breath, and then looked up at Cen Xun’s concerned eyes with a serious expression. “That arrow probably contains a letter from A Xiao.”
"What?" Upon hearing this, Cen Xun immediately pulled on the reins in disbelief, and the warhorse was startled and neighed. She cracked her whip, nodded to Bai Ming, and said, "There's no time to lose, let's get back to camp quickly."
"Alright." Bai Ming nodded in response. He spurred his horse forward, and in an instant, the whip cracked with a sharp "snap." The horse, with a neigh, turned and galloped towards the camp.
Before long, two warhorses carrying the two of them arrived at the tent. Bai Ming looked up and saw Zhong Li'an standing in front of the tent with a frown. When he saw them return, he hurriedly went to greet them with anxious eyes.
"How are you, Zhaoqing?" Zhongli An helped Bai Ming, who had jumped off the saddle bridge, "Have you seen Lingyu?"
Bai Ming nodded, panting, and followed Zhong Li'an into the tent. "Judging from the situation on the front lines, A Xiao... does seem determined to defect to Xiao Yan."
“How could that be?” Zhong Li’an raised his hand and patted Bai Ming’s back, calmly shaking his head. “That’s Lingyu.”
Qi Kun, who was standing to the side, also frowned. "Today's actions are most likely due to being forced by others to prove their innocence."
“We are well aware of Lingyu’s intentions, but today on the battlefield,” Cen Xun glanced back at Bai Ming, “she did indeed shoot down Zhaoqing’s banner with an arrow, and then used all her strength to kill Zhaoqing on the battlefield.”
“Xiao Yan is so cruel…” Xue Chang clenched his fist in distress upon hearing this. “But in this way, she can at least gain a foothold in Xiao’s camp.”
Bai Ming's heart also ached for a moment. He gently pressed his hand to his chest and took a deep breath. He looked up at everyone and said, "However, everyone, the arrow that A Xiao sent probably contained her letter."
"What?" Everyone present, except for Cen Xun, stood up in shock.
Bai Ming nodded, then pulled the arrow from his sleeve and presented it to everyone.
The crowd immediately gathered around, and saw that the arrow's fletching had a crooked "启" character carved on it, and the rough-edged carving was already stained with blood.
Zhong Li'an frowned upon seeing this, his gaze falling on a scratch on Bai Ming's thumb. He paused, then looked up at Bai Ming's tense eyes, "Since it was Ling Yu who sent it, then you shall open it."
"Okay." Bai Ming responded softly, but his hand, which was covering the arrow shaft, trembled uncontrollably.
He closed his eyes as if he couldn't look directly at it, tilted his head slightly, and suddenly increased the force in his hand. With a crisp "snap," the arrow fletching fell off.
The crowd immediately crowded around, and saw a barely perceptible white dot inside the arrow barrel. Bai Ming looked closer and realized that the white dot looked exactly like a corner of some kind of silk cloth.
His heart began to pound. He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a moment, then held his breath and focused on the arrow barrel, carefully pinching the white corner.
A crumpled piece of silk was slowly pulled out of the arrow tube, covered with dense ink marks.
Bai Ming quickly spread the silk cloth on the table and looked at it with everyone.
The entire Chang'an landscape suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes, and along with the unfolded silk cloth, there were also a few dried osmanthus petals.
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