Chapter 139 Flowers Fall, Grass Grows, Heart Remains Unchanged
When the general saw Bai Ming leave, he turned around and stepped forward, clasping his hands in a salute, "I am Yang Song, greetings to General Bai."
"General Yang, you are too kind," Bai Ming quickly returned the greeting. "I am deeply grateful for your help in breaking through the enemy's formation yesterday.
"It's all thanks to Lingyu," Yang Song said with a smile, then looked at Bai Ming with concern, "How is she now? Is she badly injured?"
"Fortunately, the wound is deep but not life-threatening. She had a fever last night and is still unconscious."
The warm morning sun shone on the two men, who had previously been enemies on the battlefield, and now they were having a relaxed conversation.
“Then I won’t go in and disturb her.” Yang Song nodded and looked at Bai Ming approvingly. “After seeing you and General Cen these past two days, I finally understand why Lingyu was willing to risk everything to break that deadlock.”
“Sacrificing everything…” Bai Ming’s heart tightened, and he let out a long sigh.
“Her feelings for you are completely genuine. Her actions give me the feeling that you are everything in her life. Her heart cannot hold anything else. Besides the common people, there are her companions, and then her family.” Yang Song sighed with deep emotion. “But now it seems that you young talents are truly worthy of Lingyu’s sincere feelings. The unbreakable trust between you is something that is unattainable in the Chang’an Formation.”
“The Chang’an Formation is based on reality yet also floats on illusion, which is why it is so difficult to break.” Bai Ming frowned and looked up at Yang Song. “A Xiao’s pulse is very bad, and her liver and lungs are quite damaged. Could you please tell me about the various events in Chang’an, and tell me… how much she suffered in this formation?”
Looking into Bai Ming's sincere eyes, Yang Song couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. He placed his hand on Bai Ming's shoulder and sighed, "She must have told you about our background long ago. She feigned surrender to come in, and with the protection of the Chixiao Mansion, Xiao Yun dared not touch her, nor did she dare to show the slightest sign of rebellion."
“Ah Xiao and Xiao Yun are mutually restraining and mutually vulnerable.” Bai Ming nodded and analyzed along with Yang Song’s words, “If Xiao Yun hurts her, you, General, will definitely raise an army to overthrow Xiao Yun; and if Ah Xiao shows any rebellious intentions, then Xiao Yun will use you, General, as leverage to make things difficult for you.”
“That’s right,” Yang Song nodded approvingly. “The Xiao family is internally divided and far less capable than the Lord’s ability to use people. At that time, she had not yet had a heart-to-heart talk with Xiao Yan. She suppressed her feelings for everyone and pretended not to know the way. She ran all over the Chang’an Formation and drew it on paper. She also had to make sure that the map would not be found by Xiao Yun’s spies.”
"This picture... it was actually created step by step by her." Bai Ming frowned and looked at Yang Song in disbelief, his eyes filled with heartache.
“Not entirely,” Yang Song sighed softly. “At that time, it seemed that Xiao Yan already knew her intention to break the formation, so he set up a chess game and played against her every day to teach her the formation.”
"She valued Lingyu highly, and everyone knew that the Xiao siblings were at odds. Xiao Yun was always trying to trip her up. Fortunately, Lingyu was exceptionally intelligent and, while protecting herself, gave Xiao Yun a thorough dressing down. At that time, no one believed that she was truly loyal to the Xiao family. So, the battle she fought against you was also a battle in which she proved her stance in front of the officials. You... must not blame her."
“How could I blame her…” Bai Ming felt a pang of pain in his heart, and his eyes were already slightly red. “The words next to the array diagram she sent were filled with blood and tears,” he sighed. “How much did A Xiao bear in this Chang’an array?”
Seeing this, Yang Song felt a pang of sadness. He patted Bai Ming's shoulder and continued, "After fighting with you, Xiao Yan held a grand celebration banquet, while Ling Yu... suffered a stroke outside the tent and coughed up blood. She wouldn't let me help her and leaned on her sword to walk back into the tent step by step."
Bai Ming was speechless. He turned his head away, staring at the tent, tears streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks. He lowered his head to calm himself, then closed his eyes briefly and nodded slightly to Yang Song.
"Fortunately, Xiao Yan and Ling Yu had a heart-to-heart talk afterward, and she also told Ling Yu all her secrets. From then on, the clear understanding between the Qing and Zhuo factions of the Chang'an Formation was restored. Our Chixiao Mansion then joined forces with Xiao Yan and Lu Qi to fight against Xiao Yunning's treacherous party."
"So this is what she meant by disrupting the formation." Bai Ming sighed deeply. "So, what exactly is Xiao Yan...?"
"I know far less about Xiao Yan than I do about Ling Yu. Although I know her intentions, I have never understood her motives." Yang Song shook his head and sighed softly. "After that, it became an entanglement between two forces. Xiao Yun sent a spy to Ling Yu's room, but she used the pretext of the lost bone flute to turn the tables on him. Later, Xiao Yun planned to use this excuse to ask the Qiang King for punishment, but unexpectedly, you had already sent someone to meet the Qiang King with the bone flute."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ming shook his head in relief, then frowned and looked at Yang Song inquiringly, "Even so, it is our fault for taking your mother's belongings without permission, General."
"So what?" Yang Song smiled and shook his head. "Lingyu entrusted the bone flute to you, which shows she trusts you completely. And Chixiao Palace will always support Lingyu, so naturally it supports you all using this bone flute to uphold justice in the world. Moreover, I heard that Mr. Qi, who went on the mission, risked his life all by himself. Compared to these things, the importance of my mother's heirloom to us seems insignificant."
"Thank you for your understanding, General, but... this item is by no means 'insignificant' to you."
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Yang Song interrupted. “This bone flute has fulfilled its most important mission. Such a scene is surely what my mother would have liked to see.” He smiled and patted Bai Ming’s shoulder. “No matter what, the result is good, and that’s enough.”
Bai Ming sighed softly and nodded to Yang Song.
"However, it is unknown whether the bone flute was stolen after the envoy returned from the Qiang tribe. To quell his anger, Xiao Yun imprisoned Lingyu for several days until the final battle. We then sent people to break her out of prison. Fortunately, Lu Qi had been secretly bribing the prison guards to take good care of her."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ming clenched his fists tightly. "No wonder she is so tired," he sighed with heartache, then looked up at Yang Song. "Thank you, General, for taking care of her all this time. I am deeply grateful."
“No matter what, I am her brother, so it is only right that I take care of her. However, most of the time, it is Xiao Yan who is with her,” Yang Song sighed softly. “Ever since Lingyu surrendered, Xiao Yan has been taking meticulous care of her. Even though he knows that her intentions are not pure, he still protects her in every way and often invites her to drink and admire the moon…”
Bai Ming's heart, which had just settled down, was immediately gripped with anxiety. He looked at Yang Song in disbelief, "From time to time...drinking?"
“Yes.” Yang Song nodded, puzzled.
“But…” Bai Ming stood there, stunned, his voice trembling, “She has never been able to drink alcohol.”
"What?" Yang Song was startled upon hearing this, then a pang of heartache flashed in his eyes. He looked at Yang Xiao's bedchamber with a pained expression. "Why didn't she tell me anything..." He frowned and sighed. "So, in this Chang'an formation, she has never truly let go."
Just as the two were feeling anxious, they heard footsteps coming from not far away.
"Why are you two standing here so early in the morning, looking so compassionate?"
Cen Xun tilted his head and walked towards the two of them, followed by a little girl carrying a medicine cup. Cen Xun clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yang Song, "General Yang, there are still some matters at the Chang'an Formation that await your attention."
“Alright,” Yang Song sighed, bowed to the two men and said, “I will go now. Farewell, gentlemen.”
"Farewell, General, please take care."
After watching Yang Song leave, Cen Xun looked at Bai Ming with confusion, "What's wrong?"
Bai Ming also sighed, calming his emotions. "I just asked General Yang about A Xiao's life in Chang'an... Never mind, let's not talk about that now. Let's go inside; she should be awake by now."
“Alright,” Cen Xun nodded. “I can’t stand hearing these things either. Yesterday I had some important military business to attend to, so I had to ask the military doctor to treat her injuries. Now that I’m done with my work, I can take good care of her.”
As they talked, the two pushed open the door, where Yang Xiao was already sitting on the bed, smiling at them with her chin in her hands.
Bai Ming looked at Yang Xiao, a pang of sadness rising in his heart, but it was slowly smoothed over by the smile in her eyes. "Tell me honestly, what did your brother say to you?"
“I’m innocent,” Cen Xun said with a smile, shaking his head. “General Yang left as soon as I arrived. I didn’t hear anything.”
"And what about you?" Yang Xiao turned to look at Bai Ming. "What did he say to you?"
Bai Ming sighed softly, sat on the edge of the bed, and took Yang Xiao's hand. "He told me everything."
Yang Xiao stared at him for a long time without saying a word, then sighed and waved her hand, "Just say it, there's nothing shameful about it."
"How could it be shameful?" Bai Ming held her hand tightly, frowning as he looked at her. "I just..."
"Alright, alright, don't feel sorry for me." Yang Xiao lightly punched Bai Ming. "These past two years have been tough for everyone, what are the hardships I've endured compared to that?"
Cen Xun smiled and met Yang Xiao's gaze, and couldn't help but sigh, "You've matured a lot in the past two years."
Yang Xiao smiled upon hearing this, "And you're talking about me? You've gone from 'Miss Cen' to 'General Cen,' so..." she teased with a smile, "then the scabbard will still have to be flown in the end?"
"Don't even mention it," Cen Xun said with a smile, waving his hand. "The faster the scabbard flew out, the harder it was to retrieve."
Yang Xiao smiled and sighed softly, "It's still better here. The Chang'an Formation is full of deceit and chaos. Anyone without a mind of their own will die in that formation sooner or later."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ming tightened his grip on Yang Xiao's hand, gazing earnestly into her eyes. "From now on, you no longer need to be as wary as before, nor do you need to suppress your true nature..."
Yang Xiao looked back at Bai Ming and couldn't help but smile helplessly, "What exactly did my brother say to you, Bai Ming? Are you... afraid that these past few years in Chang'an have worn away my true nature?"
"I..." Bai Ming was taken aback upon hearing this. He instinctively shook his head, but his gaze drooped downwards unnaturally, and he remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"Don't worry, I haven't changed. I'm still the same person I always was," Yang Xiao's cheerful voice immediately reached Bai Ming's ears. "It's just that I've learned more through these two years of experience. Why should I feel that these days have worn away my personality?"
She chuckled and patted Bai Ming's head. "It's just a matter of doing special things under special circumstances. Why worry so much? Every difficulty is a challenge, but we'll overcome them. The outcome is good, and that's enough."
Bai Ming sighed softly, held back the tears welling up in his eyes, and nodded with a smile.
“Hey, you two have had enough,” Cen Xun said with a laugh, seemingly unable to bear it any longer. “Be more discreet in front of the children.”
"The child's face?" Yang Xiao sat up straight upon hearing this. She looked behind Cen Xun and saw a pretty and lively little girl smiling at her with her eyes seemingly filled with peach blossoms, her eyes brimming with spring that touched her heart.
Although it was their first time meeting, Yang Xiao felt a strange sense of familiarity. She sat on the bed, staring blankly into the girl's eyes, when the image of the busy soldier guarding her after she was tortured inexplicably surfaced in her mind.
"You...could it be..." Yang Xiao pointed at the girl, her eyes filled with excitement and disbelief. She met the girl's expectant gaze and called out, "Chen Zhu?"
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