Chapter Eighty-Six: Blood Fills the Horizon, Dust Stains the Robe
"drive!"
With a sharp crack of the whip, Chi Lian ran wildly through the rain. Yang Xiao's bangs were plastered to her face by the rain, and rain and sweat mingled together, streaming down her cheeks.
“General,” Zhang Ping cracked his whip and leaped to catch up with Yang Xiao, “Lujiang County is just ahead. According to scouts, the enemy originally numbered 50,000, but General Zhongli and General Bai have already launched a night raid and captured the city…”
"Is there any enemy support?" Before Zhang Ping could finish speaking, Yang Xiao asked sharply.
Zhang Ping had never seen Yang Xiao with such an expression. He frowned, looked up at her, and shook his head. "No. It seems there are only 50,000 troops lying in ambush on both sides of the road."
How much is left now?
"Estimated at 30,000."
The raging wildfire had long been extinguished by the heavy rain, leaving only charred logs stuck in the withered grass.
Beneath the overwhelming enemy forces lay the corpses of soldiers. The fluttering military flags roared in the wind as they pressed toward the city gate. Amidst the broken walls and ruins, a tattered battle flag seemed to still be fluttering, barely standing upright in the mud.
A sudden gust of wind blew open the wet battle flag, and the distorted character "white" barely appeared on it.
Yang Xiao felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart. Her eyes were already filled with tears. She gritted her teeth and flew into the midst of the 10,000-strong army.
"Master!" Mu Fei appeared on a fast horse and rode up to Yang Xiao. "Don't put yourself in danger. I'll be your vanguard!"
Before Yang Xiao could react, she saw Mu Fei wave to her from afar, then charge straight towards the enemy with his newly acquired broadsword.
The Eagle Squad plunged into the battlefield like a knife, tearing a gap in the enemy ranks. Yang Xiao nodded and raised his silver spear to break through the enemy formation.
"Bai Ming!" She slashed at the enemy soldiers as if her life depended on it, while searching for Bai Ming's figure all around.
The warhorse kept rearing up, and her shouts were completely lost in the rain.
The tattered battle flag swayed in the wind, and the previously flashing "white" character disappeared. The few remaining soldiers at the city gate were still fighting desperately. In a daze, a white horse stained with blood raised its head and neighed, carrying the already battered general as he unleashed his last strength.
The next moment, she met those all-too-familiar eyes.
The sounds of battle around her suddenly vanished, her mind went blank, yet she instinctively ran forward. The enemy soldiers, who had been pressing in with their imposing presence, were instantly torn to pieces, and Yang Xiao's 20,000 soldiers swept them away like a flood.
But the struggle is not over yet.
The sharp crack of the string extinguished all the hope in Yang Xiao's eyes.
An arrow struck Bai Ming squarely in the chest, shoving his already swaying body off his horse.
"Bai Ming!"
Yang Xiao could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down her face amidst the rain. Her arms seemed to have gained immense strength as she repeatedly knocked the enemy soldiers off their horses.
-
The world seemed to fall silent, and Bai Ming could only hear the "drip-drip" of the rain.
The gushing blood flowing from his waist and abdomen mingled with the cold rainwater, tightly binding his hands and feet. Deafening pain pierced through his entire body, even choking him to breathe, preventing him from escaping even a fraction of an inch.
Soft, numb, tingling, dizzy, the torrential downpour robbed him of his senses, slowly consuming him completely.
This is what it feels like to die on the battlefield.
Bai Ming used his last bit of strength to look up at the relentlessly raining sky. A chilling cold etched itself into his spine, and he could only sit and wait for his death.
The chaos of war around him gradually faded into the distance, and even as a general, he could not escape the fate of dying for his country. His consciousness slowly dissipated, and he unconsciously relaxed.
Moreover, they won this battle.
Thinking about it this way, it seems there's nothing to regret about passing away.
Willing? Bai Ming's consciousness was in a daze. He was powerless and could only let his thoughts drift down in his mind.
Zhong Lishuo's bracelet has not yet been given to Cen Xun.
Zhongli An had not yet pacified the world.
Yang Xiao hasn't been able to...
A sharp, intense pain shot through his heart. He forced his broken will to open his eyes, only to see the charred pillar on the watchtower in the city swaying precariously and about to topple over him.
His pupils dilated suddenly, and an unprecedented sense of resentment overwhelmed him, his desire to "live" reaching its peak.
Bai Ming pressed his hand against the ground with all his might, but could only curl his fingers slightly. He looked helplessly and hopelessly at the long log falling from above his head, opened his mouth to call out something, but was blocked by the metallic taste that rushed into his throat.
He can't die, he absolutely can't die.
Yang Xiaoru's radiant eyes, as bright as flowing rosy clouds, were once again reflected in his mind, but her voice had long since faded away in his ears.
He stared at the long pillar that was about to fall on him, and closed his eyes unwillingly.
Sadly, I will never have the chance to hear her call my name again in this lifetime.
"Bai Ming!"
The expected excruciating pain did not come; instead, there was a loud "bang" above her head, and Yang Xiao's screams echoed clearly in her ears.
Bai Ming's fading consciousness suddenly twitched and froze. He barely managed to lift his eyelids, and there before him were the anxious and concerned eyes that had just appeared in his mind.
Yang Xiao stumbled off her horse and rushed to Bai Ming's side without hesitation.
An arrow pierced his chest, and his waist and abdomen were covered with countless knife wounds. His white robe was already stained red with blood, and the bloodstains spread and seeped into the soil beneath him as the rain washed over them.
"Bai Ming, wake up!" Yang Xiao frantically scooped up Bai Ming, and with her movements, blood gushed from the wounds all over Bai Ming's body again, the crimson stains seeping into his damp battle robe.
Yang Xiao burst into tears. Helplessly, she cradled Bai Ming's head in her arms, only to see blood trickle from the corner of his lips, flowing down his cold face and onto her clothes.
"Bai Ming, don't scare me, Bai Ming," she said frantically, raising her hand to wipe the blood from Bai Ming's mouth, but accidentally getting it all over his face. Large tears fell onto Bai Ming's face, mingling with the blood as they streamed down his cheeks.
The blood in his throat rushed into his mouth, and the damp air finally entered Bai Ming's throat.
He gasped for breath, but the blood still in his throat made him cough repeatedly.
Seeing this, Yang Xiao hurriedly and frantically patted his back. The blood gushing from his mouth flowed down his neck, staining his clothes red and spreading into the wet patch.
"Bai Ming, look at me," Yang Xiao hugged Bai Ming tightly, sobbing uncontrollably, "Please, Bai Ming, don't scare me."
"Ah Xiao..." Bai Ming struggled to open his eyes slightly, gazing longingly into Yang Xiao's eyes. A thousand words turned into silent groans stuck in his throat, and the heart-wrenching pain brought tears to his eyes.
"I'm here, Bai Ming, I'm here." Yang Xiao raised her hand to wipe away Bai Ming's tears and burst into tears. She helped Bai Ming up and put one of his arms on her shoulder. "Don't be afraid, I'm here. Everything will be alright."
She touched Bai Ming's face and pressed her forehead against his. "Come on, I'll take you home."
She wiped away her tears, then scooped Bai Ming up in her arms. "Bai Ming, you better live on, do you hear me?" She gritted her teeth, lifted Bai Ming's heavy body onto the horse, and then leaped onto her own horse, pulling the reins and galloping towards the city.
Bai Ming slumped onto Yang Xiao's shoulder, his arms weakly wrapped around her neck.
He nestled against Yang Xiao's neck like a sleepy child, hot tears streaming from his eyes soaking her clothes. He took a deep breath, using all his strength to whisper a soft moan in Yang Xiao's ear.
“Ah Xiao,” he tilted his head slightly and nuzzled Yang Xiao’s neck, “Having you in this life is enough.”
He closed his eyes in relief, his arms hanging limply down, his entire body barely clinging to Yang Xiao.
"Bai Ming, Bai Ming!" Yang Xiao felt a weight on her shoulder and panicked. She hugged Bai Ming tightly, letting her tears stream down her face, blurring her vision.
Chi Lian rushed into the city like a raging fire. After finally finding a house, Yang Xiao dragged him off the horse without a care in the world, carried him into the house, and carefully placed him on the bed.
"General!"
"General Lingyu!"
The war outside the city had long been quelled, and Zhang Ping, along with a group of physicians, followed Yang Xiao into the room. They found Bai Ming's face drained of color, with only barely perceptible breaths indicating that he was still alive.
“General,” the leading physician stepped forward to examine Bai Ming’s wounds, then turned back to Yang Xiao, who was already lost in thought, and clasped his hands in a fist salute, “General Bai has many serious injuries, but the most fatal one is the arrow to his heart.”
With tears streaming down her face, Yang Xiao closed her eyes and let out a long breath. She leaned over Bai Ming, supporting herself, and reached out towards the arrow.
The moment her fingertips touched the arrow tip, she saw the shaft sway slightly. Her heart leaped into her throat, and she stared intently, but saw only a few drops of blood at the wound site, not at all like someone who had been pierced through the chest by a sharp arrow.
She pointed at the arrow with overjoyed delight, as if grasping at a lifeline, her voice trembling, "The arrow didn't hurt me badly!"
Upon hearing this, the military doctor immediately stepped forward, carefully examining the wound, and then nodded to Yang Xiao.
"Then I'll pull out the arrow."
Yang Xiao nodded, her eyes fixed on the military doctor's movements.
He placed his hand on Bai Ming's chest, his fingers gently tracing the arrow shaft.
Sure enough, with a slight lift of his wrist, the arrow snagged on his clothes and fell off.
Everyone crowded around to take a look, only to see that the arrowhead had bloodstains on its tip, and Bai Ming on the bed only had a slight increase in breathing for a moment, without any other reaction.
Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to touch Bai Ming's wound. What her fingertips touched was not flesh and blood, but hard pieces broken into several pieces, reflecting his cold body temperature and showing through the fabric.
She was startled, and as if she suddenly understood something, she stood up and looked back at the doctor.
“It seems there must be something protecting General Zhaoqing.” The physician nodded in agreement to Yang Xiao, then stepped forward and carefully untied Bai Ming’s belt, gently pulling aside the wet battle robe on his chest.
Yang Xiao bent down and saw three pieces of broken jade, stained with blood, lying on Bai Ming's chest. At the broken spot, there was only a small scratch, which kept moving with the slight rise and fall of his chest.
“This is… a jade disc…” Yang Xiao choked up and couldn’t speak. Tears streamed down her face like a burst dam. She clenched her fists weakly, unable to bear it any longer. She leaned against the wall and lowered her head, trying to catch her breath.
Before long, Bai Ming's arm guards were removed and thrown aside. The physician breathed a sigh of relief and raised his hand to check Bai Ming's pulse.
"How is he?" Yang Xiao hurriedly turned around, anxiously pulled the blanket up for Bai Ming, and stood next to the doctor, holding her breath and waiting.
The physician frowned, changed his hand gestures, and looked at Yang Xiao with concern.
"How is the pulse? Tell me quickly." Yang Xiao's forehead was covered in a fine sweat. She clutched the corner of the blanket and stared anxiously at the physician.
“The rhythm is incomplete, it stops and then starts again…” The doctor gently put down Bai Ming’s arm, lowering his eyes and not daring to look into Yang Xiao’s eyes.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao froze on the spot, feeling a wave of dizziness. "It's a death pulse, isn't it?"
Her voice trembled uncontrollably as she shook her head in disbelief, “How could this be? That arrow clearly didn’t…” She couldn’t finish her sentence and slumped down in front of Bai Ming’s bed, raising her hand to touch his blood-stained face.
They were so full of energy when we parted, how come they're like this now...?
"General, the banner..."
“But at least he’s still alive, right?” Yang Xiao abruptly cut off the doctor’s words. Her hand brushed over Bai Ming’s cold skin, and she looked back at the doctor with unwavering determination. “As long as he’s alive, I will do everything in my power to keep him alive.”
The physician reluctantly took a step back and nodded slightly. "Yes."
Yang Xiao bit her lip tightly and carefully peeled off Bai Ming's soaked clothes, revealing the shocking scars. A pang of pain shot through her heart, as if the scars were on her own body.
"How did you get through that night..." She gritted her teeth, trying to hold back her tears, and gently wiped the edges of Bai Ming's wound with gauze soaked in warm water. "I can handle the bandaging. You go get the medicine."
The physician nodded and stepped aside to search for his medicinal herbs.
A deathly silence fell over the room, broken only by soft sobs and the incessant sound of rain outside the window.
Yang Xiao bent down to finish bandaging the last bandage, then looked at Bai Ming's waist, which was wrapped in bandages, with a pained expression. She bit her lower lip, tilted her head back, and forced back her tears. Her fingertips trembled as she ran her fingers over the blood-stained wounds. She took a deep breath and carefully tucked the blanket around Bai Ming.
She clenched her fists, tears welling in her eyes as she gazed at Bai Ming on the bed. With a steely resolve, she asked without turning her head, "How was the battle last night?"
"General Yude, he..." Zhang Ping's voice trembled before he could finish speaking. Yang Xiao felt a sharp pain in her heart, and she looked up, tears streaming down her face.
"General Yude... sacrificed himself. He led 5,000 troops into the city through the side gate and captured Lujiang County."
"Stop talking." Yang Xiao couldn't listen anymore. She interrupted Zhang Ping with a sob and slumped down in front of Bai Ming's bed as if all her strength had left her. She gently picked up Bai Ming's hand, held it in her arms, and then couldn't help but lean down and try to regulate her breathing in front of the bed.
The rain was still drizzling outside the window when a flurry of footsteps broke the deathly silence.
Zhang Ping quickly turned his gaze to the door and saw a soldier standing outside, his face wet with sweat and panting heavily. "General Zhang," the soldier said, choking back tears as he looked at Zhang Ping.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Ping frowned and went out to greet them.
Upon seeing Zhang Ping, the soldier immediately began to sob, "Mu Fei, he..."
Zhang Ping froze on the spot, his mind going completely blank.
"General, General Lingyu!"
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