Chapter Seventeen: A Glimmer of Hope After a Long Night - An Old Friend Returns
Yang Xiao rode her horse towards Langya through the night. As soon as she emerged from the mountain road, she saw Bai Ming and several hundred soldiers fiercely defending the city gate, locked in combat with two enemy generals. She frowned, immediately forgetting her fatigue from the journey, and spurred her horse toward Bai Ming.
The fluttering banners were vivid and lively under the first ray of light piercing the long night. With a light leap, Chi Lian stepped over the corpses scattered on the ground and carried Yang Xiao straight towards the enemy general in front of Bai Ming.
A silver spear pierced straight into the man's throat, the sudden attack startling everyone present.
The enemy general hurriedly leaned back, barely managing to raise his sword to block Yang Xiao's attack. Unexpectedly, the spear tip spun in the air and then smashed down towards the man's head.
"Ah Xiao!" Bai Ming called out joyfully when he saw Yang Xiao come to his aid.
Yang Xiao nodded, raised her hand to shield the exhausted Bai Ming behind her, then frowned and glanced back at him, "How are you? Are you alright?"
Bai Ming nodded solemnly, "Don't worry." Then he spurred his horse and stood beside Yang Xiao, spear in hand.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the two enemy generals quickly frowned, exchanged glances, and rearranged their formation.
Seeing the two men who were ready for battle, Yang Xiao charged forward with his spear. Bai Ming also quickly spurred his horse to meet them. In just a few moves, the two enemy generals were overwhelmed and retreated repeatedly.
Bai Ming charged forward with his spear, and in that instant, a flash of silver light from the enemy general's hand passed before Yang Xiao's eyes.
She was all too familiar with that silver light. In an instant, she understood the enemy general's intention and was so shocked that she stood up abruptly from the saddle bridge.
"Bai Ming! Watch out!" Yang Xiao's pupils contracted, and she quickly spurred her horse to Bai Ming's side. Before she finished speaking, a rope dart suddenly shot out from the enemy general's hand, piercing through the sand and heading straight for Bai Ming's neck.
Seeing this, Bai Ming quickly leaned back, watching the dart getting closer and closer to his neck, but he couldn't dodge it at all. At the critical moment, the dart suddenly seemed to come alive, and with a "whoosh," it abruptly changed direction, slicing past Bai Ming's neck and flying straight to the side.
Cold sweat instantly beaded on Bai Ming's forehead. He looked closely and saw Yang Xiao's spear tip blocking the middle of the rope. With a sudden jerk, the dart lost its direction and flew horizontally through the air.
The spear tip snapped the rope, and the dart flew uncontrollably toward Yang Xiao's right shoulder. She had no time to stop herself and could only turn to the side, but she still couldn't dodge the sharpness of the dart, and a cut was immediately made on her shoulder and neck.
Blood instantly stained her battle robe, but she seemed oblivious to the pain. She raised her hand, grabbed the end of the iron dart, and swung it at the enemy general on the other side. In an instant, the dart, trailing its dangling rope, plunged straight into the man's throat.
Just as Bai Ming raised his spear to attack the dart thrower, he saw Ling Shi fall straight off his horse, and the air was filled with the stench of blood. Suddenly, chaos erupted behind him, and a mighty battle cry seemed to engulf the battle formation. Bai Ming quickly turned around and saw a troop of soldiers surging towards them on the main road, bathed in the morning sun. The fluttering banners bore two large characters: "Zhongli".
"Zhaoqing, Lingyu!" the leading general shouted at the front of the battle, and his black horse galloped towards the battlefield as if its hooves were flying. "I'm here to help you!"
Before he could finish speaking, Zhongli Shuo touched the saddle bridge, then suddenly raised his hand. Before the two men in front of him could react, a silver dart flashed past their line of sight like lightning.
The enemy general was unable to dodge in time and was pinned to the spot as the silver dart pierced his neck.
His body immediately went limp, and he fell off the horse.
Seeing Zhong Lishuo galloping towards her, Yang Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief. She turned back and smiled at Bai Ming, but her eyes were filled with concern. "Are you alright? Were you hurt just now?"
Bai Ming shook his head, frowning as he looked at Yang Xiao. "I'm fine, just a few bumps and bruises. But you, General," he looked at the torn battle robe on Yang Xiao's shoulder, then met her eyes with concern, "you cut yourself like this while saving me... does it hurt?"
"It's nothing, it's nothing, what's the big deal?" Yang Xiao smiled and shook her head, pretending to be relaxed as she raised her hand to touch her wound, but was suddenly stung by the pain and gasped.
She chuckled and sighed, then looked up at Bai Ming, "Trading such a wound for General Bai's life, it's definitely worth it, isn't it?"
Bai Ming frowned with concern as he looked at Yang Xiao's wounds, then looked into her eyes, as if recalling some past events, and said earnestly, "This time, I also want to thank the general for saving me, but this time, it's not about money, but about my life."
"Between you and me, there's no need for thanks after all this back and forth." Yang Xiao looked at Bai Ming's concerned gaze, then smiled and gently moved her shoulders. "Don't worry, it's just a flesh wound, nothing serious."
“Exactly, you’ve known each other for so many years, and you’re still thanking each other like this. It’s so formal,” Zhong Lishuo rode over on his horse, teasing Bai Ming, and then nodded at Yang Xiao, “You really are a hidden talent. You can even throw darts?”
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao quickly raised her hand to deny it, saying, "Oh, no, this is my first time using a dart."
"Then how could you possibly kill the enemy general with a single throw?"
"I threw the dart as soon as it was in my hand," Yang Xiao smiled at Zhong Lishuo, making up a story to cover it up. "I learned how to throw it after watching you throw it once or twice. Besides, this is on the battlefield. You have to learn even if you don't know how."
The enemy's forces were doomed, and Qingzhou had been completely recaptured by Yang Xiao and Zhongli Shuo. The three withdrew their troops and chatted as they walked back to their camp.
“By the way, General Bai,” Yang Xiao said, turning to Bai Ming as if remembering something, “wasn’t Xuzhou going to launch a full-scale attack on us? Why did they only send these few troops?”
Bai Ming also dropped his joking expression and looked up at Yang Xiao. "The governor of Xuzhou seems to have seen through our plan. He originally intended to send a large force to surround us, but the newly arrived strategist, upon hearing of this, sent a small force to take a shortcut into the city. The governor of Xuzhou then assumed that there were also many enemy troops in the south of Xuzhou, so he called the majority of his forces back into the city to await orders."
"Is that so?" Yang Xiao listened, then smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. "This new strategist really saved our lives. If Xuzhou's offensive hadn't been weak, Langya would probably have been difficult to defend. By the way," she looked at Bai Ming curiously, "who exactly is this strategist?"
Bai Ming pondered for a moment, "It is said that he is a recluse from Qingzhou, surnamed Qi, named Kun, courtesy name Gu Fan—"
"What?" Yang Xiao stood up abruptly upon hearing this, startling the two people beside her. "Qi Kun? Zhao Qing, are you sure?"
"Why did you suddenly stand up?" Zhongli Shuo was startled and leaned back, pulling on the reins. "How could Zhao Qing's words be false?"
Bai Ming nodded with a puzzled look. "It's him, no doubt. Could it be that this person has some past acquaintance with the general?"
"More than that, I'm afraid I have to go first," Yang Xiao turned her horse around, her eyes filled with undisguised joy and excitement. She turned to the two people behind her and clasped her hands in a fist salute. "Excuse me, gentlemen."
"Giddy up!" Before the two could react, Chi Lian, with the sun on its back, sped away as if riding the wind, leaving only a crisp crack of the whip and a series of hoofbeats drifting into the distance.
-
When Qi Kun from Qingzhou came to join her, how could Yang Xiao not be anxious? Although Qi Kun was only a few years older than her, and she had become his disciple in a joking and confused way back then, she had learned just as much from Qi Kun as the disciples of so-called aristocratic families since she was a child.
Although the title "Master" was used when referring to the student's status rather than as a backup, the bond between master and disciple was genuine.
She hadn't seen her master for eight years, especially since she had left without saying goodbye back then. Today, Yang Xiao was filled with excitement and mixed emotions. She couldn't wait to rush over and see him, but she was also timid and hesitant to meet him.
But Chi Lian didn't hesitate for a moment, carrying her like a whirlwind towards Jizhou.
At this moment, Qi Kun was inside Zhongli's tent, constantly stroking the warm teacup.
The wide sleeves of his robe shone warmly in the sunlight, and a few worries were furrowed between his brows on his gentle face.
A wisp of hot tea fell into the cup in front of him. His thoughts stirred slightly, and when he looked up, he saw Zhong Li'an's smiling profile.
"Is something on your mind, strategist?"
"You flatter me, my lord." Qi Kun snapped out of his reverie and nodded with a smile to Zhong Li'an. "I was just pondering whether the plan from the other day would be effective."
Zhongli An chuckled and shook his head. "The strategist's plan is a defense strategy we never anticipated. This force has launched a surprise attack on Xuzhou; how could we possibly resist?"
"I wonder if this force can meet up with the inexperienced General Yang Xiao."
“The strategist can rest assured,” Zhongli An sat back down with a smile, looking out the window. “Lingyu is flexible and adaptable in handling affairs, and she is also skilled in martial arts. She is truly a talented general. Although this battle is complicated, in my opinion, it may not be difficult for her to defeat.”
"Is that so?" Qi Kun also looked out the window, his eyes flashing with a faint light. "I hope so."
The weather was getting hotter, and the sound of cicadas chirping could be heard outside the window. Qi Kun had barely finished speaking when the rapid sound of horses' hooves approached from afar.
"Report! My lord, strategist!" The scout outside the door knelt down excitedly before the two men, "General Yang has returned victorious!"
"So fast?" Zhong Li'an exclaimed in surprise. Qi Kun, who was standing next to him, suddenly stood up and looked expectantly towards the door.
The scouts retreated, followed by another series of hurried footsteps, but much lighter than before.
"Master!" Yang Xiao's voice came from afar and approached into the doorway. Qi Kun's fists clenched up involuntarily, and he took two steps toward the door.
With a "whoosh," the bamboo curtain was lifted, and blinding sunlight flooded the tent, casting a golden sheen over the two people.
The female general, as cheerful as a deer, suddenly caught Qi Kun's eye—her eyes were bright and her face radiant. Even though she was panting and had an injury on her shoulder, her vibrant spirit and pride were undeniable.
Those eyes, however, were no different from eight years ago—sincere and clear.
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