Chapter 3: A Tough Life, a Ruthless Killer with No Morals...
"Junior sister, be careful!" Lang Xi hurried forward.
Cui Miaochang grabbed a lantern beside her, her wrist flicking and blurring as she turned in mid-air, the thick lantern pole striking the arrow.
The iron arrow veered off course, barely grazing Yu Nie's neck, a few strands of her hair falling to the ground, the arrowhead deeply embedded in the door panel behind her.
Once the lights went out, the three people's location became impossible to find.
Seeing the arrow's fletching trembling incessantly, Yu Nie broke out in a cold sweat and reached up to touch his neck.
Langxi anxiously checked her body for any injuries.
Unexpectedly, Yu Nie took a few steps forward, facing the direction from which the arrows came, and shouted:
"You clown, you worthless scoundrel, get out here right now!"
A night breeze swept by, but there was no sound under the pitch-black night sky.
Yu Nie's chest heaved with breath. Someone actually wanted to kill her. Was there no law?
In her anger, she suddenly remembered the robbery that had occurred in Liangzhou County.
Only Langxi and Cui Miaochang in the temple know some martial arts. If they are really those desperate criminals, then it is dangerous.
Before she could tell the two behind her her guess, a scream rang out from inside the temple: "Oh no, you mountain gossip! Help!"
"It's Aunt Liu's voice!" Lang Xi's expression changed drastically, and he drew his long sword from his back. "There are robbers!"
"Let's go in and take a look!" Cui Miaochang said as she rushed into the temple.
Yu Nie and Lang Xi immediately followed.
After running a few steps, Yu Nie suddenly stopped. If the bandits had attacked from the back of the mountain, then who was shooting arrows in front?
As if confirming the answer that had just come to her mind, a burst of firelight suddenly appeared in the distance, illuminating the dark night sky.
In an instant, the sound of iron hooves was like muffled thunder, mixed with a whistling sound, and came with the force of an overwhelming wave.
Yu Nie suddenly turned around, and under the fiery red sky, she saw several dark figures sitting on horseback a few meters away from them.
The one who looked like the leader was holding a horn bow, was masked, and was staring at them.
"It's the enemy!" she shouted.
Upon hearing the sound, Cui Miaochang and Lang Xi turned around, their expressions tightening.
The loud noise startled the garrison in the city, and the deep, resonant sound of bronze horns echoed over Huaiyuan County.
"Never mind that, let's go in and rescue them!" Cui Miaochang frowned, her gaze sharp as a blade.
Lingbao Temple was attacked from both sides, and Yu Nie and the others had no time to attend to other matters, so they could only try to put out the fire in front of them first.
As soon as the three of them entered the temple, the sight before them made their pupils shrink.
Seven or eight bandits with knives were chasing them from the backyard. Amidst the flashing blades, Aunt Liu and Ah Hui fled in a sorry state.
As Ah Hui fled, he grabbed a winnowing basket and bamboo basket from the corner of the wall and used them to block and shove as he ran behind Aunt Liu.
Seeing this, Cui Miaochang stood up on his tiptoes, drew his steel sword from his back, and leaped into the midst of the bandits.
Langxi followed suit, and the master and disciple each had their own moves, each strike hitting its mark.
In an instant, a flurry of swordplay erupted in front of the main hall, dazzling the eyes with the chilling light of the blades and the clanging of the weapons.
Cui Miaochang and her companions did not strike the bandits' vital points with their swords, but instead struck them until they were powerless to fight back and fell to the ground, unable to move.
Yu Nie hid from the robbers and took Ah Hui and Aunt Liu into his house.
None of the three of them knew martial arts, so hiding was the best course of action to avoid causing trouble.
Ah Hui entered the house and lifted her foot to run towards the pharmacy.
Unaware of the reason, Yu Nie stopped him abruptly, her voice filled with worry and urgency: "Where are you going, Junior Brother?"
Ah Hui gestured anxiously, "The young man is still lying in the house, I have to go and save him."
Upon learning that Huan Xun was still unconscious, Yu Nie glimpsed some bandits in the courtyard who were no match for Cui Miaochang and Lang Xi and were already fleeing in all directions. One of them happened to hide in the pharmacy.
Neither Cui Miaochang nor Langxi, who were too preoccupied to notice, saw this scene.
Seeing this, she had an idea.
If Huan Xun were to die by the bandits of Huanfu by accident, it would have nothing to do with them.
The thought arose in her heart, and she comforted Ah Hui: "Those thieves in the courtyard killed people and escaped. Junior Brother, you don't know martial arts. Going out would just be throwing your life away."
"But I can't just watch that young man get into trouble."
“Then I can go and save him.” Knowing that her senior brother was stubborn, she chose a roundabout way.
Anyway, once she goes out, she'll be in control of the situation.
To kill some time, it's always okay to use someone else to do the dirty work.
Without giving Ah Hui a chance to explain, she grabbed the dagger from the table, opened the door, and headed to the pharmacy.
Several robbers were already lying in the courtyard. Yu Nie slipped along the wall and found a corner to hide in.
She looked out the gate; flames soared into the sky in the direction of Huaiyuan City, and the sounds of fighting filled the air.
Bandits and enemy troops—tonight will show her what life was like before the chaos.
At the same time, it strengthened her determination to go to Longdao to buy saltpeter to make gunpowder.
Gunpowder was her weapon for future survival; in times of war, those who couldn't protect themselves were no different from fish on a chopping board.
As she pondered this, she kept an eye on the activity in the pharmacy.
Pray that the bandit has killed Huan Xun.
After about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, the fighting in the courtyard stopped, and cries of agony followed one after another.
Cui Miaochang called her, "Rong girl."
"I'm here, Uncle-Master." Upon hearing this, Yu Nie stretched out his arm and emerged from the corner of the connecting corridor.
Seeing the bandits lying scattered on the ground, all of them defeated, she immediately felt a little relieved.
Cui Miaochang dusted off his hands, not putting away his sword, and turned to instruct her: "Go get a rope and tie up these bandits with Langxi Ahui."
"Yes, Uncle-Master." Yu Nie glanced at the howling bandits, then quickly went to the storeroom and retrieved a thick hemp rope.
There were fewer than ten people. Aunt Liu also came out to help when they were tying people up, and they were tied up quickly.
Remembering the blood on these people's hands, Yu Nie was furious and kicked the nearest thief with a fierce face.
The man glared at her fiercely, speaking rudely and saying he wanted to kill her.
Despite her fear, she maintained a defiant demeanor and retorted:
"Even the Three Pure Ones are above, and even the King of Hell won't take you. If you want to kill me, do it in your next life."
“To draw a knife against the weak is utterly despicable. Don’t think I’m afraid of you just because you’re glaring at me.”
"Alright, alright..." Cui Miaochang was unaware that these people had killed innocent civilians. Considering the invasion of the foreign army, she spoke up to stop them, saying, "Let's not worry about them for now. Right now, we must guard against those barbarians invading the temple."
Cui Miaochang spoke rapidly, clearly arranging each word:
"I'm going to reinforce the back door."
"Langxi, Ahui, you two go and reinforce the front gate immediately. Remember to lock the bolt with iron chains and move some heavy objects to hold it in place."
After saying that, she looked at Yu Nie beside her: "Rong girl, go to the pharmacy immediately to see if the one lying there is alright, and also stock up on some wound medicine, especially wound medicine and hemostatic powder. I'll take you to the hospital..."
"Ah...!" Before Cui Miaochang could finish speaking, a scream echoed through the pharmacy.
Just as she and Langxi were about to draw their swords and rush in, they heard two coughs from inside the door, and then the door was yanked open.
On the curtain illuminated by candlelight, a trembling figure emerged, carrying something unsteadily.
As the figure on the curtain grew larger, Yu Nie's breath hitched, filled with hope.
But when the curtain was lifted and she saw the figure at the door, she visibly deflated, a wave of disappointment washing over her.
The person standing outside the pharmacy had bandages wrapped around their waist and abdomen that were now stained red with seeping blood.
He grabbed the bandit by the collar with his right hand; below the collar was a bloody wound.
With such a long gash, the person was clearly dead by now.
He tossed the lifeless body forward, coughed a few times, and surveyed the courtyard, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Who...are you?"
Perhaps because he had been lying there for a day and a night without speaking, the person in front of him had a hoarse voice, as if he had been thirsty for over a hundred days.
“A monk,” Cui Miaochang replied, sheathing his sword behind his back. “But the one you just threw away, along with all the others you’re tied up, are bandits.”
Yu Nie pricked up his ears to listen to their conversation, but inwardly he thought to himself, "Huan Xun is really that lucky."
It's like a stone.
He woke up unexpectedly, just when the bandits were about to take his life.
She caught a glimpse of the corpse on the ground out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but sigh inwardly: even the most wicked are no match for the most wicked.
The ruthless bandits who were just moments ago are now nothing more than lifeless corpses.
It can be considered that evil deeds have been punished.
After Cui Miaochang finished answering, the other party coldly brandished the blood-dripping longsword in his hand, pointing it directly at Yu Nie and the others: "Who brought me here?"
"It was my senior uncle, senior sister, and junior brother who saved you." She already harbored resentment towards this infamous villain in history books, and her tone was filled with indignation. "You, not only do you not know how to repay kindness, but why did you point a sword at people?"
"Junior sister..." Lang Xi quietly tugged at her wrist and pulled her back.
Considering the identity of the person in front of him, Lang Xi apologized slightly and said, "My lord, my junior sister is young and her tone was a bit harsh. Please don't take offense."
The man at the door didn't raise his sword, nor did he lower his guard: "You..." His voice was terribly hoarse, "...how did you figure out my identity?"
Yu Nie was too lazy to waste any more words and decided to tell the whole story about accidentally seeing the waist tag.
Before she could speak, a commotion of clashing weapons suddenly erupted outside the door.
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw several soldiers dressed in ochre-colored short robes with cross-collars, being chased and forced into the gate.
That attire clearly indicates they're not from Beiye.
The black-armored soldiers who caught up were loud and aggressive, and the two sides clashed in the blink of an eye.
Cui Miaochang and Lang Xi also joined the battle.
The war broke out in the temple in just a short while.
Seeing the courtyard in chaos, with people scattered and in danger, Yu Nie quickly pulled Aunt Liu and A Hui to hide under the eaves.
Several foreign soldiers noticed that the group was unarmed, so they drew their swords and gave chase.
Aunt Liu panicked and lost her way, accidentally falling down.
Turning around and seeing this scene, Yu Nie slapped his thigh, feeling a sense of helplessness and absurdity as he thought of the scenes in movies and TV dramas where people would fall down when being chased.
Seeing that the knife was about to hit Aunt Liu, she turned around and ran back without hesitation, stood in front of Aunt Liu, and subconsciously resigned herself to her fate and closed her eyes.
Just as she was preparing to receive the sharp blade coming at her, she felt a gust of wind brush past her ear and her arm was pulled.
The person who was just at the pharmacy entrance suddenly moved, precisely blocking the sharp blade and seizing the enemy soldier's neck. With a crisp "crack," the burly body slumped to the ground.
After dealing with the soldiers, the man picked up his knife, intending to continue hacking and slashing.
Seeing his actions, Yu Nie was conflicted, unsure whether to stop him or not, since he had just saved her life.
But when she thought of how history books would describe him, and how he would kill many people later, she gritted her teeth and decided to be an ungrateful wretch.
The stench of blood in the courtyard overpowered the smell of incense, and blood stained the bluestone slabs in front of the main hall red.
Some of the bound bandits also died under the hail of knives, and others who tried to escape were also hacked to death by the enemy, falling to the ground screaming in agony.
The fighting was raging in the courtyard, and splattered blood droplets landed on the paper windows of the west wing.
After hiding and fleeing, Yu Nie, A Hui, and the other two finally had no choice but to stop behind a pillar, their hearts pounding and their breaths ragged.
She secretly glanced at the person who was already seriously injured; all the bandages on his body had turned red.
She couldn't understand why a ruthless and immoral villain would save her.
Perhaps he didn't want to owe anyone a favor, or perhaps he hadn't yet become the Huan Xun who used the emperor as a puppet, holding a position of power above all others.
She still had some reason to save him; perhaps he wasn't so evil in his youth.
Braving the swords overhead, she ran to his side, grabbed his arm, and urgently pleaded, "Are you out of your mind? You'll die if this continues."
"The Rouran have invaded our northern territory; it is my duty to kill them."
Seeing that he had no intention of leaving, Yu Nie immediately fell silent.
She hadn't expected that Huan Xun was actually quite patriotic at that moment.
The fierce battle continued when suddenly, a loud shout came from the steps of the temple gate:
"Tuli Junshijin has been captured. The captain has ordered that anyone who surrenders shall not be killed, and anyone who disobeys the order shall be executed!"
At the sound of a command, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards the door.
Upon hearing that the enemy general had been captured, Yu Nie was extremely surprised. How could the garrison in the city have subdued the Rouran in such a short time?
She glanced at the Beiye soldiers in black armor beside her and wondered to herself if the battle had ended so quickly because of reinforcements.
The enemy chieftain was captured alive in less than half an hour, which shows that the person who commanded this battle must be a capable person.
The remaining dozen or so Rouran soldiers gripped their scimitars tightly, looking at each other in bewilderment.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Suddenly, a nine-foot-tall, bearded warrior jumped out from behind Yu Nie.
The soldier pointed at the leader who had come to offer amnesty and shouted sternly:
"Lord Sijin is exceptionally brave; how could he be captured so easily?"
"It must be you cowardly rats from Beiye spouting nonsense!" He encouraged the others, "What does it matter if we die for the Rouran? Brothers, we will not..."
A cold glint appeared in a horizontal blade, slicing through the air from outside the door. The blade, sharp and menacing, grazed Yu Nie's ear and pierced through the Rouran man's throat, embedding itself in a pillar in front of the main hall, leaving a trail of blood.
The Rouran warrior's eyes widened, blood spurted three feet from his throat, making gurgling sounds, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Instantly, the air fell silent, and everyone, shocked, turned to look outside the door.
Amidst the flames of war, the crisp sound of horses' hooves rang out from afar.
Upon hearing the noise, the soldiers holding torches hurriedly retreated to both sides.
In the firelight, figures moved about.
Amidst the flickering flames, a figure gradually emerged from the darkness, riding a black-maned steed with its head held high.
The rider was tall and imposing, with a silver crown binding his hair. He held the reins in his hand, wore black hammer armor, and exuded an air of authority. Several feathered arrows were stuck in the quiver on his back.
Yu Nie peered through the gap in the crowd and saw that the man was extremely handsome, with a face that was elegant and refined, eyes as deep as a cold pool, and high, prominent brow bones. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he had the bearing of a dragon and the beauty of a phoenix.
He exuded a chilling aura forged in the crucible of battle, making it impossible for anyone to look him in the eye.
The man, reining in his horse and stepping over the bloodstains and mangled corpses, entered the temple with an air of triumph.
Perhaps it was because he had the face of a handsome young man that he transformed this lifeless scene into a scene of vibrant energy and dazzling beauty.
Having just recovered from the perilous situation, Yu Nie looked at the newcomer and pondered, thinking that he must be the captain.
She couldn't help but admire his imposing presence and skill; he was truly an outstanding individual and a formidable general.
There are plenty of talented people in Beiye, so how could they be turned upside down by that villain Huan Xun?
The people who came in through the gate rode their horses forward and stopped in front of Yu Nie and his companions, looking down at them from their elevated position.
His handsome eyes were smiling, but she always felt that there was a coldness in his eyes.
She glanced at the person sitting upright on the horse, then her gaze shifted to Huan Xun beside her.
I wonder why a mere captain didn't dismount and salute his commander.
But then he saw a man beside him holding a knife, kneeling on one knee with his hands clasped, and saying respectfully, "Your subordinate Xie Cheng greets the Commander."
Yu Nie gasped.
Commander-in-Chief?!
A note from the author:
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