Shen Rou died
Imperial Envoy Li Ming's entourage, with its banners fluttering and ceremonial guards in full display, arrived at the city of Yunzhou at noon the following day.
However, what he saw was not the border town he had imagined, which was filled with anxiety and could be manipulated at will due to the epidemic and war, but a well-ordered city with its gates heavily guarded.
To his even greater surprise, outside the city gate, Zhao Rucheng, the Prefect of Yunzhou, and Xiao Zhouyan, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, who should have been "recuperating" in the capital, stood side by side, leading their entourage to welcome him.
Xiao Zhouyan was dressed in casual clothes, his expression calm, showing no sign of being embarrassed after being impeached.
Beside him stood a woman dressed in simple clothes, her face veiled by a light gauze. She had a calm demeanor and was presumably the rumored Lady Xu, the wife of the Marquis.
Li Ming's heart skipped a beat, but he put on a formulaic smile and dismounted to greet them: "Prefect Zhao, General Xiao, how have you been? I am on my way to reward the troops and I heard that there was an epidemic in Yunzhou some time ago. I wonder how it is now?" He deliberately brought up the epidemic to test them.
Zhao Rucheng stepped forward, bowed, and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, thanks to His Majesty's great fortune and the strong support of General Xiao and his wife, the epidemic has been completely quelled and has not spread into the city. The people are safe and sound. This is a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune."
He cleverly attributed the credit to Xiao Zhouyan and Xu Qingyao.
Li Ming's eye twitched slightly as he looked at Xiao Zhouyan: "Oh? Wasn't General Xiao recuperating in the capital? What brings you here?"
Xiao Zhouyan said calmly, "My wife is in poor health. I heard that there are miraculous medicines in the northern frontier, so I brought her here to search for them. We passed through Yunzhou and happened to be caught in an epidemic. I could only do my part and dare not take credit for it."
He spoke calmly, yet he made the two matters of "finding medicine" and "fighting the epidemic" sound natural and logical.
Li Ming turned his gaze to Xu Qingyao, scrutinizing her: "Is this the Lady Hou? I've heard that your medical skills are divine; it's truly astonishing that you were able to quell such a terrible plague." His words carried a hint of skepticism.
Xu Qingyao gave a slight curtsy, her voice clear and calm through the veil: "You flatter me, sir. I am merely sparsely versed in traditional Chinese medicine and was fortunate enough to recognize the characteristics of this epidemic. In addition, Prefect Zhao's effective command and the unity of the soldiers and the people enabled us to contain the epidemic. It is not the work of one person alone."
She answered neither humbly nor arrogantly, neither admitting to any "supernatural powers" nor failing to highlight any faults.
Li Ming was rebuffed and inwardly annoyed, but he couldn't show it, so he could only speak in an official tone: "I see. The general and his wife are truly exemplary in their concern for the people. In that case, I am relieved. We will set off for the Northern Frontier Camp tomorrow. I'm sure General Fuyuan has been waiting for us for a long time."
He deliberately mentioned General Fuyuan, implying that military affairs in the northern frontier were no longer related to Xiao Zhouyan.
Xiao Zhouyan remained calm: "The situation in the northern frontier is complex. The Li Kingdom and the remnants of the Black Stone are eyeing us covetously. Lord Li, this trip carries a heavy responsibility. I hope you will be cautious."
The two exchanged barbs, appearing amicable on the surface but actually on the verge of conflict.
**
That night, at the Yunzhou post station.
Li Mingping stepped aside and whispered into the shadows:
“The situation has changed. Xiao Zhouyan is actually here, and he has even joined forces with Zhao Rucheng to quell the epidemic and gain a great reputation. Our previous arrangements will probably be ineffective.”
From the shadows, a slightly hoarse female voice rang out, tinged with resentment and bitterness: "I didn't expect that bitch Xu Qingyao to actually have some skill... But it doesn't matter. I've already made arrangements in the Northern Frontier. Now that Xiao Zhouyan has come, he can forget about leaving alive!"
If Xu Qingyao were here, she would definitely recognize that this voice was the one that should have been hidden.
She even risked coming to the northern frontier and hid among the imperial envoy's entourage!
Li Ming frowned: "What is your plan? Although His Majesty is suspicious of Xiao Zhouyan, if he dies in the Northern Frontier, right under our noses, it will be difficult to explain."
Shen Rou sneered, "Why should we do it ourselves? The Black Stone Tribe's thirst for revenge is burning fiercely. We just need to 'help' them find an opportunity... As for Xu Qingyao,"
Her voice was filled with deep-seated hatred, "I want her to watch Xiao Zhouyan die in front of her, and then send her down to reunite with him!"
**
In the following days, Li Ming, in his capacity as imperial envoy, inspected the defenses of Yunzhou and summoned local officials. He appeared to be proceeding according to procedure, but in reality, he was secretly plotting a conspiracy with Shen Rou.
Xiao Zhouyan remained calm and collected, maintaining contact with his former subordinates in the Northern Frontier while closely monitoring the movements of Li Ming and Shen Rou.
Xu Qingyao used the system to secretly scan, trying to find Shen Rou's exact hiding place.
However, Shen Rou seemed extremely cautious, concealing her presence very well.
That day, Xiao Zhouyan received a secret report from his former subordinates that the remnants of the Black Stone Tribe had been frequently active in the "Wild Wolf Valley" area, more than a hundred miles north of Yunzhou, and seemed to be planning a major operation. Li Ming also happened to suggest going to the border camp near Wild Wolf Valley to reward the troops.
The timing and location were too coincidental!
“This is a trap,” Xu Qingyao asserted. “Shen Rou wants to use the Black Stone Tribe to get rid of you in Wolf Valley.”
Xiao Zhouyan's gaze was icy: "I know. But this is also an opportunity. If we can turn the tables on them, we can not only thwart their conspiracy, but perhaps also capture Shen Rou and eliminate future troubles!"
He decided to play along.
**
Three days later, in Wolf Valley.
The valley is flanked by steep mountains and jagged rocks, making it an excellent spot for an ambush.
Li Ming's imperial envoy entourage slowly entered the valley, accompanied by Xiao Zhouyan and a group of personal guards.
Xu Qingyao was forcibly left by Xiao Zhouyan in a safe area outside the valley, heavily guarded, but she was extremely uneasy and secretly kept the system on the highest alert.
Sure enough, when the group reached the center of the valley, a sharp whistle suddenly sounded from the mountains on both sides, and countless arrows rained down like locusts!
At the same time, shouts of battle arose, and hundreds of cavalrymen dressed in Blackstone Tribe attire rushed out from both ends of the valley and surrounded the troops!
"Protect the Imperial Envoy!" Xiao Zhouyan shouted sternly, and his personal guards immediately formed a battle formation to meet the enemy. He himself drew his long sword, his eyes flashing like lightning as he scanned the battlefield, searching for the leader.
In the midst of the chaos, a strange flute melody suddenly rang out, unlike the sounds of battle, carrying a kind of magical power that disturbed the mind.
Among the guards Xiao Zhouyan brought, several of them suddenly became vacant and their movements slowed down.
It's a subtle and sinister art!
In the midst of the chaos, a dark figure emerged from behind the rocks like a ghost, a poisoned short sword in hand aimed straight at Xiao Zhouyan's back!
It was Shen Rou. She had been waiting for this opportunity for far too long!
However, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, Xiao Zhouyan suddenly turned to the side, his sword sweeping back to deflect the short sword.
The two instantly engaged in battle.
Shen Rou's martial arts skills were not as good as Xiao Zhouyan's to begin with, and she relied entirely on her unpredictable movements and evil arts to support herself. At this moment, under Xiao Zhouyan's fierce offensive, she quickly fell into a disadvantageous position.
"Shen Rou, surrender!" Xiao Zhouyan's sword strikes were like a rainbow, forcing Shen Rou to retreat repeatedly.
Chen Rou, her hair disheveled and looking like a madwoman, shrieked:
"Xiao Zhouyan! You think you've got this in the bag? Look who that is!"
Xiao Zhouyan's heart skipped a beat. He looked in the direction she pointed and saw that thick smoke was also rising from Xu Qingyao's camp at the valley entrance.
He was clearly attacked as well! Although he had a large force protecting him, Shen Rou was cunning and treacherous...
In that instant when he was distracted, a ruthless and resolute glint flashed in Shen Rou's eyes. Instead of dodging Xiao Zhouyan's sword, she lunged forward, letting the longsword pierce her shoulder. At the same time, she used her last bit of strength to slam a jet-black bone nail, exuding an ominous aura, into Xiao Zhouyan's heart.
This is a wicked curse that leads to mutual destruction!
Using his own flesh and soul as a catalyst, he unleashed the most vicious curse!
"General, be careful!"
In the distance, Xu Qingyao, who was being desperately protected by her guards as she rushed into the valley, happened to see this scene. Her eyes widened in fury, and her system instantly overloaded. A beam of pure white light, composed of energy, arrived first and then struck the bone nail.
"boom!"
The black light and white light collided violently, creating a huge explosion that sent the surrounding soldiers flying.
As the smoke cleared, Shen Rou lay in a pool of blood, her chest pierced by Xiao Zhouyan's longsword. The bone nail, though intercepted by Xu Qingyao with all her might, deviated slightly, failing to strike Xiao Zhouyan's vitals, but instead grazed his arm, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound that instantly turned black.
Shen Rou opened her eyes wide and stared intently at Xu Qingyao, who was rushing towards her. Her eyes were filled with endless resentment, unwillingness, and a trace of... disbelief.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but only black blood gushed out.
"Why...why...was I reborn...once...still..." She uttered a few indistinct syllables, her eyes gradually losing focus, and finally her head lolled to the side, and she died.
This woman, who was reborn and schemed endlessly, stirring up countless storms, ultimately died in front of the two people she hated most.
"Zhou Yan!"
Xu Qingyao rushed to Xiao Zhouyan's side, and seeing the rapidly spreading black marks on his arm and his lips that had turned bluish-purple in an instant, her heart sank to the bottom.
The curse and poison on the bone nail were frantically eroding his life.
Ignoring the warnings that the system's energy was running out, she placed her hand on his wound and activated the medical module with all her might, trying to dispel the curse and toxins.
The battle in the valley was also nearing its end.
With the mastermind Shen Rou dead, the remaining Black Stone tribe was leaderless and was quickly annihilated or captured under the combined attack of Xiao Zhouyan's personal guards and the border troops who rushed to the scene.
In the chaos, Imperial Envoy Li Ming was so frightened that he hid under the carriage, trembling with fear.
The ambush at Wolf Valley ended with Shen Rou's death and the annihilation of the remaining Black Stone forces.
However, Xiao Zhouyan was afflicted with a strange curse and deadly poison, and his life was hanging by a thread.
Holding Xiao Zhouyan, whose consciousness was gradually fading, Xu Qingyao looked at the shocking wound on his arm and felt his life force slipping away. An unprecedented sense of panic and determination surged into her heart.
She looked up at the gray sky, her eyes resolute.
No matter the cost, she was determined to save him!
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