The girl's tears slid down like fragile dewdrops, and for a moment they seemed scorching hot.

Thinking about it carefully, this was the first time Xiao Jue saw He Yan crying.

He was stunned for a moment, thinking in his heart, after all, she is a girl, no matter how powerful she is in normal days, it is still a bit scary to see blood and flesh flying everywhere on the battlefield for the first time. However... the last time she fought with Ridamuzi, her reaction didn't seem to be as fierce as this one.

After thinking for a while, Xiao Jue finally frowned and said in a slow voice, "It's okay now, don't cry."

He turned his head and looked around. Only the remnants of the Wutuo soldiers were left, fighting desperately, while Cui Yuezhi's men had already arrived, so there was nothing to be afraid of for the rest.

“Commander-in-chief!” Fei Nu rushed over and looked at He Yan, also stunned for a moment.

"How long are you going to stand here and cry?" Xiao Jue had a headache.

He Yan quickly wiped away his tears, realizing that he had lost his composure just now. Even though the situation had already been decided, this was not the time to be sad. He turned around and said, "Ah, the sand blinded me just now, but it's okay now, let's finish it!"

There was still a hint of tears in her voice, and the excuse was so lame that it made people feel perfunctory. Xiao Jue was too lazy to expose her, and when she turned around and walked back with the knife in her hand, his eyes paused, and suddenly, he grabbed He Yan's arm.

"What's wrong?" He Yan turned around in confusion.

Xiao Jue didn't say anything, just looked behind her. Following his gaze, He Yan looked over and saw a few drops of blood slowly flowing down from his waist and sinking into the river, leaving only a line of blood.

She was stunned, and reached out to touch her waist. The pain that had been dull for a long time seemed to come back at this moment. It was probably because she rushed into the Wutuo soldiers in anger just now, and only attacked but not defended, and was injured by the Wutuo people. Later, she was eager to find Xiao Jue's whereabouts, and she didn't realize when she was injured.

The armor was heavy, and it was hard to see the wound when wearing it. If it wasn't for the blood dripping down, it would be hard to detect. He Yan felt the pain, but it was not unbearable. He had suffered more painful injuries in the past, so he didn't think it was a big deal. Instead, he adjusted his armor and said nonchalantly, "Maybe it was cut. I'll get it bandaged later."

"Go back and find Lin Shuanghe now." Xiao Jue said, "You are no longer needed here."

The Wutuo people were already defeated, Maka was dead, and thousands of large ships on the river were burning with flames. As for the remaining remnants, Cui Yuezhi and the remaining Jiyang City troops were enough to deal with them. However, He Yan did not let his men move, and he rested himself, so he said, "No need. It's just a few minor injuries."

Xiao Jue's face was slightly cold, and he looked at her with a frown.

"Really, there's no need." He Yan wanted to push his hand away, but Xiao Jue was too strong to push away.

The young man in dark armor looked down at her, his posture straight, his cold eyes seemed to contain a knife, but his tone was also indifferent, "Don't you feel the pain? You don't feel pain, you won't cry out in pain?"

He Yan sensitively noticed that he seemed to be a little angry.

She answered subconsciously: "...It doesn't hurt."

A hint of sarcasm flashed across the young man's eyes. He looked at her calmly and said, "Does it not hurt, or do you not dare to hurt? Do you think it is unnecessary, or do you not need it?"

After saying this, he let go of her hand, turned around and left without looking back at He Yan.

"What kind of temper is this?" He Yan stood there for a while, then muttered softly, "No one has ever taught me, and no one has ever coaxed me."

She followed him.

…

The war ended much earlier than expected.

From the time the Utos entered the canal, to the time they attacked with wind and fire, to the time they cleared out the remaining remnants, it took two days, not even three days.

Of course, the bravery of the Jiyang City Army and Xiao Jue's ingenuity in commanding the troops were responsible for this, but the most important factor was the east wind. If the east wind had blown a little later or was shorter, this result would not have happened.

The fires blown by the east wind continued, burying thousands of Utopia warships together in the canal outside Jiyang City. Countless citizens of Jiyang knelt down and kowtowed in the direction of the canal, praying with tears streaming down their cheeks: "Thank you to the Water Goddess for your blessing, thank you to General Feng Yun for using your troops like a god, thank you to God for blessing Jiyang, and God for blessing the Wei Dynasty."

The morning glow dyed the entire river surface, turning the blood-soaked water into golden red. It was unclear whether it was the blood of the dead martyrs or the glow of the morning glow, but it was so magnificent that it was shocking to the eyes.

The remaining Jiyang city soldiers on the shore took off their armor, sat on the ground, and stared blankly in the direction of the sunrise. Their bloodstained faces showed a look of relief.

Jiyang City was defended.

In Cui's house, He Yan sat on the couch, watching Lin Shuanghe boil medicine for her.

"Brother Lin, just leave this to Cui Jiao." He Yan said, "No need to bother you."

Lin Shuanghe sat by the stove, fanning herself as she said, "What do you know, little girl? I tried to boil this medicine for ordinary people, but it didn't work. I have to do it myself. I'm talking to you, sister He. You don't even know that you have such a big cut on your body? No wonder Huai Jin is so angry. If you die here, people will blame themselves."

"It's not a big cut," He Yan felt that the man was exaggerating, "It's only the size of a palm, and it didn't hurt any vital parts."

In real combat, these were minor injuries. The worst time she had ever been injured was when she was shot in the shoulder by an arrow. She had to continue fighting, and the doctors around her were not able to help. She had to pull out the arrow handle with her bare hands and fight the entire battle with the arrow stuck in her skin. When the military doctor came to see her later, the sleeve of He Yan's entire arm was stained red with blood, and the wound was stuck to the fabric and could not be torn apart.

As long as they can still walk and fight, and their lives are not in danger, they are considered minor injuries.

"Sister, when will you remember that you are a girl? When I was treating other young ladies in Shuojing City, sometimes they would even commit suicide just for a birthmark as big as a fingernail. If you send your wound to someone else, it will be visible to everyone."

He lifted the lid of the medicine jar and took a look. The medicine was bubbling inside the jar. Lin Shuanghe put the lid down again, picked up the jar by the handle with a handkerchief, and placed it on the table beside him.

"Let's not talk about whether your life is at stake, or whether you can endure pain. But don't you care about beauty?" He took a clean medicine bowl from the side and poured the medicine from the jar into it. "Aren't you afraid that your future husband will dislike you? Don't blame me for saying something harsh, but it's normal for girls to care about this."

He Yan leaned against the bed, watching his movements, and said with a smile: "I don't plan to get married."

"Why?" Lin Shuanghe paused and looked at her: "You are young, not bad looking, and have a straightforward and lovely personality. You don't have any problems, so why don't you plan to get married?"

"Getting married is so boring," He Yan sighed, "It's just a house, and walking around is always the same place. It's better to live in a military camp."

"Your idea is rather strange." Lin Shuanghe put the poured medicine aside to dry, "When you meet someone you like in the future, you won't think this way."

"Even if I meet someone I like, I won't get married." He Yan said.

Lin Shuanghe narrowed his eyes: "Sister He, you may have found someone you like, right?"

"no."

Although she answered readily, Lin Shuanghe was suspicious. He Yan said such a depressing thing for no reason. Based on his many years of experience in dealing with women, if a woman at such a young age could easily say "I don't want to get married", it is most likely that she has suffered a heartbreak.

He Yan has been in Liangzhou Guards all the time, brandishing swords and sticks all day long. Where did the emotional pain come from?

His heart sank. Could it be that he really fell in love with Chu Zilan? And because of Chu Zilan's identity and her relationship with Xu Pingting, he knew that he could not marry Chu Zilan, so he was so disappointed?

But if that’s the case, what should Xiao Jue do?

Lin Shuanghe felt that the situation was very serious for a while.

He Yan saw him in a daze and asked again: "Brother Lin, have you seen my master?"

From the beginning of the war to the end when everyone started to clean up the aftermath, He Yan didn't see Liu Buwang. Lin Shuanghe said, "Master Liu left with Cui Zhongqi that morning. Cui Zhongqi was busy taking care of the wounded and hadn't come back yet. Master Liu should have been with him."

He Yan nodded, but felt a little uneasy.

Lin Shuanghe walked over to He Yan again, took out a round box from his sleeve, and placed it next to He Yan's pillow: "This is our family's secret scar removal cream. I wouldn't say it will completely heal the scar, but it will heal it to a certain extent."

He Yan's body had been bandaged by a female doctor from Jiyang City. When she heard this, she picked it up and saw the four words "scar removal and skin regeneration" written on the round box, which looked very familiar. Thinking carefully, she went to Liangzhou City with Xiao Jue before, and was injured in a fight with Ding Yi at night. Later, when she returned to Liangzhou Guard, Shen Muxue brought her medicine and there was also such a box in the medicine tray. After He Yan used it, the scar removal effect was really excellent, and the scars are now very light. She was very grateful to Shen Muxue for her thoughtfulness at that time, and she praised the magic of the ointment endlessly. Unfortunately, the box was very small and the medicine was not much, so it was gone after use.

"Is this your family's secret recipe?" He Yan asked.

Lin Shuanghe was slightly pleased, "To be exact, it was made by me."

“Is this expensive?”

"Sister He, how can you measure the value of medicine with money? I won't sell this medicine. If I really sell it, the people in Shuojing City will have no worries about food and clothing for several lifetimes. Money is like a floating cloud to me. This medicine is specially made for Huai Jin. He often gets injured on weekdays, and Xiao Rubai will be heartbroken when she sees it. I made some scar removal medicine so that Xiao Rubai can't see it and she will feel better."

To reassure her elder brother? He Yan thought to herself, Xiao Jue was quite cautious. But she clearly remembered that it was Shen Muxue who gave it to her. He Yan asked Lin Shuanghe: "Have you never prepared this medicine for other people? For example, other girls?"

"What do you mean?" Lin Shuanghe asked curiously, "If this medicine really gets out, not only me, but also my father and grandfather will be annoyed to death. I won't tell anyone else. I only made it for Huai Jin, and not much, only a few boxes. It's because of your good relationship with me that I gave you one box. Don't tell others either. This medicine takes a lot of effort to make, and I want to live a few more years."

He Yan: “…Okay.”

"Then take your medicine slowly and rest after you finish it." Lin Shuanghe waved his fan with satisfaction. "I'll go out and ask if there's anything else I can help with in the mansion."

Lin Shuanghe left, and He Yan looked at the medicine box in her hand. The medicine box was exquisite and was held in her palm.

Did Xiao Jue give it to her?

…

The wounded were settled, and the dead were recorded in the register. The army in Jiyang was not large to begin with, and after this battle, there were only a few left.

Cui Yuezhi led the soldiers behind him to clean up the battlefield. He also suffered a lot of injuries, his face was covered in blood, and there was a cut on his head, which was hastily bandaged with white cloth.

Seeing Xiao Jue coming from a distance, Cui Yuezhi hurriedly went to meet him and said, "Commander Xiao."

Xiao Jue was much younger than him, but he never dared to underestimate the young man in front of him. If Xiao Jue hadn't been there this time, with 150,000 Wutuo soldiers, Jiyang City would not have been able to be defended no matter what. The narrow victory was certainly due to luck, but more importantly, it was this lucky general. In He Yan's words, this was a famous general. He didn't lose when he shouldn't lose, and he could win when he couldn't win. No matter how bad the chess game was, he could turn it around.

Of course, Miss He was also very powerful, but I heard that she was injured and was sent back to her house to rest.

"The battlefield has been cleared." Cui Yuezhi said, "Once the casualties of the Wutuo soldiers are counted, we can return to the palace to report the situation to His Highness. His Highness will write a memorial about the battle and report it to the court. The people of Jiyang City will never forget the governor's life-saving grace to Jiyang City."

Xiao Jue walked forward and said, "No need to thank them, thank them themselves."

Cui Yuezhi felt a little sentimental, probably because they had fought side by side, and he also had some genuine affection for Xiao Jue. Just as he was about to speak, someone else came over, and it was Cui Yuezhi's subordinate.

Cui Yuezhi's subordinates glanced at Xiao Jue with a hesitant expression.

"What's the matter?" Cui Yuezhi asked.

"Master Zhongqi, we...we found Mr. Liu."

Liu Buwang had not been with them since the war. Cui Yuezhi was worried and asked anxiously, "Where is he?"

"It's on the bank of the forest in front of Huluzui." The subordinate said timidly: "Mr. Liu..."

Cui Yue's heart gradually sank, and he looked at Xiao Jue. Xiao Jue lowered his eyes, and after a while, he spoke calmly: "Lead the way."

Liu Buwang died in the center of the formation.

He died tragically, with wounds all over his body, the most fatal wound being a knife wound on his chest, which went through his heart from back to front. Before he died, the corners of his mouth were also upwards, without any resentment or hatred, as if he had seen something extremely beautiful, and was very calm.

In addition, there were many Wutuo people lying dead under his sword. There were also corpses in the deep forest. Cui Yuezhi looked at them for a long time and asked hesitantly: "Qi Men Dun Jia?"

Xiao Jue: “Not bad.”

Cui Yuezhi was in awe. There were not many people who knew Qimen Dunjia now. Liu Buwang set up the battle array here and killed many Wutuo people, which bought them a lot of time. If Liu Buwang hadn't held on in front and waited for the wind to come, those Wutuo people would have been caught in the trap and started killing people once they entered the city. The consequences would be disastrous.

Liu Buwang told no one that he had been standing in front for so long and no one even knew he was dead.

His sword fell beside him, the zither was smashed to pieces, and his white clothes had already turned blood-stained.

Cui Yuezhi looked at Xiao Jue with some worry, thinking that Liu Buwang was Xiao Jue's martial arts master, and Xiao Jue must be very sad if Liu Buwang died.

Xiao Jue squatted down and slowly tidied up Liu Buwang's clothes that were messed up by Wu Tuo, then took out a handkerchief from his arms and wiped the blood off his face.

After doing all this, he looked at Liu Buwang's face and whispered, "Take him back."

…

He Yan stayed in Cui's house until evening.

Cui Yuezhi's four concubines came to visit her one after another, bringing her all kinds of food. Even though He Yan loved sweets, she couldn't eat so many sweets. After finally sending the concubines away, someone outside came to report: "The master is back! The governor is back!"

He Yan was refreshed, got out of bed, put on his shoes and walked out. Cui Yuezhi and Xiao Jue were back, maybe Liu Buwang was back too. But when Cui Yuezhi reached the door, he was surrounded by the four concubines, especially the third concubine, who hugged Cui Yuezhi and cried heartbreakingly, which made people tear up.

It's so good at crying.

As He Yan was thinking, he saw a man walking towards him, passing Cui Yuezhi. It was Xiao Jue. He hadn't taken off his armor yet, and was covered in dust. He Yan didn't think it was disgusting, and thought to himself, a person with extraordinary appearance can still be beautiful even if he is covered in dust.

Xiao Jue walked up to her and frowned slightly: "Who asked you to come out?"

"It's not a big deal in the first place." He Yan clapped his hands. "Even Brother Lin thinks you're making a fuss. By the way, Governor, have you seen my master? I asked around, but no one has seen him. He should be back by now."

When Xiao Jue heard this, his eyes moved and fell on her face.

A trace of very light pity flashed across those slightly cold black eyes, like a silent sigh, falling into people's hearts.

He Yan's smile slowly faded.

She asked, "What happened?"

Xiao Jue said: "Go and see him."

He Yan froze completely.

Liu Buwang was sleeping on the couch in the room. His clothes had been changed. Except for his pale face, he looked like he was asleep. It seemed that if she called him, he would sit up, look at her with a smile, and call her, "Ah He."

He Yan's eyes suddenly turned red.

She almost couldn't stand steadily, so she walked to Liu Buwang and held Liu Buwang's hand.

His hands were cold, not as warm as when he pulled her out of the pile of dead bodies. He used to sleep lightly and would wake up at the slightest movement, but now that she was here and called him Master, he remained unmoved.

He Yan's hand touched his shoulder, and after a pause, she gently pulled down Liu Buwang's clothes. His clothes had been changed, so it was obvious that he was injured. But He Yan didn't expect that there were so many wounds. Those Wutuo people suffered a great loss at the hands of Liu Buwang, so they naturally had to pay back a hundredfold. When Liu Buwang was exhausted, they rushed to cut another knife on this trophy.

His body was in pieces. But his expression was so calm, as if he had just fallen asleep under the tree and had a beautiful dream. He Yan's eyes fell on Liu Buwang's hand. His hand was clenched into a fist, very tightly. He Yan was silent for a moment, then used a little strength to pry open his fingers and saw what he had hidden in his palm.

It was a silver bracelet, which looked crudely made. It seemed to be an old item from many years ago. Perhaps it had been played with and treasured every day, so some of the carving marks had been worn away and were not very obvious. However, you could still see a small wild daisy carved on the edge of the bracelet.

This is what Liu Buwang wanted to protect even at the end of his life. He had no children and only accepted himself as his apprentice. At the end of his life, he had nothing left except a zither, a sword, and this silver bracelet.

Empty and vast, clean and neat.

He Yan's throat was choked with sobs and she couldn't speak. They hadn't even spoken a few words to each other after a long separation before they were separated forever. She tried her best to hold back her tears and placed a handkerchief in front of her.

"Cry if you want to." Xiao Jue said, "I'm outside, no one will come in."

His voice was very soft and gentle, with a hint of barely perceptible comfort. Without waiting for He Yan to say anything, he turned around and walked out the door.

The door was closed behind me, and the sound of a girl crying was heard from behind the door. At first it was suppressed sobbing, and then, as if she could not hold it back, the crying became louder and louder, and in the end, she burst into tears like a child who couldn't get any candy.

The crying sound reached Aunt Wei in the next room. She stood up and twisted her handkerchief uneasily, "Why don't I go and take a look."

"Don't," Second Aunt shook her head and looked out the window. The young man stood in front of the door with his hands behind his back, like a guardian, guarding the fragility of precious things. "In this sad time, it is not you and me who can comfort you."

“Let them sort it out.”

I don't know when the wailing in the room stopped. After a long while, the door creaked open and someone walked out.

Xiao Jue turned his head to look.

The girl came out with her tears wiped away. Apart from her red eyes, there was nothing wrong with her. She looked calm and even a little relaxed.

"Thank you for guarding the door for me, Governor," she said.

Xiao Jue frowned and looked at her.

He Yan looked back: "Why are you looking at me? There's something dirty on my face?"

“It’s ugly.”

"What?"

"You look ugly when you lie." His dark eyes sparkled, and his words were as cold as ice. With a kind of understanding that he saw through everything, he said in a deep voice: "I told you that you can cry when you want to cry, and you can laugh when you don't want to laugh. It's better than the way you pretend now, which is extremely ugly."

That's not a nice thing to say.

He Yan was stunned for a moment, then smiled. She said, "I'm not pretending, it's just... it's all I can do."

Liu Buwang is dead, this is a fact that cannot be changed. She can be sad about Liu Buwang's death, but she must always look forward. People cannot tell everyone about their pain and sorrow, which will only make people hate them. Some painful things should be kept in the heart. If you always have a sad face in front of others, over time, others will hate you and you will not be able to get over it.

She used two lifetimes of experience to tell herself that no matter how difficult things are, they will pass.

only……

"You know," she sighed, "there are not many people in this world who are kind to me. I can count them on one hand."

“Now, there’s one less.”