Chapter 37 It seems he doesn't want her to see him...
As darkness fell, bursts of laughter and clinking glasses occasionally echoed from the main tent of the Liang army camp, as if they had just won a long-awaited victory and vented their anger.
"Who would have thought that General Xie, who was invincible in battle and conquered ten cities in succession, occupying half of the country, would be captured by us? It must be our general's strategy that is unparalleled!"
"Yes! So what if you are Xie Linyuan? Even if you control half of the Liang Dynasty, aren't you still our prisoner?"
"Now that we've captured this traitor, are we still worried about not getting the defense maps of these ten cities? Will you talk or not?!"
"It doesn't matter if you don't tell us. General Xie is currently in our camp. We have plenty of time to torment him..."
"After all, such an opportunity is too rare, General Xie. You have won so many battles, but now you have been defeated by a woman. I wonder how you feel..."
Another burst of laughter followed, and with it came the sounds of whips lashing and various instruments of torture branding flesh.
Just by listening to the sound, one can tell what a horrific scene it must have been, with skin torn and flesh ripped open.
But Xie Linyuan didn't make a sound.
He was tied to the rack, his head hanging low, his long hair, which had been tied up high, had come loose. The exposed skin from his neck to the loose collar of his clothes was covered with bloody marks from being whipped and even cut by sharp blades. The same was true for other parts of his body.
The black clothes seemed to have been soaked in blood, turning them a deep crimson. Some of the wounds were so deep that the bone was visible, a horrifying and shocking sight.
The men in the camp were drinking and eating meat, enjoying themselves. Every now and then, when someone got too carried away with their drink, they would be whipped or tortured with other instruments of torture.
They all wanted to see the general, whom the world revered and who was as unattainable as a god of war, kneel down and beg for mercy, bowing and scraping.
I want to see him trampled in the mud, I want to see him begging them like a dog, begging them to let him live.
However, Xie Linyuan never did.
He did not beg for mercy, nor did he utter the slightest sound of pain.
The pain throughout his body kept him incredibly clear-headed. He raised his eyelids to look at the group of people, a contemptuous smile curling at the corners of his mouth, which was still bleeding. His extremely dark eyes, peering through his disheveled hair, were still cold, even chillingly disdainful.
Just as someone was about to pick up the whip and lash him again, Xie Linyuan suddenly looked up.
That cold glance seemed to strike the man as if he had seen something he was terrified of, and the hand holding the whip immediately froze in mid-air.
The entire camp suddenly fell silent.
The deathly silence of that moment quickly solidified into a tangible fear.
Before them stood Xie Linyuan.
Xie Linyuan, who fought off barbarian tribes at the border, inspiring fear in all who heard of him, walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
They understood better than anyone what Xie Linyuan's name meant.
They have suffered enough in the past few years. If they cannot obtain the defense map of the ten cities this time, and if they cannot break through Anzhou and those ten cities, even if they kill Xie Linyuan, his generals and soldiers, the ten cities behind Anzhou, and the hundreds of thousands of troops will probably wipe them out.
The fear of Xie Linyuan deepened with the spread of the deathly silence. Seeing this, Wu Zizhuo tilted his head back, finished a glass of wine, and stepped forward.
He gestured to the man, who handed the whip to Wu Zizhuo. As the man nervously tried to back down, Wu Zizhuo smiled and casually drew a longsword from someone nearby, stabbing it into the man's chest.
Soon, the man fell to the ground with his eyes wide open, a pool of blood flowing out, and then he was silent.
Then, Wu Zizhuo picked up the long whip, smiled, and the next moment, with a flick of the whip, he lashed it without hesitation onto Xie Linyuan's wound.
With a sharp rip, the long whip lashed at the flesh that was already unrecognizable as human.
Xie Linyuan spat a mouthful of blood onto his face, chuckled, and then lowered his head, his neck swaying wildly, as if his head was about to fall to the ground.
When Xie Linyuan spat blood all over his face, Wu Zizhuo's smile froze instantly, but after a moment, he picked up a towel handed to him by someone and wiped himself off, and a smile returned to his face.
He wore a smile, his fox-like eyes raised, seemingly brimming with a sense of triumph, but the throbbing veins in his temples betrayed his utter despair.
"Xie Linyuan, ever since that day at the funeral hall, I knew that you would die at that woman's hands sooner or later."
"Look, this day has finally come."
“Look at General Xie, who used to be so arrogant and domineering on the battlefield. How did he become such a dog now?”
As soon as he finished speaking, another long whip fell, splattering blood. Xie Linyuan panted like a wild beast, his chest heaving with bloodstains, but he didn't utter a single groan or cry of pain.
He was covered in blood, with splattered bloodstains on his face. His pale skin contrasted sharply with the crimson blood, and his cold, sharp eyes, filled with a bloody mist, made him look like a demon or demon crawling out of hell.
A chill suddenly crept up Wu Zizhuo's back.
His smile vanished, and he went berserk, lashing Xie Linyuan's gaping wounds several more times, causing blood to splatter like rain.
"Hand over the defense maps of the ten cities!" Wu Zizhuo roared, his expression almost ferocious.
He was clearly at his wit's end. At this moment, Xie Linyuan knew that if he provoked him further, Wu Zizhuo would be driven to desperation and would definitely kill him.
But it's better to be dead.
The defense map of the ten cities was not leaked, the villagers were not massacred, Ying'er is safe and sound, and... she and her child are safe and sound too...
She raised the child very well; he doesn't resemble him at all, which is good...
What does it matter if Xie Linyuan dies?
He's had enough of living.
Xie Linyuan's long eyelashes were damp with moisture. He blinked, and as something fell that he couldn't tell if it was sweat or blood, his pupils gradually lost focus. Suddenly, a figure that seemed even more distant than the bright moon flashed before his eyes.
Xie Linyuan thought that if he died, she might feel even a little pity for him because of it.
Forgive him a little.
That's fine too.
If in the future, when she offers incense to his brother, she could also offer one to him as well...
That's good too.
Moist tears streamed from the corners of his eyes, mingling with bright red blood. Xie Linyuan's bound hands clenched tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hands, and bloodstains splitting open.
Then, he licked the blood from his lips, looked up at Wu Zizhuo in front of him, and suddenly burst into loud laughter: "Hahaha, you think you can conquer these ten cities?"
Stung by these words, Wu Zizhuo even showed a hint of shame on his face.
Xie Linyuan raised his chin, his gaze cold, his tone still carrying a condescending contempt and disdain.
“Wu Zizhuo, I said long ago that a general who only knows how to play power games and stir up trouble in the court cannot win battles on the battlefield.”
"While we were braving ice and snow, fighting bloody battles, what were you doing in the capital?"
"Visiting brothels, drinking, and eating meat? Hahahaha... Ask yourself honestly, do you have the qualifications to conquer these ten cities?"
Xie Linyuan has been stationed on the border for many years. His position as a general, his reputation for constant victory, and the respect and support of his soldiers and the people were all earned by him bit by bit with his life on the line.
As for Wu Zizhuo, whether he admitted it or not, he always harbored a deep-seated jealousy and resentment towards him.
Whenever he saw Xie Linyuan's unparalleled prowess and his command of troops, he wanted to ask... why?
He was also a military officer, so why should Xie Linyuan get all of this...?
He was unwilling to accept it.
Therefore, he devised a plan to force Xie Linyuan to rebel, turning him from a respected general into a traitor, thus making the position of general his own.
He thought that Xie Linyuan had become a rebel, and he had become a general of the Great Liang. He had a legitimate reason to lead his 200,000 troops and could wipe out this rebel in one fell swoop.
Then, he will replace him and become the great general whom everyone in Liang reveres.
He never expected that Xie Linyuan, relying solely on the border troops, would be able to conquer ten cities and occupy half of the Liang Dynasty.
He had been besieging Anzhou for a long time without success. If he couldn't obtain the defense map this time, couldn't capture Anzhou, and couldn't reclaim those ten cities, then Wu Zizhuo...
Wu Zizhuo's face was already pale, the veins on his temples were throbbing, and his hand holding the sword showed that he was at his wit's end.
Xie Linyuan curled his lips and continued, "Relying on those underhanded political tactics and the sacrifice of his own sister, he thinks he can secure this position of Grand General..."
"Lord Wu is truly delusional."
"Today, I, Xie Linyuan, will tell you, Wu Zizhuo, that you cannot conquer these ten cities—"
"We also can't get the defense maps for these ten cities."
"You will never achieve the fame and respect you desire in history."
Wu Zizhuo was so enraged by Xie Linyuan's words that his eyes were practically bloodshot.
He drew his sword directly, and a flash of light swept across Xie Linyuan's face.
Xie Linyuan twisted his neck and gave a chilling laugh, saying to him:
“Come, kill me, Wu Zizhuo.”
"Kill me."
Xie Linyuan closed his eyes, still smiling.
Kill him, and he'll be free...
Ying'er will breathe a sigh of relief too.
Wu Zizhuo was indeed at his wit's end. If he could not get the defense maps of the ten cities from Xie Linyuan, and if no one in Anzhou offered the defense maps in exchange for their general, then Xie Linyuan would be useless to him.
He must kill him.
Wu Zizhuo's forehead veins throbbed as he held his sword, ready to stab Xie Linyuan, when suddenly the voices of soldiers came from outside the tent.
"Reporting to the General! There is a woman outside the tent requesting an audience. She says she has something the General desires."
Upon hearing these words, Xie Linyuan suddenly opened his eyes, his long eyelashes trembling.
Wu Zizhuo's sword, which he was about to raise, stopped in mid-air. After a moment, the anger on his face disappeared, and he laughed again.
With a clang, the sword was thrown to the ground.
"It seems that General Xie's efforts over the years have not been entirely in vain."
"Let her in," Wu Zizhuo instructed.
Soon, the soldiers led Su Muying into the camp.
As soon as Su Muying entered the tent, she was startled by the overwhelming stench of blood.
She looked up and, in the bright light, saw Xie Linyuan, bound to a rack, his body unrecognizable, a bloody mess.
His whole body was covered in bloodstains and scabs, and in some of the wounds, bright red blood was still gushing out.
Through his disheveled hair, in the swaying light and shadow, she could see his pale, chilling skin, and his blood-stained lips moving as if he were saying something to her.
He was telling her to leave.
But the next moment, when Su Muying looked into his eyes and they were about to meet, his body suddenly trembled violently, and he turned his face away, as if avoiding her gaze.
It seems he didn't want her to see him like this.
He looked pathetic, like a dying dog.
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