Chapter 623: The Pacification of Sibao County (Twenty-Five) [Fever Subsided]
Xun Zhen's feelings for her son are still stuck in the past.
Xun Ding saw that his own father was the same way.
His father treated him so well, so tenderly, that he was afraid to break him or melt him in his mouth. In short, as far as he could remember, his father never uttered a harsh word to him, as if he were a fragile porcelain doll that could shatter at the slightest misstep. Even when their relationship was at its most strained, Xun Zhen never laid a hand on him!
Xun Ding thought his father was still the same father, and he was still the porcelain doll in his father's eyes. Of course, a porcelain doll wouldn't really get beaten. Little did he expect that his father would not only draw his sword and point it at him, but also activate the Word of Power [Blinding the View with a Leaf].
The same Word of Power has different effects in the hands of different people. As Xun Ding's son, he had been able to play and frolic in Xun Zhen's study since he was a child. He knew more about what books were in Xun Zhen's study, what Words of Power he had studied, and what uses he had explored for them. He couldn't say he knew everything, but he knew a lot about it. As for his father's consistent fighting style, he was very familiar with it.
One of them is the phrase "blinded by a leaf."
[A leaf before the eyes obscures Mount Tai.]
This incantation targets the mind.
Those who are infected will fall into a state of illusion.
What appears to be a series of precipitous mountains and towering peaks is actually a giant labyrinth. Being inside causes time to become confused; that is, those who fall victim to it believe they have been in the illusion for three to five months, when in reality only a moment has passed. To break the spell, one must either have a stronger and deeper foundation than Xun Zhen, or find that "leaf"—uncovering it will allow one to escape.
This seemingly ordinary power of words is actually quite extraordinary.
Firstly, those with weak minds may be deprived of one or more of their senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, falling into extreme loneliness under the guidance of illusions, with no one to talk to, no one to listen, and no one to rescue them… Secondly, it places an immense burden on the mind. The duration of a person's stay in the illusion will all have their mental burden reflected back to the body at once.
Even if they don't die, they're useless.
Now, I am the target of this incantation.
Xun Ding felt as if he were being surrounded and brutally beaten by seven or eight Gongxi Chou, and even felt a rare surge of grief and indignation.
"Father—"
The "Blinding the View with a Leaf" technique has been successfully activated. The powerful literary energy has transformed into a sea of clouds and mountain mists, spreading silently and completely enveloping a quarter of the city wall, drowning out the soldiers' shouts and Xun Ding's cry of "Father."
Open your eyes again—
Sure enough, they were no longer in the same place.
Xun Ding felt incredibly wronged. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and then reached out and touched his eyes, peeling back an invisible leaf. The scene before him vanished, and the stench of blood rushed into his nostrils.
Looking around, he saw that the guards within the area shrouded by clouds and mist were lying on the ground. Some had haggard, sunken faces that resembled skeletons, while others had been beheaded or stabbed in the heart by soldiers who had taken the opportunity to attack. And the culprit behind all this—his empty-nest father—was quietly watching him with his hands in his sleeves, his eyes calm and cold, a look he had not seen in more than twenty years…
Xun Ding: "..."
Xun Zhen seemed displeased: "Is this all you're capable of on the battlefield? Letting the enemy's strategists do the work, is that arrogance or stupidity?"
Xun Ding: "..."
She slightly raised her chin and ordered her son, "You do it!"
"Father, I will not go back—and it is impossible for me to go back!" Having seen the vast world, the eagle could no longer be satisfied with the harbor provided by his parents. He still wanted to fight in the sky, he still wanted to roam the world. Seeing this, Xun Ding thought he had guessed his father's thoughts. He hardened his heart, raised his hand and conjured a weapon. He said politely but with a pained expression, "...Please be careful, Father!"
Xun Zhen: "???"
He discovered that his son had indeed changed a lot, and for a moment he couldn't understand what the other person was thinking...
But that doesn't matter.
The fighting on the city wall did not last long.
The real main battlefield has shifted to the city.
Their lord, Qiu Cheng, withdrew when he saw the situation was not good. Where would these remaining soldiers find the will to fight? Any resistance they offered was ineffective, and most of them just scattered and fled. Shen Tang's forces pushed the front line from the outer city all the way to the inner city in one go. Before dawn, they occupied the main territory of Linshan County, and the flag on the city wall was changed from "Qiu" to "Shen Tang".
As the sun rises in the east, the rosy dawn breaks.
The first rays of sunlight fall upon the earth in the early morning.
The commoners in the city, who had been trembling and fearful all night, heard the silence outside and, after much hesitation, finally couldn't resist peeking out. It wasn't that they were brave; it was that they had families to support. They worked a day to earn money, just enough to keep their families from starving. Each day they missed a day meant their chances of surviving the harsh winter diminished...
The closer to the city gate, the more severe the damage to the houses, with ruins everywhere, and the already muddy and potholed streets were riddled with potholes. Fortunately, at the beginning of the war, the common people who heard the commotion hurriedly moved away, and there were few innocent casualties.
Just then, an elderly couple came by pushing a wheelbarrow. When they saw this scene, they were both dumbfounded and looked bewildered.
They have hearing problems and live in a remote area.
Although there was a lot of noise last night, I didn't hear it.
I started preparing to set up my stall before dawn.
We arrived at the usual spot just as dawn was breaking.
result--
"Grandpa, are you still setting up your stall today?"
The elderly couple were about to leave when they were drawn by a voice. Looking up, they saw a young man leaning against the mostly collapsed wall, talking to them. Judging from his attire, he looked like a soldier. To ordinary people, soldiers were no good; they were always bullying them.
A forced smile, almost a cry, appeared on the old man's deeply lined face: "Yes, yes, we can't do without this stall..."
What are you selling?
The old man honestly replied, "It's a cake."
I was on tenterhooks, afraid that my stall would be robbed.
This has happened before.
How much is one?
The problems with the young men were beyond the old man's expectations.
To his surprise, the young man clicked his tongue upon hearing the price, muttered something like "It's pretty cheap," turned around and beckoned to a group of young men who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, all wanting to buy his pancakes.
The elderly couple were bewildered but also delighted, especially after receiving real money, which gave them even more energy to make pancakes.
On weekdays, they sell until dark before they barely manage to sell out.
The stall was sold out as soon as it opened today.
The pre-made pancakes sold out, so the rest had to be made on the spot. The young men who didn't get a turn weren't upset. The elderly couple worked together seamlessly, making pancakes, while the young men worked together just as seamlessly, sweeping the streets and finding things to temporarily fill in the pit.
"Where are you from?" the old man asked.
"From Longwu."
"That's quite far. When did you arrive?"
"Last night, in the latter half of the night."
"Isn't there a access control system? The city gates can be locked now."
"Oh, that door isn't sturdy."
The old man looked up and glanced in the direction of the city gate and city wall.
His eyesight was poor; he could only make out blurry outlines of things in the distance. He squinted, feeling that this city gate tower was different from the ones he usually saw, and pointed with a puzzled expression: "Young man, do you see a big gap over there?"
The younger generation saw that the main city gate tower had been bombed, and it was also the battlefield where the siege ended.
It is said that the strategist captured a military general there.
_(:з」∠)_
Good news! The temperature didn't suddenly rise tonight, and my throat feels a bit better than yesterday. Apart from a few more blisters on my tongue, things are generally moving in a positive direction.
(End of this chapter)
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