Chapter 71 Worried I'll never forgive him in my next life (First update)...
As dawn broke and the universe began to unfold, the first light of day appeared.
A man and a horse galloped wildly along the path.
Mingying bit her lower lip tightly, warm tears welling up in her eyes. Even though there was fierce fighting behind her, she couldn't turn back.
We cannot give up now that we've accomplished so much!
She was the only one who could save her brother right now, and she had to catch up with his army and deliver the message safely.
The sound of horses' hooves was like a furious rain, leaving a muddy trail. She traveled from dawn till dusk without daring to relax for a moment, and the skin on her thighs was chafed raw.
As the sun sets in the west, egrets fly over the vast desert in the distance, creating an endless, desolate and magnificent landscape.
As night fell, the cold wind began to blow like a knife.
Mingying rode her horse at full speed along the mountain path. When she saw several armored men with swords on the hillside, her heart jumped.
Perhaps they were officials conducting a search, for the torches in their hands resembled terrifying ghosts.
Fearing discovery, she abandoned her horse, took out the topographical map that Guo You had given her earlier, and examined it by the moonlight.
She planned to walk around the hillside.
If we can get down the mountain before tomorrow morning, it might be a few hours faster than riding a horse.
She disappeared into the mountains and forests, pushed aside the tangled weeds, and climbed up the hillside. Her palm was cut by a thorny branch, and she covered the bleeding wound with her dress, rubbing it haphazardly a few times.
People were loitering and checking people down the mountain. She would jog and crawl, her hair was disheveled, and her face was covered in mud and dust.
At dawn, as darkness fell, she silently rolled down the hillside and finally saw the still-burning firelight in the woods ahead, along with the tents where the soldiers had set up camp.
Her heart was pounding with excitement, and she ran into the woods.
Shen Mingshu also traveled through the night and rested with his soldiers in the camp for half an hour. Just as dawn broke, he prepared to mobilize his troops and set off.
"Notify the soldiers to set off. They will reach Cangxi Valley in another day. Langzhou is beyond Cangxi Valley."
"Brother, wait!"
Mingying was finally able to shout out in peace.
Upon seeing her brother unharmed, her nose tingled with intense emotion, and she felt that all the suffering she had endured along the way had been worthwhile; thankfully, she had made it in time.
Seeing her disheveled hair, dirty face, and clothes covered in bloodstains, Shen Mingshu hurried towards her.
Mingying remembered that there were spies in the army. Looking at the unfamiliar crowd, she couldn't tell them apart. Suddenly, she had a change of heart and said to him, "Brother told me not to come, but I'm going to come anyway."
Shen Mingshu was stunned for a moment. He knew her personality; she wouldn't be so willful. She must have come all this way to see him because of something urgent.
He put his hands behind his back, feigning a reproach in his tone: "You're so disobedient! Swords and spears have no eyes on the battlefield, what are you doing here?"
Mingying remained silent, standing still.
He shook his head, ordered someone to fetch water for her to wash her face, and then brought some dry food.
After everyone else had left, the brother and sister sat around a bonfire, and Shen Mingshu finally showed a concerned expression: "Aying, what brings you here?"
Mingying quickly wiped her face and, after confirming that no one was around, said, "There is an ambush in Cangxi Valley, and there are spies in my brother's army."
She recounted the whole story to him, and when she mentioned Guo You and the others, tears rolled down her cheeks and into the flames.
"This is not your responsibility."
Without her, he would have already fallen into the enemy's trap.
Shen Mingshu clenched his fist tightly, his eyes filled with both reluctance to part with his brothers and hatred for the Wuhuan people.
But now an even more difficult problem has arisen.
He knew there was an ambush in Cangxi Valley and that Langzhou City had fallen, but he could not turn back without hesitation.
Unless they don't want Langzhou City and can't bear to watch the people of Langzhou suffer.
To reclaim Langzhou City, it is necessary to cross Cangxi Valley.
How ruthless is this scheme by the enemy!
To lull the spies in the army into a false sense of security, Shen Mingshu ordered the army to march as usual. After marching for several miles, they observed the situation and finally discovered that a centurion was acting suspiciously and was secretly raising carrier pigeons in his tent.
This man happened to be in the position of investigator, so he immediately captured him and beheaded him on the spot.
With the spy eliminated, he also made a decision.
He called a few trusted brothers and entrusted Mingying to them, saying to her, "Aying, thank you for your message. You have suffered. I will be more careful. I will have them send you back the way you came. You wait for me in the Northwest."
Mingying understood, and even though there was an ambush ahead, he insisted on going.
She understood his actions and suddenly remembered that he had said when he was young that he wanted to be a great general who would rid the people of evil, and he had truly done it.
But she always stood behind others, and it was because of her forbearance that she had those unbearable years.
When she arrived in the Northwest, she no longer wanted to be the same person she used to be.
"I'm not going back." Her eyes showed determination.
What would she do if she went back? Her family was fighting a bloody battle; would she just live a comfortable life?
"It's too dangerous, listen to me."
Shen Mingshu's voice was deep, and he felt a sense of fear. He seemed to know that he couldn't persuade her this time.
“I couldn’t eat or sleep in the Northwest, but I’m more at ease here. Please let me stay.”
Sometimes, endless worry is more terrifying than death.
She insisted on not leaving, and Shen Mingshu couldn't bring himself to knock her unconscious, tie her up, and take her back.
The two then devised a plan: to impersonate spies and spread false information to the enemy, saying that the march would be delayed and that they would not arrive at Cangxi Valley for another three days.
Meanwhile, for these three days, the brother and sister will disguise themselves as a passing caravan and travel through Cangxi Valley.
He has a small force outside the pass near Langzhou City. If he can lead this force over and then attack the enemy from both sides with the army behind him, he still has a chance of winning.
Once the plan was out, he ordered the original troops to remain in place while he followed Mingying through Cangxi Valley to Langzhou to find reinforcements. They were to wait for Mingying to send out the firework signal before taking action, thus encircling the enemy from both sides.
Mingying wasn't afraid at all. She got into the carriage and continued to pretend to be a spice shop owner. The brother and sister then set off first.
—
In the vast Gobi Desert of Northwest China, the setting sun bleeds like blood.
Pei Xiaoyun led a group of trusted men ahead, riding at breakneck speed. When they arrived in the Northwest, it was a quiet midnight.
The howling cold wind made his clothes flutter, adding another layer of frost to his sharp eyebrows and eyes.
The Northwest Governor's Office was brightly lit, and the officials left behind, dressed in their official robes, adjusted their hats and knelt to greet them.
"Rise."
Pei Xiaoyun sat in the governor's mansion for a while, looking at the marching route map left by Shen Mingshu. His brows were sullen and his expression was indescribably solemn.
The officials of the Governor's Office trembled like leaves, kneeling and kowtowing repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. General Shen mobilized troops without waiting for the imperial decree to do so because he was concerned about the people of Langzhou. General Shen has no ulterior motives."
"General Shen is devoted to the people; Your Majesty, please see the truth!"
Seeing their unwavering loyalty to Shen Mingshu, Pei Xiaoyun sneered without revealing any meaning: "I haven't even punished him yet, and you're already pleading for him. If I were to punish him, wouldn't all the officials and common people of the Northwest flock to the capital to protest his injustice?"
He certainly believed that Shen Mingshu would not rebel.
But since ancient times, which monarch could remain calm and composed when he saw a military general who had become deeply entrenched in the local area, whose word was law, and who was more beloved by the people than the emperor himself?
His words struck like a thunderbolt, and all was silent.
Some people's sweat was dripping onto the ground, and their backs felt cold.
"Alright, I will punish him for his unauthorized military action." Pei Xiaoyun had no time for such matters. Looking at the people kneeling below, his throat tightened. "Where is Shen Mingshu now?"
"Your Majesty, the Wuhuan people have laid an ambush on Cangxi Valley, the only road to Langzhou, and are coming for General Chen. Commander Guo You has gone to deliver a message, but there has been no news yet."
Pei Xiaoyun's face darkened, and his voice became rough as he repeated, "I ask you, where is he now?"
Cangxi Valley.
At the age of nineteen, he fought against the Wuhuan people here. The terrain here is treacherous, with jagged rocks, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.
The Wuhuan people are cunning and treacherous, and their poison is extremely insidious. If they set up an ambush there, would Shen Mingshu still be able to deal with them with ease?
Mingying's face suddenly flashed before his eyes, and waves of fear and panic surged into his heart.
He is the emperor. If he were to put her only brother in danger and cause him any mishap, she would probably never want to appear in his dreams again, and perhaps she would never forgive him in her next life or the life after that.
If Shen Mingshu is in danger, not only will Mingying resent him, but the Northwest will also lose a powerful pillar.
The scout knelt on one knee, his face filled with grief and indignation: "Judging from the normal marching speed, General Shen may have already arrived at Cangxi Valley."
Pei Xiaoyun suddenly stood up, his steps slightly heavy, his temples throbbing. He did not linger at the Northwest Governor's Mansion, and mounted his horse.
"You will follow me ahead to Cangxi Valley to fight the enemy."
—
Mingying and Shen Mingshu, along with a few trusted brothers, disguised themselves as passing caravans and crossed Cangxi Valley before sunset.
Between Cangxi Valley and Langzhou lies a valley, where people also live. It is considered the outskirts of Langzhou City, and another group of Shen Mingshu's troops are hidden in that valley, waiting for orders.
This was his last resort; he wouldn't touch these people in Langzhou City unless absolutely necessary.
He only learned when he arrived in Langzhou that after the Wuhuan people took control of the city, they were arresting people on a large scale to use as medicine, and even extended their reach to the outskirts of the city. The missing people were hidden somewhere in the suburbs.
He placed Mingying in the home of a soldier, left two teams of a hundred men to protect the safety of the people on the mountain, and ordered them to secretly investigate the whereabouts of the missing people.
He led his remaining few thousand troops back the way they came, intending to fight a bloody battle in Cangxi Valley.
After Mingying returned from fetching water from the stream with a peasant woman, Shen Mingshu left without saying a word, afraid that she would worry.
Mingying's gaze followed the afterglow on the distant mountains, then drifted downwards. She took a sip of the sweet spring water, but all that flowed into her lungs was a sour and bitter taste.
“Girl, let’s go home. Ever since those barbarians attacked, the whole of Langzhou has been in turmoil. People often go missing at night, regardless of age or gender.”
This peasant woman's name was Shu Niang. Her younger brother, who had joined the army, had gone to Cangxi Valley with Shen Mingshu. She still had her husband and daughter at home.
She received two taels of silver and was ordered to take Mingying home and take good care of her. Seeing the lingering worry on Mingying's face, she thought she was afraid of the barbarians in the city and comforted her: "Don't worry, girl. There are soldiers left behind by the general at the foot of the mountain. As long as we don't go down the mountain, those barbarians won't be able to get into the mountain easily."
Mingying nodded and gave a pale, weak smile.
She wasn't worried about herself, but about her brother.
On the way up the mountain, Mingying learned from a casual conversation with Shu Niang that her family lived in a small courtyard in a bamboo grove. They made a living by fishing down the mountain and selling their catch in the city. However, due to the recent fighting in the city, no one dared to go into the city to do business, and the family was starving and couldn't even afford to eat.
Fortunately, because of her arrival, we have a batch of hunted game that we can enjoy for a while.
Shu Niang was a warm and hospitable person. Seeing that her face was pale, she thought that she was delicate and tired from walking up the mountain, so she let her sit in the courtyard to rest and went to the kitchen to make hot soup herself.
Mingying sat for a while, then went into the kitchen to help her start a fire. Before she even entered, she saw Shu Niang come out looking panicked.
"Oh no! My husband and daughter are missing!"
In these turbulent times, Mingying's heart skipped a beat. She stepped forward to support the person who was walking unsteadily: "Could it be that they went down the mountain to fish?"
After a moment of contemplation, Shu Niang suddenly covered her eyes and burst into tears: "I told him not to go. Recently, barbarians have been coming down the mountain to capture people. He said it was my birthday today and he didn't want me to go hungry. Perhaps he secretly went while I was fetching water. My daughter probably went with him too."
As she spoke, she was eager to go down the mountain to find someone, but Mingying stopped her and told her to calm down and wait another half an hour to see if the person would come back on their own.
But it was already dark, and there wasn't a soul in sight. Shu Niang shook off her hand, refusing to listen to any more advice, and ran out of the fence.
Fortunately, the soldiers who remained nearby stopped him and helped him back.
Shen Mingshu explained that the people could not be allowed to go down the mountain, and therefore they could not let anyone down.
"Don't worry." Mingying poured Shu Niang a glass of water and said to her as calmly as possible, "Even if we go down the mountain to look for them, we probably won't find them. These brothers are all skilled in martial arts and have extraordinary abilities. If we send them down the mountain to look for them, we'll have a better chance of success."
After being comforted by her, Shu Niang finally nodded.
Mingying boiled water, made hot soup, and distributed it to everyone. Seeing that the light in Shu Niang's room was off, she also found it difficult to calm down.
If we can't find the person...
Cangxi Valley, brother, Langzhou, now Shu Niang's family has disappeared again.
The knocking on the door interrupted her thoughts.
"girl."
Upon hearing the voice of someone she knew, Mingying got up to open the door and asked anxiously, "How is it? Any news?"
The man with the knife shook his head: "We asked around, and indeed some people saw that Shu Niang's husband and daughter were kidnapped by several foreigners. We searched everywhere, in valleys, caves, and forests, but we don't know where they took them."
Mingying could hear the heavy breathing and the coldness in her fingertips.
Two years ago, she fell into the hands of the Wuhuan people in Guanzhou. Those people were vicious and extremely cruel. Even now, when she thinks about it, she still feels a chill in her heart.
Shu Niang's husband and daughter must have been captured by the Wuhuan people to be used as medicine, along with the missing people around them. Where exactly did they hide them?
"However, there's still a group of people who haven't returned yet; we'll probably have to wait until tomorrow morning for news," the man said.
Mingying nodded, and could only place her hopes on the next morning, hoping they could find someone.
At midnight, the chirping of insects on the mountain stirred her heart, making her increasingly uneasy, as if something bad was about to happen.
She was worried about Shu Niang's condition and wanted to go and sleep with her. Holding a candlestick, she knocked on the door a few times, but there was no response.
"Shu Niang, are you asleep?"
The door wasn't closed properly; she pushed it open gently and went inside. She lit a lamp and looked around, but there was no one on the bed.
The windows were wide open, swirling open and closing in the cold wind.
Her pupils contracted sharply, and her heart felt as if it were being squeezed tighter and tighter by a large hand.
Shu Niang climbed out of the window by herself; she must have gone down the mountain to look for someone.
She extinguished the candlesticks, lifted her skirt, and ran into the courtyard, waking up everyone who was fast asleep.
"Oh no! Shu Niang has disappeared! We must get down the mountain quickly!"
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Author's Note: There will be another update at 10 PM tonight. See you in the next chapter! [doge emoji] Time to clean up the mess with the male characters.
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