Chapter 68
Qi Yu thought for a moment and clapped his hands, "Oh right, they said they were from Xunzhou."
Xunzhou?
Ling Huanchen thought, "Let them in."
After leaving the commander's tent, they saw a man dressed as a guard approaching with soldiers in the distance. The man took one quick step forward upon seeing Ling Huanchen, then knelt on one knee when he reached him.
"Your Highness! I'm here on the orders of the prefect to bring two carts of food. While it's not much, it's a token of your kindness. It was thanks to Your Highness and Your Majesty that Xunzhou was spared from numerous disasters. Now that the two cities are at war, Your Highness knows I can't offer much assistance, but sending some food is a welcome gesture. I hope this helps Your Highness and Your Majesty."
Ling Huanchen was delighted. As the saying goes, one may search high and low for something, but it is finally found without any effort. These two carts of food solved the urgent problem in the camp.
"Please get up quickly." Ling Huanchen pretended to help the person up, but Ji Yunlou helped the person up before him, then turned around and looked at him with disapproval.
Ling Huanchen remembered his current physical condition and realized that he shouldn't make any major movements. He avoided Ji Yunlou's sight and said to the guard, "Please tell your lord that we've been of great assistance. We'll determine the rewards upon the king's return."
The guard bowed, "It would be great if I could help. I will definitely deliver your instructions, Your Highness."
With the food delivered from Xunzhou, the soldiers in the camp could hold out for a much longer time, and it also bought more time for requisitioning food.
Ling Huanchen dismissed the other generals, leaving Ji Yunlou alone. After Ji Yunlou took Yu Xi's pulse, he asked, "Are you sure the Fengming clan leader died in the battle?"
"It is certain that the only person of the Fengming Clan who can do anything in Mingcheng's hands is Elder Zhong."
Ling Huanchen nodded. It would be easier to deal with with one less threat. He was about to continue asking questions when Ji Yunlou suddenly grabbed his wrist.
"Your Highness, you can only feed this antidote for two days at most. No more. If you do, you will be in danger." Ji Yunlou's eyes were calm, but the strength in his hands was surprisingly strong. "After two days, Your Highness must stop. I will figure out the rest."
Ling Huanchen struggled hard but couldn't get it in. He had always regarded Ji Yunlou as a gentleman and always forgot that he had also practiced martial arts.
"Ji Yunlou, let go."
Ji Yunlou's eyes flickered, and he immediately released his hand. "I apologize for my offense, but if the king knew, he would certainly not want to see you hurt yourself. Although I cannot be sure when the king will wake up, I will do my best to protect you. Please trust me. This is a public matter. On a personal note, does your highness still remember why I agreed to help Youcheng?"
Ling Huanchen recalled the days in Xunzhou. He was able to persuade Ji Yunlou because of the same situation and the same mentality.
"It's because I feel that there are some similarities between me and Your Highness. Our backgrounds were predetermined from birth, and neither you nor I can change them. But we both hold fast to our own beliefs and have never considered following the crowd. I consider Your Highness my confidant, and I cannot bear to see the only true friend of my life die."
Ling Huanchen didn't expect Ji Yunlou to say such sincere words. After a moment of silence, he said softly, "I know. Yunlou, go back first. I will seriously consider it."
Ji Yunlou stood up and bowed, "I'll take my leave."
Only he and Yu Xi were left in the waiting room. Ling Huanchen sat beside the couch and held Yu Xi's hand, just like every time Yu Xi held his.
"Your Majesty, if you don't wake up, I don't know how long I can hold on."
Ling Huanchen leaned over and brushed his lips lightly, "Yu Xi, if you dare not wake up, then I will have no choice but to follow you like in my previous life. I said I would always be by the king's side. A gentleman's word is as good as gold."
On the sixth day of routine medicine feeding, news of a sudden change arrived from the front lines: a Fengming clan elder had sacrificed himself, allowing the formation to be rebuilt. The soldiers of Youcheng were once again plunged into dire straits. With Yu Xi still unaware, the front lines had suffered another heavy blow, and the balance of power between the two cities seemed to be tilting.
Ling Huanchen temporarily replaced Yu Xi's position and planned with the generals how to deploy against the enemy.
"Yunlou, can you break this formation again?"
Everyone's eyes were focused on Ji Yunlou; his answer was of great importance.
"It can be broken, but..." Ji Yunlou glanced at Ling Huanchen, passing by the crowd. "The formation has been rebuilt and is even more powerful than before. Breaking it will be difficult. The carrier of the formation is now Elder Zhong's soul. Although she is dead, her soul is still alive. Unless there is a way to make her soul leave the formation on its own initiative, I can break the formation."
The generals looked at each other in bewilderment, shaking their heads. Drawing souls into battle was unheard of, unseen, how could it possibly succeed?
Ling Huanchen pondered his method, "How do I lead her soul?"
Ji Yunlou frowned and said, "If you want the soul to come out on its own, it's best to let someone who was related to her in life lead it. Ideally, it should be a family member, lover, or friend. But from what I know in the clan, Elder Zhong has none of these. If she has any unknown secrets, it's that she suddenly disappeared eighteen years ago and has never been found. She later returned to the clan, and her temperament is even stranger than before."
Ling Huanchen paced back and forth, his eyes glancing behind the screen. He still had a chance to feed the medicine.
"Tonight, Yunlou, right tonight, you, General Qi, bring another team of soldiers and follow me to the formation to investigate further."
"Your Highness, you can't!"
Everyone said in unison. Ling Huanchen was stunned for a moment. He thought these people would only act like this when it came to Yu Xi's safety.
"Your Highness must not take any risks."
"Your Highness, please think twice. If something happens to you, how will we explain it to the King when he wakes up?"
Ji Yunlou said coldly, "Your Highness, I am not sure I can escape unscathed."
Ling Huanchen raised his hand, signaling them to be quiet. "I'll only be observing from outside the formation, not entering. If we can find a good way to summon the souls during the night, we can reduce the loss of even more soldiers and generals. This matter has been decided, and there's no need to discuss it further. Yunlou, Qi Yu, go and prepare."
Yu Xi was still unconscious, so everyone naturally followed Ling Huanchen's lead. Everyone tried to dissuade him to no avail, so they had no choice but to follow his instructions and prepare.
That night, Ling Huanchen and his group advanced under cover of darkness, lurking on the western side of the formation. At the entrance to the formation, directly above it, was a person tied up. In the moonlight, Ling Huanchen could vaguely see that the bound person was dressed in a white dress, their long hair hanging down, half obscuring their face.
"This person is Elder Zhong. Her body is in front of the formation, and her soul is inside the formation." Ji Yunlou said in a low voice.
Although he couldn't see the face clearly, Ling Huanchen still felt that this person was very familiar, and he unconsciously moved closer to the front of the formation.
Ji Yunlou noticed something was wrong and quickly stopped him, "Your Highness!"
Ling Huanchen's attention was now focused on the woman, and he muttered to himself, "I think I know her."
"What?"
The wind from the border town blew up the woman's long hair, occasionally revealing her entire face. Ling Huanchen narrowed his eyes, but was suddenly stunned by the woman's appearance.
He always remembered this face. Even though he hadn't seen it for many years and thought he could hardly remember it, he could still recognize it at a glance when he saw it.
She is exactly the same as she was back then, nothing has changed.
No wonder he felt that the pattern totem on the back of the Fengming tribe’s neck looked familiar. It turned out that he had seen it before.
"Your Highness! Do not approach the magic circle!"
Ji Yunlou's voice was diluted by the wind and sand, but Ling Huanchen didn't know where he got the strength from. He avoided everyone and ran directly to the formation.
Before he stepped into the entrance, the corpse suddenly twisted, and then the woman's eyes opened in an instant. The pupils were not like human pupils, but completely black.
"Your Highness, danger!"
Ji Yunlou rushed to Ling Huanchen to block him, and Qi Yu stood in front of Ji Yunlou. The guards drew their swords and vowed to protect him to the death. No one backed down.
After waiting for a long time, the corpse did not make any further movements. The pair of black pupils turned to Ling Huanchen, as if looking at him.
"Strange, why doesn't she cast her magic?" Qi Yu muttered softly, "Yunlou, what do you think she is doing?"
Ji Yunlou frowned and said only one sentence, "Shut up."
Ling Huanchen felt mixed emotions. He had never expected that the next time he saw her, it would be in such a scene. He softly called out, "Mother."
Everyone said that his mother was a mortal, but no one thought that his mother was actually a member of the Fengming tribe.
"Mother?"
Qi Yu and Ji Yunlou looked over in shock, but Ling Huanchen was completely unaware and called out to the corpse twice more.
At this moment, the magic circle suddenly shook, and the rope that bound the corpse slipped to the ground.
Ji Yunlou took a deep breath, "The soul has come out. Qi Yu, follow me into the formation. The rest of you, protect His Highness!"
"yes!"
Ling Huanchen hugged the fallen body. This was the closest he had ever been to his mother. The woman's eyes closed, and when they opened again, they had returned to human form.
"Mother?"
The woman stared at him for a moment, her lips moving but no sound came out. But Ling Huanchen understood: she was saying sorry.
The woman suddenly grasped his hand, and a warmth flowed from her fingertips to every part of his body. Ling Huanchen felt as if his body were being roasted by fire, unable to break free or escape.
In an instant, everything was silent, the formation disappeared, and the corpse in Ling Huanchen's arms also disappeared.
Soon, there was a flash of fire in the distance and the sound of horse hooves.
"Your Highness! The formation has been broken, we must return to the camp quickly." Ji Yunlou glanced at Ling Huanchen who was still in a daze and said so.
Ling Huanchen then stood up and said, "Return to camp."
Breaking the magic circle is equivalent to pulling the advantage back to Youcheng. The generals were delighted and immediately organized their troops and prepared for a decisive battle with Mingcheng.
Ling Huanchen returned to the commander's tent, drew out his dagger and drew blood for the last time. After feeding Yu Xi the drink, he sat aside and waited quietly.
He intuitively felt that something was different in his body. The weakness from blood loss was gone, and instead he had a kind of strength that he had never felt before.
Ling Huanchen looked at the porcelain cup on the square stool beside the couch, picked it up as if possessed by a ghost, and suddenly tightened his fingers. He heard a cracking sound, and when he let go, the cup had broken into two halves.
The author has something to say:
Thank you "Chu Jun Shen Mei" for the nutrient solution encouragement!
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