Chapter 1062 You, grow up quickly...
"Nie Chong!"
With Yuwen Ye's low cry, a large amount of blood gushed out of Nie Chong's chest wound as if out of control, instantly staining a large area of the ground beneath him, and his entire body was submerged in blood!
Shan Tong'er exclaimed, "Brother Nie!"
He finally snapped out of his daze and rushed forward to hug Nie Chong. But this movement only made the wound on Nie Chong's chest rip open deeper, and blood splattered onto Shan Tong'er's face. His clear and bright eyes turned blood red in that instant, and as he looked at the person in front of him, the world in front of him seemed to change color and even the heavens and earth.
His tears flowed like a broken string, washing over his face and causing blood to drip down, drop by drop, onto Nie Chong's face.
Nie Chong's face was ashen, and his usually most sensitive ears seemed to be deaf to nothing. He only regained his senses when he felt the hot liquid fall on his face. He struggled to move his eyes and looked at Shan Tong'er who was holding him. His pale lips moved, but he seemed to have no strength left to say anything.
“Nie Chong…”
At this moment, Shen Tu Tai handed Shan Shi Yu over to someone nearby and walked back to his side.
Those seasoned warriors, seasoned by countless battles, knew which wounds were treatable and which were beyond saving, even by a celestial being. Seeing the blood gushing from Nie Chong's chest like a fountain, they knew in their hearts—there was no hope. The man's fierce eyes, usually so intimidating on the battlefield, were now red and swollen with tears. His voice was hoarse and almost inaudible, yet he still tried to comfort him: "You, you hold on, the doctor will be there soon—"
Nie Chong lowered his eyelids.
He wanted to tell Shen Tu Tai that he, like him, knew very well that such an injury was incurable, but at this moment, he didn't even have the strength to speak.
So he just stayed there quietly. After a while, as if he had gathered enough strength, he gently shook his head, then looked up at Yuwen Ye, then at Shen Tu Tai, then at the soldiers around him who were either sad or angry, or who couldn't bear to look away. Finally, his gaze fell on Shan Tong'er beside him.
That small, pale figure came into his eyes, and finally brought back a sliver of his soul.
Nie Chong sighed, but the blood that had been stuck in his throat suddenly choked him up. He was caught off guard and spat out a mouthful of blood. Blood gushed from his chest wound again, but it was not as turbulent as before. It was as if he was about to run out of blood.
His life was also nearing its end.
Shan Tong'er was crying so hard he could hardly breathe. He trembled as he hugged Nie Chong tightly, but no matter how much he hugged him, the body in his arms continued to tremble and slowly grow cold.
"Brother Nie! Brother Nie..."
Hearing his heart-wrenching cries, Shen Tu Tai, who was standing to the side, could hardly hold back his tears. He could only grit his teeth, turn his face to the side, and then reach out to stroke Shan Tong'er's head and press it down hard.
This seemed like a consolation, yet it also carried a hint of unspoken resentment.
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared in Nie Chong's dark eyes. His face seemed to suddenly light up, and even his eyes brightened because of this smile. It seemed that he had regained his sharp hearing and eyesight. He slowly turned his head to look, but the heavy night covered everything around him.
He sighed, this time without coughing up blood from his throat, but his words were filled with the stench of blood: "Unfortunately, it's too late."
After speaking, he looked up at Shan Tong'er, his eyes sparkling with indescribable tenderness and affection.
After a long while, he whispered, "You, grow up quickly..."
With a sigh, he slowly raised his hand, as if to stroke Shan Tong'er's head, but as soon as his hand touched his forehead, it suddenly sank and fell heavily back down.
A gust of wind carrying the scent of blood brushed against Shan Tong'er's face.
It was a very light slap, but it felt like he had been hit hard. In an instant, his ears went "buzz," and he could not hear anything. Even the already dark night became even darker, so dark that it was suffocating.
Until the people around him cried out in anguish, until a single tear finally fell from Shen Tu Tai's tightly closed eyes, until the ground suddenly shook, and the soldier who had just brought the medic scrambled off his horse and rushed over, only to be helpless in the end, Shan Tong'er finally regained some consciousness. He glanced one last time at Nie Chong, whose eyes were forever closed and who was no longer alive, then his vision went black, and he completely fainted...
This night was incredibly long for Shan Tong'er.
It was longer than when he was put in a basket on his back and displayed at the market for passersby to see; it was longer than the long nights he spent hungry and tightening his belt; it was longer than the days when he was taken to Dayan Temple, knelt before Buddha and listened to scriptures he could never understand, and was hit on the head every time he dozed off.
He even felt that he might stay in this darkness forever and never wake up again.
However, one must eventually wake up.
When I opened my eyes again, two days had passed.
He stared blankly at the figures sitting by the bed. Although they were familiar, and he knew they were Shen Tu Tai's personal guards without even looking closely, he couldn't make out their faces. But as soon as he opened his eyes, he heard the joyful voices of the crowd: "Ninth Master, you're finally awake."
"Quickly, quickly, have someone bring some food!"
"Don't move. You've been unconscious for two days, you must be exhausted."
Shan Tong'er tried to move his hands and feet, but he was indeed too weak. He would get hungry if he missed a meal, and he hadn't eaten for two days while unconscious, so it was no wonder he couldn't move. Fortunately, the people were very considerate, and soon someone brought him hot soup noodles. He was helped to sit up against the headboard, and the steaming, meaty soup was brought to his lips. He lowered his head and instinctively took a sip.
But as soon as he swallowed, he immediately felt a tightness in his chest, as if he couldn't even catch a breath. He leaned over the bed and vomited with a "whoosh".
People around gasped in surprise.
Everyone immediately scrambled to help, patting his back, patting his back to help him catch his breath, and wiping the corners of his mouth. It took a long time before they were able to get him back to bed. They had never seen Shan Tong'er unable to eat and even vomit. Everyone was at a loss – they knew why, but at this moment, no one knew how to comfort him.
Just then, heavy footsteps approached outside the tent, and then the tent was lifted.
Shan Tong'er immediately looked up, but what he saw first was the military camp behind the tall figure outside the tent. A group of people were lined up neatly, seemingly preparing to leave the camp to do something. But before he could see clearly, the tent was lowered the next moment.
Shen Tu Tai's tall figure slowly walked in, and suddenly the once spacious tent became cramped and narrow.
He waved his hand gently to the crowd: "You can all go down and do what you were doing."
Everyone nodded and silently withdrew.
As soon as they left, Shen Tu Tai strode to the bedside and sat down. He looked down and saw the filth that Shan Tong'er had just vomited on the ground. Without changing his expression, he stepped on it and rubbed it. The stuff was immediately trampled into the soil as if it had never existed.
Then, he looked at Shan Tong'er sitting at the head of the bed.
He had only been unconscious for two days, but the child seemed to have lost a lot of weight all of a sudden. His former round and sturdy appearance seemed to have been taken away in an instant, leaving behind a pale and weak shell. Shen Tu Tai looked at him for a while without saying anything, but reached out and picked up the soup bowl that the others had placed by the bed, blew on it twice, and then brought it to Shan Tong'er's lips: "Eat something first, you can't go hungry."
"..."
Shan Tong'er bit her lower lip and lowered her head to drink a sip of soup.
The broth was still delicious, but the delicious taste hit his head and inexplicably made him feel suffocated. He almost vomited again, but then he heard Shen Tu Tai's deep voice: "Swallow it. There's not that much food, and there's not that much time for you to waste."
"...!"
These words struck him like a heavy blow to the back of the head.
The boy's blank mind was stirred by a turbulent wave, and amidst this storm, he suddenly heard a weak voice sigh and say to him: You, grow up quickly...
A surge of scalding heat welled up from his heart, almost bursting through his throat and burning his eyes until they turned red. Shan Tong gritted his teeth and forced the heat down, finally swallowing the mouthful of soup in his mouth.
Then, I took a second sip, and a third sip.
In a short while, he had drunk about half of the soup. He felt a little stronger and his mind was clearer, but he didn't look up at Shen Tu Tai. Instead, he looked at his own distraught reflection in the remaining half bowl of soup and whispered, "Brother Shen Tu, I, my..."
He seemed to find it too difficult to speak, and after stammering for a long time, he still couldn't explain it clearly.
Shen Tu Tai, however, looked at him calmly and said, "Do you want to ask Nie Chong, or do you want to ask your elder brother?"
Shan Tong'er's face immediately turned pale again.
Just putting these two people together seems like torture for him, but right now, he can only let go of these two people in his heart.
His throat tightened, and he said, "Brother Nie..."
Shen Tu Tai knew he couldn't eat anymore, so he put the remaining half bowl of soup aside and said, "His Highness has ordered his coffin to be sent back to Chang'an for a military funeral."
"..."
This time, Shan Tong'er couldn't hold back, and hot tears welled up instantly, falling from her eyes in a steady stream.
After a long silence, he asked in a hoarse voice, "And what about him?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com