Chapter 1270 Bloodshed at Peach Blossom Temple
Tongguan Pass, Taolin Fortress, the night was as dark as ink, and a torrential downpour was falling.
Taolin Fortress, as its name suggests, is named after the peach trees that stretch as far as the eye can see on Zhuding Plain. Although it is already midsummer and the peach blossoms have long since fallen, countless peach branches and green leaves intertwine to form a seemingly impenetrable fortress on this plain.
Below this peach orchard lies a narrow and rugged mountain path, known as Peach Forest Pass.
The peach orchard is dense and can house a million soldiers. Its high vantage point makes it easy to ambush any forces passing through the Peach Orchard Pass. This is why Shang Ruyi marked this place on the map. Now, in the pitch-black night, the Zhuding Plain resembles a massive beast crouching on the earth. Though silent, it exudes a dangerous aura, as if waiting to devour anyone who passes through.
In the pitch blackness that was so thick it was almost suffocating, a tiny, flickering light unexpectedly appeared.
The firelight flickered unpredictably, like the eyes of this wild beast.
In fact, in this pitch-black night, countless eyes were watching this little light, which was at the foot of the hillside west of Zhuding Plain, at a temple that was almost abandoned.
As Xiao Yuansui walked in, he took a special look at the plaque hanging diagonally above the gate, which was so mottled and cracked that it was about to fall apart. He could barely make out the three characters "Peach Blossom Temple".
This place is called Peach Blossom Temple.
Upon entering the temple, one finds only ruins and crumbling walls. The Buddha statues in the hall are covered in cobwebs and dust, and tattered curtains hang from the beams, swaying incessantly in the wind, creating an eerie atmosphere. Almost all the surrounding doors and windows have collapsed and rotted, barely providing shelter from the rain while letting in drafts from all sides. So, Xiao Yuansui had someone light a bonfire in the center of the hall using the wood from the broken doors and windows.
Soon, people gathered around.
Xiao Yuansui sat in the main hall of the Buddhist temple, holding a piece of dry firewood in his hand, occasionally poking at the campfire to make it burn brighter. Some of the soldiers who had followed him in were still looking around for wood to burn, while others took out their dry rations to roast over the fire.
No matter how busy the people around him were, Xiao Yuansui remained seated and motionless.
The only lively thing about him was his exceptionally bright eyes, which flickered even more brightly in the firelight.
Just then, someone walked up to him and asked softly, "Lord Xiao, can we really succeed?"
Xiao Yuansui slowly turned his head, and a familiar face came into view. The people around him were the Right Thousand Bull Guards who had come with him to this Peach Forest Pass to carry out the interception mission. In fact, due to the arrangements of the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi, many of the people placed in the Left and Right Thousand Bull Guards were former members of Wanggang Village, so they were not strangers.
Xiao Yuansui asked, "What, are you scared?"
The man blinked, his eyes indeed filled with fear—these people were all surrendered soldiers who had been brought back to Chang'an by Yuwen Ye and incorporated into the Twelve Guards. In other words, most of them had witnessed Yuwen Ye's bravery on the battlefields of Luoyang or Hulao Pass and were even more afraid of his strength.
Seeing that the other party did not answer, Xiao Yuansui smiled faintly and said, "Didn't the Crown Prince and Prince Qi say that we are blocking Yuwen Ye here only to provoke him and make him return to Chang'an?"
The man hesitated for a moment, then said, "But, after all, we have to face him in battle."
"..."
"What if he decides to deal with us before going back?"
"..."
Xiao Yuansui didn't speak, but turned his head, his sharp eyes fixed on the flickering campfire once again. After a while, he said in a low, somewhat hoarse voice, "Is he really that slow-witted?"
"What?"
The man was somewhat surprised to hear this and thought he had misheard. Just as he was about to ask again, suddenly, heavy and hurried footsteps came from outside the hall. A large group of people were entering, and the soldiers who were busy outside immediately went to meet them.
"Lord Shang? What brings you here?"
"Get out of my way!"
A low shout rang out from the newcomer, echoing in the already dimly lit and now even more spacious hall, sending chills down one's spine. Xiao Yuansui, however, calmly raised his eyes and saw a familiar figure, hand on the sword at his waist, charging menacingly towards them.
It is Shang Shoufei.
His eyes narrowed slightly, but before he could speak, Shang Shoufei had already walked to the other end of the campfire, pointed at him, and said, "Xiao Yuansui, have you ruined the Crown Prince's grand plan?"
Xiao Yuansui still squinted, looking at him with an amused yet noncommittal gaze.
The soldiers of the Right Thousand Bull Guard immediately panicked: "General Shang, what do you mean by that?"
Shang Shoufei gritted his teeth, which looked even more distorted and ferocious in the flickering firelight. He said, "Before you left, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi both instructed you to be careful on this trip. How dare you start a fire here? Aren't you afraid that others will see us and discover us!"
Xiao Yuansui lowered his eyes indifferently: "Who would find out?"
Shang Shoufei said, "Who are we here to ambush? Have you forgotten so quickly?"
Xiao Yuansui said, "Tomorrow is the day Yuwen Ye sets off. Even if he leaves early in the morning and rides at top speed, he won't arrive here until at least the evening. If I start a fire here now, who will see it?"
Shang Shoufei said, "Have you forgotten that King Qi said he is a man who plans ahead and always investigates the enemy's situation before he can win any battle? How could he not send people to investigate this road in advance?"
Xiao Yuansui looked at him for a while, then suddenly laughed and said, "So that's how it is. I overlooked that."
After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "Put out the fire."
Although he said that, the people around him hesitated. After all, the heavy rain for several days had made the air damp and cold. In addition, they had been drenched in the rain during the day while surveying the terrain above Taolin Pass and devising a plan to ambush the enemy. The wind was cold at night, and even in the middle of summer, they were shivering. They finally had a little fire to dry their clothes, and who would be willing to do that?
Then someone said, "General Shang, even if Yuwen Ye sends someone, they might not actually be able to get here; besides, it's raining and windy tonight. If they really catch a cold, how will we be able to take action tomorrow?"
Shang Shoufei glanced coldly at Xiao Yuansui without saying a word.
Many more people said, "Yes."
"Let's keep a campfire burning."
"If we're really afraid of being discovered, let's nail up all the doors and windows around us, and that will ensure that no one outside can see us."
In fact, Shang Shoufei didn't really want to put out the fire. He just wanted to give Xiao Yuansui a hard time. He was the commander of the Left Thousand Bull Guard. A few days ago, he was imprisoned for several days because of a battle with the Right Valiant Guard. After he was released, he lost face and had been looking for an opportunity to regain his dignity. Now that the famous Xiao Yuansui had suddenly become the general of the Right Thousand Bull Guard, he naturally wanted to take the opportunity to suppress him to establish his own authority.
That's why I took the opportunity to come in and cause trouble.
Hearing the people around him pleading and trying to persuade him, he remained silent, only coldly staring at Xiao Yuansui, seemingly waiting for his reaction.
After a while, Xiao Yuansui stood up from the stone stool he was sitting on, cupped his hands in greeting to Shang Shoufei, and said, "Please do me a favor, General Shang."
Shang Shoufei then sneered and waved to the people behind him: "Go and seal up the doors and windows."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Someone hurriedly picked up the rotten planks they had just found or the curtains hanging from the roof beams to block the doors and windows. The firelight could not get out. Only a narrow gap was left at the main entrance, just big enough for one person to pass through, for ventilation. There were also people standing guard outside.
Then he silently walked to the front and sat in the seat that Xiao Yuansui had originally been sitting in.
Seeing his usurpation of their position and his obvious intention to cause trouble, the soldiers of the Right Thousand Bull Guard frowned. However, Xiao Yuansui did not react at all, and even moved aside to sit on the still damp and cold ground.
Shang Shoufei sneered, "Don't forget what His Highness the Crown Prince sent me here for."
Xiao Yuansui smiled calmly.
How could he not know that sending him, the Right General of the Thousand Ox Guard, to intercept Yuwen Ye was already sufficient in terms of both troop strength and combat power? Yet, an additional Left General of the Thousand Ox Guard was sent. Clearly, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi did not fully trust him, and sending Shang Shoufei was to keep an eye on him.
Seeing Shang Shoufei's repeated provocations, the young men from Wanggangzhai all showed expressions of resentment.
Xiao Yuansui remained indifferent.
A moment later, someone poured a cup of water that had been boiled over the campfire and handed it to Shang Shoufei. He took a sip and found it warm and comforting, and couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
Just then, Xiao Yuansui's voice suddenly rang in my ears—
"General Shang, this afternoon I think I saw some people coming from Chang'an. Is there any new development?"
Shang Shoufei glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, then said, "Hmm."
"I don't know, what new situation has arisen?"
Why are you asking this?
"I also want to understand the situation in Chang'an so that we can avoid any mishaps when we take action."
Shang Shoufei sneered before saying, "I asked you to stop Yuwen Ye here, so go ahead and do it. What does it matter if you don't know the news from Chang'an?"
"..."
His words were clearly meant to be sarcastic.
This made the young people from Wanggangzhai even more dissatisfied. Although they were surrendered soldiers, surrendered soldiers were the most sensitive. The reason why the Right Valiant Guards fought with the Thousand Bull Guards was precisely because of this.
However, Shang Shoufei seemed to only want to gain some verbal advantage and did not intend to really hide the truth. So after taking another sip of hot water, he slowly said, "News has come from Chang'an that the Princess Consort of Qin will not be accompanying the Prince of Qin to Luoyang this time."
"……oh?"
Perhaps there was something on the dry firewood that had just been added to the fire, because the flames suddenly popped.
Xiao Yuansui's pupils suddenly flashed with a glint of light.
But his face remained calm and indifferent. After a long while, he said, "So, Princess Qin will stay in Chang'an?"
"good."
At this point, a cold glint flashed in Shang Shoufei's eyes: "Consider Shang Ruyi lucky!"
In fact, although the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi had ordered them to intercept Yuwen Ye here, without necessarily winning—and they were unlikely to actually win anyway, as long as they created the illusion that Yuwen Ye was returning to Chang'an and giving the emperor the impression that he was going to rebel—Shang Shoufei had another secret plan in mind.
He wanted to take advantage of the chaos here to completely eliminate Shang Ruyi.
Upon hearing that name that had echoed in his heart a thousand times, a name he knew all too well, Xiao Yuansui's eyes flickered slightly. He then looked up at Shang Shoufei and said, "I seem to have heard someone mention that General Shang, you and Princess Qin—"
Shang Shoufei said coldly, "That bitch is my sister."
"oh……"
"However, she doesn't deserve it at all!"
"Yeah."
Xiao Yuansui listened calmly. His hand, which had been reaching out to warm himself by the fire, was now slightly hot from the heat. He withdrew it and gently slipped it into his sleeve. Suddenly, he touched a small, cool object.
Shang Shoufei, however, was consumed by resentment and said, "Shang Ruyi is nothing but a bastard born of that vile mother. She doesn't deserve to be a member of the Shang family. When we kicked her out, she should have frozen and starved to death on the streets! Who knew that this bastard would survive? Not only did she survive, but she was also taken in and raised by her vile mother's brother. Later, she even married into the Yuwen family, and now she's become..."
This was the first time Xiao Yuansui had heard about Shang Ruyi's past.
His face remained expressionless, his eyes as cold as if frozen solid, unable to even let in the firelight.
He said, "Oh... so that's how the Princess Qin was in the past."
Shang Shoufei suddenly frowned and looked at him: "Are you very familiar with her?"
Xiao Yuansui also looked up at him, and said with a half-smile, "How could I be familiar with the Princess Consort of Qin? We've only met a few times."
"snort."
"However, it's not entirely true that we're not familiar with each other."
"oh?"
“When I was being pursued by Wang Shaoji’s men and was wandering around, I met her. At that time, she seemed to have just married Yuwen Ye and their family had moved back to Luoyang from Taiyuan.”
Shang Shoufei frowned: "Is that so?"
Xiao Yuansui's lips curled up slightly, and a smile gradually appeared on his originally calm face. He turned to look at Shang Shoufei and said seriously, "Although many years have passed, I have never forgotten that time when I was desperate and secretly hid under her carriage. Wang Shaoji stopped me and wanted to search her carriage, but fortunately she was quick-witted and fought off Wang Shaoji's men."
At this point, his smile deepened, and his bright, sharp eyes gleamed with pleasure: "If it weren't for her help, I would have been captured by Wang Shaoji back then."
Shang Shoufei's brows furrowed even more. He had a vague feeling that something was off about the person in front of him.
Xiao Yuansui remained smiling, without changing his expression or making any other move. However, his smile seemed somewhat scorching under the flickering flames.
He continued, "She saved me from a terrible ordeal, and afterwards she gave me a bag of dry food to eat on the road."
Shang Shoufei's heart pounded with inexplicable unease, but he managed to maintain his composure and sneered, "A bag of dry rations, and you've remembered it all this time?"
"Of course not."
"..."
"Actually, I also got something from her, something I've kept until now."
What is it?
Xiao Yuansui glanced at him, and without much hesitation, pulled his hand out of his sleeve, his fingertips holding a point of golden light, which was Shang Ruyi's earring.
At Hulao Pass, he used this earring to express his feelings, but was rejected by Shang Ruyi. Later, Lüxiao used this earring to scratch Shang Ruyi's face—of course, it was just a play to deceive him, but he didn't know it at the time. He really thought that Shang Ruyi's face was ruined by this earring. After dealing with the chaos, he picked up the earring again and, as before, kept it in the place closest to his body.
He knew he could never win her heart, but he always wanted to leave a trace of the feelings he had once held dear.
Shang Shoufei asked, "Is it hers? Did she give it to you?"
Xiao Yuansui looked at the golden light and laughed, "No, she's a decent person. Why would she give such a personal item to a man? She lost it by accident, and I happened to find it and kept it with me until today."
"Why are you keeping this?"
"Of course, it's to remember someone by seeing these objects."
"..."
"Although I only met her a few times, each time I saw her intelligence, courage, determination and fearlessness. I couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if she could belong to me."
A sudden chill swept over him, causing Shang Shoufei to shiver involuntarily.
He raised his head and subconsciously looked towards the entrance of the main hall, where there was a gap for ventilation. He instinctively wanted to walk over, but suddenly felt like prey being targeted by a venomous snake. If he remained motionless, he might be able to maintain his composure for the moment, but if he dared to move, he would be immediately devoured by the venomous fangs!
He instinctively took a deep breath and said, "Her, you—"
Xiao Yuansui's focused gaze slowly shifted from the shimmering golden light to his face. The satisfied smile gradually faded, replaced by a cold, sharp light in his bright eyes: "But I never imagined that she had also suffered such hardship and displacement."
"...!"
At that moment, Shang Shoufei finally understood something.
"ah--"
He subconsciously let out a low cry, stood up and tried to rush out the door, but just as he moved, before he even had time to get up, Xiao Yuansui suddenly pulled his hand back into his sleeve, drew out a gleaming dagger with a clatter, and stabbed it fiercely towards Shang Shoufei's heart!
In an instant, Shang Shoufei froze in his half-standing position. His eyes widened, his pupils bulging out as if they were about to fall out, staring intently at his chest.
The dagger plunged into his heart!
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