Chapter 689 If she won't come over, I'll go to her.
Despite the heavy, dark clouds and the ongoing, chaotic battle that made the world seem gloomy and difficult to see, Shang Ruyi inexplicably felt a sudden sense of clarity as the rider slowly reached the other side of the Cangtou River.
At that moment, it seemed as if a ray of light shone down from the dark sky and converged on the rider.
The tall, magnificent horse, with its deep purple-black coat, stood tall and agile as a dragon. The rider on its back was equally imposing and heroic, holding a gleaming, cold-looking broadsword upside down in his hand. Though unstained by blood, its sharpness was undeniable, and an invisible, fierce aura pressed down on them with the wind.
It is Yuwen Ye.
He came wearing a suit of radiant armor, and carried light with him!
Shang Ruyi felt as if she could not breathe.
Not only because so much time has passed—though it hasn't been that long, but seeing him again felt like a lifetime ago—but also because he actually came all this way all by himself!
The army behind him was at least a hundred feet away from this place!
If the people here suddenly attack, wouldn't he be in grave danger?
How dare he?!
How dare he!
"you--"
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi could not suppress the surging emotions in her chest and subconsciously wanted to speak, but as soon as she uttered a word, her throat went hoarse and she could no longer make any sound.
The next sound was Yuwen Ye's; his deep, resonant voice came from across the river.
"Let her come over herself."
These words were spoken by Ashina Zhuxie. Shang Ruyi immediately turned her head and saw that Prince Zhuxie remained calm and composed, as if he had been waiting for the movement on the other side of the river all along.
"Do you think I'll let her go?"
“If you hadn’t let her go, you wouldn’t be protecting her now.”
"..."
"not to mention,"
As Yuwen Ye spoke, he turned his head slightly. Behind him, although there was a hundred feet of distance, it was clear from the speed at which the group had just advanced that as long as he gave an order, or even without giving an order, as long as the agreed time arrived, the people behind would immediately swarm in.
"If she doesn't come over, I'll go over there."
"..."
"And once I went there, I wasn't the only one who followed."
"..."
"Do you have time to care right now?"
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's heart raced, and then she felt the person next to her become even more agitated.
It is Ashina Zhuxie.
A glint of light flashed in the sinister eyes that were fixed on Yuwen Ye—in them seemed to be shock, and even more so, an indescribable admiration.
He didn't answer immediately, but glanced around discreetly. Although the heavy cavalry was almost overwhelming to the ordinary light cavalry, even an overwhelming victory would take some time. Moreover, some people refused to give up and, seeing that they couldn't win, turned around and started running towards the camp.
Although Shali Khan took away a large number of troops from his headquarters to deal with Yuwen Ye, some remained behind.
As long as we go back and tell Lady Jiayuan, as well as the officials Shi Shuanyi and others who stayed behind, that Prince Ashina Zhuxie has rebelled, they will immediately send troops to reinforce us. No matter what, we can fight this rebel army to the death.
Ashina Zhuxie had clearly planned today's operation beforehand, so he didn't issue any further orders from the start. His generals each took on their duties: some led heavy cavalry to continue attacking the resisting soldiers, while others had already retreated to the rear of the ranks, killing any who tried to charge back, and killing any group that tried to charge back!
In an instant, a chaotic battle broke out here, and it was difficult to break up the fight for a while.
If a fresh force were to suddenly join him at this time, especially one from Yuwen Ye's own forces, even with his formidable heavy cavalry, he might not be able to win in a pincer attack. Moreover, his goal was to achieve a swift victory, quell the chaos here, and immediately return to his headquarters to seize power, rather than getting bogged down in a stalemate.
Thinking of this, Ashina Zhuxie looked up again at the heroic figure on the opposite bank of the river.
Two pairs of eyes met, one cold and stern, the other sinister, yet they seemed to spark with dazzling flames in the blood-soaked air. Even Shang Ruyi felt a silent unease at that moment, and she subconsciously bit her lower lip, staring intently at the two of them.
Ashina Zhuxie said in a deep voice, "Have you ever considered that once you get here, you're already on my territory?"
"..."
"You can't even get here!"
Shang Ruyi's breath caught in her throat!
From the very beginning, when she saw Yuwen Ye arrive alone, this was what she was worried about. However, she dared not speak up to dissuade him, for fear that if she did, she would only alert the people here.
The Turks didn't even need to fire a volley of arrows like before; a single arrow was enough to kill him!
He was really playing with his life!
Just as Shang Ruyi was in a state of utter confusion, the even calmer voice from the other side, so calm it was devoid of any emotional fluctuation, rang out once more, sending a chill down the spines of those present—
“Even if I don’t go, my people will.”
"..."
"I had a good idea of what would happen after my people arrived, and I'm sure you know it too."
"..."
"I dare to bet, do you dare?"
"..."
This time, despite her best efforts to restrain herself, Shang Ruyi could still see Ashina Shali's pupils tremble slightly.
He probably never imagined that there were such people in the world.
Yuwen Ye, who already held a high position and was the Prince of Qin of the Great Sheng Dynasty, should have let his subordinates charge into battle and claimed the credit himself. However, he actually dared to walk alone to the other side of the Cangtou River, completely exposing himself to the enemy's intimidation. But no matter how you ask or think, he had already come here and placed his bet!
So he said, he dares!
But Ashina Shali, would you dare to gamble?
He had been plotting for years, and finally this opportunity had arrived. Power was within his grasp, and he was willing to give up everything for the life of just one person.
Everyone knows what he will choose.
It was precisely because he knew what he would choose that Yuwen Ye dared to place his bet!
Thinking of this, a sense of resentment rose in his heart. Although he was about to take control of everything, Ashina Zhuxie suddenly realized that there were some things in the world that he could not control. On the contrary, he was being subtly controlled by the other party.
Are we really just going to let Shang Ruyi go and let Yuwen Ye take her away?
This woman—although they had only spent a few days together—he could tell that she was an extraordinary woman. Despite being in adversity, she remained calm and composed, intelligent and wise, with a magnanimous heart, and was no less capable than any man.
He only had Lei Yu in his heart, but keeping her in the yamen as a lady to relieve his worries was not bad.
If she were to return to Yuwen Ye's side, what kind of impact would it have on the future relationship between the Turks and the Central Plains, given that the Great Sheng Dynasty would have gained this brave and intelligent couple, the Prince of Qin and Princess Qin?
Ashina Zhuxie thought of a sentence—
It's like adding wings to a tiger.
Just then, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew in their direction. Ashina Zhuxie raised his head again and looked at the army behind Yuwen Ye, which was almost spread across the vast grassland. Although the soldiers had followed Yuwen Ye's orders and remained still, some of them were clearly unable to contain themselves. Some of their warhorses even began to neigh loudly. The murderous aura carried on the wind sent shivers down everyone's spines.
The situation was becoming clearer, but Ashina Zhuxie was becoming more and more unwilling.
Just then, a very calm voice, even with a hint of gentleness, rang in his ear, clearly saying: "Give up one and you will gain two; give up two and you will gain four; if you have no two in your hands, do not dream of four."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Ashina Zhuxie's heart sank again.
He looked down at Shang Ruyi beside him.
The other person was also looking at him.
This seems to be the rule of gamblers placing bets, but it is also a reminder to himself that if he wants to compete with Yuwen Ye, he must at least obtain the highest power in the Turkic Khaganate to have such an opportunity; if he competes with Yuwen Ye now, all his plans will be in vain, and he may even lose his life here today.
Ashina Zhuxie was silent for a moment, then said, "I should have killed him here."
For once, he poured a little emotion into the word "kill," uttering it through gritted teeth. Even his usually expressionless face, which was like a mask, now showed a hint of ferocity.
But Shang Ruyi calmed down instead.
What he meant by that was—
The next moment, Ashina Zhuxie raised his hand and waved it gently.
The riders who had been surrounding the two immediately stepped back to make way for Shang Ruyi. Shang Ruyi felt a sense of relief in her chest, as if the invisible restraints binding her chest had finally been released at this moment.
She took a deep breath, not daring to delay, and immediately shook the reins to move forward.
Despite the short distance, Shang Ruyi was surrounded by the constant flashing of swords and flying blood. As she walked, she felt the blood mist being blown by the wind, constantly seeping onto her body. The intense smell of blood almost made her dizzy.
She gritted her teeth and spurred her horse on with all her might.
But the horse beneath her, whether out of fear of its surroundings or the person on the other side of the river, became somewhat unruly. Shang Ruyi kept squeezing the horse's belly, shaking the reins, and slapping its rump, finally forcing it to cross the nearly dried-up Cangtou River.
They reached the other side and stood before that person.
However, before she could even look up, or even see what expression was on that handsome face she hadn't seen in so long, the horse beneath her seemed genuinely frightened. It began snorting and stamping its hooves, almost throwing her off its back.
"ah!"
Shang Ruyi exclaimed in surprise!
Before she could react, a figure suddenly rushed to her side, stretched out a long arm, and lifted her directly from the horse's back.
Shang Ruyi's breath hitched as she landed steadily in a familiar, warm embrace!
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