Chapter 1158 Absence makes the heart grow fonder...
It was already late at night when we returned to Hulao Pass.
The battle raged from dawn until sunset, but it was not the end. The surrender of the entire army of 100,000 was an even more difficult task than defeating them.
Fortunately, Yuwen Ye brought Xiao Yuansui back from Niukouzhu. With him, some people who were originally hesitant completely lost their will to resist. Apart from those who fled and those who died in battle, Yuwen Ye defeated the enemy's army of 100,000 with just over 3,000 troops and finally obtained 80,000 surrendered soldiers!
This is a victory that will be recorded in history, an unprecedented and unparalleled triumph!
However, for Hulao Pass, which was only guarded by a few thousand people, settling this group of people became the biggest problem.
When Shang Ruyi entered the fortress, it was already pitch black all around, except for one room with a light on, which was Wo Xue's room that she had cleaned.
Upon seeing her return, Wo Xue was so excited that she cried and laughed at the same time. This girl was usually calm and composed and rarely showed her emotions. But this time, she completely wore her worries and joy on her face, which seemed to be the way she should be at her age. Seeing her like this, Shang Ruyi was also moved and quickly comforted her gently. The two chatted for a while before Wo Xue calmed down.
Soon, she regained her usual calm and attentiveness, immediately helping Shang Ruyi bathe and change. After washing away the blood and the fatigue of the past few days, she immediately had a fairly substantial meal served. Although Shang Ruyi had been forcing herself to eat these past few days, even if it tasted like cardboard, she had to swallow it all to conserve her strength so she would have the energy to do things at the most crucial moment, now that she was finally back, her mind and body were relaxed, and she had little appetite. She only drank two sips of soup, and after Wo Xue's earnest persuasion, she reluctantly ate half a bowl of soup noodles.
I put down my chopsticks and looked out at the night; it was pitch black.
It's past midnight.
Nighttime should be a time of perfect tranquility, but this night was destined to be anything but quiet. Even from within the fortress, Shang Ruyi could hear the roar of the Yellow River's turbid waves echoing in the night sky, and amidst the roar, there seemed to be quite a few human voices.
There were a full 80,000 more people. Even if they didn't shout, just their breathing was enough to make the night uneasy.
Seemingly sensing Shang Ruyi's unease, Wo Xue, who had just finished clearing the dishes and brought in a basin of hot water for her to wash up, noticed Shang Ruyi's somewhat dazed look and thought for a moment before saying softly, "This servant never expected that Your Highness would bring back more than 80,000 surrendered soldiers."
Shang Ruyi glanced at her: "You think he can't win?"
Wo Xue hurriedly shook her head: "No, of course not. This servant knows that no matter how difficult the battle is, His Highness will definitely win. Besides, he still has to rescue the Princess."
"..."
"However, it is unprecedented for more than 3,000 cavalry to face an army of 100,000 and finally bring back more than 80,000 surrendered soldiers."
"..."
"I just think that His Highness the Prince of Qin must have divine assistance and a destiny bestowed upon him."
"..."
"A person like that can succeed at anything!"
Hearing this, Shang Ruyi understood that she was trying to comfort her. No matter how many surrendered soldiers Yuwen Ye brought back, if he could win, he would definitely be able to settle them properly and there would be no trouble. However, upon hearing the words "fate," her heart sank, and she said softly, "Don't talk nonsense."
Wo Xue realized she had misspoke and quickly said, "This servant knows her mistake."
Shang Ruyi waved her hand and said no more. She went over to wash up and by the time everything was settled and Wo Xue left the room, it was almost four in the morning.
Although she knew she should rest early and was indeed very tired, Shang Ruyi didn't want to sleep at all.
When will Yuwen Ye return?
On the way back to the battlefield from Niukouzhu and then back to Hulao Pass with the more than 80,000 surrendered soldiers, the two of them naturally had no time to talk more because they were surrounded by people. She only had time to mention the situation in Luoyang to him. Yuwen Ye pondered for a moment and then said, "I know," before going to arrange things for the surrendered soldiers, while she returned to the garrison.
I wonder if he'll be able to finish dealing with things outside tonight, and if he'll be able to come back...
Shang Ruyi suddenly couldn't help but laugh.
When she was captured by Xiao Yuansui and trapped in the enemy camp, she didn't seem to have ever looked at the moonlight and longed for it like this before; but now that she was back by his side and they could meet at any time, she longed for it like a lonely woman in her empty room.
Thinking about it this way, Shang Ruyi herself blushed a little.
Although she didn't want to sleep, her body was a little disobedient, so Shang Ruyi simply walked to the bedside and sat down, leaning against the headboard facing the half-open door. She originally wanted to wait a little longer, but her gaze gradually became hazy as the candlelight on the table flickered and swayed. Soon she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Even in my dreams, I am restless.
She felt as if there were many people around her, breathing, talking, shouting, roaring, and countless other voices and tones intertwined, as if forming an airtight net that trapped her. Shang Ruyi gradually felt like she couldn't breathe. She gasped for air, but it felt as if her chest was bound again. As she struggled to break free, she gradually felt suffocated.
"Hmm..."
Just as she instinctively let out a low gasp as if calling for help, she immediately heard someone gasp.
The sound is—
Almost instantly, Shang Ruyi regained her senses and immediately felt herself being lifted up. It seemed that the person was holding her too tightly, making it difficult for her to breathe.
Shang Ruyi opened her eyes and immediately met a pair of cold yet bright eyes in the flickering candlelight.
And those eyes, in this cold night, were staring intently at me.
The moment their eyes met, both of them gasped for breath...
Just then, a soft "sizzle" was heard, as if the candle on the table, which had almost burned out, finally went out, plunging the entire room into complete darkness.
"ah……"
Shang Ruyi had just woken up from her sleep when she was suddenly plunged into darkness again. Instinctively, she reached out and grabbed—
"Hmm."
Immediately, she heard a muffled groan from above her head, as if someone was enduring some kind of pain. Shang Ruyi was so startled that she quickly let go of her hand: "What's wrong?"
"..."
Does it hurt? Did I touch your injury?
"..."
Are you injured?
The person in the darkness didn't speak, but his breathing became more rapid with each of her questions. Shang Ruyi's inquiries yielded no results; she could only hear him take a deep breath in the darkness, then take a step forward, slowly bend down, and place her on the bed.
His hands were trembling slightly, as if he had been injured.
However, after putting her down, he did not immediately straighten up. Instead, he braced himself on the bed with both arms and held her slightly cool body in his arms.
We're closer now.
Shang Ruyi also took advantage of the brief moment of light to see that he was wearing a rather thin long robe, and his hair, which had been tied up high during the war, was now loose. He had obviously bathed and changed clothes, washing away the bloodstains. However, there was still a faint, lingering smell of blood in the air, as well as some other smells.
There was a faint smell of something burning.
Was it the candle that just went out on the table?
But how could he make that kind of sound if that were all?
Shang Ruyi raised her hand with increasing unease, afraid of touching the spot she had just grabbed. So she carefully felt around little by little, whispering, "Did I just... touch your—"
Before he could even utter the word "injury," his outstretched hand was immediately grasped.
The night breeze was cool, his fingertips were cool, and everything around him seemed to be chilly, but his hands were burning hot.
Moreover, their breathing, which had become rapid and heavy due to their skin touching, also became scalding hot. In fact, their rising and falling breaths gradually turned into heavy panting. Gusts of hot air rushed towards Shang Ruyi's cheeks, immediately making her skin hot and probably a little red, but it was all dark and she couldn't see clearly.
He probably couldn't see it either.
Shang Ruyi's fingertips trembled in his burning palm, her body shuddered slightly, and her voice trembled as she spoke, sounding unlike her own, yet it was the familiar mix of shyness and longing he had long known.
How long have they been separated?
In reality, it had only been a few months, but the two of them felt as if they had been apart for a long time. Despite being the people who knew each other best, they felt a little estranged at this moment.
This "strangeness" only fueled their mutual interest.
So this is what people mean when they say absence makes the heart grow fonder...
Yuwen Ye actually felt the pain; the charred wound on his shoulder had reopened during the battle, but he remained calm until he returned to Hulao Pass and had Shang Ruyi taken away before removing his armor. That scene stunned everyone around him.
Blood stained half of his body inside his armor!
Upon witnessing this scene, Xiao Yuansui, who had followed them all the way and remained silent even after entering Hulao Pass, finally took a deep breath and said solemnly, "This world should be yours."
He merely smiled faintly and expressionlessly had his wound stitched up. To prevent Shang Ruyi from easily noticing, he even sealed the wound with a thin sheepskin.
Unexpectedly, she noticed him the moment they met.
Being grabbed so roughly naturally hurt, but now, an even more intense surge of emotion coursed through his body. The pain seemed to only intensify this feeling...
He took that hand, put the slightly cool, trembling fingertips into his mouth, and bit them lightly.
The hand trembled and instinctively tried to pull away, but he grabbed it and wouldn't let go.
In the darkness, he heard a soft moan from the person beneath him amidst their gentle, sweet breathing—
"Feng Chen..."
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