Chapter 26: I am the cub and I want you to live.
The hooves of horses kicked up dust, which turned into a dim mist. From time to time, feather arrows streaked through the night sky and pierced into the Xiling army. The guards around Suo Tai fell one after another. He finally fought his way out and fled westward with his few trusted followers.
Fang Yilan rode on Jiaoyue, chasing after him relentlessly. Jiaoyue ran very fast, like a stream of silver frost, leaving the other members of the team far behind, and approached Suotai alone. This fast chase took them several miles further.
Soon, he caught up with Suotai.
"General, stop chasing!" Zhuang Gu shouted behind him.
Fang Yilan drove Jiaoyue and still refused to give up, thrusting his spear forward. Suo Tai tried his best to resist, but still could not avoid the overwhelming attack, and the spear made several deep wounds on his body that could be seen to the bone.
The border between the two countries was already vaguely visible ahead, and in the distance, the Xiling Army, which was supporting Suotai, was galloping towards this side at full speed.
Seeing this, Suo Tai turned around and gave Fang Yilan a provocative smile. Just when his eyes inadvertently swept behind Fang Yilan, his face turned pale in an instant.
"Question..." Just as Suo Tai was about to speak, a sharp arrow brushed past Fang Yilan's ear, lifted up a few strands of her hair, and pierced straight into Suo Tai's left eye. The arrow head sank into the eyeball, and Suo Tai let out a shrill scream.
Fang Yilan looked back following Suo Tai's gaze, and saw Zhao Huaixu who was riding a horse and chasing after him, and the bow he had just put away, the string still seemed to have the vibration of being released.
"General!" Suo Tai's men took care of Suo Tai, who was bleeding from his eyes, and quickly joined the Xiling army that had arrived.
Can't chase any further.
Fang Yilan pulled the reins suddenly, Jiaoyue raised his front hooves high and let out a neigh.
"General, Zhou Ji has escaped." Zhao Huaixu finally caught up with him, but his face was pale and his forehead was covered with cold sweat. It was obvious that he had come here while enduring the pain.
"Go after Zhou Ji first." Fang Yilan saw him like this, her brows knitted into the shape of a "川" character, and her tone was full of reprimands: "Your injuries haven't healed yet, why are you trying so hard here?"
Zhao Huaixu was panting heavily, and he just raised his hand and pointed at Fang Yilan's abdomen: "General, you should take a look at your own injuries first."
Only then did Fang Yilan realize that the bandage on his abdomen had been soaked with blood. He probably thought the wound had opened again during the rush.
"You go back first." Fang Yilan didn't have time to say anything more. He squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, raised Jiaoyue's front hooves high, turned around and galloped away.
...
On the official road outside the gate of Zeyang City, Zhou Jishen was fleeing in a hurry with his family in a carriage. Suddenly, a thunderous sound came from behind him, getting closer and closer.
The next moment, a cold light pierced in from the carriage window. The red tassel on the spear head was still wet, and Zhou Ji trembled violently.
"Master Zhou, where are you planning to go?"
Zhou Ji was so frightened that his whole body trembled. He stopped the carriage, rolled off with weak legs, and knelt in front of Fang Yilan, his forehead pressed against the ground, his voice trembling: "General... General, spare my life!"
Fang Yilan looked down at Zhou Ji coldly, his voice as if shrouded in ice. "Sir Zhou, tell me, according to Ruining law, what is the crime for this official who abandoned the city?"
Zhou Ji replied tremblingly, "He should be beheaded...beheaded in public, and his entire family executed as a warning to others."
Fang Yilan sneered: "Oh? I thought you forgot."
Zhou Ji suddenly raised his head, tears streaming down his face. He kowtowed, his hair disheveled. "General, please, please have mercy on me and spare my life! Please...please just pretend this never happened. I can give you everything I have!"
Fang Yilan remained unmoved. Her arm muscles tensed, and just as she was about to swing her spear, Zhou Ji frantically waved his hands and shouted in fear, "General! General, spare my life! Don't you want to know who is targeting you in the capital?"
Fang Yilan's eyes flashed, the tip of the gun paused in mid-air, and then slowly retracted.
...
Zhou Ji was escorted back to the barracks by the soldiers. This matter was of grave importance, so Fang Yilan decided to interrogate him personally. Zhao Huaixu rushed back to the tent and was about to enter to look for him, but was stopped by the guards.
"Master Zhao, the general has ordered that no one is allowed to enter."
Zhao Huaixu's eyes darkened, his eyebrows drooped and his expression could not be seen clearly. In the end, he could only turn around and leave.
No one noticed his clean hands, as a few drops of bright red suddenly flowed out from between his fingers and dripped into the dust.
Later, the urgent task of deploying defenses in Hezhou and the need to compile a military report to the emperor necessitated immediate action. Fang Yilan was completely consumed by the tedious tasks. She also excused Zhao Huaixu's injuries as not yet fully recovered, allowing him to recuperate at home and handing over all the duties to Xunyun and Zhuanggu.
In this way, for three or four days, Zhao Huaixu didn't even see the shadow of Fang Yilan.
Zhuang Gu shrank his neck and muttered softly, "Hey, have you noticed that I've been feeling a bit gloomy lately?" As he spoke, he tightened his clothes.
Xun Yun nodded in agreement, his eyes then drifted to a corner not far away. He pursed his lips, motioning Zhuang Gu to look over there.
I saw Zhao Huaixu standing alone in a corner, looking lonely.
Zhuang Gu looked at this scene and couldn't help but sigh, full of sympathy: "Mr. Zhao is so pitiful. It's only been a short time, and he has fallen out of favor."
It’s no wonder that Zhuang Gu said that. Everyone in the military camp saw it.
Before, Fang Yilan always took Zhao Huaixu with him wherever he went. Zhao Huaixu even risked his life to save Fang Yilan during the battle of Dingping Mountain. He thought Fang Yilan would love him dearly and treat him like a treasure. But who could have imagined that after so many years, he would not be able to escape the fate of being abandoned.
...
That night, Fang Yilan was sleeping peacefully in her bedroom when a dark figure quietly approached her bed. She opened her eyes in shock, grabbed the hand that was reaching out to her, and pinned the intruder firmly to her body.
Just as she was about to shout, she saw the face of the person coming in the candlelight. It was Zhao Huaixu.
Fang Yilan was slightly startled, and the strength in her hands loosened a little. She asked with confusion, "Why is it you? Where is Shuxue? Shouldn't she be guarding the door?"
Zhao Huaixu ignored her question and stared straight at Fang Yilan, his eyes burning with anger. His voice was low and questioning, "General, have you been deliberately avoiding me recently?"
Fang Yilan looked away: "It's just the busy military affairs, don't think too much about it."
Zhao Huaixu suddenly reached for his waist, and found a sharp dagger firmly in his hand.
Fang Yilan didn't expect that he would really come with a knife. She grabbed Zhao Huaixu's knife-holding hand again, pressed his wrist and twisted it, and the dagger slipped out of his hand.
"Don't move." Fang Yilan placed the dagger across his neck, with the blade touching his skin.
Zhao Huaixu, however, was rebellious. He stood up straight, holding the sword at his neck. "General, you suspect I'm a spy for the enemy country, don't you?"
Fang Yilan had no time to retract the dagger in his hand. The blade drew a thin red line on his neck. Then, beads of bright red blood oozed out continuously, dripping down his neck and soon dyeing his white collar red.
"If you doubt me, General, take my life."
Fang Yilan looked at the red on Zhao Huaixu's neck, and the anger in her heart was ignited drop by drop. She threw the dagger in her hand violently, and it hit the ground with a sharp sound.
"Okay, then let me ask you," Fang Yilan's eyes were like knives, piercing Zhao Huaixu directly, and he spoke word by word, "What is your connection with the Xiling Army?"
The lines of Zhao Huaixu's lips turned white due to the force, and he remained silent.
Fang Yilan felt mixed emotions, but she didn't say anything in the end. She just raised her foot and was about to leave this place that made her feel bored.
She suddenly felt someone gently pulling her sleeve, her body paused, and she looked back.
Dim light and shadows danced on his face. Zhao Huaixu looked like a young animal abandoned in the snow by its owner. He was trying hard to suppress his sadness, and his eyes were slightly red, so much so that you could even see the crystals in them.
This is a matter of life and death for the country. If Zhao Huaixu is really related to Xiling, Fang Yilan would not easily let it go because of her momentary weakness. However, her tone softened a little.
"If you don't want to talk now, I won't force you. I can give you some time to recover. But you must answer the questions I ask next truthfully." Fang Yilan said in a more serious tone, "If you still refuse to talk, then we really have nothing to talk about."
Zhao Huaixu still stubbornly pulled Fang Yilan's sleeve, his knuckles turned white from the force, but Fang Yilan's eyes were as cold as frost, and she just stared at him coldly.
After a long time, Zhao Huaixu finally raised his head and nodded slightly, which was considered a response.
Fang Yilan took a deep breath and asked, "Are you a spy sent by the Xiling Army?"
"no."
"If not, then why would Sotai recognize you?"
Zhao Huaixu's head, which had just been raised, lowered again, his lips tightly closed, and he fell into deathly silence again.
Fang Yilan suddenly recalled some fragments in her mind, and speculated: "Has Xiling attacked you many times? Were all the injuries on your body inflicted by Xiling people?"
"…yes."
Fang Yilan stared at Zhao Huaixu for a long time, her voice heavy: "You approached me to use me to avenge yourself?"
“…No.” Zhao Huaixu responded while grabbing Fang Yilan’s arm and pulling her closer to him.
"Really?" Fang Yilan did not resist, but still had doubts in her heart.
"If what Yu'an said is a lie, he will not die a good death." Zhao Huaixu straightened up and no longer avoided her gaze. The distance between them was so close that they could feel each other's breath blending.
Fang Yilan looked into those dark jade eyes, which were filled with a sincerity she had never felt before, and she was willing to believe that he was not lying.
"One last question. Did you save me for the military power in my hands?"
"no..."
He hugged Fang Yilan in his arms, lowered his head, and buried his face deeply in Fang Yilan's neck.
A hoarse voice came from the crook of the neck: "It's me. I want you to live."
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