Chapter 56: Corpse Mountain (Revised) All the burdens on my body are disappearing in my soul...
When Yuan Qingjun heard Fang Yilan's absurd remarks, she subconsciously replied, "Stop joking..." But the tail end of the tone still revealed the ripples in her heart.
She had thought so too. Back in Wenbin, she had faintly smelled Fang Yicen's presence, drifting from the corner of the deserted corridor, startling her so much that she nearly knocked over her medicine cup.
Also, she always felt that one night, Fang Yicen seemed to be right beside her. Yuan Qingjun always thought she was dreaming, and in her half-asleep state, she heard the window frame creaking softly.
The man came in, carrying the night dew with him, and sat beside the bed, watching her sleep. He gently scratched the tip of her nose with his finger, and his tone was still as annoying as before: "You little heartless person, I went to great lengths to bring you medicine, and you gave it all to someone else."
“I always remember to take care of others, but forget to take care of myself...”
After saying that, he stuffed a pill into her mouth, caressed her lips with his fingertips, and finally left her with only a sigh.
She was drowsy and wanted to open her eyes, but she felt a pain in her neck and fell asleep again. The pain took Fang Yicen away.
At that time, Yuan Qingjun was still thinking in her dream: What a damn thing, I was dreaming, but he was unwilling to kiss her before leaving. After all, it was rare for her to dream about that unfaithful man.
When she woke up in the morning, the warm touch on her lips and the soreness in her neck were so real that she couldn't let it go.
She had originally believed that Fang Yicen's spirit in heaven had protected her, preventing her from contracting the disease. But when she discovered something unusual about the pot of medicine, she genuinely considered whether Fang Yicen's spirit, unwilling to enter reincarnation, might still be lingering in the human world... But the thought was so absurd that she never expressed it aloud.
Fang Yilan also felt that her thoughts were ridiculous: "Maybe I'm crazy..."
Yuan Qingjun's tone softened a bit, and he tried to comfort her, "Don't think too much about it. He Wei and your brother are close, so it's normal for them to have similar habits."
Fang Yilan's eyes darkened. The torch cut her profile into two parts, light and dark, making it impossible to see her expression clearly.
Fang Yicen may not be alive, but there must be something wrong with He Wei's identity.
...
On the second day, Fang Yilan got up early and went to He Shou's tent.
He Shouben was sitting at his desk studying a map. Seeing Fang Yilan come in, he stood up to greet him. "General Fang, how come you have time to come to my place today?"
Fang Yilan said in a relaxed tone: "I'm here to discuss with you the southwest border defense formation."
The two men sat opposite each other. He Shou ordered someone to serve hot tea, unfolded the topographic map, and discussed future tactical arrangements with Fang Yilan.
The ripples in the celadon teacup spread out in circles. Fang Yilan stared at He Shou's lowered eyes and changed the subject: "General He, you should be the one who knows He Wei best. I have some questions about him and I want to talk to you."
He Shou picked up the teacup and took a sip. His expression was normal, as if he had already expected Fang Yilan to ask this question. "General Fang, if you want to know anything, just ask directly."
Fang Yilan asked curiously, "How did He Wei get injured back then? How could he be injured so seriously?"
He Shou's breathing hitched, and he slowly spoke, "During the Battle of Jin'an, my brother and I went to support the northwest, but his group was ambushed. When I arrived with my men, my brother had already fallen in a pool of blood, his right hand nearly severed, and he had multiple serious wounds. According to the original plan, I was going to take that route, but he switched routes with me before we set off. If it weren't for him, I'm afraid I wouldn't be alive today."
His brother lay amidst a mountain of corpses, his right hand nearly torn from his body, yet he still clutched tightly onto a fragment of his Fang family's military flag. If it weren't for supporting the Fang family... what about the Fang family?
Although it was clearly a sad expression, Fang Yilan could see endless hatred hidden in his eyes.
Fang Yilan naturally knew about the Battle of Jin'an that He Shou mentioned.
Three years ago, Fang Yicen had no choice but to take a risk due to the shortage of food and grass. He took his team to raid the enemy camp. Because they were too reckless, the He brothers from the southwest split their troops into two groups to support them from behind. However, for some reason, the Xiling Army learned of their raid route. A large number of Xiling Army ambushed on the mountain road where He Wei was. Fang Yicen retreated and went to rescue them after learning about it. As a result, Fang Yicen died tragically and his body was never found. His brother He Wei was also left disabled.
She continued to ask: "Why does he wear a mask?"
He Shou's Adam's apple slid against his collar. "That was... a gift from your brother. He Wei is handsome, but he was always scolded for looking like a woman on the battlefield... We had it with us when we found him. We wanted to take it off for him, but he refused, saying it ruined his appearance... He's always been vain, so he probably couldn't accept his disfigured appearance."
"When you found him," Fang Yilan heard her heart beating like a drum, "how did you confirm that it was He Wei?"
He Shou said confidently: "How could I not recognize my own brother? The clothes he was wearing, the rings and pendants of our He family... Although he forgot a lot of things after his injury, but..."
At this point, his voice gradually lowered, as if he himself could not continue. He Wei had indeed changed too much. These so-called evidences were not indestructible. The clothes and the rings could indeed have been replaced by others.
Fang Yilan seemed easily convinced and continued to ask, "What happened next? I heard he was always proud of you, so why did he suddenly turn against you?"
He Shou's expression darkened, and he sighed, "Maybe he realized his brother was useless. There was nothing he could do about his injuries, and he could only watch him suffer day and night."
Fang Yilan's breath was choked in her chest, and she said hoarsely: "It must have been difficult for him to accept it at that time..."
He Shou's eyes were bloodshot. "At that time... his right hand was almost lost." He chuckled midway through his speech. "The tendons and veins in his right hand were completely severed. Now all he has left is a stump of an arm. He can't even lift a pair of chopsticks."
"He's been tough since he was a child. When has he ever been afraid of pain?" He Shou raised his hand to shield his eyes. "But from all the sweat he's sweating through his wounds, he's even soaked the mattress. He's fainted from the pain countless times... It was so painful that he could only utter the word 'easy'."
Fang Yilan was about to ask something else when He Shou's personal guard suddenly pushed open the curtains and shouted urgently, "General, this is bad! He Wei and the Nanzhao soldiers have robbed the West Camp of its grain!"
He Shou stood up suddenly, the teacup in his hand slammed to the ground, and said in a deep voice: "Prepare the horses! Send troops to intercept."
Fang Yilan also left the tent and mounted his horse.
The two of them quickly gathered their troops and rushed towards the West Camp.
Thick clouds obscured the moonlight, shrouding the mountains and forests in darkness. The sound of horse hooves was remarkably clear in the night, and only the shadows of torches flickered in the wind. At a bend in the mountain road ahead, Nanzhao soldiers were fleeing south, pushing Ruining's grain carts. Their leader wore a green-fang mask that shone coldly in the moonlight.
Fang Yilan lit the rocket, pulled the bow to its full length, and brushed his finger across the bowstring, hitting the grain cart at the foot of the mountain in front of him, which instantly caught fire.
"Chase."
Suddenly, a sound of piercing the air came from the mountains. Fang Yilan looked up alertly and saw a hidden arrow shooting from the mountains, aiming directly at her chest.
"Be careful!" He Shou suddenly pounced on Fang Yilan. She felt her shoulders sink. He Shou's armor hit her back heavily, and the arrow pierced his left shoulder.
Fang Yilan steadied himself and turned to look at He Shou: "General He, are you okay?"
He Shou covered his wound, his face pale, but he still forced a smile: "It's a minor injury, nothing serious. General Fang, you lead the pursuit first, I will stay behind to provide support."
"Okay, be careful." Fang Yilan nodded, pulled the reins, and Yue neighed as he rushed into the rugged mountain road.
The sound of pursuing horses echoed in the canyon. The surrounding cliffs cut the sky into a narrow line. A fork in the road appeared ahead. Fang Yilan chose the more dangerous side and then shouted an order: "Yu'an, you take Zhuang Gu, Xunyun go this way, and Xiao Yue follow me."
"yes!"
Zhao Huaixu: "Alan..."
Fang Yilan didn't have time to talk to him anymore. He rode on Jiaoyue and chased after him quickly. The team behind him, holding torches high, split into two torrents at the fork in the road and rushed to both sides.
The rapid sound of horse hooves was as dense as drumbeats. The fleeing Nanzhao soldiers in front suddenly slowed down. When they reached the valley, they reined in their horses, turned around, turned their swords, and slashed at the defenseless Fang family soldiers beside them.
Fang Yilan's pupils suddenly shrank as he watched helplessly as a personal guard was stabbed through by a southwestern soldier behind him. The personal guard turned back in disbelief, muttering, "Why..."
"Humph! You'll know once you go to hell!"
In an instant, the sound of killing shook the valley, and blood splattered amid the flashes of swords and sabers, dyeing the ground beneath their feet red.
Fang Yilan backhanded the incoming scimitar, then thrust her spear forward, stabbing the man's throat. The man groaned and fell to the ground. She finally got a clear look at those so-called Nanzhao soldiers. Their pierced outer robes revealed the soft armor unique to the He family army in the southwest.
It was fake that He Wei led the team to seize food, and the real thing was that He Shou led the troops to ambush him.
Fang Yilan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He realized that he had fallen into a trap and shouted an order: "Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
Unfortunately, it was too late. The enemy troops lying in ambush on the cliff appeared one after another, and arrows rained down on Fang Yilan's team.
The sound of arrows breaking through the air was endless, and the surrounding Fang family soldiers fell one after another.
Fang Yilan spun around, deflecting three stray arrows, but heard the muffled sound of flesh tearing behind him. Xiao Yue's right shoulder was already bleeding. Xiao Yue was completely unaware as his heavy sword split another enemy soldier, blood splattering across his brow. He roared, "Protect the General!"
Dozens of personal guards gathered from all sides, surrounded Fang Yilan in the center, and built an indestructible protective shell with flesh and blood.
But the rain of arrows was relentless, and no mortal could completely avoid it. A sharp arrow pierced Xiao Yue's chest. He stumbled and used his sword to support himself, but several more arrows pinned him to the ground, and he could no longer stand up.
"Xiao Yue!" Her shout was drowned out by the cries of killing coming from all directions.
"In my life, I finally managed to protect someone." Blood foamed from the corners of Xiao Yue's mouth, but he still had a smile on his face as he uttered six hoarse words from his throat: "Fang Yilan, live."
Fang Yilan didn't remember how many people he had killed. The gun in his hand was broken and the blade of the sword he had snatched was bent.
A total of fifty-seven personal soldiers did not forget to support their broken bodies and protect her under them at the last moment of their lives to shield her from fatal attacks.
Their bodies gradually grew cold, and they whispered, "General, stay alive... avenge us..."
Fang Yilan's rusty body was buried in the bloody mud. Through the gaps in the human wall, she saw the scimitar of the Southwestern Army slashing into the back of the neck of the personal soldier above her head. The muffled sound of chopping flesh and bones was close at hand.
The warm blood waterfall seeped through the gaps, dripping onto her trembling eyelashes, and then fell into the corners of her eyes as bloody tears.
His five senses were blocked, leaving only his eyes. Blood flowed into his eyes, but Fang Yilan didn't blink. His nails dug deep into the soil, trying to engrave everything in front of him into his mind.
All the burdens on his body were transformed into poisonous hatred at the moment his soul died.
hatred,
How could she not hate him?
...
On the mountain road ten miles away, the sound of metal clashing could be heard faintly from the east. Zhao Huaixu suddenly pulled the reins, lifted the outer shirt of a dead Nanzhao soldier lying on the ground, and cold sweat instantly soaked his inner clothes.
He was startled: "The whole army retreats! Quickly!"
Zhao Huaixu rushed back with his men. When he arrived at the valley, the scene before him made him freeze in place.
Mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
The waning moon shone on the pile of corpses. Fang Yilan's broken spear was stuck at the highest point, and the tassel was soaked with blood. The mountain wind suddenly blew up a strong smell of blood, and Zhao Huaixu's sword fell to the ground with a "clang".
"Alan..."
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