Chapter 867 Saving Him! (Two chapters combined)
"He...is dead?"
Looking at the lifeless Xuanyuan Qi, Yue Liuyi drew her sword and snorted angrily, "He hurt me, I'm going to cut off his hand!"
"Xiao Liu," Gongsun Yu called out to her calmly.
Yue Liuyi's hand, holding the dagger, froze in mid-air. "What's wrong, my lord?"
Hearing the approaching sound of hooves, Gongsun Yu said, "Let's go."
Yue Liuyi glanced at the man rushing towards her at the end of the official road, followed by a large army. She frowned in resentment and put away her dagger: "This guy got off easy!"
She leaped onto her horse.
Gongsun Yu did not bring a large number of troops with him, only twenty archers, so they were at a disadvantage in terms of numbers.
However, that man seemed very powerful, and killing him would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to the Yan army.
Yue Liuyi caught up with Gongsun Yu: "My lord, who is that big guy?"
Gongsun Yu looked up at the rolling dark clouds in the sky: "General of Yan... Xuanyuan Qi."
"Xuanyuan Qi? Weren't all the Xuanyuan family members dead?" Yue Liuyi murmured to herself.
As she looked up, Gongsun Yu and twenty archers had already walked ahead.
She quickly lashed her horse with the whip, hurried to catch up, and said to Gongsun Yu, "My lord, your horses are amazing! I've never seen anything like them before!"
Gongsun Yu said calmly, "These are the Black Cavalry sent by the Han family of Yan."
Yue Liuyi said mischievously, "Black Valiant Cavalry? The Xuanyuan family has Black Wind Cavalry, and the Han family has Black Valiant Cavalry! Interesting! My lord, I want some too!"
Gongsun Yu said, "The City Lord's Mansion still has some; go back and choose for yourself."
Yue Liuyi smiled brightly: "Okay!"
The group sped away.
As the last rays of light faded, dark clouds swallowed the entire night sky, thunder rumbled across the horizon, and suddenly lightning flashed and thunder roared. The biting westerly wind instantly turned into a raging storm.
The vegetation at the pass swayed, as if the countless heroic souls of those who died on the frontier were silently sobbing.
Yue Liuyi was soaked to the bone and scoffed, "Today is not a good day to attack the city. We'll come back another day!"
Gongsun Yu remained silent on horseback, his expression cold and solemn, like a noble god from the heavens.
The last great general of the Xuanyuan family ultimately perished at his hands.
The legend of the Xuanyuan family has thus come to a complete end.
The Great Yan will sooner or later fall into the hands of the Great Jin!
When Liao Chen's horse reached the pass, Gongsun Yu had already led the Jin army away.
He practically tumbled off his horse, falling heavily into the rain-soaked mud. Braving the icy rain, he crawled on his knees to reach Xuan Yuanqi.
He looked at the man covered in blood, his chest pierced by a spear, and tears welled up in his eyes!
"Why...why..."
The wound that had taken twenty years to heal was cruelly torn open again, and my heart felt like it had been ripped in two.
He raised his hand, wanting to hug his father, but worried about hurting him...
Such a serious injury...so painful...
He knelt before his father, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
He suppressed the tearing pain in his heart, tears falling to the ground.
"Why...why did it take me so long to finally see you..."
"Why couldn't you wait for me..."
"Why do you always have to abandon me..."
"Open your eyes...look at me..."
“Look at Zheng’er… Zheng’er has grown up…”
Liao Chen knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly, his fingers digging into the mud so hard that blood spread from his fingertips and trickled down the ground.
The heavy rain washed away a large tree at the pass that had been slashed by sword energy. Without the tree's cover, everyone on the city wall saw what was happening.
They all thought there was a small army at the pass, which was why a Jin army hadn't been able to break through.
But to my surprise... it was just one person.
That man defended the pass with his own flesh and blood, holding off nine thousand Jin soldiers!
His body was riddled with arrows and daggers, and a spear had pierced through his entire chest.
What kind of indomitable will is needed to make a person forget about life and death... and even transcend life and death?
Everyone was moved to tears.
They didn't know who that person was, but each of them felt the powerful will emanating from him—the undying fighting spirit of the Great Yan!
Standing atop the city wall, Ye Qing gazed intently at the father and son kneeling in the pouring rain, unable to even say goodbye in person. Countless complex emotions surged within him.
Master, the divination you performed has come true; everything is exactly as you predicted.
The soul of Xuanyuan fell to Gongsun Yu's sword.
But Master, since you already know the ending, why did you send me to the border?
Am I allowed to witness this tragedy firsthand?
With my abilities, I couldn't change anything, and I didn't even have time to take any precautions.
"The soul of Xuanyuan should not perish."
The melancholy voice of the Imperial Advisor flashed through Ye Qing's mind, and her eyes sharpened, as if she had made a decision in her heart.
He clenched his fists, leaped into the air, and jumped off the city wall.
"Master Ye!"
General Ji's expression changed drastically, and he reached out to grab her, but he was too late and couldn't even touch a corner of Ye Qing's clothes.
The azure robes of the Imperial Preceptor fluttered in the wind and rain, like a lotus blooming in ink wash painting.
Ye Qing leaped down from the city wall.
General Ji asked with a solemn expression, "What does Master Ye intend to do?"
Ye Qing used his lightness skill to walk swiftly through the wind and rain.
Master.
Since the soul of Xuanyuan should not perish, then please forgive me... for making this decision on my own!
I am very sorry for going against your wishes. I am willing to accept any punishment once I return to the Imperial Preceptor's Hall!
I don't know if this will save him.
Perhaps it's still beyond saving, and we'll have wasted the most precious thing you entrusted to me.
But I want to give it my all no matter what.
If I've made a mistake, please let me spend the rest of my life making amends for it!
...
Wenren Chong leaped down and arrived beside Gu Jiao: "Commander Xiao, that person is..."
Gu Jiao watched Ye Qing's figure flying through the rain, her eyes flickered, and she said, "General Xuanyuan Qi."
Wenren Chong was stunned: "The... the Great General? He's not... could it be..."
"No, yes." Gu Jiao answered his question, which he hadn't even finished, succinctly. "Prepare the stretcher!"
After saying that, she turned around and quickly descended the city wall.
The rain intensified.
When Ye Qing arrived at the father and son's side, all three of them were soaked through by the rain.
Ye Qing knelt down on one knee and took out a small porcelain bottle from his bosom: "Xuanyuan Zheng, help me support your father's head."
Liao Chen was slightly taken aback.
He hadn't heard anyone call his name for many years, and he didn't react at first.
"My name is Ye Qing, the eldest disciple of the Imperial Preceptor's Hall." Ye Qing said, his eyes turning cold. "If you don't hurry, once your father is truly dead, even a Great Luo Golden Immortal won't be able to save him!"
Tears streamed down Liao Chen's face as he stared blankly at his father's head, which was gradually losing its warmth. He could no longer feel his father's pulse or breath.
So... is it really possible to save him?
Ye Qing pulled out the bottle stopper: "In the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, there have been many patients whose breathing and pulse stopped. Not everyone can be saved, but as long as they are not completely dead, there is still a glimmer of hope."
Liao Chen asked, choking back tears, "What counts as truly dead?"
Ye Qing poured out the last pill inside, pried open Xuan Yuanqi's mouth, and fed it to him: "If your breath and pulse stop for half a quarter of an hour, you're basically dead. A master like your father... might be able to delay it a little."
This pill doesn't seem to melt in your mouth.
Ye Qing patted Xuan Yuanqi's abdomen again, using his internal force to slide the medicine into his stomach.
Liao Chen carefully avoided the weapons on his father's body and let his father lean against him.
In the past, his father was his support.
In the future, he hopes to be able to support his father.
“There are two points.” Ye Qing glanced at him and said, “First, I’m not sure if your father is really dead. If he is, then this pill won’t do him any good.”
"second."
At this point, Ye Qing paused, "Even if your father isn't completely dead, this pill might not have any effect."
Liao Chen looked at him with a complicated expression: "What you gave my father to eat was..."
“Purple Grass Poison.” Ye Qing met his gaze and said honestly, “You should have heard of this poison. There is a 99% chance that it will directly kill your father and make him completely dead.”
Liao Chen clenched his fingers and murmured, "In other words, the chance of surviving is only one or two out of a hundred."
“Not that many.” Ye Qing pondered for a moment and said, “Given your father’s situation, it’s one or two out of ten thousand at most.”
...
When Gu Jiao arrived at the scene, she discovered that Xuan Yuanqi was in such poor condition that he couldn't be put on a stretcher.
...if there is still hope for Xuanyuan Qi to be saved.
Gu Jiao began to deal with the weapons on his body, starting with the long spear.
As the chief disciple of the Imperial Preceptor, Ye Qing was also skilled in medicine, and he readily assisted him.
Wenren Chong and the others held up raincoats for them, shielding them from the torrential rain that was pouring down from the sky.
"What did you feed him?" Gu Jiao asked Ye Qing.
"The purple gromwell root is poisonous," Ye Qing said.
Gu Jiao understood.
Since arriving in Yan, she had heard of this poison more than once. Last time, Gu Changqing was stabbed by An Hun's sword and was sent to the intensive care unit, almost becoming a cripple. The Grand Preceptor also planned to give him this poison.
However, the poison had expired.
Gu Changqing pulled through by relying on her willpower and positive self-talk.
This is a miracle in medical history, but Xuan Yuanqi's situation is very different from Gu Changqing's.
Gu Changqing has woken up and is no longer in mortal danger; he is simply unwilling to become a cripple.
As for Xuanyuan Qi, he really... breathed his last.
Gu Jiao put on silver silk gloves and used her golden silkworm silk to swiftly sever the spear in Xuan Yuanqi's chest: "This time it won't be expired again, will it?"
"No!" He had already told the Imperial Advisor about the last incident before he left, so he quickly explained, "The medicine that Master gave to Gu Changqing was left over from many years ago. This particular pill was found in the Han family's mansion a while ago."
"The Han family?" Gu Jiao used the Snowfield Heavenly Silkworm Silk to sever the spear on her back.
Ye Qing said, "That's right. Master said that the Han family probably controls a large area of purple grass garden. They have a lot of purple grass in their hands. The Han family's Black Cavalry and Han Wuye's Black Demon Horse were all fed with purple grass poison."
"Black Valiant Riders." Gu Jiao frowned slightly upon hearing this name, which explained why Master Han's horses were so formidable.
"Wouldn't that mean many horses died?" she asked.
Ye Qing nodded: "Animals are much more tolerant of comfrey poison than humans, but there is still a failure rate of over 70%. A large number of foals were poisoned to death, and only those that survived were qualified to become Black Riders."
Gu Jiao stopped talking.
The Han family will stop at nothing to strengthen themselves.
If Ye Qing hadn't heard his master mention it before he left, he wouldn't have known that the Han family had so many heinous secrets. He said coldly, "They're simply beasts!"
Gu Jiao glanced at him and said disapprovingly, "Don't insult animals."
Ye Qing was taken aback for a moment: "Oh."
Gu Jiao's hands, which were tending to Xuan Yuanqi's injuries, suddenly stopped. She asked solemnly, "Ye Qing, will the purple grass poison alleviate his pain?"
Ye Qing quickly realized that the "he" she was referring to was Xuan Yuanqi.
"he……"
Liao Chen helped his father, who was leaning against him, and also looked carefully at Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao did not hide anything from him. As his son, he had the right to know the truth about his father: "He has very serious internal injuries and suffers great pain every day. Living is torture for him, while dying would be a relief for him."
Liao Chen clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly.
He never imagined that his father had lived like this all these years...
"Yes," Ye Qing said confidently.
Either be poisoned to death, thus ending the suffering completely.
Either endure the deadly poison and be reborn.
Thinking of something, Ye Qing added, "After being poisoned by the purple grass, one will enter a state of suspended animation, appearing no different from a dead person. The duration varies; some people experience it for three hours, others for seven hours. If one cannot wake up after twelve hours, then one is truly dead."
Gu Jiao's gaze fell on the man's face.
Xuanyuan Qi.
You have to pull through.
No matter who you've been waiting for all these years, or what promises you made to them, I think they wouldn't want you to die here.
Your mission is not yet complete.
Endure all the suffering in the world, live on as the soul of Xuanyuan, as Liaochen's father, and as Jingkong's great-uncle, and witness the new dynasty and a prosperous and peaceful era—that is your true mission.
...
Xuanyuan Qi was taken back to the wounded soldiers' camp, where Ye Qing personally guarded him.
Liao Chen pulled himself together. Regardless of whether his father could be saved, he couldn't wallow in grief for too long.
"Is it Gongsun Yu?"
Under the shade of the canopy outside the tent, Liao Chen spoke softly.
Besides him, the only other person in the shed was Gu Jiao, who was looking at a map.
Gu Jiao nodded: "It is him, the commander-in-chief of Jin's eastern expedition, the Divine Might General."
Liao Chen said coldly, "I will kill him with my own hands!"
Gu Jiao glanced at him. Liao Chen had changed out of his monk's robes and put on a black robe from the Shadow Division, which gave him a somewhat menacing air.
“Okay,” Gu Jiao said, “He’s yours.”
The lights under the shed reflected in Chen's eyes, like two raging flames of revenge: "What are the other two called?"
Gu Jiao flipped through the map and said, "Zhu Zhangkuang and Yue Liuyi are both Gongsun Yu's confidants."
Liao Chen said, "If they were here too, I would kill them all..."
“No one is going to steal your kills, but…” Gu Jiao said, handing him a map with highlighted points, “Our forces may have to be split up. They might not all be concentrated in one place. Think it over and decide who you’re going to deal with.”
Without hesitation, Liao Chen replied, "Gongsun Yu!"
A medic emerged from another wounded soldiers' camp, and Gu Jiao called out to him, "How is Old Tang?"
The physician hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Commander Xiao, after taking the antidote pill you gave me, I'm fine now. I'll recover after a few days of unconsciousness."
Yue Liuyi is a master of hidden weapons, but not of poisons. The antidote pill given to her by Nan Shi Niang is effective against all poisons.
...except for Shangguan Qing's poison.
Thinking of Shangguan Qing, Gu Jiao closed the map and said to Chen, "Shangguan Qing is still trapped in Ghost Mountain. We must attack Pucheng as soon as possible to draw away the Jin army from Ghost Mountain. How many troops does your Shadow Division have in total?"
"Twenty thousand," Liao Chen said. "Not all of them are from the Shadow Division; some are former members of the Xuanyuan family."
Gu Jiao said, "The Black Wind Cavalry can fight for 10,000 men, making a total of 30,000. The imperial army is currently attacking the Liang army. I sent Wenren Chong to deliver a message, but I don't know how many troops can be transferred."
The imperial army numbered 120,000, of which 80,000 were combat personnel and the rest were baggage and logistics personnel.
The State of Jin claimed to have an army of 200,000, but it is unknown whether this figure is accurate or how many of them were actually combat-ready.
Gu Jiao summoned Master Hu: "How much of what I asked you to translate has been translated?"
Master Hu hurriedly said, "It's half done! I'll go and urge them again!"
Gu Jiao instructed, "Remember, you can't make a single mistake!"
Master Hu patted his chest and said, "Yes! Please rest assured, sir, all the people I found are genuine descendants of the Jin state. There are four in total, and they have been thoroughly vetted to ensure there are no mistakes!"
Gu Jiao said, "That's good. I need accurate intelligence on the Jin army."
On the other side, Shangguan Yan was stationed in the rear, Xuanping Hou led his troops to kill Liang soldiers, and Wang Man led his troops to besiege the Nangong family and recapture Xincheng.
Marquis Xuanping drove the Liang army all the way out of the border, but that wasn't enough. He went straight into the Liang border and planted the flag of the Great Yan on Liang territory!
From the rear camp, scouts kept bringing reports of victories from both sides, which pleased Shangguan Yan greatly.
At this rate, it should be finished in three to five days.
A man's voice came from outside the tent: "Your Highness! Wenren Chong of the Black Wind Camp requests an audience!"
Shangguan Yan said sternly, "Come in!"
Wenren Chong hurriedly entered the tent, bowed, and presented the letter with both hands.
Huan'er took the letter, opened it, and handed it to Shangguan Yan.
After reading it, Shangguan Yan stood up abruptly, her aura as the Crown Princess fully unleashed: "Someone! Go and inform General Xiao and General Wang Man that the battle must end tonight, and we will set off tomorrow... to attack Pucheng!"
When I say "two chapters," I mean combining two chapters into one. My daily updates are at least 4,000 words, which has nothing to do with the number of chapters.
(End of this chapter)
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