Fukang'an saw the executioner from afar, raising his knife to slash at Yan Ning, while he himself was ten meters away from her. He then drew his own sword and threw it at the executioner's right hand.
With her eyes closed, Yan Ning heard the executioner cry out "Ah!" followed by the sound of the knife hitting the ground, but she herself was unharmed. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Zhao Xing and Fukang'an rushing towards her, and Yan Ning could no longer hold back her tears.
Fukang'an untied the ropes binding Yan Ning's hands, pulled her into his arms, gently wiped away her tears, and said tenderly, "I will not allow my woman, Fukang'an's woman, to cry!"
Yan Ning looked at Fukang'an's pale face and knew that he must have rushed over as soon as he woke up. She smiled slightly and said, "I'm happy to see you again."
"I told you, with me here, no one can hurt you," Fukang'an said resolutely, looking into Yan Ning's eyes. Then he picked up Yan Ning and carried her back to his military tent, leaving the executioner, who was at a loss for what to do, behind.
"How will you explain this to General Agui? You're injured and can't be punished. If he wants to punish you, I'll take the punishment for you." Fukang'an looked at Yan Ning's serious expression, affectionately smoothed her hair, and said with a smile, "Your heart can only have me, Fukang'an, in it, okay?"
"I am willing to accept this punishment." Yan Ning took the initiative to hug Fukang'an. After Fukang'an's injury and the incident at the training ground, she cherished the time she spent with Fukang'an even more.
Fukang'an was stunned for a moment. Apart from the last time at Senggesang's official residence, when she was frightened, she took the initiative to hug him. This was the first time she had taken the initiative to be intimate with him. He unconsciously increased the strength of his embrace around Yan Ning.
"General," Zhao Xing suddenly burst in, "Hehe..."
Yan Ning blushed and tried to leave Fukang'an's embrace, but Fukang'an held her tightly.
"What is it?" Although Fukang'an had regained his former vigor, his voice still sounded somewhat weak, and Yan Ning looked at him with concern.
"General Agui requests your presence," Zhao Xing said in a lower voice.
“I’ll go with you!” Yan Ning stood up and prepared to leave. She didn’t want Fukang’an to face General Agui’s punishment alone.
Fukang'an grabbed Yan Ning and asked, "Yan Ning, do you believe me?" Yan Ning nodded without hesitation.
"Okay, then I'll handle everything."
"Fukang'an greets the General." Fukang'an knelt on one knee in the military council tent.
"Get up." Agui sighed as he looked at his beloved general, whom he had nurtured, now in this state.
"Tell me your thoughts!" Agui frowned deeply, her tone cold.
"Yan Ning must not be killed." The armor on his body was constricting his wounds, causing Fukang'an to sweat profusely from the pain.
"Why?"
“You Yuanzhi is the leader of the Mingqi Sect, and now he is colluding with Senggesang, which is very disadvantageous to us. Yan Ning has only met You Yuanzhi once, and he helped her escape. It can be seen that You Yuanzhi has fallen for Yan Ning. If we use Yan Ning as bait, we can capture him.” Fukang’an analyzed without any emotion.
"Alright, we'll do as you say," Agui said thoughtfully. "But what about that demoness after we capture You Yuanzhi?"
"Please have mercy, General!" Fukang'an knelt down again, enduring the pain.
Looking at Fukang'an's haggard face, Agui's heart softened: he had followed him for so many years and had never begged him like this before. "Very well, as long as she no longer harms the army, you may do as you please."
"Thank you, General!"
Yan Ning carefully changed Fu Kang'an's dressing, thinking to herself: His injury was for her sake, and he probably couldn't bear to say that he wanted to use her as bait. "I'm willing to be the bait. For you, I'm willing to do anything."
Fukang'an was startled. "Who told you that?"
Yan Ning recalled how Zhao Xing almost knelt down and begged her not to betray him when she tried to get information out of him. "Nobody."
"It's Zhao Xing again, isn't it?" Fukang'an shook his head helplessly, pulled Yan Ning to sit down, and said with a serious expression, "Listen, fighting is my responsibility, but taking care of you and protecting you is also my responsibility. I, Fukang'an, am not so incompetent that I have to rely on women to win battles."
"But I want to do something for you." Yan Ning felt sad when she thought about how much Fukang'an had done for her, but she couldn't do anything for him.
Understanding Yan Ning's feelings for him, Fukang'an smiled gently, "If you want to help me, take good care of yourself after you get to the capital, dress yourself up nicely, and wait patiently for me to return."
"The capital?" Yan Ning thought she had misheard.
“The military camp is fraught with danger, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to take good care of you, so I asked Zhao Xing to send you back to the capital first,” Fukang’an explained.
"But what about General Agui?" Yan Ning was afraid that Fukang'an would be punished if she left.
"General Agui is only afraid that you will affect me and prevent me from winning the battle, not that he really wants to kill you. When the time comes, you will not be in the camp, and I will definitely win the battle, so General Agui will not pursue the matter any further."
Although Fukang'an spoke lightly, Yan Ning knew that things were not so simple.
"I'm not leaving. I want to stay and go back with you." Yan Ning was afraid that she wouldn't be able to wait for Fukang'an to return victorious from the battle after returning to the capital, so she left this place and returned to the place where she originally lived.
“Listen to me, if you’re here, I’ll be distracted and won’t be able to fully concentrate on the war. This war has been going on for too long, and I have to end it as soon as possible,” Fukang’an said in a heavy tone.
"But I..."
"Alright, get some rest. Pack your things tomorrow, and I'll see you off tonight." Although Fukang'an spoke to Yan Ning gently, Yan Ning knew that once he made up his mind, he wouldn't change it.
In early autumn, the cold mist was thin, the moonlight was slanted, and only the distant mountain shadows were pitied. Fukang'an and Yan Ning were both sleepless all night.
The next day, Yan Ning packed her things; there wasn't much to take. She neatly folded the clothes Fukang'an had prepared for her, wearing only one set and taking only one set with her. Then she picked up the crumpled shadow puppet of a deity and placed it back inside her clothes, a faint smile on her face—this was her secret with him. She didn't plan to take the boxes of jewelry Fukang'an had prepared for her either.
As dusk fell once more, Fukang'an, dressed in casual clothes, saw Yan Ning and Zhao Xing off.
"Does the wound on your back still hurt?" Yan Ning asked Fu Kang'an, who was silent behind her.
"It doesn't hurt." Fukang'an hugged Yan Ning tightly, spurred his horse forward, and took the two of them to the place where he first met Yan Ning.
"Wait for me, I'll be back soon." Fukang'an placed a gentle kiss on Yan Ning's forehead.
At this moment, Yan Ning looked at Fu Kang An with tearful eyes, feeling an indescribable reluctance in her heart, because after this parting, the two would never meet again.
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