Elite Ten
His sword was so heavy that an ordinary woman couldn't lift it at all... Gu Jinghong drew it out and just slashed wildly.
Looking into the empty madness in her bloodshot eyes, he felt a sharp pain in his heart, wishing she could vent all her overwhelming hatred and resentment.
"Clang!" A corner of the desk was cut off, and documents fell like snowflakes.
"Thump—" The poles supporting the tent were almost cut in half.
"Whoosh—" The curtain in the middle of the tent was split in half.
Xiao Chengyan initially dodged, maneuvering within the confined space.
He finally stopped, his eyes hardening, when he caught a glimpse of crimson blood seeping from between her fingers gripping the sword hilt.
"Ah Hong, let go!" he shouted in a low voice, and seizing an opportunity, he reached out with his right hand and grabbed her wrist that was holding the sword.
Gu Jinghong seemed unaware of what was happening on one side. With a flick of his wrist, the sword blade instinctively slashed upwards in the opposite direction!
"Swoosh—" A very faint sound, like a sharp object scraping against a hard object.
Xiao Chengyan's arm trembled violently, and his brows furrowed instantly.
A shallow white mark remained on the armband of the black armor. After a moment, dark red blood slowly seeped out and stained the armor. Because of its dark color, it was difficult to see clearly at first.
Gu Jinghong was completely unaware of this, and the sword had already been snatched away by him and thrown far away with a clang.
The weapon slipped from her hand, leaving her feeling utterly drained, yet overwhelmed by an even stronger surge of emotions.
With bloodshot eyes, she lunged at him, her fists and palms landing haphazardly on his hard chest and shoulder armor.
"Why...why do you all have to force me..."
"Revenge...you're all watching me..."
"Get out of here! All of you, get out of here!"
She spoke incoherently, her voice hoarse, as if she were fighting an invisible enemy.
Xiao Chengyan finally guessed the confusion in her mind, grabbed her wrist, and growled in her ear, "Gu Jinghong! Look carefully! It's me!"
But when his voice reached her ears, it was just a blurry, distorted noise, mixed with the chaotic, vengeful cries in her mind, which only further agitated her nerves.
She struggled more and more violently, and in her frantic movements, her fingernails scratched a bloody mark on the side of his neck.
He suddenly tightened his arms, holding her tightly in his embrace, refusing to let go no matter how much she kicked and struggled. Then, he lowered his head, his thin lips covering hers, which were stained with blood and tears and uttering broken words.
"Ugh...!"
A sharp pain shot through her lips, accompanied by the strong taste of blood spreading between them. The pain was so real, like a ray of light suddenly cleaving through the chaotic fog in her mind.
The chaotic faces and shouts receded like a tide.
Gu Jinghong's violent struggle suddenly stopped.
The senses gradually returned.
She felt the steely strength in his embrace, smelled the familiar scent of blood and spikenard on him, and tasted... a familiar aroma.
Her unfocused gaze slowly focused, and what came into view was Xiao Chengyan's face, which was very close to hers.
His face was no longer distorted and pale; it remained incomparably handsome, but his eyes held a bottomless pain and an intense emotion that almost devoured her.
She finally stopped struggling, collapsing into his arms as if all her strength had left her, her body trembling slightly and her breath coming in short gasps.
Xiao Chengyan slowly released her lips, and their foreheads touched, their breaths mingling.
He didn't speak, but just glanced at her, his eyes complex and profound.
Then, he picked her up horizontally, walked to the bedside, and gently put her down.
He turned around, fetched the first-aid kit, and gently took her still bleeding hand in his.
He used a cotton handkerchief dampened with water to gently wipe away the blood and dirt from her hands, revealing the glaring, constantly bleeding wound on her palm. Then he carefully applied ointment and used a clean, fine cloth to meticulously bandage her wound, layer by layer.
Only the still-breathing sounds of the two remained inside the tent.
A chilling calm.
"You're saying I'm the son of your father's killer?" He finished tying a pretty bow, looked up at her, and spoke in a cold and direct voice.
Gu Jinghong looked into his eyes: "Isn't that so? I am the daughter of the Nanfeng royal family, and the entire Nanfeng royal family died at the hands of the Yong Dynasty emperor... I don't know what to do either."
He looked into the confusion in her eyes and said in a low voice, "So, this is your choice? To be trapped by the words 'blood feud,' to forget that I am Xiao Chengyan, to forget who you are, to forget everything that happened between us?"
She retorted, "You were the one who forgot first."
He raised his hand and gently wiped away the bloodstain on her lips with his fingertips, his movements filled with tenderness.
She felt the warmth of his fingertips but didn't speak; she simply lowered her eyes to look at the ground.
He continued, "You... only know one side of the story. You're right, I am a prince of the Yong Dynasty. But there are other suspicious circumstances surrounding the extermination of the Nanfeng clan back then. Your father's killer was never my father, the emperor."
Gu Jinghong snapped out of her daze and looked up at him: "What did you say?"
A gentle smile appeared on Xiao Chengyan's face, confident and composed: "Do you think that after I recognized you as Gu Ning, I wouldn't seriously investigate the truth behind the destruction of the Nanzhao Kingdom back then? Would I let such an insurmountable chasm stand between us? Hmm?"
Gu Jinghong: "..."
He continued, "When the Nanfeng Kingdom fell, the real masterminds behind it were Gongsun Lie, who was eager to seize military merits and consolidate his position, and the powerful ministers of Nanfeng who colluded with foreign enemies. My father was nothing more than a knife in his hand."
Gu Jinghong asked, "Didn't your father say it himself, 'Any remnant of the Southern Wind royal family, once discovered, will be killed without exception'?"
Hearing her question, the gentle smile on his face stiffened slightly. She even knew this. As expected of the Lord of Qianyuan Pavilion, she had all the information under control. But how could the ultimate secrets of the royal family be so easily discovered?
He looked into her eyes, his gaze gentle, and patiently explained, "Yes, the edict was issued by him, and he spoke the words himself. But Ah Hong, the one sitting on the dragon throne is first and foremost an emperor."
"An emperor who was blinded by powerful ministers and swayed by military achievements, and who, in order to maintain imperial dignity and court stability, had to perpetuate his mistakes and even personally make the final judgment."
He stood up, his back looking somewhat lonely in the candlelight.
"The clues I found point to collusion between Gongsun Lie and Nanfeng, but all the evidence was cleanly and decisively cut off at the most crucial point. The clues are clear, but there is no way to verify them."
"The overall situation was already settled, and Nanfeng was history. Did Father Emperor really intend to take action against a key minister who had made great contributions in battle, held a large army, and seemed 'loyal' in eliminating Nanfeng for him, without any solid evidence, for the sake of a fallen country?"
“He won’t. The art of rulership lies in weighing the pros and cons. It’s not worth shaking the foundations of the nation and causing political turmoil for an irreversible outcome.”
"Therefore, the 'kill without mercy' order was less of a kill order and more of a fig leaf. It was to cover up the shame of being used by his subjects, to prevent the real truth from coming to light and causing any subsequent trouble, and also to appease the people of the pro-war faction at the time."
"He tacitly allowed Gongsun Lie to claim credit for 'pacifying the south wind' and also tacitly allowed Gongsun Lie to use this credit to gradually become the Duke of Zhenguo. This in itself is a transaction, a compromise."
He turned around, his gaze pressing heavily on her.
"Now, do you understand? Your enemy is Gongsun Lie, who plotted everything for personal gain, and those treacherous ministers of Nanfeng. And my father..."
He paused, his voice tinged with complex emotion, "He may be muddle-headed, cold-blooded, an accomplice who sacrificed your Nanfeng justice to maintain superficial stability. But the executioner whose hands are stained with the blood of your loved ones has never been him."
"This is the 'truth' I found out. It is not an insurmountable chasm between us, but a real mountain that we need to join forces to overcome."
Gu Jinghong was momentarily confused, as if she was processing what he had said.
After a long silence, she finally asked, "But where's the evidence? How can I..."
How can I believe your one-sided story?
Xiao Chengyan's heart suddenly tightened. Originally, there was no need for evidence between the two of them; whatever they said was true.
But now...
He turned around, took out a purse from his hand, and handed it to Gu Jinghong: "There is evidence, of course."
Gu Jinghong took the purse and looked at it—the purse was very old, and it was obviously decorated with Nanfeng's pattern.
She asked in confusion, "This matter..."
"You gave this to me when I was little... You don't know how important this purse is. You gave it to me. And Xuanru is the Valley Master. She helped me back then because she saw this purse. Her words 'South Wind'... refer to you."
Gu Jinghong was stunned: "But I... I can't remember. The fact that I am Gu Ning is just a deduction on my part... I haven't even confirmed it yet."
Xiao Chengyan smiled, walked over and gently pinched her nose, indulgent and doting: "You're so bold, daring to break into my Northern Border Army camp with just one deduction, daring to go against me."
He walked over, bent down, and placed his hands on either side of her, trapping her in a small space.
"Now, are you still going to push me away, Ah Hong?" His breath brushed against her cheek. "It doesn't matter if you don't remember. It happened ten years ago... You'll have your chance."
He withdrew his hand, but his eyes suddenly sharpened, and his tone changed abruptly: "However, there is something more urgent than confirming your identity. Gongsun Lie is using your armor-piercing crossbow to slaughter my soldiers."
“Ah Hong,” he gazed at her, “I need you.”
He deliberately paused at this point, intending to let Gu Jinghong understand the implied meaning.
But when Gu Jinghong heard that he was in charge of the same armor-piercing crossbows as her, she looked up at him, and the chaos in her eyes had been replaced by calmness: "You want me to destroy those crossbows?"
“That’s a poor choice.” Xiao Chengyan shook his head. “I need you to make them ‘obedient,’ and you must have a way.”
After a moment, she looked at Xiao Chengyan: "I need ten elite men to go out under cover of night."
Xiao Chengyan looked at Gu Jinghong with a complicated expression: "Ten elite men? Men?"
What kind of talk is this? Are the elite troops on the battlefield all women?
She rolled her eyes: "Of course."
"Still want to do it at night?"
"That's natural."
Xiao Chengyan refused without hesitation: "No way!"
Gu Jinghong: "...?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
