Chapter 66
The fist under Lian Yu's sleeve made the anger burn in his heart, but it also made him feel inexplicably familiar.
"Who are you?" Lian Yu couldn't help but approach Qin Yi. He could clearly see that Qin Yi was pale and weak, but his anger was burning his brain. He suddenly pinched Qin Yi's shoulders and heard himself asking hoarsely, "Who are you? Is it you?"
When asked the last question, Lian Yu almost called out that name.
He wondered where that familiar feeling that always arose came from. He wanted to see the cold shadow of a young man from the last world in this bloodless yet still moving face. He wanted to peek into those dark, translucent eyes that always seemed invisible to him.
Lian Yu wanted to ask, are you the Qin Yi?
The thin shoulder beneath his palm suddenly trembled violently. Qin Yi covered his lips, his face flushed red from the violent coughing. A painful groan escaped from the pale fingertips that had been strained.
"Why are you coughing like this suddenly? Where does it hurt?" Lian Yu looked panicked. He wanted to pull Qin Yi's hand down to tell him not to hold it in, but his fingertips felt a warm and flowing red when their skin touched.
Lian Yu's heart stopped for a moment.
"...I'm sorry for hiding this from you." The words quickly dissipated like gossamer, as ethereal as a wisp of mist that could not be grasped. The frail body leaned back uncontrollably, but it was nothing more than a butterfly with broken wings gently falling from a branch.
Lian Yu's pupils suddenly shrank and he caught Qin Yi's thin body.
The series of shocks slowed his reaction. He held the unconscious Qin Yi in his arms in a daze, feeling as if his body was frozen in place by a cold current. The cold seeped into his bones. He tried desperately to mobilize his muscles to do something, but in the end he just froze in place.
"Calm down!" Gu Lang patted him on the shoulder with an anxious look in his eyes.
Lian Yu finally managed to regain some of his voice. He opened his mouth with great effort, his voice hoarse: "Save him."
"I'm afraid it's still the poison that's causing the problem," Gu Lang pondered for a moment, then suddenly tightened his grip on the sword at his waist. With his other hand, he patted Lian Yu's shoulder firmly, "Take your time. Leave the antidote to me. Don't worry, I've already arranged for a city-wide search for Li Bawang's whereabouts. I'm not going to say much, but there's at least a 70% chance of getting the antidote."
Lian Yu covered her face and took a deep breath: "Thank you."
"General! We've found Li Bawang's whereabouts!" The adjutant rushed in, pointing northeast. "He's at the bank in the north of the city. He's still there!"
Gu Lang looked up suddenly: "Didn't you alarm him?"
"No! We've set up an ambush. As soon as he steps out of the bank, we'll catch him!"
"Okay," Gu Lang nodded thoughtfully, his expression still solemn: "Have you tracked down the whereabouts of that batch of explosives?"
The excitement of catching Li Bawang disappeared from the adjutant's face. He slowly shook his head: "Not yet... General, with all due respect, I'm afraid the explosives have already been shipped out of the city."
Gu Lang clenched the hilt of his sword at his side. After a moment, he looked up, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. "Forget it, let's capture Li Bawang first and get as much information as we can."
"Brother," Lian Yu stood up, his eyes red but determined, "I'll go with you."
"You stay and take good care of Qin Yi."
"But--"
"Are you afraid I won't come back?"
"Absolutely not!" Lian Yu quickly shook his head and raised his hand to swear, but Gu Lang quickly grabbed it.
The raised hand was slowly lowered, and Gu Lang patted his shoulder: "Then rest well here and wait for me to come back."
In front of the bank.
"General." The soldier saluted Gu Lang respectfully. "Li Bawang hasn't shown up yet, but don't worry. We've been keeping an eye on everything going on in the bank. He won't be able to escape."
Gu Lang stared at the entrance of the money house, his frown not relaxing at all despite the soldier's words.
He stared at the plaque hanging high above the bank. The large vermilion characters carved into the ebony looked like a few huge bright red eyes lurking in the dark fog, ready to rush out and tear him to pieces in the next second.
It's too quiet.
For someone like Li Bawang who makes a lot of noise wherever he goes, is it normal for him to be so quiet?
Gu Lang's pupils suddenly shrank, he drew his sword and ran towards the money shop.
Fell into a trap!
The bank was already deserted. The two maids and servants were nowhere to be seen, and the counter was empty, as if it had been robbed.
Gu Lang felt a chill on his back, and his hand holding the hilt of the sword felt cold and numb as if it had been electrocuted.
Suddenly, there was a noise from upstairs, and a dark figure flashed by, vaguely resembling Li Bawang's figure. Gu Lang rushed forward with his sword, shouting, "Stop!"
There are many rooms on the second floor, and all of them are connected by secret doors to facilitate escape.
The two men chased each other through the door. Li Bawang was probably tired from running, and his speed gradually slowed down. Gu Lang saw the opportunity and kicked the wooden door open. The cold sword flashed with a murderous aura.
"Li Ba Wang, you secretly communicated with the Jin Kingdom. Do you admit your guilt?"
The big man behind the sword grinned, his sharp teeth frightening people: "General Gu, you've fallen into the trap."
This is a stand-in!
The big man didn't give Gu Lang time to think any further. He tensed the muscles in his strong arms, swung the butcher knife, and the thick and sharp blade chopped straight towards Gu Lang's face.
Gu Lang's expression changed, and he quickly backed away, his back hitting the railing at the edge of the corridor. Another step back and he would have fallen. Before him, a butcher's knife came down hard. Gu Lang dodged, and the knife instantly cut through the railing beside him. Perhaps the railing was loose to begin with, and Gu Lang suddenly lost his balance and fell uncontrollably.
The money house is quite large. Although it only has two floors, it is nearly five meters high.
During the milliseconds of falling, Gu Lang squeezed his eyes shut. He had never believed in gods or fate, only in himself, but at that moment, he made a sincere vow to the god whose face he couldn't see. He promised to take anything from him, but he must not fall to any critical parts. He must be able to pick up the sword again in the future, and he must... be able to protect this city.
"What about making a wish?" a cold voice sounded. Gu Lang opened his eyes and met the pair of eyes filled with disdain behind the iron mask: "Don't you not believe in God?"
After saying that, Tiehe threw him behind him and faced the angry man head-on.
"Iron Crane! How dare you ruin my good deeds!" The butcher knife turned and chopped towards Iron Crane. Iron Crane's expression remained unchanged. He raised his wrist and a stone flew out, hitting the big man's right eye accurately.
The stone rolled to the ground, the eyeball already stained with blood. The big man dropped his butcher knife and screamed, clutching his right eye. Tie He suddenly turned around, and before Gu Lang could react, he quickly drew the sword at his waist. The sharp blade flashed, avoiding the ribs and deeply piercing the big man's heart.
The big man jumped like a fish that was not yet dead, and then he completely lost his breath.
Gu Lang looked at the stone on the ground in silence for a while, then looked up and called out to Tie He who was about to leave: "I missed you so much."
Tiehe's body suddenly stiffened, and the iron chains on his body suddenly began to tremble with a clanging sound.
"Why are you shaking?" Gu Lang looked at him.
"Shut up!" Tie He clenched his fists and turned around, glaring at him with a red face. He raised his hand and threw a porcelain-white medicine bottle at him. Seeing the smile in Gu Lang's eyes, Tie He felt even more embarrassed. After a long time, he managed to utter an angry "Get out!"
"Don't do anything wrong." Gu Lang's expression became serious.
The eyes behind the Tiehe mask were stunned for a moment, and then replaced by hatred: "Wrong? I have the blood of the Jin Kingdom flowing in my body, what have I done wrong?"
"General!" The adjutant rushed in with his men at this time, and saw Tiehe standing opposite Gu Lang: "He's someone close to Li Bawang, catch him!"
Gu Lang raised his hand to stop him: "Let him go."
"What?" The adjutant's eyes widened in surprise.
He watched the inky figure leap up to the second floor and then completely disappear. Gu Lang slowly lowered his hand and handed the porcelain-white medicine bottle to the adjutant: "Take the person back first, and give this to Master Lian."
The adjutant seemed to have noticed something and looked panicked: "What about you?"
Gu Lang no longer answered, but just looked in the direction where Tiehe left.
——
When the porcelain vase was delivered, Lian Yu almost cried.
He quickly took the porcelain bottle from the adjutant's hand, lifted Qin Yi up with one hand, and let Qin Yi's head rest on his shoulder. Watching Qin Yi swallow the black pill with water, Lian Yu felt relieved. He gently wiped the water stains from the corners of Qin Yi's lips with his fingertips, and then gently put him back on the bed.
Perhaps it was a psychological effect, but the pale face seemed to regain some color. Only then did Lian Yu feel the pent-up anger finally dissipate.
He clasped his fists towards his adjutant and said, "Thank you for your hard work. I wonder how things are going over there, big brother. Did you catch Li Bawang?"
The adjutant drooped his brows and shook his head, then quickly cheered up: "Don't worry, the monk may escape, but the temple cannot. Many relatives of the Li family are still in the city. He will come back one day."
Relatives? For a man like Li Bawang, would he care about the life and death of his so-called relatives?
Lian Yu's face was heavy. "You're right. He will probably come back. But when he comes back, I'm afraid he won't be alone."
"What do you mean?" The adjutant looked confused.
Lian Yu was about to answer when he heard a faint, hoarse cough from the bed. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly helped Qin Yi sit up. "Are you awake? Are you feeling unwell?"
Qin Yi still shook his head weakly and put his cold hand into Lian Yu's broad and warm palm.
"He wants to... lure the enemy into the city." Although Qin Yi's breath was weak, his words were clear.
The adjutant opened his mouth blankly, then his expression suddenly changed. He ran out, "I'll report to the general!"
There was a loud bang in the sky.
Like a huge thunderbolt, even this small city was shaking.
The maid in the yard screamed, "What's that sound?"
All three people in the room knew the truth.
The adjutant paused at the door, a bewildered look on his face. He muttered to himself, as if stunned by the loud noise: "General... Where can I find the general?"
Rumors spread throughout the city that General Gu, the imperial guard sent to defend the city against the Jin invasion, had fled, leaving the city's defenseless civilians behind. The Jin army sealed the city gates, cutting off supplies. After a fortnight of cutoff supplies, the city's food, fodder, and water depleted daily, reaching the point where even a single steamed bun had to be shared among several people.
Since the commander of the city was gone, there was no need for a direct confrontation. The Jin army's strategy was to starve the city's inhabitants dry and then march straight in without losing a single soldier or general.
Another letter of surrender was sent in.
"I will never surrender!" In the hall, the old lady slammed the wooden table.
In just half a month, her temples and forehead hair had turned completely white. In order to ensure that all the maids and relatives in the mansion had food to eat, the old lady herself had not eaten or drunk anything for three days, and refused to eat no matter who persuaded her.
Even though she was aging at a visible rate, every word she spoke still carried weight: "As long as this old man of mine has one more day to live, I will never surrender!"
After she finished speaking, the old lady's straight shoulders relaxed and she leaned back in the chair, breathing heavily.
"Grandma!" Qin Yi stepped forward anxiously, "You can't waste any more time like this. Can you eat something?"
The old lady gritted her teeth and slowly shook her head.
Qin Yi's eyes were filled with tears. He looked at Lian Yu at the door for help: "Xiao Yu, please persuade grandma."
Lian Yu withdrew his gaze from the direction of the city gate and clenched his fists.
The old woman sighed slowly, her eyes like a mother elephant who knows her end is near. Her sorrow was compounded by a hint of reluctance. "Little Rain, if you want to rain, then rain. As long as we're alive, there's always a chance."
Lian Yu clenched his fists and quickly walked over to the old lady, slapping a dry, hard pancake on the table. "Gu Lang will come back. If you die now, you won't be able to see the Jin army retreat. Don't you think it's a pity?"
The old lady's eyes trembled, her dry eyelids lifted, and she looked at Lian Yu for a long time, tears seeming to well up in her eyes.
Sensing the old lady's softening attitude, Qin Yi hurriedly picked up the large pancake on the table and carefully broke it into small, mung bean-sized pieces. Just as he was about to feed a piece to the old lady's lips, a servant suddenly came tumbling in, his face covered in tears, "Old lady, your hard times are over!"
"General Gu is back! He signed a letter of surrender with the Jin Kingdom. The Jin Kingdom promised not to touch the civilians in the city and would open the city gates and send in food and water tomorrow!"
The piece of cake suddenly fell to the ground, and the old lady fell down in front of the wooden table. The servant was frightened and his happy face froze there.
"Oh!" the old lady shook her head, tears streaming from her dull eyes. "Today we cede five cities, tomorrow we cede ten. I'm afraid there's no end to this."
The hall soon became chaotic, and Lian Yu turned around and rushed out.
"Xiaoyu!" Qin Yi quickly caught up and grabbed his wrist.
Lian Yu took Qin Yi's body into consideration and didn't struggle. He clenched his fists and said as if he was holding back his breath, "I'm going to find Gu Lang."
"The Jin army is still outside the city. Do you know how dangerous it is to leave the city at this time?"
"But I don't believe Gu Lang will surrender!"
"Why not? Isn't saving the lives of the people in the city exactly what he wants?"
"But..." Lian Yu was stunned, a look of confusion on his face: "It's not like this in the plot."
"Yes, it's just a plot. What does it have to do with you? Once you leave this world, everything here will have nothing to do with you!"
"What I encountered is related to me!" Lian Yu suddenly raised his voice.
The air grew still. Meeting Qin Yi's stunned black eyes, Lian Yu lowered his eyelids, hiding his true emotions from view. "Do you know how much I hated you when I found out you were lying to me? But I'm still glad, glad you're still alive."
"When you were lying in a pool of blood, I wished I was the one who got stabbed."
"So now, I have to meet Gu Lang. If this decision is really made by him, I won't interfere anymore."
Qin Yi looked at Lian Yu deeply, then quickly raised his sleeve to wipe his cheek, and his sleeve was soon wet.
"Okay." Qin Yi's throat was blocked. "Leave everything in the mansion to me. Please come back."
"Of course," Lian Yu curled her lips and rubbed the wetness on his cheek with her knuckles: "I haven't settled the score with you for lying to me yet."
As dusk fell, perhaps because the surrender had already been signed, the Jin guards in front of the city gate were dozing off with their spears in hand.
Lian Yu cautiously moved to a nearby thatched shed, sheltering himself behind a pile of straw. He stared at the guard, making plans. He wasn't sure where Gu Lang was. Blindly searching? Too inefficient. Approaching the guard? That didn't seem likely.
Lian Yu was thinking intently when someone suddenly patted his shoulder.
His shoulders trembled and he was about to scream, but someone covered his mouth the next second.
"It's me." Gu Lang's voice was as calm as water, instantly calming Lian Yu's pounding heart.
Lian Yu was extremely surprised and excited, and her tone was uncontrollably excited: "Brother, you are not dead."
"Don't worry, you won't die." Gu Lang pulled Lian Yu's arm and walked towards somewhere, his steps were big and steady.
"Where are you going?" Lian Yu asked from behind.
"Leave the city."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
