The sky was terribly overcast; it looked like it was going to snow.
The wind whipped up sand and dust, but Lin Qingwan felt that what was drifting towards her was not sand but drops of blood.
Tong Di could no longer stand. The curved blades from all directions were thin and cunning, and ghostly figures circled around him, torturing him like pieces of meat with each slash.
Those people mocked and laughed, as if playing a game, which sent chills down one's spine.
Tong Di's wrist spurted out a spurt of blood, and the sword fell to the ground.
Standing there like a bloodied figure, he looked unwillingly in Lin Qingwan's direction, silently and mechanically repeating, "Quick, go."
Hurry, let's go.
quick.
Walk.
Lin Qingwan burst into tears. Her legs felt like lead; she didn't want to walk, and she couldn't.
Jiang Zhenlin was also shocked by the scene and felt a chill run down his spine. He staggered and tried to stand up by holding onto his sword, only to see that the sword was full of nicks and chips.
The scion of a noble family had never been on a battlefield, much less witnessed such a brutal massacre.
Like Lin Qingwan, he was unable to move, and couldn't even close his eyes.
The man in black spoke in a shrill voice, and Da Ning's words were stiff: "No one can leave."
"Hahaha."
The laughter that rose and fell was full of mockery and ridicule, as if Tong Di's persistence was an utterly ridiculous thing.
Jiang Zhenlin gritted his teeth, "I'll kill you all!"
His mouth was full of the taste of blood, and his eyes were red as he tried to go over, but before he knew it, Lin Qingwan's cold hand was pressing down on his shoulder.
She stared coldly at those people, her gaze sharp as a knife, and said in a hoarse voice, "I'll borrow your sword for a moment."
Jiang Zhenlin's mind went blank for a moment. Before he could react, he saw her pick up the long sword on the ground and slash her arm twice without hesitation, causing blood to gush out.
"Lin Qingwan, you've gone mad!"
"You'll die if you go there!"
Jiang Zhenlin had never felt such rage, as if his chest was about to explode but he was powerless to do anything. He choked on two mouthfuls of blood and foam as he roared, and then he was completely unable to make a sound.
At first, Lin Qingwan felt as if she were walking on cotton, but gradually she regained feeling in her feet. She walked faster and faster, her eyes fixed on the swaying Tong Di.
Tong Di was fully aware of his impending death; he knew exactly how many cuts those people had made on him.
Back then, when I fought alongside the Crown Prince at the border, I was always prepared to die to pave a road back to the capital for him. Yet, every time, I returned alive.
That's good, since he doesn't feel anything about death.
But I never knew that watching myself die, feeling the fear of my breath, pulse, and heartbeat gradually disappear, was more torturous than death itself.
There was still a regret: he didn't get Lin Qingwan to a safe place.
But he had already heard the sound of horses' hooves; the Crown Prince was coming.
"No, come closer, don't..."
He finally collapsed, and Lin Qingwan burst into tears, but she still couldn't hold him.
When Tong Di fell to the ground, she clearly saw many pieces of flesh fall off his body. "Tong... Guard!"
Night fell, the clouds hung very low, but there was only howling wind, no snow.
The withered grass on the ground, having drunk blood, still showed no signs of life, just like Tong Di's eyes.
The assassins didn't expect Lin Qingwan to have the courage to rush over, until someone walked up to her, looked at her thin back, and raised a curved knife.
"court death."
"No!" Jiang Zhenlin roared.
"No!" Tong Di cried out indignantly, but he really couldn't move an inch; only his eyeballs could still move.
Lin Qingwan cried silently, tears streaming down her face. She looked up in astonishment, her eyes devoid of fear, and raised her bleeding arm to smear the blood on the man in black's face.
At the same time, arrows flew in.
The man in black was splattered with Lin Qingwan's blood. Although his vision was blurred, his sense of danger was still there. He immediately swung his knife to block, but for some reason his knife went astray.
Then the world spun around him, his throat felt like it was being choked, he couldn't breathe, and before he fell to the ground, an arrow pierced his brow.
The sound of bone cracking was very clear when the skull was stabbed from behind.
With a single arrow, all the men in black were forced to take a half-step back.
Zhao Cong glanced at Tong Di, his eyes filled with rage, and the archers behind him immediately drew their bows.
Zhao Cong's voice was like a sharp sword piercing through ice, "Leave no one alive!"
*
Jingbei military camp.
The cushion beneath Tong Di was soaked in blood. After examining him, the military doctor put ginseng slices in his mouth to keep him breathing, hoping he could finish saying what he wanted to say.
For the first time, Lin Qingwan felt that human tears were endless. Even though her eyes were swollen and painful, and she couldn't make a sound, she could still keep crying.
Tong Di's face was marred by bloody gashes, yet her eyes held such tenderness.
He no longer hesitated, looking at the wound on Lin Qingwan's arm with heartache, knowing that she had come with the intention of dying, and that she wanted to use her own blood to poison those people.
Tong Di wasn't unfamiliar with being protected by his brothers; each one was willing to risk their lives for him. But Lin Qingwan was a woman...
His Adam's apple bobbed. "Miss Qingwan, I lied to you."
Lin Qingwan sobbed violently, her voice trembling even more than his, "The Crown Prince can save you."
Tong Di really wanted to wipe away her tears.
"The commander Xiao who helped you set your bones was someone I brought back to the capital with the Crown Prince's seal. The medicine was also prepared by the imperial physicians at the Crown Prince's behest."
"The Crown Prince said not to mention him, and so I... I've been indebted to you for so long..."
"Cough cough."
Tong Di felt guilty, yet she also coveted her kindness because of the pair of armbands.
"The Crown Prince is aware of the situation regarding the flower garden. He could have avoided arranging for the farmers to have a dispute with Jiang Mingting that day, but I suspect it was because of you, Miss, that he changed his mind at the last minute."
"Although the young prince is clamoring to see you, he is sensible and will not insist if the crown prince does not give in."
Tong Di never thought about having anything with Lin Qingwan, but Ruan Tinghuai's appearance made him realize it. He examined his heart countless times and reminded himself countless times, but he still clearly fell for her.
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