Chapter 75 Entering the Five Mosques, Flowers Compete for Bloom
Instead of deflecting Jing Ye as he had deflected Wang Yuying, Hugu Xumi swung his sword again, aiming straight for Jing Ye's crown. Jing Ye parried with a backhand stroke, blocking the attack once more, while simultaneously grabbing a Han cavalryman from the ground with his left hand to help him to his feet.
The Han cavalryman immediately picked up his sword and ran away.
Jing Ye's right hand remained locked against the Hugu sword. His heart pounded powerfully; he had long since realized that he, too, was bloodthirsty. The more blood he saw flowing like rivers, the more frenzied he became. At this moment, he felt no fear whatsoever, but rather excitement at having this one-on-one duel.
Hugu Xumi slashed again, and the two turned their heads, their bodies brushing past each other. After that, swords flashed and horses lurched, and they fought for twenty or thirty rounds without a clear winner.
With a sweeping force like splitting a mountain, Jingye's heavy sword swept across fiercely. Hugu Xumi gripped the reins and leaned back to dodge. Jingye then flicked his wrist, knocking off the stirrups. Hugu Xumi's white horse lost its balance and tilted precariously. Hugu had no choice but to leap off the horse, stand on the ground, and wield his sword with both hands, viciously slashing at the front hooves of Jingye's mount. The horse's leg was instantly severed, and Jingye also fell from the horse's back.
Jingye swept across again, his heavy sword drawing an arc in the air. Hugu Xumi was not afraid to fight back, his sword slicing across Jingye's blade, sparks flying everywhere. Suddenly, a hissing sound was heard, with a long trailing sound. It turned out that Jingye's sword had swept past Hugu Xumi's iron helmet and knocked it off.
The wolf helmet crashed to the ground and split in two. To make it easier to wear the helmet today, Hugu had not braided his hair; his long black hair was loose and hung down, then flew in the wind.
Clang—
With another sound, Jing Ye's heavy sword fell from his hand and landed on the ground. He looked at his right hand and saw a faint red line on his wrist. Then, blood gushed out like beads, dripping onto the yellow earth and green grass.
During their exchange, he knocked off Hugu Sumi's helmet, and Hugu also severed his tendons.
Hearing the commotion, many people looked over, including Wang Yuying. However, she was blocked by the chaotic horses and could only hear the noise. After looking around for a while, she couldn't see either Jing Ye or Hugu Xumi. Yuan Wancheng's view was also partially obstructed. He didn't know that Jing Ye was injured, but he saw the Northern Di King with disheveled hair and a sorry state. How could he let go of this fleeting opportunity? He immediately pointed his sword at Hugu Xumi, channeled his inner strength, and made a booming voice resound across the battlefield: "Disfigured and disheveled, a sign of being abandoned by Heaven! Your king has lost his destiny and is about to be destroyed! Following the tyrant's foolishness, there is only death ahead! Laying down your armor and returning to righteousness is the best course of action!"
The call was met with immediate and enthusiastic responses. The Han generals nearby also shouted, "Those who surrender will not be killed, and their wives and children will be spared!"
The Di soldiers who were resisting visibly began to waver, and many of them slowly lowered their longswords and scimitars.
Yuan Wancheng reined in his horse and said again, “I’m sure you’ve all heard that nearly three thousand of your comrades surrendered and laid down their arms. Our dynasty spared their lives and granted them land and a place to live.”
"Our commander could easily take your lives, but Heaven cherishes life and does not wish to see you die in vain!" The Governor-General of the Northern Frontier also rushed to Yuan Wancheng's side and shouted with all his might, "Those who behead Hugu Xumi and surrender will be richly rewarded by the Holy Emperor, who will bestow upon them a thousand gold pieces and grant them a fief of a hundred households!"
Among the Di people who had already laid down their weapons, one or two silently picked up their scimitars. The Han soldiers, not to be outdone, charged towards the Northern Di king. Seeing this, Hugu Xumi changed horses and fled north, with many Di soldiers continuing to pursue him.
Jingye picked up the sword with his left hand and mounted the nearest horse that had lost its master.
"Ah Ye!" Wang Yuying finally rode up to Jing Ye and looked down at his right hand.
"It's nothing, just a minor injury." Jing Ye casually glanced in the direction where Hugu Xumi had fled.
Wang Yuying watched as Jing Ye switched to holding the sword with his left hand, took a deep breath, and said, "Chase him!"
Before he finished speaking, Jing Ye had already spurred his horse and charged north, with Wang Yuying in hot pursuit.
Ahead, Hugu Xumi sped along like lightning, as if chasing the setting sun on the horizon. His black hair flew wildly, frequently brushing against his cheeks, so he tore off his left wrist guard, discarding everything except the leather belt used for securing it, and then, with both hands wrapped around his head, tied his scattered black hair into a neat ponytail.
Hugu Xumi immediately ordered: "Quickly muster the troops and report to me!"
The Di cavalry spontaneously reported their numbers: a total of 1,003 riders.
Hugu Xumi declared in a loud voice: "Listen up, soldiers! Anyone who hesitates, anyone who has only one son to care for his parents, or anyone who is tied down by his wife and children, immediately lay down your arms and go home. Do not follow me any longer!"
A small group of Di soldiers immediately left, while the remaining many hesitated. Hugu Xumi's expression was solemn and icy: "The king's command is absolute; those who disobey will be executed!"
Upon hearing this, most of the Di cavalry left. Hugu Xumi ordered his men to count them again, and only two hundred riders remained, all standing tall and following behind their king.
Hugu Xumi rode his horse with lightning speed, showing no fear on his face, and the regret in his eyes vanished in an instant—times create heroes, and heroes are also made in their time; they rise from humble beginnings and return to dust. He was not afraid to die, but they had been slaves for a century, and with old and new grudges, how could he allow them to suffer further humiliation?
The knees must not bend again, the head must not be lowered again, and the king must never surrender.
Wang Yuying and Jing Ye were in a hurry, with only three hundred elite cavalry following behind them. Along the way, they passed fields of chrysanthemums from time to time, with each chrysanthemum facing the wind and the sun. They also saw large patches of cosmos flowers that were about to bloom, with their purple, white, orange and yellow buds like stars scattered across the plains.
So this is summer in the Northern Barbarian lands? For a fleeting moment, Wang Yuying silently wondered.
She looked at Hugu Xumi, whose ponytail was swaying high in the air, and for a moment she felt as if the two of them were still riding horses in the northern frontier. But she quickly came to her senses. Things were different now. The chase was a life-or-death struggle.
As if by telepathy, Hugu Xumi turned around and met Wang Yuying's eyes.
His eyes were as deep and unfathomable as a pool.
Dozens of Di cavalry slowed down and blocked the Han army from the side.
Wang Yuying bypassed the Di cavalry, while Jing Ye crashed through the center of the Di cavalry, both breaking through the human barrier and continuing to chase Hugu Xumi, leaving some elite cavalry to fight the Di cavalry.
Another small group of Di cavalry slowed down and attempted to intercept them again.
Wang Yuying and Jing Ye continued their assault.
After four or five such incidents, the Di soldiers who followed Hugu Xumi and the elite cavalry behind Wang Jing were reduced to less than ten men each.
The view ahead was filled with prematurely blooming Gesang flowers, as if the gods had splashed paint on them.
The warhorses stepped into the flowerbed one after another, and the dust and pebbles kicked up by their hooves were no longer replaced by broken petals. The stems of the Gesang flowers, though thin, were surprisingly resilient. When trampled by the horses, they only arched like bamboo, and straightened up again as soon as the horses released their hooves.
Wang Yuying spurred her horse straight toward Hugu Xumi. Hugu raised his hand to block, and the two swords clashed again. Just like before, he added force, forcing her back, and then turned to fight Jing Ye.
Wang Yuying spurred her horse forward again to assist Jing Ye. As soon as her sword clashed with Hugu Xumi, he pushed her away. She didn't even have time to see the varying shades of blood on his armor.
Wang Yuying bit her lip, relentlessly attacking again. Hugu blocked with his sword. Both of their swords were worn to their limit. With a crisp crack, Hugu's seven-foot sword broke, and Wang Yuying's ancestral longsword was missing a piece.
She lowered her right hand, sheathed her sword, and stared intently at Hugu Xumi: "Why won't you fight?"
Hugu Xumi met his gaze without looking away, his expression and tone equally cold: "This king never kills women."
Before he could finish uttering the word "person," his expression suddenly changed slightly, and he looked up at the sky.
First, there was a deathly silence, even the wind held its breath. Then, the sound came, like a drum beating in the clouds, and countless howling vultures filled the sky. Smelling the blood and the stench of corpses, they swooped down. Hugu Xumi and Jingye had both changed horses, but Wang Yuying had been riding the Akhal-Teke. It was exhausted and, just then, buckled down, pulling Wang Yuying forward. Suddenly, the largest vulture swooped down behind her.
Jing Ye was on Wang Yuying's left, closest to her. He involuntarily reached out his right hand to protect her, but his tendons had been severed and he could not exert any force. He grabbed at nothing and let his hand fall limply.
Wang Yuying's sword was useless, so she could only duck to avoid it. Little did she know that the vulture was far more cunning and swift than she had imagined. It also crouched down, and just as its sharp beak was about to peck into Wang Yuying's shoulder, Hugu Xumi stretched out his ape arm and pulled her onto his horse. She sat in front of him, and they rode together.
More than ten vultures swooped down again. Hugu Xumi wrapped one arm around her body and pressed her down, while using the other hand to hold the broken sword to drive away the birds of prey. The horse galloped away like lightning, getting further and further away.
Wang Yuying's body tensed up, feeling Hugu's arms tighten their embrace, but their armor was so thick that they couldn't feel any warmth from each other.
The sun, so large it was almost unreal, slowly descended, turning the gray mountains and yellowish-green fields, now covered in melting snow, into gold. It also bestowed upon them a ray of light, which pierced through the mane of the warhorse and fell upon the back of her hand.
Wang Yuying looked at the mane, which contained several Gesang flowers that had just been trampled, appearing and disappearing with the swaying motion.
The last two vultures that were relentlessly pursuing him were pierced through the neck by Hugu Sumi with his broken sword, and blood splattered onto his forehead, running diagonally from his left temple to the end of his right eyebrow.
Wang Yuying turned around and looked, but everyone had disappeared without a trace, not even Jing Ye could catch up.
Hugu Xumi's horse was still running north, nearing the foot of the snow-capped mountains. Wang Yuying couldn't help but ask, "Where are you taking me?"
Hugu Xumi suddenly pulled on the reins. As the horse's forelegs rose high, his hand unconsciously tightened to hold her steady. After the horse's hooves landed, he released his grip, lowered his eyes, and silently gestured for her to dismount.
Wang Yuying was about to fall down when Hugu Xumi suddenly raised his hand and held her back.
"Don't move!" His voice was very low, and his slightly heavy breath hit the back of her ear.
The wind in the wilderness had stopped at some point, and pairs of eerie, eerie green eyes soon lit up in the deepening twilight.
It's a pack of wolves.
Wang Yuying gasped, her hand unconsciously pressing against her sword. If she couldn't handle the situation later, Hugu Xumi could use the broken sword to kill the raptor, and she could also use the broken sword to drive away the ferocious beast.
The wolf pack began to move, rustling through the grass and emitting growling sounds from their chests.
"We'll see how things go later; we might have to abandon the horse," Hugu Xumi said in a low voice.
Wang Yuying's expression was solemn. Without him saying anything, she could feel the horse beneath her heaving violently with fear.
Hugu Xumi abruptly turned his horse around and galloped back. The alpha wolf howled and led the pack in pursuit. The exhausted horse was no match for the gray lightning bolts, and they were quickly surrounded by the wolves flanking them from both sides.
Starting with the alpha wolf, the pack howled incessantly, their eerie green eyes fixed intently on the two men. The massive alpha wolf suddenly accelerated, biting the horse and sending it stumbling backward, the steed neighing and struggling.
Wang Yuying and Hugu Xumi didn't need to communicate verbally. At the same time, they abandoned their horses and leaped into the open space. One drew a broken sword, and the other held a shattered sword. They stood back to back, not daring to breathe.
The pack of wolves quickly swarmed around the horse, tearing and biting at it, causing the horse to let out a mournful howl. After a moment, the four largest wolves in the middle quietly turned around, their green eyes fixed on the two men. They licked the blood from their mouths as they crouched low and pressed closer step by step.
A thought suddenly flashed through Wang Yuying's mind like lightning: "A tinderbox, do you have a tinderbox?"
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