Chapter 73 Entering the Third Stage, Meeting Amidst Ice and Snow
Hearing the shouts, Jingye's already sinking heart sank even further.
National righteousness trumps personal feelings. He naturally regarded Hugu Xumi as an enemy on the battlefield. However, it was because of Hugu Xumi's reminder that he learned the strategy of secretly crossing the Chencang pass and launching a night attack to burn the grain from military books.
Jing Ye was torn by a sliver of morality and didn't know how to face Hu Gu Xu Mi. He also thought that this matter would be even more difficult for Wang Yu Ying.
He couldn't help but turn his head to look at her. The night was dark and the snow was heavy, and he was riding like the wind. Jing Ye stared for a long time but could only see a blurry profile. He couldn't make out her eyebrows and eyes.
But he could feel that her cheeks were constantly tense.
He took a deep breath, controlled the horse's speed, and stayed side by side with Wang Yuying.
The sound of the Di King's horn only lasted for a short while before it stopped and dissipated, but the horses of the group galloped on without stopping, crossing the border one after another and returning to the northern frontier.
The moment they returned to their homeland, a small group in the group unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the peace of returning home, prompting the interpreter to exclaim heavily, "Whew—"
He opened and closed his lips, about to speak again, but his heart suddenly tightened, and he fell silent—something was wrong. Why was it so quiet? It was as if everything in the world had lost its sound, so quiet that he could hear his heart pounding wildly in his chest, and his teeth chattering slightly. The interpreter held his breath, tensing as he looked at his companions, and found that everyone was silently exchanging a sense of wariness.
As dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight appeared, the forest of armored vehicles and billowing banners to the south appeared and disappeared behind the swirling snowflakes. Upon closer inspection of the unfurled banners, one would discover that each one was embroidered with a ferocious wolf's head.
It is the royal banner of the Northern Barbarians!
Beneath the banner, the Northern Di King stood before ten thousand cavalry. Although his face was not clearly visible, his imposing figure and exceptionally robust warhorse exuded an awe-inspiring majesty.
Only then did the small group in the squad remember that the northern frontier was no longer safe, as the Di people had invaded and occupied it, turning it into a bloody battlefield.
From the moment Jingye saw Hugu Xumi stepping on the land of the northern frontier, the trace of guilt in his heart vanished completely.
Wang Yuying also reined in her horse and quietly gazed in the direction where the Northern Di King was standing. After only a moment, she turned to look at Jingye and decisively said, "They outnumber us, so we must adapt to the situation!"
Jing Ye nodded. Their small team indeed couldn't, and didn't have the strength, to confront the Di King's army blocking their way head-on.
So he changed to the left path.
As Wang Yuying turned her horse around, she unconsciously looked south. Just then, the snowflakes seemed to lift up like a curtain, and she saw that Hugu Xumi under the royal banner was wearing a black wolf fur cloak, with his hair braided with gold thread. Two ear flaps hung down from the fur hat to cover his ears, but the brim of the hat did not cover the fluorite headband.
He glanced at her expressionlessly, and Wang Yuying's heart clenched; she quickly looked away.
"Giddy up!" She spurred her horse to speed up, more worried about the Di people chasing after her or firing arrows than about the emotional turmoil of reuniting with old friends.
Jing Ye frowned, but without hesitation, he patted the horse's back and shouted, "Giddy up!"
After riding three or four steps, they suddenly heard a familiar wail. Wang Yuying and Jing Ye turned around at the same time and saw that the last member of the surprise attack team had been pierced through the neck by an arrow and fell off his horse. He was no longer alive.
Yu Ying immediately turned to look at the Di army, while Hu Gu Xu Mi still held an empty bow.
She felt cold all over, but she could only look away and hurry on her way, unable to think too much or dare to stop for even a moment.
The thunderous hooves shook the earth. Looking back, Hugu Xumi led thousands of Di cavalry in a crescent formation in pursuit. He silently leaned low on his horse, his dark steed and black fur coat almost blending into one with the dark clouds sweeping across the ground.
Looking at the other Di soldiers, they all stared intently at the elite troops, like eagles locking onto their prey, their eyes flashing with focused and cruel light.
"Whoa—" Wang Yuying and Jing Ye, who were leading the race, both reined in their horses. The sudden stop caused their steeds to rear up, kicking up dust. Several of their teammates behind them couldn't stop in time and galloped ahead. Wang Yuying shouted a warning: "There's an ambush ahead!"
Because of his anxiety, the words "ambush" became sharp and hoarse.
Behind the mounds on the right flank, there were dense flashes of cold light, hiding either Di axemen or archers. We cannot advance any further.
"I know a shortcut!" The interpreter shivered with nervousness before raising his right arm and waving, "Follow me!"
Before anyone could think further, they all followed the interpreter and changed course again.
Another arrow whizzed past, and everyone instinctively ducked. To Wang Yuying's right rear, another companion was shot and fell from his horse. It was the young general who had been mocking the bride. He was only eighteen years old. Wang Yuying instinctively reached out to grab him, but she missed. The young general fell far away in an instant.
Wang Yuying turned her head coldly and saw that Hugu Xumi was holding the reins in his right hand and the bow in his left hand was hanging down with his arm. He shot two arrows with such accuracy that they were not affected by the raging wind and snow.
The young general's body was quickly swallowed up by the pursuing Di army, like a rolling dark cloud devouring a leaf.
Wang Yuying's horse ran faster and faster, each hoofbeat striking her heart in sync with her rapid heartbeat.
She took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, paused for a moment, and slowly looked ahead. She felt that something was wrong with the road in front of her, but her mind suddenly went blank, and she just couldn't figure out what was wrong.
Seeing her changing expression, Jing Ye immediately rebuked the interpreter: "What kind of path are you leading us down?"
"A shortcut..." the interpreter muttered to himself, completely baffled. After a while, he realized that Jing Ye suspected him of treason and luring him into an ambush!
The interpreter, his neck flushed with anxiety, cried out, "This frozen lake is indeed the shortest route. If I have lied, may I be struck by lightning!"
Jing Ye didn't react much to what she heard, but Wang Yuying felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and her shoulders involuntarily trembled—the frozen lake! This was the lake where she had jumped in to save Xu Heng and almost died!
By the time they realized what was happening, the entire team had already stepped onto the ice, with no turning back.
The sound of horses' hooves pounding on the mirror-like ice was grating, and the memory, like an icicle, pierced Wang Yuying's chest and pierced through time.
She heard the faint, non-existent cries of a boy trapped in a shattered ice cave. The seventeen-year-old girl was frantic and jumped in. Only after immersing herself in the water did she realize that the icy water was far colder and more piercing than she had imagined.
At that time, she was only worried about whether the boy was cold and what would happen if he soaked in the water for too long.
The soaked cotton-padded coat was heavier than armor. The girl swam one step at a time and sank one step, but she was not worried about sinking to the bottom at all. She only thought about saving her husband.
After she pushed Xu Heng up, she lost her strength and plummeted downwards.
...
Wang Yuying's hand holding the reins began to tremble uncontrollably. Her curled knuckles turned white from the force. Suddenly, the icy water she had been forced down her throat churned up in her stomach, and the nauseating pain returned, spreading from the deepest part of her bones. Her lower abdomen throbbed inward, as if it were about to freeze again. Although she was shivering from the cold, her skin felt as if it were being pierced by countless red-hot needles.
When she looked down, she could see her seventeen-year-old face reflected on the ice, struggling and crying out for help, her eyes both resolute and flashing with despair.
Wang Yuying closed her eyes, panting, and tightly gripped the reins. She couldn't go any further—because in her eyes, the ice surface ahead was cracking with spiderweb-like patterns, and she could even hear the crisp sound of the ice breaking.
Cracks spread, and half of the lake was collapsing in a devastating manner.
Blood was spreading across the lake.
She had never mentioned this experience to Jing Ye, so Jing Ye watched from the sidelines, confused and anxious. He stopped too, and his teammates behind him quickly bypassed and overtook him, turning back to urge, "Why aren't you two moving?"
"Let's go, hurry up!"
Jing Yema didn't move forward, but instead leaned sideways towards Wang Yuying: "Yingniang, what's wrong?"
He looked around, but there were no ambushes on the snow-covered frozen lake, and he really couldn't understand why she looked so scared.
"What happened to Yingniang?" Jingye asked anxiously, his voice hoarse. He glanced back instinctively, then turned away again. The wind and snow subsided, and the Di army stopped on the shore, no longer pursuing them. Hugu Xumi picked up the fletching arrow with three fingers and slowly nocked it onto the bowstring.
Jing Ye's heart tightened, while Wang Yuying was so afraid of the ice cracking that she not only dared not move forward, but also took two steps back.
"We can't retreat any further!" As Jing Ye spoke, Wang Yuying suddenly turned around and saw Hugu Xumi drawing his bow to its fullest extent, the arrow precisely aimed at her brow.
The arrowheads gleamed coldly, reflecting off the purple jade thumb ring he wore on his thumb for easier drawing. He remained expressionless, his lips pressed into a thin line, his pale gray-blue eyes beneath his high brow bone utterly unmoving, just as they had been when they met eyes earlier.
Wang Yuying's vision suddenly darkened as Jing Ye, along with his horse, silently retreated behind her, shielding her from Hugu Xumi. He drew his sword and held it horizontally, ready to unleash a barrage of arrows.
Suddenly, Hugu Xumi raised the arrowhead and released the string. Of the thousands of Di soldiers, only Wang fired. The arrow, like a shooting star, whistled past Wang and Jing's heads and struck the ice in front of them. The feathered arrow, powerful enough to pierce a person's neck, failed to penetrate the frozen lake. It stood on the ice for a moment before falling to the ground.
Wang Yuying instantly regained her senses. It was an accident back then. Today, the ice lake is more than three feet thick, impervious to arrows and unbreakable even when a horse runs across it.
"Giddy up—" She seemed to come back to life, shaking the reins and patting the horse's rump, galloping like lightning towards the other side.
Jingye spurred his horse to give chase, but Hugu Xumi remained standing on his horse on the shore, in the same spot.
He stared intently at Wang Yuying, then lowered his bow and slowly parted his lips: "When we meet again, swords have no eyes; may you have good fortune."
His familiar yet unfamiliar Mandarin, carried on the wind, reached her ears, and her heart involuntarily trembled again.
Hugu Xumi gripped the reins and turned his horse back, still gazing at her. He took seven or eight steps back before leading his army to turn their horses around and head towards Kapoor. The dust kicked up by their hooves formed several yellow clouds behind them.
Wang Yuying did not look back. Her breathing was short and shallow, and her heart beat slowly until she was far away from the frozen lake and getting closer and closer to our army's central camp, at which point it returned to normal.
Part of the Northern Expeditionary Army that had been acting as a decoy had arrived. After the raiding party entered the camp, Yuan Wancheng and others came out of their tents to meet them.
Jing Ye jumped off his horse. Still worried about Wang Yuying's physical and mental well-being, he walked to her horse without saying goodbye to Yuan Wancheng, wanting to help her dismount.
Wang Yuying dismounted, not even touching Jing Ye, and went straight to find Yuan Wancheng. Jing Ye quickly turned around and followed, and together they reported back.
After listening to the story, Yuan Wancheng reached out to help everyone up and said with a smile, "You have all burned the Di people's provisions and even scared away their warhorses, making great contributions. I will submit a memorial to His Majesty..." He glanced at Jing Ye and continued, "I will ask for rewards for you all. I hope you will maintain this spirit and work together to conquer the royal court."
The special forces expressed their gratitude and then returned to their tents to rest. Jing Ye lifted his leg to go to Wang Yuying's place, but Yuan Wancheng quickly tugged at Jing Ye's sleeve and then let go, indicating that he should come with him.
The two entered the central command tent one after the other. Yuan Wancheng waited for a while, and after standing outside the tent without moving around or eavesdropping, he lowered his voice and said, "Although the 300,000 troops are under my command, they are not all from our Jingbian Camp. I haven't been able to figure out all the spies. Now that we've joined forces with the local central government, the network of eyes and ears will be even more intertwined. You must be careful with your words and actions in the future!"
Jing Ye was a little confused and scratched his ear: "What's wrong?"
What's wrong?
Yuan Wancheng glared and puffed out his beard. He had always thought that Yuan Wancheng had lived up to His Majesty's trust and that he was a true servant. But what kind of servant would call his young mistress by her maiden name?
Yuan Wancheng shook his head twice in exasperation: "I've already taken care of your mouth. Everyone in the tent that day will keep quiet."
Jingye raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to slip away from?" He then realized it was his own unconscious habit of uttering "Yingniang" anytime, anywhere.
He lowered his head.
Yuan Wancheng lowered his voice even further and asked, "Tell me the truth, how far have things gone?"
Jing Ye lowered his head and remained silent. After a moment, Yuan Wancheng pressed, "Have you just confessed your feelings to each other, or have you already held hands?"
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