Chapter 48
As dawn broke over the wooden fence of the right flank position, Sheng Xuan and Xiao Qiyun were already standing in front of Su Zhelan's tent. Both of them had obvious dark circles under their eyes, clearly indicating that they hadn't slept all night.
Shengxuan was the first to raise her hand and lift the curtain, but her movements were much gentler than yesterday.
The morning light slanted into the dim tent, falling directly on Su Zhelan, who was curled up on the straw mat. He hadn't even taken off his outer clothes; his gray shorts were wrinkled and wrapped around his body, and his face was still stained with yesterday's blood. He was slumped in the hay, like an exhausted young animal.
Sheng Xuan's Adam's apple bobbed, and he said in a very low voice, "Ze Lan..."
Xiao Qiyun coughed lightly behind him, and Sheng Xuan immediately fell silent. The two of them stood at the door, waiting for Su Zhelan to wake up on her own.
About fifteen minutes later, Su Zhelan's eyelashes fluttered. He woke up almost instantly, and when he saw the two people at the tent entrance, he froze for a moment before sitting up, his movements noticeably hesitant.
"Your Highness, Second Young Master." His voice was hoarse beyond recognition, but he had regained his businesslike tone.
Sheng Xuan immediately stepped forward: "We're not here to cause trouble!" Realizing her voice was too loud, she quickly lowered it: "Um... we came so suddenly yesterday, we didn't mean to disturb your rest..."
Xiao Qiyun spoke up at the opportune moment, his tone much calmer than yesterday: "The Second Young Master and I are returning to the main camp this morning. We've come to say goodbye before we depart."
Su Zhelan silently straightened her wrinkled sleeves without saying a word.
Sheng Xuan scratched his head, then suddenly pulled a paper package from his pocket and shoved it into Su Zhelan's arms: "Here you go! Freshly steamed meat buns from the kitchen, still warm!"
Seeing that Su Zhelan was about to refuse, he became even more anxious and raised his voice again: "Don't you dare refuse! You've lost weight!"
Xiao Qiyun then took a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and placed it on Su Zhelan's medicine box: "This is a calming medicine given to me by Mr. Su. I noticed you weren't sleeping well last night."
Su Zhelan looked at the steamed buns and medicine bottle in her arms, her lips moved, but in the end she only whispered, "Thank you."
Sheng Xuan suddenly became serious: "We'll come see you again in a few days." Seeing that Su Zhelan was about to speak, he quickly added, "We're not coming to cause trouble! We just...just to see if you need anything!"
Xiao Qiyun nodded slightly: "Take care of yourself." After saying that, he turned and left, his moon-white figure quickly disappearing into the morning mist.
Sheng Xuan stared at Su Zhelan for a few more seconds, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end he just sighed heavily and left as well.
The tent fell silent again. Su Zhelan held the still-warm buns, listening to the receding sound of horses' hooves outside, and belatedly realized—this time, they really had only come to say goodbye.
The sun shone fiercely on the border, and when it climbed to the top of the flagpole at the gate, the gravelly ground hissed under its intense, branding light.
As the horses' hooves rose and fell, fine, choking dust rose from the dirt road, rolling past the silent camps on both sides of the road.
Sheng Xuan and Xiao Qiyun walked through the crowd one after the other, and the soldiers silently made way for them, bowing their heads in salute, as if parting a stream of water.
The edges of Sheng Xuan's silver armor gleamed coldly in the bright light, while the hem of his cloak swept up dust, revealing an indescribable restlessness. Xiao Qiyun walked steadily, his moon-white robes absorbing the heat, making his brows appear even more serene and calm.
In the distance, the smoke from the main command camp pierced straight into the vast, almost cruel blue sky, mingling and intertwining with the dispersing morning mist, tearing a huge, blurry gray-white crack in the azure background.
The wind lashed against the corner bell of the arrow tower, letting out a mournful cry before being torn apart by the fluttering military flag, and also swallowing up Sheng Xuan's suppressed, almost inaudible breaths.
Under the scorching heat, the outline of the main building twisted and swayed at the edge of sight, as unreal as a mirage.
Before he arrived, his voice preceded his arrival. The heavy tent flap was suddenly flung open, and General Sheng Chi, still in his armor, strode out. The scales of his armor gleamed as they rubbed together, and the dried sweat on his forehead mingled with dust. The lingering frost between his brows, a hint of ruthlessness, quickly hardened upon seeing Xiao Qiyun, and he clasped his hands in greeting, "Your Highness."
“General.” Xiao Qiyun nodded, his movements calm and unhurried, as if brushing away a speck of dust.
His intense gaze, sharp as a steel blade, swept across Sheng Xuan, who stood ramrod straight beside him. Then, a deep furrow appeared in his brow as he asked in a deep voice, "Your Highness, what are your instructions for this visit?"
Before Xiao Qiyun could even smile, Sheng Xuan suddenly stepped forward, his voice low but taut like a bowstring, filled with urgency: "Brother, His Highness and I have urgent business! It's extremely urgent!"
Sheng Chi's eyes twitched suddenly, and his knuckles, encased in gauntlets, clenched almost imperceptibly.
He suppressed the surging anger in his throat, bowed deeply to Xiao Qiyun, and said in an unquestionable tone, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I have some family matters to attend to and will return shortly."
Before he could finish speaking, and even before Xiao Qiyun could respond, a large, iron-like hand had already gripped Sheng Xuan's arm guard and dragged him into the shadows without a word.
Around the corner of the tent, in a secluded spot.
Sheng Chi suddenly exerted force and swung Sheng Xuan, who was caught off guard and was thrown back half a step, crashing into the cold tent fabric. "Are you crazy?!" Sheng Chi's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper polishing iron, and his eyes were filled with icy coldness.
Sheng Xuan straightened his neck, his eyes burning: "I really have something important to say!"
"Serious business?" Sheng Chi scoffed, his icy mockery piercing to the bone. "Besides tearing a hole in the sky, what serious business can you do?!" He abruptly raised his hand, pointing at the blurry figures training under the blazing sun in the direction of the drill ground. "Get out! Go report to the recruit camp!" He took a step closer, his armor imposing. "Military law is merciless!"
"I..." Sheng Xuan wanted to defend himself.
"Personnel Guards!" Sheng Chi's fierce shout rang out like tearing silk through the air. Two towering personal guards arrived silently, blocking their escape route.
Sheng Xuan glared fiercely at Sheng Chi, her teeth clenched so tightly they cracked, but she ultimately didn't speak again. She turned around abruptly, her black cloak drawing a sharp arc as she strode into the blinding dust.
His solitary figure was swallowed by the rising heat.
In front of the head coach's tent
Sheng Chi took a deep breath, his chest heaving twice, his ashen face seemingly smoothed out by an invisible hand. He turned to Xiao Qiyun, clasped his hands in a fist salute, his helmet plume trembling slightly, his tone now calm and resolute: "Your Highness, please forgive me. I'm sorry you had to see this."
Xiao Qiyun's expression was as still as a deep pool, a faint smile playing on his lips but not reaching his eyes: "General, you are strict in your military discipline and adept at teaching your younger brother. I admire you greatly." His gaze seemed to casually sweep over the direction where Sheng Xuan had disappeared before returning to Sheng Chi's face.
Sheng Chi stepped aside to make way for the main seat, adopting a posture of tiger crouching and bear squatting as if to invite him in: "Your Highness, please come into the tent for a detailed discussion."
Xiao Qiyun nodded slightly, his dark robes brushing against the rolled-up tent curtain as he stepped into the deeper shadows within the tent, shielded from the blazing sun.
The tent curtains were drawn, shutting out the scorching daylight outside. The interior was dimly lit, with only a few crimson embers from the charcoal brazier in the corner flickering in the shadows.
The air was stagnant, carrying a heavy, musty smell of blood, rust, and sweat that had been fermenting for a long time.
Xiao Qiyun did not sit down. He stood before the main table, his fingertips tracing the crisscrossing engravings on the rough wood, marks left by countless sand table simulations. His black robe sleeves hung down, absorbing all the faint light in the tent, like a deep pool frozen in time.
"General, do you know," Xiao Qiyun began, his voice low and steady, yet breaking the silence, "that the few 'servants' captured in the manor that day were not ordinary spies?" He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze like the sharp tip of an ice needle, piercing straight into Sheng Chi's eyes, "that they were remnants of a 'cult'."
Sheng Chi's pupils suddenly contracted. The bronze military tally that hadn't been put away on the table reflected the deep furrows between his brows, and his killing intent peeked out from the shadows like a lurking beast.
The faint smile on Xiao Qiyun's lips did not fade; instead, it was made more cruel and cold by the bloodshed in his words: "They infiltrated the mansion to take something—blood."
Sheng Chi's knuckles, gripping the sword at his waist, bluish-white marks bulged. His Adam's apple bobbed as he said in a deep voice, "My mansion is heavily guarded, yet these evil spirits managed to slip through. It is my dereliction of duty." He then raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a hawk's, "May I ask, Your Highness, what did you find out?"
Xiao Qiyun leaned forward slightly, a sliver of sunlight falling on the bridge of his nose, dividing his face into distinct light and shadow. His eyes, visible in the light, were calm; those in the shadow were like abysses. "Under torture, only three crucial things were extracted." His speech remained unhurried, yet each word was like an iron nail driven into wood or stone. "First, the blood must be taken from a specific person, seemingly a young man."
Inside the tent, the charcoal fire crackled and popped, releasing a few sparks.
“Secondly, take the blood from the neck, and at midnight, mix it with human bone ash and the essence of thirty-six kinds of poisonous herbs,” Xiao Qiyun tapped his knuckles very lightly on the table, like a death knell, “This is called ‘Feeding the Gu.’ Thirdly…” He paused slightly, his sharp gaze locking onto Sheng Chi.
"The blood sacrifice was successful, and the Gu nature is now at its peak, capable of manipulating people's hearts." The last word fell lightly, yet it weighed more heavily than a thousand pounds.
Sheng Chi's breath hitched, his back straightening like a steel spear. Could a heretical cult's poison truly bewitch the mind? This calamity not only harmed the body but could also shake the morale of the army and the foundation of the nation! Yet, his face remained calm, and he said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, what is your purpose in revealing such a secret?"
The general's eyes were sharp as lightning; he had already guessed that the newcomer was not friendly, but he had to wait for the other party to show his fangs.
Xiao Qiyun straightened up, his black robes falling silently, obscuring the fleeting light from before, and he returned to the deep shadows. The faint smile on his lips now carried a cold, undeniable sharpness.
"If this malignant tumor is not eradicated, it will surely become a major problem." Xiao Qiyun's voice carried a chilling, persuasive quality. "Since you know they need the essence of living people to feed their Gu poison, why not... use it as bait?"
A surge of horrified light flashed in Sheng Chi's eyes! Using living people as bait... even among death row inmates in the army, this was an extremely cruel method, and it was the bottom line of his military discipline. A deep sense of disgust and doubt rose in his throat: "Your Highness's intentions..."
“General,” Xiao Qiyun abruptly cut off Sheng Chi’s retort, his tone suddenly lowered, like a venomous snake crawling along his spine, yet his speech remained slow and clear.
"This 'cult' has plagued the border for years, lying in the shadows. Although it suffered a setback this time, its claws and teeth remain. This poison has become a major threat, and countless innocent people will become sacrifices in the future! If we can uncover its hidden lair and find a way to cure it... the price will be..."
He paused slightly, looking directly into eyes burning with anger and struggle. "General, do you think it's worth it?"
The tent was deathly silent.
The embers in the charcoal brazier dimmed, like dying eyes. Sheng's fiery face shifted between light and shadow in the darkness, his jawline taut like a bowstring, his knuckles pressing hard against the cold hilt of his knife, the touch keeping him stoic to the last shred of his composure.
Xiao Qiyun's figure blended completely into the shadows, with only his calm yet cruel gaze burning into Sheng Chi's face, like a silent weight pressing down on the scales of responsibility he bore as the commander-in-chief.
The deathly silence inside the tent was pierced by the last crackling sound of the embers, and then it was plunged into complete darkness. Only the intense, suppressed breathing echoed in the small space, as heavy as the bellows in a blacksmith's shop.
Xiao Qiyun's gaze, sharp as an icicle, hovered over Sheng Chi's face, awaiting whether he would say "worth it" or "not worth it."
The air condensed into a viscous gel, carrying the stench of blood and lingering murderous intent.
His knuckles, burning with intensity, nearly crushed the iron handguard on the hilt of the sword, veins bulging and throbbing beneath his bronze skin. He took a deep breath, the air scraping his throat, rough and gritty.
He raised his eyes, the turbulent waves in them forcibly suppressed, leaving only a bottomless, cold pool of water belonging to the border commander.
"Your Highness is wise and far-sighted. This plan... is indeed a strategy to eliminate the threat at its root." Sheng Chi's voice was deep and slow, each word like a stone dug out of frozen soil, carrying a heavy chill.
"However," he abruptly changed his tone, his gaze sharp as a drawn blade, piercing Xiao Qiyun's eyes, "using living people as bait to commit such cruel acts is not the way of our border troops! Even death row inmates have their own laws and dignity. If this precedent is set, morale will surely collapse, making us no different from demons!"
He stepped forward, the scales of his armor scraping together with a piercing screech, his figure looming close like a mountain, completely extinguishing the already dim light in the tent: "Moreover, the cult is cunning; if the bait fails, it will only become their resources, fueling their evil! This matter—" His voice suddenly rose, resolute, "requires careful consideration!!"
The resounding words echoed within the tent, carrying an undeniable resolve. The phrase "to consider further" was a blatant rejection.
The faint smile on Xiao Qiyun's lips finally vanished completely, like water vapor evaporating under the blazing sun. He stared silently at Sheng Chi, his dark robes seemingly absorbing the last glimmer of light from the tent, turning him into an unfathomable shadow.
After a long pause, he slowly spoke, his voice devoid of emotion, yet colder than before: "General, you are loyal and righteous, and care deeply for your soldiers. I am... greatly comforted."
He abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming distant and polite, as if the dramatic conversation from before had never happened: "Your Highness must be exhausted after a long day of work on the border."
Sheng Chi stepped aside, making an imperative "please" gesture, his posture respectful yet exuding an invisible pressure. "This humble general has urgent military affairs to attend to in his tent, so I will not detain Your Highness any longer. Someone—"
The curtain was lifted with a sound, and a guard stood with his head bowed.
"Escort His Highness back to his camp to rest." Sheng Chi's voice regained its usual calmness, but carried an undeniable air of farewell. "You must ensure His Highness's safety."
Xiao Qiyun's gaze lingered on Sheng Chi's face for a moment. His eyes were calm and expressionless, yet they were like the tip of an ice needle, silently piercing through.
He didn't say anything more, only nodded slightly, as if the argument just now was nothing more than an insignificant interlude.
He walked steadily toward the tent entrance, his figure silhouetted against the bright light streaming through the open curtain.
Just before leaving, he paused slightly, without turning back, leaving behind only a light, airy remark that struck Sheng Chi's heart like a heavy hammer:
"I have noted down the general's concerns."
The curtains were drawn, separating the inside from the outside.
The blinding sunlight was blocked outside, and the tent returned to darkness, with only a few dim, dark red embers flickering in the charcoal brazier.
Outside the tent, the scorching sun beat down on the sand, and waves of heat rose. Surrounded by his guards, Xiao Qiyun walked toward his tent, his dark figure appearing exceptionally aloof and cold in the blinding light.
His face was expressionless, but deep within his deep, pool-like eyes, a suppressed ruthlessness and scheming lurked like a venomous snake, waiting for the next opportunity to bare its fangs.
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