In that instant, the world stood still. Only the wind’s mournful howl persisted. The morning sun remained brilliant, yet hearts turned to stone.
No one could remain unmoved at the sight of a woman and child dying tragically before their eyes. A stream of blood pooled beneath the three bodies, slowly but ceaselessly seeping into the soil through the shattered stones.
Silence reigned as everyone mourned these pitiful lives.
Mo Qianzhi closed his eyes and sang a farewell verse: “Morning dew and ephemerals, heaven, and earth a mere step apart. They say the Yellow River winds ten bends, but ultimately flows east. Eight thousand years of jade grows old, glory, and decay in a single night. I ask the azure sky, what purpose has this life? Where the wind blew last night, who counts the fallen petals? Across ninety thousand li of firmament, riding the wind and chasing shadows, who shall accompany me? A thousand autumns of the Northern Dipper, the cold suffering of the Jade Palace, are no match for the love of immortals, a hundred years in the jianghu.”
The lament, sung at the dawn of a brilliant autumn, was bitterly ironic and sorrowful.
After arranging the bodies of Madam Mo and the child, Mo Qianzhi remounted his horse.
“A lifetime for a man, a season for grass and trees,” Mo Qianzhi opened his eyes, a trickle of grief hidden in their depths. “They left well, they left well.”
Their departure meant no more attachments. His great cause would always require sacrifices.
Shen Du and Zhu Yan hadn’t anticipated this turn of events. Shen Du stood where Madam Mo and the child had jumped, his fists clenched tightly, his lowered lashes concealing all emotion.
Zhu Yan approached and grasped his hand. “Husband.” A thousand words would have been useless at this moment.
Shen Du turned to her with difficulty. Zhu Yan’s heart skipped a beat; she had never seen Shen Du so dejected. He seemed to have taken the deaths of Madam Mo and the child upon himself.
“No, it’s not your fault. It’s mine. I should have stopped you from bringing them here.”
There must have been other ways to save Pan Chi. This outcome was far from what Zhu Yan had anticipated.
She had brought Madam Mo and the child to avoid bloodshed and sacrifice, yet they were the first to perish.
Not wanting Shen Du to bear any more burden, Zhu Yan turned to Mo Qianzhi: “I’m willing to exchange my life for theirs if you’ll hand over the antidote.”
Still fixated on the antidote, even now.
“Dream on, you government dogs,” Mo Qianzhi’s eyes were bloodshot. His mind was in chaos as his gaze shifted from the pile of rubble to the people on the city wall. “May you all die horrible deaths. Die!”
His roar echoed his heart’s immense sorrow. His wife had been his only guiding light in this life. With that light extinguished, he had no reason to long for the day.
An arrow flew, carrying the fire of angry vengeance. Sharp-eyed Shen Du grabbed Zhu Yan by the waist and spun to avoid it. This further enraged Mo Qianzhi, who cursed:
“Coward! I should never have begged the Empress to spare your life! You should have died; only then would you have done right by the Shen family and our sect.”
“What are you waiting for? Kill them all!”
At his command, horns sounded. Mo Qianzhi led his men to lower wooden ladders and cross the moat to attack Yingzhou City.
Having lost everything, he saw no reason to preserve the city.
Waves of arrows rained down, forcing those on the city wall to take cover behind shields.
Shen Du placed Zhu Yan behind the cover before rushing to the front lines to calmly direct the battle.
Madam Mo’s desperate leap with her child had disrupted all plans, making the conflict between the two sides unavoidable.
As orders were issued one after another, Jing Lin watched his master with a pained expression. His master’s burden was too heavy; no matter his inner turmoil, he always maintained a calm exterior to reassure others.
The imperial guards he had brought commanded the remnants of Yingzhou’s garrison, fighting desperately against Mo Qianzhi’s troops.
The arrow barrage was merely a diversion. Mo Qianzhi, a battle-hardened veteran, continued the relentless assault while sending men to breach the city gate.
“Hold the gate.” This was Shen Du’s absolute order to Jing Lin.
“Yes, sir!”
The rhythmic pounding on the city gate echoed in their ears. The gate shuddered, causing many to lose their footing.
Seeing this, Shen Du’s expression immediately darkened. “Hold it! Even if you can’t, you must!”
He then instructed Jing Lin to continue defending the gate while he donned his armor and personally led the remaining men to the top of the city wall to repel those attempting to scale it with ropes or ladders.
The imperial guards either hurled down massive stones or used daggers to cut the ropes, eliciting a chorus of screams from below the wall.
For the time being, the enemy wouldn’t be able to breach the wall.
Shen Du glanced at Zhu Yan’s hiding place, his eyes narrowing. They must hold Yingzhou, or else…
The attack from outside was truly fierce, and those inside were struggling to resist. Noticing the plummeting morale, Shen Du quickly descended from the wall and strode to the gate. “We must hold. What you’re defending isn’t just Yingzhou, but all of Great Zhou.”
However, these words failed to inspire the volunteer civilians. Instead, they began to murmur among themselves.
Shen Du frowned, sensing trouble brewing.
“Lord Shen.” A man in official robes seized the opportunity to bow beside him.
Shen Du turned slightly, eyeing him with his hand on his sword hilt, emanating an imposing aura without anger.
“Might this humble one be permitted to go and persuade Lord Mo? He’s merely been misled by ill-intentioned individuals. If we treat him with sincerity, he will surely return to us.”
Mo Qianzhi’s influence was evident; even now, some still hoped to persuade him to return.
“Not.” Shen Du’s tone rarely betrayed anger, but now it did. “The situation is extremely dire. Going to persuade him now would be suicide.”
The official, intimidated by Shen Du’s fierce glare, was momentarily speechless. He then turned to Zhu Yan. “This lowly one was once a minor official under Lord Mo’s jurisdiction. Please allow me to go and reason with him.”
Zhu Yan naturally wouldn’t agree; she lacked the authority to do so.
Realizing his pleas were futile, the official seized a moment when the two were distracted to clamber up the city wall.
Seeing his clumsy movements, Shen Du immediately moved to grab him. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“I’d rather die trying than do nothing here. Besides, Lord Mo has a kind heart; he can surely be awakened to reason.” He struggled, causing Zhu Yan to feel a twinge of sympathy.
She signaled to Shen Du with her eyes, and he immediately understood. However, he didn’t release his grip.
“My lady, are you going to be reckless too?”
“Shen Du, they once worked with Mo Qianzhi. We should let them try.”
If they didn’t try, how would these officials ever give up hope?
Shen Du naturally saw through Zhu Yan’s intentions. After a moment’s hesitation, he finally let go. The official immediately shouted down to the people below the wall: “Lord Mo! Please, I beg you to cease this attack!”
Mo Qianzhi, while deploying his troops with overwhelming force, heard this unexpected voice. Unsurprisingly, he glanced up to see his former colleague on the city wall.
Despite years of working together, they had turned against him at this critical moment.
“Lord Mo, the people of Yingzhou still trust you!”
As the man was about to say more, he heard a whistling sound and an arrow flew straight at his face.
“Ah!”
But from somewhere, another arrow knocked it aside.
“Get down!”
For years, Yingzhou had been peaceful under Mo Qianzhi’s governance. This official had never experienced such a situation and was so terrified his legs shook, unable to move.
Two more arrows flew in quick succession. The first was again deflected, but the second struck the official squarely in the heart.
With a dull thud, the official fell backward, dead on the spot.