Deep into the night!
In the barbican atop the city wall, charcoal burned quietly, dispelling the autumn chill.
Water gurgled in a copper kettle. Li Miaozheng soaked a bloodstained handkerchief in warm water, gently rinsing it. The copper basin instantly turned crimson.
“What… what’s going on? If he keeps bleeding like this, he won’t last the night!” Zhang Kaitai paced anxiously in the hall.
Other commanders sat or stood, scratching their heads, their faces etched with worry, yet helpless.
After Zhang Kaitai brought Xu Qi’an back to the city wall, he fell unconscious, his breath faint. When they tore off his clothes to examine his wounds, everyone was shocked. His entire body was covered in cracks, with no intact spot left.
Fresh blood continuously seeped from those porcelain-like fissures.
Especially the ghastly wound at his waist that nearly bisected him made Zhang Kaitai and the others’ scalps tingle. Even for them, such a severe injury, if not treated promptly, could be fatal within an hour.
Fourth-rank martial artists lacked the immortal body of third-rank practitioners, nor did they possess the blood spirit techniques of witches to activate their blood and heal injuries.
As a Daoist disciple, Li Miaozheng had some knowledge of medicine, as alchemy required expertise in pharmacology. She carried some pills for treating external injuries.
However, these pills did not affect Xu Qi’an’s wounds.
Ingesting them didn’t work.
Grinding them into powder and applying them to the wounds was equally ineffective.
“This won’t do. We need to take him back to the capital. Only the Astronomical Bureau can save him,” Li Miaozheng sighed.
She wasn’t sure about the nearly fatal wound at his waist.
But the porcelain-like cracks covering his body, Li Miaozheng estimated, were related to the Confucian school’s “words become reality” and originated from spell backlash.
Just like when he had overexerted himself to defeat her and Chu Yuanzhen, resulting in his soul scattering.
Li Miaozheng recalled that back then, Xu Qi’an had used Confucian spells to enhance his spirit, so his spirit suffered a backlash. This time, the cracks and uncontrollable bleeding should be from enhancing his physical energy.
“Thank you for your efforts, Daoist Li,” Zhang Kaitai’s spirits lifted, his gaze fixed urgently on her.
Li Miaozheng shook her head slowly, her expression gloomy: “My Golden Core is inside his body. The Golden Core has, to some extent, stabilized his injuries. Otherwise, he might have already…”
Without retrieving her Golden Core, how could she fly on her sword?
If she had taken back the Golden Core, this man might not have made it to the capital before passing away.
Zhang Kaitai and the other commanders’ faces showed deep despair.
Her soft fingers gently brushed Xu Qi’an’s cheek, a pure sadness welling up in her heart. You saved Yuyang Pass, saved these fourteen thousand soldiers, but what can I use to save you?
After a moment of sorrow, she suddenly had an idea. While reaching into her robe to take out the Earth Book fragment, she walked towards the barbican’s exit, saying:
“Please help watch over him. I’ll be right back.”
Li Miaozheng opened the barbican door and suddenly froze. Her vision was filled with a sea of dark figures.
On the battlements, with the barbican door as the center, the crowd of people extended to both sides, all the way into the darkness beyond sight.
The entire scene was silent. Thousands upon thousands of people made not a sound, as if afraid of disturbing the sleeping person inside.
“You can save Sir Xu, right? You can save Sir Xu, can’t you…” A soldier in the crowd pleaded, his face full of supplication.
They had heard the entire conversation inside.
Looking at them again, Li Miaozheng realized that these battle-hardened men, who had licked blood off blades, all had reddened eyes.
At this moment, Li Miaozheng deeply felt what it meant to have one’s “chest struck heavily.”
“I will…” She nodded slightly, then retreated into the barbican.
Closing the door, she didn’t turn around. Facing away from Zhang Kaitai and the others, she took out the Earth Book fragment and wrote:
[Everyone, Xu Qi’an and I are at Yuyang Pass on the border of Xiangzhou. He’s severely injured and at death’s door…]
Li Miaozheng concisely described Xu Qi’an’s situation in three parts.
Finally, she wrote: [What should we do now?]
[Six: Is Sir Xu’s condition already so dire? Amitabha, this poor monk now wants to go to the Northeast to perform last rites for these barbarians.]
Even through the Earth Book fragment, everyone could sense Master Hengyuan’s anxiety and worry, as well as his impotent rage.
[One: Your Golden Core is in his body, temporarily keeping him alive?]
It seemed that whenever it involved Xu Qi’an, Huai Qing became very proactive, changing her usually taciturn style… Li Miaozheng frowned slightly and wrote back:
[Yes, without the Golden Core, I cannot fly on my sword. If I take back the Golden Core, Xu Qi’an won’t survive the journey back to the capital. I… I can’t risk his life.]
What do you mean you can’t risk his life? Given your Flying Swallow Heroine personality, shouldn’t it be more like “three parts destiny, seven parts effort, this lady will take you back to the capital now, whether you live or die depends on your luck, little brother”… Chu Yuanzhen couldn’t help but silently criticize.
[One: How long can he last?]
[Two: He won’t be in mortal danger before noon tomorrow, but if the Golden Core is removed, he might only have an hour to live, perhaps even less.]
Before Huai Qing could reply, Chu Yuanzhen spoke first:
[Then this is easy to handle. If you can’t go back, let someone from the Astronomical Bureau come over. Yang Qianhuan’s teleportation array is faster than flying on a sword. He should have enough time to come from the capital and return before noon tomorrow.]
Li Miaozheng’s eyes lit up.
This idea was so simple, yet she hadn’t thought of it. It seems worry clouds one’s judgment.
Chu Yuanzhen continued: [It’s curfew now, Lina and Hengyuan can’t move around in the inner city. Number One, this matter can only be entrusted to you.]
Number One held a high position in the court, surely the curfew wouldn’t constrain him.
[One: Alright.]
Lina let out a sigh of relief and wrote: [If there are any difficulties, just say so. It’s great that we can all work together to solve problems.]
You don’t seem to have done anything, why do you sound like you’re an important participant… The members of the Earth Society all had similar criticisms in their hearts, to varying degrees.
[One: Number Four, how is the war situation in the Northern Border?]
[Four: The Jing State cavalry has retreated. We thought the fighting would continue for several more months, but unexpectedly, Duke Wei reached the headquarters of the Shaman Religion in just ten days…]
After sending this message, he suddenly stopped talking.
A few seconds later, Number One Huai Qing changed the subject: [Li Miaozheng, can you tell us the specific situation now?]
Chu Yuanzhen sighed inwardly and actively participated in the new topic:
[Can you tell us the specific situation now? Was he injured by Nur Hachi? I remember the monarch of the Yan State is a dual-system peak fourth-rank, almost the strongest below third-rank.]
Li Miaozheng only mentioned that the 80,000 troops of Yan and Kang states attacked the city, she didn’t have the time or mood to describe the course of events in detail. Chu Yuanzhen felt that given Xu Qi’an’s golden body and combat power, an ordinary fourth-rank shouldn’t be able to injure him to the point of near death.
With the weight lifted from her heart, Li Miaozheng was no longer as urgent as before. She wrote: [Xu Qi’an was injured while single-handedly breaking through the enemy formation.]
Just as she was about to continue writing after sending this message, Chu Yuanzhen sent a concise message: [Reckless!]
[One: How could he be so reckless?]
Huai Qing frowned, feeling annoyed. This was indeed something Xu Qi’an would do. However, this annoyance due to worry was not contradictory to Huai Qing’s feelings.
[Six: Sir Xu is too impulsive, how is this any different from suicide?]
It was indeed like suicide. Combined with Xu Qi’an’s current state, if not for Li Miaozheng’s Golden Core’s protection, he would have already returned to the Yellow Springs.
Lina, hugging the Earth Book fragment, furrowed her delicate brows. If she had known, she would have gone with him to Yuyang Pass that day. No matter how many thousands of troops, she would have crushed them all.
Let others finish speaking… Li Miaozheng pursed her lips and calmly wrote:
[He single-handedly broke through the formation, almost stopping all the enemy elites. Twice he killed so many that the enemy’s morale collapsed, and they fled in panic. After the battle, when the defending troops cleared the bodies, they roughly estimated that in today’s battle alone, he killed at least nine thousand men.
[Yesterday, during the defense of the city, he killed Su Gudou Hong Xiong. Today, after breaking through the formation, he single-handedly slew the Yan monarch Nur Hachi, scaring away the remaining fifty thousand enemy troops.]
The Earth Book chat group fell silent.
The members of the Earth Society were left with only a string of question marks in their minds.
One man, slaying nine thousand enemies, killing two peak fourth-rank practitioners in succession, one of whom was said to be the strongest below third-rank? This must be false, it must be… Scholar Chu Yuanzhen, with his calm demeanor and extensive experience from traveling the nine provinces for years, had enough knowledge and experience, but now he just wanted to grab Li Miaozheng’s collar and tell her not to joke around.
Lina didn’t believe it either. Although she wasn’t very clever, when it came to fighting and cultivation, she became excited.
Hengyuan couldn’t believe Li Miaozheng’s words. Such a feat could probably only be accomplished by a third-rank practitioner.
She remembered that Xu Qi’an was a fifth-rank Transformation stage. With fifth-rank cultivation, forget about slaying nine thousand enemies, he should have been exhausted after killing two thousand.
Li Miaozheng wouldn’t lie, especially since there was no point in telling such a lie… Huai Qing’s heart stirred, and she wrote: [What trump card does he have?]
[Two: He reached fourth-rank overnight.]
If only they weren’t separated by the Earth Book fragment, Li Miaozheng would have heard Hengyuan, Chu Yuanzhen, and the others let out a sigh-like breath.
Chu Yuanzhen felt both amazed and sympathetic. He remembered that before the expedition, Xu Qi’an had been stuck at the “intent” bottleneck, unable to break through. He wasn’t particularly anxious, cultivating step by step, with an attitude of “if enlightenment comes, it’s good; if not, just take it slow.”
To put it nicely, he had a good mentality; to put it bluntly, he was lazy.
Unexpectedly, after Wei Yuan’s death, he advanced to the fourth rank overnight.
That man’s death must have been a great shock to him.
At this moment, tears seemed to glisten in Huai Qing’s eyes. His single-handed breaking of the formation, disregarding his own life, was also a form of heart-wrenching pain.
Suddenly, the Earth Book group fell silent.
Li Miaozheng waited for a long time, and seeing no one speaking, she knew they were immersed in their own emotions and unwilling to continue writing.
She put away the Earth Book fragment and turned back to the simple bed, saying:
“Yang Qianhuan from the Astronomical Bureau will be here before dawn.”
Zhang Kaitai let out a long breath, feeling the fatigue that comes after great joy and sorrow.
The soldiers broke into genuine smiles. If Sir Xu died here, it would be a lifelong shadow hanging over them, and they would live the rest of their lives in self-blame and guilt.
Zhang Kaitai’s stern face squeezed out a smile:
“Alright, go out and tell the brothers to disperse quickly. Those who need rest, rest. Those who need to bandage wounds do so. Don’t just stand there. We’ve been fighting all day, everyone’s tired.”
The soldiers refused to leave. They were all straightforward and stubborn men who wouldn’t budge until they saw Sir Xu recover.
A few tough ones even argued with Zhang Kaitai, sticking their necks out.
In the end, they were left to their own devices.
…
A hundred miles away from Yuyang Pass, in the wilderness, a white-robed figure flickered repeatedly, with glowing array patterns appearing under his feet. He flickered so quickly that the glowing patterns connected densely like raindrops hitting a water surface.
Soon, the outline of this border fortress loomed in the darkness.
“The aura of bloodshed rises to the heavens. A fierce battle has just taken place here…”
The white-robed figure spoke in a low tone, like an otherworldly sage lamenting the state of the world.
After another series of teleportation flashes, he arrived at the top of the city wall. Looking around, he was surprised to find very few soldiers patrolling the battlement.
When he looked towards the barbican, he finally understood why. It turned out all the soldiers had gathered near the barbican.
The white-robed figure couldn’t help but feel confused. In the middle of the night, instead of resting or guarding the city, what were these uncouth soldiers doing?
“There are quite a few people, but fortunately, I came prepared!”
The white-robed figure chuckled, exuding confidence and nonchalance that everything was under control.
…
Li Miaozheng, who had been dozing off with her head on the table, suddenly felt a chill in her heart. She woke up with a start and raised her head to see a white-robed figure standing in the room.
He wore a veiled hat, under which was a mask, and beneath the mask seemed to be another layer of cloth.
“Yang Qianhuan?” Li Miaozheng probed.
“To think that even with such a low-key disguise, I still cannot conceal my innate radiance. Daoist Li, it seems I’ve left an indelible impression in your heart.” Yang Qianhuan said delightedly.
It was I who asked someone to invite you here… Li Miaozheng was also delighted. Although Yang Qianhuan had an eccentric personality, he was very reliable, never absent or late.
“Why are you dressed like this?” she asked, puzzled.
“There are too many people here. No matter where I stand, someone will see my face. This doesn’t suit my otherworldly sage demeanor, nor my lonely back turned to the world.” Yang Qianhuan’s voice was low.
Li Miaozheng exclaimed inwardly at his expertise. This third disciple of the Chief Star Diviner had an unimaginable obsession with showing people the back of his head.
She didn’t waste words and hurriedly said, “Quick, take a look at Xu Qi’an’s condition.”
Yang Qianhuan sat by the bed, examining Xu Qi’an. He took his wrist to check his pulse. After a while, he sighed regretfully and shook his head.
Li Miaozheng’s heart suddenly sank, the joy that had just risen was like a flame extinguished by cold water.
“He… he can’t be saved?”
“Oh no, he can still be rescued,” Yang Qianhuan replied.
Li Miaozheng stared at him blankly: “Then why did you shake your head and sigh just now?”
Yang Qianhuan answered seriously: “No particular reason. It’s just that this way, it better demonstrates my importance, doesn’t it? At the crucial moment, it still takes me to step in.”
Li Miaozheng felt like chopping someone.
“How did he get injured like this?” Yang Qianhuan asked.
… Li Miaozheng narrowed her eyes and said softly: “You don’t know?”
Yang Qianhuan snorted: “Why should I know? Don’t tell me you also think, like junior sister Caiwei, that I’m imitating him?”
Li Miaozheng laughed.