Below were soldiers moving arrows. In the back hall were craftsmen gathered together eating mutton soup. They heard Fan Jiang’s hoarse, exhausted shouts: “Quickly report to General Qin! Yelu Zhen…”

The sound of a sharp arrow piercing the night wind rang out. Old He came out tremulously from behind, only to see someone roll down from the stairs and fall heavily to the ground.

A slender arrow was embedded in his back, quickly spreading into a patch of blood red. Old He’s cloudy eyes widened as he lost his voice: “Fan Jiang!”

The soldiers all dropped the boxes containing arrows. They quickly drew their blades and surrounded the area, only to see the person who had been hiding in the dim shadows on the upper floor step forward.

From his commanding height, still holding a divine arm crossbow in his hand, his eyes looked down contemptuously at Fan Jiang below, struck by the arrow: “Don’t any of you recognize me?”

“Officer Dong?”

The rebel army soldiers who had come with him were astonished.

Dong Chengjiao called out loudly: “This person speaks madness. In these troubled times, he not only shot and wounded Officer Hu Da but also smeared our rebel army. Isn’t this precisely to create discord between you Yongzhou army soldiers and us? Such a person with such intentions truly deserves execution.”

“Fan Jiang!” Old He and other craftsmen had just helped Fan Jiang up. Seeing him spit out blood, then hearing that person’s words from upstairs, he raised his head: “He’s an honest man—how would he dare to falsely accuse people so easily?!”

“Those who speak for him share the same crime!”

Dong Chengjiao’s face showed a fierce expression. “Quickly load the arrows onto the cart! Don’t delay General Qin’s military orders!”

The Yongzhou army soldiers below stared at him intently without moving. Only the rebel army soldiers turned to lift the boxes. Just as Dong Chengjiao was about to lose his temper, he heard a series of orderly, hurried footsteps approaching from outside. Soon someone took the lead in striding quickly through the door. He looked up at the person upstairs: “Come! Seize him for me!”

Dong Chengjiao’s heart turned cold. “Duan Rong, what are you trying to do! Now that Shi Monu is defeated, are you Yongzhou army soldiers going to dispose of us once we’ve served our purpose?!”

Hearing these words, the rebel army soldiers who had come with Dong Chengjiao immediately panicked. They stopped busying themselves with moving boxes and drew their blades to stand before Duan Rong and his men.

“This person was deliberately arranged by you, wasn’t he?” Dong Chengjiao pointed toward Fan Jiang below, spitting fresh blood and half-opening his eyes. “Qin Jixun wants to completely exterminate us rebel troops who came from the thirteen provinces, doesn’t he?!”

“We devoted ourselves wholeheartedly to Yongzhou. Our Commander Yang trusted you Yongzhou army so much! But how have you treated us?” Dong Chengjiao’s words were激愤 passionate and indignant.

“Dong Chengjiao, even now you continue to speak nonsense!” Duan Rong laughed coldly. Seeing Fan Jiang surrounded by craftsmen in the middle, he immediately ordered those beside him: “Quickly! Quickly take him to find medical workers!”

Several soldiers hurriedly took Fan Jiang away. Dong Chengjiao’s few words had indeed stirred up tremendous waves among these rebel army soldiers who trusted him. They vigilantly watched Duan Rong and those behind him in silent confrontation.

Duan Rong had no patience to drag this out. He almost leaped using a nearby pillar, following the staircase railing, and quickly flew upstairs. Dong Chengjiao retreated while shooting arrows at Duan Rong.

Duan Rong blocked with his sword, hurriedly dodging, and raised his sword straight toward Dong Chengjiao. The two crossed blades upstairs, while below, the Yongzhou army soldiers and rebel army soldiers also began fighting in a melee.

The craftsmen were so frightened they hid in the back hall, not daring to show themselves.

Dong Chengjiao barely dodged Duan Rong’s moves. The sword edge split open the railing beside him. His heart tightened. Caught off guard, he was kicked down by Duan Rong.

Dong Chengjiao hastily borrowed force and barely landed. Looking up, he saw Duan Rong flying down, sword light flashing. Duan Rong’s feet stepped on his shoulders, thrusting a sword into his back. Dong Chengjiao grimaced in pain, his back arching down as he fell to the ground.

Duan Rong sat on his back, almost nailing him to the ground with the sword.

“Is this how the Yongzhou army treats us people! We came to take refuge after so much hardship—is this the fate that awaits us!” Dong Chengjiao’s mouth filled with blood as he shouted through gritted teeth.

“I’ll cut out your tongue!”

Duan Rong drew his sword.

“Officer Dong!”

Seeing this, those rebel army soldiers all showed anger on their faces, their eyes red. They immediately raised their blades and rushed toward Duan Rong.

“All of you stop!”

An angry roar suddenly arrived. All the rebel army soldiers abruptly paused. They turned back to see their commander Yang Tianzhe being supported by others, walking through the door with staggering steps.

Qin Jixun also quickly entered. He looked up, his sharp eyes fixed on Dong Chengjiao, who was restrained by Duan Rong.

“Commander Yang!”

Seeing Yang Tianzhe, Dong Chengjiao forced out tears. “Today they want to kill me. Who’s to say that tomorrow they won’t kill you! They clearly never trusted us—they’re just using us to defend the city!”

Qin Jixun stepped forward several paces. Torchlight fell on his cold armor. “You truly know how to sow discord. Knowing you won’t survive anyway, you might as well use this life to shake the morale of my Yongzhou City, thereby adding another measure of advantage for your master Yelu Zhen, isn’t that right?”

After Fan Jiang was carried out, Qin Jixun had encountered him on the road. He had gripped Qin Jixun’s sleeve tightly, his mouth full of blood, struggling to repeat to him: “Yelu Zhen is near Ru Mountain…”

For the people of Yongzhou, the name Yelu Zhen was a nightmare that had shrouded their hearts for many years.

Sixteen years ago, it was this person who launched a sneak attack on Yongzhou City, slaughtered half the city’s people, killed Qin Jixun’s father and brothers, and also killed Wei Dechang’s elder brother.

Miao Tianning died fighting to defend the city. At that time, the Yongzhou army had almost no one left. The current Yongzhou army was mostly garrison troops who had retreated from Juhan Pass.

Dong Chengjiao still seemed sorrowful and indignant beyond words. “Commander Yang, I…”

“Was the Mount Tianju bird path destroyed because of Shi Monu, or because of you and Hu Da?!” Yang Tianzhe interrupted sternly. He had drunk too much and was still somewhat unclear-headed now. His chest heaved violently, his face burning red. Suddenly, he drew the sword of a soldier beside him with one hand and gripped the blade.

“Commander Yang!”

The rebel army soldiers couldn’t help shouting.

Yang Tianzhe gripped a palmful of blood. The pain sobered him considerably. The veins at his temple bulged slightly as he stood straight. “All of you put down your blades.”

The rebel army soldiers had immense trust in this Commander Yang who had led them to escape from under the barbarians’ rule. Even though they felt uneasy, they still successively put down their blades.

“You put them down too.”

Qin Jixun raised his chin, signaling to the Yongzhou army soldiers.

For a moment, everyone sheathed their weapons.

“Dong Chengjiao, we escaped from right under the barbarians’ noses precisely so we wouldn’t be their slaves, precisely so our bones could have the chance to stand straight.” Yang Tianzhe questioned coldly, “But tell me, why, after escaping, do you still want to be the barbarians’ dog?”

Prolonged silence. Dong Chengjiao was firmly suppressed by Duan Rong, half his face pressed against the ground. “Commander Yang, you’re so naive. You don’t really think that after being a dog, one can become human again, do you? Hahahahaha…”

He laughed almost wildly. “Everyone here knows! You Yang Tianzhe were once a coward who feared death. Your father died at Miao Tianning’s hands, so you went and became a barbarian’s dog! They will never truly trust you! People like us—servile and flattering for one day, servile and flattering for life!”

“I don’t care how they view me!”

Yang Tianzhe strode forward and grabbed his collar. “As long as I can kill barbarians, I’ll kill them all! But what about you! I trusted you so much—what the hell have you been doing!”

“I have a wife and children now.”

Compared to Yang Tianzhe’s fury, Dong Chengjiao seemed very calm instead. “They’re in Danqiu. I’m not like you, Commander Yang. You have no ties or attachments. I’m not like that.”

—

The military camp’s medical workers were most skilled at treating external injuries. Soldiers under Duan Rong’s command carried him back and immediately summoned medical workers to treat Fan Jiang.

Ni Su, supporting Qingqiong, hurried over. They just happened to meet an apprentice coming out of the felt tent carrying a basin of bloody water. Ni Su saw, lying quietly in the pale red water, a sharp arrow.

“Young Mistress Ni, my master and the others are treating him inside.” That apprentice recognized her and hurriedly reassured her before carrying the basin away to empty it, then finding someone to get hot water.

Qingqiong seemed excessively quiet.

Ni Su looked at him. The scarf wrapping his head had fallen off and he didn’t even know it. He just stared dully at the shadows cast on the felt curtain.

Just as Ni Su was about to help him with his scarf, someone inside lifted the curtain. Ni Su immediately stepped forward and asked anxiously: “Medical Worker Tian, how is Uncle Fan?”

The medical worker surnamed Tian was silent for a moment. He glanced at Qingqiong beside her and shook his head. “Young Mistress Ni, that arrow injured his heart and lungs.”

How could Ni Su not understand the meaning of this sentence?

Her heart sank. She immediately lifted the curtain and went inside. Fan Jiang lay on the crude bamboo bed, covered in blood, his chest rising and falling with difficulty.

Several of Medical Worker Tian’s apprentices still stood to the side.

“Uncle Fan…”

Ni Su’s lips trembled. She approached to examine the wound on Fan Jiang’s body, only to hear him say indistinctly through the blood in his mouth: “Miss Ni, I’m no good anymore.”

Ni Su’s eyes instantly moistened. “Uncle Fan, I’ll save you. I can save you!”

With trembling hands, she pressed on his blood vessels, trying to stop his bleeding.

Fan Jiang half-opened his eyes and saw the felt curtain move. That young man with a bald head, tall and thin frame, looking pale and dull, walked in.

He actually wasn’t a young man. He was actually only in his teens.

Fan Jiang saw him approach, a dim, dark shadow pressing down. His lips trembled. “You’ve grown taller again.”

Qingqiong looked at him.

Gaunt and hunched, his face somewhat wrinkled from being worn down by Yongzhou Pass’s wind and sand. Right now his mouth was full of blood, and with each breath, his lungs carried turbid sounds.

“Your mother and I have wronged you.”

Fan Jiang said.

“You didn’t know I would turn out like this when you gave birth to me.”

Qingqiong finally spoke.

His pupils, even blacker and larger than ordinary people’s, reflected neither sorrow nor joy. His voice was also very calm.

Fan Jiang wanted to smile but was choked by blood and coughed. He murmured: “Actually, I haven’t been able to hear your mother speak for a long time. Since the fighting started, I couldn’t hear her anymore.”

“I know.”

“Our family is different from other families. They grieve over separation in life and death, but we don’t need to. I’m going to find your mother.”

Fan Jiang’s eyelids held tears. He called out with difficulty: “Son, actually, I miss her very much.”

“I know.”

Qingqiong’s hands clenched tightly together.

“Then do you know—”

Fan Jiang’s tears almost blurred his eyes. “Old He and I made a bed crossbow with a fifteen-hundred-pace range?”

“Mm.”

Qingqiong’s throat tightened.

“From now on, the Yongzhou Pass soldiers will use the bed crossbows we made to kill barbarians and protect our home.” Fan Jiang spoke to himself. “I can also take this to brag to your mother. I didn’t know her when she was alive and couldn’t protect her. At least now, I’ve done something quite respectable.”

“But you—”

Fan Jiang stared at him. “But what will you do all alone?”

“Uncle Fan, I’ll take care of Qingqiong.” Ni Su’s eyes reddened. She said chokingly, “I promise you, I will definitely take good care of him.”

Fan Jiang moved his gaze to Ni Su’s face. He opened his mouth. Fresh blood flowed down the corner of his mouth. “The General… his… innocence…”

His indistinct voice was hard to hear clearly.

No one saw the pale mist surge from Ni Su’s sleeve, condensing into a blurred figure. Almost at the instant the vacant-eyed Xu Hexue approached the bedside, Fan Jiang’s eyes lost focus and he fell silent.

“Father?”

Qingqiong called once. Hearing no answer, at this moment, his original dullness was shattered by an emotion that suddenly enveloped him—overwhelming, like the sea overturning.

Tears soaked his sparse lashes. He reached for Fan Jiang’s hand, which still retained its warmth.

These were extremely rough hands, covered in wounds, covered in the traces of his laborious life.

The apprentices in the felt tent couldn’t see the soul fire floating and scattering, falling on Qingqiong’s shoulders like fireflies, circling around him repeatedly—like silent instructions, and also like a kind of reluctance to part.

Qingqiong suddenly threw himself onto Fan Jiang’s body, hugging him tightly. “Don’t go, Father…”

“You haven’t heard me say yet—”

His voice trembled. “You are the best father in this world.”