“Miss Ni, do you know that Deputy Envoy Zhou?”

Qingqiong asked while watching the stove fire.

Ni Su’s fever had broken. At this moment she was busy changing dressings and bandaging wounded soldiers again. “When I was seeking redress in Yunjing, this young Minister Zhou worked tirelessly on my elder brother’s case.”

She truly hadn’t expected that one day she would encounter Zhou Ting again in this remote Yongzhou.

Now it seemed he had already been promoted from Deputy Captain of the Yinye Bureau to Deputy Envoy.

The barbarians attacked the city again. No one had time for reminiscing. Ni Su only bowed to him in greeting, then Zhou Ting hurriedly followed Duan Rong up to the city tower.

Xu Hexue reminded her to remember to take her medicine. Without lingering, he picked up the glass lamp she had given him and went to defend the city.

“Oh…”

Qingqiong saw she was extremely busy, so he swallowed back the many things he wanted to say and fell silent.

This was the seventh day of defending the city. The barbarians who had captured Tianju Mountain saw their morale surge greatly. Their attacks on Yongzhou City became even more ferocious. Casualties among the defending army increased dramatically. Though Ni Su and Medical Officer Tian did their utmost to treat them, they still couldn’t avoid watching helplessly as the severely wounded died in intense agony.

The men helping here had just carried out the dead soldiers when more people came carrying soldiers covered in blood, crying out loudly in pain.

Ni Su saw a soldier whose left eye had been injured by a wooden splinter. He rolled about in pain. Several people couldn’t hold him down. When she saw that bloody cavity, she almost shuddered.

“Young Lady Ni, I’ll treat this one. You should rest for a moment!” Seeing both Ni Su’s hands covered in blood and her forehead drenched in sweat, Medical Officer Tian said to her.

“I’ll help you.”

Ni Su shook her head. She cleaned her hands in the basin Qingqiong brought over, then went to assist Medical Officer Tian.

The battle situation atop the city wall was intense. The barbarians only temporarily slowed their assault after nightfall. Qin Jixun dispatched a cavalry squadron disguised as barbarians to infiltrate the barbarian army under cover of night and burn their grain supplies.

Approaching midnight, everyone stood atop the city wall looking into the distance. Clusters of burning firelight quickly extinguished. Of the five hundred cavalry, not one returned.

After many days of war’s devastation, the earth and ash on the city wall mixed with blood. Yang Tianzhe removed his iron helmet, his expression extremely heavy. “General Qin, if we still can’t wait for reinforcements, we…”

“Damn it!”

Among those five hundred cavalry were also sons of the Wei family army. Wei Dechang’s throat choked, his lips parched and mouth dry. “That cursed Tan Guangwen! If he hadn’t insisted on waiting for the Emperor’s edict to reach Jianchi Prefecture before willing to dispatch troops, how would we be reduced to this!”

During Great Qi’s ceasefire period, only in situations like Yongzhou City where the enemy nation initiated hostilities first could Qin Jixun raise troops to resist. Without such circumstances, the movement of prefecture troops required an imperial edict—otherwise they couldn’t act rashly.

Otherwise, they risked being held accountable by the court.

“That Tan Guangwen simply doesn’t want to bear responsibility!” Shen Tongchuan’s official robe had been burned through in several places by sparks. His face was also smeared with black ash. “Does Great Qi lack such civil and military officials? These stability-seeking, security-clinging types—I’ve sent so many documents to Jianchi Prefecture, but does that Tan Guangwen care!”

“When I left Zezhou, the Emperor’s edict hadn’t yet arrived. But calculating the days, the edict reaching Tan Guangwen’s hands should be within those few days. I imagine the troops from Jianchi Prefecture and Zezhou should already be on their way to Yongzhou. In another three days, they should arrive.”

Almost the moment Han Qing’s secret order reached Zhou Ting’s hands, he immediately set out with several dozen personal guards from the Yinye Bureau, traveling day and night without rest.

They traveled light and fast, moving much more quickly than a great army encumbered with supply trains.

“If we wait until our arrows are exhausted and casualties increase further, how can this city be defended?” Yang Tianzhe sighed.

“If the city gate doesn’t break, firmly defend the city gate. Even if the city gate breaks, it’s not defeat.” Xu Hexue turned his face, his eyes completely lifeless. “Every street and lane is a battlefield. If we can’t drive away the barbarians, we’ll trap them to death.”

Hearing this, Wei Dechang felt his spirits lift. Though wounded and being bandaged by a medical officer, his voice remained resounding. “Young Master Ni speaks correctly! Years ago when Commander Miao Tianning defended the city and the city broke, he could still drive Yelu Zhen out. Why can’t we! Moreover now, the city gate hasn’t even broken yet!”

“Young Master Ni?”

Zhou Ting looked at that person. A long scarf concealed his features, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed. Looking closely, they were pitch-black and hollow, without any light.

“Minister Zhou doesn’t know—Young Master Ni has been here for some time. He’s been working together with us to resist the enemy.” Shen Tongchuan introduced him.

Qin Jixun also said, “Young Master Ni is an advisor I invited.”

Seeing their attitude toward this person, and recalling how he had remained calm facing danger throughout this day of resisting the enemy, Zhou Ting knew he was no ordinary person. “The young master’s eyes?”

“I suffer from night blindness. At night I cannot see.”

Xu Hexue said quietly.

“Minister Zhou, you don’t know—we previously severely wounded Shi Monu using a brilliant strategy from this Young Master Ni. Now when defending the city, though he suffers from night blindness, killing barbarians at night he’s quite thorough!” Wei Dechang seized the opportunity to open his floodgates. “I’ll tell you, this old Wei besides my sworn brother, I haven’t really respected anyone, but him…”

“Commander Wei.”

Xu Hexue interrupted him.

“Ah?”

“Have you seen my lamp?”

Lamp? What lamp?

Wei Dechang hadn’t yet reacted when Shen Tongchuan looked around in all directions, suddenly fixing on a corner in the rear. “Here it is!”

Zhou Ting watched as Shen Tongchuan brought over a glass lamp. Inside the lamp holder, the candle had long since burned out.

Xu Hexue extended one hand, grasping the lamp’s handle. He nodded slightly. “Thank you.”

“Plague has already ravaged Yelu Zhen’s army. If he’s anxious, he’ll make mistakes. Since we still have breathing room, let’s not adopt a defeatist attitude first. Tomorrow’s battle focuses on fire attacks and catapults to severely damage their siege equipment. This way, we can also temporarily slow their attack speed.”

“Young Master Ni speaks correctly.” Qin Jixun nodded. “The plan to raid their camp and burn grain supplies at night failed. Yelu Zhen will certainly be more vigilant. Now we can only work on this front—delay for as long as we can.”

Zhou Ting had a bloody gash on his arm cut by a barbarian’s golden blade. Only after descending from the city tower did the personal guard following him notice. He immediately called loudly for a medical officer.

Xu Hexue never wanted anyone to touch him. They walked ahead while he slowly supported himself on the stone railing as he descended. Qingqiong had originally planned to carry a lamp Ni Su had lit to meet him, but seeing him come down by himself, Qingqiong hurried forward.

Xu Hexue’s vision recovered its clarity.

He raised his eyes, just as Ni Su emerged following behind Medical Officer Tian.

“Young Minister Zhou.”

The moment Ni Su saw Zhou Ting, before even approaching, she bowed to him.

“Why are you here?”

Medical Officer Tian stepped forward to examine his injury. Zhou Ting looked at Ni Su instead, asking the question he’d wanted to ask since this morning.

“I came to find someone.”

Ni Su answered briefly.

“Aiya, Young Master Ni, what’s wrong with you?”

Xu Hexue silently watched her, but heard Qingqiong beside him suddenly shout loudly. He paused slightly, a trace of bewilderment entering his usually cool eyes.

The next moment,

He saw the woman who had been speaking with Zhou Ting suddenly turn her head to look at him.

Without hesitation, she came toward him.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Ni Su supported his arm.

“Young Master Ni nearly couldn’t stand just now. Fortunately I supported him!” Qingqiong stood beside them, acting serious.

“Your knee hurts?”

Ni Su looked at him.

Xu Hexue could feel Qingqiong secretly tugging at his sleeve. Facing this young woman’s concerned gaze before him, he suddenly heard himself say “mm.”

He froze.

“Come.”

Ni Su supported him as they walked back to the felt tent. Inside, lamp candles had been continuously burning—this also helped Xu Hexue maintain a sufficiently solid form. Seeing several had burned out, Qingqiong skillfully found candles and relit them. He glanced back and forth between the two of them, then made an excuse to go out.

Xu Hexue sat on the felt blanket, watching as Ni Su lit lamp candle after lamp candle. She turned to soak a handkerchief in the water basin, walked before him, then suddenly paused.

She had actually forgotten—only willow leaf water could wash the blood and filth from his body, and Yongzhou had no willow trees.

Ni Su simply wiped her own hands and sat down beside him. “It’s also fortunate it doesn’t rain often here. We can go out in a bit. You can bask in the moonlight and you’ll be very clean.”

Xu Hexue didn’t speak.

“Does your knee hurt?”

Ni Su asked again.

Xu Hexue wanted to shake his head, but recalling what she’d said last night, he hesitated for an instant. In just this instant, her hand had already extended to rub and massage his knee.

“Ni Su…”

Xu Hexue’s eyelashes trembled.

Ni Su pressed down his hand, gently rubbing and massaging his knee. “This isn’t a slicing wound, is it?”

“It’s not.”

Xu Hexue placed both hands on the felt blanket.

Ni Su looked at him. He was just like this—once at a loss, he would appear infinitely docile before her, like a mountain piled from ice and snow showing signs of melting.

“Then what is it?”

“It’s from when I previously forced my way across the Waters of Resentment and returned to the mortal world.”

“So it’s because of me.”

“It’s not.”

Xu Hexue spoke instinctively.

“Even if you don’t say it, I know. Before, your knee didn’t have such a serious problem.” Ni Su poured him a bowl of water—only unfortunately, the water in the bowl was not silver grass dew.

“Quickly drink a sip. After drinking, we’ll go bask in the moonlight.”

Tonight’s moon was round and full, silver radiance scattering over half the city. Yongzhou’s autumn night was already quite cold. Zhou Ting stood beneath an old tree while Medical Officer Tian cleaned and bandaged his wound.

His gaze shifted upward, falling on the felt tent not far away. That young gentleman clearly suffered from night blindness, yet for some reason Zhou Ting felt that just now when Ni Su was speaking with him, that person seemed to cast a cool glance his way.

He wasn’t quite certain.

Young Master Ni.

Zhou Ting recalled that everyone seemed to address him this way.