Chapter 74: Breaking the Formation (I)
"I know I shouldn't have gone with you if you didn't have that restriction on you."
Ni Su was silent for a long time, then he stretched out his finger and lightly touched a floating speck of dust. It trembled and suddenly hid under his sleeve. "Although I am reluctant to admit it, sometimes, I am also a sharp blade stabbing you."
She didn't understand war, nor did she know how to fight. She should have stayed here and waited, but she was the restriction that trapped him.
Xu Hexue was startled, and immediately said, "I have been in the Netherworld for a hundred years. When I return to the world of the living, I will have to rely on you to survive. You have never been a punishment."
Ni Su smiled and said, "What is that?"
The fire had not been stoked for a long time, and the flames gradually dimmed. Xu Hexue pondered for a moment, his eyes still soaked in the coldness of snow, but he replied: "It is a favor."
"Since you say so,"
Ni Su stood up. Her scarlet robe was wide, and the hem of her robe almost dragged on the ground. It swayed slightly in the night breeze, revealing a pair of muddy embroidered shoes underneath. It looked a bit out of place. The flames of the fire were dimming, so Xu Hexue couldn't see her face clearly when he looked up. He only heard her say, "Then we will advance and retreat together."
"Xu Ziling, I don't want to be the knife that kills you."
There are thousands of people in the world who slander others with bad names, but she is not one of them.
As the night deepened, Xu Hexue lay on the bamboo bed in the tent. The sound of soldiers patrolling outside could be heard from time to time, but he was still in a daze.
There was a candle burning in the tent, shining brightly. Suddenly, there was a click, and the candle flame flickered. Xu Hexue raised his eyelids slightly, and his gaze fell on the tent curtain.
Her tent was right next to her. After many twists and turns today and her clothes got wet in the Agate Lake, Xu Hexue asked someone to prepare some medicine to drive away the cold for her and also lit a stick of incense to calm her down. She should have fallen into a deep sleep by now.
Xu Hexue closed his eyes, and all he could hear was the sound of wind and sand blowing in the tent and the sound of footsteps.
The next day, before daybreak, Wei Dechang, the commander of the Wei family army, rushed to the Qin family army's camp, but he came to nothing. His sworn brother Qin Jixun was not in the camp at all.
"What? Brother Yi went to see Magistrate Shen?"
Wei Dechang stared at Duan Rong in disbelief. "How dare you place your hopes on that loach governor? Besides, we don't get along with him, so why would he risk offending Song the military supervisor to work with us? Who is this treacherous villain who is talking nonsense in front of you?!"
"What a treacherous villain..."
Duan Rong wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Commander Wei, those are our general's staff members."
"I want to see what kind of staff it is!"
As Wei Dechang was speaking, he turned around, brushed aside the curtain with the hilt of his knife, and strode out cursing. Duan Rong thought something was wrong and hurriedly followed him out, but unexpectedly he saw the curtain not far away on the opposite side being lifted by a hand.
The young man in scarlet robe, with a tall and straight figure, still had a long scarf wrapped around his face. When Duan Rong saw him, he gestured to Wei Dechang from behind, indicating that he should get away quickly.
Xu Hexue glanced at him and didn't move.
Wei Dechang quickly stared at him. He was the only one in the army who was not wearing armor, and his face was wrapped in a long snow-white scarf, which looked a little weird.
"Who is he?"
Wei Dechang turned around.
Duan Rong was somewhat helpless, "He is the general's staff."
Upon hearing this, Wei Dechang immediately walked quickly to the front of the young man. Duan Rong followed behind him and called out, "Mr. Ni."
Xu Hexue nodded slightly, then met Wei Dechang's unfriendly gaze and said calmly: "Commander Wei."
"It was you who advised my brother to go find Shen Niuqiu?" Wei Dechang's tone was very bad.
"Um."
"Who are you? How did you trick my brother into keeping you in the army as a staff member?"
"Commander Wei, if it weren't for Master Ni, the general would not have made up his mind to let you come back. Now that you and the general have violated the order of Military Supervisor Song, we have no way out."
Duan Rong was afraid that Wei Dechang would start to attack before he could even say a few words, so he spoke quickly.
Wei Dechang was stunned for a moment, perhaps because he did not expect that his brother-in-law made him come back because of the man in front of him. He turned his head and looked at Duan Rong: "There is no way out! Haven't we suffered enough in the past ten years! But Shen Niqiu is not someone who can be easily dealt with! Isn't this asking my brother-in-law to be humiliated!"
He stared at Xu Hexue with his hawk-like eyes again, and seeing that he was holding a sword in his hand, he snorted coldly, "You look like an embroidered pillow, and the sword in your hand must not be very sharp! Let me test it!"
Duan Rong had no time to dissuade him. Wei Dechang drew his sword and chopped towards Xu Hexue in just three or two steps.
Xu Hexue dodged sideways, raised his sword and brushed it against Wei Dechang's blade. The scabbard fell to the ground, a sharp light flashed, and he used his clever force to push away the blade.
Wei Dechang showed a hint of astonishment in his eyes, but then he gripped the hilt of the knife tightly, swung it left and right, and chopped at him quickly. The sound of swords clashing brushed the ears of all the soldiers present, and they immediately surrounded him.
"Captain Duan, why did Commander Wei fight with that young master?"
Someone gathered around Duan Rong and stretched his neck to look into the crowd.
Duan Rong had no intention of paying attention to him. He was just afraid that Wei Dechang would accidentally hurt the young man. He originally wanted to seize the opportunity to stop them, but he didn't expect that the two of them fought so fast that it was dizzying.
The more Duan Rong watched Master Ni's skills, the more amazed he became . How could such a gentle and frail man hold a sword and his moves be so fierce and powerful?
Ni Su hurriedly lifted the curtain and came out. When the soldiers saw a woman like this running towards them, they all made way for her, and she easily stood next to Duan Rong.
"Miss Ni."
Duan Rong took the time to glance at her. She looked as if she had not had time to comb her hair. Her long black hair was tied with a yarn string. Under the not-so-bright sky, her skin was white and delicate. He immediately looked away and saw Wei Dechang slashing his knife straight at Xu Hexue's shoulder. His eyebrows jumped and he shouted, "Master Ni, be careful!"
Ni Su's heart was also in suspense.
The light was not bright enough, and Xu Hexue could not see Wei Dechang clearly. The knife was quickly pressing down on his shoulder. He turned his face slightly, pressed his sword against the blade while leaning back, swung his feet forward, dust flew, and his sword handle hit Wei Dechang's palm hard.
Wei Dechang felt pain and could hardly hold the knife. In just a moment of distraction, his back stiffened instantly. Under the gloomy gray sky, he slowly turned his head.
The young man was already standing behind him with a sword in hand.
Wei Dechang's expression changed again and again. He took a few steps towards Xu Hexue, but he was not prepared for someone to suddenly rush over. Almost at the moment when he was about to approach Xu Hexue, she stood in the way.
Wei Dechang's eyes almost popped out: "Woman?"
"Duan Rong, when did the Qin Army's military camp show women?!" He immediately yelled at Duan Rong who was in the crowd.
"I am with him."
Ni Su stood in front of Xu Hexue, blocking him between her and the tent, so that people around them could not see clearly his hands which were sometimes real and sometimes transparent.
"General Qin has his reasons for keeping us here. Commander Wei wanted to test his sword and he has already done so. I am here, thank you Commander Wei for showing mercy."
Ni Su bowed her head towards him.
Wei Dechang's expression became a little strange.
He knew very well that when Master Ni struck him in the palm of his hand just now, he had clearly left him some room for maneuver, which prevented him from dropping the knife in front of everyone.
If Master Ni had confronted him with a sword from behind, he would have been dead if this was on the battlefield.
"What are you all doing here? Why don't you disperse?"
A serious voice was heard. Duan Rong and others turned around and saw Qin Jixun walking towards them with big strides, holding a military cap in one hand and leading his personal soldiers.
When the soldiers saw the general, they immediately dispersed and returned to their positions.
"General!"
Duan Rong called out hurriedly.
Qin Jixun glanced at him and said, "You don't even know how to stop him?"
Duan Rong was a little embarrassed, "I..."
"Brother."
Wei Dechang was no longer as arrogant as before, but he was still very unhappy.
"You don't even know how to behave yourself after coming back. Master Ni is the aide I hired personally. How could you make things difficult for him in my army?" Qin Jixun's tone was a little unpleasant.
"How can this be considered as a dilemma? I..."
"Well, you should be thankful that your Commander Wei still has his dignity."
Qin Jixun interrupted him.
Whether it was the room Xu Hexue left between his moves or Ni Su's words, they both enabled Wei Dechang to save his face as the commander in front of the Qin family army's soldiers.
"General Qin, what's going on?"
Xu Hexue's gaze moved from Ni Su's long hair to Qin Jixun, and he finally spoke the first sentence.
Talking about this, Qin Jixun restrained his expression and sighed: "I told him everything that Master Ni said to me last night, but he never responded."
After talking with Xu Hexue by the fire last night, Qin Jixun rode into Yongzhou City and headed straight for the prefectural government. Shen Tongchuan, on the other hand, had not gone to bed yet and was busy playing mahjong with others.
When Qin Jixun arrived at his house, he asked the maids and servants to entertain him warmly, but when he was asked to discuss business, he insisted on finishing the game.
Qin Jixun was left aside, watching him play game after game, but there was no definite answer.
Until the clerks at the card table couldn't stand such a huge god of death sitting next to them, staring at them intently and expressionlessly. After a few games, they began to sweat coldly, saying it was too late and looking for an opportunity to slip away.
At this moment, Shen Tongchuan slowly turned around, his face full of surprise: "General Qin is still here, I thought you left a long time ago."
At this point, Qin Jixun also endured it.
As soon as the two entered the study, Qin Jixun explained his intentions. Shen Tongchuan was even more shocked: "General Qin, are you crazy or am I crazy? You dare to disobey the order of Song Jianjun? Didn't Prince Suchile say that as long as you destroy Yang Tianzhe and his rebels, he will not pursue the matter of Aduorong. Why do you have to do the opposite? Isn't this just adding to the war?"
"Shen Zhizhou, do you also think that Suchile will really let it go?"
"He doesn't even want to pursue it, so what else can we do?"
"He may not pursue the death of Aduorong, but as long as his ambitions remain, who knows how many other reasons he will have in the future?"
Shen Tongchuan chuckled when he heard this, "General Qin really thinks long-term."
"We should think long-term for the country, right? Someone told me that you, Shen Zhizhou, are a student of Prime Minister Meng. You also traveled around the world, saw battlefields, and knew suffering. Although it is midsummer now, we are in Yongzhou. We can foresee that this winter will not be easy. The grasslands of the Hu people will be even more bitter and cold. They have been recuperating for more than ten years. The royal court has completely conquered the twenty-nine tribes. Their ambitions are definitely not something that can be satisfied by the thirteen states in the northern border."
"Su Qile said that he would fight against Yang Tianzhe together with us, but what will happen after Yang Tianzhe and his rebel army are wiped out? If the army behind him catches up, a war will be inevitable!"
When Shen Tongchuan heard him mention "Mr. Meng", the relaxed smile on his face faded a little, but after listening to him, he slowly spoke: "It seems that General Qin has made a special trip to understand my background. What you mean is that since Su Qile is very likely to turn against me, it is better to trap him to death here."
"Aren't you afraid that I will tell Military Supervisor Song about your plan?"
"If Prefect Shen and Military Supervisor Song were of the same mind, they wouldn't have ignored everything for so many years. When Military Supervisor Song was ordered to come to Yongzhou, Prime Minister Meng was still in Wen County, but now Prime Minister Meng has returned to the court. If Military Supervisor Song was not here, Prefect Shen wouldn't be restricted in every way, and Prime Minister Meng would have a chance to control the situation in Yongzhou."
After Qin Jixun finished speaking, he saw that Shen Tongchuan was slow to respond and just stood in front of a pot of flowers without moving. He then stood up and bowed, "Shen Zhizhou, both you and I have suffered from this mess for a long time."
Shen Tongchuan came back to his senses, his face still didn't show too much emotion, he spoke calmly: "I don't know whether General Qin is suffering or not, but I am not suffering. I am happy with this leisure time, no matter who comes, I won't change."
He pronounced the last sentence with a slightly heavier emphasis.
"I will just pretend I didn't hear what General Qin said today."
This was considered an order to expel the guest, and Qin Jixun could not stay any longer. He returned to the Qin Mansion and tossed and turned in bed all night, unable to fall asleep. Before dawn, he rode out of the city and rushed to the military camp.
"I said that Shen Niqiu would never agree to it! If he tells Military Supervisor Song about your plan, although Military Supervisor Song has no right to punish you and me, he can submit a petition to Yunjing!"
Wei Dechang was furious. "Brother, how could you be so foolish? How could you believe what this person said?"
"Shen Tongchuan won't tell Song Song."
Xu Hexue said calmly.
Wei Dechang snorted coldly, "How do you know he can't? Are you a god? Can you tell the future?"
"Dechang, Shen Tongchuan is not a fool. It will not benefit him if he tells this to Military Supervisor Song, and it will also implicate him and his mentor, Mr. Meng."
Qin Jixun didn't trust everyone. He thought carefully about Xu Hexue's words before deciding to give it a try.
"General!"
Suddenly, a soldier came running over and said, "Song Jianjun's personal guard is outside the barracks. He has the Jianjun's token. Please go and see him with Commander Wei."
The personal soldier who delivered the money and the woman died, and Song Song's spies were missing in the army, so Song Song only received the news this morning.
Qin Jixun and Wei Dechang looked at each other.
"Dechang, if he asks you, do you know how to answer?"
Qin Jixun asked.
"I said that the road was too windy and sandy and I lost my way, so I had to retreat."
"He won't believe it."
Wei Dechang didn't care, "I don't care whether he believes it or not. I'm back anyway!"
Qin Jixun smiled slightly on his usually serious face. He patted Wei Dechang on the shoulder, then turned to look at Xu Hexue: "Mr. Ni, this round depends entirely on Shen Tongchuan. I will not give up easily."
"If the general is so sincere, he will surely break the stone."
Xu Hexue nodded at him.
Qin Jixun and Wei Dechang quickly left the military camp with their personal soldiers. The wind and sand blew up Ni Su's hair and brushed against Xu Hexue's long scarf. He raised his hand to touch it, but found that his figure was getting darker and darker.
"Go in quickly."
Ni Su turned around and pushed him into the tent.
Xu Hexue staggered back, the long sword in his hand shattered into a bright light that seeped into his body. The lights in the tent went out, and it was darker than outside. A pair of hands suddenly wrapped around his waist, helping him to steady his body.
"Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
She asked worriedly.
"fine."
Xu Hexue was almost numb from the pain. When he heard her voice, he answered subconsciously.
Ni Su helped him sit on the bedside. He seemed to be wrapped in a very light mist. She was afraid that he would break into a ball of white light again, so she immediately said, "You stay in the tent. I will go to the Agate Lake to get dew for you now!"
But as soon as she finished speaking, she remembered the restriction between them that prevented them from being separated for too long.
"Let's go together."
Xu Hexue said.
He could hide himself in front of people, turn into mist, and pull at her sleeves.
Ni Su said "hmm", not wanting to delay at all, she found a clay pot and wanted to leave. Xu Hexue, who was sitting on the bed, looked at her with eyes that were not quite clear to her.
"Hurry up and go."
Ni Su urged a little anxiously.
"You haven't combed your hair yet."
Xu Hexue coughed twice.
Ni Su touched her hair and said, "Don't worry about it."
Xu Hexue's eyebrows were cold, and she didn't show too much emotion when she heard it. She just raised her eyelashes slightly, and waved at her for a moment: "Come here."
Ni Su walked over immediately .
" I'll help you."
He said.
Ni Su was stunned for a moment, said "OK", and sat down next to him.
His pale, slender knuckles ran through her silky long hair, and even though it was a little blurry, he was still able to tidy up her hair nicely.
"Are you ready?"
Ni Su asked while holding the clay jar.
Xu Hexue took off the wooden hairpin from her hair and put it into her bun.
"Um."
Dim light, hazy figure.
She turned around, and her face was not clear enough in his eyes. He stared at her calmly.
"Can you see me clearly?"
she asked suddenly.
He paused, "I can't see clearly."
Ni Su said "Oh" and turned away. Xu Hexue couldn't see clearly what she was doing, but he was used to waiting for her quietly.
Until she suddenly turned around,
He lowered his head and blew on something, and a cluster of flames suddenly burned.
In that instant, the light in his eyes became much brighter.
The flames lit up her face.
She had her hair in a man's bun, her eyebrows and eyes were as beautiful as water, but she also had a heroic look. She held the fire starter in her hand and smiled at him: "Young Jinshi General, what about now?"
