Chapter 184

Seeing how Jiang Chong no longer attempted to intervene, Chu Qiao felt at ease as she raised her blade and told He Xiao, “Let us go. If we cannot settle this in a few minutes, we will never get such a good opportunity in the future.” With that said, the last of the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison had entered the battle. In that split second, the roars of fighting and the rumbling of horse hooves resounded. The bodyguards of General Cheng gave out cried of despair, yet they had nowhere to hide. With his blade, Jiang Teng protected General Cheng, and loudly cried, “Protect the General! Defend him!” Just as he finished his sentence, an arrow pierced through the air and penetrated his chest.

The measly hundred bodyguards quickly dropped dead one after another, and their bodies were trampled into a bloody mess by the horses. In the cacophony, the sound of weapons clashing could be heard everywhere. The men of Southwest Emissary’s Garrison had completely surrounded Cheng Yuan and his remaining guards. With wave after wave of arrows being launched toward Cheng Yuan and his guards, his men dropped by the droves.

No matter how he shouted, there was no point. Cheng Yuan, with bloodshot eyes, felt like he was about to go crazy. In his plan, by now the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison would have ceased to exist, and no matter how angry Chu Qiao got, she would merely be a defanged beast, and could do nothing against him and his hundred bodyguards. Yet, he had not expected that not only had the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison not died, but they dared to attack his main tent directly. This woman was really crazy beyond his imagination. Would he really die here today?

“Orders from His Highness! Everyone is to immediately stop! Anyone who continues to fight will be punished by military law!” With the messenger shouting from beyond the encirclement, Cheng Yuan was immediately overwhelmed by relief. Yet, Chu Qiao pretended as though she had not heard the soldier, as she stabbed her sword into yet another soldier to display her determination to get rid of Cheng Yuan.

The snow-covered campground became a huge meat grinder, as the corpses turned into a pile of bloody organic mass. With the sounds of fighting echoing into the sky, it seemed as though the days of suppression and anger had finally erupted, as the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison had quickly cleared all obstacles.

“Orders from His Highness! Everyone is to stop now!”

The messenger continued to shout. With a kick, Chu Qiao tackled Cheng Yuan to the ground. With crimson blood streaming down her blade, and dripping onto the ground, many faces flashed before her eyes—the handsome face of Xue Zhiyuan, the young faces of those soldiers who had sacrificed themselves to save her, the face of the many soldiers who died because the Beishuo Garrison had deserted the city, and the face which looked at her, full of doubt…

Lifting up her blade, she wasted no time. Without saying anything, bloodlust flashed past her eyes as she swung her sword down towards the man!

Cheng Yuan’s eyes widened in terror, yet he could not shout out at all. Before such a sword, he could not escape. In the first place, he had been struck with several arrows and had completely lost his ability to fight.

Just as the sword was about to pierce his throat, an arrow pierced through the air. The speed of the arrow was so fast, that it seemed like it would create sparks in the air. A loud collision resounded as Chu Qiao’s wrist was numbed by the impact. The blade missed its mark and stabbed into the snow, lightly grazing Cheng Yuan’s skin, leaving a trail of crimson.

“Your Highness! Save me!”

In her rage, Chu Qiao’s eyes seemed as though they would spew flames. Pulling out the blade, she swung it again, yet before she could even swing it, another arrow came. This time, it was not targeted at her blade, but at He Xiao,, who was standing behind her. He Xiao parried with his blade, yet he stumbled with the great force of that arrow. Stumbling back, before he could ready himself, another arrow headed straight at his face!

Chu Qiao swung her blade to parry the arrow for him. Seeing how the arrow was shot with such vigor, speed, and power, she had to use all her strength to parry the projectile. In that instance, it was as though she had returned to many years ago in a certain palace, when there were two children. One shot out arrows and the other parried. Back then, the arrows they used all did not have tips, Unlike this time, where the gleam of the arrow tip shone with a lethal shine.

When she had finally stopped the arrow, Cheng Yuan had already escaped. Wearing a black blouse, Yan Xun rode tall on his horse. With one hand holding his golden bow, his other hand had already grabbed another arrow. Behind him stood his bodyguards from the Black Eagle Army. Standing behind him coldly, they emotionlessly watched over this mess of a battlefield

The wind blew between them. Lifting up waves after waves of snowflakes, one could hear it howling.

“AhChu, what are you doing?” Yan Xun’s voice was exceedingly calm. So calm, that one could not fathom his thoughts at all. His expression was extremely cold, as though he was not speaking to his childhood friend who had accompanied him through his most difficult eight years, but a stranger. A drop of blood rolled down Chu Qiao’s face, onto her neck. Lifting her head, she saw Cheng Yuan standing beside Yan Xun in deference, loudly putting the blame onto her and twisting all the facts. Yet, Yan Xun did not say anything. Seeing such a scene, Chu Qiao merely felt that her heart had been covered by a thick layer of snow. Her lips moved very slightly, yet she could not speak at all

She had always thought they would never have misunderstandings, and would never need to explain anything to each other. Yet, she suddenly realized, that if she did not quickly go and explain herself, she would really become the side who had tried to seed discord within Yan Bei. Such irony that was.

Stepping up, He Xiao explained the entire incident. Of course, he hid the fact that the Xia army had intentionally let them go, and instead claimed that they had discovered that something was wrong, and had made a breakthrough.

Without speaking, Yan Xun merely listened to He Xiao and Cheng Yuan shouting at each other, with the soldiers of the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison roaring in rage. The soldiers around had gathered, and the night wind became stronger. Chu Qiao stood rooted to the ground as her limbs turned numb with coldness. She seemed to have became deaf to the sounds around her, and her vision was filled with Yan Xun’s eyes. It was so black, so clear, but, why were his eyes covered by a layer of frost?

“AhChu,” Yan Xun bellowed. His voice was not particularly lou, yYe, the ruckus around him immediately died down. He stared at Chu Qiao, and calmly asked, “Is it true?”

Chu Qiao quietly looked back at him. Her gaze pierced through the ages, as she was mesmerized by their past. It was as if everything ceased to be, and there was nothing except their eyes. From their first glance at each other in the hunting ground in the Xia empire, this turbulent age had connected the two of them who should have had no connection. Many times Chu Qiao had wondered, had she came here after crossing through thousands of years, piercing through an unimaginable distance on the fabric of space and time, just for him? As such, no matter how tough it had become, how difficult it was, she had stood beside him, tumbling, falling, and getting back up together with him. By the hands of fate, they would never abandon each other and would trust in each other completely.

Deeply nodding, her eyes were still calm, yet, her heart warmed up. Like a gambler who had placed all her stakes on a single bet, she said, “Yes, it is true.”

The surroundings turned silent, as Yan Xun narrowed his eyes. His lips moved, and he said something, yet, Chu Qiao seemed like she did not hear anything. That sound was so loud and echoed in her ears. She could hear it loud and clear, yet that sentence became a bunch of meaningless sounds, undecipherable to her.

Yan Xun asked, “If that is so, why did the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison not suffer so little losses? According to you, the enemy had over 3000 troops, and if they had previously received General Cheng’s intel and had completed their preparation, how could you keep your losses so low?”

“Your Highness, this subordinate feels that this could be a misunderstanding. I offended Master Chu in Beishuo. After being deceived by some evil men, I had accidentally killed some of Master Chu’s subordinates. General Xue had been Master Chu’s good friend, yet his death was also partly this subordinate’s responsibility. The fact that Master Chu would be biased against me is only natural.”

The young generals that were recently promoted also started voicing their doubts. Why had the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison finished their battle so quickly? If the enemy numbered 3000, even if their commander was incompetent, one would not be so complacent as to not complete the encirclement and let her escape so easily?

The ruckus became louder, as though her ears had gathered a bunch of flies. Chu Qiao would find it impossible to explain. Could she really say that Zhuge Yue had let her go? With so many people around, if this was spread out, would Zhuge Yue be punished by the Xia Empire? In addition, she had lost her will to explain. Looking at Yan Xun, her gaze froze up. As though a vanishing mist, she smirked in self-mockery, “You do not believe me?”

Yan Xun said, “Give me a reasonable explanation.”

Reasonable explanation? The orders from Cheng Yuan, the fact that Southwest Emissary’s Garrison had lost eight men and had over 20 casualties, was this not sufficient evidence? Must the entire force be wiped out for the incident to be logical? Chu Qiao laughed out loud. The intense disappointment and pain were akin to blades of unparalleled sharpness, slicing into her heart. Biting her lips, it was as though her heart would start bleeding. She retorted, “Yan Xun, after knowing me for so many years, have I ever done anything that was disadvantageous for you?”

Yan Xun frowned, yet he did not reply.

Chu Qiao continued to laugh as the frigid wind continued to blow on her face. Her lips were numb, and her eyes were like a lake that was slowly freezing up, eventually withering like a flower in autumn. Glancing past everyone, her eyes were like the wind caressing past them. A seed of suspicion and doubt had already been planted, and everything would change. Yan Xun was already the King of Yan Bei, and was no longer that powerless prince. There were so many people who would stand beside him, and she was no longer the only one for him.

“I swear by the heavens and earth that whatever I said was true. If you do not believe me, you can kill me as a traitor!” With that said, she stopped looking at everyone, and merely dragged her body. Stumbling, she almost fell. He Xiao and the others tried to reach out for her in support, yet they were pushed away. The frail body of the young lady seemed so weak, and her unnaturally pale complexion seemed so transparent that one could see her blood vessels underneath her skin. With the ravens flying overhead, crowing, everyone seemed to be left behind by her. Quietly walking, it was as though she was forcing him into a decision. Would he shout for her to halt? Or would he kill her? Or would he rush up, hug her, and tell her that she thought wrong, and that how could he ever doubt her?

Yet, he did not do anything. He merely stood there, surrounded by his thousands of loyal subordinates. The light of the torches illuminated his face, so bright, so piercing. Staring at her, his eyes were still emotionless. He had not run up to her but spoke no more. He had not killed anyone either. Time flowed between the two of them, as the snow started to fall. Their distance grew larger, as though mountains and oceans had suddenly appeared between them on this tiny camp. In a blink of an eye, it was as though tens of years had passed. From the beginning when they first met each other, to the time that they stood beside each other and fought beside each other. The words they told each other still reverberated by her ears, as the promises were still vivid in her mind. Yet, all those treasured words of promise seemed so cheap and worthless now.

Yan Xun, we have been through thick and thin, and life and death. We survived the toughest days of our lives. We promised that we would return to our homeland together, and rebuild Yan Bei together. We also promised that we will take revenge together. We promised that we will trust each other forever, and never abandon each other for all of eternity.

Yet, the world never turns out as simple as what one imagines. You had said that I was the only one that you would ever trust in this world. Yet, you did not know that after all your experiences you had long forgotten how to trust. That includes yourself. You could not trust anything that you could not control. That includes the Da Tong guild, Mister Wu who was well-liked by the populace, Lady Yu, who was talented and skilled, and AhJing, who loyally stayed by your side all these years. It also included the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison who had sworn loyalty to me, and of course, me, Chu Qiao, who contributed so much for Yan Bei, and had countless ties with you.