The girl's tears were like fragile dewdrops as they rolled down her cheeks. For a moment, they seemed to be scalding.
Thinking about it carefully, this was the first time Xiao Jue had seen He Yan cry.
He was startled and thought to himself, in the end, she's still a girl. No matter how powerful she is normally, it's still a bit scary to see her flesh and blood splatter on the battlefield for the first time. But … the last time she fought with Rida Muzi, her reaction wasn't as intense as this.
After thinking about it, Xiao Jue finally frowned. He softened his voice and comforted her, "It's okay now. Don't cry."
He looked around and saw that the Utuo soldiers were only left with remnants of their last struggle. Cui Yuezhi's men had already arrived, so the rest were nothing to be afraid of.
"Commander in chief!" Slave Fei rushed over and looked at He Yan. He was also stunned for a moment.
"How long are you going to stand here and cry?" Xiao Jue felt a headache coming on.
He Yan quickly wiped away her tears. She knew that she had lost her composure. Even though the situation was already decided, this wasn't the time to be sad. She turned around and said, "Ah, sand got into my eyes just now. It's okay now. Let's wrap it up!"
Her voice still sounded like she was crying. This excuse was so lame that it felt perfunctory. Xiao Jue couldn't be bothered to expose her. When she turned around and walked back with her sword, he suddenly grabbed He Yan's arm.
"What's wrong?" He Yan looked back in confusion.
Xiao Jue didn't say anything and only looked behind her. He Yan followed his gaze and saw a few drops of blood slowly flowing down from her waist into the river, leaving only a trail of blood.
She was stunned and reached out to touch her back. The pain that had been dull for a long time seemed to have returned. She had probably charged into the Utuo soldiers in anger and only attacked without defending. The Uto had taken advantage of the opening and injured her. Later, she had been in a hurry to find Xiao Jue and didn't realize that she had been injured.
The armor was heavy, so it wasn't obvious that she was injured. If not for the blood dripping down, it would have been hard to notice. He Yan felt the pain, but it wasn't unbearable. It wasn't like he hadn't suffered injuries more painful than this in the past, so he didn't feel anything. Instead, he adjusted his armor and said indifferently, "I might have been cut. I'll go back and bandage it."
"Go back to Lin Shuanghe now," Xiao Jue said. "We don't need you here."
Uto's momentum was gone, and Maka was dead. Thousands of ships were burning on the river, and Cui Yuezhi and the remaining soldiers of Jiyang City were more than enough to deal with the remaining soldiers. However, He Yan didn't have the habit of letting his subordinates work while he himself rested, so he said, "No need. It's just some minor injuries. "
Xiao Jue frowned and looked at her coldly.
"There's really no need." He Yan tried to break free of his hand, but Xiao Jue was too strong and couldn't break free.
The young man in the dark armor looked down at her. His posture was tall, and his cold eyes seemed to contain knives. However, his tone was light. "You don't know pain? You don't feel pain, so you don't know how to shout in pain? "
He Yan sensed that he seemed to be angry.
She instinctively replied, "… it doesn't hurt."
A hint of disdain flashed through the young man's eyes. He looked calmly at her and said, "Do you not feel pain, or do you not dare to feel pain? Do you think it's not necessary, or do you not need it? "
After saying this, he released his hand and turned to leave. He didn't look back at He Yan.
"What kind of temper is this?" He Yan stood in place, and after a while, he muttered in a low voice, "No one has taught me, and no one has coaxed me."
She followed him.
The war ended much earlier than expected.
It took two days for the Uto's ships to enter the canal, for the wind and fire to attack, and for the remaining soldiers to be cleaned up. It didn't even take three days.
Of course, the bravery of Jiyang City's soldiers and the ingenuity of Xiao Jue's command and formation played a part in this. However, the most important factor was the east wind. If the wind had blown a little later or a little shorter, the result wouldn't have been like this.
The fire from the east wind didn't stop and buried thousands of Uto's ships in the canal outside Jiyang City. Countless citizens of Jiyang City knelt down and kowtowed in the direction of the canal. Tears flowed down their faces. "Thank you, Water Goddess, for your protection. Thank you, General Fengyun, for commanding the troops like a god. Thank you, God, for protecting Jiyang. God, for protecting Da Wei."
The morning glow dyed the surface of the river and dyed the blood-soaked river a golden-red. It was unknown whether it was the blood of the martyrs or the morning glow. It was so magnificent that it was shocking.
The remaining Jiyang City's soldiers on the shore took off their armor and sat on the ground. They stared blankly in the direction of the sunrise. Their bloodstained faces were filled with relief.
Jiyang City was defended.
In the Cui Residence, He Yan sat on the couch and watched Lin Shuanghe brew medicine for her.
"Brother Lin, leave this to Cui Jiao," He Yan said. "There's no need to trouble you."
Lin Shuanghe sat by the stove and fanned himself. "What does this little girl know? My medicine can't be brewed by ordinary people. I have to do it myself. I say, Little Sister He, you too. Don't you know that there's such a big wound on your body? No wonder Huaijin is so angry. If you die here, people will blame themselves. "
"It's not a big wound." He Yan felt that this person was exaggerating. "It's only the length of a palm. It didn't hurt any vital parts."
In a real battle, this was considered a minor injury. There was once when she was hit by an arrow in her shoulder. She had to continue fighting, but the doctors around her couldn't take care of her. She could only pull out the arrow with her bare hands and continue fighting with the arrow embedded in her skin. Later, when the military doctor came to see her, He Yan's entire sleeve was dyed red with blood. The wound was stuck to the cloth and could not be pulled apart.
As long as she could still walk and fight, it was considered a minor injury as long as it did not harm her life.
"Little Sister, when will you remember that you're a girl? When I was treating other young ladies in Shuo Capital, they would sometimes kill themselves just because of a birthmark the size of a fingernail. If you send this wound over, people will be able to see it. "
He lifted the lid of the medicine pot to take a look. The medicine was boiling in the pot and bubbling. Lin Shuanghe put the lid down again. He held the pot with a handkerchief and placed it on the table beside him.
"Let's not talk about whether your life is in danger or whether you can endure pain. But don't you like to be beautiful? " He took a clean medicine bowl from the side and poured the medicine in the pot into it. "Aren't you afraid that your future husband will dislike you? Don't blame me for saying this, but it's normal for a girl to pay attention to this. "
He Yan leaned against the couch and looked at his actions. She smiled and said, "I don't plan on getting married."
"Why?" Lin Shuanghe paused and looked at her. "You're young and not bad. Your personality can be considered straightforward and cute. Since you don't have any difficult illnesses, why don't you plan on getting married?"
"Getting married is boring." He Yan sighed. "It's just a house. Walking around in the same place, it's just the same place. It's better to live in the military camp."
"Your way of thinking is quite strange." Lin Shuanghe put the medicine aside to dry. "When you meet someone you like in the future, you won't think this way."
"Even if I meet someone I like, I still won't get married," He Yan said.
Lin Shuanghe narrowed his eyes. "Younger Sister He, don't tell me you already have someone you like?"
"No."
Although she answered straightforwardly, Lin Shuanghe suddenly felt suspicious. He Yan was perfectly fine, so why would she say such depressing words? Based on his many years of experience with women, for a girl to say something like "I don't want to get married" at such a young age, it was most likely that she had been hurt by love.
He Yan had always been in the Liang Province Guards, practicing with swords and rods all day long. Where did this hurt from love come from?
His heart trembled. Could it be that she had really fallen in love with Chu Zilan? And because of Chu Zilan's identity and his relationship with Xu Pingting, she knew that she couldn't marry Chu Zilan. Was that why her heart was like dead ashes?
But if that was the case, what about Xiao Jue?
For a moment, Lin Shuanghe felt that all kinds of situations were very serious.
Seeing him in a daze, He Yan asked again, "Brother Lin, have you seen my master?"
From the beginning of the war to the end of the war, when everyone began to clean up the mess, He Yan didn't see Liu Buwang. Lin Shuanghe said, "That morning, Master Liu left with Cui Zhongqi. Cui Zhongqi was busy taking care of the wounded soldiers and hadn't come back yet. Master Liu should be with him."
He Yan nodded, but he felt a little uneasy.
Lin Shuanghe walked to He Yan again, took out a round box from his sleeve, and put it beside He Yan's pillow. "This is our family's secret scar removal ointment. Use it on your body. I don't dare to say that you'll recover completely, but it's still possible to recover most of your scars."
He Yan's body had already been bandaged by a female doctor in Jiyang City. At this moment, he picked it up and looked at it. He saw that the words "Scar Removal and Muscle Growth" were written on the round box, which looked particularly familiar. Thinking back carefully, he remembered that when he went to Liangzhou City with Xiao Jue, he was injured in a fight with Ding Yi at night. Later, when he returned to the Liangzhou City Guards, Shen Muxue also put such a box on the medicine tray when he brought her medicine. At that time, He Yan used it, and it really had an excellent scar removal effect. His scars were now very light. At that time, she was very grateful to Shen Muxue for being so careful and praised the magic of the ointment. Unfortunately, the box was very small, and there wasn't much medicine, so it was gone after she used it.
"Is this your family's secret ointment?" He Yan asked.
Lin Shuanghe was a little proud. "To be precise, it's my secret ointment."
"Is it very expensive?"
"Little Sister He, how can you use money to measure the value of medicine? I'm not selling this medicine. If I really did sell it, the people in Shuojing City would be able to live comfortably for several lifetimes with this medicine. Money is like floating clouds to me. I specially made this medicine for Huaijin. He gets injured easily every day, and when Xiao Rubi sees him later, her heart will ache. If I add some scar removal ointment, Xiao Rubi won't be able to tell, and she'll feel better. "
So that her big brother won't worry? He Yan thought to himself, Xiao Jue is quite cautious. But she clearly remembered that Shen Muxue was the one who gave it to her. He Yan asked Lin Shuanghe, "Have you never made this medicine for other people? Like other girls? "
"What do you mean?" Lin Shuanghe said curiously, "If this medicine really gets out, not only me, but even my father and grandfather will be annoyed to death. I won't tell anyone else. I only made it for Huaijin. I didn't make much, only a few boxes. I only gave you one box because you and I are close. Don't tell anyone else. This medicine is hard to make, and I still want to live for a few more years. "
He Yan: "… Okay."
"Then take your time to drink the medicine. Rest after you've finished." Lin Shuanghe waved his fan in satisfaction. "I'll go out and ask if there's anything else I can help with."
Lin Shuanghe left, and He Yan looked at the medicine box in her hand. The medicine box was exquisite, and she held it in her palm.
Xiao Jue gave it to her?
The wounded soldiers were all settled down, and the dead soldiers were all recorded in a book. There weren't many soldiers in Jiyang City to begin with, and after this battle, there weren't many left.
Cui Yuezhi led the soldiers behind him to clean up the battlefield. He also had many injuries on his body. His face was covered in blood, and there was a wound on his head that was wrapped up with a white cloth.
When he saw Xiao Jue coming from afar, Cui Yuezhi hurriedly went to greet him. "Military Governor Xiao."
Xiao Jue was much younger than him, but he didn't dare to underestimate him anymore. If not for Xiao Jue, Jiyang City would not have been able to defend itself against the 150,000 Utuo soldiers. Luck played a part in their narrow victory, but more importantly, it was because of this lucky general. In He Yan's words, he was a famous general. He didn't lose when he shouldn't have, and he could win when he couldn't. No matter how bad the chess game was, he could turn defeat into victory.
Of course, Miss He was also very powerful. However, he heard that she was injured and was sent back to her residence to rest.
"The battlefield has already been cleaned up," Cui Yuezhi said. "Once the Utuo soldiers have finished counting their casualties, we can return to the prince's residence and report the situation to His Highness. His Highness will write a report about this battle and report it to the imperial court. None of the people in Jiyang City dare to forget the life-saving grace of the Commander-In-Chief. "
Xiao Jue walked forward. "No need to thank them. Thank them."
Cui Yuezhi was a little emotional. Probably because they had fought side by side before, he also felt a bit of genuine affection for Xiao Jue. Just as he was about to speak, someone suddenly came over. It was Cui Yuezhi's subordinate.
Cui Yuezhi's subordinate glanced at Xiao Jue with a hesitant expression.
"What's the matter?" Cui Yuezhi asked.
"Sir, we … we found Mr. Liu."
Liu Buwang hadn't been with them since the start of the battle. Cui Yuezhi was worried. Hearing this, he asked anxiously, "Where is he?"
"On the forest bank in front of the mouth of the calabash." The subordinate said, "Mr. Liu …"
Cui Yuezhi's heart gradually sank. He looked at Xiao Jue. Xiao Jue lowered his eyes. After a while, he said calmly, "Lead the way."
Liu Buwang died in the center of the tactical deployment.
He died very miserably. His body was covered with wounds. The most fatal wound was a knife wound on his chest, which ran through his heart from the back to the front. Before he died, the corners of his mouth were still curled up, without any resentment. He was very calm as if he had seen something very beautiful.
In addition, there were many Uto who had died under his sword around him. There were also corpses in the depths of the dense forest. Cui Yuezhi looked at them for a long time and asked hesitantly, "Is it Qimen Dun Jia?"
Xiao Jue said, "Yes."
Cui Yuezhi was in awe. Nowadays, there were not many people who knew Qimen Dun Jia. Liu Buwang set up the tactical deployment here and killed many Uto, which bought them a lot of time. If it weren't for Liu Buwang, those Uto would have entered the city and started a killing spree. The consequences would have been unimaginable.
Liu Buwang didn't tell anyone that he had been blocking in front for so long that no one knew that he had died.
His sword fell beside him, his zither was smashed into pieces, and his white clothes were stained with blood.
Cui Yuezhi looked at Xiao Jue worriedly. He only knew that Liu Buwang was Xiao Jue's master. Now that Liu Buwang was dead, Xiao Jue must be very sad.
Xiao Jue squatted down and slowly tidied up Liu Buwang's clothes, which had been messed up by the Uto. Then she took out a handkerchief from her arms and wiped the blood off his face.
After doing all this, she looked at Liu Buwang's face and said in a low voice, "Take him back."
He Yan stayed in the Cui Mansion until the evening.
Cui Yuezhi's four concubines took turns to visit her and brought her all kinds of food. Even though He Yan liked sweets, she couldn't eat so many sweets. After she finally sent the concubines away, someone came to report, "Master is back! The Commander in Chief is back! "
He Yan was refreshed. She got out of bed, put on her shoes, and walked out. Cui Yuezhi and Xiao Jue were back. Maybe Liu Buwang was back too. As soon as Cui Yuezhi walked to the door, she was surrounded by the four concubines, especially the Third Concubine. She hugged Cui Yuezhi and cried her heart out.
She was really good at crying.
He Yan was thinking in his heart when he saw a person walking past Cui Yuezhi and coming towards him. It was Xiao Jue. She hadn't had time to take off her armor and was travel-worn. He Yan didn't feel disgusted. He thought in his heart, "Sure enough, a person with extraordinary appearance can't hide her beauty even if she is covered in dust."
Xiao Jue walked up to her and frowned slightly, "Who let you come out?"
"It's not a big deal." He Yan clapped her hands, "Even Brother Lin thinks that you are making a fuss over a minor issue. By the way, Commander in Chief, have you seen my master? I asked around, but no one has seen him. At this time, he should be back. "
Hearing this, Xiao Jue's eyes moved and fell on her face.
A trace of pity flashed through those cold black eyes. It was like a silent sigh that fell on people's hearts.
He Yan's smile slowly disappeared.
She asked, "Is something wrong?"
Xiao Jue said, "Go and see him."
He Yan's entire body froze.
Liu Buwang was sleeping on the couch in the room. His clothes had been changed. Except for his pale face, he looked like he was asleep. It was as if as long as she called him, he would sit up, look at her with a smile, and call her, "A He."
He Yan's eyes suddenly turned red.
She almost couldn't stand steadily. She walked to Liu Buwang's side and held his hand.
His hand was very cold, not as warm as when he pulled her up from the pile of corpses. He used to be a light sleeper and would wake up as long as there was a slight movement. Now she called him master here, but he was unmoved.
He Yan's hand touched his shoulder. After a pause, she gently pulled down Liu Buwang's clothes. His clothes had been changed, so it was obvious that he was injured. But He Yan didn't expect that there would be so many wounds. Those Uto suffered a big loss in Liu Buwang's hands, so they naturally wanted to pay him back a hundred times. When Liu Buwang's physical strength was exhausted, he rushed to make another cut on the spoils of war.
His body was broken into pieces. However, his expression was so calm, as if he had just fallen asleep under the flower tree and had a beautiful dream. He Yan's gaze fell on Liu Buwang's hand, which was clenched into a fist very tightly. He Yan was silent for a moment. Then she used a little strength to pry open his fingers and saw what he was hiding in his palm.
It was a silver bracelet. It looked very rough and seemed to be an old thing from many years ago. It was probably played with and treasured every day. Some carvings had been smoothed out and were not very obvious. But she could still see a small wild daisy carved on the edge of the bracelet.
This was what Liu Buwang wanted to protect at the end of his life. He had no children and only took her as his disciple. At the end of his life, except for a zither, a sword, and this silver bracelet, he left nothing.
Empty and vast, clean and tidy.
He Yan's throat was choked with sobs and she couldn't speak. They had reunited after a long time, but they were going to be separated forever before they could say a few words. She desperately held back her tears, and a handkerchief was placed in front of her.
"If you want to cry, just cry." Xiao Jue said, "I'll be outside. No one will come in."
His voice was very soft and light, with a little imperceptible comfort. Before He Yan could speak, he turned and went out.
The door was closed behind him. A girl's cry came from behind the door. At first, it was a suppressed sob. Then, as if she couldn't suppress it, the cry became louder and louder. In the end, she wailed like a child who couldn't get candy.
The crying reached the ears of Concubine Wei in the next room. She stood up and twisted her handkerchief uneasily. "Should I go and take a look?"
"Don't." Second Concubine shook her head and looked out of the window. The young man stood in front of the door with his hands behind his back, like a guardian guarding the fragile precious thing. "You and I can't comfort her at such a sad time."
"Let them solve it themselves."
The wailing in the room stopped at some point. After a long time, the door opened with a creak, and someone walked out from inside.
Xiao Jue looked sideways.
The girl's tears had been wiped clean. Except for her red eyes, there was nothing wrong with her. Her expression was calm and even a little deliberately relaxed.
"Commander in chief, thank you for guarding the door for me," she said.
Xiao Jue frowned and looked at her.
He Yan looked back. "Why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face? "
"It's ugly."
"What?"
"You look ugly when you lie." His black eyes were glittering, and his words were as cold as ice. With a kind of insight, he said in a deep voice, "I've said it before. You can cry when you want to cry, and you can smile when you don't want to. It's better than your pretentious look now. It's extremely ugly. "
His words were really not pleasant to hear.
He Yan was stunned for a moment, and then she smiled. She said, "I'm not pretending. It's just … that's all I can do."
Liu Buwang was dead. This was a fact that couldn't be changed. She could be sad for Liu Buwang's death, but she had to look forward. People couldn't tell everyone their pain and sadness. This would only make people hate them. Some painful things should be kept in the heart. If she always cried to others, over time, others would hate her, and she wouldn't be able to get over it.
She used the experience of two lifetimes to tell herself that no matter how difficult things were, they would pass.
But …
"Do you know?" She sighed. "There are not many people in this world who are good to me. I can count them with one hand."
"Now, there is one less."
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