Battle cries tore through the night sky. Flames flared and smoke filled the air. On the high ground beside the col, someone began to throw lit rattan balls down. Although the col wasn't small, the smoke and fire forced more than two thousand people out.
When weapons clashed, some people resisted hysterically, some cried because of their injuries, and some tried to surrender. But on this night in the Zhan Clan's Col, killing became the main theme. When Song Jiang fell, so did the other leaders. Having lost their backbone and base, the people of Liangshan, who had been fleeing and falling into a trap, could no longer muster the vigor of a desperate soldier. When the people of Lone Dragon Gang led the soldiers and pressed into the col with a blood feud, what was left in the chaotic battle was a sea of corpses and severed limbs.
There were also a small number of people who tried to take revenge or break out of the encirclement. In the current situation, they struggled with all their might to tear apart the encirclement, but they could no longer muster much strength to attack.
The people's morale was gone, and their courage was cold. Even if they wanted to live, they could only struggle a little more tenaciously. Under the siege of large areas, they were soon drowned.
When Yan Qing and Guan Sheng came out of the tent, what they saw was a sea of people fighting in the col in front of them. Their injuries weren't light. After they were bandaged, their bodies were still aching and weak. But after a short rest, their hearts throbbed, and they couldn't help but come out to take a look. A soldier of Zhu Village followed them silently.
They walked up a small slope. In the col in front of them, countless torches and battle flags were mixed together. Arrows flew in the sky, and fireballs rolled down from the cliffs on both sides of the col. Among the people who wanted to fight their way out, there were faces that they were originally familiar with. In front of the people of Liangshan, the people of Lone Dragon Gang were the first to charge and killed the most ruthlessly. But the col was not wide after all. Some could pass, while others were arranged to stay at the back. Along the way, among the soldiers they saw, some were hysterical with excitement, some were laughing with red eyes, and some looked fierce, shouting that they wanted to go over and kill. To them, this was a feast of revenge.
Some people were injured and were carried back. When Yan Qing and Guan Sheng went over, they could hear a man with a broken arm shouting from the stretcher, "I've taken revenge! I killed two of them! I have avenged … "It was not clear who he was avenging, but as he spoke, he began to cry. Although his cries were weak, they were mournful and mournful. The doctor beside him tried to calm him down, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not. Finally, when he was carried far away, there was no sound. It was unknown whether he had fainted or died.
The corpses of Song Jiang and the others were still near the wooden platform. For Yan Qing and Guan Sheng, it was hard to describe what they were feeling. And with their foresight, they could tell that the Zhan Family Ao was about to fight a merciless battle of annihilation. Even if the Liangshan side could no longer organize a unified army, they would still have to pay a price to kill them all if they wanted to force them to a dead end. Only from the words spoken by the people of Lone Dragon Gang, their excited expressions, and their slightly reddened eyes, could one find the necessity of this battle of annihilation.
And a little further to the side, they saw the young scholar who had single-handedly led everything. He moved a chair and sat on the noisy battlefield. It was also a small slope, and there was no light under the big tree. He sat there, leaning against the back of the chair, with his head slightly raised. No one knew what he was thinking, but his whole body seemed to be embedded in the darkness. The shield-wielding guards tried their best to protect him. A little further in front were the people of Lone Dragon Gang. And on Liangshan's side, there were also people who could discover this place. With Li Kui, Hua Rong, Sun Erniang and the others in the lead, they struggled and roared, wanting to kill their way over. The people around them were getting fewer and fewer. They wanted to kill their way out …
As for Ning Yi, he just sat there in the darkness. No one knew what he was thinking …
*****
At the most noisy time, something would gush out from the bottom of one's heart, like the sugar on an osmanthus cake in spring, or like the light brought by the dripping rain under the eaves. It was refreshing and warm, but it was hard to fathom.
In Jiangning, in the small and not very famous Yushan Academy, there used to be a group of children who would come to listen to classes in the spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Perhaps not all of them were cute, or a little silly, or extremely naughty. Originally, they all had a tomorrow …
Yushan Academy mostly taught the children of families. There was a child who was six years old and was called to school by Ning Yi. At this age, most children were obedient. Ning Yi taught him manners and so on. After that rainstorm, the child's entire body was split into two. Among the corpses that were sorted out, there were a few children that he knew …
In this world, people would meet tigers. This seemingly scoundrel sentence could comfort some people, including himself. Perhaps he could portray himself as less innocent. He could more or less explain the bad things that had happened to him, so that a person … would not wallow in pain and questioning himself. But such words should not have been used on those children.
Wisdom was easily hurt, and deep love did not last long. After walking such a path, he might be able to suppress the sympathy and pity in his heart, but there would always be some things that would accumulate in his heart. At certain times, they would spew out and provoke his emotions …
Although he should not have emotions when doing things, things had come to an end after all …
*****
In the darkness, the smell of blood lingered in his nose. When the sound of killing came, the bracelet was like a prayer bead, spinning in his hand one by one.
The person shouting from afar was Li Kui, but Ning Yi did not want to pay attention to what he was shouting.
Some emotions surged from the moment the steel knife pierced Song Jiang's body, loosening the foundation of reason in his heart. However, it did not matter in the end. He quietly felt these emotions. Sadness and anger overlapped. This was something that he had suppressed in his heart.
From the moment he realized the whole situation in the heavy rain at the end of March, he had not shown any of these emotions. He did not show them when he looked at the corpses, when he saw the people on Liangshan, when he killed them one by one, and when he threatened them one by one. Even if sometimes he appeared to be frighteningly cold and crazy, he had never wavered in his actual emotions. He was not even willing to let any anger lead his actions.
If he really showed any anger, what Song Jiang and the others felt might not be fear. Before everything was done, he just wanted to spread his fear and despair completely and efficiently. But at this time, those things finally surged from his heart and entangled his entire mind.
Qi Xinyong, Wang Shanyue, and the others guarded him, paying attention to any changes or stray arrows. Only they were close enough to know what was happening nearby. They could also hear the strange tone that this strange young man was humming. It was the same tone he had hummed on the hillside outside Lone Dragon Hill that night. It was slow and ethereal, and he counted the prayer beads. There was an atmosphere that was incompatible with the killing on the battlefield.
Li Kui's roar was still coming.
"I'll kill you!"
"Ning Liheng! Come out … "
"I won't let you go even if I become a ghost. I'll kill your whole family!"
"Hahahaha, when we attacked your house that day, I don't even know if we touched your woman!"
"If you have the guts, look at me!"
Sun Erniang and Hua Rong died on the way. Li Kui waved his axes and moved forward. "Who dares to stop me!" At this time, he was waving his axes like a demon bathed in blood. He was already close to the soldiers. Spears stabbed at him from the side and hooked onto his body. He waved and pulled hard, and the soldiers next to him fell to the ground. However, there were many arrows stuck in his body. Several hooks flew over and embedded into his chest and abdomen, almost tearing his stomach open. He pulled them with both hands and struggled to move forward. Finally, his legs were stabbed and he knelt on the ground, but he was still roaring and moving forward.
Behind the shield formation not far away, Ning Yi opened his eyes and rubbed his forehead. A moment later, he walked out with an iron mace. Li Kui's stomach was almost torn open. He looked ferocious and looked at Ning Yi. "You … b * stard, if you have the guts … look at my eyes. In my next life … I still want to …"
Ning Yi looked into his eyes and raised the iron mace. "You can look at me for the rest of your life …"
The iron cudgel hit Li Kui's face with full force, and his head was thrown back. Then, half of the battlefield suddenly heard an angry roar, "A bunch of bastards!" The second hit broke Li Kui's neck, and his head was thrown back.
*****
Life gradually passed, and the killing on the battlefield gradually came to an end. Ning Yi returned to the military camp in the rear, wiped the blood off his body, and prepared to deal with the aftermath.
While he was making arrangements, Zhu Hu came in from outside the tent. He seemed to be travel-worn. He was quite excited that the people of Liangshan had finally come to this point, but first, he handed a note to Ning Yi.
Ning Yi unfolded the note and looked at it. After a moment, he looked at Zhu Hu. Zhu Hu said, "The person in charge of gathering intelligence on the 12th received this news and rushed over. Actually … it's inevitable that the intelligence in the pugilistic world will be inaccurate …"
Ning Yi nodded, then nodded again. He looked at the people in the tent and finally said, "Just now … Song Jiang and the others' heads should be given to Wu Ruiying. As for the rest, they can do whatever they want. Feed the dogs and wolves, or burn them. It's not convenient … I … I have something to do. Zhu Biao, can you accompany me to … Ji Province? "
On the other side, Zhu Biao was bandaging the minor injuries on his body. He looked up and said, "Of course."
"We have to go immediately. Go … gather 200 people. Those who can leave now and are willing to go with me. The rest should stay here and deal with the aftermath. In fact, it's already been arranged. Brother Wang, you're in charge of dealing with Wu Ruiying and the surrounding officials. Wen Yu will stay too. The three Qi brothers will follow me. It's a little urgent, so I'll leave this to everyone. As for the rest … we'll talk about it when I come back. "
Seeing how anxious he was, Wang Shanyue frowned. "Could it be that your master …"
"Heh." Ning Yi nodded. "It shouldn't be a big deal. Everyone should deal with their business first. I'll come over when I'm done, or you can meet me when you're done. It's all the same."
Soon after the arrangements were made, Ning Yi left the tent and walked into the carriage. In the valley, the massacre was in its final stage. The light spread towards the surrounding mountains. It was a part of the people who were lucky enough to escape during the battle. The carriage drove out of the military camp. Behind it, Zhu Biao led 200 people on horseback or running. In the carriage, Ning Yi took the note and read it a few more times. But in reality, he couldn't find anything more.
— — On the afternoon of the 12th of July, Lu Hongti was ambushed and attacked by Lin Chong, Shi Jin, Sun Li, Chen Jinxia, Lu Wenhu, and the newly arrived 'Solitary Traveler', Turn-cloud Monk, near the Black Bull Mound. It was said that she escaped after being injured. Her whereabouts are unknown. The people of the Dark Forest in Anping County are still pursuing her.
The 12th of July. That happened a day and a half ago …
"I'm going to sleep for a while. Don't worry about me."
After saying so, he tidied up his clothes and lay down on the side of the carriage. Soon after, he fell asleep.
In the dream, a few children came over and said goodbye to him.
The horse carriage galloped along the bumpy road under the moonlight and the stars.
Soon after, it started raining …
*****
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