Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Once upon a time, there was Gou Jian who endured hardship and tasted bitterness, and Han Xin who humbly accepted humiliation. Although the wings of the roc may droop, can the shoulders of the swan rest? When extremes are reached, balance must follow; this is the way of nature. In the blink of an eye, one will eventually rise again.
These scouts did not realize that the young man before them was Zhang Suling in disguise. Seeing that the little Brothers had suffered such mistreatment and that he had taken advantage of the chaos to steal the keys to rescue them, they could not help but shed tears. They hurriedly unlocked their shackles and, taking advantage of Xu Zhen's camp being in deep slumber, quietly escaped back.
All of them were seasoned scouts who did not wake Xu Zhen's troops along the way. They even managed to evade the night watch and did not dare to steal horses. Under the cover of night, they hastily made their way to a pre-arranged location where they had hidden horses and returned to a small hill.
At the foot of the hill was a well-organized Camp, with sentries on guard outside Yuanmen. The soldiers wore Mingguang Armor from the previous dynasty. Zhang Suling memorized the routes and layouts one by one. Seeing these soldiers from the former dynasty, he felt puzzled; could it be that Lord's deduction was wrong? Were these people not from Youzhou or Gao Lvxing but rather bandits from the previous dynasty?
It was only when he saw the Commander in the Central Army Tent that Zhang Suling confirmed that his Lord's deduction was indeed correct; that person was none other than Yang Ting, whose face had been blown apart by Jingzhe Thunder!
A few scouts brought back the fake Zuo An, taking advantage of his inability to speak due to having his tongue cut out. They thought that without his tongue, he could never serve as a scout again and would find it impossible to establish himself in the army. Thus, they took all the credit for themselves. Zhang Suling also played along, desperately trying to explain but was ultimately silenced by Yang Ting's sharp command.
After hearing the intelligence, Yang Ting discussed specific plans with his advisors to ambush Xu Zhen's camp and rewarded those scouts before dismissing the meeting. When he saw Zhang Suling making strange noises again, Yang Ting frowned and waved his hand, saying, "First take care of your injuries; from now on, let him cook and tend to the horses."
The scouts feared that Zhang Suling would expose their lies and threatened him along the way. Zhang Suling nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with fear. Only then did they feel satisfied as they stuffed some grass ash into Zhang Suling's mouth as a makeshift treatment for his wounds and left him alone in the kitchen.
"Damn dog thief!" Zhang Suling spat out the grass ash and seized an opportunity to sneak out of Camp, retracing his steps to report back. Thinking about how he could earn merit for his Lord made Zhang Suling's steps light; recalling how everyone laughed at him when he set off made his heart race and his face flush.
"Who is calling my name..." Just as Xu Zhen was about to fall asleep, her brows suddenly twitched. Although Zhang Suling was quite clever, she was still just a girl and naturally worried.
Unable to sleep anyway, she decided to find Caesar to share her thoughts. As she stepped out of her tent and passed by Jewel Girl's quarters, she noticed it was empty. Then she remembered that this little girl was still guarding Zuo An and thought it would be good to check on her.
However, upon reaching Jewel Girl's quarters, she found both Jewel Girl and scout Zuo An missing, leaving only a pair of shackles carelessly discarded on the ground alongside a half-sized embroidered shoe!
"This is bad! That kid has escaped!"
Xu Zhen quickly called for her Brothers. Upon seeing the shoe on the ground, Gou Renwu and Qingxiazi immediately grew anxious and split up with others to search for them.
Zhou Cang's wound had not yet healed, so he remained stationed at the camp while Xu Zhen personally led dozens of people, spreading out to conduct a thorough search, three paces apart.
At this moment, Jewel Girl was also in a dire situation. Holding a broadsword, she crouched low to the ground like an angry cat, poised to strike, blood slowly trickling from the corner of her brow, yet she dared not blink.
Just a pace away, Zuo An was injured, blood continuously dripping from his wounds. His chest heaved violently as he stood his ground against Gem, his gaze fierce like that of a wild wolf. In his hand was a short knife, which was the very one Xu Zhen had bestowed upon Jewel Girl!
Earlier, about half an hour ago, Gem had gladly accepted the task of guarding Zuo An. This young girl had an unstable temperament; if she focused on one person for too long, she would become restless. Seeing Zuo An's handsome face made her scrutinize him closely. The more she looked, the more her face flushed and her heart raced. Her gaze traveled along Zuo An's fair neck to his not-so-broad chest and then downward to his lower abdomen.
This young girl swallowed hard and quickly averted her gaze like a thief caught in the act. However, her curiosity only intensified as her face grew hotter. Unable to resist, she lightly touched Zuo An's lower abdomen. The sensation sent shivers down her spine; this was her first experience with such strange and tingling feelings, leaving her both shy and excited.
Just then, Zuo An suddenly opened his eyes wide. His eyes sparkled like stars in the dark night as he sprang up and tightly wrapped the iron chain around Jewel Girl's neck!
Jewel Girl realized that Zuo An had feigned death to survive, and anger surged within her. Her body was agile and flexible, and with her martial skills, she had been the one to capture Zuo An in the first place; how could she allow him to control her?
Like an eel slipping away, Jewel Girl struggled free and reached for the short knife at her waist. Zuo An was injured and had been struck by Gem's knee; he fell backward to the ground but managed to slip off his handcuffs and used the iron chain like a whip against her—he had secretly unlocked it without anyone noticing!
Scouts often dealt with life-and-death situations and were extremely dangerous; many had special skills for self-defense and escape. It was not surprising that Zuo An could pick a lock.
As he swung the iron chain toward Gem, she retreated three steps. Unable to dodge completely, she raised her short knife to block it. The chain wrapped around the knife but swept across Gem's left cheek instead, causing her brow bone to crack and blood to flow!
Seeing blood made Gem furious. She grabbed the iron chain and engaged in a tug-of-war with Zuo An. Although she lacked strength compared to him, Zuo An was injured and could not muster enough breath; surprisingly, he was pulled toward her. Determined, she turned the blade around just as Zuo An was about to collide with it; he suddenly released the chain!
Gem exerted too much force and stumbled back several steps before regaining her balance. However, Zuo An seized the opportunity and kicked Gem down to the ground!
Having gained the upper hand, Zuo An quickly snatched Jewel Girl's short knife and mounted Gem, ready to end her life with a single stroke!
Gem's eyes widened in shock as tears rolled down her cheeks. At that moment, Zuo An appeared as a fierce demon, exuding the demeanor of a seasoned warrior. The short knife plunged downwards; Gem felt as if her heart had turned to ash as she tightly shut her eyes.
After a breath, Jewel Girl felt a lightness in her body, but Zuo An did not take her life; instead, he escaped from the barracks!
Gem gritted her teeth, jumped up, grabbed a broadsword, and chased after him. Just as she was about to call for help to capture Zuo An, she remembered that he had spared her life. So she refrained from shouting for assistance, considering it a matter of returning the favor. She quickened her pace and caught up.
The two fought while retreating, engaging in a fierce battle. At this moment, both were exhausted, their clothes disheveled and in a state of disarray, yet neither was willing to give up. After a brief standoff, they swung their weapons and became entangled once more!
The sound of metal clashing echoed continuously. Zuo An's foundation proved deep; with one strike, he knocked Gem's broadsword away. Gem was startled and instinctively fought for survival, delivering a kick that struck Zuo An's wrist and sent his dagger flying. Zuo An charged forward with a punch, but Gem dodged by turning her head and unexpectedly crashed into him, knocking him to the ground!
Zuo An winced in pain, twisting his waist to pin Gem beneath him. His large fist was about to come down when Gem used her flexibility to scissor her legs around Zuo An's neck from behind. Their positions were awkward—like two white snakes entwined in opposite directions—but they were tightly bound together!
In their fierce struggle, their legs intertwined made it difficult to separate. Both turned purple from the strain but refused to let go!
As they struggled to breathe, Zuo An ultimately chose to give up and released Gem. Gem also lacked the strength to resist any longer and allowed Zuo An to collapse onto her.
"Girl, are you... born under the snake sign? Why are you so hard to deal with..."
"You’re the one born under the snake! Your whole family is!"
Zuo An inexplicably laughed, while Gem used her last bit of strength to push him off her.
They lay side by side on the ground, the night was quiet except for their heavy breathing, creating an atmosphere that made one blush.
"Hey, my name is Zuo An."
"I know..."
"What’s your name?"
"What's it to you what I'm called!" Gem huffed angrily, while Zuo An, feeling helpless, struggled to stand up and slowly took a few shaky steps forward.
"What are you going to do!" Gem nervously scrambled to her feet and, taking advantage of Zuo An's moment of unpreparedness, picked up the two knives from the ground and pressed one against Zuo An's back.
Zuo An had thought that after their intense fight, they would each give the other a break and perhaps develop some camaraderie. He didn't expect this girl to be so stubborn. A strange pain flickered in his heart.
"I'm going back..."
"You can't go back!"
"Why can't I go back?"
"Because I won!"
"And what if you won? Are you going to kill me?"
"I... I won means I won! If I win, you're my person! Killing you would be too easy; I want to keep you as a servant, to work for me like a beast of burden!"
Zuo An slowly raised his head, their eyes met, and Gem surprisingly lowered her gaze slightly, her face flushing red. It seemed she sensed Zuo An looking at her with a strange expression, so she lifted her head again.
Having grown up in solitude and hardship, she had endured countless difficulties. If not for her wild nature, she wouldn't have survived until now. She could see in Zuo An's eyes the same loneliness and helplessness she felt.
Zuo An recalled his own background and the humiliation he faced in the military camp, which made him feel much more at ease.
"I'm not someone who can't afford to lose," Zuo An said. "But I'm still a man; I can't take a girl as a servant without losing face... Besides, I'm just a scout risking my life. It's time for me to go back and report; I can't play with you anymore..."
Upon hearing this, Gem became anxious, pressing the knife tip against Zuo An's back but unable to stab him. She watched helplessly as Zuo An took two steps forward without looking back and waved goodbye to her, saying, "Thanks, girl."
Although he did not turn around, Gem seemed to be able to "see" the smile at the corner of his mouth. The girl threw away her knife and rushed forward, leaping onto Zuo An's back and biting down hard on his shoulder!
"Ah! Are you crazy? You really are a snake!"
Zuo An pretended to be angry and screamed, but he felt the warmth of Gem's chest pressed against his back. His limbs stiffened, and he dared not move an inch, fearing that if he did, Gem would shyly jump off his back.
However, Gem did not leave his back. Instead, she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, tapped Zuo An on the back of his head, and said angrily, "You can't go anywhere! I won't let you go back to help the tyrant or assist in evil deeds!"
Zuo An turned his head, and the two were almost nose to nose, their eyes locked. In that moment, it felt as if time stretched for centuries; they forgot to breathe and their heartbeats seemed to fade away. It was as if there was nothing left in this world but them.
"It's 'helping the tyrant,' not 'helping the tiger!' You silly girl without any ink!"
Zuo An cursed under his breath but continued carrying Gem on his back as he picked up two knives and walked step by step toward the camp of Xu Zhen.
This was the first time Gem felt that being scolded could actually be a happy experience.
Comment 0 Comment Count