Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Previously, it was mentioned that Li Wushuang, feeling sorrowful due to the brutality of war, remained gloomy and did not participate in the victory banquet. He confined himself in his room, unable to find relief. He then exited through the side door of the Governor's Office, only to encounter the Death Warriors left behind by Murong Hanzhu, who took him hostage. Fortunately, Xu Zhen, who had been hiding from the drinking festivities, noticed something amiss and rushed out to rescue him.
However, in the haste of the moment, she was unarmed; her flying daggers only injured two of them while she herself fell into enemy hands, making the situation quite dire.
Although Li Wushuang was close to Li Daozong, he did not reveal his identity. Many of the guarding soldiers saw Li Wushuang being taken hostage and were uncertain whether to open the city gates. However, with Xu Zhen now in enemy hands, they had no choice but to open the gates.
With Songzhou captured, the Tang army reopened the northern gate, fearing another attack from the Tubo Army. The northern garrison was heavily fortified. At this moment, seeing six Death Warriors holding Xu Zhen and Li Wushuang at bay, they hurriedly reported to the Governor's Office. Yet the Death Warriors shouted that if anyone dared to report, they would not only refuse to open the gates but would also destroy Xu Zhen along with themselves.
Xu Zhen was a rising star in the court, a favorite summoned privately by the Sage. Many legendary tales about her circulated among the troops, and she had earned admiration from renowned generals Li Jing and Li Jue. She was an idol for many soldiers and had played a crucial role in the Battle of Songzhou. The garrison could not afford to let anything happen to her.
Seeing how ruthless those Death Warriors were, the soldiers had no choice but to open the city gates. The captors quickly vanished into the night with Xu Zhen and Li Wushuang. By the time Li Daozong and others arrived with troops in pursuit, they had already lost all traces of them. In a fit of anger, he ordered many soldiers to begin a search operation, combing through every few steps like a net to ensure no trace was missed.
Xu Zhenxin was also worried; without Murong Hanzhu's presence, according to Historical Records, after capturing Songzhou, Tuguhun should have sent envoys to apologize and seek peace. However, now that Murong Hanzhu had left Death Warriors in the city, there must be some ulterior motive behind it, which was quite unsettling.
After walking two miles away, the Death Warriors blew a signal whistle. Two Tubo Soldiers emerged from the dark forest to assist them. After receiving information from these Death Warriors, one was sent back on a fast horse to report.
Gansong Ridge is located three hundred miles northwest of Songzhou. By the time the fast horse arrived there, it was already bright daylight. Murong Hanzhu had been preparing for this moment and upon hearing that Songzhou was in chaos due to losing Xu Zhen, he quickly advised Qizong Nongsan to lead troops for an attack!
At this time, Lu Dongzan and others submitted petitions suggesting sending envoys for peace talks. Just as stated in Historical Records, if Xu Zhen had not been captured by Death Warriors, things might have proceeded along their original course. However, with her capture causing turmoil throughout Songzhou and giving Qizong Nongsan hope, he immediately ordered Murong Hanzhu to mobilize all troops for a retaliatory strike against Songzhou!
Meanwhile, Xu Zhen realized how critical the situation was and speculated that Murong Hanzhu would surely come for an attack upon receiving news. If she could not warn Songzhou and if soldiers continued their search without restraint until Tuguhun's army arrived at their doorstep, it would undoubtedly lead to disaster!
At that moment, two of the opposing Death Warriors were injured by Xu Zhen while four others noticed her severe injuries and that she was tightly bound. Li Wushuang's thigh bled profusely; thus they relaxed their vigilance and took turns resting while leaving one soldier on guard over Xu Zhen and Li Wushuang.
Xu Zhen was originally a master of magic; unlocking locks and untying ropes were trivial for her. Having also practiced the Seven Sacred Blade Secret Technique and yoga secrets made her body supple enough to secretly loosen her bindings. Her flying daggers were hidden within her belt and had not been discovered during searches. Seizing an opportunity, she suddenly struck out with her flying dagger and slit the throat of the guard soldier before gently laying him down on the ground!
However, unexpectedly that fast horse seemed to possess some spirit; upon seeing its master attacked, it neighed loudly enough to wake everyone else!
"Damn beast!"
Xu Zhenxin cursed under his breath, but there was nothing he could do. He picked up Li Wushuang and mounted the horse, hastily fleeing into the forest. It seemed that heaven had not completely abandoned them; relying on their horse, they finally managed to escape.
It is often said that misfortunes never come alone. Li Wushuang pressed her hand against her wound, but the bleeding would not stop. Her face turned pale as paper, and her eyes struggled to stay open. Xu Zhenzhi was also injured, and just at that moment, a loud clap of thunder echoed, releasing the rain that had been held back for most of the night.
The horse was spirited and difficult to control. In desperation, Xu Zhen searched around and found a cave by the light of the lightning.
Soaked to the skin, Xu Zhen was relieved to find that her flint hidden in her belt was still dry. The cave was also dry, and it seemed some small creature had made a nest there. Xu Zhen decided to light the nest for warmth.
Once there was light, Xu Zhen searched through the cave. The narrow space held nothing else; she could only unload everything from the horse's back, taking out a piece of sheepskin while using everything else to help with the fire.
After spreading out the sheepskin for Li Wushuang to lie down on, Xu Zhen took off all her clothes to dry them by the fire. Gritting her teeth, she also removed Li Wushuang's outer garment and placed it beside the flames. Although Li Wushuang felt shy about it, given the current situation, they could not afford to worry about modesty.
Xu Zhen used a flying knife to cut open Li Wushuang's pants. Seeing that the wound was deep and long, and with no needles or Healing Powder at hand, she had no choice but to harden her heart and heat the knife over the fire until it glowed red.
Li Wushuang understood Xu Zhen's intention; she planned to use the heated blade to cauterize the wound. This method was painful—many men might not even be able to endure it—but if she wanted to save her life, this was their only option. If they tried to transport Li Wushuang back to town over a long distance, regardless of whether they would be pursued or blocked by enemies, it was likely that Li Wushuang wouldn't survive the journey.
"Xu... Xu Zhen... if I don't make it back, tell my father to agree to the marriage alliance... don't let it cost more lives..." Li Wushuang feared she might not survive and suddenly voiced her most conflicted thoughts.
Xu Zhen furrowed her brow but then turned with a confident smile: "Don't say such things, girl. When we get back, you can tell Chief Steward yourself!"
Seeing Xu Zhen smile with her white teeth showing made Li Wushuang's tears flow freely as she fell into Xu Zhen's embrace. She dared not cry out loud but stifled her sobs as she whimpered in Xu Zhen's arms: "Brother Xu... Shuang'er... Shuang'er doesn't want to die..."
At this moment, Li Wushuang finally shed all pretense of strength and revealed her vulnerability as a young woman. Xu Zhen was slightly taken aback; feeling Li Wushuang's sadness and fear, she hesitated but ultimately reached out to gently stroke her back, feeling the thinness of her frame. Resting her chin on Li Wushuang's head, Xu Zhen softly reassured her: "It will be fine; no one will die..."
Li Wushuang suddenly looked up, meeting Xu Zhen's gaze. In the flickering firelight, Xu Zhen's facial features were partially obscured yet sharply defined and exuded an extraordinary masculine charm. Li Wushuang felt dizzy and finally understood what kind of feelings Li Mingda had towards Xu Zhen.
This man might come from humble beginnings or be disliked by some, but at critical moments, he always provided an inexplicable sense of security—as if as long as he was there, even if the sky were to fall, he could hold it up!
Xu Zhen felt the obsession in Li Wushuang's eyes, which seemed to temporarily make her forget the pain and fear. Taking advantage of Li Wushuang's deep gaze, Xu Zhen stealthily grabbed the flying knife and pressed the blade flat against the wound on her thigh.
“Ziziz…”
A puff of white smoke rose up, and Li Wushuang's body suddenly stiffened, her cheeks and neck turning bright red. Her nails dug deeply into Xu Zhen's arm, but ultimately unable to withstand the pain, she bit down on Xu Zhen's shoulder.
“Hmm!”
Xu Zhen let out a muffled groan, gritting her teeth in pain, but could only allow Li Wushuang to bite her. The metallic taste of fresh blood filled Li Wushuang's mouth, and she could no longer hold on, fainting in Xu Zhen's embrace.
“Is this girl a dog? Her bite is really fierce…” Xu Zhen laid Li Wushuang down flat and saw that her wound had finally stopped bleeding, letting out a sigh of relief.
Although her arm was cut, the Yoga Techniques and Seven Sacred Blade Secret Technique had kept her muscles contracted, sealing the wound with minimal bleeding. Taking advantage of Li Wushuang's unconsciousness, she quickly removed her pants to dry them by the fire, used rainwater to clean around the wound, tore some cloth to bandage it properly, and finally felt relieved.
Though only sixteen, Li Wushuang had a tall and slender figure with tight, fair thighs. She wore only an inner shirt on top, making her private areas faintly visible and quite alluring, exuding the fragrance of youth. However, at that moment, Xu Zhen had no energy to appreciate such things and hurriedly took care of her own wound.
By the time her clothes were dried and she dressed Li Wushuang, she even draped her own clothes over Li Wushuang.
After a night of fleeing, Xu Zhen was exhausted. Coupled with her own injuries, her eyelids slowly began to droop until she could no longer hold on and fell asleep.
The campfire gradually extinguished while the cold rain outside intensified. In a daze, Li Wushuang, barely conscious, instinctively reached out and touched Xu Zhen's warm body before drowsily leaning closer.
Due to giving her clothes to Li Wushuang, Xu Zhen caught a chill and was sweating all over. Feeling Li Wushuang's icy body against hers, she pulled her into an embrace. The two intertwined like two white snakes clinging together in mutual hardship and dependence on each other for survival.
It was unclear how long they slept; eventually, Li Wushuang slowly woke up but found herself tightly embraced by Xu Zhen. Her cheeks instantly flushed with heat. However, looking at the peaceful sleeping face of Xu Zhen, she became entranced and reluctant to part.
Seeing Xu Zhen ’s eyelids flutter slightly as if she might wake up made Li Wushuang quickly pretend to be asleep. Yet she instinctively curled deeper into Xu Zhen ’s arms. Feeling the movement, Xu Zhen gradually woke up. After sweating out the heat, she felt refreshed and smiled warmly upon seeing the beauty in her arms.
"This little girl is indeed fierce, proud, and has a bad temper, but she is quite beautiful..."
Listening to Xu Zhen's muttering, the first half made Li Wushuang furious, but hearing the last part about her beauty made her heart flutter with joy.
However, at that moment, she heard Xu Zhen say, "I wonder what she eats at home; her chest is surprisingly large... and her backside isn't small either... If it gets any bigger, she'll probably become a disaster for the country, a vixen... hmm..."
With her thoughts drifting in that direction, Li Wushuang felt an overwhelming sense of embarrassment. What was even more humiliating was that Xu Zhen actually touched her backside!
Li Wushuang was reluctant to admit it, but she had indeed developed a fondness for Xu Zhen. However, that did not mean Xu Zhen could act recklessly!
"You! You take advantage of me! How shameless!"
Li Wushuang suddenly stood up and pushed Xu Zhen away, causing her to wince in pain. Yet, Xu Zhen opened one eye and grinned at Li Wushuang, saying, "You little brat, are you pretending to be asleep?"
Remembering how she had relied on Xu Zhen's embrace, Li Wushuang felt utterly embarrassed and was about to retort when a dull sound of hoofbeats reached her ears!
Xu Zhen looked outside the cave; it was already bright outside. She thought to herself that it was not good—could the Tubo Army really be attacking?!!!
Comment 0 Comment Count