Before dawn, rain suddenly began to fall outside. Dark clouds loomed overhead, howling winds roared, torrential rain poured down, and thunder rumbled.
The forests on both sides of the valley swayed violently in the storm, rustling loudly. Yellow mud and silt covered the ground, and the world was bathed in a pale brightness.
Chu Qiao frowned and immediately opened her eyes. A hand clamped over her mouth, and she looked up to see Zhuge Yue kneeling on the ground with a grim expression, gripping a longsword as he listened intently to something outside.
Amid the cover of the rainstorm, the muffled sound of hooves echoed, accompanied by the rustling of numerous footsteps, gradually closing in on the small tent.
"Someone's coming," Zhuge Yue said gravely. He then turned and quickly packed a small bundle, wrapping up some gold and food before asking Chu Qiao, "How are you? Can you walk?"
Chu Qiao nodded. "Yes."
Drawing a dagger, Zhuge Yue tore the quilt apart. Without regard for the sleeping child, he lifted the boy onto his back and tightly secured him with a few swift motions.
The child woke groggily, rubbing his eyes with small hands and muttering in confusion, "Uncle, where are we going?"
"Kid, the people coming to capture you are here," Zhuge Yue said calmly, his expression unchanged.
"Ah?" The child was startled and instinctively wrapped his arms tightly around Zhuge Yue's neck.
The storm raged on, and the sound of hooves outside approached like a gale. The child trembled slightly on Zhuge Yue's back but forced himself not to shake too noticeably.
"Kid, are you scared?"
The child's face was pale with fear, but he gritted his teeth and declared loudly, "No!"
"Haha!" Zhuge Yue laughed heartily, his voice filled with a unique arrogance and pride. "Good lad, remember this: those Luoluo outside don't have what it takes to make us afraid."
In the darkness, torches soaked in pine oil were lit, remaining unextinguished despite the wind and rain. A rough voice shouted, "Hand them over, and we'll spare your lives!"
In the darkness, the man turned his head. His eyes were bright, his eyebrows sharp as if flying into his temples, and his handsome face resembled a sculpture. His lips were red, as if stained with crimson wine. He looked at Chu Qiao, his gaze steady, and asked quietly, "Are you ready?"
Time flowed swiftly between them, and she seemed to see that evening many years ago when he sat high on his horse, looking down and asking her the same question: "Are you ready?"
Their journey had been fraught with hardships, filled with blades and swords. They had drawn weapons against each other, clashed repeatedly, and nearly lost their lives to each other's sharpness. Yet, amid life-and-death struggles, the crimson blood had not blinded their eyes. After countless trials, they still refrained from delivering the final blow. In moments of hesitation and uncertainty, there was even reluctant anguish and doubt. Countless nights of quiet self-reflection had led them to choose, on such a night as this, to stand side by side in battle.
Without questioning the road ahead, without dwelling on the past, without considering their political views or allegiances.
For one reason alone: they could not die. Neither of them could die here.
Chu Qiao drew a short blade and smiled faintly. "I won't hold you back."
Zhuge Yue broke into a smile that reached his eyes. It was the first time Chu Qiao had seen him smile like this, and she couldn't help but stare in surprise."Stay behind me."
His expression was gentle, but his words were spoken with great solemnity. Chu Qiao nodded and said, "Be careful."
Several sharp whistling sounds suddenly rang out. Zhuge Yue frowned and immediately stood up. The child on his back, seeing him rise so abruptly, feared he would hit his head on the low tent and instinctively covered his head with both hands.
But with a loud whoosh, a fierce wind suddenly blew in, instantly scattering Chu Qiao's long black hair like dark butterflies dancing wildly in the air.
The child opened his eyes to see the large tent had been torn down with hooks. The three of them stood in the open wilderness, surrounded by over thirty warhorses. The riders wore brown martial arts uniforms, all formidable figures.
"Put down that child," said the leader, holding a javelin and coldly staring at Chu Qiao's group as if they were already captured prey. He spoke gravely to Zhuge Yue, "Don't put up a pointless fight."
The response came as a chilling gleam of cold steel. A sharp sound pierced through the pouring rain. The man was agile enough to dodge immediately, but his warhorse wasn't as nimble. Startled, the horse reared up violently as a sharp dagger plunged deep into its neck. The horse let out a frantic whinny, blood instantly spraying out in a misty crimson haze!
The man was thrown from the saddle and landed heavily on the ground. Before he could get up, the panicked horse stomped hard on his abdomen.
Instantly, a agonized scream tore through the sky!
But before his subordinates could rescue him, the horse collapsed with a mournful cry, crashing down on the man.
The sound of crushing bones and flesh echoed clearly through the heavy rain, leaving everyone to imagine the gruesome scene beneath the horse. However, they had no time to dwell on it, for in those brief moments of chaos, the man opposite had surged forward like a rising panther.
A sword gleamed as it left its scabbard, suddenly roaring like a dragon's cry!
A bolt of lightning split the sky, followed by rolling thunder as crimson blood stained the earth.
Blades and cold steel came from all directions. Zhuge Yue surged with towering valor, snorting contemptuously as he planted his feet and launched a fierce assault—his momentum sharp, his moves devastating.
Chu Qiao, who could barely walk earlier, knew this was a life-or-death moment where retreat wasn't an option. She had initially thought they were merchants from Xianyang and hoped for some camaraderie through the Great Alliance Society. But with Liu Xi's betrayal and the slaughter of elders and clans from other families, revealing her identity would only invite more ruthless killing. So she gambled everything, forcing herself to rally. In an instant, her agile figure darted through the crowd. Blood sprayed wildly as the woman in her lake-green luxurious dress—her eyes sharp, her pretty face frosty—fought like a wrathful deity, her methods ruthless, each strike aimed to kill!
Amid the clashing of weapons, Zhuge Yue forced back three guards with one sword stroke. Both sides were bloodied: one enemy dead, two injured, while Zhuge Yue had a gash on his chest from a war blade, blood flowing freely.
"Uncle!" the child cried out in fear. "You're bleeding!"Upon hearing this, Chu Qiao forced a guard back with a single slash, leaped up, and executed a spinning side kick that squarely struck another guard in the chest. The man staggered and fell to the ground with a thud.
"Are you alright?" Chu Qiao swiftly supported Zhuge Yue. Aware of his prowess, most of the earlier attacks had been directed at him, and now he bore wounds on his chest, arm, and calf.
Zhuge Yue spat out a mouthful of bloody foam and shook his head, his expression dark and icy. His already crimson lips seemed even more vividly red and bewitching. He lightly licked the blood from his lips and said in a low voice, "I won't die."
Suddenly, the sound of a weapon cutting through the air came from behind. Zhuge Yue spun around, his sword meeting the opponent's blade with a fierce slash.
The rain poured down in torrents, turning the world into a blinding white expanse. Chu Qiao simultaneously twisted her body, slipping under Zhuge Yue's arm, and drove her dagger straight into the enemy's chest—thrusting, twisting, then yanking it out with force!
A fatal strike—in that instant, they could almost see the still-beating heart.
Thunder rumbled overhead. The assailants had not expected these two to be so formidable. With their small numbers, over a dozen had already fallen dead or wounded in the brief encounter, leaving the rest in shock. Amidst their panicked shouts, the sound of approaching reinforcements grew louder from the distance.
Beyond the outer camp, rows of guards stood like iron walls in the darkness, blocking any escape route.
"Xing'er, there's no way out."
Chu Qiao raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint, unexpected smile curling at the corner of her lips as she calmly asked, "Then what should we do? Surrender?"
"Haha!" Zhuge Yue laughed heartily. The guards lurking nearby, waiting for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow, grew flustered, as if already terrified.
"What do you think?"
Then, the two turned their heads in unison, their gazes sharp as lightning, fixed upon the massive tent hidden deep within the darkness.
That was the central camp of the Liu Clan, where the mastermind behind this massacre—Liu Xi, the new head of the Liu Clan—resided.
To capture the rebels, first capture their leader—their thoughts were once again eerily aligned!
"Kid," Zhuge Yue chuckled nonchalantly, "scared?"
The child on his back had shed his initial fear, seemingly recalling the bloody chaos of the previous night—his parents dying before his eyes, relatives who had once smiled kindly at him now cold corpses. Uncle Meng had carried him through the fray, but so many blades had struck him, spraying blood like scalding oil. The child gritted his teeth, eyes reddening, and pointed a small, pale finger at the enemies ahead, his voice thick with hatred.
"Uncle, it's them!"
The child spoke slowly and deliberately, "They're the ones who killed Mo'er's parents, who killed Mo'er's sister. It's them!"
"The Xianyang Liu Clan?" Zhuge Yue snorted coldly. "They're not even worth my notice."
Reaching into his robe, he pulled out an exquisitely crafted firework, then triggered the grappling hook. A brilliant light shot into the pitch-black sky, exploding into a golden blaze.
The surrounding attackers were instantly alarmed, mistakenly thinking he had called for reinforcements.Zhuge Yue turned to Chu Qiao and said, "Even if we die here today, someone will surely avenge us."
Chu Qiao shook her head with a faint smile. "We won't die here."
Zhuge Yue was momentarily stunned, then burst into hearty laughter, declaring loudly, "Well said! Then let's fight our way out together!"
"Xing'er! Seize the horses!"
In an instant, they shifted from defense to offense, charging outward while skillfully grabbing horses and swinging onto their backs.
Two warhorses neighed in unison. As Zhuge Yue's sword pierced one man's throat, another seized the chance to attack the child behind him. Zhuge Yue snorted coldly, cursing, "Coward!" With his other hand, he swung the scabbard, striking the assailant's skull with a sickening crunch.
The sound of shattering bone echoed sharply. Zhuge Yue roared, kicking away a soldier closing in behind him, and shouted, "Xing'er, keep up!"
He then delivered a fierce kick to the horse's flank. The steed whinnied like a bloodthirsty tiger, instantly breaking through the encirclement.
The guards' human barricade crumbled like paper under his sharp blade. Wherever Zhuge Yue galloped, carnage followed—a storm of blood and gale. The wind howled wildly, heaven and earth shrouded in chaos, filled with deafening cries and clashes.
"Protect the main camp!"
Urgent shouts erupted as panicked figures scrambled toward the central tents.
"Protect the young master!"
"He's targeting the young master! Kill him! Take down his horse!"
"Archers! Archers, ready!"
Chaos reigned—shouts of battle and terrified screams everywhere. An observer might think an army had ambushed them, yet they knew their enemies numbered only three, or more precisely, just two.
Blood gushed like torrential rain. Chu Qiao followed closely behind Zhuge Yue, guarding the child at his back, her movements agile as she wielded her weapon. Most attacks were blocked by the man ahead; not a single wound marred her. The night felt unnaturally long, refusing to end. Amid the roaring wind, they inched toward the silent main tent. The night breeze whipped the tent flap open, revealing a white fur rug within and the seductive scent of golden-wing incense—a lavish, sleep-inducing aroma.
From the Netherworld, the heavens seemed to mock with laughter that thundered across the land.
The world was a crucible, all beings its fuel. Countless commoners suffered in boiling oil, families torn apart, bones separated from flesh. Nobles reigned as gods, peasants were dirt, slaves mere weeds—devoid of justice or reason.
Through the thick darkness, a conviction suddenly ignited in her mind like a beacon. Gritting her teeth, Chu Qiao felt a scalding heat rise within as they drew nearer to the tent.
Overturn everything, and someone would lift a clear sky, restoring peace to the world.
"Swish!"
Her blade slashed a guard's arm, but Chu Qiao advanced fearlessly.
Through a lifetime of storms and drift, she remained, steadfast as ever!
"Boom!"
A thunderclap erupted from the ground, chilling all to the bone. Torches flared, their pine-resin scent saturating the air.At that moment, the child clinging to Zhuge Yue's back suddenly let out a sharp cry. Chu Qiao looked up and instantly felt as if she had plunged into an icy abyss. A bone-chilling cold swept through her entire body, her face turned deathly pale, and her brows furrowed tightly. Not a single word could escape her lips, while the hand gripping her knife tightened relentlessly.
All composure shattered in that instant. Hatred, like a colossal wave breaching a dam, came roaring forth with overwhelming force.
————Divider————
Dong'er is about to face some hardship, everyone stay strong! Though it probably won't be as severe as you might imagine.
OpenNovel