Chapter 470 Extra: Each Finds Joy in Their Own Way (13)
Murong Bi walked step by step toward Chu Changsheng.
Chu Changsheng recalled the letters her subordinates had sent her during this period.
The letters said that during the most intense phase of the war, which lasted three days and three nights, Murong Bi had not rested at all, saving countless soldiers' lives.
He worked tirelessly until he collapsed from exhaustion, yet still dragged his sick body to continue treating the soldiers.
When the corpse of a Great Jin deputy general was seized by the enemy and discarded on the battlefront, it was Murong Bi who risked his life to retrieve it. With his exceptional medical skills, he meticulously stitched together the mangled remains, granting the deputy general final dignity...
When medical supplies ran out, he climbed mountains to find substitute herbs, testing their toxicity with his own tongue...
In this major battle, Great Jin suffered minimal casualties, achieving the greatest victory at the smallest cost—a feat for which he deserved immense credit.
Who said men must achieve success in official careers?
A person with compassion for all living beings carries merit wherever they go.
"Sixty-nine days in the Northern Frontier," Murong Bi stepped forward, taking the bundle from his back and placing it on the table. "I heard the princess enjoys painting most, so I created sixty-nine paintings—depicting Northern landscapes, vast grasslands, blooming flowers, raging battles, soldiers wrapped in horsehide for burial, and heart-wrenching farewells..."
Chu Changsheng lowered her head and unrolled the scrolls.
From the brushstrokes, it was evident he wasn't skilled at painting, yet he strived to recreate the scenes he witnessed.
The initial paintings showed beautiful Northern scenery, guiding her through unfamiliar geographical wonders.
Then came the battlefield—at first, he avoided depicting war's brutality, but eventually, deeply moved, he included some scenes. However, he was often too busy, many works bearing only sparse strokes... As the battle concluded, his paintings grew richer again... From start to finish, his painting skills visibly improved, increasingly imbued with a compassionate spirit.
"Today's Great Jin is exceptionally prosperous, yet countless commoners at the bottom still struggle bitterly. The princess has always extended kindness far and wide, and I too wish to spread medical aid, saving everyone in need." Murong Bi spoke each word deliberately, "I admire you like the moon, and wish to share my remaining years with you, unwavering until death."
He gazed at Chu Changsheng, his eyes filled with steadfast admiration.
He waited for the woman before him to respond.
But then, footsteps echoed on the staircase, growing closer.
Chu Hongyu approached: "It seems I've arrived at an inopportune time."
Murong Bi's face flushed instantly.
He had heard that the Emperor doted on his elder sister, the Grand Princess, forbidding any man from approaching her—which was why she remained unmarried at seventeen.
He knew he wasn't a suitable match; his parents always said he was unambitious, foolish, stupid...
"Why have you stopped speaking?" Chu Hongyu teased intentionally, "If Changsheng refuses, or if I reject you, what will you do?"
"It's natural if the princess refuses, because I'm not outstanding enough. I'll continue striving, believing my sincerity will eventually move her." Murong Bi paused before adding, "If during this time someone appears whom the princess prefers, then I shall bless her."
His gaze carried a faint trace of desolation.
Chu Hongyu smiled.
During those over two months in the Northern Frontier, he had witnessed extraordinary endurance, remarkable courage, and exquisite medical skills in Murong Bi.Murong Bi might not possess the qualities deemed excellent by worldly standards, but he had a heart that cared little for such conventions. It was only after falling in love that he began to examine himself through the lens of societal expectations... He was a man of pure heart.
Changsheng, too, was a person of pure heart.
These two, no matter who they ended up with, would inevitably face schemes and plots.
Chu Hongyu looked at his own sister and asked, "Changsheng, are you willing to have Murong Bi as your consort?"
Chu Changsheng tilted her head and said, "Murong Bi, if you become my consort, you cannot take concubines—no secondary wives or even servant concubines are allowed. Are you truly willing?"
"That would be absolutely wonderful!" Murong Bi's eyes lit up. "One lifetime, one partner—that is what I seek. The princess and I always seem to think alike. How marvelous!"
He had long known that as a consort, he could not take concubines, though servant concubines were permitted.
He had originally worried that the princess might force such arrangements upon him, but since she had brought it up herself, it seemed this would not happen.
"Good, then I shall bestow this marriage upon you both," Chu Hongyu said with a smile. "How about holding the wedding on the same day as mine?"
Murong Bi was overjoyed: "As His Majesty commands!"
The wedding day drew nearer.
Cavalry rushed the wedding invitation eight hundred li to the Western Regions.
At this very moment, Yun Chu and Chu Yi were in the mountains of the Western Regions. They had traveled many places before finally locating the lair of the Nine Black Gu.
They had come a thousand li with the sole purpose of destroying this den of iniquity.
It was said that the Nine Black Gu required human blood to survive—draining the blood of seven maidens was needed to nurture two mature insects. These two insects were called love gu; planting them in a beloved would make the person devoted for life. But if one raised two gu insects within their own body and nourished them with human blood for years until they produced offspring, the love gu would evolve into the Nine Black Gu. Yun Chu had already experienced its destructive power firsthand.
According to those in the know, no one had ever successfully cultivated the Nine Black Gu—most used them as love gu.
"A letter from Yu Ge'er," Yun Chu said after reading it, a smile touching her lips. "In less than half a month, Yu Ge'er and Changsheng will be married. Time flies."
"Half a month is enough," Chu Yi said, gazing toward the distant mountains. "We'll depart after dealing with the gu matter."
The couple led their horses along the mountain path until they reached the inhabited area at the foot of Wuqi Mountain.
Over a dozen villages surrounded this mountain, and at this moment, the village heads and elders had gathered to discuss this year's River God sacrifice.
Every year during this season, Wuqi Mountain held a River God ceremony where the villages selected seven unmarried maidens to sacrifice to the River God, praying for favorable weather and bountiful harvests.
Year after year, the number of women in the villages dwindled, leaving the elders frowning with worry.
"In our village, many families marry off their daughters as young as ten to avoid the sacrifice. There's simply no other way."
"Indeed, we can't send eight- or nine-year-old girls. Ah..."
"Now we only have six maidens—still one short. What should we do?"
"Yes, what can we do..."
Just as everyone was at a loss, a voice spoke up: "Why not let me go?"
They turned to see an extraordinarily beautiful woman enter. Dressed in simple black and white garments, her stunning looks remained undiminished. Her presence seemed to make the humble room glow with splendor.Behind her followed a man whose imposing presence and overwhelming aura made everyone instinctively rise to greet them with courtesy.
The village chief cupped his hands and asked, "Might I ask who you two are?"
"This is my younger sister," Chu Yi said calmly. "She remains unmarried. Would she qualify as a tribute?"
Though Yun Chu was over thirty years old, meticulous maintenance had kept her skin smooth and delicate. Freed from worldly worries all these years, her hair remained jet-black and silky. Compared to these weathered farmers who toiled daily, she could easily pass for twenty.
The village chief stammered, "Why would you...?"
"Naturally, I wish to see what the River God looks like," Yun Chu curved her lips into a smile. "Would you grant me this opportunity?"
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances.
Every maiden offered to the River God had without exception perished, never to return.
Who would willingly rush toward certain death?
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