Chapter 45: First Clash
The atmosphere was a little stiff. Li Jianyu subconsciously looked at Xu Zheng’s face and was immediately stunned.
It was an extremely terrifying face. The skin was mottled and unsightly, and the features were unclear due to the holes and dark bruises.
Wan Yunliu’s face was immediately filled with apology, but looking at Xu Zheng, he was also worried that he would be angry, so he didn’t dare to speak.
“You’re really something,” Zhao Linxu said with a smile, walking forward to pick up the mask and return it to Xu Zheng. “Don’t mind it. Wan Yunliu knocked off your mask; you can go and knock off his clothes. I’ll help you tie him up and guarantee he won’t resist.”
Wan Yunliu: “?? “
Chong Xi at the side couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Xu Zheng also curled his lips slightly. He had originally wanted to express his goodwill, but it was a pity that this face made such a gesture even more… terrifying. Zhao Linxu had a smile on his face, but in his heart, he was cursing and forcing himself not to look away.
After taking the mask, Xu Zheng put it back on. “It’s no matter. It’s just a face, an external thing.”
Seeing that Wan Yunliu was still apologetic to him, after the two of them got off the ring, Xu Zheng said, “I don’t hate this thing either. It reminds me what I have to do.”
“Do what?”
“The enemy I am determined to kill, in order to intimidate me and my lover, burned my face in front of my lover and put gu-worms inside to threaten him.”
Wan Yunliu was stunned.
Feng Ju Qianli also smiled. “The Xu Zheng of the past was the number one handsome man in our Great Xi’s capital. He wears a mask because he’s worried he won’t be intimidating on the battlefield. Perhaps after the gu-worms are removed, his face will recover.”
“I see.” Wan Yunliu nodded.
After tidying up, the few of them planned to go back to their tents to wash up. Except for Zhao Linxu and Li Jianyu, the others were all covered in sweat.
Zhao Linxu smiled. “Let’s rest early today. We have to set off on our journey tomorrow.”
Wan Yunliu nodded, glanced at Li Jianyu’s slightly bulging belly, and said that he would follow along.
After all, Zhao Linxu was an emperor. He had to go to the battlefield and command, and there were too many things to take care of. Wan Yunliu was worried that Zhao Linxu would neglect Li Jianyu and could not be at ease.
Before leaving, Chong Xi stopped by Zhao Linxu’s side, looking a little apprehensive.
Zhao Linxu looked down at him.
Chong Xi tilted his head up and looked at the tall man before him. He paused, then said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, “You’ve grown so tall, even taller than me.”
Zhao Linxu was stunned.
Chong Xi took a deep breath, stood on his tiptoes, and stroked the top of Zhao Linxu’s head. “Swords have no eyes on the battlefield. Be careful.”
Then, as if he were dodging something, before Zhao Linxu could react, Chong Xi quickly slipped away.
Zhao Linxu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, his heart filled with warmth.
Li Jianyu was also happy for Zhao Linxu. He raised an eyebrow. “Confirmed?”
Zhao Linxu rubbed his nose and smiled like a child.
“Yeah.”
As long as he was alive, it was good. As long as he was alive…
Now that his brother was very happy, sweet with Feng Ju Qianli, and had someone to take care of him, Zhao Linxu didn’t necessarily have to investigate what had happened back then, why Chong Xi was alive, and why his appearance and voice had changed so much.
Zhao Linxu was in a very good mood. He pinched Li Jianyu’s nose. “You really are my chongxi wife.”
[Translator’s Notes: Chongxi : A traditional Chinese practice where a wedding is arranged for a critically ill person in the hope that the happy event will drive away bad luck and cure the illness. ]
Li Jianyu kicked Zhao Linxu.
This person had originally been a rogue, but now he was getting more and more presumptuous!
“Oh my, wife, why are you kicking your husband all day? It seems I have to reassert my husbandly authority.”
“How do you reassert it?” Li Jianyu crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Zhao Linxu.
Zhao Linxu said meekly, “I’ll wash your feet for you tonight.”
Li Jianyu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He grabbed the front of Zhao Linxu’s robe as if he were pulling a large wolfhound, and the two of them messed around as they left the training ground to have dinner.
The next day, the army set off again. The North-South army and the Ghost-Faced Army were on the left and right, moving forward in formation.
Zhao Zhanqi was leading the army, and Zhao Linxu was happy to follow slowly behind the team with Li Jianyu.
“Little Carp, have you been to the real border?”
Li Jianyu shook his head slightly.
“But my uncle told me that the border is not desolate, but magnificent and beautiful. You must go there once in your life.”
“Indeed,” Zhao Linxu said with a smile.
Zhao Linxu was feeling very pleased with himself. After being honest with Li Jianyu about their feelings and getting together, although the two of them had not yet completely trusted each other, the two who had just tasted the sweetness felt that even a glance at each other was full of sweetness. The two days of traveling did not feel tiring at all.
“The canyon is just ahead.”
Hearing Zhao Linxu’s words, Li Jianyu was stunned.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of. This canyon is very wide. The enemy can’t hide, let alone throw anything down from above to attack the army,” Zhao Linxu said with a smile. “The border has already become Zhao Zhanqi’s second home. The route he chose must be the best.”
“Naturally, but we still have to be more vigilant. I’ve also looked at the map. This whole way has been flat ground. If the enemy wants to launch a surprise attack, this is the only place.”
Zhao Linxu nodded.
They had both noticed that Zhao Zhanqi and Xu Zheng had begun to have the army change its formation, focusing on defense.
The heavy snow had covered the nearby cliffs with a white blanket, and the horses’ hooves had left a string of prints in the snow.
Zhao Linxu had Li Jianyu stay by Wan Yunliu’s side, while he himself spurred his horse to the front of the team, to Zhao Zhanqi’s side, and asked, “What’s wrong? Is something amiss?”
“The enemy is lurking.”
Zhao Linxu looked around.
“I didn’t see them. I felt it,” Zhao Zhanqi said with a smile. “Didn’t you also feel something and come to ask me?”
Zhao Linxu raised an eyebrow.
Crash—
The heavens and the earth shook. Zhao Linxu felt the ground under his horse’s hooves shaking violently, as if something heavy had landed.
Then came the deafening roar of a wild beast.
“Form up and meet the enemy!”
To everyone’s surprise, the enemy before them was not what they had imagined, but massive Taotie.
The war drums beat, and Zhao Linxu and Zhao Zhanqi charged forward without a trace of fear.
The cries of killing filled the air.
Zhao Linxu used his iron whip to entangle the hands of the Taotie before him, and Zhao Zhanqi took this opportunity to leap up and cut off its head with his sword.
The two had fought and sparred countless times in the past. Now, in their first cooperation, perhaps because they were familiar with each other’s martial arts and movements, they had a great tacit understanding. They killed gods when they met gods, and killed Buddhas when they met Buddhas. The massive creatures all fell wherever they went.
The other soldiers also formed countless small teams to kill these terrifying monsters.
Just as Zhao Linxu was getting into the swing of things, he felt Yuefeng’s body sway, as if it were being pulled down by something.
Zhao Linxu was thrown off balance by this continuous movement and fell off his horse.
Zhao Zhanqi thought to himself that this was not good. Sure enough, he saw a human head suddenly emerge from the ground around him, followed by a neck, a body…
It was a goblin!
Above were the Taotie, which were superior in strength and speed, and below were the goblins, entangling and pulling. In addition, the North-South army and the Ghost-Faced Army were all mortal bodies and were already a little tired after two days of travel.
The situation was not good.
Today, they had witnessed the terror of these other races.
Zhao Linxu drew his dagger and stabbed it straight into the head of the goblin, which was still half-buried in the ground. He got back on his horse, but the goblins were endless and difficult to guard against.
Zhao Zhanqi said, “We are at a disadvantage. I think it’s best to retreat first and not get entangled in a fight!”
This was the first time the army had encountered the Taotie and goblins. Without practical experience, they naturally didn’t know how to deal with them, so the formation was already a little chaotic. Now, it was best to retreat quickly before there were any major casualties and prepare, waiting for reinforcements.
Zhao Linxu shouted, “This is your territory. You call the shots.”
The signal flare for retreat was launched into the air, and the war drums also beat out the retreat tune.
On the other side, Xu Zheng naturally saw the retreat signal, but looking at the commander-in-chief, Rong Qing, in the distance, he was a little unwilling.
Xu Zheng was about to reach Rong Qing.
Rong Qing…
He was Feng Juheng’s commander-in-chief.
A storm was raging in Xu Zheng’s eyes.
“Xu Zheng,” Feng Ju Qianli said with a frown. “Don’t get entangled in a fight.”
“The Ghost-Faced Army is not afraid of death!”
“Xu Zheng!” Feng Ju Qianli shouted. “Although the Ghost-Faced Army is not afraid of death, do you want them to die in vain?!”
The style of the Ghost-Faced Army had always been like this, like life-reaping ghosts from hell, preferring to perish together rather than retreat and compromise, which was why they were so feared. But this time was different.
“Retreat!” Xu Zheng also released a signal flare and had his deputy general change the formation.
Feng Ju Qianli’s eyes widened. He shouted, “Chong Xi!”
Chong Xi at the side immediately understood. He and Feng Ju Qianli, one on the left and one on the right, chased after Xu Zheng and surrounded him.
Xu Zheng drew his sword, wanting to sweep away the obstacle, but he was immediately blocked by Feng Ju Qianli and Chong Xi from the front and back and could not move.
“Ghost-Faced General, the person we want to kill is not Rong Qing, but Feng Juheng! You are my general. Don’t be short-sighted and forget the purpose of our trip!”
Looking at Feng Ju Qianli’s serious eyes, Xu Zheng’s whole body stiffened.
“I was out of line.”
XXXXXX
The North-South army and the Ghost-Faced Army set up camp in the forest not far from the canyon to wait for reinforcements and discuss countermeasures.
The Taotie’s bodies were huge, which made them easier to aim at. They could use torches and arrows. But the goblins were elusive, so they could only ask for help from the Hundred Flowers Sect.
With the help of the Hundred Flowers Sect’s mid-air formation created with white silk, dealing with the goblins would be twice as effective with half the effort.
Li Jianyu wrote a letter to Hua Huanxi, and Zhao Linxu also had his deputy general personally visit the Empress of the Great Chai.
At night, the camp did not quiet down. The sound of training could still be vaguely heard.
Xu Zheng was sitting in a relatively quiet corner of the camp, watching the fire, his hand stroking a half-piece of a jade pendant, lost in thought. The jade pendant looked ordinary, but the way Xu Zheng stroked it was extremely gentle.
“Why is General Xu here? Not sleeping yet? We have to get up early tomorrow to test the formation with me.”
Xu Zheng turned his head and saw Zhao Zhanqi slowly walking over, holding a wine flask in his hand.
“A little while longer.”
Zhao Zhanqi sat down beside Xu Zheng and paused. “I heard about what happened today.”
Xu Zheng raised an eyebrow slightly under his mask.
Zhao Zhanqi opened the stopper of the wine flask, took a sip, and said, “A military commander’s greatest taboo is to be swayed by emotions and unable to make rational judgments. If we are even slightly careless, it is the entire army of soldiers who will lose their lives with us.”
“I was rash today. I will not make the same mistake again.” Xu Zheng’s thumb gently tapped on the half-piece of the jade pendant.
He had seemed fine on the surface these past few days, but his heart had long been in a mess, stirred into chaos by anger, unwillingness, and powerlessness. Today’s events had been a wake-up call for him.
It was not shameful to be defeated, but to be dejected afterwards, or even to fall into disarray, that was a disgrace. He was not afraid of death, but if he died, what would happen to the person in the palace?
“That’s good. A great man can bend and stretch, and only then can he achieve great things.” This time, the North-South army and the Ghost-Faced Army were allied, grasshoppers on the same rope. Zhao Zhanqi naturally did not want Xu Zheng to make any irrational decisions.
“I heard that you had a conflict with His Majesty before.” Xu Zheng looked at Zhao Zhanqi with interest. Zhao Zhanqi had such an understanding. Could it be that he still had some ulterior motives?
It was said that the North-South and the Ghost-Faced Army were on the same boat. Xu Zheng did not want Zhao Zhanqi and Zhao Linxu to have any more tricks up their sleeves.
“You’ve misunderstood,” Zhao Zhanqi said, shaking his head. “The winner becomes king, the loser a bandit. Since I have lost, I will not have any more thoughts.”
Originally, the loser was a bandit, but now he was still the North-South army and could still be with Xue Ni. That was enough.
“Let’s sleep.”
