Chapter 27 Alive
A loud "Boom!" shook the air, and suddenly, flames filled the sky.
Two mountain peaks collapsed with a loud noise, and the shattered rocks flew everywhere. The soil subsided, and for a time, the fragmented rocks rolled down like a flood, pouring into the central part of the mountain forest.
Two figures stood in the firelight, looking small and solemn. They stood there, gazing into the depths of the forest where the flames were raging, reluctant to leave, yet also hesitant to speak.
They gazed silently at the deep forest that had been ravaged, their faces expressionless, hot tears streaming down from the corners of their eyes, yet they stood there, oblivious.
Like every time in the army waiting for him, they waited for their master.
Of course, there is another one they revere, who is not the main master.
It seems that there is already a result, and no one should be able to come out alive. But they think that if it's Nangong Jin and Nalan Xianyu, then they will definitely come back alive.
They never thought they could make it this far, to have a showdown with Yun Chu. From the moment they walked in here, no one had expected to survive and walk out alive. Everyone was fighting for their lives, trying to get through every single moment.
Staking one's life on a gamble, going to participate in this almost hopeless game of chance.
But it was just such a gamble with no chance of winning, and yet they were about to win.
If they can win even such a gamble, then they will definitely come back, right?
It's been about half a time span again, and for some reason, the phrase "half a time span" itself has become a kind of wound to them at this moment.
"Among the rascals, you say, will they come back?" He Xian's tone was unprecedentedly calm, a foolish person turned calm, then he must be trying the deepest sorrow in this world.
"You're asking such a stupid question again."
"You scoundrel, last time you said the princess was dead, but isn't she still alive?" He Xian turned his head back, looking at Huo Zhe who couldn't stop crying, and his own tears also started flowing uncontrollably again.
They were all once iron-blooded men who could take on a hundred on the battlefield, but at this moment, they couldn't use their masculine pride to cover up the sadness in their hearts. What they lost was not just two people.
It is their lifelong faith.
It was a long time, and they stood like that, neither of them thinking of leaving. Night fell, the forest was dead silent, and the thin moonlight spilled on them, making them look even more sorrowful.
"Among them." He suddenly choked up with a sob.
"Go back." Huo Zhi struggled to lift his numb legs, enduring the suffocating pain in his heart and the urge to wail loudly, turned around, and prepared to leave.
He needs to go find people, find people to come together to find the deeply buried cloud spider, and... them.
"Watch out!" Suddenly, He Xian grabbed his arm tightly.
"Ho Zhi was caught off guard by He Xian's sudden movement, and his eyes widened in surprise. Just as he was about to say something, he was startled by He Xian's reaction."
He Xian is shaking all over at this moment! On the battlefield, when he was fighting for his life, He Xian never frowned, but now he can't stop trembling?!
Huo's heart skipped a beat, and he turned his head back, also with a violent tremble.
Under the moonlight, in the depths of the forest path, a figure was slowly walking forward. In his arms, a small figure had lost consciousness. His face was pale and cold, like the god of death descending quietly on a dark night, resolute and unyielding.
He was trembling all over, his throat constantly making sobbing sounds. He wanted to wail loudly, but he was desperately trying to hold back. He rushed up and supported Nan Gongyu, who was almost fainting.
Huò Zhī Fēi quickly ran to their side, tears dropping onto the ground in the silent night, making a crisp sound. He pulled over Nalan Xian's wrist, and his body suddenly stiffened.
He looked up in shock, gazing at Nan Gong Jin, his mouth slightly open, but he couldn't say a word.
Suddenly, He Xian grabbed his collar and shouted: "What the hell are you not allowed to tell me! You quickly open the medicine, you quickly save the princess!"
"Under... incompetent!" Huo Zhi lowered his head, feeling extremely frustrated. He was one of the top doctors in Luotian Country, and no one dared to claim they were better than him. However, here, all his knowledge seemed useless.
Even the most skilled doctors can't bring people back from the dead.
Nangong Jin's cold eyes trembled slightly, his tired face still expressionless. He nodded and said to Huo Zidao, "Take care of the matters I've entrusted to you first."
Huo hesitated for half a second, then reacted and realized he was talking about getting the Cloud Spider's gall back to make Blood Linglong. He nodded, glanced at Nalan Xianyu, quickly looked away, turned around and rushed out.
He knelt beside him, his face with its usual confusion, but this time the confusion was different, a mix of incomprehensibility, incredulity and unacceptability.
He didn't understand, it was she who taught everyone to live and die together, because of her that everyone could still be happy and talk freely on the edge of despair and death, and could still rush towards death with peace of mind. But why at the last moment, did she have to abandon them, go alone to take risks, and throw away all the life and death together?
She thought they would be grateful if she did so. Wrong, at the moment of life and death, whether it is life or death, one should not abandon.
He didn't believe it, in such a treacherous situation where they couldn't even get past one pass, she led them through easily time and again, even bringing people back from the dead. He didn't believe that she would leave just like that. Hmph, that useless guy must have made another mistake. Last time, didn't he also say that she was dead?
But... why won't she open her eyes, why isn't she breathing, why is there no heartbeat at all.
No one knows what Nalan Xixi means to He Xian, it is a noble respect, a trust that can be entrusted with life, a special feeling of being together through thick and thin.
To put it more bluntly, she became his faith.
For a long time, Nan Gong Jin had been gently holding her in his arms, as if he was holding something fragile and precious. His gaze at her every inch was filled with caution.
He didn't shed a tear, nor did his eyes turn red, and there was no hint of sorrow on his face, only that calmness as if nothing had happened. He believed she was still alive. His thoughts automatically shielded him from what was called the truth, deceiving himself and others.
The so-called truth, he can't bear it.
"You can go back." Nangong Jin said calmly to He Xian after a long time.
He raised his head and looked at Nan Gong Jin, whose face still had that unquestionable king's aura. This was his order, he couldn't refute it, nor could he refute it.
He slowly got up, then took out the military order from his bosom and handed it over to Nangong Jin.
Nangong Jin didn't answer. "If you want it, take it; if you don't want it, throw it away."
He was stunned for a moment. This... is the military symbol of the Luotian Kingdom's million-strong army, which concerns the fate of all people in the world. And he said... throw it away?
Suddenly, He Xian's eyes widened, and he finally realized what Nangong Jin meant. He... didn't want it?
He spent his whole life and paid such a price for this empire... Don't want it?!
"Master! Princess Yan'er is still waiting for your return, the people of the world are also waiting for you. If you don't go back, the world will surely fall into chaos and war will break out, and Princess Yan'er will inevitably have to flee again..."
He fell to his knees, and no matter how careless he was, he still understood the principle that a country cannot be without a master. Moreover, he also knew what Nan Gong Jin couldn't put down. But he was wrong, now Nan Gong Jin couldn't put down not just the sister he had protected for a lifetime.
"Go." Nangong Jin hugged Nalan Xianyu and stood up, as if he hadn't heard. "Remember, your master is already dead."
It's as if he was already dead, the Blood Linglong can be made, Yan'er can live a healthy life, and he also believes that He Xian will not let Yan'er drift away, what he owes Nan Gongyan may never be repaid in this lifetime.
But he owed this woman in his arms, perhaps... a debt that would take lifetime after lifetime to repay.
He watched as she walked away with Nalan Xixi, getting farther and farther away. He didn't chase after her again; he couldn't stop anything anymore, nor did he want to. The woman had gotten what she wanted - to leave this place together with him.
What I want most is just to be with him.
He walked out of the forest, and Huo Zhe had already arrived at the entrance of the forest with a team of horses. The cloud spider was buried between two mountain peaks, and it was estimated that they would have to dig three feet underground to get to it.
Huo saw He Xian walking out alone, his face gradually becoming more serious. He had worried that Nangong Jin would not be willing to return, but now it seemed he really was going to give up everything.
Suddenly, a fast horse came galloping from afar, and Huo Zhe and He Xian both looked up to see a black-clad guard rushing over with an urgent letter. The urgent letters of the Luo Tian army were usually placed in sturdy bamboo tubes, with different colored silks hanging on them according to the degree of urgency.
On his back, he carried three bamboo tubes with red tags, and the color red indicated the most serious and urgent messages.
He Xian and Huo exchanged a glance, their concerns in their hearts were evident. The Luotian Kingdom was powerful, but the Qiang people were also stubborn, constantly raiding the borders, even Nan Gongyin found it difficult to drive them out completely.
But in an instant, the dark guard had rushed over, and he dismounted his horse and knelt down in front of He Xian. "Commander He, General Li from the border has sent an urgent report!"
He took the urgent document handed over by the Dark Guard without opening it. Only a general-level person had the authority to open such an urgent report.
"What's going on?" asked Huo Zhen, dismounting his horse beside him.
"This time the Qiang people have joined forces with eight barbarian tribes, gathering an army of 400,000 to attack our mountain passes! General Li is about to collapse!!"
Huo Zhi and He Xian both took a deep breath, the Qiang people came so suddenly, and at this time.
The two of them exchanged a glance, and in their hearts, they already understood that there must be some ulterior motive.
He threw the urgent report in his hand to Huo Zhi, jumped onto his horse and said: "I'll return to the capital first to report to the empress dowager, then deploy troops to provide support. You must bring our master back!"
In matters of battle, He was not ambiguous at all. Huo Zhi also believed in his talent for war and nodded, leading the team to follow Lin's direction.
