“Listen carefully! If one of your arrows hits my men, I’ll stab myself again. Let’s see if you can return with a corpse!” Huang Bei Shuang’s body curled slightly in pain, but her mocking gaze remained fixed on Mang Hu. She knew the nature of these bandits—Ruo Wen wanted everything, and though one day he might tire of her, that day hadn’t come yet.
Mang Hu gripped his horse’s reins tightly, unsure of what to do. Huang Bei Shuang lowered her hand, and Wu Jihai immediately gave the order to fire. Arrows flew, and another row of Fen Tian soldiers fell with cries of agony. Mang Hu, stunned, didn’t dare retaliate immediately. Instead, he signaled for a small forward unit to fire. An arrow struck one of Yunpei’s soldiers.
Without even turning around, Huang Bei Shuang pulled the dagger from her chest and plunged it back in, blood spurting out. Her lips turned crimson as she coughed up blood. Breathing heavily, she raised her hand once again, signaling for another volley. Wu Jihai hesitated, fearing that this back-and-forth would cost the queen her life. Seeing his indecision, Lian Huan shouted, “Fire!” and once more, thousands of arrows flew, taking down another row of the enemy soldiers.
This time, Mang Hu didn’t dare retaliate. He stared at Huang Bei Shuang in frustration. Hers were not the eyes of a woman intent on suicide—they were the eyes of someone who had seen through him completely, filled with ridicule.
Wiping the blood from her lips, Huang Bei Shuang laughed, “Come on! Come capture me!” Raising her hand again, her soldiers nocked their arrows once more. As her hand dropped, another line of Mang Hu’s men fell. Now, Mang Hu’s soldiers began to panic, looking at him with fear and uncertainty. They were already starting to retreat on their own. How could they fight this kind of battle, where they were nothing but targets?
Mang Hu stared at Huang Bei Shuang for a long time, his mind racing. This woman was on the verge of collapse, and if she truly died, it wasn’t just Ruo Wen’s wrath he feared—he himself would feel a deep sense of loss. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of woman she would become if Ruo Wen ever possessed her.
"Retreat!" Without any hesitation, Mang Hu gave the order. He couldn't just stand by and let her kill off all the men Ruo Wen had entrusted to him. At his command, the remaining 40,000 soldiers from Fen Tian swiftly pulled back a thousand miles. Mang Hu turned to the messenger and said, "Go report to the leader! Tell him everything exactly as it happened!" Though he felt humiliated, they never concealed anything from Ruo Wen.
In life,
Some fears arise from care,
Some hesitation stems from curiosity,
And some encounters are born from the unknown within ourselves.
Once Mang Hu's forces had fully retreated, Huang Bei Shuang finally relaxed. As soon as she collapsed, Lian Huan scooped her up and sprinted back to camp. Wu Jihai watched, panicking as the queen’s lips turned pale, her breathing erratic. Lian Huan and the eight generals quickly formed a protective barrier, blocking Wu Jihai from entering her tent.
"General Wu, you cannot enter. Don’t worry, the military physician will take good care of Her Majesty!" Lian Huan’s thick arm firmly barred Wu Jihai’s tall figure. "No men are allowed inside—not even me. Please respect this."
Hearing this, Wu Jihai calmed down. He understood the reasoning: the queen’s wounds were on her chest, and it would be inappropriate for him to enter.
At that moment, Ye Pei came out, her face full of worry. "General Wu, Her Majesty orders us to break camp immediately and march through the night to reach Mizan!"
Wu Jihai was taken aback. "But Her Majesty is injured. How can we travel?"
Ye Pei replied, "Lady Shuang says that the next person to come for us will be Ruo Wen. If we don’t reach Mizan quickly, none of us will survive!"
Wu Jihai snapped back to reality, turning to issue orders for all the commanders to break camp.
Lian Huan glanced back at Ye Pei. "How is Naxiu?"
Ye Pei shook her head. "She’s lost a lot of blood—it’s not looking good."
Lian Huan extended a hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and said gently, "Take good care of Naxiu, and don’t forget to take care of yourself too."
They clasped hands briefly before each went their separate ways to attend to their duties.
Meanwhile, back in Zhun City, Ruo Wen reclined against the side of his bed, his eyes closed, lazily listening to the report delivered by Mang Hu's messenger. The messenger’s face was pale with fear. Having failed in his mission, he knew the emperor could execute him at any moment.
"Was she seriously injured?" Ruo Wen finally opened his eyes, a faint, amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
The messenger trembled. "It... it looked bad! She stabbed herself twice, and the locations were... strange. I... I’m afraid it’s not good!" He stammered, afraid that his report might seal his fate.
"Oh!" Ruo Wen sat up, remaining silent for a long time while the messenger knelt on the ground, trembling like an old man, his head bowed, too terrified to look up. After what seemed like an eternity, Ruo Wen let out a soft chuckle.
"Is she beautiful?" he asked.
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