Consultor de vida de la dinastía Song del Sur

Capítulo 28

Nan Jingqi looked at the person in front of him. Although he was somewhat puzzled, the boy's clear and unfathomable eyes calmed him down considerably. He looked at him silently for a moment, then said gently, "You came to see me?"

Leng Shuangcheng clasped her hands together, slowly raised her eyelids, stared at Nan Jingqi for a moment, then quickly looked past him and landed on the map behind her.

Nan Jingqi's eyes revealed a hint of surprise, because when he waited for the boy in front of him to look up, he realized that the boy seemed to have used a lot of strength.

"Young Master Nan, please tell me a few questions truthfully."

"please."

"Who will be your opponent today, young master?"

"Zhao Yingcheng".

Leng Shuangcheng fell silent for a moment, unsure whether to feel joy or sorrow after her guess was confirmed.

"If we are victorious, what are your plans, sir?"

Nan Jingqi lowered his head slightly to look at Leng Shuangcheng's face. Today, her face was silent and lifeless, her deep, ocean-like eyes were nowhere to be seen.

"Please tell me the truth, young master."

"keep going."

Is there a battlefield ahead?

"There is a high city..."

"Is it the ancient well platform?"

"Exactly."

"Does Gujing Terrace have an old name?"

"As far as I know, people in the Central Plains call it 'the number one platform in the Nine Provinces'."

Leng Shuangcheng's body trembled slightly, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding sounds, but a voice in her heart cried out: So this is it! Qiu Ye Yijian's destination is here!

Nan Jingqi frowned slightly and reached out his hand.

Leng Shuangcheng quickly stepped back a few paces, bent down, and let his hair, which had been tied up, spread out, creating a landscape painting behind him: "I implore Young Master Nan to grant my request."

"What did I promise you?"

"Enter Ancient Well City with caution. If you do not respond, young master, I will kneel here forever."

Nan Jingqi gave a wry smile, and his outstretched hand fell back down.

"Why are you doing this? I'll agree to your request."

Leng Shuangcheng silently got up and stood a few steps away from Nan Jingqi.

Nan Jingqi stared at him silently, and there wasn't a sound from inside the tent. He looked at him for a long time, but he still couldn't see the calm young man in front of him clearly.

"How can you be so sure I can win today's battle?"

There are two reasons.

Can you tell me?

—The voice was still so gentle, as if worried that I was in a difficult position. It wasn't a commanding tone, but rather a questioning and discussion.

Leng Shuangcheng felt a deep, overwhelming pain in her heart, her whole body felt numb and unable to move, and her eyes, mouth, and tongue were filled with cold, stinging waves.

"Does the young master know that the commander-in-chief of the Song Dynasty is Zhao Yingcheng's heir?"

"yes."

What is this person like?

"Mature beyond his years, with a deep and calculating mind."

"Did you know that besides the Crown Prince, there is also a military governor?"

"From last year to this year, Zhao Yingcheng has only been seen on the battlefield; the military governor has never been seen."

"The warlord is none other than the young master of Bixie—Qiuye Yijian."

29. Hidden

Nan Jingqi stood with his hands behind his back in the empty tent, facing Leng Shuangcheng, and laughed heartily: "So what?"

Leng Shuangcheng lowered his eyelids, the bright light spreading above his head, casting a faint shadow. He seemed oblivious, his voice remaining calm: "I only met the true prince by chance last night, and I can deduce that all the previous war plans were devised by Qiu Yeyijian. With two such shrewd young masters joining forces, victory is not so easy. But may I ask, Young Master Nan, how has the war progressed since the two countries began?"

"Our dynasty has more defeats than victories."

What about the last six months?

"More wins than losses."

What could be the reason?

"The Song people fought bloody battles, but most of them were defeated by the Liao army's iron cavalry."

Leng Shuangcheng pursed her lips and said something surprising: "No, that's not how it is."

Nan Jingqi looked directly at Leng Shuangcheng: "Why are you so certain, Chu Yi?"

"There is no direct reason, but as far as I know, Young Master Bixie never does anything without a certainty, so he must have a purpose in doing this."

What does the first-year student think?

"The method of luring the enemy deep into the territory. This man is ruthless and his acting is so realistic that he fights many battles with a mix of real and fake, making it impossible for anyone to see his ultimate goal."

"Do you have any evidence?"

"No, it depends on where Zhao Yingcheng retreated to after the first battle."

What is the connection between the withdrawal of troops from local areas and victory in the war?

"Last night's password was 'Broken Halberd,' which, in retrospect, might have been an indication of retreat. If it was indeed the Battle of Broken Halberd, Zhao Yingcheng would certainly have kept his promise and retreated. If they retreated to the ancient well, that would be their final destination."

Nan Jingqi remained silent and did not look at Leng Shuangcheng, but lowered his head slightly and pondered.

"I implore you, young master, not to enter Gujing City. Gujing was once a formidable defensive city, easy to defend and difficult to attack."

Why were we repeatedly told not to enter the ancient city on the first day of the Lunar New Year?

"Time has changed many landscapes, but Gujing City was the first one in the past, called 'Keduoqi' in the Hu language, which means 'city in the sky'."

"I have not personally visited the ancient well platform and cannot know its specific appearance. If I could walk around the city wall, I could give you a definite answer."

"If Gujing City has not changed, then its foundation is the former secret place in the Central Plains, commonly known as the underground city—because beneath the copper walls and iron ramparts lies an empty walkway."

"If Qiu Yeyijian is also there, she will definitely tamper with things in the dungeon. Please promise me, young master, that you will not go in!"

Leng Shuangcheng finished speaking anxiously in one breath, staring intently at Nan Jingqi's profile. When Nan Jingqi turned around, she immediately lowered her head and looked at the ground.

Nan Jingqi stared silently at the map behind him for a long while, then said in a heavy voice, "Although Chu Yi's deduction has not been confirmed, in my eyes it is invaluable information. More importantly—"

After a pause, Nan Jingqi's voice trembled slightly: "What you're doing is betraying the Han people, do you know that?"

Leng Shuangcheng stood still in the wind, like a bamboo stalk in a courtyard. From beginning to end, he remained unchanged, except for raising his head and giving Nan Jingqi a firm look.

His gaze was clear and bright, like a dewdrop falling from the tip of a green bamboo leaf, sparkling and radiant, sinking deep into the earth, flowing with a subtle gleam. That fleeting glance left Nan Jingqi unable to distinguish between genuine emotion and illusion.

"To be honest, I am indeed a traitor." Nan Jingqi heard him say this calmly, and then said heavily, "But there is no other way."

"First Year of the Lunar New Year, how can I possibly repay you?"

"Does the young master truly wish to repay me?"

"I am absolutely not joking."

"Young master, could you do me a favor?"

"Speaking."

"Please close your eyes, young master. I fear I may offend you..."

Even with his slow-wittedness, Nan Jingqi could tell that the boy before him absolutely dared not look him in the eye. A pang of pain seemed to seep into his heart like ink dripping onto paper, spreading and gradually blurring into a smudged mess. Upon hearing his hesitant request, Nan Jingqi closed his eyes without hesitation.

Leng Shuangcheng raised his head and gazed silently at the face before him that so closely resembled Li Tianxiao's, his eyes fixed intently and greedily, unwavering in their affection. In his youthful days, he had never imagined such a day would come, when he would be separated from his beloved, searching in another for even a trace of his own essence. This was a pain that transcended a thousand years; unable to be together in the past life, destined to be apart in the next. It was as if Leng Shuangcheng's very being had been brutally ripped from his bones, abandoned on the banks of the Wei River, his breath heavy with anguish, he collapsed, struggling to rise, only to find it a reflection in a mirror, a moon in the water—a flower in a mirror, a moon in the water. The moon, cold and silent, watched his loneliness, falling into the shimmering river, stirring up fragments of light and shadow.

He stood frozen before this mirage, unable to say anything, for their identities and backgrounds meant that they would never cross paths again; unable to do anything, for even his fingertips trembled slightly as he spread his hands.

A cool, icy aura seemed to hover before Nan Jingqi, making him freeze in place. That coldness hadn't yet touched his skin, just like the boy before him—a distance he dared not approach, a distance that seemed like an inch, a step, a lifetime. Those hands must have been long and slender, flowing in clusters from top to bottom, blending with the air around his face. Nan Jingqi longed to touch that coolness, but it remained forever at a distance, slowly, very slowly, its fingers outstretched, tracing his own outline, trembling with a deep, suppressed intensity.

"General Nan, you must survive."

A deep voice reached his ears, and the scent of earth and grass quickly disappeared from his nose. Nan Jingqi suddenly opened his eyes—the wind blew through the inner tent, stirring up the snowflakes outside the door.

Leng Shuangcheng was gone. Where he had stood, a bundle wrapped in cloth lay quietly.

Nan Jingqi walked over in disbelief, leaving deep footprints on the felt-covered ground. The moment his hand touched the hilt, his suspicions were confirmed: the raised dragon design, the cold hilt—what else could it be but a dragon-patterned sword!

With a deafening roar, it seemed as if a bolt of lightning had struck him down, leaving him swaying and tearing his heart apart. He still remembered how Tong Tu had excitedly run over to him one day, telling him that there was a young hero in the Southern Dynasty who had actually challenged the Evil-Slaying Young Master.

—Legend has it that there was a fearless young man who fought alone and was struck by twelve swords from the most powerful enemy, with a fatal wound to his chest.

—Legend has it that the boy, in the face of the enemy, endured the agony of being pierced by nine poisons, and tore apart the hardest stone street in Ruzhou, dying in agony but refusing to bow his head.

"So it was you, Chu Yi... fighting alone... nine poisons piercing your intestines... why?" Nan Jingqi murmured to himself, his voice no longer able to conceal the deep pain and desolation in it.

No one could answer; only the soft sound of the passing wind could be heard, like a sigh brushing against one's heart.

—Because of love, I hide it.

On the 20th day of the second month of the third year of Jianlong, at the ancient well platform in Wuzhou, at the hour of Si (9-11 AM).

The ancient well platform, towering above the sloping hillside, stands firmly on the earth. It is open on three sides, with only its back built against the mountain. Snowflakes dance and cover the mountains, as if embracing the sleeping ancient city. The contrast between black and white is striking.

The deafening rumble of cart axles and the thunderous sound of horses' hooves awakened the hibernating city.

A square military formation was lined up in front of the ancient well city, connected one after another, winding all the way to the bottom of the slope.

Before them stood crossbows with their bronze mouths wide open, a dense swarm of arrows pointing diagonally towards the sky, their sharp blades slicing through the wind and snow, mirroring the arrogant and domineering commander behind them. Seated imposingly on horseback was Yelü Xingtian, his eyes scanning the dark, ancient city gate before him from beneath his armor.