She couldn't see his expression, nor did she dare to look. She only knew that he remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "Where are we going?"
She said, "Go find Wu Yi."
He remained silent.
She said, "I'm sorry."
She said, "I know all of this, and I understand it all."
She said, "I miss him."
She didn't know how much time had passed, so long that her head, buried between her legs, had stiffened, so long that her whole body had gone numb, before she finally heard Song Zixing get up and walk out. The instant he stepped out of the tent, she suddenly looked up. As the tent flap closed, all that remained behind him was his faint silhouette, nothing else.
Before dawn, she had already packed her things. As she stepped out of the tent, she looked up and saw him standing outside.
She stood frozen in place, even forgetting to lower the arm that had lifted the tent flap. He had actually stood outside the tent all night? A light rain had fallen for half the night, and he was soaked to the bone, looking utterly disheveled. This suddenly reminded her of the day Liu Xiu left her in the tree. She knew all too well what he must have felt then, and a sudden pang of pain shot through her heart. Biting her lip, she unconsciously caught a faint smell of blood.
He turned to look at her and said softly, "I'll see you off."
She nodded silently.
And so he accompanied her for a long way.
Until she looked into the distance and said, "No need to see me off."
He just said, "I wanted to see you off, but I was worried that you would leave without saying goodbye, so I kept watch outside your tent all night last night."
She said in a low, hoarse voice, "You're so stupid."
He said, "If you're willing to stay by my side, I'll do even the stupidest things you can do."
She shook her head and said, "I can't make you any promises."
"Why do we have to wait a whole year? It felt like I was already on the verge of winning Yu-Gi-Oh!, and then all my hopes were dashed overnight," Song Zixing asked.
“At first, I resented his desire to marry Qi Xin, but when I learned that he was in trouble, I suddenly wanted to see him. No, I didn’t just want to see him, I also missed him. This longing has never stopped, it has never stopped, and now it makes me even more restless and unable to sleep at night. I wish I could rush to his side immediately and only feel at ease when I see that he is safe and sound.”
“This year, I’ve been by your side, and I’ve gradually forgotten Liu Xiu, but I miss him more and more. I know that if I go to him and stay by his side, that path will probably be a hundred times more difficult than staying by your side, but I want to go.”
She didn't dare look at him, and lowered her head, saying, "I'm sorry."
He smiled faintly, a bitterness slowly spreading from the depths of his heart until it reached his fingers, yet he remained remarkably calm as he said, "I could use extreme measures to keep you here, to imprison your body and soul. I was soaked in the rain all night, and the anger and exhaustion I felt had reached the breaking point. I thought I would do it, but the moment I saw you this morning, that impulse strangely vanished."
His gaze drifted into the distance, his voice hollow and weak as he calmly said, "I kept my promise, I'm a gentleman who keeps his word, I'm letting you go." He couldn't help but raise a mocking smile. "I just wanted you to know how good I was to you. Perhaps, I'll regret it..."
"Ruoxi, I know that if I let go now, I don't know when we will meet again, or what the situation will be like. Ruoxi..." he called out deeply, his voice firm and resolute, "This time I want to say, if you ever come back to my side again, no matter what price I have to pay, I will never let you escape from me again!" After saying this, he suddenly turned his horse around and rode away, never looking back from beginning to end.
But she stared blankly at his retreating figure, and even after he disappeared from sight, she continued to gaze...
He was there for me through those incredibly difficult days, and I'm not ungrateful. It's just...
It took nearly two months for Hua Wuduo to travel from the southeast to the northwest, and by then it was already late autumn.
A year later, when I saw Wu Yi again, I found that he had changed a lot.
His brows had lost some of their frivolity and gained more composure; his smile had lost its frivolity and gained more experience; his skin had darkened, but he had grown taller and stronger. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed from a boy into a man.
Hua Wuduo stared at him, suddenly feeling a thousand words stuck in her throat. She just stared at him blankly, foolishly, and blankly until he slammed his face against the armor on his chest, making her dizzy and her nose sting before she came to her senses.
She laughed as she punched his back hard. He laughed too, his laughter reverberating from his chest to her eardrums. Then she heard him say, "Hit me if you want, but don't use your inner strength, it will hurt."
She chuckled, wiping away a tear that had inexplicably streamed down her face, and looked up at him, saying, "You've gotten darker, but..."
“But he’s even more handsome than before!” Wu Yi interjected, a familiar playful glint in his eyes. “I know that even if you don’t say it.”
Hua Wuduo smiled as she looked at him.
He released her, but then playfully lifted her chin, staring intently at her. His rough fingertips traced her cheek, causing her to tremble. She should have avoided his touch and his flirtatious and ambiguous behavior, but for some reason, she didn't.
His voice was gentler than ever before as he softly asked, "Why are you crying? Don't cry anymore, okay?"
She laughed, a truly joyful laugh, gazing into his teary eyes, feeling a mix of tears and laughter. She felt his rough fingers tracing her face, gently wiping away her tears with a mixture of tenderness and helplessness. For some reason, after a year apart, seeing him again made her feel so happy. She even felt a strange longing for the warmth of his fingertips. Though tears were still streaming down her face, her eyes crinkled with laughter. She didn't understand, she truly didn't understand; she felt like she was going crazy, a sweet, blissful feeling emanating from her brow to the tips of her hair, crystal clear.
She whispered, "Yi, I miss you so much."
Her appearance was so lovely in his eyes that he was momentarily dazed, and then raised his other hand to touch her cheek.
Her scent was as familiar as ever.
He seemed startled, his eyes momentarily glazed over. She stared blankly at him, then looked away slightly, coughed lightly, and said with a playful chuckle, "Close your eyes."
Her eyes widened suddenly, and he burst into laughter, a laugh so hateful it made her grit her teeth. She punched him in the stomach, watching with satisfaction as he bent over, clutching his stomach, his face turning blue, pointing at her, trembling as he stammered, "You, you..."
She pursed her lips, turned around, lifted the curtain, and went inside.
As he watched her figure disappear behind the curtain, he rubbed his stomach and a warm smile appeared on his lips.
Gongzi Qi was originally a hundred miles away, but on the third day after Hua Wuduo arrived, Gongzi Qi appeared in front of her.
The sky was vast and the wilderness boundless, the sea wide and heavy. He rode towards her, covered in dust and dirt, as if he had been traveling day and night. At first, she looked on with some doubt, but then, seeing that it really was him, she couldn't contain her excitement. She waved her arms at him, jumping high with joy. Her laughter carried far on the winds of the grassland, reaching his ears and his eyes.
The boy who used to make her blush at first sight has now grown a few inches taller. His armor gleams in the sunlight. Perhaps it is the tempering of his military career that has given him more masculinity and made him even more handsome.
He dismounted and strode towards her. His boots clattered heavily on the ground.
She smiled at him; he had changed, yet it seemed he hadn't changed at all.
She was smiling at him when he pulled her into his arms before she could react. Her nose and face slammed heavily against his armor, making her dizzy again. Just as she was about to struggle in dissatisfaction, she heard him murmur softly, "I missed you so much."
She was stunned and forgot to struggle.
Young Master Yi, who had just come out of the camp, looked at them from afar, but smiled without saying a word and did not go forward.
At night, they roasted meat around the fire on the grassland. This time, it wasn't just Hua Wuduo roasting while the two of them ate; instead, they roasted and she ate.
Watching their skillful grilling, Hua Wuduo smiled, his eyes crinkling. The three laughed and reminisced about the past, drinking quite a bit. After becoming unsteady on their feet, Hua Wuduo, in the middle, linked arms with one of them, and the three staggered into the tent, laughing.
At midnight, inside the tent, Wu Yi, Wu Qi, and Hua Wuduo slept in three separate triangles, each going to sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, in the darkness of night, Gongzi Yi suddenly asked, "Are you all asleep?"
"No," Gongzi Qi and Hua Wuduo replied at the same time.
The three of them couldn't help but chuckle softly; it turned out they couldn't sleep at all.
Gongzi Yi said, "I have a question I'd like to ask you."
Hua Wuduo said, "Ask away."
Gongzi Yi asked, "Do you believe in reincarnation?"
Hua Wuduo said, "I believe you."
Gongzi Yi asked calmly, "If there truly is an afterlife, what kind of era would you like to live in?"
Hua Wuduo said, "I want to live in a peaceful era where there is no more war."
Gongzi Yi asked, "What kind of life do you envision?"
Hua Wuduo said, "Without any constraints, I am free and unrestrained, with boundless freedom."
Gongzi Qi suddenly sighed.
Hua Wuduo was a little puzzled when he heard the sound and asked, "Qi, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly sigh?"
Gongzi Qi smiled and said, "You have spoken my wish, but I do not wish to fulfill it in the next life. I hope to fulfill it in this life."
Hua Wuduo smiled upon hearing this and said, "I also hope for that in this life!"
Gongzi Yi remained silent.
Gongzi Qi suddenly sighed, "Life is inherently unpredictable. We are drinking and having fun today, but who knows if we will die tomorrow?"
Gongzi Yi suddenly said, "Even if I die, I will die after you."
"Pah, you're a scourge that will live on for a thousand years," Hua Wuduo retorted without any politeness.
Gongzi Qi chuckled softly.
Gongzi Yi said, "Yes, I am a scourge that lives on for a thousand years, and when I die, I will certainly be dashing and handsome! Ha."
The faint sounds of teeth grinding and turning over could be heard, and then everyone went to sleep.
Life is like fleeting light and flowing water.
Hua Wuduo stayed by Gongzi Yi's side for half a year, passing through autumn and the following winter.
She disguised herself as Prince Yi's personal bodyguard, named Wu Duo. She was inseparable from him, always by his side. During battles, she was always with him, even fighting alongside him. Apart from a few, no one in the army knew she was a woman or her true identity. They only knew that she shared a name with a fierce general under Song Zixing. It was said that this general, also named Wu Duo, had defeated Chen Dongyao in the Battle of Dongyang County, thus gaining fame throughout the land. When General Hu Wei, under Wu Yi's command, first heard her introduce herself, he asked, "You're also named Wu Duo? And you're also seventeen? Could you be the Wu Duo who defeated Chen Dongyao, the one under Song Zixing?"
Hua Wuduo hurriedly replied, "General, please forgive my rudeness. I am not Wu Duo, a general under Song Zixing. It's just a coincidence that we share the same name."
Her current appearance is different from when she was with Song Zixing, so no one questions it.
During a fierce battle, Wu Yi, blinded by rage, mistakenly charged into the chaos. Liu Jing, seeing this, immediately ordered hundreds of men to surround him. Everyone was desperate, seeing Wu Yi in such dire straits, when suddenly a figure appeared out of thin air, as if with wings, flying to Wu Yi's side. Wielding a long spear, his sleeves billowed, and countless silver threads seemed to swirl around him, dazzling the eye. He swiftly slaughtered all those surrounding Wu Yi. That fierce and imposing aura shocked all the soldiers present, including those surrounding Wu Yi and the Flying General Liu Jing. Liu Jing, momentarily stunned, didn't immediately order his soldiers to press forward, and Hua Wuduo freed Wu Yi from his encirclement.
At this point, Changping fell. Liu Jing retreated to Dongjun.
Afterwards, Hua Wuduo bandaged Wu Yi's wounds, and Wu Yi said, "Thank you, Wuduo."
She paused, then smiled faintly, "It seems that every time you're in danger, I always instinctively shield you. Have I become addicted to being a bodyguard? Or am I just stupid..."
His gaze was calm, but she continued in a very indifferent tone, "I killed so many people this time, I don't know if I will go to hell after I die, but for you, I have no regrets."
Wu Yi was taken aback and said, "Are you stupid?"
She looked at Wu Yi in astonishment, then slammed her hand on the table and stormed off.
He stared blankly at her departing figure, lost in thought. After what seemed like an eternity, he turned around and looked down at his wound, which was now wrapped in a bow. He couldn't help but smile bitterly, a bitter smile tinged with a bittersweet feeling that he both resented and couldn't bear to part with.
Because she saved Wu Yi and made meritorious contributions, she was naturally promoted to the rank of Wu Yi's personal adjutant, and Wu Yi was solely responsible for obeying her orders. Although she was new and young, everyone who witnessed her saving Wu Yi in the midst of the chaos was convinced of her abilities.
Wu Duo's name became famous once again. Some people wondered if she was the same person who defeated Chen Dongyao, but it was later confirmed that they were not the same person because they looked different, and one used a spear while the other used a long spear. To distinguish them, people called them Song Wu Duo and Wu Duo respectively, because they served different masters.
Hua Wuduo stayed by Wu Yi's side, not only quick-witted and brave, but also kind and gentle, always respectful and smiling to everyone she met. The soldiers, seeing her impressive martial arts skills at such a young age and her kind and respectful nature, were well-liked and praised by them. Many young soldiers even liked to be close to her, confiding their troubles to her. However, Du Xiaoxi would always chase them away with a dark face. Hua Wuduo, on the other hand, would chat and laugh with the soldiers without any restraint. In no time, Hua Wuduo became extremely popular in Wu Yi's army.
On one occasion, General Hu Wei even patted Hua Wuduo on the shoulder in public and praised him, saying, "Wuduo, you are skilled in martial arts, resourceful in battle, and highly trusted by King Cheng. You are young and have a bright future ahead of you."
Hua Wuduo nodded guiltily, glancing at Wu Yi, whose expression remained unchanged and who was looking at her with a half-smile, and then at Gongzi Zheng, who was standing there with a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. She kept trying to cover it up with a silly smile, sighing inwardly, "General, you've really misjudged me. My future is forever limited."
The army and weapons of King Liu Xiu have been locked in a stalemate for a year, with occasional skirmishes but no major battles.
King Wu Yi and General Liu Jing had been at odds for a long time. Some time ago, the Xiongnu invaded the border again, so the Marquis of Xijing dispatched Huo Ying, the son of the old general Huo Wei, to deal with the Xiongnu. The war was quite intense.
The land was divided into warlord states. In the north, there were the armies of the Marquis of Xijing, King Cheng, and King Liang; in the middle, there was Empress Liu and King Jin; and in the south, the Song family of Jiangnan outwardly flattered them but secretly coveted their territory.
In the past six months, although there have been frequent wars throughout the land, there have been no major changes. Only Prince Liu Xiu led his army to quell the rebellion of the eastern princes, and his power in the court is at its zenith. He holds a large army and is also the most favored and trusted by the Empress.