Where is Pei Yuan? How can we just ignore him?
Qiu Su watched in horror as the prisoner was forced to stand on the pile of corpses, surrounded by twigs and dry grass. Qiu Su turned and ran in the direction Wu Na had left.
Una had already removed his battle robe and was wiping his scimitar repeatedly with a cloth, indicating that the scimitar still held great significance for him.
"Una, release them!" Qiu Su rushed in front of him, her face full of anger.
Una didn't even raise an eyebrow. "You can replace them."
Qiu Su opened her mouth, but couldn't bring herself to agree.
Una scoffed, "You wouldn't dare, would you? People think they're gods, willing to risk their lives to plead for others, and even if it fails, they still find solace in it. 'Look, I tried,' pshaw, that bullshit loyalty the people of the Central Plains talk about. That emperor just uses these intimidating methods to make people grateful. A bunch of fools."
"You...you can't burn your own brother's body," Qiu Su murmured.
Una glanced up at him with a rather sarcastic and contemptuous look, then focused on wiping his scimitar.
“I…” Qiu Su lowered her eyes and pleaded, “Release them, and I’ll do whatever you want.”
Una scoffed again, "Not interested."
Someone lifted the curtain and stood at the door, saying, "General, everything is ready."
"Order it." Una brandished the knife in her hand, narrowed her eyes, and said, "Put in plenty of farewell food and wine."
A chill ran down Qiu Su's spine; she seemed to hear the cries of those people in the fire. Wu Na walked past her and went outside, and Qiu Su staggered after her. When she saw the person holding the torch, her heart tightened and she gasped for breath.
It was utterly naive of hers. She thought Una might not be the Grim Reaper everyone described, but it turned out he was only alive because of her slight attraction to him. Qiu Su, why did you make them lose their lives for you alone? They had families too, perhaps children as adorable as Mo Mo. They had wives who stood at their doorsteps every day, longing for their loved ones.
"I'll go," Qiu Su said in a trembling voice, "I'll go, you let them go."
Una raised an eyebrow at Qiu Su, grinned, and slowly opened her mouth, "I won't let go."
The pile of people was quickly set ablaze. At first, there was no sound, but gradually, screams of agony filled the air. Qiu Su, her eyes bloodshot, rushed forward to snatch the knife from Wu Na's hand, only to be easily grabbed by the neck. Qiu Su turned her head away and closed her eyes, but Wu Na twisted her head toward the flames, whispering a low laugh in her ear, "Take a look at your people, your supposedly loyal ones. Do you think I don't know someone's trying to infiltrate and coordinate? Haha, how naive. I'll burn them to ashes, let them coordinate from the inside."
Anyone who crawled out from the crowd would have their hands and feet chopped off and be kicked back by those surrounding them. The screams echoed across the empty grassland for a long time, and the smell of burnt meat made Qiu Su feel nauseous.
"Death squads, are these what death squads are like?" Qiu Su clutched her chest, curled up on the ground, and listened as the wails turned into intermittent groans and then silence. She looked up helplessly at her surroundings. The fire over there still burned for a long time, and the Una cavalry coming and going around seemed to have nothing to do, still busy with their own things.
Pei Yuan, where are you? Where are you? Did you just watch them burn to death? How can I live with myself in peace? Tell me, how can I live with myself in peace?
56
56. Escape...
Qiu Su wanted to leave, though she hadn't been so eager a few days ago, but this night she was restless. Her eyes were fixed on the tent opening, as if she wanted to stare two holes through it.
Una lay on the other side, surveying the terrain. He glanced at Qiu Su, who was staring intently, then stared back for a moment, feeling a bittersweet ache. He closed his eyes, remained silent for a while, and then chuckled softly. Qiu Su shuddered in response, slowly turning her gaze away and closing her eyes briefly.
Una nodded silently, seeing the helplessness and hatred in Qiu Su's eyes. It's only fun when the prey is pushed to this point. People never know their own potential; once it's unleashed, it's truly earth-shattering.
There was some noise outside the tent. Wu Na raised an eyebrow, then his gaze sharpened, and he rolled out. A crossbow bolt landed firmly where he had been sitting. Qiu Su darted out and ran towards the tent entrance, but Wu Na was faster. He grabbed a bowl and threw it at her knees. Qiu Su's legs went weak, and she collapsed at the tent entrance.
A burly man with a full beard and blood streaming down his face lifted the curtain and entered, grabbing Qiu Su and throwing her back onto the ground inside. Wu Na said coldly, "Watch this." With that, he took down the colorful-scabbard and crawled out of the tent.
Qiu Su quickly stood up and retreated to a corner, staring directly at the bearded man with tightly pursed lips. She gritted her teeth and charged forward again. Her thrust was fierce, filled with intense hatred. How could he just stand by and watch them die, these brave men who had sacrificed their families for his empire?
The bearded man let out a soft groan as he was bumped into, and took a few steps back while holding her, whispering, "Susu, I'm here."
Qiu Su stared wide-eyed at those long, narrow phoenix eyes, but the man grabbed her chapped lips and bit them hard, then pulled her out of the tent.
Outside the tent, Wu Na stood with his arms crossed. When he saw the two of them come out, he laughed a few times and said, "Third Prince, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Pei Yuan released Qiu Su, took a step forward, clasped his hands, knelt down, and bowed his head, saying something in their language. Wu Na frowned in confusion, but before he could ask anything, he suddenly sprang up, brandishing a sharp knife he had drawn from nowhere and thrusting it forward. Wu Na narrowly dodged, but was still grazed on the cheek by the blade.
Una wiped his cheek, put it in his mouth and sucked on it, then squinted and said, "Going to your death."
Pei Yuan took a step back with his knife, whistled, and a moment later, the Mountain Lord and Xiao Qiu rushed out from the crowd. Wu Na had no sword in his hand, but held a knife defensively, while the Mountain Lord and Xiao Qiu went straight towards Qiu Su, stopping on either side of her.
Pei Yuan turned around, "Let's go! Head east!"
Qiu Su looked at Wu Na, whose expression had turned ferocious. Wu Na spoke, his voice as cold as the depths of winter.
"A two-week deadline, relying on your own abilities! How could Black Gorge Pass possibly withstand ten million cavalry?"
Qiu Su trembled all over. Pei Yuan had already slashed out with his sword. Wu Na narrowed her eyes and swung her sword to meet the attack. The two swords clashed, producing a piercing sound. She saw sparks; real sparks from swords clashing.
Let her be selfish one more time! Qiu Su turned and ran east. The cavalry were all gathered on the west side, as if someone had lured them away. The mountain lord and Xiao Qiu were very clever; they quickly slipped out of the camp and ran to an open area.
The night was dark, and by the light of the flames from the battle, one could see the mountain lord dressed in white and Xiao Qiu. Qiu Su ran after Xiao Qiu, when suddenly she felt something approaching from behind. Qiu Su turned around and saw the mountain lord leap up and then land straight on the ground. Someone ran up behind them with a torch. Qiu Su took two steps back, and the mountain lord groaned as he tried to stand up, but before he could, he collapsed again.
As Qiu Su watched the approaching torches, she cried out, "Mountain Lord, get up, get up!"
Qiu Su stroked its body with both hands, and when she touched the arrow that had pierced its neck, it whimpered in pain. Qiu Su didn't know where the strength came from, but she picked up the mountain lord and continued walking forward, her steps unsteady.
Xiao Qiu roared and then charged at the people chasing after her.
Qiu Su couldn't hear the sounds of fighting and shouting behind her, nor could she hear the howling of the wolves as they charged in response to Xiao Qiu's cries. The mountain lord was very heavy, making her legs tremble with every step she took.
Where is east? She doesn't want to go east, she wants to go home, south, going south will take her home.
Qiu Su looked up at the stars and said repeatedly, "Mountain Lord, does it hurt? Oh dear, don't you remember Blue Eyes? It's still waiting for you at Qingyuan Mountain."
“Let’s not stay here anymore, let’s go back. We won’t come out again no matter who comes, okay? We’ll never come out again, we’ll just stay and guard that mountain.”
"Say something? What are you pretending to be so calm about? Say something for me!"
"Mountain Lord, do you still remember Dou Dou? And Xiao Qiu and Xiao Xue, your family, no, our family, haven't been able to get together yet. If it were you, if it were... sigh, Mo Mo would cry."
"He'll cry, and I can't comfort him. Mountain Lord..."
The mountain lord in her arms kept twitching slightly, and with each twitch, Qiu Su would tremble.
Behind her, flames blazed, indicating someone had set fire to the camp, but Qiu Su never looked back. She didn't want to go back there. She didn't want to go back to Yibei Camp either. She wanted to go home. She was just an ordinary woman, someone who only hoped someone would stay by her side and live a peaceful life. Even just a small yard to raise chickens and ducks would be enough; anything that allowed her and everything around her to live in peace and tranquility.