Fengcheng Flying General

Chapter 68

Having abandoned any intention of fleeing, her emotions immediately calmed down. She stood up and faced the direction from which the pursuers' voices came, drawing her longsword.

She gently touched the sword's edge, which had become increasingly sharp from drinking in blood, and the blade faintly emitted a whistling sound. In recent years, she had rarely carried a sword when she went out, but after the battle at Tiema Temple, the horrific bloodshed had become a nightmare she could never shake off. So, when she came to visit Tuosang this time, she subconsciously brought "Zhuifei" with her, which unexpectedly came in very handy.

"Tonight, you will die fighting alongside me!" Jun Yu flicked his longsword, which produced a clear, resonant sound.

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Chapter 223: The Mysterious Man by the Lake (4)

A sound of horses' hooves approached, and Junyu listened intently, only to find two horses.

She gripped her longsword, but then heard a low shout, "Mount up quickly..."

It was the hoarse voice of the mysterious guide from before. He must have left just now to find this horse. Having just experienced betrayal by a friend and being surrounded by enemies, Junyu, for some unknown reason, was completely unguarded against this utterly unfamiliar voice.

With the horse right beside her, the mysterious man noticed that she was blind and instinctively reached out to gently support her before immediately pulling his hand back. Junyu felt his support, mounted the horse, and sat steadily on it, smiling slightly: "Thank you for your kindness. Although I am blind, I can still do such a small thing myself."

The man remained silent, and the two fast horses galloped away into the vast night.

They ran for an unknown amount of time, and the sounds of the pursuers behind them grew weaker and weaker until they finally fell completely silent.

The horses in front finally stopped. Junyu also reined in her horse. Ahead was a valley, but Junyu could see nothing despite her wide-open eyes. She listened carefully; all around was silent, without a sound of human voices, only the heavy breathing of the two horses.

A low voice suddenly said, "It's safe for now. Have some water."

The unfamiliar voice was that of the mysterious person who had given directions. The voice was hoarse and unpleasant, yet it possessed an inexplicable power to reassure people.

Thank you!

Junyu groped her way out, and in the moonlight, the man saw her struggling hands and his hand trembled, causing the water in the bamboo tube to slosh slightly. Junyu couldn't see his expression, nor could she see that he had previously worn a large cloak that completely covered his face and head; now, he gently removed the cloak and tossed it aside, and she still couldn't see it. She simply reached out her hand, and the man offered her a small amount of water and a hard flatbread.

Junyu took the biscuit, drank a big gulp of water, and then hastily swallowed the hard biscuit, finally regaining some strength.

"Thank you for saving me. And who are you?"

"It was just a coincidence, no need to worry about it."

Junyu nodded. That person's casual remark of "coincidence" was an immense favor to him.

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Chapter 224: The Mysterious Man by the Lake (5)

Suddenly, the hoarse voice rang out again, "Take this medicine."

Junyu took the pills he was given and swallowed them. With a "hiss" sound, the man tore something to pieces and handed it to her: "Wrap it around your waist."

Junyu took it as instructed and wrapped the cloth-like object around her injured waist. Although her wound was large, it had not penetrated her internal organs and was not considered very serious; she would recover after a period of rest.

The two horses set off again, not moving very fast. The man seemed afraid of aggravating her injury, so he followed her at a leisurely pace, almost walking alongside her.

Junyu heard him speak briefly a few times. Although his voice was hoarse and difficult to understand, she guessed that the man was not very old. So she said, "My name is Junyu. May I ask your name, sir?"

The man continued to walk beside her silently, as if he hadn't heard a word.

Junyu noticed that he refused to reveal his name despite her repeated questioning, so she didn't press him further. She simply looked up at the vast darkness in the distance, feeling utterly lost. She didn't know where this person would take her, nor whether it was the darkest hour before dawn or if dawn had already arrived. For her, this dark world would forever remain, and she would never see sunrise or sunset, or flowers bloom and wither again.

She remembered the flowers in her arms, and a pang of sadness welled up in her heart. The person walking beside her seemed to notice her silence and sorrow, and looked up at her silently.

It took Junyu a while to realize his abnormality. He looked up blankly and around. At that moment, the first rays of dawn were already appearing in the eastern sky.

The horse traveled all day and only stopped at dusk.

Junyu heard a clear bird song and heard the gentle flow of water. There seemed to be the scent of green shade and fragrant grass all around. She immediately realized that she had come to the shore of a lake.

She dismounted, and the man reached out to gently help her up, but immediately withdrew his hand. Then he strode away, disappearing without a trace.

Junyu couldn't see him, and figured he wouldn't answer if she asked, so she didn't ask and just walked a few steps on her own.

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Chapter 225: Three Days (1)

The scent of fresh grass filled the air. Junyu squatted down and touched the grass; it was soft and lush. She smiled and slowly sat down.

After sitting for a while, she suddenly felt someone approaching. She looked up in the direction she sensed, and heard a hoarse voice say, "Wash your face."

A tentacle, inside an unidentified vessel, contained warm water. Junyu poured the water onto her face. After nearly two days of desperate wandering in the desert, her face and head were covered in dust. Now, the water on her face felt incredibly refreshing and invigorating.

Just after washing his face, the man handed him a piece of dry food. Junyu took a bite, and although it was cold and hard, it also tasted somewhat sweet.

She slowly raised her head, looked in the direction of the voice, and smiled, "How should I address you?"

The hoarse voice said, "We are people of the mountains and fields, nameless and without surnames. Call us whatever you like."

Seeing that he still refused to reveal his name, Junyu didn't mind and bowed deeply again, saying, "I dare not thank you for your great kindness."

The man said calmly, "You don't need to thank me. I just happened to be passing by, and giving you directions was nothing more than a small favor."

Jun Yu smiled and said, "If it weren't for your rescue, I would have surely lost my life in the desert this time."

The man stared into her eyes for a long while before saying, "It seems you haven't been blind for long. With your skills, how could you have been harmed like this?"

"I met a friend at the inn this time, and drank his poisoned wine. I couldn't circulate my internal energy in time. Although I preserved my strength, I forced all the poison into my eyes." Junyu raised her head and looked at the distant sky. Her eyes were blurry, and she didn't know that it was the last ray of sunset. She sighed, "From now on, I, Junyu, will be a useless blind woman!"

The man shuddered, reaching out as if to touch the pair of blind eyes filled with sorrow, but ultimately withdrew his hand. After a long while, he said, "How unpredictable people can be! Why would your friend want to harm you like this?"

Junyu shook her head: "He didn't want to hurt me; he was forced into it."

The man muttered to himself, "Even in this state, you're still thinking of others!"

Junyu paused for a moment, then asked, "Excuse me, where is this?"

"This is a lake."

Is that Qinghai Lake?

"No, it's just a small, nameless lake."

Disappointed, she looked around and asked, "Excuse me, how far is it from Xining Prefecture?"

"Not too far, a journey of no more than five days by fast horse."

She thought about it and realized that leaving alone was impossible. Her only option was to wait for news from Mr. Nongying. She and Mr. Nongying had already agreed on a meeting place, so she said, "I have a favor to ask. Could you please go somewhere to deliver a letter for me?"

The man paused for a moment before saying, "There's no need for such a troublesome message; I can take you there myself. However, I have some matters to attend to and won't be able to depart for three days. I hope that won't delay you?"

"No, no, thank you very much," Junyu laughed. "I'll be troubling you a lot these next three days. I don't know if it's convenient for you."

"Convenient!" The man was excited, his voice almost trembling, but his voice was so hoarse that Jun Yu couldn't tell.

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Chapter 226: Three Days (2)

The harrowing two days on the run had left Junyu utterly exhausted. The man led her into a small room and then left.

Junyu closed her eyes and lay there for an unknown amount of time before suddenly opening them and sitting up. It wasn't because the wooden planks on the ground were too cold and hard; she used to be able to fall asleep even lying on rocks. However, tonight she felt extremely anxious and couldn't sleep peacefully at all.

Junyu slowly walked out of the small house. She couldn't see the whole picture of the simple lakeside hut; it was probably just a makeshift shed. Was there only one room or two? And where was the stranger who had rescued her resting now? Junyu stood there, listening carefully. Apart from the slight sound of the wind and the chirping of some insects, there was no other sound.

The moon had gradually sunk, and the calm lake surface still shimmered. Junyu imagined the shimmering waves and moonlight from her memory, and turned around blankly, not knowing whether she was facing the lake or with her back to it.

She crouched down and felt around at the grass. There were traces of dew on the grass. She slowly sat down and stared carefully at her surroundings, where she could see nothing. The sounds of the wind and the flowers blooming were so clear in her ears.

She took out the small jade box. Since setting off with the stranger, she hadn't looked at the red flower all day. The moment her hand touched the box, she almost immediately noticed that the strange and peculiar faint fragrance was completely gone.

She was increasingly astonished. She opened the box, took out the flower, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. This flower, which never faded, had withered at some point.

Even ordinary blind people can tell whether a flower is bright or withered by the touch of their hands. Moreover, Junyu has carried this flower with her all year round and has looked at it thousands or tens of thousands of times. She has only recently lost her sight, so how could she not be able to distinguish whether the flower is bright or withered?

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Chapter 227: Three Days (3)

Her heart felt as if it had fallen into the coldest abyss, and the warmth in her chest seemed to be slowly dissipating. Clutching the withered flower, she cried out in anguish, "Tuo Sang, do you despise me for becoming a useless blind woman? You won't even leave this last flower to keep me company?"

A man carrying a hastily woven basket filled with various herbs he had gathered overnight was silently approaching the hut. He stopped a short distance away, clearly hearing her bitter laugh. He almost swayed, and after a while, he came over, glanced quickly at the flowers in her hand, and whispered, "Why didn't you rest?"

Junyu didn't answer, clutching the withered flower tightly, a tear involuntarily falling from her eye. The man immediately noticed her tear, silently watching her and letting out a soft sigh.

Junyu was jolted awake. The "Flying General of Phoenix City" had actually shed tears in front of a stranger! This was something she had never imagined in her life. She quietly placed the withered flower in her bosom and forced a smile, saying, "You're still up so late?"

The man looked at the eastern sky: "It's no longer late at night, it's almost dawn!"

"Oh," Junyu lowered her head, forced a smile, and had no answer.

The man looked at her head covered in dew and said softly, "The grass is very damp, and you're still injured. You should go back inside."

Junyu nodded, stood up, bowed to him, and headed straight for the hut.

The man had led her there once that night, and now seeing that she was able to walk back on her own without any deviation, even though the distance was short, he couldn't help but secretly admire her memory.

Junyu groped her way and lay down on the cold, hard wooden board again. She had been saddened by the withering of the flowers, but now a wave of weariness washed over her, and for some reason, her heart calmed down, and she quickly fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes again, the sun was shining brightly outside, and the scent of herbs wafted in the air.

She got up and went outside. The man said, "Perfect timing. The medicine is ready to drink."

A bowl of lukewarm medicine was handed over; it was clearly prepared long ago, while another kind of medicine was still simmering on the stove.

"This is?"

"I have a basic understanding of medicine. Your eyes have only recently become blind. If treated properly, there is a high chance that they can be restored."

Junyu was overjoyed: "Really?"

The man nodded, then suddenly remembered that she was blind, and added, "Don't worry too much, she can recover, but it requires a few very special medicinal herbs that can only be found in the mountains."