Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn

Chapter 96

At dawn, the main force returned to the camp one after another. Although the camp had been almost repaired, the carnage in front of the camp must have still shocked them. The bloodstains and the many corpses around the camp were left unattended for a while and were still piled up. Not to mention that they had almost exhausted themselves fighting the enemy earlier, and later they were busy with repair work and treating the wounded. Who had time to care about those things?

Shen Haoyu used his light-footed skill to rush back. I almost bumped into him when I went out to get some water, and water spilled all over the floor. Shen Haoyu grabbed me tightly: "Where are you hurt?"

I had a wound on my left shoulder, and his grip on it was so painful that I winced in pain: "Your Highness, let go, you're pinching my wound!" Shen Haoyu then quickly released me as if he had been burned.

Before I could say anything more, Shen Haoyu snatched the basin of water from my hand and threw it on the ground. He then pulled me back to his tent. When we got there, I realized that Shen Haoyu had come in but hadn't seen me. He asked Zinuo where I had been, and Zinuo said, "The medical department." He rushed over there in a hurry.

After asking about everyone's injuries, Shen Haoyu insisted on finding a quick and efficient woman to help me apply the medicine. I was both amused and exasperated: "Young Prince, are you afraid that others won't know my identity?" Just kidding, if I brought a woman into the military camp, wouldn't that cause an uproar? Besides, where am I supposed to find someone in this desolate wilderness?

This request was rejected, and Shen Haoyu then said he would send us back to Yunzhou to recuperate. I shook my head and smiled bitterly: "If we go back to Yunzhou, will the young prince also go back? If the young prince doesn't go back, then there's absolutely no reason for us to go back alone." Besides, there are quite a few of my own people around Shen Haoyu, which greatly increases my safety. If I go back to Yunzhou alone, what if someone suddenly appears out of nowhere to kill me? Wouldn't I just be offering my neck up?

Finally, Gan Lin woke up. His blood-stained clothes had already been changed, and he was dressed in the uniform of a guard from the Prince Qing's mansion. Before this, he had already heard about the "Blood Demon." It turned out that the Blood Demon was the name of Xuan Ying's number one assassin, who wielded a blood-drinking sword. Once drawn, it could not be sheathed without being fully saturated with blood. The blood on the sword would be completely absorbed, and the sword would slowly turn red. After being fully saturated with blood, the sword would return to its original state, and no trace of blood could be seen.

Such an evil sword, no wonder Gan Lin refused to show it to me back then. But, as the top assassin of Xuan Ying Kingdom, how did Gan Lin end up in You Jing Dynasty, and now he's here helping us repel the Xuan Ying Kingdom's troops?

After dinner, Gan Lin went for a walk outside the tent, and I quickly followed. I was eager to hear him tell the story of the assassin, but before I could ask, Gan Lin stopped and said, "I finally caught up with you." The relief, joy, and many other emotions in his eyes made me speechless. Since he said he was Gan Lin, why should I ask him about the Blood Demon's story?

I didn't ask him where he'd been or what he'd done these past few months. He appeared before me at this critical moment and saved everyone's lives; nothing else mattered. All my previous suspicions vanished. Let him be the life-saving rain.

However, the Gan Lin before me, the Gan Lin I knew before, was nothing like those cold-blooded killers of legend. He could laugh, tease me, and had his own temper; he was much more flesh and blood than those so-called assassins. It's just… the Gan Lin after drawing his Blood-Drinking Sword… should have been pointed at someone else.

Gan Lin's return greatly boosted my confidence, and my injuries healed quickly. Captain Chang, having led 5,000 men to repel 15,000 enemy troops and defend the camp, was commended and promoted to lieutenant general. The other surviving soldiers also received rewards. We guards, not officially registered in the military, received nothing.

However, we were no longer idle. Du Zhai said that there were many capable people in the Prince Qing's mansion, and Shen Haoyu should lead us to do some useful things, instead of always standing behind others. After hearing Du Zhai's words, Shen Haoyu volunteered, saying that the people in the Prince Qing's mansion were very good at light-footed skills and could do things such as spying on military intelligence and surveying terrain. Du Zhai agreed on the spot and gave Shen Haoyu a thousand soldiers to command.

Having a mission meant frequently following Shen Haoyu deep behind enemy lines to scout out the enemy's defenses. However, I only went once. The first time I sneaked into the enemy camp, I was so nervous that I accidentally touched the alarm bell the enemy used, which led to us being discovered and forced to retreat in a panic.

For subsequent missions, Shen Haoyu didn't ask me to accompany him anymore, but instead had Zinuo and Ganlin go with me to survey the terrain. I asked in confusion, "Young Prince, didn't you already have a map?"

Shen Haoyu shook his head and said, "That drawing is very good, but it would be better to check how different it is from the actual situation, and also to see if those people have done their best in their work."

Shen Haoyu made a new copy of the partial map and gave it to me. I then began the work of checking the map in the mountains and valleys. Every day I traveled through the mountains and grasslands, observing the direction of the rivers, and also had to be careful to avoid enemy troops. I was busy every day. After several days, we completed the field investigation of that part of the map and came to the conclusion that it was "perfect".

Gan Lin possessed extraordinary swordsmanship but lacked military expertise. He was truly impressed by the map, which made one admire even more the extraordinary individuals in Prince Qing's mansion. Although checking the map was arduous work, it temporarily kept one away from the bloodshed, and the occasional hunting of birds and beasts in the mountains for a treat, along with the occasional fishing and swimming in the river, made it quite a pleasant job.

Once verified, Shen Haoyu presented the partial map he had copied to Du Zhai. It is said that Du Zhai was overjoyed and repeatedly asked people to take it to compare with their own map. Then he praised Shen Haoyu highly.

After several battles, we finally captured Qingzhou City. However, it wasn't our turn to attack cities. By the time we returned to the camp, Qingzhou City had already been captured, and everyone was carrying supplies, preparing to head to Qingzhou.

Upon arriving in Qingzhou, I found the situation to be much better than when I first entered Yunzhou. Although it had been somewhat affected by the war, the lives of the city's residents were generally normal. Presumably, Yunzhou was the first city to be recaptured, and to fire the first shot, the price to pay would be greater.

Finally, I don't have to sleep in a tent anymore. Although I'm still sleeping on a hard wooden plank bed, there are far fewer mosquitoes, and I don't have to worry about enemy soldiers rushing in while I'm sleeping. I yawned and drifted off to sleep.

That day, Shen Haoyu was in high spirits and took us to see the training ground. The army had already finished their drills, and the vast training ground was empty. Seeing the target ahead, Shen Haoyu ordered someone to bring him a bow and arrows, and began shooting from horseback. At a distance of fifty meters, Shen Haoyu hit the bullseye every time. Although this was far less than Cui Lang's three hundred-meter range, it was quite impressive for Shen Haoyu, who hadn't practiced archery much before.

Everyone went up to practice. Remembering the dashing figures of those Korean archers on TV, I was eager to try too. When the bow and arrow were finally in my hands, my hands were trembling with excitement. Calming myself, I held my breath, nocked the arrow, squinted at the target, and slowly drew back the bow. When I couldn't draw it any further, I released it, and the white arrow flew away. I watched the arrow fly with anticipation, hoping I had the talent and could hit the bullseye every time, just like them.

A soft chuckle followed, then an uncontrollable burst of laughter. My arrow had struck the wooden shaft of the target, still trembling precariously, far from the target itself…

I felt incredibly embarrassed in front of everyone. Even if my grades weren't good, they shouldn't have mocked me like that. I hadn't studied it, and while they probably hadn't either, there are always differences between people!

The ones laughing the loudest were Shen Haoyu, Gan Lin, and Lin Zhao, who were practically bent over, not even afraid of falling off their horses. The others were a little better; they wanted to laugh out loud, but they still managed to suppress their laughter to save face.

"Huai'en, I haven't laughed like this in so long!" Shen Haoyu said, rubbing his belly. Of course I knew, wasn't it Yin Yan talking about my sled that made him laugh so hard he couldn't catch his breath last time? Every time I embarrass myself, he's so happy? I'm a member of the Prince Qing's mansion, after all, isn't he afraid I'll disgrace the Prince Qing's mansion?

I glared at the group of people who were laughing so unrestrainedly. Receiving my gaze, Gan Lin seemed to struggle to suppress her laughter, but her lips still twitched uncontrollably. The other two, however, completely ignored her.

I fiercely swore: "A scholar can be killed, but not humiliated! I will definitely avenge today's humiliation." People have self-respect. You laughed at me like this today, but I will make you look at me with new eyes.

I secretly resolved to master archery so that they would never be able to make fun of me about it again.

Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 81

Chapter word count: 3604 Update time: 09-08-25 08:31

In May, the pomegranate flowers bloom in full glory, tiring the butterflies and keeping the bees busy.

Within Qingzhou City lies a large lake, its waters clear and icy cold. It's said to be a natural lake, and many wealthy families built residences around it, including the city magistrate. However, he has since followed General Chen Dan, leaving behind only an empty house. With the weather growing hotter each day, the house naturally fell to the rather pampered Shen Zexuan and Shen Haoyu. They only visit the magistrate's residence when there's military business to discuss, as it's not far—just a short walk.

The loss of one-third of the cities in the Northwest was swift, but retaking them proved extremely difficult. In the past two months, only Yunzhou and Qingzhou had been captured, and the Iron Army had suffered considerable casualties. The court was very dissatisfied with this, but there was nothing they could do for the time being. They had been stationed in Qingzhou for more than ten days, and had clashed with the enemy forces from time to time. Although the enemy had retreated to Shizhou, they had already launched two large-scale sieges on Qingzhou after reorganizing. The other minor raids were also a constant nuisance. The garrison in Qingzhou was exhausted just dealing with the enemy's harassment, let alone attacking Shizhou.

The army's halt in Qingzhou didn't affect me much. Since the day I vowed to diligently practice archery, Cui Lang, somehow knowing the news, had repeatedly come to instruct me. With the guidance of a renowned master and my own diligent practice, I had already made some progress. Cui Lang said this was an apology for injuring me in my haste that day, and also a thank you for rescuing the wounded and protecting the camp.

I felt disdain, but something was better than nothing, anyway, there was nothing to expect from people like them, so I accepted his way of apologizing and thanking me.

Shen Haoyu strongly opposed this, saying that as his bodyguard, how could I have private dealings with important military officials? I took this as him being afraid that my archery skills would surpass his in the future and thus ignored it. After making a few fuss, Shen Haoyu saw that it was not effective and stopped mentioning it.

I spend two or three hours practicing archery every day, my fingers calloused from the bowstring. My passion for archery and my diligent practice over the past few days have surprised Zinuo the most. Back in the Qing Prince's mansion, after each defeat in an attack, I would vow to train diligently, but I'd always end up sleeping in or doing other things after a few days, repeatedly abandoning my training commitments halfway through. Therefore, it's no wonder Zinuo is somewhat incredulous about my recent performance. He can't possibly understand the embarrassment I felt publicly that day, nor does he know my boundless longing for the goddess archer…

He nocked the arrow, aimed at an unripe plum on the tree, and released it. The arrow shot straight towards the plum, which fell to the ground with a thud. Cui Lang's first lesson for me was to practice my eyesight and accuracy; the smaller the target, the more challenging it was. Just as I was about to retrieve the arrow, someone else picked it up first, removed the plum from the arrowhead, and examined it: "Great progress."

I reached out and took the arrow, and saw that the plum in Cui Lang's hand had been pierced straight through the center by the arrowhead, the pit was gone, leaving only an empty hole. "The force was well controlled, otherwise, this plum would have rotted," Cui Lang commented.

Just kidding, if I don't practice harder, I'm afraid I'll shoot all the plums off this tree, and none of them will ever ripen. However, Cui Lang's evaluation still makes me very happy; all my hard work these past few days hasn't been in vain.

“Huai’en, you have plenty of skill, but your strength is ultimately insufficient. Even with more practice, it will be difficult to injure someone from a hundred meters away,” Cui Lang said, looking at me seriously.

I shook my head and said, "I learn archery not to hurt people, but only to avenge my previous humiliation. Of course, if I can master archery and gain a better chance of survival on the battlefield, that would be even better."

Upon hearing this, Cui Lang told me to practice a little longer while he went to find Shen Zexuan to teach me other things.

Shen Zexuan's courtyard is separated from here by only a wall. After Cui Lang left, I resumed my archery practice, and every creature in the courtyard became my target. Anyway, the others in the courtyard had already been warned by me and wouldn't wander around during my archery practice, so there was no need to worry about hurting anyone.

I aimed at the bees buzzing around the pomegranate blossoms and fired an arrow. The arrow pierced through the flower branch and stuck in the tree trunk. I ran over hopefully, only to find that the arrow had missed its mark. The bee had long since flown off to who-knows-where. It seems that I'll have to put in a lot of effort to shoot a living creature.

The sun was getting stronger, so I wiped the sweat from my brow, walked to the shade of a tree, put my bow and arrows aside, leaned against the tree, and closed my eyes to rest. This is one of the reasons I don't practice at the archery range; it's empty there, and in this heat, you can't even get a good sunburn.