Maestro de la ambigüedad

Capítulo 42

“Our dynasty has shown its sincerity and can send the princess back. You should also keep your promise. The princess will not return to Xia Kingdom until the war is over.”

The deputy general of the Xia army narrowed his eyes, glanced at the princess, then at Mu Yuan, turned his horse around and rode back to the ranks. After a while, a general with a scar on his face and the deputy general rode over. When Ruyi saw this man, she couldn't help but shudder. The fear emanating from her made Mu Yuan glance at her sideways. Princess Ruyi swallowed hard, straightened her back, and sat up straight. Mu Yuan shifted his gaze back and seriously dealt with the newcomers.

The scarred general was the one who led the pursuit of Ruyi in Gusha City. Upon seeing her, he exclaimed, "It is indeed Princess Ruyi." After confirming the princess's identity, he turned to Mu Yuan and said, "You are merely at the end of your rope. Continuing to fight will not bring you any advantage. Qingshan Valley will likely be ours soon. How long can you hold onto Yanhun Pass? Quickly hand over the princess, and we can discuss peace talks later."

"Without ending the war, there will be no princess." Mu Yuan said coldly, "My king has decreed that if the princess cannot reach a peace agreement, she should die on the battlefield, leaving behind the reputation of a woman who fought against the enemy in the Xia royal palace and successfully escaped. The princess's marriage is for the sake of the peaceful life of the common people, and the peace talks on the battlefield are for the same reason. If the war cannot be ended, her death is not a pity."

Princess Ruyi clenched her teeth tightly. She didn't know if these words were true or false. She had no idea whether the Xia Kingdom would renege on their promise at the last minute, leaving her with no choice but to die on the battlefield. She couldn't say anything; she couldn't ruin Mu Yuan's plan. She could only pretend to be dead, letting the two armies push her around as they negotiated terms and bargaining chips. Staying meant death, being handed over meant death too.

But Mu Yuan's words finally stunned General Scarface. King Xia hated Princess Ruyi to the core, and he had clearly ordered that she be captured alive and tortured in every way to vent his anger. King Xia had never lost so much face before. General Scarface had followed him for many years and knew this very well. Now that Mu Yuan said he would rather kill the princess than give in to King Xia's wishes if the troops did not cease fighting, General Scarface naturally had reservations. He thought for a moment and said, "My king ordered all troops to stand by last night and cease their attack, solely to welcome the princess back to the palace. With such sincerity and cooperation, General Mu should be at ease."

Mu Yuan calmly replied, "King Xia has given us three days to hand over the princess, and we have brought her here today, which shows our sincerity. Since neither of us wants to fight anymore, please let the general light the white smoke and let it burn for three days to order all Xia troops to stop and return to their camps. During these three days, the princess will stay here at the front line to witness the peace between our two armies."

"And what about three days from now?" General Scarface stared at Princess Ruyi and asked in a sinister tone.

"Three days later, I believe that all Xia troops will have received the White Smoke Order and will be able to act accordingly. This will make progress in the peace talks. The princess will then be handed over to the general to take back to the Xia King. The kinship agreements between our two countries will remain in effect."

General Scarface thought for a while, then turned his horse around and galloped back to the ranks. After a long while, a soldier came over and shouted, "The princess's carriage must not be hidden in the army. It must be placed in front of the formation so that our army can see it. It will be handed over to her at noon three days later."

Mu Yuan responded loudly, "In that case, white smoke must be lit within one hour and continue for three days." Xia Bing agreed, and the two groups of men retreated and dispersed.

Mu Yuan protected Ruyi's carriage and slowly backed away. Seeing her struggling to maintain her posture, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. He swung his knife and scattered the gauze fabric, letting it fall and cover the princess's face.

Ruyi's palms and back were covered in cold sweat. Her robes drooped, and she collapsed. Only then did she realize that her jaw was clenched so tightly it hurt. She panicked and wanted to cry, but her eyes hurt and she couldn't shed a tear. Mu Yuan urged his horse closer and whispered through the robes, "Don't be afraid."

Ruyi closed her eyes, trying to loosen the dagger from her sleeve. How could she not be afraid? Mu Yuan seemed to understand. He sighed inwardly and could only say, "At least for these three days, I will protect you."

Dusk comes early in the desert. As the sun began to set, white smoke rose from behind Xia Jun's camp. The smoke seemed to spread, igniting in various places across the desert. Ruyi's sedan car was parked alone in front of the formation. Although it was close to Mu Family Army's camp, it was still clearly seen by Xia Jun. At this distance, she naturally saw the wisps of white smoke rising.

"Does this mean they've stopped fighting?" she asked Mu Yuan, who was waiting by the car, feeling a slight sense of relief that she was still of some use to him.

"Yes, white smoke means the fighting has stopped; this is the Xia army's order to cease fire and return to camp. If it's black smoke, it means the fighting has resumed."

Ruyi stared blankly at the smoke, then suddenly said, "General, thank you." If it weren't for him, she probably would never have understood how she felt right now.

Mu Yuan didn't answer. He was about to send a woman to her death, but someone thanked him. He didn't know how to react. He also stared at the white smoke, trying to distract himself. He prayed in his heart that Han Xiao and the others would have a safe journey.

Han Xiao and the others were also watching the white smoke. Li Tanzi excitedly pointed at the white smoke and shouted, "Look, that's the ceasefire order! The general succeeded! The general succeeded! We will succeed too!"

Han Xiao was exhausted. After only one day of travel, she felt like her bones were about to fall apart and she simply didn't have the energy to keep up. Feng Ning offered her some dry rations, but Han Xiao shook her head, afraid that she would vomit if she ate them while riding. Feng Ning advised, "You have to eat something. We haven't had much time to rest along the way, and you won't have the strength to keep up if you don't eat or drink." Han Xiao knew she was right, so she gritted her teeth, took the steamed bun, and ate it without tasting it.

The journey had been arduous, and the nights were bitterly cold. Han Xiao, wrapped in a cotton coat, was still shivering. She thought of Nie Chengyan, trying to distract herself and get through it, but the more she thought about him, the more chaotic her mind became. The name Xie Jingyun filled her head. She couldn't eat or drink, and was extremely agitated. Fortunately, even the hardest and most exhausting journey had an end. After two days of enduring hardship, under Feng Ning's guidance, she managed to evade and run past the Xia army's blockade and was about to reach Qingshan Valley.

The terrain of Qingshan Valley is complex, with many steep cliffs that are impassable. Several narrow paths have become the only way through, and these paths are difficult for the Xia army to attack, so they can only guard them and prevent the Mu family army from leaving. Now, Han Xiao and his group have arrived, but they are blocked outside by the Xia army and cannot enter.

Li Tanzi and He Ziming quietly scouted around and returned, saying, "It seems impossible to completely avoid them. We can try to attack them at night when they are less vigilant."

"Didn't they say there was a ceasefire? Why are they still guarding it?" Han Xiao was getting anxious as he saw the enemy right in front of him but couldn't get past them.

"A ceasefire only means no more attacks; we still have to defend. We've overcome so many obstacles; there's no reason we should give up now that we're here," said Li, the scout. "I've checked; this pass is relatively weakly guarded. Night will fall soon, and then we'll find an opportunity to attack. Once we break through this gorge, there's a cliff face on the other side. Our men are up there; as long as we get there, they'll see us and come to our aid."

He Ziming said, "According to the original plan, Brother Li and I will go first to draw away the enemy forces, and Madam Long San will take Miss Han and rush over." Before he finished speaking, someone outside suddenly shouted, "Who goes there? Come out!"

Han Xiao and the other three were startled. Li Tanzi and He Ziming exchanged a glance. Had their presence been discovered while they were scouting ahead? Now that they were hidden behind the large rock, the enemy was likely lying in ambush and dared not rush over. But before they could think any further, they heard several shouts: "Help! There's a spy here!" Immediately afterward came the sound of hurried, chaotic footsteps, growing ever closer.

Li, the scout, drew his broadsword and whispered, "I'm afraid we can't wait until nightfall. I'll lure them away." He leaped out and dashed off in the other direction, but before he could get far, he was intercepted, and a fierce fight broke out. He Ziming peeked out and saw about ten men on the other side, one of whom shouted, "There are three horses, there must be others. Quickly, return to camp and report!"

"Madam Long, I entrust my Miss Han to you. My master is waiting to reunite with her." After giving his instructions, He Ziming jumped out and started fighting without waiting for Feng Ning's reply. He wanted to intercept those who were going back to report the news. If he could kill them all without alerting more Xia soldiers, he would still have a chance to escape unscathed.

Han Xiao had encountered many dangers before, but never before had so many people attacked her so closely. She panicked and her heart was pounding. Feng Ning pulled her away, and she crouched down and ran away from the other side.

“They outnumber us and are quite skilled, so we definitely can’t stop them all. We have to get through now, we can’t wait any longer. If we alert them all, we’ll have even less of a chance.” Feng Ning pulled Han Xiao along as they ran, telling her as they ran, “Do you see that checkpoint? Don’t worry about anything else, just keep running. I’ll protect you, Xiao Xiao, you have to get through it.”

Han Xiao gritted her teeth, tensed her nerves, and ran at full speed, praying that Xia Bing wouldn't stop them, that Xia Bing wouldn't stop them, but obviously that was unlikely to happen. After running for a while, the sound of horses' hooves rose in the distance; Xia Bing was approaching.

Han Xiao wanted to follow Feng Ning's advice and just run, but a Xia soldier charged at her. She instinctively covered her head and dodged to the side, but then she saw a flash of silver light, and Feng Ning's broadsword cut the Xia soldier down. Han Xiao looked around and saw that quite a few people were rushing towards her in the distance. She panicked and continued to rush forward.

A warhorse galloped in, and the general on horseback brandished his spear, ready to thrust at Han Xiao. Feng Ning leaped forward in a flash, blocking the spear with her broadsword. Using the momentum, she somersaulted in mid-air and kicked the horse. The horse neighed in pain, lost its balance, and fell sideways to the ground. Feng Ning leaped forward again, kicking over a Xia soldier who was blocking Han Xiao. She ducked, dodging a long spear, and with a backhand, snatched it, lifting the Xia soldier up and swinging it at the general who had just jumped up from his horse.

Feng Ning's movements were swift and decisive, and in the blink of an eye, she had taken down four or five people. Han Xiao tripped and fell to the ground, but she didn't care about the pain and quickly got up. She turned to look at Feng Ning, but Feng Ning shouted at her, "Don't worry about me, run! Get into Qingshan Valley!"

"Dream on! Even the Mu family army can't get out, so nobody can get past me." The general, with a face full of fat, spat and shouted viciously.

Feng Ning spun around and cut down another Xia soldier. She held her broadsword horizontally in her left hand and pointed her spear at the general in her right: "Stop talking nonsense, try it if you dare."

Han Xiao didn't look back, didn't listen, didn't look, and didn't think. She ran for her life. She knew that Feng Ning was right behind her protecting her. She only thought about running faster and faster. She was almost there. She had to succeed!

Author's Note: Okay, this part was really hard to write, I was really stuck. The three of them each have their own roles and their own dangers. This battle scene will be over soon. In the next chapter, a supporting character will appear, and many people might not guess who it is. Of course, it's not Lu Zhi; he can be removed from the list of guesses. Everyone knows it's Doctor Lu, Doctor Lu. The one I'm saying you won't guess is someone else, someone who didn't have much screen time before.

Winning by the skin of your teeth

Han Xiao felt a burning sensation in her chest; her eyes were hot, her lungs were hot, and even the air she forced in felt like it was going to explode. Her legs seemed numb, yet she still struggled to take steps.

Feng Ning followed closely behind her, hacking and slashing all the way. The sounds of clashing swords, spears, and clubs, along with shouts and cries, filled Han Xiao's ears. She dared not look back, fearing that if she did, she would no longer have the strength to run forward.

Time seemed to have passed for a long time, and the road ahead seemed to have no end. A Xia soldier rushed over, and Han Xiao subconsciously dodged to the side. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him fall. She didn't know how he fell. She heard a scream and a muffled groan from Feng Ning. She told herself to run faster, faster.

Around the corner, a tall, sheer cliff suddenly appeared ahead. There was no path at all? How could there be no path? Wasn't it said that running down this direction would lead to Green Mountain Valley? But now, all she saw was a dead end.

Han Xiao stood there dumbfounded. In that moment of distraction, he heard Feng Ning shout, "Watch out!" Han Xiao was startled. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a Xia soldier rushing towards him. Han Xiao didn't know where he got the strength, but he rolled on the spot, pulled out his dagger, and slashed wildly in that direction. The Xia soldier let out a wail, clutched his neck, and fell to the ground.

Han Xiao was dumbfounded and sat on the ground, unable to get up. Only then did he truly see the scene behind him. Feng Ning was covered in blood, whether it was someone else's or her own, she didn't know. She was fighting against more than ten people by herself, her spear dancing like a whirlwind. She was fighting with her opponents while also keeping an eye on Feng Ning.

Two large horses galloped towards them from afar, followed by a large group of Xia soldiers. One of the riders looked so familiar. Han Xiao rubbed his eyes, looked again, and it was indeed her. That round face, that憨憨 (simple and honest) smile—she had carried Han Le all over the mountain to cheer him up, she had diligently helped him prepare medicine and carefully sewed clothes, she had played beanbag toss with Han Le, running around without complaint until she was covered in sweat…

Han Xiao was so grateful that she met her on Cloud Mist Mountain. Because of her, she had her first confidante with whom she could talk and chat; because of her, her younger brother Han Le was well taken care of, relieving her of any worries; because of her, she had time to study medicine, and even the hardships she felt, unknown to Nie Chengyan, had someone to confide in. They weren't particularly close, nor did they exchange many words of gratitude, yet their bond was subtle, sincere, and deeply felt.

"Lian Qiao..." Han Xiao couldn't help but murmur her name. Lian Qiao was dressed in Xia Kingdom clothing and looked even more mature than Han Xiao. She rode up at full speed, drew her bow and arrow, and was about to shoot when she saw Han Xiao. She was stunned.

A Xia soldier broke free from Feng Ning's entanglement and lunged at Han Xiao with his sword raised. "Xiao Xiao..." Feng Ning shouted, turning and swinging her broadsword, sending the Xia soldier flying. But Feng Ning's movement left an opening on her left side, and she was slashed in the arm. She dodged, but was still cut. Ignoring the pain, she gritted her teeth and swung her spear, sweeping down a group of Xia soldiers as she desperately tried to block them again. But another Xia soldier, taking advantage of Feng Ning's injury, had already slipped out of the circle and rushed at Han Xiao again. Feng Ning's attack was slightly disrupted, and it was too late to save him. She could only shout, "Xiao Xiao, be careful..."

Han Xiao was now in despair. Ahead lay a high cliff, with no way out. Reuniting with old acquaintances only brought pain. As she looked at Lian Qiao's drawn bow aimed at her from afar, she suddenly understood many things. When they parted, she said it would be better not to meet again. Green Snow had been lost in Cloud Mist Mountain, replaced by Green Frost. No matter how hard they investigated, they couldn't find the traitor. Now, General Mu of Green Valley had been poisoned by the same poison...

"Lianqiao..." Han Xiao felt as if all the strength in her body had been drained away. She couldn't hold on any longer. A jumble of thoughts surged in her mind. Why could she smile at her so calmly back then? While she was heartbroken over Nie Chengyan's pain, the suspect was sleeping peacefully in a place just a courtyard away, guarding his younger brother.

Han Xiao stared at Lian Qiao, who, holding a bow and arrow, also stared back at her. Xia Bing, who had rushed over from the side, paid no attention to any of this. His target was Han Xiao, but just as he raised his sword to strike, a sharp arrow pierced through the air and pierced his head. He was very close to Han Xiao, and blood spurted out, splattering all over Han Xiao. At the same time, his body went limp, and he collapsed beside Han Xiao with a thud.

This seemed to startle Han Xiao awake. She turned her head and looked up, and saw several soldiers standing on the high cliff, bows drawn and arrows aimed at the Xia soldiers. Han Xiao's spirits lifted. So this was the Green Valley on the cliff. Ignoring Lian Qiao, she scrambled and crawled toward the cliff, waving her hands and shouting to the soldiers on the cliff: "I am Han Xiao from Baiqiao City. We have come to rescue General Mu."

The soldiers on the cliff seemed to have noticed something. One of them blew a horn, and several soldiers fired arrows to stop the swarming Xia soldiers. Han Xiao rushed to the rock wall and threw down a rope ladder. The soldiers on top shouted, "Hurry up and grab it, climb up!"

Han Xiao struggled to climb the rope ladder. Several ropes were thrown down, and several soldiers slid down along them. One soldier kicked down a Xia soldier who was following behind Han Xiao and holding onto the rope ladder. After a few rounds of fighting, several men had already charged into the Xia soldier's ranks. Han Xiao, clinging to the cliff halfway up, turned around and pointed in Feng Ning's direction, shouting to the soldiers, "Save my friend! Please, save my friend first!"

With a whoosh, an arrow struck the rock face not far from Han Xiao. Han Xiao instinctively looked in the direction of the arrow and saw that Lian Qiao's bowstring was empty. Her right arm was raised behind her; the arrow was the one she had shot. Meeting Han Xiao's gaze, she reached behind her and took another arrow. On another horse that had come with her, a man who looked like a general was brandishing his sword and shouting, "Charge! Kill them all! No one is allowed to enter Green Valley!"

Han Xiao gritted her teeth, turned around, and climbed the rope ladder with all her might. Several more people slid down the ropes on both sides, and everyone surrounded the rope ladder to defend it. Lian Qiao fired another arrow, which hit the rock wall again. The general next to her glared at her and said to the archers beside her, "Release the arrows and shoot that woman down!" The two archers turned and drew their bows towards Han Xiao, but before the arrows left their hands, a spear flew over, passing through the first archer's shoulder and piercing the second archer's chest, killing both archers in one fell swoop.

The Xia general turned his head and saw that it was Feng Ning who had thrown the spear. All her weapons had fallen from her hands. At that moment, she rolled on the ground to avoid the attack of the burly general. As she leaped up, she kicked down two Xia soldiers, snatched the broadsword, and plunged it into the general's stomach. The general fell to the ground with a thud, and several Xia soldiers nearby retreated in fright.

The general on horseback cursed a few times, pointed at Han Xiaochong and Lian Qiao who was climbing the ladder, and shouted, "Kill her!" Then he spurred his horse and charged towards Feng Ning, brandishing his sword. Feng Ning was fighting against many enemies, and was already exhausted. The general's sword-wielding style showed that he was no weakling. Feng Ning was not sure if she could escape unscathed. She pushed off a Xia soldier, knocked him away, and flicked her sword off the ground with her toe, gripping it in her hand, ready for a final, desperate battle.

Just at this critical moment, three fine horses galloped in, led by Long San, who was charging towards the battle with the wounded He Ziming and Li Tanzi.

Feng Ning was overjoyed and shouted, "Long San!" In the blink of an eye, the Xia general had arrived, swinging his sword to strike Feng Ning. Long San leaped off his horse and charged forward like an arrow. He flew over Feng Ning's head and struck the Xia general's horse's head with his palm. The general was startled, sheathed his sword, and pulled on the reins, narrowly dodging the attack. However, Long San's target was not the horse. He twisted in mid-air and kicked the general in the shoulder, forcefully knocking him off his horse.

The general fell to the ground, rolled quickly, jumped up, and swung his sword. Long San, his face contorted with rage and murderous intent, dodged the blade without a word and thrust his sword towards the general's heart. The two exchanged blows, and Feng Ning, with perfect coordination, swung his sword in, cutting down several Xia soldiers and protecting the area behind Long San.

Ignoring everything else, He Ziming galloped to the foot of the cliff, leaped up the rope ladder, and protected Han Xiao from behind. When she was halfway up, he reached out and grabbed her, then with a few quick leaps, he safely carried her to the top of the cliff. Several soldiers reached out to help them, and He Ziming shouted, "We were sent by General Mu to treat the old general! Quickly inform him!"

Han Xiao steadied herself and quickly turned to look down the cliff. Lian Qiao had stopped and was also looking in her direction. The two looked at each other for a moment before looking away.

Enraged, Long San unleashed deadly attacks, fighting for over ten rounds before finally killing the general with a single sword strike. He didn't linger, swatting aside a Xia soldier in front of Feng Ning, then scooped Feng Ning into his arms, leaped onto his horse, and galloped towards the cliff face. Lian Qiao whistled twice, signaling the remaining Xia soldiers to retreat.

Long San held Feng Ning tightly, gripped the rope with one hand, and with a few leaps, reached the top of the cliff. The other soldiers also climbed up the rope ladder and came back. As they pulled the rope and ladder back up, they looked back and saw that the main force of the Xia army had just arrived and surrounded the entrance at the bottom of the cliff. Lian Qiao was talking to the leading general, whose face darkened as he looked at the corpses of Xia soldiers on the ground.

Han Xiao was relieved to see that everyone was safe. Just then, a soldier led another person running over hurriedly. The newcomer called out from afar, "Who's here? Do you have the medicine I asked for?"

"Dr. Lu." Han Xiao knew who it was even before seeing him. He never expected that this person who wanted to compete in medical skills would go to the front line.

"Miss Han?" Lu Zhi was startled, but then overjoyed. "That's wonderful! With you here, the old general will surely survive. Come quickly and see if the poison he's been given is the Green Frost you recorded in your book. His condition is very bad right now, and I'm worried about what to do." Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed Han Xiao and left. He Ziming bowed to Long San and hurriedly followed.

Long San scooped Feng Ning into his arms and kicked a pebble at Lu Zhi, who was hit on the shoulder and stopped with a cry of pain. Long San said in a rough voice, "Let Xiao Xiao check my wife's injuries first. Can't you see all the blood on her?"

Feng Ning tugged at his sleeve: "I'm fine, I'm not seriously injured."

"Shut up, I'm angry." Long San's stern face was quite intimidating. Lu Zhi rubbed his shoulder and quickly said, "Then come with me to get settled first. The old general won't be in a hurry. But if it's really urgent, it's better to hurry."

The group quickly went to the military camp, found a room for Feng Ning to rest, and the soldiers brought hot water and towels. Han Xiao stayed behind to treat Feng Ning's wounds. Long San stood there with a dark face, unwilling to leave. Han Xiao looked at the bleeding wounds on Feng Ning's body and felt a pang of sadness. She quickly treated Feng Ning's wounds, and before she could say anything, Lu Zhi called her away.

Only Feng Ning and Long San remained in the room. Feng Ning immediately relaxed, lay down on the bed and groaned in pain. Long San glanced at her sideways, crossed his arms and remained unmoved.

Feng Ning shouted again, "It hurts so much! My arm is about to be chopped off. I might as well die from the pain. Anyway, no one will feel sorry for me."

Long San couldn't stand for long, so he went over and sat on the edge of the bed, straightened her injured arm, and then felt uncomfortable again. He poked her forehead with a finger and said, "It's all for nothing that you're in pain. You might as well die from the pain."

"Hmph, so what if it hurts?" Feng Ning pouted and turned her head away.

"You still have the nerve to say that? It's one thing for you to run around and take risks, but why are you taking Xiaoxiao out into the wild? She doesn't know martial arts. If something happens to her, how am I supposed to explain it to Ayan?"

“We’re here on important business. When the country is in trouble, we women also have a responsibility. We’re not running around aimlessly. I’m just risking my life to protect her for you.”

"And what about yourself? What did you promise me? Didn't you say you'd never let yourself get hurt again?"

"What if I can't beat them all? Haven't you heard of being outnumbered? Have you ever been to school?" Feng Ning was very unhappy: "You said you wouldn't be able to explain if Xiaoxiao got injured, and you complained when I risked my life to protect her. You Long family members are so hard to please, I hate you so much."

"What's there to hate? You're still a member of the Long family."

"That's annoying too, you're the most annoying." Feng Ning's coquettish pout suddenly made Long San understand. He smiled, reached out and pinched her chin teasingly: "Little jealous girl, I said Xiao Xiao is injured and you're already so sour. Where do you get so much jealousy? Your bad habit is really comparable to A Yan's." Feng Ning slapped his hand away with her uninjured hand, and he simply reached out and gently pulled her into his arms.

"Why are you here? Where is that ill-tempered Lord Nie?"

"He's still in Xia Kingdom. I came to pick up Xiaoxiao and take her there. Ayan is in trouble, and I couldn't persuade him otherwise, so I had to come back for help."

"Did he bully you?" Feng Ning frowned, completely forgetting that she had dragged Han Xiao away in the first place so that City Lord Nie would scold her husband. At this moment, she was indignant: "If he dares to bully you, I'll teach him a lesson for you."

“If you can’t do it, we’ll take Xiaoxiao with us and we can deal with him then.” Long San said, but he was uneasy. He just hoped that Nie Chengyan wouldn’t be too persistent.

Han Xiao was quite surprised by Long San's arrival. If Long San was here, where was Nie Chengyan? How was he? Had he really run into Xie Jingyun? Han Xiao didn't have time to ask. Knowing Long San as she did, if it was truly urgent, he would inform her immediately. If he allowed her to treat General Mu's injuries, it clearly meant that Nie Chengyan's matter could be put on hold. Therefore, Han Xiao focused her attention on checking on General Mu with Lu Zhi.

The old general's injuries were indeed severe; he had been poisoned by Green Frost. Fortunately, Han Xiao's antidote manual contained a complete record of the antidote for this poison, and Lu Zhi had thoroughly studied the manual from beginning to end. Therefore, although the poison was vicious, Lu Zhi was able to treat it promptly and appropriately. However, the lack of medicine was a problem, and what was even more troublesome was that, like Mu Yuan had been years before, the old general had been invaded by Gu worms. The combination of the two poisons made the treatment and detoxification much more difficult.

While Han Xiao and Lu Zhi were treating General Mu Yong's injuries, Mu Yuan was also facing a difficult task. The three-day deadline had arrived, and with the midday sun blazing, Princess Ruyi was about to be handed over.

Ruyi stayed in the carriage at the front for three days, unable to leave for eating, drinking, or relieving herself. Not only was it inconvenient, but when the nights were unusually cold, she could only endure the cold by hugging her blanket in the drafty carriage. After these three days, she was already haggard.

Mu Yuan kept his promise and stayed by her side for the past three days. Even at night, he would hold her close by the car and keep her company. When she couldn't sleep and felt anxious, he would talk to her. These three days felt both extremely long and fleeting.

At noon, General Scarface led his men on horseback to the middle of the two armies. Mu Yuan watched from afar, knowing that the final moment had arrived. Ruyi hugged the water bag Mu Yuan had filled for her and said softly, "General, Xi'er and the others are all loyal servants. They have suffered a lot following me. I have a bad temper and have been harsh with them in the past. If they return to the palace now, I'm afraid they won't have a good life. If you could settle them outside the palace and find them good jobs so they can support themselves and live a good life, I would be extremely grateful."

"I will do my best."

"General...I..." The horse pulled the carriage slowly forward. Ruyi was eager to say something more, but it seemed that she had said everything she could in the past three days. She had no more last words to say. She paused and finally could only say, "General, thank you."

Mu Yuan was speechless. He watched as the scarred general pulled the reins of the princess's carriage, and he watched as a Xia soldier rudely used a long spear to pry open the carriage's bridle so that the scarred general could confirm the princess's identity. He watched as they pulled the princess's carriage toward the Xia army.