Jeune Premier ministre, un ermite

Chapitre 120

The cool mountain spring water made her shiver, but thankfully it was summer, and her body quickly adapted to the temperature. Since she didn't sweat much and bathing was just a habit, she only soaked for a short while before getting up, satisfied.

Her body, emerging from the water, was covered in water droplets. Her smooth skin appeared translucent under the setting sun. She gently shook off the water droplets, and the slender lines of her back flowed with a soft orange glow.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he was dressed and ready. He walked around the stream, jumped up the mountain, smoothed the hem of his clothes that had been lifted by the wind, and looked up to see Miaozhou's figure.

Wei Zijun was startled. Had he not seen anything?

"Where is the Fourth Young Master going? Why are you heading in the opposite direction from the camp?" Miao Zhou asked.

"Go check out the terrain across from Jianmen Pass, so we can be prepared for the attack." Judging from his reaction, he probably didn't see anything. But there was a suspicious blush on his face. Wei Zijun thought it might be due to the afterglow of the sunset.

"I'll go with you."

Miaozhou followed closely behind, and the two walked from the top of the mountain towards the opposite side of Jianmen Pass.

After exploring the terrain, dusk fell as we descended from the opposite cliff.

Just as he leaped to the flat area at the foot of the mountain, Wei Zijun suddenly stopped. A chilling coldness rose from the bottom of his heart. His fair face appeared even colder in the moonlight, and his handsome eyes narrowed slightly, their sharp edges gleaming in the shadows.

Then, a deafening roar of hooves erupted. In an instant, the two were surrounded by tens of thousands of soldiers.

"Khan—how have you been?" Gongsong Gongzan urged his horse to slowly emerge.

Even in such a perilous situation, Wei Zijun's first glance fell on his upper lip. When she realized that he had indeed stopped growing a beard, she couldn't help but smile and say, "Thanks to the prince, you are still alive."

"Hahaha—" Gongsong Gongzan forced out a wild laugh, "Still alive? I think more than that! He seems to be living a very fulfilling life."

“It’s true that you’re doing well, but Wei Feng doesn’t understand. Isn’t the prince hungry? He must not have eaten anything for two days, right?” Wei Zijun’s cold gaze swept quickly over the Tibetan soldiers under the moonlight. He saw that they were all extremely tired and listless, clearly in a state of hunger.

"Alas, there's no more barley left. Hunting a few wild birds or shooting a few wild boars can at least fill our hunger," Gongsong Gongzan sighed deliberately.

"It's truly unexpected that the prince didn't withdraw his troops to Wenshan. However, lingering here is probably pointless." According to normal predictions, he should have built a pontoon bridge, crossed the river, and rushed to Wenshan County to join up with the Tibetan army there.

“Who says it’s meaningless? Capturing you is the meaning. This is the purpose for which I endured hunger and thirst.” After saying this, Gongsong Gongzan’s handsome face suddenly turned cold, and a ferocious look shot from his eyes. He raised his right hand, and all the Tibetan soldiers around him simultaneously drew their bows and nocked arrows. Under the moonlight, tens of thousands of silver arrows gleamed coldly, pointing directly in the direction of Wei Zijun.

Seeing this scene, Wei Zijun felt a chill in her heart. She wasn't afraid of death, but she was afraid of implicating Miaozhou. She had never been afraid of death before, but today she had someone to care about.

Her mind raced, trying to think of every possible way to break through the encirclement. But these hundreds of thousands of soldiers, layer upon layer, were all pointing their bows at her. They had no weapons to defend themselves. Even if she could dodge the first wave of arrows, the subsequent waves would likely turn her into a pincushion. There was only one way: to strike first and capture Gongsong Gongzan.

Wei Zijun had made up her mind, but then she saw Gongsong Gongzan had already retreated into the ranks, his hand still raised high. "Originally, I couldn't bear to kill you. But now it seems that if I don't kill you, my Tubo will not have a good life." He forcefully lowered his hand. "Fire!"

In an instant, thousands of silver arrows shot out. Wei Zijun tried to lift Miaozhou into the air, but Miaozhou grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. "Don't jump. The arrows on the outside will turn you into a hedgehog in the air." He held her body and spun her around rapidly. A huge gust of wind rose from the ground, and a powerful vortex spun rapidly, sweeping away all the arrows that came raining down.

"Miaozhou, charge into the enemy ranks!" Wei Zijun whispered. Miaozhou nodded in understanding and charged into the enemy ranks. In close combat, she no longer needed to use her bow and arrows.

Before the second wave of arrows arrived, the two leaped into the Tibetan army, seized weapons from the Tibetan soldiers, and wielded them with incredible agility, charging towards the outer perimeter.

The scene immediately descended into chaos, with the cries of the Tibetan soldiers filling the air.

With their martial arts skills, breaking through the encirclement would not have been difficult. However, just as they were engaged in close combat, more than twenty black figures suddenly appeared around them. Each of them was highly skilled in martial arts and moved with ghostly movements, which made their breakout more difficult.

Because the enemy outnumbered them and several of them possessed martial arts skills that were no less than Wei Zijun's, the battle between the two became increasingly difficult.

Miao Zhou's skill was clearly superior to Wei Zijun's, so breaking through would not have been a problem for him. However, because he was protecting her so fiercely, he was unable to use his own skills.

"Miaozhou, you go quickly. Don't worry about me, get out of here." Wei Zijun urgently pushed Miaozhou, and the Qiong Dao cleaved open the chest of a man in black.

"Stop talking nonsense, use that time to kill a few more enemies." Miao Changshou swung his longsword, and a gushing blood spurted out as a man in black was decapitated.

However, the battle became increasingly stalemate, with the Tibetan army's encirclement on the perimeter making it seem as if they could never break through.

Just then, the Tibetan army on the periphery suddenly let out several cries of agony, and then the scene descended into chaos.

"Someone has broken in!" the Tibetan soldiers shouted.

Those who broke through the encirclement headed straight for the group and joined the melee.

Seeing that the man had cut down several men in black, Wei Zijun couldn't help but take a closer look, but the man's face was covered, so she couldn't see his features clearly.

With this person joining them, the group felt more at ease, and while blocking the attacks of the men in black, they gradually moved towards the outer perimeter. Just as they were about to break through the encirclement, a whistling arrow came hurtling in with a sharp cry.

No one could have imagined that Gongsong Gongzan would disregard the dying words of those men in black and fire a whistling arrow in such a chaotic scene.

Then, with a sharp whistle, tens of thousands of arrows shot out in unison. Wei Zijun, preoccupied with fighting the man in black, felt a chill run down her spine, and her sword nearly fell to the ground.

"Zijun—" A heartbroken cry rang out as the masked man stepped forward and embraced Wei Zijun. He swung his broadsword to shield the woman in his arms from the arrows that came from all directions, unaware that he himself had been struck in several places.

The Tibetan soldiers around him were also killed by countless arrows flying from afar. When a young Tibetan soldier was shot in the heart, he raised his sword and slashed at the man who was only trying to shield the person in his arms from the arrow.

A spurt of blood splattered out, and the face mask was ripped off by the knife. Despite her face being covered in crimson blood, Wei Zijun still recognized the person.

"Yunde—"

Trembling, she reached out to touch his face, but suddenly she was lifted into the air.

Seeing the countless dead and wounded soldiers around them, and almost all the men in black shot dead, it was the perfect opportunity to break out. Miao Zhou grabbed the two men and leaped quickly up into the mountain forest. Volume 3, Dayu Chapter 106: Conquest

Inside the Chongde Hall of the Daxing Palace, the palace lanterns were dazzling and the candlelight flickered. The young emperor, wearing only his inner robe, was intently painting a picture.

As Taizhong served tea, he stole a glance. It was that person again. He, the old servant, knew perfectly well His Majesty's feelings for the Prince of Feng, but this forbidden love... sigh. His Majesty painted the same person every day. Today, that person rode on horseback, turning back with a faint smile.

He gently picked up the brush, the tip stained with vermilion, and was about to apply it when suddenly, his heart sank inexplicably, a tearing pain gripping him. Li Tianqi clutched his chest, his face deathly pale. The brush in his hand abruptly lost its grip, touching the image. The bright red vermilion spread across the snow-white body, resembling a pool of blood, abnormally...

The glaring light.

His heart began to race from that moment, as if something had been ripped out. The crimson scene on the screen made his heart clench. What flashed through his mind was Wei Zijun's tearful eyes in the main hall, her sobs piercing his heart, making it bleed.

"Zijun—" A cry emanated from a suppressed chest, carrying a sharp pain, piercing through the long, dusty world, through layers of mountains, and through the ancient Shu Road... That sorrowful cry caused the person in a light coma to slowly open their eyes.

"Zijun—Zijun—let me pull out the arrow for her, let me pull it out for her—all of you get out of here, get out of here—" Liu Yunde struggled and roared as Miaozhou pulled him away.

"Nonsense! Look at your injuries!" Miao Zhou restrained him and shouted to the soldiers outside the tent, "Hasn't Imperial Physician Lin arrived yet?"

Concerned about Wei Zijun's health, Li Tianqi sent Lin Huajing, his best and most trusted confidant, to her side. It seems this decision was correct.

"Chief Steward Li, I've already gone to fetch him, he'll be here soon," the guard beside him quickly replied. This was His Majesty's most trusted chief guard, and he couldn't afford to offend him.

"Let me pull the arrow out for her—" Liu Yunde struggled with his already weakened body, stubbornly shouting this sentence.

“I must pull it out for her,” Miao Zhou said coldly, his chiseled face displaying a ruthless and unquestionable expression.

“I am her closest person—” Liu Yunde shouted desperately.

Miao Zhou was taken aback upon hearing this, and Liu Yunde broke free from Miao Zhou's restraints and staggered into the main tent of the Dayu army.

Wei Zijun lay pale-faced on the couch, two sharp arrows lodged in her right shoulder and back, blood staining almost her entire back. She rarely sweated, but cold sweat had beaded on her forehead.

"Zijun—" Liu Yunde called softly, taking out his short knife and gently slicing open her clothes, carefully peeling away the fabric from her back to reveal a large expanse of her spine. He only stopped when he saw the two wounds. After struggling to finish, he collapsed to the ground...

Looking at that fair and smooth skin, and at that beautiful back, the soft lines of that back made Miaozhou's face feel a little hot.

"Fourth Young Master?" Miao Zhou called softly, "We need to remove the arrow. It might require cutting open some wounds, and it will hurt a lot. Hold my hand."

"Your Highness, please bear with it." Imperial Physician Lin gently picked up the thin knife and slowly cut into the skin of the sword wound.

"Ugh—" Wei Zijun groaned, gripping Miao Zhou's outstretched hand tightly. Her forehead was already soaked with sweat, and she bit her lower lip hard with her pearly teeth, her delicate eyebrows furrowing in pain.

As the blade penetrated deeper, Wei Zijun gripped Miao Zhou's hand tighter and tighter. Her pale, bloodless fingers trembled slightly. As she suddenly pulled the arrow out, Wei Zijun bit Miao Zhou's arm.

As the pain in her back subsided, she seemed to have exhausted all her strength and nearly fell into a semi-conscious state. She lay there limply, her grip loosening.

Miao Zhou gently stroked her wet hairline, reluctant to pull his hand away from her face. The soft, smooth touch was irresistible. Even her lips lightly touched his arm.

He gently took the damp cotton cloth and wiped the blood from her back. A hint of tenderness, barely perceptible, crookedness crept onto his usually resolute and cold face. When he reached the sides, he stopped, letting the blood slide into her ribs from the sides. Instead of wiping it away, he gently pulled up the clothes that had slipped down slightly on the sides.

"Wake me up at 9:00 AM tomorrow—" Even with only a fraction of his mind remaining, he was still able to give the order clearly.

"Don't think about it anymore, you need to recover from your injury." Miao Zhou gently pulled up the thin blanket and covered her back.

"You must wake me up. We must attack Jianmen at 11 PM tomorrow—" The half-conscious person opened his hazy eyes and stared intently at the person in front of him. Only after Miaozhou responded did he close his eyes and peacefully fall asleep.

The valley at dawn is like a beautiful watercolor painting, with towering peaks and lush green trees. On the opposite cliff of the gorge, about three hundred paces from Jianmen Pass, there is a flat, protruding rock that faces the city gate of Jianmen Pass.

Wei Zijun looked in that direction for a while, then turned and walked towards the large tent where Liu Yunde was.

The man remained unconscious, his handsome face pale, making his tightly furrowed brows stand out starkly. His left cheek was covered by a white cloth, from which a few drops of blood seeped.

With trembling hands, she gently lifted the cloth, revealing a gruesome wound running from her cheekbone to her jaw. Tears streamed down her face as she touched his cheek and softly called, "Yun De—"

Perhaps it was the cool touch dripping onto her neck, perhaps it was the trembling call, perhaps it was the cool fingertips gently touching her cheek, but the unconscious person slowly opened her eyes. When she saw the person in front of her, a satisfied smile appeared on her lips.

"Yunde, you're awake?" The tearful man stroked his face with delight. "Get well soon. Once the war is over, I'll take you to find your master. He can definitely heal your face."

"I've become ugly, haven't I?" Liu Yunde chuckled, raising his large hand to wipe away her tears.

"Not ugly, still so beautiful." Wei Zijun forced a smile and murmured, "It's great to finally see you. Where have you been all this time? I've been so worried about you all. Where's Dieyun? Where is Dieyun?"

“Dieyun has returned to Deer Ridge Valley, as for me…” A trace of loneliness flashed across Liu Yunde’s face, “I have always been by your side.”

Wei Zijun stared at him in surprise, "You've been by my side the whole time?"

“Yes, I sent Dieyun back and then returned. I stayed in the Western Turkic Khaganate, then followed you back to Dayu, and then followed you here… I was afraid you would be in danger…”

A sharp pain pierced her heart, her tight underwear tearing at her soul, and tears welled up in her eyes. She stroked the face before her, murmuring, "Yun De, don't do this, don't do this to me, what am I supposed to do..."

What should she do...? She didn't know what to do... What she didn't want to face had come to pass; what she didn't want to be tainted by had inevitably drawn her in. How could she repay such affection? Love in another world was too far removed from her. This man was like an orchid in a secluded valley, pure and untouched by dust. He was someone she wanted to hold close, to cherish like a beloved family member. But how could she give him romantic love...?

With heavy steps, I looked up at the sky, but no matter what I did, I couldn't shake off my troubled mind. The burden in my heart grew heavier with each passing day. And now, to make matters worse, I've been burdened by emotional debts.

She used to roam the business world, seeing enough of the ugliness of men, each trying to get her drunk and drag her into a hotel room. Wasn't their love just lust? Romantic love? How superficial.

I don't want to be trapped in that kind of relationship. In her world, family love trumps romantic love. A lover can hurt you, a lover can be selfish, a lover can make endless demands. Parents will never hurt you, they will only love you selflessly, dedicate themselves selflessly, and never abandon you no matter how we treat them.

This kind of love is eternal love. Yunde, isn't it good to give you this kind of love?

Sigh—I really don't know what to do.

"Your Highness, you should not go into battle today, your wounds will reopen." Lin Huajing looked at Wei Zijun who walked to the front of the tent. She was wearing light riding clothes, her pale face was almost transparent, and her slight fatigue made her look somewhat weak.

"It's alright," Wei Zijun replied calmly, raising her eyes slightly. The aura emanating from her was both composed and resolute.

Without a moment's hesitation, she summoned several generals to her tent and carefully briefed them on the military situation. She was about to promote the military advisor named Fang Gu to general; she could tell he was a capable commander.

After everything was settled, it was noon. Wei Zijun then led twenty elite soldiers up the cliff opposite Jianmen Pass.

The protruding rock face could only accommodate about twenty people, and the soldiers following behind carried large bundles of bows and arrows, cautiously trailing behind.

He leaned gently against the canyon wall, his cold gaze fixed on the slightest movement on the opposite side. Until, a horn sounded from the other side.

Wei Zijun stood up and gently reached out her hand, "Give it to me."

The soldier next to her handed her the longbow.

As Fang Gu led his troops to charge up Jianmen Pass from the front, Wei Zijun raised her bow and aimed an arrow straight at the pass. Her graceful and upright figure resembled an ancient war god, like a fine sculpture. Her bow was full, but her arm remained motionless.

The soldiers around him stared wide-eyed at their commander with admiration. Even Miao Zhou, who was leaning against the cliff, showed a slight twitch in his usually cold and hard face.