The horizon was turning bright when the sound of war drums gradually stopped and someone let out the first cry.
“King Xuan is dead, Cangzhou is going to break——”
Cangzhou City was suddenly in a state of chaos, people didn’t even have time to pack their bags and flee their homes.
The Great Zhou army was mixed with soldiers and demons. Their young emperor was terrifying and ruthless, and right now, Cangzhou was in terrible turmoil.
The curtain of a horse carriage was lifted, revealing an incredulous face.
Ye Bing Shang grabbed her maidservant, Xiao Hui’s hand, her face deathly pale, “What did you say? Tell me, I misheard.”
Xiao Hui looked at her sadly, “Side Imperial Concubine.”
Xiao Hui looked at Ye Bing Shang in front of her. The woman’s eyes were red-rimmed, filled with disbelief, shock, and sorrow. She seemed to have suddenly lost her soul, and grabbed her long, slender and fair hand, unconsciously exerting a lot of strength.
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Dkys Twk pyke, “Zswa Tktbdlpp, vbkp xykeplahydv’p byde……”
Zl Jkdt Fbydt pswzzlppzu zlv ts sq bla byde, “Tso kp vbyv rsppkczl, bso nswze Tkp Tktbdlpp……”
“Slrsavkdt vs Zswa Tktbdlpp, Uydtgbsw kp kd nbysp. Qalyv Qldlayz Zl yde vbl alpv osd’v cl yczl vs elqlde vbl nkvu qsa zsdt. Rv osd’v cl zsdt clqsal vbl Hbsw Ikdtesx’p yaxu calyjp kd, vbkp pwcsaekdyvl okzz rasvlnv usw vs zlyhl aktbv dso!” yd yaxswale nsxxydela, obspl qynl oyp pvykdle okvb czsse, bwaaklezu prsjl.
Mbl nsxxydela bye awd esod qasx vbl nbysvkn nkvu vsola, yoyal sq bso cye vbl nwaaldv pkvwyvksd oyp.
Tkp Tktbdlpp Ikdt Dwyd bye elqldele vbl nkvu wdvkz vbl qkapv ayu sq eyuzktbv yaakhle.&dcpr;
Tkp Tktbdlpp oyp olyakdt obkvl oya yaxsa, yde bkp qynl bye yzalyeu vwadle tayu. Fkdnl Dkys Nkd oyp csad, bl oyp vbl bsrl sq Qalyv Dky, yde bl qswtbv wdvkz bkp zypv xsxldvp, qkdyzzu eukdt sd vbl cyvvzlqklze okvb bkp oya bsapl, bszekdt bkp pkzhla posae.
Mbl nsxxydela bye oyvnble qasx y ekpvydnl, yde wdela vbl pyxl hypv pju, vbl uswdt lxrlasa sd vbl dkdl-blyele ckae nyaakytl bye nszezu oyvnble Dkys Nkd qyzz.
Jlbkde vbl uswdt vuaydv, vbl qzytp sd vbl nyaakytl qzwvvlale kd vbl okde, zkjl y ryka sq nsze okdtp.
The corpse demons were cut down by the soldiers and demon slayers of Great Xia, but the soldiers of Zhou Kingdom who had preserved their strength1养精蓄锐 (yǎngjīng-xùruì) – to preserve and nurture one’s spirit (idiom); honing one’s strength for the big push; conserve strength and store up energy were like fierce tigers, climbing the city tower like splitting bamboo2势如破竹 (shìrúpòzhú) – idiom meaning with irresistible force; overpowering; like a hot knife through butter.
Followed closely behind was the roaring of the tiger demon as it charged towards the city gate.
Right then, everyone understood that Cangzhou couldn’t be defended anymore.
Ye Bing Shang’s hands and feet were cold, tears streamed down her cheeks and Xiao Hui supported her. The coachman quickly took his position, ready to bring them to escape Cangzhou.
Everyone clearly understood how dangerous it was to stay in a breached city.
Before lowering the curtain, Ye Bing Shang saw a young girl walking over from the end of the long street.
It was her third sister——
The hem of the young girl’s golden skirt seemed to be embellished with sunlight. Her gaze was cold as she watched the people of the city flee in panic. She was carrying a sword on her back, staring at the fallen flags from a distance, quietly listening to the sorrowful cries in the air, her gaze like a deep winter pool.
Sensing Ye Bing Shang’s gaze, Su Su raised her head and locked eyes with her from afar.
Ye Bing Shang didn’t know how to explain it, but at that moment, she felt cold.
Like a heartless cultivator without desires was glancing at her with an emotionless gaze. But soon, when the young girl walked towards her, the bone chilling cold was gone.
Su Su said, “Cangzhou is going to break. It’s very dangerous here, you should go back to the capital.”
Ye Bing Shang subconsciously asked, “What about you?”
Su Su looked at her.
Ye Bing Shang pursed her lips and weakly said, “Could it be that you want to stay and fight, b-but you are a woman……”
Su Su didn’t speak. She took out a talisman paper that could hide one’s breath and placed it into Ye Bing Shang’s palm, “Take this with you, the demons won’t find you easily, you should follow Commander Zhang and the rest back to the capital.”
Ye Bing Shang still wanted to say something else, but Su Su ignored her and turned back, moving towards Cangzhou.
Countless people fled, she was the only one heading inside.
Among the millions of people, she went against the flow.
Xiao Hui looked at Ye Bing Shang’s hand tightly gripping the hem of her skirt and she restlessly said, “Your Highness……”
Ye Bing Shang loosened her grip and blankly said, “Go back to the capital.”
*****
A spear stabbed towards him, Ye Xiao had fought all night, seeing that it was impossible to dodge, he could only take this stab.
A silver sword glinted and collided with the spear, breaking it.
Ye Xiao was helped up from the ground, when he saw who came, the blue veins on his temples throbbed, “Third girl!”
Su Su’s face was covered with blood. She helped Ye Xiao and sent him towards the city, “Dad, they’ve ordered the troops to retreat, why aren’t you leaving?”
“What I do is my own business. You unruly girl, didn’t I ask you to return to the capital! Do you want to infuriate your grandmother?!” Ye Xiao said.
He seemed to have aged many years, “King Xuan died on the battlefield, if dad returns alive and well, I won’t be able to justify myself.”
Su Su wiped the blood off her face and calmly said, “You can’t die. Great Xia has already lost a hero. Dad, you’re Great Xia’s God of War, as long as you live, Tantai Jin won’t be able to invade Great Xia too quickly.”
Curved Jade had thought she’d be sad, but unexpectedly, she braced herself up very quickly. She seemed to have grown up overnight and become tough.
Before, the Hengyang Clan had protected her, her elder and younger senior brothers had protected her, and Curved Jade had accompanied her and taught her about the path of cultivation. Su Su was very talented, so she hadn’t suffered many setbacks.
But now, under Tantai Jin’s puppet spell, she had personally killed Xiao Lin.
Curved Jade couldn’t glimpse into the pain in her heart, but it also knew how grave this matter was.
The Sixth Prince of Great Xia, Xiao Lin——
Since his birth, the National Councilor had foretold that Xiao Lin’s future was related to the dragon’s vein. His death meant that the fortunes of Great Xia had begun to decline.
It would’ve been fine if Su Su had nothing to do with this incident, but unfortunately, reality was cruel.
She had personally pushed the dagger into Xiao Lin’s heart. Xiao Lin told her not to turn back and to keep moving forward. In the end, what kind of perseverance did he rely on to die on the battlefield, protecting Su Su and the entire Ye family?
Even Curved Jade’s heart was heavy. If it weren’t for its previous negligence, Little Master wouldn’t have been hit by the puppet spell.
Su Su’s words convinced Ye Xiao, who also knew his priorities3轻重缓急 (qīngzhòng-huǎnjí) – slight or important, urgent or non-urgent (idiom); to deal with important matters first, so he could only retreat with the army for now.
Su Su glanced into the distance at the dense and dark mass of the Great Zhou army who were attacking. There was an honorable and unparalleled black nine-headed bird carriage stopped over there, on which a young man was sitting, and she suddenly asked, “Dad, do you have a bow and arrow?”
“What?” Ye Xiao asked.
Su Su took a soldier’s bow and arrow. The sharp feather of the arrow pierced her index finger, and her expression was cold as she nocked the arrow and drew the bow——
The twang of the arrow cut through the long sky, facing the sun, shooting straight towards the young man in black.
Curved Jade shouted, “Su Su! You can’t do this!”
She condensed her immortal power, and the arrow carried a light golden color, passing through the two armies and finally stabbed into the Great Zhou’s flag behind Tantai Jin.
The flag fell.
Nian Muning said in surprise, “Your Majesty, be careful.”
She hurriedly flew up and led Tantai Jin to avoid the broken flag.
When she looked up, she saw that Tantai Jin’s face was shockingly pale.
The young man pathetically looked up to the place where the two armies were fighting and whispered to himself, “She wants me dead?”
Nian Muning helped him up, and with her extraordinary eyesight, she naturally quickly understood where the arrow was shot from.
Tantai Jin let out a laugh and pressed his fingers against his lips, speaking quickly like he was convincing himself, “It doesn’t matter, Xiao Lin is already dead anyway.”
Xiao Lin was dead, Great Xia wouldn’t last long,
The Emperor of Great Xia was weak, King Zhao was a good-for-nothing who bullied the weak and feared the strong. The happiness and prosperity4 歌舞升平 (gēwǔ-shēngpíng) – lit. to celebrate peace with songs and dance (idiom); sing and dance to extol the good times that had lasted for more than a decade had made Great Xia raise a bunch of harmful insects.
With Xiao Lin dead, the backbone of Great Xia was broken.
He said this in an irreverent and mocking tone. Nian Muning looked at his tightly pursed lips and knew that His Majesty was in a terrible mood.
He wasn’t as happy as he’d expected after breaking through Cangzhou.
Even he himself might not know where this unpleasant feeling was coming from.
Nian Muning drew her sword, looking towards Great Xia, but the young girl was already gone.
*****
The war continued from the seventh month to the eleventh.
The autumn wind rustled, it was almost early winter.
When Su Su, dressed in a cloak, supported her grandmother to go out, she saw that the faces of the people in the capital were filled with worry.
The Old Madam also had a bit of anxiousness in her tone, and she held Su Su’s hand, “Xi Wu, how long do you think Fei City can last this time? Will your dad and brother be alright?”
Su Su was silent for a moment, then smiled and comforted the Old Madam, “It’ll be fine, grandmother. You have to believe in dad, he has been in the army for half his life, so he must have more experience in war than others. You pray to the gods every day, the deities will surely bless dad and brother.”
The Old Madam didn’t speak.
Everyone was well aware that in the past four months, Tantai Jin’s army had been unstoppable, and since seizing Cangzhou, he’d successively conquered Yuanzhou, Chuanwu Mound, and, even just last month, the general of Yuanpei5远 (yuǎn) – (of space or time) far away; distant; remote;; 沛 (pèi) – copious; abundant; full city had directly opened the city gate and surrendered.
What a terrible trend.
Ye Xiao and Su Su’s Eldest Brother had retreated back to Fei City and continued to defend the city. If Fei City was also taken by Tantai Jin, it was only a matter of time before the fall of Great Xia.
Su Su accompanied the Old Madam to offer incense.
The carriage moved unhurriedly along the road. Tantai Jin’s army was pressing on the border, sending the entire capital into a depressing atmosphere.
Su Su leaned back on the seat in the carriage and suddenly felt that time had passed very fast. It had been a year since she’d come to this world.
Last year, it was also after offering incense that she’d entered Ye Xi Wu’s body. After a narrow escape from the hands of the mountain bandits, she’d first met Tantai Jin.
Perhaps due to the trauma of what had happened last year, this time, the Old madam had also begun to offer incense at another temple.
Su Su got off the carriage, hearing the echoing temple bells ringing out for a long time.
A little monk in gray was ringing the bell.
The Old Madam went in to offer incense and Su Su waited for her at the bottom of the stairs.
A young girl dressed in palace maid clothing walked down the steps with a pale face, and the moment she saw Su Su, her eyes suddenly widened and she ran over angrily, “Ye Xi Wu!”
Su Su looked at her in surprise, feeling that she was somewhat familiar.
It was still Chun Tao, who was behind her, who reminded her, “Why is the Ninth Princess here?”
So she was the Ninth Princess.
The Ninth Princess looked at Su Su like she’d seen the enemy who’d killed her father, she tugged at the collar of Su Su’s cloak, “Ye Xi Wu, do you have a grudge against this princess!”
Su Su slapped her hand away.
“If you have something to say, speak properly, otherwise, if you touch me again, I won’t be polite to you either.”
The Ninth Princess looked haggard and she sternly said, “It’s all your fault for inviting a wolf into the house6引狼入室 (yǐnláng-rùshì) – an idiom; open the door to an enemy; to introduce a potential source of trouble; and allowing Tantai Jin to smoothly return to Zhou Kingdom to become the emperor. You fool couldn’t control his heart, otherwise…… this princess wouldn’t have……”
Su Su asked, “You wouldn’t have what?”
The Ninth Princess stomped her feet and said hatefully, “Father Emperor wouldn’t have let this princess marry Tantai Jin to make peace7和亲 (héqīn) – eg: (of some feudal dynasties) attempt to cement relations with rulers of ethnic groups in the border areas by marrying daughters of the Han imperial family to them!”
As soon as her words came out, not to mention Su Su’s surprise, even Chun Tao’s eyes widened.
Since ancient times, when one couldn’t win a war, they could only seek peace. Since Xiao Lin’s death, Great Xia had suffered defeat after defeat8节节败退 (jiéjiébàituì) – to retreat again and again in defeat. The emperor wanted to make peace, and even planned to marry the Ninth Princess to Tantai Jin.
“And you also know…… how this princess treated him before,” the Ninth Princess’s small face paled, “He’ll definitely torture this princess to death.”
That’s right. The one who used to make fun of Tantai Jin like a dog, besides King Zhao, was the haughty Ninth Princess.
She would definitely not have a good ending if she really fell into Tantai Jin’s hands.
“This princess doesn’t care, you…… you have to think of a way for me!”
“This is your Royal Father’s decision, what does it have to do with me?” Su Su asked.
“You good-for-nothing9不争气 (bù//zhēngqì) – disappointing; failing to live up to expectations; falling short of expectation woman, to think that you’re his wife!”
Su Su expressionlessly said, “You’re right, I’m worthless.”
“You!”
Su Su took two steps away, but seeing how the Ninth Princess’s face turned deathly pale from fear, and remembering that she was Xiao Lin’s beloved sister, she sighed, “Ninth Princess, don’t worry, he won’t agree.”
The Ninth Princess looked at her in surprise, “W-what?”
Su Su thought to herself, because the one he wants is Ye Bing Shang.
Edited by: Gaze
“she wants me dead?” Who the fudge doesn’t want you dead, Tantai Jin?! You out here being a nightmare!
Susu, are you dumb?! He ain’t thinking about Ye Bing Shang anymore! OMG I can’t with these two! 😭
It’ll be sad and frustrating….. *pat pat*
This is giving me so much anxiety! I’m trying not to look up spoilers, but I’m stressed!!!! 😂
Yeah it’s quite stressful as the story is coming to a huge climax *dun dun dun*
Ahhhhhhhh, when is THAT happening?!?!!!! I’m on the edge over here😳😖😫😂
Gimme angstttttttttt moreeeeeee😂
Aish iana you
maso-I feel like every chapter is angst, even if some are intense scenes, you can still feel the angstI was wrongg, I am weakkkkkk. I can’t take it anymoreeeeeeeeeeee😂😭
*pat pat* *hugs* *sings we are all in this together…*
No he doesn’t want Ye Bingshang. He wants YOU. I swear these two are one of the most if not the most frustrating novel cps ever ajdhadh. I LOVE THEM. Gimme that angst and enemies to lovers!!