northernbook Chapter 572
Chapter 572
"General! The northwest gate is under attack!" A guard burst through the door. "The enemy has used battering rams to breach the gate, and a large number of men in black are pouring out from the tunnels!" Dongfang Wan'er's pupils contracted sharply, and her hand instinctively reached for her waist—where her soft sword should have been hanging, but now only the empty tassel remained. She then remembered that, to avoid waking the sleeping Ying Yi, she had just unfastened her sword and placed it on the table.
Grabbing the dagger from the table, Dongfang Wan'er turned to rush out the door, but heard a faint sound behind her. Ying Yi had woken up sometime earlier, his pale face showing a stubborn expression. He struggled to sit up: "General... I can fight. Shut up!" Dongfang Wan'er turned around abruptly, her voice trembling without her even realizing it, "You stay put and wait for me to come back."
At the northwest city gate, the sounds of fighting were deafening. As Dongfang Wan'er leaped onto the city wall, she saw Deputy General Lin Xiao being cornered by three men in black. She soared into the air, her dagger piercing precisely into one man's back, and using the momentum of her fall, she swept her dagger across, deflecting the weapons of the other two. The stench of blood mingled with gunpowder smoke assaulted her senses; she then realized that the enemy had coated their siege equipment with oil, and raging flames engulfed the entire gate tower.
"Water! Quickly get water to put out the fire!" she shouted, brandishing her dagger. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar figure slowly appearing on a tall horse among the enemy ranks below the city wall—it was the enemy leader they had been searching for. He was now looking at the city wall through binoculars, a cold smile on his lips that was exactly the same as the man in black in the dungeon.
Dongfang Wan'er's nails dug deeply into her palms, blood dripping from the dagger. She knew this battle was far from over, and she had no way out. Just then, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw Ying Yi, wrapped in a cloak stained with medicine, staggering towards her with a long sword in hand, his eyes gleaming with a burning light: "General, we will fight side by side."
In the night wind, their figures intertwined in the firelight, like two unsheathed blades pointing straight into the darkness.
The arrow tower of the northwest city gate burned in the twilight, its charred beams and pillars leaning precariously, the embers staining the sky a dark red. The enemy leader, mounted on a tall horse, stared at the city wall with eyes like a venomous snake beneath his helmet. He abruptly ripped down the blood-stained wolf-head banner; the metal flagpole slammed against the ground with a piercing sound, and a sharp whistle cut through the smoke—a kill order known only to the elite suicide squad.
Suddenly, a ghostly blue phosphorescent light seeped from the cracks in the bluestone bricks, and seventy-two black-clad assassins emerged from the shadows, their soft swords gleaming with an eerie blue light. The leader, with a snake-shaped silver ornament inlaid on his forehead, trod across the broken tiles as if walking on flat ground. Behind him, the others spread out in a Bagua formation, their black cloaks fluttering in the wind like a flock of crows obscuring the sun. Dongfang Wan'er gripped her heavy black iron sword tightly, its blade reflecting her pale yet resolute face. Beside her, Ying Yi coughed up blood, yet tightened his blood-stained bandages even further.
"Clang—" The first sword strike ripped through the deathly silence. Shadow One's longsword flashed silver, slicing off half of the assassin's mask to reveal a face crisscrossed with scars. Dongfang Wan'er spun and kicked away the short blade aimed at her back, her sword deflecting three poisoned darts. The stench of blood exploded in the air, severed limbs and splattered blood turning the bluestone slabs into a dark red carpet. Shadow One's left shoulder was slashed open, revealing bone, but she used the momentum to twist and break the assassin's wrist, her longsword piercing his throat in the process.
"Shadow One! Draw them away from the left!" Dongfang Wan'er swung her sword, forcing back two assassins, and caught sight of the enemy leader slowly retreating, surrounded by his guards. She leaped onto the ruins of the arrow tower, gaining a commanding view of the enemy's formation. Shadow One roared, deliberately feigning an opening, getting entangled by three assassins and fighting his way back, turning the left flank into chaos. Dongfang Wan'er seized the opportunity, sprinting down the rubble, her sword flashing like a cold star, aiming straight for the enemy leader's throat.
The sound of hooves suddenly rang out. The enemy leader pulled on the reins, and his chestnut horse reared up, the flying pebbles grazing Dongfang Wan'er's cheek. Twelve golden-armored guards formed a circle, their spears blocking her path. She spun to avoid the oncoming spear tips, her sword sparking against the shield, but her blade was entangled by the enemy's chains. In that critical moment, a dark figure swept across the rooftop like a ghost—Shadow One, covered in blood, his sword now two short blades, their cold light flashing, and blood blossomed on the necks of two guards.
"Rise!" Yingyi threw a short blade, pinning the horse's leg. Dongfang Wan'er used the momentum to leap up, her Xuan Tie sword cleaving through the last shield. She landed behind the enemy leader, her dagger pressed against his throat, hearing the rapid heartbeat beneath his metal armor. "The northwest gates are not to be touched by you!" The moment the blade pierced flesh, the enemy leader's helmet rolled off, revealing a young but twisted face.
The enemy troops, now without command, scattered like headless flies, their torches falling and igniting the piles of provisions. Dongfang Wan'er and Yingyi stood back-to-back in the firelight, watching the enemy retreat like a receding tide. The night wind swept across the city walls, carrying away the smoke and dust, but unable to remove the congealed scabs on their bodies. Yingyi leaned against the watchtower, panting, while Dongfang Wan'er gazed at the brightening morning star on the horizon, finally revealing a relieved smile—the northwest gate had, after all, held.
The setting sun, like blood, dyed the arrow tower of the northwest city gate a dark red. Dongfang Wan'er wiped the blood from the blade of her sword; drops of blood seeped from the seams of her armor and dripped down her chainmail. Ying Yi leaned against the crumbling city wall and slowly sat down; the wound beneath his bandages was still bleeding, and each breath was accompanied by a tearing pain. In the distance, sporadic cries could be heard; defeated enemy soldiers were fleeing in disarray, the dust they raised gradually dissipating in the twilight.
"It's finally over." Dongfang Wan'er sighed softly. Before she finished speaking, a series of exclamations suddenly rang out from the city wall. She looked up sharply and saw a strange, eerie blue halo appearing on the western horizon. Twelve white figures, enveloped in tiny starlight, streaked across the dark clouds like shooting stars. These figures rode on magical artifacts that resembled flowing clouds, their bodies surrounded by a faint spiritual light, and the jade-colored longswords in their hands gleamed with a cold, icy luster.
The men in white moved with lightning speed, charging into the routed remnants of the enemy army in the blink of an eye. Their sword strikes lacked sharp, deadly techniques, yet the moment the blades sliced through the air, arcs of light, like icy crystals, erupted. Enemy soldiers touched by the light first stiffened, then collapsed silently to the ground, even their screams caught in their throats. An eerie silence filled the battlefield, broken only by the mournful howl of the cold wind sweeping across the city walls.
Dongfang Wan'er's Xuan Tie sword hummed as it was drawn from its sheath. Ying Yi struggled to his feet, blood seeping from his reopened wounds staining his newly changed bandages. The two exchanged a wary glance, ready for battle. The white-clad leader raised his hand in a gesture of authority, and the others behind him immediately sheathed their swords, their surrounding light gradually fading. The old man slowly removed his hood, revealing a wrinkled yet vigorous face, his long, snow-white beard fluttering gently in the night breeze.
“General, there’s no need to be nervous.” The old man’s voice was gentle. He raised his hand and brushed across the gap in the city wall, and the broken bricks and stones began to slowly heal. “We have been entrusted by the Lord of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion to come and help you.” He raised his hand and summoned a floating jade bottle. In the pale golden light overflowing from the bottle’s mouth, the phantom image of a crane spreading its wings and about to take flight appeared.
Dongfang Wan'er then noticed that the white-clad men had dispersed. Each time they touched a wounded soldier, the wounds emitted a soft golden light. Even more miraculously, those soldiers who were previously on the verge of death slowly opened their eyes after being exposed to the light. The old man personally approached Ying Yi, placing his fingertip on his most severe wound. Blue-white spiritual energy flowed along the wound, and the flesh healed at a visible speed.
"This war in the Northwest was foretold long ago," the old man said while treating the wounded. "The sect leader predicted the city's imminent fall and specifically ordered us to bring the Nine-Turn Life-Extending Pill and the Ice Heart Jade Dew." He held up a translucent white pill in his palm, its surface shimmering with a seven-colored halo. "This pill can extend life by seven days. Combined with our treatment, even the seriously injured can recover."
As night fell, warm lights illuminated the city walls. People in white robes transformed into flowing ribbons of light, moving among the makeshift medical tents. Dongfang Wan'er watched as Ying Yi's pale face gradually regained its color, and then observed the old man personally channeling his internal energy to heal the dying soldiers. A surge of warmth welled up within her. This unexpected aid not only saved countless lives but also allowed her to experience a rare warmth amidst the chaos of war.
Three days later, when the morning light once again shone on the northwest city gate, the cracks in the city wall had disappeared, and the soldiers' wounds had mostly healed. The men in white quietly departed, leaving only the fragrance of medicine on the ground. Dongfang Wan'er and Yingyi stood on the city tower, gazing at the city that had regained its vitality. Having gone through this life-or-death battle, the bond between the two had deepened, as if even their gazes met with an unspoken understanding. The distant mountains appeared and disappeared in the morning mist; peace had finally returned to the northwest.