After the favored concubine remarried, the aloof and powerful minister forcibly took her away.

Chapter 206 My days are numbered

Chaos reigned in the mountain village, with shouts and cries mingling together.

The fire spread rapidly with the help of the wind, and the thick smoke made it impossible for people to open their eyes.

Xiang Ning's mind was filled with only the word "poisoned".

"Xiang Ning? Xiang Ning, did you hear me?"

Xiang Ning snapped out of her daze when she heard Cai Fu's voice.

"There are still so many people in the stronghold. I have to find a way to save them. You and the others should leave first."

Upon hearing Wen Caifu's words, Xiang Ning shook her head: "But the fire is too big."

"How will you know if you don't try!"

Wen Caifu interrupted her, her gaze resolute.

"Duan Zhuo is already struggling to take care of himself, we can't be a burden to them any further. Organize everyone to retreat to the valley to the east, there's a stream there that might be able to hold back the fire."

Xiang Ning gritted her teeth, temporarily putting aside the matter of Pei Yan being shot by an arrow, and nodded in agreement.

The two split up, and together with the second brother, they gathered the remaining able-bodied people in the mountain stronghold and moved towards the eastern valley.

Along the way, houses kept collapsing in the fire, and waves of heat hit people in the face, making their skin burn.

Meanwhile, in the military camp on the outskirts of the city, General Lin, who had been rescued by Pei Yanzhi, stood anxiously outside Pei Yanzhi's tent, filled with self-reproach.

The military doctor was busy working, his brow furrowed with sweat.

"The poison is too deep, sir. I have never seen this kind of poison before, and it is impossible to cure it in a short time."

The military doctor shook his head helplessly, and General Lin slammed his fist on a pillar of the tent: "That scoundrel Lu Yongkang actually used such insidious methods!"

Pei Yanzhi is currently unconscious, the morale of the army is low, and they are now being suppressed by Lu Yongkang's army, making the situation extremely precarious.

Just then, Duan Zhuo's men rushed over: "Boss, something bad has happened! Scouts report that Lu Yongkang is mobilizing a large force, preparing to break through our defenses in one fell swoop. Moreover, he seems to have sent an elite force towards the mountain stronghold!"

Duan Zhuo's heart sank; Lu Yongkang was determined to wipe them out completely.

On the one hand, they must take advantage of Pei Yanzhi's unconsciousness to completely annihilate their main force; on the other hand, they must eliminate the mountain stronghold as a potential threat.

"Pass down the order: the entire army must hold the line to the death. Without my command, no one is to retreat a single step!"

Duan Zhuo gave the order loudly, and then spoke to another soldier.

"Take a team of men and go quickly to support the mountain stronghold. Make sure to protect the people of the stronghold and don't let Lu Yongkang's men surround us."

Here, Xiang Ning and Wen Caifu finally managed to bring everyone to the valley.

It had just rained, and the streams here were overflowing, flowing through the valley and temporarily stopping the fire from spreading.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, they heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats coming from afar.

"Oh no, Lu Yongkang's men are here!"

Someone shouted in alarm.

Looking at the exhausted crowd, Wen Caifu gritted her teeth, picked up her weapon, and said, "Don't be afraid, everyone, don't panic."

The crowd responded enthusiastically. Although they were ragged and haggard, their eyes revealed a determination to die for their cause.

The second brother led his men to stand in front and protect them.

The sound of horses' hooves grew closer, and Lu Yongkang's army appeared at the mouth of the valley.

The leading general looked at the crowd in the valley and revealed a ferocious smile: "None of you will escape today!"

Just as tensions were running high, a shout of battle suddenly came from afar.

It turned out that the reinforcements sent by Duan Zhuo had arrived.

The soldier's loud voice pierced through the smoke and tension that filled the valley.

A hint of surprise flashed in everyone's eyes, and they shouted in unison, their morale soaring instantly.

Although their weapons were simple, they gripped them tightly, and their shared hatred for the enemy made the valley tremble.

Lu Yongkang's general waved his hand, and the archers behind him quickly stepped forward, nocked their arrows, and unleashed a dense rain of arrows upon the group in the valley. Amidst the chaos, Xiang Ning spotted a young child exposed to the arrows.

Without hesitation, she rushed over and shielded the child tightly beneath her body.

An arrow grazed her arm, and blood instantly stained her sleeve, but she felt no pain and simply fled the danger with her child.

In the military camp, Pei Yanzhi twitched his fingers and slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were still somewhat unfocused, but his consciousness was gradually returning.

General Lin, who was standing by, exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and joy: "Lord Pei, you're finally awake!"

Pei Yanzhi struggled to get up, but then felt dizzy.

He forced himself to endure the discomfort and asked, "How is the battle going?"

General Lin quickly told him about the current situation in detail, including the attack on the mountain stronghold and Lu Yongkang's troop movements.

After listening, Pei Yanzhi frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "Lu Yongkang is trying to achieve his goal in one battle. We cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom."

"Pass on my order to have the ambush troops in the rear attack immediately, harass Lu Yongkang's main force from the flank, and disrupt their offensive rhythm."

"By the way, what about the mountain stronghold..."

General Lin looked troubled: "But sir, your health..."

"It's nothing, just a minor injury, I can handle it."

"This is a critical moment; we cannot afford to lose our composure because of me."

Duan Zhuo sat to the side, listening to Pei Yanzhi's words, and responded with a sentence.

"I have already sent people to meet up with the people from the mountain stronghold."

"it is good."

Although Pei Yanzhi was worried about Xiang Ning, he knew that he could only protect her by completely defeating Lu Yongkang's men.

Meanwhile, on the mountain stronghold side, after Xiang Ning and the others escaped danger, they were taken by people sent by Duan Zhuo to reunite with them.

"Xiang Ning, don't worry, Lord Pei is a lucky man and will be alright."

Looking at Xiang Ning's expression, Wen Caifu placed her hand on Xiang Ning's hand and said something.

Hearing this, Xiang Ning nodded.

Her heart was in turmoil, one side telling her she shouldn't care about Pei Yanzhi, but the other side constantly thinking about him.

If Lu Yongkang intended for Pei Yanzhi to die, then the poison on the arrow must have been something else entirely.

Will he really be alright?
After traveling for most of the day, the group met on the outskirts of the capital.

Upon seeing the carriage, Duan Zhuo stepped forward and then reached out to lift Wen Caifu down.

"Are you okay?"

Hearing this, Wen Caifu shook her head, nudged Duan Zhuo, and blushed slightly.

"Pei Yanzhi is in the camp. Let Chenghua take you there."

Duan Zhuo pulled Wen Caifu aside to make room and said something to Cheng Hua behind him.

Cheng Hua hurriedly stepped forward and led Xiang Ning to see Pei Yanzhi.

"Is he badly injured?"

"My injury has...it has penetrated to the bone marrow. I'm afraid I don't have many days left to live."

As soon as Xiang Ning asked the question, Cheng Hua instinctively wanted to answer, but then, for some reason, he changed the subject and said this.

He could tell that Miss Xiangning wasn't entirely indifferent to him; if she knew he was nearing the end, perhaps...

Chenghua raised his hand and wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Miss, when you see me, please don't say anything harsh. I can't take any more shocks right now."

Chenghua: This place will fall apart sooner or later without me.
(End of this chapter)