Don't mess with that Miao boy, he's sickly and perverted.

In order to rescue Xiao Yan, Song Yueyao had discussed countless plans with her accompanying soldiers along the way.

Just as they were about to arrive in Lucheng, someone from the front of the group suddenly reported that there was a person lying on the road.

It was Xiao Yan.

The scouts had initially reported that he had been suspended on the city wall, subjected to the torture of being sliced ​​to death, and was covered in wounds. However, when the soldiers went to check on him, they found that his wounds had mostly healed.

According to Xiao Yan himself, a young man claiming to be a chivalrous hero suddenly appeared and saved him at night. The man was dressed in a black robe and wore a veil, so his appearance was not clear. He could only tell from his voice that he was young.

Song Yueyao pondered for a moment, but did not delve into it further.

She remembered her grandfather saying that when he led the Nie family army on a march in his early years, he had rescued a martial arts master along the way. The master's skills were unfathomable, so it was not surprising that someone had come to repay the favor.

On a high cliff overlooking the world, one can have a clear view of what's below.

Chai Xiaomi looked away, her eyes filled with heartache as she pulled off her hairband, lifted the boy's well-defined wrist, and carefully wrapped it around his wrist, round and round.

"I only asked you to save someone, why did you feed them Crimson Blood Silkworms?"

"I think that person is barely clinging to life, and it's hard to say whether he'll even make it out of the woods. I wouldn't care about anyone else, but since you asked me to save him, I have to make sure he's safe." Wu Li casually rotated her wrist, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Don't bandage it; the wound will heal on its own in a bit. You're just wasting your hairband."

He looked indifferent when he saw his wound, but when he talked about ruining his hairband, a hint of heartache appeared in his eyes.

Chai Xiaomi gave him a speechless glare. "What do you know? What if something dirty gets in and causes an infection during the healing process? You were too rough with it before. Now that you're my husband, you have to follow my rules."

It's unclear what words pleased him, but the boy stopped his wrist, which had been turning, and obediently held it still, letting her do whatever she wanted.

In fact, the bandaging technique was really unbearable to look at. It was wrapped and twisted, layer upon layer, like wrapping a rice dumpling. It would definitely not be up to the standards of a professional craftsman.

But Wu Li rested his chin on one hand, his gaze drifting over from under his eyelashes, and he seemed somewhat absorbed and joyful.

Since the curse faded, the evil energy no longer eroded his body, and his nails returned to their normal color, and were even trimmed and polished neatly by Chai Xiaomi.

These hands are becoming more and more beautiful now.

Chai Xiaomi stared at his long, slender wrist, with a hairband wrapped around it several times, resembling a light pink wristband. Suddenly remembering something, she smiled and said, "I once heard a saying that if a boy wears a girl's hairband on his wrist, it means he's taken."

She examined it for a moment, then hesitated, "However, this color seems a bit strange on you. Since you've stopped bleeding, I'll remove it."

"etc!"

Her hand was suddenly pressed down.

"I feel the bleeding hasn't stopped yet, it's better to keep it wrapped up." Wu Li's tone suddenly carried a hint of stubbornness. "Tie it up for me quickly."

The wound, which was about to heal, reopened with a small bloodstain after being gently stimulated by internal force.

Chai Xiaomi looked down and immediately panicked: "Why is it leaking again?"

"Mimi, tie a tight knot," he urged softly, his eyes flickering slightly. "Tie it tighter, and it will stop."

Chai Xiaomi looked at him suspiciously, but still obeyed his instructions, lowered her head, and tightened the hair ribbon, carefully tying four or five knots.

Finally, there was no further sign of bleeding.

She poked at the tangled knot and couldn't help but mutter, "Now it's completely untied. I'll have to cut it with scissors."

*

Everything is proceeding quietly according to the original story's established trajectory.

With the return of former Deputy General Xiao, the morale of the Nie family army was greatly boosted.

After the barbarians captured five cities in quick succession, their victory came too easily, and their morale slackened. They held a banquet in Deer City to celebrate their victory with fine food and wine, becoming complacent and overconfident.

Upon hearing that the newly appointed general of Liangya Prefecture was a young woman, the barbarian soldiers burst into laughter, scoffing at her. The Khan even declared that he would capture the woman alive and take her back to his tent as his own.

Arrogant people often look down on everything, yet they fail to see the blade already closing in.

Ten days later, Song Yueyao led her army with unstoppable momentum, and in one fell swoop, they recaptured Lucheng.

The barbarian army suffered heavy casualties and was severely weakened. They suffered repeated defeats and fled back to the desert in panic, abandoning even the four cities they had previously captured.

But things weren't much better for Nie's army.

Already outnumbered, the soldiers suffered more than half their losses, and the camp was full of wounded, so they could only temporarily settle in Lucheng to rest and recuperate.

However, when the city gate slowly opened, Song Yueyao stood there stunned.

The city was devastated, a truly shocking sight.

The streets were a mess, with charred marks everywhere. The bodies of the elderly and children lay scattered along the roadside, young women were naked and their tattered clothes were strewn all over the ground, and among the ruins, a few survivors huddled in corners, their eyes empty and numb.

Song Yueyao's hand holding the reins trembled slightly.

She suppressed a sob in her throat and said in a deep voice, "Send down the order to properly collect the remains of the people in the city, and take cloth from our army camp to distribute to the women and children in the city to cover their bodies and give them a dignified burial!"

"Yes, sir!"

After the order was given, she turned around and looked at the smoke-filled battlefield outside the city gate.

I don't know why.

A sense of unease began to stir in my heart.

Although the battle was fierce and arduous, looking back now, she inexplicably felt that everything had gone too smoothly.

It was as if an invisible hand was pushing her from behind, helping her win this battle.

Song Yueyao looked up at the sky.

Was it the will of Heaven? Was it destiny? Or was there some unseen force supporting her?

Like a pre-written storybook, she was simply following the predetermined chapters, step by step.

But the journey was not steady.

*

Three days later, all the corpses in the city had been collected and buried.

Wounded soldiers could be seen recuperating in open spaces throughout the streets and alleys.

"Why isn't Sister Yao happy at all, even though she won?"

Chai Xiaomi sat on the highest rooftop, her hands supporting her chin and her knees, looking down. She knew that no one could be happy in such a situation.

Since the recapture of the lost territory, Song Yueyao has not shown the slightest sign of relaxation. Like a string stretched to its limit, she has neither sent anyone to report the victory back to the capital nor shown any intention of resting. She has only ordered Vice General Xiao to lead a vanguard of a thousand cavalrymen to patrol outside the city every day.

Wu Li glanced sideways, his eyes darkening slightly: "Let's not talk about her, you're not happy either."

He noticed that she had been feeling down for a long time.

From the moment they arrived in Lucheng from Kyoto, her smiles became fewer and fewer. He knew her too well; with her personality, seeing Song Yueyao's resounding victory, she would surely be overjoyed and weep with happiness.

She did cry, but not from joy.

In the midst of their great victory, she stood in a secluded shadow behind a pillar, holding him tightly.

The deafening triumphant horns resounded throughout the city, yet he heard her extremely soft voice:

"Lili, from now on you must eat well, sleep well, and live well. Jingmingtai is a good place, so go and live there."

He said, "Okay, wherever you go, I'll go."

Amidst the long and resounding bugle call.

He didn't know if she had answered or not.

Or perhaps, they didn't reply at all.

He seemed to hear a dull thumping in his heart, one after another, like the deep, resonant sound of the mother bronze drum in an ancient Miao ritual, summoning something.

Amidst the sound of bronze drums, the Badai people would chant farewell songs, every word and phrase a farewell song.