Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

The Northern Barbarians' prisoner camp was set up in a shady mountain valley, where the ground was muddy and stained with blood, and the stench of decay permeated the air.

Pei Yaojun was dragged in by two Northern Di soldiers and slammed to the ground like a broken sack.

"Third Brother Pei!" Zhao Da rushed over, his eyes red-rimmed. "We thought you..."

Qian Wu's hands trembled as he checked his breath. When he felt the warm breath, tears streamed down his face: "He's alive, it's good that he's alive!"

Several soldiers remained who had been captured, among them Wang Hu, who stood a few steps away, coldly staring at Pei Yaojun.

A new scar appeared on his face, running from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth, the flesh turned outwards, adding to his ferocious appearance.

"Why would the Northern Barbarians let you come back? Did you kneel down and beg for mercy? Or did you become a traitor to the Great Wei?"

"You're talking nonsense! What gives you the right to talk about Brother Pei!" Zhao Da suddenly stood up and punched Wang Hu in the face.

Qian Wu's eyes also turned red, and he pounced on him to start a fight.

Mud and water splashed everywhere, and the three of them rolled around in a heap, drawing shouts from the Northern Di sentries in the distance.

Pei Yaojun propped himself up and hissed, "Enough with the infighting in the enemy camp!"

The imposing aura honed on the battlefield caused the three to freeze in their tracks.

Pei Yaojun wiped the mud and blood from his face and looked at Wang Hu, "Don't you dare insult me! I haven't defected to the enemy!"

"So how did you survive?"

Wang Hu didn't believe it; he was panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot.

"Don't the Northern Barbarians skin our Wei generals alive and use them as sacrifices for their flags?! How did you manage to come back alive?"

Zhao Da and Qian Wu also looked over, their eyes showing both relief and doubt.

Pei Yaojun remained silent for a long while before saying, "I have met the Crown Prince of the Northern Barbarians."

Wang Hu acted as if he'd heard a joke. "You saw it? You saw it and came back unscathed? You still say you're not a traitor?"

"I hate the Northern Barbarians the most! My wife and children were trampled to death by their cavalry! If you dare to defect to the enemy, I'll be the first to kill you!"

He roared until he was hoarse, and the veins on his neck bulged.

Zhao Da and Qian Wu were both stunned; they had no idea that Wang Hu had this past.

Pei Yaojun didn't argue, only saying calmly, "It's not about defecting to the enemy."

Qian Wu wiped his face and whispered, "Anyway, it's good that Third Master is back..."

Zhao Da frowned. "But how could the Northern Di people let Third Master go so easily? Are they still holding back?"

These words also addressed Pei Yaojun's doubts.

He had a blood feud with Yelü Yuanjia during the autumn hunt, and now that Yelü Yuanjia recognized him, he did not kill or torture him, but instead threw him back into the prisoner-of-war camp, which was completely illogical.

Just as he was pondering this, the curtain was roughly pulled open.

Several Northern Di soldiers entered, brandishing swords, and shouted in broken Central Plains dialect, "Come out! All of you, come out!"

Pei Yaojun, along with the other soldiers of the Burning Wind Army, was driven into a line, their hands and feet bound together, and taken to the training ground by the Northern Di soldiers.

As night deepened, bonfires roared around the training ground, their flames illuminating half the sky and the densely packed Northern Di soldiers.

The soldiers of the vanguard battalion were escorted to the center of an open space by the Northern Di soldiers, surrounded layer by layer, with swords drawn, making escape impossible.

Yelü Yuanjia, dressed in a luxurious sable fur coat, sat upright on a chair not far away, toying with a curved knife in his hand, a playful smile on his lips.

"You are all from the Great Wei, and you have killed many of our brothers."

"Logically, you should all be beheaded as a sacrifice to the flag, to commemorate the brave soldiers of my Northern Di who died in battle."

He paused, then changed the subject, "However, having captured Iron Horse Pass today and breached the border defenses of Great Wei, I, the Crown Prince, am in a good mood and would like to play a game with you."

He pointed at Pei Yaojun: "You, come out."

Pei Yaojun was untied from his ropes and pushed out.

Despite his tattered robes and blood-stained body, he stared intently at Yelü Yuanjia.

"If you can survive in the center of the arena for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, I, the Crown Prince, will spare the life of one of you."

"If two incense sticks are saved, two people will be spared; if three incense sticks are saved, three people will be spared... What do you think?"

No one knew what scheme was hidden behind Yelü Yuanjia's so-called game.

Zhao Da cried out urgently, "Third Brother Pei! Even if we die, we will not suffer the humiliation inflicted by the Northern Barbarians!"

Qian Wu's eyes also reddened.

More than a year of training in the military camp has helped Pei Yaojun to curb his former arrogance and recklessness.

He knew that if he didn't agree, he would die right now, but if he agreed, he would have a sliver of hope.

Pei Yaojun shouted loudly and aggressively, "Whatever tricks the Northern Barbarians have, bring them on!"

Yelü Yuanjia clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "That's great!"

He waved his hand, and several Northern Di soldiers carried in an iron cage covered with a black cloth.

The black cloth was lifted, and a low roar came from inside the cage.

Inside was a pure white leopard, its beastly eyes glowing eerily in the firelight, and an old scar on its head.

"Do you recognize it?" Yelü Yuanjia's smile turned cold.

"Snowball is my most beloved hunting pet. You injured it in the Great Wei hunting grounds a year and a half ago. Tonight, it's time for it to take its revenge."

The cage door opened, and the snow leopard darted out like a white lightning bolt, pouncing straight at Pei Yaojun.

Pei Yaojun rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the sharp claws.

The snow leopard missed its first attack and turned to pounce again.

He crouched down and slid under the leopard's belly, then grabbed a handful of snowflakes and flung them at the leopard's eyes.

The snow leopard roared angrily, its attack becoming even faster.

One incense stick burns out, then two incense sticks burn out.

Pei Yaojun seized the opportunity to punch the snow leopard in the jaw, a punch that reminded the snow leopard of its past memories.

Enraged, it lashed Pei Yaojun's waist with its massive body like an iron whip, sending him flying and crashing heavily to the ground, splashing up a cloud of snow.

Pei Yaojun pushed himself up from the ground, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth and falling onto the snow.

Three sticks of incense, four sticks of incense, five sticks of incense...

This game was never evenly matched from the start. Pei Yaojun had fought his way out of two fierce battles at Tiema Pass, and his stamina was already exhausted.

Every punch he throws to dodge is like squeezing out the last bit of strength from between his bones.

He had many wounds, several of which were deep and the skin was torn open.

But he was still standing; he couldn't fall.

Behind him were seven brothers from the vanguard battalion; for every incense stick he held on, one more of them would survive.

In the direction of the vanguard battalion, Zhao Da was already in tears, while Qian Wu bit his fist tightly to keep himself from making a sound.

Wang Hu was at the very edge, his lips trembling, his fingers digging into the flesh of his palms.

He hated the Northern Barbarians more than anyone else.

At first, he thought Pei Yaojun had defected to the enemy and that's why he was released.

But he was wrong. Pei Yaojun was risking his life, trading his own for theirs.

Halfway through the sixth incense stick's time, Pei Yaojun was finally about to give up.

The snow leopard pounced suddenly, knocking him to the ground and snapping its massive jaws at his throat.

Pei Yaojun held the leopard's throat tightly with both hands, but his strength was rapidly draining away. His hands were gradually pressed down, and the leopard's gaping maw sprayed a foul stench onto his face.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the vanguard battalion.

Wang Hu rushed out and broke free of his restraints.

Unarmed and bare-handed, he charged towards the Northern Di people like a madman.

With a soft thud, the Northern Di soldier's knife pierced his chest, the tip emerging from his back, bringing with it a cloud of blood.

Wang Hu staggered and fell to his knees.

When he opened his mouth, a large amount of blood gushed out, indistinct and unclear.

"I will not beg you Northern Barbarians for my life, to be humiliated and amused by you..."

"If I'm going to die, I'll die on the battlefield, and die with dignity!"

Wang Hu's head slowly drooped, his eyes wide open, and he was completely lifeless.

…………