TGWM Ch. 20

Chapter 20: Urgent News

Lin Aoxue’s expression was tense, but her words were sincere. If Yun Yan had wanted to expose her, she could have done so in broad daylight, humiliating her in front of everyone. Yet, she had chosen the quiet of the night to speak with Lin Aoxue in honesty.

Besides, if not for Yun Yan’s help, Lin Aoxue’s arm would likely have suffered lasting damage. There was no real enmity between them, so she should trust that Yun Yan harbored no ill intentions toward her.

Yun Yan smiled slightly. Unlike Lin Aoxue, she did not overthink matters. She simply found it heartbreaking that someone like Lin Aoxue—who endured so much pain and sacrificed her youth in the pursuit of avenging her parents, spending her days among men and even refusing medical treatment for her injuries—had to suffer so much.

“If you truly feel indebted to me, then…”

Yun Yan leaned in closer. Lin Aoxue instinctively held her breath, her body tensing as she woodenly awaited Yun Yan’s next words.

“There’s a girl in our establishment who’s quite fond of you, Young Master. Why don’t you take her in as a maidservant?”

Lin Aoxue’s face turned crimson. She should have expected this—Yun Yan was always teasing her. Now that she knew her true identity, she had only become more relentless, making all sorts of jokes without restraint.

She abruptly stood up, avoiding Yun Yan’s gaze, deliberately ignoring her words, and hastily said, “It’s late. Miss Yun Yan, you should get some rest.”

With that, she stumbled out of Yun Yan’s room in a fluster, her retreating steps accompanied by the sound of a woman’s playful, melodious laughter.

***

Back in her own quarters, Lin Aoxue didn’t know whether the medicine Yun Yan had given her contained some sedative properties along with the pain relief, but she fell asleep soon after lying down.

By the next morning, her shoulder injury had eased, and she felt much better. Once everyone was awake, the mistress of the courtyard brought some steamed buns to share with the soldiers, while Yun Yan went around tending to the wounded, changing their bandages and applying fresh medicine.

When she passed by Lin Aoxue, Yun Yan paused, pulled out two freshly prepared medicinal plasters from her kit, and handed them over with a bright smile. “This medicine is good for you—it promotes healing and will help your arrow wound recover faster.”

Lin Aoxue kept a stiff expression as she accepted the plasters and thanked her. Seeing her act so rigidly only amused Yun Yan further. Then, Yun Yan took out a small medicine bottle, leaned in close, and whispered softly into Lin Aoxue’s ear, her voice low enough for only the two of them to hear, “This one—use it when your wound is almost healed. It won’t leave a scar!”

Though Yun Yan’s voice was hushed, Lin Aoxue heard every word clearly. It was the same coaxing tone used to comfort a child. Her face froze, but the tips of her ears turned red. Yun Yan caught the subtle change and couldn’t help but laugh even more joyfully.

After Yun Yan left, Beichen Ji nudged Lin Aoxue’s arm with his elbow, his voice laced with jealousy. 

“Hey, why is Miss Yun Yan always so fond of you? You’re always so cold and distant, yet—ugh!”

He let out a long, exaggerated sigh. Lin Aoxue shot him a glance before kicking him aside.

Meanwhile, Liu Meng penned a battle report and had someone rush it back to Xingbei Pass, relaying the military situation and the battle that had taken place two days prior. The death of Fu Yong left him deeply unsettled—he feared being blamed for failing to protect his superior. However, Fu Yong had acted recklessly in his moment of bravery, leading to the unnecessary loss of many comrades. How his actions would be judged remained to be seen and would ultimately be decided by Beichen Long.

With the report sent, the soldiers planned to remain in Yong’an for a couple of days to recuperate before setting out for Xingbei Pass.

However, a day later, an urgent message arrived from Xingbei Pass, leaving Liu Meng pale with shock. He hurriedly gathered Lin Aoxue, Beichen Ji, and the others to deliver Beichen Long’s message.

During the two or three days they had been struggling to withdraw from battle while being pursued by the barbarians, the enemy had launched another assault on Xingbei Pass. This time, they had divided their forces into three separate groups, attacking from different directions in a bid to overrun the city in one decisive strike.

The situation at Xingbei Pass was dire—barbarian forces had already reached the city walls. Beichen Long issued an urgent order for Lin Aoxue and the others to return to Xingbei Pass via Poyan immediately, specifically naming Beichen Ji as someone who must be brought back.

Although it was already late at night, the military situation was critical, and there was no time to delay. Lin Aoxue and her group quickly packed their belongings and prepared to travel through the night to Poyan.

Yun Yan was surprised by the urgency of their orders, but she needed to remain in Yong’an to continue containing the epidemic in the town. Thus, she did not accompany Lin Aoxue and the others back to Xingbei Pass.

After hastily bidding farewell to Yun Yan and expressing their gratitude to the mistress of the courtyard, Lin Aoxue’s group departed from Yong’an. Due to the large number of wounded soldiers in their ranks, their pace was slow, and it took them two full days to reach Xingbei Pass.

The moment they arrived, they didn’t even have time to catch their breath before being summoned by Beichen Long. Field Marshal Yang Jin quickly briefed them on the current battlefield situation: the barbarians had devised a shield formation that allowed them to advance under a rain of arrows, reaching the moat outside Xingbei Pass.

The archers had fired nearly ten thousand arrows, yet the damage inflicted on the enemy was negligible.

The barbarians then deployed long siege ladders, bridging the moat and fearlessly charging at the walls. Although they suffered heavy casualties while crossing the water, they succeeded in reaching the base of the city walls and launching a large-scale assault.

Beichen Long’s expression was grim as he explained that the recent supply shipment from the capital had been insufficient, leaving them critically low on resources. At this rate, Xingbei Pass would soon run out of arrows. The archers stationed on the city walls would be unable to hold back the barbarian onslaught for much longer, forcing them to reinforce the walls with more troops and engage in brutal close combat.

Lin Aoxue’s brows furrowed. The situation at Xingbei Pass was far more perilous than they had anticipated. In previous years, the barbarians had mainly conducted guerrilla raids along the borders, occasionally attacking villages for food, but rarely launching full-scale invasions. However, this year, ever since the spring battle, they had repeatedly attempted to breach the city, each assault fiercer than the last. It was as if they were testing Xingbei Pass’s endurance, gathering strength for a decisive strike to take the city.

Beichen Long issued the order: Xingbei Pass must be defended at all costs—the city must not fall. With the exception of soldiers who were too gravely injured to fight, everyone else was to be deployed to the battlefield. Although Lin Aoxue had not fully recovered, she was required to don her armor and return to the fight.

Unlike previous battles, Beichen Long revealed a personal concern this time—he ordered Beichen Ji to pack his belongings and arranged for several attendants to escort him to Yiping, a safer location behind Xingbei Pass. His intention was for Beichen Ji to avoid the deadly battle and return only after the barbarians had retreated.

Beichen Ji was furious at Beichen Long’s decision and erupted in protest, arguing with his father in front of everyone. Enraged, he shouted, “When I decided to enlist, I already accepted the possibility of dying on the battlefield! Do you really want your son to remain a cowardly, spineless man with no sense of responsibility?!”

Beichen Long hesitated. He had originally encouraged Beichen Ji to join the military to prevent him from falling into despair and self-indulgence, hoping the experience would temper him. However, deep down, he still wished to shield his son from battles with no hope of survival.

A few days ago, Fu Yong had disobeyed orders to retreat, nearly causing Beichen Ji’s entire unit to be wiped out. That incident had left Beichen Long deeply shaken.

Beichen Ji was his youngest son.

His only son.

The eldest, Beichen Wei, and the second eldest, Beichen Lin, had both perished defending the border. While battlefield experience was important, preserving one’s life took precedence. Beichen Long was already old—he could no longer bear the agony of burying another son.

Thus, despite Beichen Ji’s vehement opposition, he was determined to send him to Yiping.

The attendants stepped forward to escort Beichen Ji away, but unexpectedly, Beichen Ji struck first, catching them off guard.

Over the past six months, Beichen Ji had never slacked off in his training, and his martial skills had improved significantly. Seizing the moment when the attendants were unprepared, he swiftly snatched one of their swords and bolted out of the room, heading straight for the city walls.

Beichen Long was stunned and immediately chased after him.

The barbarian assault had intensified—battle raged fiercely on the city walls, with soldiers clashing in a chaotic frenzy. The wounded lay everywhere. The moment Beichen Ji reached the walls, he was swallowed by the tides of soldiers, lost in the turmoil. In his desperation, Beichen Long grabbed every person he passed, anxiously demanding, “Have you seen Beichen Ji?!”

But in the chaos of battle, with barbarian warriors lurking at every corner, no one had the time to check the identities of those fighting beside them. Beichen Long searched frantically, but Beichen Ji was nowhere to be found. His eyes burned with fury as he bellowed, “Hold the walls at all costs!!”

***

The brutal battle raged on for three days and two nights. The soldiers of Xingbei Pass fought valiantly, wave after wave perishing in the defense. Lin Aoxue, still suffering from a shoulder injury, found her movements greatly restricted. However, thanks to the city wall’s formidable defenses, no enemy managed to breach the area within her reach.

Shang Wu suffered two more blade wounds, and by the time the barbarians finally retreated, he was drenched in blood. As the war drums of Xingbei Pass thundered across the battlefield, he collapsed into a pool of blood, completely exhausted. It was only with the help of nearby soldiers who still had some strength left that he was carried down from the walls.

Beichen Long dispatched numerous men to search for Beichen Ji. Eventually, they found him unconscious among the countless corpses. He had been struck by multiple arrows and was barely clinging to life, his breath weak and fading.

Beichen Long’s eyes burned red as he immediately summoned the camp’s military doctor, ordering him to treat Beichen Ji. The doctor, hands trembling, carefully removed three arrows from Beichen Ji’s body. But after examining them, he held up one with black fletching, his voice shaking as he reported, “This arrow is coated with a strange poison. My medical skills are lacking—I can treat the wounds, but I cannot cure the poison.”

At these words, Beichen Long was consumed with rage. Overwhelmed by despair, he struck the doctor across the face, sending him staggering to the ground, his ears ringing from the blow.

Beichen Long then summoned every physician in Xingbei Pass, but none of them could guarantee Beichen Ji’s survival. The best they could do was prolong his life by three to five days.

This outcome devastated Beichen Long. He had already lost two sons—was he now going to lose his youngest on the battlefield as well?

As he paced back and forth in anguish, at a complete loss for what to do, Lin Aoxue and the others heard the news and rushed over the moment they descended from the city walls.

Qianhu Liu Meng, suddenly recalled a fateful encounter they had in Yong’an Town. Stepping forward, he said, “General, I know someone with extraordinary medical skills. Perhaps there’s still a chance.”