"Let go of me..." An Ning tried to break free from the deputy general's grip, but she was no match for him.
She looked up and saw Han Xiwen lying there unconscious, but even in his unconscious state, he was protecting Wu Zhengdao.
She regretted it, regretting coming back to Dongling Pass.
Tears streamed down her face; she had been too naive.
Just as Han Xiwen had said, she had been too well-protected by Emperor An, forgetting the malice in people's hearts. She had called Han Xiwen cruel, but were the people of Huangze not cruel?
She had forgotten that war was brutal.
Her clothes were ripped, and she heard the laughter of men in her ears. At this moment, she felt truly helpless.
If she couldn't even protect herself, how could she protect those around her?
Not to mention Han Xiwen and Zhengdao before her, Xue Jingyun was still waiting for her rescue. Helplessness and despair consumed her.
What if it were "her"? Could she escape this predicament?
"Desperate? Helpless?" A voice echoed in her ears. It was "hers."
"Can you help me?"
"Are you willing to let me use your body?"
"I give it to you... Xue Zining."
Seeing the girl close her eyes in despair, the deputy general laughed even more gleefully. The Han nation girl last time was truly good, but unfortunately, she bit her tongue and died after only a few encounters.
This one, he couldn't let die.
Suddenly, he saw the girl beneath him open her eyes. They were eyes of extreme clarity, and in their light, he could see his own reflection.
But they were as cold as frost, as if they could freeze him into an ice block.
He couldn't help but tremble. This person...
A soldier beside him, impatient, urged, "Deputy General, leave some for us brothers."
Suddenly, they saw the deputy general get up, and the girl beneath him, though her clothes were torn, was mostly intact.
As they were about to question, they saw the girl stand up, and there was blood on the dagger in her hand. Blood?
And they saw a bloody hole through the deputy general's shoulder.
The deputy general got up, clutching his shoulder, and roared, "Seize her."
"Guards, there's an assassin, there's an assassin..." those men shouted.
Soon, many soldiers surrounded them, trapping the girl.
The deputy general fumed, "Seize her, alive or dead."
The soldiers moved towards the girl, thinking a mere girl couldn't possess much ability. But when one soldier was kicked away by the girl, they realized they had underestimated her.
Wu Dakang was in his tent, discussing with Deputy General Yang about returning to Dongling Pass the next day. Since the Han nation people had withdrawn, they no longer needed to guard Dongling Pass and could return to the city.
Deputy General Yang looked at General Wu, who had aged considerably in just a few days, with concern. "General, the Madam and young master are blessed by heaven; they will be fine."
However, Deputy General Yang knew that the Madam and young master were likely doomed.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside. General Wu glanced at Deputy General Yang. Deputy General Yang said, "General, I will go out to check."
Wu Dakang nodded, looking at the purse at his waist, embroidered by Fanghua for him. He actually knew that Fanghua and Zhengdao were likely dead, but he still held onto a sliver of hope.
A moment later, Deputy General Yang returned and said, "General, it's a female assassin who has infiltrated. However, her skills seem quite good, and many soldiers have been injured."
Wu Dakang raised his eyes. "A female assassin?"
Deputy General Yang nodded. "Yes."
"This general will go and see as well," Wu Dakang said.
Deputy General Yang lifted the tent flap, and Wu Dakang stepped out.
The girl's water-and-sky colored long dress was stained red with blood, but her attacks were still measured. Those who charged at her were injured but not killed.
"Is there anyone else who dares to come forward?" the girl coldly commanded, her voice as clear as frost.
No one believed that a girl could fight so many soldiers alone.
At this moment, she stood there, her face beautiful and cold, her clear eyes shimmering with light, yet harboring a darkness as deep as an abyss.
The autumn wind blew, lifting her long skirt. Her hair, disheveled from the earlier combat, had come undone from her bun, flowing behind her and dancing with her skirt.
Wu Dakang looked at the girl in the distance, his heart stirred. Why did this girl resemble "her" so much?
"General, what is it?" Deputy General Yang sensed something amiss with Wu Dakang.
"Who is that girl?" Wu Dakang inquired.
Deputy General Yang grabbed a young soldier and asked, "What is going on?"
The young soldier, seeing Wu Dakang, knelt on the ground in fear. "General."
Wu Dakang asked, "What happened?"
The young soldier dared not hide anything and quickly replied, "Han Xiwen has been captured by Deputy General Li."
Wu Dakang's gaze turned cold. "Han Xiwen?"
The young soldier nodded quickly. "Yes."
"Take this general there." Wu Dakang exuded an aura of fierce aggression.
Seeing this, Deputy General Yang's expression also turned cold. This Han Xiwen dared to walk into the trap; it was truly walking into his own doom.
Deputy General Li clutched his shoulder and roared, "Seize her, seize her for me."
"General, General..."
Deputy General Li raged, "Seize her..."
"Deputy General, General..."
Deputy General Li kicked away a soldier trying to advise him, his face contorted in rage. "She must be captured. I will kill her myself."
"Deputy General Li..."
Upon hearing this voice, Deputy General Li trembled all over. He turned his head and saw the person behind him, then collapsed onto the ground. Soon, he got up. "General..."
Wu Dakang's eyes immediately fell on the bloody hole in Deputy General Li's shoulder, his expression icy. "What happened to the wound on your shoulder?"
Deputy General Li pointed to the girl behind him. "General, this assassin from the Han nation did this. She and Han Xiwen infiltrated Dongling Pass, likely to..."
"Leave the rest to me. You may withdraw..." Wu Dakang stepped forward, looking at the girl not far away.
At this moment, the girl was also looking at him.
Those eyes were as clear as water, with a coldness like frost. How similar they were!
"Wu Dakang," the girl said coldly.
Wu Dakang trembled all over. That tone, how similar it was to "hers"!
The following words shocked him even more.
The girl's lips parted slightly. "Wu Dakang, you have disappointed me greatly."
Wu Dakang's eyes widened immensely. "Is... is it you who has returned?"
The girl said coldly, "Do you not kneel before your Emperor?"
Wu Dakang fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing. "Your Majesty, this minister is guilty!"
"You are indeed guilty!" The girl walked up to Wu Dakang. Wu Dakang saw the intricate pattern embroidered on the girl's boots.
The girl continued coldly, "I entrusted Dongling Pass to you because I trusted you, but what have you done? How have you governed?"
Wu Dakang closed his eyes, his expression still agitated. "This minister knows his guilt. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
"I know that Madam Wu and Wu Zhengdao were captured, which made you preoccupied, but do not forget that you yourself pledged to me that you would defend Dongling Pass with your life."
"Yes, this minister has not failed your trust," Wu Dakang said.
"But you have let them lose their humanity." The girl pointed at Deputy General Li and the others.