Fish Meat – Chapter 216
by Little PandaThe Fifth Year of Zhao Wu
Jointly Chasing The Lost Deer (12)
“Bat wings?”1 Zhen Wenjun was greatly puzzled.
“That’s right, the very bat-wing suits you’re thinking of, identical to the ones Ah Liao developed.” Wei Tingxu said, “At the time, I didn’t know that Marquis Shang had already pledged allegiance to the Yao family of Nanya. Cao Fei was precisely working for the Yao family. Besides Cao Fei, the Yao family also had a strategist named Ge Sheng2 who was extremely farsighted. The Wei family planned ahead, and so did the Yao family. Seeing these bat-winged soldiers descending from the sky, I understood that the Yao family had long since dispatched spies to observe the surroundings, secretly recording and learning. The bat-wing suits were acquired in this way. I suspect that the Yao family may already be secretly developing Xiang Yuesheng3 and Heavenly Soldier Divine Boxes. Not only Ah Liao’s ingenious mechanisms, the Yao family even grasped our individual characteristics.”
Cao Fei’s ambush troops were divided into three groups. One group was specifically hidden within the city to be discovered by Wei Tingxu. He knew that Wei Tingxu was quite cautious, and even if the city gates were forcibly blasted open, she would still not relax her vigilance. How to make the always-confident Wei Tingxu let down her guard? There was one trick that was sure to work: let her seize a vulnerability, let her believe she had seen through others and had already won.
When Wei Tingxu discovered the ambush troops and confirmed that there were no more ambushes in the city, she would greatly relax her vigilance. At this moment, the second wave of bat-winged soldiers would suddenly attack, leaving her no escape. If her valiant guards actually managed to protect her and get her out of the small house, it wouldn’t matter; she could escape the house, but she couldn’t escape Yanxing.
The third group of troops was the heavily armed force guarding the city gates, preventing escape.
As clever as she was, she knew that Yanxing was an important strategic point for attacking Runing, and she would definitely want to capture it.
Cao Fei had laid this sky net and earth net 4, waiting for Wei Tingxu to deliver herself. She would definitely come. Cao Fei was so certain.
In an instant, the bat-winged soldiers filled the small house. Their unexpected appearance caught Wei Tingxu’s personal guards off guard, and in the blink of an eye, half of them were killed. The remaining half formed a circle, protecting Wei Tingxu and Xiaohua in the center, fighting desperately to break out of the house.
Xiaohua pushed the four-wheeled cart with one hand and swung a heavy hammer with the other. The hammer, modified by Ah Liao’s skillful hands, had a returning force. It spun rapidly through the air, smashing the heads of several people, before returning to Xiaohua’s hand. Just as Xiaohua steadied the heavy hammer, two men attacked her legs from both sides. This move was very troublesome. They saw that Xiaohua was tall and assumed she would be slow, and that an attack to the lower body would surely succeed. Who knew that before their blades could connect, Xiaohua’s massive body leaped into the air, performing a beautiful split kick5 in mid-air, kicking the two men away. The two men fell to the ground, one with a dislocated jaw and the other biting off his own tongue, his mouth full of blood.
The guards were about to break out of the house when they were pushed back again. The Wei family soldiers outside were also engaged in a bitter struggle. They had been scattered and couldn’t reach the house in time to support Wei Tingxu.
They fought their way out several times, only to be blocked and pushed back each time. Countless blades and axes were aimed at Wei Tingxu. Xiaohua resisted desperately, and with brains splattering everywhere, the heavy hammer whistled through the air.
The number of guards was dwindling, while the enemy’s numbers continued to increase. Years of combat experience told her that the enemy forces had not yet completely connected end-to-end. Once they did, the possibility of breaking through would be minuscule.
Xiaohua knew that this couldn’t go on. She had to risk everything.
“Get the Lady out!”
Xiaohua shouted loudly, and all the guards heard her. They immediately parried the weapons, concentrated their forces, and launched a fierce attack towards the door.
Countless pieces of flesh and blood flew past Wei Tingxu’s eyes. Xiaohua hurled both hammers towards the door. Everyone present had seen the power of the heavy hammer, how it could splatter a person’s brains with a single blow. When it was swung into the air again, everyone instinctively ducked, even those in the path of the hammer’s return ducked their heads.
But this time, the hammers didn’t return. They crashed into the wooden door.
The men near the door were quick-witted and saw her intention to break down the door. They immediately raised their long blades to block. The heavy hammers crashed into the blades, and the bright steel blades were instantly smashed to pieces along with the door.
“Go!” Having thrown her weapons, Xiaohua’s arms were free. She was tall and had long arms. She immediately bent down over the four-wheeled cart, grasping the handles behind the chair, sheltering Wei Tingxu in her embrace, and charged towards the door at full speed!
Xiaohua was like a chariot made of steel, protecting Wei Tingxu as she charged out of the small house, not allowing her to suffer even the slightest injury.
The moment they broke out of the small house, the Wei family guards and soldiers who saw Wei Tingxu were greatly boosted in morale, and for a short time, they gained the upper hand despite being outnumbered.
Wei Xian instinctively protected Wei Tingxu, his face covered in blood from the fighting. He became more excited the more he killed, and the more dangerous the situation, the more his boundless potential was unleashed. He kicked a man away and stole a horse, pulling Wei Tingxu from the four-wheeled cart and holding her in front of him, charging into the alleyways.
Yanxing was not large and its defenses were not tight, but as a key point south of Runing, the city’s structure was very complex, with numerous intersecting streets and hidden passages, which was very advantageous for the defending generals who were familiar with the area.
Ah Liao’s Heavenly Soldier Divine Box specifically included the terrain of Yanxing city. Wei Xian had thoroughly studied it before launching the attack. He believed that as long as he rode his horse quickly into the alleyways, there was a good chance of temporarily shaking off the pursuers!
Wei Xian was a superb horseman. He told Wei Tingxu to hold onto the reins to avoid falling, and he only relied on the strength of his legs to grip the saddle, allowing him to slay enemies from the galloping steed and remain undefeated.
At this time, Wei Tingxu’s face was covered in blood. She tightly gripped the reins, controlling the horse and controlling herself. Fortunately, Zhen Wenjun had once taught her some basic riding skills. As the horse galloped, she stared straight ahead, not daring to blink, doing her utmost not to fall off the horse.
She didn’t want to be anyone’s burden. Or rather, she didn’t want to add to anyone’s burden.
“I’ve been in dangerous situations many times. Sometimes I was forced into them, surrounded, and sometimes I willingly walked into them as part of a plan. I’ve been injured, even faced life-threatening moments. However, I’ve always been able to handle them calmly. But this time was different. The situation developed beyond my expectations.” As Wei Tingxu recalled this moment, Zhen Wenjun’s heart was pounding. Perhaps it was at this time that Xiaohua…
“The horse galloped extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, we entered the alleyways. I couldn’t see Xiaohua or hear her voice. For the first time, I was completely at a loss.”
The pursuers behind them were relentless, clearly very familiar with the city structure of Yanxing.
Wei Tingxu knew the direction Wei Xian was heading.
To lure the tiger out of the mountains 6, when Wei Tingxu led her troops to Yanxing, she specifically ordered soldiers to escort Li Feng and Ah Qiong together. After entering the city, they stayed with the main force in the city’s largest marketplace.
The main force of the Wei family’s army was all in the marketplace. They were still unaware of what had happened in the small house. No one could get the message out; they were still waiting for orders.
In fact, some people had already seen the bat-winged soldiers flying in the sky and even reported it to the chiliarch7. The chiliarch waved him away: “Haven’t you ever seen bats? What’s all the fuss about?”
“But…have you ever seen so many bats in winter?”
This person’s words made the chiliarch pause. Wei Xian had already arrived with Wei Tingxu and happened to see the chiliarch looking up.
What was flying in the sky wasn’t bats, but people. A dark mass of people.
A dense swarm of black arrows rained down on the ground. Li Feng was also drawn to this scene, staring intently, until he heard Wei Tingxu shout, “Take cover!” A chill ran through his body. Just as he was about to fall to the ground, he was knocked down fiercely. Two soldiers shielded him with their bodies.
The arrows “ping, ping, pinged” into the ground in front of Li Feng’s nose and between his fingers, splattering mud. The men above him were pierced and trembled violently, blood streaming down. When he saw blood flowing like syrup from the mouths of those protecting him, Li Feng couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into loud cries and screams.
The insane rain of arrows washed over the entire marketplace. When the bat-winged soldiers landed, the chiliarch was still looking up at the sky, his eyes wide open, an expression of disbelief clearly written on his face, more than ten arrows already piercing his body.
Wei Xian immediately pulled on the reins to stop, wanting to turn the horse around and go back, but the enemy forces from behind were also closing in. There were also bat-winged soldiers constantly descending from the sky. The sounds of clashing weapons and screams constantly reached his ears.
His excitement was gradually turning into anxiety. Wei Tingxu told him to find Li Feng.
Wei Xian was about to speak when his expression suddenly froze. He couldn’t utter another word. His strength quickly drained away, and his body slowly tilted forward and to the side. Wei Tingxu saw that an arrow had pierced the back of Wei Xian’s head.
“Wei Xian!” Wei Tingxu wanted to support him, but Wei Xian’s eyes were already fixed and he had no control. Wei Tingxu’s small strength couldn’t prevent him from falling. Wei Xian quickly fell off the horse, and Wei Tingxu only managed to grasp his sword.
Wei Tingxu quickly turned around to look for the person who had shot Wei Xian, but the shooter had already hidden again.
This was an archer who could pierce a willow leaf at a hundred paces 8. This person had been lying in wait, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
This ambush in Yanxing was clearly very well-prepared. They had calculated everything about her.
Wei Tingxu was left alone on the horse. The enemy naturally saw this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and rushed towards her.
All was lost.
Wei Tingxu looked at the blood-stained sword in her hand.
She still had a sword.
She held the sword with some difficulty with one hand, and with the other, she pulled on the reins to turn the horse around, facing the approaching enemy soldiers.
Before her legs were broken in Rangchuan, Wei Tingxu’s dream was to be a general. Even if she didn’t have the title of general, she wanted to ride a horse on the battlefield, to charge into battle and kill enemies.
She had thought this dream would never be realized, but unexpectedly, she had been given this rare opportunity before her death.
It was a pity that the enemies weren’t the Hu barbarians.
Wei Tingxu remembered Zhen Wenjun’s heroic figure riding into battle and slaying enemies, and imitating her, she kicked the horse’s belly and charged forward without fear. The enemy soldiers saw her, a cripple in a four-wheeled cart, actually trying to fight on horseback, and they all burst into laughter, not taking her seriously at all.
Wei Tingxu used every last ounce of her remaining strength to slash and kill. Blade light flashed wildly before her eyes, and when the horse carried her out of the enemy ranks, she realized she was actually still alive.
Quickly looking back, she saw that all the enemy soldiers she had crossed paths with had fallen from their horses. She saw Xiaohua.
Xiaohua, from who-knew-where, had also seized a brown warhorse and was wielding a blood-drenched sword.
The one who had killed the enemy soldiers was not Wei Tingxu, but Xiaohua.
“Xiaohua!” Wei Tingxu, seeing she was still alive, could hardly contain her joy.
Xiaohua immediately rushed towards her, abandoned the warhorse she was riding, leaped onto the back of Wei Tingxu’s horse, and once again protected her. At such close range, the smell of blood was incredibly strong.
“You…”
“Lady.” Xiaohua said, “Don’t worry. As long as this servant is still alive, I won’t let you get hurt.”
Wei Tingxu noticed that Xiaohua had two stab wounds in her chest, and the blood was flowing ceaselessly.
Wei Tingxu didn’t speak; her mind was somewhat dazed.
“Lady, concentrate. This isn’t like you.” Xiaohua brandished her long sword and killed the approaching enemies. “Where is the Emperor? We must ensure his safety. This servant remembers that there is a maze of winding alleys east of this marketplace. We must try again. As long as we can create some distance, there is a possibility of escape.”
Xiaohua’s words brought Wei Tingxu back to her senses. She forcefully suppressed her racing heart and also saw the alleys Xiaohua had mentioned.
“There’s someone shooting cold arrows9 in the midst of the chaos. This person is a first-rate archer. You must be careful!” Wei Tingxu warned Xiaohua.
Xiaohua grunted in acknowledgment and had no time to talk further. She chopped down one sword after another. When one broke, she would grab another. While protecting Wei Tingxu, she was also looking for Li Feng.
Li Feng had originally planned to just play dead, but he was trampled on the back by a galloping horse. Even though a corpse was protecting him, it still made his chest feel incredibly tight, almost causing him to suffocate. In the chaotic battlefield, he could be trampled to death at any moment. After the enemy soldiers looking for him had moved away a bit, he pushed aside the corpse, wanting to hide inside a shop. He hadn’t taken two steps on his hands and knees when he saw that the dazed and confused Ah Po was actually sitting beside a pile of corpses, seemingly unaware that her shoulder had been slashed.
Li Feng hadn’t wanted to bother with her at first; preserving his own life was more important. But this Ah Po was quite old and still acting foolishly, not knowing to run in the midst of the chaos and war. It was rather pitiful. Li Feng had already reached the shop, but no matter how he thought about it, he felt uneasy. He went back out and grabbed Ah Qiong.
“Ah Po, you hurry up and come with me! Do you want to die?!”
But Ah Qiong wouldn’t go: “Alai will be here soon to find me.”
Li Feng was about to die from anxiety: “Who is Alai?!”
“Alai is my daughter.”
“Your daughter…you…” Li Feng almost wanted to curse. Suddenly, a thought struck him. He cupped his own face and asked her, “Mother, Mother, look at me, who am I!”
Ah Qiong slowly turned her gaze to look at him, shaking her head.
“I’m your daughter, look, I’m Alai!” Li Feng imitated a girl’s appearance, gave a particularly charming and perfunctory smile, and then immediately pulled her again. “Mother, hurry up and come with me. It was so hard for me to find you!”
Li Feng pulled Ah Qiong with force and actually managed to pull her up. But the delay of a few moments meant they had missed the best opportunity to escape. The enemy soldiers who had been searching for the Emperor’s whereabouts discovered him. They pointed their swords and were about to capture him. Li Feng dragged Ah Qiong and ran for his life. Just as the enemy soldiers’ swords were about to pierce his back, a horse cut in, knocking the enemy soldiers back.
Li Feng, still terrified, looked back and saw Wei Tingxu and Xiaohua, nearly bursting into tears.
On the other side, Wei family guards caught up and gathered together. They stole a carriage from the marketplace, put Wei Tingxu, Li Feng, and Ah Qiong inside, and drove the carriage frantically towards the alley entrance.
An endless stream of enemy soldiers surged forward, blocking their path. Xiaohua stood at the rear of the carriage, slashing wildly. She was covered in blood, and it was unclear whether it was her own or the enemy’s.
While slashing, Xiaohua took a quick look. Of the Wei family’s ten-thousand-man army, fewer than five hundred remained. The enemy’s numbers were several times greater. Even if they entered the alleys, the pursuers would still be able to catch up to them quickly. Once they were surrounded in the narrow alleys, there was only one possibility: total annihilation.
She had to buy time.
She couldn’t let Wei Tingxu come to harm. Wei Tingxu absolutely could not die here.
Just as the carriage successfully entered the alley, Xiaohua suddenly jumped off the carriage and blocked the alley entrance.
A warhorse charged towards her. Xiaohua dodged to the side, leaped into the air, and with a downward slash, cleaved the rider from his horse. She brought her knee up to the man’s throat, and he immediately suffocated and died.
Wei Tingxu, inside the carriage, felt the shaking of the carriage. Her unease felt confirmed, and she quickly pulled back the cloth curtain.
“Xiaohua!” Wei Tingxu cried out in alarm.
Xiaohua stood at the alley entrance, getting further and further away from her.
This was the first time Xiaohua had actively moved away from her, the first time she hadn’t turned back after hearing her call.
Wei Tingxu did not witness what happened next with her own eyes.
Xiaohua fought with all her might, until she had exhausted her last ounce of strength, her last drop of blood.
With the strength of one person, she killed sixty-six men and three horses. The bodies of men and horses piled up at the alley entrance, completely blocking it.
This was a ghost from the underworld, a messenger sent specifically to reap lives!
Xiaohua stood firm, unmoving. No one dared to approach.
A cold arrow struck the back of Xiaohua’s neck, piercing through and exiting from her throat. She instinctively trembled, but there was not much reaction.
The archer lowered his bow and squinted at his distant prey.
“So she was already dead.”
Xiaohua never fell.
As her consciousness gradually faded, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She no longer had to be on guard every moment, and she no longer had to wield a sword.
She had completed her own mission. In the end, she had not let down the Wei family, she had not let down Wei Tingxu.
Xiaohua’s lips, stuck together with blood, slowly pulled outward into a faint smile.
Zhong Ji, I’m coming to find you and apologize.
Footnotes
- 蝠翼 | fú yì | Bat wings, referencing a type of hang-glider or wing-suit.
- 葛昇 | Gě Shēng
- 向月升 | xiàng yuè shēng | Lit. “Ascending to the Moon,” the hot air balloons.
- 天羅地網 | tiān luó dì wǎng | An inescapable trap.
- 劈叉 | pǐchā | A split, a martial arts move where the legs are extended in opposite directions.
- 调虎离山 | diào hǔ lí shān | A strategy to draw an enemy away from their stronghold.
- 千夫长 | qiānfūzhǎng | Chiliarch; a military officer commanding a thousand men.
- 百步穿杨 | bǎi bù chuān yáng | Ability to shoot with extreme accuracy.
- 放冷箭 | fàng lěng jiàn | To attack by surprise, often from a hidden position.
All of my favourite characters dying this is a different kind of torture