Chapter 1485 – Strike Against Nie Liang, Attack Yang Tao, Aiming for the World (24)
“It’s not an illusion, it’s really raining!!!”
The ever-composed Qi Guanrang, disregarding the medics still treating wounds, abruptly raised his hands high, pretending to catch the raindrops.
The rain changed swiftly, starting as a light drizzle and soon transforming into a torrential downpour, soaking him from head to toe, turning him into a waterlogged human.
Qi Guanrang, unbothered by his disheveled appearance, couldn’t help but bend over, hands on his knees, bursting into hearty laughter, nearly tearing up from the mirth.
On the other side, Sun Wen dashed into the rain, his eyes wide with shock and delight, unable to believe what he was witnessing.
“Grandpa, Grandpa!”
Sun Lan, worried about Sun Wen, quietly snuck over and just happened to catch a glimpse of his grandfather reveling in the rain.
“What a deluge! Why don’t you find a place to take cover?”
The old man’s constitution was nowhere near that of a young person; Sun Lan genuinely feared his grandfather would fall ill from getting drenched—he couldn’t bear such a scare.
He held the umbrella over Sun Wen while soaking half his clothes without a care.
“Let me take you to shelter first, and I’ll make some ginger soup to ward off the chill later…”
Sun Wen laughed heartily, pulling his grandson into a tight embrace, patting his back, “Today is simply delightful! This rain has come at the perfect time… Hahaha, Grandpa can’t wait to see the look on Nie Liang’s face!”
The feud between Sun Wen and the Nie Clan was deep; even if Nie Liang wasn’t his sworn enemy, he was still a member of the rival clan, and their sides were definitely opposed.
In today’s battle, who would win was uncertain, but before leaving, Nie Liang had set a big fire, leaving Jiang Pengji’s side in utter disarray. Who knew heaven couldn’t stand it either and brought a heavy rain to quell the rampant flames—truly a “divine rain”!
Ever since leaving Zhong Zhao and arriving in Dongqing, Sun Wen hadn’t laughed this genuinely in ages.
Hearing his grandfather so joyous made Sun Lan’s nose tingle with emotion.
After a lot of coaxing, they finally got the old man settled, and just as they headed to the military tent, they encountered a drenched Qi Guanrang.
Sun Wen and Qi Guanrang exchanged greetings, politely deferring to each other.
Unable to hold back, Sun Lan chimed in, “You two can be polite once we’re inside the main tent; standing out here getting soaked will require quite a few bowls of ginger soup!”
After he finished speaking, Qi Guanrang and Sun Wen laughed as they entered the military tent.
Not long after, they were chased out by Jiang Pengji.
“There’s nothing urgent at the moment; for goodness’ sake, change into some dry clothes first, are you not afraid of being rude?”
Jiang Pengji sent them off to change while summoning soldiers to boil a large pot of ginger soup to fend off the cold. The rain had come so swiftly that many hadn’t even had time to react before getting thoroughly drenched. After a while, the military tent finally filled with people.
As the attacking side, Jiang Pengji’s losses were considerable, and the damage was even worse.
You see, arrows can be reused. During battlefield clean-up, they not only had to gather the corpses but also recover the arrows for future use. Otherwise, at a large-scale battle involving hundreds of thousands, one would not know how many arrows would be consumed—who could afford that?
A victorious side could reclaim its arrows as well as the enemy’s, enhancing their military resources.
If Nie Liang had withdrawn quietly, Jiang Pengji would have sent people out of the city to scour the battlefield and recover usable resources.
But in the end, Nie Liang had burned everything to a crisp, accepting his own losses while ensuring Jiang Pengji’s were unrecoverable.
Overall, this defensive battle had resulted in significant setbacks for her.
Had it not been for this rain striking at the enemy’s morale and reputation, she would have been even more frustrated.
Indeed, Jiang Pengji was upset, while Nie Liang was fuming.
The Nie army retreated, marching back to the camp in grand fashion.
Not long after they arrived at the camp, Nie Liang’s son, Nie Qing, came out with a group of loyal subjects to welcome him.
As soon as Nie Liang dismounted, a sudden chill spread on the back of his hand. What on earth was that?
Moments later, a drop of water landed on his hand, and he realized it was no illusion.
Staring at the droplet, Nie Liang’s heart sank, and his face turned as pale as a wall painted white, devoid of color.
“Father, what’s wrong?”
Nie Qing stood to the right, supporting Nie Liang, while Wei Ying attended to him from the left.
“Is it… raining?”
Wei Ying raised his hand, letting several drops of rain land in his palm, his Danfeng eyes widened, filled with astonishment and disbelief.
Nie Qing was confused, but as he felt the rain, he said, “It’s definitely raining; it’s quite normal for this season.”
Once he spoke, he noticed his father Nie Liang’s arm stiffen, as if he were struggling to hold on to something.
“Father?” Nie Qing called out in inquiry.
Nie Liang’s complexion turned an ashen gray; without warning, he spewed a mouthful of blood, staggering backward.
Nie Qing was so taken aback by the sudden turn of events that he didn’t know how to react, but Wei Ying swiftly rushed forward to catch Nie Liang, his reflexes impeccable as he propped him up.
“Quick!”
Wei Ying was drenched in cold sweat, his refined voice cracking with panic.
“Quick, summon the young doctor!”
Nie Liang was in poor health, and many confidants were aware of this. A few had sensed something amiss.
However, even though he showed great composure in front of others, it was the first time for him to cough up blood and faint in public; this would soon spread throughout the camp.
Nie Liang was overwhelmed with anger, and for a common person, such a situation could sprain muscles or break bones; not to mention he was already a patient.
The young doctor used all his might to save him, employing potent medicine to keep his life hanging by a thread, causing many to sweat nervously for him.
“Do what you can, leave the rest to fate. If he doesn’t awaken by tomorrow…”
The white-haired young doctor shook his head heavily, sighing, making everyone’s hearts sink.
After a flurry of activity, it was already late at night; the heavy rain had just about stopped, leaving puddles full of rainwater on the ground.
Nie Qing, unbuttoned, tended to the severely ill Nie Liang, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion, making Nie Yang frown deeply.
With genuine concern, he said, “Elder brother, uncle will surely overcome this danger.”
Nie Qing knelt beside Nie Liang’s bed, his face painted with self-reproach.
From the words of several participating generals, he learned about the situation on the front lines, and understood why his father would spit blood incessantly after the rain began.
Heaven was clearly on the enemy’s side; a torrential downpour wrecked Nie Liang’s plans. How could he not be furious to the point of spitting blood?
Nie Yang remarked, “This matter clearly falls on Liu Xi; elder brother, there’s no need to blame yourself so. If uncle knew, he would certainly be displeased and scold you.”
How could a man be so indecisive?
Nie Liang’s bloodshed had, in essence, nothing to do with Nie Qing; why should he bear the burden of guilt?
Nie Qing replied, “I would rather father awaken now to scold me, even punish me, than see him struggle between life and death.”
Nie Yang said nothing further, merely staying quietly by Nie Qing’s side.
Amidst it all, the System’s cold mockery echoed in their ears.
Nie Qing was certainly feeling all sorts of emotions stirred up by you now.
But who would guess that you were actually the root cause of Nie Liang’s plight?
Nie Yang showed no signs on his face, but inwardly he scoffed.
Be quiet.
The System wouldn’t listen, not since it had dealt a heavy blow to Nie Yang; the two had switched roles since then.
Even now, it pretended to be sympathetic; you truly live up to being my chosen host, with a heart as black and rotten as can be.
