Chapter 230: Just Older
Seeing Shen Baiwei fall from the horse, Lu Yibei immediately tightened the reins. When the warhorse slowed down, she flipped off and jumped down.
At that moment, her gaze inadvertently swept over Zhu Sanming and Li Tietou, and her brow furrowed slightly.
The two men’s gazes hovered between her, Shen Baiwei, and the unseen Yumen Pass, filled with hesitation.
From their expressions, Lu Yibei perceived their thoughts; they were worried that the “two Miss Shens” would hinder them, leading to the failure of delivering the two iron boxes intact to their destination.
In fact, their emotions were understandable. It was like hiring a stand-in to help oneself with “Love and Magical Girls,” only for the stand-in to have a physical problem along the way and miss an important event.
Isn’t it reasonable to want to yell “RNM refund!”?
“Give us a stick of incense worth of time…” Lu Yibei said expressionlessly, “Don’t worry! Since we promised your general to escort those two boxes back to Yumen Pass, we won’t go back on our word.”
After a pause, she added, “Moreover, the Shaman Queen’s Army could ambush your comrades earlier, they can also reach Yumen Pass ahead of time. At this moment, Yumen City Gate might already be surrounded. Without us, you wouldn’t be able to get your things in.”
After hearing Lu Yibei’s words, Li Tietou and Zhu Sanming exchanged glances and nodded slightly, dismounting and leading their horses to a distance.
Seeing that she had successfully persuaded the two, Lu Yibei let out a slow breath.
She was grateful that they were two reasonable young men; otherwise, she might have been unable to control her increasingly intense desire to k*ll and would have struck them down under the tempting whispers in her ears.
She had indeed promised Longxiang to escort them, but she never said that where she would take them would definitely be Yumen Pass!
From a certain perspective, sending them “on their way” could also be considered escorting them, right?
At worst, after sending them on their way, she could return the two iron boxes to Yumen Pass.
Lu Yibei gently shook her head, suppressing the dark thoughts stirring within her, composed herself, and rushed to Shen Baiwei’s side in a few steps.
“Reader, you can’t d*e!”
If you suddenly died, it would be a total game over, and there’d be no more fun!
While she was murmuring to herself, she called out softly, “Shen Baiwei? Are you still alive? If you don’t get up soon, I might have to pull out your little notebook and read it out loud for everyone, right? You wouldn’t want those things you said about the bosses in the notebook to be found out, would you?”
After waiting for a moment, Shen Baiwei still showed no reaction.
No response at all. She must have really fainted… Lu Yibei thought, bending down to prop Shen Baiwei up against her chest, but just as she was getting Shen Baiwei upright and had not yet checked her condition, a strong premonition flashed through her mind.
[It reveals its fangs to you]*
As the premonition flickered, a sharp burning sensation surged into Lu Yibei’s eyes without warning. After a moment of familiar blurriness, a suffocating scene appeared before her.
She saw Shen Baiwei, or more accurately, a mass of countless “Shen Baiwei” stacked together, resembling a monstrous snake forming a small mountain.
On its huge head composed of hundreds of human skulls, strands of long hair intertwined and hung down, with thousands of eyes flashing ghostly light among the hair, and in its gaping maw, countless ribs and densely packed, sharp fangs.
So close that Lu Yibei could even hear the sound of the slime dripping between the fangs, and she could smell the overwhelming stench wafting towards her.
However, upon seeing such a horrifying sight, what welled up in her heart was not fear, but anticipation—anticipating the unprecedented pain the monster snake would bring her, and a joy that only arises when one encounters something long awaited.
It was as if she had seen Bai Xiaohua herself, almost wanting to rush up and give it a hug or a passionate kiss.
But where to kiss?
Should she taste every one of the “Shen Baiwei’s” lips?
If that’s the case… that wouldn’t be so bad.
As more and more twisted thoughts and emotions welled up in her mind, Lu Yibei gradually sank deeper, and a heart-wrenching, gut-wrenching pain suddenly surged in her palm, abruptly interrupting her thoughts.
It was not ordinary pain, but a soul-piercing anguish that decayed everything; this would not bring her—or any witch-type urban legend—pleasure.
The pain that witch-type urban legends enjoy stems from wails and bl**d, not decay and withering.
Looking down, she saw tangled, wriggling, black lines that had spread from Shen Baiwei’s body to hers, as if insects sensing bl**d were climbing rapidly up her fingertips and palms, cutting her, as if attempting to rip apart flesh and burrow into her body.
Seeing this, Lu Yibei’s heart jolted, and without thinking, she let go, letting Shen Baiwei’s body crash to the ground once more.
At the moment she released her grip, the chaotic black line swept across her forearm, leaving behind a dense array of tiny wounds.
Deep enough to see bone!
Watching the bl**d droplets slowly seep out beneath her pale skin, dyeing her hands red, she couldn’t help but lick her lips, swallowing hard, her breath becoming heavy.
Lu Yibei, “…”
This is a disaster! I’m actually craving my own bl**d; I must be going crazy.
And Shen Baiwei… the monstrous snake that only appeared when she read the archives, how could it have followed her here?
Did it sense that Shen Baiwei was on the verge of dying and had prepared to merge with her?
With a temporarily clear mind, Lu Yibei pondered as she looked at Li Tietou and Zhu Sanming in the distance, filled with sympathy.
It was truly difficult for these two boys, who only wanted to return their comrade’s token to Yumen Pass, to accompany her and Shen Baiwei.
She did not know when she might “go crazy” or when Shen Baiwei would d*e, but she knew that once either of them had a problem, it would undoubtedly be Li Tietou and Zhu Sanming who would d*e first.
The next moment, Shen Baiwei’s eyelids trembled a couple of times, then she suddenly opened her eyes wide.
Perhaps she felt the pain of her head hitting the stone, or maybe part of the chaotic black lines that had transferred to Lu Yibei, helping her share some of the pain… In any case, after fainting for about five minutes, she abruptly woke up.
“Let’s go! I’m fine now.” After locking eyes with Lu Yibei for two seconds, Shen Baiwei said.
“Are you sure? Pushing through isn’t a good thing; it might lead to worse outcomes in the end!”
“Sure.” Shen Baiwei nodded.
“Alright.” Lu Yibei nodded too, then gritting her teeth against the pain of the chaotic black lines cutting her hands, helped Shen Baiwei up and moved towards the warhorse not far away.
Just as they reached the warhorse, they suddenly stopped in their tracks, almost simultaneously turning their heads to look back.
There was a chaotic sky and vast yellow sand behind them, seemingly empty, yet as if something ungraspable, without fixed forms, existed there, transmitting some incomprehensible message to them in a disorderly manner beyond common understanding.
It appeared to be a warning and also seemed like an urgent prompt, carrying a hint of joy… various hidden yet intense emotions, like vividly colored blocks, were brutally mixed together.
With just a slight touch, thoughts were stained by madness, and the nearly uncontrollable power grew even more restless.
After a few seconds of silence, Lu Yibei looked at Shen Baiwei, then at Li Tietou and Zhu Sanming not far away, and expressionlessly said, “You, and you all, are you interested in trying something very new?”
“Something very new? What is it?” Shen Baiwei asked, puzzled.
As soon as she finished speaking, the roar of an engine rang in her ears, and an old truck appeared before her eyes, taking shape beside Lu Yibei.
For a moment, it felt like an illusion; she seemed to catch a fleeting glimpse of a brutal and manic smile on Lu Yibei’s face that was worthy of her title “Bloody Witch.”
“Were you just… smiling?” Shen Baiwei asked weakly.
“How could that be?” Lu Yibei looked at Shen Baiwei, her expression returned to its usual cold stiffness, “You know I have a face paralysis, right?!”
After saying that, she lightly swept a strand of silver hair from her temple, turned, and opened the truck driver’s side door.
“Come on, get in, I’ll take you for a ride!”
Shen Baiwei, “…”
Did I misinterpret something?
Is it possible that the calamity is actually more dangerous than I am?
——
Having seen the Longxiang Army stationed in the Gobi Desert suffer an attack in advance, Lu Yibei speculated that other places, including Yumen Pass, would likely not escape a similar fate.
And just as she expected, the Shaman Queen’s Army, which she thought would arrive at Yumen Pass during the ugly hour, surprisingly arrived nearly two hours early, already at the city gates around the hour of the pig.
Though the guards inside Yumen Pass had long been prepared for the enemy, most of those remaining inside were young, inexperienced in battle, and faced with an enemy several times, even dozens of times larger than their own, they were inevitably a bit panicked.
“Hurry, hurry! All those with spiritual abilities, go to the crossbows!”
“Spearmen?! Spearmen, follow me!”
“Is the fire oil ready? Then quickly bring up more falling stones and rolling logs to the city wall, hold them off for me first!”
“…”
On the southern city wall of Yumen Pass, heads were crowded.
Countless footsteps and shouts echoed, creating a chaotic noise.
Standing on the city wall, Long Bang tightly gripped the sword at his waist, looking around in confusion with a frown.
At this moment, numerous Longxiang Army armor soldiers, of similar age to him or bearing injuries, were bustling about.
Some rushed about with longbows and arrows haphazardly stuffed in their quivers, like headless flies.
Some trembled as they hurried up to the city wall; halfway there, the falling stones and logs they carried fell to the ground, bouncing along the stone stairs and nearly injuring their comrades.
Some, with anxious expressions, were at the crossbows in the arrow tower, spending an immense amount of spiritual energy, fumbling about but failing several times before successfully activating the incantation on the crossbows.
Whether up or down the city walls, it was all a scene of chaos.
They had undergone similar training, to say the least, and could even be said to have honed it to perfection; however, they were too young and did not yet know how to suppress their fear in battle.
What kind of atmosphere is a battlefield with tens of thousands of people?
A synchronized roar resounds through the skies, a single charge shakes the earth, and a volley of arrows seems ready to ignite the heavens.
An average person witnessing such a spectacle would likely be terrified out of their wits. The young Longxiang Army armor soldiers being able to stand on the city wall and somewhat imperfectly complete their tasks was already commendable.
But…
Was this enough? Long Bang wondered.
Since joining the Longxiang Army, he had commanded no more than two hundred soldiers in small-scale battles at most. Faced with such a scene, all he felt was tension; his mind was nearly blank.
The mission given to him in the bag from Longxiang was to lead dozens of spirited Longxiang Army armor soldiers, to cover the remaining Longxiang Army soldiers’ actions, and to guide the guards on the wall to retreat to safety when Longxiang returned to Yumen Pass.
But he wanted to do more.
Anything that could help defend Yumen Pass!
Yet, many matters of varying levels of urgency mixed in together like a tangled mess, making it impossible for him to discern a clue or know where to start.
He was good at bursting into enemy lines and fighting valiantly following his brother’s commands, but facing several times, even dozens of times, more enemies, taking the initiative to fight outside the city was tantamount to seeking d*ath.
Long Bang, “…”
Was this the kind of battle his brother faced before?
How on earth did his brother manage to address everything in such circumstances?
d*mn it! Is the gap between my brother and me really that vast? Long Bang thought.
Just as he was at a loss, a hand gently landed on his shoulder, followed by a familiar voice ringing in his ear.
“Lieutenant Long, no matter how capable a person is, they cannot cover every inch of the battlefield; even the general is no exception. You don’t need to worry, just act according to the plan. As for the rest… we old fellows are here!”
Long Bang turned around to see Old Qin’s honest, straightforward smile, and then followed the direction that Old Qin indicated with his only remaining arm, his pupils flickering lightly.
He saw that the more than twenty disabled old soldiers who had escaped back from the Gobi Desert with Old Qin had appeared at various places on the southern city wall. Under their guidance, the chaos began to visibly transform into order.
——————
In less than a few breaths of time, the originally disordered archers scattered across the city wall completed their formation under the guidance of a one-legged robust man and a one-eyed middle-aged man.
“Draw your bows!”
“Release!”
With a command, over a hundred strong bows were drawn uniformly, the bowstrings emitting a clear hum, followed by rain-like arrows.
……
“Hey, hey! You there, that’s not how you lift it. You can’t just use your wrist; you have to use your whole arm and the strength from your waist, got it? Waist! Stick your waist out, use force, and think about how you go to Dai Mu Institute to see those girls!”
“Yes, yes! Just like that, you’re getting the hang of it!”
“Come on, let me give you a shout…”
Saying that, he cleared his throat and shouted a strong voice infused with spiritual energy. In an instant, the young Longxiang Army armor soldiers felt an added weight of strength, their spirits lifted.
……
By the stone steps leading to the city wall, a burly man who was clearly missing both arms somehow exhibited exceptional knowledge of how to leverage arm and body strength. With just a bit of guidance to the young Longxiang Army soldiers transporting falling stones and rolling logs, their efficiency immediately increased.
Inside the arrow tower, a tall, thin man blindfolded, precisely tapped the key mechanisms of the crossbow with his bamboo cane, casually uttering a few words, “Light touch for two breaths, heavy strike once, apply pressure for five breaths…”
The surrounding young Longxiang Army soldiers paused for two seconds after listening and promptly began to concentrate their spiritual energy in their fingertips, executing the actions as directed. The next moment, the crossbow emitted a low, dragon-like humming sound, and all the runes burst into brilliance.
……
In a corner of the city wall, several young Longxiang Army armor soldiers huddled behind cover, trembling against the wall.
They were the spearmen responsible for defending the city wall, facing the enemy more closely than anyone else, confronting d*ath almost every moment. Thus, their fear was greater than that of others.
As they hesitated in fear, a heavily scarred and hideous overweight man approached and roared at them.
“Are you all very scared? Think about it—who has made us live in fear for over a year? Isn’t it those outsiders?!”
“You, Gui Xiangrong, I remember your sister was taken away by the Tuo Wuali Lei tribe, right? You, Qian Xingzu, how did your father d*e; you can’t have forgotten that either? And you…”
The overweight man seemed to remember everyone’s names, familiar with each one’s past. By recounting their stories, he touched upon the softest yet most resilient spots of those young Longxiang soldiers’ hearts.
“Don’t you want to pay back bl**d for bl**d, tooth for tooth? Your fear is understandable, but what you should fear more is that group of outsiders. They don’t want us to live well, so we should make them d*e!”
As he spoke, the overweight man pointed to himself, then at the young Longxiang Army armor soldiers, finally gesturing towards the depths of Yumen Pass, “As long as we don’t get rid of those scoundrels, we, you, and they will have no good days to live!”
“…”
Thus, in the deafening shouts of the overweight man, among those trembling in fear, the first soldier clenched his spear, then the second, the third…
They wanted revenge; they wanted to bring fear to the enemy!
And that old man, clattering like a servant in an apron yet clad in armor, running among the several iron cauldrons, continuously urging the flames beneath the cauldrons with spiritual energy, as well as…
More than twenty old soldiers and disabled troops scattered across the city wall were sharing the experiences they had accumulated through countless battles, helping those inexperienced young ones in their own ways, igniting new flames from the ember that had yet to extinguish.
Thus, the giant beast that the Yumen Pass had become, which devoured life, awoke and revealed its menacing self to its enemies!
——————
“Boom——!”
From a distance, the boulders flung by the stone vehicle whistled through the air, engulfed in flames as they tore through the sky. Just as they reached above the city wall and were about to fall, the bronze cast solidified spell formulas embedded in the city wall explosively emitted a strong light, followed by a thunderous sound as arcs of light swept through.
Occasionally, scalding fragments would fall, injuring the archers and spearmen on the wall, who would immediately be carried away by their comrades. Soon after, newcomers would step into their place, rushing forward like a finely tuned machine.
“k*ll——!”
In a deafening chorus of shouts, the surging Shaman Queen’s Army, faced with a storm of arrows and beams of spiritual energy falling like shooting stars, pressed forward fearlessly, pushing toward Yumen Pass, reaching beneath the city wall, setting up ladders against the towering wall.
Swarming d*ath warriors, wielding round shields and curved blades, climbed madly up the ladders, propelled by the spiritual energy granted by the Shaman Queen, moving at incredible speed.
The Longxiang Army’s spearmen repeatedly pierced the scaling d*ath warriors with their spears. Logs thick enough for a person to embrace rolled off the wall, and hundreds of pounds of falling rocks rained down like raindrops, causing d*ath warriors to fall one after another. Yet soon, more and more d*ath warriors climbed up in succession.
The Longxiang Army soldiers suffered continuous casualties, but whenever someone was injured and fell, they would be sent down to the pale-faced man mixing potions, who would quickly treat their injuries. Before long, they would be back to the walls.
On the city wall, several dozens of spiritual ability users led by Long Bang moved back and forth, covering the spearmen and archers, shifting formations in response to the enemies’ movements.
Occasionally, when a surprisingly capable d*ath warrior broke through the spearmen’s defenses and reached the city wall, they would be quickly surrounded and killed on the spot.
“The fire oil is boiling!”
Suddenly, a shout echoed from somewhere, and five massive iron cauldrons spewing thick smoke on the city wall toppled over, erupting with a sound like a thunderclap.
The boiling grease from the cauldrons cascaded down with alarming heat, instantly igniting the area beneath the city wall into a sea of fire.
In the sea of fire, figures writhed like insects, and cries of despair echoed one after another, the nauseating smell of charred flesh pervading the air.
d*ath seemed to become a meaningless number; in less than half an hour, a pile of bodies had stacked up beneath the southern city wall of Yumen Pass, layering upon each other and covering the ground. A rough glance estimated the number at several thousand.
Watching such a sight, Old Qin smiled at Long Bang and said, “Hey, Lieutenant Long, the general didn’t let us old folks stay in the city just to survive.”
After a pause, he mumbled meaningfully, “We’re just older and disabled, not dead…”
At that moment, the murky glint in his eyes seemed to regain clarity, and a steadfast and fervent light flickered in the depths of his gaze.
