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墨書 Inktalez
As Li Deqian and Murong Xiao were about to clash, Loli tightly covered her mouth, her eyes filled with terror. Although she had received formal noble education in both literature and martial arts since childhood, she was still just an eleven or twelve-year-old girl. The bloody scene of Murong Xiao beheading someone earlier had already frightened her to death, and now that Li Deqian was about to repeat that horror, how could she not panic?
However, just as she instinctively closed her eyes, Xu Zhen charged in from behind the grassland, wielding a curved blade with great valor, resembling a legendary warrior amidst a sea of soldiers.
On the other hand, Xu Zhen had his own troubles. In fact, he had arrived at a nearby slope long before Li Deqian's team shot at the enemy with crossbows. He had seen Loli, Li Deqian, and others on the hillside.
He initially thought that Li Deqian and his group would be able to defeat Murong Xiao's cavalry or at least scare them off. However, he did not expect this small group of Tang Soldiers to be so ineffective. Their shooting accuracy was not too low, but their intelligence was quite concerning. Even though there were fewer than ten people left in Murong Xiao's camp, desperate foes fight fiercely; charging at them now would only invite a fierce counterattack.
At this point, Xu Zhen had no choice but to step in for rescue; otherwise, everything he had done before would be in vain. Regardless of Loli's identity or any conspiracy behind this ambush, it no longer mattered. What was important was that Murong Xiao had made up his mind to kill and silence witnesses. If he, Xu Zhen, stood by and did nothing, Loli could lose her life at any moment!
Although Xu Zhen was one of the few Asian members of the Sotogrande Santa Maria Polo Club in Spain, how could his riding skills compare to those of the nomadic people who lived and died on horseback?
Ultimately, he was still a step too late. Murong Xiao, one with his horse, raised his warhorse's front hooves high and let out a fierce neigh. With the momentum of his steed and wielding his sword with force, Li Deqian was terrified. In the ensuing struggle, his defensive blade was knocked away by Murong Xiao, who then struck him on the right shoulder with his sword!
Li Deqian, being inexperienced on the battlefield, fell off his horse in pain but quickly scrambled to get up, covered in mud and blood while desperately trying to escape. Meanwhile, Murong Xiao, skilled in both sword and horse riding, turned his horse around and was about to behead Li Deqian. However, he was intercepted by a horizontal slash from the arriving Xu Zhen!
Having recently gained fame performing magic tricks at bars and being familiar with street fights involving various weapons, Xu Zhen had never experienced true battlefield training. Compared to the likes of Wolf Tribe, Colonel Murong Xiao, or even just Murong Xiao, he was outmatched. His strike was easily dodged by Murong Xiao, who then kicked him hard in the ribs, sending him crashing to the ground like a broken sack!
Filled with deep hatred for Xu Zhen, Murong Xiao paid no attention to Li Deqian anymore and charged toward him with murderous intent!
Having narrowly escaped disaster, Li Deqian surveyed the battlefield and saw that seven or eight of the remaining five Tang Soldiers had been slaughtered by those few remaining enemies. If it weren't for facing off against Murong Xiao, that attendant wouldn't have been disarmed and killed!
"Quick! Save him!"
Seeing that Murong Xiao was relentlessly pursuing Xu Zhen, who was fleeing for his life across the grassland, Li Deqian shouted urgently. His gaze quickly scanned for his fallen blade lying about ten feet away; he hurriedly crawled over to grab its hilt and hurled it toward Murong Xiao's back!
Meanwhile, Xu Zhen was also terrified as he fled across the grassland. However, given that Murong Xiao rode swiftly and was closing in on him fast, an instinctive sense of impending doom kicked in from years of battlefield experience. He instinctively tilted his head to dodge but ended up having half an ear sliced off by Li Deqian's flying knife!
"Hmph!"
Murong Xiao let out a muffled grunt as he fell from the back of the Dragon Breed steed to the ground. Li Deqian and five attendants quickly surrounded Murong Xiao, trapping him in the center.
Xu Zhen felt as if her lungs were on fire. Seeing that the situation was dire, she finally let out a sigh of relief. After stopping, her legs trembled, and she felt dizzy, nearly fainting.
Having been unconscious for five days due to Snake Venom, she had relied on Moya to administer detoxifying medicine daily. However, just after waking up, she had been running around, and now after a harrowing horse battle with Murong Xiao, she was already weak and exhausted, barely holding onto consciousness with sheer willpower.
Seeing Xu Zhen sway unsteadily, Loli hurriedly grabbed the Water Bag from Li Deqian's carriage and rushed down the hillside. Using her frail shoulder, she supported Xu Zhen.
Xu Zhen's face was pale as she forced a bitter smile. She took the Water Bag from Loli and gulped down a large amount. However, her stomach couldn't handle it, and she vomited it all back up, tears streaming down her face in distress.
Loli gritted her teeth and held firm, allowing Xu Zhen's large hand to rest on her delicate shoulder. Looking at this person she often called "Vile Slave," Loli felt an unexpected pang of sadness, and her eyes immediately became moist.
Just as Xu Zhen found a moment of relief, Murong Xiao lunged at them like a cornered beast. His eyes were fierce like a starving wolf as he fought against five opponents with his back covered in wounds. Despite being bloodied and battered, he showed no signs of retreat or cowardice; instead, he managed to injure two of the Tang Soldier attendants!
After catching her breath, Xu Zhen straightened up, picked up her curved blade, propped it up with her right hand, and wrapped her left arm around Loli's shoulder. She looked at Murong Xiao, who showed no intention of surrendering, and was struck by his fierce spirit.
However, Li Deqian was merely a weakling with a combat power of five. Among the six attendants protecting him, only three remained standing; one had already lost his head to Murong Xiao. Despite their numerical advantage, the situation was still grim.
Xu Zhen clenched her teeth and quickly scanned the surroundings. She spotted a Feathered Arrow embedded three yards away and immediately instructed Loli to retrieve it. Using her curved blade, she severed the arrow shaft and weighed the arrowhead in her hand. Although it wasn't as effective as a Gold Coin Dart, it could still be used to give Murong Xiao an unexpected "surprise gift"!
Li Deqian was pale and dared only to stand guard at the edge of the battlefield. Although he found a broadsword, he was so flustered that he could barely grip the hilt. Seeing Xu Zhen and Loli nearby, he shouted urgently, "Don't you dare come over here to help!"
Xu Zhen felt a pang of bitterness at Li Deqian's trembling demeanor. You're supposed to be a grown man; how can you be shaking with a sword while leaving me—a weakling—and Loli to help?
But the Xu Zhen gritted her teeth and, with the support of Loli, took a few steps toward the battlefield. She was too weak, and the distance was too far to ambush Murong Xiao effectively. If the remaining three Tang Soldiers were dealt with by Murong Xiao, the situation would become even more dire.
Murong Xiao was locked in a fierce battle with the three Tang Soldiers, their eyes bloodshot from the fight. In the end, when a blade struck him, he gritted his teeth and held on, retaliating with a counterattack as if they were competing over who could bleed more, who could endure more, and who could survive longer!
However, when he saw Xu Zhen and Loli approaching, a smile crept onto his lips. He swept his blade horizontally, enduring a knife wound to his shoulder while pushing back against the three Tang Soldiers, aiming to slash at Xu Zhen and Loli!
Loli gasped in fright and instinctively hid behind Xu Zhen. Yet Xu Zhen had experienced life-and-death situations before; a fierce glint flashed in her eyes as she gripped her curved knife tightly with her left hand while her right hand secretly held an arrowhead!
As Murong Xiao charged toward them, Xu Zhen drew her curved knife, crouched low, her palm slick with fine beads of sweat! At that moment, thunderous hoofbeats approached from behind; a rider galloped forward from a distance of ten zhang and bellowed like thunder: "You filthy dog, why don't you surrender!"
Murong Xiao felt a chill run down his spine as he saw a foreign knife slicing through the air, creating an arc that blocked his path!
"Thud!"
A foreign knife suddenly plunged into the grass, measuring twelve feet in length—nine feet for the blade and three feet for the handle. It was double-edged and slender with a cold white sheen; this was a heavy weapon of the Tang army that ordinary soldiers could not possess!
This Tang Dao weighed fifty pounds (equivalent to about twenty-two pounds today) and flew from ten zhang away with tremendous force. The might of the thrower was astonishing!
Murong Xiao quickly stopped and rolled to narrowly avoid the foreign knife. Knowing that an enemy general had arrived, he shot a fierce glare at Xu Zhen before spitting out a mouthful of blood. He dashed sideways, leaped onto his warhorse, yanked on the reins, and charged through the pursuing Tang Soldiers as he fled!
Xu Zhen exhaled a breath of relief but felt her strength drain away. She collapsed onto the ground as beads of sweat streamed down her pale face.
A rider quickly approached from behind; he did not pursue Murong Xiao nor did he come over to greet Xu Zhen and Loli. Instead, he dismounted and rushed toward Li Deqian while shouting: "Brother, are you alright? Why are you fighting with someone? If you get hurt, how will I explain it to Father?"
Li Deqian's face turned red; there was no trace of an older brother's demeanor. He awkwardly explained himself and hurried over to Xu Zhen, bowing respectfully as he said: "Thank you for saving my life, Young Master. I am Li Deqian; this is my younger brother Li Dejiang. I hope you can return to Liangzhou Camp with us to tend to your injuries!"
Xu Zhen looked up to see Li Deqian, tall and elegant, exuding a scholarly demeanor, while his younger brother Li Dejiang had a rugged appearance with a black beard and a robust physique, resembling a fierce warrior.
Before Xu Zhen could speak, Li Dejiang approached and effortlessly lifted her onto his shoulder, saying in a deep voice, "Since you are our benefactor, I must express my gratitude upon returning to Liangzhou Camp!"
Xu Zhen exchanged a glance with Li Deqian, both feeling amused yet helpless. The latter smiled awkwardly and shrugged, indicating his inability to control his brother's actions.
Li Dejiang placed Xu Zhen onto the carriage just as dozens of Tang Soldiers arrived, hastily assisting the injured and clearing the battlefield. They were shocked to hear that Craftsman had encountered several Ah Chai, and quickly reported to their commander Captain Li Dejiang. To their astonishment, they learned that they had completely annihilated the enemy forces; aside from Colonel Murong Xiao Murong Xiao, all thirty-seven of the Tuguhun Ah Chai had perished!
This battle was neither too big nor too small, but it certainly represented a significant military achievement!
However, it was strange that aside from six or seven Tang Dao, only the curved blade in Xu Zhen's hand remained. The weapons of Murong Xiao's thirty-odd cavalry were found discarded two miles away from the battlefield, which left many puzzled.
Regardless, for a Craftsman whose role was primarily in construction to achieve such a significant military accomplishment by claiming thirty-seven heads was enough to stir quite a commotion in Liangzhou Camp. Who would care about swords and arrows in light of such an achievement?
Li Dejiang did not expect his seemingly weak and foolish older brother to gain such glory. He happily led Xu Zhen toward Liangzhou Camp, but upon reaching the gates of the main camp, they were intercepted.
The imposing soldier Hou Polu stood before the gates, flanked by guards. At twenty years old, with an elongated face and wearing a fitting Uniform, he pointed at Li Deqian and shouted sternly, " Li Deqian , you are a Craftsman, without authority over soldiers. Why did you take matters into your own hands, leading to unnecessary casualties among our troops? Do you understand your crime?"
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