Chapter 39: Nightmare (Part 1)
"Lin Jingyue, why did you lie to me?"
A cold voice filled with endless sorrow resounded, chilling to the bone.
Jiang Yuebai shuddered and saw a blood-red sunset, corpses strewn everywhere, tattered flags dancing in the wind, and ashes falling like rain.
Even though she had seen famine before, she was terrified because the ground was littered with dismembered bodies and intestines.
Her stomach churned, and Jiang Yuebai bent over and vomited, then saw two flags, one with the word "Lin" representing the Yun Nation and the other with "Ye" representing the Cang Nation.
Jiang Yuebai stood up, her gaze shaken. This was a battlefield between the Cang and Yun Nations. But why was she here?
As far as her eyes could see, there were the bodies of soldiers and generals from both countries. Not far away, a mountain of corpses lay, bloody and pierced with arrows. Long spears, stained with blood, stood erect and unyielding. Green palace lanterns hung from them, swaying in the cold wind.
Lonely and desolate.
"Ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-one... ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-two..."
Hearing a voice, Jiang Yuebai suddenly turned around and saw a silver-armored general, half-covered in blood, full of arrows, counting slowly as he walked among the corpses.
Jiang Yuebai took a deep look at the green palace lantern, unsure if this was a dream or an illusion.
"Excuse me, where is this place, and who are you?"
Jiang Yuebai asked loudly from a distance, her guard up.
The silver-armored general didn't even raise his head. "Ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight... ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine..."
His voice paused, and he looked around in confusion.
"Missing one... How can one be missing..."
The silver-armored general raised his head, and Jiang Yuebai saw his face.
Long brows like willow leaves, a figure like a jade tree – a truly outstanding young general.
Their eyes met, and the dim look in the silver-armored general's eyes gradually brightened, a relieved smile forming at the corner of his lips.
"Found you, the last one."
Jiang Yuebai's heart trembled. This wasn't good!
---
Inside the pitch-black cave.
Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan were gathered around Jiang Yuebai. They had watched her close her eyes and start speaking.
"Please tell me, where is this place, and who are you?"
Both of them looked around in bewilderment. There were no signs of people or even the ghostly lights they had seen earlier. This cave was the same one they had entered from the Yin Wind Gorge, and all the ghostly lights had vanished when they arrived.
"Jiang Yuebai, wake up!"
Xie Jingshan shook Jiang Yuebai's body, but there was no response.
Lu Nanzhi furrowed her brows. "She seems to be trapped in a nightmare. The snowstorm from a few days ago was said to be heavy in Yin Qi, and the source might be in the Yin Wind Gorge."
"What should we do now?"
Lu Nanzhi contemplated for a moment. "I'll stay here and keep watch. You try to find Elder Li. Jiang Yuebai is just a low-level disciple, and no one else will care about her life or death."
"Alright, I'll go."
"Wait, if you can't find Elder Li, go find Master Granny and tell her that I'm in trouble."
Xie Jingshan nodded and rushed out.
---
In the nightmare battlefield.
"Wait!"
Jiang Yuebai took a step back to avoid the silver-armored general and quickly thought of a plan.
She didn't know what was going on right now, but she believed that Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan would try to help her. Her job was to delay as much as possible.
"You... You must have been here for many years, right? Haven't you talked to anyone in a long time? You must be so lonely."
The silver-armored general's eyes fluctuated, and Jiang Yuebai felt relieved.
"You... Do you want to hear it?" The silver-armored general looked at Jiang Yuebai with sadness in his eyes.
Jiang Yuebai nodded vigorously. "Yes, I want to hear it. I love listening to stories. You can tell me slowly."
The silver-armored general turned and looked towards the setting sun.
It had been so many years since he had spoken to anyone. Well, he might as well tell her...
"That year, Cang Nation and the sixteen tribes of West Yun went to war. It was my first time leading troops into battle, but we suffered defeat after defeat and lost two fortresses in a row. The great battle of Chunshan Pass was imminent, and my Night Wolf Army was exhausted, with low morale."
"If we lost Chunshan Pass, the Western Yun barbarian tribes would invade the Central Plains, and Cang Nation would be in great danger. It was the day before the big battle, and the setting sun was just like it is now. I sneaked into an enemy spy camp..."
The surrounding scenery changed, and Jiang Yuebai found herself inside a military tent.
The young general was full of spirit, entering the tent and isolating himself from the others. He stood in front of a sand table, deep in thought.
"Who's there?!" A shadow attacked, and the two clashed. The young general was quickly pinned down on the sand table, a dagger at his throat.
The black-clothed woman pulled down her veil, revealing a face that had endured wind and frost but remained radiant and defiant.
"Lin Jingyue!"
Her finger pressed against the young general's lips, and Lin Jingyue narrowed her eyes. "Don't shout. I'm here to help you win the battle."
The scene froze, and the silver-armored general, covered in arrows, crouched down, gazing fondly at Lin Jingyue with a bright smile.
A cold voice filled with endless sorrow resounded, chilling to the bone.
Jiang Yuebai shuddered and saw a blood-red sunset, corpses strewn everywhere, tattered flags dancing in the wind, and ashes falling like rain.
Even though she had seen famine before, she was terrified because the ground was littered with dismembered bodies and intestines.
Her stomach churned, and Jiang Yuebai bent over and vomited, then saw two flags, one with the word "Lin" representing the Yun Nation and the other with "Ye" representing the Cang Nation.
Jiang Yuebai stood up, her gaze shaken. This was a battlefield between the Cang and Yun Nations. But why was she here?
As far as her eyes could see, there were the bodies of soldiers and generals from both countries. Not far away, a mountain of corpses lay, bloody and pierced with arrows. Long spears, stained with blood, stood erect and unyielding. Green palace lanterns hung from them, swaying in the cold wind.
Lonely and desolate.
"Ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-one... ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-two..."
Hearing a voice, Jiang Yuebai suddenly turned around and saw a silver-armored general, half-covered in blood, full of arrows, counting slowly as he walked among the corpses.
Jiang Yuebai took a deep look at the green palace lantern, unsure if this was a dream or an illusion.
"Excuse me, where is this place, and who are you?"
Jiang Yuebai asked loudly from a distance, her guard up.
The silver-armored general didn't even raise his head. "Ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight... ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine..."
His voice paused, and he looked around in confusion.
"Missing one... How can one be missing..."
The silver-armored general raised his head, and Jiang Yuebai saw his face.
Long brows like willow leaves, a figure like a jade tree – a truly outstanding young general.
Their eyes met, and the dim look in the silver-armored general's eyes gradually brightened, a relieved smile forming at the corner of his lips.
"Found you, the last one."
Jiang Yuebai's heart trembled. This wasn't good!
---
Inside the pitch-black cave.
Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan were gathered around Jiang Yuebai. They had watched her close her eyes and start speaking.
"Please tell me, where is this place, and who are you?"
Both of them looked around in bewilderment. There were no signs of people or even the ghostly lights they had seen earlier. This cave was the same one they had entered from the Yin Wind Gorge, and all the ghostly lights had vanished when they arrived.
"Jiang Yuebai, wake up!"
Xie Jingshan shook Jiang Yuebai's body, but there was no response.
Lu Nanzhi furrowed her brows. "She seems to be trapped in a nightmare. The snowstorm from a few days ago was said to be heavy in Yin Qi, and the source might be in the Yin Wind Gorge."
"What should we do now?"
Lu Nanzhi contemplated for a moment. "I'll stay here and keep watch. You try to find Elder Li. Jiang Yuebai is just a low-level disciple, and no one else will care about her life or death."
"Alright, I'll go."
"Wait, if you can't find Elder Li, go find Master Granny and tell her that I'm in trouble."
Xie Jingshan nodded and rushed out.
---
In the nightmare battlefield.
"Wait!"
Jiang Yuebai took a step back to avoid the silver-armored general and quickly thought of a plan.
She didn't know what was going on right now, but she believed that Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan would try to help her. Her job was to delay as much as possible.
"You... You must have been here for many years, right? Haven't you talked to anyone in a long time? You must be so lonely."
The silver-armored general's eyes fluctuated, and Jiang Yuebai felt relieved.
"You... Do you want to hear it?" The silver-armored general looked at Jiang Yuebai with sadness in his eyes.
Jiang Yuebai nodded vigorously. "Yes, I want to hear it. I love listening to stories. You can tell me slowly."
The silver-armored general turned and looked towards the setting sun.
It had been so many years since he had spoken to anyone. Well, he might as well tell her...
"That year, Cang Nation and the sixteen tribes of West Yun went to war. It was my first time leading troops into battle, but we suffered defeat after defeat and lost two fortresses in a row. The great battle of Chunshan Pass was imminent, and my Night Wolf Army was exhausted, with low morale."
"If we lost Chunshan Pass, the Western Yun barbarian tribes would invade the Central Plains, and Cang Nation would be in great danger. It was the day before the big battle, and the setting sun was just like it is now. I sneaked into an enemy spy camp..."
The surrounding scenery changed, and Jiang Yuebai found herself inside a military tent.
The young general was full of spirit, entering the tent and isolating himself from the others. He stood in front of a sand table, deep in thought.
"Who's there?!" A shadow attacked, and the two clashed. The young general was quickly pinned down on the sand table, a dagger at his throat.
The black-clothed woman pulled down her veil, revealing a face that had endured wind and frost but remained radiant and defiant.
"Lin Jingyue!"
Her finger pressed against the young general's lips, and Lin Jingyue narrowed her eyes. "Don't shout. I'm here to help you win the battle."
The scene froze, and the silver-armored general, covered in arrows, crouched down, gazing fondly at Lin Jingyue with a bright smile.
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