"Ah Jiu, wait for me a moment. I'll escort you back to the city."
With that, Tuoba Yan turned and left. "329, you have eight subordinates in the city, making a total of nine with you."
He then took out a round token and handed it to 329. "Give this to Zhao Kun. From now on, the nine of you will defend Nanming City to your deaths."
"General, what do you mean by this? Didn't you say you were taking us home?" 329's eyes welled up, suppressing a surge of grief and distress.
Tuoba Yan glanced back at the courtyard. "I'll take a few of the main forces back to investigate the truth of what happened years ago. You'll sense it when the energy gathers, but don't reveal yourselves unless absolutely necessary."
"General, this place is not suitable for us to survive. We need energy." When 329 realized he was speaking to his general, he was incredibly excited.
"Are you not even listening to my orders now? If we all withdraw, Nanming City will not be able to hold." Tuoba Yan's eyes flashed with ferocity.
Startled, 329 clasped his fists and bowed his head, not daring to look any further. He understood; the general was doing this for that girl. "Your subordinate obeys."
Tuoba Yan turned to go back into the courtyard but suddenly stopped. "Right, regarding her understanding of our identity, she thinks we are ghosts. Don't say anything else."
Ghosts? 329's pupils contracted. "Your subordinate remembers."
In the courtyard.
Ah Jiu had just put an ear needle on Niu Dasheng. "Grandpa, are you feeling better?"
Niu Dasheng's complexion gradually regained its color. He had fainted with fright as soon as he stepped outside. When he opened his eyes, he found that everyone in the courtyard was gone.
He even suspected at this moment that the corpses he had seen earlier were illusions.
"Much better, girl." Niu Dasheng took several deep breaths, gradually regaining his spirit.
"That's good. Grandpa Niu, listen to my advice and come into the city with me. There's no food here, and you can't survive."
Ah Jiu still urged him, unwilling to give up.
"You little girl, why are you so stubborn?" Niu Dasheng wanted to lose his temper.
"No anger, no anger, I won't say anything more if you don't want me to." Ah Jiu was also speechless. After the scare earlier, Ah Jiu knew Grandpa Niu had been terrified, so she stopped talking.
Tuoba Yan saw this scene and turned away again.
When he returned, dusk had fallen.
"Ah Jiu, I've asked someone to bring some food from the camp for Grandpa Niu. Look, this should last him for a few days. I'll have more sent later, alright?"
The person who called himself 329 carried two bamboo baskets and entered, both filled with white steamed buns.
This was their military rations.
"This will last for more than ten days!" Ah Jiu's eyes lit up.
She took the baskets and hurried into the kitchen. Grandpa Niu followed closely behind. "It's too much, too much! You can't do this."
"It's not too much, Grandpa Niu. I'm leaving now. I'll visit you again."
Ah Jiu's mood brightened slightly. As she stepped out, she saw Tuoba Yan on his horse. The moment their eyes met, the image of the corpses flashed through Ah Jiu's mind again.
The hooves clattered, their shadows stretching long in the setting sun.
They rode in silence, the atmosphere feeling awkwardly thick. Ah Jiu gripped the horse saddle tightly, unsure of what to do. She felt Tuoba Yan had changed, yet he seemed the same.
The way he had killed just now was too devilishly charming.
She sneaked a glance back. Tuoba Yan's expression was calm, his eyes clear. He didn't look like someone who had just killed.
The horse stopped outside the back door of Hualian Medical Hall.
"It's a time of chaos. Ah Jiu, if you need anything, you can ask Zhao Kun to do it. Don't keep going to Hepa Village. Qi Ming Mountain will fall soon, and the fighting will reach Liu County."
This was the first time Tuoba Yan had been so quiet on the journey; he had been wrestling with his thoughts the entire way, unsure of what to say.
Ah Jiu stood still and looked back at him. "Fall?"
"Yes, many poisoned corpses have appeared at Qi Ming Mountain. Many people died before the battle even began. So, Ah Jiu, don't go to Hepa Village anymore."
Hearing Tuoba Yan say this, Ah Jiu gasped. Her initial guess was correct.
The King of Bei Ming was attacking the King of Qi Ming. The King of Qi Ming did not engage, relying on conscripts sent to the battlefield to preserve his troops, and then turning to attack Nanming City.
He had even resorted to such a sinister tactic, not hesitating to harm the common people, thus causing the Nanming King's forces to collapse without a single soldier being deployed.
"Yes, I understand." Ah Jiu turned to leave.
"Jiu'er."