Chapter 158: Underwater
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On the canal, thick smoke billowed, and it became a sea of fire.
The miserable screams, panicked shouts of the Wutuo people, and Maka’s commands mixed together and eventually fell silent in the roar of the fire as it consumed the ship’s wood, emitting a crackling sound.
This east wind arrived late, but it came with fury. It seemed as if the wind itself knew it was tardy and desperately refused to stop. Thousands of Wutuo warships were connected by iron hooks, and the fire raged rapidly. They had no time to escape, and in the blink of an eye, they were all engulfed in the sea of fire. The few clever Wutuo people who managed to get a little farther away worked hard to cut the iron hooks connecting the ships. However, thick smoke obscured their vision, making it impossible to distinguish the direction, and with reefs all around, accidental collisions led to the capsizing of the ships.
At this moment, the small boats of the Jiyang city army unexpectedly had the advantage. These boats were agile and watertight. Even if they couldn’t clearly discern the direction, everyone from Jiyang knew their way around water. It was easy for them to navigate and escape. Even when affected by the raging fire, Jiyang’s people were skilled swimmers, diving underwater early on and swimming to the shore, most of them unharmed.
The Wutuo warriors were not so fortunate. Many had perished in this fire attack, and those who did survive were few. Even if they did manage to escape, their morale was in chaos, and their military discipline had collapsed. It seemed they would be defeated before they even had a chance to fight.
Underwater, He Yan and Xiao Jue swam toward the shore.
At the moment when they ignited the fire, Xiao Jue had already grabbed He Yan and jumped into the water. The river water, despite the spring season, was still chilly. He Yan knew how to swim, but as soon as the water reached her eyes and nose, she involuntarily became stiff.
It was as though she had been transported back to her time at the Xu family when she drowned in the pond, trapped and unable to reach the surface. Above her was the open sky, but she remained submerged below, unable to see the light.
At first, she managed to struggle and persevere, but with each passing moment, it became increasingly unbearable. Her body’s physical discomfort was something she could endure, but the fear deep in her heart, the shadow left by a past event, was not so easily forgotten.
Gradually, she lagged behind Xiao Jue.
Xiao Jue, who was in front, seemed to sense something was wrong. He noticed He Yan falling behind him and was taken aback, showing a rare expression of anguish.
He Yan had never mentioned in front of Xiao Jue whether she could swim, but it was certain that she could. Otherwise, when she had just jumped off the boat, she wouldn’t have made it here. However, looking at her now, was she afraid of water?
This was also possible. For instance, people who had been burned by fire in the past would avoid it later. People who had fallen off a horse and been injured would refuse to ride again, even if they had been skilled riders in the past. He Yan should be able to swim, but she seemed to have a fear of water, just like those people.
Just as he was thinking this, he saw He Yan’s eyes closing, and her expression wasn’t quite right.
Xiao Jue furrowed his brows slightly. She’s not even breathing? She might suffocate like this.
He turned back to He Yan, approached her, and pressed on her shoulder, trying to wake her up. However, He Yan seemed to have lost most of her senses and didn’t react to his actions.
She looked distressed, perhaps thinking of some unpleasant memories. Even underwater, tension was visible. Xiao Jue looked up, and there was still a considerable distance to the shore. At this rate, she might die.
The girl’s face was almost at arm’s length. Under the water, her long hair had already come loose, and the dirt on her face had been washed away. Her facial features looked transparent and fragile, as if she was about to disappear underwater. Xiao Jue gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, pressed her shoulder, and leaned in for a kiss.
Breath passed from their lips, and the suffocating feeling immediately lightened. He Yan felt someone was supporting her and, in her dazed state, she opened her eyes to see the handsome face of a young man up close.
Is this a dream? He Yan wondered. How could she be having such a dream at a life-or-death moment? The subject of this dream was extraordinarily handsome, but the setting was in the water, which was rather unfortunate.
She couldn’t remember anything more.
A cool sensation slowly spread across her face, and He Yan coughed up water. She abruptly sat up, and beside her was Mu Yi. Heaved a sigh of relief, he said, “Miss He, you’ve finally awakened.”
They were on the shore, and in the distance, the canal’s surface was still shrouded in thick smoke, a sea of fire. She remembered jumping into the water with Xiao Jue and took a glance back. There was no sign of Xiao Jue around her, so she asked, “Where is the Commander? Why am I here?”
“I just arrived on the shore and saw the Commander carrying you out. Miss He, you seemed to have fainted. The Commander asked me to take care of you and left on his own.” Mu Yi scratched his head. “Many Wutuo people have come ashore near here. The soldiers from Jiyang City are not enough. Miss He, please rest here, and I’ll go help.”
“No need,” He Yan replied as she pulled out a piece of fabric from the hem of her inner garment. She gathered her wet hair and tied it high. Then, she stood up and said, “I’ll go with you.”
…
In Hulou mouth, there was a fierce battle taking place.
Previously, Liu Buwang had used a formation to trap a group of Wutuo people, who had become restless after escaping the formation and were now battling Liu Buwang. It was clear that their morale had dropped. They were reckless and arrogant, and when they arrived at Hulou mouth,, they hadn’t noticed the hidden danger. Cui Yuezhi’s archers, who were lying in ambush, released their arrows and caught the Wutuo people off guard. At this moment, there weren’t many Wutuo people left, and they were engaged in a fierce battle with the five thousand Jiyang City soldiers organized by Cui Yuezhi.
“I wonder how it is on the river,” Cui Yuezhi thought to himself. Suddenly, someone approached, shouting loudly, “Commander Zhongqi, the east wind is blowing, and Commander Xiao has set the Wutuo enemy’s ships on fire. The Wutuo people are in chaos, and their army is in disarray!”
“Is it true?” Cui Yuezhi was overjoyed. “Heaven is blessing Jiyang!”
On the other side, the Wutuo people were thrown into disarray upon hearing this news. They instructed their soldiers not to believe in the enemy’s tricks to disrupt their morale. At the same time, they couldn’t help but have various thoughts. They had been arranged to go ashore first, with the main army following later. However, they had just gone ashore and encountered a white-clothed swordsman. It had taken them quite a while to break free from his entanglement, and it had already been this long. The following army should have arrived by now, but there was no movement.
One set of drums after another, it became twice as timid, three times weaker, and finally exhausted. Cui Yuezhi’s side was fighting more fiercely as they went.
“Soldiers!” Cui Yuezhi shouted, “Follow me in the battle!”
…
On the banks of the canal, Wutuo soldiers who had escaped from the sea of fire were engaged in a fierce battle with Jiyang City soldiers.
When He Yan rushed over, the sounds of swords clashing filled the air. There was no Cui Yuezhi here. The dozens of people who had set fire to the ships together were now acting independently with He Yan as their leader.
“The Wutuo soldiers no longer have a numerical advantage, at least the difference isn’t too significant now,” He Yan said. The fire had buried most of the Wutuo people, and although there were still more of them than Jiyang City soldiers, the gap wasn’t insurmountable.
“Besides, their morale must be in disarray right now. We can take this opportunity to capture them all,” He Yan tightened her grip on the whip. “Let’s go!”
Next to the ship, she immediately spotted Xiao Jue being surrounded by the Wutuo people. These were Maka’s loyal followers, and it seemed that Maka couldn’t escape from inside when the fire broke out. With their master gone, these loyal followers had nothing to lose, so they all turned their attention to Xiao Jue. If they returned they would die, but if they could kill Xiao Jue, it might make up for their failure.
The Wutuo people were densely packed and took turns charging at Xiao Jue to attack. He Yan wielded her whip and charged into the crowd, knocking down one person with a whip and kicking another aside, retreating to Xiao Jue’s side.
Xiao Jue was slightly surprised and asked, “How did you get here?”
“I naturally had to come,” He Yan said. “We agreed to advance and retreat together. I’m still counting on making achievements this time. Hopefully, the Commander will mention me to the court and grant me some official position.”
Xiao Jue chuckled, “You have lofty dreams.”
He Yan held her whip in front of her and said, “Isn’t it a waste not to dream big?” Charging into the crowd.
These Wutuo people were extremely cunning and brutal, relentlessly attacking only Xiao Jue and He Yan, as if they were determined to fight to the death. The remaining Jiyang City soldiers and the other Wutuo people were mixed together, making it impossible to approach.
He Yan was slightly annoyed as the number of Jiyang City soldiers was far too few. The Wutuo people were no longer fighting a battle; they were simply gathering to kill Xiao Jue and her.
“We need to deal with the leaders of these few people first,” she thought quietly.
She was thinking, but then she noticed that the group of Wutuo people suddenly accelerated their attack. Logically, they were here to kill, and she had made them suffer a significant loss, so ignoring her wouldn’t make sense. However, their momentum was directed solely at Xiao Jue.
What were they trying to do? He Yan became alert. She instinctively stepped back, intending to warn Xiao Jue, but as she turned around, she heard a loud explosion.
On the Jiyang City’s boat anchored by the shore, along with Xiao Jue and the Wutuo people, a massive explosion erupted, much like the fireboat in the center of the river earlier. He Yan was also blasted onto the shore. She immediately got up and looked into the distance. Her mind buzzed, and she shouted, “Xiao Jue!”
Debris from the boat was scattered everywhere, and the water roiled violently. Someone reached out to pull her back, it was Mu Yi, and he said, “This is a firearm! I heard people talk about it before. Some of the Wutuo people’s craftsmen can make firearms, but they’re extremely rare. I didn’t expect them to carry one with them… they must have come for Commander Xiao!”
He Yan had heard of firearms before, but making them was difficult, and they were costly. Even if they made ten, there was no guarantee they would work. The Jiyang City’s military budget was limited, which is why they gave up on them in the end. The Wutuo people’s firearms were probably not abundant either, or they would have used them right from the start. They must have been counting on the idea that with Maka gone, they must drag Xiao Jue down with them.
“This is infuriating,” she gritted her teeth, turning to run in the direction where the boat exploded.
“Miss He!” Mu Yi held her back, urgently saying, “There are still scattered firearm fragments around, and they might explode again. It’s too dangerous for you to go there now.”
He Yan shrugged off his hand. Mu Yi was about to try to persuade her again when he saw the determined look in her eyes and suddenly released her hand.
He Yan turned and ran into the water.
More and more Wutuo people surrounded her, blocking her way. She snapped her whip and, with a cold sneer, leaped into the air, swiftly grabbing two long blades from the hands of two Wutuo people. With a blade in each hand, she attacked without hesitation, and the enemies fell under her swift strikes.
Her hands and feet were bound, preventing her from using a sword, but she could at least wield blades. What difference did it make? If only she had been a little faster… just a little faster… He Yan’s heart suddenly choked up.
There was nothing on the water’s surface, only boat debris floating around. She couldn’t see Xiao Jue. That person—the one who had pulled her out of a desperate situation, remembered her birthday, made her longevity noodles, took her to see fireflies, teased her but indulged her in the spring—how could he disappear here?
She had to get to the water’s surface quickly and find Xiao Jue. Lin Shuanghe was still in Jiyang, and if she could find Xiao Jue soon, maybe there was still hope. There weren’t many people in the world who treated her well, and this one person, who treated her the best, absolutely couldn’t die.
The Wutuo people were getting in her way, but He Yan’s eyes were fierce, her long blades danced, leaving onlookers dazzled. She kept moving forward, desperately rushing towards the place where the explosion had just occurred.
Mu Yi watched the girl’s figure and felt as if there was nothing in the world that could obstruct her progress. She reached out with agility, sharp as a knife, and he didn’t know a woman could be like this.
The Wutuo people charged at her, only to be repelled one by one by He Yan. She continued to advance, leaving a trail of Wutuo soldiers’ corpses behind her, finally reaching the water’s edge.
“Xiao Jue—” she called out.
No one answered.
“Xiao Jue—”
He Yan bent down, trying to retrieve something from the water’s surface. But when she raised her hand from the water, all that remained was the flowing water slipping through her fingers, with nothing else left.
Empty-handed.
She felt lost, so lost that she couldn’t discern the source of her overwhelming sadness. It felt like the day she suddenly went blind or the day she was held underwater by He Wanru, about to lose something very important, that kind of sadness.
“Xiao Jue…” she muttered.
Just then, a voice came from behind her, “What are you shouting for?”
She suddenly turned around and saw a young man in black armor walking towards her with a hint of mocking in his cool, autumn-like eyes.
The shallow waters by the shore were littered with the Wutuo people she had just ruthlessly slain. The bodies laid to the side, a testament to her expert and brutal swordplay.
The young man raised an eyebrow, and his gaze fell on the blood-stained long blade in her hand. After a moment, he looked at her with a smirk, “You’re quite fierce, aren’t you?”
In the next moment, the girl suddenly rushed into his arms, her hands tightly gripping his waist, burying her face in his chest.
The soldiers of Jiyang City on the shore stood still.
Xiao Jue’s body stiffened, his eyes slightly annoyed, “You…”
In the next moment, he closed his mouth, feeling the body in his arms trembling violently. She had just jumped into the water earlier, almost suffocating herself, her inner clothes were soaked, and the armor was heavy. When draped over the girl, it felt exceptionally cold, making her appear incredibly fragile.
Xiao Jue endured it for a while but couldn’t help himself anymore. He forcibly pulled her face out of his chest.
“What are you doing? I’m not dead yet,” he sneered.
He Yan stared at him blankly. This person was standing right in front of her, alive and real.
Tears suddenly streamed down her face.
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He Yan, I love you.