Chapter 134: The Cunning Rebels (2)

Gu Yun twisted her wrist and gripped the Ice Refinement, thrusting it toward the man. A flash of cold light flickered, and the man leaped high, vaulting over Gu Yun's head. The long whip in his hand seemed to possess a life of its own, retracting swiftly and coiling around Gu Yun's sword-free hand from behind.

Gu Yun turned back; the two were very close, and she took the opportunity to get a clear look at the man before her. He wore a vibrant blue long robe, and his black hair was not tied in a bun or held by a crown like most men, but braided into a single long plait hanging down his back. Fine strands of hair across his forehead almost completely obscured his eyes, making it impossible to see his gaze or guess his thoughts. It was the first time she had seen a man wear such a vivid color; in the night, he appeared incredibly striking and unique.

While she was secretly marveling, her left arm suddenly tightened as the whip dug deep into her flesh. Gu Yun let out a muffled grunt. The Ice Refinement in her hand seemed to sense her pain; the blade vibrated slightly, and a cold light flashed across its edge. Gu Yun instantly felt a tremendous power contained within the coldness of the weapon, one she could barely control.

Enduring the pain, Gu Yun grabbed the whip with her left hand and pulled hard, while her right hand, gripping the Ice Refinement, thrust straight toward the man's face.

A sharp sword Qi, carrying a bone-chilling cold, bore down on his face. The man was so startled he had no choice but to retract the whip coiled around Gu Yun's left hand to defend himself. When the whip met the blade, the weapon—woven from gold thread and black iron—actually snapped against the edge! Fortunately, the obstruction of the whip slowed the cold sword, giving the man the chance to leap backward and dodge the attack.

The man was horrified. He had not expected this woman, who looked so small and frail, to be so formidable. The sword in her hand was an unknown weapon, extremely sharp and radiating a piercing chill.

Although he had dodged the strike, the man knew he was no match for Gu Yun—or rather, no match for that sword. He put away his whip and bolted toward the deeper, denser forest.

"Thinking of running? Not that easy!" Gu Yun pursued him closely. Unfortunately, the man's lightness skill was excellent. While Gu Yun had great stamina and agile, swift movements, she lacked any actual lightness skill, and gradually, the distance between them widened. The man stepped onto a dirt slope and leaped down. Gu Yun chased after him, but she hadn't expected that the other side of the slope, which looked only slightly inclined, had such a steep drop. She nearly twisted her ankle. Because of this momentary hesitation, the man had vanished. From afar, only a single arrogant sentence remained: "If you want to save him, let Su Ling enter the forest himself. If he dares not come, collect the corpse at Crow Valley in three days."

She wanted to pursue further, but a suppressed, painful low groan suddenly came from the south. That was... Ge Jingyun's voice!

"Damn it!" Gu Yun cursed under her breath. The rebels' goal was to use Han Shu to lure out Su Ling; he shouldn't be in immediate danger of death. Gu Yun changed direction and ran toward the sound.

Only when Gu Yun's footsteps had faded into the distance did the man, hiding behind a mountain rock, dare to breathe heavily. He glanced at the long whip that had followed him for years, now snapped in two. A dark, gloomy cold light flashed in his eyes; this woman would be a major rival to their leader!

Not long after, Gu Yun saw Ge Jingyun lying on the ground. A heavy scent of blood permeated the air; he was injured! Helping him up, Gu Yun asked urgently, "Ge Jingyun, how are you all?" The dampness on his chest made Gu Yun's heart skip a beat. Was the wound on his chest?

After a few ragged breaths, Ge Jingyun replied with some difficulty, "I... I'm fine." Judging by his voice, his mind was still clear, but the warm liquid constantly surging from his hand still left Gu Yun deeply worried.

The light around them was too dim for Gu Yun to even see where the wound was. Deftly tearing off the hem of her already short garment, Gu Yun asked, "Where is the wound?"

The sound of the fabric tearing was jarring in the night, yet Ge Jingyun felt a warmth in his heart. After a long pause, he replied in a low voice, "Right shoulder."

Gu Yun breathed a secret sigh of relief; at least it was the shoulder. She fumbled to help him bandage it, but unexpectedly touched a small piece of metal still protruding from his body. What kind of weapon was this?

Gu Yun's careless touch made Ge Jingyun break into a cold sweat from the pain. Gu Yun dared not touch it again and simply tied the cloth strip above the wound.

Just as she finished bandaging Ge Jingyun, Gu Yun sensed a dark shadow approaching them. Gripping the Ice Refinement, Gu Yun stood ready. The person drew closer; judging by the figure, it should be Leng Xiao.

"Leng Xiao?" Gu Yun called out softly to confirm.

The person replied while running over, "Chief, I let them get away. I was afraid that if I chased too far, I wouldn't be able to find Ge Jingyun when I returned, so I didn't dare pursue further!"

Gu Yun breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You did the right thing. Help me support him; let's leave here first."

The two supported Ge Jingyun and walked toward the edge of the woods. Although they had applied a simple bandage, Ge Jingyun's blood was still flowing steadily. Gu Yun secretly speculated whether the weapon the opponent used was the short arrow she had knocked down earlier. To be able to hit a target in such dim light—this person's archery skills had reached a supernatural level.

After walking for a short while, a group of men approached, holding torches and searching along the way. Gu Yun looked up and saw that the leader was Yu Shijun, a deputy general under Su Ren. Gu Yun called out urgently and clearly, "We are here."

Hearing the voice, Yu Shijun immediately rushed over. Seeing the three of them looking quite disheveled, he asked urgently, "Madam, are you alright?"

Gu Yun shook her head and replied, "I am fine."

Seeing only the three of them, Yu Shijun asked, "Where is Vanguard Han?"

Gu Yun did not answer, saying in a deep voice, "Someone is injured. Let's return to the camp first."

With torches for light and the help of other soldiers, they quickly exited the forest. Seeing them from afar, Su Ren asked urgently, "Sister-in-law, are you alright?"

Gu Yun shook her head and replied, "Ge Jingyun is injured. Where is the military physician?" He had already fallen unconscious from excessive blood loss; if he wasn't treated soon, he might lose his life.

"This subordinate is here." A man around forty years old stepped forward. He examined Ge Jingyun's wound, his expression instantly darkening. He urged, "Quickly, help him into the tent."

Ge Jingyun was carried into the tent, and Gu Yun finally felt her heart settle. Only then did she feel a burning pain in her left hand. Gently stroking her left arm, Gu Yun frowned. She had thought it was just a rope burn, but she hadn't expected it to actually be bleeding!

Su Ren, however, keenly noticed the spots of blood on her left arm. "Sister-in-law, are you injured too?"

Gu Yun nodded lightly and replied, "My injury is not serious. Let's go inside and talk."

Entering the main camp, an older military physician walked to Gu Yun's side holding a medicine box. Gu Yun did not act coy and extended her left arm. The physician used scissors to gently cut open her sleeve. When her slender arm was exposed, the three circles of red, swollen wounds that were still seeping blood made the men present frown. However, staring at a woman's arm was improper; Su Ren and Lou Muhai turned their heads away, while Yu Shijun hurriedly turned his back.

Although such an injury could not be considered serious, it was extremely painful. The old military physician held the medicine and said cautiously, "Madam, I must apply medicine and bandage it now. Please bear with it."

Gu Yun smiled slightly, nodded, and replied, "Please, go ahead and treat it."

As the medicine powder was gently sprinkled onto the wound, a piercing pain surged from her arm. Gu Yun couldn't help but let out a low groan, "Ugh—"

The old military physician paused, not daring to move rashly. "This medicine is very effective, but... it will be very painful." Gu Yun took a few deep breaths and said calmly to the old physician, "I'm fine, continue."

Her forehead was already covered in cold sweat, yet she didn't groan again. The old military physician carefully bandaged the wound and said softly, "Madam, this wound needs to be re-dressed once a day, and it will heal in half a month. Rest assured, I will try my best to ensure you are not left with any scars."

Gu Yun laughed, "Thank you, as long as it heals." As for whether there would be scars, she didn't care, but the old military physician secretly made up his mind: such a fine young woman, he would do everything in his power to ensure not a single scar remained!

Gu Yun naturally did not know the old military physician's thoughts. Slowly withdrawing her arm, she replied with a heavy expression, "Han Shu was captured by the rebels. They demand that Su Ling enter the forest himself to retrieve him. Three days—if they don't see Su Ling in three days, they will have to collect Han Shu's corpse at Crow Valley."

Hearing her words, Lou Muhai turned back and said urgently, "No! Not to mention that General Su Ling hasn't arrived yet, even if he had, we must never let the General take such a risk! That forest is the place they are most familiar with; it is most advantageous to them. If the General enters, it will be more ominous than auspicious!"

Su Ren's hands also loosened and tightened. It seemed he had still underestimated those rebels. Before they had even entered the territory of Pei City, the other side had already struck first. This opponent was definitely not just some petty thieves!

Yu Shijun still dared not turn around. With his back to Gu Yun and Su Ren, he said, "Commander, in this subordinate's view, since they fired arrows at the Commander today, it shows they do not know who General Su Ling is. Since that is the case, let me wear the General's robe and lead five thousand elite soldiers into the forest to investigate."

Su Ren was still hesitating, but Gu Yun coldly rejected the idea. "I advise you not to act rashly. When I went to chase Han Shu today, I encountered an expert who is skilled with a long whip. Judging by the wound Ge Jingyun sustained, there must be another person skilled with short arrows. If I am not mistaken, they should be Wuji and Yan Ge, whom Lou Lao Jiangjun mentioned. It goes without saying that those two have extremely high martial arts skills, and they are also very proficient in night combat and jungle terrain. If they are only subordinates, I think we are in big trouble this time."

The room fell into a momentary silence. At this moment, the tent curtain was slowly lifted by a fair hand, and a man's voice, sounding half-smiling, drifted in, "Who is in big trouble?"

Entering was a beautiful man dressed in a crimson robe. Gu Yun secretly found it amusing. What was going on tonight? She had originally thought the blue-clad man in the forest was enchanting enough, but she hadn't expected one to be even more so. The man before her was truly, genuinely alluring. Fortunately, although he wore a red robe, it didn't make him look feminine; instead, there was a hint of evil aura about him.

An interesting man. Gu Yun's slightly raised lips dropped to their lowest point when she saw the cold, arrogant figure entering behind the man.

"General Su!"

"Big Brother?"

The person who entered behind was none other than Su Ling.

Lou Muhai hurriedly cupped his hands and greeted him, laughing, "General Su is here, this is truly wonderful!" Su Ling had traversed the battlefield for many years, and his strategy and courage were naturally superior. With him here, he could at least intimidate those rebellious subjects.

Su Ling also cupped his hands slightly and replied, "Lou Lao Jiangjun."

Mu Yi had no interest in their polite exchanges. His phoenix eyes shifted slightly, and he actually discovered a woman in black in the camp. Although he only saw a profile, he could already tell she was a beauty as vibrant as a flower.

He had seen countless beauties, and not every beautiful woman could pique his interest. However, this woman made him curious. Mu Yi stepped forward and laughed, "I didn't expect there to be a beauty in the army. Ling, you are quite lucky!"

This man was dressed in red, holding a jade flute, and exuded an evil aura. Gu Yun rolled her eyes; she didn't care for men who pretended to be humorous. She stood up and walked into the inner chamber, sitting down on a random chair, not noticing that the chair... was the main seat of the camp.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 135 =====