92 The Gathering of the Sword Across the Sky

來，也就是說…墨景祈暗中至少藏有數十萬大軍！”Feng Zhiyao said, "Although all the troops of Mo Family Army are under His Highness's control now. However, with Xiling and Nan Zhao as well as Li Prince causing trouble simulta...92. Saber Drawn, Gathering

92. Saber Drawn, Gathering

In contrast to the slow progress of recent days, the rebels had become noticeably impatient. They began their assault before dawn and as daylight grew brighter, their attacks became increasingly fierce. Believing that if there were more space outside Yonglin City for troops, Mo Jinglei would surely have mobilized over a hundred thousand soldiers to besiege this small city.

Using two thousand Black Cloud Cavalry to defend the city was not significantly different from using two thousand border defense commanders. By midday, the remaining defending forces in Yonglin City were already exhausted. The gate, under continuous pounding by the rebel army, began to waver.

"Your... Xu公子, we can't hold out much longer! You should leave first!" Xia Shu, dragging a bloody and weary body, stood before Ye Li. "And also Black Cloud Cavalry brothers, defending the city is our responsibility. We owe you for helping us defend this long."

"Leave" Ye Li raised an eyebrow. "Where can we go now There are over a hundred thousand soldiers outside the city.

The two thousand ironclad Black Cloud Cavalry haven't suffered any losses, being trapped inside the city is like a dragon in shallow waters. Once we leave the city, we will definitely break through and kill our way out," Xia Shu said. Ye Li pointed to the people behind him and asked: "Ask them if they want to leave" Behind Ye Li stood Qin Feng, the Black Cloud Cavalry commander, dressed in solemn battle attire, and Dark Two and Dark Three. Qin Feng sternly said, "The Black Cloud Cavalry exists solely to defend Chu Kingdom. If we abandon the city and our fellow defenders, we will only beg for forgiveness before them." Dark Three looked at Xia Shu with a grin: "We are dark guards; wherever our lord is, that's where we are." Xia Shu stared at the people in front of him and felt a sharp pain in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, “Not worth it!” Sacrificing two thousand Black Cloud Cavalry to bury one Princess Consort of Ding Kingdom with Yonglin City… Such a cost...

Dark Three patted Xia Shu's shoulder and smiled: "If Yonglin City really falls, we will fight to the death to escort you out. If突圍is possible, we’ll do it; if not, so be it. What’s the point of abandoning the city now It would have been better to abandon it days ago without so many deaths"

Xia Shu was stunned for a moment and waved Dark Three's hand away before turning around: "Do as you please!"

Dark Three shrugged helplessly and said to the people behind him, "He seems shy" Dark Two sighed at his impulsive younger brother. They were in battle now!

Seeing the gate beginning to crack under heavy blows, Ye Li sighed reluctantly. The reinforcements would not arrive in time, "Black Cloud Cavalry, prepare!"

"Yes!" On the city wall, there were only a few remaining defenders, while two thousand Black Cloud Cavalry below had prepared for battle, ready like an arrow at full draw to be released at any moment. Ye Li turned back and nodded at Xia Shu and Yun Ting on the city wall, then waved his hand, causing the gate to collapse with a tremendous crash. The black iron horses charged out like a hurricane before the rebel army could react, leaving a trail of blood.

"Your Highness, they're here! Black Cloud Cavalry!" Mo Jinglei watched from behind his troops, high on horseback, staring intently at the battlefield. He did not need anyone to tell him he saw those agile black figures.

"Truly worthy of being called the Black Cloud Cavalry... " The officers beside him could not help sighing; with such a force, what couldn't they conquer Even now that they were enemies, their admiration for this elite unit was unmistakable.

Mo Jinglei sneered: "Finally出來了." He waved his hand and two fresh troops rushed into the battlefield. "They say the Black Cloud Cavalry are good at swift attacks; see how you deal with these many!" With the arrival of these two forces, Yonglin City's already cramped space became even more crowded; warhorses could hardly maneuver. The Black Cloud Cavalry clearly understood this, quickly dismounting to blend into the melee. While it was impossible for two thousand men to stop tens of thousands, the entrance to the city gate wasn't wide enough for everyone to charge in at once. Thus, temporarily, both sides were locked in a stalemate outside the gates. Even if a few rebels broke through, they were quickly eliminated by the defenders.

"Who's that person" Mo Jinglei suddenly pointed to a small figure among the chaos and asked. Dressed like all Black Cloud Cavalry with black cloud patterns, but his movements differed sharply from theirs. Where their movements were agile and fierce, his were simple yet brutal; no techniques visible, yet soldiers fell at every move. Whether ordinary soldiers or commanding officers, they seemed equally helpless against him.

"That is..." everyone was silent, none knew who he was. Apart from being shorter and more nimble, there was nothing distinguishing about him compared to other Black Cloud Cavalry. Staring at that sharp figure among the chaos, Mo Jinglei's dark eyes narrowed; something familiar made his heart flutter. After a long time, he gritted his teeth and spat out a name: "Ye Li!" His military advisor was taken aback, quickly looking towards the chaos: "Your Highness says that’s Princess Consort Ding" Mo Jinglei ignored him, pointing with his whip: "Capture that person alive; I'll reward ten thousand taels of gold."

"Yes!"

Though Black Cloud Cavalry halted rebels at the gate, the city wall could no longer effectively defend. Many rebels had climbed up and were fighting fiercely on top. Ye Li felt obvious pressure below. He swept aside a rebel with one sword stroke and turned to pierce another attacker’s throat from behind. Dark Two and Dark Three came closer; Dark Two whispered: "Master, it's time to retreat." Dark Three swung his sword while saying: "Did Mo Jinglei discover the Princess Consort Why do I feel these people aren't ordinary soldiers" Around them, these individuals had obvious martial arts skills, much harder to deal with than regular troops.

Ye Lüe was helpless, but the fall of Yonglin City was inevitable. At this moment, it would be meaningless for the Black Cloud Cavalry to sacrifice themselves. They must have delayed at the city gate for more than an hour, and by now, Suixue Pass should have received the news. "All members of the Black Cloud Cavalry withdraw from the battlefield!"

"Yes." Qin Feng loudly ordered, "The first, second, and third squads will cover our retreat, and everyone else must leave."

“Want to run” Mo Jingli naturally saw what was happening on the battlefield from a distance. The Black Cloud Cavalry were adept at pursuit, ambush, and escape. With Yonglin's complex terrain, once they escaped the battlefield, it would be difficult to catch them. However, the Black Cloud Cavalry had not initially charged into the center of the chaotic army; they merely blocked the city gate to prevent the rebels from advancing. Upon receiving orders, they immediately retreated in different directions, and Divine Archers left behind to cover their retreat made it impossible for the rebels, no matter how unwilling, to catch them. Mo Jingli coldly哼了一聲，轉身抽出馬背上的弓箭，搭上箭矢，瞄準了混亂中嬌小的身影。

Amidst the chaos, Ye Lüe clearly sensed a dangerous aura approaching. When she turned around and looked into the distance, all she saw were Mo Jingli's malevolent eyes and an arrow piercing through the air towards her. Under normal circumstances, Ye Lüe wouldn't be worried about dodging this arrow, but now she was being held back by several rebels who made it impossible for her to avoid it. Dark Three shouted out in alarm, immediately rushing forward. Ye Lüe cursed inwardly as she grabbed a rebel's saber and threw him towards Dark Three. As she twisted and tossed the rebel aside, an intense pain shot through her left arm while an arrow was already dangerously close behind her.

“Sir!”

"Whooosh!" A dazzling golden-feathered arrow pierced through the air, hitting Mo Jingli's arrow three feet from Ye Lüe and causing it to fall to the ground. However, the golden-feathered arrow continued unaffected, passing through one rebel's body before piercing another in his chest. The man stared at the feathered arrow half-buried in his chest with disbelief, unable to comprehend how a fellow rebel could have shot an arrow into him from behind.

Ye Lüe was momentarily stunned by this miraculous shot but quickly recovered and kicked away what seemed like a sneak attack.

"Heavens..." Dark Two and Dark Three couldn't help sighing in relief; when Dark Three rushed forward, he had been blocked by the rebel thrown by Ye Lüe. They thought for sure that the arrow would hit the Princess Consort. At this moment, they were drenched with cold sweat as they hurriedly moved closer to Ye Lüe.

“Golden-feathered arrows It must be His Highness!” The Black Cloud Cavalry who had been left behind covering their retreat couldn't help exclaiming when they saw the golden arrow shaft sticking out of a fallen man's body.

From afar, Mo Jingli was frustrated by his failed shot. He prepared to shoot again but suddenly felt an earth-shaking tremor and thunderous hoofbeats approaching. "Old tricks," he sneered, "do you want to try them again"

"No… no, it's the Prince!" His advisor paled as he pointed towards a cloud of dust in which black iron cavalry, like dark clouds, were advancing with sharp whistles and golden flames streaking into the sky. The Black Cloud Cavalry who had been retreating from the battlefield turned back upon seeing the golden fire signals.

The surrounding hills suddenly filled with figures clad in black armor, the foremost of whom was a man riding a white horse with a silver spear, wearing a flowing white robe that seemed to move like clouds. A silver mask partially covered his face, but his eyebrows were sharply arched and his features perfectly handsome. His originally gentle eyes now radiated an intimidating sharpness that briefly swept over Ye Lüe.

Ye Lüe's heart trembled slightly as she moved her body.

The white-robed man urged his horse forward with a tug of the reins, leaping down from the hill and charging into the chaos. He went unopposed everywhere he went, shouting orders in a low voice: "Black Cloud Cavalry! Anyone who rebels against the kingdom will be executed without mercy!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" The entire battlefield echoed with these words.

In an instant, everything seemed to freeze. Everyone was transfixed by the white-robed figure amidst the chaos and forgot that they were in the midst of battle. A name rose unbidden in their minds...

“Mo Xiuyao... How is this possible!" Mo Jingli glared ferociously at the scene, eyes full of incredulous disbelief. "Beat the drum and attack!"

Dong-dong-dong!

The heavy sound of battle drums echoed through everyone's hearts as the rebels hesitantly advanced towards the white-robed man. The one they faced was... the invincible war god of Great Chu! Mo Xiuyao arched an eyebrow, looking disdainful. His silver spear slashed out a stunning arc, leaving behind splashes of blood. From atop the hills came countless arrows, interweaving into a dazzling web of fire. The Black Cloud Cavalry were renowned for their archery prowess; under such a rain of arrows, the rebels had neither courage nor capability to retaliate effectively. With an army nearly a hundred thousand strong appearing behind them, the rebel forces began to show signs of retreat.

As soon as Mo Xiuyao appeared, Ye Lüe retreated into Yonglin City. After clearing out the rebels who had just breached the city walls along with the Black Cloud Cavalry, she watched from atop the city wall. Everyone's gaze was drawn irresistibly to the white-robed man. With his silver spear and agile movements like a dragon in flight, wherever he went, the rebels scattered. They dared not engage him in battle. Ye Lüe had heard Xu Qingchen comment that young Mo Xiuyao was dazzlingly bright as fire while after a great transformation, he was like water—serene yet harboring unsettling currents beneath the surface. Now, Mo Xiuyao was like an incomparable sword, forged through countless trials and tempered over a thousand years, its blade refined but still captivating.

“D-Duke Ding" Yun Ting leaned against the wall, too weak to wipe away the blood on his face as he gazed in awe at the figure below.

Summer stood beside him, looking relieved. "Obviously."

"So… so we're waiting for reinforcements We are defending the city of Yonglin" Yun霆's voice sounded somewhat ethereal, as if he couldn't distinguish between a dream and reality.

Ansan laughed softly and patted his shoulder to comfort him: "Congratulations, Captain Yun. You’re going to get promoted." Yun霆 ignored him, blinking and staring longingly at Ye Li on the side. Unfortunately, Ye Li was too busy watching below the city walls to pay any attention.

This battle didn't last very long; within half an hour, the rebels began retreating eastward. Watching the tide of retreating rebels, Yun霆 was speechless: "This… what does this mean" Did these rebel forces only target weak targets When so many people barely engaged with the Black Cloud Cavalry before fleeing, what did their recent bloody battles mean Ansan smiled: "Captain Yun, don't be sad. Even if our prince were alone standing there, those guys wouldn’t dare overstep. This is called 'intimidating power'. Others can’t learn this."

"When will I have such intimidating power" Yun霆 murmured.

Ansan consoled him insincerely: "Take your time; if you had killed twenty officers and defeated 300,000 enemies at fifteen or sixteen, then now you would certainly possess this intimidating power."

Ye Li was too lazy to listen to their nonsense and turned to leave the city wall. She was held back by a sudden return of Mu Ting who grabbed her arm. Ye Li frowned: "Mu Ting, why are you back" Mu Ting snorted and glanced at the city walls before laughing, "Prince Ding led reinforcements here; if I didn't come back, I’d be an idiot. No… it's because you took me away! I never left!" Ye Li waved off her concerns with a wave of her hand: "We'll talk about this later; I need to go down."

"Ouch…" Mu Ting hurriedly held onto her and shouted as they ran down the stairs, "Are you really a woman That’s Prince Ding below… your husband! Can't you change into proper clothes before greeting him Look at yourself now. If Tian Xiang and Zheng Er were here, they'd kill me for sure." Ye Li couldn’t help but feel frustrated; Mu Ting was indeed a girl despite her bold nature, having the time to think about such issues in this situation. "Mu Ting, we're still on a battlefield."

"What’s wrong with that The battle is over, and even if the rebels return, Prince Ding has arrived. You aren't necessary anyway. Follow me!" Without caring for Ye Li's stiff expression, Mu Ting dragged her towards a landing point outside the city walls.

Mu Ting was indeed adept at battlefield medical work; Ye Li couldn’t help but admire her efficiency as she saw all the clothes and accessories laid out neatly in front of her. In less than half an hour, she had returned from the road to Suixue Pass, found these hard-to-find items in Yonglin City, and managed to intercept Ye Li before the battle ended. Truly well-trained.

"Hurry up, hurry up; we need to go greet Prince Ding," Mu Ting grabbed a dress from the table and pushed it into Ye Li's hands while she arranged the accessories herself. Finding good things in Yonglin City was hard enough, especially with no merchants open during its defense. She had scoured many places for these items. Ye Li held the clothes helplessly; if she didn’t move soon, Mu Ting might tear her clothes off and change them herself.

The battlefields outside were quiet, leaving some to clean up while Feng Zhiyao led the Mo Family Army into the city to take over its defenses. As Mo Xiuyao entered the city on horseback, the remaining soldiers of Yonglin City welcomed him in a line. However, Mo Xiuyao didn’t see the figure he was looking for. Feng Zhiyao rode beside him, curiously asking: "Where is the princess" Just now, he had clearly seen the Princess of Prince Ding wield her sword against the chaos with deadly efficiency, perfectly matching Mo Xiuyao’s prowess on the battlefield. From then on, Feng Zhiyao reminded himself not to provoke the princess ever again; a woman who could do such things was terrifying.

"Um… I know where the princess is," Feng Zhiyao pointed at the road ahead.

Mo Xiuyao followed his gaze and saw two figures: a tall red-robed girl dragging an indigo-clad woman towards them. Mo Xiuyao’s eyes locked onto the delicate, refined woman in indigo. She now wore a soft smile as she walked gracefully with wide sleeves fluttering behind her. Her dark hair was loosely tied up, adorned with a pearl and tassel pin. Quietly elegant like an upper-class maiden.

Ye Li clearly saw Mo Xiuyao too; she paused for a moment, then stopped walking. Mo Xiuyao rode forward, his white horse happily running towards Ye Li under his guidance, nudging her with its head.

"Yingli…" Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly and extended his hand to her. Ye Li raised her hand to hold onto the offered one; after a moment of shaking, she was pulled up onto the horse’s back in front of Mo Xiuyao. Then, the white horse galloped off at breakneck speed, leaving behind a stunned red-robed girl muttering softly: "Rude… I didn't even get to touch the horse."

Far away on his horse, Feng Zhiyao watched the listless soldiers and curious Black Cloud Cavalry dismount. Alright, serving as an official’s subordinate was about handling things when their lord was busy.

The two rode through Yonglin City and out of it, galloping continuously. The horses were indeed swift; soon Suixue Pass came into sight. Ye Li lowered her head to see the slightly painful arm around her waist and whispered: "Mo… Xiuyao, where are we going" Mo Xiuyao looked at her, then finally slowed down his horse and dismounted. Ye Li raised an eyebrow, ready to follow him off but was instead met with open arms from Mo Xiuyao, who said simply, "Down." Seeing his insistence, she let him lift her off the horse. Nestled in the slightly cool embrace, Ye Li felt a sense of ease and release; the strange warmth on her face made her feel awkward.

Lifting her head, she met with the refreshing scent of the gentle man before her; Ye Li widened her eyes in surprise. His kiss was like a sudden storm, sweeping over her as she stood stunned. Her small body was tightly embraced by him; his cool fingers gently lifted her surprised face, and his warm lips lingered on her rosy, soft ones. Mo Xiuyao’s kiss wasn't gentle but rather somewhat rough, driven by some unknown anger which forced open Ye Li's mouth, making her part her teeth to dance with his tongue.

"Ugh…" Ye Li frowned slightly and tried to resist; the arm around her waist tightened its hold, while one hand softly massaged her hair behind her head, forcing deeper connection. Ye Li helplessly tugged at Mo Xiuyao’s clothes: "Xiuyao…"

When they parted, both of them were slightly out of breath. Mo Xiuyao lowered his head and pressed his forehead against Ye Li's smooth one, saying in a low voice, "Ah Li, you scared me."

No one could know the shock and fear he felt when he arrived outside Yonglin City and saw what happened. Not even he himself knew what was going on in his mind at that moment; all he did was instinctively release an arrow.

When he saw that one arrow piercing through two people, leaving behind a trail of beautiful blood splatters, the sudden surge of brutality in his heart didn't subside at all. If not for his incredible self-control, the second arrow would have targeted Mo Xiuyao. And if he hadn't stopped that arrow… If he hadn't stopped it, none of the rebels present today would be alive!

"Ah Li..."

Ye Li's face was flushed red for the first time in her life; she didn't know where to put herself. She… She actually kissed a man on the roadside where people could come and go...

But when she heard Mo Xiuyao's sigh-like Ah Li, all her struggles and rejections turned into nothingness.

"Mo Xiuyao, it's great to see you again," Ye Li sighed softly. Mo Xiuyao lowered his head; the depths of his eyes were filled with warmth and tenderness. His slightly warm lips touched her rosy red ones once more, this time extremely gentle and lingering, "Ah Li… I miss you so much, you shouldn't have come to the Southern Borderland alone."

Ye Li smiled faintly without a word; she didn't intend to tell him that after being apart for such a long time, she also had some... Well, not just a little, but more of a strong longing.

The obedient white horse was nowhere to be found. Where they were standing was only a few miles away from the Broken Snow Pass; the magnificent pass was clearly visible. However, Mo Xiuyao didn't plan on returning to Yonglin City right away or meeting with Murong Shen. Instead, he pulled Ye Li over to sit down for some rest near a nearby slope.

Ye Li sat down against Mo Xiuyao, relaxing her tense body after days of stress; she couldn't help but sigh comfortably. But as soon as she looked up, she saw Mo Xiuyao's slightly furrowed brows, "What’s wrong Do you feel unwell or are you hurt somewhere"

Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said, "I've been traveling day after day; I'm a bit tired. Speaking of injuries…" He lifted her left arm and pulled up the wide sleeves to reveal long scars on her arm, furrowing his brows, "Why didn’t you bandage it"

Ye Li hadn't expected Mo Xiuyao to see that she was injured; she shook her head with a smile, "It's just a scrape; it has already stopped bleeding. It heals faster this way."

"Nonsense." Mo Xiuyao scolded softly and took out several small medicine bottles he carried on him. He used one of them to clean the wound with clear liquid before carefully sprinkling some powder over it. Then, from his pocket, he took a white handkerchief to wrap her arm perfectly. Ye Li admired the flawless bandage on Mo Xiuyao’s arm and smiled, "Really, there's nothing wrong; two days is enough."

Mo Xiuyao pulled her into his arms with one hand, rubbing her smooth hair while saying in a low voice, "In the future, you're not allowed to get hurt. Otherwise, you won't be going anywhere!" Ye Li didn’t say anything, surprised that he couldn't promise such things. Accidents happen all the time; she couldn't guarantee it herself either.

"I'll try my best," she replied. "You also got injured when you went to battle."

Mo Xiuyao shook his head helplessly, "I'm not discriminating against women and even if I did, I wouldn't discriminate against you." His Ah Li was so strong-willed that all the men in the world would have committed suicide if she were being treated unfairly.

"Then are you saying I’m not a woman"

Mo Xiuyao looked at her with a smile, "Are you angry or just acting spoiled" Ye Li was stunned; staring at Mo Xiuyao's gentle smile, she couldn't help but want to bite him or hit herself. She actually acted so unreasonable towards Mo Xiuyao Even more childish than Murong! Murong definitely wouldn’t ask such a silly question!

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly and pulled her back into his arms before she got angry, "Stay with me for a while; I'm quite tired."

Ye Li moved slightly but quickly settled down. Mo Xiuyao wasn't in good health, so it was impossible for him to miraculously recover this quickly. Although he tried to hide it, Ye Li noticed the fatigue and pallor around his eyes. Snuggling tightly against him, Ye Li thought about something as she gradually fell asleep...

———

Ha ha… They reunited with a passionate kiss. To be honest, I spent two hours writing the previous 5000 words; for the next 2000 words, no, to be precise, the kiss scene of about 800 words took me an entire class hour... Of course, most of that time was spent daydreaming...nt by Lv Songxian afterwards.Moxuyao said: "Although the Xi Ling imperial city’s history is not as long as Biancheng, its defensive capabilities are far superior. Furthermore... my last great general,...