I Outworked the Entire Cultivation World

Chapter 48: Chapter 39: Nightmare

”Lin Jingyue, why did you deceive me!”

The chilling voice held endless resentment, echoing throughout the heavens and earth, icy cold to the bone.

Jiang Yuebai shivered suddenly, seeing the setting sun like blood, corpses strewn across the field, tattered flags flapping in the wind, ashes fluttering in the air.

Even though she had seen lands full of starving bodies, her heart still quaked with fear, only because of the mutilated corpses and entrails spilled everywhere.

Her stomach churning, Jiang Yuebai bent over holding onto a broken axle to vomit, seeing two charred, blood-stained flags.

The Yun Country totem, emblazoned with the character Lin.

The Cang Country emblem, emblazoned with the character Night.

Jiang Yuebai stood up, her gaze trembling; this was the battlefield of Cang Country and Yun Country, but why was she here?

Everywhere she looked were the corpses of soldiers from both countries, and not far away, a mountain of corpses, a blood-stained spear stood unyieldingly, a green palace lantern hanging upon it, swaying in the cold wind.

Lonely, desolate.

”Ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-one... ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-two...”

Hearing the sound, Jiang Yuebai turned her head abruptly, seeing the Silver Armor General, half-body bathed in blood, covered in arrows, walking through the remains, counting softly.

Jiang Yuebai took a deep look at the green palace lantern, uncertain whether this moment was a dream realm or an illusion realm.

”May I ask, where is this place? Who are you?”

Jiang Yuebai stood in the distance, asking loudly, secretly on guard.

The Silver Armor General didn’t lift his head, ”... ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight... ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine...”

His voice paused, looking around bewilderedly.

”One is missing... how could one be missing...”

The Silver Armor General lifted his head, Jiang Yuebai saw his face clearly.

With long eyebrows like willows, a body like jade, such an extraordinary young general.

As their eyes met, the dim eyes of the Silver Armor General gradually brightened, a smile of relief tugging at his lips.

”Found it, the last one.”

Jiang Yuebai’s heart trembled, oh no!

...

In the pitch-black cave.

Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan surrounded Jiang Yuebai, seeing her eyes closed, speaking.

”May I ask, where is this place? Who are you?”

The two looked around bewildered, not to mention a person, there wasn’t even a ghostly lantern, this was the cave they had passed through from Yinfeng Creek before.

Because they entered, the ghostly lanterns were startled and fled.

”Jiang Yuebai, wake up.”

Xie Jingshan shook Jiang Yuebai’s body, but there was no response.

Lu Nanzhi’s brows knitted tightly, ”She must have fallen into a nightmare. The snow disaster from a few days ago, I heard the yin qi was deep, the source might be in Yinfeng Creek.”

”What shall we do now?”

Lu Nanzhi thought for a moment, ”I will stay here to guard, you find a way to go and find Elder Lii, Little Bai is just a servant disciple, no one will care about her life and death.”

”Alright, I will go right now.”

”Wait, if you can’t find Elder Lii, then go to Sect Master Granny, tell her something happened to me.”

The ancestor of Heavenly Interence Sect is surnamed Lu, and so is Lu Nanzhi. Though the Heavenly Interence Sect and Lu Family relations are ordinary, Sect Master Granny won’t ignore her.

Xie Jingshan nodded and rushed out.

...

Nightmare battlefield.

”Wait!”

Jiang Yuebai hastily retreated to avoid the Silver Armor General, her eyes darting as she thought of a strategy.

At this moment she didn’t know what was happening, but she knew Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan would surely think of a way; what she needed to do was to delay as much as possible.

”You... you must have been here for many years, right? Has no one talked to you, are you very lonely?”

The Silver Armor General’s eyes rippled, and Jiang Yuebai felt a bit relieved.

”You can trap me here, I cannot escape, before I die why not let me keep you company and have a chat, you can tell me what happened here, why are you here?”

”Do you... want to hear?” The Silver Armor General gazed at Jiang Yuebai full of grief.

Jiang Yuebai’s eyes were sincere, she nodded vigorously, ”I want to hear, I love listening to stories, you can tell me slowly.”

The Silver Armor General turned around, gazing at the setting sun on the horizon.

It’s been many years since he’s spoken with anyone, so let me tell the tale...

”That year, Cang Country went to war with the Sixteen Departments of Xiyun. It was my first time leading troops into battle, yet I suffered continuous defeats losing two passes, with the Chunshan Pass battle approaching, my Night Wolf Army’s men were exhausted, morale low.”

”If Chunshan Pass were lost, Xiyun Barbarian Soldiers would invade the Central Plains, and Cang Country would be in danger. It was the day before the great battle, the setting sun on the horizon was like it is now, a spy slipped into my central camp...”

Surrounding scenes transformed, Jiang Yuebai looked around, finding herself now situated within an army tent.

The young general, full of spirit, stepped into the military tent, dismissing everyone, and stood before the sand table, deep in thought.

”Who?!”

A shadow attacked head-on, the two clashed, and the young general was overpowered, instantly pressed onto the sand table, a dagger against his throat.

The woman in black pulled down her face cloth, revealing a weathered yet still bright and intense, defiant face.

”Lin Jingyue!!”

Lin Jingyue squinted her eyes, pressing down the dagger. ”Do not shout loudly, I am here to help you win the battle.”

The scene froze, the Silver Armor General, covered in arrows, crouched down, lovingly gazing at Lin Jingyue’s radiant smile.

”Lin Jingyue, Yun Country’s renowned undefeated War God, on the day I was born, she was only ten, and had already followed her father to war, held the central military camp, strategized battle tactics, winning repeatedly. The Night Wolf Army led by my father was a fierce force of Cang Country, yet never gained any benefit from her.”

”It is because of her that Yun Country’s territory continuously expanded, gradually surpassing Cang Country to reach its peak. If you were to ask whom the people of Cang Country hate the most, Yun Country’s Emperor comes second, Lin Jingyue first. Yet she secretly snuck into our military tent behind Yun Country’s Emperor, claiming to offer her aid in resisting the Sixteen Departments of Xiyun.”

”I was persuaded by her. If Chunshan Pass were lost, not only would Cang Country face the Xiyun Barbarian Soldiers, Yun Country would not be spared either, then three parties would struggle, and years of battles would indeed put Yun Country at a disadvantage. I had little sense of national duty and strategic foresight at that time, only knowing that if my first command failed, it would worsen the plight of the Night Wolf Army, and Emperor Cang would undoubtedly hold me accountable.”

”In that battle, we achieved a great victory with fewer troops, overcoming the strong with the weak, greatly boosting the morale of the entire army. They all said I was a reincarnation of a War God, but only I knew that the true War God was in my tent.”

Jiang Yuebai listened intently, as the scenes before her eyes changed once more.

The splendid young general avoided everyone and stepped into the tent, long spear pointed.

”Lin Jingyue, though I must thank you for this battle, Chunshan Pass is now secure, and you shall leave your life here.”

Lin Jingyue crossed her arms in front of the sand table, frowning as she pointed to the mountain pass outside Chunshan Pass.

”The morale of the Xiyun Barbarian Soldiers has significantly diminished, now is the time for a victorious pursuit. If you set an ambush here, you could seize another pass.”

Perhaps the spear was heavy, holding it was tiring, the young general’s arm trembled slightly, eventually putting down the spear to look at the sand table.

After all, he was young, not as mature as Lin Jingyue.

After a discussion, Lin Jingyue’s sharp eyes lifted. ”It’s been a few days, and I have yet to learn the small general’s esteemed surname and given name.”

”Me? My name is Ye Shiming.”

”When people are at leisure, osmanthus falls, the quiet night, Chunshan is empty, the moon rises startling the mountain birds, in time they sing in the spring creek.”

Lin Jingyue laughed, and Ye Shiming was stunned.

”It was the first time someone interpreted my name this way, and combined it with hers. In truth, I was named this way because since childhood I was a child who cried at night. Perhaps from that time on, I had improper feelings for her.”

The military tent hides a female general, who commands the battlefield.

In youth, one admires, a tender heart secretly given.

But each battle will eventually end, and people will inevitably face days of separation.

In the central military tent, the candle flames flickered, casting shadows of two.

Lin Jingyue personally poured wine and handed it to Ye Shiming, who distractedly accepted and drank.

”Wait, wine given by the enemy general, you drank without even thinking?”

Ye Shiming’s fingers tensed, full of deep affection. ”What you give me, even if it’s poison, I do not mind.”

With that, Ye Shiming drank the wine, and Lin Jingyue waved her hand to stop him.

The wine cup fell to the ground, Lin Jingyue sighed softly. ”Forget it...”

Lin Jingyue stood up, grabbed Ye Shiming by the collar, pulling him close, her red lips pressed deeply.

Jiang Yuebai covered her eyes and turned away, only to see silhouettes and many people ambushed outside the tent.

”That night, red candle silhouettes, spring desires lingered, both of us drunk, knowing it was treacherous, knowing she plotted against me, yet in my heart, I was truly happy.”

The next morning, Lin Jingyue, draped in Ye Shiming’s outer robe, her hair let down, personally crafted a palace lantern at the desk.

”I’ve seen too much blood, I don’t like red, today is the Lantern Festival, I’ll make a green lantern for you.”

Lin Jingyue dipped her brush in ink and wrote two lines of small characters on the lantern.

[The moon rises startling the mountain birds, in time they sing in the spring creek]

”She insisted on leaving, so I avoided my father’s hidden guards to escort her out of the pass. If I had known that day was a farewell forever, I would never have let her leave.”

In the mountain valley, spring grass fragrant, one horse, two people.

Lin Jingyue mounted the horse, Ye Shiming hurried forward.

”Next spring, I will come with a grand wedding procession to propose, you must wait for me.”

The horse neighed, Lin Jingyue tightened the reins, struggled for a moment, then turned her head down.

”Marriage is absolutely impossible!”

Ye Shiming’s face was unwilling, ”I will never let go.”

Lin Jingyue smiled proudly, ”Alright, with Cang Country’s hundred thousand soldiers as my dowry, I’ll allow you to marry in.”

”Truly?”

”Naturally!”

”It’s a deal.”

Go!