Chapter 17
Posted on December 16, 2016 by therealaphye
The sunlight gradually began to tilt. Hua Zhu Yu watched the battle and her eyes – which were like autumn waves – were sometimes sharp, sometimes anxious, sometimes clear, and sometimes misty. She was able to suppress her agitation and nervousness yet she was still sweating.
This type of anxiousness suffocated her. This was a type of anxiousness derived from being helpless. It was the same as back then when she could only watch as Jin Se died……
The North Kingdom and the South Kingdoms’ armies powers had all started off as being very fierce, yet, as time pa.s.sed, the South Kingdom soldiers slowly seemed to show signs of losing. After walking for such a distance, it wasn’t a wonder that they were tired. On the other hand, the North Kingdom soldiers only had to wait. This was also why Xiao Yin had rejected the idea of attacking first. What the South Kingdom soldiers needed now was to be aroused. They definitely cannot lose to the North Kingdom in this battle! Otherwise, it was lower their moral!
“Liu Yun, didn’t his highness tell you play “Breaking Formation”? Why have you not moved yet?” Huixue coldly told her.
(E/N: Hua Zhu Yu’s name that she gave to Xiao Yin)
Hua Zhu Yu felt her heart move. How could she forget the reason why Xiao Yin had let her go to the city? She was still Xiao Yin’s zither prost.i.tute. He let her come so that she could play the zither. It wasn’t like that jianjun, who just went to observe the battle. Xiao Yin main motive, though, was probably to be like Ying Shu Xie’s qinniang and also play a song on the battle as to affect of the South Kingdom soldiers, especially Ying Shu Xie’s old army of orphans: ‘Killing Broken Wolves.’
(E/N: couldn’t find a good translation for qinniang so I left it like that. It points toward a woman who specifically plays the zither)
However, Xiao Yin had calculated incorrectly. She naturally will play a song, however, as to how she would affect the soldiers – that was something she could decide. Hua Zhu Yu wiped off the sweat and then kneeled in front of the zither. Her delicate fingers lightly pressed the strings. She already knew which song she was going to play.
Her jade-like fingers began moving. The plucked string seemed to be quietly sighing. The song flowed from the strings bringing with it overwhelming sadness. The orphan army had originally experienced years and years of hardships. The sound of the zither slowly began to rise. Hua Zhu Yu’s ten fingers moved across the strings and the sound of the zither burst out as though countless steel horses were charging out of it.
This wasn’t “Breaking Formation”, this was “Killing Broken Wolves”.
She had composed this piece by herself. Afterwards, the orphan army had been named after her piece. She had personally played this piece for them, and so the Hua family’s soldiers and the orphan army all would understand this piece, but if it were an outsider, they would not understand it.
The corners Hua Zhu Yu’s lips hooked up into a smile full of vitality. The sunlight spilled on her shoulders. When she was enshrouded by the light, she was so beautiful that it made her seem hazy and distant. The sound of the song was very quiet in comparison to the loud drum noises, yet it was still could be heard. Suddenly, the originally fatigued orphan army seemed to be filled with a new energy. They attacked fiercely and couldn’t be parried.
The North Kingdom’s soldiers were slowly retreated. They all thought it inconceivable. What had caused this drastic change?
The North Kingdom lost this fight.
The North Kingdom also began losing one fight after another. In the next two days, the North Kingdom’s soldiers had be pushed out of the South Kingdom’s borders.
Night.
It was extremely late at night. Everything was quiet. The forest released the chirping of birds. Though it was quiet, it spread very far.
The whole camp had fallen asleep, yet Hua Zhu Yu had not slept. If she hadn’t guessed wrong, tonight, someone would go save her. After she played the “Killing Broken Wolves”, outsiders probably didn’t know, but her father definitely knew that the one playing the piece was her.
Outside the tent, there let off a slight sound. Hua Zhu Yu got up quickly and vigilently stared at the door side. There was a figure. They had entered like mist.
“Who?” Hua Zhu Yu coldly asked.
“Are you the person that played the zither that day?” The other person asked. His voice carried some doubt. In the darkness, a pair of bright eyes stared at her.
Hua Zhu Yu could tell from their voice that this was pingankangtai‘s Pin Laoda. Pin Laoda was a very catious person. To have him come save her was the definite best. However, seeing as her father didn’t tell her ident.i.ty, she also decided that she should not say it right now.
Hua Zhu Yu quietly replied: “You’re right. The one who played the zither that day was me!”
Pin Laoda grabbed Hua Zhu Yu’s wrist and said: “May young miss quickly come with me.”
The two exited the tend and went toward the outside of the campsite. After having dodged many dodging soldiers, they finally made it out.
Pin Laoda lightly whistled. The two horses that were hiding in the gra.s.s came out. Both her and Pin Laoda got on their horses and rode away.
The night had fallen even more. The stars seemed to be hung on a string and the moon seemed to be flowing with a cold light. The horse rushed past the river with speed like it was flying.
“The forest ahead of us has Killing Broken Wolves’s ambush. Once we get there, we will be safe.” Pin Laoda said in a low voice.
However, it seemed like it was very hard to get the forest.
Behind her, there was already the noise of horse hooves. It was not one horse, but many.
“Jia!” Hua Zhu Yu called. The horse she was riding seemed to know that danger was coming and hurriedly began galloping as fast as it could.
(E/N: The Chinese interjection which urges the horse to go on.)
The sound of horse hooves behind her seemed to be getting closer. The horse at the very front was exceedingly fast. After a while, it was nearing Hua Zhu Yu’s horse closer and closer.
100 feet!
50 feet!
10 feet!
Very quickly, the horse at the very front of the group behind her was only the distance of horse’s body away from Hua Zhu Yu’s horse. The horse rider’s dark black cloak fluttered in the wind and with the combination of the horse, made beautiful streamlines. A pair of dark eyes shone with a dangerous glint and seemed to contained the anger of mountains and rain.
It was Xiao Yin. The North Kingdom’s crown prince had personally come to chase after her. It seemed he did look quite highly upon her – a small zither prost.i.tute!
A couple horses went towards Pin Laoda to attempt to outflank him, while two horses chased after her. Hua Zhu Yu noticed that the two people were Xiao Yin’s personal podyguards, Qingyun and Biyue. According to Huixue, on of them had once hunted down a black bear, while the other had shot down a vicious tiger. They both were North Kingdom’s warriors.
When the orphan army in the forest ahead of them heard noises, they quickly rode horses over. However, Xiao Yin had already caught up to them. Could they safely escape?
At this time, Qingyun, who was next to Hua Zhu Yu, made a grab for her shoulder. Hua Zhu Yu suddenly tilted her body and slid to the side of the horse. Both her hands were still clutched onto the reins. She used her energy and pulled it, making the horse make a sharp turn toward the left. Person and horse seemed to be stuck to the ground as they flew out the. Because of the use of too much strength, Hua Zhu Yu’s hair swung in a beautiful arc, like a wild fox’s large tail on a prairie – charming and beautiful.
Visualization of how Hua Zhu Yu dodged
She had dodged beautifully, her riding skills were phenomenal; she had even managed to dodge Xiao Yin’s personal bodyguard, Qingyun. The North Kingdom’s soldiers could not help but to gape.
When Biyue saw her dodge, his eyes flashed with a trace of surprise. His horse quickly galloped after her. He was just about to be horizontal to Hua Zhu Yu’s horse and block her path.
Hua Zhu Yu’s eyes narrowed. She suddenly whistled and let out the sharp sound of an arrow. Biyue instinctively moved his horse away. It was only a moment, yet Hua Zhu had already pa.s.sed by him.
The distance between them had widened again.
Hua Zhu Yu pat her horse again, urging it to run faster. She was just about to reach the orphan army in the forest, yet suddenly, the horse she was riding let out a long cry and painfully leaned forward before falling into the gra.s.s. At the same time, Hua Zhu Yu’s shoulders began to hurt. A golden-feathered arrow had been shot into her right shoulder.
As the horse was falling, she saw that behind her on the large black horse, Xiao Yin maintained his shooting arrow position, his dachang bordered with gold fluttered in the night sky like a flag.