The Innocent Heart - Chapter 85

Perhaps seeing that Huo Qubing’s stature was not as large as Guan Yueyao’s, two of the three awakened Xiongnu lunged toward her, shouting words she could not understand.

At that moment, Guan Yueyao’s Miao Dao was still lodged within the cold corpse of her previous opponent; pulling it out seemed to require a significant amount of effort. Seeing his friend’s predicament, Huo Qubing abandoned the body of the Xiongnu man he had killed and charged toward the one closest to Guan Yueyao.

That man’s attention was entirely fixed on Guan Yueyao. He had no defense against Huo Qubing, who suddenly vaulted from the shadows. Jolted by the force of Huo Qubing’s blade, the man was finally forced away from Guan Yueyao’s side. The two of them collapsed into a frantic melee on the spot.

Meanwhile, Guan Yueyao looked at the stiffening corpse before her and the enemy rushing toward her from a short distance away. The sliver of fear that had arisen from her first kill was quickly diluted by her instinct to survive.

Steeling her heart and gritting her teeth, Guan Yueyao stepped firmly onto the corpse. Using both hands with a surge of strength, she swiftly drew her blade, Lietian, from the body. Blood that had not yet clotted gurgled from the wound, a sight that assaulted the senses.

Guan Yueyao turned to face the two men closing in on her. Hoisting her blade, which was still dripping with fresh blood, she moved to intercept them once more.

Though she faced two men alone, and despite having the superior weapon, the struggle was arduous. The two Xiongnu appeared to be veterans of a hundred battles; after a brief exchange, they sensed that the Han youth before them possessed unusual weaponry and techniques. Exchanging a glance, they began to fan out, intending to flank her and take her life from two sides.

Guan Yueyao held her blade horizontally before her in a defensive posture. As the two men, who had been quite close, suddenly shifted and split apart, she grasped their intention. She retreated while holding her blade level, struggling to adjust her position relative to the two of them while simultaneously considering a counter-strategy.

In that case, it is better to strike first. If I can take out one person’s ability to move in a single blow, perhaps there is a glimmer of hope.

She made up her mind. While the two Xiongnu were still searching for a favorable angle of attack, she brandished her long blade and charged toward the one directly in front of her.

For some reason, her heart gradually calmed at this moment. Her mind seemed to hold nothing but the combat with her opponent. The fear of killing and the worry over an unknown future had been cast to the back of her mind.

Seeing Guan Yueyao rush toward him, the Xiongnu man hastily retreated several steps to create a small gap. Suddenly, he swung his scimitar and lunged back at her. However, he did not look as though he intended to take her life; he merely dodged and attacked in a way that was not lethal.

Sensing this anomaly, Guan Yueyao grew alert. She had not forgotten that another Xiongnu was lurking nearby, waiting for an opportunity.

Sure enough, after a moment of entanglement with the man in front of her, a sharp wind pressed toward her back. Fortunately, she had been prepared. Hearing the sound, she dodged to the side while simultaneously pulling back the hand holding her blade. A sound of sharp metal cutting through flesh followed.

Guan Yueyao looked closely, and a trace of regret actually rose in her heart. Unfortunately, because it was early spring and the weather was cold, the Xiongnu were wearing thick, fur-lined garments made of leather. Though the wound had cut the flesh, it did not appear deep.

This thought flashed by in an instant as the two Xiongnu launched their follow-up attacks immediately. Guan Yueyao could no longer afford any distractions and focused entirely on the battle before her.

“Ayao! I am coming to help you!” Right then, Huo Qubing finally severely wounded the Xiongnu who had attacked him. Not daring to linger, he sprinted toward his friend.

The two-on-one became a two-on-two. Guan Yueyao’s heart lightened, and she flashed a smile at her friend. Back-to-back, the two of them plunged into the fight once more.

While Huo Qubing and Guan Yueyao were locked in a fierce battle with the Xiongnu, Chen Zhi was not idle. Seeing the massive commotion on that end, he hurried over to the captured Han people, wanting to untie them.

He was keeping a close eye on the battle nearby, and being his first time doing such a thing, he was inevitably nervous. He fumbled for a long time without managing to undo the knots. His mind was in a state of chaotic irritation; he wanted to draw his blade and help the others, yet he felt that if he could get a few more able-bodied men to assist, their chances of victory would be even greater.

“Officer! Officer, use your blade! Use your blade to cut the ropes!” A young man nearby, his hands and feet bound, could not help but urge him anxiously upon seeing his distracted state.

“Ah, right. My blade, my blade…” Reminded, Chen Zhi muttered to himself as he drew the sidearm at his waist. He grabbed a bunch of the rope and began to cut.

Soon, with Chen Zhi’s help, several able-bodied Han men regained their freedom. Chen Zhi had no time to attend to the remaining two women and children for the moment. Unable to suppress his worry any longer, he charged toward Huo Qubing and Guan Yueyao.

By the time Chen Zhi arrived, Huo Qubing and Guan Yueyao had already gained the upper hand. Both Xiongnu were wounded and clearly about to be defeated. Seeing that reinforcements had arrived, the two knew that if they did not flee, there would be no hope of survival. The two men exchanged a look, made a feint, and turned to run toward the spot where their horses were tethered.

It truly is just as the generals guarding the border say: “If it is advantageous, they advance; if not, they retreat, and they feel no shame in fleeing,” Huo Qubing thought. He chased after them with his blade, intending to strike the man trailing slightly behind.

Guan Yueyao, however, was faster. Stepping ahead, she thrust her blade forward, driving Lietian into the man’s heart.

The wails of his companion before death spurred the last Xiongnu running in front. Although his leg was injured and his steps were somewhat staggering, in a moment of life and death, these were no obstacles to his attempt to escape. The man quickened his pace, bolting toward a patch of shrubs not far ahead.

“No! We can’t let him get away! Pursue him!” Chen Zhi had just reached Huo Qubing’s side when he heard him shout in exasperation.

Without knowing where the inspiration came from, Chen Zhi suddenly raised his long blade with one hand, aimed the tip at the fleeing Xiongnu, and hurled it.

“Agh!” A cry rang out in the night, followed by the dull thud of a heavy object collapsing to the ground. Guan Yueyao, who was running at the very front, reached the spot in two steps to inspect. The last Xiongnu was also dead.

Only now did Guan Yueyao realize that cold sweat had long since soaked through her inner garments. As the night wind blew, it sent waves of chill through her. Her eyes swept over the corpses beside her, causing her to shudder involuntarily.

I killed someone… As this thought surfaced, she felt her entire body go limp, and she began to tremble uncontrollably.

“Ayao, Ayao, are you alright!” Huo Qubing ran over at this time. Looking at his friend, whose face was smeared with blood, he anxiously checked her over. Fortunately, though there were some small abrasions, the blood appeared to belong to the Xiongnu.

The Miao Dao Ayao brought is truly useful! Huo Qubing looked at the beloved blade in his hand and could not help but praise it.

It wasn’t until Guan Yueyao’s ice-cold, trembling hands gripped his arm that Huo Qubing noticed her abnormal state. He looked over to see that her eyes were slightly red as she stared back at him.

“Qubing, I killed someone… I killed someone…” Her voice trembled with fear just as her body did. To his ears, she sounded quite piteous.

“If we hadn’t killed them, they would have killed us. Don’t overthink it,” Huo Qubing said, pulling his friend by the shoulder to comfort her in a low voice.

“Ha! This person was actually killed by me!” At this point, Chen Zhi had also run over. He kicked the gradually stiffening body beside him, his tone laced with excitement.

“Thank you, Officers! Thank you for saving our lives!” Even the Han people who had been rescued rushed over, bowing repeatedly to the three of them with immense gratitude.

At this moment, among everyone present, no one except Guan Yueyao seemed to feel any discomfort over the deaths of the Xiongnu. In this atmosphere, Guan Yueyao’s heart gradually calmed, and she accepted the reality. As a soldier, she suspected these men would not be the last lives taken by her hand.

At this thought, her heart felt somewhat relieved. She forced a smile and stood up from the ground. Only now did the Han people notice the ages of the three. Such faces were clearly too young, even for the army of the Great Han.

“I never imagined these Officers would be so young. Truly… truly, the young are to be feared!” one of the elders could not help but sigh.

If the Han army were entirely composed of such young heroes, perhaps the day when the Xiongnu would no longer dare to invade the borders of the Great Han was truly coming!

“Who are you, and why were you captured by the Xiongnu and brought here?”

After clearing the battlefield and relighting the campfire that had been kicked out during the fight, the group sat around the fire. Huo Qubing looked at them and asked.

“Reporting to the Officer, we are simple farmers living in a village on the border of Shanggu Commandery. Yesterday, a small squad of Xiongnu suddenly came to the village, burning, killing, and looting. We were captured by them then.” It was the same elder who spoke, his face already showing a look of grief.

“Why did they only capture you few?” Chen Zhi asked curiously, looking at the Han people huddled together.

“Because… because of the hundred-odd people in the village, we are likely all that is left!” At this point, the middle-aged man could no longer restrain himself. Overcome with grief and indignation, he threw himself onto the ground and wailed aloud.

Soon, the sound of weeping filled the air. Even Guan Yueyao and Huo Qubing could not help but have their eyes turn red.

“Damned Xiongnu! Killing them with a single blade was far too easy on them!” Chen Zhi stared at the roaring flames before him and spoke with hatred.

By the look of him, it seemed he wished he could charge single-handedly into a Xiongnu stronghold right now and kill to his heart’s content. If his previous reason for joining the army was mostly to compete with Huo Qubing or to meet his grandmother’s expectations, then at this moment, Chen Zhi finally had a reason of his own to serve.

“Old gentleman, do you know the way back to Shanggu Commandery?”

Fortunately, unlike Chen Zhi and Guan Yueyao, Huo Qubing was not so blinded by the hatred of his kin. He remained mindful of the most important task: finding the way back to Juyong Pass.

“I know it, I know it! If you head west from here for several dozen miles, you will reach Juyong Pass. If you Officers do not mind, please allow this old man to lead the way.”

Hearing the affirmative answer, Huo Qubing truly felt a weight lift from his heart. The prairie in early spring was far too dangerous for Han people; it was not a place to linger. It was best to return within the Pass as soon as possible.