"Kill! Kill them!"
"Slay these barbarians!"
"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"
"Badalu! Badalu!"
Outside Xue Lin City, the border city of the Great Yan Kingdom, on the snowfield, Zhou Fugui and hundreds of other convicts were attacked by barbarians from an unknown origin. Zhou Fugui led his men into a cave and fought desperately to resist. The two sides engaged in a frenzied battle, their roars reaching the heavens.
Zhou Fugui and the other convicts understood that this was a battle for survival. The barbarians, for reasons unknown, continued their attack on Zhou Fugui and his group near the cave, determined to kill them all.
The two sides fought to the death near the cave. The entrance was littered with corpses, and blood flowed like a river, staining the white snow crimson.
Zhou Fugui and his men were not unfamiliar with the brutality of battle. During the Great Yan Kingdom's southern campaigns, they had experienced bloodshed and savagery, and had been tested by the fires of war. Although this battle was not on a large scale, it was comparable to the bloody battles of the past. As a result, while shocked, Zhou Fugui and his men were also ignited by the bloodlust and beastly nature buried deep within their hearts, as if they had returned to their past selves in Guangling Commandery, to Luyi, to the cruel battlefields of flesh and blood.
The harsh and cruel environment of the border was evident.
"Wuwuwu..."
Zhou Fugui and the other convicts were few in number and had traveled a long distance without rest, so they gradually began to falter. Just then, the sound of horns echoed from afar. The horns were low and carried far, causing both sides to halt their slaughter and turn their heads to look into the distance.
By this time, the sky was bright, the snow had temporarily stopped, and the dark clouds had dispersed, revealing a clear blue sky. Beneath the azure sky, on the vast expanse of white snow, several long black lines appeared, moving with incredible speed towards both sides.
Xue Lin City had finally dispatched troops – their most elite cavalry. The fierce cavalry of the Snow Lin City's Flying Bear Army galloped forward, brandishing their sabers, emitting chilling war cries.
As the Flying Bear Army advanced, the barbarians scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing in all directions. Those who were slow to escape would lose their lives. No matter how fierce the snowfield barbarians were, they dared not confront the renowned Flying Bear Army of Xue Lin City. Moreover, the barbarians' strategy of harassment and plunder was to attack when they could win, loot wantonly after victory, and flee when they could not, disappearing into the vast snowy wilderness, a feat that even the Flying Bear Army found difficult to counter.
"Kill! Kill our way out! Kill all these dog barbarians!" The barbarians scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing in all directions, but Zhou Fugui and the others, their eyes red with bloodlust, were unwilling to let them go. They roared and charged out of the cave.
In this battle, more than four hundred convicts suffered casualties, with over half of them killed or wounded. Many of Zhou Fugui's fellow villagers had died in the vast snowy wilderness. How could Zhou Fugui not have his eyes red with bloodlust?
...
"Pfft!" With a sound, Zhou Fugui, who was chasing a barbarian, shot an arrow from his horse. A barbarian tumbled from his horse and fell into the tall grass.
As the barbarian fled, Zhou Fugui, seeking revenge for his fellow villagers, pursued relentlessly, killing many barbarians along the way.
"Clang!" With a sound, Zhou Fugui drew his saber, dismounted, and ran towards the tall grass, intending to finish off the barbarian.
As Zhou Fugui approached the tall grass, the barbarian within suddenly leaped out and swung his saber down at Zhou Fugui. Zhou Fugui raised his saber to parry. With a "clang," their sabers met, sparks flying. After deflecting the opponent's blow, Zhou Fugui swiftly swung his saber, cleaving towards the opponent's head. The opponent hastily ducked, and the saber sliced off his bull-horned helmet, revealing a head full of long hair.
Zhou Fugui then kicked the barbarian about ten feet away. His long saber clattered to the ground. As the barbarian landed and attempted to pick up his saber to resist, Zhou Fugui stepped on it.
In fact, Zhou Fugui's archery skills were superb, but his swordsmanship was mediocre. It was only because the barbarian had been shot in the shoulder that Zhou Fugui was able to subdue him.
"Dare to move again, and you'll lose your life!" Zhou Fugui, his foot on the barbarian's saber, pointed his own saber at him and shouted, "Who are you?"
The bull-horned helmet had been knocked off, revealing a head full of long hair. It was then that Zhou Fugui realized this barbarian was a woman. It was also because of this that Zhou Fugui did not deliver a fatal blow.
Under normal circumstances, Zhou Fugui would not kill a woman, unless she was a mortal enemy or he had lost his mind in anger.
Especially a beautiful woman... The barbarian woman's hair was disheveled, her face smeared with blood, but her features were still discernible as quite beautiful and very young.
Furthermore, this barbarian woman's demeanor and bearing bore a striking resemblance to Murong Huiying, which made it even harder for Zhou Fugui to strike.
Zhou Fugui spoke in Chinese, unsure if she could understand.
"If you want to kill me, then kill me. Why waste words?" To his surprise, the barbarian woman understood Chinese and replied in the same language.
The barbarian woman's hair was disheveled, and beneath her dark locks, her eyes, like brilliant stars, stared fiercely at Zhou Fugui. An arrow still protruded from her shoulder, and blood flowed down her arm.
"Clang!" With a sound, Zhou Fugui kicked the barbarian woman's saber away, then stepped on her, pointing his saber menacingly at her throat and asking, "What grudge do we have with you? Why did you ambush us? Speak quickly. Don't think I won't kill you, even if you are a woman."
"Oh, your surname is Zhou? So you're a Han person." The barbarian woman was unfazed and replied with a cold laugh, "In battle, isn't killing and being killed common? In this world of the survival of the fittest, isn't killing and being killed common? Hurry up and do it. You're dawdling, worse than a woman."
"You..." Faced with such a fearless person, Zhou Fugui was speechless. He then remembered the tragic deaths of his fellow villagers and, in his fury, brought his saber down.
"Clang!" With a sound, Zhou Fugui's saber struck the snow, sending snowflakes flying. The tip of the saber plunged into the ground, leaving a deep gash.
In the end, Zhou Fugui could not bring himself to kill her.
"Get lost!" Zhou Fugui then said to the barbarian woman.
The barbarian woman had thought she was doomed, but Zhou Fugui had shown mercy. She looked at Zhou Fugui with surprise, gritted her teeth, and struggled to get up, intending to leave. However, after fighting all night and being shot by Zhou Fugui, she stumbled and fainted.
...
"Ah..." When the barbarian woman slowly woke up, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and a cool sensation. She also felt her shoulder and half of her chest exposed to the cold wind, and she couldn't help but exclaim.
"Don't make a sound, and don't move, or else... Hmph..." Zhou Fugui knelt on the ground, applying wound medicine to the barbarian woman's shoulder, and snorted coldly.
"Or else what?" The barbarian woman finally realized that Zhou Fugui was treating her wound. She also saw Zhou Fugui's face clearly and realized he was a handsome young man. She then asked with a smile as bright as a flower.
"Or else I'll avenge my brothers." Zhou Fugui continued to apply the medicine, his voice filled with anger. "By doing this today, I've already let down my dead brothers."
"Do you still want to kill me now?" the barbarian woman asked with a smile. "If you want to kill me, why save me?"
"Damn you, are you doing this on purpose?" Zhou Fugui retorted angrily. "I kill beasts, and I save people."
"Hehe..." The barbarian woman smiled again. Although her face was covered in blood and dirt, she was still incredibly charming. She chuckled, "Thank you, General, for considering me a human and not a beast."
The woman's fair shoulder and half of her chest were exposed. As she smiled, they trembled, exuding an irresistible charm. Zhou Fugui, who was applying the medicine, became momentarily dazed. His hand, which should have been on her shoulder, inadvertently touched her fair breast. The barbarian woman, however, seemed unconcerned and even puffed out her chest slightly, as if deliberately inviting Zhou Fugui's touch...
"Cough..." By this time, Zhou Fugui had already removed the arrowhead and applied the medicine. He coughed to cover his embarrassment, stood up with a red face, and looked at the barbarian woman. "Your wound is no longer serious. Put on your clothes and leave now."
Close call, I almost succumbed to the temptation of this barbarian enchantress, Zhou Fugui thought to himself. Why has my self-control weakened so much recently? This barbarian woman merely showed a hint of allure, and I couldn't resist.
Zhou Fugui was not unfamiliar with the scent of women, and he had experienced it with more than one. However, after such experiences, he was immediately assigned to Lin Dong City, a desolate place. In that sense, it would have been better if he had never known it.
In the Flying Dragon Mountain stronghold, Zhou Fugui had had opportunities to experience the scent of women again, but at that time, for Murong Huiying and to protect Yuan Meiyu, he had forcibly resisted.
But Zhou Fugui was, after all, a young man in his prime. Thus, it was understandable that he was momentarily swayed by such a charming barbarian woman.
The barbarian woman saw Zhou Fugui's awkwardness. She shrugged her shoulders, revealing another inch of her chest, and smiled seductively. "There's a saying among the Han people: a drop of kindness deserves a flowing spring in return. You saved my life, General. I have nothing to repay you with, except this humble body..."
"I don't need your repayment. Put on your clothes and leave, quickly, quickly! Don't let me see you again." Zhou Fugui's face turned even redder at her words. He pointed at the barbarian woman and said this. Before she could leave, he quickly mounted his horse and, as if fleeing, galloped away.
In truth, Zhou Fugui was not a saint like Liu Xia, and he even had a bit of a roving eye. He was simply afraid that while he was indulging in carnal pleasures with this barbarian enchantress, she might suddenly stab him. If he ended up in hell, who would he seek justice from?
She has good self-control, the barbarian woman thought to herself as she watched Zhou Fugui's retreating figure. Then, she turned and disappeared into the bushes and trees.