Chapter 61

Chapter 61

The snow in the north grew heavier, with goose feather-like flakes gradually blanketing Lu Yu’s shoulders. He held Lin Shuyun tightly in his arms, shielding her from the biting wind and snow.

Su Bibo's temporary camp was situated at the border between the grassland and the mountain slope. A single, quiet path led over the hill to the Yuan Kingdom, but it was heavily guarded by Hu troops, making passage extremely difficult.

Lu Yu had no choice but to cradle Lin Shuyun as he ascended the steepest and most concealed part of the slope.

This path was seldom used throughout the year. Decaying leaves covered the hillside, and the slippery snow made the ascent even more treacherous.

The muddy ground caused Lu Yu to slip, and he stumbled. His pupils contracted as he tightly embraced Lin Shuyun, quickly twisting to use his own body as a cushion, shielding her in his arms.

Lu Yu let out a muffled groan. Before Lin Shuyun could react, she heard his hoarse, urgent voice: "Wanwan, are you hurt?"

Lin Shuyun seemed frozen in place, remaining silent for a long time.

Worried, Lu Yu quickly supported himself and gently touched her arms. "Are you injured anywhere?"

Lin Shuyun shook her head, her eyes filled with tears, gazing vacantly at Lu Yu.

"I... I thought you wouldn’t come to save me."

Lu Yu’s eyes reddened, a gentle smile curling at the corners of his lips. He softly wiped the dust from her face and said hoarsely, "Nothing in this world is more important than you."

"I have wronged you greatly in the past. Even if I were to die now, I would do so willingly."

Lin Shuyun’s long-suppressed emotions finally broke. Her tears fell like a broken string of pearls, each drop striking Lu Yu’s heart.

"Lu Yu, I hate you."

Lu Yu sighed softly, his smile tinged with bitterness. "Good, Wanwan. Then hate me for a lifetime. My heart remains as it was, unchanged."

With that, Lu Yu helped Lin Shuyun to her feet. He wiped away her tears and said softly, "I’ll secure you against my chest with my outer robe so it won’t put pressure on the child. Once we cross this slope, we can go home."

Lin Shuyun looked up at the slope, of which they had only covered a third, and nodded. Lu Yu quickly secured her to his front and began climbing again.

Lu Yu’s pace quickened, and within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they reached a platform midway up the steep slope.

"I..."

Lin Shuyun watched as large beads of sweat rolled down Lu Yu’s temples, his hair already dusted with snow.

She was about to say something when she glanced behind Lu Yu.

The blazing torches, gathered together, their fiery glow instantly illuminated her pupils.

Lin Shuyun gripped Lu Yu’s arm tightly, panicking. "Lu Yu, pursuers are catching up."

Before her words faded, a sharp, piercing cry of a falcon echoed across the sky, circling incessantly above them.

Lu Yu frowned deeply, quickly glancing back to see Hu soldiers climbing along their previous route, with no signs of preparing to shoot arrows.

A sneer tugged at his lips. It was clear that Su Bibo had ordered his capture alive.

Lu Yu turned and quickly climbed toward the mountaintop, but Lin Shuyun grew increasingly anxious as she watched the Hu soldiers coming into clearer view.

Trembling with fear, she urgently called out, "Lu Yu, they’re almost here."

Lu Yu looked back and saw that the burly Hu soldiers were moving twice as fast as he was. He could already make out the mockery on Su Bibo’s face.

There was no escape.

Lu Yu looked up; the summit was still some distance away. Scanning his surroundings, he quickly placed Lin Shuyun behind a large rock.

Lin Shuyun trembled with fear. Seeing Lu Yu about to leave, she gripped his arm tightly and asked urgently, "Where are you going?"

Lu Yu said nothing, but his deep eyes revealed profound longing. His warm palm gently rested on Lin Shuyun’s swollen belly.

Before Lin Shuyun could ask again, Lu Yu kissed her lips lightly, like a dragonfly skimming water, and whispered hoarsely in her ear, "Wanwan, if I die, do not grieve."

"If we are not destined in this life, let’s meet again in the next."

Tears instantly streamed down Lin Shuyun’s face. Her lips trembled as she tried to speak, but Lu Yu had already drawn his sword and quickly left the rock.

By now, Su Bibo’s soldiers had surrounded Lu Yu. Su Bibo no longer cared about Lu Yu’s wife or anything else; the glory of capturing Lu Yu alive excited him so much that his fingers trembled.

"Lu Yu, you actually walked right into the trap for a woman. Hahaha."

Lu Yu surveyed the surrounding enemies, his cold eyes filled with contempt. He said coldly, "Should I call you Military Strategist Su or the Third Prince?"

"Or perhaps the son of Princess Longrong?"

Su Bibo’s background exposed, his eyes instantly blazed with fury. "How dare you! I refuse to be known as the son of a princess. You wretched Central Plains people sent my mother from the Central Plains to this barbaric land for a political marriage."

"I pity my mother for being sent here for political marriage, and I hate myself for being her son. A prince mixed with lowly Central Plains blood cannot become the ruler of the royal court."

Lu Yu looked at Su Bibo, whose eyes were filled with greed, and curled his lips into a mocking smile. Clenching his fists, he looked up and said, "Taking my life now is as easy as taking something from a bag. Before you capture me, I want to know one thing."

Su Bibo said disdainfully, "Speak."

"At the Battle of Pingsheng Pass, the Yuan Kingdom clearly won. Why did my father, the Marquis of Xuanping, Lu Yan, die?"

Lu Yu fixed his gaze firmly on Su Bibo.

Even though he had overheard Su Bibo’s conversation in the tent earlier, he wanted to hear it directly from him.

Upon hearing Lu Yu’s question, Su Bibo leaned against a tree trunk, laughing uproariously. Wiping away tears, he said with a smile, "Of course, I killed him!"

"Your emperor found some way to seek me out specifically. He wanted Lu Yan dead, and I wanted him dead too. As for whether my brothers’ battles were won or lost, I couldn’t care less. But my old fool of a father saw me kill Lu Yan with my own hands."

"I really have to thank your dead father. If it weren’t for him, I’d still be acting as my brothers’ lackey."

A raging fire burned in Lu Yu’s chest. His sharp eyes shot toward Su Bibo like blades as he watched Su Bibo still reveling in past victories.

Quickly calming his emotions, he tore off a flare signal from his body. A streak of fire shot into the sky.

Su Bibo instantly fell silent, his eyes filled with malice. "You actually had a backup plan."

In moments, a row of soldiers appeared on the mountaintop, holding bows and arrows, their gleaming arrowheads aimed directly at the Hu soldiers.

Lu Yu, holding a long sword, quickly turned and hid behind a tree trunk. He blew a whistle, and countless arrows rained down on the Hu soldiers like a storm.

Su Bibo swiftly dodged the arrow rain, watching as the vanguard soldiers fell to the ground, his eyes filled with fury.

He roared at the soldiers behind him, "Quick, fetch the shields and bows!"

"Officer Sun, the bow!"

Lu Yu shouted upward. Almost immediately, Officer Sun rappelled down to Lu Yu’s side and swiftly handed him a heavy bow.

Cowering behind a massive boulder, Lin Shuyun was trembling uncontrollably. Listening to the wails of agony rising and falling around her, her eyes were wide with terror, tears streaming endlessly down her cheeks.

This was the first time she had experienced the bloody brutality of battle so closely. The thick, metallic scent of blood hung in the air, and the pungent smell of torches made her constantly nauseous.

Was Lu Yu dead? Would he die? Was he even still safe?

Her fingertips lightly brushed against her lips, the same lips Lu Yu had kissed earlier. She curled into a ball, tears flowing unbidden.

"My Lady, I'm here to get you out."

An urgently panting voice reached Lin Shuyun’s ears. She looked up, her eyes filled with tears, and saw Officer Sun gripping a rope that descended from above, standing beside her.

Before Lin Shuyun could even process the moment, Officer Sun swiftly scooped her up. He tugged the rope three times forcefully, and the people above sensed the signal, heaving on the rope with all their strength.

Officer Sun climbed while tightly holding the rope.

At that moment, Lu Yu’s personal guards were raining arrows downward, and his own bowshots never ceased targeting Su Bibo.

The two sides were locked in a fierce, back-and-forth battle.

Snow covered the steep mountain slope, and the rope kept slipping for some reason. With arrows whistling past intermittently, Officer Sun was extra cautious. Adding to that, the weight of Lin Shuyun's pregnancy made their progress slow.

Su Bibo, while dodging the hail of arrows, looked up and spotted them. He tugged at an archer beside him and shouted loudly, "Kill them!"

As the two stumbled on the slope, Lin Shuyun looked up and saw a gleaming arrow shooting straight for her.

Her pupils dilated in shock, and she squeezed her eyes shut, her body trembling uncontrollably.

In an instant, the expected pain never came. Instead, she heard a muffled groan of pain.

She looked up, tears in her eyes, and saw Lu Yu’s broad figure shielding her. She couldn’t see his face, but a long arrow was embedded in his chest, warm blood instantly splattering across her face.

Lin Shuyun cried out, her voice trembling with urgency, "Lu Yu! Lu Yu!"

Gritting his teeth, Lu Yu swiftly used an arrow in his hand to snap off the shaft protruding from his chest. He grunted and shouted sternly, "Officer Sun, if you fail to escort Her Ladyship safely back to the mansion, I'll have your head!"

Officer Sun, eyes red, shouted loudly, "Understood, sir!"

With that, Lu Yu moved farther and farther away from them, while many ropes descended from the mountaintop. Personal guards gripped the ropes and rappelled down quickly.

Lin Shuyun watched Lu Yu’s slightly hunched back as he charged alone into the enemy encirclement, sword in hand. His figure grew more distant, gradually disappearing from her sight.

Lu Yu’s head was exactly what the Hu people wanted. The farther he was from her, the safer she would be.

As Lin Shuyun reached the top of the slope, she saw the camp below engulfed in flames. She knelt on the ground, crying her heart out.

"If we don’t kill them, when the reinforcements arrive, it will be the end of us. With the old Marquis watching over us from heaven, the Young Master will surely return safely."

Lin Shuyun heard An Ran’s voice behind her. Clutching her sleeve, she cried hoarsely, "An Ran, you must save him. The arrow... it hit his chest. He cannot die, he must not."

Shocked beyond measure, Lin Shuyun was already incoherent but stared fixedly at An Ran, as if waiting for her affirmative reply.

An Ran nodded firmly and said, "Don’t worry, I will save the Young Master." With that, she tried to help Lin Shuyun retreat, but Lin Shuyun remained slumped on the ground, her eyes fixed intently on the movements below the slope.

"Let’s go, back to the carriage first. Your spirit is nearly spent."

An Ran, eyes red, said worriedly.

But Lin Shuyun stubbornly shook her head, murmuring softly, "No, I must see with my own eyes that he returns alive. I’ve already experienced the pain of losing a husband once..."

Before she could finish her words, a faint yet fragrant scent reached her nose. Before she could even ask, overwhelming drowsiness instantly robbed Lin Shuyun of her consciousness.

An Ran gently stroked Lin Shuyun’s swollen belly, feeling the fetal movements, and whispered, "You have suffered."

She still remembered what Lu Yu had said to her after arranging everything, just before heading alone into the enemy camp: "Her Ladyship is stubborn. Once rescued, don’t worry about me. Do everything possible to get her back to Pingsheng Pass."

He was right.

If she hadn’t prepared the sedative, Lin Shuyun would have waited there indefinitely.

----

Lin Shuyun’s body had reached its limit.

The strained nerves, the ache of hunger, and the soreness of her body in late pregnancy meant that even after the sedative wore off, Lin Shuyun had not yet awakened.

The prenatal medicine had to be spoon-fed into her mouth by maids supporting her body.

Who knows how much time had passed.

Gradually, Lin Shuyun’s ears picked up the sound of many people running urgently. The noise made her heart clench, beating irregularly in an instant.

She opened her eyes abruptly, instinctively touching her swollen belly, and looked confusedly at the tent before her. Before her thoughts could fully return, an old, urgent cry reached her ears.

"Young Master, this old man begs you, you must hold on."

"Hurry, where is the person with the strong liquor?!"

"Where are those brewing the medicine? Why is there no movement now!"

Lin Shuyun’s pupils contracted sharply, her heart pounding violently in her chest. The memories of that night flooded her mind.

"Young Master!"

The old voice reached Lin Shuyun’s ears again.

It’s Lu Yu! It’s Lu Yu!

Lin Shuyun, supporting her weak body, quickly sat up. The moment her feet touched the ground, her numb legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor.

Everyone in the room was busy; no one had time to attend to her.

Lin Shuyun propped herself up with her arms, supporting herself on tables, chairs, and cabinets. After rounding a screen, she saw a group of servants busily carrying things toward another screen.

A maid noticed Lin Shuyun weakly leaning against the screen, watching them, and hurried over to persuade her, "Your Ladyship, you are weak. Let me take you back."

Lin Shuyun shook her head, her voice already hoarse. "Is Lu Yu in there?"

The maid, eyes red, nodded.

"Help me over," Lin Shuyun instructed.

But the maid didn’t move, her eyes full of worry as she looked at her.

Lin Shuyun no longer had the energy to argue. Shaking off the maid’s arm, she supported her sore waist and, gritting her teeth, walked into the screened area.

The scene that met her eyes instantly reddened Lin Shuyun’s eyes.

Lu Yu’s face was ashen, his lips pale as paper. His body was covered in acupuncture needles, and the seeping blood had dyed all his bandages red. The sheets beneath him were soaked in blood, and he was taking in more breath than he was letting out.

The maids bringing in basins of hot water saw them clear, but when they left, the water had turned bloody. Beside them, in a wooden bowl, lay three arrowheads stained with blood.

The veteran army doctor had him prop his torso up on a soft pillow, repeatedly slapping his cheeks and shouting loudly, "Your Highness, Your Highness, you must not fall asleep!"

Lin Shuyun's tears immediately welled in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. She covered her mouth, standing to the side and sobbing quietly, not daring to step forward and disturb the veteran army doctor's treatment.

"The strong alcohol is here."

Officer Sun hurried in through the door, calling out loudly.

"Quickly, mix the strong alcohol with the herbal decoction on the table and bring me a bowl," the veteran army doctor said urgently. "Then go fetch some snow water or cold well water."

Lin Shuyun watched as the veteran army doctor pinched Lu Yu's nose, forced his mouth open, and forced down a large bowl of the alcohol-mixed medicine.

The unconscious Lu Yu struggled to swallow, and the liquid immediately gurgled up from his throat and the corners of his mouth.

The veteran army doctor, however, was prepared. He brought another bowl and poured it down Lu Yu's throat, saying angrily, "Your Highness, if you spit this out again, you truly won't survive."

Lu Yu couldn't hear the outside world. Though he spat it out again, enough had made it down.

Her eyes filled with worry, her lips trembling slightly as she looked at the alcohol stains covering Lu Yu's body.

"This alcohol is to help His Highness regain consciousness quickly. He has been struck by three arrows, along with over ten slash and stab wounds. He's trembling all over. If he doesn't wake within three days, his fever won't break..."

The veteran army doctor's cloudy eyes turned to Lin Shuyun, and he sighed heavily.

As soon as he finished speaking, the veteran army doctor waved to the attendants and apprentices, saying, "Go, change His Highness's bandages."

The bandages, stained with strong alcohol, medicine, and blood, were quickly replaced. When Lin Shuyun saw the wounds on Lu Yu's body, she collapsed into a chair, covered her face, and wept quietly.

The arrow wound on Lu Yu's chest looked as though a piece of flesh had been torn out. Dark red blood continued to seep from the wound. The lighter cuts on his arms and legs had already formed scabs into dark red scars.

"Your Ladyship may stay by his bedside these next few days and call out to him often. Let him remember he has someone waiting for him, so he cannot leave like this."

After two hours of intensive emergency care, the veteran army doctor turned to Lin Shuyun and sighed.

Having said this, he stood up. "I will prepare more medicine. An Ran will take over here."

Just then, An Ran happened to enter.

Upon seeing Lin Shuyun, she hurried over to support her weakened body. "You're frail, and the baby's been affected. You should go back and lie down."

"Can I... can I sit here with him for a while?"

Lin Shuyun's eyes were swollen from crying, her body trembling uncontrollably. Her weak voice was full of pleading.

"We only have these couple of days. Even if he passes, I want to be here by his side, watching over him, staying with him."

Afraid that An Ran would refuse, Lin Shuyun added again.

An Ran forced the words out with difficulty, her voice hoarse. "Alright, I'll have a daybed brought in for you to lie on."

Lin Shuyun nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on Lu Yu's ashen, paper-pale face.