Leng Changxi was a man of few words. However, speaking of Baili Ai, he had talked a lot about him to Qin Yunuan.
“He used to an orphan taken in by my master. He began to follow my master three days earlier than I did, so he became my senior fellow. Indeed, he learned so hard, but he lacked talent, so his progress was slow. However, he seemed to be more cunning than others. One day we needed to hand in an analysis of the five senses of human faces. It took me a long time to write a very satisfying article after researching many people’s five senses. However, when it was time to hand in the article, I found that his article was exactly the same as mine. What’s more, he had already communicated with our master. If I hadn’t known about it in advance, then it would be me who plagiarized.”
“What happened then?” Qin Yunuan knew that Leng Changxi must not be taken advantage of by others since he could now mention it so easily.
“Then I rewrite a better one. Because,” Leng Changxi shrugged, “Because I found that my first article was completely wrong.” Speaking of it, Leng Changxi could not help but laugh.
“But it was enough to prove Baili Ai’s ability,” Qin Yunuan nodded, “It was really capable of him to steal your article from you and give it back without being found out.”
“Yes,” Leng Changxi nodded, “Nevertheless, it happened when he knew no martial arts. It implied that he relied completely on his tricks. I can only say that he is very clever.”
At that moment, Leng Wu came to report from outside that all the chariots had been repaired except those being thoroughly damaged. The rest had been repaired according to the new blueprint drawn by Qin Yunuan. Being so flexible to move and stop at any moment, they were really helpful in battles.
“A total of 15 chariots have been repaired. They will be ready for the battle tomorrow.”
Hearing the word “battle”, Qin Yunuan couldn’t help but feel more anxious. Dragging Leng Changxi’s sleeves subconsciously, she said in a low voice, “Changxi.”
Leng Changxi touched Qin Yunuan’s thinner cheeks lovingly. This face used to be a little fatter, meaty and lovable. Now it was slightly sunken, looking extremely emaciated.
“It will be alright,” Leng Changxi comforted Qin Yunuan, “Now that he couldn’t beat me in the past, he won’t win over me now.”
At the same time, at the Yunying Palace in Luguan, Sima Ray soaked in a bucket of black potion with a strong smell of Chinese traditional medicine, exposing his upper body. This was because Baili Ai, the new military doctor, was getting rid of the toxins in his body for him. Sima Ray used to think that the pill Qin Yunuan forced him to eat was fake. He only knew that Qin Yunuan was good at needlework, but it never occurred to him that she can also make the poison, which could not be cured by ordinary military doctors. Therefore, he had no choice but to spend lots of money to invite Baili Ai, who seldom showed up in public. However, seeing that the toxins in his body were forced out, he only felt that the money he spent was worth it.
Sima Ray’s bathtub was put in the center of the square mahogany shelf, around which hung yellow curtains to block the wind. In the front of the palace, there was a newly appointed lieutenant reporting the result of the execution of the rebellion. His family name was Si. Although he was not as experienced as Chen Feng before, he was loyal to Sima Ray. However, Sima Ray knew that conclusion should not be drawn about loyalty.
Previously, Chen Feng also protected his master loyally, but at last, he also betrayed him because of his own ambition. So this time Sima Ray was very cautious.
“You’ve done a good job,” Moisture filled Sima Ray’s tired-looking face, “Go to get the antidote.”
Yes. This was Sima Ray’s new method. Now that there came a master who knew about medicine and disguise, Sima Ray wouldn’t waste his knowledge. He asked Baili Ai to make a chronic poison overnight and gave it to all the generals around him. Only he himself had the antidote of it. Even Baili Ai couldn’t make the antidote himself, because making the antidote of the poison needed a special ingredient, the blood on the tip of Sima Ray’s index finger.
“According to the medical book, the tendon of your index finger is directly linked to your heart. Your Royal Highness, please bear the pain,” A slightly rickety figure came slowly from the other side of the curtain. A wrinkled finger pinched Sima Ray’s index finger and poked it with a silver needle, taking three drops of blood as the ingredient of the medicine. Then the antidote was made right at the scene. The lieutenant at the front of the palace endured the pain given by the poison, poured the crimson soup into his mouth, and gulped it.
“Your Royal Highness, thank you for the antidote.”
“Off you go.”
Yunying Palace became quiet slowly. There was only the sound of Sima Ray fiddling with the decoction and the rhymed sound of pounding the medicine with orderly pauses.
The rickety figure appeared behind the curtain again. The servant girl lifted the curtain for the figure. An old, wrinkled man with white hair staggered in, shaking the smashed powder in the bowl in his hand into Sima Ray’s decoction.
The old man was the master invited by Sima Ray with great effort as well as Leng Changxi’s senior fellow, Baili Ai.
Sima Ray raised his head and asked Baili Ai with his eyes closed, “How is Xu Ji’s injury now?”
In the past, Xu Ji had connected his life and soul to the formation, which was broken by Leng Changxi. The formation backlashed, bouncing all the hostility and attacks back to Xu Ji. Xu Ji was already in a coma when he was saved, so he had been put in the yard next to them to rest quietly. Now that Baili Ai was here, he began to diagnose Xu Ji’s disease.
“He has to spend the rest of his whole life like that,” Baili Ai’s voice was as old as the aged.
“He is useless, then,” Sima Ray was calculating silently in his mind, “What a pity! All the military strategies and miraculous traps remembered in his brain will go in vain.”
“That’s what he has asked for himself,” Baili Ai spoke frankly, “Although I know nothing of miraculous traps, I know it’s extremely dangerous to connect one’s life and soul to a formation. What’s more, he was fighting against Leng Changxi at that time. Knowing that there is little chance to win but still risking his life, he deserves what he is suffering from now.”
Sima Ray opened his eyes slowly, “Well, you really speak highly of your junior fellow’s ability.”
Baili Ai smiled ferociously and raised his head slowly, “He is the favorite apprentice of my master. My master thought that he was the smartest one with the brightest future. Even later when the carriage from Prince Ning’s Mansion came to take him back, my master began to realize that his favorite student had hidden his noble identity as Prince Ning’s son to learn from him. Well, it never occurred to me that Dignitary Kongtong, who always hated others lying to him, didn’t blame him. Instead, he taught him what he had learned all his life. I really can’t understand! What magic did he impose on Dignitary Kongtong? I didn’t lose to him except for the evil magic.”
Sima Ray snickered twice in his heart but didn’t show it on his face. He just pointed to the decoction infiltrating his body, “How long does it still need to take?”
“It will take one hour more,” Baili Ai lowered his head, “By doing that, all the toxins in your body will be forced out, Your Royal Highness.”
Sima Ray nodded, “After all, you and Leng Changxi have been fellow apprentices for three years. I understand that there’s some friendship between you more or less. However, I hope that you won’t forget your goal because of it.”
When it came to friendship, there was bitter mockery all over Baili Ai’s face. Lowering his face more, he pointed to his long white hair, “Your Royal Highness, you’ve got me wrong. I’m just seven years older than Leng Changxi, and I used to be delicate and pretty. However, now I’m transformed into such an old look by Leng Changxi. Your Royal Highness, do you think that the poor fellowship between us still exists?”
Sima Ray glanced at Baili Ai without any sympathy. If he hadn’t done research and preparation before, when he saw such an old man who looked like 70 or 80 years old, he wouldn’t think this person was Baili Ai, the legendary beautiful-looking doctor.
The military provisions in Luguan were not enough. Besides, a rebellion just happened here. There were only a few soldiers and injured horses in West Xia. What’s more, there happened an accident with chariots. Therefore, the two parties all stopped fighting to have a rest by tactic agreement. In an instant, spring was coming. It was good news to Leng Changxi’s army because once the ice melted, the river between the mountains could help them transport more food and provide them with more freshwater. Even so, the 500,000 soldiers in the opposite force still made generals and soldiers in West Xia worried.
One day, in the camp for discussion, two generals with different thoughts almost had a fight against each other.
The older general was more conservative, thinking that they should wait until the second batch of food and armament arrived to launch an attack. A young general, however, insisted that now it was the time when Luguan was the weakest. If they missed the chance, there would never be another as good as it.
“F**k! The number of people I killed is more than the number of ants you trampled. How long have you fought in the army? Do you know that grinding a chopper will not hold up the work of cutting firewood? Sending your army hastily is sending them to death.”
The old general was bad-tempered. He slashed a pair of moon-like scimitars to the young general. Respecting the older man, the young general dared not to fight with him. While the pair of scimitars was like two flashes of lightning, they were suddenly stopped by a black spear. Leng Changxi acted in time. He looked solemn. Although he just stared at the two people silently, it was enough to warn them.
Immediately, the old general calmed down.
“General, I’m wrong.”
“General, I shouldn’t quarrel with General Huang either.”
The two people both knelt down in front of Leng Changxi. Despite their kneeling down, Leng Changxi had to admit that manpower and armaments were still big problems he was facing right now.
At that time, Leng Wu suddenly rushed into the camp and hurried to report, “General, there came an army of reinforcements outside the valley.”
“Reinforcements?” Leng Changxi frowned tightly. It remained unknown whose reinforcements they were.
“They are reinforcements sent by West Xia,” Leng Wu continued, “They are 200,000 imperial guards of West Xia led by Infanta Mu Qingyu herself.”
When Qin Yunuan came in to serve the tea, she happened to hear the name “Mu Qingyu”. It was her! She used to think Mu Qingyu as a warm-hearted infanta, willing to help Leng Changxi and her when she entered the palace. It never occurred to her, however, that the woman dared to save the world and went to attend the war herself. What a heroine she was!
“Hurry up! Open the door to greet them,” It was the first time for Leng Changxi to jump happily like that. There was no better news to him ever.
While the enemy had 500,000 soldiers, now he had 400,000 soldiers too. No matter how great Baili Ai was, under the circumstance when the two parties had similar strength, Leng Changxi had the determination to win him.
While speaking, there was a voice as beautiful as the one of an oriole outside.
“General Leng, we haven’t seen each other for a long time.”
