sjar Chapter 484 Without her, I would have been nothing but dust long ago.
Chapter 484 Without her, I would have been nothing but dust long ago.
The night wind grew colder, causing the flags on the city walls to flutter wildly.
Gu Junze remained standing there, heavy footsteps echoing from behind him.
Gu Junze didn't turn around; he knew who it was.
Apart from Duan Qingye, probably no one in this barbican would dare to act so "as if no one else is around" when he is alone.
"Hmph, standing here in the cold wind all by yourself, are you tired of living and want to freeze to death early to avoid going to your own death?"
Duan Qingye's voice was as sharp as ever. He walked to Gu Junze's side, glanced in his direction, and then curled his lip in disdain.
Gu Junze turned his head to the side, glanced at him indifferently, and did not reply.
Arguing with Duan Qingye is never a wise move.
Duan Qingye didn't seem to expect a response from him. He rummaged in his pocket for a while, pulled out a package, and shoved it into Gu Junze's arms rather roughly.
"Take it!"
The package felt slightly heavy in my hand, and had a soft texture, unlike the coldness of metal.
Gu Junze lowered his head and opened a corner of the package.
Inside was a neatly folded black soft armor, its fine texture clearly indicating it was no ordinary item.
He raised his head and looked at Duan Qingye, his eyes filled with inquiry.
"What are you looking at!" Duan Qingye felt a little uncomfortable being stared at and said gruffly, "These are some extra pieces of junk in the Zheng army camp. It's a waste to throw them away. If you don't mind, you can take them and wear them!"
He paused, then added, "That witch's methods are incredibly wicked. You'd better not die too miserably and embarrass your mother!"
Gu Junze stroked the edge of the soft nail, a slight smile appearing on his lips, which he quickly suppressed.
"The Great General is very kind."
"Who, who has a kind heart!" Duan Qingye mumbled incoherently, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"If you... if you die, Anyang will definitely blame me..."
The three-day period arrived in the blink of an eye.
Ten miles outside the city, the slope is covered in endless yellow sand.
Gu Junze, dressed alone in black robes with his hair in ink, had been waiting for a long time with his hands behind his back.
Princess Beiyan dismounted, and there were no ghost soldiers following her; she was all alone.
She stopped three zhang away from Gu Junze, saying, "You actually dared to come."
Gu Junze maintained his indifferent expression: "How could I dare not accept the princess's invitation?"
Princess Beiyan seemed to chuckle softly, the sound drifting in the wind.
“Very good. My conditions are very simple. If you agree, I will immediately order the troops to withdraw, and Northern Yan and Eastern Jin will not invade each other for ten years.”
"What are the conditions?" Gu Junze asked.
"I want you to be my consort." The Northern Yan princess uttered a startling statement, yet her tone was as calm as if she were stating something perfectly ordinary.
The sound of the wind seemed to have stopped at that moment.
Gu Junze's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Your Highness is too kind. This general already has a wife."
"Then divorce her," the Northern Yan princess replied even faster, without the slightest hesitation.
Gu Junze's face finally darkened. "Princess, are you out of your mind?"
He turned around, intending to leave.
"Stop!" The Northern Yan princess's voice suddenly rose, and she swayed as she blocked Gu Junze's path.
"Gu Junze, do you know why I treat you differently?" Her eyes behind the mask were fixed on him.
Gu Junze did not answer, but just stared at her coldly.
Princess Beiyan continued speaking to herself, her voice carrying a strange fervor.
"Princess Anyang, a legend of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Women like her are role models for us all!"
“I grew up listening to her stories. Otherwise, why would I have given up my feminine attire, donned armor, and become a female general of Northern Yan!”
Her gaze lingered on Gu Junze: "I heard that you were paralyzed in bed for several years, unable to walk properly, yet you were able to stand up again and lead troops into battle..."
"You have even blocked my Northern Yan army outside the barbican. You truly deserve to be the son of Princess Anyang."
Gu Junze smiled and said, "Do you know how my legs were healed?"
No one knows the expression behind the Northern Yan princess's mask, but her voice reveals a hint of curiosity.
“If it weren’t for my wife,” Gu Junze said, each word clear and distinct, “I, Gu Junze, would probably be a handful of dust by now, and I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you.”
"She took care of me day and night without ever leaving my side; she sought out renowned doctors and never abandoned me; with her frail body, she held up the sky for me."
"Tell me, why should I abandon her and choose you for some nonsensical condition of yours?"
The Northern Yan princess remained silent.
The initial determination and curiosity in those eyes through the mask were gradually replaced by another complex emotion.
“Chu Ruohan…” she murmured the name softly, her tone revealing a genuine interest, “For you to protect her like this, it seems she is no ordinary woman.”
……
Meanwhile, deep within the dungeon of the barbican.
Chu Ruohan was alone, facing the "ghost soldier" who was firmly chained up.
What she held in her hand was the captured black bone whistle.
In his mind, the scene of the Northern Yan princess blowing her bone whistle on the battlefield kept replaying, and the ghost soldiers were precisely controlled like puppets.
Every pause, every change of tone, seems to correspond to a different instruction.
On the table were several scrolls of fragmented Northern Yan musical scores collected from the city.
She picked up the bone whistle, brought it to her lips, and tried to play it according to some simple notes on the sheet music.
At first, the "ghost soldier" did not react at all, remaining in that numb and dull state.
Chu Ruohan was not discouraged. She tried again and again, adjusting the strength of her breath and changing the pitch of her voice.
She carefully recalled the mouth movements and finger gestures of the Northern Yan princess when she whistled. Although she couldn't see them very clearly, she still had some vague impressions.
Time passes bit by bit.
In the dungeon, only the discordant, intermittent sounds of bone whistles and the occasional soft clanging of iron chains could be heard.
After an unknown amount of time, when Chu Ruohan blew out a slightly sharp short note, the restless "ghost soldier" suddenly paused.
Although it was extremely brief and almost imperceptible, Chu Ruohan keenly caught this subtle change!
Her heart skipped a beat.
The wind howled between Gu Junze and the Northern Yan princess.
The Northern Yan princess's eyes, hidden beneath her mask, were fixed on Gu Junze.
After a long silence, she spoke again, her voice tinged with amusement: "I will go and see for myself what kind of woman could make you, Gu Junze, so devoted to her."
She said nothing more, and with a crisp, short whistle, she turned around and quickly disappeared into the sandstorm, as if she had never been there at all.