Chapter 56

Outside, it was still chaotic, with people constantly rushing around. The light from torches and oil lamps occasionally reflected on the half-old window screens of the duty room.

Su Ci and A Kang exchanged glances. As soon as she opened her mouth, A Kang and A Zheng became nervous and instinctively blocked the doorway.

Su Ci: “…”

She was speechless but didn’t intend to make things difficult for A Kang and A Zheng. Yang Yanzong’s orders were always strict and heavily enforced. But what now? Just standing around wasn’t an option.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to worry for long. A new work assignment for Su Ci came quickly—mosquito repellent was also essential. Su Ci’s previous mosquito repellent water had been very effective, so she immediately wrote down the formula. General Xu quickly sent people to nearby towns to purchase the ingredients. The first batch of medicinal materials had just arrived and was being hurriedly transported into the city. Since Su Ci was there, she was immediately assigned to the newly set up mosquito repellent production room.

“Great,” A Kang sighed in relief. “Madam, let’s hurry over!”

“Oh, okay!” Su Ci looked over the order from top to bottom, blinked, and quickly responded. She picked two medicine boys who had been assisting her recently, along with A Kang and A Zheng. The four of them quickly headed to the new production room. It was actually a large kitchen in the west of the city, where the chubby cooks were still hurriedly dragging out baskets of potatoes and other items, causing a commotion.

But the military camp was efficient, and the place was cleared out. The fire soldiers were ready. Su Ci peeked in and quickly instructed them to clean and dry the large pots and prepare the grinding stones and wooden pestles.

Just then, carts of medicinal materials arrived. Su Ci tore open a burlap sack, took a pinch, and sniffed it. They were all high-quality ingredients like cypress shells, camphor wood, mint, and mugwort. She nodded, “Good, the materials are excellent. Unload them quickly!”

The team leader in charge of transporting the materials sighed in relief and quickly called his men to unload.

No one stood idle. A Kang, A Zheng, and the medicine boys all helped unload and carry the materials inside, even Su Ci joined in.

They dragged, unpacked, weighed, ground, and boiled the materials, working up a sweat. Su Ci wiped her forehead, her hands busy, but her mind wandered. How did Yang Yanzong manage this so quickly? Did he go to see General Xu?

There was no doubt. Yang Yanzong definitely arranged this new assignment. General Xu was a man of military spirit, and once he issued an order, he rarely changed it. How did Yang Yanzong manage it?

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Meanwhile, the ancient pass was engulfed in a sea of blood. As the main general defending the pass, Yang Yanzong led his troops to the ancient pass and immediately took the lead, standing at the top of the battlements.

The Northern Rong soldiers swarmed fearlessly, constantly climbing up. The thunderous sound of their battering rams against the gate was deafening, causing the ears of nearby soldiers to bleed.

After hours of continuous fighting, Yang Yanzong’s long sword was dulled. He threw it aside, drew his sword, and stabbed a Northern Rong soldier in the heart.

Beside him, Ji Yuanhao couldn’t help but complain, “You volunteered for this for a woman. Next time, don’t drag me along.” He wiped the blood splattered on his face, cursed, and threw down his dulled sword. He grabbed another from a soldier rushing up with replacement weapons. His right hand was numb, so he had to switch to his left.

Ji Yuanhao had just returned from quelling a civilian riot and could have rested, but a messenger called him up and forced him to rush to the ancient pass.

Yang Yanzong’s request to change Su Ci’s assignment wasn’t simple. To get it, he had to defend the ancient pass.

The ancient pass was difficult to defend. Left Sage King Wushe Tuqi had been waiting for this rare opportunity. Three batches of defenders had already fallen, and Yang Yanzong’s group was the fourth.

While soldiers are expected to die on the battlefield, facing such fierce battles where many comrades have already fallen would make anyone fearful. But Yang Yanzong volunteered without hesitation, with only one small request: for General Xu to assign Su Ci a task outside the quarantine zone. He wasn’t afraid of battle. He had faced countless life-and-death situations and had confidence in himself. This confidence far exceeded his willingness to let Su Ci enter the quarantine zone. So he chose without hesitation. Additionally, he dragged Ji Yuanhao along. After all, they were allies now. After receiving the order, he selected his troops and assigned Ji Yuanhao as one of the commanders. But defending the pass was no easy task. Even the strong Yang Yanzong showed signs of exhaustion.

Wushe Tuqi had come prepared, choosing the day of the epidemic outbreak to attack. The defenders were overwhelmed, dealing with both civilian unrest and the need for medicinal supplies. Soldiers were constantly being carried into the quarantine zone, and everyone was in a state of panic. In such a demoralized situation, it was difficult to fight effectively. Otherwise, Yang Yanzong wouldn’t have led his generals to the battlements immediately. It was crucial to boost morale.

“Soldiers, as long as the pass stands, we stand! If the pass falls, we fall! Don’t worry about the epidemic; the military doctors have developed new medicine. By the time we go to battle, the epidemic will be under control. Do not panic!”

With these words, he rallied the soldiers, returning them to a normal defensive state.

At the most critical moment, the gate was breached. With a loud crash, the heavy iron and wooden gate fell.

At this moment, a vanguard team was urgently needed to charge out of the city, counterattack, and disrupt the enemy, giving the gate a chance to be secured.

Yang Yanzong didn’t hesitate and personally led the charge. He handed over the city gate defense to Ji Yuanhao and immediately led a team of cavalry to charge out. The battle was dangerous, a life-and-death struggle. Blood covered his head and face, blinding him. After killing three enemy generals, Yang Yanzong coughed up blood. He spat, opened his sharp eyes, and scanned the surroundings. The rear gate was almost blocked.

Yang Yanzong shouted, “Retreat! Rear troops to the front. Go back!!”

The gate couldn’t be closed anymore, so they temporarily blocked it with large stones. It was almost fully blocked. The blood-soaked warriors rushed back, abandoned their horses, jumped up, and were quickly pulled inside by those waiting.

They pulled and stacked the stones, not daring to slow down. In the end, only Yang Yanzong and A Zhao were left. With the sound of weapons slicing through the air behind them, Yang Yanzong shouted, took a deep breath, and lifted A Zhao, leaping up the enemy’s siege ropes!

His loyal black horse, which had followed him for years, gave a final push to send its master up, but several arrows struck it, and it fell to the ground.

Yang Yanzong reached the top of the city wall and finally took a breath, collapsing to his knees and closing his eyes.

The battle began to turn in their favor. When the gate was breached, all the defenders felt a moment of despair. But as the vanguard charged and fought below the city, everyone’s blood boiled with excitement.

They stabbed the emerging enemies with their spears and passed large stones to block the gate. Morale quickly rose and reached its peak.

Yes, if they couldn’t hold this pass, what was the point of worrying about the epidemic?

With united efforts and boiling blood, they blocked the gate, and the battle began to turn in their favor!

After three days and nights of fierce fighting, they successfully defended the ancient mountain pass.

Left Sage King Wushe Tuqi’s forces attacked for ten days and nights, but the defenders of Da Qing grew braver with each battle. Eventually, the siege ropes were cut down, and the ladders were slick with oil and blood, and fewer and fewer Northern Rong soldiers managed to climb the city walls. The enemy’s morale plummeted, and despite repeated persuasion from his generals and advisors, Wushe Tuqi had to order a retreat, staring unwillingly at the blood-stained city walls.

The defense of the ancient mountain pass was ultimately successful.

At first, Yang Yanzong’s claim that “the epidemic is under control, no need to panic” was merely to boost morale. Who knew if the epidemic was really under control?

However, when he handed over the city gate and returned to Gaobian City, the situation had indeed improved significantly.

Su Ci’s artemisinin was highly effective and had already been successfully extracted. After taking the medicine, except for some sensitive and severely ill soldiers who experienced mild nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, the rest of the patients were in good condition. Within two to three days of taking the medicine, clear signs of recovery appeared. Body temperatures gradually returned to normal, high fevers, chills, and excessive sweating ceased, and the soldiers began to feel hungry and started eating liquid food voraciously. Some of the mild cases had even fully recovered. General Xu ordered them to be temporarily placed in another quarantine room for medical observation to prevent any remaining contagion and ensure full recovery. After more than a day of observation, the results were very positive. It became an undeniable fact that artemisinin could cure malaria.

Everyone knew this, but when it was officially announced, it was like a shot of adrenaline. Thunderous cheers erupted from the medical quarantine area. The cheers lasted a long time, and everyone cried tears of joy.

Su Ci leaned on the window, listening for a while, and couldn’t help but smile. She felt a sense of understanding why her grandparents, parents, and teachers in her previous life were so passionate about this. Experiencing it herself, she found that this feeling was indeed wonderful.

She felt very comfortable, like soaking in a warm bath after a long day. She laughed at herself. Su Ci always considered herself a common person without any great ideals, a lazybones and never thought she would one day experience such a feeling.

After laughing, she looked towards the ancient pass, lost in thought. She wondered how Yang Yanzong was doing. Had he successfully defended the gate?

Su Ci later learned that her assignment to make medicine outside was specially requested by Yang Yanzong from General Xu. The exchange condition was that he volunteered to defend the ancient pass.

General Xu covered for her, naturally not giving her any special treatment. At that time, the order was given in a hurry, and it was difficult to remember any specific person. Yang Yanzong didn’t use this reason; he directly knelt and volunteered, willing to take a military order to defend the gate while requesting a different assignment for her.

The first two batches of defenders had been completely wiped out, and the third batch was barely holding on, urgently requesting reinforcements. General Xu was at his wit’s end, kicked him, and cursed him for being useless. The old general had never made an exception, but he finally agreed because the ancient pass was so difficult to defend.

Yang Yanzong took the military order and immediately selected troops to reinforce the ancient mountain pass. Today was the fourth day, and there had been no news.

Su Ci was actually a bit worried. But just as she was anxiously waiting, she heard the urgent sound of horse hooves. The sound stopped at her door, followed by someone dismounting, the sound of military boots hitting the ground, and then entering the duty room behind her.

Su Ci quickly stood up and turned around. It was Yang Yanzong.

She was stunned. Yang Yanzong’s black armor had turned reddish-brown, layers of dried blood covering it, turning it into blood armor. His face and head were covered in blood, with splattered blood coagulating into scabs on his head, neck, face, and armor. Even the red tassel on his helmet was stuck to the helmet.

The pungent smell of blood filled the air. A Zhao, Da Ming, and the others behind him were the same.

Returning from a bloody battle, he couldn’t hide his deep exhaustion from physical exertion.

Su Ci gasped and quickly called A Kang and A Zheng to arrange for A Zhao and Da Ming. She took Yang Yanzong’s hand and led him inside. When she grabbed his hand, she realized his palm was wrapped in thick burlap, stained dark red with blood. His palm was worn and blistered.

Su Ci quickly removed his armor and cleaned him up, discovering he was injured.

It wasn’t serious—a cut on his shoulder, where a blade had sliced through his leather armor and skin. The wound was about a centimeter deep and a palm’s length. On the battlefield, this was considered a minor injury, so Yang Yanzong hadn’t even bothered to bandage it and continued fighting.

When Su Ci mentioned it, he finally acknowledged it.

“Sit down, I’ll clean it and stitch it up.”

He nodded, resting his head on his hand and closing his eyes. Back home, his tense muscles and nerves finally relaxed.

Su Ci swiftly cleaned the wound, disinfected it, and threaded the needle. He refused to drink the anesthetic, so she applied some newly made topical anesthetic. She stitched up the wound with quick, precise movements, applied medicine, and bandaged it. The bandage wrapped around his ribs, tightening with each turn, and she finished with a neat knot.

With the troops stretched thin, even fetching water was a luxury. Everyone had been making do with minimal water, not enough for proper baths. Su Ci used a cloth to wipe him down, making do. His hair was matted with blood scabs, so she carefully wiped it with a damp cloth.

Blood scabs littered the floor, and his body bore the marks of heavy armor. She poked the marks on his arm and scratched her head, thinking, Boss, you’re so serious, it’s hard to manage!

Su Ci felt a bit overwhelmed.

Her poking woke Yang Yanzong. He had been lightly dozing, waking up at the slightest movement. When he woke, he found himself already tended to. He pulled her onto his lap, “How have you been these past few days? Busy?”

Today, Su Ci was particularly obedient. She glanced at him, rested her head on his shoulder, and absentmindedly poked his arm.

Yang Yanzong had missed her. It was hard to believe that he, a seasoned warrior, would think about someone while on a campaign, wondering if she was behaving.

He didn’t mention the battle, just pulled her chin up and kissed her deeply. His kiss was as domineering as ever. When it ended, Su Ci was a bit breathless and glared at him.

After the kiss, she lay on his chest, held by him. She decided not to overthink things—whatever happens, happens.

Honestly, overthinking doesn’t help. Life is unpredictable; who knows what tomorrow will bring?

He wanted to be in a relationship, and Su Ci suddenly felt interested, too. So, they would take it one step at a time and deal with the future later. Yes, that’s how simple the laid-back Su Ci’s thoughts were.

After deciding this, she felt happy. Yang Yanzong hadn’t had enough of kissing her, so he kissed her two more times. They ended up on the bed, cuddling. He kissed her cheek and tucked her in, “Sleep well.”

Su Ci quickly asked, “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

Yang Yanzong stood up and dressed. After resting and regaining his energy, he felt much better, his usual calm and steady demeanor returning. He put on his inner clothes and soft armor, sat on the bed to put on clean boots, and then kissed her forehead, “There’s some progress on the traitor issue. I need to go.”

It was someone caught at the gate. The ancient pass gate was breached because a traitor killed a comrade and removed a crossbar. Although his trusted subordinates couldn’t stop it in time, they caught the traitor. Preliminary interrogation revealed that this person knew a lot.

Tong Jien couldn’t wait any longer. Yang Yanzong had to deal with the emperor’s matter immediately.

“Sleep.” He didn’t say he’d be back soon because he didn’t know how long it would take.

Yang Yanzong said this and stood up, walking out quickly. Outside, A Kang, A Zhao, Da Ming, and others were ready, holding the horses.

As Yang Yanzong stepped out, Su Ci jumped out of bed and caught up, “I’m coming too!”

“Can I come with you?”

Yang Yanzong turned, “Is everything settled at the medical camp?”

Su Ci nodded. Everything was in order. Artemisinin was effective, the malaria epidemic was under control, and her mosquito repellent was fully prepared and in use. The situation was stable.

“Alright.” With that, they left.

Yang Yanzong wrapped her in his cloak, his familiar warm scent mixed with a faint smell of blood.

Su Ci smiled, peeking out from the cloak, her bright eyes meeting Yang Yanzong’s. They both smiled.

“Let’s go!”

Yang Yanzong mounted his horse, pulled her up, and covered her with a cloak to shield her from the night wind. He smiled, “I’ll introduce you to a friend.”

Su Ci was surprised, “You have friends?”

Yang Yanzong ruffled her hair, laughing, “Why wouldn’t I? Do you think I came out of a rock?”

What kind of image did she have of him? He looked at her suspiciously.

Su Ci giggled and quickly turned her head, pretending not to hear. “Hey, don’t pinch me!”

Horse hooves echoed as the black-armored riders quietly passed, leaving a few light-hearted laughs behind.