HCB Chapter 45 Bloodstained
Chapter 45 Bloodstained
Today, thanks to Ning Xiaoxi's return and Chang Qing's escort, the exile team set up camp early on an open space by the roadside before nightfall.
Both the constables and the prisoners felt very relaxed and happy.
Chang Qing and Ning Xiaoxi's family sat around a makeshift stone stove, watching the water bubbling in the earthenware pot, while Ming Luoying prepared to add rice.
"Crack!" The sound of shattering rang out.
Chang Qing was horrified and looked down at the jade pendant in the middle of his belt. He quickly took it off.
"Snap! Crack!"
Chang Qing clutched the shattered jade pendant tightly, his face deathly pale, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. "How could this happen... The jade pendant shattered for no reason, something's happened at the base!" His voice was filled with barely concealed anxiety and unease, his eyes brimming with worry.
Ning Xiaoxi looked at the broken jade token in Chang Qing's hand, and an ominous premonition welled up in her heart. "Brother Chang, we must go back immediately!" she said, her words filled with determination.
Chang Qing nodded and summoned the Light Cloud Beast. The Light Cloud Beast seemed to sense the tense atmosphere and let out a low hiss.
Ning Xiaoxi looked back at her parents and brother. Ning Shi helped Ming Luoying up and nodded heavily to Ning Xiaoxi. Ning Ziqing quickly stood beside his parents, "Xiaoxi, be careful. Your parents and I are waiting for you to come back."
Ning Xiaoxi gritted her teeth and nodded. She and Chang Qing quickly mounted the Light Cloud Beast. With a gentle pat on its back, the Light Cloud Beast sped off like an arrow towards the Panhou Mountain City garrison.
The wind howled in their ears as they journeyed along, but Chang Qing and Ning Xiaoxi's hearts were heavier than the biting wind itself. They kept urging the Light Cloud Beast to speed up, silently praying that their camp would not suffer any terrible misfortune.
Gradually, a warning bell tolled in the distance, long and mournful in the air.
Night fell like a giant black curtain, slowly enveloping the earth. The walls of Panhou Mountain City came into view, and Ning Xiaoxi could see several riders rapidly approaching in the darkness.
As they approached the city wall, they found the city gate wide open, with soldiers guarding it lined up neatly. However, these soldiers were already corpses lying on the ground, their hands still tightly gripping their weapons, lying in their posts as if defending their posts.
"You little Celestial Masters, you killed my Blood Soul Demon General! Today we'll give you a small punishment as a warning. Tianjie and Tianwei, wait for us to take your lives!" The sharp and piercing voice echoed through the city, gradually fading into the distance.
Along the way, they could see the brutally murdered corpses of the guards. Soon, the Light Cloud Beast led the two into the woods outside the camp.
Two figures of Heavenly Generals were seen chasing after the sound they had just heard, while another figure of Heavenly Generals landed in the middle of the courtyard.
A strong stench of blood assaulted his nostrils, and Chang Qing's heart sank. His hand unconsciously tightened around the reins, and his voice trembled slightly: "Xiao Xi, the situation is probably very bad..."
Ning Xiaoxi didn't respond; her gaze was fixed ahead. The gate to the camp was wide open, and a deathly silence enveloped the entire courtyard. Stepping out of the woods, the scene before them struck them like a thunderbolt.
The ground inside and outside the garrison gate was littered with the corpses of officers and guards, lying haphazardly. Some were decapitated, their heads rolled to the side, their eyes still open, as if they were witnessing the horrific scene before they died, their eyes wide open in disbelief; some had their chests pierced by sharp blades, the blood long since dried, congealing into dark red patches on their clothes; others had their limbs mutilated, severed hands and feet scattered everywhere, clearly having endured an extremely brutal battle.
The demonic energy and spiritual power surged wildly throughout the space, creating an extremely chaotic atmosphere. The runes on the gate and courtyard walls shattered, destroying the defensive spiritual array. The warning bell toppled over, its body cracking.
Chang Qing's lips trembled slightly, his eyes filled with pain and anger. These officers and guards were his comrades-in-arms, his fellow soldiers who protected the garrison, and now they had met such a fate. He slowly dismounted, his steps faltering as he walked towards the corpses, as if he could not believe what he was seeing.
Ning Xiaoxi dismounted as well, her gaze sweeping over the corpses, a pang of pain shooting through her heart. Suddenly, Chang Qing seemed to remember something; he abruptly raised his head and shouted, "Strategist! Lord Di'an!" However, only deathly silence answered him.
They rushed into the yard, and in the middle of it, they saw a heartbreaking scene.
The strategist Bai Qingnian lay on the ground, his chest cruelly ripped open, his heart gone, leaving only an empty, bloody hole. His usually stern face was now filled with fearlessness and dauntlessness. His clothes were disheveled, and he still held his feather fan in his hand. Bloodstains spread across the ground, like a gruesome painting.
The chief clerk, the chief secretary, and the clerk lay dead around him. The chief clerk and the clerk's heads had been severed, their bodies shattered, and all their spiritual power vanished. The chief secretary's head was gone, leaving only a mass of red and white fragments.
Lord Di An, his plump body standing there like a towering statue, was ramrod straight, yet lifeless. His eyes were wide open, filled with endless determination and resolve, his hand still tightly gripping the Vajra pestle, as if even in his final moments, he was still fighting, still guarding this stronghold. His body was covered in wounds, blood staining his court robes, each deep wound telling the story of the fierce battle. His jade cabbage lay at his feet, a crack piercing through its interior; the once warm, soft, and spiritually vibrant jade was now as lifeless as a broken stone. The Vajra Umbrella was tattered, its ribs scattered, lying in a corner.
A large hole had been torn in the roof of the main building in the courtyard, from which a faint demonic aura emanated. The east and west wing rooms were collapsed and dilapidated, filled with a thick aura of blood.
A celestial being stood quietly beside the dark earth, his tall figure trembling slightly, his eyes shooting out a sharp, cold light.
The sound of horses' hooves continued to approach as several Earthly Fiends entered the courtyard one after another with heavy steps. Upon seeing the horrific scene inside, everyone fell silent.
Chang Qing slowly walked to Lord Di An, his legs went weak, and he knelt down. Tears welled up in his eyes, streaming down his cheeks and dripping onto the blood-soaked ground. "My lord..." his voice choked with sobs, filled with unbearable grief.
Ning Xiaoxi stood to the side, her eyes also reddening. Looking at the horrific scene before her, her heart was filled with anger and sorrow. These were all vibrant lives, now cruelly taken away. She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, yet she felt no pain.
Recalling the smiling faces of Lord Di'an and the strategist when they saw her off today, recalling the strategist's seemingly serious yet feigned gentleness, and the chubby Lord Di'an's kind and amiable appearance, an indescribable pain welled up in her heart.
[Ding! Awakening of the Demon-Slaying and Monster-Exterminating Skill: Advanced Magic Weapon Control and Spiritual Connection. This allows the magic weapon to reach a state of spiritual connection, enabling it to autonomously sense the battle situation and form a suitable form. It can also collect residual spiritual energy fluctuations within space to revisit past events.]
The Spirit Crystal Heart leaped out of the Heart Lake and transformed into a round mirror, standing in Ning Xiaoxi's palm.
"Backtrack!"