After nightfall, the wind and snow became even more ferocious. With the snow three feet deep, the horses couldn’t move, so the soldiers of Great Zhou had to escort Ning Fei on foot to break through.
“Take care of yourself,” Long Xuan handed Ning Fei a cup of strong liquor, saying, “We await your good news.”
After downing the cup of liquor in one gulp, Ning Fei said to Long Xuan, “Your Majesty, take care. I’ll be on my way.”
Long Xuan patted Ning Fei on the shoulder, hiding all his worries in his smile. Long Xuan had never laughed so heartily before today. He said to Ning Fei, “We await your triumphant return!”
After bowing to Long Xuan, Ning Fei turned and walked out of the camp gate.
Since they had to fight on foot, Luo Qi didn’t wear a helmet or armor. He addressed the officers who were staying in the camp, “You must protect His Majesty. Any violators will face military law.”
“Yes,” the officers acknowledged in unison.
“Your Majesty,” Luo Qi bowed to Long Xuan, waiting for his command.
“Go,” Long Xuan said loudly, but his voice sounded somewhat weak in the wind and snow.
The departing soldiers quickly disappeared into the blizzard, and even their footprints in the snow were covered in the blink of an eye.
“Your Majesty, please return,” Fu Dao said behind Long Xuan.
“I will wait here,” Long Xuan said.
As Long Xuan didn’t return to the tent, none of the officers dared to leave. Therefore, the entire army stood in the wind and snow with Long Xuan. When the sounds of battle from the Yan-Shang alliance came, everyone in the Zhou camp was covered in thick layers of snow, almost turning them into snowmen.
Yang Yuansu and Sima Qingsha had been waiting for Long Xuan to send someone to break out of the camp. They just hadn’t expected to wait so long.
“It’s Luo Qi,” Sima Qingsha, emerging from his own warm tent, was informed by a middle-ranking officer, “Luo Qi has personally led the troops here!”
Luo Qi? Sima Qingsha repeated the name in his mind and then ordered the middle-ranking officer, “According to my decree, Luo Qi’s life must not be harmed!”
The middle-ranking officer was stunned. Luo Qi was the commander of the Zhou army. Not harm him?
“Why are you still here?!” Sima Qingsha’s face darkened. “Do you want me to repeat myself?”
The middle-ranking officer quickly bowed to Sima Qingsha and hurried off to relay the order to the frontline.
Luo Qi was Luo Wei’s elder brother. Sima Qingsha remembered very clearly what kind of crazy behavior Luo Wei had done after learning of Luo Qi’s “death”. Luo Qi was the commander of the enemy’s army; he deserved to die, but he couldn’t die at his hands. Perhaps Luo Wei… Thinking of Luo Wei, Sima Qingsha staggered in the snow, almost falling.
The moment he learned that Luo Wei hadn’t died, Sima Qingsha was ecstatic. He wasn’t even a bit angry. After this ecstasy, he didn’t even punish Physician Chu who had deceived him at that time. As long as this person was alive, everything was good. As long as this person was alive, he still had a chance to see him. To conquer Great Zhou wasn’t just because he wanted to contend for the world on behalf of Northern Yan, but also because he wanted to see Luo Wei again. Sima Qingsha walked laboriously in the snow. If he spared Luo Qi, would Luo Wei hate him less? At this moment, Sima Qingsha thought of nothing but Luo Wei.
Ning Fei and Wei Lan didn’t follow Luo Qi into the front camp of the Yan-Shang alliance. Instead, they buried themselves in the deep snow, waiting until the two sides were in a melee, before sneaking into the alliance’s camp. Wei Lan acted first, severing the throats of two Eastern Shang soldiers. Then, he and Ning Fei each dragged a corpse and found a spot behind a tent with no light. There, the two hurriedly began stripping the dead bodies of their clothes and dressing themselves with it.
“What are you doing there?” A squad of Eastern Shang soldiers rushed over from behind the two men.
Wei Lan hadn’t finished putting on his clothes yet, but he had already dashed out. His movements weren’t slowed by the snow burying his lower legs in the ground. Before he even reached the group of Eastern Shang soldiers, the sword in his hand flashed with a cold light, and the sword glare swept towards the leader who had spoken. The leader only felt a chill at his throat. Before his brain could register what had happened, he collapsed into the snow.
Ning Fei followed after Wei Lan. He carried luggage with him and wasn’t as agile as Wei Lan, but he easily killed three Eastern Shang soldiers.
“Are you alright?” After dealing with the last Eastern Shang soldier, Wei Lan asked Ning Fei behind him without looking back.
“I’m fine,” Ning Fei wiped the snow off his face and replied.
“Let’s go.” Wei Lan’s voice had barely fallen before he moved forward lightly.
Ning Fei followed closely behind Wei Lan.
Sima Qingsha was surrounded by people and walked towards the front camp, asking around for Yang Yuansu’s whereabouts.
When Wei Lan saw a group of people approaching him, he quickly stopped and stepped aside.
Ning Fei immediately noticed Sima Qingsha among the crowd. He resisted the urge to rush forward to kill this Emperor of Northern Yan, and stood next to Wei Lan.
“Why are you standing here?” A captain, leading a group of soldiers, approached and asked when he saw Wei Lan and Ning Fei.
Wei Lan bowed with Ning Fei, looking submissive.
“Which battalion are you from?” The captain asked. “Why are you standing here?”
Seeing the captain getting closer and closer, Wei Lan whispered to Ning Fei, “If we can’t hide anymore, you should run away quickly. I’ll handle it here.”
“Are you crazy?” Ning Fei whispered back. “Sima Qingsha is here. How can you fight alone?”
“You have to run out anyway!” Wei Lan saw the captain approaching and hurriedly lowered his head even more.
“Why aren’t you speaking?” The captain’s loud voice made Sima Qingsha’s group stop and look towards Wei Lan and Ning Fei.
“We were just about to go to the front camp,” Wei Lan said.
“Which battalion are you from?”
“The medical team,” Wei Lan replied.
The captain looked suspiciously at Wei Lan and Ning Fei. He didn’t know anyone from the medical team. Although he had doubts, the northern Yan accent deliberately used by Wei Lan when speaking made the captain say, “Then hurry up. Don’t just stand here.”
“We’re going.” Through the wind and snow, Sima Qingsha couldn’t see Wei Lan and Ning Fei’s faces clearly. Anxious to go to the front camp to supervise the battle, Sima Qingsha said a word to the ministers and generals, and the group hurriedly continued forward.
The captain and his men stood aside, waiting for Sima Qingsha’s group to pass before following them towards the front camp.
Wei Lan and Ning Fei followed behind this group. When they were about ten meters away, Wei Lan gave Ning Fei a gentle push.
Ning Fei squeezed Wei Lan’s hand and quietly turned around to run back. This wasn’t the time for him and Wei Lan to face life and death together. He still had the imperial order on him, so he had to let Wei Lan deal with the upcoming fight alone.
The captain and his team were in a hurry to reinforce the front camp and didn’t think to look back at the two “medics” they had encountered.
Boundless Dao 
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