Chapter 1359 - 1035: Xiazhou—Lost!

Shang Ruyi’s face immediately darkened.

Perhaps Ashina Zhuxie did not understand the habits of those venomous snakes or the pharmacology behind them, but he was no fool. Clearly, the stick meant to startle the snakes had become a perch that allowed them to climb and bite, and combined with his own swift appearance in the tomb passage afterward, how could he not see something was wrong? He knew that someone intended to plot against him.

At that moment, Wo Xue happened to come over looking for Shang Ruyi and immediately stepped forward upon hearing the exchange: "Princess!"

Her voice was not low, and it was filled with a sense of vigilance that immediately alerted several guards patrolling the camp, especially Li Miao and Gao Chen, who quickly surrounded them. Seeing the Western Turkic Khan staring intently at Shang Ruyi, they sensed something amiss and anxiously asked, "Princess, what happened?"

The commotion attracted attention and soon a group emerged from the Western Turks’ camp, unwilling to be outdone.

These figures were tall, and when they gathered, it was like building walls around the surroundings. Each appeared fierce and intimidating, their faces menacing, and they walked behind Ashina Zhuxie, asking, "Khan, what are your orders?"

For a moment, the atmosphere grew tense and sweltering.

Seeing this, Lei Yu also furrowed her brows. She quickly reached out to grasp Ashina Zhuxie’s sleeve, softly saying, "Khan..."

Ashina Zhuxie turned to look at her, but his eyes wavered slightly.

In the past, or even just when they met this time, if he had shown any intent to move against Shang Ruyi, Lei Yu would have immediately positioned herself in front of Shang Ruyi, almost opposing him; yet now, although she was also trying to stop him, she did not immediately side with Shang Ruyi and instead just held onto him.

Ashina Zhuxie felt his heart heavily skip a beat.

However, his face showed no reaction, only clenching his teeth tightly, suppressing the rising corners of his lips, and solemnly said, "You know, she wants to kill me!"

"...!"

Lei Yu’s pupils shook violently, seemingly about to shatter.

Just then, the sound of horse hooves abruptly broke the night silence.

This rapid sound not only shattered the night’s tranquility but also disrupted the tense atmosphere, causing everyone to nervously raise their heads and look towards the direction it came from. At this time, in such a wilderness, there should rightfully be no visitors; if there were, they must be coming for either side among them.

But at this moment, what could it be? Who could be coming?

Everyone felt confused and a little tense, while Shang Ruyi’s gaze seemed to grow darker and as if blending with the night itself, when suddenly a group of riders burst through the darkness and rushed into the Western Turks’ camp. A few soldiers immediately went to meet them, and after a few words, they quickly led the newcomers over.

"Khan!"

The man let out a piercing cry, stumbling as he sped over, kneeling abruptly before Ashina Zhuxie: "Khan, something has happened!"

Ashina Zhuxie glanced down to see a soldier dressed in leather armor, different from the surrounding Turkic soldiers, his face smeared with blood and mud, gasping for breath, evidently having rushed a long distance through harsh weather. His eyes were bright red as he spoke to Ashina Zhuxie: "Khan, something has happened!"

Something’s happened?!

Everyone couldn’t help but hold their breath, Ashina Zhuxie’s face darkened: "What happened?"

"Khan, Xiazhou—it’s lost!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, Ashina Zhuxie’s eyes widened, stepping forward and grabbing the soldier: "What did you say!"

Beside him, Lei Yu was also thunderstruck, incredulously saying, "How is it possible? Wasn’t Xiazhou exhausted and reinforced with multiple times the troops, ready to be captured at any moment? How could—"

As she spoke, her voice suddenly halted as if realizing something, turning to glance back, while Ashina Zhuxie continued to press: "How did it get lost? When did this happen?"

"It was the day before yesterday."

"The day before yesterday? What exactly happened?"

"The day before yesterday..." That soldier caught a breath, stammering, "We were about to conquer Xiazhou, but just as the sun was setting, suddenly, a troupe of heavy cavalry arrived."

"Heavy cavalry?"

Hearing these words, Ashina Zhuxie’s face darkened once more.

He pondered for a moment, then quickly asked, "And then?"

That soldier’s expression also seemed grim, and judging by his disheveled state, one could imagine the difficulty of escaping with his life. With anger tinged with a hint of fear, he said, "This troop was well-trained, orderly, and bore a wolf-head banner. Everyone saw it and thought it was the Khan’s own soldiers, sent to assist in battle, so we were unprepared."

"..."

"Unexpectedly, this troop suddenly attacked us!"

"...!"

This caused the surrounding soldiers to let out stunned murmurs, each bristling with rage yet filled with bewilderment, angrily demanding, "Who dares impersonate the Khan’s troops?"

"We must capture them!"

"Capture them, tear them limb from limb!"

As indignation filled the group, Ashina Zhuxie instead grew calm, asking, "And then?"

The soldier said, "Caught off guard, our troops were disrupted, and then the forces inside Xiazhou emerged unexpectedly, joining this troop to attack from both inside and out, thoroughly defeating our forces."

"..."

"Xiazhou was just, lost..."

The last words were murmured almost inaudibly, the surrounding Turkic soldiers showing expressions of regret and resentment, each one sighing with helplessness, longing to rush to Xiazhou for another battle.

Ashina Zhuxie remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Where did the heavy cavalry come from?"

Hearing this, those nearby were taken aback.

Indeed, where did the heavy cavalry come from?

It was known that throughout the Eastern and Western Turks, cavalry warfare was a specialty, yet only the unmatched heavy cavalry under Ashina Zhuxie’s command existed, inherited from his maternal tribe, the Zhuxie Tribe. So how did heavy cavalry suddenly appear out of nowhere?

Could it be the Eastern Turks?

No! If the Eastern Turks possessed such strength, they would have dispatched it long ago, not waiting until the battle at Xiazhou reached this stage.

Then who were these people?

Could it—

Ashina Zhuxie’s mind was struck with a muddied thought, and as he turned around, he inadvertently caught Lei Yu’s flickering gaze, which had just shifted away from Shang Ruyi. Her eyes seemed to hold some unspeakably tangled emotion, and he suddenly seemed to understand something.

"You—!"