489: Chapter 489 No need

Yelv Heqi clearly didn't have time to react; he fell straight to the ground, eyes wide open, and stopped moving.

Xie Juner and Su Wansha were stunned at first, then their eyes filled with wild joy.

"Husband!!"

"Prince of Zhenbei!"

"It's the Prince of Zhenbei who has returned!!"

The members of the Zhenbei Army were greatly encouraged, some even shedding hot tears of excitement!

It was as if, in the midst of a long, dark night, they had finally welcomed the sunrise and waited for the light!

Not far away, a figure swept across hundreds of meters in an instant, arriving beside Yelv Heqi.

Lin Xiao wore a heavy expression; he had just passed through Hanyang, only to find it had turned into a living hell.

Since raising his troops from Stone Fortress, the commoners in his territory had never encountered a massacre of this scale.

This complex mix of anger, regret, helplessness, and sorrow made him deeply realize once again that "Prince of Zhenbei" was not just an honorable title, but also a heavy responsibility.

The scenery at the top of a mountain is beautiful, but the space to stand is too small.

When you strive to climb to the peak, there are always countless people who want to drag you down.

And in the process of this struggle, the rocks rolling down the mountainside will cause many people to sacrifice themselves, directly or indirectly, because of you.

Lin Xiao knew that sacrifice was inevitable, but witnessing it with his own eyes was a different matter entirely.

He was just a person who had transmigrated here, not some royal scion.

Compared to these powerful figures, he felt more empathy for the suffering commoners.

"Husband, what's wrong?"

Seeing Lin Xiao frowning with a grim expression and remaining silent, the two women were very worried.

"Husband! The Khitan people are still killing; it's not over yet!"

Seeing that the Zhenbei Army was on the verge of collapse, Su Wansha shouted loudly.

Lin Xiao suddenly snapped back to reality. That's right, it wasn't over yet! Why was he being so sentimental!?

If he didn't fight to the end, wouldn't those who had died have died in vain!?

"All troops, listen to my orders!"

Lin Xiao said loudly, "Contract the formation! Protect the commoners with everything you have!"

Under his command, the remaining few hundred soldiers of the Zhenbei Army retreated without hesitation, shielding the commoners behind them.

At the same time, Lin Xiao charged into the battle formation, a black blade in one hand and sword qi in the other.

Wherever the blade light and sword qi passed, heads flew into the air; he moved as if through empty space!

If not for the fear of accidentally injuring his own people, Lin Xiao could have used the Zhu Xian Sword Formation on a large scale, but even killing like this, his speed was not slow.

[Bloodlust + 523]

Seeing that his Bloodlust had stacked to a certain level, Lin Xiao consumed it all to unleash the "Blood-Berserk Demon"!

He felt his physical strength surge instantly, his true qi becoming even more turbulent.

Lin Xiao swung his blade, and the Blood Shadow Mad Blade, under the double enhancement of the Blood-Berserk and the Qi Scripture, expanded to more than five times its usual range!

A streak of blood-colored light covered nearly half the battlefield, instantly cutting down hundreds of Khitan people!

This overwhelming offensive left everyone in the rear stunned!

Especially Xie Yu, Zhao Cailing, and the others from the engineering and medical teams—when had they ever seen such warfare!?

But precisely because of this scene, some of the commoners let out wails of grief.

"Why didn't the Prince of Zhenbei come sooner... If he had been here, my son wouldn't have died..."

"My poor daughter-in-law and newborn baby..."

Many refugees looked despondent; some dared not speak, but they thought the same.

Thinking of her uncle Feng Yuzhang and the relatives of the Hu family... Hu Xinyi also shed tears again in pain.

Although they understood that the Prince of Zhenbei could not protect everyone, when tragedy struck them personally, it was inevitable that resentment would arise.

In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, there were no Khitan people left standing on the battlefield.

The wind blew, and the air was filled with the smell of blood.

Although the Khitan Army was defeated, the Zhenbei Army side did not cheer, because they had not won either.

"Husband, why did you rush back? What about the main force of the Khitan?"

Although Xie Juner and Su Wansha were very touched that their man had returned in time, if the Yan Region were to fall, it would not be worth it.

"Khitan King Yelü Dachuan and Yelu Ajia have both been killed by me; Wanying and Caiwei can handle the rest."

Lin Xiao looked at Yelv Heqi's corpse and frowned, "I suspect that the Yelu clan was also being used by someone. With the strength of the Khitan, they shouldn't dare to declare war on us so openly."

[Yelv Heqi, 101 years old, former Khitan Grand Shaman, Medicine Man, Talent: Heaven Grade]

From the information, Yelv Heqi should have died back then, but because he was preserved well in a glacier, he was able to be resurrected using the Drug-Man Art.

Of course, it is also possible that he didn't die and had been researching the Drug-Man Art all these years.

But regardless, with his strength, even with these "drug-enhanced" Khitan soldiers, it would not be enough to conquer the Northern Territory.

If he started this war, unless he had gone mad, it was highly likely he was being used as a pawn.

"Husband, do you know that Prince Qing is taking advantage of this opportunity to try to invade our Cang Province?" Su Wansha asked hurriedly.

"Hmm... I've heard a little."

"Could it be that Prince Qing is the mastermind?"

"But Yelv Heqi said it was the will of the Heavenly God. Prince Qing surely isn't the Heavenly God, right?"

Both women speculated one after another.

Lin Xiao had no clue for a moment, but instead worried about his beloved wife, and asked hurriedly, "What about Xiao Qingxuan? How did she arrange things regarding Prince Qing?"

The two women looked at each other. Su Wansha bit her lip, and Xie Juner whispered, "The Princess Consort... took Yaner and went."

"Xiao Qingxuan and Yaner are leading the troops? That..."

Lin Xiao stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something was wrong, his expression changing drastically, "What!? The two of them!?"

"The Princess Consort said she wanted to prove to the world that she is worthy of the Prince of Zhenbei," Xie Juner said with a bitter smile, "What else could we say?"

Lin Xiao was overwhelmed with emotions; worry was certain, but there was more of a sense of being moved, a sense of cherishing.

Xiao Qingxuan had been by his side; how much pressure must she have been under to say such things!

You have to know, she is an Empress, yet she was actually being told she was "marrying up"!?

"Prince of Zhenbei, why don't you return to Baishui? We can handle the rescue here in Hanyang; General Zhao Kuan's main force is coming up behind."

The two women understood that even though Lin Xiao was very good to all his sisters/wives, the weight Xiao Qingxuan carried was different.

Lin Xiao hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, "I believe in her. Let's save the people first."

Saying this, Lin Xiao walked over to some of the severely wounded soldiers, assisting Zhao Cailing and the others in using innate qi to help with the treatment.

Not to mention anything else, with Lin Xiao there, stopping the bleeding quickly would save many people.

After an hour, most of the seriously ill and wounded had been saved, and some who were poisoned had also been rescued.

Having witnessed Lin Xiao's methods, Zhao Cailing clicked her tongue in amazement, "Brother-in-law, your medical skills are so amazing. Why haven't I seen you use them before?"

"I just learned them recently," Lin Xiao said indifferently.

"Brother-in-law, you are too amazing. You've even learned medicine to such a profound level. I really want to introduce you to my master." Zhao Cailing looked very serious and quite regretful.

"No need, I know your master. She still owes me a favor," Lin Xiao said with a smile.

"Ah?" Zhao Cailing looked completely confused.

Seeing her blank expression, Lin Xiao found it amusing, but then he saw a general covered in blood walking up from behind.

"Prince of Zhenbei, this general has failed in his duty and has let down you and the soldiers of the Zhenbei Army. Please punish me!!"

The person who came was Commander Bai Buhei; his face was full of remorse and shame.

Lin Xiao was a bit confused, and Xie Juner by his side hurriedly explained it to him.

After learning the whole situation, Lin Xiao was also a bit helpless.

The engineering team had been established for too short a time, and many things had not been popularized; it was indeed easy for the officers below to misjudge.

"Under normal circumstances, I would not blame you because you haven't had contact with the engineering team."

"But since so many brothers have died, it wouldn't be right if I didn't punish you."

"Demote your rank by one level, and go back to receive thirty military canings!!"

Upon hearing this, Commander Bai Buhei's tiger eyes turned red, and he gratefully kowtowed to the ground, "Thank you, Prince of Zhenbei, for your mercy!!"

Having heard of the engineering team's bravery, Lin Xiao curiously walked over to Xie Yu and the others from the engineering team.

The engineering team was busy discussing the results of the recent practical battle, and the atmosphere was very intense.

Xie Yu, this young master, had no airs at all and was arguing incessantly with several people in the team.

The tragedy of the battlefield seemed to have little impact on them; everyone was more concerned about various equipment issues.

Lin Xiao picked up the shield that had performed such a great service from the ground, looked at the place where it had been sliced open by the blade qi, and couldn't help but be stunned.