©NovelBuddy
MTL - Harue Kagetsu-Chapter 67
Luo Shen's gaze rested for a moment on Li Mu's open palm, and slowly raised his face.
"That boy from that day, is it really you?"
she asked him.
He nods.
"It's really me."
"Ami, you took pity on me and saved me at that time. After all these years, how could I ever forget you..."
The moonlight was like a dream, and the man in front of him had old eyebrows and eyes, and confided to her how much he missed her and how grateful he was.
Luo Shen also completely remembered.
At that time, the scene of the young man on the road with his hands nailed to the post and the blood dripping from his palm deeply hurt her eyes.
So after being rejected for the first time, she went out for a while, and she begged her sister so hard that she was about to cry, and this was the scene where the ox cart turned back.
The atmosphere gradually seemed to be hazy.
The pity-worthy hand that had suffered terrible torture also slowly stretched out and finally held her shoulder.
Just as he was about to take her into his arms, Luoshen suddenly raised his hands, pressed his palms on his chest and abdomen, and pushed hard.
The unsuspecting man was pushed back by the sudden burst of brute force from the girl in front of him, and stepped on a round pebble by the water, unable to stand firm for a while.
"Puff" sound.
He fell into the water and made a splash.
The ambiguous atmosphere that had pervaded just now because of the memories of the past that the two had experienced together disappeared without a trace.
"Ami-"
Li Mu smiled bitterly, wiped the water splashing on his face, and called her.
"Li Mu! I shouldn't have pity you that day! How can there be such a bad person in the world!"
Luo Shen's lingering anger did not subside, he bent down and picked up a pebble beside his feet, and threw it at him randomly. Hearing a "dong" sound, he didn't know where it hit him, so he turned around and left without looking at him.
Li Mu hurriedly went ashore from the water, caught up with her in a few steps, and hugged her from the back.
Luo Shen was even more angry and struggled.
"Ami, they are all watching..."
Luo Shen heard him whisper in his ear. Turn back involuntarily.
Not far away, near Yingkou, there were a few guards standing.
Several people seemed to be looking this way, thinking about coming over, and then hesitating.
She stopped struggling, ordered him to let go of herself, lowered her voice, and said angrily: "Li Mu, I helped you when I was young, so should I be treated like this by you now?"
Li Mu directly picked her up, walked to a flat stone on the shore, and put her on it.
Luoshen turned to get up.
His shoulders sank, and he sat back down again.
Luoshen looked at him, squatted at his feet slowly, raised his head slightly, and stared at her.
"Ami, didn't you ask me why I must marry you? Because since then, I have never forgotten you."
Luoshen turned his face away, still not looking at him.
He was talking to himself, and his voice got into her ears.
"But even before you questioned me last night, I was still boasting about being affectionate. Now I know that you used to call me shameless, and you were right. I was a shameless and selfish person!"
Luo Shen was startled.
"Because of this old incident in the past, I have another chance, Ami, in this life, even though I know that I am still humble as mud, far unworthy of you, but I can't stop my obsession with wanting you."
"You are the only woman in my life, Li Mu, who thought of getting it."
Luoshen bit his lip.
His chin was still slightly tilted, not wanting to face him directly.
But I heard him continue: "In my heart, I think you are my person, and I don't want you to marry another man, so I deliberately got you forcibly, and made you finally become my Li Mu's wife."
"I am indeed shameless. The purpose of marrying you at that time was probably out of selfishness."
"But after I really married you, I knew what a lively and lovely woman you were, and I knew that marrying you as my wife was the greatest blessing in my life, Li Mu."
"If I can have you face each other day and night, and hear your voice calling my husband, even if there are thousands of men's joys in the world, how can they be half as good as me?"
Luo Shen blushed, covered his ears, and shouted, "Don't talk about it! He really is a shameless person!"
Li Mu smiled and stopped.
He didn't speak any more.
In Luoshen's ears, there was only a slight rustling sound when the night wind swept through the reed bushes.
After a while, she finally couldn't bear it anymore, turned her face, and looked at him.
He still squatted at her feet as before, but his eyes no longer fell on her, but turned to the moon-lit creek beside him, as if he had fallen into contemplation.
"But people live in the world, not only with love."
Just when Luoshen was secretly suspicious, he suddenly heard him speak again.
The tone was no longer as soft as before, and became a bit dignified.
Luo Shen was stunned. Seeing him also turned his gaze back.
The two looked at each other.
He said: "Ami, I was born in the north. As far as I can remember, this land abandoned by the Dayu court has been in constant wars and chaos. Among the Hu people, there are naturally good people, but more of them are violent and beasts. It's not as good as that. Those people used to drink blood in the borderlands. Once they gained power, they would do all kinds of evil. I followed my father and ancestors, and I have seen too many blood and tears. When you saw me being nailed by evil slaves when you were young, you thought it was a tragedy in the world."
"But in the north, this is the place, the place you are stepping on, the tragedies that have happened are far worse than what happened to me that day. Yesterday, when you entered the city, every ruin you saw was the poison of innocent people that day. Left behind. Hu Lian doesn't take our Han people as human beings, but he slaughtered and humiliated them. The flesh of human beings is everywhere. Now that Beixia is falling apart, all kinds of forces are taking advantage of the situation to resurface. rather than.”
"The north is chaotic, the southern dynasty is fighting infighting, and the court that Gao Xianggong painstakingly wants to maintain cannot last forever. The reason why I want to come here today, in addition to the great cause of the northern expedition, is also to be able to stand on my own as soon as possible."
"Only as soon as I have soldiers and horses in my hands that listen to my urging, can we show our ambitions and protect you under my wings."
"Otherwise, if even I myself are full of fetters, in such a troubled world, let alone pacifying the Central Plains, I want to protect you, I'm afraid it's a fool's dream."
"Ami."
He called her.
"Last night you questioned me, and I know I owe it. You rescued me when I was young, so I can live in the world now. But for my selfish thoughts, I forced you to marry me as a wife, and I suffered all grievances. In front of you, I really have nothing to say, and I have nowhere to be ashamed. And now that I am in this position, I can't give you security. So you are leaving this morning, and I really have no face to leave you. It's Aju..."
He paused, raised his hand, and touched his forehead subconsciously.
"She went back this morning and spit on my face, so that I can know your heart for me."
Luoshen was stunned, watching Li Mu slowly stand up from her feet.
He was almost soaked all over, and there were water marks between the corners of his hair and eyebrows, and he should have looked awkward.
But standing in front of her like this, she looks magnanimous and lofty.
"Ami."
he said again.
"When your father came to Beijing to testify against me that night, I made a one-year contract with him. After a year, I'll take Xijing as an appointment and go to welcome you again. I will wait for me for a while. When I win Xijing, the situation will be like chess, the world may change greatly, and the court may not be what it is today."
"It's really hard here, and I don't want you to suffer here with me. You go back first, remember my words, as long as you want me, I will never let you down in the future."
She lowered her head and remained silent, never saying a word.
Li Mu waited for a moment, and a ray of darkness flashed across his eyes.
He folded his fingers and squeezed his fist slowly.
"Ami, if you really see me as a beast because of the difference between you and me, and you don't want to be my wife again, then you don't have to be too embarrassed. Although I can't make an unwilling wish to win you, I still say that, In the future, if I am lucky enough to do what I want, even if the world is against me, I will not hurt you and your parents."
He finished speaking, but did not speak again.
The night wind blew, blowing Luoshen's skirt on the stone surface, breaking the moon shadow on the water surface, and disturbing her heart.
At this moment, she knew that he was looking at her, waiting for her answer.
She didn't know how to answer.
The balance in my heart sways from side to side, and my heart is full of tenderness.
She struggled for a long time, and suddenly she even hated the man in front of her.
Hate why he put her in such a dilemma.
I had already made up my mind not to have anything to do with him again.
But he chased after him again, disturbing her heart again.
He said he was a selfish man.
It was the same in the past, and it is still the same today!
Luoshen sat on his knees, motionless, but his eyes slowly warmed.
She could only bury her face on her knees, and no longer wanted to see this cruel man in front of her who only knew how to persecute her.
Li Mu watched her escape like a helpless little girl, and a heart that should have been hardened instantly softened.
He desperately wanted to hold her in his arms and sympathize with her in every possible way, but he was afraid of causing her greater resistance, so he could only squat in front of her again, patted her back with his palm, and said softly, "Ami, I I won't force you, you can think slowly, as long as you want. Even for the rest of your life, I will wait for you."
Luoshen raised his head and pushed his hand away: "You still said you won't force me! You are clearly forcing me!"
She shouted, and tears of grievance followed.
Li Mu couldn't bear it any longer, he took her into his arms, and kissed her cheek with tears.
Luoshen twisted his body to prevent him from kissing.
While struggling, he suddenly felt that he stopped, picked himself up, and quickly stood up.
She was startled by the sudden dangling under her body, and subconsciously grabbed his arms.
When he reacted, he was embarrassed and annoyed at the same time. He was about to scold him, but his body froze.
She saw that on the other side of the shallow river, in the dark night not far away, a row of faint red light spots appeared, as if hanging in the air, lighting up small red lanterns.
Those little lanterns were densely packed, but they were actually moving, and they leaned over in the direction of the barracks.
The nearby urchin, who was grazing leisurely, seemed to sense something at the moment, and slapped its hooves and snorted nervously.
The row of small red lanterns is getting closer.
Through the moonlight, Luoshen finally recognized that these small red lanterns were actually the eyes of a group of tigers and leopards.
Looking at the number, there are at least dozens.
Luo Shen was stunned.
Before he could react, Li Mu raised the long sword on the ground with his toes, grabbed it, and ran towards the camp with her in his arms, whistling.
The guards were alerted, and the camp immediately rang loudly.
In the distance, there was also a thin, faint whistle sound in the wind.
The herd immediately dispersed, as if to encircle it.
Fan Cheng led people out, and when he saw the group of tigers and leopards, he couldn't help being horrified.
Along the way, I have also encountered wild beasts, but such a number of concentrated attacks have never happened before.
Based on his experience, he could see at first sight that this group of tigers and leopards, attacking in such an orderly manner, was obviously driven by others.
Although he has experienced the battlefield, the guards under him are all selected soldiers. Even if he faces the enemy several times, he will never be so scary.
But in the face of such a large number of beasts, it is still the first time in his life.
He quickly calmed down, gave an order, and the well-trained guards immediately stabilized and divided into two groups.
One group was responsible for guarding Luoshen, and the other group set up a defensive formation outside the barracks, with bows and crossbows, ready to stand.
Fan Cheng rushed over: "Censor Li, do you know why this is coming?"
"Sister!"
There was an anxious call from behind.
Gao Huan came running with a sword in his hand. Suddenly seeing Li Mu, he was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened with ecstasy.
"Brother-in-law! Why are you here?"
Li Mu, with his ears, told Luoshen not to be afraid, put her down from his arms, and ordered Gao Huan to lead people and quickly bring her back to the center of the barracks for protection, and then he said: "I have been here for a few months, and I have heard about Marquis Chouchi. There are people in the clan who are proficient in exorcism, and they raise wild beasts to help fight. The attackers tonight must be from the Hou clan!"
The Hou family is also a Jie, who once followed Beixia and became an enemy of Dayu.
Fan Cheng glanced around the barracks, his eyes were faintly red, and he could already hear the low roar of the beasts.
"Beasts are afraid of fire, no matter how you listen to people's instructions, you won't dare to make trouble in case of fire. Quickly ask people to set it on fire!"
Fan Cheng was reminded by a word, and immediately ordered the soldiers to dismantle the tent and set it on fire.
Soon, clusters of bonfires were lit around the barracks.
The herd of beasts was originally encircling and approaching, but suddenly they saw a block of fire lights in front of them, stopped in place, walked around uneasy, and made bursts of roars.
The whistle sounded annoyed, suddenly sharp.
The herd seemed to be afraid, and gradually gathered around again, roaring, and slowly approaching the barracks.
When he was only ten feet away, he was finally afraid of the fire, no matter how the whistle sounded, he didn't dare to rush in, but he became more and more restless and kept roaring.
The guards on the periphery could already smell the gust of wind, and all of them had solemn expressions. As if they were facing a big enemy, they slowly gathered together so that they could make the most effective counter-kill when the beasts swooped in.
Li Mu turned around and looked at the source of the faint whistle in the distance. After a while, he shouted in Jie language: "I am Li Mu, the governor of Yicheng! Who are you Hou Ding? If you don't break the river, why are you driving the beasts to attack?"
His voice was strong and thick, and it was transmitted far away with the night wind.
The whistle stopped.
After a while, accompanied by the sound of horseshoes moving in the distance, in the dark night at the end of the wilderness, hundreds of knights poured out like a tide. The current man was a twenty-five- or six-year-old man, with braided hair and a leather robe, sitting high. Immediately, with his eyes wide open, he seemed to be looking ahead, and by the light of the fire, he saw a Chinese man standing in the wind on a sloping field surrounded by tigers and leopards. Knowing that he was the one who just shouted, he couldn't help but say loudly: "You are Li Mu? Are you really not impersonating?"
Li Mudao: "I can't change my name when I'm doing business, and I can't change my surname when I'm sitting. I'm Li Mu, who are you?"
This person's name is Hou Li, the eldest son of Hou Ding, the king of Qiuchi.
A few months ago, when Li Mu led 2,000 soldiers to this place, and at the order of the emperor of the Southern Dynasty, he became the prefect, and Hou Li sent people to constantly spy. He had wanted to send troops for a long time, and before his opponent could stand firm, he would be knocked to the ground. Just because of Hou Ding's life, he didn't dare to attack rashly.
I got a report today, saying that a team of hundreds of people dressed in the Southern Dynasties came out of Yicheng and seemed to be returning to the south. The soldiers were brightly armored and well-equipped, and they were guarding a few carriages in the middle. There seemed to be women in them. How could he hold back, so he planned this plan and planned to carry out a night attack. One was to get booty and prisoners, and the other, he wanted to take the opportunity Provoking Li Mu.
The name of Li Mu, because of the battle in Berkshire, is known all over the world. Hou Li had long wanted to meet him, but he didn't expect that it was such a coincidence tonight that he hit Li Mu by mistake and asked him to trap Li Mu here.
Thinking that if he could catch him or kill him, he would become famous all over the world, he couldn't help but be ecstatic, he laughed: "Li Mu! You Han people have a saying, it takes no effort to break through the iron shoes. Tonight is the You bumped into it yourself, don't blame me for being rude!"
After he finished speaking, he ordered the few beast exorcists around him to drive the tigers and leopards into the camp with all their strength, and ordered hundreds of bowmen to follow the beasts and surround the camp.
With an order, the arrows flew in unison.
Fan Chengming lined up with shields, and then counterattacked with an array of arrows.
A well-trained group of elite soldiers, working together, finally stopped the attack of the Jie people.
It just didn't last long. The fire around the fire wall gradually began to weaken, and the tents that could be burned were almost dismantled.
The arrow formations on both sides stopped for a while, and the animal exorcist drove the tigers and leopards to attack again.
The guards shot arrows to block it. Although tigers and leopards hit the arrows, for a beast with a huge body and thick skin and thick tendons, unless it hits the gate, even if the arrow is hit, it will not have much lethal power. More and more beastly.
After a while, an injured leopard went mad and jumped in from a hole where the fire wall was extinguished.
Fan Cheng roared, drew his sword and stepped forward, surrounded the leopard with the soldiers, and worked together to kill it.
The solution was only finished here, and the whistle became more and more sharp in my ears. The remaining tigers and leopards, each with red eyes, ran back and forth outside the fire wall that became smaller and smaller, roaring constantly.
Once the fire wall is extinguished, even if the offensive of the hundreds of people is not considered, it is these dozen or so mad beasts rushing in, and I am afraid that it will be difficult to retreat tonight.
Fan Cheng gritted his teeth, turned to Li Mu and said: "Li Shishi, I'm afraid I won't be able to end well tonight. I'll take the brothers to cover, and I'll cut you off. Please take the little lady away. If she is damaged, I will wait for you. Death can't escape its guilt!"
Li Mu, as if he hadn't heard it before, cast his eyes in the direction of Hou Li, who was surrounded by beasts. After a while, he turned back and whistled.
His black horse galloped over.
Li Mu turned his head, and Fan Cheng, who was confused, said, "You must protect my wife! When I go out, cover me with an arrow formation from the beasts. I will go and catch the Jie man!"
Fan Cheng was taken aback.
If you can control that Hou Li, this deadly predicament will be resolved naturally.
But with one person and one horse, not to mention how to catch people from the siege of hundreds of people, it would be difficult to break out of this beast siege.
"Inspector Lee—"
Fan Cheng hesitated.
"As I command."
Li Mu said a word.
His tone was not very majestic.
But the unquestionable feeling between the words and expressions came right from the start.
Fan Cheng suddenly remembered the rumor that Li Mu had single-handedly rescued Gao Huan from the thousands of rebels of King Linchuan.
He was silent, nodding his head.
Li Mu carried the sword on his back, and asked for a cooked copper and iron rod from a guard. He immediately came to Wuxian's side, stroked its ears affectionately, then tore off the corner of his clothes and blindfolded Wuxian. Leaping on the horse's back, he drank, and drove the horse across the wall of fire, heading towards the herd.
Fan Cheng knew that the success or failure of his move was related to the life and death of himself and his hundreds of subordinates tonight. How dare he slack off at all. He had already mobilized the archers, and as soon as he rode his horse and rushed to the beasts, the soldiers would face the beasts with an order. The group shot arrows.
Li Mu sat firmly on the back of the horse, using the strength of his legs to drive the blindfolded Wu Qian straight forward.
Only when they got close to the herd, a tiger and a leopard rushed to the left and right with a roar, and was swept away by him with a heavy stick.
Accompanied by two painful whining sounds, the tiger and leopard flew out and rolled over a dozen times on the ground before stopping.
Only the first two were swept away, and two more rushed, but he was also swept away, and the horse galloped towards the gentle **** on one side.
Amidst the sound of horses' hooves, a dozen or so tigers and leopards quickly chased up, roaring loudly.
Li Mu clamped the horse's belly and rushed to the top of the **** at full speed. At the moment when he reached the top, he suddenly lifted the reins and let out a long whistle. Taking advantage of the full-speed momentum and the height of the terrain, he drove the Wuxian to fly up with four hooves, like a A Pegasus, carrying him, flew over the heads of the beasts that were rushing in front of him, flew more than ten feet away, and then landed on the ground.
At this time, the herd has been left behind.
And from Nahouli, the distance is only a few feet away.
Just as Wu Qian neighed and his hooves landed, Li Mu flew and rolled from the horse's head to the ground.
In the scene just now, Hou Li and the people next to him were stunned, and before he regained his senses, he saw a black shadow rushing towards him, as fast as lightning.
He finally reacted, trembling with fear, but it was too late.
Li Mu had arrived before Hou Li's horse, and the long sword was unsheathed behind him.
A cold water-like light flashed past, and the sword edge cut off the two front hooves of Hou Li's mount.
The horse's hooves were cut off from the knees, and fell to the ground with a neighing sound.
Hou Li fell from the horse's back to the ground, fell and rolled, and was about to roar to guard him when his neck suddenly froze, and he was instantly horrified.
The cold long sword was placed on his neck.
And he still kept his kneeling posture.
Looking up, he met a pair of cold and ruthless dark eyes.
"You are Hou Li, the son of Hou Ding, right?"
He heard the Han man, speaking his name in his own language.
…
Luoshen also understands Jie language.
In the classroom of the children of the Gao family, there is a homework, which is to make the children learn the language of the Hu people.
The coaches are all Hu people who defected to the Southern Dynasty.
When Li Mu first shouted to the other party in Jie language, Luoshen was in his ears, and his heart was very uneasy.
She and Aju, as well as the maids, stayed in the tent together.
Aju guarded the tent door with a knife, she waited anxiously, and pricked up her ears to listen to the movement outside.
Tigers and leopards roared, soldiers faced off, and arrows flew from time to time outside the tent, making a high-pitched sound that ripped through the air.
Later, the sound of soldiers fighting against each other gradually disappeared.
She heard that outside her tent, there seemed to be more guards, and the voice of Fan Cheng's command, almost broke her throat.
She couldn't stand it any longer, and regardless of Aju's obstruction, she opened the curtain and walked out.
What she didn't expect was that she would see Li Mu riding alone into the herd, galloping past, and breaking into the Jieren's side.
The distance was a bit far, and it was night. After he rode his horse down the gentle slope, she couldn't see clearly.
During the tormented moment of waiting, she only faintly heard all kinds of messy shouts from the other side.
She held her breath, her hands clenched into fists, so nervous that her fingernails almost pierced her palms.
Fortunately, the wait didn't take long.
soon. It was so fast that she couldn't believe her eyes.
The Jieren actually took the tiger and leopard into the cage, and the hundreds of people who surrounded the camp also retreated.
Afterwards, she saw Li Mu return on horseback, dragging a figure in his hand, returned to the camp entrance, and threw the man on the ground.
He went out alone and captured tonight's Jie Shou! Drive back this group of menacing enemies!
Luoshen had heard Gao Huan describe to himself more than once how Li Mu single-handedly rescued him from the thousands of troops.
Luoshen always felt a little mysterious.
Perhaps Gao Huan exaggerated his martial arts and daring.
But tonight, she was real and witnessed how he turned the situation around by himself.
It's no exaggeration to say it's shocking.
In her ears, the cheers of the guards almost broke her ears.
Luoshen didn't notice.
Standing outside the tent, she saw Fan Cheng's ecstatic expression, dropped herself, and ran in that direction.
From a distance, she watched Li Mu surrounded by guards again.
Everyone is so excited.
He also had a smile on his face, and he didn't know what to say to the guards who surrounded him. Suddenly, he turned his face and looked at his place with two eyes.
Luo Shen's heart skipped a beat, and he seemed to have a guilty conscience. He hurriedly turned around and wanted to hide in the tent first.
At this time, I heard another ecstasy shouting from behind.
She turned around and saw that Gao Huan ran over.
"Elder sister! Brother-in-law caught Jie's head! It's alright!"
He was elated, his eyes were shining, he ran to Luoshen, danced, shouted a few times, and turned to leave.
Luo Shen's gaze fell behind him involuntarily.
startled.
There was an arrow in his hip.
I think it was just when he and the guards were fighting against the Jie Ren when he was shot by a stray arrow.
It's just that the emotions are too high, and I don't feel the pain, so I don't notice it at all.
"Rokuro-kun, you have an arrow in your butt!"
Qiongshu, who came out, also saw it, and shouted aloud.
Gao Huan seemed to have been immobilized, stopped suddenly, and stopped in place.
He turned his head slowly, touched his buttocks, raised his hand, saw the blood in a palm, his eyes widened, and he screamed, carrying the arrow, and his buttocks actually sat on the ground.
"Brother! Be careful!"
Luo Shen was shocked.
Accompanied by Gao Huan's slaughtering pig-like scream, he ran towards him and turned him over carefully.
The shaft of the arrow had already been broken by him, but the cluster of arrows had plunged so deeply into the flesh that the head could hardly be seen.
Gao Huan lay on the ground, his handsome face contorted in pain, and moaned, "Sister, I'm going to die, you quickly ask my brother-in-law to save me—"