Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 465 Critical Condition (1)_1

Chapter 465: Chapter 465 Critical Condition (1)_1

Three hundred li north of Jing City, by the bank of a small river, a dozen individuals dressed in black were scattered in a circle, taking a rest. The eyes that were visible were sharply observing the surroundings for any movement. Not far from them, over a dozen steeds were grazing on the grass by the riverbank.

The horses had significantly hollowed bellies, evidently having not eaten for an extended period. Their flanks and necks were damp, stained with an unknown shade of dark red in many places, and most had injuries on their legs, the blood from which had been dried by the wind. Clearly, their masters had ridden them through a brutal slaughter not long ago.

According to the military regulations of Great Chu, after a major battle, regardless of win or loss, the commanding officer must not lead the army back to the capital until half a month after the army has set out, to prevent the commanding officer from harboring ulterior motives and threatening the safety of Great Chu with a rebel army.

Last year, when Xiao Ruiyuan led the troops to defend against the enemy, he only took thirty thousand soldiers from the Jingsuburb Military Camp, with the remaining seventy thousand assembled from various prefectures and directly led to the border by local generals. This division of forces allowed the authorities to rest easy.

Half a month ago, Xiao Ruiyuan led his troops against the Bai people and achieved a complete victory. A few days later, the Imperial Edict summoning him back to Jing City arrived in Shan Hai City. Knowing that the journey would not be safe, Xiao Ruiyuan had made preparations in advance. Upon receiving the edict, he set out for Jing City with over a hundred Guards and sixty Hidden Guards.

Along the way, they faced relentless assassination attempts, confronting at least two life-or-death battles each day, with assassins who had been trained for years and were skilled in combat. If Xiao Ruiyuan’s Dark Guards hadn’t been equally formidable and fiercely protective, he would not have made it this far; the journey was paved with blood and lives!

After dozens of life-and-death fights, all of Xiao Ruiyuan’s hundred-plus Guards had fallen in battle, leaving only seventeen Dark Guards. Now that they were within the sphere of influence of Jing City, they became even more vigilant.

At this moment, Xiao Ruiyuan was leaning on a large stone by the riverbank, resting with his eyes closed, the deep shadows beneath them telling of his exhaustion. His silver light armor, stained by blood, had turned a dark red, indicating the extreme dangers faced on this journey!

Perhaps startled, a water bird fishing on the opposite bank suddenly let out a shriek and took flight, creating ripples on the calm water surface. Other birds nearby, as if on cue, flapped their wings and scattered in all directions.

Xiao Ruiyuan ’whooshed’ open his eyes, a cold and sharp glint passing through them. The Dark Guards surrounding him rose to their feet, gripping the hilts of their swords tightly, their keen eyes fixed on the water surface.

The atmosphere was quiet yet eerie. The grazing horses, sensing something out of the ordinary, stopped feeding and nervously started moving toward their master.

At that moment, there was a disturbance on the water surface: a series of arcing ripples spreading slowly around a central point. The nearest Dark Guard, with keen eyes, identified the "chief culprit" causing the commotion and said with a slightly relaxed tone, "It’s nothing, just a snake."

It was a false alarm!

The tense bodies of the Dark Guards subtly relaxed, their hands loosening on the swords’ hilts as they sat down again to continue resting and regaining their strength.

Xiao Ruiyuan frowned, his eyes locked intensely on the water surface. The snake swam far away for quite some time without any sign of trouble, only then did he retract his gaze and look up at the vast sky, seemingly lost in thought.

"Master, here!" Xiao Jiu came over with a freshly roasted wild rabbit, interrupting Xiao Ruiyuan’s contemplation.

Xiao Ruiyuan slowly shifted his gaze, about to reach for it, but seeing his hand covered in mud from who knows where, he stood up intending to wash his hands before eating.

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