SFS Chapter 158 Jiang Lixuan's Disappearance
Chapter 158 Jiang Lixuan's Disappearance
Jiang Siyu rubbed her eyes, feeling sour, and suddenly threw herself into Jing Qiudie's arms, "Mom... I will definitely come back in glory and live up to your and Dad's expectations."
She has taken this step resolutely, and the belief in success in her heart is as unshakable as a rock.
At night, Jiang Siyu stayed here for dinner. Early the next morning, she set out with several soldiers of the Chihuo Army.
He tossed and turned, his mind racing. He chewed over and over the gentle farewell words he had prepared in his mind, but in the end they turned into a heavy sigh, lingering in the silent night.
But after she left, I just watched her departing back from afar.
This was the first time that Jiang Siyu was away from her family, disguising herself as a man and blending in with a group of people.
She followed several soldiers and prepared to board the ferry, but found that Li Kun and a group of his men were patrolling the port.
Jiang Siyu's heartbeat accelerated. She knew very well that this journey was extremely dangerous. Not only did she have to face a long journey, but she also had to be on guard against the danger of her identity being exposed at all times.
Although the economy of Yazhou had developed, it was still the territory of the Li family. The taxes they collected were extremely high. Part of them were handed over to the court, and the rest were pocketed by themselves. The people still lived a very difficult life.
The port was bustling with people at that moment. She lowered her head and covered her face with her hat. She finally managed to pass by him safely.
If he discovered her existence, she might not even be able to leave Yazhou.
Jiang Siyu boarded the ferry smoothly. For her, this was a good start.
The sea breeze blew gently, bringing with it a salty, free feel, and she felt an unprecedented sense of relief and anticipation in her heart.
……
The battlefield of Shunzhou is thousands of miles away.
This is the camp where the Xie family army is stationed. In addition to the Mu Kingdom, other barbarians often harass the border.
The Jiang brothers fought bravely and fearlessly, leading the soldiers into battle.
What is even more amazing is that they seem to have extraordinary secret weapons in their hands, which are powerful enough to terrify the ferocious barbarian troops and make them retreat step by step.
According to rumors, the barbarians were skilled in secret arts, and a great victory was in sight. All they needed to do was capture the barbarian leader in one fell swoop.
Jiang Lixuan led an elite team into the depths of the wilderness.
But for some reason, the team led by Jiang Lixuan chased them to a valley.
Suddenly, a thick fog spread and they walked around the valley several times, but always ended up back where they started.
Now, they have been trapped here for three days, and they have to be vigilant against the barbarians' sneak attacks at all times, as well as the fear of the unknown.
Once they fall asleep, the soldiers will never wake up until they suffocate to death in their sleep.
So dozens of them have not dared to sleep for three days, for fear that once they fall asleep, they will die without knowing it.
This was also the first time that Jiang Lixuan encountered such a thorny problem. Everything that happened in the valley seemed to be wearing down their will.
The dry food and water they brought with them were all eaten up on the first day. Now they drank boiled stream water, and usually ate wild fruits in the valley and wild rabbits they hunted.
It is impossible for people not to sleep. As soon as they rest, some soldiers can't help but close their eyes, and death is waiting for them.
Seeing that there were fewer and fewer comrades around him, the usually calm Jiang Lixuan couldn't help but become more and more irritable.
This time they returned to the place marked at the beginning. The soldiers complained bitterly: "Lieutenant Jiang, if this continues, we will die anyway. It is better to eat and have a good sleep than to suffer here without knowing whether we will live or die."
One person started to complain, and the others followed suit: "Yeah, we've tried the four directions of east, south, west and north countless times, but in the end we still ended up back at this place. The barbarians are good at mystical arts, and they must have used some mystical arts to trap us here."
Jiang Lixuan said nothing, listening to the rustling sound in the woods.
These soldiers are brothers who have been through life and death with him. How could he let them die here so easily? He must think of a way.
"Everyone, rest where you are. Remember, don't fall asleep. Even if there is a glimmer of hope, we must persevere."
Xie family army camp.
For several days, Jiang Lixuan's whereabouts were unknown, causing Xie Wangshu's heart to be entangled with layer upon layer of uneasiness.
"Dad, I want to go find Jiang Lixuan!"
"Shu Er, do you know that this place is extraordinary? It is the edge of a battlefield, full of dangers. How can we allow you to act recklessly?"
Xie Zhuo was equally anxious. Victory was clearly in sight, but something went wrong at the critical moment. The news of having lost a capable general made him extremely anxious.
What's more, he had long seen through his daughter's feelings for Jiang Lixuan, and secretly regarded Jiang Lixuan as the future pillar of the family and the ideal son-in-law in his mind.
"Just wait patiently. I have sent elite troops to search everywhere. I believe there will be news soon."
At this moment, Jiang Lanxu knelt on the ground, "Thank you, General. I hope you can lend me ten men. I will definitely bring them back safely!"
In fact, if he hadn't returned for three days, it was likely a dangerous situation. But if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't believe that his brother had died.
Even if he died, he would bring back his body.
Xie Zhuo was also hesitant. If he sent him and something went wrong, wouldn't that mean the loss of another important general?
Just as he was hesitating and struggling internally, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the solemnity in the room.
A soldier hurried in and reported nervously, "General, there is a messenger outside the door asking to see Captain Jiang. It seems to be urgent."
Jiang Lanxu frowned slightly. The letter was sent here, so it must be the work of his sister.
"Thank you, General. Please allow me to..."
Before he finished speaking, Xie Zhuo waved his hand to interrupt him, "Go ahead, no need to say more."
Jiang Lanxu hurriedly took the letter, and it was indeed from Jiang Nianwei.
He quickly read through every word in the letter, and Jiang Lanxu inadvertently raised a faint smile, "If this is the case, Lixuan should still be saved."
If he was only 30% sure originally, he should be 90% sure now.
So he asked Xie Zhuo again to let him go and look for Jiang Lixuan. Xie Zhuo pondered for a moment and finally agreed to his request.
"This journey is dangerous and unknown. If you encounter any unexpected changes, you must turn back immediately. Remember, the best strategy is to protect yourself. Don't be brave for a moment."
"My subordinate understands."
On the side, Xie Wangshu was extremely anxious, and he hesitated to speak. Finally, he mustered up the courage and said, "Dad, I'll go with you too!"
She wanted to meet Jiang Lixuan. She had finally fallen in love with someone, but had not had the chance to express her feelings.
"This matter is of great importance. You must stay in the camp and do not disobey!"
Xie Zhuo's tone was stern, leaving no room for maneuver.
This place is not like Longzhou, it is not his territory. They are not familiar with the terrain and will fall into the trap of the other party if they are not careful.
In addition, the invincible Jiang Lixuan disappeared, which made him realize that the barbarians' secret techniques should be much more powerful than they imagined.
"Shu'er, it's not that Dad is cruel, but the degree of danger of this matter is far beyond your imagination."
Xie Wangshu remained silent and left the tent angrily. Xie Zhuo immediately ordered his men to follow her: "Follow her, Miss, don't leave the barracks even a step!"
"I obey your orders!"
Xie Wangshu did not give up after returning to her tent. She was determined to catch up with Jiang Lanxu's men.
But she also knew that her father must have sent people to stop her from going out, so her only option now was to sneak out.
Her father has been treating her like this since she was a child. Even though he let her learn riding and archery and read military strategies, he was always afraid that something might happen to her on the battlefield.
Therefore, she had always been doing logistics in the military camp and had never actually been on the battlefield to fight the enemy.
She drew aside the curtain and found a guard standing at the door.
The guards might not be her match, but if the noise was too loud, it would attract more people.
Xie Wangshu's heart was moved, and he suddenly screamed: "Help, there is an assassin!"
The guard's mission was to protect her safety. He immediately broke into the tent, but he didn't expect to be hit by Xie Wangshu's knife.
Xie Wangshu squatted down, with a guilty look on his face: "I'm really sorry, just take a good sleep here, don't worry, I will come back safely, and I will bring Lixuan with me!"
After saying that, he stripped the guard's armor, put it on and sneaked out.
Just as the team led by Jiang Lanxu was about to set off, she quickly caught up with them and asked breathlessly, "Wait... can you take me with you?"
Jiang Lanxu glanced at her and immediately understood what had happened.
"Miss, you are making it very difficult for me."
"Captain Jiang, please, I want to find Lixuan!"
Seeing her sincere tone and anxious face, Jiang Lanxu knew that even if he didn't bring her with him, this young lady would definitely find other ways to catch up.
Jiang Lanxue relaxed his tone: "There is another horse behind, you follow me!"
Xie Wangshu immediately smiled and responded without hesitation: "Got it."
Jiang Lanxu led a small group of soldiers and followed the route his brother might have taken, and finally arrived at a valley shrouded in mist.
"This is the territory of the barbarians. I heard that they often hold sacrifices here. The valley must be full of dangers."
He jumped off his horse without thinking and went straight to the stream, which was flowing out of the valley. If Jiang Lixuan was really trapped there, they would definitely drink the stream water.
And the most important thing he brought with him this time was water. Not only did each soldier carry a large pot of water, but the horses also carried water bags.
Xie Wangshu was also puzzled: "Since there is a water source here, why did Captain Jiang bring so much water?"
Jiang Lanxu's face was heavy: "The water here is not drinkable."
……
It was already the fifth day, and Jiang Lixuan still didn't dare to close his eyes. Suddenly, he heard a beautiful bird call coming from his ear. He looked in the direction of the sound, but found nothing.
The rest of the soldiers could no longer endure such torture, and by the time Jiang Lixuan reacted, they had already fallen asleep leaning against the tree.
No matter how much he shouted, he couldn't wake them up.
He felt a chill down his spine and yelled like crazy, "We can't sleep. You can't sleep! We have to hold on."
This place was really too weird, and there was an indescribable weird atmosphere all around. Jiang Lixuan slowly turned his gaze and carefully looked at every inch of the surrounding space.
Not far away, the sound of gurgling water can be faintly heard, like a whisper in the deep woods, adding a bit of mystery and uneasiness.
His head felt more and more groggy, but his mind told him that he must not fall asleep, or he would die here.
He can't die yet!
The images of his parents appeared in his mind. Since he was born, he was considered a mediocre person by everyone.
Only his family has been supporting him unconditionally. If he wants to succeed, he must work several times or even dozens of times harder than ordinary people.
He was good at military tactics, not because of his natural talent, but because of his hard study and analysis day and night.
Thinking of Jiang Nianwei's instructions, Jiang Lixuan felt bitter in his heart. He came here to fight for the glory of the Jiang family, not for his own selfish interests. This heavy responsibility did not allow him to slack off or retreat in the slightest.
The sharp blade scratched his tough palm, a stream of warm blood gushed out, and he instantly regained consciousness.
There was black under Jiang Lixuan's eyes and more than one wound on his wrist. He could only use this method of self-mutilation to keep himself awake.
Looking at his sleeping comrades who were still breathing, he couldn't just abandon them and could only stay by their side.
The surroundings became quiet, and other thoughts seemed to appear in his mind. Jiang Lixuan looked at his hands, and his nails were bluer than usual. They should not have encountered a ghost wall, but most likely they were poisoned.
The conversation with my sister came to my mind. She once told me that if my fingernails gradually turned blue, it was very likely that I had been poisoned by a chronic poison.
Normally he was very cautious about what he ate, and the wild fruits he had eaten were all varieties that could be found everywhere and could not be poisonous. He also did not dare to eat mushrooms in the valley casually.
There was only one thing he could not avoid, he walked to the side of the stream.
It’s a water source.
Jiang Lixuan scooped up a handful of water with difficulty, even though they always boiled the water before drinking it.
He stared at the flowing stream, and finally, among the ripples and the interweaving of light and shadow, he caught a glimpse of an imperceptible movement - there were tiny insects as thin as silk slowly wriggling in the water.
If he hadn't looked carefully, it would have almost disappeared into thin air.
This discovery gave Jiang Lixuan an ominous premonition.
Could it be because of this insect?
He pondered secretly in his mind, then swiftly took out a tinder from his arms, blew it gently, sparks flew, and quickly ignited the dry firewood piled on the side, boiling the stream water.
As the water in the pot gradually boiled, he found that no matter how long it boiled, the worms in the water would still wriggle after being left to stand.
These worms were not dead at all. Each of them had drunk stream water, which meant that they had these worms in their bodies.
This is probably why people lose consciousness once they fall asleep.
He leaned against the tree trunk with a self-deprecating smile on his face, but it was too late for him to realize all this.
"Am I going to die like this?"
He whispered softly. All around him was silence, except for the occasional bird song in the distance, which was quickly swallowed up by the boundless tranquility.
He closed his eyes, unable to hold on to his consciousness any longer, and his consciousness fell into a dream.