Chapter 1149: Tang Thirty-Six’s Unrelenting Fever
The war had entered its third phase, the cruelest phase. The distance between the two sides grew ever closer, battles became more frequent, and casualties mounted. Strategy and tactics played an increasingly diminished role at this stage; willpower and supplies became the most crucial reliance, with the outcome hinging solely on which side broke first.
On the grasslands over a thousand miles from Snow Old City, there was a cliff mountain range with many hot springs scattered among the peaks.
The capital was scorching hot, but the weather here was slightly cool. The mist rising from the springs drifted through the mountains, creating a rather pleasant sight.
Chen Changsheng sat in the hot spring, his gaze piercing through the warm mist, the surrounding gauze curtains, and the banners of the National Church cavalry in the distance, fixing on the path leading out of the valley.
Many years ago, he had been ready to leave through that path, only to turn back and find Su Li unconscious.
Yes, this was the same hot spring from back then, except that back then, snow stretched as far as the eye could see, while now, the landscape was a continuous expanse of green, making it feel unfamiliar to him.
“Your Holiness, it’s time.”
An Hua crouched by the edge of the hot spring, her voice soft and gentle, as if afraid to startle him.
Chen Changsheng snapped back to reality, stood up from the spring, and let her wrap him in a large towel, carefully drying him off.
An Hua looked at his complexion, feeling somewhat relieved, thinking that the hot spring had indeed been of some use. She helped him out of the spring and led him to a pavilion ahead to rest for a while.
The pavilion and some other structures among the rocky mountains had all been newly built in the past few days.
During wartime, such lavish arrangements made Chen Changsheng very uncomfortable. He thought it would anger many ordinary soldiers.
Unexpectedly, the troops who passed by on the distant grasslands and caught sight of this scene showed no discontent. Instead, they found it perfectly natural and even felt proud.
Chen Changsheng pondered this for a long time but couldn’t figure out why.
He sat in the pavilion, gazing into the distance.
On the distant plains, many soldiers were marching toward Snow Old City.
Even from this far away, he seemed to hear the sound of Dragon Stallion horses. Hmm, it really did seem like they were from Ban Cliff Horse Ranch.
The soldiers knew the Pope was in this rocky mountain range, though they couldn’t tell if they could see this pavilion.
News had already spread across the front lines. When passing this rocky mountain range, unless on urgent military business, cavalrymen would dismount and lead their horses by the reins. Many soldiers would even defy orders, run out of formation, kneel and kowtow toward the mountain, and only then return to their ranks satisfied, unbothered by any punishment from their superiors.
Chen Changsheng had witnessed this scene many times.
He couldn’t understand why these ordinary soldiers would take pride in him, but since they wanted to see him, he was willing to let them.
So these days, he often sat beneath the pavilion, despite the objections of An Hua and the King of Linghai.
A cool breeze swept from the plains into the rocky mountains, and before it could be warmed by the hot spring’s mist, it landed on Chen Changsheng’s face.
His body, heated by the spring, gradually cooled. The flush on his face faded, returning to a pallid, gaunt, and haggard state.
A cold wind rose again, and a white crane descended.
Then it flew up to the pavilion, standing on one leg with its eyes half-closed, allowing the soldiers on the distant plains to see it more clearly.
Xu Yourong walked to the edge of the cliff, looking down at the spring eyes that resembled steaming pots, and said, “If this continues, you won’t last until the city falls. You’ll die.”
She didn’t turn to look at Chen Changsheng, and her face showed no expression, as if she were just speaking casually, not truly concerned.
Or perhaps it was because she had said this many times before, without receiving any response from Chen Changsheng.
Since arriving at the front lines, Chen Changsheng had already refined two bottles of Cinnabar Pills ahead of schedule.
What that meant was clear to everyone.
He himself understood it best, but seeing so many young faces twisted in fear of death, hearing so many cries, he couldn’t help but do it.
And he was injured.
Here on the front lines, though he was the Pope and heavily protected, he was also a prime target for assassination by the demon race.
The most dangerous incident was when the Second Demon General led a group of demon elites in a vulture air raid, during which Chen Changsheng sustained serious injuries.
In midsummer, he had arrived on this grassland, when Snow Old City was already faintly visible. Now it was early autumn, and it was said that the vanguard could already make out the city walls of Snow Old City, and the Northern Third Camp could even see the faces of the defending soldiers. But… in the end, no one had truly reached Snow Old City.
The closer they got to Snow Old City, the stronger the demon race’s resistance became, the more fearless they were of death, to the point where many soldiers felt this was an impossible mission.
Clearly, just a little more pressure, and the Demon Lord in Snow Old City, along with the hundreds of thousands of tribal warriors gathered from all over, might have been unable to hold on.
But at this moment, many among the human army had already reached their limit.
That night, some soldiers who could no longer hold on were forced to retreat south, the vast majority of them being severely wounded.
Ye Xiaolian led several disciples, along with instructors from the Azure Thirteen Division and three Palace priests, escorting one person south.
For her to leave the most important central command tent and put on such a grand display, who could that person be?
The Prince of Xiang, severely wounded and stripped of military command, was still holding on at the front lines. Why was this person so important?
No one knew what Ye Xiaolian was thinking, but to the Palace priests and the instructors of the Azure Thirteen Division, this person was naturally countless times more important than the Prince of Xiang.
Because he was a friend of the Pope.
……
……
Chen Changsheng was not good with words, and his way of thinking was too simple. As someone once said, it was easy for him to leave others speechless.
But from Xining Town to the capital, he had still made some friends.
However, when it came to his friends, many people’s first thought would undoubtedly be Tang Thirty-Six.
Tang Thirty-Six’s cheeks had sunken in, yet they were flushed a bright red, like a boiled lobster. His eyes were also unusually bright, unsettlingly so.
Chen Changsheng sat beside the stretcher and said to him, “I thought it was a bad idea when you wanted to buy that tavern back then.”
Tang Thirty-Six said weakly, “What’s wrong with it?”
Chen Changsheng replied, “Eating too many blue lobsters will bring retribution. Look at you now.”
Clearly, despite his severe illness in recent days, Tang Thirty-Six still often looked in the mirror to admire himself, so he quickly caught the joke Chen Changsheng was making.
Having caught the joke, he naturally laughed. Tang Thirty-Six laughed and coughed at the same time, looking quite miserable.
Ye Xiaolian placed an ice-cold towel on his forehead and turned back to glare fiercely at Chen Changsheng.
Only after glaring did she realize what she had done, and she panicked, repeatedly apologizing.
Chen Changsheng naturally didn’t mind. He said, “Yourong is next door. Go see her.”
Ye Xiaolian softly acknowledged, but her heart grew even more tense, wondering how she would explain herself to the Holy Maiden.
After Ye Xiaolian left, Tang Thirty-Six looked into Chen Changsheng’s eyes and said, “What exactly is my illness?”
Chen Changsheng said, “Severe depletion of mental energy, cold invading the organs. It’s serious.”
Tang Thirty-Six’s eyes flickered like ghost fire. “I think there’s something wrong with this illness.”
……
……
(I’ve thought it over seriously. I feel I should love you all more and write more earnestly. Thank you, everyone.)
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(Sanqi Chinese)