Chapter 43

The dark sky gradually changed its hue, slowly revealing a jade-like radiance. In the direction of Dongxu Fortress, a thread of pure white light was spreading across the horizon, gradually outlining the contours of the earth and gently lifting the curtain of night...

The stars did not immediately depart; they still adorned the clear sky, some rose-red, some deep blue, some dark azure, and some jade-white. As dawn approached, the starry sky presented another beautiful and colorful scene in this dim world!

Blood continued to drip from Li Yunzi's palm, and she had yet to stop the bleeding.

She seemed to hear some sound, slowly turning her face to gaze westward, at the mountains shrouded in dimness.

Suddenly, one by one, figures resembling black geese appeared on the mountains.

These black geese flew in formation, brushing past the dawn, as if transitioning from night to day. They flew toward Ronggu City, without any aura of slaughter.

These were the birds of the Flying Bird Camp that Li Yunzi had sent back, led by Lujiang. He led all the pseudo-dragons to Ronggu City and, as Li Yunzi had instructed, dropped all the supplies!

The supplies piled up like mountains, and some ripe grains squeezed out of the burlap bags, scattering on the ground. The morning light shone down, making them even more lustrous than gold.

When these pseudo-dragons appeared, the rebel army was somewhat panicked, especially Zhang Tuo, their leader. His face was tense, and the dryness had caused cracks in his skin...

But when he saw that the pseudo-dragons were carrying food and clothing, just as Li Yunzi had said, Zhang Tuo's face trembled slightly. After a while, tears welled up in his eyes, which he thought had long dried up, and he couldn't wipe them away no matter how hard he tried!

"Lord of Ronggu City will distribute these to you, Zhang Tuo. You should assist him," Li Yunzi slowly smiled and said to Zhang Tuo.

"This sword scar..." Zhang Tuo hesitated.

"The moment you lay down your weapons, you are my people. Within the territory of Zulong City-State, even without weapons, you can move about freely," Li Yunzi replied.

"Thank you, Lady, thank you for your compassion!" Zhang Tuo knelt down and repeatedly thanked Li Yunzi.

...

Ronggu City was not sparsely populated.

Since the appearance of the rebel army, the residents had suffered greatly, knowing that the so-called beasts would take everything from them.

But now, the city gates were wide open, and the rebel army, with great momentum, did not step into the city. They orderly collected the supplies that would help them survive the winter at the city gate.

On the ancient streets, people gradually emerged from their tightly closed doors, and women led their children. They stood at a distance, both afraid and curious...

"Mom, why did you lie? They don't have big fangs," a four-year-old girl with pigtails said in a babyish voice to her mother.

The girl's mother was embarrassed and didn't know how to answer.

...

At the City Lord's residence, with its old green bricks and gray tiles, the wet courtyard was filled with plum blossoms. The petals, wet from the rain, fell all over the yard, and the fragrance mixed with the fresh scent of the valley after the rain, making it even more intoxicating.

A simple bamboo mat was laid out, with a blanket on top. Zhu Minglang sat on a small stool, carefully treating Li Yunzi's wounds.

Li Yunzi had fainted.

The cause was excessive blood loss.

In fact, Zhu Minglang felt that Li Yunzi had taken a gamble. If the Flying Bird Camp had been delayed, she would have lost her life in vain.

Just as he finished bandaging her wounds, and Zhu Minglang felt he had finally been of use, Li Yunzi woke up.

She opened her eyes, her gaze landing on Zhu Minglang's face...

Zhu Minglang considered himself quite handsome, but he certainly wasn't the type to make women swoon. Being stared at by Li Yunzi, he felt a bit uncomfortable.

How did that saying go, his face turned red.

"There's red date porridge, freshly cooked. I'll go to the kitchen and bring it to you," Zhu Minglang said.

"Okay," Li Yunzi nodded.

Bringing the red date porridge, Zhu Minglang originally wanted to hand it to her, but he glanced at the bandage on her palm and then at the extremely weak beauty.

He gently stirred the porridge, allowing the fragrance and sweetness of the red dates to spread, and then slowly brought the wooden spoon to Li Yunzi's lips.

Li Yunzi hesitated.

"I took a sip in the kitchen; it's not hot anymore," Zhu Minglang said.

Li Yunzi looked deeply at Zhu Minglang and said, "Put it down, I'll do it myself."

"You need to lie down for better blood circulation," Zhu Minglang said.

Li Yunzi, a seasoned warrior who had suffered serious injuries before, knew that if she tried to sit up, she would have difficulty breathing.

"How is the situation outside?" Li Yunzi asked after taking a sip and swallowing it.

"It's good. Lord Zheng and Leader Zhang are capable people. Over ten thousand people from Wutu have already received supplies and are on their way back," Zhu Minglang said, feeding her the red date porridge.

Zhu Minglang fed her slowly, which was a reasonable way to feed someone.

Li Yunzi, however, would avert her gaze each time she opened her lips, remembering how she had stared at the tens of thousands of rebels with a stern look. Perhaps Zhu Minglang was indeed more intimidating than an army of thousands.

"Is this your young dragon?" Li Yunzi saw a fluffy white young dragon beside Zhu Minglang, and a ripple of joy appeared in her eyes.

"You recognize it," Zhu Minglang smiled. He had wanted to say that it was Xiao Qi who had helped them open the lock in the dungeon, but he was glad he didn't speak too quickly, thinking it wasn't the right time to mention that environment.

"Hmm?" Li Yunzi looked puzzled for a moment before remembering the small ice silkworm that Zhu Minglang often fed in his palm.

Xiao Qi, with its large eyes, clearly recognized Li Yunzi and emitted a melodious, joyful chirp.

"See, I'm not just good with silkworms," Zhu Minglang said with a hint of pride in his voice. But thinking about how she had flown on a sword and single-handedly blocked tens of thousands of rebels, he felt a bit discouraged.

He still had a long way to go...

Li Yunzi's attention was on Xiao Qi, and a smile appeared on her pale face. No one could resist a cute and gentle pet, and Xiao Qi, with its ability to transform, now looked like a small white cat with beautiful wings. If it were in a pet market, it could easily melt the hearts of all women.

"What's its name?" Li Yunzi asked.

"Xiao Qi."

"Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi..." Li Yunzi repeated a few times.

...

At the courtyard gate, a man hurried over, sweating profusely but with a smile on his face, as if he was about to deliver some good news. He was about to speak when he saw the scene in front of the house, and the intimate atmosphere seemed to fill the courtyard with the fragrance of plum blossoms.

Zheng Yu opened his mouth wide, quickly realizing the situation, and retreated to the courtyard outside.

"This Brother Zhu is truly extraordinary. Even a lady of such high status as the Lady seems like a shy and gentle young lady in front of him," Zheng Yu thought, feeling even more admiration.