Bai Zheng stared intently at Feng Linyuan. After a long while, she trembled her lips and said, "Swear to me that you will wake up and marry me."
Feng Linyuan nodded solemnly and replied, "I swear that I will wake up."
"Marry me," Bai Zheng emphasized each word.
"Zheng'er, you know that even if I wake up, I won't live long..." Feng Linyuan said with a bitter smile.
"Swear that you will wake up, live well, and marry me. You said you would protect me for a lifetime. You promised." Bai Zheng was stubborn and refused to give in.
Feng Linyuan looked at Bai Zheng, and the two stared at each other, at a stalemate.
Finally, Feng Linyuan let out a helpless sigh and whispered, "Okay."
Bai Zheng stared at Feng Linyuan without blinking. Only then did she slowly and gradually lower her blocking hand.
Feng Linyuan didn't hesitate and swallowed the medicine.
Bai Zheng kept her eyes firmly on Feng Linyuan. Soon after he took the medicine, big beads of sweat started to form on his forehead.
Bai Zheng quickly helped him lie down and then picked up the thin quilt beside the bed and gently covered him with it. However, Feng Linyuan kept his eyes closed, his brows furrowed all the time, and his lips began to turn blue-purple.
He must be in great pain. Bai Zheng bit her lips tightly and constantly wiped the sweat off his face with a handkerchief.
At this moment, Feng Linyuan felt an excruciating pain all over his body. A fiery rage burned from his throat to his internal organs, as if it was going to tear him apart.
It was as if a basin of fire had been placed in his chest, constantly burning, while there seemed to be a wad of cotton blocking his nose and mouth, preventing him from breathing. He exerted all his strength but still couldn't draw in a breath of air.
Bai Zheng watched Feng Linyuan's state, and her heart ached with worry.
A dense feeling of pain welled up from the bottom of her heart. She couldn't help but reach out and hold Feng Linyuan's hand, and said hoarsely,
"Feng Linyuan, you must get through this. You must. You just promised to marry me and protect me. Are you going to go back on your word? You said that marrying me could change your fate..."
Feng Linyuan gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling, and he was almost on the verge of losing consciousness. But the hand holding Bai Zheng's was tightly controlled, not exerting too much strength.
He kept breaking out in cold sweats. Even in the room filled with the heat of charcoal, his body was extremely cold.
"Are you cold? Are you very cold?" Bai Zheng held Feng Linyuan's hand and felt it getting colder and colder. She looked at the trembling Feng Linyuan, his pale face, and his tightly bitten lips.
Bai Zheng sat on the head of the bed, leaned over, and embraced Feng Linyuan in her arms.
"You promised me that you would marry me. If you break your promise, I'll chase you to the underworld and drag you back. Feng Linyuan, you can't escape..."
Bai Zheng kept talking, trying to wake Feng Linyuan up. The arms holding him tightened more and more. Their figures seemed like vines twining around a tree trunk, intertwined.
It was like a faint light shining in the darkness, making people's hearts tremble.
Feng Linyuan's consciousness was becoming more and more scattered. He was in so much pain. His whole body felt like it was being gnawed by thousands of ants. Every part of his body ached unbearably, and he was on the verge of exploding from the suffering.
In a daze, he seemed to have come to the edge of a familiar city.
"Yuan'er, that Zhuo Yi brat is harassing the people of our Great Zhou again. This time, our father and son must beat him to the ground and make him retreat back to his Western Liang lair for good!" A hearty laugh came from the person in front of him. The man was wearing a military armor, his black hair was neatly tied up on top of his head, and he was looking at him brightly.
"Father!"
The scene changed. Inside the military tent, the flickering candlelight reflected several figures.
"Yuan'er, it's up to you to handle the matter of food and supplies. Zhuo Yi is a ruthless man. He's always swift and decisive in battles. If we want to win, we must catch him off guard."
After saying that, he turned around with a smile and said to the people behind him, "Liang Sheng, He Dong, Lin Qiao, go and rest quickly. There will be a tough battle tomorrow."
The three of them clasped their fists and said, "Yes." Then they were about to leave. But one of them stepped forward, looking at him with a look of pride in his eyes, "The young general has grown up and can take on responsibilities independently! Let's make it clear today. When we return victorious tomorrow, Liang Sheng will drink three big bowls of wine with the young general!"
"Uncle Sheng..."
Suddenly, the face of the man in front of him became blurred. The candlelight flashed, and he seemed to have come to the battlefield.
"Young general, run! Young general..." The voice chasing after him suddenly stopped. He turned back abruptly.
"Xiaoning!"
The familiar face in front of him suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. He looked down in shock. Somehow, the person in front of him had been pierced through the body by a long sword.
"Run!" The man used his last bit of strength to push him hard, and he was pushed into another scene.
Horses' hooves were trampling chaotically, and swords were clashing. He stood there blankly in the midst of a desperate battle.
"Father?"
Suddenly, from afar, he saw a familiar figure being pierced through the body by a long sword.
"Father!" His eyes were bloodshot with grief.
"Yuan'er, the barrier of the Great Zhou is built by every soldier of our Changping Army with their own flesh and blood. We can't fall. If we fall, the Great Zhou will be wide open, and the people will surely be displaced. Every person in the Changping Army, even if they die, must stand in front of the people. Die standing!"
He watched as one long sword after another rushed forward and pierced into his body. The black armor on his body had been dyed red with blood. There was hardly any place left on his body for a sword to pierce.
Even so, he still stood there.
Always standing, never falling.
"Young general, run!"
"When we return victorious tomorrow, Liang Sheng will surely drink three big bowls of wine with the young general!"
"Yuan'er, this time our father and son will surely beat that Zhuo Yi brat to the ground and make him retreat back to his Western Liang lair!"
...
At this moment, Feng Linyuan felt like he was walking in the darkness, drifting aimlessly without an end. The voices constantly ringing in his ears were so familiar that it made his heart bleed.
Where have you all gone...
Father, Uncle Sheng, Xiaoning... I miss you so much...
He squatted down, his head aching and his heart wrung with pain.
These scenes and voices had been haunting his mind like a nightmare for seven years.
"Ah—" He roared towards the sky.
I don't know how much time had passed. Bai Zheng's face got wet and then dry, dry and then wet again. Because of constantly talking, her lips became more and more bitter.
She tightly hugged Feng Linyuan, who had completely lost consciousness.
Suddenly, Feng Linyuan's originally bloodless face became distorted, as if he was suffering from some kind of pain. The sweat on his forehead became more and more dense, and his whole body started to struggle.
Seeing this, Bai Zheng hugged Feng Linyuan tightly and pressed his head against her chest.
"Feng Linyuan, you can hear me, right? You promised me that you would wake up and marry me, and avenge the dead souls. You must hold on. You must hold on..."