The spear stopped in front of the girl, less than half a foot away from her.
The girl knelt on the ground with one knee, raised her eyes, and stared at them blankly, but did not hide or dodge.
The soldier who was carrying the robbery glanced at the tree. Without relaxing his guard, he said in a low voice: "Are you alone?"
"Are you here to suppress the bandits?" Xia Zhaoyi said in disbelief.
The two soldiers paused for a moment and looked at each other. The soldier behind them said sternly: "Are you the only one asking you a question?"
The light of the spear was slightly cold. Xia Zhaoyi stepped back, stood up and nodded: "It's just me."
"How did you, a little girl, get here?"
Xia Zhaoyi looked at his face. It was a very unfamiliar face, but his clothes and cold demeanor made her feel familiar.
"You're a little girl, how did you get here?"
"You want to take the place of your second brother?"
"No! This matter is not something we can decide!"
…
Xia Zhaoyi lowered his head, took a deep breath, and raised his head again, his eyes became clear and bright.
"It comes naturally."
"Coming?"
"Relying on my feet, eyes and ears, I want to cross these mountains and return to my home."
This sounds actually a bit ridiculous.
The soldier looked at her again, took back his spear, turned around, took off the remaining reins, and handed it into her hand: "Our general knows you, please follow us back first."
Xia Zhaoyi took the reins, suddenly summoned up the courage, and reached out to stop the soldier who was leading the horse back: "Wait a minute."
The two of them looked at each other at the same time, their eyes like eagles.
"Which army do you belong to?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I know it's rude, can you give me an answer?" Xia Zhaoyi paused and lied, "My brother, he joined the army many years ago and never returned."
The two of them were stunned for a moment, and the eyes they looked at her changed instantly.
"Do you know about Duke Dingguo's army?" Xia Zhaoyi asked again tentatively.
The soldier who raised the gun earlier showed sympathy and said calmly: "There is no longer a Duke of Ding in the world."
"What about the prince?"
"Where is the heir apparent?" the soldier said softly, avoiding the girl's sight, "Dong Guo Ding has been deprived of his title."
Xia Zhaoyi's eyes widened: "Took it away, banned it?"
"Behead everyone." The soldier said in a low voice.
As if a thunderbolt struck from above his head, Xia Zhaoyi's steps were almost unsteady and her legs went weak.
Her mind went blank, and she stared blankly, unable to see anything in front of her eyes. She tried her best to hold herself up and not fall down.
"Are you okay?" the soldier asked with concern.
Another soldier knelt down and wanted to reach out to help her, but she avoided it like a needle. When she raised her head, her eyes were round and wide, looking at him with red eyes, full of confusion and suspicion.
The soldier was slightly frightened: "You..."
"Why?" Xia Zhaoyi asked, "Do you know why?"
"Implicated."
"Implicated? Implicated for what? Who is implicated?"
The two soldiers looked at each other, and one of them whispered: "This is not your business, and you don't need to know. Just pack up and leave with us."
“Why on earth?”
The crime will implicate the remaining people?! Who decided it? That dim-eyed Emperor Xuan Yan?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" a soldier quickly scolded.
Xia Zhaoyi grinned in a funny way, shook her head, and shed tears.
Is she talking nonsense?
This is a massacre!
How many people are there in Duke Dingguo's mansion?
Even the heads of Emperor Xuan Yan’s family cannot pay for these lives!
Xia Zhaoyi took a deep breath, swallowed back the remaining tears, stood up straighter, and straightened her back.
Maybe, it's a mistake.
These two soldiers have been in the military camp all year round, so they may have heard what others said.
This situation is not unheard of.
Xia Zhaoyi turned his eyes and looked calmly at the horse he was holding.
Listening to anyone else’s words is never as true as going back and seeing it yourself.
She raised her hand and stroked the horse's neck, then looked back at the two soldiers: "Thank you very much. You can go back and tell Song Erlang that I have left."
"No," the soldier frowned, "our order is to take you back."
"What if I don't leave?"
The girl raised her head with a hint of stubbornness, and her eyes were now clearer due to the tears just now.
But no matter how cruel the look was, it was still so small. Without even saying the word "discourteous", a soldier immediately stepped forward to drag her away.
"Snapped!"
A sharp whip cracked through the air.
The girl stepped back in an instant. The green whip in her hand was more than ten feet long.
The two soldiers also reacted in the same way. Their brains did not realize what was happening and they had already raised the spears in their hands.
"Be honest!" a soldier said angrily.
This little girl is so tall and so agile.
The green whip she held in her hand was very slender, as if it were wrapped by tree roots and vines. The outside of the vines was covered with sharp leaves. It looked like something I had never seen before. It was as hard as a piece of iron.
"Why do you want me to be honest?" The girl said coldly without fading, "You forcefully take me away, and if I refuse, I am being dishonest? What kind of statement is this?"
"Follow us!"
"I don't!" Xia Zhaoyi said angrily, "Who should you point your guns at? At the enemy, or at your own people? What have I done wrong now that you want to use the same spears and blades used against the enemy to deal with me?
Is it because I don’t want to go with you?”
The soldiers looked slightly embarrassed, and one of them put away his weapon.
The other person was still holding it up, with a displeased look on his face: "We want to take you away because this place is dangerous. How come you, a girl, are not sensible at all?"
"Go back and tell Song Erlang that I thank him for his kindness."
"Just put it down and come with us." The soldier who put away his weapons coaxed like a child.
Xia Zhaoyi looked at the baggage on the ground and wanted to pick it up.
The soldier holding a spear suddenly stepped forward and wanted to capture her.
Her steps flashed and she avoided as nimbly as a monkey.
The girl's skills were so fast that the soldiers couldn't get any advantage without hurting her.
Xia Zhaoyi picked up the baggage on the ground and looked at the horse over there.
"It's better to do less of what is difficult for others. You are a regular army, not ruffians." Xia Zhaoyi said.
"We are soldiers and we only obey orders. Be good and come here by yourself. We don't want to hurt you."
"I don't want to hurt you either."
Although she would definitely not be a match for these two in a head-on confrontation, she could still defeat them and injure them three points with her agility.
It wouldn't be a big deal to meet Song Erlang once, and she could still leave after the meeting, but she just didn't want to go now.
The anger and hatred in her heart made her just want to hide away alone and sort out the thoughts in her mind.
Fighting to the death to protect the mountains and rivers, only to end up with a pile of bones in mourning.
