Chapter 500: Chapter 500: Bury With You!

The capital of Western Rong sounded exceptionally chaotic.

The guards at the city gate were gone, and the sky above the entire capital was filled with screams and sounds of fighting.

Xiao Chen recognized the identity of the Western Rong people by their attire. Many herders, merchants, and slaves took the opportunity to escape the capital.

The nobles and tribal leaders of Western Rong had been learning the scripts and language of Nanjin since childhood, but most merchants, herders, and slaves could not understand the language of Nanjin.

Xiao Chen, familiar with the language of Western Rong, grabbed a merchant’s arm and asked in their tongue, “What happened in the city?”

The merchant replied with a panicked expression, “There’s been a murder. Someone broke into the palace!”

Xiao Chen immediately relayed the merchant’s words to Zhan Lan. Zhan Lan raised her whip and said, “Quickly! General Zhan Beicang, Huang Gun, Li Sui, the three of you surround the Western Rong capital. Zhan Hui, Xiao Chen, Dugu Yan, take the remaining half of our forces and follow me into the city!”

Her instincts told her that the Western Rong king’s thirty thousand cavalry might be outside the city or inside. Zhan Lan had brought fifty thousand troops and first surrounded the capital to prevent people from leaving or entering, then divided the forces to enter the city.

“Yes, Main General!” Zhan Beicang accepted the order.

Zhan Lan raised her whip, urging her horse into the Western Rong city, with Xiao Chen, Zhan Hui, and Dugu Yan immediately following.

After entering the city, Zhan Lan found many corpses of Western Rong cavalry strewn across the streets, as well as a few of the Hidden Guard.

She was startled, her gaze drawn to the smoke billowing from the Western Rong palace.

It was on fire!

“Don’t be reckless!” Zhan Hui shielded her from behind, and Xiao Chen also caught up.

Zhan Lan’s heart raced, her mind filled with thoughts of Mu Yan. Seeing the dead Hidden Guard and the burning Western Rong palace, the sounds of fighting grew closer amidst the flames.

Zhan Lan began to believe that the Western Rong king indeed had thirty thousand secret cavalry; corpses of cavalry they encountered along the way now formed rivers of blood.

Mu Yan must be in the palace. She spurred her horse, charging towards the palace.

At the palace gates lay scattered bodies of Western Rong cavalry, the scent of blood assailing Zhan Lan’s nostrils.

“Swear to protect the Western Rong king!”

Not far off, Western Rong cavalry wielding scimitars charged at Zhan Lan, who thrust her war spear fiercely into her opponent.

Then, an endless stream of Western Rong cavalry came charging at Zhan Lan and her companions. Zhan Lan looked at Zhan Hui, Xiao Chen, and Dugu Yan, “Leave this to you!”

Unlike the vast grasslands, the palace didn’t allow for free galloping. Zhan Lan dismounted, slinging a bow over her shoulder, and charged into the depths of the palace with her war spear in hand.

“Sister, you!”

Xiao Chen dismounted and immediately chased after Zhan Lan.

Dugu Yan wielded a purple-gold hammer, smashing Western Rong cavalry’s skulls. She noticed Xue Yifeng not far off, surprisingly helping her deal with a sneak attack from the rear by Western Rong cavalry.

“Be careful!” Dugu Yan shouted to Xue Yifeng while fighting.

Xue Yifeng smiled, “Got it!”

From his sleeve flew needles, poisoning a group of encircling Western Rong cavalry.

Then, with a glance, Dugu Yan saw Xue Yifeng use a transparent thread to decapitate a cavalryman, then drive a dagger into another’s chest.

Xue Yifeng was indeed skilled in assassination.

Looking at her own purple-gold hammer, Dugu Yan suddenly felt it was less appealing.

While she fought enemies one by one, she couldn’t drop them in droves like Xue Yifeng.

…

Zhan Lan kept slashing Western Rong cavalry in her path, eager to find Mu Yan. Most of the cavalry coming her way were dealt to Xiao Chen behind her.

Xiao Chen, while fighting enemies, was trying hard not to lose sight of Zhan Lan.

Zhan Lan finally saw Mu Yan’s Hidden Guard, along with some people in Western Rong attire, who were also dealing with Western Rong cavalry.

At last, she saw a familiar figure, wielding a long sword, who in the blink of an eye killed two Western Rong cavalry.

“Vermilion Bird!”

Zhan Lan’s voice caught Vermilion Bird’s attention. His eyes widened, “Madam!”

Zhan Lan, while slicing through Western Rong cavalry, moved closer to Vermilion Bird and urgently asked, “Where is the prince?”

Vermilion Bird immediately pointed in a direction, “Master went after the Western Rong king!”

Without another word, Zhan Lan headed in the direction Vermilion Bird indicated.

In a grand palace hall, amidst the flames, two people were battling each other, one of them being Mu Yan.

With the raging fire, the beams of the palace collapsed with a crash.

Zhan Lan’s heart almost stopped. She shouted into the blaze, “Mu Yan!”

She dashed towards the inferno, the scorching heat preventing her from getting close. Yet, she clearly saw the figure silhouetted by the flames was Mu Yan.

She must rescue Mu Yan!

Quickly scanning her surroundings, Zhan Lan found a well. She stripped a thin jacket from a Western Rong cavalry, swiftly soaked it in water, and prepared to rush into the fire.

The next moment, with a thunderous bang, the entire palace collapsed in the fire.

Zhan Lan stepped back two paces, the searing heat rolling towards her, but she felt a chill throughout her body.

Her heart clenched, too painful for breath.

Her legs gave way, kneeling on the ground, her lips moved but only a hoarse breath escaped.

“Mu Yan…”

Unwilling to accept it, she looked at the collapsed palace, shouting hoarsely, “Mu Yan!”

“Didn’t you promise to stay with me forever and ever? You idiot!”

She still remembered Mu Yan’s tender gaze, and how his voice gently echoed like a breeze, “With time as the pen, longing as the ink, the mountains and rivers as stamping grounds, Lan’er, you are my eternity!”

At this moment, his voice seemed to resound in her ear.

Zhan Lan’s vision blurred, she had seen Mu Yan in the flames, witnessed the collapse of the palace.

Did Mu Yan perish?

After her rebirth, Mu Yan was the only variable. She had believed she would never love another man, but Mu Yan was the exception.

Now, her beloved lay dead before her.

Zhan Lan’s tears burst forth, the fire consuming everything, including her heart.

She had already lost her grandfather, and now her most cherished man too!

After wiping away her tears with her hand, Zhan Lan stood cold as ice, shedding the soaked jacket, slinging her bow and picking up her war spear.

Gazing at the inferno, the flames of hatred burned in her eyes.

Her voice was as cold as ice, seemingly able to engulf everything, “Mu Yan, I will have them buried with you!”