Chapter 66 - Feelings Heating Up
It had only been three or four days since Dingling's advance troops arrived at Zong Cheng City when Dingling's army came in force. It wasn't tens of thousands of people, but a lion close to a million. Fox Xiaxia and Shan Xiaohu stood on high ground to look out, and even as divine beasts in disguise, the two of them, who had force and spells on their side, felt a powerful sense of oppression from the enemy army. Moreover, they could sense that this army was mixed with several demons and evils; not all were just human soldiers and generals.
Based on numbers alone, Zongcheng was already at a disadvantage. Even if a few generals could fight ten or a hundred with one, they could not afford such a sea of men. Moreover, the city is primarily old and weak, with women and children, and the male population combined is only four to five hundred thousand; how can this battle be fought? Some of the soldiers standing guard on the watchtower see the distant black mass of enemy troops and have been scared to the legs of the weak peeing their pants. The whole city was on edge.
Wei Kongji tried his best to alleviate and stabilize the heart of the whole city's army; if the military were disorganized at this time, it would be defeated without a fight. He first summoned people from the townships and villages near the vertical city into the city to prevent the enemy army from detaining to burn and loot. He also arranged to strengthen the defense of several city gates to prevent the enemy from sneaking into the city at night. Strict defense is the only thing that can be done now; it can support one day finding a suitable method to save the life of the whole city.
But the poisonous fruit can no longer be eaten for now, and the city's food reserves can't last forever. How to survive has become General Wei's biggest problem. At this time, Ouyang Zhong brought Xiao Feifei to the council chamber to ask for an audience. They told him about Xiao Feifei's ability to turn the dead into trees and germinate seeds quickly. They also explained that Xiao Feifei had been poisoned before and that Tuoba Xian had deceived Fox Xiaxia Shan Xiaohu into taking the poisonous seeds as spirit seeds and distributing the poisonous fruits produced by the spirit seeds to the people to feed them, etc. They also explained everything.
Fox Xia Xia arched his hand to make amends: "Reporting to the general is the end of the general before the recognition of people is not clear, did not see a ten-year-old doll actually can have such a deep heart, almost buried the whole city of the people and the people's safety. Fortunately, we distinguished in time that the whole city quietly served an antidote, observed for a day or two, and did not have anyone to show something washing wrong. Only then did we dare to report to the Great General and ask the general to chastise us." Saying this, he knelt and prepared to receive his punishment. Shan Xiaohu has never spoken well; seeing his senior brother kneeling to receive punishment, he knelt without saying a word, hands clasped fists, and said, "I am the same. Please punish the general!"
Ouyang Zhong hurriedly added: "Hu military doctor and single big brother are the world outside the high man is not our Zhongming people, because of the reason of Linghu Xian came to help us, although there are faults, but has made up for it, and did not cause any harm and affect the stability of the military heart, but also ask the general to lighten the punishment. Right now, the poison has been planted in those ponds and lakes. I think it should still be eliminated as soon as possible. The other thing is the food issue; it would be nice to have sweet rainfall so that the food, fruits, and vegetables that have just sprouted will grow and mature faster."
Looking at these young people, General Wei couldn't be bothered to strain his face anymore. Complained: "You say you one by one, so have the idea. Things are letting you finish, only to come to a preemptive notification of me. I still do not know how to punish you. Also, Princess Jiao Yang, you've been standing here for half a day, but what do you have to say?" General Wei could see that the county princess looked melancholy and sad. He also knew she had done something heavenly wrong and wanted to make up for it, so he tentatively asked.
Xiao Feifei now had wholly lost her high and arrogant behavior as a county princess, just as General Wei guessed. She regretted killing the old steward and wanted to do something to make up for her mistakes. She also wanted to do something practical for the hometown where she was born and raised and for the entire city's military and civilian populace. She solemnly bowed and replied, ''Great General, this ... Oh no, I want to do what I can for everyone. Use it to atone for my sins. To atone for my sins, and also for my mother, my entire Zhongming Royal Clan Xiao Clan. After all, the current situation, in the final analysis, is all due to my sovereign uncle's incompetence in ruling the country. Since I am a member of the royal family, I am weak, but what I can do is a little bit. I don't want to be a wasteful county princess who can only clothe and feed herself anymore."
Everyone was happy to hear these words from Xiao Feifei, and Ouyang Zhong was the happiest and most surprised. Xiao Feifei continued, "I can speed up the growth of plants. Maybe I don't need heavenly rains. I can probably have some effect by going to the fields and walking around."
"Great! This way, the city will have enough to fight without panic. Outside, the Dingzhu people have limited food and grass. Besides, they have many people and horses, consume fast, and can't wear us out." Fox Xiaxia agreed.
"Then what should we do about the poison in the pond? Burn it?" General Wei asked.
"No, burning it in case it volatilizes the poisonous juice and is inhaled by the people in the city would be even more troublesome." Fox Xiaxia replied.
"Those poisonous fruits in the pool, I might be able to make them wither quickly as well." Xiao Feifei pondered. Suddenly, she came up with a plan and said, "If we can gather these poisons together, either by extracting the venom or burning it into poisonous smoke, and return it to the Dingling troops in the same way as they did to the others, wouldn't we be able to repel some of the enemies as well? It was this wind direction that could not be manipulated. Now, although it is summer and the wind is southeast, right towards the north, occasionally wind will blow into the city, or it is not good, hmmm ... I'll think about it again."
Shan Xiaohu heard the wind direction. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly replied, "The wind direction is not afraid. I have a way. That idea of yours is good. Let's split up."
Thus, these few people got busy separately. Xiao Feifei first followed Ouyang Zhong and experimented in a few fields within the city, and sure enough, they instantly produced fruits and grains. After Fox Xiaxia's discernment, there was no problem. Then Xiao Feifei's figure was busy in various fields and gardens; many of the people were seeing the county magistrate for the first time, and this county magistrate was able to produce food, vegetables, and fruits with a light touch of her hand, which was simply a god to the people. Harvests make people happy, and Xiao Feifei's actions instantly cured everyone's originally depressed and lax mood of worry. Everyone joyfully scrambled to collect grain and fruits and used the cut wheat grass as rations for the war horses, neatly yarded into a wall of grain and grass.
For the first time, Xiao Feifei used her ability to bring happiness and joy to many people. When everyone heartily saluted her to express their gratitude, she felt an unprecedented pleasure. Even though she was tired, she walked and continued when she thought the poisonous plants were still in the pools and lakes. She grabbed the poisonous plants inside the water with her hands, and they withered and died quickly. However, Xiao Feifei's power seemed to be getting weaker and weaker; the poison was too large, and its growth ability was unique; it didn't die as fast as it grew. Xiao Feifei looked anxious. Her hands seemed not to work anymore, so she jumped directly into the water.
Because there had been several previous accidents, Ouyang Zhong dared not leave Xiao Feifei for a moment; he but returned to the head of the effort. Xiao Feifei jumped into the pond, which scared him, and hurriedly jumped into the water without saying anything to save Xiao Feifei. In the water, Xiao Feifei was holding a vast lotus root tightly. That section of lotus root looked like it was at least two to three hundred pounds and was the main root of the poison in this pond. Under the influence of Xiao Feifei's magic power, the giant lotus root quickly turned from a white root glowing with an eerie lavender light to a black rotten wood. Xiao Feifei couldn't hold her breath in the water and was about to pass out when Ouyang Zhong arrived in time. Ouyang Zhong gave her air and carried her back to the water.
Xiao Feifei returned to the shore and coughed violently while wrapping her hands around Ouyang Zhong's neck. She enjoyed Ouyang Zhong's gentle patting on her back to help her smooth out her breath. Ouyang Zhong slowly lowered Xiao Feifei on top of him and broke away from her encircling hands, with some embarrassment in his eyes. He deliberately kept a certain distance from Xiao Feifei and asked, "Why are you so stupid to jump into the water? What should I do if something happens?"
Xiao Feifei stepped forward, held Ouyang Zhong's hand, and asked, "You care about me? Why are you still estranged from me? You and I are originally husband and wife. What's wrong with behaving more closely? Or is it... that you still can't forget her and can't accept me?"
Ouyang Zhong glanced his face away and answered in silence for a moment, "Xian, to me, is no longer a sentence of forgetting or not forgetting that can be expressed clearly. When you and I married, I didn't dare to admit my heart, much less the right to make my own choices. But now, I am willing to be your family, your backbone, and to shield you from the wind and rain. However, I really can't lie to myself or you. My heart is in Xian's body. Whether she has perished or not, she lives in my heart. Your body is weak. I'll return you to the Ouyang residence to change into dry clothes!" He hurried towards the horse's direction as if he were running away from something and as if he was guilty of something. Even though the young general had grown up a lot in the past year or so, he still couldn't do the things of children and daughters with ease and handle them properly.
Xiao Feifei looked at Ouyang Zhong's figure as he hurriedly left, and her heart twitched. Once a high and mighty county princess, one of the best beauties in Zongzhong City, a pearl held in the palm of thousands of people, but she could not get a man's heart. Her eyes were blurred with tears, but she didn't cry as before. Instead, she followed Ouyang Zhong silently with tears in her eyes; she looked at his tall back and secretly resolved in her heart: one day, I will let you completely fall in love with me.
Their intimate behavior was seen in the eyes of Fox Xiaxia. Fox Xiaxia just wanted a fit, but he pressed back when he saw Shan Xiaohu, who was busy collecting the poisonous grasses together. Fox Xiaxia's eyes turned. I initially did not like you, this stinky black dragon, to provoke my sister; I will fulfill you since you two young couple love feelings warm up. Back to waiting for the third birth of Xiaowu, I let her follow the third senior brother every day to mix, not let you, Ouyang Zhong, take advantage of half a point.
"Report! Report Great General! A letter from the Dingling division outside the city has been shot, naming General Ouyang to check it out personally." The general guarding the city was on fire as he handed the arrow with the letter to Great General Wei Kongji. General Wei felt something was not quite right; last time, Tuoba Cheng of the Dingling tribe did this, naming Linghu Xian; this time, he repeated the same trick, naming Ouyang Zhong; he must be holding back something terrible again!
He ordered the following people to hurry to find Ouyang Zhong and a few others to come to the council chamber. No matter what, there are blessings and difficulties to be shared. This time, there is nothing to be put on the table; we face it together and must not let anyone take everything down again.
Ouyang Zhong, Fox Xiaxia, Shan Xiaohu, and others came to the council hall, and Ouyang Zhong opened the letter in front of the crowd. The top of a few big words: your father Ouyang Ming is dead, want to know the inside story three days later to come to the Populus Euphratica Forest alone to see.
"This is a trap, don't fall for it!" Shan Xiaohu looked at Ouyang Zhong nervously, afraid that he would do something on impulse.
Fox Xiaxia said thoughtfully, "It's indeed a trap, but it's strange that it's so obvious as if it's intentional. Also, even if he wanted Ouyang Zhong to go solo, why did he have to go to the Populus Euphratica forset far outside Beiwang City? Not good!"
Fox Xiaxia and Shan Xiaohu were instantly startled! Ouyang Zhong grabbed them and asked, "What's going on? You two make it clear! What in the world are you hiding from me?"
Shan Xiaohu looked at his senior brother, Fox Xiaxia, with a complicated expression. Ouyang Zhong was utterly anxious: "You guys quickly say! What's in the Populus Euphratica forset? Is it that Xian is there? Is it not? You guys quickly speak!"
Fox Xiaoxia took a deep breath and replied, "Yes and no. My sister, Fox Xiao Xian, in her last incarnation as Linghu Xian, used her body as a candle and the Samadhi Flame to turn it into a firewall, blocking Dingling's army from moving south. She did die. But her primordial spirit, spiritual consciousness, was transformed into a Populus Euphratica forset, and the Populus Euphratica forset also cared for and repaired her primordial spirit. So if the Populus Euphratica forset is harmed, Xiao Xian's primordial spirit will be harmed, and she will never return."
Shan Xiaohu continued to add, "Our master ordered we master brothers to watch over the Populus Euphratica forset on earth and wait for Xiao Xian to be reincarnated as a human again. Before we left the Populus Euphratica Forest to come to Zong Cheng City to help you meet Dingling's army, my senior brother and I used the little bit of mana we had left to set a boundary for the Populus Euphratica Forest so that ordinary people could not see it much less touch it. But in this letter, naming you to meet at the Populus Euphratica forset only means that there is a problem with our spell boundary. Either it has failed, or someone has used a spell to break into the Populus Euphratica forset. We, Master and Brother, have always suspected that there is some demon or evil spirit behind the Dingling division. Otherwise, how could their power and strength have increased in the past few years by relying on the workforce? And whether it's the Spirit Seed, the crows attacking the city, and the former Feather Sun Spider army, there must be some connection between these."
"Therefore, we must rush to the Huyang Forest to see if the boundary is intact and protect my sister's primordial spirit. Ouyang Zhong, this letter is not for you but for the two of us brothers." Fox Xiaxia said with a grave expression.
"I don't care who this letter is really for. I want to know if what happened to my father is true or not, if they reported false news, it's just to disturb my heart, and in case it's true ...," Ouyang Zhong reddened his eyes, choked up for a moment, and then said: "I'll fly a pigeon to father now, I need to know the truth. Also, when the father's matter is cleared up, Brother Shan Brother Fox, we can't all leave Zongcheng; that would be a trick. It would help if you all held on for dear life in Zongcheng. I will search for Populus Euphratica Forest alone. I can find it. You guys have to trust me."
General Wei walked over to Ouyang Zhong's side, patted the young general's shoulder, and comforted him severely: "Don't worry too much. I will also send the Wei family's close friends to Xi City to poke around so that I can get accurate information if something goes wrong with your flying pigeon. No matter what, let's not be disorganized by the enemy's attacking tactics. We'll. We'll discuss the following countermeasures."