We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real? - Chapter 380: Big Brother, Tell Me, Did I Win This Time?

Within the Qin Kingdom’s imperial palace, inside the Imperial Study.

The Qin Kingdom’s ruler sat before his desk, focused on handling the political affairs that had accumulated over the past days.

During this time, his thoughts had been in constant turmoil, his mind firmly tethered to the battlefield at Huaishan Pass a thousand li away. He could barely rest day or night, waiting only for battle reports from the front lines.

Just as he raised his vermillion brush, preparing to review a memorial, a light “crack” sounded. The vermillion brush gripped tightly in his hand snapped into two pieces without warning.

Before he could recover from his shock, chaotic footsteps came from outside the Imperial Study.

Immediately after, Eunuch Li burst into the hall, his face deathly pale, practically crawling in. His voice trembled uncontrollably, “Your Majesty… something terrible… something terrible has happened…”

“What matter causes such panic?”

The Qin Kingdom’s ruler raised his eyes, his brows tightly furrowed, his tone carrying obvious displeasure.

In his heart, an ominous premonition arose.

“Your Majesty…” Eunuch Li nearly broke into tears, prostrating on the ground and kowtowing continuously, “The ancestral temple just reported… the Second Prince’s life lamp… suddenly… suddenly extinguished…”

As his words fell, Eunuch Li kowtowed several more times. Only suppressed weeping and the sound of his forehead striking the floor echoed in the silent study.

The Qin Kingdom’s ruler froze in place. The broken brush slowly slipped from between his fingers and fell with a soft “tap” onto the spread memorial.

The vermillion ink spread like blood, gradually staining the paper red.

…

Inside the Mind Nurturing Hall, incense smoke curled upward.

Empress Shi knelt on the prayer cushion before the Buddha statue, slowly turning prayer beads in her hand as she softly chanted sutras.

Empress Shi did not normally believe in Buddha, but during this time, she had been devoutly praying for her two sons far away at the border. However, just as she closed her eyes in concentration, chanting halfway through a sutra, a light “snap” sounded.

The string of prayer beads she had been holding suddenly broke without warning.

Dozens of sandalwood beads scattered and rolled in all directions, dropping to the ground with sporadic tapping sounds that rang out chaotic and jarring in the silent hall.

The chanting stopped abruptly.

Empress Shi stared blankly at the prayer beads scattered across the floor. Her heart began to beat rapidly beyond her control, and a strong sense of unease spread from the depths of her heart like ice-cold tidal water, quickly drowning all her prayers.

She knelt there motionless, her gaze falling emptily on those scattered beads.

After a long while, when Empress Shi’s consciousness gradually returned, a sharp pain suddenly gripped her chest.

Tears surged from her eyes without warning, sliding down her cheeks continuously, silent and soundless, yet impossible to stop.

In the courtyard of the Frost Prince’s manor, the sunlight was gentle.

Qin Siyao sat quietly beside a stone bench, her head lowered in concentration as she embroidered.

Although she was not particularly skilled at making shoes, her embroidery work was passable. During this time, the young woman had already embroidered quite a few handkerchiefs.

In her heart, she thought that when Xiao Mo returned from the front lines, she would give all these handkerchiefs to him to use.

Just as her mind wandered, a sharp pain suddenly came from her fingertip.

“Hiss…”

Qin Siyao lightly drew in a breath and lowered her eyes. She saw bright red blood slowly seeping from her fingertip, gradually forming a full droplet but she paid no attention to the wound on her finger.

An inexplicable sense of emptiness filled her chest.

Stifling, chilling.

“Second Brother…”

Qin Siyao unconsciously raised her hand to press against her heart. As if sensing something, she lifted her head and stared blankly toward the distant sky.

…

Thirty li outside Huaishan City, within the Jin Kingdom’s military camp.

Ji Yue slowly opened her eyes.

She propped herself up to sit, only to feel her mind dizzy and aching, as if she had slept for days and nights.

“Husband…”

After her consciousness gradually cleared, she instinctively raised her head and looked around the tent, but did not see her husband’s figure.

The tent was silent, with only the sound of her own breathing.

Just then, she saw an object placed beside the pillow.

It was a jade pendant.

Ji Yue was all too familiar with it. This was the jade pendant her husband never left behind, always worn close to his body.

Beneath the jade pendant lay a letter.

A strong sense of unease suddenly surged in her heart.

Ji Yue hurriedly pulled out the letter, her fingers trembling slightly as she opened it.

As she read, her eyes shook violently, and something in the depths of her pupils shattered inch by inch.

“Husband!”

She grabbed the letter and jade pendant and stumbled out of the tent.

Outside the tent, the sky’s light was blinding.

What met her eyes were the corpses of Jin Kingdom and Qin Kingdom soldiers, layer upon layer, scattered everywhere.

A breeze passed, stirring up a thick, undiluted stench of blood that was almost suffocating.

Ji Yue bit down hard on her lower lip, suppressing the bitterness churning in her chest and the dizziness. Disregarding everything else, she ran toward the direction of the Black Beast Forest.

Within the Black Beast Forest, the sounds of battle gradually ceased.

The Jin Kingdom’s great army, those who died had died, those who surrendered had surrendered, those who fled had fled.

Qin Jingsu kept searching through the corpses in the Black Beast Forest.

His expression looked extremely urgent, even somewhat crazed, but as the commanding general, he had been forcibly compelling himself to maintain calm.

Just when Qin Jingsu was nearly in despair.

A soldier ran before him and said urgently, “Crown Prince, we found him! We found the Second Prince!”

“Where?” Qin Jingsu’s eyes were bloodshot as he gripped the soldier’s shoulders tightly.

The soldier was startled and quickly pointed in a direction, “Replying to Your Highness, the Second Prince is beneath a tree twenty zhang away. The medical cultivators have already gone ahead.”

Before this soldier finished speaking, Qin Jingsu ran toward the direction he indicated.

Soon, Qin Jingsu saw his second brother.

Qin Jingyuan leaned against a tree while the army’s medical cultivators were treating him.

When Qin Jingsu arrived, these medical cultivators all stood up, then sighed and shook their heads at Qin Jingsu.

Qin Jingsu clenched his fists tightly, the corners of his mouth trembling continuously. His heart felt as if a stone pressed upon it, making it impossible to catch his breath.

“I understand,” Qin Jingsu’s tone trembled, yet carried an unusual calmness. “Go and treat the other wounded soldiers.”

“Yes, Crown Prince.”

The medical cultivators bowed in salute. With complex emotions, they took one last look at the Second Prince before leaving.

Around Qin Jingyuan, only his older brother stood there.

Qin Jingsu took steps forward, walking toward his younger brother step by step. Finally, he sat down beside his younger brother, leaning against the same tree, just like when they were young.

“How is the battle situation?”

Qin Jingyuan turned his head to look at his older brother beside him. His face had no trace of color, his life flame grew increasingly weak, as if it might extinguish at any moment.

“Yan Liuyun is dead. Of Jin Kingdom’s seven hundred thousand troops in the Black Beast Forest, more than half are dead or wounded. Of the remaining three hundred fifty thousand, about one hundred thirty thousand surrendered, and the rest fled.

As for outside the Black Beast Forest, of the two hundred thousand troops Yan Liuyun left behind, about half fled as well. However, I had General Yang lead the Qin Kingdom army in pursuit. We should be able to expand our victory.”

“Mm, is that so? Very good, about what I expected.”

Qin Jingyuan nodded, just as if chatting normally with his older brother.

“This million-strong army was Jin’s main force. After this battle, Jin Kingdom has suffered grievous damage.

Upon learning of Jin Kingdom’s defeat, the morale of Chu and Yan kingdoms will surely be affected as well.

If all goes smoothly, our brother-in-law can conquer Chu Kingdom.

The Northern Pacification Prince has also dealt with Zhei Kingdom’s remnants. As long as he joins forces with the Western Pacification Prince, they can also conquer Yan Kingdom.

As for Jin Kingdom, that will depend on Big Brother and if the three kingdoms of Chu, Yan, and Jin are taken.

Our Qin Kingdom can achieve hegemony!”

By the last sentence, Qin Jingyuan kept coughing, but now, he could not even cough up blood.

Qin Jingsu clenched his fists tightly, looking at his second brother, “Why did you hide this from me!”

From beginning to end, Qin Jingsu had not known his second brother’s plan but Qin Jingsu believed his younger brother could never betray the kingdom. There must have been his reasons then five days ago, a letter from the Qin Kingdom’s ruler arrived from the capital, telling Qin Jingsu everything.

After learning everything, Qin Jingsu was extraordinarily furious because Qin Jingsu knew this plan carried nine parts death to one part survival! His younger brother could very likely die here!

But Qin Jingsu had no choice at all.

Father and Second Brother had already stripped away all his options.

He had to do as Second Brother said.

Otherwise, everything Second Brother had planned would turn to bubbles.

Moreover, if Huaishan Pass was lost, Qin Kingdom would truly fall into a crisis of life and death.

“Naturally, I had to hide it from Big Brother.”

Qin Jingyuan smiled, “If I didn’t hide it from Big Brother, how would Big Brother let me do it? Big Brother would not only come to persuade me, but would even have Third Sister come to persuade me.

Big Brother, you understand, don’t you?

What we two brothers have the least ability to refuse is Third Sister, after all. At that time, I might truly have softened my heart.”

“There were other methods!” The fingers of Qin Jingsu’s clenched fist had already dug into his flesh. “We could clearly have taken it slowly! We brothers still have plenty of time, and we have Brother-in-law too! The three of us will definitely achieve Qin Kingdom’s hegemony in the future!”

“Could we really take it slowly?”

Qin Jingyuan smiled, “Big Brother, stop deceiving yourself. This chaotic era has continued for thousands of years. Big Brother knows this. If we could truly take it slowly, this chaotic era would have ended long ago.

Some opportunities, if not seized, are gone. Perhaps they will never come again and I, I must seize this opportunity for Qin Kingdom!”

The more he spoke, the more rapid Qin Jingyuan’s breathing became, but soon, his breathing returned to calmness.

“Big Brother, do you know?”

Qin Jingyuan raised his head, looking at the azure sky through the mottled tree shadows.

“From childhood until now, I have never beaten you even once.

I truly, truly… wanted to beat you just once.”

The more he spoke, the weaker Qin Jingyuan’s tone became.

His pupils gradually dilated, his vision grew increasingly blurred. Only the corners of his mouth curved with a faint smile.

“Big Brother… Tell me, this time… Did I win?”

As Qin Jingyuan’s final words fell to the ground, his eyes moved no more, only gazing up at the sky.

The smile at the corners of his mouth seemed to remain frozen in this moment forever.

“You won.”

Qin Jingsu also raised his head, looking at the distant sky. Tears silently slid down his cheeks.

“Jingyuan, this time, Big Brother truly lost.”

Two incense sticks’ time later, Qin Jingsu carried his younger brother out of the Black Beast Forest.

The moment Qin Jingsu emerged from the Black Beast Forest, a woman happened to run over.

The woman looked at her husband with closed eyes.

From her husband’s body, she could feel no life flame whatsoever.

Crystalline tears misted her eyes. She gripped her skirt tightly and walked forward step by step.

“Crown Prince, my husband…” Ji Yue said tremblingly.

“Second Brother is tired. He went to sleep before us,” Qin Jingsu said, his eyes bloodshot.

Ji Yue reached out her hand, gently caressing her husband’s gradually cooling lips, “When my husband fell asleep… he must have been very happy, wasn’t he?”

Qin Jingsu nodded, “When he fell asleep, he should not have had even a bit of pain.”

“Before departing, my husband left this younger sister-in-law a letter.” Ji Yue raised her head. “Crown Prince, could you entrust my husband to this younger sister-in-law? I wish to handle my husband’s final funeral arrangements.”

“Mm.” Qin Jingsu slowly set down Qin Jingyuan, as if afraid of waking his younger brother.

“Husband…”

Ji Yue tenderly stroked her husband’s cheek, smiled gently, her voice carrying uncontrollable trembling as tears kept falling from her cheeks.

“Let us… go home.”

Carrying her husband on her back, Ji Yue walked step by step toward the direction of Lu Province.

[To my wife Ji Yue:

The Qin-Jin alliance bore no relation to you from the start.

When our two kingdoms formed this marriage alliance, each harbored different schemes, the court calculating every advantage.

Initially, I viewed you as merely Jin’s eyes and ears, thus maintained a distant facade, offering no warmth.

After dwelling under the same roof for several years, I came to know that you too were trapped in this chess game, a pearl covered in dust.

What you sought was nothing more than ordinary streets and alleys, the peace of raising the tray to eyebrow level yet fate plays with people. Entering our Qin Kingdom, you fell into this chess game.

I possessed a nature of cold iron, wishing to use detachment as my shield yet living together for three years, facing each other morning and evening, seeing you mend clothes by lamplight, brew tea and prepare meals, through spring dew and autumn frost without ever slacking.

I know not when emotional threads secretly formed. I, unexpectedly, was unaware.

Each time I recall that summer day by the Lu Province stream, when you lifted your skirts to wade in water, your laughter rippling the clear waves, your jade hairpin falling askew while your temple clouds were moistened with dew.

This scene is carved into my bones, unforgettable in waking or sleeping yet with Qin Kingdom’s great kingdom upon me, how could personal affections obstruct it?

I am a descendant of Qin Kingdom’s imperial house, bearing the trust of the state and altars, the fate of a sword suspended over endangered borders. How dare I indulge in private feelings and forget great righteousness?

In the past, my cold words and rejection, closing doors and declining to see you, all these unbearable acts were deliberate on my part. Not that I tired of you, but rather feared that if emotional roots grew deep, it would instead waste half your years of youth.

Now leading death warriors to raid the fierce formation, survival or death lies with Heaven. I specially write this letter, first as a final farewell, second to return your free body.

On the western outskirts of Lu Province, beside the stream waters, deep in the mountains, I have already built several rooms of a bamboo fence and thatched cottage. The courtyard is planted with red peonies, the windows face misty peaks.

If my whole corpse can return, I wish to be buried here.

This life I failed to requite deep affection. In the next life, I shall hold the ring in my beak and tie grass, even if I drink the waters of the River of Forgetfulness, I will surely remember your smiling face by the stream.

If reincarnation proves true, I wish to become intertwined roots and paired wings, to repay this life’s unfulfilled vows.

Your husband, Jingyuan, writes this.]

The month after the Battle of Huai Pass’s Black Beast Forest ended, First Prince Qin Jingsu had already recovered Jin and Lu provinces.

At a small stream on the western outskirts of Lu Province’s capital, a gravestone was erected.

The gravestone’s style was simple, like that of an ordinary family and not far from the gravestone stood a farmhouse courtyard.

In the courtyard lived a woman.

The woman was beautiful, renowned far and wide, but successive governors of Lu Province all forbade anyone from disturbing her.

Several years of spring and autumn passed.

The woman kept her solitary vigil by the window, never marrying for the rest of her life.

Until her hair turned white and slept beside the gravestone.