Chapter 1408: Feminine Fragrance

Chapter 1408: Chapter 1084: Feminine Fragrance

“Watch out, Princess!”

Wo Xue’s cry instantly turned into a short gasp of pain as Shang Ruyi hurriedly turned back, only to see an arrow fly toward them, piercing her shoulder!

“Wo Xue!”

Startled, Shang Ruyi quickly reached out to support her, but Wo Xue reacted swiftly, immediately reversing her grip and shielding her from behind. Blood gushed from the wound, instantly staining a large patch of her clothing red, and with the blood, scorching pain spread, swiftly engulfing her body. She staggered two steps, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Lu Xiao also rushed over, and along with Shang Ruyi, they supported her. As Shang Ruyi held onto Wo Xue’s trembling body, she raised her head to look at the back of the valley, only to discover countless figures appearing on the treacherous mountain peak afar. Just as she saw this scene, several streaks of cold light flew toward them.

“Princess, dodge quickly!”

Wo Xue was already tormented to the point of near blindness by the intense pain in her shoulder, but driven by instinct, she promptly turned and forcefully pushed Shang Ruyi and Lu Xiao beside her to the ground, as arrows whizzed past their heads.

Yet at the same time, several soldiers around them failed to dodge and fell to the ground!

Lying on the ground, Shang Ruyi’s vision went dark.

At this moment, she couldn’t spare any thought for the pain surge through her body, especially the throbbing ache at the back of her head. As she reluctantly supported herself up, she saw a tall and agile figure standing on the highest peak opposite them. Although the distance was vast, Shang Ruyi discerned the slender and delicate figure of a woman. Yet there was no trace of feminine softness; as she slowly raised her hand, the surrounding soldiers immediately awaited orders, as if that simple gesture carried the force of thunder, exuding an overwhelming aura!

What a spirited female general!

But the fleeting admiration was quickly overshadowed by immense panic and fear, as Shang Ruyi gasped for air, her face pale.

She understood they were ambushed.

No wonder she hadn’t seen the female general commanding the battle from below – they had circumvented and reached behind them. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was likely after they intercepted the enemy at Hu Yang Valley that the opponent made this decision and executed it, because before initiating the interception, Shang Ruyi had surveyed the surrounding terrain. The peaks on both sides of Hu Yang Valley were perilous, climbing from the back was extremely difficult.

It was due to such favorable terrain that she dared to use a few hundred troops to block tens of thousands of enemy forces.

But now, it seems the opponent is equally relentless, likely having gone to great lengths to circumvent and ascend the opposing mountain peak. This battle was to stabilize them while depleting their numbers. At this point, they could no longer defend the rear, and with the enemy scaling the mountain behind them, a fatal blow was imminent!

Just as Shang Ruyi clearly saw the slender figure, the woman gently waved her raised hand forward.

Though the action was silent, it was as if thunder exploded in everyone’s hearts.

Immediately, soldiers surged forward like a flood, charging at them overwhelmingly.

“Ah!”

Amidst the deafening sounds of battle cries, Wo Xue’s brief gasp of pain rang again. Shang Ruyi quickly turned her head to see Wo Xue brutally breaking the arrow in her shoulder, causing the wound to burst open and blood to flow profusely, the pain turning her eyes red, nearly losing consciousness. Shang Ruyi hurriedly held her: “What are you doing?”

Wo Xue, sweating profusely, gritted her teeth, endured the spreading intense pain, then flipped up and said to Shang Ruyi: “Princess, we can’t hold here any longer. Allow me to protect you; let’s flee swiftly!”

Shang Ruyi also rose, anxiously looking around.

They had less than a hundred soldiers left; aside from Gao Feng’s archers in the valley, there were just a few dozen on each side of the valley under her and Jiang Kesong’s command. Faced with the sudden onslaught of troops, everyone was in chaos.

The battle up to this point had already shattered everyone’s morale, and Shang Ruyi wasn’t a general capable of maintaining military morale. At this moment, she realized that despite surviving many deadly encounters and achieving several astounding victories, at the precipice of life and death, she still couldn’t change fate. Those exhausted soldiers, fighting purely on military instinct, scattered in panic when faced with soldiers charging from above.

Wo Xue, desperate and enraged, used her uninjured hand to fiercely grip Shang Ruyi’s wrist, with a force that almost seemed to twist her wrist bone.

“Princess, quickly go!”

Shang Ruyi clenched her teeth, saying: “Fleeing now means certain death.”

“What!?”

Wo Xue widened her eyes in disbelief, while Lu Xiao beside her panicked. As Shang Ruyi raised her head to look at the agile figure on the opposite mountain peak, she seemed to convey something to the people beside her, prompting a group to dash toward them.

Shang Ruyi took a deep breath, saying: “Tell Jiang Kesong and Gao Feng to urgently retreat with their men, as many as they can save.”

“Princess!”

“Quickly!”

Seeing she firmly refused to leave, Wo Xue gritted her teeth, only able to use her uninjured arm to pick up a nearby flag, waving it vigorously towards the troops retreating in the distance.

By this time, the enemy had surrounded them.

Several personal soldiers insisted on not fleeing, immediately shielding Shang Ruyi, enclosing her, Lu Xiao, and Wo Xue tightly in the center. The enemy’s troops swiftly advanced, chasing the fleeing soldiers while others charged toward them.

At that moment, the squad just commanded by the woman also caught up, shouting sharply: “The General orders, do not harm them!”

Upon hearing this, the soldiers, already bloodthirsty, immediately stopped.

Shang Ruyi couldn’t help furrowing her brow.

She clearly knew that once on the battlefield, especially when consumed with bloodlust, a person might lose humanity, the attacker becomes a bloodthirsty beast; the attacked becomes pieces of meat, screaming, running, spurting blood when stabbed with blades. Throughout history, several battles have been lost because the soldiers, in frenzied slaughter, forgot humanity and couldn’t hear orders.

But this squad was disciplined, able to stop instantly with just one command.

Clearly, the capability of their leader.

At this thought, footsteps sounded from the front, dust swirling in the air, accompanied by a faint, girlish scent drifting in the blood-heavy breeze.