The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 738 Shen Le: I'm going to fight Cao Cao? Really?!
With his magic broken, Zhang Jiao was struck as if by lightning, immediately spitting blood and collapsing to the ground. His disciples, terrified, rushed forward to support him.
"Master!"

"Great Master!"

"Master! Master, wake up!"

Shen Le's heart sank, and he stepped forward, placing a palm on Zhang Jiao's back. A warm current flowed out, and his heart immediately sank, forcing himself not to sigh.

Hopeless.

It can't be saved.

If there is still surging vital energy and magical power within Zhang Jiao's body, he can slowly sort it out, guide it back to its proper place, and let this vital energy gradually heal its master.
However, when the heat was probed out, all that was felt was an empty shell; whatever was poured in, the same amount leaked out.

The backlash had just occurred, tearing the old man's physical body, or rather, his spiritual body, to pieces. His vital energy was leaking out relentlessly, to a point that was impossible to repair...

Aside from circulating his internal heat to barely protect the last breath of heat in Zhang Jiao's heart, Shen Le was completely powerless. And with the dragon's roar, the situation on the battlefield instantly reversed!

On the government side, a deafening battle cry erupted, morale soaring, and a rapid counterattack ensued;
On the other hand, the Yellow Turban Army, whose morale, momentum, and formation were part of the energy source for Zhang Jiao's magic, suffered a sudden setback. Almost everyone was thrown to the ground, and some people in the front row even vomited blood!

Standing in Shen Le's position, he could see the point where the two lines met, and there was a visibly brief moment of chaos. Then, like a flood bursting its banks, the government troops broke through the lines and pressed towards the Yellow Turbans—

The ancient dragon swooped down, taking advantage of the momentum. For the first time in the entire battle, this dragon, coiled atop the city wall, displayed a movement other than a roar:
It stretched its body, its whiskers fluttering. Its enormous dragon claw slammed down on the terrified Yellow Heavenly Qilin, whose body was already trembling with fear!

"Roar--!"

The Qilin let out a mournful cry, and its body was instantly torn apart, turning into scattered yellow clouds.

Even though Shen Le had calmed his mind and was not swayed by the fanaticism or connected with the military spirit, he still felt a chill in his heart and an overwhelming sense of terror pressed down on him like a tidal wave!

The morale has collapsed!

The Yellow Turban Army, that Yellow Turban Army...

The Yellow Turban Army had completely collapsed. The defeat was swift and devastating; the Yellow Heavenly Qilin had been scattered, and this had a far greater impact on the ordinary soldiers than on Shen Le.

Countless soldiers with yellow turbans on their heads lost their will to fight. They cried out and screamed, then turned and fled, exposing their backs completely to the blades of the pursuing government troops.

They even began to push and shove each other, trampling on one another, and were willing to turn their knives on their comrades in order to clear a path.

The scattered yellow clouds drifted across the sky, with only a few patches managing to coalesce into shapes resembling tigers, wolves, and pigs. However, even these coalesced masses were less than half the number before the battle!

"It's over..." Shen Le's face turned deathly pale as he looked at the hellish scene, his hands and feet turning ice-cold. This battle was a complete and utter defeat, beyond redemption—

Now is no longer the time to consider whether the situation can be salvaged or how to observe history from the sidelines. What he needs to consider is how to survive in this tide of defeat!

"Protect the Great Teacher!"

A furious roar rang out beside them. Zhang Jiao's personal guards shouted hoarsely, personally carrying Zhang Jiao on their backs and leaping down from the high platform.

He mounted his horse and organized the remaining troops into a circular formation, protecting Zhang Jiao, who was coughing up blood, seriously injured, and almost unconscious, as they desperately retreated away from the government troops.

The platform was instantly abandoned. Shen Le was swept away by the rout, involuntarily moving backward. In the distance, he saw the platform tremble and tilt in the torrent of iron, finally collapsing with a deafening crash, as if it had never existed at all…

All around were panicked faces, and deafening shouts and screams came from all directions.

Shen Le used all his strength to seize a warhorse and used all the horsemanship and equestrian tactics he had learned in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty and when he followed Li Shimin in battle to get close to Zhang Jiao's retreating troops.

At this moment, as far as the eye could see, that seemed to be the only place that still maintained some order and a semblance of fighting strength...

escape!
escape!
If we escape this battlefield and flee the pursuit of the government troops, we will have a chance to survive!
Shen Le neither took the lead nor lagged behind, but stayed on the side of the team, trying his best to have enough mobility.

Perhaps because he was Zhang Jiao's close attendant, or perhaps because of his healing skills, he was quickly led to the inner circle and protected by a group of Yellow Turban soldiers.

The battlefield gradually thinned out, and the number of pursuers around them decreased little by little. Perhaps, they had escaped...

Just then, a sudden, fierce clatter of hooves shattered the battlefield that had just quieted down.

Shen Le turned his head in horror. A small but extremely elite and fierce cavalry force, like a red-hot knife cutting into butter, easily tore through the scattered Yellow Turban army.

The cavalry's charge was aimed directly at the circular formation where Zhang Jiao was located!

The cavalry was led by a general, clad in black armor and a dark helmet, wielding a long spear, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, his charge unstoppable!

Beside him, a scarlet battle flag fluttered in the wind, embroidered with a large character—

The character “曹”!

Shen Le's breath hitched. It was Cao Cao, Cao Cao's cavalry!
Of course, the possibility of Cao Cao personally charging into battle is questionable. After all, Cao Cao was not known for his martial prowess in history—he attempted to assassinate Dong Zhuo with a knife, but ended up having to flee in haste.

However, the brothers in Cao Cao's family, the group with the surname Cao and the group with the surname Xiahou, later formed the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry with them as the core backbone...

By this time, had the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry been fully formed?

Even if it didn't materialize, Cao Cao's most reliable plan to gain military merit on this battlefield was to bring his clansmen along to the front lines...

Countless thoughts raced through Shen Le's mind. He gripped the spear he had seized tightly, regulated his breathing, and braced his legs firmly against the horse's back—

No matter what he planned to do next, he had to survive first! He himself was positioned directly in front of and to the side of Cao's cavalry's charge path!
The warhorses galloped, the ground rumbled and shook, and a chilling killing intent was directed at Shen Le's brow, making his forehead throb with cold!
Will I die?!

This thought instantly seized Shen Le. He wasn't a soldier; he was merely a medic embedded in the army. What he was about to face might be the very prototype of the future Tiger and Leopard Cavalry—

With his limited horsemanship skills, the level he honed in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty and on the blades of the Tibetan cavalry, could he possibly survive among several Tiger and Leopard Cavalry? He didn't even have stirrups!
Damn it, why didn't he make the stirrups beforehand...?

Various thoughts swirled in Shen Le's mind. Before they could finish, the earth trembled, dust billowed, and the cavalry was already upon him.

The commotion around me suddenly rose a notch: the neighing of horses, shouts, screams, and the clash of weapons...

From the outer circle, from the circle of Yellow Turban cavalry protecting Shen Le, they broke right into view!
They broke in!
Shen Le suddenly felt an immense surge of energy. So what if he was in the Yellow Turban Rebellion? So what if the people opposite him were Cao Chun, Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, or Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun, or even Cao Cao himself?! He refused to believe it!
He was determined to take this risk! Even if Cao Cao himself stood in his way today, he would still charge forward. If anyone dared to kill him, he would fight back!

"I'll hold them off!"

He shouted loudly, tightened his grip on the spear, lightly tapped his knee on the horse's back, and suddenly charged forward. Without a word, he swung the spear, sweeping it horizontally from left to right—

Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
A surge of heat coursed through his arms and into his spear. With a single sweep, three enemy cavalrymen whose spears met his fell from their saddles, weapons slipping from their grasp.

The second tiger's mouth split open, the left hand released the spear, and the right arm was shaken outwards and far away. He fell backwards with the spear, but fortunately he did not roll off the saddle and fall off the horse.

It wasn't until the third person that he managed to brace himself against his spear, leaning forward, gritting his teeth, and raising the spear shaft. Shen Le smoothly withdrew his weapon, and from the side, a spear thrust towards him!
Sigh, with the boost from internal energy, it seems my current martial arts level is not bad in this chaotic world.

But we can't be careless. This is a group battle, a group battle, and two fists can't fight four hands! Shen Le reminded himself silently, dodging to the side on horseback, watching the spear swoop past him.

Then, he did something that went against his ancestors' teachings—no, against all his previous martial arts training:

He released his left hand, then grabbed the spear and pulled it with all his might!
The opposing cavalrymen were clearly taken aback that Shen Le would dare to grab a spear empty-handed. Startled, they tried to wrest it back, only to find the spear shaft seemingly welded to their opponent's hand, completely immovable!

In that stalemate, Shen Le made his right hand move! With just a slight turn and a lift, the spear in his hand shot out like a venomous snake, so fast that it seemed to have become a bolt of lightning.

"Pfft!"

The spearhead pierced the cavalryman's neck with pinpoint accuracy. Blood gushed forth, and the ferocity in the cavalryman's eyes froze instantly, then dimmed, and he fell from his horse.

One was taken down!
Before Shen Le could catch his breath, and before he could even identify who this person was or whether he was a member of the Cao family or a general, a gust of evil wind surged up behind his head.

Is it a knife? A spear? Or something else?

Shen Le didn't have time to look; he only listened to the sound to pinpoint the location and hurled his left-hand spear backward. The fierce wind subsided slightly, and the attacker was probably retracting his attack to block. Shen Le held his right-hand spear firmly with both hands and suddenly spun around!

"clang!"

The spear drew a sharp semicircle. The attacker behind him had just parried a spear and hadn't even had time to regroup before he was struck heavily in the ribs!
A dull, resounding thud. The cavalryman was struck as if by a heavy hammer, blood gushing from his mouth, thrown from his horse, clearly beyond saving.

"This opponent is gone..." Shen Le breathed heavily, quickly scanning his surroundings.

A brief opening appeared, but it was merely a nail driven into the raging torrent, deflecting one wave before an even more turbulent counterattack immediately followed.

Sure enough, a slight commotion broke out in the cavalry ranks. A general wearing a fine iron helmet and wielding a long-handled broadsword stepped forward, leading a small detachment that broke away from the main force and began to surround Shen Le.

Who is this person?

Is he one of Cao Cao's generals?
Judging from his height and short mustache, he's probably not Cao Cao...

Shen Le thought quickly. That small squad, including its general, consisted of only five riders, forming a semi-encircling fan shape, and pressed towards Shen Le at the same time.

The sound of hooves thundered behind him, quickly receding into the distance; the group protecting Zhang Jiao had likely already fled. At this point, he had two options: one was to turn back and follow Zhang Jiao and his men;

Secondly, we will make another push and try to break through the encirclement!

Without a second thought, Shen Le spurred his horse forward. He suddenly twisted his flanks, charging ahead instead of retreating, and charged headlong into the lead general with the sword!

As he charged, he channeled heat into his palm, then placed the sword in his left hand and pressed it against the side of his warhorse's neck.
"Good boy... give me another hand..."

A surge of heat erupted. The warhorse, its spirits high, let out a long neigh and instantly reached its maximum speed, leaving almost a blur on the battlefield!
A sudden acceleration, if fast enough, can be a killing move—Guan Yu's slaying of Yan Liang and Wen Chou is the best example of this tactic.

Although Shen Le's martial arts skills were far inferior to Guan Yu's, this acceleration still disrupted the general's prediction.

His broadsword was still in mid-air when Shen Le had already pounced into the inner circle like a ghost!
"die!"

Shen Le roared. He held the spear level, the heat coursing through his body to his arm, focusing his mind on a single point. With maximum speed and maximum power, he thrust it straight for his opponent's heart—

UI!
He stared intently at the general, watching his body stiffen, his pupils contract, and his body twist and turn with all his might.

The distance between the two closed rapidly. A roar rang in his ears, and a venomous whistling sound came from the side, heading straight for Shen Le!

This desperate spear thrust, though failing to pierce the general's heart, did pierce his shoulder blade. The impact was so great that it threw him off his horse!

However, Shen Le himself couldn't completely dodge it either. Although he tried his best to turn to the side, the spear tip that came from the side still cut a wound on his ribs. Blood gushed out, and in just an instant, it stained his thin yellow clothes bright red.

"what!!!"

Shen Le's vision went black, and he almost fell off his horse. He mustered his inner energy, pressed his hand against his wound, and desperately cast a healing spell on himself.

The bleeding seemed to have stopped, but the pain under my ribs was still throbbing, almost to the point of exhaustion!

I have to go! Now!
Without further hesitation, Shen Le took advantage of the brief chaos caused by the general falling from his horse, pulled hard on the reins, and charged forward with all his might.

With spears thrusting and sweeping, he knocked down two cavalrymen who were blocking his way. Finally, his eyes lit up and the pressure around him eased!
Rushed out!

Shen Le lay prone on his horse, urging it to gallop wildly, oblivious to everything else. He didn't know how far he had galloped before the shouts and arrows behind him gradually thinned out and finally disappeared. Only then did Shen Le dare to slow down slightly and look back:
On the distant battlefield, the once-gathered yellow clouds now appeared as thin as tattered cotton wool against the backdrop of the evening glow.

It struggled to reveal a vague shape of a Qilin, but in an instant it completely disintegrated and dissolved into the sky illuminated by the blood-red setting sun, leaving no trace.

Shen Le stood holding the reins, silently closing his eyes for a moment.

Zhang Jiao... is dead.

ended.

For him, the momentous Yellow Turban Rebellion was over.

(End of this chapter)