A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

Tuoba Yue's pupils focused for a while before she could see the face in front of her clearly; it was Wei Zhao.

He sat on a wooden stool beside the couch, still wearing the white robe soaked in blood.

The dark red bloodstains on the hem of the garment had dried, becoming hard and brittle.

There were still traces of dried blood stuck between his fingers.

"woke up."

Wei Zhao's voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.

"Thanks to you."

Wei Zhao looked at Tuoba Yue's open eyes, his throat tightened, and his voice was half a beat lower than he had expected.

"If you hadn't held off Tuoba Ye in the rear, it's questionable whether Yumen Pass could have been defended in this battle."

He actually had more to say.

I want to say that you were crazy to carry 100,000 slave soldiers to the front line all by yourself. I want to say that you shouldn't have gambled with your life. I want to say that you almost died under Tuoba Ye's blade.

But these words stuck in my throat; to say them would sound like a reproach, while not saying them would feel like I was indebted.

Tuoba Yue lay on the couch, a dark red stain seeping through the bandage on her left shoulder. She nodded slightly upon hearing Wei Zhao's words but remained silent.

It wasn't that she didn't want to talk, but her throat was so dry it felt like sandpaper, and the pain made her frown when she moved her tongue.

Wei Zhao noticed this, picked up a bowl of cooled water from the side, hesitated for a moment, and placed it within her reach on her right.

"Let it heal first, don't rush to speak. The wound hasn't healed yet, and the cut on your left shoulder is quite deep."

He stood up and took two steps toward the tent flap.

"I'll go tell Jing Shuang and the others that you're awake, so they can rest assured."

He had only taken half a step.

"Wait a moment."

Tuoba Yue's voice was so hoarse it was almost unrecognizable, as if it were squeezed out from a crack in a rock.

Wei Zhao stopped and turned his head.

Tuoba Yue stared at the top of the tent for several seconds, her lips moved twice, before she finally managed to string together the words.

"I should be thanking you."

Her gaze shifted from the top of the tent to Wei Zhao's face.

"If you hadn't risked your life to save me... I would probably be dead by that bastard Tuoba Ye by now."

The last few words were pronounced heavily, carrying a sense of resentment born of a near-death experience.

It wasn't that she hated Wei Zhao, but that she hated Tuoba Ye, and she also hated herself for not being able to withstand that blow.

Wei Zhao paused for a moment, then scratched the back of his head and grinned.

It wasn't the gentle, polite smile from before; it was a silly, goofy grin with the corners of his mouth twitching.

"Hey, no need to thank me."

He lowered his hand from behind his head, speaking casually as if he were discussing what to have for dinner.

"We've already gone through the wedding ceremony, we're family, it's too formal to talk about this."

Tuoba Yue blushed.

It's not the blush of shyness—it's the unexpected blush, the blush that comes from someone's words touching a soft spot in your heart.

The heat spread from my ears all the way to my cheeks, and even my neck felt hot.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something to cover it up, but her mind went blank, and she couldn't squeeze out a single word.

Wei Zhao either didn't notice the change in her expression, or he did but didn't think much of it. He waved to her, lifted the curtain, and went out.

The curtains fell, and the bedchamber fell silent.

Tuoba Yue stared at the swaying tail of the tent flap for a long while before slowly turning her gaze away.

family.

These three words swirled in her mind several times.

When Wei Qiang was around, he never said such things. Wei Qiang was a man of few words, and he kept all his thoughts to himself.

He was good to her, but that kindness was heavy and silent, like a stone pressing on his heart—reassuring, yet heavy.

The two had been married for many years, and the most mushy thing Wei Qiang ever said to her was, "It's cold, so wear more clothes."

Tuoba Yue's lips twitched, it was hard to tell whether she wanted to laugh or cry.

Wei Zhao was completely different from Wei Qiang.

The Wei and Qiang are like mountains, unmoving and unshakable, but they also do not speak.

Wei Zhao seems more interesting, unlike Wei Qiang who is so rigid.

……

Less than a quarter of an hour later, the tent curtain was lifted.

Liu Jingshuang walked at the front, her plain-colored outfit with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, clearly indicating that she had been forcibly dragged out from the pile of military affairs.

The first thing she did upon entering was glance at the couch. When she saw Tuoba Yue with her eyes open, she paused noticeably.

"woke up?"

The two words were spoken in a stiff tone, but the tension that had been building up in her phoenix eyes for several days finally eased.

Huo Qingluan followed behind, clutching a command flag in her hand, indicating that she had come from the surrendered army camp.

She didn't speak, but walked to the bedside and glanced at Tuoba Yue's left shoulder. After confirming that there was no new bleeding from the bandage, she nodded almost imperceptibly.

Su Qingyun was the last to enter, and she wasn't carrying an abacus—a rare occurrence.

She moved a small stool to sit by the couch and reached out to touch Tuoba Yue's forehead.

"The burning has stopped, that's a good omen."

As Tuoba Yue watched the three people surround her, her nose stung again. She tried her best to hold back and forced a smile.

"He won't die."

His voice was still hoarse, but he spoke those three words with conviction.

Liu Jingshuang stood in front of the bed, her arms crossed over her chest. She stared at Tuoba Yue with her phoenix eyes for several breaths before suddenly speaking, her voice cold and hard.

"That dog Tuoba Ye has run away."

Her teeth were grinding together.

"Those who fled south were mostly going to seek refuge with the southern barbarians."

Huo Qingluan chimed in from the side, her voice not loud, but every word carried a chill.

"Killing him is only a matter of time; he can't cause any real trouble."

Su Qingyun's tone was gentler, but the coldness in her eyes was no less than that of the two people before her.

"Xiaoyue, don't worry about recovering. We'll take care of Tuoba Ye's debt for you."

Tuoba Yue didn't reply, but the fingers gripping the blanket loosened.

She knew these people weren't just being polite. Women of the Wei family, when they said they would kill, they really meant it.

A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the tent.

A guard stopped outside the tent, his voice low.

"Mrs. Su, carrier pigeon."

Su Qingyun stood up, lifted the curtain, and took it.

A gray carrier pigeon perched on the soldier's wrist, a thin bamboo tube tied to its leg. She unscrewed the tube and pulled out a piece of paper rolled into a thin strip.

Unfold.

Su Qingyun's eyes swept over the area from top to bottom, and when she was halfway through, her fingers tightened.

Three pairs of eyes inside the tent turned to look at her simultaneously.

"What's wrong?"

Liu Jingshuang spoke first.

Su Qingyun flipped the paper over to look at the back, then flipped it back to the front to make sure she wasn't mistaken.

"A tip from Hua Jieyu."

Her voice was a beat slow, not because she hesitated, but because she was organizing her thoughts.

"Jianmen Pass—has fallen."

The tent fell silent for a moment.

Liu Jingshuang lowered her hand from her chest and placed it on the hilt of the knife.

"The southern barbarians have invaded, and their elephant cavalry has already crossed Jianmen Pass."

Su Qingyun continued reading, her pace quickening.

"The defending forces along the way were routed, and the barbarian king personally led the main force northward—"

She paused for a moment and read the last few lines of text on the note.

"The message from my mother-in-law is coming from behind."

Mother-in-law, Old Lady.

Liu Jingshuang's body tensed up.

Su Qingyun raised her head and her gaze swept over the faces of everyone in the tent.

"My mother-in-law ordered Wei Zhao to quickly reorganize the army and head south to provide support."

She placed the note on the table and tapped the last line of text with her finger.

"Establish a defensive line in Jiangnan Prefecture to prevent the southern barbarians from entering the Central Plains."