The desert in the morning is as clean as if it had been washed by water, with a sky of azure blue and not a cloud in sight. The gentle dunes stretch out endlessly to the limits of vision, but no matter how far you gaze, before your eyes lies an endless sea of sand.

  "Hiss..."

  A mournful whinny, the last remaining horse fell heavily to the ground, its eyes dimly shining with a hint of tears. Could it be that this thoughtless animal also felt the sorrow of being at the end of its road?

  "Drink..."

  A bowl of thick horse blood was handed to Liu Zhengzhong, who was half-reclining, he struggled to open his eyes and swallowed the horse blood in big gulps.

  Although it is bloody and frightening, it is like a sweet dew to him.

  "Brother Liu, it seems our time is up."

  A low, husky voice rose up in the desolate sandy island.

  Liu Zhengzhong licked his dry, cracked lips, and in his throat, there seemed to be a scorching fire burning fiercely. He smiled bitterly and nodded, but didn't answer, for he had lost too much blood and was now extremely weak, barely able to hold on until now, almost exceeding his limits.

  Half a month ago, they were ambushed by the Xiongnu in the second oasis and although they managed to escape after a fierce battle, they suffered heavy casualties. In the following days, due to the lack of medicine, food, water and other essential supplies, many seriously injured soldiers fell one after another in this endless desert, never to get up again.

  Behind them, the Xiongnu were like hunting dogs that had caught wind of a meaty bone, pursuing them relentlessly.

  Just five days ago, the guide Chen Dahai was unfortunately shot and killed in an ambush. Although they finally escaped the enemy's entanglement, in this desert, it was as if they were blindfolded, unable to find any supplies.

  The last horse also fell down, it died under Zhang Zihua's dagger.

  Of the fifteen people who entered the desert, now only two are left.

  The two of them stood under the solitary sun, exuding an unparalleled desolation. Now, this sole horse was about to follow in its companion's footsteps.

  The mountains are exhausted and the water is drained, they really walked to this step. Although as early as the moment of leaving Liu Zhengqi, it was known that this day would come sooner or later, but when this day really came, their hearts were still so unwilling.

  His tightly closed eyes suddenly opened wide, and Liu Zhengzhong's weak body sat up abruptly. He concentrated his mind and said, "Someone..."

  "What?"

  Zhang Zihua looked at him worriedly, and Liu Zhengzhong's face had a strange flush, which was not a good sign. The sudden appearance of the blush on his face made Zhang Zihua's heart flash with a tremble of anxiety.

  Is it shining back?

  His heart sank, and the fifty-year-old man in front of him was his last companion. As he fell, he was truly left with no one.

  When encountering the Xiongnu's ambush, all the guards, including this great general who once commanded a large army of 100,000, disregarded their own safety and fought fiercely with the enemy to protect him.

  His martial arts skills were the lowest among everyone, but the one who managed to survive till the end was precisely this disabled person.

  He slightly shook his sleeves, and there were only a few insignificant small wounds on his body. These were all exchanged for his life by the lives of those brave warriors.

  Zhang Zihua, who had always been cold and emotionless, at this moment, his large hands heavily wiped across his face, and the faint tears in the corners of his eyes evaporated into thin air.

  "Brother Liu, lie down and rest for a while." His voice had some uncontrollable choking sounds.

  It was as if he had no feeling at all, Liu Zhengzhong shook his head hard and said, "No, it's the sound of horseshoes."

  In an instant, Zhang Zihua's face changed color, his martial arts were lowly and far inferior to Liu Zhengzhong, a second-rate master.

  Even though Liu Zheng Zhong had fallen into a semi-unconscious state, his heart was still tied up with worry and he woke up first.

  Looking far into the distance, a group of small black dots appeared in his eyes at a place where his line of sight could reach.

  He turned his head and glanced at Liu Zhengzhong, both of them smiled bitterly at each other, they had no way to escape now.

  "It's been so long, Your Highness should have left safely by now." Zhang Zihua said, as if to himself.

  "Perhaps..." Liu Zhengzhong chuckled twice, his hoarse voice falling into Zhang Zihua's ears, but didn't feel unpleasant or jarring: "The prince has already arrived at the Qilin Army Corps."

  "Really?"

  Zhang Zihua sat down on the ground, and like this, he leaned against Liu Zhengzhong. He quietly watched as the black dots in the distance gradually grew larger until they came before them.

  It was indeed the Huns, with over fifty riders galloping towards them. Their faces were equally gaunt and pale, revealing the exhaustion that came from deep within their bones. However, in their eyes, there flickered an excited gaze, a hungry gleam that was reminiscent of ferocious beasts eyeing their prey that had already fallen into their clutches.

  The leader let out a cold laugh and said with uncontainable ferocity, "You few rabbits have finally been caught."

  "Really?"

  Zhang Zihua suddenly burst out laughing, his smile was so joyful, but it was like a pot of hot oil, pouring heavily into Qian Zhi's chest which was already burning with rage.

  With a sudden movement, the tall figure of Tie Hua sprang up high, like an eagle spreading its wings, and flew towards the two men who were lying exhausted on the sandy ground.

  "Ding..."

  In the midst of emptiness, a treasured sword emerged from its scabbard, and a flash of light illuminated Zhang Zihua's pale face. It was a countenance devoid of fear, with a hint of a relieved smile.

  His heart was as still as a mountain, his surname was Violent and Fierce. Every time he went into battle, he would definitely be the first to charge forward, and the number of souls that died at his hands were absolutely not few.

  As for the expressions of those who are about to die, he has seen many, none of which were not shocked and panicked, and some even gritted their teeth and refused to close their eyes. However, a calm and peaceful expression like his was something he had never seen before.

  Although he was surprised in his heart, the precious sword in his hand did not stop, and it seemed that he would cut down these two people with a knife.

  In an instant, a cold gleam emerged from behind him, striking first and arriving later. A crisp sound rang out as this knife was suddenly shaken open by someone.

  He did a somersault in mid-air, and after landing, he suddenly turned around, with fierce light flashing in his eyes, like a hunting leopard choosing its prey, staring fixedly at the tall and majestic man in front of him.

  "Brother Qian, after rushing for so many days, it's inevitable that your temper has flared up a bit. Why not take a temporary rest and let me handle things?"

  He ignored the hostile gaze and said calmly.

  His lips were tightly closed, and a hint of extreme danger gradually appeared in his eyes.

  If he had any perception, the corners of his mouth still hung with a faint smile, but there was no longer a hint of a smile in his eyes. His hand lightly stroked the hilt of the knife at his waist, frozen in place.

  Kanaya's gaze swept across his hand, and a faint change immediately appeared on his face.

  With a single knife, he was able to merge two vastly different feelings - the swift and fierce speed of lightning, and the heavy and solemn stability.

  Could it be... Could he have already joined the ranks of the top grade?

  Khan's mind was filled with thoughts as he turned his head back, among the more than 50 riders behind him, thirty of them were brave warriors from the Xianbei tribe, all of whom were the elite of the tribe.

  However, his gaze swept across the faces of the twenty White Horse Corps' Xiongnu warriors and suddenly remembered something.

  Duō is the only son of Hāmì Cì. He and his father entered the desert together, but when they came out, only he was left.

  Whatever the reason may be, I'm afraid it's hard to convince Hami now.

  This national teacher who has held power over Xiongnu for decades is not a benevolent old man...

  "Alright, as you said, Brother Duan. I'll leave this person to you." Qian Zhi sheathed his sword and took a step back, saying.

  "Thank you..."

  He turned his head around, but he still felt the scorching gaze on the back of his head. His heart moved, this wolf was impossible to tame.

  He took a big step forward and came to Zhang Zihua's side, who seemed to have realized something. He squatted down and asked in a low voice: "Mr. Zhang Zihua?"

  "General Zuo."

  She smiled slightly, although they had never met before, but they were not unfamiliar with each other's information.

  "Alas... Mr. Gao is indeed a man of great integrity, I have immense admiration for him."

  "Nowhere." Zhang Zihua said softly.

  "Are you willing to surrender?"

  It was as if he had heard the most ridiculous thing in the world, Zhang Zihua's expression suddenly became extremely interesting, and he burst out laughing loudly, until his last breath entered his trachea, and he started coughing uncontrollably.

  As for his performance, Zhe Duo didn't get angry at all, but slowly said: "Actually, I already knew the answer of Mr., it's just that if I don't ask one more time, Zhe Duo really can't bear it."

  He suppressed his smile and looked at Zhang Zihua with a hint of gratitude, then suddenly asked in a low voice: "How is the Crown Prince?"

  His hoarse voice had a thread of irrepressible excitement, which was now the only thing he still cared about.

  "We don't know, we didn't find anything."

  He put down the biggest stone in his heart and Zhang Zihua smiled: "Thank you."

  "Shh..."

  A long sigh came from beside Zhang Zihua, and the two of them bowed their heads at the same time. Liu Zhengzhong had already closed his eyes, his expression calm and peaceful. After hearing the answer he most wanted to know, this commander finally took his last breath in his decades-long life.

  Zhang Zihua's grip on his hand tightened, and his lips trembled slightly.

  "Alas..." He let out a deep sigh and was just about to stand up.

  "General Duo." Zhang Zihua suddenly raised his head and called out in a low voice.

  "What?" Zuo Duo asked patiently in response to Zhang Zihua's unexpected behavior.

  "The general treated me like this, logically speaking, Zhang should be grateful, but..."

  Zhang Zihua's eyes suddenly widened and looked towards the right side of Duanmu, which was exactly where Qian Zhi was standing.

  He was startled in his heart, quickly turned his head, and saw that Chen Zhi was looking at him with a mysterious expression. Suddenly, he was also looking at himself with a mixture of surprise and confusion. The look in his eyes was quite complex, with both fear and a hint of hesitation.

  Bad, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning, and his body sprang back like a spring, while a dazzling light burst out of his hand.

  His belt loosened, his skin could already feel a thread of icy sharpness.

  However, just that one line, a hair's breadth of distance, Zhang Zihua suddenly fell to the ground. His only remaining left hand was severed at the shoulder, and in his trembling hand he grasped a dagger shining with a bright blue light.

  Cold sweat trickled down his back, and if he had reacted a fraction of a second slower just now, the one lying on the ground wouldn't be Zhang Zihua, but him.

  With a loud shout, he grasped the horse knife and took a step forward. However, when he fixed his eyes on him, all he saw was Zhang Zihua's ferocious face, with blood gushing out from where his arm had been severed, which shocked and moved him deeply.

  "Why must you do this?" Ziduo asked subconsciously.

  Zhang Zihua slowly got up, his arm bleeding non-stop, and the whole person looked pale.

  "You're the son of Hamidiye, alas... what a pity."

  His voice grew lower and lower until it was barely audible.

  Zhang Zihua used up his last bit of strength, he lifted his head to look at the sky, and in the sky there were a few more wispy clouds, faint cloud clusters changing unpredictably in the azure sky. He seemed to see a vigorous face, it was the face of a fifteen-year-old child.

  "Sir, why do you want to assist the lonely king."

  "Because you're the only prince who can give students something to look forward to."

  The cloud cluster continued to roll, and a few deep clouds wrapped around it, as if adding a bit of shade to that face, making it look much older in an instant.

  "Ten years ago, Your Highness was only fifteen years old, but with a natural talent and an air of superiority, you had already shown signs of becoming a great ruler. Therefore, I devoted myself to serving under you, hoping to contribute my humble efforts to help you ascend the throne, and later to annihilate the Xiongnu, expand the territory for our great Han dynasty, and achieve a glorious feat that will last for eternity."

  A flash of cold light, a sword chopped down, blood splattered everywhere, dyeing his robes red, and even more so the hearts of two people.

  "I swear to stand alone here, as long as you can wake up and help me, I will never betray your expectations."

  His consciousness gradually became blurred, and his legs were no longer strong enough to support him. His body swayed a few times, and finally slowly fell backwards.

  The thin body heavily fell onto the sandy ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.

  However, from start to finish, his knees never bent in the slightest.

  "I will definitely live up to Mr.'s expectations..."

  "...does not disappoint Mr..."

  That sound grew louder and louder until it filled his ears, his world, leaving no room for any other sound.

  "It didn't disappoint..."

  His lips moved silently, a relieved smile gradually spreading across his face, and even the dust covering his face couldn't hide his joyful expression.

  （）