Chương 33: Tipping Point
"G-general Lu! General Fei has been spotted on the battlefield!" A soldier rushed to announce, breathing heavily from having run so fast.
Yang Xun frowned, his brows bent in disapproval, a harsh note to his voice as he spoke. "Thats not right…" He contemplated before finally concluding, "It seems like… a personal challenge. He hasn't been on the frontlines this entire time, like normal. What other reason would he have to be at the front of the fighting if not as a challenge to General Lu?"
"It's likely a challenge. It's a risk for a general to be at the front of a battle." Zhao Mei agreed, her hand lightly wiping clean the dagger in her hand with a cloth.
Yang Xun sneered at that but Lu Qinyi lowered his head, thinking for a moment. Finally, a vicious smile rose on his lips as he scoffed. "If he wants to fight this out and end this now, then I'm more than willing. I have a debt I want to settle."
Zhao Mei's hand paused, her gaze lifting to look directly at Lu Qinyi, a small frown pulling at the corners of her mouth. "General Lu… I can't see how it's a good idea. I'd advise against it."
Yang Xun seemed uncertain himself, brows furrowed tightly.
Lu Qinyi straightened, rolling his shoulders to loosen his muscles. His gaze swept over to his lieutenants, something sharp contained within it. "He's an excellent fighter. I doubt there are many in our army besides myself, and maybe Yang Ye, who are capable of fighting on par with him for long. Our soldiers will struggle while ever they face him. Our best choice is if Lieutenant Yang and I join the battle." He turned to Zhao Mei. "You remain here and continue monitoring the situation."
Zhao Mei was silent a moment before she nodded. "...Be careful."
Yang Xun bounced on the balls of his feet, anticipation making him restless, his hand already at the hilt of his sword while he started toward the exit of the camp. "Let's go then. How long has it been since the last time we fought together?"
"Long enough." Lu Qinyi agreed, walking up to his side. He then shoved the back of Yang Xun's elbow, forcing his hand forward. With Yang Xun's hand no longer guarding the hilt, Lu Qinyi was free to pull the other's sword free in one quick movement, tossing it to his other hand before Yang Xun could claim it back.
"General Lu." Yang Xun muttered in discontent, shoving at Lu Qinyi's shoulder as the two walked. Although he was aware the other joked like this to ease his nerves, it was no less annoying.
"Fine, have it back. It isn't as good as my sword anyway." Lu Qinyi spun it with a flick of his hand before throwing it back to Yang Xun. Yang Xun rolled his eyes, swiping his hand to catch the hilt mid air, adjusting his grip on it.
"It was forged from the same steel as yours. What makes yours any better?"
Lu Qinyi pulled his blade from its sheath, running his finger along its edge. "Mine was forged better."
"It was not."
"How would you know? You've never used my blade."
"You've never let me! Even if you had let me use it, I'm certain it wouldn't be different to mine."
"You'll never know." Lu Qinyi declared, letting a moment of silence fall before he continued "...They are different though. Mine is better."
Yang Xun pinched the bridge of his nose. "General Lu, one of these days I might just let the North kill you."
"Even if I died, I'd never let you have a day of peace," Lu Qinyi returned all too cheerily, glancing at him from the sides of his eyes, a grin flashing on his face for a moment.
The banter came to an end once they stepped foot onto the battlefield. Noise rose up all around them, the symphony of blade on blade, the chaos of battle. Lu Qinyi's gaze swept turmoil, pausing on Division Four's replacement commander. He was a capable fighter but he seemed to have been caught out, struggling to keep his ground against the relentless attacks of the multiple opponents he was facing. Lu Qinyi motioned with his hand and Yang Xun shot him one last look before dashing out to join the fray.
It wasn't long after that Lu Qinyi found Fei Li amongst the fighting. Blood had splattered on the edge of his robes, dripping from the tip of his sword. A breeze stirred the hem of robes, the tips of his hair. In that moment, the space around him seemed to have stilled, time having slowed.
Lu Qinyi tightened his grip on his blade before he lept into action, his blade swinging down hard. Fei Li had been too occupied to notice Lu Qinyi slip into the battle, his heel digging into the ground as he bore the full force of Lu Qinyi's swing. Fei Li adjusted his footing securely beneath himself before he exerted effort, pushing the other's sword back. With a flick of his sleeve, his dagger slid out into his hand and he swiped at Lu Qinyi, who had to pull back to dodge it.
There was a ripple in the soldiers around them. There was more vigor to the soldiers of the South now that their general had joined them, the fighting surrounding them becoming more fierce. But only the two general's occupied the circle of space in the centre of the fighting, none daring to get too close as the two exchanged blows, each carrying deadly intent.
Even as the fighting drew on, neither could gain any ground on the other, their strength too well matched to exchange anything more than light wounds that hardly dripped blood, fabric torn as it caught the edge of metal, the rush of air as attacks passed too close for comfort but still not close enough to meet their target. Sweat beaded at Fei Li's forehead and Lu Qinyi's breaths came a little quicker, metal grinded against metal and once more, their attacks met nil success. Slash, dodge, stab, sidestep. Fei Li's attacks were quick, his blade cutting through the air one moment and dagger flashing out the next, but Lu Qinyi's footwork was fast. Nothing would come from fighting like this, he couldn't afford to keep going like this. Fei Li's grip on his dagger tightened.
This time, Fei Li didn't attack. He waited. Lu Qinyi's sword fell heavily, the blade slicing a fine line down Fei Li's chest, not because Fei Li couldn't react quick enough but because he couldn't afford to move too far back. He ignored the sting of pain to step in close, wedging his sword along the blade of Lu Qinyi's to force it down, pinning it in place. His dagger jabbed forward but Lu Qinyi released a hand from his weapon to catch Fei Li's wrist, gripping it tightly. But before Lu Qinyi had the chance to raise his knee to force Fei Li back, the other pushed himself closer, closing the already short distance between them. Fei Li yanked his wrist back, forcing Lu Qinyi to lean even closer to maintain his balance. Lu Qinyi's keen gaze was on him, ready to react. But he hadn't been prepared for Fei Li's next move. How could he anticipate something so absurd? Fei Li kissed him. He had closed that distance between them and pushed himself forward, his lips brushing against Lu Qinyi's.
Lu Qinyi's eyes went wide, and in his shock, his concentration slipped. It was only for a moment, the time it took for a breath to be exhaled. But it was enough. Fei Li had been watching and waiting carefully for that exact moment. He pushed the dagger forward, piercing through flesh, warm blood flowing down along the edge, dripping over his hand.
Lu Qinyi reacted instantly, kicking Fei Li away as hard as he could. He rubbed at his lips furiously, sparing his wound a glance, upset that he didn't have more time to spit curses at Fei Li. Although blood poured from it, it wasn't terribly deep and hadn't hit anything vital so he elected to pay it no mind, adjusting his grip on his sword once more. He had hardly taken a step forward to continue fighting however before his eyes widened once more and he hastily backed away a few steps. Fei Li wasn't about to let him back away however, slashing forth, attacking relentlessly. Lu Qinyi only defended, continuing to try and put distance between himself and his attacker, his panicked gaze flicking to the sides, splitting his attention. Finally, he threw as much of his strength as he could into his swing, winning himself a moment as Fei Li was forced back. "LIEUTENANT YANG!" He called, dodging to the side to avoid another swipe. He was breathing much harder now, a drop of sweat dripping down the side of his face.
Yang Xun fought his way over as quickly as he could, rushing in to block Fei Li's next attack. "General!"
"We need to pull back immediately, I've been poisoned," Lu Qinyi got out, sounding a bit out of breath.
There was no time for anything more than a look of concern and a nod of acknowledgement, Yang Xun immediately ordering the surrounding soldiers. Fei Li backed away, understanding that he couldn't press in any longer now that Lu Qinyi had called for support. He merely watched as Yang Xun and Lu Qinyi retreated under the cover of their soldiers.
As they continued further away from the battle, Lu Qinyi's steps began to stumble. Yang Xun pulled his general's arm over the back of his neck, supporting him as he quickened their pace. Lu Qinyi pressed his free hand against the wound on his abdomen, his brows furrowed tightly.
But by the time they reached the camp, Lu Qinyi was leaning most of his weight against Yang Xun. He was sweating profusely and he was uncomfortably pale. He blinked hard, fighting against the nausea, the way his vision swam and the weakness already spreading throughout his limbs.
"General!" He could hear the startled calls for him but he was hardly holding onto his consciousness as it was, he couldn't muster a response.
"General, what happened?!"
"He's been poisoned, call the physician quickly!"
He could make out that the voices belonged to his lieutenants but the sounds were getting distorted now and he was finding it harder and harder to open his eyes. His last thought, mumbled incoherently as his consciousness finally slipped away was: "...Fuck…"
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
mehasacupcake
mehasacupcake hehehehe
FINALLY!
This is the moment that inspired THE ENTIRE DAMN NOVEL.
This one beautiful, trashy scene is the entire reason we're here. I've lovingly been calling this moment the "kiss kiss fall in blood" scene.
Another thing, does this need a non-con warning? Because Lu Qinyi most definitely doesn’t consent to being kissed on the battlefield.
Lu Qinyi: I don’t consent to being poisoned either.
Fei Li: … *looks away awkwardly*
Cupcake: Don’t worry~ I’ll make sure he suffers for this.
Fei Li: I have a bad feeling all of the sudden…
Cupcake: :)
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