However, within two days, the flames of war had already spread to the vicinity of Xingyu City.
The incident was sudden, and Xing Yuan did not have time to bid farewell to anyone before leading her people to the front lines.
Not a few people shared their idea of preemptive strikes; now, they were beginning to seize the territories of some warlords while their leaders were in Haicheng.
War is merciless. Batch after batch of people stood up and were carried down.
The battlefield was strewn with corpses, a scene of devastation. When comrades fell beside them, they had no time to grieve before they had to join the fray again.
Behind them were their loved ones, and they could not retreat even half a step, for to retreat meant to expose their loved ones to greater danger.
During the war, the entire power structure of Yu Country underwent a massive reshuffling. Some places completely disappeared from Yu Country's former map.
Some people, after occupying others' territories, adopted a conciliatory policy towards the local populace, while others directly purged the cities, as if they themselves had no loved ones, showing no mercy.
But war is like this; once it begins, unless a victor is decided, no one can stop it midway.
Later, after the situation in Xingyu City stabilized, Su Xingchen led a large force to defend Xingyu City. Xing Yuan, with a portion of her men, went to support Qi Wen.
Although manpower was limited, ending the war sooner would be beneficial for everyone.
The war lasted for more than five years. After paying a heavy price, they finally emerged victorious.
Standing on the high mountain, their clothes stained with the blood of fallen enemies, they looked down at the soldiers cleaning up the aftermath and smiled at each other.
"Don't worry! I will keep my promise!" Qi Wen said solemnly.
After these years of interaction, he had discovered her secret and regarded her as his own family, someone with whom he could truly share life and death.
"I believe you!" Xing Yuan's tired face broke into a smile. It was finally over. She hoped her next mission wouldn't be so troublesome, as she was not someone who relished killing.
Xing Yuan said casually, "Alright! I haven't been back for many years. I'll leave the rest to you. I'm leaving."
"Okay!" Qi Wen's eyes dimmed slightly. His father had also died in this war, and he no longer had a home.
However, he then looked at the dream he had pursued since childhood, his eyes filled with excitement. Now, he could give everyone in the world a home, a stable home that would not be disturbed by others, a home without war.
Qi Wen gazed at the land beneath his feet for a long time, lost in his thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Xing Yuan had already disappeared.
Xing Yuan walked through the familiar city, yet it felt vastly changed. It used to be bustling with activity, but now, it was filled with the injured everywhere, and the entire Xingyu City carried a somber atmosphere that made her slightly uncomfortable.
But her heart yearned to return, and she couldn't wait to see the person she had been thinking of constantly. She headed straight towards the Xing family's residence.
Not long after Xing Yuan left, Fang Xiyue joined her senior brothers and sisters in helping to care for the wounded. This task was neither difficult nor simple.
The most crucial aspect was to learn to view severely injured patients with a rational perspective. The bloody flesh was clearly imprinted in their eyes. This was the first scene Fang Xiyue witnessed when she began caring for the wounded.
It was a soldier who had just been injured by a shell. Even during her childhood of hardship, the most tragic people she had seen were those emaciated from starvation or shot dead.
She had never seen anyone like that, with not a single intact piece of flesh on their body. Yet, he still possessed a strong will to survive. When the nurses tending to the wounded approached him, he even bared his teeth, revealing a row of white teeth in a grateful smile.
Some of her senior brothers and junior brothers had also gone to the front lines. Some of them had been buried in a foreign land, while others had returned severely wounded.
Later, after spending a long time in the logistics department, Fang Xiyue became accustomed to seeing the wounded and adapted to her current life. Her heart grew more anxious, and she began to silently worry about Xing Yuan's safety far away.
She had seen clearly during this period that women were only allowed to care for the wounded in the rear. One could imagine the immense pressure Xing Yuan must have endured over the years to be active on the battlefield disguised as a man.
[Xing Yuan: ? She seemed to have been forced to become a major general and didn't feel much pressure.]
The day Xing Yuan returned, Fang Xiyue was skillfully administering an IV drip to a patient. She found that doing these things was far more meaningful than singing on stage. At least every time she saw someone gradually recover under her care, a sense of pride would well up in her heart.
Upon hearing the news, Fang Xiyue didn't react immediately, but her hands steadily adjusted the IV drip speed for the patient.
Fang Xiyue then nervously asked the messenger, "Where is she?"
"Right now, she should be back at the Xing family's residence!" the person replied instinctively.
Fang Xiyue took off her coat, loudly told a senior sister beside her that she was going out, and then rushed to the Xing family's home.
Fang Xiyue stopped in her tracks, gazing at Xing Yuan, whose features were as serene as ever, and stared at her in a daze.
Xing Yuan also saw the familiar figure, her eyes curved with a smile. She ran towards Fang Xiyue and hugged her. After a thousand words, only one was spoken: I'm back.
"Mm!" Fang Xiyue's voice was muffled. She casually wiped her face and clearly felt tears sliding down her cheeks. She was actually crying.
"Don't cry! I'm back safe and sound, aren't I? Look!" Xing Yuan frantically tried to comfort her sister, as she couldn't bear to see her cry.
Every time her sister cried, her own heart ached. Her greatest wish in this life was for her sister to live well and happily. Otherwise, wouldn't all her efforts over the years be in vain?
"No, the wind was too strong. The tears just blew out accidentally." Fang Xiyue cried and laughed, looking quite disheveled.
"Okay! Sister isn't crying. From now on, I will never leave again," Xing Yuan solemnly made a promise.
"Mm!" Fang Xiyue wiped away her tears and smiled. Just like when Xing Yuan first confessed her feelings to her years ago, she extended her hand, her eyes full of tenderness, and said:
"A Yuan, you asked me a question back then, and I didn't have time to answer. Today, I also want to ask you a question: Will you be with me?"
Xing Yuan's eyes curved slightly. She placed her hand on Fang Xiyue's and gently rested her other hand on her chest, saying softly, "It would be my honor!"
As fate would have it, my greatest wish in this life is that you remain as radiant and dazzling as the first day I saw you. If we are ever to meet again, that would be heaven's greatest blessing upon me.