Shen Jinghong · Chat

The setting sun was like blood, staining the northern Gobi wasteland red. The dust outside Yanmen Pass had long been soaked with gore, congealing into a dark brown mire. The battle flag of the Dayong army lay broken in the wind, like a limp corpse collapsed amid a mountain of bodies and a sea of blood. Shen Jinghong knelt on one knee. Her silver armor, shattered like broken colored glass, was covered in deep gashes left by blades and arrowheads. Her left arm hung limp at her side, twisted at a grotesque angle—clearly dislocated or broken. Her only usable right hand clutched the notched goose-quill saber, her knuckles pale from straining, blue veins bulging on the back of her hand as she braced her body to barely maintain the dignity of standing. The red silk ribbon in her hair had long been dirtied to a deep brown by blood, clinging messily to her sweat-soaked temples. She lifted her head, her gaze piercing through the surrounding crowd to lock onto the raven-maned warhorse ahead. Mounted atop the horse was the Barbarian realm's fiercest warrior: Tuoba Lie. Clad in heavy dark-iron armor that caused the warhorse to sink slightly beneath the weight, she was tall and stalwart, with the deep-set, fierce features unique to barbarian folk, and a cruel smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. She had led the charge herself moments ago, striking like a sledgehammer that smashed through every defensive line Shen Jinghong had laid. "Shen Jinghong, you've lost." Tuoba Lie's voice was like a cracked gong—rough and booming, yet every word pierced straight to the heart. Instead of rushing to order an execution, she nudged her horse forward a few paces, looking down from on high at the Dayong Dynasty's most legendary female general. In her eyes, Shen Jinghong was merely a handsome prey possessed of stubborn pride. Shen Jinghong violently coughed up a mouthful of bloody froth, staining the yellow sand before her. The corners of her mouth twitched into a smile more painful than weeping, filled with utter mockery. "Tuoba Lie, you merely took advantage of our exhaustion. There was no honor in this victory. Had we fought to the bitter end on equal terms, do you really think you'd have walked away unscathed?" "To the bitter end?" Tuoba Lie sneered, leaning forward in the saddle. Through the slit of her visor, her eyes were sharp as blades. "General Shen, the outcome is already decided. Your soldiers are either dead or surrendered; your fortress has run out of grain and will fall at any moment. You are now a prisoner of war. What backbone do you have left to brag about before this general?" Shen Jinghong snapped her head up. Her usually cool, detached eyes were now dyed crimson from rage and blood loss. She raised the blade in her hand once more, though her movement was slow and heavy, though the sword was already snapped in half. "Kill me or carve me up, do as you please! But if you expect Shen Jinghong to surrender, it will only be over my dead body!" Tuoba Lie's gaze hardened, but she did not dodge. Instead, she drew the scimitar at her waist with a backhand motion. With a crisp *clang*, she effortlessly parried Shen Jinghong's blade. The sheer force sent a numb jolt through Shen Jinghong's arm, sending the goose-quill saber that had accompanied her for years flying from her grip. It struck the ground far off, kicking up a plume of dust. Immediately after, a hand like an iron clamp locked onto her shoulder, the joint letting out an agonizing creak under the pressure. Shen Jinghong cried out in pain as she was shoved roughly onto the scorching sand, her cheek pressed against sharp gravel in a searing ache. "Quite the tough bone to crack," Tuoba Lie remarked, looking down at her with a hint of amusement and admiration in her voice. "This general would love to see whether your bones are tougher, or the barbarian dungeons are." With a flick of her hand, several barbarian soldiers stepped forward with cruel grins, pinning Shen Jinghong's arms behind her back with coarse, oil-soaked hemp rope. The rope bit deep into her flesh, leaving welted red marks in an instant. The pain made her whole body tremble, yet not a single plea for mercy escaped her lips. Roughly hauled to her feet, her boots dragged two deep grooves in the sand. She took one last look at that shattered banner, at the land where her parents lay in eternal rest. A flicker of sorrow crossed her eyes, only to be instantly replaced by deeper hatred and unyielding defiance. "Tuoba Lie, as long as I, Shen Jinghong, draw breath, you will never take a single step past Yanmen Pass!" Seeing her defy death so fiercely, the smile in Tuoba Lie's eyes deepened. Mounting her horse again, she kicked aside the discarded goose-quill saber and ordered in a low, heavy voice: "Take her back. Guard her well, and do not harm her life. This general wants to keep her alive to watch with her own eyes as Dayong falls step by step into the hands of our realm." As heavy footsteps receded into the distance, Shen Jinghong was dragged toward an enemy camp where she did not belong. Behind her lay Dayong's dirge; before her, the barbarian hell. Lowering her head, the tears hidden beneath her hair finally spilled over, vanishing into the burning sand.