Chapter 605 - 604: Farm Woman 33
Chen Yue shivered. "Do you think I’m an idiot? Mom won’t make too big a deal if I just throw this stuff. But if I go down there myself? Believe it or not, she’d break my legs."
The words had barely left her mouth when three explosions rang out. The young man beside her quickly changed the subject. "You think Tuoba Lian is going to make it out of that alive?"
"Probably..." Chen Yue squinted, straining to see the battlefield. The three bombs had been thrown from calculated angles, leaving the scene in total chaos. Gore flew and dust choked the air, punctuated by agonized screams.
Tuge, who had been heavily protected, Tuoba Lian right behind him, and even their surrounding lieutenants were all blown to smithereens. There were three such gruesome scenes scattered throughout the Beirong army.
It was safe to say that the three explosives Chen Yue had thrown completely shattered what little morale the Beirong army had left.
Seeing that Tuge, Tuoba Lian, and the others were all dead, Chen Yue immediately bellowed, "Their commander is dead! The Beirong army is defeated!"
The two young men beside her immediately followed suit, yelling, "Their commander is dead! The Beirong army is defeated!"
"Go home and drink your milk!"
Tan You stood on the city wall, watching everything with perfect clarity. She had spotted Chen Yue even before Peng Fang did. In fact, she’d known all along that Chen Yue had snuck out of the clan with her followers. After all, Tan You had placed a spiritual power imprint on her daughter before leaving.
In other words, Chen Yue’s every move was under Tan You’s watchful eye. ’With a personality like hers, would Chen Yue really stay put and behave herself back in the clan?’ Tan You was the first to doubt it.
Chen Xi saw the scene on the battlefield as well and sighed softly. "It’s a shame I couldn’t kill him with my own hands."
An Wen pouted. He felt completely useless on the battlefield today. Chen Xi had at least managed to kill Tuoba Lian’s warhorse. Chen Yue did even better, taking out Tuoba Lian himself.
’And what about me? I didn’t even manage to touch a single hair on Tuoba Lian’s head.’
They had faced defenders who refused to retreat, an ambush from the rear, and now explosives raining down from above. The Beirong soldiers scattered and fled for their lives, their ranks completely broken.
Peng Fang and his men tailed them, ruthlessly finishing off the stragglers. Meanwhile, Chen Yue and her two sidekicks leaped down from the trees and onto the battlefield, where they began to brazenly loot the spoils of war. If she came across anyone still breathing, she would slit their throat with a single, clean stroke, never hesitating.
Seeing this, Yue Shu waved a hand. "Let’s go clean up the battlefield as well."
The city gates swung open, and Yue Shu, Yuan Cheng, and the others led the soldiers charging out. They were ruthlessly efficient—some delivered finishing blows, others looted valuables. Nothing was left behind.
Chen Yue was the first to reach the spot where Tuoba Lian, Tuge, and the others had died. An explosion might send flesh and blood flying, but some things it couldn’t take.
Like the arrow shaft protruding from Tuoba Lian’s left eye. Though it was bent out of shape, Chen Yue picked it up anyway. When she saw Yue Shu approaching with his men, she fawningly presented the arrow to him with both hands. "Master, I’m helping you clean up the battlefield."
Yue Shu fixed his sharp gaze on her. Chen Yue met it without flinching, her smile just growing more obsequious. "Master."
Yue Shu took the arrow. "The Matriarch has been watching you from up there the whole time. Have you thought about what you’re going to say to her?"
Chen Yue trotted alongside Yue Shu. "Master, could you put in a good word for me later? Master... I’m begging you..."
Yue Shu pulled his sleeve away from her grasp. "I’m certainly not helping you. This is a beating you’ll have to endure on your own."
Chen Yue shifted on her feet. "Maybe I should just head back to the clan now?"
She had only taken two steps when Tan You’s voice rang out. "Chen Tuan—"
Chen Yue whipped around and yelled, a look of utter despair on her face, "Mom, don’t call me that name!"
Ever since she’d heard the story of Tuantuan and Yuanyuan, Chen Yue had despised her nickname, Tuantuan. Unfortunately, she’d been young and naive back then. Now, it had become Tan You’s secret weapon for keeping her in line—and it worked like a charm every single time.
Chen Yue knew that her mother was usually quite easygoing. But whenever Tan You called her Chen Tuantuan, it meant she was in serious trouble.
Tan You snorted and simply crooked a finger at Chen Yue. With slumped shoulders, Chen Yue began to shuffle toward the city in tiny steps. The two young men at her side whispered, "Sooner dead, sooner reborn. Let’s just get this over with."
"Exactly. If you keep dawdling, the Matriarch will only get angrier."
Chen Yue glanced up and saw Tan You watching her with an inscrutable expression. Chen Yue immediately flashed an ingratiating smile, then picked up her pace and charged toward the city wall.
The soldiers on the wall had witnessed Chen Yue’s recent stunt. In their minds, they had long ago equated her with ’dangerous individual’. So when they saw her charging up the wall, a few of them moved to intercept her.
Chen Xi came over with a smile. "Gentlemen, this is my younger sister, Chen Yue. These two young men are from our clan."
Tan You walked over as well. Seizing the initiative, Chen Yue lunged forward and threw her arms around Tan You’s waist, cleverly pinning her mother’s arms so she couldn’t get hit.
"Mom, I missed you so much! Did you miss me?"
"I have," Tan You said with unnerving calm. "I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to beat you."
Chen Yue nuzzled her head against Tan You’s shoulder. "Mom, aren’t we supposed to be an inseparable mother-daughter duo anymore? Am I not your favorite daughter? You want to beat me the second I show up."
Tickled by the stray hairs on Chen Yue’s forehead, Tan You tilted her head back slightly. "Stop your wheedling. I’ll settle the score with you later. For now, go find Master Yang and register everything you’ve collected."
Chen Yue knew she’d passed the test for now. She gave Tan You a powerful hug. "I got it, Mom! I’ll go help the Yue Team right now! I’m an expert at looting bodies. No matter how well they hide their valuables, I can find them."
With that, she bounded down the city wall in a few quick steps and joined the "looting party" outside. As for getting rich off the dead, Chen Yue felt not a single qualm.
In the defense of Yunzhou State, they had dealt a devastating blow to the Beirong army without suffering a single casualty. The news that Tuoba Lian, the second prince of Beirong, had died in battle spread like wildfire.
The neighboring Dingzhou and Jiangzhou States breathed a collective sigh of relief. ’For the time being,’ they thought, ’the Beirong will likely be too busy recuperating to launch another invasion.’
Perhaps it was a case of strength in numbers, but in addition to the guards Tan You had brought and the city’s own soldiers, the civilians of Yunzhou State also began to spontaneously come out and help clean up the battlefield.
Who could have imagined it? Just hours before, everyone had been terrified that the city would fall and their homes would be destroyed. But now, the Beirong army had been driven off. Had they truly defended their home with their own strength?
The elated people of Yunzhou State celebrated the great victory, some even setting off firecrackers. They poured out of their houses, alleys, and cellars, running through the main streets to share the good news.
At the same time, they looked toward Tan You with gazes full of awe. Though she had rarely made a move, they had seen that none of her attacks ever missed. They couldn’t even begin to guess how many Beirong lives she had reaped.