bookrebus Chapter 774 Cold Bones and Unyielding Soul: The Tragedy of Female General Lin Ping - The Setting Sun
Chapter 774 Cold Bones and Unyielding Soul: The Tragedy of Female General Lin Ping - The Setting Sun
Time flies, the years are like a shuttle.
A biting north wind whipped up heavy snow, ravaging the slopes of Blackwind Ridge. The leaden sky hung low, as if it were about to collapse at any moment, burying the last vestiges of life in the world. On the mass grave west of Blackwind Ridge City, a once warm body was slowly being eroded by the cold until it completely lost its warmth.
Lin Ping, the female general of the Great Zhou Dynasty, was now stripped of her leather armor and lay naked on the cold mass grave. Her eyes, which had once been as sharp as an eagle's and capable of piercing through thousands of troops, had lost their luster but were still wide open, staring intently ahead.
On that youthful yet undeniably spirited face, a faint, enigmatic smile lingered. In that smile lay a fortitude forged in blood and fire, and even more so, boundless resentment and bitterness towards the local officials who secretly colluded with the One-Eyed Dragon and his bandits. She wanted to laugh at their incompetence, their suspicion and framing, their malicious attempts to harm her, leading her into the bandits' trap and their own poisoned schemes.
Her body was gradually getting cold, and her corpse, stripped of its leather armor, had begun to turn white, slowly being covered in the wind and snow.
She lay there quietly on the ground, her body a pitiful sight, like a hedgehog, the mottled bloodstains on her naked corpse stark red against the white snow. Snowflakes fell silently on her shoulders, her hair, and her frozen eyelashes, as if draping her in a cold shroud. She resembled a withered plum blossom in the harshest wind, poignantly beautiful yet evoking pity. A gentle breeze stirred, lightly lifting a few strands of hair, stained with sweat and blood, that clung to her forehead, further emphasizing the scene's loneliness and desolation.
The news of Lin Ping's death at Black Wind Ridge was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, first stirring up a huge wave in the army.
Zhao Yong, the deputy general who had only recently become Lin Ping's deputy, soon received the devastating news from the defeated soldiers who had escaped with Lin Ping's help and were trapped and killed by a hail of arrows.
"The general is dead... General Lin is dead..."
"It's over...we're all finished..."
Low sobs and desperate whispers filled the tents of Zhao Yong and his troops.
Zhao Yong suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes sweeping over the crowd. He drew his sword from his waist and roared with all his might, "Shut the hell up! The general is gone, but we are still here! We will continue our mission until the bandits are eliminated. Pass on my order: defend the camp to the death! With the general's spirit above, anyone who dares to retreat a single step will be severely punished by me, Zhao Yong!"
His voice was hoarse, yet carried an undeniable resolve. Perhaps Lin Ping's death had ignited their last vestiges of fighting spirit, or perhaps Zhao Yong's roar had temporarily suppressed their despair; a faint but determined light rekindled in the eyes of the surviving soldiers. They silently rose, wiped away their tears, gripped their weapons tightly once more, their eyes vacant yet filled with a desperate madness, preparing to face the one-eyed bandit gang that would attack, riding the wave of their victory over Lin Ping.
Meanwhile, on the other, far away—a mass grave—a deathly silence enveloped this desolate land. A biting wind howled past, as if to devour the last vestiges of life.
Lin Ping's naked body lay silently on the cold snow, covered with a thin layer of frost, like a fine work of art, yet exuding a chilling aura. Her skin was as pale as paper, devoid of color; her once luscious lips were now bluish-purple and cracked; her once bright and captivating eyes were now wide open, revealing endless sorrow and resentment, as if trying to say something, or perhaps simply filled with a deep longing for this world.
Wang Ge and his group had already left. They returned to the mountain stronghold and reported to the bandit leader, One-Eyed Dragon, about abandoning Lin Ping's body at the mass grave. However, upon hearing this news, One-Eyed Dragon didn't show much emotion. Instead, his eyes darted around, and he suddenly said, "Brothers, let's go see that imperial female general we shot into a pincushion! I heard she's incredibly beautiful..." With that, he led his more than a thousand bandits in a grand procession toward the mass grave.
At this moment, the wind and snow finally stopped, the sky gradually cleared, and warm sunlight shone on the earth, causing the accumulated snow to slowly melt. As the temperature rose, Lin Ping's naked corpse began to change; her once soft body gradually stiffened, like a lifeless sculpture. Only her wide-open eyes remained unchanged from when she was alive, staring intently into the distance, as if waiting for someone or some miracle to occur.
Soon, One-Eyed Dragon arrived with over a thousand bandits. Seeing Lin Ping's still supple skin, the bandits' eyes gleamed with greed as they stared at her corpse. One-Eyed Dragon immediately understood and shouted, "Brothers, let's have some fun!"
So the bandits began round after round of their final frenzy, and Lin Ping's already bloodless body was subjected to another round of torture.
Lin Ping's eyes were no longer moving; she just stared coldly at these thugs. Only occasionally did blood and foam, which had been stuck in her throat from the piercing, gush out from her throat. The bandits, seeing Lin Ping's miserable state, arrogantly mocked her fate.
"Hahaha, this is your end!" A burly bandit with a face full of scars laughed wildly, his voice filled with cruelty and disdain.
"You're nothing special, female general!" another bandit chimed in. "We took you down easily!"
“Her eyes were so cold, but it’s no use now,” another bandit chimed in. “Her life has come to an end.”
"What a pity for such a beautiful woman. If she hadn't resisted, perhaps we could have let her go," one of the bandits said regretfully.
"Come on, she's our enemy, how could we let her go!" one bandit said viciously. "Her blood should stain our hands!"
The bandits mocked Lin Ping's fate, their laughter echoing in the air, sending chills down everyone's spines.
"Look at that dead face she had, thinking she was a hero!" one of the bandits chuckled strangely. "She was just a woman who overestimated herself!"
"Her corpse was quite a sight!" another bandit chimed in. "She was just a woman, yet she thought she could fight against us grown men. She was simply overestimating herself!"
"That's right! If she had surrendered obediently, she wouldn't have ended up like this!" another bandit chimed in. "What a pity, she was just too stubborn and didn't know when to back down!"
"Haha, her death has provided us with plenty of amusement!" one of the bandits laughed. "Seeing her terrified expression was truly exhilarating!"
"But she had a good figure. It would have been really exciting to play with her while she was alive! She looked like a dead dog just now, so boring!" A bandit stared lewdly at Lin Ping's corpse, revealing a lascivious smile.
"You bastard, you really are a pervert!" another bandit laughed and shoved him. "But this woman is pretty amazing, she managed to hold out until the very end!"
"What a pity, such a beautiful woman, dead just like that!" A bandit shook his head regretfully. "If I had met her sooner, maybe we could have had some fun together!"
One-Eyed Dragon surveyed the group of bandits before him, who were reveling like wolves and tigers, and a sense of indescribable satisfaction and accomplishment welled up within him. His already ugly and distorted face now appeared even more ferocious and terrifying, his mouth stretched to his ears, revealing a row of uneven, yellowed, and blackened teeth, as if he wanted to devour the entire world.
Immediately afterward, One-Eyed Dragon raised his voice and shouted to the crowd: "Brothers! Today we have won a great victory! Now, bring that woman here! Tie her up with ropes and hang her high above the gate of our mountain stronghold! Let those ignorant corrupt officials see what happens when they dare to oppose me! Let this woman know who she has offended! Hahahaha..." His laughter echoed through the mountains, making the surrounding trees tremble slightly.
Upon hearing this, the bandits swarmed forward like a swarm of bees, hurriedly lifting Lin Ping's lifeless body. These men were all ferocious and menacing, their faces radiating an appalling cruelty and cold-bloodedness, as if the corpse before them was nothing more than an insignificant object that could be discarded at will.
Lin Ping's body was tightly bound by a thick hemp rope, swaying in the air like a puppet. Her once delicate frame now appeared incredibly fragile, as if a gust of wind could disintegrate it. Even more unbearable to look at was that, even in unconsciousness, her eyes remained wide open, as if trying to pierce through the darkness to see the world clearly; at the same time, an indelible stubbornness and an unwavering determination to defy fate remained on her paper-white face…
The bandits carried Lin Ping's body slowly toward the village gate. Their steps were heavy and forceful, each one carrying contempt and mockery for Lin Ping.
Above the village gate hung a tattered flag, which fluttered in the wind as if mourning Lin Ping's death.
When Lin Ping's body was hung on the village gate, the entire village fell into a deathly silence. The bandits watched her silently, without a trace of pity or sympathy, only pride and satisfaction in their own power.
Sunlight shone on Lin Ping's body, illuminating her pale face. Her hair was disheveled, as if she were weeping in the wind.
But all efforts were in vain! Time cannot be reversed, and the gears of fate have already turned mercilessly. At this moment, no matter how much Lin Ping's soul blames herself for her negligence, it all seems so pale and powerless—because Lin Ping's vibrant and precious life has already vanished from this world, never to return…
She stood like a cold sculpture, silently suspended above the majestic gate, her body stiff and rigid, as if time had frozen in that moment. Her once graceful form now appeared so pale and lifeless, devoid of any vitality.
Her eyes, which once shone like brilliant stars and were full of life, were still wide open, but the light and vitality in them were gone. Instead, they were empty and lifeless, as if she had lost the last bit of attachment and longing for anything in this world.
Even more appalling is that her naked body became a tool for those vicious and ruthless bandits to flaunt their power and show off their prestige! These demonic bandits not only cruelly deprived this brave and fearless young female general of her precious life, but also inhumanely ravaged and humiliated her remains, using such despicable and vile means to vent their extremely twisted and perverse desires.
Below the village gate, the bustling crowd suddenly fell silent, the previous noise vanishing without a trace. Passersby seemed frozen in place, their eyes fixed intently on what lay ahead.
Their eyes were filled with shock and sorrow; some opened their mouths wide but couldn't utter a word; others kept their lips tightly pressed together, tears streaming down their faces; and still others simply squatted down, covered their faces, and wept bitterly...
These kind-hearted and simple-minded people understood one fact very well: the woman whose body was cruelly pierced by an incredibly sharp spear, and then deeply penetrated by this deadly weapon, before being hung high above the gate of the mountain stronghold, covered in blood and whose face was unrecognizable, was without a doubt Lin Ping—the brave female general who once protected everyone's safety without fear!
But when they witnessed such a tragic and horrific scene that was impossible to look at directly, the ordinary people were utterly helpless, filled with nothing but extreme sorrow and despair. Before those vicious, brutal, and wicked bandits, they appeared so insignificant and powerless. Therefore, all they could do was grit their teeth, suppress their grief and humiliation, and silently express their boundless sorrow and profound respect for this deceased hero through this unique form of silence.
At this moment, the entire mountain stronghold seemed to be immersed in a deathly silence, even the air itself became unusually heavy and oppressive. Time seemed to stand still for a moment, with only the suffocating atmosphere lingering there like a shadow. Lin Ping's cold, stiff corpse lay there silently, like an incredibly heavy stone pressing down on everyone, making it hard for them to breathe. It was not only an indelible scar on this land, but also a disgrace, and the most severe indictment of those who had committed so many evils!