Chapter 12 — Praying for Tham Yen Tri Binh A

He moved his lips, his voice was very low, hoarse as if it had been torn from his throat. "I'm afraid you will die, leaving me alone in the world." So Lang Yen was stunned in front of the pearl hole. The north wind rushed in, blowing her sideburns into disarray. She looked into his eyes. He wasn't joking. She had known him for thirteen years and had never seen this expression on his face. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat and her fingers unconsciously pressed against her arm. Then she turned away and reached out to pluck the crossbow string from the battlements hole. The bowstring made a “bee” sound. “I will not die.” Her voice was very light but steady. "I haven't scolded you enough." Having finished speaking, So Lang Yen did not immediately turn around and leave. She leaned against the apricot hole. The north wind blew her bangs into disarray, she looked at Tham Yen Tri's face. His face still hasn't completely recovered, and the wrinkles between his eyebrows haven't relaxed yet. "Just now you said you were afraid I would die." She spoke, her voice was not loud but each word was very steady. "Tham Yen Tri, I have been in Bac Canh for three years, the number of injuries I have suffered is more than all the previous ones combined. In the past in De Kinh, you did not even ask a question. Now suddenly running here, I only slipped a little and your hands are shaking until now. What are you afraid of?" Tham Yen Tri stood two steps away from her, his throat moved, not speaking. The silence lasted as long as a winter night in the North, so long that she thought he was planning to use the silence to get away with it. But he suddenly looked up at her, his eyes were very deep, his voice was very low. It's like every word has to be passed through the throat once before being uttered. "I dreamed, dreamed that you were no more." He paused for a moment, "In my dream, I guarded the North for three years for you. Every day I regret not coming to find you." So Lang Yen looked at his red eyes. He did not avoid it. She suddenly remembered the first day he came to Bac Canh, standing in front of the cliff staring at her face, his eyes red, unable to say a word. At that time she thought he was too tired, now she knew it wasn't that he was tired, but that he was scared. Afraid that the dream will come true. She turned her face away, raised her hand to pluck the crossbow string on the hole of the apricot, and the bowstring made a "bee" sound: "It's just a dream. Dreams are often contrary to reality." "There are dreams that aren't." Tham Yen Tri looked at her without blinking. "So tell me, what happened in my dream?" So Lang Yen turned to look at him, her tone was casual as if joking, but her eyes were very serious. He looked at her face. Her eyes glanced at the spot where the scar had not yet appeared on her face, then lowered. "It's not important. I won't let the dream happen." So Lang Yen looked into his eyes, was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. You said you wouldn't let it happen, then it won't happen." She turned around and walked down the wall, walked a few steps and looked back at him: "Don't keep frowning. I said I won't die, your dream doesn't count." In the afternoon, the two of them were in the tent, facing the map, discussing the arrangement of rooms outside the North Gate. So Lang Yen pointed to a location on the map: "Besides the Northern Gate, there is only one road through the mountain gate that the cavalry can take. If we can hold the mountain gate, the Northern Gate will be stable." Tham Yen Tri looked for a moment, pointed at the empty area west of the mountain gate. "There is still a road here. It is an abandoned merchant road, it is not on the map. It goes around the back of the poplar forest, going straight to the western part of the city wall. If the Bac Di people sneak in from here, no matter how strong the North gate is from the front, it will be useless." So Lang Yen's fingers slowly tightened on the map. The area was completely empty, without any marked roads. She has surveyed the outside of the North gate three times, and has never seen any abandoned streets. "I have surveyed three times but have never seen this road. It's your first time coming to Bac Canh, how do you know?

Is it in a dream?” Tham Yen Tri did not answer. She stared at his face for a long time, then put down her pen and stood up straight. “Go, come see and you will know.” She lifted the curtain and turned to look at him, "If you're right, I will arrange another team of underground guards there. If you say the wrong thing, don't blindly worry about things in your dreams in the future." They walked along the outside of the North gate for more than an hour. Through the mountain gate, around the poplar lake forest, under the moonlight, an old road covered by weeds appeared clearly before their eyes. It curved north, the end point headed straight to the western part of the city wall. So Lang Yen stood at the edge of the poplar lake forest, looking at the old merchant road hidden under the wild grass, saying nothing for a long time. She turned around to look at Tham Yen Tri. The moonlight fell on his face. He was not proud, nor did he say "I told you so". He just stood quietly three steps away from her, as if the existence of this road was a natural thing to him. "The people don't know about it, the military reports don't record it, even Tong Truong Uyen doesn't know, but you know." She took a step forward, raised her head to look at his face, "How did you know? Don't tell me it's a dream." Silence lasted for a long time. The north wind rushed through the mountain gate, blowing his white sleeve with moonlight. His throat moved a few times, then he spoke. His voice was very light, as if it was picked up from a very deep place.