Chapter 38 — The Talisman Painter Who Guards the Village

The Border Fort

Hạn Thủy ravine exploded in the third watch, a column of purple light rising straight into the night sky, accompanied by a dull explosion that echoed for miles, enough to wake up the entire Tiêu Sa Pass in an instant.

Diệp Sương, standing guard on the citadel wall with Thanh Việt, immediately felt a stream of chaotic energy coming like an invisible wave, causing her whole body to stagger for a moment before she regained her balance.

"It's begun," she said, her voice tense but not afraid. "As expected, but sooner than we expected."

From the crack, large and small shadows began to pour out, far more numerous than anything Diệp Sương had seen since that night in Tùng Lĩnh Village—including six-legged species she had seen before, creatures that glided quickly in the dark, and completely new beings whose bodies were strangely deformed as if they had endured too long in a lifeless land.

*

"All in position!" Sầm Nguyên Trạch shouted loudly, commanding the soldiers to form a defensive formation along the citadel wall, while the people of Diêm Cốc village were taken into shelter in the most fortified central area of the pass.

Diệp Sương stood at a high position, where she could observe the entire battlefield, her hands ready with a series of shorthand talismans prepared in advance. "Group one holds the main gate, group two protects the shelter, group three follows me to stop the first wave before it reaches the city walls!" she commanded, her voice clear and decisive, surprised by the confidence she realized she had.

Tất Bá Kỳ, standing next to Sầm Nguyên Trạch, was in charge of distributing spare spirit ink to each group. His hands moved quickly and nonstop, completely unlike the image of a cold desk clerk.

"Group three follow me!" Diệp Sương shouted loudly, leading a small group of Vệ Chinh and a few volunteer soldiers to rush out of the gate, heading straight towards the first wave of creatures rushing forward like a dark waterfall in the middle of the night.

The flickering torchlight reflected on the hard scales and strangely glowing eyes, creating a horrifyingly chaotic scene. Diệp Sương quickly drew a series of light talismans and threw them across the ground in front, forming a barrier of continuous lightning that forced the herd of creatures to slow down, giving the soldiers enough time to form a more solid formation.

"Hold your formation, don't let them separate!" she shouted loudly, remembering the lesson from the night she saved the merchant caravan.

*

The first wave of attacks against the main gate was more violent than expected, and although the reinforced shields were effective, slowing down the attack significantly, some creatures still found a way to squeeze through the small gaps between the defenses.

"Left!" Thanh Việt shouted, rushing to stop a large creature trying to rush into the shelter area, his long sword swung with precision, coordinating well with the support talismans Diệp Sương continuously threw from behind.

Diệp Sương, even though she had to divide her focus between overall command and fighting herself, still did not forget to observe the entire battlefield, looking for weaknesses in the defensive formation so she could make timely adjustments.

"Group two, move further east, that area is thinning!" she shouted, and almost immediately, the group of soldiers obeyed, filling the gap just in time to stop another surge.

Vệ Chinh, fighting no less despite his slim body, used a short stick to repeatedly knock out two small creatures that were trying to squeeze through the gap between two defensive rocks. "This side is fine!" he shouted, his voice broken with exertion, but his eyes still steady.

A moment later, a fire arrow from the wall hit right in the middle of the largest gathering of creatures, creating a temporary gap in the enemy formation. Diệp Sương seized the opportunity, signaled her group to advance, tighten the siege, and herd the remaining creatures toward a narrow rock crevice where soldiers had already ambushed.

*

In the midst of the climax of the battle, a scream of panic rang out from the shelter - Mr. Mười Khoan, while trying to help an old man move faster, slipped and fell, revealing a small gap just as a creature gliding quickly approached.

"Mr. Mười Khoan!" Diệp Sương shouted, but the distance was too great for her to intervene in time.

Little Tơ, standing nearby, without hesitation, rushed out to block in front of the old man, holding up a piece of cloth with painted An Mien talismans like a small, trembling shield in her hand. The soft light from the talisman flashed for a brief moment, enough to slow the creature down for a beat—not strong enough to repel it completely, but enough time for a nearby soldier to rush in, knocking the beast down before it could attack again.

*

Diệp Sương witnessed the entire scene from afar, her heart clenched with fear and an indescribable emotion. She rushed forward as soon as she could, kneeling next to the girl who was trembling but safe in Mr. Mười Khoan's arms.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice still panicked.

"She saved this old man's life," Mr. Mười Khoan said, his voice choked, hugging Little Tơ tightly. "The talisman you gave her turned out to be more useful than I imagined."

Diệp Sương looked at her, a feeling of both pride and sadness rising in her heart - she never wanted a child to face such danger, but it was undeniable that the small lesson she passed on saved a life tonight, a vivid testament to what Mr. Tám Mực once taught her about the power of seemingly simple things.

"Don't be so reckless next time," she told her, her voice both stern and trembling with pity. "I know you want to help, but I don't want to lose you."

"I'm not afraid," Little Tơ replied, her voice was small but unusually determined for a child who had just gone through a life-or-death moment. "Because you taught me, this talisman will protect you."

Diệp Sương didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that absolute trust. She just hugged her tightly one more time before returning to the command position, the roar of battle still not ending in the distance.

*

The battle lasted until dawn, each passing hour was a non-stop struggle. The spiritual wear gradually depleted, the strength of both soldiers and disciples reached their limit, but the defensive formation, despite shaking many times, still did not completely collapse.

Just when it seemed like they couldn't hold out any longer, a horn sounded from afar - reinforcements from a neighboring garrison, whom Sầm Nguyên Trạch had secretly sent a message for help many days ago in case of the worst case scenario, finally arrived in time, rushing in behind the group of demons that were gathering strength to attack the main gate.

Caught between two pincers, the flock of chaotic creatures fled back towards the Hạn Thủy ravine, and when the first light of dawn appeared, the purple halo in the crack gradually narrowed, not disappearing completely but enough for everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

The commander of the reinforcement station, a sturdy middle-aged man, came to shake Sầm Nguyên Trạch's hand as soon as the battle subsided. "Receiving news of your request for help, we immediately set out that night," he said, panting because of the distance. "Luckily we were in time."

"It was timely thanks to someone who foresaw the danger and prepared carefully many days ago," Sầm Nguyên Trạch replied, his eyes directed toward Diệp Sương standing nearby, referring to her careful preparations over the past few days.

*

Diệp Sương sat down at the command position, her strength completely exhausted, but she still had enough focus to scan the entire battlefield—the city walls stood firm, the people of Diêm Cốc village were safe, and although many soldiers were injured, no one had been killed.

"We did it," Thanh Việt said, sitting down beside her, his face covered in dust but his eyes filled with relief.

"We can do it," Diệp Sương repeated, her voice hoarse. She leaned her head on his shoulder in complete exhaustion, and Thanh Việt, without hesitation, wrapped his arms around her. Together they sat silently, watching dawn spread across the arid land after a night of life and death.

In the distance, Tất Bá Kỳ was helping bandage a wounded soldier, Mr. Mười Khoan was counting the number of people in the village to make sure no one was lost, and Little Tơ, although still trembling, had begun to help give water to those exhausted after the long battle. That scene, amidst the ruins and fatigue, still carried a fragile but real glimmer of hope for the future of the Tiêu Sa Pass, a future that Diệp Sương, no matter how exhausted, felt worthy to continue fighting to protect.