Heartbreaker

In the middle of the night, the foamy mist solidified in the silent forest, and clusters of colorful poisonous mushrooms squeezed the damp roots of the trees.

A figure slowly emerged from the depths of the dense fog, like a mysterious wind, and the feet that stepped on the humus of the roots and leaves did not make a sound.The whole body of the man was wrapped in a wide and pitch-black cloak, with dark red lips and snow-white chin exposed under the hood, with a slender figure and a light and agile posture.

The man walked out of the woods and looked up at the stone city wall not far away and the imposing old castle inside the city wall.Countless iron-colored vines, like poorly crafted chains, climbed and grew around the stone walls of the old castle.The inside of the fort is brightly lit, and there are shadows behind the curtain, like soldiers patrolling the corridor.

****

"The Winter Ting Army is already marching here, Lord Hahn."

Hahn Kupper is the owner of the Faint Vine Castle, with a huge body, silver-white hair clinging to his scalp, a big nose embedded in the center of his face, and his eyeballs seem to be filled with cloudy mercury.He took a sip of the wine in the golden wine cup, looked up at the officer in front of the table, and said, "Has the defense been done?"

Wearing a standard long cloak and wearing black high boots, the officer said quite complacently, "Don't worry, my lord. Our defenses are watertight. If the Winter Ting Army wants to step into the Dark Vine Castle, we must first Let them see how powerful Arrow Rain is—"

"Master Hahn! Lord Hahn, please open the door. Yes, there is someone asking to see..."

At this time, there was a trembling call from a servant at the door, and there was an anxious and fearful knock on the door.The officer frowned and walked to the door, opened the door, and was about to slap the impolite servant, but suddenly a hand came out from the darkness and grabbed his neck!

"Uh!"

The officer's eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and the servant screamed in panic.The woman in the black cloak threw it away, and the officer who was many times taller than her was immediately thrown out, smashing a porcelain standing vase in the room.

Hahn Kupper stopped swallowing, and a cat-like grunt came out of his throat.He saw the woman in the black cloak getting closer and closer, but she remained motionless in the castle master's position.

The woman stood still in front of him, and said in a black steel-like tone, "With all due respect."

"Based on the current defense of the Faint Vine Castle, it only takes one day for you to be wiped out."

The officer snorted painfully in the corner, looked at the ghostly woman with fiery eyes, and made a sound like splitting firewood with his strong fists.

Hahn opened his mercury eyes wide, and said hoarsely, "Tell me your identity first. Who are you, girl."

"Your Majesty has said." The woman took out a gold snake pendant from the cloak. The fine patterns and pure color were enough to overshadow the splendor of the room.Hahn Kupper turned pale in surprise when he saw the snake pendant, and the officer even took a few steps back in cold sweat.

It was the golden pendant belonging to the emperor.

The woman didn't respond, and continued coldly under the astonished eyes of the other two:

"He was very surprised. The Black Maple Plain was forcibly breached by the Winter Ting Army, and the poisonous miasma in the Luosai Wetland failed to stop the enemy. Now only the Faint Vine Castle is left, which is our last line of defense. If this place also falls, those poisonous insects will It will drive straight in from the north, and put the peaceful and happy empire in twilight into crisis."

"I can tell you all about the current deployment situation." The officer said.

The woman didn't even look at him, she just asked, "How many people?"

"The 3 people are all well-trained Mogol elite soldiers." The officer's tone was full of pride, "His Majesty used these soldiers to defeat the Wanjiang Empire..."

"10 minutes."

The woman's words made the officer stunned. She was still standing motionless on the milky white tiles like a wax figure, and her black cloak was like a cloud dragging the ground.The woman said, "I can assure you that if a war really starts, your so-called 10 elite soldiers will be wiped out within [-] minutes. This is the slowest estimate."

The officer showed annoyance of being humiliated, and said sharply, "10 minutes?! You are joking! You don't understand war at all!"

"It's you who don't understand." The woman said quietly, "Also, please shut up, I hate talking to random and noisy people."

The officer gritted his teeth angrily, his face flushed.The woman turned her gaze, and two cold eyes pierced directly at the castle owner Hahn Kupper, and there was no false politeness in her tone, "This is why Your Majesty asked me to come here. If you and your subordinates are not so useless , and I don't have to go through a lot of trouble."

Lord Hahn said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty asked you to assist us?"

"It can be said like this." The woman said, "I have an idea, which can wipe out the enemy's army most effectively, but you need to cooperate. First, withdraw all the soldiers who are on defense..."

The officer shouted angrily, "My lord, you can't trust an unknown person—ah!!"

His angry shout disappeared in the final sharp coda, with a few swipes, two cracks split his body into three pieces, a large stream of thick and dripping blood splashed onto the wall, and gurgled down along the wall , like a tasseled curtain.

And the officer's head was chopped off from the neck by the woman, and bounced off the ceiling, and the blood-red braid was firmly held in the opponent's hand.Blood soaked the cracks in the tiles, and the woman still stood firmly in the pool of blood, like a blood-stained plaster statue.

"Okay, the only noise cleared," she said.

"You...you..." Hahn Kupper let out a viscous cry, and sat down tremblingly on the ground.Those mercury-like eyeballs popped out of the eye sockets with a sudden pop, and the castle master hastily stuffed them back into the eye holes.

"You don't have to be nervous, I won't hurt you." The woman held the officer's bloody head in front of her and said, "Killing him has no other meaning, it's just a necessary procedure."

Hahn Kupper just looked at her nervously, took a few breaths, and even cracked the buttons of the velvet coat with so much effort.

"Okay, now..." The woman put the head on the table, took off the hood with bloody fingers, and brushed her slender neck with rustling hair.She said calmly, "Can you hear my way?"

****

Fallows and a group of generals sat around in the military tent, staring at the wooden box sent here by the Castle of the Faint Vine, and fell into deep thought at the same time.

There was a head in it.

After verification, it was found that this severed head indeed belonged to Emont Bruni, a young and promising military officer of the Late Twilight Empire. He had made great military exploits and was also the strategic director of the Faint Vine Castle.

The person who sent the wooden box is said to be the director of Faint Vine Castle, an elderly man with a white beard.He is tall and thin, with a calm face, and a pair of small eyes seem to be two slits cut directly from the skin by a blade.The general said, "Our castle master, Lord Hahn, said that only in this way can we show enough sincerity to the Winter Ting Army."

Fallows raised his eyes and asked, "Why is it you, the castle master, who came to deliver the head, and not Bruni's subordinates?"

"Chief Knight of the Winter Ting Army, you probably don't know that although Bruni is in command of the army of Faint Vine Castle, the actual dispatching authority is in the hands of our castle master. After all, our Lord Hahn was also a meritorious minister of the Twilight Empire."

"Then I'm even more surprised." Fallows said coldly, "Since Hahn Kupper is a hero of the Twilight Empire, why did he cut off his colleagues' heads himself?"

"To tell you the truth, Commander Knight." The chief pipe said, "Actually, our Lord Hahn's relationship with the emperor is already on thin ice. Elliott is suspicious by nature, and always feels that the Cooper family is very powerful and will betray him one day. So he forced Lord Hahn's only son died——Little Cooper, who was a major general. I believe you have also heard of the name 'Grey Wing Iron Eagle', and his death is also shocking."

Fallows sneered, "I know, this general did his part in destroying the Wanjiang Empire."

The steward ignored the sharp tone of the young knight, and only said, "Since then, the emperor dispatched Mr. Hahn to the Faint Vine Castle far away from the empire, and our lord has always held a grudge against this. He saw that the Winter Ting army was unstoppable and thought it unnecessary It is not beneficial to resist, it is better to surrender directly and seek peace."

Fallows said, "So you sent Bruni's head?"

"Yes. To let you see our determination." The chief pipe said, "Once we let Elliot know about this, we will definitely be doomed. So we are desperate and head to your barracks. Including me, before we come I'm not fully sure that I can go back—believe us or not, the decision is up to you and your other cadres, Knight Commander."

The young knight invited out the steward, turned around and returned the account to discuss with other generals.During this period, the chief had been standing respectfully and politely outside the tent, and even smiled decently when he met soldiers with hostile eyes.

After a while, the preoccupied knight grew out.He sized up the old butler vigilantly, as if he was finally confirming his credibility.

"Go back and tell Han Kupper," Fallows said bluntly, "for a day, I want his thirty thousand soldiers to disarm and take all the weapons out of the castle and put them in our barracks. I will send someone in advance Go search, if Hahn Kupper dares to play tricks, the peace petition will be invalidated immediately, and we will attack the Faint Vine Castle in one fell swoop!"

"Of course." The manager bowed respectfully.

****

The knight found the undead on a secluded hillside.During this period of time, they got to know each other a lot, and they often sat together and chatted.The young knight thought that he liked to talk to this undead about his troubles. The other party was very quiet and gentle, and he always cared about his stagnation and pain spots appropriately.Sometimes Fallows also thinks, no wonder the king is "fascinated" by this undead, just like no one can refuse a warm torch in the ice and snow, and no one can refuse a sincere concern when he is full of sorrow.

Undead Luo likes to hear some anecdotes, customs, and the past of King Lemon Sol.He asked in detail about every detail of the king from childhood to adulthood, and would bow his head in thought from time to time.Fallows told him some court secrets with reservations, but kept quiet about more private matters, such as the torture the king had suffered, his sending to the Ash Peak, and the relationship between the two princes.

"The owner of the Faint Vine Castle has entrusted someone to sue for peace. If it goes well, we can win without a fight." Fallows said worriedly, "But I still don't worry, this is too strange. Even if the emperor of the empire forced him to die I still find it unbelievable that I lost the son of the castle lord...Sometimes bloodline is the key rather than nationality, and Hahn Kupper is from the Mogol tribe, so I don't think he would be willing to join hands with foreigners."

Luo pondered, "But what's the benefit for them to lie to us like this? You've already disarmed his soldiers. If it's a scam, the price would be too high."

"I went to the castle to search it myself." Fallows said, "Except for the kitchen knife for killing livestock and the fruit knife for skinning, there is not even a weapon, let alone armor."

"Then what are you going to do next?"

Fallows said in a deep voice, "Hahn Kupper invited me into the castle tomorrow night to hold a feast for the union of the two armies. I plan to bring hundreds of people to the banquet, and the rest will stay outside the castle and wait and see what happens. "

"Then please take me with you." Luo said, "I can put on the armor of a soldier and pretend to be your personal subordinate. If they want to harm the Winter Ting Army, I can protect you as soon as possible."

"This... thank you so much."

"You're welcome, this is my duty."

Fallows was grateful from the bottom of his heart to the understanding undead in front of him.After all, his damn self-esteem still didn't allow him to seek help from the undead. Fortunately, the other party actively asked to go with him, and the knight suddenly felt a stone in his heart fall to the ground.

On the second night, the captain of the knights of the Winter Ting Legion led a team of hundreds of people and walked into the Castle of the Faint Vine on time according to the agreed time.The densely plated fine steel door has a black luster, and it is pulled open to both sides by six strong and powerful guards, and even the sound of the door shaft turning is particularly heavy.Everyone rode into the gate, and there were fortresses of different sizes lined up all around. They were all built of old-colored bricks and stones. The flag of the Twilight Empire that used to flutter on the top had long been replaced, and only long silver needles remained.

But the most shocking thing is the circles of gray vines, which spread along the walls of each castle like some kind of living creature, and it seems that they can still see their wriggling tracks.

Fallows observed the scenery around him, trying to imprint every detail in his mind, just in case.The terrain of this city is complex, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and there are many fortresses as bunkers. It must have been specially built for war.The knight thought to himself that if he really wanted to go to war, it would be a difficult battle.

The guard dressed as the undead followed closely beside him. The other party was not very good at riding a horse, and he clumsily pulled the rein to adjust the direction.

And Hahn Kupper, the owner of the Faint Vine Castle, held a banquet on the top floor of the largest lacquered castle at the end, waiting for their arrival.

****

When they arrived at the majestic and splendid gate of the castle, Fallows only picked 20 people to accompany him, and the others stayed outside to wait.Richly dressed servants led them up a long spiral staircase with spotless mahogany handrails winding five floors.Although the outside of the castle is covered with gray vines, the interior of the castle is magnificent, with soft red velvet carpets everywhere, exquisite artificial flowers on the cabinets, and silver-framed murals on the walls.

The undead followed Fallows, curiously looking at the paintings that filled the corridor.A lotus-shaped crystal chandelier hangs on the ceiling, and each crystal-polished petal is placed with a whole stick of burning white wax, which shows the owner's wealth.Luo couldn't help but think of the low-quality candle on Lemon's desk, the light was weak and weak, and it often made Lemon's eyes ache.

When they reached the hall, the owner of the castle, Hahn Kupper, was sitting on the high golden steps, sipping carelessly from a silver cup.And there were more than a dozen people sitting on both sides, wearing high-quality silk fabrics, they were probably famous people in the city.

When Lord Hahn saw the armored soldiers walking in, he immediately showed a warm and experienced smile, and said loudly, "Welcome, young knight commander."

As he spoke, he raised another silver cup and walked down the steps with a smile.He is huge in stature, but not bloated in action, and his eyes are like rusted cast iron blocks.Fallows twisted the cold and hard lines unique to young people, nodded bluntly, took the silver cup and drank it down, his throat tightened by the sweet wild berry wine.

Hahn Kupper grasped the knight's shoulders familiarly, and said, "You only brought more than 20 people?"

"Well." Fallows said dryly, "After all, it's a banquet, so it's not appropriate to bring too many people. I asked others to wait outside."

"That's too boring." Lord Hahn laughed, "I don't have many people here. Except for the few nobles in the city, the rest are servants, stable boys, and those who are raised in the backyard. The actors... originally wanted those young soldiers to make the scene more lively."

You have thirty thousand soldiers.Fallows thought to himself, and was brought to the special seat by the castle owner.He saw the white-bearded manager again, who still wore that appropriate to false smile, setting out dishes, knives and forks, and a clean towel for him.

After everyone was seated, the so-called feast of peace talks began directly.The servant brought up the fat roasted suckling pig, the plump sausages were arranged in circles on the plate, and there were fresh fruit slices on the plate.The guests at Hahn's table were very polite and cautious in their conversation, perfectly avoiding the taboos of the Wanjiang Empire.

Fallows, with polite indifference all the time, poured out all the wine calmly, secretly watching everyone's every move.Hahn Kupper's drinking capacity is amazing, and Fallows only saw that he kept pouring wine into his mouth from the beginning of the banquet, fast and hard, just like a person who has stayed in the desert for more than ten days without drinking a drop of water thirsty.He almost drank the amber-colored mellow wine by himself, and the Lord of Harn energetically introduced it as a tonic wine made from antlers, lily petals, dandelion and glutinous rice.His eyes were bright, his speech was clear, and he didn't look drunk at all.

Strange to say, this meal was supposed to be a peace feast to the Winter Ting Army from the Castle of Faint Vine, but Fallows felt an invisible oppression for no reason.All silver tableware was used in the banquet, Hahn Kupper ate without worry, and the others showed no restraint, but the soldiers on his side were all vigilant.

At the end of the banquet, Hahn Kupper was finally drunk, and his bison-like laughter shook the hallway with terrifying echoes.When everyone was about to leave the table, Fallows stopped the supervisor, stared at him closely and said, "Excuse me, is this the end of tonight's banquet? Does your castle master have anything to say to me alone?"

The steward replied, "Chief Knight, originally the Castle Master wanted to discuss the future with you, but he was too excited tonight and accidentally got drunk, please forgive me."

Fallows said coldly, "Then what should we do?"

The chief pipe said, "Why don't you stay in this castle for one night first?"

"No!" Fallows resolutely refused.Staying in this mysterious dark vine castle for one night, who knows if there will be long nights and dreams?

The steward showed a embarrassed smile, and could only say, "Then please stay here for a while, Commander Knight. According to the previous rules, in about an hour or so, most of the drunkenness of Lord Hahn will disappear. Let him tell you personally when the time comes." .”

Only then did Fallows say, "Okay, then we will stay here for a while. Please act quickly, after all, every minute of time is precious now."

After he finished speaking, he turned and left. The undead was hiding behind the third pillar a few meters away from where they were talking.

"By the way, Knight Commander, if you have nothing to do now." The steward suddenly stopped him from behind, "Why don't you follow me to a place, our castle master wanted to take you to see it himself, since he drank If you're drunk, let me show you around first."

****

The steward led the young knight into the castle loft.Holding candlesticks in their hands, they illuminated this secluded world with a soft white halo.Fallows felt the floor under his feet creaking, and every tiny movement was infinitely magnified, no matter how lightly he stepped, it was difficult to avoid slight movements.

The steward's old voice sounded in the dim hut, and the candlelight melted on the white walls, "Don't be nervous, Commander Knight, although the floor here is old, it can still bear the weight of two people."

Fallows stroked the scabbard in the dark, "What did you bring me here for?"

"Looking at the world from different perspectives, there are always different understandings." The castle manager brought the knight in silver armor to the balcony of the attic. The cool smell of cypress, mixed with the cool moonlight, seeps into the skin.

"Look here, Knight Commander."

Following the steward's hand, Fallows saw gray mounds piled up on the ground below the attic, with a white cross on top of the mound, and marble tombstones in front of the mound.

The young knight suddenly felt that there was something unspeakable in the cool night wind, and asked knowingly, "What are these, my lord?"

"Seeing those crosses and steles, don't you understand, Knight Commander." The steward smiled, "That's a tomb."

Fallows clenched the hilt of his sword secretly, and said, "Why is the tomb built behind the Castle of Faint Vine?"

"This, you should take it as Lord Hahn's wish." The chief pipe said, "After all, he needs an unforgettable image, and always reminds himself not to forget the past enmity."

Every nerve in Fallows' body tensed up, like a wild cat around the trap, wary of each other's every move, "What kind of hatred? Could it be that his son was buried here?"

"No, I can't forget..." With a whimper, the candlestick in the steward's hand was extinguished by the cold wind, and the second half of his sentence also entered the knight's ears with the wind.

"His son was actually killed by Lemon Bone Spur!"

In the blink of an eye, Fallows drew out his sword, and the blade of the sword was refracted by the moonlight to emit a gleam of cold light. It was as fierce as electricity, and stabbed straight at the chief executive who was standing quietly on the balcony!Before the sword edge approached the opponent's body, the aged chief steward suddenly drifted away from the spot like a shadow, and quickly folded behind the knight.

Fallows turned around sharply, his ice-blue eyes could vaguely see the tall and thin back of the other party in the darkness.The candlestick fell to the ground with a noisy stabbing sound, and the back of the castle steward suddenly swelled up like boiling balls, merging and separating, and the squeezed clothes made a crackling sound!

Just when the knight wanted to pierce that weird body with his sword.In an instant, the man's flat head split into two like a shelled nut, and a sticky black shadow emerged from the crack like a swimming fish, undulating in the air, elongated and widened, and a black-headed figure emerged. Figure of woman in hood.

This strange sight caused Fallows to lose his mind for a moment.The night was deep, but the woman floating in mid-air gathered light spots in the darkness heavier than the thick ink, and condensed into the shape of a sickle.The tip of the cold and sharp light sickle was like the claws of a beast, tearing through the darkness aggressively, and was swung by the woman at a speed faster than the blink of an eye, and slashed at the silver armored knight in the air!

At that moment, only one thought flashed through Fallows' mind - she is an undead!

The author has something to say: Thank you little angel for the nutrient solution of "Little Greens Selling Radishes"!