Chapter 46: In All, I Also Don"t Want to Fight
The battle between the Qin and the Zhao resumed soon later, coalescing into sounds of melee with the pounding of the war drums.
For two days, the armies carried out more than ten battles; whether it was big or small, the fighting was unceasing. Charging or defending, anything was done to achieve the final victory.
However, no matter how dilapidated the Zhao camp was, it remained unbreakable to each wave. As even the Qin"s veteran soldiers grew exhausted, the Zhao remained in stable control of their defensive hill.
At this point, even the Bai Qi began to question himself. Without any indication of food or aid, how can Zhao be so stubborn? It has become a tug-of-war between equal foes.
As this battle between the Qin and Zhao was happening, Gu Nan obviously had no part in it.
Ever since the female doctor arrived, Gu Nan still had not woken up.
Within the tent, the central brazier held a small fire with several pieces of firewood thrown in. Occasionally, a crackling sound would disturb the pervading silence around.
Sitting beside the bedside was the female doctor. Squeezing the excess water from a wet towel, she began to wipe Gu Nan"s hands.
Truthfully, she was only meant to treat others as a doctor, not all the menial tasks of caring for someone. But anyhow, she"s already promised, and that old man also noted the absence of any girls to after the patient, leading to this result.
“Cough.”
Gu Nan coughed a few times, frowning at the apparent pain. Her eyes were gradually opened.
Her entire body felt a long aching and coupled with a soreness everywhere. It felt as if this wasn"t even her body. Especially her hands, why do they feel like someone thrashed and fiercely beat them around? It was like her skin was going to fall apart.
“Hey, hey stop sc.r.a.ping my hands… My arm feels like it"ll snap off… Are you using my hand as a chopping board?”
The voice entered the woman"s notice, and as her mind refocused, she paused and realized that Gu Nan"s hand was already flushed red.
Her face turned a bit red in embarra.s.sment and quickly tossed away the towel.
“How would I know? It"s the first time I"ve had to do this. You should be glad I"m working so hard.” As she reflexively responded, she looked to the side to find Gu Nan"s eyes open towards the tent ceiling.
“Hey, you"re, you"re awake!”
Gu Nan habitually retorted, “Do you know of anyone that sleeps with their eyes open?”
The woman realized that she said something quite idiotic and sat quietly with a discontented expression. Gu Nan continued to stare at the ceiling as her head adjusted and cleared up from that extended snooze.
It seems I pa.s.sed out. All of the wounds were attended to and tidily wrapped in a white cloth.
Remembering a few moments later that there was someone present, Gu Nan craned her head to see a delicate-looking woman sitting beside her bed with a pouty expression.
“Who are you?”
“The doctor!” The woman said with irritation as she looked at Gu Nan. “I was kidnapped to save you.”
A doctor?
Gu Nan nodded her head. No wonder why the arrows were already removed.
“My words were not thoughtful, I apologize for my manners.” Gu Nan said faintly and returned to laying quietly, evidently falling into contemplation.
She thought about the people she"s killed. In just a battle, she"s already lost count. Their eyes before fading into death, she could still feel their stares. Some glared with anger, some were at a loss to what occurred, and some were panicked and fearful.
But without exception, all died under that spear.
“Bah!” Gu Nan felt nauseated and vomited over the side of the bed.
But since she was unconscious for two days, there was nothing to regurgitate out, only the sound of retching and groaning.
The woman was frightened by the sudden change and quickly patted Gu Nan"s back to help.
“Hey, what happened to you? Hey!”
When Gu Nan stopped making convulsing noises, her face was discolored. Leaning her shivering hand against the frame of the bed, she heaved several short breaths.
“You really make people fearful. Thankfully, you"re fine. Otherwise, I would probably get done in because of you.” The woman muttered as she brought a small bowl of warm water, lifting it to Gu Nan"s lips.
“Drink this water. You haven"t eaten in two days. When the time comes, they"ll bring some food for you."
“Many thanks.” Gu Nan nodded and clasped the bowl.
As the woman watched Gu Nan slowly drink the water, she felt her mouth twitch. She"s just so beautiful. Just from drinking water, it"s a magnet for the eyes. It sure is a pity she looks so sickly right now.
“Hey, are you a high-ranking person in this army? Everyone"s talking about you, calling you ‘General Gu" and all. The last two days of fighting was pretty determined, probably because of your absence. There"s also that old man. He probably came seven or eight times these last two days.
High-ranking person? The edge of Gu Nan"s mouth twitched in response. She"s merely a general"s bodyguard, barely higher than ordinary foot-soldiers.
As for that old man, it"s presumably that undying master of mine…
“I"m not some big general, just a small soldier.”
“Bah, if you don"t want to talk about it then so be it. Who would believe that you"re some small soldier? Am I a child to be lied to?” The woman snorted.
Gu Nan laughed and didn"t elaborate.
“Doctor, how should I address you?”
“You can call me Nian Duan.”
“Nian Duan…” Gu Nan nodded. “A good name.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Nian Duan said dismissively, but the compliment evidently improved her mood quite a bit. “Then, what is your name?”
“I? My name is Gu Nan.” She said as she inspected her wounds, which had yet to heal, judging from the blood soaking through.
“Gu Nan.” Nian Duan said as she lifted the basin from the bedside and moved it away.
“When you woke up, you were in a daze for a while, what were you thinking about?”
“What was I thinking about?”
She put away her half-finished bowl of water, no longer inclined to drink any more. Listening to Nian Duan"s question, she didn"t think to hide it. “I was thinking about the people I"ve killed in battle.”
Nian Duan shivered like a cicada in winter. “All of you generals are too horrifying. Still having suicidal behaviors, what, you still want to go out and kill some more?”
“Haha.” Gu Nan laughed at her remarks. “Not that.”
Her eyes drifted down to her own body, the flames in her eyes weak.
“If at all possible, I wouldn"t want to fight.”
She spoke softly, but her wounds aggravated another bout of coughing.
Looking at poor Gu Nan"s state, Nian Duan continued to pat her on the back.
“If you don"t want to fight, then wouldn"t it be better to not fight?”
“How can I not fight? This war rages on, and it requires people to fight.” Gu Nan"s eyes were drooped down, and her hands pulled the blanket closer. “Unless there was no war in this world.”