Knowing that it was Feng Xiyan who was blessed by Heaven and only him can ask for the blessing, Xue Ruhong nodded. Carrying the food and drinks, he left with the other generals to carry out the orders.
After they left the commander's tent, Feng Xiyan sat behind the long table and began to write another prayer to Heaven. When he was done, he folded the paper neatly and placed it before the mirror on the altar.
Listening to the cheers outside, Feng Xiyan knelt in front of the mirror, closed his eyes, and prayed sincerely.
'I beg Heaven to bless my Feng Army and the common people.'
By the afternoon, news that the soldiers were drinking porridge spread across Xiqiang City. The people heard this and rushed to block the entrance of the barracks.
Noticing the growing crowd, Tan Pengtai ordered, "Don't let anyone in! Whoever dares to trespass into the barracks will be killed on the spot!"
Terrified by the order, the crowd hesitated.
Unlike Feng Xiyan, who treated the common people like his own children, the other generals were ruthless and strictly followed military orders. To them, the lives of the people were precious—but the lives of their comrades-in-arms were even more so.
As Tan Pengtai turned to leave, a thin man, no more than skin and bones, rushed forward, only to be blocked by the soldiers.
He tried to push his way through, but how could a man who had survived on Guanyin soil for months hope to break past trained soldiers?
Unable to get through, he suddenly knelt and pleaded, "General, please be merciful!"
Hearing this, Tan Pengtai paused and turned to look at him.
Seeing that he had caught the general's attention, the man quickly bowed repeatedly, knocking his forehead against the cracked, dry ground.
"General, please save my wife! I beg you!"
Tan Pengtai saw that the man had knocked his forehead until it bled, and he let out a helpless sigh. He walked back to the entrance and said gloomily, "I'm sorry. I can't save your wife."
His own wife and children were still starving at home—how could he save someone else's wife?
At those words, the man looked up with desperate eyes. "General, my three children have already died of starvation, and their bodies were stolen. My wife is all I have left. Please, General, be merciful!"
Tan Pengtai's eyes flickered when he heard the man's words, and his lips pressed into a thin line. He closed his eyes and sighed at his helplessness.
After a long silence, he opened them and said firmly, "This general cannot save your wife."
Then, turning to his soldiers, he added, "Kill anyone who trespasses into the barracks."
The soldiers gripped their weapons and shouted in unison, "Yes, General Tan!"
They had once fought bravely on the battlefield, protecting the common people. But now, their weapons were turned against those very people. The soldiers were heartbroken, but they had to obey the military order.
After Tan Pengtai left, one of the soldiers looked at the kneeling man and said gently, "Brother, please go back. The Great General is trying to find more food and water for everyone. Please be patient."
Hearing this, the people fell into quiet despair.
After Bai Hanyun placed the antique mirror in the living room, she returned to her bedroom to take a nap. When she woke up, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon.
She went to the bathroom to freshen up, then headed downstairs. As she stepped into the kitchen, she remembered that she had just given all her food to the antique mirror.
Letting out a sigh, Bai Hanyun scratched her head and muttered, "I must be crazy for listening to that antique mirror."
Planning to go out and buy food for her late lunch, Bai Hanyun walked past the dining table and noticed the bronze plate resting on it. She paused for a moment, then picked it up and placed it inside the display cabinet in the living room.
As her eyes fell on the antique mirror, she snorted at it and walked away. The moment she did, the antique mirror gave off a bright flash of light.
Noticing it, Bai Hanyun turned to look at the antique mirror, narrowed her eyes, and warned, "I'm warning you. Don't cause any more trouble for me. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to lock you back in the dark basement."
Just as she finished speaking, a piece of paper suddenly fell from the air, landing squarely on her face.
Bai Hanyun was speechless. "....." This damn antique mirror!
She peeled the paper off her face and looked at it.
Seeing the same unfamiliar script written across it, she held it up to the antique mirror and asked, "What do you want me to do? Do you think I can read this?"
As soon as she asked the question, the antique mirror flashed again, and the image of the handsome man in silver armor appeared on its surface.
Bai Hanyun walked over to the display cabinet where the antique mirror was placed and looked into it.
After kneeling for hours, Feng Xiyan deeply regretted asking Heaven for more blessings. It was already an immense gift that Heaven had granted them food and water. He should not have been greedy and asked for more.
With remorse, Feng Xiyan said, "Heaven, please forgive me for my greed. I shouldn't have asked for more food and water when you had already blessed us. Please be merciful, and take pity on the common people and my Feng Army."
Listening to his words, Bai Hanyun raised an eyebrow slightly at the antique mirror. "Do you want me to give him more food and water?"
The antique mirror flashed in response. Realizing what it meant, Bai Hanyun looked at Feng Xiyan and felt a pang of empathy.
Before her grandfather brought her back to the Bai family, she had spent three years in an orphanage before being trafficked by the orphanage's director and sold to a poor farming family as a child bride.
Recalling the hardships and abuse she endured during those years, her heart softened.
She glared at the antique mirror and said firmly, "Let me be clear. I'm helping him not because you told me to, but because I want to. Got it?"
The mirror flashed once in acknowledgement, and Bai Hanyun lifted her chin in satisfaction. "Good."
She then placed the sheet of paper with the strange writing next to the previous one inside the display cabinet, then added, "I already gave him all my food this morning. I need to buy more, but I don't know how much he needs. If you want me to help him, then find a way to find out the answer."
Right after she said that, the mirror flashed again—and its surface began to change.