Chapter - 24 Rally

Lin dismounted from his horse and approached Shin, who was struggling to get up from the ground. Lin extended a hand and helped Shin to stand. Members of their unit also came forward and supported Shin on their shoulders. Kyou Kai arrived, assisting another injured soldier to lean on her.

They all looked at Lin as he smiled warmly at them , 

He came near Shin, his smile fading, and lightly punched his face, causing Shin to stagger back. As Shin regained his balance and prepared to retaliate.

"Hey, what's wrong with you, you bastard? Do you want to fight with me or what?" Shin growled like an angered dog ready to bite.

"Stupid," Lin responded firmly, "do not be reckless all the time. Sometimes retreating is the wise choice. Retreating is not considered a loss in battle, monkey."

"Your recklessness can cause huge damage to the team. Think about it, ragtag chimpanzee," Lin said, his tone still firm and serious.

Despite feeling annoyed by Lin's words, Shin thought about them in his mind as he glanced at his happy comrades.

"Oh, by the way, do you have anything to eat? We didn't pack anything; we hurriedly came to the site," Lin asked.

The Hi Shin Unit warmly welcomed them and offered some of their food. Kan Ou also came to express his gratitude to Lin for their timely intervention, showing camaraderie despite the tensions of battle.

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In the main camp of Zhao, Hou Ken lay on a bed, struggling with excruciating pain. The medics continued their examination of him. General Chou Sou entered the tent and approached the head medical practitioner, inquiring about a remedy for Hou Ken's condition.

"I have not come across this type of venom before, and I cannot understand how his body is dealing with such a lethal toxin. From what I can tell, it will slowly spread from his right hand to his main body, and once it reaches the heart, he will lose his life," the head medical practitioner explained.

Hou Ken listened to this conversation and suddenly lifted himself from the bed, standing on his own. Ignoring the pain, he grabbed his glaive with his left hand and sliced off his right hand. Shocked witnesses in the camp looked on as this unexpected event unfolded. The medical practitioners quickly stopped the bleeding by tying clothes around the wound and pouring liquor on it to disinfect and staunch the flow.

As the sun slowly rose on another day, a new dawn arrived. The Storm Eagles swiftly disappeared from the Hi Shin Unit, leaving the soldiers shocked by their stealthy departure. Despite their surprise, the unit was tasked with rallying the army to integrate with the main forces.

As they moved, Shin remembered Lin's words from the previous night's dinner when the unit had asked about the end of the seemingly endless battle. "The end of the battle is near. Tomorrow, you will see the result," Lin had said. "And Shin, the eastern mountains in this area are beautiful."