Wei Xuanfeng, covered in blood, hauled himself over the wall. Before he could steady himself, a tiny figure rushed out from beneath the wall.
She plunged headfirst into his arms, heedless of everything, burying her little face in his bloodstained chest.
"Eldest Senior Brother! Eldest Senior Brother!" Jiao Xiaoxiao's voice trembled with tears as both hands clutched tightly at the fabric around his waist.
Wei Xuanfeng raised one hand that was still relatively clean and gently rubbed her little head.
"Alright, alright. I'm back."
Jiao Xiaoxiao did not look up. Her muffled voice came from his arms.
"You smell awful. You're covered in blood."
"Then why aren't you letting go?"
"I won't." She hugged him even tighter. "Even if you stink, I still want to hug you."
The corner of Wei Xuanfeng's mouth twitched, but he said nothing more.
He looked around. Several corpses covered with burlap lay beneath the wall, while the wounded sat leaning against it.
Some were having their wounds bandaged. Some were drinking water.
Zhang Shouyi jumped down from the wall and walked over to Wei Xuanfeng.
"Commander Wei, in that last wave, we lost twenty-three blade soldiers. Eleven villagers died too. Among the remaining wounded, more than ten of them might not make it to dawn."
"How many can still fight?"
"Fewer than seventy blade soldiers can still stand. The villagers..." Zhang Shouyi paused. "More than thirty can still move."
The moon had already tilted westward. The darkest stretch of the night had passed, but dawn was still a long way off.
From midnight until dawn, Apricot Blossom Village's earthen walls were breached twice and plugged back up three times.
By daybreak, the raised wall at the village entrance had been reduced to half a short barricade. The remaining bricks and stones lay scattered