Wife Sacrificed to the Heavens

Wife Sacrificed to the Heavens

On a desolate plain not far from the Jia Ma Imperial Capital, a massive army of several hundred thousand soldiers was slowly advancing.

Today was a rare day of victory for the Jia Ma Empire in its war against the Cloud Empire.

Roughly half a year ago, the Cloud Empire had brazenly launched an invasion of the Jia Ma Empire, using the excuse that one of their merchant caravans had been attacked.

Faced with the arrogance of the Cloud Empire, the Jia Ma Empire had no choice but to mount a passive counterattack.

However, no one expected that this war, which should have seen the Cloud Empire crushing the Jia Ma Empire, would end with the Jia Ma Empire emerging victorious!

Just a few days ago, both sides had finally negotiated a ceasefire.

Thus, this army of hundreds of thousands, organized by the Jia Ma Empire, was now officially returning in triumph!

At this moment, on the plains where the massive force passed, banners obscured the sky and rolling clouds of dust rose into the air.

At the very front of the army, leading the way, was the Grand Marshal of the Jia Ma Empire, Intal Mo Ya.

Unlike the Jia Ma Empire of later generations, which included the ruling Imperial Family, the Mite'er Family, the Nalan Lineage, and the Mu Household, the power structure of the current empire was different.

Excluding the Misty Cloud Sect, the current landscape of the Jia Ma Empire was led by the Imperial Family, with only two major families beneath them: the Mite'er Family and the Intal Family.

The Mite'er Family focused on commerce, while the Intal Family focused on politics, or rather, the military.

Of course, this did not mean there were no other families in the Jia Ma Imperial Capital; it simply meant that besides the Imperial Family, only the Mite'er and Intal families possessed Dou Wang experts.

As for the other families, they had at most Dou Ling experts.

For instance, the Nalan Lineage, the Mu Household, and the Xiao Household were all quietly rising within the Jia Ma Empire!

Unlike the Xiao Household of later generations, which had only Xiao Zhan as a Da Dou Shi to hold the fort and lacked the qualifications to remain in the Jia Ma Imperial Capital, the current Xiao Household still possessed Dou Ling experts.

And there was more than one!

Besides the clan leader, Xiao Dongcheng, who was a six-star Dou Ling, there was also Xiao Lin, who was barely over twenty and had already been designated by the Xiao Household as the next clan leader!

And where was Xiao Lin now?

He was not elsewhere; he was on his way back to the Jia Ma Imperial Capital, following this army.

In a position relatively close to the front of the army, a handsome young man in his early twenties was riding a fine horse, his face etched with unconcealable anxiety.

This handsome youth was none other than Xiao Lin.

The Xiao Household, living in the Jia Ma Imperial Capital, was also deeply involved in military affairs.

When Xiao Lin had just broken through to become a Da Dou Shi, he had already begun training in the Jia Ma Empire's army.

Subsequently, it took him five years to rise from a common soldier to a general capable of commanding thirty thousand men, and his own strength had also broken through to the Dou Ling realm.

Then, about half a year ago, war broke out between the Cloud Empire and the Jia Ma Empire, and as a general of the Jia Ma Empire, Xiao Lin naturally went to battle.

However, after heading to the front lines, Xiao Lin felt uneasy at every moment.

This was because, before he left, his wife, Wen Lingyun, had already been pregnant for over three months.

Once the war started, there was no guarantee when he would be able to return.

His wife's health had never been particularly good, which was why he was so worried.

"How much longer until we reach the Imperial Capital? This is driving me crazy!"

The urgency on Xiao Lin's face was completely undisguised.

However, as a triumphant army, they naturally could not just rush back in a disorganized mess as if they had been defeated.

As the Jia Ma Empire, which usually lost eight out of every ten battles against the Cloud Empire, they had finally managed to defeat their old rival this time—naturally, they had to make a show of it.

Therefore, the speed of this triumphant army was incredibly slow!

Although Xiao Lin understood why the Imperial Family of the Jia Ma Empire was doing this, he could not help but feel that his heart had already flown home!

One had to realize that more than half a year had passed; his wife, who had been only three months pregnant, could go into labor at any moment now!

Clearly, Xiao Lin wanted to be by his wife's side when she gave birth.

But given the current situation, it would take at least another half a day to reach the Imperial Capital.

Although to others this was merely a half-day difference, to Xiao Lin, it was an agonizing torment that felt like years!

"Hey, Xiao Lin, looking at that expression, you must be missing your wife, right?"

Just as Xiao Lin was wishing he could fly back immediately, a capable voice suddenly came from the side.

As for the owner of this voice, Xiao Lin knew without looking back that it was his best friend, Nalan Jie.

The two had known each other since childhood; it would be no exaggeration to say they grew up inseparable.

Moreover, the strength of their two families was currently evenly matched.

On top of that, the two had later entered the Jia Ma Empire's army together to train, which naturally made their bond deeper than that of biological brothers!

Sure enough, seeing Xiao Lin's expression, Nalan Jie had guessed what he was thinking immediately.

Xiao Lin merely rolled his eyes at Nalan Jie's teasing.

"Your wife gave birth before we even set out on the campaign, so of course you aren't in a rush, but Yun'er is different!"

Xiao Lin could not help but retort.

Nalan Jie's son was, naturally, Nalan Su.

"Hehe, Xiao Lin, we already agreed on this. If we both have sons, we'll make them sworn brothers; if we both have daughters, we'll make them sworn sisters."

"But if it's one boy and one girl, we're going to become in-laws."

"Now that I've had a son, I really hope your wife gives birth to a daughter!"

Facing Xiao Lin's retort, Nalan Jie was not only unbothered but even wore a lecherous grin.

Yes, in Xiao Lin's eyes, the way Nalan Jie was smiling right now was truly lecherous.

Several times, he wanted to swing a fist at that detestable face, but he held himself back.

At the same time, Xiao Lin prayed silently in his heart, hoping his wife would not give birth to a daughter.

It was not that he disliked daughters, but purely that he did not want Nalan Jie's "scheme" to succeed.

After all, this was indeed a pact the two of them had made while drunk back then.

At that time, both of them clearly wanted to bring the other's daughter into their own home as a daughter-in-law.

But now that Nalan Jie had already had a son, Xiao Lin was naturally unhappy.

Thinking of his wife, Xiao Lin could not help but sigh again.

"Sigh, what's the use of saying so much? I haven't even seen Yun'er yet."

Gazing into the distance at the gradually emerging silhouette of the Jia Ma Imperial Capital, Xiao Lin felt his heart grow even more uneasy for some reason.

Afterward, Xiao Lin and Nalan Jie chatted as they followed the army toward the Jia Ma Imperial Capital.

Finally, half a day later, before the sun had set, the triumphant army of hundreds of thousands returned to the Jia Ma Imperial Capital.

Xiao Lin did not even attend the Victory Banquet held in the Gama Imperial Palace, choosing instead to return to the Xiao Household immediately.

However, when Xiao Lin returned to the Xiao Household and saw white mourning cloth draped everywhere, his entire being trembled.

At that moment, a sense of foreboding surged directly into Xiao Lin's heart.

Especially when the people of the Xiao Household around him saw him return and wore expressions of hesitation, his mind began to buzz.

Without a second thought, Xiao Lin rushed directly toward his own courtyard.

"Yun'er, Yun'er, I'm back!"

As he ran, Xiao Lin kept calling out his wife's name.

However, when he returned to his courtyard and saw the coffin, he froze, and then felt something rush straight to his head.

Immediately after, Xiao Lin fainted dead away.