Though Jun Beiyue was not himself the ruler of a nation, he was, in every sense, his nation’s guardian. He had always been a man who did exactly as he pleased, swift and decisive in all his actions—yet in truth, he had also always been a man who sacrificed himself endlessly for others.

If it were at all possible, Situ Haonan hoped that this time, just this once, Jun Beiyue could truly let go, could act purely for himself, for Ziqing, doing exactly as he pleased, swift and decisive, without restraint.

Not for any other reason—simply because they had gone too far, wronged him too deeply.

“Young Master Situ, you’re closest to our master—he wouldn’t blame you for it. You really should…”

Physician Gu was about to continue, but Situ Haonan cut him off. “Physician Gu, go prepare the medicinal broth. I’ll go check the cabin, see if we can pick up any more speed. The sand-worshiping ceremony at Mingsha Mountain is only days away—we absolutely must make it in time!”

With that, Situ Haonan turned to leave, but Physician Gu hurried after him. “Never mind that—let me go see Princess Zhaoxi instead. At the very least, I need to negotiate her testimony!”

Though Physician Gu was merely a court physician, he had followed Jun Beiyue so closely, for so long, that he’d always maintained a thorough understanding of state affairs and the broader situation across Longyuan.

His level of concern here could only mean one thing: this matter truly was extremely serious.

Situ Haonan hesitated a moment, but ultimately concealed the truth. “There’s still ongoing interrogation—it wouldn’t be convenient for you to go over there right now.”

“Interrogate all you like, but mind your restraint. Formal negotiations haven’t even begun yet—prisoners of war cannot be executed. After all, Xuanyuan Zhaoxi is still a princess, heir to Eastern Qin’s throne,” Physician Gu cautioned firmly.

Yingzi stood silently to the side. Situ Haonan glanced at him but offered no further explanation, simply nodding before striding away.

By now, Xuanyuan Zhaoxi had surely already been submerged in that corpse-toxin water for quite some time.

With so many corpses aboard Eastern Qin’s main warship, along with the bodies of the two poisonous beasts, there was more than enough material to steep an entire vat of corpse-toxin blood.

When two nations were at war, before any formal negotiations had taken place, prisoners of war could not, under any circumstances, be executed—especially not when the prisoner in question was a figure of such importance to the other side. Such prisoners could not be mistreated at all.

This was a principle observed universally among all nations, and moreover, one explicitly codified in law across every nation on the continent of Longyuan!

Before Jun Beiyue had even made it back to shore, word had already reached the ears of Eastern Qin’s Empress!

“Crack!”

With a resounding crash, the Empress of Eastern Qin slammed her palm down on the table, shattering it instantly. “Where did this news come from?”

“Your Majesty, the princess boarded the ship bound for Yaoshun Island, and later sent word by carrier pigeon that Prince Yao of Da Zhou was launching a naval invasion, requesting reinforcements. All nearby ships were dispatched to provide support, yet who could have known…”

“I asked you where this information came from—is it truly confirmed?!” the Empress of Eastern Qin roared in fury, her rash-covered face twisting into a hideous, terrifying expression.

“This humble servant was also among those dispatched as reinforcements, yet… yet we found only the main ship, blood flowing like a river, with no sign of the princess anywhere, nor any trace of the reinforcement ships at all. This humble servant searched the surrounding waters thoroughly, found no trace of the reinforcement fleet whatsoever, and only… only saw two Da Zhou ships returning to port,” the attendant reported hastily.

The Empress of Eastern Qin froze, staring at the attendant in utter disbelief for a long moment, before erupting in fury. “Are you joking with me?!”

The attendant didn’t dare say a word. He himself hadn’t believed it at first either, but the facts were undeniable, right before his own eyes.

Seeing the attendant lower his head without answering, the Empress finally grew uneasy herself. “You… you truly searched everywhere?”

“Your Majesty, everything this humble servant has reported is absolutely true!” the attendant said earnestly.

The Empress of Eastern Qin staggered back two steps. “Eleven warships, our Eastern Qin’s proudest naval fleet…” She still couldn’t quite believe it, suddenly kicking the chair in front of her aside, saying coldly, “What in the world was Xuanyuan Zhaoxi doing? Is she completely useless?”

The attendant had only dared report the defeat itself, not daring to mention Xuanyuan Zhaoxi and Yanzi’s collusion in kidnapping the Crown Prince. He continued timidly, “Your Majesty, someone reported seeing His Highness the Crown Prince board the ship as well. This humble servant… this humble servant found no trace of him either. Even the corpses aboard the main ship numbered only a handful…”

Only then did the Empress of Eastern Qin realize something was truly wrong. “You mean to say…”

“Your Majesty, whatever the case, the princess and the crown prince have surely become prisoners of war. We must negotiate their release as quickly as possible!”

With both the princess and the crown prince now prisoners of war, where would Eastern Qin’s royal dignity stand? How could the royal house of Eastern Qin ever hope to maintain the loyalty of its people, let alone hope to restore Great Qin?

A surge of fury rose in the Empress’s chest at once, lodging there, neither rising nor falling, nearly choking the breath from her. “How many troops did Jun Beiyue bring with him? Had he prepared this all along—was this a deliberate provocation?”

“Prince Yao… he brought only one large ship and one small boat,” the attendant answered timidly.

At this, the Empress’s brow immediately furrowed, and she swung her hand to shove the attendant aside. “Are you mocking me? Do you take me for a three-year-old child? That’s impossible! Don’t tell me Jun Beiyue actually brought Jiaoren with him?”

Yet even as she said this, the Empress of Eastern Qin suddenly fell silent. A complicated look flickered in the attendant’s eyes—though he served the Empress openly, he had always secretly remained loyal to Xuanyuan Zhaoxi, and he knew there was more to this than met the eye.

“Your Majesty, this whole matter is highly suspicious. Counting the main flagship, that’s twelve ships in total—even against Nanzhao’s entire navy, it would be impossible for every single one to be wiped out without a single survivor! Unless… unless they truly did bring Jiaoren with them!”

The Empress of Eastern Qin finally calmed herself, issuing a decisive order at once. “Someone, in my name, announce this to the entire world: Eastern Qin and Da Zhou fought a naval battle, and Eastern Qin was defeated. Send word to Emperor Tianhui of Da Zhou, inviting negotiations at Donghai Valley, and demand the release of our prisoners of war!”

With that, the attendant moved to offer counsel, but the Empress cut him off. “I already know.”

“Someone, in the name of my royal house, draft a formal protest. I want to ask the King of Nanzhao directly why he lent Jiao warriors to Jun Beiyue! I demand Nanzhao give Eastern Qin, give the entire world, a proper explanation!”

It had to be that Nanzhao had lent Jiao warriors to Jun Beiyue—otherwise, there was simply no way Jun Beiyue could have overpowered Zhaoxi at sea!

Nanzhao had always remained a neutral nation, maintaining friendly relations with every country across Longyuan, guaranteeing it would never favor any single nation over another!

And yet now, to think they had helped Da Zhou so blatantly!

This time, if Nanzhao failed to offer a reasonable explanation, failed to formally apologize, she would stake her own reputation, her own dignity, to ensure the Nanzhao royal house was disgraced for a thousand generations to come!

While the Empress of Eastern Qin seethed with fury and misplaced suspicion on one side, word had already reached the royal house of Nanzhao on the other.

The King of Nanzhao had summoned the leaders of all three tribes and numerous ministers to court that very night.

“Your Majesty, I believe this news must surely be false. How could Prince Yao possibly clash head-on with Eastern Qin at sea? To put it bluntly, that would be suicide!”

“Your Majesty, there’s been no word at all from either Da Zhou or Eastern Qin! This talk of a naval battle strikes me as utterly baseless. The northern ice has only just broken, and fishermen have been disputing territorial waters—such an absurd rumor surely isn’t worth believing…”

…

After being counseled at length by his ministers, the King of Nanzhao said little more, keeping only the three tribal leaders behind to inquire about the progress of the Black Jiao’s search for the Lone Island’s relics.

Meanwhile, over in Xijing, word had not yet reached them at all.

The black-clad man reined in his horse at the cliff’s edge, gazing into the distance at Xijing’s capital city—a city built upon a desert oasis, truly deserving of its reputation as the Pearl of the Desert.

But soon, Yanzi came hurrying up anxiously. “Still no word at all—could something have gone wrong?”

Before leaving, she had specifically instructed Xuanyuan Zhaoxi to send word the moment Han Ziqing was locked away.