Mobei — the northwesternmost tip of Xijing, the borderland between Xiliang and the Xiongnu — a place of constant disputes that had somehow always remained peaceful.
All the disputes existed simply because the Xiongnu and Xiliang had never fought over it, allowing this no-man’s-land to remain as it was.
And in distant Mobei stood Nangong Manor, another venerable and respected family of the Central Plains martial world, which had lived in seclusion beyond the frontier for generations — much like Liuxian Island. It had its own internal family disputes, but remained relatively peaceful overall, devoting itself to the study of martial arts and never interfering in the affairs of the Central Plains martial world, only occasionally hosting invitational tournaments.
Compared to Liuxian Island, Nangong Manor was simply a large family with a single manor — yet it wielded influence that could not be underestimated. It was rumored that the head of Nangong Manor, Nangong Feihong, was on excellent personal terms with the chieftain of the Mobei tribe. Relying on Mobei’s unique status, even the royal court of Xiliang had to show Nangong Feihong a measure of deference.
And this elderly patriarch’s most beloved grandson was none other than Situ Haonan, whom he himself had raised.
“Situ Haonan said that if he couldn’t compete with Xiliang, he’d ask his grandfather for help — that’s this old patriarch he means, isn’t it?” Ziqing asked, not quite understanding why Jun Beiyue thought Madam Situ would also head to Mobei.
“Haonan is being far too naive!” Jun Beiyue said, exasperated. Situ Haonan had grown up at Nangong Manor since childhood. As a grandson through the female line, he had never been dragged into the internal power struggles of the Nangong family, and could be said to have grown up carefree and untroubled. In this respect, he really was a perfect match for Yelu Qianqian!
How could he possibly have thought this through so carefully!
Nangong Manor was located in Mobei — which meant this force was just as sensitive a matter as Mobei itself, something best avoided whenever possible.
And here he was, wanting to ask Nangong Manor for help!
Hearing Jun Beiyue’s explanation, Ziqing finally understood. She knew of Mobei, but she certainly wasn’t fully familiar with it.
“Then what Madam Situ means to do is…”
“The head of Nangong Manor is nothing like City Lord Situ — he’s no pushover at all. They can only treat this as a family matter to handle internally. The key still lies with Haonan himself,” Jun Beiyue said seriously. His meaning was clear: if City Lord Situ and his wife’s appeal to family bonds couldn’t move Situ Haonan, then perhaps the head of Nangong Manor could — after all, that was the man who had raised him, taught him, and doted on him.
Ziqing let out a long breath, genuinely frustrated that he wasn’t living up to his potential. “Whatever happens, we need to find Qianqian first — I have no idea where that girl is right now!”
Compared to Situ Haonan, Ziqing was far more worried about Qianqian.
At that moment, Yelu Qianqian hadn’t actually left Da Zhou yet. After fleeing from the Glazed Pavilion, she had run madly westward, continuing for three full days and nights, until she finally collapsed from sheer exhaustion.
She lay sprawled on the ground, facing west, but her eyes stayed fixed on the east. For three whole days and nights — no matter how fast she ran, Situ Haonan could surely have caught up to her. But he didn’t. She hadn’t even glimpsed his shadow.
She cried until her eyes nearly gave out — crying for her royal brother, for her father the king, for her mother the queen, for Xijing, for Situ Haonan, and most of all, for herself.
She cried until her eyes ached too much to produce any more tears. She would crawl up and keep walking, and when exhausted, collapse again, turning back to look — but still, never seeing that figure she so desperately hoped for.
Over and over, she lost track of how far she had traveled, lost track of how many times she had looked back.
She both wished to reach Xiliang quickly and wished she could remain on this road forever, never arriving. She both hoped that if she turned around, she would see Situ Haonan chasing after her, telling her he had actually been following her the whole way, just too afraid to show himself — and yet feared that very possibility, because if he truly had come, what would she do?
She had even thought of dying. Sitting on the edge of a cliff, gazing toward home in the west, she had felt a desperate urge to hurl herself into the abyss below and vanish forever, freeing herself from all this pain.
But she was rational enough to know she couldn’t die — that even if she died, her death had to mean something. She had to at least make it back to Xiliang first.
She had already decided — if there was a next life, she absolutely would not be born into royalty, would never again be a princess… and would never, ever fall in love with Situ Haonan again!
She wanted to become a bird soaring free in the sky, flying wherever she pleased, loving no one.
Now she stood on a hilltop, gazing at the city ahead. Once she passed through this largest city in Da Zhou’s western borderlands, three or four more days’ travel west would bring her to the frontier pass!
And yet she knew she couldn’t take the frontier pass.
The guards at the Glazed Pavilion had said that without Jun Beiyue’s permission, they weren’t allowed to leave — and by now, surely Jun Beiyue already knew she had fled! Going to the frontier pass would be walking straight into a trap. She had often snuck out to play before, and she knew of a mountain path where the defenses were weakest.
She pulled the reins tight and turned her horse around, ready to go. But just as she was about to descend the mountain, she saw a group of riders galloping straight toward her, led by an old nanny with several black-clad guards in tow.
Yelu Qianqian immediately went on guard and turned to flee, but her sudden movement was exactly what drew their attention — she hadn’t originally caught their notice at all.
“Seize her!” the old nanny barked sharply. Old as she was, she was clearly a formidable figure.
Yelu Qianqian’s amateurish combat skills were no match for well-trained guards, and she was quickly intercepted not far away.
Only then did the old nanny catch up, looking her over from head to toe before suddenly bursting into laughter. “Yelu Qianqian!”
Yelu Qianqian had no idea who this old nanny was, and hearing her own name spoken shocked her even further. “Did Jun Beiyue send you?”
“Jun Beiyue?” The old nanny paused for a moment, then laughed even louder. “Princess Qianqian, you shouldn’t be here at all! Where is Young Master Situ?”
The war between Xiliang and Xijing sparked by this marriage matter had already become known throughout the realm, and Situ Haonan eloping with Yelu Qianqian had become quite the talked-about romance — of course the old nanny knew of it!
Hearing this tone, Yelu Qianqian finally understood — this group wasn’t Jun Beiyue’s men! Nor could they possibly be her own people from Xijing!
“Who are you people?” Yelu Qianqian demanded sharply.
The old nanny’s smile turned sinister as she reached out to touch her, only to have her hand slapped away hard. But the old nanny wasn’t angered at all, saying leisurely instead, “Princess Qianqian, who we are doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re in our hands now!”
With that, she gave the order immediately. “Take her! To the frontier pass!”
“Who exactly are you, what do you want, let go of me! Let go of me!”
“There’s no benefit in taking me! Prince Yao is searching everywhere for me, and my royal father is searching everywhere too — you’ll regret this!”
…
Ignoring Yelu Qianqian’s struggling and shouting entirely, the old nanny remained unmoved. She had searched Da Zhou’s northern frontier for Han Ziqing without success and guessed correctly that Ziqing must have come to the western border instead.
Still with no word of the missing Crown Prince Li, her only remaining hope lay with Han Ziqing — she understood A’Li better than anyone. No matter what, he wouldn’t stray too far from Han Ziqing; he would surely be keeping watch somewhere nearby!
Han Ziqing’s qin music would surely be able to draw him out!
With Yelu Qianqian in hand, she no longer needed to fear that Han Ziqing wouldn’t cooperate.