The apprentice fell silent. Baili Weisheng suddenly leapt down from the tree, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth.
The apprentice propped his chin on both hands, his gaze following his master’s figure as it moved to and fro.
Suddenly, Baili Weisheng stopped in front of him, looming over him like a devil looking down from on high. “Tell me—if Xiao Qingqing can’t take Xijing, then she won’t be able to get near Mingsha Mountain, will she?”
The apprentice nodded firmly, and yet said, “Master, I have faith in the Consort of Prince Yao.”
“Shoo!” Baili Weisheng suddenly swung a slap at him. The apprentice, well used to this, tilted his face aside and wasn’t hit, then continued, “Master, as long as she persuades the Emperor of Xijing to cooperate with her before the Xijing Emperor agrees to hand Princess Qianqian over to Xiliang, she’s sure to win!”
“In that case, I need to think of a way to make sure she can never get near Mingsha Mountain again!” As Baili Weisheng spoke, the manic expression that had been on his face turned solemn in an instant.
The apprentice couldn’t help but grow serious too. He knew his master wasn’t joking—this was something he took seriously.
“Yes, Master, that’s the only way.”
“So, Yelu Qianqian and the Emperor of Xijing are the key…” Baili Weisheng murmured, sharp light gleaming in his eyes.
The apprentice nodded firmly once more, but then said, “Master, didn’t you say you came here to seek refuge? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t leave until the war on Da Zhou’s northern frontier was over?”
Whether Baili Weisheng truly hadn’t heard, or was only pretending not to, he narrowed his eyes at the apprentice, pressing closer and closer, murmuring, “Yelu Qianqian…”
The apprentice couldn’t help swallowing, and asked timidly, “Master, what are you planning to do?”
“I know where she is!” Baili Weisheng suddenly laughed and turned to leave.
As for this master of his, who seemed to reach into heaven and earth and know everything under the sun, knowing Yelu Qianqian’s whereabouts wasn’t in itself surprising to the apprentice. What puzzled him was why his master had come, only to leave again!
He hurried after him, grabbed hold of Baili Weisheng, and said earnestly, “Master, you said you came here to take refuge—why are you leaving again?”
“This matter is more important than taking refuge!” Baili Weisheng answered.
“Then what about me?” the apprentice asked.
“You’re going back to Duku!” Baili Weisheng replied. With him gone, how could this little apprentice possibly evade Nanzhao’s Black Jiao? He had genuinely intended to take refuge here, and had only called the boy over to keep him company out of boredom—but no matter how he turned it over in his mind, he simply couldn’t set his heart at ease about leaving him.
Having said this, Baili Weisheng shook off the apprentice’s hand and made to leave, but before he even reached the door, he turned back to look.
This little apprentice had followed him since the age of three and was now eight. Master and disciple were like father and son, and also like friends—Baili Weisheng knew him well. Under ordinary circumstances, the boy would have already thrown himself forward, begging to come along!
But this time, the little apprentice stared at him with a face full of anger instead.
“Go on, go on, you go first. You can’t stay here too long,” Baili Weisheng said impatiently. Being glared at by the boy for the first time, he found himself almost flinching away.
“Master, why do you have to hide yourself away when there’s chaos on the northern frontier?” the apprentice asked seriously.
Though in front of him his master was either acting mad or laughing and joking, the boy knew very well which of his master’s affairs were serious and which were jests.
Master had called him all the way out here—that meant he’d made up his mind to stay a long while!
He had always wanted to know why.
If it were simply to hide from Prince Yao, surely it wouldn’t have come to this!
Baili Weisheng’s heart gave a slight start. He didn’t answer, only urged, “Go on! What are you dawdling for!”
“Master, are you hiding from the Xiongnu?” the apprentice asked again. Having followed Baili Weisheng for so long, he was certainly no fool.
Unexpectedly, Baili Weisheng gave no answer at all, and instead snapped sharply, “Are you going or not?”
The apprentice flinched, startled by his sudden harshness—never in all his years had his master ever been so fierce with him. He was frightened, yes, but he remained stubborn, and said earnestly, “Master, if it’s something serious, please don’t hide it from me, all right?”
He had a faint premonition that this was without doubt something serious, and moreover, not a good thing.
Otherwise, given his master’s fearless, reckless nature, he would never have needed to hide out here!
Stubborn and earnest as he was, his fear still showed through, and Baili Weisheng caught sight of it. He suddenly smiled and said, “Go back, go back. Don’t worry—when your master is dying, I certainly won’t hide it from you!”
The worst that could happen, after all, was only death.
Hearing this, the apprentice suddenly felt like crying, but in the blink of an eye, Baili Weisheng had vanished into thin air!
“Master!” the apprentice cried out, hurrying after him, but no matter how far he chased, once he reached the ground below, there was no trace of him to be found…
No one knew what scheme Baili Weisheng might have in mind regarding Yelu Qianqian, nor what effect it might have on Ziqing!
Whether this man was good or evil, why he had come at all—Ziqing didn’t know, and everyone else knew even less!
At that moment, Ziqing was still in her tent. She handled matters decisively and sharply, yet she was also careful and meticulous.
Having stayed up the entire night, she had considered every possibility and prepared countermeasures for each, for she had no way of knowing what might happen at the western border once she herself was gone, with no one left in command.
She was in the middle of packing when Yingzi and Bingchan burst through the door almost simultaneously, letters in hand.
“Your Highness, a letter from the Prince!”
“My lady, the craftsman’s report!”
The two spoke at once. Bingchan, ever conscious of propriety, stepped back a pace, while Yingzi hastily presented the sealed letter. Ziqing opened it and read in silence. The letter was thin, containing only a few brief words, and yet it was as though she could hear his voice, as though he were standing right beside her.
Even though the letter said only that all was well, in her heart Ziqing quietly asked, “Jun Beiyue, are you truly well?”
Seeing the look on the Consort’s face, both Yingzi and Bingchan instinctively wanted to withdraw, not wishing to disturb her further, but Ziqing stopped them. “Bingchan, bring me the report.”
Longing—even longing for just a day and a night—could never be fully spent.
They had parted in order to be together forever. She didn’t want to waste a single moment, even if it meant just a brief pause to think of him, to dwell on him for a little while.
After these past few days together, even Yingzi couldn’t help feeling a pang of tenderness for her. Say what you would, this was a woman, and yet she was stronger and more independent than any man under heaven!
The moment Ziqing saw the report, she was overjoyed. Though she had been certain there was a volcano there, she still needed the craftsman to verify it in person.
Seeing her expression, Yingzi asked quickly, “Is it really sulfur?”
“Yes. Not much can be mined in a short time, but it’s more than enough to hold the western border pass!” Delight shone plainly on Ziqing’s face.
She had come to Xijing for far too many reasons—otherwise, how could she have so easily left Jun Beiyue’s side?
She had come to help Situ Haonan stop Qianqian, to come to seize Xijing, and to come for Mingsha Mountain—and of course, the worst-case outcome, the one she absolutely had to secure, was holding Da Zhou’s western border!
She had to make certain that even if Xijing and Xiliang joined forces, Da Zhou’s undermanned western border pass could still hold out.
And that guarantee could only be given by gunpowder. The quantity wasn’t great, but in an age of cold weapons, it would be more than enough to frighten off three armies!
“Yingzi, let’s go. Let’s find Situ Haonan!”
This was the very news she had been waiting for. It was time to go to Xijing.