Every part of Madam Yu’s body ached from the fall, but no pain compared to the ache in her heart.
Looking at her daughter’s tear-streaked, haggard face, she wished she could burn this whole house down — but she held herself back.
“I’m… I’m fine!”
“Girl Yu, I told you when you were very young — don’t easily trust people from outside. People’s hearts are treacherous, ungrateful, always ready to take an inch and demand a mile, taking everything for granted!”
“Girl Yu, let’s go! Why bother arguing with an ungrateful person — let’s leave!”
Madam Yu spoke with great seriousness, glancing once at young master Xuanyuan, who let her mock him without response, sneering coldly inside.
Go ahead and break your heart over her, go ahead and slowly warm her up!
Without the antidote, I’d like to see just when she wakes up!
Madam Yu had used a sedative — a special poison unique to the northern desert, half medicine and half poison, gathered from the snowy fields and ground into powder. Mixed with boiled water, it turned colorless and tasteless!
Without the antidote, not even the finest physician from the heavens could revive her.
She was simply waiting to watch Xuanyuan Shang’s little show unfold!
Yu Xiaomeng was utterly despondent at this point, saying nothing, obediently going along. She glanced back once at young master Xuanyuan, sniffled, and helped Madam Yu out the door!
But angry as she was, resentful as she was, she still reached back and closed the door behind them.
Yet Madam Yu scoffed coldly, “Why bother closing the door? He’s plenty capable, he’ll close it himself! If he’s got any nerve, he’d better never come looking for us again! Tomorrow I’m going to have him thrown out! The northern desert doesn’t welcome him!”
With that, Madam Yu kicked the door open again with a fierce blow, letting the cold wind howl its way inside, then hurried off with Yu Xiaomeng.
Madam Yu was thoroughly furious, while Yu Xiaomeng felt mostly bedraggled and defeated. She kept telling herself not to look back, but couldn’t help it — yet by the time she turned to look, the door had already been shut again.
That woman — who on earth was she?
And young master Xuanyuan — who exactly was he, really?
This night, neither of them was destined to sleep a wink…
Meanwhile, far away on the battlefield, Jun Beiyue’s eyes had long since turned bloodshot with battle fury, his battle robes soaked in blood, impossible to tell whether it was his own or the enemy’s.
This great battle had seen both armies throw everything they had into the fight, locked in slaughter for days and nights on end. Though many soldiers hadn’t yet fallen, they were all utterly exhausted!
And as for victory or defeat — the outcome was already clear!
Under the cover of her soldiers, the Dongqin Empress had been forced steadily back to the city gates, the Dongqin army collapsing on every front, suffering devastating losses!
Jun Beiyue, riding alone, fought his way through, breaking through the encirclement first and charging straight toward the city gates!
“Your Majesty, let’s surrender!”
Someone shouted this loudly from within the crowd, no telling who!
In the army, on the battlefield, among a defeated force, such words were the most taboo of all!
The moment it was said, a chorus of agreement immediately followed.
“Your Majesty, let’s surrender! Better to be a vassal state of Da Zhou than a slave to the Xiongnu!”
“Your Majesty, let’s surrender!”
…
The Dongqin Empress was so enraged she spat up a mouthful of blood, shouting furiously, “Open the gates! Retreat the troops!”
At this point, with Dongqin’s strength as it was, once they retreated, they would have to flee all the way north.
If it had been earlier, Dongqin might still have had enough military strength to negotiate cooperation with the Xiongnu as an equal. But now, they could only beg the Xiongnu for help, their standing even more unequal than before!
But she simply couldn’t accept it!
It was precisely because she refused to submit to Da Zhou, refused to declare herself a vassal to Jun Beiyue, that she had chosen to ally with the Xiongnu instead, wasn’t it?
The moment the Dongqin Empress gave the order, the city gates opened. She had assumed Min Han Mudur would come out of the city to rescue her — but to her shock, Min Han Mudur and Jun Beiyao had already left long ago!
Only a few guards remained, protecting her on either side, escorting her to flee!
“What does Min Han Mudur mean by this?” the Dongqin Empress demanded as she retreated.
“Your Majesty, your Dongqin forces have already been utterly wiped out. You no longer have the standing to cooperate with our great Xiongnu. His Highness says that as long as you submit and bow before him, he’s willing to send troops to guard the ten northern border prefectures of Dongqin.”
At these words, the Dongqin Empress suddenly snapped, “This is Jun Beiyao’s idea!”
Indeed, this was precisely Jun Beiyao’s idea, because he understood Jun Beiyue’s strength all too well. Without Dongqin’s military forces, and given the Xiongnu’s own strength combined with their unfamiliarity with Dongqin’s terrain, they simply couldn’t defeat Jun Beiyue!
He would only choose to lure Jun Beiyue northward, stretching the battle line longer!
The Xiongnu wanted to carve up Dongqin together with Da Zhou!
Min Han Mudur wasn’t a cautious, cunning man by nature — only Jun Beiyao would devise such a measured, conservative scheme designed to profit as the third party watching two tigers fight!
It seemed Jun Beiyao’s accurate judgment of this battle had once again won Min Han Mudur’s genuine admiration and trust!
“Your Majesty, submitting to Da Zhou is the proper path!”
“Your Majesty, the Xiongnu cannot be trusted or reasoned with!”
…
The soldiers around her kept trying to persuade her, but who would have thought — several Xiongnu guards suddenly drew their blades and cut down the Dongqin soldiers!
“You!” The Dongqin Empress was shocked, and only then did it truly dawn on her — she had never actually had any choice in this at all.
And right then, she saw Jun Beiyue charging toward her, sword raised!
“Retreat!”
She no longer hesitated, wheeling her horse around, abandoning her last small remaining troops, fleeing in disgrace!
Jun Beiyue’s horse hooves clattered to a stop beneath the city gates. He sheathed his long sword and drew his bow instead, nocking an arrow, aiming it far off at the Dongqin Empress’s retreating back!
The Dongqin Empress — she would die today!
Ziqing’s whereabouts remained unknown, and it was all because of the people of Dongqin!
That group who had kidnapped Yelu Qianqian — they must have been acting on the Dongqin Empress’s orders too!
This arrow of his wasn’t just to secure the western border — it was also to avenge Ziqing!
He drew the bow fully, nearly all his internal energy channeled into the arrow — this single shot would be enough to pierce through solid stone!
Suddenly, Jun Beiyue’s hand swept forward, and in that instant — “whoosh” — the sharp arrow shot out like a flying shuttle, streaking straight toward the Dongqin Empress’s back!
Let alone being struck by it — the sheer force of the arrow alone would be enough to injure someone!
But just as the arrow was about to pierce the Dongqin Empress’s back, another sharp arrow suddenly came flying in from another direction, forcefully knocking Jun Beiyue’s arrow off course, sending it instead into the back of a nearby guard, hurling him clean off his horse!
The Dongqin Empress nearly toppled from her horse in fright, but with no time to spare for appearances, she fled even faster.
Jun Beiyue narrowed his dangerous eyes and looked toward the source, seeing a burly, dark-skinned man with wild, fierce brows, riding a tall wild horse, bow in hand, approaching from one side.
Who else could this be but Min Han Mudur himself?
He was the one who had told Jun Beiyue about Yelu Qianqian’s kidnapping, and Jun Beiyao had told him that the Dongqin Empress absolutely could not be allowed to die.
He had originally planned to simply have a few guards escort the Dongqin Empress in retreat, but seeing how things stood now, he would have to step in personally — which, in a way, was also the perfect chance to size up this war god of the Central Plains.
Jun Beiyue immediately guessed this was Min Han Mudur — the Xiongnu weren’t known for refined martial skill, but their brute strength was more than a match for Central Plains internal energy cultivation.
Still, today he was determined to have the Dongqin Empress’s life.
Jun Beiyue put away his bow and arrow, drew his long sword, and pointed it straight at Min Han Mudur!