Every man has his forbidden line — whether a carefree, never-serious man like Baili Weisheng, or a stern, cold man like Jun Beiyue. Everyone has something that, once crossed, they will pursue to the very end, even at the cost of their own life!

Jun Beiyue looked at Jun Beiyao’s face, frozen in death with eyes wide open, and finally, slowly sheathed his long sword. Just then, from not far off, came the triumphant horns of the Three Great Tiger Armies.

This battle — Da Zhou had won completely!

With Yandang City fallen, it meant the central gateway into Dongqin had been thrown wide open!

The Dongqin Empress had staked everything on this one gamble, and the central region of Dongqin had virtually no troops left to defend it!

He should have been overjoyed — and yet, at this moment, all Jun Beiyue could think of was Han Ziqing. So many days had passed, and still no news of her.

That woman — where on earth was she!

“My lord, there’s a situation with Bai Mengmeng!”

Just then, a shadow guard spoke up — it was time to report this matter.

“What is it?” Jun Beiyue said flatly. The war had ended; Bai Mengmeng couldn’t cause much trouble now.

Though Bai Mengmeng had earned some merit in this battle, and he would reward her accordingly, that didn’t mean he would ever fully trust her!

Bai Mengmeng was originally from Dongqin, yet had defected to serve Da Zhou. He knew perfectly well that she had defected because of him!

This kind of woman was the most greedy of all!

The moment she failed to get what she wanted from him, she would surely grow resentful and disloyal!

If not for General Bai Hu’s sake, he would never have used this woman at all.

“My lord, Bai Mengmeng… she… she’s hurt Miss Hongyi!” the shadow guard reported timidly.

“What!”

Jun Beiyue flew into a rage, and the sudden anger pulled at his arrow wounds.

The shadow guard didn’t dare hold anything back, reporting the entire matter from start to finish in detail. Jun Beiyue listened, his brow furrowing tightly, his expression complicated.

“My lord, that’s the whole matter as it happened. Without your order, this subordinate didn’t dare release her on his own authority,” the shadow guard reported honestly.

Jun Beiyue nodded, saying nothing more, and turned to head back.

By now, the Three Great Tiger Armies had all entered Yandang City and were settling in to await orders.

Pressing the advantage while victorious was only natural. The Three Great Tiger Armies, especially General Bai Hu, were in high spirits. The moment he saw Jun Beiyue return, he paid no mind at all to his wounds and immediately asked, “My lord, first thing tomorrow morning we march north! My Bai Hu Army will lead the charge!”

For a soldier on the battlefield, wounds were simply unavoidable — in fact, having no wounds at all would almost be a mark of dishonor!

Jun Beiyue nodded. “Tonight, send provisions to Yandang City. Gather all the generals and strategists — we’ll discuss matters in my tent tonight.”

“Yes!” General Bai Hu immediately accepted the order!

But just as General Bai Hu was about to leave, Bai Mengmeng suddenly burst in from outside, colliding directly with him!

She stood there with disheveled hair, a face streaked with tears, both hands covered in blood, a large bundle on her back.

General Bai Hu was shocked. “Girl, you… you… what happened to you?”

Bai Mengmeng paid General Bai Hu no attention at all, staring coldly at Jun Beiyue, unable to hold back her tears any longer.

“Daughter, you… what’s wrong, please don’t scare your father like this!”

“Mengmeng, say something, please don’t be like this!”

General Bai Hu, frantic with worry, grabbed Bai Mengmeng’s hand — a great man, an iron-blooded general, a true warrior, yet before his daughter he was nothing at all. In that instant, he was no longer a great general, but simply a father, an old father, anxious and at a loss.

Watching this, Jun Beiyue felt a faint ache in his heart.

In this life, there were only a handful of people who truly mattered to him!

One was the wife he had chosen himself, pointing her out with his own hand; the others were the generals who had followed him through life and death.

He had to admit — the last thing he ever wanted to see was General Bai Hu looking this old, this helpless.

Suddenly, Bai Mengmeng yanked her hand free from General Bai Hu’s grip. Caught completely off guard, he was shoved aside and slammed into the wall!

He stared, dumbfounded, not even having had the chance to feel joy at their victory before his heart ached with worry and panic!

Mengmeng, what on earth was wrong?

Every possible scenario flashed through his mind, one after another!

“Mengmeng, did someone bully you? Tell your father, I’ll cut him down this instant!”

“Mengmeng, say something, please don’t be like this!”

“Mengmeng, did someone wrong you, tell me!”

…

Bai Mengmeng paid him no attention at all. This father before her — who had raised her for over a decade, cherished her for over a decade — in the end, none of it could compare to blood ties, thicker than water.

Inside the bundle on her back were three bloody severed heads — her parents, and her younger brother.

Her parents, who had longed for so long just to see her once. Her brother, who had never even known what his sister looked like.

All because the shadow guards wouldn’t release her, all because Jun Beiyue didn’t trust her — they had all been killed.

After the shadow guard left, she had rushed to Yandang City like a madwoman, but it was already far too late.

Bai Mengmeng stared coldly at Jun Beiyue. In truth, she didn’t even know what she meant to do.

“Bai Hu, go on outside, I’ll speak with her.” Finally, Jun Beiyue spoke up flatly.

“This… this… my lord, what exactly is going on!” General Bai Hu simply couldn’t understand!

“Go on outside, I’ll explain later.”

Jun Beiyue had originally intended to keep this hidden — after all, if General Bai Hu learned that Bai Mengmeng had actually been a spy, how devastated would he be as her father, and how much would he blame himself as the leader of the Three Great Tiger Armies?

But things had come to this point now, and he had no choice but to speak of it.

General Bai Hu still trusted Jun Beiyue. He bowed and took his leave, glancing once more at Bai Mengmeng before departing.

The shadow guards, too, tactfully withdrew. Only Jun Beiyue and Bai Mengmeng remained in the hall!

The moment the door shut, Bai Mengmeng burst into laughter, threw the bundle down in front of Jun Beiyue, and tore it open!

At the sight of those three severed heads, each with eyes wide open in death, Jun Beiyue couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath of cold air!

Though he had never liked Bai Mengmeng, never trusted her, he understood clearly that these three lives had been innocent — especially that boy, so young!

“My parents, my brother!” Bai Mengmeng said, laughing, then suddenly closed in on Jun Beiyue, pointing straight at his chest. “This is all your doing! It was your distrust that killed them!”

Jun Beiyue subtly pushed her hand away, saying nothing.

“We won! Da Zhou won, I didn’t lie to you, did I, Prince Yao!” Bai Mengmeng demanded.

“I didn’t lie to you, so why didn’t you trust me? I begged them so many times, and they never believed me!”

“Just a little longer, that’s all it would have taken — three lives! My own parents, my own little brother!”

“You could have told this king sooner.” Finally, Jun Beiyue spoke flatly. If Bai Mengmeng had told him earlier, he would have sent someone to save them.

Bai Mengmeng froze for a moment, then immediately protested, “What good does saying that do now? Give me back my parents, give me back my brother!”

As she spoke, she began to cry, throwing herself against Jun Beiyue’s chest, sobbing loudly. “Jun Beiyue, why didn’t you trust me, why! I gave you my heart and soul completely, why would you do this to me!”