Though Xuanyuan Lige had spoken quietly, he hadn’t made any particular effort to conceal his words. Hearing him utter the phrase “poison it,” Mi’er’s already anxious heart couldn’t help but skip a beat. Toward this man who had saved her life, alongside gratitude and fear, she found herself harboring an inexplicable, indescribable fondness as well!

The men of the Duogong tribe had always been far too weak-willed—that was precisely why they had spent generations under the Jiao Ren’s thumb, and why, today, they had finally been driven out of Wuxie Ravine entirely by them!

This man—surely he had been sent by the heavens to save the Duogong people!

Mi’er and her fellow tribespeople didn’t dare ask further questions or say much of anything, cautiously following Xuanyuan Lige and his attendant back to a secluded encampment not far away.

The moment they arrived, the Beast Clan’s second young master, looking rather pleased with himself, stepped out of the tent. Spotting Mi’er and the others, he immediately raised an eyebrow, studying them. “Who are…”

“We’ll talk inside,” Xuanyuan Lige said evenly.

The Beast Clan’s second young master gave Mi’er a quick once-over, then generously removed his own cloak and stepped forward to drape it over her shoulders himself. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, Xuanyuan Lige, judging by how you are with Han Ziqing, I wouldn’t have taken you for a man who understood how to cherish a woman!”

At these words, Xuanyuan Lige came to an abrupt halt. In the same instant, before anyone could even see how he’d moved, a blade of wind sliced viciously past the Beast Clan’s second young master’s head, severing a lock of his hair!

“Don’t let me hear that a second time,” he warned coldly, then continued walking forward.

The Beast Clan’s second young master clenched his fists, breathing deeply to hold himself back, a flicker of malice passing through his eyes again and again, like a caged beast unable to break free.

Mi’er was too frightened to move at all, terrified that if this man’s anger flared, he might crush her without a second thought. Fortunately, Nanny Qin quickly pulled her aside in time.

Yet, however furious the Beast Clan’s second young master remained, once inside the tent, he didn’t dare act out at all, merely scowling and saying coldly, “Minhan Mude’er has agreed, but he wants you to come to the Xiongnu in person.”

Xuanyuan Lige nodded and slowly drew back a hanging curtain, revealing a map of Wuxie Ravine on the wall—incomplete, with a large blank space left at the bottom.

“Mi’er, come fill this in.” These words weren’t a request, but a command.

Mi’er didn’t even get the chance to ask questions before hurrying forward. Drawing on memory alone, she sketched out the ring of walkway-like ledges beneath Wuxie Ravine, along with the Boundless Deep stretching further below, filling in the entire map!

The Beast Clan’s second young master grew increasingly astonished as he watched. “Xuanyuan Lige, where on earth did you find these people?”

Xuanyuan Lige then gave a brief account of what had happened at Wuxie Ravine. The Beast Clan’s second young master listened with mounting amazement—he’d never imagined this man could have come up with such a plan!

“If you’re going to dig a tunnel, how many years will that take!” This was the Beast Clan’s second young master’s most pressing concern.

Xuanyuan Lige turned a cold gaze toward the Duogong tribespeople. “What do you think?”

“If things go smoothly, we can complete it within six months to a year,” the Duogong people answered with confidence.

At these words, the Beast Clan’s second young master leapt straight up from his seat, while Xuanyuan Lige’s hand, resting on the table, suddenly clenched into a fist. It had to be said—this was a remarkably exciting answer!

Xuanyuan Lige had intended to borrow the Xiongnu’s wealth and manpower for this project, but as it now stood, he wouldn’t need to rely on them at all—which meant he now held far greater leverage in his negotiations with Minhan Mude’er!

“Second Young Master, I’ll leave this matter in your hands—how about it?” Xuanyuan Lige asked.

“Happy to be of service!” the Beast Clan’s second young master agreed readily, casting a casual glance toward Mi’er, who was still wrapped in his cloak. Mi’er happened to look up at that exact moment, meeting his gaze, and immediately lowered her head in fright.

Mi’er had assumed Xuanyuan Lige would at least say something more, make some arrangements for her and her people. But instead, the man simply rose and moved to leave.

“Xuanyuan…” The words rose to her lips, but in the end, her timidity kept her from voicing them, and she could only watch helplessly as Xuanyuan Lige walked alone, step by step, toward the edge of the camp.

She had no idea where he was going, nor when he might return.

But just as Xuanyuan Lige reached the entrance, he suddenly stopped, and without turning around, said evenly, “Mi’er, come with me.”

“Ah…” Mi’er startled, hurriedly rising to her feet, not even daring to glance at the Beast Clan’s second young master as she quickly walked up behind Xuanyuan Lige.

The Beast Clan’s second young master’s brow furrowed slightly, as though he wanted to say something, but having just been warned by Xuanyuan Lige moments ago, he wisely kept silent, studying Mi’er with amused interest and a dismissive smile.

Once outside the tent, Xuanyuan Lige asked, “Can you ride a horse?”

Mi’er shook her head, wanting to ask where they were headed but not daring to say anything at all.

Unexpectedly, Xuanyuan Lige abruptly hoisted her onto a horse, then mounted another himself, and without looking back, said coldly, “Hold on tight.”

With that, he snapped the reins with one hand while holding her steady with the other, and off they rode.

Mi’er was too frightened to even straighten her back, clinging desperately to the horse’s neck, her heart pounding with fear. She had no idea how long they had ridden before she finally, cautiously, dared to lift her head and look ahead.

There, riding before her, was the man in purple robes and silver hair, whipping wildly in the wind, his slender back inexplicably conveying a sense of ancient, desolate solitude.

Mi’er couldn’t help but wonder—what kind of man was he, really? Was he this cold and unfeeling toward everyone, unwilling to spare even a single extra word for anyone at all?

Heading steadily northward, Xuanyuan Lige was, of course, taking Mi’er to meet Minhan Mude’er. He reasoned that Minhan Mude’er would surely take great interest in Wuxie Ravine—after all, the ravine didn’t just divide East Qin from West Chu; viewed from north to south, it also served as the sole passage connecting the Xiongnu directly to Da Zhou’s Three Realms territory!

Just as Xuanyuan Lige continued his journey northward, Ziqing and Jun Beiyue’s group arrived at Wuxie Ravine.

At that moment, they stood at the northernmost cliff of the Three Realms territory—which was, in fact, the southernmost edge of Wuxie Ravine itself.

Viewed from this angle, Wuxie Ravine appeared as a vast canyon stretching from north to south as far as the eye could see.

Ziqing couldn’t help but muse, “Beiyue, if this canyon weren’t so deep, Da Zhou and the Xiongnu would really just be separated by a single ravine.”

Jun Beiyue nodded—how could he not have realized this himself?

In truth, even before he’d left the northern frontier for the capital to select a consort, he had already begun studying Wuxie Ravine. Standing here, one felt utterly insignificant, the canyon impossibly vast, revealing nothing of note at all!

But viewed from a map, the picture would surely be clear—Wuxie Ravine looked exactly like a blade thrust down from the Xiongnu, driving straight into Da Zhou’s northern frontier!

Ziqing was right—if not for its unfathomable depth and the ferocious crosswinds that raged through it, this place would undoubtedly have become a battleground fiercely contested by every faction.

“Auntie Meng, have you ever been down there?” Ziqing asked. To all of them, what lay below remained completely unknown territory.

Unexpectedly, Meng Wanyue shook her head. “This is actually my first time even coming to the northern frontier, let alone going down there.”

“Huh? I thought you knew this place well!” Baili Weisheng exclaimed in shock, not having expected Meng Wanyue to know absolutely nothing about it. With a ravine this long, narrow, and bottomless, how were they supposed to search it?

The Solitary Island ruins, the sounds of nature—did that mean the entire canyon, or specific rocks and vegetation somewhere within the ravine’s depths?

This was truly, genuinely tragic!

Baili Weisheng rolled his eyes repeatedly, dying to ask her outright, “Then why did you even bother coming along?”

Jun Beiyue and Ziqing both frowned as well. Meng Wanyue, still holding little Xiong Bao, let a fleeting trace of mocking amusement flicker through her eyes before it vanished just as quickly.

“Better than not even knowing the place at all, wouldn’t you say? Shall we… go down and take a look?” Meng Wanyue asked tentatively.

…