After traveling for about half a day, Hamu’er led Gu Yi through the low forest and onto an endless grassland, where scattered signs of human habitation and livestock dotted the verdant green carpet.

Gu Yi felt that this must be the grassland she had heard about.

The sky already showed faint stars accompanying the moon, and after the sun had set, the orange glow of the sunset quickly dispersed.

Hamu’er had built a fire and was roasting a rabbit he had shot earlier.

The aroma of melting fat mingled with the scent of meat, wafting toward her.

Gu Yi swallowed. Over these past few months, she had eaten so many flatbreads that if stacked together, they could probably encircle the River Luo Hall. She was truly sick of them.

Now, smelling the tantalizing aroma, her stomach growled loudly and honestly.

Hamu’er gave her a cold glance, and Gu Yi cracked an awkward but polite smile.

Hamu’er turned his attention back to the roasting rabbit.

Gu Yi swallowed again and tentatively said, “I’m hungry.”

Hamu’er glared at her but used his silver knife to cut off a crispy piece of roasted rabbit meat and tossed it to her.

Gu Yi cupped her hands together at her chest and barely caught the scorching hot rabbit meat. She blew on it twice before putting it in her mouth, huffing and puffing because it was so hot.

Hamu’er glanced sideways and gave a cold laugh.

Gu Yi estimated the time, waited for about half an incense stick’s burning time, and then said, “I need to relieve myself. Could you loosen my bindings?”

Hamu’er looked at her impatiently, his face long with annoyance. He walked over and loosened the ropes on her hands a bit. “Be quick about it. If you try to run, those legs of yours won’t get you far on this grassland. You might even encounter a wolf pack.” This threat was something Gu Yi had grown accustomed to hearing.

She nodded obediently, rose, and walked to a patch of grass some dozen steps away. Gu Yi untied the belt at her waist and took out the red hairpin head she had hidden there. Using all her strength, she finally managed to pry off the blood-red pearl medicine that resembled a ruby. She retied her belt and tucked the pearl medicine into the narrow sleeve of her left inner garment.

When she returned to the fire, Hamu’er looked up at her once. Gu Yi walked directly in front of him, allowing him to bind her hands with the rope again. Hamu’er then returned to gnawing on his rabbit meat.

Gu Yi sat back down on the grass nearby and gazed longingly at the water skin hanging from the saddle.

Seeing her gaze, Hamu’er frowned and ordered, “Go fetch me that water skin.”

Gu Yi said pitifully, “I’m thirsty too.”

Hamu’er sneered, “Go get it!”

Gu Yi got up and went to the horse, cradling the water skin in both hands. She first quickly glanced back at Hamu’er, then laboriously twisted open the water skin. With her back to Hamu’er, she gulped down two mouthfuls.

Seeing this, Hamu’er coldly rebuked her, “Had enough?”

Gu Yi nodded and, before closing the silver cap, deftly used two fingers to slip the pearl medicine from her sleeve into the water skin.

There was a splashing sound that startled Gu Yi, making her hand tremble. She immediately shook the water skin again, creating more rippling sounds.

Gu Yi walked toward Hamu’er with a frown and said, “There’s not much water left.”

Hamu’er took it but didn’t drink.

Gu Yi felt both anxious and uneasy. Although the pearl medicine would dissolve in water, she didn’t know how long it would take or what dosage was needed. If the dose was insufficient, would he just pass out? If the dose was too large, would she end up poisoning Hamu’er to death?

Hamu’er turned his head to examine her face carefully, and Gu Yi forced a fake smile.

“Aren’t you afraid that once you reach the capital, there will be no return?” Hamu’er asked.

The Dantat sovereign was known for his violent temperament and insatiable lust, and his sons were no better.

Although Gu Yi didn’t know exactly whom Hamu’er served, she knew the capital was like a scorching pit of fire, and she absolutely could not go there.

“Of course I’m afraid. If you’re kind-hearted, just let me go. I promise I won’t reveal your whereabouts to anyone!”

Hamu’er mockingly said, “A fool’s dream!”

Gu Yi fell silent, watching as Hamu’er used his silver knife to poke at the wood in the fire. A few sparks flew up and then suddenly extinguished.

After a moment, Gu Yi asked, “Are you the elder uncle or the younger uncle?”

Hamu’er paused, his dark brown eyes glaring at Gu Yi like cold stars suddenly darkening. He said harshly, “I have no such nephew!”

Gu Yi shrank her neck but fearlessly continued to look at him and said, “What about your sister? Don’t tell me you never had a sister?”

“Shut up!” Hamu’er’s cheeks twitched slightly with anger, his face flushed red in the flickering firelight.

After speaking, he twisted open the water skin as if to vent his frustration, tilted his head back, and took several gulps. He then threw the now-flattened water skin at his feet. Still unsatisfied, he glared, “Who are you? Do you think you can tell me what to do?” He laughed twice, his tone mocking, “You think Xiaoyan gave you the eagle fragrance bead because he values you? Even if he does value you somewhat, it only goes so far! If he truly valued you, why did he save only Consort Zhao and abandon you? Don’t you know that even with the eagle fragrance bead, no matter how good a trained eagle’s eyesight is, it can only find people, not save them—even if what it finds in the end is a corpse!”

Gu Yi’s face paled.

What they had avoided discussing all these days was now bluntly revealed by Hamu’er. She knew the female protagonist couldn’t be dead, otherwise she would have been reset to the beginning, but due to her unconsciousness, she didn’t understand why Hamu’er had captured only her and was taking her to the capital. She had neither dared nor wanted to know, so she had never asked.

Hamu’er noticed Gu Yi’s sudden change in expression and felt a surge of vindictive pleasure. “If you speak nonsense again, I’ll whip your mouth bloody.”

“You won’t whip my mouth bloody,” Gu Yi raised her head and looked straight at him, challenging, “You’re afraid that if you damage my face, you won’t be able to present me as a gift!”

She laughed coldly, “You were the same before, wanting to present Ta Zhu to the Dantat sovereign, weren’t you?”

Hamu’er abruptly stood up, reaching for the whip coiled at his waist. He swung it violently, striking down several clumps of green grass near Gu Yi.

After the flying whip passed, broken grass scattered everywhere, and Gu Yi immediately retreated backward.

“Scared now? Weren’t you fearless just a moment ago?” Hamu’er grinned ferociously, squatting down to look Gu Yi in the eye. “Who exactly are you? What connection do you have with my clan?”

He gnashed his teeth fiercely, making them click audibly. “If my sister had been unwilling to serve the sovereign, she could have said so earlier. There are many nobles in the capital. If she had told me, how could things have come to this?”

The more Hamu’er spoke, the more indignant he became. Suddenly, he leaned forward close to Gu Yi’s face, swept aside the braid at his temple, and revealed a clear brand on his ear—a crescent-shaped, fiery red scar several times larger than the slave mark on Xiaoyan’s temple. The red flesh and skin were intertwined, appearing hideous and terrifying.

His eyes now reflected the firelight, blood-red. “If it wasn’t for Xiaoyan, why would she abandon her family and country, travel thousands of miles from Dantat, and serve the Great Mu? The glory of the Ha clan ended with this, and from then on, we were all deemed criminal slaves, branded as traitors! This is a humiliation that the Ha clan can never, ever wash away! Yet Ha Ta Zhu stubbornly went her own way, only to die early in the Great Mu. What good end did she come to?” After speaking, he laughed loudly several times, his expression becoming increasingly manic.

Gu Yi was truly frightened and stepped back half a pace. “You…”

She had barely uttered one word when Hamu’er’s form swayed before her. His brows suddenly furrowed, and he clutched his forehead as his gaze gradually became unfocused, his dark brown pupils dramatically dilating.

Hamu’er looked at Gu Yi in disbelief and said, “You poisoned me? You poisoned me?”

The pearl medicine was taking effect!

Gu Yi pushed against the ground, about to rise from the grass, but Hamu’er reached out and firmly pressed her shoulder, forcing her back down. His hand flipped, and the silver knife headed straight for her chest. “You vicious person!”

Gu Yi was greatly alarmed and tried to dodge sideways, but Hamu’er’s hand gripping her shoulder was like a thousand-pound iron chain, heavily pinning her in place, impossible to escape.

The silver knife came with great force, making a stabbing sound as it struck her chest, but the bright blade tip pressed against Gu Yi’s chest and could advance no further.

Gu Yi gasped, seeing Hamu’er’s hand hesitate. She immediately struggled violently and frantically backward, managing to break free from his grip.

Hamu’er felt all strength leave his body as he collapsed like mud onto the grass, unable to move anymore.

Gu Yi jumped ten steps away in one breath, catching her breath.

After Hamu’er had completely passed out, she carefully approached him, took the silver knife from his hand, and stepped several paces away to cut the ropes binding her hands using the knife’s tip.

Her chest still felt slightly numb. Looking down, she saw that Hamu’er had used great force with his knife, piercing her outer garment, but the golden soft armor she wore underneath remained intact, impervious to blades.

Fortunately, she had worn it; otherwise, she would certainly have been stabbed through again. Indeed, wearing all her protective items had been a wise decision. It hadn’t been in vain that she had endured the heat of the golden armor all this time, even taking the trouble to hide it from others when bathing occasionally. To preserve her life, all this was worth it!

Gu Yi kept the silver knife she had picked up and also found a money pouch and a flint pouch on Hamu’er. Some provisions remained in the bag hanging from the horse.

Gu Yi mounted Hamu’er’s horse and took one more look at the unconscious Hamu’er by the fire.

At this moment, she belatedly felt a sense of fear, gripping the reins tightly to steady her trembling hands.

The fire on the ground was burning vigorously, with several thick pieces of wood that should keep burning until early the next morning.

The pearl medicine had only recently dissolved in the water, and Hamu’er hadn’t drunk much.

She reassured herself that Hamu’er was probably just unconscious…

But Gu Yi had no time to think further. She tightened the reins, slapped the horse’s rump, and the black horse began to run.

The vast grassland stretched ahead, and the night wind grew stronger, making the grass tips surge like waves.

She looked up at the sparse stars in the sky, some of which were astonishingly bright, like dazzling jewels embedded in a black silk curtain.

She needed to head south.

*

The eagle that Yu Dai had sent out took only two short days to find traces of Ha Duo. With military orders in hand, Yu Dai dared not conceal or delay the report, so he immediately entered the central military tent to inform Xiaoyan.

Xiaoyan was still half-reclining on his bed. Upon hearing the news, his eyes suddenly brightened. “I will go north quickly with General Yu.”

Chief Physician Hu looked at Yu Dai with concern, and Yu Dai immediately said, “Your Majesty, the poison is not yet cleared from your system and may affect your heart vessels. The journey on horseback could take several days. I can go personally, while Your Majesty rests and recovers…”

Chief Physician Hu seized the opportunity to advise, “Your Majesty currently needs rest. If you push yourself too hard, you may develop a lingering illness that would be difficult to cure. I fear…”

Xiaoyan pulled a silk ribbon from the table by his bed to tie his hair, silently rose from the bed, and put on a black outer robe. He then turned to ask Chief Physician Hu, “Would it be appropriate if I traveled by sedan chair?”

Hearing this calm tone, Chief Physician Hu felt inexplicably uneasy.

He knew the Emperor had already compromised, so he could only accept this concession. “Your Majesty’s words are most appropriate!”

“Your Majesty…” Yu Dai, still undeterred, wanted to persuade him further.

But Xiaoyan said, “Summon General Zhou.”

A soldier outside the tent heard the order and left to carry it out.

Xiaoyan looked at Yu Dai and slowly said, “Di City has already fallen. If we don’t pursue this advantage and head north to take the capital directly, is General Yu waiting for the Dantat army to rise again?”

Yu Dai’s face froze. He hadn’t expected this day to come so quickly. He had imagined countless times that one day he would face Dantat with sword and blade, in a fight to the death. When Di City fell, he hadn’t yet felt it, but the capital was the heartland of Dantat. Once the capital was taken, Dantat would become a vassal of the Great Mu and would cease to exist as it was.

Seeing Yu Dai’s changing expression, Xiaoyan slowly asked, “Uncle, do you still have some lingering attachment in your heart?”

Yu Dai was stunned for several breaths, his chest rising and falling with thoughts. His fists clenched involuntarily, and he slowly shook his head. “I have seen enough of Dantat’s cruelty and slaughter. I have no attachment left in my heart. This day was bound to come…”

The next day at the hour of the Dragon, General Zhou led the main army to break camp and head north, while Yu Dai and Xiaoyan led several hundred cavalry through a secluded forest route.

Four days later, Xiaoyan finally saw the white-headed black eagle, Ha Duo, in the forest.

Ha Duo perched on a low tree, and upon seeing Xiaoyan leave his sedan chair, it circled once with beating wings before returning to the branch.

Xiaoyan walked to the tree, gently stroked the eagle’s feathers, and observed closely. One wing had several disordered feathers, showing signs of a struggle.

He looked around but saw no human presence or heard any human sounds. Looking up at the pale blue sky, he saw no bird silhouettes either.

“Your Majesty, is this what you’re looking for?”

Among the scattered soldiers, one had found the string of multi-treasure beads in the shrubs and presented it with both hands.

The golden bead glittered amidst the wooden beads. Xiaoyan took it, feeling the eagle fragrance bead’s bone-chilling coldness, enveloped in the forest mist, long devoid of human warmth.

Someone who knew about the eagle fragrance bead and could command an eagle in pursuit, who had abducted Gu Yi, must be Hamu’er.

Xiaoyan placed the beads on his left wrist and ordered, “Make haste toward the capital.”