From the Western Black War that weakened Yan Hui’s forces, thus causing the root of Western Chuan’s internal chaos, to interfering in Eastern Qi’s internal affairs by supporting Qi Yu, Qi Yan, Qi Song, and others in attacking Crown Prince Qi’an, to pacifying the weak vassal states in the west and southeastern coast for his own use – Chu Li’s powerful methods and iron-blooded policies had gradually awed the world. This man who had once crawled on the ground, compromising and living under others’ contemptuous gazes, had finally gradually grown strong.

Qing Xia smiled faintly. The current Chu Li had finally become a golden dragon soaring in the nine heavens, rising to great heights where no one could look down on him anymore.

The night wind suddenly grew stronger, making Qing Xia’s robes flutter. It was bone-chillingly cold. She rubbed her arms with her hands when a warm cloak was suddenly draped over her shoulders. Turning her head, she saw Qi’an standing behind her in elegant white robes.

“You don’t mind if I sit down, do you?”

Qing Xia smiled and said: “I do mind.”

“Even if you mind, I have to sit down. I’ve been standing for quite a while and my legs are sore.”

The man sat down beside Qing Xia, his eyes gazing at the vast sea ahead as he said: “Qing Xia, where have you been all these years? My spies searched the entire world for you but never caught even a shadow. Later they reported that you had left seclusion – that was false information, right?”

“No,” Qing Xia shook her head and said: “I really did leave seclusion.”

“Ah?” Qi’an was stunned and said: “Really! Sigh, I thought that spy couldn’t find you and was making false reports, so I had him killed.”

Qing Xia was shocked: “Ah?”

“So surprised?” Qi’an laughed, his eyes curving upward with a wicked charm: “I’ve always been this kind of person. When things aren’t done well, I naturally punish those who handle affairs poorly.”

Qing Xia was somewhat dazed, shaking her head slightly, and was actually speechless.

Qi’an laughed: “I was just teasing you. I know you went beyond the pass, and I also know you visited many countries. But I didn’t send people to look for you. Do you still remember He Shun?”

Qing Xia frowned, thinking hard, and said: “That Qi spy hidden in the Chu palace?”

“Right, that’s him,” Qi’an said: “During a chance encounter, he overheard a conversation between Chu Li and the capital’s Grand Marshal Mingyuan, learning that you were involved in local religious rebellion in Anxi, were severely wounded and captured. That’s how I knew you had gone beyond the pass.”

Qing Xia frowned and said: “How would he know that?”

When she had first arrived in Anxi, she happened to encounter the local government massacring religious followers and was imprisoned as a believer. At that time, she was unarmed and had been trapped in the desert for more than ten days without any strength. Just when she was about to be killed, a group of people suddenly appeared, killed all the local guards, and released all the religious followers. Her white camel was given by that group, along with much food, water, and gold. She had encountered many hardships in the Western Regions, but that time was the most dangerous.

“Qing Xia, are you truly unaware or pretending not to know,” Qi’an said with a smile: “In this world, besides Prince Qin Xuan, he’s the only one willing to follow you at any cost, year after year. You’ve repeatedly turned danger into safety in the desert – have you never wondered about the reasons?”

Those light and casual words struck Qing Xia’s heart like heavy hammer blows. She frowned tightly and said in a cold tone: “Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because,” Qi’an’s smile was gentle as he slowly approached Qing Xia and suddenly said: “I need you to know.”

With a thud, a hand chop struck heavily on Qing Xia’s neck. Her vision immediately went black, and she frowned in disbelief before softly collapsing.

Qi’an caught her soft body, the corners of his mouth curving in a bitter smile: “Qing Xia, meeting you when I’m utterly disheartened – I really don’t know if it’s fortunate or unfortunate. I originally wanted to just walk away. Why did you have to save me?”

The night wind blew strongly, stirring their white robes, fluttering back and forth.

Qi’an’s voice was so low, yet so gentle, like a lover climbing through windows in the night.

“Xia’er, in the end I still have to harm you.”

When she awoke the next day, everything was pitch black. Her eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, but no matter what, she couldn’t open them. Her throat seemed poisoned mute, unable to make a sound. Qing Xia could only hear Peter, John, and the others chattering and calling her name. Each “Ah Xia” sounded as distant as if coming from another world. Qi’an stood nearby, saying in a low tone: “Her illness must be treated immediately by finding the best doctor in Hai City, otherwise the situation looks grim.”

The crowd gradually dispersed. Qi’an slowly crouched down beside Qing Xia, his fingers gently caressing her cheek as he said softly: “Xia’er, I know you can hear me. Right now, you must want to kill me.”

“You’re so clever, so strong. How I wish I could be like Prince Xuan, able to properly care for and protect you, occupying an important place in your heart. Unfortunately, I won’t have that chance anymore – it was already destined when I decided to let you go to Southern Chu. Chu Zheng has lived in the rear palace for years, and I truly needed someone to act as a go-between for me. But truly, there were so many times I wanted to let you go, to give you freedom and stop using you. It’s just a pity that Chu Li took everything from me. What right does such a lowly bastard have to take from my hands what should have belonged to me?”

Qi’an’s voice gradually became sharp as he said angrily: “How is such a base thing worthy of being emperor of the world’s greatest empire? How is he worthy of destroying my country? How is he worthy of obtaining those things I’ve dreamed of? How can I allow myself to lose to such a shameless, base bastard? Xia’er, you also look down on him, don’t you? You’ll help me – you’ll definitely be willing to help me, right? Just like you did before.”

Some sadness slowly rose from the depths of her heart. Her eye sockets somehow became moist, and self-blame, annoyance, anger – various chaotic emotions tangled together, making tears slowly overflow from her eye sockets, flowing down line by line.

Seeing this, Qi’an suddenly held her close, saying gently: “Don’t be afraid, I won’t abandon you. We just need to lure him here and kill him. After it’s done, I’ll take you back to the capital, back to Hai City, and make you my empress. Isn’t that the day you’ve always been waiting for?”

Qing Xia’s tears flowed continuously. Qi’an finally sighed slowly and said: “Xia’er, do you know what your greatest mistake in this life is? It’s that you fell in love with someone you shouldn’t have loved.”

“He’s a beast, destined only for hell. How could you love him? You’re so alert, your martial skills so good, but whenever he’s mentioned, you become so mentally confused that I can successfully ambush you. This truly makes me very sad.”

Qi’an’s eyes suddenly reddened, his tone becoming cold: “I could allow you to follow Qin Zhiyan as free spirits wandering the world, but I can’t watch you and that beast together pointing at rivers and mountains. Xia’er, he’ll defile you sooner or later. Let me kill him, and you won’t have to be sad anymore.”

Qi’an held Qing Xia, saying over and over: “You’ll be willing to help me, you’ll be willing. You’re just being confused by him now, but you’ll definitely be grateful to me in the future.”

He repeated these words over and over, not knowing whether he was hypnotizing others or himself.

Layers of sad waves surged up from the depths of her heart. Qi’an, why must you force me? Those things I no longer wish to touch – why must you force me to face them?

Qi’an, the person you truly love is only yourself, only this golden imperial power.

Qi’an, I ultimately misjudged you.

The Siyuan, which had been sailing for less than a month, finally docked again on a clear morning. The disguised Qi’an took Qing Xia and, under cover of a group of foreigners who knew nothing of the truth, quickly headed toward the home of the divine physician Qi’an had mentioned.

Eastern Qi now had a different ruler. In just one month, Eastern Qi no longer bore the Qi surname. The Southern Chu Great Emperor had brazenly expanded Southern Chu’s territory again with his powerful momentum, directly extending to the coastline of the East Sea.

However, that afternoon, an arrow-letter suddenly struck the door pillar of Eastern Qi’s Ronghua Palace. When Chu Li opened the envelope, inside were only a time and place, along with a piece of lustrous white jade pendant with eight characters neatly carved on it: “Outstanding among ten thousand mountains, Shen and Shang forever apart.”

Since the division of Great Qin began, the war between Qi and Chu had never stopped. In three hundred years, the two countries rarely had times of ceasing hostilities. Duke Qi Xian, who founded Great Qi, had once been a subordinate of Southern Chu’s founding emperor Chu Mufeng. When Chu Mufeng was determined to split Great Qin, he rebelled in Southern Chu and divided half his troops to his most trusted Qi Xian to respond in Hai City. Unexpectedly, Qi Xian developed different intentions and established himself as king along the southeastern coast, no longer following Chu Mufeng’s commands. The Qi-Chu war began from this. It was precisely because of this that Great Qin, which had been beaten by Chu Mufeng without any power to fight back, gained a chance to breathe, retreated to the north, and gave the western Yunliang clan an opportunity to rise up, forming the later situation of four kingdoms standing together.