Murong Zhen and his group gave chase, while the other soldiers in the residence who had long since arrived but couldn’t approach due to the high-level combat finally rushed over to the water’s edge where ice fragments still floated, pulling up Tie Xingze who appeared to be dead.

Originally, Tie Xingze had been underwater for quite some time and should have drowned long ago. Whether Murong Zhen had cast some spell on him when he fell, or Gong Yin had given him breath when lifting him up, after the soldiers desperately pressed his chest and gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, he spat up a large amount of water and finally coughed back to consciousness.

When he awoke, he was dazed for a long time, his unfocused gaze moving across the anxious faces of his subordinates. After quite a while, he suddenly sat up: “Gong… where is he!”

Everyone understood he meant that formidable man in white and told him what had just happened, pointing to the wall where Gong Yin had departed.

Tie Xingze immediately wanted to pursue personally, but his generals hastily held him down. They immediately mobilized troops to give chase, splitting into more than ten groups, lighting torches and searching from dusk to dawn. At first they could still discern the ice and snow scattered everywhere when those people left, flickering silver light like a guide, and they successively found seven corpses, though no one recognized who they were. Later, the ice and snow left no traces, and both Gong Yin and that group of people who had suddenly appeared had lost all trace within the Shen Tie territory.

When the news returned, Tie Xingze was disheartened and immediately ordered all armies that had come to protect him from various places, as well as local officials everywhere, to search for Gong Yin with all their might.

For this, he abandoned pursuing the Mo army, letting that force disappear beyond Shen Tie Pass. He didn’t leave the pass either, staying in place, waiting for news of Gong Yin to be reported back.

But not only Gong Yin, even Murong Zhen’s group seemed to have vanished from the earth. No matter how many people were deployed, not half a clue could be found.

Tie Xingze sighed constantly over this, staying awake all night, continuously blaming himself. The pass soldiers saw this and all sighed in admiration, saying the great king had such deep friendship with his close friend that he would surely be a wise king rare in Shen Tie’s hundred-year history.

After nearly ten days like this, seeing there was truly no hope, Tie Xingze finally said one day: “Prepare ink and brush. This king will write a letter.”

That night, the study lamp in the pass burned until midnight without extinguishing. The generals, watching that unextinguished lonely lamp, all wondered who the great king was writing to and what difficult content he was writing that made him hesitate so much, spending an entire night on just a short letter.

At dawn, a fast horse carried away the fire-sealed secret letter, heading straight for Daimao.

Five days later, this letter was delivered to Xia Zirui’s hands.

When the letter arrived, Zirui was accompanying Jing Hengbo in Shangyuan City, conducting the handover of Shangyuan City’s palace and military affairs with Chai Yu. On the day Ming Yan’an died violently outside Shangyuan City, the Daimao princess consort led the civil and military officials to surrender and offer the city. The Shangyuan army immediately laid down their weapons, the fifteen gangs fled in panic, and Jing Hengbo finally conquered Daimao with virtually no bloodshed.

But more troublesome matters lay ahead. Whether Shangyuan should be reformed or integrated, how to deal with the fifteen gangs, the arrangements for Shangyuan City’s existing military and official systems and all the ministers, including how the entire Daimao would be integrated—none of these were problems that could be solved overnight. The civil and military officials under Jing Hengbo, together with Shangyuan’s ministers, were meeting day and night. Even with Yelu Qi, Pei Shu, and others helping, Jing Hengbo was still running around frantically. Her eyes were full of bloodshot veins from staying up continuously, and her emotions seemed irritable, often inexplicably losing her temper.

Everyone said she had been too busy recently, with thousands of threads and countless matters all requiring her decision, so irritability was normal. But Jing Hengbo herself knew that though she had been busy before, she usually slept very well and would wake up energetic after a good sleep. Recently, however, her sleep quality was extremely poor. Each night she was clearly exhausted to the bone, yet still tossed and turned unable to sleep. Sometimes when she dozed off briefly, she would immediately wake with a start, covered in cold sweat, not knowing what terrible dreams she had in that brief sleep. She couldn’t remember them at all, only vaguely recalling vast wilderness, countless roads and figures flowing past like water before her eyes. She seemed to be walking constantly, with darkness always ahead, and at the end of darkness, a point of white misty light. She didn’t know what it was, but in her dreams she stubbornly followed it, stumbling and not knowing how long she had walked, with empty, desperate, and mournful feelings in her heart. It seemed that pursuit was itself a dream, or perhaps she was chasing the sun, destined to be burned to ash the moment she reached that light. Sometimes she woke not only covered in cold sweat but with wet eyes too. She would stare wide-eyed until dawn, feeling as if her entire being was submerged by that empty tide.

In her heart, she understood that such emotions were largely related to Gong Yin. He had taken Tie Xingze from Daimao’s border to lead away the Mo army. Deep down, she didn’t think the Mo army could harm him, but that uneasy feeling lingered. After things settled down somewhat on her side, she had written to Shen Tie inquiring about his whereabouts. For some reason, he hadn’t returned, nor had any letter come. She waited day by day, feeling each day was torment.

When Zirui’s letter arrived, Jing Hengbo was about to inspect the Shangyuan army camp with Chai Yu’s accompaniment, as several battalions were said to be loyal to Ming Yan’an and quite restless.

Therefore, Jing Hengbo only glanced casually, seeing the white envelope and assuming it was paperwork Zirui was helping to handle. She paid it no mind and turned to leave.

Shortly after she left, there was a bang as the door slammed. Zirui burst out, face pale as death, clutching the letter paper and shouting: “Your Majesty…”

A nearby servant said softly: “Female Official, His Majesty is busy with affairs and has already left.”

Zirui stood stunned, then turned back to look at the letter again.

She had only read one line before being so shocked she rushed out to tell Jing Hengbo the news, not knowing she had already left.

Now she composed herself and read the letter carefully, her expression gradually changing as she fell into hesitation.

In the letter, Tie Xingze clearly explained the entire situation from leaving Daimao to go to Shen Tie and Gong Yin’s disappearance, with much self-blame and regret in his tone. At the end he wrote: “…This matter is of great importance. I don’t know what the female king’s current situation is? How are Daimao’s circumstances? The State Preceptor’s whereabouts are unknown. This brother dares not conceal this, yet has always known the State Preceptor’s abilities—he surely wouldn’t fall prey to petty villains, or perhaps has other plans we don’t know of. Sister has always been intelligent and wise, far superior to this brother. How to inform the female king of this matter, please decide for yourself.”

The letter paper slowly crumpled into a ball in Zirui’s hands.

Tie Xingze spoke very reasonably. The State Preceptor had only disappeared, and when he left he showed no signs of distress. He had even killed seven people in one move—no matter how you looked at it, he didn’t seem to be in trouble. Perhaps he had his own plans but simply couldn’t explain them at the time. Tie Xingze told her about this, asking her to help decide whether to tell the female king and how to tell her. After calming down to think, she also found it difficult. The female king was currently at the crucial moment of taking over Daimao. If she rashly told her this news, what if she went mad? What if she left immediately? What if she abandoned Daimao?

Zirui felt that given the female king’s temperament, she might very well do such a thing.

But she couldn’t.

The victory at Shangyuan seemed bloodless, but it was built on the foundation of the Horizontal Halberd Army’s bloody battles over many days. During Jing Hengbo’s absence, the Horizontal Halberd Army had fought against Shangyuan and the fifteen gangs, experiencing bloody battles and sieges, surviving the most difficult war years. She had personally seen young soldiers pierced through the abdomen by spears in winter, leaning against frozen city walls, using ice to freeze their wounds, still stabbing an enemy to death with one knife before dying, their corpses frozen in blood to the wall, impossible to tear away. She had personally seen during the siege when food ran out completely, great sages and soldiers digging rat holes together, rat skin was a delicacy, a bowl of rough rice for the sick patients was pushed back and forth between them, old men dying of illness couldn’t even get a sip of hot porridge.

And during such difficult times, Jing Hengbo was absent.

If the female king hadn’t shared hardships with the soldiers, it would be very difficult to gain their recognition. As for all the covert efforts and struggles she had made along the way to conquer Daimao, short-sighted ordinary soldiers couldn’t see them.

Now the female king, through the strategic planning of the final battle, overturning wind and rain, and her nearly miraculous supernatural abilities, had brought glory to the soldiers and intimidated Shangyuan. But if at this time she abandoned her subjects and soldiers to leave for uncertain news, her foundation, not yet firmly established, would be destroyed in an instant!

One step forward could gain Daimao, one step back was the abyss!

What if the State Preceptor was actually fine, but His Majesty left the army and territory for this, failing at the crucial moment—how would she face this wasted effort in the future?

But what if the State Preceptor was truly in trouble, and she made His Majesty lose the last chance to find him—with His Majesty’s temperament, how could she calmly control this satisfactory realm?

Zirui leaned against the door, her face alternating between green and red, almost crushing the letter.

The sky had already darkened. She couldn’t eat or sleep, waiting for Jing Hengbo to return, yet fearing her return.

Finally, footsteps sounded outside, but they were very chaotic. The vaguely familiar footsteps belonged to Jing Hengbo. Her mind went blank, and she instinctively went out to greet her, subconsciously reaching for the letter as she stood up.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew in from the window. She didn’t catch the letter, and it floated onto the candle flame. The already tattered letter paper immediately burned up. She cried “Ah!” and tried to grab it, but couldn’t reach it in time.

Pale paper ash fell inch by inch. She lowered her head, staring at the ash crumbling and disappearing on her skirt, suddenly thinking—was it heaven making the choice for me in the unseen?

“Zirui, what are you doing?” Suddenly Jing Hengbo’s voice came. She had originally been passing hurriedly by Zirui’s door, but seeing her standing in a daze, she turned back to ask.

Zirui looked up in surprise and, seeing Jing Hengbo’s complexion, couldn’t help but be alarmed: “Your Majesty, why do you look so terrible?”

“Do I?” Jing Hengbo touched her face and smiled bitterly. “I just went to the camp. One battalion of the Shangyuan army has defected.”

“Ah.” Zirui was greatly shocked, knowing such events greatly shook military morale. Once it spread, all of Shangyuan would have problems. Moreover, Black Water Marsh was too important—once various strange beasts were released, Shangyuan’s safety would be in jeopardy.

“They actually escaped through Black Water Marsh—they’re really not afraid of death. I’ve already ordered the use of the Sky Star treasure boat to enter Black Water Marsh to pursue them. This time I’ll go personally and must catch them before they enter the depths of Black Water Marsh. Such an example is too bad—there absolutely cannot be a second time.” Jing Hengbo’s eyes rarely flashed with fierce light—the continuous work and constant various troublesome affairs had completely exhausted her patience.

“I’ve asked Yelu to help watch over Shangyuan Palace. Shangyuan Palace has many secrets and needs someone skilled in formations and mechanisms to control it—he’s perfect for it. You and Yong Xue stay in the palace to assist Master Yelu.” Jing Hengbo casually instructed as she walked past the door. Zirui hadn’t had time to sigh in relief or consider whether to call out to her when Jing Hengbo suddenly turned back, studying her expression. “You seem to have something on your mind? Is there something you want to tell me?”

Zirui was shocked, her fingers trembling, instinctively about to speak. But suddenly she saw Jing Hengbo’s brow furrowed in a deep “川” shape, her temples and eye corners full of fatigue, even the hand supporting the door frame seeming to tremble slightly.

Fear surged in her heart.

If His Majesty learned this news now and rushed back thousands of miles, Shangyuan would surely be destroyed, and her own body would collapse…

She stepped forward, crushing a piece of paper ash under her foot. Meeting Jing Hengbo’s gaze, she spread a composed smile.

“Yes, Your Majesty, I received a letter from Xingze.”

“What!” In the next instant, Jing Hengbo had flashed to Zirui’s side, gripping her shoulders tightly. “Xingze sent a letter? What did he say? Why didn’t he write to me? Did the letter mention how the State Preceptor is?”

Her tone was urgent, asking four questions in succession, her fingers digging tightly into Zirui’s shoulders. But Zirui felt her heart contract sharply, forcibly suppressing the tears in her eyes. When she raised her head again, her expression was calm as iron.

“He did.” She said, “Congratulations, Your Majesty. The State Preceptor has helped King Tie return to Shen Tie, eliminated the Mo army rebels, and…” She paused, then said, “safely returned to Di Ge.”

…

Jing Hengbo let out a long breath, her body stepping back. For an instant, her face showed an expression between grief and joy, nearly collapsing by the door. Zirui caught her in time.

As she supported her, Zirui felt a pang in her heart, discovering that in just half a month, her shoulder blades had protruded, having lost much weight.

This made her even more determined in her decision.

Jing Hengbo leaned on Zirui’s arm, silent for a long while. After a long time, muffled sounds came from her face, seeming like crying yet like joy.

“…How wonderful, how wonderful, he’s safe. I worried for so long for nothing, always having nightmares, always fearing the nightmares would come true… Really, Zirui, I originally thought it was nothing much, but I was scared to death by that same nightmare… I had even packed my luggage, ready to leave the moment I heard bad news. Thank goodness he’s safe, thank goodness my premonition was wrong…”

Zirui patted her shoulder, helping to smooth her slightly disheveled hair. She didn’t dare speak, afraid that after speaking her throat would choke up and be noticed by the increasingly astute female king.

Jing Hengbo’s body trembled slightly, staying quiet for quite a while. After her breathing steadied, she suddenly began cursing again.

“Damn him! If he left, why couldn’t he send me even one letter, or send someone with a message! Was making me worry to death fun!”

She also cursed Tie Xingze: “Outrageous! Getting a wife and forgetting friends—why did he write to you first instead of me? What’s he sneaking around trying to do?”

Zirui shuddered and tried to smile and explain, but Jing Hengbo had already folded her arms and said resentfully: “When I finish dealing with things here and return to Di Ge, I’ll make a detour to Shen Tie and beat both of them to death!”

After cursing, she suddenly slapped her forehead and realized: “Ah, the army is still waiting for me! I have to go!”

Just as Zirui was about to let go and bow to see her off, Jing Hengbo suddenly released her and stared at her for a while.

Under such a gaze, Zirui trembled all over.

But suddenly she fell into a warm embrace.

Jing Hengbo opened her arms and hugged her tightly.

She hugged with such force, as if wanting to give all her heartfelt warmth and gratitude to Zirui. Zirui was hugged until her whole body ached, this pain seeming to spread to her heart. After the pain came sourness and guilt. She suddenly became teary-eyed, opened her mouth slightly, and said softly: “Your Majesty, actually…”

Her words were again interrupted by Jing Hengbo.

Pressing against Zirui’s cheek, she said loudly: “Thank you, thank you for telling me this good news at this time. I’ve finally come back to life! I won’t go crazy or die! I finally have the strength to persevere and take this territory! I’ve finally accomplished what he wanted me to accomplish! Haha, long live the female king!”

Zirui’s words suddenly died in her throat again.

Jing Hengbo released Zirui, laughing cheerfully as she strode out. Before leaving, she flicked her hand, and her cloak gracefully settled on her shoulders.

The corridor lamps lit up one by one and then extinguished one by one, illuminating the silhouette of Daimao’s new female king with her cloak trailing on the ground, illuminating her suddenly steady and firm steps.

Zirui moved to the door in a daze, watching Jing Hengbo’s figure quickly disappear at the end of the corridor. Below the corridor, Chai Yu wore armor and sword, personally and respectfully welcoming her.

Her body went limp, and she leaned against the door, sliding down to sit. She buried her head deeply in her knees.

Paper ash swirled at her feet—the burned letter, silently scattered between heaven and earth.

Broken sobs echoed in the silent space.

“Heaven above… tell me… what I did… was it right or wrong…”

…

In the spring of that year, in the fourth month, shocking news spread like fire across the Great Wilderness.

The Black Water Female King had set up counterintelligence, lured enemies from their lair, used herself as bait, laid an earth-shaking trap, and hooked that famous turtle king Ming Yan’an who was known for self-preservation. Without shedding blood, she had seized the Daimao stronghold that no outsider had ever been able to occupy, conquered Shangyuan’s three hundred thousand soldiers and armor, and in one night changed the winds and clouds, becoming the irresistible new master of Shangyuan and even all of Daimao.

Though the female king’s new palace was not yet completed, the gates of Shangyuan Palace were already wide open under the sunlight with all nine gates thrown open. The fierce wind rising from Daimao’s soil swept across the six kingdoms and eight tribes of the Great Wilderness.

While all tribes were discussing the Black Water Female King’s miraculous empty-handed conquest, with some tribes who knew she had long been wandering outside and not in Daimao being even more puzzled and gathering advisors to analyze her circuitous path to power, a cavalry unit galloped out from Di Ge’s towering city gates, heading toward Daimao, the current center of wind and clouds.

The horsemen rode black horses with white plumes—the standard attire of court messengers.

In their saddlebags, within gold-lacquered sealed iron boxes, lay two imperial edicts.

“Edict on the State Preceptor’s Enthronement and Establishment of Ming City Female King as Empress”

“Edict to Depose the Black Water Female King and Grant Death”.