The bonfire cast a red glow across everyone’s faces. A small wine gourd was passed around the group, each person taking controlled sips—one mouthful here, another there. Only when it reached that particular man’s hands would he take a large gulp. Given that both his legs were wrapped in bandages, Liu Jinbao didn’t mind. For this excursion, the Marquis had only brought this single gourd of wine.

“This humble one is Yuan Gae Suwen. May I ask how to address you, brother?”

Upon hearing his name, Yun Ye froze momentarily. Among Goguryeo nobility, he only knew of two people: one was King Yeongnyu, Go Geonmu, and the other was this very Yuan Gae Suwen—a legendary hero in Goguryeo’s history, an extraordinary warrior who had defeated the Great Tang’s armies three times in succession.

A hero was a hero indeed. A man who could repel the formidable Tang army three times deserved that title. As for him eliminating Go Geonmu and bloodbathing Pyongyang—such matters were trifles, just as Li Er eliminating his own brothers was a trifle, hardly worth mentioning.

Upon hearing this name, a cold gleam intensified in Yun Ye’s eyes. His first instinct was to order this man’s head severed immediately. But after swallowing a mouthful of wine, he changed his mind. The Great Tang’s current stance toward Goguryeo was merely probing, a show of force. The next military target wasn’t Goguryeo—it was the Tuyuhun people. Leaving such a figure alive in Goguryeo seemed to have no downsides, provided of course that he informed Go Geonmu that Yuan Gae Suwen was planning rebellion.

“My name is Yun Ye, from Chang’an. Meeting Brother Yuan Gae and his wife makes this journey worthwhile. Just now, witnessing Brother Yuan Gae’s thunderous blade technique, this humble one is deeply impressed.”

“Brother Yun is too kind. This is not my wife, but our Great King’s consort. My mission this time is to escort Noble Consort Yonghua to the King’s City and hand her over to his brother. Might Brother Yun grant us this convenience?”

Everyone stared at the man in astonishment. Why had their group traveled to Liaodong in this bitter cold if not to destroy the King’s City? How could he make such a request?

Yun Ye looked at Yuan Gae Suwen with an ambiguous smile, saying nothing. Yuan Gae Suwen straightened his posture and said, “As an exchange, you may take some remains back to fulfill your duty. Each of us gets what we need—how about it?”

“I’ll just call you Gae Suwen—adding ‘Yuan’ sounds awkward. When have you ever heard of our Great Tang needing to exchange for what we want? Whatever we need, we simply take. Generally, we send an envoy to request it first. If refused, then we have no choice but to send our armies to claim it. Gae Suwen, I want the King’s City too. That city was built with our nation’s soldiers’ blood and sweat. That city must be destroyed to honor the departed spirits. If your luck is good, you might return to Goguryeo. If your luck is bad, you’ll end up married to this woman and muddle through the rest of your life.”

A flash of anger crossed Gae Suwen’s face before it became placid again. He removed the blanket from his body to wrap around the woman, then looked up at Yun Ye and said, “Do you not understand imperial majesty? Can others covet your Emperor’s wives?”

Yun Ye’s fire-poking stick instantly struck Gae Suwen’s face. Wiping his hands, he addressed Gae Suwen, who still held his neck rigid: “That’s different. I’ve frequented the imperial palace since childhood. To me, all those consorts in His Majesty’s harem are elders. Being close to them is fine, but molesting them? Is that a Goguryeo tradition? You two clearly have an affair, yet you spout this damned nonsense to me. Have you forgotten your current situation?”

When Yun Ye struck Gae Suwen, the woman had already buried her head in Gae Suwen’s embrace, holding him tightly, hoping he wouldn’t resist and suffer unjust treatment.

“Beisha City will make you bleed dry. I’ve inspected that fortress—it’s impregnable. If you think you can achieve your goal through a sneak attack, that’s laughable.” Gae Suwen had a black mark on his face from the burning stick, and blood dripped from his nose. This fellow ignored it all, still baring his white teeth in mockery of Yun Ye.

Looking at the half-moon climbing the mountain peak, Yun Ye asked irritably, “Why haven’t they lit the fire yet? How is this small bonfire enough? Do they want us to freeze?” Everyone was watching the opposite shore, no one in the mood to add firewood.

Liu Jinbao pointed across the sea and shouted loudly, “Marquis, it’s lit! They’ve set the fire!” After speaking, he stood up, threw off his blanket, and cheered.

First, a small fireball suddenly leaped up, then countless flames illuminated the mountain ridge. Fierce flames mixed with black smoke even shrouded the newly risen moon in dark fog.

“You’re burning the mountain? Mount Daehei won’t catch fire. There are few pine trees there, lacking resin. Once your kindling burns out, the fire will extinguish, having no effect whatsoever. Do you think I haven’t tested this? If you want to take Beisha City, fill it with human lives! Goguryeo’s brave warriors will slaughter these arrogant Tang people.”

Yun Ye ignored Gae Suwen’s shouting. He grabbed a handful of sand from the ground and let it slide through his fingers. The sea breeze was light, but it still blew the sand toward the opposite shore. Satisfied, he nodded, then said to the arm-waving, cheering Gae Suwen, “Don’t worry, my kindling is quite sufficient. I’ll certainly burn the entire Mount Daehei clean.”

The moon rose higher, and the sea breeze arrived. The bonfire was blown into a shower of sparks. Gae Suwen’s complexion grew worse and worse. Suddenly, he said to Yun Ye, “As long as you stop setting fires, I promise to give you all the remains, let you take them back. Surely that’s acceptable?”

“That memorial mound isn’t as important as Beisha City, is it? You truly are someone who values practical power over dignity. Your request is reasonable and tempting. But I refuse. Having finally escaped from Chang’an, I must satisfy my craving to play Great General. The Great Tang values military merit. Reclaiming remains and seizing them back are two completely different concepts. When welcoming remains home without sacrificial offerings, those departed souls will be restless.”

Gae Suwen said through clenched teeth, “For military merit, you would willingly ignite war between two nations?”

“What does this have to do with the Great Tang? Didn’t you see that I’m a pirate?” As Yun Ye spoke, he pulled an eyepatch from his pocket and put it on his face, waving his horizontal blade and shouting loudly at Liu Jinbao and the others, “I am the terrifying One-Eyed King! I am the God of Death! Hand over your gold, your silver, and your women, and I’ll spare your life!”

Liu Jinbao, dressed in leather armor, quickly replied, “Report to the Great King! Look, that mountain has been completely set ablaze. There’s no sparing lives now. You’d better continue bringing them death.”

Gae Suwen watched as in such a short time, the entire Mount Daehei was already engulfed in flames. The terrifying fire even flew into the air, painting the strait a brilliant red. The dark seawater at this moment looked as red as blood.

“You butcher! There are still over thirty thousand civilians in Beisha City!” Gae Suwen seemed to forget that both his legs were severely injured. He lunged forward, headbutting toward Yun Ye. Liu Jinbao yanked the silk thread in his hand, nearly severing Gae Suwen’s head. A deep wound appeared on his neck, blood trickling down along the silk thread.

Not just his neck—his wrists were also covered in blood. The rope made from iron wire snake sinew was exceptionally effective.

“Did you think I should announce it before lighting the fire?” Yun Ye looked at Gae Suwen as if looking at an idiot.

“You’ll face retribution, certainly! The Goguryeo army will tear you to pieces beneath the King’s City walls. I look forward to that day, to seeing you dismembered. If possible, I’ll personally place your head at the very top of the memorial mound, letting you despicable, vile, contemptible Tang people know the consequences of invading Goguryeo!” His voice had gone hoarse—the silk thread had damaged his throat. When he spoke, air leaked from his windpipe. The woman shrieked as she bandaged Gae Suwen’s wounds.

Wearing the eyepatch, Yun Ye now felt himself to be Zhuge Liang reincarnated—destroying a fortified city with a single fire. The more he thought about it, the more delighted he became. His eyes eagerly looked toward Sansan Port. Very satisfactory—flames were rising there too. Though he couldn’t hear the sounds of battle, just seeing wisps of black smoke rising in the moonlight made him extremely pleased. That was characteristic of incendiary bombs.

Just as he was feeling smug, he noticed dozens of ships rapidly sailing toward them in the strait. Weren’t those Lai Chuanfeng’s vessels? Why were they returning instead of blocking Goguryeo forces at Beisha City’s exit? What nonsense!

He hurriedly descended the mountain and waited for them at the shore, prepared to demand an explanation. Could they have been defeated? Yun Ye was utterly perplexed—how could a force armed to the teeth fail to handle some disorganized troops?

Seeing Yun Ye standing at the shore, Lai Chuanfeng jumped from the small boat into the sea, wading through the water onto land. Upon seeing Yun Ye, he loudly reported, “Reporting to the Grand Marshal, this subordinate has returned. The fire has been set, and none of our brothers were trapped in the flames.”

“I recall you had another mission—to trap the Goguryeo people in the city. Yet you fled without fighting?” Yun Ye was not at all pleased. If the Goguryeo forces escaped, it would greatly impact his future operations. Being on guard versus being unprepared were two different matters.

“Grand Marshal, what blocking was there to do? If the brothers hadn’t run fast, we’d have perished in the fire too. Tonight’s wind direction was strange—blowing east one moment, west the next. Within an hour, fires were everywhere. This subordinate was the last to evacuate. If Xiao Ying hadn’t pulled me away, I might have been the only one to die for the country.” Yun Ye examined Lai Chuanfeng’s robe full of holes and his hair burned away in large patches, then nodded. It seemed the situation had indeed been perilous. With unpredictable winds, who could know where the fire would spread? Withdrawing was good.

“The Marquis needn’t worry about Beisha City. When this subordinate left, I saw Beisha City had become a sea of flames. The mountain fire ignited the houses in the city too.”

“Yun Ye, Beisha City is full of thatched huts—they catch fire instantly. You had a grand time with your fire, but aren’t you worried those wronged spirits will seek your life?”

“Those wronged spirits don’t know who set the fire, so they can’t find me. They probably think it was a natural disaster. If we all keep quiet, no one will know. Even if I go to hell in the future and meet King Yama, I won’t admit it. Without evidence, what can he do to me?”