Western Ling main tent.

A personal guard lifted the tent flap and entered to report: “Princess, the fifty thousand troops newly transferred from the royal capital have also surrounded Gele City.”

Inside the tent, besides Heyi, there was also an old man wearing an ochre-colored religious robe. Their previous conversation seemed unpleasant. Heyi’s brows and eyes were full of sharpness. Hearing the personal guard’s report, she only slightly raised her jaw: “Order them to challenge and attack the city. This Princess will arrive shortly.”

Hearing these words, the old man’s wrinkled brow seemed to grow heavier with worry. After the personal guard left, he continued advising: “Princess, you’ve transferred all one hundred fifty thousand troops away from Western Ling. This is using the entire strength of Western Ling to attack Chenguo and the Liang Kingdom behind it. To use those Central Plains people’s words, this is ‘militarism’—truly inadvisable…”

Heyi had clearly already grown impatient from the old man’s persuasion. She coldly interrupted his words: “Aren’t those Central Plains people now also using their full national strength to defend? My Western Ling has obtained this once-in-a-century opportunity—does Teacher want me to timidly throw away this opportunity for nothing?”

In Heyi’s life, she had studied under countless teachers, but the one who truly deserved to be called her teacher was still this old monk who had picked her up from a leopard’s den when she was young.

After the late King’s passing, her mother had become a candidate for the next Queen. Before the grand wedding, however, due to frequent vomiting and a swollen belly, she was found to be pregnant by the shaman doctor.

Her mother refused to admit to having an affair with anyone. She claimed she had dreamed of a golden leopard charging straight toward her and crashing into her belly. Upon waking, she discovered she was pregnant.

Western Ling had the custom of not killing unborn children. A woman’s pregnancy was viewed as a blessing from the gods. Legend said that preventing a child’s birth would anger the gods and invite divine punishment. Thus Heyi’s mother was able to give birth to her.

However, at that time, the Western Ling King didn’t believe her mother’s story. After Heyi was born, he proclaimed that since she was supposedly born from a golden leopard’s womb, they should send her to a leopard’s den to see what the gods’ will truly was.

But on that day, whether because the desert leopards had already had their fill, or because the royal capital’s soldiers feared death and didn’t dare approach the leopard’s den too closely, they threw the still-swaddled Heyi beneath a withered tree where hunting leopards frequently appeared, then returned to report completion of their task.

Given the desert’s temperature differences, a tiny infant, even if not killed by beasts, would freeze to death in the desert night.

But fate was just that unpredictable.

The old monk was traveling and just happened to pass through that desert at that time, just happened to discover the crying Heyi beneath the tree.

The old monk lamented that this child had been abandoned in the wilderness yet hadn’t perished in a beast’s jaws—she must bear Heaven’s mission. That he could encounter this child perhaps also meant some karmic connection existed between them. So he picked up the swaddled infant and left.

The next day upon entering the city, the old monk learned of the child’s background from the city residents’ discussions. Knowing the Western Ling King couldn’t tolerate her, when the Queen’s clan members learned the old monk had taken the child and came seeking her, the old monk told a lie.

He claimed that this morning in the desert he had heard an infant’s cries. Following the cries, he found the child in a leopard’s den. Those fierce desert beasts had guarded this tiny life through the night yet hadn’t swallowed her.

The rumor that the Queen had dreamed of a golden leopard and then became pregnant suddenly became credible. The Western Ling people all viewed that child as an auspicious sign. She was formally brought back to the royal palace.

The Queen begged the old monk to give the child a name. The old monk chose the two characters “Heyi,” meaning “offspring of the divine.”

As if to witness what mission this child was meant to fulfill, under the Queen’s repeated invitations, the old monk finally chose to remain in the royal capital and even became Heyi’s teacher.

In the blink of an eye, over twenty years had passed. As if to validate her name, Heyi was determined to achieve accomplishments as brilliant as her ancestor Latiri Lang’s. Her ambition grew with each passing day.

The old monk watched as she slaughtered and competed for power with her uncles and brothers. In the end, even the Western Ling King had been reduced by her to a mere puppet, yet her ambition still didn’t stop.

She learned the method the Western Ling King had once used—relying on marriage alliances to devour tribes. After making allied tribes lower their guard toward her, she would annihilate them in one stroke. In ten years, she changed husbands twice and wiped out two desert tribes.

She wanted to continue expanding Western Ling’s territory eastward. The Jiashi Mountains rising from the frozen tundra of the far north blocked her advancing steps. Facing such natural barriers that no human strength could overcome, she finally chose to settle for second best and attempted to swallow Chenguo, which was also blocked outside the passes.

The old monk understood that the appearance of that young Pei from the Central Plains had reignited Heyi’s ambition to capture the Central Plains in one stroke. That was why she was willing to mobilize troops on such a massive scale.

The old monk sighed: “Chenguo’s defeat is already certain. With just those previous seventy thousand troops, besieging them to death would already be more than sufficient. Why must the Princess transfer more troops from the royal capital?”

Heyi’s sharp brows and eyes lifted slightly: “Does Teacher think this student cannot see through that young Central Plains Princess’s plan? Using herself as bait is nothing more than wanting to tie down my Western Ling’s forces at Gele City to buy some time for her Liang territory’s Tiger Gorge Pass.”

The old monk didn’t understand: “Then why does the Princess still…”

Heyi turned her head, caressing the Great Liang imperial seal placed on the small table. Her eyes were full of pride and determination to succeed: “How can those petty scoundrels heading to Tiger Gorge Pass resist my Western Ling’s thirty thousand troops? If we let that young Central Plains Princess realize Tiger Gorge Pass absolutely cannot be defended, what meaning would there be in her risking danger herself? If she then escapes back to the Royal Court or even Liang territory, without fighting until not an inch of land remains in Chenguo and Liang Kingdom, does Teacher think there will be another opportunity like this to capture her alive?”

Hearing this explanation, the old monk finally understood why Heyi insisted on transferring troops.

That Liang Princess dared to come into danger—she must have made ample preparations. At the slightest sign of trouble, she would be protected by her subordinates and withdraw.

To capture her alive, they must make the entire Gele City capable of being breached in an instant. Even if that Liang Princess managed to escape by luck, they would need to conduct carpet-style searches afterward to capture her.

Therefore, the Western Ling troops transferred to Gele City must be numerous enough.

Best to let the defending soldiers’ courage be shattered at the sight, so that subsequent attacks on the city could proceed unstoppably like splitting bamboo.

However, the old monk still sighed: “With all fifty thousand royal capital defense troops transferred away, Western Ling’s gates will be wide open!”

Heyi seemed to find the old monk’s concerns laughable. She stood up and spread her arms: “What other tribes in the desert dare attack my Western Ling?”

“Even if Chenguo and Liang territory soldiers want to take advantage of the opportunity to attack my Western Ling royal capital, they’re besieged and can’t even leave Gele City. Can they fly through the sky and burrow through earth to bypass the iron wall formed by my Western Ling’s one hundred twenty thousand troops?”

The old monk knew he couldn’t dissuade Heyi. He closed his eyes and finally said no more.

Heyi looked at the old monk: “Heyi will let Master witness Heyi create unprecedented achievements!”

Having spoken, she swept her cape and left the main tent.

—

Atop Gele City, banners fluttered fiercely in the wind.

Wen Yu stood on the city tower, maintaining dignity and composure as she met the gaze of the Western Ling Princess mounted on horseback before the ten-thousand-strong army formation below. The other party’s eyes held the wildness and sharpness of tigers and leopards.

The military formation spreading out behind her far exceeded that of the previous city assault. A dark mass extending toward the desert behind, with almost no visible boundary.

Wen Yu’s gaze remained calm throughout, and her eyes meeting the other party’s held not half a trace of yielding intent.

This battle would truly decide both life and death, victory and defeat.

Gu Xiyun walked toward Wen Yu with a worried heart, calling: “Princess…”

Wen Yu only replied with two words: “Defend to the death.”

Zhao Bai stood with sword at Wen Yu’s side. In the vast sky, Western Ling’s eagles circled above, their cries clear and resounding as they spread their wings.

At the same time, a white-feathered bird swept through the layers of streets and alleys of Chenguo’s Royal Court at dusk, heading straight for the royal palace.

Inside Zhaohua Palace, a member of the Azure Cloud Guard held a letter sealed with white feathers, hurriedly entering the inner hall. Speaking to Tongque, who was watching over A’Li: “Sister Tongque, the migrating herdsmen have left the border.”

Tongque quickly asked: “What about Western Ling’s side?”

The Azure Cloud Guard answered: “They know the Princess personally went to Gele City. They’ve transferred all the royal capital defense troops to the front lines!”

Hidden joy appeared on Tongque’s face: “The Princess truly predicts events like a deity!”

Outside the hall, however, a commotion suddenly arose. Tongque saw that A’Li, who had been coaxed to sleep with such difficulty, though still with eyes closed, was already pouting as if about to start crying. She quickly rocked the cradle twice and demanded in a lowered voice: “What’s happening outside?”

Just as the words left her mouth, the instigator had already kicked open the palace doors. It was the Chen King, disheveled hair wild, appearing deranged as he burst in wielding a sword.

After the Wolf Cavalry withdrew, the royal palace was taken over again by Wen Yu. The Yan family father and son and their many accomplices had legitimate charges against them, so naturally they were still imprisoned in the heavenly prison. But the Chen King was at least nominally still Chenguo’s King. The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review needed to interrogate the Yan family father and son and their accomplices from time to time.

If they imprisoned the Chen King in the prison as well, the court ministers would certainly object.

So Wen Yu had ordered people to confine the Chen King back in Zhanghua Palace. Publicly, they still claimed the Chen King was devoted to alchemy seeking longevity, in seclusion with Daoist masters and not seeing court ministers.

Since Wen Yu left the Royal Court, the Azure Cloud Guard had also been preparing to withdraw from the Royal Court. They were just waiting for the batch of Chenguo court ministers who would leave with them to finish transitioning their duties before departing. The palace imperial guards’ patrol duties had also promoted new personnel.

As soon as Tongque saw the Chen King burst into Zhaohua Palace with sword in hand, she had already guessed that after the Azure Cloud Guard withdrew, the imperial guards hadn’t been able to suppress the Chen King at Zhanghua Palace. After all, to the imperial guards, the Chen King was still their sovereign.

Now with Wen Yu not at the Royal Court, if they rashly angered the Chen King and lost their lives, there would likely be no one to plead their case. Under such concerns, they had let the Chen King charge all the way to Zhaohua Palace.

“What is Your Majesty doing?” As Tongque said this, her form had already blocked in front of the cradle, while simultaneously giving the Azure Cloud Guard at the door a meaningful look.

Before Wen Yu left the Royal Court, she had already discussed with the Empress Dowager the proper arrangements for her and the Chen King. Though the plan was delayed due to border warfare, when Wen Yu went to see the Empress Dowager before personally going to Gele City, the Empress Dowager had also agreed that after she left the capital, she wouldn’t let the Chen King cause trouble again.

They were nominally servants and couldn’t openly attack the Chen King—they must quickly bring the Empress Dowager here.

The Chen King’s complexion was sallow, his appearance haggard. In his slightly bulging eyes filled with blood vessels was nothing but hatred and excitement: “What am I doing? That Liang woman has brought such calamity to my Chenguo. This King naturally must protect Chenguo’s legitimate succession and chop up the bastard she bore with her adulterer!”

Seeing the situation was bad, Tongque quickly picked up the crying A’Li from the cradle. Azure Cloud Guards surrounded them layer upon layer, drawing swords to block the deranged Chen King advancing forward.

Tongque shouted: “Has Your Majesty not again consumed too many immortality elixirs, causing mental confusion?”

She signaled with her eyes to the Azure Cloud Guard beside her: “Bind His Majesty and send him back to Zhanghua Palace, then summon Imperial Physician Fang into the palace!”

The Chen King had suffered countless times at the Azure Cloud Guard’s hands. Now he no longer advanced forward but instead raised his sword to hack wildly, shouting: “Don’t come closer! Don’t think this King doesn’t know what schemes you’re plotting!”

“Your Majesty, you must not! You must not!”

Court ministers who had hurried over from the front court saw this scene and hastily knelt down to plead. Accompanying them were Yulin Guards. Likely after the Chen King left Zhanghua Palace with sword in hand, the Yulin Guards couldn’t restrain the Chen King, so they rushed to the front court to report and seek help.

Tongque’s eyelids jumped violently.

In such circumstances, having all the court ministers rush over was not a good thing at all. What if the Chen King continued to say things he shouldn’t say…

As she worried, the Chen King standing at the palace entrance saw the ministers had all arrived. He began to laugh eerily: “You’ve come at the right time! Today this King will expose that Liang woman’s true face!”