As twilight approached, Tianfeng Stronghold suddenly erupted in commotion. Then a black shadow darted out of the stronghold gates, with the young Stronghold Chief personally giving chase. After a while, he returned cursing loudly.

The people of Tianfeng Stronghold made a confused racket for a while, not knowing what had happened. Seeing Qi Shao Jun return with a cold face, they realized that the hostage captured in the afternoon had escaped.

Everyone thought the escape was quite normal—that youth was clearly not to be trifled with. If he had truly been kept there, it might have provoked some disaster and destroyed their decades of foundation in one fell swoop.

Qi Shao Jun returned to the stronghold with an iron-blue face. Facing everyone’s relieved expressions, his heart burned with anger—earlier, his father had told him to stage an escape with that fellow and send him away, and had also instructed him to summon the western territories’ Green Forest groups for an alliance meeting. Why this sudden change without giving a reason? Could it be that the kid’s smooth talk had bewitched his father?

Now they had truly squandered their decades of foundation.

Though vexed, he didn’t dare disobey his father’s words. Having lost his mother in childhood and been raised by his father, his old man was his heaven. He had long developed the habit of defying anything except his father’s will. So he could only return to his room to write letters, issuing the Alliance Leader’s summons to gather the various Green Forest strongholds at Xiangyu, the western territories’ capital, to discuss important matters.

Here, Feng Zhiwei made a show of escaping the stronghold. After crossing one mountain peak and passing through a grove of wild peach trees, the leaves overhead rustled, and with a “thwack,” an unripe wild peach struck her shoulder.

She looked up with a smile and saw the faces of the Gu father and daughter among the green leaves and green peaches—one with white gauze floating, one grimacing with bared teeth, having greedily stolen a bite of peach and been made to pucker from the sourness.

Looking at those two faces, Feng Zhiwei felt warmth and comfort in her heart. The turbulent, desolate emotions stirred up by her conversation with Qi Wei gradually calmed like surging river waters meeting a spring breeze. She raised her face, her smile warm and soft: “Have you been waiting long?”

Young Master Gu slowly chewed his small walnuts: “No, chasing the monkey took some time.”

“Where is the monkey now?” Feng Zhiwei’s conversation with him was like speaking in code.

Young Master Gu slowly pointed toward a very distant mountain peak, saying flatly: “There’s a swamp.”

Feng Zhiwei choked for a moment, then laughed quite heartlessly.

Poor certain guard…

She had come as envoy to Xi Liao with ulterior motives. After her mother died, she had left some things for her and had also told her about the scattered former troops at the Tiansheng-Xi Liao border back then. Since this matter had been confirmed through Commander Qiu, she naturally wanted to find a way to make contact, which led to the “being captured” incident. However, this matter had to be concealed from everyone—for instance, Guard Ning who had been sneaking around following her, thinking no one had noticed when he’d actually been discovered long ago. So while she was “captured” here, Gu Nanyi went to “rescue” her. The rescue was fake; leading Guard Ning to wander aimlessly through the great mountain was real. Now it seemed Gu Nanyi had successfully turned a certain guard dizzy and even turned him into a swamp.

He wouldn’t fall into the swamp and be unable to climb out, would he? Feng Zhiwei worried perfunctorily for a moment, then quite calmly called to those two: “Let’s head back.”

The party of three, in no hurry, walked back toward the valley entrance while enjoying the scenery. Before getting close, they heard a tremendous commotion. Listening carefully, that group of people were still at the valley entrance rolling up their sleeves and craning their necks, arguing over “rescue plans.”

“The first two plans aren’t quite suitable. Let’s try the third—first search the mountain, then…” Commander Qiu’s voice.

“Bullshit!” Someone on the Tiansheng side finally couldn’t help cursing. They’d already produced plans one, two, and three, but hadn’t sent out a single person yet. This was truly unbearable! “This mountain is so vast—how do you search? The stronghold is definitely hidden. If we can’t find it in one day, can’t find it in one month, what then? Commander Qiu, you should quickly prepare gold and weapons instead!”

“Absurd!” Commander Qiu’s eyebrows stood on end. “How can we inflate mountain bandits’ arrogance by actually offering gold and weapons? These mere petty thieves can be captured with ease. If we truly pay gold to ransom someone, won’t people laugh that Xi Liao’s court has no capable people?”

“Your Xi Liao court indeed has no capable people!” The Tiansheng guards’ leader immediately retorted. “If Lord Wei hadn’t intervened, you and your thousand wastrels would already be answering roll call in the King of Hell’s palace!”

“How dare you!” An angry shout accompanied the sound of a blade being unsheathed.

“How shameless you are!” A fierce rebuke accompanied the sound of a sword being drawn.

In the distant flickering firelight, blade and sword glints were cold and severe. People on both sides glared at each other with fierce eyes, ready to fight to the death at the slightest provocation. Poor Bai Deshan spread his arms wide and scurried back and forth between the Tiansheng and Xi Liao sides where tensions were at breaking point: “Everyone… let’s talk nicely… talk nicely…”

“I say, what’s going on here?”

A clear, light voice drifted over on the wind. Commander Qiu looked up and his eyes went straight.

The Tiansheng people facing away from that direction turned around and immediately cried out with extreme joy: “Lord Wei!”

Bai Deshan rushed over as if granted amnesty, happily spreading his arms: “Ah, Lord Wei, you’ve returned! Wonderful!”

“Not so wonderful.” Feng Zhiwei smiled, but her eyes held no mirth. “I should have returned later, to let Commander Qiu’s battle plans one, two, three, four, and five be thoroughly considered and carefully examined, then send out three to five people to search the mountain and search me out. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be a waste of heroic talents with no place to use them? Wouldn’t people laugh that Xi Liao’s court has no capable people?”

Deputy Envoy and Cabinet Secretary Wang Tang laughed heartily: “It’s fine. They only planned up to three and hadn’t even implemented them yet. Lord Wei, you were only captured for one day—no rush, no rush.”

Someone directly spat “Ptui!” Not a single word spoken, yet perfectly conveying disdain.

Everyone on the Xi Liao side felt embarrassed. It was fact that Lord Wei had intervened to save Xi Liao’s guards and been captured as a result, yet their own side delayed rescue—speaking of it, they truly had no face. He didn’t speak harshly or severely, but that light, contemptuous smile was even more uncomfortable than being cursed out.

Commander Qiu’s face turned purple and swollen. He knew the local mountain bandits were fierce and had deliberately delayed the rescue, wanting this kid to suffer more so he’d be more obedient on the road ahead and wouldn’t cause trouble when they reached the capital. He hadn’t expected the man would casually return on his own, leaving him no choice but to endure mockery.

However, Feng Zhiwei wasn’t aggressively pressing the issue either. She glanced around quite casually and said: “Mountain bandits occupy Mount Teng—this place is still dangerous. I suggest we leave the mountain tonight to avoid being taken advantage of.”

Bai Deshan immediately agreed. Commander Qiu at this moment had no face to say anything. Feng Zhiwei mounted her horse and said lightly: “Everyone, please work a bit harder and travel through the night. We’ll rest at the post station tomorrow. Since we suffered this disaster today, please be more careful about route scouting in the future—Commander Qiu, I’m counting on you.”

“Ah? Oh.” Commander Qiu was thinking about something when his name was suddenly called. He instinctively responded, only realizing after responding—traveling through the night tonight, others would rest at the post station tomorrow, but his remaining guards would still have to scout ahead, meaning they’d work continuously without rest!

This was bad enough, but when the procession started moving, he collapsed again.

All his guards’ horses had been killed by Feng Zhiwei’s orders during the valley entrance battle earlier. Now all the cavalry had become infantry, while the Tiansheng side all rode horses. This meant his subordinates had to chase horses on two legs, following behind eating dust. After running desperately all night like this, they couldn’t sleep tomorrow—they had to scout ahead!

The procession began moving. Feng Zhiwei rode ahead without looking back. Commander Qiu watched Feng Zhiwei’s back ahead—she wasn’t galloping fast but leisurely waiting for them to run and chase—his eyes nearly turned green. Behind him, his subordinates panted like oxen. People continuously collapsed from exhaustion and fell behind. Commander Qiu gritted his teeth and persevered. When dawn finally came and he saw the post station ahead, he let out a breath of relief and nearly toppled over. Looking back at his remaining guards who had kept up, there were only a few scattered people—the rest had all collapsed halfway.

He supported himself on the ground with his long blade, glaring at Feng Zhiwei who was dismounting ahead, hearing her say lightly: “Route scouting ahead—I’ll trouble Commander Qiu with that. Please put more thought into it. If any more mishaps occur, we wouldn’t dare blame you, but I fear the Regent might think Commander Qiu incompetent—ah, after traveling all night, I’m so tired. I’m going to sleep a while. You work hard, work hard.”

She yawned while saying “work hard,” not even glancing at the Xi Liao guards who had collapsed from exhaustion all along the road, leisurely going to catch up on sleep.

Commander Qiu watched her leisurely manner, his vision went black, and with a “thud” he fell backward.

A pair of hands suddenly supported him. Someone said full of emotion: “This person is truly despicable.”

Commander Qiu felt this statement truly resonated deeply with him. He quickly turned to look at this kindred spirit, but only saw a large black muddy dripping mass, with sludge continuously falling from a face, looking like a mud demon.

That mud demon gazed toward the direction where Feng Zhiwei had disappeared, completely disregarding that his hands were covered in sludge. He vigorously patted Commander Qiu’s shoulder, leaving two large, dirty mud prints, and said full of emotion: “These days, being a guard truly isn’t work for humans…”

—

Time: From three-quarters past the seventh hour on the third day of the seventh month to the first quarter of the third hour on the fourth day of the seventh month.

Location: Mount Teng, Xi Liao.

Personnel: Feng Zhiwei, Gu Nanyi, unnamed strongholds A, B, C, D.

Events: Stronghold ambushed the delegation. Feng Zhiwei was captured. I went to rescue her. Gu Nanyi also went to rescue her, leading me around the mountain five times, finally circling into a swamp.

Personal Opinion One: Feng Zhiwei was captured! She was captured? Captured! Is it possible? As for whether you believe it or not—well, I don’t believe it anyway.

Personal Opinion Two: Gu Nanyi didn’t seem like he was going to rescue anyone, but rather specifically to mess with me.

Personal Opinion Three: This subordinate believes this subordinate has never offended Gu Nanyi. It must be you who offended him, and he’s taking it out on me.

Personal Opinion Four: Making an enemy of Feng Zhiwei is seeking death and deserving of being messed with, but being messed with without making an enemy is unjust. Your Highness, you must avenge me.

Personal Opinion Five: I can’t do this job. Please replace me.

Personal Opinion Six: The swamp really stinks.

—

On the fifteenth of the seventh month, after traveling at a leisurely pace all along the way, the Tiansheng delegation finally arrived at Xi Liao’s capital city, Jincheng. Because of the warm climate, flowers bloomed year-round in the city without withering, and the flower colors were as brilliant as brocade—hence the name Jincheng.

Before even reaching Jincheng, Bai Deshan began worrying—Commander Qiu’s remnant troops, having lost their horses and burdened with guard duties, couldn’t keep up with the main force after just two days. Feng Zhiwei also didn’t say to wait for them to stop at local government offices to replenish horses before continuing. Besides, the western territories were impoverished and the government offices couldn’t produce that many horses anyway. So more than half of those several hundred guards were left behind. Only Commander Qiu, gritting his teeth, led a few dozen men to follow. They could no longer maintain the uniform black stallions, and the horses under them were eye-catchingly multicolored. All along the way, the Xi Liao side became increasingly disheveled and couldn’t hold their heads up. Bai Deshan secretly worried, thinking that news had already been reported to the capital. According to protocol, the Regent would arrange for people to welcome them. This time Tiansheng had come to offer congratulations—on the surface it seemed just an ordinary diplomatic exchange, but actually it concerned the two nations’ future relations and Xi Liao’s national fortune. This unprecedented first attempt at establishing relations was extremely important to the Regent. Just to grasp the proper attitude and measured approach toward the Tiansheng envoys, he had held countless inner court meetings and formulated a reception policy of “all ceremonial rites grand and formal, private attitude flexible and measured.” According to this policy, all external reception would be extremely grand and splendid to prevent Tiansheng from finding fault. Officials, gentry, and common people had been arranged early to observe the ceremony. Everyone knew the court had dispatched guards to escort them all the way. When the time came, with crowds of people, if they saw a thousand guards reduced to just these few, how would they handle it?

He could only pray in his heart that the court had received his confidential memorial and it would be best to reduce ceremonial protocol and disperse the gentry and common people. Though that would be somewhat discourteous, at least in this first meeting between Tiansheng and Xi Liao, they wouldn’t lose too much face.

His worry had long been observed by Feng Zhiwei. Privately, she quietly instructed the two deputy envoys: “Slow down the pace, observe carefully. After entering the capital’s vicinity, beware of them playing tricks.”

Deputy Envoy Wang Tang was astonished: “Playing tricks? Why?”

“The fact that Commander Qiu was defeated at Mount Teng and lost more than half his forces, even losing his horses, must have been reported to Xi Liao’s court.” Feng Zhiwei said leisurely. “Xi Liao and Tiansheng aren’t friendly nations—rather, we’ve had accumulated grievances for a long time. Though both sides seem friendly, they’re actually both holding back energy, naturally competing silently in everything everywhere. At the upcoming grand ceremony to welcome the Tiansheng envoys, if this thousand suddenly shrinks to a few dozen in that wretched state, where would Xi Liao’s court put their face before the common people?”

The two deputy envoys understood, arranging people to pay attention on all sides while also having questions: “That’s not right. Minister Bai must have already reported Commander Qiu’s defeat at Mount Teng. If the Regent is smart enough, he should reduce ceremonial protocol and not arrange for common people to observe—wouldn’t that solve it?”

Feng Zhiwei smiled without speaking, thinking: Just because you Xi Liao people can play dirty tricks on me, I’m not allowed to stab back? Minister Bai did send a letter through the post station, but unfortunately it didn’t get far before our people stole it and switched it out. What the Regent received was only a report saying “all is well.”

Of course, being this close to the capital outskirts, it couldn’t be concealed anymore. At such a short distance with such little time, she wanted to see if this Regent’s adaptability and capability could really play some tricks to try to salvage Xi Liao’s loss in this first round.

Lightly tapping her riding crop, her lips curved in a faint smile tinged with anticipation. In the distance, Commander Qiu saw this and shivered violently…

According to ceremonial protocol, the Minister of Rites would lead all capital officials below third rank to welcome them at Longjiang Post Station, six li from the capital. Now they were only two li from Longjiang Post Station.

The long delegation procession advanced sinuously along the yellow earth official road.

“There’s an official procession here—”

“Help us—”

“Give us a way to live, sir—”

“Waaah…”

A commotion suddenly erupted with male voices, female voices, elderly voices, and children’s voices. Then from the roadside forest rushed a group of ragged men, women, elderly, and children. Everyone had sallow faces and emaciated frames. Disregarding the galloping horses that might trample them, they rushed beneath the guards’ horses, clutching horse bodies and saddles and refusing to let go, pleading voice after voice: “Sir… we’re about to starve to death… please have mercy and give us some food…” There were also women hugging carriage wheels and weeping miserably. In moments, children cried and adults shouted as people ran throughout the procession in complete chaos.

The two deputy envoys who had been vigilantly and nervously awaiting the “enemy” following Feng Zhiwei’s instructions were stunned. They had thought robbers or something would come, not expecting it to be a group of starving refugees. The guards also froze. They had already drawn blades in preparation, but how could these blades now cleave down upon the heads of those sallow, emaciated women and children? Looking at those dirty hands with protruding veins, the guards also showed expressions of pity.

Once they showed pity, the refugees who would fearlessly risk death for a mouthful of food immediately pressed their advantage. Someone shouted “There’s dry rations in the pouches!” and in a flash the leather pouches hanging from the guards’ saddles were snatched away. Someone yelled: “These bridle straps are made of cowhide—we can eat them!” Immediately countless people tried to pull down the saddles. Unable to pull them off, they used their teeth to bite. Others took out dull knives to cut. Even more people climbed onto the wagons at the rear of the procession to rummage for food. Clothing was continuously thrown out haphazardly. People continuously laughed heartily while clutching food and dancing with joy. The guards’ clothing was pulled askew, the wagons were covered in mud. In an instant, the orderly procession became completely chaotic.

Watching this chaos, Bai Deshan stood frozen. He had anticipated the Regent would try to give the Tiansheng delegation a show of force, but hadn’t imagined it would be in this manner.

In the grand procession, only Feng Zhiwei showed a faint smile, carrying a few parts mockery, a few parts appreciation.

What refugees could so coincidentally intercept the delegation’s procession?

What refugees could appear so unrestrained in the capital’s outskirts? And at a moment when martial law had been declared throughout the city for foreign envoys?

What refugees, when coming to beg for food, would know to recognize people, only seeking out Tiansheng people and not Xi Liao officials?

The refugees were real, but they were organized and directed. If she guessed correctly, Xi Liao government officials should be in the groves on both sides.

This Xi Liao Regent was indeed also a formidable character.

Obviously he had received news. At this point, doing anything was too late and improper. His reaction was also quite fast—he had actually directed refugees to come!

They couldn’t be beaten or scolded, could only allow people to rob them into complete disarray. Then, immediately, officials who had “received news” would arrive with troops to “break the siege” for the Tiansheng delegation. After that, the Xi Liao common people’s attention would turn to the bedraggled Tiansheng delegation, and naturally no one would notice Xi Liao’s missing guards.

Good plan, good calculation.

She sneered, her fingers gesturing at an angle where people wouldn’t notice.

Several figures silently flashed toward the surrounding forests.

“Thud.”

Suddenly a muffled sound. On a wagon being climbed upon, a shadow flashed, then a small figure flew through the air, still clutching half a piece of pine nut cake while airborne.

That small figure landed on the ground, quickly rolled, and dove into the crowd disappearing from sight. It seemed they weren’t injured.

With a swoosh, the wagon curtain was pulled open, revealing Gu Zhixiao’s angry face. She still held half a piece of pine nut cake and shrieked shrilly: “Bad person! Stealing my cake—go die!”

Her scolding was fine, but with this outburst, the refugees all froze momentarily. Then remembering the child who had just been kicked out, everyone looked but couldn’t find where that child was and assumed they’d been kicked to death. They were instantly enraged. A woman who had originally been clinging to the wagon side let out an “Aow!” and reached to scratch Gu Zhixiao’s face.

With a swoosh, Gu Zhixiao dropped the curtain and quickly pulled her face back inside, shouting loudly: “Dad! Attack!”

The curtain closed then opened again. A snow-white hand flashed and shook, and that woman was once again thrown through the air.

This completely enraged the refugees. They all climbed toward the wagon. Feng Zhiwei frowned, about to order people to pull them down, when suddenly she heard a tremendous crash. The besieged wagon trembled, then the four wagon walls thunderously collapsed outward in all directions!

The heavy wagon walls fell onto the refugees. Several people were immediately crushed. The rest were so frightened they scattered in all directions with a roar. On the now-empty wagon base stood the indifferent youth clad in sky-water blue, white gauze floating, holding the hand of a three-year-old little girl.

Gu Zhixiao stood proudly on the wagon floor, unconcerned by the surrounding crashes, saying viciously: “Crush you to death!”

This shocked everyone. Using internal force to shake apart a wagon—forget seeing it, they’d never even imagined it. The refugees stood there in a daze. Bai Deshan began wiping cold sweat.

As things quieted down here, they heard the faint sound of hoofbeats rising in the distance.

Indeed, arriving right on time.

Feng Zhiwei suddenly turned her head, flashing a toothy smile at Bai Deshan and the others: “My apologies, Minister Bai, Commander Qiu!”

She came out with this inexplicable statement. The three or four officials and several dozen guards all froze momentarily, then felt their bodies stiffen and the backs of their necks go numb. They opened their mouths in alarm wanting to shout, but discovered they could no longer speak.

Feng Zhiwei nodded with satisfaction at the fellow who had been darting around sealing Xi Liao people’s acupoints: “Thank you. Next time you fall in a swamp again, remember to notify me to rescue you.”

Ning Cheng aggrievedly sniffled, his face full of anger he dared not express.

With the Xi Liao people restrained, Feng Zhiwei immediately shouted loudly: “All guards, straighten your uniforms!”

The guards immediately took action, tidying up their pulled and disheveled clothing.

“Destroy the wagons!”

This shocked not only Bai Deshan and Commander Qiu, but even the guards froze. However, Feng Zhiwei’s prestige was unmatched and her orders were always followed. The guards were very obedient. They drew their long blades without a word and cleaved apart all the wagons.

The hoofbeats grew closer. Ahead, dust rolled—Xi Liao’s “rescue” troops would arrive momentarily.

The refugees let out a cry and were about to flee when suddenly they saw blue shadows flashing, lightning-swift passages through the crowd. Immediately a large group collapsed—all able-bodied men. Those who ran away were all elderly, women, and children.

“Change clothes!”

The guards happily stepped forward and stripped the outer garments from those several dozen unlucky Xi Liao guards. Feng Zhiwei said: “Not the guard uniforms—the inner robes will do.”

Everyone quickly got to work, stripping those people’s inner robes. Feng Zhiwei pointed at the refugees on the ground: “Put them on!”

The refugees put on those robes, covering their half-naked appearance, and were handed the Xi Liao guards’ blades.

Bai Deshan, Commander Qiu, and the others watched helplessly, having generally understood what Feng Zhiwei intended to do. Their eyeballs bulged like ox eyes—this shameless Wei Zhi who dared to openly falsify, switch heaven and earth, and frame others before one nation’s court and another nation’s officials!

With everything arranged, the scene before them was quite classic—it was a procession that had been robbed. The Xi Liao officials were the robbed party, and then the robbers had been heroically subdued again by the Tiansheng envoys.

With everything arranged, the hoofbeats were already close at hand. Feng Zhiwei sneered and waved her hand. Several men in gray clothing escorted several men dressed as Xi Liao bailiffs out of the forests on both sides. Without a word, they handed those men over to Feng Zhiwei’s guards, then flashed away.

Billowing dust rose ahead, vaguely revealing Xi Liao military banners, with many onlooking common people following behind. A single rider galloped forth in the lead, calling from afar: “Is that the Tiansheng delegation ahead? What happened? Do you need us to—”

His voice suddenly stopped.

Ahead, there was indeed chaos everywhere—people collapsed on the ground, destroyed wagons, things scattered everywhere. But—those collapsed were refugees and Xi Liao people. The Tiansheng delegation had neat clothing and composed expressions. Everyone stood calmly to the side, untouched by dust, smiling faintly with folded sleeves.

What was going on?

The arrival was Xi Liao Imperial Guard Commander-in-Chief Xiahou Yuan. According to the Regent’s instructions, he had originally thought that after arriving, he would make a show of dispersing the refugees, comfort the bedraggled Tiansheng delegation, recover some face, and that would be it. He hadn’t expected that while an incident had indeed occurred, the outcome was beyond imagination.

“This… this…”

“I also want to ask what’s going on.” Feng Zhiwei smiled at Xiahou Yuan and the old man who had caught up and was standing there in a daze. “Your country’s public security seems truly inadequate. You need to urgently attend to bandit suppression and thief capture. When I first entered your nation’s borders, I encountered mountain bandits. At that time it was an impoverished border region—that was acceptable. But I never imagined that in broad daylight, in the grand national capital, on the yellow earth official road just a few li from the capital at the emperor’s very doorstep, we would still be intercepted by highwaymen who robbed us, injured people, and destroyed wagons—has your country’s Nine Cities Constabulary run out of salaries and all gone home to rest?”

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she patted those destroyed wagons and shook her head: “My rosewood wagon had each panel exquisitely carved by masters, worth a thousand gold. If your country’s robbers were truly poor, if the Nine Cities Constabulary truly had no salary, I would have simply given the wagon as a gift to be sold to help them out a bit. Why did they have to destroy it? What a waste.”

She kicked the refugees on the ground: “Your country’s robbers are truly rare. Using our words, their intentions are commendable but their actions foolish. Twenty or thirty people actually dared to rob a two-thousand-person procession, and right at the capital gates. I’ve seen many robbers in my country, but never any so absurdly bold—has Jincheng suffered a disaster recently? Looking at you officials and common folk, you all seem quite vigorous and healthy.”

With these two statements, the common people who had followed weren’t all fools. They immediately sensed something wrong. Those with some political awareness who knew the turbulent situation between the two nations began discussing in low voices. The Xi Liao officials, hearing those whispered conversations and completely unable to react to this situation, looked at Bai Deshan and Commander Qiu with purple-swollen faces, hoping they would explain and extricate them. However, those two had even more purple faces—being so shamelessly slandered to their faces by Feng Zhiwei, both nearly fainted from rage. Yet they couldn’t utter a single word, only nearly bulging their eyes out of their sockets.

Xi Liao’s side fell into an awkward silence. Feng Zhiwei’s previously smiling tone suddenly shifted—a violent storm, harsh words and severe expression!

“Robbing an envoy delegation at the capital gates—unprecedented throughout history, impossible to occur! If anyone tells this envoy today that this was an accident, that it was capital outskirts robbers, this envoy will not accept it!” She waved her hand. The several captured men dressed as bailiffs were viciously thrown before the Xi Liao troops. The dull thud of their landing shocked all the Xi Liao officials simultaneously.

“If they were robbers, how would they know the delegation’s route and schedule?” Feng Zhiwei stepped forward. Xiahou Yuan stepped back.

“If they were robbers, how would they dare attack thousands with mere dozens?” Feng Zhiwei took another step forward. Xiahou Yuan retreated again.

“If they were robbers, why would there be government bailiffs ambushed in these forests on both sides?” Feng Zhiwei had already pressed before Xiahou Yuan. Behind him was his horse—he could retreat no further. He swallowed and glanced at the several bailiffs on the ground, helplessly saying: “Lord Wei, this might be a misunderstanding—”

“If it’s a misunderstanding, why would your Jincheng Prefecture’s bailiffs appear here at this hour?” Feng Zhiwei smiled viciously. “Don’t tell me they were on official business. If on official business, why didn’t they intervene when they discovered the robbery here? When they discovered robbers, why didn’t they give warning? When they discovered this envoy’s procession passing through here, why didn’t they come out to pay respects, instead sneaking around hiding in the forest?”

Her rapid-fire series of “why’s” struck this military officer Xiahou Yuan until his mind went blank. He looked pleadingly toward that white-bearded old man. The old man stared straight ahead, wiping sweat, steeling himself to approach tremblingly with a bow, saying in a low voice: “Lord Wei, this old one is Xi Liao’s Minister of Rites—”

“No need to exchange names with me!” Feng Zhiwei resolutely waved her hand, cutting off his words. “This Marquis only exchanges names and courtesies with friendly nations, but is unwilling to engage in false pleasantries with enemy nations! For today’s matter, if Xi Liao does not provide a satisfactory explanation, Wei Zhi will not hesitate to turn west and return right at the capital gates! I will wait here. If it’s not made clear in one day, I will not enter Jincheng’s city gates for one day!”

Her tone was resounding, her voice not loud but fierce and unyielding. Everyone could hear her absolutely unshakeable determination. The Xi Liao common people stared dumbly at the simply-dressed youth in blue amid the dust and smoke, thinking such a person indeed lived up to his reputation. The Xi Liao officials wiped cascading sweat and exchanged glances, thinking they’d lost another round, lost another round—

And in the distance.

Within a hidden grove.

A group of black-clothed figures in long cloaks sat mounted like stones, their gazes cold and grave.

Among these iron-like guards, one person slightly raised his head, looking toward that direction, looking at the brilliant youth at the center of the crowd under myriad gazes, looking at that art of overturning clouds and rain with thunder and lightning, flexing and extending. Light surged in his eyes, flashing with unwilling yet delighted brilliance.

After a long while, he said in a low voice:

“Wei Zhi!”