“Xi Lin,” Qing Xia sighed slightly and said gravely, “Your family was destroyed, everyone killed, and you carry a deep blood feud. I don’t blame you for wanting revenge. If it were me, I might have acted even more extremely. But you can’t harm the people around you for the sake of revenge. This time, fortunately everyone was unharmed, but if Ban Bu’er and the others had suffered even the slightest harm, today you and I would absolutely not be standing here so calmly, and I would absolutely not forgive your intentional mistake.”

Xi Linchen hung his head, standing in stunned silence. Qing Xia stood before him, tilting her head up slightly, and suddenly said gravely word by word, “Originally, I wanted to slowly investigate all this clearly before asking you. Since we’ve come to this point, I’ll ask you one thing. You must answer me seriously. If someday I discover you’ve been deceiving me, I will not forgive you.”

Xi Linchen suddenly lifted his head, staring straight at Qing Xia with tightly furrowed brows.

“Did you have anything to do with the Mulian people’s attack on the village?”

Xi Linchen’s eyes instantly widened as he looked at Qing Xia in disbelief, filled with intense shock and the pain of being hurt, crying out, “Xia Qing?”

“I know it’s wrong to suspect you like this, but since you could disregard Ban Bu’er and the others’ lives for military advancement, I can’t help but suspect whether you might have cruelly used others’ hands to kill Aunt Duoyihua in order to naturally leave the village with us to join the army. I’m even wondering now whether your coincidental arrival in Bai Ling Prefecture, coincidentally being discovered by Ban Bu’er and Na Keduo with that portrait, and coincidentally approaching me – whether all this had ulterior motives.”

“Xia Qing?” Xi Linchen’s face instantly turned snow white. He stared straight at Qing Xia, blue veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes showing bloodshot red threads as he said with difficulty, “Is this the kind of person I am in your heart? I wasn’t disregarding Ban Bu’er and the others’ lives. That night I also prepared their horses and weapons, but Na Keduo dragged Ban Bu’er to the training ground for archery and then dragged him back again. Aunt Duoyihua took me in during my most desperate time – how could I be so heartless as to harm her? Xia Qing, in your heart, am I such a vicious and sinister villain?”

“Good.” Qing Xia suddenly nodded and said gravely, “As long as you say you didn’t, I’ll believe you. I won’t stop you from seeking revenge. From now on you’re still my younger brother. I couldn’t protect your sister back then, but now I must protect you. Before you have the strength to confront Chu Li, I won’t let you go.”

Qing Xia suddenly turned around, and just as she was about to leave, she turned back and said gravely, “Xi Lin, in this world there are many things more meaningful than revenge. I only hope you won’t be blinded by hatred and can still see other things while seeking revenge.”

After saying this, she turned and left the training ground mast. Under the fierce long wind, Xi Linchen’s figure stood for a long time in the vast empty camp, with the bright moon casting its light on him, stretching his shadow so very, very long.

Darkness descended upon this vast land. Qing Xia, wearing a long cloak, stood in the military camp looking up at the sky, feeling the cold wind whistling through her body like a drowning person feeling bone-piercing cold.

Regarding Xi Linchen, she could never clearly say what kind of feelings she held.

Pity? Guilt? Or perhaps, redemption?

If redemption, then for whom was she seeking redemption?

After leaving Southern Chu, she always forced herself not to think about anything related to Chu Li. Even when she occasionally heard news about him, she would pretend not to care, immediately burying all thoughts deep in her heart. She always thought she should hate him – he had deceived her, used her, played her like a fool. But why, when she returned to her dreams at midnight and saw his aged face and blood-stained clothes, did she still feel heart-wrenching pain? Was it really Stockholm syndrome, mistaking the first person she encountered for family?

From a certain perspective, she understood Chu Li and comprehended his actions, which had already considered her feelings to the maximum extent possible. Having seen the unscrupulous means of politicians from various countries, Chu Li’s repeated considerations for her seemed somewhat foolish from a political standpoint. In modern military lecture halls, instructors would certainly criticize such a ruler for lacking decisive judgment. Yet setting aside those purely political factors, he was still a person, a flesh-and-blood human living in this world. How could a person completely abandon emotions and face everything without any feelings?

Qing Xia thought perhaps she hadn’t properly positioned her relationship with Chu Li. If they were merely friends, merely unrelated people, mutual wariness would be normal. Hadn’t she herself been easily abandoned after serving her country for so many years? Then why blame Chu Li for hiding everything from her and excluding her?

Or perhaps she had still harbored high hopes for Chu Li, naively thinking she should be different, thinking he should trust her, thinking the people she valued should also receive his attention, thinking her ideas should gain his approval. That’s why, when the truth came, she felt such pain and despair, such heartache and regret.

People always have high expectations for those they like, while being much more tolerant of friends. So did this mean that back in the Southern Chu military camp, she had unknowingly developed feelings for that man who repeatedly opposed her?

Otherwise, how could she repeatedly plan for him, stand up for him time and again, risk her life to rescue him at Sha Han lands, abandon Qin Zhiyan to return with him, and feel such heartbreak and despair upon learning the truth that she fled far from home?

Love perhaps always arrives quietly without notice. Qing Xia couldn’t say clearly when it began – was it at the hunting grounds of Sha Han lands? Or on the gorgeous bed of the Southern Border enchantress? Was it that night when she first met Lady Zhu Lan? Or even earlier, on that desolate night leaving the Southern Chu capital?

But regardless of when it happened, this feeling was cruelly crushed just as it began to sprout. Those burning emotions and unrealistic fantasies died decisively and cleanly in Southern Chu’s northern camp, turning to ashes in that bloody political coup that shook Southern Chu’s entire power structure.

Yet even so, she still unconsciously carried Chu Li’s sins on her shoulders. Was rescuing Xi Linchen again and again really just due to guilt over being unable to save Xi Lin Yuqiao?

Qing Xia shook her head with a bitter smile, never expecting she would someday agonize so painstakingly over a man.

Facing one’s true feelings was actually the right thing to do. It could help clarify her mind and thoughts, figure out the path she should take in the future, and determine what expression to wear when facing old acquaintances again. She had hidden like an ostrich in that northern village for too long. Now it was time to face reality clearly.

Xi Linchen and Chu Li would inevitably clash someday, with one side destined to fail and suffer. Though Xi Linchen’s chances of winning were small, this child was deeply scheming and kept his abilities hidden – he might not lack the opportunity for a surprise victory and direct assault. But could she prevent these things? Everyone had their own path to walk and responsibilities to bear. As the only survivor of the Xi Lin family, seeking revenge for his relatives was natural and beyond reproach. Chu Li’s hands were stained with blood, so assassination attempts were routine – whether he could escape with his life depended on his abilities. Why should she meddle in such affairs?

Sometimes, being selfish wasn’t necessarily a poor philosophy for navigating the world.

Thinking this, Qing Xia smiled faintly and helplessly turned toward her own tent. Previously, her life circle had been narrow – her existence revolved around missions and training. She could master dozens of methods to kill invisibly but lacked good interpersonal skills. No one was perfect – when you gained something, you always had to give up something else. This was perhaps her current true situation.

Just as she was about to lift the tent curtain, she suddenly noticed a commotion from the main military tent. Two military doctors carrying medicine chests walked over with hurried steps, looking extremely anxious.

Qing Xia frowned and slowly approached.

The two guards at the entrance saw Qing Xia and quickly extended their hands to block her, saying, “Miss, His Highness has ordered that no one in the entire army, regardless of who they are, may enter.”

Qing Xia raised an eyebrow and asked back, “Am I part of your army?”

The two soldiers were stunned, exchanging glances. They clearly hadn’t expected to encounter such a situation and mumbled for a long time without saying a word.

Qing Xia glanced at them and started to walk inside. The soldier who had spoken was extremely rigid and stepped forward to block Qing Xia, saying, “Miss, no! His Highness has ordered that no one may enter.”

Qing Xia nodded and said with a faint smile, “Fine, then go in and announce me.”

“Without His Highness’s summons, I cannot enter the tent privately.”

“Very good. Then tell me how I can get in.”

The soldier answered without thinking, “Only if His Highness summons you can you naturally enter.”

“What about other than that?”

“Unless I die, I cannot let anyone step through the camp entrance…”

With a thud, Qing Xia struck the soldier’s neck with a hand chop. Before he could finish speaking, his body went limp and he collapsed unconscious. The other soldier was dumbfounded, never expecting such a turn of events. Just as he was about to speak, Qing Xia had already struck like lightning, applying the same technique to make this soldier rest on the spot as well.

She lifted the curtain in one motion. Inside the tent was steamy hot, like a giant steamer. A huge copper furnace stood in the middle of the tent, already glowing red hot. Voices could be heard faintly from the inner area. Qing Xia slowly approached and heard an elderly voice saying gravely, “Your Highness, this medicine absolutely cannot be taken in excess. Four days ago you forcibly led troops to battle the White Deer Fortress people when your treatment was only half complete, which has already damaged your internal organs. If you overdose on medicine again, serious problems will arise sooner or later.”