“You’re no match for me! Surrender obediently and you can still keep your life!”

The big man roared angrily, “In your dreams!” He actually yanked the iron arrow from his shoulder and stabbed it toward Qing Xia’s throat.

Qing Xia was shocked and tried desperately to pull back her dagger, but it was caught by his thighbone and wouldn’t come out. She could only grip the man’s arm tightly with both hands. But how could her strength match this seven-foot-tall man? The iron arrow gradually approached her snow-white neck, and a thin line of blood slowly meandered down as tiny droplets flowed along Qing Xia’s white throat. The man’s eyes were bloodshot, his mind crazed. Qing Xia’s strength was failing—she was about to lose her hold.

Just then, the big man’s body suddenly shuddered, and the force in his hands immediately weakened. His pupils dilated wide with terror as he looked down in disbelief. Qing Xia followed his gaze and saw a cold, sharp arrow had pierced his heart with perfect precision. Fresh blood gushed out, dripping onto Qing Xia.

With a bang, the big man’s corpse fell backward to the ground. Qing Xia stood among the hundred grasses in pure white garments spotted with blood on the front, her face pale, black hair flying, eyes wide as she stared toward the western grassland.

In the tall grass, black-armored iron guards stood silently like a group of stubborn stones, saying nothing. Yet they formed a dense mass that could instill powerful intimidation with just a glance. The handsome man stood surrounded by iron guards, wearing black armor and a pure black cloak, seeming about to merge with the black warhorse beneath him. His sword-like brows extended to his temples, his nose bridge high and straight, thin lips lightly pressed together. His deep eyes gazed toward Qing Xia—a pair of eyes that seemed so tranquil and distant, yet seemed to gather so many stormy waves, penetrating a hundred years of time to shoot directly into the heart, watching her quietly.

The fire-red flowing clouds at the horizon surged and rushed. The setting sun like blood cast brilliant, dazzling radiance upon him—bright red like fire, pitch black like night. The king of darkness stood in the afterglow of the setting sun, having shed his original sharpness and aggressiveness, leaving only the deep, ocean-like profundity that would never abandon. He slowly lowered the hand holding the longbow, sitting high on his warhorse, watching that woman with flying garments, pale and stubborn, quietly without a word.

“Through heaven and earth, celestial palace and hell, don’t even think of escaping from my side again!”

Those words from the past remained clear in her heart. The two people, endlessly entangled and bound, finally stood once more on fate’s scales, letting heaven, earth, and all Buddhas together smile down upon this fettered life.

“Yima’er!”

A voice thick with worry immediately came from behind. Qing Xia spun around sharply to see behind her—Qin Zhiyan with many Great Qin princes, civil officials and military generals, Yan Character Battalion leaders, and Yan Hui’s pink army standing prominently a hundred meters behind her. So many people had approached thunderously, yet she had been completely unaware.

In an instant, thousands upon thousands of eyes focused on the three of them.

Qing Xia stood at the center of the two men, her garments stained with blood, black hair flying, face pale, standing alone like a transcendent fairy, ethereal and detached.

The scene from Bailu Plains appeared before her eyes once more—the only difference was a change of time, place, and batch of watching spectators.

Qin Zhiyan slowly stepped forward, but as he took two steps, Chu Li also urged his horse out. The two men stood among their armies, both gazing at that pale woman. Finally, they smiled at each other with polite detachment and said gravely:

“Chu Emperor.”

“Prince Xuan.”

“We meet again.”

Spring cold was sharp, northern wind bent the grass.

In an instant, everyone’s gaze focused entirely on the three of them. Qing Xia felt her heart as if it had suddenly been scalded by hot oil, then thrown into snowy ice fields. In a trance, hundreds of thoughts flashed through her mind. Everything felt like a great dream, filled with heavy powerlessness. Those gazes of various expressions focused on her like knives, stabbing harshly at her heart, revealing a huge round hole through which cold wind howled, freezing her blood until she lost all sensation.

The setting sun like blood cast bloody radiance on their shoulders. The sky gradually darkened, the horizon seeming to be on fire with layered clouds accumulating heavily and surging.

A cold wind blew. Qin Zhiyan coughed lightly, then said in a clear voice, “Chu Emperor has traveled ten thousand li to personally come congratulate my Father Emperor’s birthday. We failed to welcome you from afar—please forgive us.”

Chu Li wore black armor, his sword-like brows and starry eyes making him appear even more heroic and transcendent after just a few months’ absence. His eyes were sharp as knives, scanning lightly over everyone before he said gravely, “For Prince Qin’s birthday, how could this solitary one not come? Prince Xuan is too courteous.”

Yan Hui stood behind, his entire body fragrant with incense, wearing splendid brocade throughout. Even without saying a word, it was hard to ignore him. Seeing this situation, he suddenly stepped forward, performed an exaggerated bow, and said loudly, “After parting at Bailu Plains that day, I had no chance to bid farewell to His Majesty the Chu Emperor. I truly had family matters—how terribly rude of me. To meet here today shows no shallow fate indeed.”

Chu Li’s brow lifted slightly, his eyes showing some disdain as he said coolly, “For Prince Qin’s birthday, all nations come to celebrate. This solitary one has opportunity to meet everyone—what’s this talk of ‘no shallow fate’?”

Upon hearing this, the Xichuan envoys were immediately embarrassed. But unexpectedly, Yan Hui showed no abnormality, still smiling carelessly and saying, “Chu Emperor’s words are wrong. Life’s encounters are strange and changeable—many things cannot be reasoned with common sense. Like when His Majesty the Great Emperor and Princess Min fell into the ravine together, everyone thought both must surely die, yet who knew there would be a turn of fate with miraculous encounters? Therefore, yesterday’s parting doesn’t guarantee today’s safe reunion, which is why Yan Hui feels we two have fate.”

The matter of the three of them had long been known throughout the world. Now with Yan Hui speaking so obliquely about it, various gazes immediately shot at the three like ice and snow. Qing Xia’s face went white, her pure white garments spotted with blood, her eyes indifferent like frost as she bit her lower lip slightly and remained quietly silent.

Qin Zhiyan frowned slightly, slowly stepped forward to stand beside Qing Xia, turned back with a light smile and said, “Everyone, Father Emperor has set a banquet in Taihe Great Hall. Please follow me there together—don’t catch cold wind here. Chu Emperor, please go first.”

Chu Li pressed his lips tightly, nodded slightly, and didn’t mount his horse. He walked over slowly step by step. All the surrounding people made way when they saw him, only Yan Hui approached with fox-like narrowed eyes. Qing Xia stood beside Qin Zhiyan, her garments thin, appearance haggard, as if just the short time of a burning incense stick had exhausted all her strength. Chu Li walked closer and closer, his characteristic cold scent hitting her face—that coldness carried a weapon-like chill with Southern Chu’s unique grassland withered grass smell, the kind of withered grass that would reveal white bones if you dug anywhere in that soil.

Qing Xia lowered her head, staring directly at her toes, hands clenched into tight fists with nails almost digging into flesh. She didn’t dare raise her head, didn’t dare speak, didn’t even dare take a loud breath. She didn’t even know what she was afraid of. Thousands of eyes stared at her as if to pierce through her. Fine beads of sweat seeped from her palms. One step, then another—finally he walked before her. The originally steady footsteps suddenly stopped. A huge sound immediately thundered in her mind, and the entire heaven and earth almost reversed at the same moment. Her face was pale as death. Those black boots stopped before her, quietly, motionless.

“Chu Emperor, please!” A gentle voice suddenly sounded beside her. Qin Zhiyan’s pleasant voice was like a warm spring, gently smoothing the fear and sorrow in her heart like a lifesaving straw.

Chu Li turned his head sideways, looking directly at that pale woman, watching the snow-white nape revealed as she lowered her head. Finally, he resolutely turned his head and walked firmly in his original direction—only those footsteps seemed so heavy.

Cold wind rose as they passed by each other. Qing Xia stood in place, biting her lower lip tightly, staring blankly without a word.

If possible, she truly hoped they would never meet again. If possible, how she wished to drink from the River of Forgetfulness and forget everything from the past.

“Fate has always been shallow—why must feelings run deep?”

They weren’t meant to be on the same path—why torment each other with mutual entanglement?

“You’re cold, aren’t you? Come back with me.” The gentle voice sounded by her ear. Qing Xia slowly raised her head to look at Qin Zhiyan’s warm smiling face, but her eyes gradually blurred. Her shoulders suddenly warmed as Qin Zhiyan draped his snow-white fur cloak on her and extended his arms to embrace her. His voice was very soft, with such understanding and pity. He looked toward Chu Li’s departing direction and said quietly, “It’s very hard, isn’t it? Very tiring? I know everything.”

The tears she had held back for so long finally slowly flowed down, falling into the desolate northern wind. She leaned on Qin Zhiyan’s shoulder, still able to see Chu Li’s carriage in the distance surrounded by Qin princes. That proud figure grew more and more distant, finally gradually disappearing into the depths of vision. The last trace of warmth from the setting sun at the horizon also gradually cooled behind his retreating figure. The earth was vast and desolate, grass deep and green, slanting sun like fire casting bloody red light everywhere.

“Zhiyan,” Qing Xia called softly, “I’m very tired. Take me home.”

Qin Zhiyan’s smile immediately became warm and gentle because of her single word “home.” He held her gently in his arms, slowly nodding, and walked toward the vast Xianyang City.

The sky finally darkened. The entire heaven and earth became desolate. The heavy city gates were slowly closed, isolating everything outside within this unparalleled enormous cage.

Qing Xia, covered in blood, had to return to the prince’s mansion first to change clothes. Envoys from all nations were arranged in side halls next to Taihe Palace. Chu Li, as the Great Emperor of Southern Chu, was brought into Taihe Palace itself, residing in Xianyi Hall, facing Prince Qin’s sleeping quarters from afar.