Chu Li’s face immediately turned cold as he glanced at Hua Rongyue indifferently, letting out a mocking snort through his nose, saying coolly, “Just with you?”

“Just with me.” The woman smiled confidently and suddenly cracked her whip. With a fierce howl echoing instantly, Qing Xia’s heart jumped in alarm. She turned her head to see that beyond the two armies, everywhere were densely packed desert wolves, clearly all raised by this gang of horse bandits. At this moment, they were drooling and staring at them with murderous intent.

Chu Li frowned, about to speak, when Qing Xia stepped forward first and called out, “Do you recognize this?”

Under the bright sunlight, she held a small piece of white jade in her hand. The jade pendant was ancient and exquisitely crafted, with a small gold ingot carved on it.

Hua Rongyue’s expression changed, her eyes immediately sharpening. After a long while, a cautious voice slowly rang out. The woman looked coldly at Qing Xia, her tone guarded as she said, “Where did you get this?”

Qing Xia smiled faintly, turned to exchange glances with Chu Li, and they stood side by side.

Yellow sand rolled forth, with brief winds blowing from afar, faintly revealing a trace of sharp blood light. However, no one noticed that behind that sharpness lurked the bloody slaughter capable of overturning China, slowly approaching with an attitude of ravaging the world, gradually engulfing everything.

The reign title that Chu Li took upon ascending the throne was later changed to Shenshang. The twenty-seventh day of the tenth month in the eighth year of Shenshang became a date that later historians could never forget. Though the fires of chaotic war were not lit on this day, all subsequent records were vague about this crucial day, with rough documentation. Many suspected that it was this very night that laid the foundation for the future Four Realms Rebellion that would shock the world and devastate all within, planting the seeds of world destruction and completing the most tumultuous civil war in history, becoming the source of calamity for the world.

Regarding the history of a thousand years past, later historians could no longer verify the details. They only knew that on that day of gathering winds and clouds, blood began to flow across the world, and the entire Northwest, the entire Chinese continent, and even the entire world suffered unprecedented destruction. The world-destroying king slowly rose in darkness, gradually conquering this chaotic world through methods and postures no one understood. The three-foot green sword had long hung over the necks of the people, yet ridiculously, few recognized the severity of this situation. Brushing away the dust from history books, later generations could do nothing but sigh in alarm, unable to reverse the course of events. Regarding the various conflicting accounts, people found it difficult to reach consensus, but everyone clearly knew that night was destined not to be a peaceful night suitable for sleep.

It was also on this night that the world-saving heroes truly met, forming the unshakeable Celestial Wolf Alliance. History struggled forward through bloody storms, while the ambitious heroes of the chaotic times slowly stood up from the chaotic mortal world at this moment, firmly grasping their still-tender hands together.

In the Northwestern desert, at Longya Sand Dunes, flickering lights stubbornly glowed in the darkness. The old order was destined to perish in the flames of war, while new order awaited rebirth from the ashes and ruins.

“The goods that the Japanese nation requires mostly originate from our country, such as books, copper coins, calligraphy and paintings, porcelain, brocade cloth, silk, silk caps, and so forth. Trade with Japan yields several times more profit than trade with Luzon and the Ryukyu Islands. As for Japan itself, only a few goods like swords, blades, and sulfur can be exchanged with our dynasty. The rest can only be paid for with silver. Our country lacks gold and silver, so Japan’s massive input of gold and silver can effectively alleviate the people’s need for silver currency. Moreover, gold and silver are universally accepted currencies with inherent value, greatly beneficial for the nation’s primitive capital accumulation. Therefore, trade with Japan benefits both country and people and should be appropriately supported and vigorously promoted…”

“Opening maritime trade, abandoning the narrow concept of isolation, vigorously developing the navy, encouraging people to engage in commerce, and developing industry and trade are fundamental to strengthening the people and enriching the country, not to be taken lightly or neglected. Without opening people’s minds and spreading education, society can hardly progress. Education for the people should be incorporated into national policy, abolishing useless eight-legged essays, establishing various educational systems, cultivating specialized talents in all fields, broadening pathways for selecting officials, and establishing specialized educational institutions…”

“Justice should be public, with three departments operating independently—arrest, trial, and supervision—each performing its duties while checking each other, centralizing power above and strengthening supervision of all officials…”

“Emphasizing agriculture, developing large-scale farming, and the superior seeds contributed by southeastern wealthy merchant Jin Shaohuang should be highly valued and vigorously promoted nationwide…”

It was already very late at night. Qing Xia put down the documents in her hands, rubbed her temples, let out a gentle sigh, leaned back in her chair, and slowly closed her eyes. During the day, after Hua Rongyue saw Jin Shaohuang’s jade pendant, she said nothing and simply turned to leave with the many horse bandits. Qing Xia didn’t want to consider the reasons behind this further. She was willing to believe that things were as simple as Jin Shaohuang had said—that they only had a close relationship due to business dealings. However, subconsciously, she also knew this was impossible. Even if the Northwestern horse bandits had excellent relations with Jin Shaohuang, Hua Rongyue couldn’t completely ignore Northern Qin’s orders. After all, if they angered Qin Zhixiang, Northern Qin wouldn’t let the matter rest. Though the Northwestern horse bandits had substantial strength, they were ultimately just a roving army without powerful rear support. Relying solely on pillaging and mercenary work would make it very difficult to contend with a regular army.

Moreover, she wore a jade pendant identical to Jin Shaohuang’s at her waist, the only difference being that Hua Rongyue’s jade pendant was carved with a war horse.

These people were definitely not as simple as they appeared on the surface. Qing Xia couldn’t help but think of some doubts that had always lingered in her mind. Perhaps, if she could find Jin Shaohuang, many unclear matters would become clear.

She put down the small wolf-hair brush, stood up to stretch her muscles, and the tent flap was lifted by the wind. A rich aroma of meat suddenly wafted in. Qing Xia sniffed and stepped outside. The soldiers in the camp were performing their duties—patrolling, standing guard—everything in good order. Le Song was still cooking in the mess, responsible for feeding the entire army for a month. Without assistants or help, he was still busy in the kitchen despite the late hour.

Behind the main camp, in an open area, there was a weak firelight. Qing Xia walked around the layers of tents to see a handsome man sitting gracefully on an open sandy ground, roasting game. The wind carried a mouth-watering aroma.

Qing Xia walked over and casually found a place to sit. Her green and white cotton robe glowed softly in the cold moonlight. She stared at the campfire and said indifferently, “I wondered where you had run off to. Turns out you came here to steal food.”

Chu Li wore a black robe without ostentatious patterns, only dark-patterned black eagles embroidered on the sleeves and hem. He continued roasting the game in his hands, smiling lightly, “Your nose is quite sharp. I caught two wild rabbits on the way back and didn’t want Le Song to ruin them. You’re lucky to taste my cooking.”

Qing Xia scoffed, “Who told you to dismiss the cooks? This is called reaping what you sow.”

Chu Li snorted unconvincingly without responding. The aroma from the spit grew stronger, the rabbit meat turning golden yellow, constantly dripping oil and looking very appetizing. Qing Xia’s nostrils twitched as she took a deep breath and said admiringly, “Chu Li, I didn’t expect you had this skill. Where did you go to learn cooking these years?”

The corner of Chu Li’s mouth lifted, but somehow his smile seemed somewhat bitter: “After leaving White Deer Plains, I became apprenticed to the imperial kitchen’s head chef.”

Qing Xia was stunned, suddenly remembering the white creature she had roasted in the ravine at White Deer Plains. At that time, Chu Li had cooked it himself, producing something half-raw and half-cooked with very clumsy technique. She and Da Huang had laughed at him together. In the blink of an eye, five or six years had already passed.

Suddenly, she didn’t know what to say. Some inexplicable emotions stuck in her throat, making breathing increasingly difficult.

“It’s ready.” Chu Li chuckled softly, picked up the spit and tore off a rabbit leg. Just as Qing Xia was about to reach for it, Chu Li blocked her hand, saying, “Wait, it’s hot.” As he spoke, he kept switching the leg between his left and right hands, constantly blowing on it. After a good while, he handed it to Qing Xia, saying, “Alright, you can eat it now. Be careful not to burn your mouth.”

Qing Xia tore off a small piece of meat and put it in her mouth. It was fragrant without being greasy, crispy outside and tender inside, very delicious. She smiled with her eyes squinting, extended her greasy hand with a thumbs up, and said indistinctly with meat in her mouth, “Delicious.”

Hearing this, Chu Li was very happy and said, “Then eat more.” While speaking, he took out a small knife, cut the other rabbit leg into small slices, and placed them on the rack to warm over low heat.

Qing Xia looked at him and asked puzzledly, “Why aren’t you eating?”

Chu Li smiled, “Watching you eat is enough for me.”

Qing Xia suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, deliberately putting on a stern face and saying matter-of-factly, “You get full just watching me eat?”

“Mm,” Chu Li nodded very honestly, raising an eyebrow, “But don’t misunderstand—it’s not because of any ‘feast for the eyes.’ I’m actually stuffed from the dinner banquet earlier.”

“Too lazy to bicker with you.” Qing Xia rolled her eyes at him and continued eating with her head down. Le Song’s cooking in the evening was truly hard to swallow. Though Chu Li’s method appeared to be punishing him, it was actually punishing the entire army. While Le Song was disliked by everyone, he also suffered tremendous psychological pressure. The poor fellow suddenly realized the truth of an old saying and kept muttering nervously all day: “Being close to the emperor is truly like being close to a tiger.”

Qing Xia quickly ate half the rabbit leg. Desert rabbits were more fragrant and delicious than forest ones. She put down the rabbit meat and used Chu Li’s robe to wipe her hands. Seeing this, Chu Li quickly put down what he was holding and tried to grab back his robe, shouting, “What are you doing? Hey! You woman…”