Dantai Qi’s wound was not especially grave, but the consequences were significant. Had Li Chi not kicked the assassin away in time, even if the blade had missed the heart, a full plunge would have threatened his life.
These assassins — their methods and experience in killing were formidable. They could read a situation in an instant and change their approach in a single breath.
A full plunge, followed by any lateral movement at all — even a small twist of the wrist — and Dantai Qi would have died regardless.
So his own quick reflexes in avoiding the heart was one thing, and Li Chi saving him was another.
Against most assassins, even one of considerable skill, Dantai Qi could have neutralized the threat without it being inconceivable — indeed, even just defending himself without striking back would have been within his ability.
But the assassin had exploited Dantai Qi’s own heart. He had disguised himself as Dantai Yajing. What father could ever expect his own son to strike him down?
This was precisely why the man had earned his rank as a first-tier Shenshe assassin — his mimicry was peerless. Before entering the Commander’s Estate, he had observed Dantai Yajing elsewhere, committing every gesture and manner to memory.
This included his voice, which he could imitate with startling precision. The situation had also been somewhat chaotic; honestly, even eight parts out of ten resemblance, under those circumstances, would have been nearly impossible to see through.
Now, Li Chi saw Dantai Yajing emerge from the room and stepped forward with a question. “How is he?”
Dantai Yajing slowly exhaled. “The medical officer has seen him, applied medicine, and sutured the wound. For now, it doesn’t look like there’ll be any serious danger, though nothing can be certain yet.”
He leaned against the doorway, visibly exhausted. After a long moment, he looked over at Li Chi, Tang Pidi, and the others, straightened, and clasped his hands in a bow. “My thanks.”
Then he gave a faint smile. “My father told me to say that.”
Yu Jiuling said, “Go back and look after General Dantai — we’re brothers, there’s no need for this between us.”
Dantai Yajing replied, “He’s just taken his medicine and fallen asleep. Before he did, he asked me to come out and thank all of you — and also reminded me to go check on Miss Ruoling. She must have been frightened terribly.”
Even under these circumstances, the old general had managed to keep everything clearly in mind.
Then again — for every soldier in a border army, being wounded was no different from an ordinary occurrence.
“Let’s go see her.”
Li Chi and the others made their way toward the side rooms, where Miss Ruoling and Gao Xining had been taken earlier.
They had barely reached the doorway when they heard Miss Ruoling crying — clearly genuinely shaken. After all, this was a young girl’s first real act of killing. The fear that comes from that is not something just anyone can easily accept. It wasn’t a matter of being a girl — many a grown man wouldn’t be able to take it either.
Yu Jiuling stood at the doorway and looked in. Miss Ruoling sat there sobbing, and Gao Xining and Mister Yan were flustered and at a loss, consoling her continuously.
The girl wept with tears streaming down her face. However formidable she might be, she was still that young.
It wasn’t quite appropriate for them to go in, so they turned back to the courtyard. Dantai Yajing glanced toward the side room and let out another quiet sigh.
“Just now she shattered a golden-armored warrior’s head with a single hammer blow. Now she’s here crying softly — it’s like two different people entirely. I’ll be honest — that hammer struck fear into me too.”
Yu Jiuling said, “Scared you — scared me too.”
He sighed. “Thinking back on that blow, I don’t mean any disrespect to anyone present, but I don’t think any of us here could have taken that hit.”
He glanced at Tang Pidi. Tang Pidi looked up at the sky. After a moment, he said, “Why would I need to take it…”
Yu Jiuling then looked at Li Chi. Li Chi smiled and said, “If she were to strike the back of my head, naturally my skull would be smashed in as well. But if she struck my face — I’m afraid it would rebound and hurt Miss Ruoling instead.”
Everyone was briefly taken aback.
Then, as one, they nodded — agreeing wholeheartedly.
Tang Pidi said, “Not just rebound — if she hit you in the face, that hammer would go *clang* and bounce right back.”
Dantai Yajing gave a faint smile, then said, “There’s nothing pressing at the moment — let’s go question the captives.”
They had just started moving when a guard came running over from the direction of the study and said to Dantai Yajing, “The General has woken and is asking for the young general and the others to come speak with him.”
He had only been asleep for a quarter of an hour at most. That the General had woken so quickly meant he had things on his mind.
They hurried back toward the study. In the inner room, General Dantai Qi lay in bed, his complexion a little pallid, but his eyes alert.
“Come, sit.”
Dantai Qi said with a smile, “It’s fortunate you were here.”
After a few exchanges of small talk, Dantai Qi looked at Li Chi, something faintly apologetic in his expression. “There is something I must say to you first, young Li.”
Li Chi said quickly, “Please speak freely, General.”
Dantai Qi said, “Earlier, watching you and Tang Pidi, I could see where my son falls short. I had been thinking I should let him leave Liangzhou with you two to go on and further temper himself.”
“Both of you are exceptional men — whether in mind or in martial skill, you surpass Jing. Traveling alongside you two, he would learn far more than staying in Liangzhou.”
“Being around people of similar age who share the same aspirations — the learning is faster and deeper than anything I, an old man, could teach by lecturing.”
Dantai Qi said with some regret, “But now I am wounded and unable to command troops for a time. With this incident having occurred, the situation across the Western Realm has immediately become delicate. So…”
Before he could finish, Li Chi said immediately, “General, please don’t worry. Let Dantai stay in Liangzhou. If needed, we can remain here as well — there’s no harm in departing after things have settled.”
“Excellent.”
Dantai Qi’s expression brightened considerably, and Li Chi’s words gave him genuine peace of mind.
“There are a few matters — I would trouble you to help Jing through them.”
Dantai Qi said, “First, reassure all the visiting envoys. Tell them this matter has nothing to do with them, and that I will not hold them accountable.”
Li Chi nodded. “Understood.”
Dantai Yajing acknowledged it as well.
Were the General to pursue recriminations against the others at this juncture, it would only expand the conflict to encompass the entire Western Frontier. Every ruler of those nations, upon hearing news of it, would be frightened, fearing they might be targeted by Liangzhou’s iron army in retaliation. That fear might well drive the smaller nations to band together — which would only worsen the Western Frontier situation.
Dantai Qi continued, “Also — do not pursue the Maoli delegation.”
This confused many in the room. They thought the General had misspoken, since the Maoli envoy Sanding had led assassins into the Commander’s Estate — something the other visiting envoys had all witnessed with their own eyes.
Dantai Qi said gravely, “Allowing the Maoli delegation to be removed from this matter for now carries no particular harm — in fact, it is advantageous.”
He paused briefly, as if organizing his thoughts — or perhaps testing his son’s reasoning.
He looked toward Dantai Yajing with some expectation, but saw only a look of bewilderment on his son’s face, apparently unable to work it out.
He then turned a probing gaze toward Li Chi.
Li Chi understood at once what the General meant. He said, “We tell the envoys of all nations: the Maoli delegation had no intention of assassinating the General. Rather, the Maoli envoy Sanding was bought by the Yuezhi envoy Pangdi.”
Dantai Qi’s eyes lit up. He nodded, gesturing for Li Chi to continue.
Li Chi said, “The Maoli new emperor sent his men here in genuine sincerity to celebrate the General’s birthday. It was simply that after Sanding was bought by the Yuezhi, he committed the unthinkable act of attempting to assassinate the General.”
“The General has now confirmed through investigation that all the assassins were procured by the Yuezhi. The Yuezhi also brought them into the estate. And the reason the Maoli envoy Sanding was bought — the Yuezhi’s intent was to coerce Maoli into joining them against Great Chu.”
Li Chi continued, “Even the Maoli new emperor was kept completely in the dark about this. Though holding Maoli accountable would be entirely reasonable, the General does not wish to be played for a fool into allowing this incident to provoke war across the Western Frontier — which would entangle all the nations and cost hundreds of thousands of lives.”
By the time he reached this point, Dantai Qi’s eyes were full of undisguised admiration.
Li Chi went on, “This affair, from beginning to end, was an entirely Yuezhi conspiracy. And so the General will escort the envoys of all nations safely out — and ask them, upon returning home, to inform their respective rulers plainly: the General intends to march against the Yuezhi.”
“Let those envoys carry the General’s words home: that the General has sworn to destroy the Yuezhi. All nations must stay out of it. Any who join forces with the Yuezhi will be dealt with together. This matter has nothing to do with Maoli, and Maoli must not intervene either.”
Li Chi paused, then looked at Dantai Qi as if seeking confirmation, and said, “In summary — tell those envoys: when you return home, keep your heads down. No one is to interfere. But between the Liangzhou Iron Army and the Yuezhi — war is inevitable.”
Dantai Qi broke into a laugh. “Young people are something to be reckoned with. Truly something to be reckoned with!”
Dantai Yajing finally understood. His father’s intent had been to eliminate the situation where the nations of the Western Realm would all have to pick sides.
If things weren’t arranged this way, the Western Realm nations would inevitably choose factions — some standing with the Yuezhi and Maoli, others standing with the Chu border army.
Now his father was telling the nations of the Western Realm: I am not targeting anyone else — I am not even targeting Maoli. I am targeting only the Yuezhi. Stay out of it; anyone who interferes will be dealt with.
Yet he was still somewhat puzzled, and so he asked, “But why not rally the nations to join forces with our Liangzhou Iron Army to destroy the Yuezhi together?”
Dantai Qi smiled. “If I made such a call, every ruler would think it means the Liangzhou Iron Army lacks the strength and confidence to destroy the Yuezhi on its own.”
He looked at his son and patiently explained, “By saying they are forbidden to intervene, they will feel I have the confidence to destroy the Yuezhi through our own power alone.”
Dantai Yajing finally understood. He nodded. “Father worries that if you call on them to choose sides, they’ll take it as a sign we lack strength — and end up choosing the Yuezhi, given that the Yuezhi are one of the stronger nations of the Western Realm.”
Dantai Qi said, “The more you forbid them, the more they’ll come rushing to help you — because they’ll fear that once you’ve finished with the Yuezhi, you’ll come for them next. It seems once I’ve recovered from my wound, it really will be necessary to send you with Li Chi to go out and gain some experience. The greatest gain from this journey for you was meeting them.”
Dantai Yajing clicked his tongue. “They’re only marginally better than me.”
Dantai Qi said with a laugh, “In the past you would have bristled and refused to concede anything. This time you actually accept it — good, very good. Seeing you change like this gives me great comfort.”
Dantai Yajing sighed. “I used to think that if I kept telling you I was capable, you’d praise me. Who knew you’d only praise me when I admitted I wasn’t.”
Dantai Qi said, “You truly do fall somewhat short of those two — when you fall short, you need to admit it.”
Dantai Yajing looked at Li Chi. “You couldn’t say something modest?”
Li Chi said, “Your father is entirely right.”
Dantai Yajing snorted, then turned to look at Tang Pidi. He’d thought — well, Li Chi had no shame, so fine, but surely Tang Pidi would at least say something humble.
Tang Pidi, feeling the gaze upon him, gave a slight incline of his head and said earnestly, “Keep working hard.”
Those four words nearly made Dantai Yajing pass out.
And it didn’t stop there.
Tang Pidi, quite seriously, said to Dantai Yajing, “Setting other matters aside and speaking only of military affairs — first learn from Li Chi. When he has nothing left to teach you, come ask me.”
Dantai Yajing: “…”
—