The first ray of morning sunlight filtered through the ancient trees, gently wrapping around her body with a warm, comforting embrace that made one instinctively want to linger in its glow.
When Changling opened her eyes, she saw a flower petal drifting down, landing on her brow like a tender kiss. A strange sensation quietly swept through her heart. She was momentarily dazed, then suddenly sat upright, instinctively searching for a particular figure.
Mingyue Zhou had originally been resting against the wall. Upon hearing the rustle of fabric, he opened his eyes alertly and discovered that Changling had already stood up. “You’re awake?”
“Where are the others?”
Mingyue Zhou paused, then slowly rose to his feet. “I just woke up too…”
Hearing footsteps from the stone chamber, Changling strode over. As soon as she entered the room, she saw her master and the others gathered around the bed. “How is Big Brother?”
“Martial Nephew, you’re finally awake?” Jiagu made space for her. “We circulated our cultivation for most of the night. Your brother’s condition has basically stabilized, but it may take some time before he regains consciousness…”
Upon hearing this, Changling was naturally overjoyed. She immediately knelt down and said, “Many thanks to Master and Martial Uncle for your life-saving grace. This disciple…”
“Ah, ah, ah—we monks are compassionate by nature, and you are our own disciple. Such formalities are unnecessary.” Jiagu helped her to her feet. Changling said, “Master and Martial Uncle have expended so much true qi. I wonder…”
Seeing the concern in her eyes, Jiaye said calmly, “Those who practice martial arts in Buddhism do so to save all sentient beings. Circulating and applying our cultivation is also a form of practice. To save a life, what does a little internal energy matter? However, yesterday Young Master Yue’s meridians were blocked and his blood flow reversed—it was extremely perilous. Though he survived the ordeal thanks to Marquis He’s Heart Protection Pill, it also depleted his body. After the Young Master awakens, he will need careful recuperation…”
Upon hearing the words “Heart Protection Pill,” Changling’s heart suddenly sank. “What Heart Protection Pill?”
Unaware of the Purple Gold Pill’s origin, Jiaye answered truthfully, “Marquis He said it was the He family’s ancestral Heart Protection Pill, known to have the effect of bringing the dead back to life…”
Before he could finish, he saw her sway slightly. Jiaye was somewhat confused. “What’s wrong?”
Changling vaguely guessed something in her heart but didn’t dare believe it. She asked with difficulty, “That Heart Protection Pill… what was it stored in? Was it… in a longevity lock?”
Jiaye replied, “That’s correct. How did you know?”
Changling stood frozen in place, her entire being filled with helpless bewilderment.
Seeing Jiagu’s evasive gaze, she asked, “Martial Uncle, where is Ye Qi?”
“He… he that… that…”
After stammering for a long time without getting to the point, Changling rushed straight out the door, calling angrily as she walked, “Ye Qi! Come out!”
However, when she reached the cave entrance and looked around at everyone present—Tianhun, Tianpo, Luo Zhou, the experts from the Yan Kingdom—only Ye Qi was absent.
Mingyue Zhou rushed forward. “Miss Changling…”
“Where is he?” She looked at Mingyue Zhou. “He Yu, where is he?”
Mingyue Zhou froze.
In his impression, Changling always seemed unshakeable, remaining composed even if Mount Tai collapsed before her. When had she ever been so panicked and at a loss?
“Not long after you fainted last night, he left the valley with a group of people…”
“Left the valley?” Changling asked in confusion, “Where did he go?”
Just as Mingyue Zhou was about to answer, someone said, “The Young Master went out of the city to fetch reinforcements.”
Changling saw Seventh Uncle approaching and asked in disbelief, “Fetch reinforcements?”
“We learned that Prime Minister Fu had treasonous intentions, and the situation in Yuzhou was chaotic with several armies entangled, making it difficult to distinguish friend from foe. The Young Master feared that the Young Master’s whereabouts would be exposed, so he took Second Young Master Fu and the others out of the valley early to rendezvous with Tao Feng first, then find a way to divert Prime Minister Fu’s attention so the He family troops could enter the city smoothly…” Seventh Uncle said, “These reinforcements should arrive soon. Please wait a moment, Miss Changling…”
Changling stepped forward and asked, “Do you know he gave my elder brother the Purple Gold Pill?”
Seventh Uncle’s eyes trembled slightly. “Yes.”
Changling pointed toward the mountain gate, her fingertip trembling uncontrollably. “You know he could collapse at any moment… and you still let him personally go out to fetch reinforcements?”
Seventh Uncle lowered his head. “Precisely because of this, he needed to leave the valley early… Only then could Divine Physician Ji stabilize the Young Master’s condition first…”
Changling suddenly turned around. “Does Ji Beilan still have Purple Gold Pills?”
“…Divine Physician Ji is highly skilled in medicine. Perhaps he has other methods…”
Seventh Uncle’s words were vague and evasive. He didn’t dare look at Changling. Though her mind was in turmoil, she didn’t notice anything amiss, only feeling uneasy. “But he’s so gravely injured. If he falls into Fu Yangui’s hands…”
Just then, the ground once again emitted a rumbling sound. Everyone raised their weapons with full vigilance, immediately switching to combat readiness—until the mountain gate fully opened and they saw the first person at the cave entrance was Tao Feng.
“They’re our people!” Seventh Uncle, fearing the Yan people would strike first, rushed forward. “Tao Feng, did the troops successfully enter the city?”
“We can hold out a while longer, but we shouldn’t stay long,” Tao Feng said upon seeing them all there. “While Prime Minister Fu’s forces are insufficient, let’s quickly leave the valley and the city. We must reach Changping Commandery before nightfall.”
Changling asked, “Is your Young Marquis also in Changping Commandery?”
“The Marquis?” Tao Feng seemed caught off guard. “The Marquis isn’t with…”
Before the words “are you together” could emerge, Seventh Uncle interjected, “The Marquis naturally had to fetch Divine Physician Ji first before heading to Changping Commandery together. Tao Feng, didn’t the Marquis mention this when you met earlier?”
Tao Feng caught Seventh Uncle’s meaningful glance and nodded slowly, half a beat behind. “Ah, yes, the Marquis… told me to come meet you first…”
These two were trusted confidants of Ye Qi. Since they spoke in unison, Changling naturally had no reason to doubt them. Considering the danger of this place, she no longer hesitated. After informing her master and the others, she quickly left the valley with Changsheng.
Tao Feng had prepared thoroughly. Besides the He family cavalry, even war chariots were waiting outside Xiaoyao Valley—Jiaye and Jiagu donned soldiers’ outer robes, and Luo Zhou also changed Changsheng into military attire. The four rode together in a war chariot. At first glance, it was nearly impossible to detect that this military force had “other people” mixed in.
Though Tao Feng had brought fewer than three thousand soldiers into the city, these were the He family’s most elite cavalry. Combined with the prestige of the “War God,” breaking through the defenses of the equally-sized Longxiang Army was effortless.
After leaving the city, the main force headed west without stopping. Along the way, aside from some minor ambushes by small fry, they encountered essentially no obstacles.
Initially, Changling was wholly focused on seeing Ye Qi and assumed these clear paths were the He family army’s advance preparations, paying them no mind. However, after several hours, she felt an emptiness in her heart, as if something wasn’t quite right.
Seeing her squint and survey the surrounding soldiers, Seventh Uncle couldn’t help but ask, “Second Young Master, what’s wrong?”
Changling’s gaze finally settled on her own hands. “Where is my sword?”
Seventh Uncle was startled. “Perhaps it was left in the valley…”
“Before I lost consciousness last night, the sword was still in my hand. There’s no reason it would disappear after I woke up.”
During those years on the battlefield, she always kept her sword at her side. In such an environment, she would have felt something was off. However, she hadn’t carried weapons for over a year now, so amid the crisis, she hadn’t noticed immediately. But at this moment, the images in her mind seemed to rewind, flashing past rapidly—from Tao Feng’s appearance, to her master’s mention of the Purple Gold Pill, to Ye Qi desperately defending the mountain gate, and finally… freezing on the look in his eyes before she fainted.
Changling pulled on the reins, her knuckles turning white. “Even if he had to leave, taking Second Young Master Fu along was to divert Fu Yangui. There was no need to bring little Qin too… Seventh Uncle, tell me the truth. Will they really be waiting for us in Chang’an Commandery?”
Seventh Uncle wanted to answer, but as soon as he opened his mouth, his eyes involuntarily reddened. This elderly loyal servant, no matter how hard he tried to follow his young master’s instructions, couldn’t deceive his heart.
Changling understood with just one glance. “Where did he go?”
Seeing that everyone’s horses had slowed down, Mingyue Zhou rode forward to ask, “Why has everyone stopped?”
“Fine, Mingyue Zhou, you tell me.” Changling looked at him. “Where did he go?”
Mingyue Zhou glanced at Seventh Uncle’s troubled expression, then saw the stubbornness in Changling’s eyes. He snorted and said, “I said from the start there was no need to hide it, but they wouldn’t listen. That’s right—last night, when they heard Prime Minister Fu was bringing troops to break into the valley, He Yu simply had those two young people disguised as you two, while he himself disguised as your brother and charged out of the valley with great fanfare to draw away the Eastern Xia troops. But he was leading them toward the Longmen River. If not for this, how could our journey have been so smooth?”
Changling froze. Actually, when she asked the question, she already had the answer in her heart. But when she heard Mingyue Zhou’s words with her own ears, it was as if even that last sliver of faint hope had been shattered.
But she was only dazed for an instant. Her naturally powerful spiritual force quickly helped her regain composure. Seeing her turn her horse around, Seventh Uncle hurriedly said, “Miss Changling! The Young Master knew that if you learned the truth, you would turn back at all costs. He asked me to relay a message to you…”
Seventh Uncle spoke word by word: “‘Your elder brother still needs you. Everyone needs you. Before they are safe, you will stay by their side, won’t you?'”
Won’t you?
This was Ye Qi’s characteristic tone—three parts inquiry, three parts playful, and three parts certainty.
Changling looked back at the war chariot, seeing Changsheng still unconscious, along with her master, martial uncle, and Hero Luo… Yes, she couldn’t abandon any of them. Having walked this far down this path, she was no longer the solitary Yue Changling who could act as she pleased.
In that instant, she felt as if all the air in her chest had been sucked out, making even breathing difficult.
However, before she could continue following the main force forward, a scout urgently rode up from behind and said, “General Tao, something’s wrong. Two armies have appeared from Yanxing and the Longmen River region, racing toward us…”
Tao Feng said, “They’re Prime Minister Fu’s troops.”
Mingyue Zhou was somewhat shocked. “I didn’t expect he would even deploy the troops guarding Yanxing Pass to pursue us…”
Tao Feng frowned. “Seventh Uncle, we need to speed up immediately… Hey, Second Young Master, what are you doing?”
Changling casually drew the blade from Tao Feng’s waist and said coldly, “There’s more than just Yanxing Pass in this area. Since Fu Yangui is making such a grand move, I’m afraid all the troops that can be mobilized from the Lingnan region are heading this way. The terrain ahead is all low-lying. If we continue forward, we’ll be sitting ducks for their arrows.”
Both Mingyue Zhou and Tao Feng looked ahead. As seasoned veterans, they immediately recognized the truth in Changling’s words.
Tao Feng said, “This is troublesome… Our forces are limited. If we’re caught between two armies, their numbers will only grow…”
Changling gave a cold laugh. “To catch the bandits, first catch their king. Just as well—it’s been a long time since I’ve had a proper meeting with this Prime Minister.”