Under the bright candlelight, Jiang Hanyuan and Wu Sheng sat facing each other. Only now could she see clearly that he had grown thin, almost gaunt, and not only that, his face was also damaged, with burn scars from fire on one side of his cheek.

He no longer possessed his former handsome appearance, but his face constantly carried a smile.

If before he had been like a distant snow-capped mountain peak, transcendent and otherworldly, inspiring people to unconsciously look up to him in reverence, then now he seemed to have descended from his lofty seat. Jiang Hanyuan felt he was no longer the Wu Sheng of before. Now he was more like a real, living person with flesh and blood and warmth. When conversing with her, he no longer referred to himself as “this humble monk.”

“My sins cannot be atoned for even by ten thousand deaths. But I could have chosen other ways—immolation was what I sought. I thought I had seen through the sufferings of the mortal world and was willing to prove the Dharma through this method to achieve perfect cultivation. However, when the moment came for the flames to burn my body, I finally understood that I was merely an ordinary person.

“In my childhood, I was fortunate to escape with my life and was taken in by Master Dongfa, thus gaining shelter. I seemed to have transcended the red dust of the world, devoting myself to arduous cultivation, yet fear and anxiety never left me. Later, I even fell into karmic obstacles, stubbornly clinging to delusion.

“At that moment, I suddenly achieved enlightenment—I was merely trying to seek liberation through such means, which was the lowest approach. I appeared to have left home for monastic life, but was still worldly; I appeared to be cultivating, but was avoiding the world. If I had died like that, I would have fallen into the Avici Hell, never to recover for countless eons…”

Speaking to this point, he suddenly closed his eyes and stopped.

Jiang Hanyuan gazed at him, listening quietly without interruption. The large tent was silent.

Presently, he slowly opened his eyes: “What I had not expected was that the Regent Prince ultimately released me and granted me freedom.”

When he spoke the word “freedom,” his tone carried slightly more weight.

“Just as the flames burned my body and demonic obstacles invaded my heart, the solar eclipse occurred, and the Regent Prince used Heaven’s will as justification to spare me from death. General, I will not hide from you—when I opened my eyes and discovered I was still alive, that I had not died, in that moment I suddenly seemed to achieve the complete enlightenment I had desperately sought but could not attain before. I felt fortunate, more fortunate than I had ever felt in this life. I am an ordinary person; the world still holds much suffering, and inner demons are difficult to eliminate, yet having experienced life and death, death and life, having passed through great tribulation, I still have the opportunity to continue cultivating and seek true perfection.

“Heaven has treated me well indeed.”

As Wu Sheng narrated, Jiang Hanyuan felt as if infected by his words, her heart slowly filling with joy and emotion. She knew that every word he spoke at this moment came from his heart. She truly felt happy for him.

“So, where do you plan to go in the future?”

She asked her friend sitting across from her.

“I will retrace the path I once walked, leave through the western pass, and go to the Western Regions once again.”

Jiang Hanyuan was startled.

Wu Sheng explained: “The last time I decided to travel west, my initial intention was to fulfill my master’s wish, to complete the sutras and preserve them as Dharma treasures, so the journey was rushed and left regrets. I remember those sacred places I once visited, where many eminent monks resided, all proficient in Buddhist principles. This time, I’m going by myself. If I am fortunate enough to reach there again, I will study the Dharma, and when I return, Qielan Temple will be my life’s destination. I will continue to promote my master’s teachings there.”

Jiang Hanyuan looked at him with solemn respect: “The future Qielan Temple will surely become a sacred place because of you. I await your return!”

Wu Sheng smiled and thanked her, then stood up: “Being able to know the General in this life is my fortune. Being able to have this long conversation with the General leaves me with no regrets.

“I must go now. I bid you farewell.”

Jiang Hanyuan escorted him out of the tent. When she wanted to accompany him further, he placed his palms together: “General, please stop here. Take great care of yourself.”

Jiang Hanyuan no longer insisted on accompanying him further. She stopped and stood outside the tent entrance, but saw him walk a few steps, seeming to hesitate, then suddenly stop and slowly turn around.

Jiang Hanyuan knew he must still have something to say, and looked at him with a smile.

Wu Sheng’s gaze fell on her face, silently contemplating her for a moment, then suddenly said: “Back in Yunluo, later when I had leisure time, I went to see the lake beneath the snow mountains. This time, I was also able to see the Regent Prince’s face.

“General, you were right—he indeed has the appearance of an immortal. You and he are a perfect match made in heaven. Though this humble monk is insignificant, my wish comes from a Mahayana Bodhisattva heart. This humble monk will light lamps of brightness for you both and pray for great blessings.”

He placed his palms together and bowed to Jiang Hanyuan once more, then turned and left without any further hesitation.

A personal guard, following orders, escorted him out of the camp.

Jiang Hanyuan watched his figure depart, gradually becoming blurred in the clear moonlight until it disappeared completely from sight.

She stood alone quietly in the moonlight for another moment before slowly returning to her tent.

Wu Sheng’s parting words seemed somewhat inexplicable. She pondered for a moment and finally remembered.

Yes, those were indeed words she had once spoken. On the night before she married and went to Chang’an, she had described that young man to Wu Sheng.

She had said: “Have you ever seen the scene when wind from snow mountains ripples Mirror Lake on a clear day, creating layers of waves on the water? That’s what he looks like when he smiles.”

It turned out Wu Sheng had indeed gone to see the lake beneath the snow mountains afterward. And now, having seen that person, he shared the same feeling as she did.

Jiang Hanyuan was lost in thought for a moment. Slowly, a surge of bittersweet emotion rose in her heart, and her eyes grew hot again. But this time was completely different from before. She felt that her heart was filled with tender feelings mixed with pride, comfort, and deep emotion.

He had finally returned her friend to her.

From now on, Wu Sheng would embark on the path he should take and live as he wished. Jiang Hanyuan knew that someday in the future, that ancient temple in Luoyang would surely become a pilgrimage destination for people throughout the realm because of him.

On this peaceful night, she had seen off her friend, and in this large tent in the wilderness military camp, she thought of him. Where was he now, what was he doing, what was he thinking?

For a moment, longing swept over her like a tide.

She admitted it—she missed him very much. She also wanted to know what exactly had happened. After their separation, he seemed to have become a different person. Clearly, before that, during those days in Yunluo, he had accompanied her so tenderly. Those few days spent together in the valley—even now, when she recalled them, they seemed like a dream.

Unable to sleep, she couldn’t help but take out the betrothal knife again.

Though this knife was ornate, with its scabbard inlaid with precious jade and gems, it had originally been made as the Martial Emperor’s daily short blade, so during its forging, full consideration had been given to the convenience of carrying it. After Wang Ren had delivered it to her again at his command last time, she had always carried it with her, using it as a personal short blade, tucked behind her waist like a dagger, very neat and efficient. Wherever she went, it was by her side.

Every day was either fighting or marching, traveling from one place to another through dust and dirt. The blade had also accumulated dust, and the gems had become dull and lusterless.

She sat under the lamp, looked at it for a moment, then took the cloth to wipe it, cleaning it extremely carefully, not letting go of even the tiniest speck of dust in the grooves and indentations of the scabbard’s patterns. After wiping for a long time, when the scabbard was clean, she picked up the knife.

She wiped the blade and finally the handle. After finishing the entire cleaning, just as she was about to insert the knife back into its scabbard, she suddenly noticed a thread-thin piece of debris still clinging to where the handle connected to the blade.

The surface of this knife’s handle was also covered with a layer of gold thread, made by wrapping extremely fine gold wire.

Truthfully, such a design on a weapon’s handle served no purpose other than making the appearance more gorgeous. Not only that, but if the wielder’s palm was stained with blood or sweaty, it would easily slip and be difficult to grip firmly.

However, considering the original owner’s identity, this wasn’t strange. When forging the knife, the primary consideration was naturally to highlight his noble status.

This was a horse hair caught in the gap.

Riding with the knife at her side, the scabbard had rubbed against her mount, picking up horse hair. She initially paid no attention, wiping it away with a cloth. When finished, she checked around for any remnants and suddenly felt something was wrong.

Right beneath this gold thread gap where the scabbard connected to the handle, there seemed to be something else.

The gap was extremely narrow, and the position was at the connection point. Without tonight’s careful inspection, it would have been impossible to discover under normal circumstances.

Jiang Hanyuan raised the handle, brought it close to the candlelight, and looked carefully for another moment. She became increasingly certain that beneath this outer layer of gold thread covering the handle, there indeed seemed to be something else.

She looked at the knife, contemplated for a moment, then took a dagger and began slowly opening the outermost layer of gold thread wrapping from this gap.

At first, she was uncertain, afraid of damaging the handle, so her movements were extremely gentle and slow. But as the gold thread continued to be successfully opened, her movements became faster and faster. Finally, she peeled away the entire wrapping in one motion, revealing the knife’s original handle. Not only that, but from beneath the freshly removed gold thread wrapping also fell a rolled piece of silk cloth, seemingly a silk document.

She never would have expected that within this knife’s handle, there was a hidden mystery.

Jiang Hanyuan unfolded it, and when she saw the content written on it, she was momentarily stunned.

This was a divorce document written by Shu Shenhui, stating that the marriage bond was formed entirely to maintain the national war effort, and that when the war ended, their relationship would be dissolved, each going their separate ways with no further connection.

The handwriting was undoubtedly his. Though only a few lines, the meaning was expressed clearly.

Or rather, this couldn’t be called a divorce document. The date of its signature was even earlier than when the Virtuous Prince had come to Yanmen with this knife to propose marriage.

Jiang Hanyuan initially couldn’t believe such a thing could exist.

Before sending the Virtuous Prince to Yanmen to propose marriage, he had already sealed the silk document inside the betrothal knife!

Although Jiang Hanyuan had known from the beginning his purpose in marrying her and had accepted this frankly, at this moment, after the enormous shock, anger, and disappointment inevitably swept over her.

She had once returned this knife to him in complete ignorance. It was he who later specifically sent someone to deliver the knife back into her hands.

When Wang Ren had brought the knife then, she had been completely puzzled about his purpose.

Now she understood.

He wasn’t sending her the knife at all. He was sending her this silk document!

She also understood why his attitude toward her had suddenly changed so drastically over the past half year, becoming so cold.

She didn’t blame him for arranging everything so early.

What she hated was that while he planned far ahead, making it clear before the marriage proposal that he was using her and intended to sever ties with her, he had also acted affectionately after marrying her, stirring her heart.

How could there be such a shameless person in the world?

Jiang Hanyuan slowly clenched her fists, making her knuckles crack, wishing she could immediately rush to his presence, stab a knife into his heart, dig out that heart of his, and see what color it was.

She breathed deeply, ordering herself to calm down, but her chest felt so constricted that her blood surged. Finally, she stood up, walked out of the camp gate, and stopped outside.

Above her head, the bright moon hung in the sky, and the great wind of the wilderness kept blowing against her face, which felt as if it were on fire. She gazed at the moon and suddenly remembered that night outside Yunluo City, when he had taken her, exhausted from crying, to ride together on one horse from Moya Mountain back to the city.

She really couldn’t believe that a man who could treat her that way—everything he had said, every kiss he had given—all of it had been from false sentiment and pretense.

She stood there with her face slightly upturned, steadily gazing at the bright moon, and slowly, a thought emerged from her heart.

Even if he had truly decided from the beginning that he would eventually cast her aside, there was no need for him to go to such elaborate lengths.

Such an approach made no sense at all.

Exactly why had he placed this silk document in the knife used as a betrothal gift before proposing marriage?

What exactly was his consideration?

As anger and disappointment were blown away by the wind, doubts surged in her mind.

She returned to the tent, picked up the silk document again, and examined it repeatedly. Just as various thoughts were churning in confusion, she suddenly heard voices outside the tent. It seemed Yang Hu had arrived and was quietly asking the personal guards whether she had already gone to sleep.

Jiang Hanyuan suppressed her concerns, put away the silk document, got up and lifted the tent flap, walked out, and asked what the matter was.

“We just received news from Prefect Chen’s side, saying that the last batch of grain and supplies needed by the main army had long been prepared and should have arrived earlier, but unexpectedly encountered a group of Di soldiers attempting to intercept the route along the way, which delayed them for some time. Fortunately, there was no real danger. He has led the enemy away and is now taking a detour to reach us—he should arrive in a few more days. It’s just that this delay has been rather long, and fearing the General might be anxious, he sent someone on fast horses to bring news first to set the General’s mind at ease. Seeing it was late at night and not urgent matters, I was afraid of disturbing the General’s rest and planned to report this tomorrow morning.”

Jiang Hanyuan said, “No matter, come report whenever there are developments.”

“Also, the messenger said that traveling with them is a servant named Zhang Bao, saying he comes from Chang’an to find the General.” Yang Hu added another sentence.

Jiang Hanyuan was startled: “Zhang Bao?”

Yang Hu nodded: “Yes. Prefect Chen personally escorted him here.”

Jiang Hanyuan’s heartbeat suddenly quickened: “Who sent him?”

Yang Hu shook his head: “That’s unknown. Perhaps His Highness the Regent Prince?”

Jiang Hanyuan immediately ordered him to bring the messenger, asked a few questions, and upon hearing his description of the young servant from Chang’an’s appearance, confirmed it was indeed Zhang Bao without doubt.

She could no longer wait. After giving instructions, that very night she took a squad of cavalry and left camp overnight, personally going to meet Chen Heng and the others.