I no longer have a homeland; you are my homeland.

—That was my plan at the time.

But I never imagined this day would come so quickly. I had originally hoped to take care of Prince Duan for you. Tomorrow I will do my best, and if I succeed, your burden will be lighter. If I fail, follow the instructions on the last sheet of paper, and you should be able to escape with your life.

After that, you’ll have to walk the path alone. The journey ahead is long, and the world is dangerous, so be very careful.

Although I’ve told you many lies, this one is true: you are the most formidable and bravest person I’ve met in both my lifetimes. You will surely have the last laugh and carve out a clear and peaceful land.

When that time comes, if you forgive me, please eat a small hot pot during festivals. Consider it as if I were there with you.

Zhang San

…

Besides this, the envelope contained another page filled with writing, as well as a small object.

Yu Wanyin finished reading the last word just as the sunset completely disappeared from the horizon. The secret guard pulled vines to cover the entrance of the cave and quietly advised her to rest early.

She tucked the letter into her bosom, close to her heart, and lay down fully clothed for the entire night. The mountain night was cold, and her body gradually grew cold from the soles of her feet, finally freezing into a rigid stone. Afraid she might never wake if she fell asleep, she kept her eyes open, silently counting, hearing the faint sounds of guards changing shifts, and the mournful cry of foxes in the distance.

The next morning they set out again, finding a small stream where they washed away the blood stains from their bodies.

Yu Wanyin was already wearing plain men’s clothing, which Xia Houdan must have changed her into to facilitate her escape. The bundle contained the disguise tools she usually used, spare clothes, fire stones, daggers, and other necessities.

Yu Wanyin applied makeup by the stream, attached a fake beard, then stood on the bank and set fire to the letter, watching it curl in the flames, turning into specks of ash that fell into the water and flowed away.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed several secret guards looking at her hesitantly, only then realizing that from the time she finished reading the letter last night until now, she hadn’t spoken a single word.

She cleared her dry throat: “How are your injuries?”

The guards all replied: “Just minor wounds, already healed.”

“Good. We need to reach a populated area to learn about the situation in the capital.”

Seeing her composed demeanor and that she wasn’t insisting on returning to the capital, the guards were visibly relieved: “We are under orders to protect the Mistress. The situation is uncertain, but if Prince Duan is not dead, the three frontier armies he arranged will still converge here to suppress the Imperial Guards and help him ascend the throne. These three armies are coming from the north, east, and south. We believe that before they connect, we can find an opening—”

“We go south,” Yu Wanyin picked up her bundle and turned to leave.

The guards were stunned and quickly caught up to take her bundle: “Mistress, the southern direction is where the Right Army is coming from.”

Yu Wanyin looked straight ahead: “South, to Peiyang. Those are His Majesty’s wishes.”

Peiyang was just an ordinary small city with no remarkable strategic position. The guards couldn’t understand why they should go there.

Could Xia Houdan have arranged reinforcements there? But if reinforcements existed, they should have been deployed yesterday—why wait until now?

Yu Wanyin remained secretive but kept walking: “I trouble you all to escort me there. Do we have any food left?”

She took the dried rations, walking while stuffing them into her mouth, forcing herself to chew and swallow.

The guards exchanged worried glances behind her. Not knowing the contents of the letter, they wondered if showing it to her early had been a mistake.

After traveling in silence for half a day, scattered villages appeared ahead.

Besides their group, few people were on the road and those who were moved hastily looked like frightened birds.

The guards tried to speak with villagers, but upon seeing strangers, the villagers instead asked them for news. Both sides were equally confused. After exchanging information, they only learned that the capital had been in chaos yesterday, with blood flowing like rivers; today it was sealed, completely silent. The villagers couldn’t tell who had won or lost, or even who had been fighting whom.

By evening, Yu Wanyin felt waves of cold and gradually became dizzy, unable to continue walking. Belatedly raising her hand to feel her forehead, she was burning hot.

The guards became anxious, but she showed little emotion: “It’s nothing, I’ll be fine after some sleep. We can’t go to an inn, it would expose our whereabouts. Find somewhere to stay.”

After walking another half-mile, as darkness fell, they saw flickering firelight from a courtyard ahead.

A guard knocked on the door, and an old woman with red, swollen eyes answered: “Who is it?”

The guard smiled apologetically: “Grandmother, we were traveling to the capital to visit relatives, but our luggage was stolen, and we heard trouble has broken out in the capital, so we cannot continue. Now one of our companions has fallen ill, and we have only this small amount of money left, hoping to get a meal.”

He handed her some copper coins.

The old woman sighed: “Come in then, we’re all suffering. Recently many households in the village have been robbed—it seems there are skilled thieves about…”

She muttered as she turned and walked inside. The guards supported Yu Wanyin as they followed, only to discover that the firelight came from a clay basin in the courtyard. The old woman led them into the house, then returned to sit by the basin, throwing in more paper money.

A guard asked: “Grandmother, what is this…?”

The old woman shook her head with her back to them and began to sob. An old man emerged from the inner room and said quietly: “Her brother lived near Mount Bi. Yesterday, he was caught in Prince Duan’s rebellion, and amidst the chaos, he somehow died.”

Yu Wanyin’s heart suddenly jumped, and she asked hoarsely: “Did Prince Duan’s rebellion succeed?”

The old man shook his head repeatedly: “The messenger only said many people died, mostly Imperial Guards, but couldn’t say more.”

Yu Wanyin’s vision darkened, and she swayed involuntarily.

If most of the dead were Imperial Guards, either there had been infighting among them, or Prince Duan had hidden forces. Either way, Xia Houdan’s situation was grim.

A nearby guard quickly supported her: “Sir, it’s truly inappropriate to disturb you at this time, but our brother is seriously ill. Could you possibly cook a bowl of noodles for him?”

Moments later, everyone was wolfing down bowls of food, their faces reflected in the noodle soup under the dim oil lamp.

The farm household was quite prosperous—Yu Wanyin’s bowl even had an egg in it. She held the bowl and drank a few sips of hot soup, her hands shaking less violently now, her sluggish mind beginning to function again.

If Prince Duan had won, Xia Houdan might already be dead, or he might have been imprisoned in the palace awaiting death, to ensure Prince Duan’s smooth ascension. They could only hope for the latter.

The old woman finished burning the paper money and returned to the room, wiping her tears and cursing: “That dog-bastard Prince Duan, even Heaven couldn’t bear it and sent an earthquake to take him.”

“Lower your voice,” the old man said quietly. “And is the Emperor any better? The elders always said, ‘When the ruler lacks virtue, earthquakes occur!’ That tyrant even killed the Empress Dowager…”

Yu Wanyin’s chopsticks stopped mid-air.

The old woman asked: “Are you certain the Empress Dowager was killed by him? How can we common folk understand the affairs of the royal family?”

The old man waved his hand: “Old woman, you have long hair but little wisdom, I won’t discuss this with you.”

“I may lack wisdom, but did my brother? He mentioned that the Emperor enacted some kind of… equal land distribution, and tax reduction! And killed many corrupt officials!”

Yu Wanyin asked: “Corrupt officials?”

The guard glanced at her in surprise, seemingly hoping she wouldn’t speak.

The old woman, oblivious, counted on her fingers and recited a string of names: “My brother said these were all major corrupt officials who exploited the common people. In recent years, the Emperor has eliminated quite a few such menaces for the people.”

The old man patted her: “You don’t even know if the names are real or not, don’t embarrass yourself.”

She had indeed mispronounced several characters and mixed high and low officials in her account—this information seemed to come from half-true rumors circulating in the capital’s streets. People living at the foot of the imperial city all shared this hobby.

Having been here for so long, Yu Wanyin knew some of these officials belonged to the Empress Dowager’s faction, and some to Prince Duan’s. But she had never bothered to investigate their backgrounds, nor did she remember if their names had appeared in the original novel.

Ultimately, she had never cared about whom the “original tyrant” had killed, simply accepting it as a predetermined list in the book. A tyrant, naturally, would kill indiscriminately, executing loyal officials.

Perhaps even Xia Houdan himself wasn’t clear on how many people he had correctly or wrongly executed before her arrival.

Perhaps he also didn’t want to face the exact numbers.

Yu Wanyin suddenly recalled, from a very long time ago, when Xia Houdan was rehearsing lines with her, saying exaggeratedly: “I am but a mad king with blindfolded eyes and covered ears. Whether someone is loyal or treacherous depends entirely on a single memorial to the throne.”

At the time, she had thought he was simply immersed in his role, able to portray such self-mockery and desolation.

The old man was still arguing with the old woman: “Do you remember Grand Chancellor Xu…”

Yes, Grand Chancellor Xu.

Yu Wanyin remembered that after Xu Yao’s death, Xia Houdan had asked her: “What was Xu Yao’s fate in the original text?”

“I think he continued to follow Prince Duan and became some kind of civil official.”

Xia Houdan had fallen silent for a moment, then smiled: “So, we caused his death.”

After that, he never again asked about the original fates of the characters. He unhesitatingly pushed forward with his plans, making life-and-death decisions with an expressionless face. He said: “If you ever need to eliminate someone in the future, tell me, and I’ll handle it.”

He also said: “I’ll repay my debts to them after I go to hell.”

—He denied that paper characters had souls, yet believed there was a hell in a paper world.

At this moment, she would rather he didn’t believe that.

The old woman continued: “…Anyway if the Emperor changes, our family won’t live as well as we do now, do you believe that?—Oh, what’s wrong with this young man?”

The guard partially blocked Yu Wanyin from view, forcing himself to say: “Perhaps he’s worried about relatives in the capital.”

The old woman recited a Buddhist prayer and rose to fill another bowl of soup for her.

After finishing the noodles, the guard helped clean up the bowls and chopsticks. Not wanting to reveal her special identity, Yu Wanyin also stood up, but her legs gave way, and she had to lean on the table to steady herself.

The old woman touched her forehead: “Oh my, such a high fever, we need to find a doctor!”

Yu Wanyin quickly stopped her, saying she was just exhausted from traveling and wanted to stay for the night.

The old woman hesitated, but the old man objected: “It’s not that we’re being unkind, but with so many young men, we only have one bed, and not enough bedding.”

The guard pulled out more copper coins: “Sir, just one blanket for the sick person to make a bed on the floor, the rest of us can sit in meditation.”

The old man pulled the old woman aside: “Who knows where they came from? Have you forgotten that many homes in the village have been robbed recently?”

He didn’t speak quietly enough, and everyone heard him.

The guard’s expression changed slightly as he glanced at Yu Wanyin.

Yu Wanyin smiled with a pale face: “If that’s the case, we won’t trouble you further. Thank you for the noodles.”

She gathered her strength and walked toward the door.

Just then, a barely audible strange noise came from the direction of the kitchen, as if a window had been rattled by the wind.

The elderly couple noticed nothing, but the guards’ expressions sharpened, and they made a silent hand gesture. Without needing words, they all suddenly changed direction and rushed toward the kitchen.

The old man called out: “Hey, what are you doing—”

Yu Wanyin turned back in surprise, her hand inside her sleeve gripping her gun.

There was a commotion in the kitchen, mixed with several unfamiliar cries of pain. The guards emerged, several of them forcibly restraining a struggling small figure.

A guard reported: “This person was climbing through the kitchen window, and we caught him in the act.”

The captured person was as small as a monkey, disheveled and filthy, with eyes that bulged from malnourishment, glaring fiercely at them. When his gaze swept over Yu Wanyin, she felt like she had been pricked by a needle, a strange discomfort spreading through her body.

He was still tightly clutching a bundle, which the guards seized and opened, revealing purses, jade pendants, cured meat, and other miscellaneous items spread across the table.

The old woman exclaimed: “Ah, that’s our New Year’s meat!” She looked closer, “This jade pendant seems to be from old Wang’s family?”

The thief suddenly began howling like a tantrum-throwing child, his voice hoarse and shrill, but the guards pinned him firmly to the ground, unable to move.

The old man was speechless.

One moment he had accused his guests of being thieves, the next moment the guests had caught an actual thief. The old man’s face reddened with embarrassment as he stammered apologies to everyone, but Yu Wanyin gently reassured him.

The simple elderly couple, to show their gratitude, immediately prepared hot water and bedding for Yu Wanyin to stay the night. They also asked the guards to help tie up the thief, who was thrown into the firewood shed in the backyard, planning to report to the authorities at daybreak.

Yu Wanyin drank a bowl of ginger soup and, for the first time in two days, finally lay down in a bed. She fell into a deep sleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.

Before she had slept long, she felt someone tapping her.

The light in the room had been extinguished, the elderly couple had retired to their bedroom, and the secret guards were meditating while sitting against the wall beside her bedding.

The person tapping her was a guard: “Please forgive me, Mistress. When I was taking the thief to the firewood shed earlier, his struggle caused too much commotion and attracted some villagers. The old man also returned the lost items to neighbors. Now five or six households know of our presence here.”

Skilled strangers arrived and immediately caught a thief—this kind of news would spread throughout the village as soon as dawn broke.

They had avoided staying at inns precisely to conceal their movements. Now with this incident, the likelihood of exposure would increase exponentially.

The guard lowered his voice further: “Mistress, shall we kill them?”

Yu Wanyin, feverish and mentally sluggish, took a moment to process his words, staring at him blankly.

The guard explained: “While it’s still dark, we could kill these few families and frame the thief, erasing all traces of our presence.”

Yu Wanyin reflexively said: “No.”

After a few seconds, she gathered her thoughts: “We’ll leave now and get to Peiyang as quickly as possible.”

She tried to get up but felt her joints were as stiff and weak as if they had rusted.

The guard pressed her back down: “Mistress should rest a while.”

Yu Wanyin knew that in her condition, forcing herself to travel would only slow them down: “Two hours, wake me in two hours.”

But she didn’t get to sleep for two full hours.

In the deep night, the sound of hoofbeats entered her dreams, and in her sleep, she found herself in an endless slaughter. It was as if she had returned to the foot of Mount Bi, watching helplessly as rebel troops overwhelmed Xia Houdan. A thousand swords and blades cut into his body, instantly revealing stark white bones, yet he seemed to feel no pain, his gaze passing over the crowd to look at her, serene and gentle.

From a distance, he mouthed: “Run.”

Yu Wanyin startled awake, forcibly pulling her consciousness back to reality.

The hoofbeat sounds were coming from the ground. A few moments later, all the dogs in the village began barking, high and low.

The guard beside her helped her up, grabbed the bundle, and in the darkness pointed toward the door.

A male voice rang out from the direction of the village entrance, seemingly using internal energy to project his voice far in the still night: “Any household with suspicious visitors seeking shelter, report immediately for a reward of ten taels of silver—”

After a few seconds, the call was repeated.

Yu Wanyin cursed inwardly.

By the third call, Yu Wanyin had pushed the courtyard gate open a crack when she suddenly heard several nearby doors creaking open one after another. The sound of multiple hurried footsteps headed straight toward the village entrance, clearly all determined to claim the ten-tael reward.

She cursed inwardly a second time and turned to say: “Escape through the backyard!”

The situation left no room for hesitation. They quickly ran toward the backyard. As they passed around the house, they saw light already shining from the window of the elderly couple’s bedroom.

The guard didn’t slow down, leaping first over the backyard fence, then turning back to receive Yu Wanyin.

The footsteps of hundreds of people pressed closer, and blazing torchlight already illuminated the front door.

A guard carried Yu Wanyin on his back and ran at full speed.

The elderly couple’s home was at the edge of the village, with a grove of trees not far behind the house, though in the darkness it was impossible to tell how large the grove was or in which direction it extended.

The cold wind struck her face as Yu Wanyin narrowed her eyes. Just as she was about to direct the guard to hide in the grove, from the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a shadow.

Looking closer, she saw a figure that had just climbed out of the backyard and was fleeing in another direction—small as a monkey and oddly familiar.

The thief had escaped from the firewood shed.

The thief ran while trying to untie the ropes on his body. Upon encountering them, he froze momentarily before darting away with a “zip” sound. In the darkness, they could only see him disappear behind a neighboring house down a narrow path.

Yu Wanyin’s thoughts raced: This thief had been stealing in the village for so long, which meant he had never been caught before…

A commotion erupted from the elderly couple’s house, followed by a sharp command: “Split up and search!”

At the same time, Yu Wanyin made a decision: “Follow that thief!”

The guard entered the narrow path, just in time to see the thief’s silhouette disappear again ahead of them. They accelerated their pursuit, making the same sharp turn at the corner.

The thief: “?”

The thief fled for his life.

The guards pursued relentlessly.

The route chosen by the thief was indeed extremely tricky, clearly indicating his intimate knowledge of the village’s layout. Climbing over walls, crawling through dog holes, his body as slippery as a loach—even with the guards’ exceptional eyesight, they nearly lost him several times.

Halfway through, the thief came to an abrupt halt, turned around to glare at them in exasperation, and then frantically shook his clothes, seemingly indicating that he no longer had any stolen goods and was completely unable to understand why they were pursuing him so vigorously.

Yu Wanyin said: “We’re not chasing you. Don’t just stand there, lead the way!”

The thief: “???”

The shouting from behind approached again, and the thief reflexively changed direction, running a bit further before suddenly realizing that the group of pursuers wasn’t targeting him at all.

So he was just a guide.

The thief nearly went mad with frustration, turned his back to them, rolled his eyes, and changed direction again.

The pursuit had awakened the entire village; lights came on in every household, and people occasionally opened doors and windows to look out.

The guard carrying Yu Wanyin suddenly snapped: “Where are you running to?”

It turned out that the thief, after leading them around in circles, had brought them back around to face the pursuers!

Realizing he’d been found out, the thief suddenly ducked down, intending to slip away.

The guard lunged to grab him.

Behind them, torchlight flickered as someone shouted: “I saw shadows, this way—”

The guard commanded: “Split up.”

The four guards decisively scattered—two protecting Yu Wanyin, the other two choosing different routes, deliberately running in the most visible direction.

A guard caught the thief, crushing his wrist with a cracking sound and stifling his cry of pain, saying fiercely: “Dare to play tricks, and you’ll be the first to die. Understand?”

The thief trembled all over, nodding in humiliation.

The two who had run off managed to draw away the pursuers, and the sounds of people behind them gradually diminished.

The thief led them further and further from the center, finally climbing into the courtyard of another household. Yu Wanyin hesitated before signaling to follow.

This house had no lights on, and the backyard was overgrown with wild grass, not appearing to be inhabited. The thief quickly crouched and crawled into waist-high wild grass, where he disappeared.

The guard set Yu Wanyin down, went over to look, and turned back to whisper: “Underground tunnel.”

The three didn’t dare delay, all crawling inside and pulling the wild grass to cover the entrance.

The tunnel was extremely small, its original purpose unknown—it may have been dug by the thief as a hiding place. Now with three additional adults, it became so crowded that even turning around was difficult.

The thief had long since been held at knifepoint by a guard, pressed into the farthest corner, not daring to make a sound.

After a moment, voices approached.

A small search party reached this location and began randomly searching the backyard. Yu Wanyin held her gun, holding her breath as she waited.

Above, people were conversing: “They shouldn’t be in this area; they all chased toward the grove.”

“Didn’t that village woman say it was several men? I think we’re capturing the wrong people again. How many villages has it been?”

“Maybe they’re in disguise.”

“Hmph, that bitch knows how to run. The boss said just catch her, dead or alive is fine. If she falls into our hands, why not let the brothers taste that imperial…” The rest of the words went unspoken, leaving only some snickering.

Chaotic footsteps fell just inches away from them, then gradually receded.

After a while longer, once they were certain everyone had gone, Yu Wanyin’s tense body slowly relaxed, and she began to tremble slightly.

With her fever still unbroken and after all this exertion, she saw stars and slowly slid down the tunnel wall to sit.

She had been clinging to a last shred of hope that the pursuers were not Prince Duan’s men. However, after hearing that conversation, the situation became completely clear.

Prince Duan now controlled the capital.

What about Xia Houdan? Was there still a chance he was alive?

The guard removed his outer robe and placed it over her.

Yu Wanyin said: “Thank you.” She wrapped the robe around herself with shaking hands. “Those two brothers who separated from us earlier—”

“They’ll likely use the forest cover to wear out a batch of pursuers,” the guard said calmly. “They’ll take their own lives before being captured, leaving no trail for others to follow.”

Of the twenty who had initially escorted her, only two remained.

Yu Wanyin fell silent for a moment: “It’s my fault.”

She had spared the five village households but sacrificed the lives of two guards.

The guard was startled and tried to find comforting words, but Yu Wanyin suddenly asked: “What are your names?”

Since the day she had arrived in this world, she had been avoiding this question. According to the original story, these young men were all destined to die. She didn’t want to know their names as if keeping them faceless would somehow reduce her burden of guilt.

The guard replied: “I am Twelve, he is Forty-seven. The ones who left were Sixty-five and…”

Yu Wanyin: “Real names.”

“I have no real name. His…” The guard, mindful of the thief nearby, changed his wording midsentence. “The master said that on the day we received our numbers, he had already engraved our real names on tombstones. From that day forward, our past lives were gone, never to be mentioned again.”

Yu Wanyin sat hugging her knees, burying her face between them.

In this vast world, there was one person who could see all her pain.

As she walked alone, she realized every step she took followed in his footprints. On that long, pitch-dark path ahead, he had already gone so far that not even his silhouette could be found.

The underground tunnel was completely silent except for the heavy breathing of the thief with the broken wrist.

Yu Wanyin’s throat tightened as she insisted once more: “Real name.”

The guard paused, seeming to smile slightly: “I am Twelve.”

Nearby, Forty-seven was quietly interrogating the thief about escape routes from the village but couldn’t get a word out of him. He slashed with his dagger, and the thief cried out in pain with an “ah ah” sound.

Forty-seven: “So he’s a mute.”

Yu Wanyin: “Search him. He managed to escape from the shed, so he must still have tools hidden in his person.”

After some rustling, Forty-seven found a blade and discovered new information: “…It’s a mute woman.”

Lin Xuanying led his troops toward the capital, encountering some resistance on the first day, which they crushed with overwhelming force.

From the second day onward, the resistance they met was negligible, some prefectures even surrendered without a fight, opening their gates to let them pass, only asking that these “fierce gods” be sent away quickly.

Soon they learned the reason. The capital was in chaos, the Emperor had “suddenly fallen gravely ill,” and Prince Duan was now acting as regent.

Prince Duan claimed that the evil consort Yu Wanyin had attempted regicide and was now being hunted with posted warrants everywhere.

Meanwhile, a new secret message arrived in Lin Xuanying’s hands.

He quickly scanned it before tearing it up: “Prince Duan is urging us again and asking us to keep an eye out along the way to help him catch someone.”

A subordinate frowned: “Strange. If Prince Duan has already won a great victory, why is he so anxious?”

Could it be that he had encountered some unknown difficulty?

Lin Xuanying spurred his horse forward, narrowing his eyes: “Do you hope he wins or loses?”

The young subordinate was startled and quickly said: “I am loyal only to the Vice General. Whoever the Vice General wants to kill, we will kill.”

Lin Xuanying shook his head with a laugh, then asked: “Are they all ready?”

The subordinate swallowed: “They’re ready.”

Lin Xuanying pressed his horse’s flanks: “Then let’s get moving.”

As the sky turned white at dawn, there was no longer any sign of pursuers in the village.

Twelve climbed out to scout and returned to report: “Everyone has left, but a few villagers are still wandering around, unwilling to give up. They probably want to catch us for the reward.”

Yu Wanyin cleared her throat: “Hey, this… young lady.”

In the faint daylight, she could see the mute thief woman opening her eyes to look at her.

Yu Wanyin asked: “Peiyang isn’t far from here. Have you been there?”

Seeing that this person had no fixed home and probably wandered around stealing to survive, she had an idea.

The mute woman didn’t respond for a long time until Forty-seven raised his dagger again. Then she warily nodded.

Yu Wanyin tried to make her voice sound friendly: “We need to get there, taking small paths to avoid attention. If you can guide us, there will be a generous reward, enough that you won’t need to steal anymore. How about it?”

The mute woman still didn’t respond.

Forty-seven: “Or would you rather die here?”

Yu Wanyin quickly played the good cop: “Put down the dagger, let’s talk properly.”

After one threatened and one cajoled for some time, a gurgling sound was suddenly heard—someone’s stomach growled.

The mute woman: “…”

She slowly extended her hand, making a begging gesture.

Yu Wanyin smiled kindly: “Do we have any dried food left? Give it to her.”

A little while later, the mute woman led them silently out of the village, heading south.

The route chosen by the mute woman avoided populated areas as much as possible, but there was still a small town blocking their path. Yu Wanyin, worried about encountering last night’s pursuers, gave herself and the two guards disguises, this time dressing as an old woman.

However, the scene in town was more alarming than she had imagined.

The streets were plastered with wanted posters, her portrait fluttering in the breeze, with large characters declaring “Reincarnated Fox Spirit” and “National Calamity” written above.

Several squads of soldiers patrolled in rotation, their leaders shouting: “Report any suspicious men or women, and you will be handsomely rewarded!”

The mute woman led them through winding paths to avoid patrols. After hearing these announcements several times from a distance, she suddenly turned back, glancing thoughtfully at Yu Wanyin.

Twelve, following behind, whispered: “Mistress, be careful of this woman.”

“Yes, she might betray us for the reward.”

Yu Wanyin had been walking for three consecutive days, and blisters had formed on her feet. Her body felt waves of cold, and she knew she was at the end of her strength. Though she gritted her teeth and didn’t complain, her pace inevitably became slower and slower.

She looked ahead and said: “Keep a close eye on her. Kill her if necessary.”

As a result, perhaps sensing the murderous intent behind her, and realizing she couldn’t escape, the mute woman became extremely obedient, silently leading the way without complaint.

Just as they were about to leave the town, she suddenly disappeared from under their noses. The guards were alarmed and were about to search for her when, unexpectedly, she returned, sitting on a donkey cart.

Yu Wanyin: “…Did you steal it? For me to use?”

The mute woman rolled her eyes, gesturing for them to hurry onto the cart and escape quickly.

With the guards watching the mute woman, Yu Wanyin finally lay down in the carriage, able to catch her breath.

Though her body was exhausted to the extreme, her nerves remained tense, her brain still working desperately.

The extravagant measures Prince Duan was taking to capture her seemed somewhat suspicious on closer examination.

Logically, as a mere woman with no army and not truly carrying an imperial heir, she couldn’t possibly overthrow him in the short term. Having just taken power, Prince Duan should be focusing his energy on stabilizing the situation in the capital. Why, instead, was he sending so many troops outward to hunt down someone as insignificant as her?

Unless…

That tiny, almost vanished hope rose again.

What if he wasn’t only searching for her?

The pursuers in town had called for “suspicious men or women”—why emphasize men? Was it because they feared she was in disguise or was their original target both men and women?

Had Xia Houdan escaped?

This was less her deduction and more her prayer.

If she could stand before him again… what would be her first words?

Thinking about this question, a bitter calm slowly drifted down like night snow, covering her. Miraculously, on this desperate journey, she fell asleep for a brief moment.

When they reached wild terrain where the donkey cart could no longer pass, the group once again proceeded on foot.

Yu Wanyin sincerely thanked the mute woman and had the guards treat her wrist injury. To show her sincerity, she also gave the mute woman a handful of silver fragments as an advance payment.

The mute woman, holding the money, displayed her first smile since they had met.

Returning the favor, that night she snuck to a farmhouse along the way and stole an ox cart.

Yu Wanyin: “…”

After several such changes of transportation, they finally arrived safely outside Peiyang City the following evening.

As expected, guards at the city gate were holding wanted posters, carefully examining citizens entering the city. Moreover, these guards had an imposing presence, each standing straight as a ramrod, with cold, intimidating faces, like incarnations of the Judge of the Underworld.

Twelve’s eyelid twitched: “Those men are wearing frontier army armor.”

Not only had Peiyang fallen, it had been completely taken over by the frontier army!

But if the frontier army occupied Peiyang, why were they still opening the gates for citizens to enter and exit? Did they expect to catch the empress from the wanted posters this way?

While he was thinking, he saw Yu Wanyin join the line of people entering the city.

Twelve: “…”

He whispered a reminder: “Mistress, if we enter the city and they trap us, we’ll truly have no escape.”

Yu Wanyin: “Don’t worry.”

She took something out from her sleeve.

This was the small object from Xia Houdan’s envelope, which she had hidden throughout the journey and now placed in her hair.

Twelve: “What is that?”

“A token.”

Yu Wanyin stepped forward, advising: “Don’t act rashly in a moment.”

The soldier at the city gate scrutinized Yu Wanyin from head to toe, then waved her through.

Yu Wanyin, stooped in posture and supported by Twelve, had only walked a few steps when she heard the soldier behind her say: “Stop.”

Twelve and Forty-seven instinctively prepared to act, but Yu Wanyin said firmly: “Don’t move, any of you.”

She slowly turned around, meeting the soldier’s gaze. The man looked inquiringly at her, while Yu Wanyin remained motionless.

The man paused: “Please come with me.”

The others were left behind as the soldier led Yu Wanyin alone to the county magistrate’s mansion.

The original magistrate had disappeared to who knows where, and this splendid mansion had been taken over, now heavily guarded by frontier soldiers.

The study was brightly lit.

Lin Xuanying sat slouched in a grand chair reading military reports when he heard an announcement from outside: “Vice General, the person has been found.”

He glanced up at Yu Wanyin, casually saying: “Bring the person in, then withdraw.”

The door closed.

Lin Xuanying tossed aside the military report, rose, and walked to Yu Wanyin, staring at her disguised face.

Yu Wanyin smiled, raised her hand to remove the swaying object from her hair, and handed it to him.

—A silver hairpin carved in the shape of a bird with spread wings, with two long lark feathers hanging from the end instead of tassels.

Lin Xuanying’s eyes instantly reddened.

Yu Wanyin: “…Abai, have you been well?”

The person before her was subtly different from the “Abai” in her memory. Though the face was the same, it was as if he had suddenly shed his youthful disguise to reveal a young man’s appearance.

His eyes remained the same, surprisingly bright even in the darkness, like tempered glass. But with his current attire, those clear eyes now carried an inexplicable sharpness.

Yu Wanyin wasn’t sure what tone to use with him.

Xia Houdan had told her in his letter that there were reinforcements in Peiyang, but perhaps fearing the letter might be intercepted, he hadn’t explicitly mentioned Abai’s identity. When she received the hairpin, she had guessed that Abai might be embedded in the army, but she hadn’t expected this fellow to transform into the leader.

What happened to the wandering swordsman? Could that carefree, lawless demeanor from when they first met have been a disguise?

Did Xia Houdan fully understand his background? Could she completely trust him? Even if he was a friend rather than a foe, what about this entire city of soldiers?

Just as she thought this, Lin Xuanying gripped her shoulders: “You’re alive, thank goodness you’re alive…”

Yu Wanyin had never been in such a sorry state since her transmigration; she even smelled from her journey. Yet Lin Xuanying seemed completely oblivious, his familiar tone identical to Abai’s.

Yu Wanyin stared at him in a daze, momentarily recalling the fireflies and watermelon in the cold palace’s backyard. Countless questions rushed to her throat, momentarily choking her.

But Lin Xuanying gave her no opportunity, checking her pulse with a furrowed brow: “You’re ill?”

“It’s nothing serious.”

“No, this could lead to lasting health problems.” Lin Xuanying called for someone without further discussion.

There were no female attendants in the army; several soldiers came, and Lin Xuanying sent them to boil water and prepare medicine. A moment later, they led Yu Wanyin to a guest room equipped with a bathtub, bowed slightly, and left with lowered heads, never once looking at her.

This was a highly disciplined troop.

Moreover, if anyone wanted her life at this point, there would be no need for such elaborate arrangements.

Yu Wanyin, disregarding everything else, turned and locked the door, silently soaked in the medicinal bath, washing away the mud and blood that covered her.

A clean set of men’s clothing had been placed beside the bathtub. After changing, she was about to survey her surroundings when there was a knock at the door.

Lin Xuanying stood alone outside the door, holding a bowl of medicine: “Quickly, get into bed and sit properly.”

He sat on the edge of the bed, scooped up a spoonful of medicine, and blew on it: “Will you drink it yourself, or shall I feed you?”

Yu Wanyin considered for a moment then took the bowl and downed it in one gulp: “Thank you, General Lin.”

Lin Xuanying paused, then smiled bitterly: “I figured you wouldn’t sleep until you understood the situation. Go ahead, you ask, I’ll answer.”

Yu Wanyin: “…”

Since he was being straightforward, Yu Wanyin was equally direct: “Are you General Lin, or Abai?”

While bathing earlier, a new possibility had occurred to her: perhaps the real Lin Xuanying had been disposed of, and Abai was now impersonating him. This would explain his abrupt change of identity.

But he replied: “I am Lin Xuanying.”

Seeing Yu Wanyin’s confused expression, he grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth: “Xuanying means ‘ink black,’ while Abai was a nickname my master gave me. Look at my skin color—do you think my parents or my master were more cruel?”

Yu Wanyin became even more confused: “So you do have a jianghu background? But if you’ve just completed your apprenticeship, how did you become a vice general?”

Lin Xuanying coughed, his eyes shifting slightly: “Well, about that…”

In those two seconds, Yu Wanyin figured it out herself: “Oh, because you didn’t just complete your apprenticeship.”

At this moment, Yu Wanyin recalled many things.

Abai had first appeared before her when General You returned to the capital to report his duties.

Abai knew the Yan and Qiang countries inside and out.

Abai had once told her, “I know many things, I’ve even killed…” but had been interrupted by Xia Houdan.

Abai had proposed inserting Wang Zhao into the Right Army, offering to escort him personally to Yan Country. But Xia Houdan had refused, only telling him to remain at his post. Nevertheless, Wang Zhao had still departed via the southwest route.

After acting out a scene with them, Abai had hurriedly disappeared at the same time General You left the capital, saying only that His Majesty had assigned him other tasks—at the time, she had wondered why Xia Houdan trusted him so much.

She felt a sudden enlightenment: “Our first meeting wasn’t your first meeting with His Majesty, was it? How long have you known each other?”

Lin Xuanying scratched his head: “That involves some secrets I can’t reveal.”

“If you’re referring to His Majesty’s past, he left a letter telling me everything.”

Lin Xuanying’s eyes widened in surprise: “He told you? He always tried every possible way to hide it from you, fearing you would run away.”

Mentioning Xia Houdan, both of their expressions grew somber.

Lin Xuanying narrowed his eyes in recollection: “Five years ago—now it’s six years, I suppose—my master, Wuming Ke, cast divination and discovered that a child from another world would arrive and change the nation’s fate. He had intended to emerge from seclusion to assist personally, but that divination glimpsed into heaven’s mysteries, severely damaging his vital energy, and forcing him to retreat in isolation. So he sent me to complete my training, and I found His Majesty.

“His Majesty said at the time that he had already cultivated a group of secret guards loyal to him in the palace, so my protection would not be particularly valuable. But he urgently needed military power; without that trump card, no amount of maneuvering would bring down his enemies at court.”

So Lin Xuanying infiltrated the Right Army.

The Right Army was chosen from the three armies because, first, it had the most distant relationship with Prince Duan, and second, because its leader, General You, was utterly incompetent and unable to control his troops. This way, their subtle actions would be less likely to alert Prince Duan.

To truly control tens of thousands of troops, a military token alone was insufficient; both martial prowess and prestige were essential.

This couldn’t be rushed and required years of gradual planning.

Fortunately, Lin Xuanying was already highly skilled in martial arts. Through battle after battle, large and small, he gradually distinguished himself, winning people’s hearts through real ability. He and Xia Houdan, one visible and one hidden, used every method to outmaneuver General You right under the noses of various factions, becoming the Right Army’s de facto leader.

“By last year, we were almost ready. We planned to purge the entire Right Army, and then start the war. Although we still had no guarantee of victory, by attacking unexpectedly where they were unprepared, even if we died, we could at least take down the Empress Dowager and Prince Duan with us—those were His Majesty’s exact words. But at that moment,” Lin Xuanying smiled, “you appeared.”

Lin Xuanying first heard of Yu Wanyin before completing his training. When Wuming Ke divined Xia Houdan’s arrival, he also divined that another person from another world would soon arrive, though he didn’t know when or where. Many strands of fate were entangled between these two people, but whether it was good fortune or calamity remained obscure, impossible to discern clearly.

Later, he asked Xia Houdan about this. Xia Houdan, as if suddenly remembering, had casually said: “Come to think of it, there is such a person.”

Lin Xuanying: “…For such a significant matter, why do you act like you almost forgot?”

The young ruler had lowered his head, seemingly muttering: “Perhaps she won’t come after all.”

In the years that followed, they never mentioned this again.

Just when Lin Xuanying himself had almost forgotten, a name suddenly appeared in Xia Houdan’s secret messages.

Though also a soul from another world, this mysterious Consort Yu was completely different from Xia Houdan.

Their original plan could be summarized in one phrase: mutual destruction. But from the beginning, she wanted to set up an elaborate scheme, taking many detours, all to meticulously calculate and sacrifice as few people as possible. Every life, from peddlers to commoners, was precious to her.

Lin Xuanying was quite resistant to this approach.

He had seen plenty of these otherworldly do-gooders before. On the battlefield, one general’s success is built upon ten thousand bones; if one were so hesitant, they would have died eight hundred times over. Moreover, the situation was changing rapidly; dragging things out like this might cause even their last chance of victory to disappear.

But Xia Houdan accepted her naive dreams completely, abandoning their existing plans and ordering Lin Xuanying to withdraw and lie low.

For several days, Lin Xuanying seriously considered quitting.

Later, Lin Xuanying returned to the capital and finally met Yu Wanyin in person.

He came to understand her, yet also underestimated her.

Disguised as a commoner at the time, with her enchantress makeup removed, she stood beside Xia Houdan, who was perpetually surrounded by dark mist, looking so light and beautiful. Like a small lark caught in a violent storm.

She didn’t belong in that deep palace but should have been drifting freely between heaven and earth, living unencumbered as a child of the jianghu.

When Lin Xuanying tried to persuade Xia Houdan to set her free, he had anticipated anger or refusal.

But Xia Houdan’s answer exceeded his understanding: “She has her ambitions.”

The subsequent developments further upended his imagination.

Yu Wanyin’s dream-like plan succeeded step by step.

In the capital, godlike figures battled through several upheavals; outside the capital, the four seas remained calm, the world at peace. In the borderlands, legends spread that the Emperor had suddenly received heaven’s favor, effortlessly resolving wars and disasters.

Who could have guessed that this “heavenly way” was surnamed Yu?

Hearing this, a massive puzzle in Yu Wanyin’s heart was finally solved.

Yu Wanyin: “On the eve of peace talks with Tur, His Majesty said he would lend troops to help eliminate the King of Yan. I never understood where he got the military forces to lend! When he mentioned Abai, I foolishly asked how Abai could manage alone.”

Lin Xuanying couldn’t help laughing: “That indeed wouldn’t work. I lent a batch of elite troops to Tur. To avoid attracting attention, the number wasn’t large. Fortunately, Tur was capable—as soon as he returned to Yan, he connected with his people.”

He looked at her with mixed emotions, his voice carrying a hint of hidden sorrow: “I misjudged you, but His Majesty didn’t. When you first arrived, he said, of course you’re this kind of person, because where you come from, every life is truly a life.”

Yu Wanyin remained silent for a long time.

When she had just finished reading that letter, she had also thought that Xia Houdan, in those long and dark years, had probably given up. That was why when she arrived, she found such a tattered world and a version of him so close to being a tyrant.

It turned out that wasn’t the case.

If he hadn’t painstakingly cultivated Lin Xuanying as such a powerful trump card, even with the script in hand, she would have been restricted at every turn, struggling to move forward, and her initial vision would have become nothing but an illusion.

She could hardly imagine how a middle school student, poisoned from the start, had managed to survive. Perhaps he didn’t want to clarify whether the thing that had survived was human or ghost. Perhaps after her arrival, every conversation about the past, about identity, about paper characters, was like a thousand arrows piercing his heart.

Despite this, almost immediately upon meeting her, he had staked everything on her.

When Yu Wanyin spoke, she found her voice trembling: “Is there any news of him?”

Lin Xuanying shook his head: “We had agreed that if he escaped alive, we would meet in Peiyang. I rushed here to take control of this place, just to wait for you both, but only you arrived. Prince Duan has declared that the Emperor suddenly fell gravely ill and is recuperating in the palace, but the truth is unknown. The capital is now impenetrable; my spies are still looking for a way in.”

He stood up and patted Yu Wanyin: “Get some sleep. I’ll take care of those three people you brought. Early tomorrow morning, I’ll show you something good.”

Yu Wanyin: “…What?”

Lin Xuanying had already closed the door and left.

Lin Xuanying may have deliberately left her in suspense, keeping Yu Wanyin tossing and turning, but also preventing her emotions from plunging into the abyss. When she finally dozed off, her heart still held a thread of hope for the “something good” he had mentioned.

She awoke automatically before dawn, momentarily thinking she was still on the run, abruptly sitting up and staring blankly at the elegant paintings in the guest room.

Two guards were stationed outside her door. Only after she had dressed and washed did they knock and bring in breakfast.

Yu Wanyin ate without tasting: “Could someone inform General Lin?”

“I’m here.” Lin Xuanying sat down across from her.

Yu Wanyin: “What did you want to show me?”

Lin Xuanying shook his head, clearly enjoying the moment: “No rush, finish your porridge first. You can’t afford to fall ill now…”

Yu Wanyin picked up the porridge bowl and downed it in one gulp.

Lin Xuanying: “…”

Lin Xuanying led her to the magistrate’s study, stopped, turned around, and invited her to enter first.

As soon as Yu Wanyin stepped in, several inquiring gazes were immediately cast down upon her from above.

Inside stood four or five burly soldiers, each eight feet tall, looking like they could punch through a city wall with one blow.

Yu Wanyin: “…”

Lin Xuanying followed behind her, closed the door, and suddenly grew solemn, kneeling on one knee to salute: “Your subject was late in providing protection. I beg the Empress’s forgiveness!”

The giants reacted half a second later, hurriedly kneeling in unison, repeating in chorus: “We beg the Empress’s forgiveness!”

Yu Wanyin: “.”

She knew Lin Xuanying’s gesture was meant to establish her status, so she calmly accepted their kneeling before saying unhurriedly: “Please rise, everyone. You traveled thousands of miles to save me—what is there to forgive?”

Lin Xuanying stood up, still maintaining a serious demeanor: “Reporting to Your Highness, I delayed mobilizing the troops for some time because, by His Majesty’s order, I was secretly manufacturing a batch of weapons.”

Yu Wanyin’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Lin Xuanying waved his hand, directing two soldiers to bring over a heavy wooden chest, gesturing for her to examine it.

They were guns.

A whole chest full of guns.

Yu Wanyin quickly assessed their destructive power in her mind: “This batch… of what…”

“Nine Heavens Dark Fire Rapid-Fire Sleeve Crossbows,” Lin Xuanying reminded her cheerfully.

“These Nine Heavens Dark Fire Rapid-Fire Sleeve Crossbows, how many are there in total?”

The giant carrying the chest: “Reporting to Your Highness, one thousand in total, plus several dozen crates of ammunition.”

Yu Wanyin was dumbfounded.

Lin Xuanying explained: “His Majesty sent the blueprints, which were dismantled into countless mechanical components to prevent interception along the way, arriving in more than ten separate shipments. We found the best craftsmen, and after several failures, finally produced the first one. These sleeve crossbows were extremely difficult to create, but their combat power was unprecedented. Even facing tens of thousands of soldiers from the other two armies head-on, they would crush them like dry twigs, without even drawing blood.”

The latter explanation was completely unnecessary for Yu Wanyin. As a modern person, how could she not know the destructive power of firearms in this world?

Moreover, the enemy knew nothing about them, utterly unprepared both in equipment and tactics—they were essentially tens of thousands of stationary targets waiting to be mowed down.

Lin Xuanying pointed to the sand table on the desk and said passionately: “The army departs today and can intercept the Left and Central armies at a highland five hundred miles outside the capital. Your Highness, by His Majesty’s command, I have endured in silence for years, sleeping on spears and drinking gall, waiting only for today’s certain victory. Prince Duan has plotted a rebellion, and the two armies serve as his accomplices. With just one word from Your Highness, we shall eliminate them for the sake of the realm!”

“Eliminate them for the realm!” the giants echoed.

Yu Wanyin took a deep breath, calming her racing heart.

Just yesterday, she had been fleeing for her life, and even upon meeting Lin Xuanying, she had only thought of catching a brief respite before facing more arduous struggles.

Who could have imagined that after one night, they would be just one step away from victory?

However…

“General Lin, a word in private.”

She pulled Lin Xuanying behind a bookcase in the corner of the study: “His Majesty’s whereabouts are still unknown. If we rashly go to war, and he is truly in Prince Duan’s hands, what then?”

Lin Xuanying was silent for a moment, as if he had anticipated this question, and pulled a document from his sleeve to hand to her: “This is the final secret edict he sent before I departed.”

Yu Wanyin quickly scanned it, then closed her eyes as if her gaze had been pierced.

It was less a secret edict and more a final testament.

Written very briefly, it had only two paragraphs. The first ordered the Crown Prince to inherit the throne, named Yu Wanyin as Empress Dowager, and appointed several trusted ministers to assist in governing.

The second paragraph consisted of just one sentence: “Traitor Xia Houbo, execute directly without hesitation, prioritize the realm over all else, regardless of Our life or death.”

Translated: Kill him, don’t worry about whether I live or die.

Lin Xuanying: “He knew his time was short and didn’t want to become your burden in the end, nor be humiliated in enemy captivity. But he also knew we couldn’t truly abandon him, so he said early on that if he were unfortunate enough to be captured by Prince Duan, he would find a way to perish together with him; if even that wasn’t possible, he would… end himself.”

Yu Wanyin stared at him in disbelief, blood rushing to her head, like an animal bristling in stress response: “So, you simply abandoned him?”

“Of course not! I still have people searching for him everywhere!”

“Then find him before mobilizing the troops!”

Lin Xuanying was silent for a moment: “You know there’s not enough time. The rebel armies are marching toward the capital day and night, and from Prince Duan’s posture, he intends to ascend the throne directly. He’s still searching for you everywhere and will soon discover you’re with me. Once we’re exposed prematurely, we’ll lose the element of surprise.”

“…”

Lin Xuanying: “His Majesty left this secret edict to force us to consider the bigger picture and act quickly.” His tone was calm, “In fact, to intercept the rebel armies outside the capital, our vanguard has already departed the city.”

Yu Wanyin’s chest heaved as she continued to stare intently at Lin Xuanying.

She had never truly understood him. Before yesterday, she didn’t even know his real name. Now he commanded a powerful army and possessed weapons of mass destruction, even having an imperial edict as backing. If he wished, all the power in the world would be his for the taking.

—If he wished.

Lin Xuanying guessed her thoughts from her eyes, his expression darkening: “Whether you believe it or not, I have no interest in any of this. The reason I’m here is because my master ordered me to assist His Majesty, and His Majesty ordered me to obey you.”

He said, word by word: “Don’t you understand yet? He wants to clear all obstacles for you, to ensure you ascend to a high position and live without worries for a hundred years. What he couldn’t accomplish, he believes you can. After everything is settled, whether you push aside the Crown Prince to rule with civil and martial prowess, or dust off your sleeves to wander the world as you please, it’s all up to you.”

…

Yu Wanyin: “Was that last sentence his words or your addition?”

Lin Xuanying: “…”

Lin Xuanying: “I added it.”

A deathly silence filled the magistrate’s mansion.

While no one spoke, subtle vibrations came from underfoot. The main force in the city was on the move.

As Yu Wanyin and Lin Xuanying faced off, one of the soldiers couldn’t wait any longer and approached to ask quietly: “General, should we distribute these sleeve crossbows to the army first and order them to prepare for battle?”

Lin Xuanying stood in the shadow of the bookcase, not answering, raising his eyebrows as he looked at Yu Wanyin.

So everyone in the room turned to Yu Wanyin.

An invisible tide swept in, pushing her to higher ground. She opened her mouth, the lives of tens of thousands hanging between her lips. This was not a drill, and there would be no second chance.