She stood at the endpoint and starting point of political power, overlooking the torrent from where the great wind rises. The state of affairs shifted with her mind, causes and conditions arose and ceased, the sun rose and the moon set, empires rose and fell, all at her whim.

And before her, no one stood in her way.

This was the supreme, the ultimate.

She trembled uncontrollably, suddenly feeling unprecedented awe, and also unprecedented loneliness.

At this moment, Yu Wanyin suddenly understood the meaning of “a solitary and friendless person.” Perhaps everyone who reaches the highest point has passed through this turning point. Either deviating from or abandoning, releasing a tightly clasped pair of hands, plunging into a vast nothingness.

But why her? Why was it specifically someone as lazy and weak as her, a corporate slave whose greatest pleasure in life was simply reading novels while squeezed onto the subway, who fell into this world and stood in this position?

This question before her should have been posed by sages and answered by great heroes throughout history. Yet now, heaven had forcibly thrust the answer sheet into her hands.

Since she had to answer…

Yu Wanyin abruptly smiled.

Her answer was: that she wanted it all.

“General Lin,” Yu Wanyin said, “His Majesty commanded you to take orders from me, correct?”

Lin Xuanying and the giants all paused.

Since Yu Wanyin was publicly forcing him to declare his loyalty, it meant that the command she was about to give would most likely be something they wouldn’t want to hear.

Lin Xuanying lowered his head and met her gaze. Compared to the pampered imperial consort he first met, she was now pale and thin, with faint bluish shadows beneath her eyes.

Incredibly, this made her features appear more striking. Her upturned eyebrows, crimson eye corners, and the almost imperceptible curve at the corner of her lips were both enchanting and imposing.

As if after a long time, he knelt and said: “I am willing to serve Your Highness with utmost devotion.”

In the imperial palace’s grand hall.

The court officials were silent as cicadas in winter, only the bolder ones dared to glance up in astonishment.

Xiahou Bo’s wheelchair stopped beside the empty dragon throne. He sat askew in it, lowering his eyes to look at everyone: “His Majesty has been harmed by the evil empress, suffering from a serious illness, and had to command me to manage state affairs. Do any of you have matters to report?”

His appearance was truly frightful now, with half his head wrapped in bandages—North Boat’s shot had not only blown off one of his ears but had also destroyed the surrounding skin; disfigurement was certain.

More serious were his legs bound up like rice dumplings. That day at the foot of Bei Mountain, many people saw his legs crushed by falling boulders; when he was dragged out, they were completely deformed, with bones shattered into countless pieces.

To save these legs, the imperial physicians had already been replaced three times, yet the hope still seemed dim. Moreover, officials with basic medical knowledge were privately wondering: such a severe injury could lead to blood poisoning and death.

Despite this, with his deathly pale face and forehead covered in cold sweat, he still insisted on attending court.

This man’s desire for power was truly insane.

Perhaps he had always been a hidden madman, even more insane than Xiahou Dan.

But even the officials who clearly understood his schemes for power and usurpation only dared to bow their heads in silence—outside the hall, his rebel troops were still patrolling everywhere, suppressing any force that dared to resist. Moreover, beyond the capital, three more armies were on their way.

This man’s seizure of power was just a matter of time, so why sacrifice one’s life for nothing?

Xiahou Bo urged once more, and several elderly officials timidly came forward to report some minor local matters of little importance.

Before he could speak, someone suddenly declared loudly: “I have a matter to report.”

Li Yunxi strode out of the ranks with his head held high.

That day at the foot of Bei Mountain, as soon as the border troops had lifted the boulder and dragged away the Prince of Duan with his crushed legs, the ground suddenly began to shake.

The earth trembled mountains shook, soil and rocks burst apart, and even the most well-trained soldiers fell in disarray; almost no one remained standing.

In that chaos, Li Yunxi and the others on the mountain miraculously preserved their lives. The soldiers pursuing them were shaken down, while they firmly grasped tree roots and escaped disaster.

When they tumbled and crawled down the mountain, both Xiahou Dan and Xiahou Bo had disappeared. They could only see several carriages being escorted by rebel troops, hurriedly departing toward the imperial palace.

Because of this, all the officials still had questions in their minds.

And Li Yunxi asked it: “May I ask Prince of Duan, when will we be allowed to have an audience with His Majesty?”

Xiahou Bo on the dais lowered his gaze toward Li Yunxi, his eyes cold as ice.

However, Li Yunxi hadn’t feared Xiahou Dan before, and now he was even less afraid of him, standing as if center stage, looking back with fearless heroism.

After staring at each other for several seconds, Xiahou Bo seemed to want to smile but only managed to move half his facial muscles, resulting in an extremely grotesque expression: “I just said that His Majesty is seriously ill and needs rest. Moreover, the evil empress is still at large, and no one knows what sorcery she might use to disrupt the court. The palace should be well-guarded these days. Therefore, I dare not let suspicious persons have an audience with His Majesty.”

He emphasized the word “suspicious” heavily, his gaze coldly sweeping over several officials.

During the military rebellion at Bei Mountain, in the chaos, all officials had instinctively fled toward their chosen factions. Because of this, many hidden imperial loyalists had been exposed to the Prince of Duan’s eyes.

Now as his gaze swept over them one by one, they trembled immediately, bowing their heads even lower, inwardly crying bitterly.

Who told them to bet on the wrong side?

Xiahou Bo withdrew his gaze and said slowly: “I am rather curious, what urgent matter does Minister Li have that requires disturbing His Majesty at this time?”

With things said to this extent, it was clear that if Li Yunxi persisted, the crime of being “the evil empress’s accomplice” would be pinned on him.

Li Yunxi raised his head, directly facing the Prince of Duan: “I believe—”

“I believe that the incident at Bei Mountain that day was very suspicious, with many unexplained points that need to be reported to His Majesty,” Yang Duojie slowly walked to Li Yunxi’s side to stand alongside him. “Is it right to condemn the empress of the nation based solely on the words of a mere assassin?”

“That’s right,” Er Lan followed closely, “Yu Shaoqing, as the Empress’s father, was imprisoned without trial. Which law does this follow?”

“Outrageous!” A supporter of the Prince of Duan shouted, “Your Highness, these few people are causing trouble without reason and have sinister intentions. They should be arrested and thoroughly investigated!”

Xiahou Bo narrowed his eyes and raised his hand toward the guards.

“Minister Jin’s words are mistaken!”

A young official suddenly strode out: “Minister Li’s request to see His Majesty is because matters of such importance truly require His Majesty’s personal decision. I wonder what Minister Jin means by ‘causing trouble without reason’?”

This person was one of the imperial loyalists exposed at the foot of Bei Mountain.

With his lead, the remaining imperial loyalists looked at each other, all somewhat restless.

When they had seen the murderous light in the Prince of Duan’s eyes earlier, they had somehow realized that it was now too late to stay out of trouble. With the Prince of Duan’s meticulously suspicious nature, they would never have a chance to rise again in this life.

Rather than waiting for death, they might as well take a chance.

At this point, people couldn’t help but be stirred by a sense of honor. A usurper being so arrogant—where was the justice in the world!

One after another, more than twenty people stood out, directly opposing the Prince of Duan’s faction. There were even some who, though they didn’t speak up, finally raised their heads to look directly at the Prince of Duan.

Countless gazes shot toward him simultaneously, suddenly creating an imposing atmosphere.

Xiahou Bo was filled with boundless hatred.

He could kill one, or even two. But before the resistance forces in the capital were eliminated, he could not afford the consequences of killing dozens of important officials.

He had to grit his teeth and endure for a few days. Once the three armies arrived, there would be no more worries.

He took a deep breath and said gently: “Later today, when His Majesty’s health has improved somewhat, he will naturally summon you all. Court dismissed.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand to signal the palace attendants to push him away, his retreating figure having quite the appearance of fleeing in disarray.

Li Yunxi and the others naturally would not be brushed off by such an ambiguous statement.

After the court was dismissed, they led a group of young officials directly to the gate of Xiahou Dan’s bedchamber, where they knelt in a line.

Guards came forward to drive them away, but he maintained a righteous air: “We are merely kneeling here to pray for His Majesty’s blessing and waiting for his summons.”

These were scholars without the strength to tie a chicken, and they were using the pretext of praying for the emperor’s blessing. The guards dared not use force without permission and could only go to consult the Prince of Duan.

No one knows what instructions Xiahou Bo gave, but no one came to drive them away again, allowing them to kneel in the cold wind on their own.

By afternoon, the civil officials were swaying back and forth, and even Li Yunxi, with the strongest physique, was shivering. Er Lan beside him had a greenish face and was already on the verge of collapse.

Li Yunxi barely raised his head to look at the still tightly closed doors of the bedchamber, beginning to consider whether to force his way in and see what happens or to return home first and pressure them with death threats again at tomorrow’s morning court.

Just then, the door of the bedchamber suddenly opened, and a palace maid ran out, hurrying away along the corridor.

Li Yunxi narrowed his eyes, a bad premonition rising in his heart.

Soon after, the palace maid returned with the limping old imperial physician. The guards immediately closed the door again, blocking their prying eyes.

After a while, Xiahou Bo himself arrived, with a solemn expression, being pushed in by someone. Li Yunxi and the others had already stood up and called out as they chased after him, but he ignored them completely.

Li Yunxi turned to the guard: “Let us in.”

Guard: “I have orders not to allow entry.”

Yang Duojie, shivering, pulled Li Yunxi back and stepped forward to negotiate with the guard. Before he could say more than a few words, a sharp wail came from inside.

Li Yunxi and the others passed by a group of weeping palace maids, taking advantage of the chaos to squeeze into the inner chamber and make their way to the bedside.

The imperial physician was kneeling, and the Prince of Duan was sitting. The person lying on the bed had a pale face and died with his eyes open.

Li Yunxi, still unwilling to believe, carefully examined his face three times. Then, with a “boom” in his mind, he only knew that he had knelt, but his heart was a complete blank.

How could it be Xiahou Dan?

How could Xiahou Dan have… died so silently and desolately?

This shouldn’t be him, nor should this be his way of dying.

The Prince of Duan sat askew in his wheelchair, straining to lean forward and grasp Xiahou Dan’s hand, his face written with immense grief: “Your Majesty, rest assured that I will raise the young Crown Prince well.”

Li Yunxi felt a taste of blood in his mouth from biting his back teeth. He suddenly raised his head, glaring fiercely at the Prince of Duan.

Xiahou Bo seemed unaware, elegantly raising his sleeve to wipe the corner of his eye, the undamaged half of his face still maintaining an elegant and refined demeanor: “Now in these troubled times, we cannot be without a ruler for even a day. Let’s prepare for the Crown Prince’s coronation ceremony quickly. Come—”

“Yes!” People outside the window responded in unison, the momentum startling.

Xiahou Bo’s gaze swept past Li Yunxi and drifted away lightly: “Send the ministers back to their residences to rest temporarily and prepare for mourning.”

Dong—dong—

The deep sound of funeral bells floated out of the capital, echoing endlessly under the leaden sky.

Lin Xuanying received this news while on horseback. The news of the emperor’s death could not possibly be suppressed, and the entire troop was in an uproar.

He was stunned for several breaths, suddenly coming to his senses, quickly turning his head to look behind him—Yu Wanyin was disguised as his guard, following him on the march.

Her face was mostly hidden by armor, and her expression couldn’t be seen.

Lin Xuanying pulled back on his reins, slowing down to ride alongside her, but for the first time, he hesitated, not knowing how to begin.

In the end, he just dryly asked in a low voice: “What do you think?”

Yu Wanyin: “It’s good news.”

Lin Xuanying: “?”

He looked at Yu Wanyin with considerable trepidation.

Yu Wanyin’s voice was completely calm: “If the corpse is real, the Prince of Duan no longer has any leverage to restrain us. If the corpse is fake, it means he hasn’t found His Majesty, so he has no leverage either. In either case, we can continue with our plan.”

Lin Xuanying struggled to clear his thoughts: “Then is it possible that the corpse is fake, but His Majesty is still in the Prince of Duan’s hands, being held as a trump card?”

“Impossible.” Yu Wanyin calmly shook her head, “Now the whole world knows His Majesty has died, and he released the news himself. If later he produces His Majesty, who would believe it?”

Lin Xuanying was greatly shocked: “Wouldn’t you believe it?”

“I would. But the Prince of Duan doesn’t believe I would. He is naturally cold and unfeeling, so he firmly believes everyone else is the same. He wouldn’t risk gambling on human nature. I figured this out when formulating the plan.”

Yu Wanyin’s plan was simple and direct: the Prince of Duan, eager to meet the three allied armies, would sooner or later have a secret meeting with the leaders of the three armies. Lin Xuanying only needed to endure until then, and then draw his gun to kill everyone on the spot. With the leaders collectively dead, the rest would naturally scatter like monkeys when the tree falls.

If the other two armies still harbored treacherous intentions by then, it wouldn’t be too late for the right army to slaughter them.

Lin Xuanying had originally wanted to make his move before the Prince of Duan became suspicious, simply because he was accustomed to the thinking patterns of the cold weapon era and hadn’t considered that overwhelming killing power would give them unlimited tactical freedom.

What did it matter if the Prince of Duan became suspicious? What did it matter how many defenses he set up? Unless he developed bulletproof armor, everything would be in vain.

According to this plan, if they could capture the leader first, casualties could be reduced to a minimum. At the same time, delaying the action would allow more time to search for Xiahou Dan’s whereabouts and ensure he wouldn’t be placed in danger.

However, this “good news” from the capital…

Lin Xuanying glanced worriedly at the person beside him.

Yu Wanyin was behaving too calmly, to an abnormal degree.

He was just about to speak and discuss the authenticity of the corpse in detail when he heard her say: “Since His Majesty is not in the Prince of Duan’s hands, we must hurry to find him.”

Lin Xuanying: “…”

She was completely refusing to discuss the possibility that the corpse was real.

Yu Wanyin not only refused to discuss it but also refused to think in that direction.

Once that valve was opened, her thoughts would immediately stagnate, and her limbs would instantly stop obeying her.

It was as if a voice in the void was compelling her: don’t stop, don’t think about him, keep moving forward.

She knew she was holding on by sheer willpower. She couldn’t let this breath break here, because she still had things that must be completed.

After a day’s march, the army set up camp.

Lin Xuanying designated a separate tent for Yu Wanyin, still guarded by Twelve and Forty-seven.

She also had a new follower—after entering Peiyang City, she had intended to pay the mute woman her fee and part ways, but unexpectedly, the mute woman’s eyes rolled a few times, and she gestured to indicate that she wanted to stay and work.

Stealing was too exhausting; she didn’t want to work so hard anymore.

Yu Wanyin hesitated for a moment, thinking that throughout the journey, the mute woman had countless opportunities to turn her over to the pursuers, yet had never betrayed her, suggesting her nature wasn’t particularly malicious. Additionally, as a woman following the army, she indeed faced many inconveniences, so she temporarily took her on as a maid.

The mute woman was naturally clever, and her movements were nimble. Just as the two secret guards had set up the tent, she had already prepared the bedding for Yu Wanyin and even procured a hot water bottle, filled it with hot water, and handed it to Yu Wanyin, gesturing for her to hold it for warmth.

Yu Wanyin’s cold had not fully recovered. She held the warm hot water bottle to her chest, took a breath, and decided not to ask where she had gotten it from for the time being.

Yu Wanyin had expected to stay awake all night, but thanks to her physical exhaustion, she lost consciousness in a daze.

In the middle of the night, she was suddenly awakened by someone.

The mute woman was crouching in front of her, lighting a fire stick, her expression vigilant, gesturing for her to listen carefully.

Yu Wanyin forced herself to wake up, but could only hear the howling of wind and snow outside the tent.

Yu Wanyin: “What’s wrong…”

Before she finished speaking, she paused slightly. Within the wind and snow, there seemed to be other unusual movements—a jumble of human voices. But before she could distinguish them clearly, the noise abruptly stopped.

Yu Wanyin pushed aside the bedding and took the fire stick from the mute woman’s hand.

If there was some disturbance, why hadn’t Lin Xuanying sent someone to notify her, and why hadn’t Twelve and Forty-seven given any warning?

Suspicious, she blew out the fire. To avoid suspicion, the tent was divided by a curtain in the middle, with the two secret guards keeping watch on the other side.

Yu Wanyin tiptoed over to lift the curtain. Sure enough, the two secret guards outside were nowhere to be found.

She lifted the tent flap and squinted into the oncoming wind and snow.

The camp was quiet now, not appearing to be under attack. Not far away, however, flickering lamplight showed through from Lin Xuanying’s commander’s tent.

Before Yu Wanyin could reach the entrance of the commander’s tent, the flap was suddenly lifted, and Lin Xuanying strode out, turning back to speak to someone behind him: “Wait, I’ll go ask her now—Your Highness!” He nearly collided with Yu Wanyin, avoiding her just in time thanks to his agility. “…Why are you awake?”

Yu Wanyin: “I’m looking for my secret guards.”

Lin Xuanying was briefly stunned: “They’re missing? Don’t worry, I’ll send people to look for them. It’s cold outside, come in and talk.”

Lin Xuanying found a blanket for her: “Sit. Why did you come out wearing so little? Here, have some hot tea…”

Though he said he would send people to look for the secret guards, no action was taken for quite some time.

Yu Wanyin gave him a probing look and didn’t touch the hot tea, but her gaze discreetly scanned the tent. A curtain had also been hung in the commander’s tent, separating the other half of the space. She didn’t know if behind it were those guns and ammunition, or something else.

Lin Xuanying sat across from her, seeming somewhat lost in thought, drinking a sip of tea on his own: “Wanyin, I want to ask you once more.”

This was the first time since their reunion that he had called her directly by name.

Lin Xuanying’s expression was serious: “We’re about to reach the capital. By then, there will be no turning back. If you want to leave, this is your last chance. I can send you to a safe place where you can have your own life… You don’t need to bear all this.”

His eyes were far brighter than this single candle flame, gazing at her intently.

However, this question seemed quite inappropriate in this scene. All Yu Wanyin could think about was: who was he talking to just now? Where had the secret guards gone?

“If I don’t bear it…” she smiled slightly, “who will? You?”

Lin Xuanying’s gaze dimmed a bit: “I’ve said I have no interest.”

“Then who?”

Lin Xuanying: “.”

Yu Wanyin had asked casually, but seeing his calm expression, she suddenly paused.

“Then who?” she asked again, “Is there someone else in charge here?”

Lin Xuanying blinked.

His gaze drifted lightly to the other side.

Yu Wanyin stood up abruptly, moving so quickly that she almost knocked over a nearby lamp.

Lin Xuanying seemed to want to steady her, but she had already staggered to the curtain and yanked it open.

Xiahou Dan smiled at her: “Long time no see.”

In the dim candlelight, he was wrapped in fox fur, sitting by a brazier, yet his face was devoid of any color, showing a ghostly pallor. The wind from the lifted curtain made the lamp shadows flicker; half his body was hidden in deep shadow, his long hair loose, with an aura of malevolence spreading around him like ink seeping into the paper.

Yu Wanyin: “…Where have you been?”

Xiahou Dan calmly said: “As Bai just said, if you want to leave, now is your last chance.”

Yu Wanyin stepped forward again, her nose detecting a faint smell of blood: “What happened on the road? Where is Uncle Bei?”

Xiahou Dan ignored her: “Have you read the letter?”

Yu Wanyin suddenly felt a burning in her chest, filled with rage: “Shut up and answer my question!”

“It seems you have read it. Now that you know everything, you can carefully reconsider your choice…”

“Slap!” Yu Wanyin struck him across the face.

Xiahou Dan’s head turned to one side, and he didn’t move for a long time.

Yu Wanyin’s chest heaved: “So, you came back but hid from me, and sent Bai to dismiss me instead.”

Lin Xuanying: “…”

Lin Xuanying peeked out from behind the curtain: “I’ll excuse myself.”

Neither of the two in the tent paid any attention to him.

Lin Xuanying quietly left.

Yu Wanyin’s voice grew colder: “Do you think that at a time like this, I would just walk away?”

Xiahou Dan finally moved, slowly turning his head to look at her, his eyes flickering slightly, saying weakly: “No… no woman has ever dared to strike me.”

Yu Wanyin: “?”

Yu Wanyin grew increasingly angry and raised her hand again.

Xiahou Dan ducked his head, persisting in finishing his sentence: “You have caught my attention.”

Yu Wanyin’s anger was at its peak, but suddenly, like a balloon pricked by a needle, she stood there for a long time, not knowing what expression to make.

Instead, there was a hint of amusement in Xiahou Dan’s eyes as he reached out to pull at her sleeve: “Calm down.”

Yu Wanyin shook off his hand.

Xiahou Dan: “.”

Yu Wanyin grabbed his fox fur collar with both hands, yanked it down, and then proceeded to remove his inner garment.

Xiahou Dan dodged slightly: “Are you this passionate after a long separation…”

Yu Wanyin completely ignored his banter, quickly pulling down his collar to reveal the skin beneath. At the same time, she understood the source of that faint smell of blood.

Xiahou Dan’s body bore no wounds from weapons, only patches of purple bruises and scratches covering his entire body. At a glance, his skin was torn and flesh exposed, with scabs connecting to scabs, and there were still unhealed cuts slowly oozing blood.

Yu Wanyin also grabbed his wrist, lifting his sleeve to look, and as expected, saw bloodstained teeth marks.

She turned her head slightly as if her eyes had been burned, gritting her teeth to ask: “Did you have an attack on the road?”

Xiahou Dan: “Yes.”

And because of this, he hadn’t been able to reach Peiyang in time as promised.

At that time, at the foot of Bei Mountain, during the chaos of the earthquake, the seriously injured Bei Boat carried him on his back, breaking through the encirclement with a group of secret guards.

After shaking off the pursuers, Bei Boat stopped halfway, handed Xiahou Dan over to the secret guards, gave him one deep look, and then left the group, heading alone toward another fork in the road.

He hadn’t left a single word, so Xiahou Dan didn’t know if he was worried about slowing the group down or if, after learning his true identity, he had chosen to part ways.

Afterward, with the protection of a group of secret guards willing to sacrifice their lives, they escaped danger several more times. Just as Peiyang was in sight, Xiahou Dan suddenly suffered an attack of his poison.

This attack came fiercely, worse than before. Xiahou Dan only held on for the time it takes an incense stick to burn before losing consciousness. What he did later amid excruciating pain and madness, he had no idea.

The secret guards initially dared not bind him, but later, unable to prevent him from harming himself and fearing that too much noise would attract pursuers, they had no choice but to tie him up thoroughly and hide him.

When he woke from his coma, two days and two nights had passed. By this time, Lin Xuanying had already led the army out of Peiyang.

Xiahou Dan sent someone to contact Lin Xuanying, confirming that Yu Wanyin was safe. But his condition was too weak, and appearing before the right army at this time would only shake their morale. Therefore, he waited until nightfall before being brought to the camp by Lin Xuanying’s trusted subordinates.

“I wanted to secretly take a look at you first… ouch.” Xiahou Dan stopped speaking and drew in a sharp breath, “Gentler.”

Yu Wanyin was reapplying medicine for him, and upon hearing this, her fingertips unconsciously trembled: “Does it hurt a lot?”

Only after asking did she suddenly realize—that this man had endured splitting headaches for over a decade, would he hiss in pain over such minor wounds?

Yet Xiahou Dan pursed his lips and shamelessly said: “A bit. Why don’t you blow on it?”

Yu Wanyin couldn’t bear it anymore. After a few quiet seconds, she looked directly at him and asked: “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“Hmm?”

“Deliberately making me angry, then deliberately letting me discover your injuries?”

Xiahou Dan: “.”

Xiahou Dan: “Yes.”

Yu Wanyin lowered her eyelids as she applied medicine for him, then took clothes that had been warmed by the brazier and gently draped them over him. She asked in a low voice: “Actually when Bai came looking for me, you deliberately wanted me to become suspicious and come to the tent to find you, right?”

Xiahou Dan lowered his head: “Yes.”

A wave of bitterness suddenly welled up in Yu Wanyin’s heart: “What do you want? You… went to such lengths to hide from me for so long, yet sent me away to escape alone, and left a letter confessing everything… and now you appear before me like this, asking if I want to leave… what exactly do you want?”

Xiahou Dan did not answer.

As she was about to stand up, Xiahou Dan’s fingers gently climbed onto her wrist.

The candlelight flickered, reflecting in his unfathomable eyes, finally revealing a gleam of light.

Yu Wanyin shivered from the cold.

The fingers loosely holding her suddenly tightened, with such force that she felt pain for the first time.

Xiahou Dan raised his head to look at her, the deliberately assembled relaxed smile on his face now gone, and even the misty tenderness he usually showed her had faded.

Like a scorpion raising its stinger, a wolf king baring its fangs, a monarch who had schemed his way to victory looked at her expressionlessly. Between them, not a single mask remained, only naked, raw honesty faced each other.

He hadn’t uttered a word, yet everything was already explained: all of this was of course within his plan. Using himself as bait, linking everything together, advancing step by step—this was his most ingenious and cruel scheme.

Yu Wanyin should have felt jarred and uncomfortable, but as if she had been waiting for this moment for a century, her mind was clear. She didn’t struggle; instead, she raised her free hand and touched his lips.

The cruel and lonely ruler closed his eyes and kissed her palm.

“I want you to love me.”

Lin Xuanying endured a difficult night.

Initially worried they might argue when they met, he eavesdropped outside the tent for a while. Later, when the sounds coming from inside gradually became inappropriate, he stood dumbfounded for a moment, then left cursing under his breath.

After walking a few steps, he circled back and had to signal his trusted men to strengthen the guard.

Xiahou Dan had occupied his tent, leaving him nowhere to stay. Finally, stifling his anger, he crowded into his subordinate’s tent, waking people up in the middle of the night for a meeting, and forcibly made several giants keep him company for half the night.

Before the main army awoke at dawn, Lin Xuanying returned to the commander’s tent, coughed heavily outside the curtain, and said sarcastically: “Did Your Majesty and Your Highness sleep well last night?”

There was rustling inside, and after a moment, Yu Wanyin emerged in neat clothing, looking sleepy and tired, saying: “Thank you for your concern.”

Lin Xuanying thought to himself: if you’re in this state, that injured man must have lost half his life in the exertion.

But then Xiahou Dan came out behind her, looking relaxed and even having regained some color. Compared to his half-dead appearance when he arrived last night, he now looked like an old demon who had absorbed vital energy and put on a human disguise again.

Lin Xuanying: “…”

He did not want to know how they had spent the night.

Lin Xuanying said wearily: “What are your plans going forward? Please give us some direction.”

Before dawn, when the army set out, two inconspicuous guards had been added to the wagons transporting guns and gunpowder.

Xiahou Dan decided to continue lying low according to Yu Wanyin’s plan, so he only met secretly with a few of Lin Xuanying’s trusted generals. He needed to recover from his injuries quickly so that when he revealed himself and rallied the troops in the future, he could boost morale and stabilize hearts and minds.

Yu Wanyin, naturally, accompanied him.

Secret guards rode horses ahead, while the wagon rumbled forward. The interior had been arranged as comfortably as possible for the two of them.

Xiahou Dan peered through a crack in the window at the silently advancing troops outside and said in a low voice: “Actually, it would be safer for you to remain and oversee things in Peiyang. After the turmoil in the capital is settled…”

“Dream on,” Yu Wanyin flatly refused. “I won’t let you succeed a second time.”

Xiahou Dan looked at her, half sighing, half smiling: “Wanyin… don’t you want to travel the world anymore?”

“The world will still be there; it doesn’t matter if we go a bit later,” Yu Wanyin said lightly. “In the future, we’ll have a child, and when they’re capable of handling things on their own, we’ll lay down our burdens and retire to travel together.”

Xiahou Dan paused: “All right.”

Both of them looked serious, though they both knew well this was just an illusory vision.

—Xiahou Dan’s chances of surviving the next poison attack were very slim.

Precisely because of this, he needed to make the most of his clear-minded time, racing against the clock to sort out the situation and pave the way for the future.

And Yu Wanyin’s decision not to leave was essentially making a heavier promise through her actions: she would take up the burden from his hands.

Long before her arrival, he had already exhausted his heart’s blood and years of his life, burning himself like lamp oil to the very end. If she allowed this flame to extinguish, it would negate the meaning of his existence.

So she couldn’t go anywhere. She would protect peace across the four seas and tranquility in all directions, long and lasting.

Light snow drifted intermittently along the way. Lin Xuanying, afraid that the two non-martial, sickly people in the carriage would catch cold again, stuffed blankets and hand warmers inside as if they cost nothing.

The carriage was therefore cramped but warm. The two of them huddled together like animals wintering in a tree hollow, with nothing to do but make occasional conversation.

The atmosphere was cozy but also somewhat awkward.

It was only now that they truly realized that although they had gone through life and death together, in a sense, they were only just getting to know each other.

Yu Wanyin had initiated the current topic: “You still don’t know my real name, do you?”

Xiahou Dan: “Mm, before I had my secrets, I didn’t dare to open up this topic with you. What’s your name?”

Yu Wanyin: “…Wang Cuihua.”

Xiahou Dan: “?”

Xiahou Dan: “Well, your parents weren’t bad either.”

“Thank you.”

After a moment of silence, Yu Wanyin couldn’t help but laugh again: “But I didn’t expect you to be a middle school student. This older sister-younger brother relationship is a bit hard for me to accept…”

Xiahou Dan’s expression darkened slightly: “There may not be an age difference between us.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been in the book for more than ten years, and we may not have entered at the same time in reality. To be honest, when you talked about the outside world before, there were a few trendy terms I didn’t quite understand. So I’ve always suspected—”

Yu Wanyin was stunned for a moment, suddenly remembering Xie Yonger’s reaction when she heard about the “maglev pipeline.” The concept of maglev pipeline had only become popular two years before she arrived. Therefore, she had suspected then that “The Demon’s Favored Consort” was an old story.

Yu Wanyin: “What year did you come from?”

“2016.”

Yu Wanyin was dumbfounded: “I’m from 2026.”

Xiahou Dan looked incredulous: “You said earlier that this story was pushed to your phone? How could such a trashy story be popular for ten years?”

In any case, this news finally made Yu Wanyin abandon her hope of returning.

She had originally hoped that after their souls had left their bodies, their real bodies might still be lying in hospitals as vegetative patients and that someday in the future, they might wake up and continue their relationship in reality.

But now it seemed that if Zhang San (an alias for an average person) had been out of his body for ten years, the possibility of still being alive was truly small.

Xiahou Dan had never planned in that direction at all, his attention still focused on a serious question: “Well? It’s not an older sister-younger brother relationship, is it?”

“About that—” Yu Wanyin deliberately dragged out her tone.

“Hmm?”

“I don’t know,” Yu Wanyin touched his chin. “Why don’t you call me ‘older sister’ and let me hear how it sounds?”

The carriage suddenly jolted, as if it had hit a stone. At the same time, there was a slight whistling sound from outside, followed immediately by the “swoosh” of a secret guard drawing a long sword.

Xiahou Dan’s eyes turned cold, reacting extremely quickly, sheltering Yu Wanyin in his arms as he ducked down, hiding behind a box containing guns, before asking: “What happened?”

The secret guard hurriedly responded: “It’s nothing, just vagrant people causing trouble.”

“Vagrant people?”

The secret guard’s tone was somewhat complex: “Common people along the way, perhaps they mistook us for rebel troops… they were throwing stones at us from behind trees. They’ve been driven away.”

All along the right army’s path, although the common people didn’t dare to directly oppose them, they had done plenty of eye-rolling and spitting behind their backs.

Many commoners still remembered the benefits of Xiahou Dan’s light taxes and corvée and didn’t believe the “evil empress and muddle-headed emperor” nonsense spread by the Prince of Duan. Now hearing of Xiahou Dan’s sudden death, they were even more convinced that the Prince of Duan was simply using his military power to openly usurp the throne.

Therefore, seeing the army marching toward the capital, they naturally had no good expressions, and the bolder ones directly threw stones.

Yu Wanyin understood the cause and effect, and her expression also became complex: “How should I put it, I’m a bit touched.”

Xiahou Dan also smiled slightly: “This is all thanks to the Empress.”

Before her arrival, his strength was only enough to fight the Empress Dowager and the Prince of Duan to mutual destruction.