The Xi Liang King turned his head to look at the young general occupying his barbarian couch.

Everything had happened very suddenly—a sudden attack in the night, fierce and swift killing. But at the time he hadn’t thought much of it, even walking out to see which fool had come to die. Before he could see clearly, a young general covered in blood with disheveled hair appeared beside him—seeming to emerge from underground, or perhaps originally a corpse lying on the ground.

Next, his vision filled only with flying flesh and blood. He saw nothing else clearly, then that young general stood behind him, long blade pressed horizontally against his neck.

The cry that the Xi Liang King was captured pierced the night sky.

What followed was wave after wave of people falling, then wave after wave of people emerging like a dense forest surrounding this area.

He was bound hand and foot, and the young general behind him also left.

When he saw this young general again, dawn had broken. The young general was wrapped in bandages, his hair tied up, revealing his face—even younger than he’d imagined.

And quite handsome.

“You remind me of Chu Ling,” the Xi Liang King said as his first words.

The young general touched his chin: “He and I are similar, but General Chu took down your father, and now the one taking you down is me. From now on you can remember another name.” He reiterated again, “Xie Yanlai.”

He was quite a proud and boastful young man, afraid others wouldn’t remember his name. The Xi Liang King laughed heartily, repeated it once, and nodded.

“Xie Yanlai,” he said. “Taking me down doesn’t necessarily mean victory. What you should do now is release me. Otherwise, you’re dead for sure.”

Xie Yanlai chuckled: “I’ve never understood—” At this point he made hissing sounds, as if the pain was severe, and through gritted teeth shouted a name: “Xiao Shan—”

The Xi Liang King saw a young man standing beside him instantly rush to the couch’s edge, holding half a pill or medicine of some kind, about to stuff it in Xie Yanlai’s mouth, yet hesitating.

“Young Master, you can’t take more,” he said quietly.

Xie Yanlai snatched it away and stuffed it in his mouth: “I know what I’m doing.” After swallowing the pill, he continued his unfinished words, his voice somewhat muffled. “You powerful figures, once captured, still threaten others. I don’t know if that’s clever or too stupid. No, it’s too arrogant.”

He lay back flat, swallowed the pill, and took a deep breath, easing the pain.

“Thinking yourself powerful and important is one thing, but once in another’s hands, what power or importance matters?”

“Since I dared to come capture you, I came prepared for mutual destruction. If I die, I die. If I feared death, what would I be doing here?”

The Xi Liang King said, “What use is mutual destruction with me? If I die, I still have sons.” At this point he smiled arrogantly. “Believe it or not, the moment they knew I was captured, Xi Liang already has a new Great King. I’m nothing now. Don’t think of using me to threaten Xi Liang. Even if Da Xia’s reinforcements come, it’s useless. You and Da Xia will gain nothing—”

Halfway through his words, the young general on the couch was shouting for water to drink. That soldier called Xiao Shan hurriedly gave him water. After a few sips, he said it tasted bad and stopped drinking, also complaining that Xiao Shan’s movements weren’t gentle enough, not like his maidservants.

“When we return, I’ll learn properly from Young Master’s maidservant sisters,” Xiao Shan promised repeatedly.

The Xi Liang King didn’t mind his interruption. After they finished drinking and talking, he continued: “So, Xie Yanlai, what you should do now is release me and negotiate properly with me. I’ve already sent Da Xia a peace proposal. Since you’ve captured me, I’m willing to make more concessions during negotiations. This way you and Da Xia both gain something—”

“Enough, Great King, no need to continue,” Xie Yanlai lazily interrupted him, waving his bandaged hand. “Who says I’ve gained nothing? So what if Xi Liang immediately has a new Great King? Killing you, this Xi Liang King, is my Xie Yanlai’s greatest gain. My life is worthwhile now—my name will remain in history. That’s what I’ve gained. As for whether it affects the battle situation, what Da Xia gains—that’s none of my concern.”

The battle situation and Da Xia weren’t his concern? The Xi Liang King laughed incredulously. So he came here to die just to have his name recorded in history?

“You—” he was about to continue.

But this time he’d barely opened his mouth when Xie Yanlai ordered: “Gag him.”

The soldiers guarding nearby immediately tore some cloth strips and bound the Xi Liang King’s mouth.

Xie Yanlai snorted: “So noisy.”

This statement should have been accompanied by a very impressive inward turn, but unfortunately, wrapped like a wooden dummy now, though his mind imagined turning over, his leg hadn’t come down yet when he pulled some wound somewhere, making him grunt.

“Young Master—” Xiao Shan had been watching him the whole time and immediately rushed over, checking him up and down, voice tense. “Where does it hurt? How are you? What other medicine can you take?”

Xie Yanlai had one leg down, one leg crossed, upper body turned but lower body still flat. He closed his eyes: “Stop fussing! Quiet! Help me into position!”

Only then did Xiao Shan see Xie Yanlai’s posture and hurriedly reached out to move his leg over—

“Young Master, with your injuries, lying flat is better,” he said again. “Why lie on your side?”

Xie Yanlai scoffed: “Because it looks better.”

What did looking good or bad matter? Xiao Shan scratched his head, puzzled.

“Enough, stop staring at me. Go watch outside,” Xie Yanlai said with his back to him.

Xiao Shan acknowledged and was about to leave when he stopped and asked quietly, “Young Master, are you alright? Can you still hold on?”

“You’re really long-winded. If they can’t hold on outside, what does it matter whether I can hold on or not?” Xie Yanlai said impatiently, but still answered: “I can hold on.”

Xiao Shan got his answer and was comforted, happily acknowledging before going out.

Xie Yanlai lay motionless, facing inward, biting a sachet in his mouth. From the force, the sachet seemed about to be chewed to pieces.

The sachet wasn’t fragrant—no almond scent remained, the ink fragrance from the letter paper couldn’t be detected either. Only the smell of blood filled his mouth and nose—

During the slaughter, his robes had been soaked with blood. The sachet worn close to his chest around his neck hadn’t escaped either.

He bit the sachet tightly, so each time he was about to lose consciousness and loosen the sachet, he would jolt awake.

This way, he could stay conscious.

Though he might die soon, until that moment of death, he remained the controller of victory.

Xiao Shan stood outside the tent, looking at the night about to envelop the land, his face also becoming grim.

“Is Young Master alright?” a soldier asked quietly.

Xiao Shan sighed: “In so much pain he can barely drink water, can’t even move his body.”

The soldier fell silent.

Another soldier hurried over. Seeing their expressions, he hesitated and stopped.

Xiao Shan’s gaze turned to him: “What is it?”

The soldier said, “The west side has also been surrounded.”

Xiao Shan’s face darkened: “They came quite fast.”

“This means all four sides are surrounded. Even if our reinforcements arrive, it’ll be hard for us to break through,” the soldier said quietly.

Their forces were too few.

The three looked toward the dusky twilight. Around the King’s camp circled layer upon layer of soldiers, like the Eight Trigrams formation, yet different. If someone viewed it from above, they would discover it resembled a flower bud about to bloom.

This was a military formation Young Master had devised, given a pleasant name: the Six Flowers Formation. (Note 1)

When armies charged from all four sides, it would bloom eerily and brilliantly.

Then fall scattered into mud.

Xiao Shan snorted, crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows: “Break through? Since we came, we never thought of breaking through. We came to kill the Xi Liang King. Having accomplished this, we’re content.”

The reporting soldier laughed and said sincerely, “Brother Xiao Shan, you’re nothing like Young Master. Young Master is taller and better-looking than you.”

Xiao Shan spat and kicked at him: “Get lost and continue scouting.”

That soldier jumped away, laughing heartily as he ran off.

That night, Xiao Shan stayed outside the whole time. Though extremely concerned about Xie Yanlai in his heart, he was determined not to return to the King’s tent. If these Xi Liang soldiers had a new Great King who ordered them to trample everything and charge forward, he would guard the last pass for Young Master.

Night gradually faded. In the dim morning light, there seemed to be commotion all around.

Xiao Shan, who had been leaning against the ground, suddenly sat up straight, his bloodshot eyes sharply looking toward the direction of the noise.

But there were no sounds of clashing armies. In his field of vision, a group of riders galloped forward.

“Report—Xi Liang envoy arriving—”

Xi Liang envoy? Xiao Shan frowned. Earlier, Xi Liang’s Ministry of War princes and leaders had also sent envoys, but Xie Yanlai said that with the Xi Liang King here, others weren’t qualified to send envoys. Any who were sent weren’t real envoys and were beheaded directly.

After several rounds, those people didn’t dare come anymore.

Why were they sending one now? And letting them through?

“What’s going on?” Xiao Shan demanded, watching the approaching riders.

Besides Da Xia soldiers, there were people wearing ordinary robes and Xi Liang robes—

“Reporting to General Xie, reinforcements brought an envoy from Xi Liang City,” the guards shouted.

This sentence contained two meanings. Reinforcements? Had reinforcements arrived? Xiao Shan’s gaze fell on two men wearing ordinary robes.

“Are you reinforcements sent by Commander Zhong?” he asked.

The two men shook their heads, then nodded.

Bewildering—yes or no? Xiao Shan frowned. The guards had drawn near and showed him a token: “They’re carrying Commander Zhong’s division waist tokens for sure.”

Xiao Shan glanced and confirmed it was genuine, then looked at that Xi Liang envoy. An envoy from Xi Liang City, so sent by the new Great King?

“Let him see the Xi Liang King,” the man in ordinary robes lifted his chin. “He has words for the Xi Liang King.”

This man didn’t look like a soldier at all. Xiao Shan muttered inwardly, but he trusted Commander Zhong. Without further questions, he led this Xi Liang envoy into the King’s tent.

“Great King—”

The Xi Liang envoy had just entered when he dropped to his knees with a thud, kowtowing on the ground and wailing loudly, startling both Xiao Shan and the dozing Xi Liang King.

The Xi Liang King opened his eyes, his gaze focused on this envoy.

“Great King,” the envoy raised his head. “The Royal City has been plundered by bandits—”

Plundered by bandits?

For a moment the Xi Liang King thought he hadn’t woken properly and was dreaming. How could he hear such absurd words?

Where would bandits come from in Xi Liang Royal City? What bandits could plunder the Royal City?!

“It’s true, Great King,” the envoy cried, taking a jade ring from his chest. “The First Prince was even killed by them—”

The Xi Liang King felt as if lightning had struck. His ears rang, and in his vision remained only the jade ring held up by the envoy.

Of course he recognized this jade ring. His father the King had passed it to him, and before his expedition, he had passed it to the First Prince.

“Unbind his mouth.”

Xie Yanlai, who had turned over at some point on the barbarian couch, suddenly said.

Xiao Shan snapped back to awareness, rushed over and tore away the cloth binding the Xi Liang King’s mouth. Ear-piercing roars immediately filled the tent.

“I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it! This is impossible!”

Watching the Xi Liang King, who had been steady as a mountain, now roaring and trembling like a collapsing mountain, Xie Yanlai lying on the barbarian couch raised his eyebrows and chuckled: “Nothing is impossible.”

What was impossible? He could meet a girl named Chu Zhao while delivering courier messages. What impossible things couldn’t happen in this world?

After saying this, he looked at Xiao Shan.

“Xiao Shan, go have Commander Zhong ask the Third Prince—with the First Prince dead, does he want to become Xi Liang King?”

…

…

Note 1: This was created by the famous Tang Dynasty general Li Jing.