As the words fell, the great bell immediately rang out, nine long and five short, the sound majestic, reverberating across the hunting grounds that stretched for over ten miles.
Yan Xun and Zhuge Yue’s expressions changed simultaneously. The boisterous great hall suddenly fell into complete silence, with everyone prostrating themselves on the ground, loudly kowtowing: “We pay respects to our King!”
The curtains of the great hall opened wide, the northern wind blowing, the lamplight flickering. Amid complete silence, orderly footsteps sounded outside. Large troops surrounded the imperial tent, the cold metallic chill of their armor instantly overpowering the rich aroma of roasted meat. Chu Qiao carefully raised her head, but could only see numerous deerskin boots stepping on the bearskin carpet of the great hall. The leading pair was of normal human size, the white boot edges embroidered with bright yellow clouds and dragons, the stride steady, unhurried, advancing slowly.
“Everyone rises.”
A deep voice slowly sounded from above, neither loud nor stern, even carrying a slight hoarseness, yet it had the weight of ocean waves gradually covering this great hall that had just been noisy and chaotic. Everyone rose together, yet no one dared to lift their heads to look up. The Xia King’s voice sounded deep from above: “Everyone sits down. Qi’er, begin.”
The Third Prince Zhao Qi respectfully answered: “Yes, Father.” Then he stepped forward and announced loudly: “The imperial banquet begins, please be seated, everyone.”
The sound of string and wind instruments immediately rose. From the side passages, a group of scantily-clad, graceful dancers flowed in. Each had a face like spring peach blossoms and skin like white snow, swinging their long water sleeves, and dancing seductively in the arena. Various delicacies were served to the seats. Everyone’s spirits finally relaxed, and gradually, laughter began to sound, slowly expanding.
Zhuge Yue still stood before Yan Xun’s seat, eyes pitch black, expression cold. He looked at the young woman standing beside Yan Xun, at that face, calm and indifferent yet revealing familiar stubbornness. He nodded slowly, without saying a word, then turned away resolutely. As his great fur coat swung, it stirred up cold wind, like a sharp precious sword, slicing across the imperial wine on the table. The water rippled, gently swaying.
Chu Qiao’s fingers suddenly turned cold, some emotions rising in her chest, causing her eyebrows to furrow deeply like knives. The young woman slowly closed her eyes, breathed deeply, then sat down.
A hand suddenly rested on her shoulder. Chu Qiao looked up, directly meeting Yan Xun’s pitch-black eyes.
Yan Xun didn’t speak, but she could clearly understand what he wanted to convey. For so many years, in every moment of frustration, in every night filled with hatred, they had encouraged each other in this way: wait, endure, there will come a day when we rise.
Chu Qiao silently nodded. All around was the clamor of music and voices. She raised her head and looked toward the northernmost end of the hall. There, lights blazed brilliantly, the illumination so abundant it was almost blinding. The young woman widened her eyes, looking toward the man sitting in the center surrounded by light. Too much brilliance obscured him; under the golden splendor of the lamps, his face was indistinct. One could only see the fierce dragon claws on his robe embroidered with golden dragons, like sharp steel blades, pointing from afar at every scheming gaze within the great hall.
With a thunderous sound, the front curtains of the great hall were completely drawn back. The biting wind suddenly rushed into the hall. The magnificent square outside was filled with blazing torches. Looking out, over three hundred banquet settings had been arranged. Those without the qualification to enter the main hall all sat in the outer tents, surrounding them in circles, leaving a large open space in the middle. The atmosphere was even more spirited than inside the imperial tent. As soon as the curtain of the main hall was lifted, a thunderous cheer of approval came from outside.
Just then, the crisp, rapid sound of hoofbeats suddenly rang out. Everyone looked up to see over a hundred fierce war horses galloping from afar at alarming speed, swift and powerful. Just as people were wondering where these riderless war horses had come from, one hundred white-armored soldiers suddenly burst out from the ranks, leaping up from the ground, and climbing onto the backs of the still-galloping horses in mid-air. Their movements were uniformly coordinated, crisp, and clean, without any hesitation.
The watching nobles immediately erupted in thunderous applause. The light cavalry drove into the field, left hand holding a sword, right hand holding a shield, controlling their horses with just their legs, constantly displaying various formations and postures. Their movements were flowing and beautiful, well-organized, while maintaining practical combat utility. The leading light cavalry general was not old, wearing an iron helmet that obscured his face, commanding with confidence, his figure tall and straight, elegant and heroic.
Suddenly, all the soldiers simultaneously sheathed their swords, placed their shields behind their horses, then took out waist bows, bent the bows and nocked arrows, using foot strength to hook the stirrups, flipping to hang upside down beneath their horses’ bellies, and releasing their arms. With a whistling sound, one hundred powerful arrows simultaneously flew toward a single target. With a bang, the heavy target was broken by the immense force but didn’t fall. Instead, it flew straight up and was firmly shot into a giant pine tree. The bullseye was densely packed with one hundred arrows, many piercing through the fletching of others, piled layer upon layer!
In an instant, the entire field fell silent. The soldiers sat upright again. The leading general dismounted, removed his iron helmet, knelt on one knee, and said in a resonant voice: “Your son Zhao Che wishes Father Emperor boundless fortune and longevity without limit!”
With a thunderous roar, the entire field erupted. Everyone applauded and cheered enthusiastically for this divine archery skill.
“After years of training at the border, Che’er has improved,” the Xia Emperor sat above, his voice steady, yet carrying a faint trace of satisfaction. “Award him a Dragon Spring precious sword, let our Great Xia’s blade open territory for Great Xia, protecting our homeland.”
“Thank you, Father Emperor!”
Zhao Che said loudly, kowtowing heavily on the ground. The royal ministers, following the prevailing wind, simultaneously began loudly praising Zhao Che’s bravery.
Yan Xun sat at the lower seat and lowered his head to drink tea, cold and silent, his eyes slowly narrowing.
“Seventh Brother is young and brave, for many years he has guarded our Great Xia’s borders, truly a rare military talent. With Seventh Brother in the Northern Frontier, our territory has no worries.”
Third Prince Zhao Qi nodded slowly, his expression natural, showing no jealousy or vexation. Whether sincere or feigned, it was not unworthy of his title as a wise prince.
After Zhao Che accepted the honor and withdrew with his subordinates, the atmosphere in the field became harmonious and gradually lively. Various military clans and tribes demonstrated different martial arts – horse fighting, archery competitions, military dances, and sword practice. Delicacies flowed like water to the seats, all wild game barbecue, superior in taste, enticing in aroma.
The Northwestern Batuha family had traveled a long distance to participate in the hunt. Apart from several concubine-born uncles, only two legitimate sons, Zhalu and Zhama, were present. Now, Zhalu had just led the family warriors in demonstrating distinctive Northwestern-style wrestling, which earned enthusiastic cheers from the entire gathering. Then Zhama led a group of shapely Northwestern young women rushing into the field to perform exquisite horsemanship.
Although their skills were not particularly outstanding, a group of young, fit noble girls inevitably won widespread praise. The Xia Emperor was pleased and bestowed twenty rolls of Huai Song tribute silk, instantly triggering another climax in the field.
Zhama smiled and kowtowed in gratitude for the imperial favor. As she rose, she suddenly said: “Your Majesty, just performances are boring. In our Northwest, duels are allowed at banquets. Today is my first visit to Zhenhuan. May I request Your Majesty’s permission to challenge someone?”
She was still a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, not very old, and her expression while speaking was rather naive. Those who heard could not help but smile. The Xia Emperor sat in the head seat, his expression unclear, but his voice carried a faint pleasure as he said: “And whom do you intend to challenge?”
“I’ve long heard that the servant girl under the Yan Bei World Son has exquisite martial arts, but I haven’t had the chance to learn from her. Today everyone is in good spirits, why not come down to play together?”
As soon as these words fell, everyone’s gaze instantly turned toward Yan Xun, who sat at the very last seat. Those who knew about the earlier competition naturally understood the ins and outs, while those who didn’t think Zhama was deliberately picking a fight. After all, the Northwestern Batuha family and the Yan Bei line had always been hostile. Before Yan Shicheng’s death, such public confrontations had not been uncommon.
Before the Xia King could speak, Yan Xun immediately stood up. He wore a moon-white robe embroidered with intricate dark lotus patterns, his hair black as ink, eyes dark, face like white jade, the elegant scholarly air of a handsome young man. He politely declined, saying in a deep voice: “My servant is still young, only knowing a little of martial arts, how dare she make a spectacle before Your Majesty. Princess Zhama’s horsemanship is exquisite, her martial arts strong, please don’t force the unwilling.”
“Yan World Son, deliberate concealment is the crime of deceiving the sovereign. Moreover, Princess Zhama is only sixteen, she, as a royal princess, competing with a slave is already a great honor. Your repeated refusals, isn’t that too ungrateful?”
From the fourth seat at the front, a young man beside Wei Shuyou spoke up. This person was Wei Qingchi, a newly rising collateral descendant of the Wei clan, eloquent and well-spoken. Yan Xun had seen him once at several banquets and didn’t expect him to so openly contradict him today.
“Brother Qingchi speaks extremely well,” Prince Jing laughed. “Yan World Son, a gentleman should have the magnanimity to fulfill others’ wishes. The pearl of the Northwestern grasslands rarely has such interest. You might as well indulge her, lest old General Batuha blames the clans of Zhenhuan for bullying his precious daughter.”
Jing Han had grown up in the imperial capital, the youngest son of old Prince Jing Hai. Prince Jing Hai was Zhao Zhengde’s uncle, over eighty years old, having a son in his old age whom he extremely doted on. Jing Han was a generation senior to Yan Xun, Zhao Che, and others, so his speech was always casual. As soon as he spoke, people immediately joined in agreement. The Xia Emperor nodded deeply: “I grant Princess Zhama’s request.”
“Your Majesty,” Yan Xun raised an eyebrow, about to speak again when Chu Qiao suddenly stood up from behind, pulling the corner of his clothes, silently shaking her head.
Yan Xun’s face was gloomy, but he knew that today the arrow was on the string and must be released. If he continued to speak, he might very well face the criticism of everyone. Under his wide sleeves, Yan Xun’s hand tightly gripped Chu Qiao’s palm, softly instructing: “Be extremely careful.”
The young woman nodded with a smile: “Don’t worry.”
Taking off her long fur coat, Chu Qiao walked to the center of the arena, first bowed toward the north, then turned to Princess Zhama and bowed: “Since that’s the case, I’ll boldly offend you.”
In an instant, everyone’s gaze was fixed on this young woman. Seven years ago, eight-year-old Chu Qiao and Yan Xun were in the same boat, on Nine Wai Street she cut off three fingers of the Wei clan’s young master Wei Shuyou, using them as leverage to escape Zhenhuan. Later, she fought with the Imperial Guard in front of the Nine Abyss Platform, nearly escaping. The memory remained fresh for these people. If an eight-year-old child had such courage and strength then, what unfathomable abilities would she have after seven years? Although she was just a lowly female slave, what she represented was the Yan Bei line.
Everyone in the entire Great Xia Dynasty knew that although Yan Shicheng died seven years ago and the Yan King’s line was almost extinct, the policy of self-selecting officials in Yan Bei, implemented for over a hundred years, had allowed the Yan clan to take deep root in the Northwestern grasslands. Due to the constant border harassment by the Quanrong people over the years, Great Xia simply couldn’t spare the forces to completely replace the blood of Yan Bei. This was also the primary reason why the Xia Emperor dared not eliminate Yan Xun for so long. Moreover, privately, there was such a mysterious force secretly supporting Yan Bei’s economy and politics. Until there was absolute certainty of completely uprooting it, Yan Xun would still be the nominal master of Yan Bei.
The outside wind blew in, hitting the young woman’s light blue fur short jacket. The young woman’s eyes were pitch black, her hair like ink, her small face slightly thin, not exceptionally beautiful, but the calmness and determination emanating from her entire being was enough to make any man take notice.
This was the first time Chu Qiao stood before all members of the Great Xia royal family, in the identity of a female slave, accepting the challenge of Princess Zhama, the most distinguished identity in the Northwest.
Zhama looked at this young woman who had just greatly humiliated her, the corner of her mouth slightly smiling coldly, proudly saying: “I just performed horsemanship and haven’t fully recovered my strength. Fighting like this is unfair. How about this: I’ll first have my slave fight with you. If you beat him, then you can fight me.”
With these words, the entire gathering was shocked. Zhao Song finally couldn’t contain himself and, disregarding Zhao Qi’s furrowed brows, stood up and said: “Father Emperor, this is unfair.”
“Princess Zhama is delicate and precious, it’s already inappropriate for her to compete with a female slave, let alone just after performing horsemanship. Thirteenth Prince, it’s just a slave, there’s nothing unfair about it,” Jing Han chuckled, saying carelessly.
Wei Shuyou’s lips curled up, his gaze gloomy as he glanced at Chu Qiao, saying faintly: “Little Prince Jing’s words are extremely correct. Just a slave, merely for entertainment.”
“You all…”
“Thirteenth Brother!” Zhao Qi shouted deeply: “Sit down.”
Seeing that the Xia Emperor did not object, Zhama turned back to a huge man sitting in the back row and said: “Tuda, come and play with this little girl.”
As soon as the big man rose, everyone gasped in surprise. He was incredibly tall, fully over seven feet tall, with eyes like copper bells and twisted muscles on his arms. Standing next to Chu Qiao, he looked like an elephant beside a kitten, completely disproportionate.
At this, everyone immediately understood Princess Zhama’s intention. This wasn’t a competition but a murder. However, no one raised the slightest objection. After all, in their eyes, just as Wei Shuyou said: merely a slave, for entertainment.
Chu Qiao raised her head, calmly looking at Tuda. She knew that today’s battle concerned Yan Bei’s prestige. This was the first time in many years that Yan Xun had shown his face before the empire’s officials and generals. If she lost, it would be a great blow to Yan Bei’s morale, and Yan Xun’s current foundation for survival was the unconditional loyalty of the Yan Bei soldiers.
She took a deep breath, walked out of the imperial tent to the center of the hunting ground, went to the weapons rack nearby, and took a long spear, weighing it in her hand for a moment. Then she turned and walked back, looking up and asking: “What weapon will you use?”
Tuda hit his fists together several times, the sound harsh, as he said smugly: “My fists are my weapons.”
“Weapons have no eyes. Be careful.”
A sudden gust of wind came toward where Chu Qiao stood, facing her directly. Tuda bellowed loudly, his voice resounding like thunder exploding in mid-air! The young woman suddenly turned around, moving her steps, just leaving her original position as a huge fist smashed into the ground. Suddenly, white snow flew and smoke filled the air, with a huge pit opening in the ground.
A gasp rose from the crowd. Judging by the force of this giant’s blow, he intended to kill the young woman. Among the crowd were young girls and noblewomen who, seeing this, turned pale with fright, covering their eyes, afraid to watch.
Chu Qiao raised the long spear in one motion but had no chance to deploy it. Tuda’s strength was astonishing, yet his movements were also very agile. For a time, he was like a fierce tiger, pressing forward step by step.
Zhao Song’s face was tense. Although he knew Chu Qiao was skilled, how could she be a match for such a huge man? The young prince made up his mind that if the situation turned bad, he would immediately step in to help.
In a flash, the two had exchanged several moves, but the slender girl had never counterattacked, just avoiding confrontation with Tuda. Just when everyone was certain she would inevitably lose, Tuda suddenly let out a fierce shout and pounced toward Chu Qiao, his face ferocious, his methods vicious. The wind swept in, torches blazed high, crackling. Everyone gasped in unison, thinking Chu Qiao couldn’t escape this calamity and would surely perish. However, among the crowd, Yan Xun’s tense face suddenly relaxed. He brought the wine cup tightly held in his hand to his lips and indifferently took a sip. When he released his hand, a crisp sound immediately rang out as the wine cup shattered into several pieces, scattered in disarray on the table.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, everyone was suddenly dumbfounded. The young woman who had been fleeing suddenly turned around, her footwork strange, her body agile. With a twist of her slender waist, she used her waist strength to flip her body in mid-air. The long spear was immediately pulled back, a reverse spear flower, carrying thunderous force as it was thrust forward!
With a muffled sound, blood splattered and a scream rose.
The wind howled, blowing the young woman’s hair from her forehead. She held the spear with one hand, pointing it at Tuda’s chest from a distance. The long spear had entered half an inch into his body but didn’t go deeper, clearly intentionally showing mercy, unwilling to be ruthless.
With a swoosh, Chu Qiao withdrew the long spear, nodding coldly: “I concede.”
Having said this, she turned around to bow to the main seat in the north.
The watching crowd immediately erupted in thunderous cheers! Great Xia’s most valued martial prowess. Seeing such a young girl with superb spear skills defeat such a huge man in an instant, everyone opened their throats in loud shouts.
However, just then, the enraged Tuda suddenly let out a roar, swinging his fist as he charged forward, smashing down viciously at Chu Qiao’s back as she faced away from him!
“Look out!” Zhao Song shouted sharply, rushing out from his seat. At the same time, a bright white flash suddenly shot out from the back seats. Just as Tuda’s fist was about to reach Chu Qiao’s body, the flash made a piercing sound as it shot into the giant’s head, opening a large bloody hole in the back of his skull!
At this moment, Chu Qiao’s head was just touching the ground in a bow.
Tuda’s eyes widened in disbelief, blood gushing from his mouth and nose, his gaze frozen. Finally, he collapsed with a crash, blood flowing steadily from the back of his head, chilling to the core.
“How dare you!” Zhama was furious, jumping up from her seat, shouting fiercely: “To carry weapons in the presence of His Majesty! Yan Xun! Are you rebelling?”
Yan Xun sat composed in his seat, his expression cold, holding a piece of porcelain shard between his index and middle fingers, calmly asking: “Is a cup considered a weapon?”
The astonished crowd only then realized that what Yan Xun had used to kill Tuda was a piece of a broken cup!
“Father Emperor, Princess Zhama’s subordinate disregarded the rules by attacking from behind. He truly deserved death.”
There was no sound from the throne. The guards on both sides immediately reacted, dragging Tuda’s corpse outside the tent.
“Princess, have you rested well?” The young woman with a calm face turned around, her eyes devoid of any emotion as she looked at the uneasy Zhama and said in a deep voice: “If you still feel tired, you can call other subordinates for another round.”
The nobles of Great Xia instantly shifted their attention from the dead loser, all looking at Zhama as if watching a spectacle, waiting to see how she would respond.
Anyone with eyes could see that Zhama never intended to fight Chu Qiao herself. What she said earlier was only because she believed Tuda would certainly kill Chu Qiao. But now Tuda was dead, and if she still used excuses to back out, everyone would see that she was too frightened to fight. Furthermore, she was the one who had initiated the challenge. By Northwestern custom, a coward was even more despised than a battlefield deserter and would be scorned by everyone.
Zhama bit her lip and with a swoosh, she cracked her whip, standing up and shouting fiercely: “Let’s fight then! Am I afraid of a lowly slave?”
“Wait,” Zhao Qi suddenly stood up, smiling as he said: “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a woman with such exquisite martial skills. It seems that since the South Feng Commander, the empire has had no female generals. How about this: just now was a test of martial arts, this round will be an archery competition. What does everyone think?”
With these words, everyone immediately understood. The Batuha family dominated the Northwest with powerful influence. Old Batuha had a fiery temper, and if his precious daughter was injured in the imperial capital, he would certainly fly into a rage and harbor resentment. Additionally, Princess Zhama was renowned for her excellent archery. Zhao Qi’s suggestion was merely to save face for the Northwest.
For a mere female slave, though her spear techniques were excellent, her archery might not be outstanding. The spectators were greatly disappointed but had no choice.
However, in the seventh seat at the front, a man in purple robes and white fur slightly narrowed his eyes. Zhuge Yue, who had experienced Chu Qiao’s excellent archery firsthand, raised his wine cup and took a sip.
Sure enough, Zhama’s face immediately brightened. She proudly took a powerful bow, walked coldly to the center, and said: “You go first?”
“I wouldn’t dare, Princess, please.”
Zhama gave a cold laugh, drew out three sharp arrows, bent the bow, and with a whistle, all three arrows shot out simultaneously, lightning-fast toward the bullseye of the target a hundred paces away. The arrows released in rapid succession, the wind whistling, her skill superb, immediately drawing widespread praise.
However, before the thunderous applause had subsided, the young woman suddenly knelt on one knee, drawing a giant bow taller than herself. Three powerful arrows closely followed Zhama’s sharp arrows. With three crisp sounds, they penetrated through the tails of Zhama’s three arrows with unstoppable force, almost simultaneously hitting the bullseye of the target!
Divine skill, in an instant, the difference was clear!
The crowd could hardly believe their eyes, the cheers thunderous and unceasing.
“Princess Zhama, I concede.”
Chu Qiao nodded faintly and walked toward the great hall.
Even the Xia Emperor was slightly moved, sighing deeply: “Such archery skills haven’t been seen for many years. As a woman, it is indeed not easy. How about this: I’ll grant you freedom from slave status and make you an archery instructor in the Xiao Qi Camp.”
Chu Qiao raised an eyebrow but still knelt heavily on the ground, saying deeply: “Thank you for Your Majesty’s grace.”
Walking back slowly to Yan Xun’s side, the atmosphere around was enthusiastic. At this time, beautiful dancers came forward to perform, immediately attracting everyone’s attention. Yan Xun looked up, their eyes met, they smiled at each other, and sat down.
From the opposite seat, a gaze shot over from afar, with a gloomy, unclear light, secretly assessing, complex and surging. The brilliant smile that suddenly appeared on the face of the usually cold young woman instantly dazzled his eyes.
Amidst the clinking of cups, Zhuge Yue raised his cup, drinking it all in one go, his face calm, yet having lost his usual indifferent grace.
The grand royal hunting banquet finally ended. Chu Qiao and Yan Xun returned to their tent. A Jing was seriously injured, with Zuo Tang arranged the night watch outside.
Yan Xun poured a pot of clear tea and sat in a chair drinking water. Chu Qiao sat by the fire basin, looking up and saying: “The Xia Emperor awarded Zhao Che the Dragon Spring Sword. What do you think?”
“He’s warning the Muhe clan not to keep pushing Muhe Xifeng’s death onto Zhao Che’s head.”
Chu Qiao frowned, nodding: “In this case, won’t the Wei clan have to take the blame? Does he intend to use this matter to let the Wei clan and Muhe clan fight internally?”
“Yes,” Yan Xun nodded: “The Muhe clan is too overbearing. The higher they’re elevated, the harder they’ll fall, just like the Ou clan thirty years ago.”
Chu Qiao sighed, suddenly feeling very tired today. Too many events and people rushed into the situation in one day, making the already confusing relationships even more complex. She rubbed her temples and said: “I’ll go back first. You should rest early too.”
Just as she was about to stand up and leave, Yan Xun’s voice suddenly sounded from behind: “A Chu, just now when that Tuda was sneaking up behind you, why didn’t you dodge? With your abilities, you couldn’t have failed to notice.”
Chu Qiao turned around, saying very naturally: “Because you were behind me.”
The wind outside suddenly grew stronger, blowing against the tent, with a hint of coolness cutting through. Yan Xun was slightly stunned, but very quickly, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly in a genuine smile, saying: “Yes, how silly of me.”
“I’m leaving now.”
With a lift of the curtain, the girl’s figure disappeared from the tent. Yan Xun smiled slightly, his expression very warm. A heart-like solid ice slowly melted, opening a gap where the warm, moist wind blew in gently.
Because you were behind me, so I confidently left my most vulnerable back unguarded.
They had always been each other’s most trustworthy person, just like when they were children. He could only close his eyes in front of her, and she could only sleep peacefully in front of him.
Starless and moonless, the night was long. The young Yan Bei World Son slightly raised his head: “A Chu, thank you for letting me still have someone I can trust.”
The tent was warm. Chu Qiao had taken a bath and felt very tired. She leaned on the soft couch, wanting to close her eyes, but at the moment of closing them, she saw the precious sword placed at her bedside.
Sitting up, she gently pulled it out. The blue sword gleamed with flowing light under the lamps, dark red sword patterns like eerie fresh blood, flickering gently.
Seven years. She had thought they would meet again but never imagined it would be this way.
She knew that Zhuge Yue must have also seen the wound on her neck. They seemed to have always been like this: opposed, at daggers drawn, destined enemies no matter when or where.
The child’s miserable scream seemed to echo in her ears again. The broken arm, the blood-soaked sack, and the cold pavilion lake, like a movie, slowly slid before her eyes. That piece of fragrant braised pork that appeared in the night when she was most helpless was like an arrow, piercing her heart.
“Yue’er, do you trust your fifth brother? I will protect you!”
The bitter feeling once again filled her chest. Her gaze sharpened as she once again heard the voice that had haunted her nightmares day and night. Little Eight’s dying cry from the prison cart on Nine Wai Street had occupied her nightmares for seven full years.
“Sister Yue’er! Save me, save me!”
Blood everywhere, mangled flesh, children disfigured by death by a thousand cuts. On that nightmarish evening, she secretly escaped from the Saint Jin Palace to the vegetable market, fighting with vicious dogs for those shattered corpses, yet unable to find which was the child’s head, which was the child’s limbs. She couldn’t even bury the child’s body, only letting all that flesh sink into the Red Water Lake, staining that pool of water imbued with the scent of noble rouge and meat.
“Little Eight, lie here and watch, wait for me to avenge you.”
That day, tears had dried up, and only fierce hatred coiled hideously in her heart. The child’s fist was tightly clenched, like a ferocious little beast, biting her lower lip tightly.
In a flash, seven years had passed.
Zhuge Yue, you’ve finally returned.
In the darkness, a young woman’s deep breathing slowly rose.
Do you know, I’ve waited for you for a long time.
Stars were sparse at the edge of the sky. That was the Yan Bei wind, carrying the killing air of bloodshed, following the contours of the Ximeng land, blowing over from afar.