He still lost.

Lian Yu paced back and forth with hands behind his back.

With one sentence from Lian Qin about her not eating well and looking pale, he couldn’t control himself.

Actually, if she wasn’t eating well, when had he? The person he yearned for day and night was right beside him, yet he hardened his heart, neither looking nor asking. He suffered even more than her.

Several times he wanted to secretly look at her, just like their previous cold wars and separations, to ease his lovesickness. But he ultimately restrained himself.

From when he discovered Lian Qin was delivering things for Murong Jin, from when Lian Jie and Little Zhou walked too closely and he sensed something amiss, from when he forced the truth from Little Zhou – his heart had emptied.

But since she wanted to fulfill her duty to Leng Xue, he still let her leave, only he quickly followed after arranging military defense and attack matters with everyone.

However, when he arrived, she had already been captured into the palace.

This time, Li Zhaoting was prepared. He couldn’t possibly disguise himself as Sang Zhan or anyone else to rescue her from the palace again. He forced himself to calm down and managed to send word to Miaoyin.

No woman would want to see a man she fancied keeping a childhood sweetheart by his side, but he also couldn’t let her develop hatred toward her. He had to manage this perfectly.

So he subtly reminded Miaoyin of the Wei heir case.

Who was willing to endure universal condemnation to investigate the case clearly? Who helped resolve the predicament of marrying into the Wei heir’s family, changing her life’s trajectory?

Miaoyin was a proud person and a clever woman.

If she couldn’t bring herself to harm her, then the best way to resolve her own crisis was to help him get this person out of the palace.

From Miaoyin’s reply, he knew she was nearly moved. Learning from Quan Chao that Miaoyin had left the palace, he wanted to make a final strike, disguising as a soldier to risk meeting her once and completely win her over.

But he was still a step too late.

Under the city tower, looking at the pile of flesh and blood on the ground, it felt as if all his bones, flesh, and vital energy had been completely drained. Beside her was Wei Chenghui’s corpse. He immediately understood why she had returned.

But he couldn’t do anything. Li Zhaoting was there. The arriving imperial guards were there.

If he were alone, he would have rushed forward like Leng Xue to snatch her corpse, but behind him were a hundred thousand soldiers and others.

He had responsibilities.

If he died, all these people would be annihilated.

So he and Quan Feitong could only watch helplessly as Li Zhaoting coldly ordered her body taken back to the palace.

Returning to the Quan residence, Chao Huang knelt before Quan Feitong, explaining what had happened. It was the first time he saw Quan Feitong and Chao Huang turn against each other – Quan Feitong beat Chao Huang half to death.

After returning, he worked tirelessly without rest or sleep to arrange his forces. Soon, he launched an attack. Only one thought remained in his mind – to retrieve her corpse and tear Li Zhaoting to pieces.

Initially there were wins and losses, but later he captured three cities in succession. However, before long, Li Zhaoting actually displayed her corpse.

The day he received this news, he fell from his horse. He became gravely ill and nearly didn’t survive that winter.

The army suffered defeats with increasing casualties. Yet he remained unconscious, unable to rise.

Until one night when he heard Lotus Seed’s wailing cries. Xiao’an was still Xiao’an – she placed the red-faced, hoarse-voiced crying Lotus Seed before him. He had no choice but to struggle to recover.

He couldn’t lose – if he lost, these soldiers couldn’t be protected, and his Lian Xi wouldn’t be spared either!

He forced himself to take medicine and resumed command, reversing the disadvantage. They said if he weren’t meant to be a ruler, he could be an excellent general, no worse than Huo Chang’an of old. But he felt no joy whatsoever.

He coldly surveyed this cold world.

Both sides suffered increasingly heavy casualties.

One night, Zhuque requested an audience and presented him with a letter.

He hadn’t expected her to leave such a letter.

He actually understood clearly what crisis this war would bring to Great Zhou – not only massive casualties and severely weakened national strength, but Great Wei and Great Chu, who had been eyeing them covetously, would change their stance and make Great Zhou their prey.

But between him and Li Zhaoting lay such deep hatred – how could he retreat?

But then her letter appeared.

Zhuque said: “In this subordinate’s heart, Master is the ruler, so I kept the letter… but more and more people are dying, civilians are displaced, countless wounded soldiers moan in pain at midnight. This subordinate decided to give you the letter after all.”

He read the letter.

The concerns in his heart – she had seen through them long ago.

He shut himself away for three days and nights.

Finally, on the third night, he had Qilin deliver a letter to Quan Feitong – he wanted to meet Li Zhaoting.

Since he was confident he could conquer this realm, why couldn’t he create a new world to protect Great Zhou and Lian Xi?

Li Zhaoting naturally didn’t know the inside story, nor did he need to know. That person wasn’t worthy.

Before leaving, Quan Feitong asked if he could keep the letter.

So he didn’t take the letter with him. Though he and Quan Feitong had once been mortal enemies, he still had Lian Xi, while Quan Feitong had nothing except power.

Five years later, he had achieved it. The one sitting on the throne, constantly worried about having his crown stolen, wasn’t him.

But he lived, yet was also dead.

She would never know his feelings when he received word from Quan Feitong that she had “returned”!

The palace was heavily guarded. If Li Zhaoting discovered the slightest thing, it would all be for nothing!

He wished he could sprout wings to reach her side immediately, but he could only suppress himself! Only endure! Only wait for the right moment!

He told Quan Feitong to find the most suitable day to give Li Zhaoting that letter from years past. Li Zhaoting would definitely leave the palace, and they could find a way to enter and take her away.

When Miaoyin delivered her into his hands, she smiled with both compassion and enlightenment, saying she could wake up perhaps because heaven pitied the people of this world. But regardless, Your Majesty, this life is concluded – we owe each other nothing more.

He said nothing, only knelt in gratitude. Even though he had only ever knelt to heaven, earth, and parents.

He wanted her to know that these few days of her pain were nothing compared to his five years of pain – not even one ten-thousandth.

She had her reasons – he wasn’t ignorant of them.

But he also had his agony.

He wanted her to taste a few days of this suffering too – unable to speak, receiving no response, only emptiness, only bone-deep cold, never daring to leave him again.

He wanted her to understand that whether the road ahead was strewn with flowers or filled with thorns, they should face it together.

One year, one day, one moment – all good.

Yes, grievances and affections should be settled in this lifetime. Feng Suzhen!

“Master.”

A voice behind him interrupted his thoughts.

He turned immediately and said: “Where is your master?”

It was Xuanwu who came.

He smiled and replied: “She rode Ah Chou out of the city.”

Lian Yu swept his sleeves and left: “Reward!”

“Thank you, Master.” Xuanwu beamed – this came at just the right time. When Little Yu was getting impatient, he descended like a savior, and Little Yu’s rewards were never stingy.

Qinglong and Baihu approached, about to report when they saw him strutting proudly and smiling at them. Confused, they heard him ask again: “Master, do you need this subordinate to accompany you?”

“You need not appear,” Lian Yu said sternly before disappearing.

Qinglong and Baihu roughly understood what had happened and both went to beat him up.

The back of her head throbbed with burning pain. Suzhen trembled slightly all over. She slowly stood up, but her vision darkened and a piercing pain shot from her ankle. Unable to continue, she had to sit down and wait for this wave of pain to pass.

Ugly Horse seemed to know it had caused trouble, trotting back to lick her face, desperately trying to ingratiate itself. This thing was originally hers, but having followed Lian Yu now, Suzhen automatically categorized it as Lian Yu’s property. Her heart ached and raged. Hating the house and its crow, she couldn’t help scolding hoarsely: “Friendship over. Get lost.”

Seeing her like this, Ugly Horse snorted through its nostrils and ran a few steps away, circling around her. This was one of Lian Yu’s disciplinary methods when it made mistakes – running circles in place to reflect on errors. As it ran, it kept glancing at Suzhen, reading her expression.

“Feng Suzhen.”

Shortly after, the sound of galloping hooves came from behind, accompanied by a slightly deep voice.

Hearing this, Suzhen’s heart sank. She buried her head in her knees with her arms wrapped around them, not responding.

The person quickly arrived and stopped before her.

“Didn’t you want to leave? Why are you still here?” the person said indifferently.

Suzhen gritted her teeth and looked up, seeing him standing several steps away with an indifferent gaze.

That string in Suzhen’s heart snapped. Ignoring the pain, she suddenly stood up and walked several steps before stopping, biting her lip from the pain.

She stared at him coldly, her eyes filled with moisture yet not saying a word, her lips pressed into a thin line.

All his attention was on her. The moment she stood, Lian Yu already sensed something wrong. Now seeing her pale face and forehead covered with dense beads of sweat, his heart plummeted. He strode to her side, gripping her shoulders tightly with both hands: “Where do you feel unwell?”

Clearly, Miaoyin had said there were no major problems.

“Get lost.” Two words squeezed harshly from Suzhen’s throat as she viciously kicked his calf.

Lian Yu grunted but wouldn’t let go, one hand gripping her shoulder while the other started from her head, wanting to examine her thoroughly.

However, upon first contact, everything his hand touched was wet and sticky.

Bringing it to his eyes, his hand was covered in crimson blood. His throat tightened as if someone had suddenly stabbed him with a knife – as if this blood were his own. He shouted angrily: “How were you injured? Where else are you hurt? Your foot, isn’t it?”

“Didn’t you tell me to leave? Get—away!” Suzhen was usually very strong, but after five years apart without a moment of tenderness, even now his attitude remained so terrible. Anger and bitterness filled her chest, her heart growing cold wave after wave, feeling utterly wronged.