Late at night, the two sat side by side at the dining table, staring at the food before them, neither touching their chopsticks.

Xingzhou had only just ceased fighting, and the lost territories within the border had not yet been fully recovered. There were no fresh meats or vegetables available. The table was set with dried and pickled vegetables—foods that Jiang Zhiyi had not even recognized before.

“Shall I find something better for you to eat?” Yuan Ce asked, turning his head.

“I’m not complaining—” Jiang Zhiyi came back to her senses, shaking her head.

She wasn’t complaining about the food; on the contrary, she was grateful that she could still eat these flavorful dishes brought from a warm, comfortable kitchen.

Jiang Zhiyi picked up some pickled vegetables with her chopsticks and placed them in his bowl, then took some for herself: “The war isn’t over yet. This is already very good.”

Having survived a catastrophe, being able to share a meal with her beloved was already the best thing possible.

Yuan Ce looked at her thinner face, recalling how she felt lighter in his arms earlier that day. He wanted to tell her she had suffered, wanted to promise her she would soon eat fresh meat, vegetables, fish, and shrimp. But as the words reached his lips, he felt that any such words would be too light, too inadequate compared to that resolute moment when she stood alone on the city tower. They paled in comparison to what he had just heard from Pei Zisong about how she had endured these past days when he went to fetch their meal.

After quietly observing her for a moment, Yuan Ce said: “Jiang Zhiyi, thank you for keeping yourself safe, and thank you for protecting Xingyang.”

“I didn’t do that much. I asked you before, remember? When siege equipment is formidable and the defenders are few, what should be done? You said maintaining morale is the key to victory. So I just talked a bit, and, well, spent some of my inexhaustible silver…”

Jiang Zhiyi spoke casually, downplaying everything, when suddenly she felt something was off. She glanced at him sideways, frowning: “Wait a minute, is it that after two months apart, our relationship has grown distant? Have you found someone new in River West? Why are you saying ‘thank you’ to me?”

Indeed, why would he say “thank you”?

He had just realized that when feelings run so deep that one’s entire heart feels heavy and full, flowery words of love become impossible to speak.

Yuan Ce lifted her and placed her on his lap: “I have someone new? The only female around me these past two months has been Yuan Tuan. Why don’t you ask yourself the same question?”

She watched as he tilted his chin outward, precisely pointing toward the wing room where Pei Zisong was staying. Jiang Zhiyi opened her mouth in surprise: “Really? You’re still jealous at a time like this? If not for Pei Zisong, I couldn’t have managed everything alone.”

Yuan Ce certainly knew this and was deeply grateful that Pei Zisong had been by her side. But with simple food before them and war still raging in the distance, he wanted to say something light-hearted to help her relax a little.

“My gratitude to him for protecting you and my jealousy that he was by your side instead of me—are these in conflict?” Yuan Ce raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Zhiyi raised her hands to encircle his neck: “Well, besides Pei Zisong, there are many others you should be grateful to and jealous of: Magistrate Cao, Elder Sister Xueqing, Jing Zhe, all the officials in the Governor’s mansion, those Xingyang garrison soldiers who believed in us, the civilians who were willing to donate food and join the battle, and also…”

Halfway through her words, as if hitting an impassable barrier or a fishbone stuck in her throat, the light in Jiang Zhiyi’s eyes suddenly dimmed, and she could not continue.

Earlier, a Xuance Army soldier had come to report casualties to Yuan Ce, who didn’t listen in front of her.

From the time she awoke until now, she had not dared to ask that question. It was as if, as long as she didn’t ask, the ending remained unfinished and awaiting continuation.

Yuan Ce remained silent and still for a moment, then looked up: “Let’s eat first, all right?”

“After we eat—” Jiang Zhiyi stared into his eyes, as if waiting for him to announce a miracle.

Yuan Ce lowered his eyes slightly: “After we eat, we’ll go bid them farewell.”

Entering the western military camp again deep in the night, this place of ruins held no joy of victory. Stretchers covered with white cloth lay everywhere. Surviving soldiers identified their comrades one by one, marking their names with vermilion circles on the roster.

The Xuance Army soldiers gathered in a corner of the camp, looking down at the long row of one hundred and one stretchers.

They said that in the hot summer, these one hundred and one brothers could not return to distant River West and would have to be buried locally.

They said that with the war not yet over, they and the Young General would soon need to march to the next city and could not linger here for long. So the burial would take place tonight; they had already chosen a quiet place outside the city.

Jiang Zhiyi crouched down to look at each face washed clean with fresh water, calling out the name of each face according to the roster.

When Yuan Ce handed her a handkerchief, she was surprised to find herself already crouched beside San Qi, her face streaked with tears.

In the firelight, the young boy’s eyes were tightly closed, his expression peaceful, as if he were merely asleep.

Jiang Zhiyi took the handkerchief but didn’t wipe her tears. With trembling hands, she carefully wiped the dust and mud from the youth’s temple, then touched the spot where his dimples would have been.

“San Qi, in our next life, I won’t be your Young Madam—I’ll be your elder sister, all right?”

Behind her, the Xuance Army soldiers turned away, unable to bear the sight.

“And the rest of you,” Jiang Zhiyi looked toward the seemingly endless row of stretchers, “there are so many of you, I might need to work hard to have inexhaustible silver like in this life. Then I’ll invite you all to my home, where you can eat and drink for free. If the neighbors ask why you can live so idly, I’ll tell them it’s because you’ve already endured all your suffering in your previous life, so in all your future lives, you’ll never have to suffer again, never have to suffer anymore…”

“I remember all your names, and you must remember me too. If you can’t remember me, just remember your Young General. He won’t escape; he’ll be at my residence. Make sure you find the right door—don’t go to the wrong house. If you freeload at someone else’s home, you might get beaten.”

Jiang Zhiyi crouched on the ground, rambling on until her legs went numb and she staggered, supported by Yuan Ce.

After wiping her tears, Jiang Zhiyi took out the ocarina she had bought on the streets of Guzang—the one she had purchased to evade San Qi’s surveillance. Holding it with both hands, she placed it at her lips and, facing the northwest, began to play softly.

The sorrowful, plaintive music flowed continuously, echoing above the military camp, drifting toward the northwest strand by strand.

The Xuance Army soldiers stood at attention with their helmets tucked under their arms, heads bowed.

When the melody ended, Jiang Zhiyi slowly lowered the ocarina and faced the one hundred and one men: “Your bodies will be buried far from home. May this soul-guiding melody lead your spirits back to your homeland… I, along with the Young General and all your fellow brothers-in-arms, bid you all farewell on your journey home!”

“Bid—all you warriors farewell on your journey home!”

The stretchers were lifted one by one, carried out of the camp in orderly fashion, heading toward the green mountains outside the city.

Jiang Zhiyi gazed at this winding procession, lifted her eyes to the brilliant stars overhead, pressed her palms together, and closed her eyes—

May the stars and moon shine brightly tonight, illuminating the warriors’ path home.

At dawn the next day, as the first rays of morning light filtered through the window lattice, Jiang Zhiyi stood before the bed in their chamber, struggling to lift the armor that was far too heavy for her, helping Yuan Ce put it on piece by piece.

The reinforcements had arrived, but there were still lost territories in all four directions waiting to be recovered. He was about to lead the Xuance Army to battle.

Yuan Ce had intended to dress himself, but she said that in the past few days, she had heard the Xingyang garrison soldiers say that if a general’s beloved helped him don his armor before a campaign, he would surely lead his soldiers to victory in every battle.

She also said that after returning from the camp last night, she had studied how to put on the armor inside out and upside down ten times. Sometimes she couldn’t figure out how to wear her own clothes properly, but the method of wearing this armor, she had truly mastered.

Yuan Ce didn’t want to disappoint his fiancée, who couldn’t understand her clothes but could understand his armor, so he extended his arms and let her work.

To his surprise, she hadn’t exaggerated—she put each piece on him very properly.

The last item was the helmet. Yuan Ce watched as she solemnly brought it forward, and he bent his neck to lower his head.

Jiang Zhiyi stood on tiptoe, placed the helmet on him, then cupped his face and raised her head to touch his lips with a light kiss: “A-Ce, my brother.”

Yuan Ce curved his lips and looked down at her: “Mm.”

“A-Ce, my brother.”

“Mm?”

“A-Ce, my brother.”

Yuan Ce laughed: “Just say what you want to say.”

Jiang Zhiyi raised her chin: “I have nothing to say. This is my magic spell. They say that before a general sets out, if his beloved calls him ‘brother’ three times, he will surely be invincible and unstoppable.”

Yuan Ce’s gaze flickered as he held her neck and lowered his head to kiss her lips deeply.

Jiang Zhiyi stood on tiptoe with her head raised, tightly embracing his armor as she returned his kiss, until a knock at the door announced that the army was ready to depart.

Yuan Ce’s chest rose and fell beneath his armor as he slowly released her, licking away the moisture on her lips: “I heard this works better than calling me ‘brother.'”

Jiang Zhiyi smiled with pursed lips, her eyes reflecting his handsome features: “Since it works, and the army is about to march, may this Princess issue a few commands to the Young General?”

Yuan Ce nodded: “This subject is willing to hear them in detail.”

Jiang Zhiyi raised her hand, her expression solemn as she looked up at him: “General, in your campaign, first, annihilate the rebels and slay our enemies; second, take care of yourself and return without a scratch; third, ensure that all the warriors under your command return safely and victorious.”

Yuan Ce stepped back, supporting his sword as he knelt on one knee: “This subject will respectfully obey the Princess’s commands.”

On July 4th, the Xuance Army departed from Xingzhou, advancing southeast with thunderous momentum. In just a few days, they captured ten cities, recovering all the lost territories within Daye’s borders. They were invincible in every battle, like a hurricane passing through, leaving the rebel army completely routed wherever they went.

The Military Governor of River East, Lord Fan, lost his beloved general and had his retreat cut off. Upon hearing the news, he gnashed his teeth and withdrew his troops from the capital region, intending to retreat to his stronghold in River East.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they left the capital’s borders, they were met head-on by the black-armored army in pursuit and blockade.

That night, a great storm broke out with thunder and lightning as the River West Xuance Army and the River East rebel army fought decisively in the Rain Forest.

After half the night, the River East rebel army was reduced to Lord Fan alone.

In the pouring rain, dozens of silver spears firmly targeted the center of the encirclement.

Outside the circle, the black-armored youth dismounted, spear in hand, and walked step by step through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. His black helmet plume stretched into a line in the wind, the hot blood on his cheeks washed away by the rain. Yet his eyelashes, hanging with droplets of blood, remained motionless in the storm as his dark, grim eyes fixed on the disheveled figure before him.

Fan Denian had been hit by several arrows. Covering his shoulder with one hand, he propped himself up with his elbow. He watched the youth enter the encirclement, saw fresh blood mixed with rainwater dripping from the spearhead in his hand, like a water clock counting down to death.

“…Shen Yuance, even as your opponent, I admire and fear your military prowess. If not for your River West standing in my path to the capital, I would not have wished to be your enemy!”

Yuan Ce gave a contemptuous laugh: “My fighting skills are for protecting the prosperity and peace of my River West, not to earn the admiration and fear of scum. Military Governor Fan, you’d better save those words for the departed warriors of River West in the underworld. See if they can forgive your so-called ‘lack of choice.'”

Fan Denian’s pupils constricted as he tried to back away on his broken arm.

Yuan Ce thrust his spear forward, piercing Fan’s palm and pinning him to the muddy ground. Gripping the spear handle, he twisted the spearhead.

The sound of bones shattering accompanied an agonizing cry that echoed through the rain forest.

Fan Denian gasped for breath, glaring at him: “…Shen Yuance, even as a rebel and traitor, I am His Majesty’s rebel and traitor. My life and death are not for you to decide!”

“What if I insist on deciding?”

“Then you too would be a rebel and traitor to Daye!”

“Then I shall be that rebel and traitor!” Yuan Ce pulled out his spear and thrust again, piercing Fan’s shoulder blade. His five fingers gripped the spear one by one and twisted again.

Fan Denian opened his mouth wide in pain, beyond screaming, nearly fainting.

Just then, the sound of carriage wheels approached from a distance, and a clear female voice rang out firmly: “General Shen, spare the man under your spear!”

Fan Denian, hearing what seemed like a chance for survival, opened his eyes wide and looked past Yuan Ce, seeing the carriage stop and two young women bend down to exit, walking forward in the rain.

Yuan Ce did not turn around, as if he had known they would come.

Jiang Zhiyi approached the encirclement with Pei Xueqing, looking down at Fan Denian from above, tilting her head: “What a coincidence—this Princess also wishes to play the rebel and traitor for once.”

Fan Denian squinted through the rain-blurred vision, finally recognizing who had arrived, and his kindled hope instantly extinguished.

Jiang Zhiyi looked at Yuan Ce: “In the battle of Xingyang, Miss Pei nearly lost her life. She also heard that the rebels in the capital once threatened her father with a knife to force his allegiance. Today, she wishes to kill the traitor with her own hands to relieve her hatred. I hope General Shen will grant her this.”

Yuan Ce naturally understood these coded words. He pulled out his spear and stepped aside: “Then let us fulfill Miss Pei’s heartfelt wish. Miss Pei, do you know where the vital points of the human body are?”

Pei Xueqing coldly looked at the man on the ground, holding the dagger Shen Yuance had given her. She drew it from its sheath and slowly crouched down, stating word by word: “Rest assured, General Shen. I understand how to heal people, so naturally, I also understand how to kill them.”

Fan Denian widened his eyes at them: “Shen Yuance, you have committed numerous killings and will one day suffer retribution. You will not have a good—”

Before he could finish, there was a swish of blade entering flesh. Pei Xueqing gripped the dagger with both hands, using all her strength to plunge the blade heavily into Fan Denian’s heart. She raised her head to meet his incredulous eyes, her face as pale as snow, yet her gaze unwavering.

In that moment, it was as if she could see again that youth who had once laughed and cursed carelessly as he rode through the streets of Chang’an.

Hot tears welled in Pei Xueqing’s eyes, but she resolutely refused to let a single drop fall: “He is the most sincere person in this world. You are not worthy to speak his name.”