A string in Zhao San’s mind snapped with a twang.
The clamor in his head suddenly transformed into a tremendous roaring, and within that roar was filled with that phrase “Do you like me?” constantly echoing and amplifying in his ears. Fear suddenly arose in his heart, and just like many years before, in an instant he worried about many bad things. He opened his mouth, then closed it, wanted to speak, yet dared not speak, his heart stuffed with tangled hemp.
However, Chi Xue was far more decisive than him. She simply held his hand, sighing gently and calmly: “Zhao San, your master is very mysterious, and you are also very mysterious. I understand your difficulties, just like my master does—knowing full well that you are not simple yet out of respect not exposing it. But whether it’s you or your master, is this the attitude toward a woman you fancy?”
She said: “How am I to trust you?”
Zhao San’s blood rushed to his head, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Chi Xue’s hand lifted, gently pressing against his lips.
Zhao San’s mind exploded again. Forget speaking—he even forgot who he was.
He only heard Chi Xue’s voice beside his ear, soft and gentle: “I won’t make it difficult for you either. I only hope you can do one thing. I hope that in the future, if there comes a day when your master and my master become adversaries, you can help her once.”
Zhao San’s heart was hazy and confused, somewhat surprised and somewhat moved. Surprised that Chi Xue was actually thinking of her master, moved that Chi Xue only thought of her master. But then he thought again—wasn’t this being overly worried? With his master’s feelings for her master, why would she need to worry? Even if he lost his own life, he would never harm her.
Perhaps this was the duty of a loyal servant. He could understand it completely and nodded without hesitation.
Chi Xue smiled sweetly, released her hand. Zhao San lowered his head to look at her snow-white, slender fingers, recalling that moment of soft, fragrant sensation, feeling lost and melancholy.
He very much wanted to hold that hand again, yet dared not.
In the distance, several figures suddenly flashed by. Among them was one with a round face, stroking a wild cat, staring at the activity between Chi Xue and Zhao San over there.
He murmured: “Has Chi Xue taken up with someone?”
The person beside him said: “Commander, shouldn’t we go join up with Miss Chi Xue?”
Xia Houchun stroked his cat, pondering in silence without speaking.
They had been separated from Tie Ci at the docks. To draw away the Xiao Family’s pursuers, they had created many false trails, making the Xiao Family believe the Crown Princess was still on shore. Only after confirming no bad news came from the sea did they scatter again, looking for ways to cross the sea.
In this process, he had received a message, for which he rushed here to notify the Crown Princess, only to find she had already gone to Western Rong, missing each other.
Now he didn’t recognize Zhao San and, seeing he didn’t look like someone from the military camp, didn’t show himself directly. Only after Zhao San and Chi Xue exchanged a few more words and left did he signal.
When Chi Xue turned and discovered it was him, she was extremely delighted, quickly running over: “Commander, you’ve finally come!”
Xia Houchun looked her up and down, asking with seeming casualness: “Who was that speaking with you just now? A student from the academy on training?”
Chi Xue’s face reddened slightly, but she still replied frankly: “No, he’s the servant of that Master Rong Wei from the academy.”
Xia Houchun raised an eyebrow, looking her up and down for a while. Chi Xue didn’t understand why, looking at him questioningly.
Xia Houchun coughed once and smiled: “The girl has grown up.”
Chi Xue replied graciously: “Commander, please don’t tease me. We simply get along well.”
Xia Houchun also smiled, slowly stroking his cat.
Originally, that person Rong Wei had important news to tell the Crown Princess. Chi Xue was the Crown Princess’s confidant, so telling her would be fine.
But now seeing Chi Xue entangled with Rong Wei’s guard, he suddenly dared not speak certain words.
Xia Houchun had seen too many loyal family servants develop outside loyalties, and he also knew the Crown Princess was generous and kind, always extremely good to those around her. He hoped this wouldn’t lead to indulging servants until they lost their sense of propriety.
He looked at Chi Xue with scrutiny. Chi Xue understood in her heart that the commander suspected her, but she didn’t feel angry. Instead, she felt somewhat relieved, saying: “If convenient for the commander, please follow the mountain path along the foot of Fu Mountain toward the direction of Hanli Hanmo, to meet the Crown Princess there.”
She worried that if there really was some bad situation, that calm madman Di Yiwei would dare block the mountain path. With Xia Hou guarding there, no matter what, the Crown Princess would have an escape route.
Xia Houchun nodded, then had Chi Xue walk with him, saying: “Next, Di Yiwei’s army might have some trouble.”
“What happened?”
“Last time the Xiao Family wanted to seize Di Yiwei’s military authority but were disrupted by the Crown Princess, offending a group of important court officials. The Empress Dowager, in her anger, said Di Yiwei was holding troops for personal power and overstepping authority in investigating the Yong Ping Navy, so she sent a military supervisor. The supervisor is Supervisor of Ceremonies Deputy Director Eunuch Huang Ming.”
Chi Xue frowned.
The Supervisor of Ceremonies held great power, and it was the Deputy Directors who held the authority of reviewing memorials in red ink. Huang Ming was a great eunuch second only to Chief Eunuch Li Gui, also a eunuch trusted by the Empress Dowager, with enormous personal power.
Military supervisors were already taboo in armies. Eunuch supervisors who interfered randomly with military affairs and led to bad consequences were everywhere. Now the supervisor was such a high-ranking, powerful great eunuch—even with Di Yiwei’s status and position, he probably couldn’t suppress him.
“With unrest at the borders and likely great war imminent, she’s still eliminating dissidents and restraining generals at this time. The Empress Dowager is really… really…” Chi Xue was so angry she was incoherent.
She also had hidden worries in her heart.
Huang Ming was familiar with the Crown Princess. If the Crown Princess returned and encountered him, eight or nine times out of ten there would be trouble.
If Huang Ming learned the Crown Princess was carrying out a mission in Western Rong, the consequences would be even more unthinkable.
The two exchanged glances, both worried about the unfavorable situation they might face in the future.
At this time, in the main tent.
Unlike Li Gui, who appeared honest and sincere, Huang Ming smiled gently at everyone, with a beautiful, snow-white face like a woman’s. He was now sitting opposite Di Yiwei, conversing.
He was Deputy Director of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, only fourth rank in grade, but because he controlled the authority of reviewing memorials in red ink, his actual status was comparable to Cabinet Grand Secretaries. If it were a clever or flattering general, they would probably have him take the upper seat by now.
But Di Yiwei only treated him as a fourth-rank internal minister, casually sitting above smoking, making him accompany from the lower seat, with his attendants standing below.
Those palace servants looked displeased, but Huang Ming continued smiling.
He wasn’t quite used to the smoke from Di Yiwei’s smoking, occasionally fanning his sleeves. Each time he fanned, his body emitted heavy, expensive agarwood fragrance mixed with a strange smell, creating an odd aroma.
Di Yiwei leaned back, swept a glance, and squinted through the green smoke.
This was troublesome.
Maybe he should just kill him.
Through the smoke, Huang Ming couldn’t see clearly the face of this commander who had mixed reviews in court. He beckoned to a young man behind him: “Cui Shi, come forward and meet the commander.”
…
“Where’s Dan Ye?”
Faced with this question, the Eagle Master fell silent for a while.
Then he said: “Dead.”
Tie Ci: “???”
The students looked at each other in shock.
“How did he die?”
“The Great Prince hung the Queen from the city gate to bleed her, originally to lure him into a trap.” The Eagle Master’s voice was flat: “He drove a thousand li rushing back to beneath the royal city walls. The first thing he saw was his sister turned into a human vessel and the Queen hanging from the city gate, nearly drained of blood. He fought desperately to climb the city wall. While rescuing the Queen, he was also shot to death by ten thousand arrows. The royal army fought desperately to recover their bodies. We secretly buried him and the Queen in the wild forest outside the royal city.”
After he finished speaking, silence fell all around.
Suddenly someone in the distance shouted: “It’s snowing!”
Tie Ci looked up and saw dense snowflakes swirling and falling, the world becoming hazy in an instant.
She hadn’t expected to see snow in the desert, just as she hadn’t expected good friends beside her to suddenly disappear.
She extended her fingertip, touching bone-chilling coldness.
That happy little prince, after rushing back a thousand li, looked down to see his sister turned into a human vessel kneeling below the city wall, looked up to see his mother pale and dying on the city wall—his mood at that moment, was it also as cold as snow?
His happiness, brightness, and slight sweetness—were they from then on also swept away by this cruel heavenly wind, scattered in Hanli Hanmo without a trace?
No one spoke, nor did anyone marvel at this rare desert snow. Yang Yixiu held his chin in thought, after a long while murmuring: “When he left in a hurry, I told him to remember to bring me roasted beef jerky when he came back. He clearly promised me…”
Tian Wu suddenly began crying, the big fellow wiping his tears: “Wuwuwu, when he was in the dormitory he often kicked me, but he would help me fetch water and grab food. No one will help me fetch water and grab food anymore…”
The Eagle Master sat silently on the ground, broken snow gradually covering his clothes. In the distance, the Western Rong people surrounding the corpses and chanting in undulating voices cheered, because snow in the desert signified purity, symbolizing a brighter and happier afterlife for the deceased.
Human joys and sorrows never truly connect.
Amid the cheering, sobbing, and sounds of wind and snow, Tie Ci suddenly said: “Want to go back?”
The Eagle Master turned to look at her.
“For the sake of your helping to recover his body, I’m willing to accept your earlier proposal, and can even give you a better suggestion.” Tie Ci pointed toward the depths of the great desert, slowly saying: “Don’t think of seeking territory inward. Western Rong will never step one inch into Da Qian territory. Even Hanli Hanmo was ours centuries ago. But I can help you walk out of the great desert, eliminate all those blocking the way, and take back everything you’ve lost. If we fail, I’ll be buried in the great desert with no regrets; if we ultimately get our wish, then I want your promise that Western Rong will never invade Da Qian, will forever be Da Qian’s friendly neighbor. And when Liaodong shows any disloyal behavior, you’ll unconditionally help Da Qian stop it.”
The Eagle Master fell silent for a while, then drew his blade.
Tie Ci: “?”
Such a heavy atmosphere, such reasonable demands, you’re already a homeless dog and still won’t agree?
If you won’t agree, fine, but is it necessary to draw weapons?
The Eagle Master looked at her, seeming to have laughter flashing in his eyes. Along with the flash of cold steel, a drop of blood bloomed on his fingertip.
He extended his bleeding fingertip toward Tie Ci, indicating she should do the same.
Tie Ci suddenly understood, also drew her blade to pierce for blood. Two bleeding fingers pressed tightly together.
The Western Rong soldiers around suddenly turned their heads, their expressions surprised.
The Eagle Master looked back, using his gaze to force them to retreat.
Tie Ci looked down at the bleeding fingers pressed tightly together, their blood mingling, feeling something strange in her heart.
This method of blood oath seemed somewhat unusual…
But Western Rong had many ethnic groups, each with countless customs that even locals couldn’t sort out, let alone her.
This pressing seemed to last rather long…
The blood was almost dry…
Feiyu suddenly walked over, pulled her finger away, and sucked it into his mouth.
Sucking was fine—the Crown Princess wasn’t a prudish person. The problem was he sucked while looking at the Eagle Master.
Tie Ci very inappropriately thought again of little dogs lifting their legs to piss and mark territory.
Was this necessary, over pressing fingers for a blood oath?
Even stranger was that facing Feiyu’s such escalated provocation, the Eagle Master’s eyes looking at him were also full of malice and killing intent.
Tie Ci found it rather baffling, almost suspecting that what she’d just done wasn’t making a blood oath with the Eagle Master but exchanging mountain and sea vows.
She pulled out her finger, glanced at Feiyu with annoyance, then nodded to the Eagle Master: “I am Ye Ci. Pleasant cooperation.”
The Eagle Master gazed at her, clearly seeing two completely different attitudes. His eyes grew more sinister, but he didn’t show it, only nodding faintly.
Tie Ci noticed his expression. The doubts in her heart had originally been puzzling and hard to resolve, always seeking verification, but at this moment those doubts grew even stronger.
This person’s character was not at all like Dan Ye’s…
She suddenly remembered the black shadow she’d seen flying high and landing during her battle with Chen Tuntian.
So she asked the Eagle Master: “Since you’re called Eagle Master, where is your eagle?”
“I have no eagle.”
In that instant, Tie Ci seemed to hear a wronged cooing sound, looking around but discovering nothing.
“Why does the Eagle Master have no eagle?”
The Eagle Master coldly replied: “Then Leopard Master, where’s your leopard?”
Tie Ci was left speechless and indigestible, after a long while saying: “Since we’re already allies, surely names can be disclosed?”
“Mote Tana.”
“You’re from the Mote tribe? Then do you know the whereabouts of Mote Hula?”
Mote Hula was Huyin, and Mote was a Western Rong royal clan, one of the three great tribes of Western Rong.
Tie Ci knew she had also rushed back to Western Rong, but hadn’t heard any news of her.
“Hula is also being hunted by Wu Lianghe. But she didn’t go near the royal city. She directly returned to her tribe, gathered the tribal army, and along the way took in common people fleeing from the royal city, also sheltered many women, established female soldiers, and is hiding near the royal city, confronting Wu Lianghe and Qiu Wujiu.”
Tie Ci clapped her hands in praise.
She looked toward Rong Pu, who was silently listening, also with admiration in his eyes.
Tie Ci thought this was right—there were so many excellent women, why hang oneself from one crooked tree?
Huyin was still fighting well, and her heart felt somewhat more comfortable.
The Eagle Master suddenly asked her: “We clearly welcomed you at first, so why were you prepared from the start?”
“Because of that child.” Tie Ci said: “The northern lands still value male offspring greatly; they wouldn’t likely abandon a child whose illness wasn’t very serious. A frail child also wouldn’t know that route to Hanli Hanmo so well. He should be one of your soldiers, understanding some local language, left there to meet you. After your small unit was completely wiped out, he tried to lead us to the oasis, into your encirclement, to avenge his brothers.”
She had discovered the child’s problem early on and went along with the plan to see what he intended to do.
That child was also alert, fearing retaliation, and ran away when approaching the oasis.
“Zaha made a detour and just returned.” The Eagle Master said flatly, feeling fortunate in his heart.
Fortunately Zaha hadn’t appeared in time, and this team was well disguised, making him suspicious and choosing to personally test them rather than immediately ordering an attack.
This gave both sides a chance.
Hearing that the previously dispatched small unit was completely annihilated, his eyelashes flickered.
Tie Ci looked at him.
This was something that had to be clarified. If they couldn’t get over this hurdle, they would still be enemies.
“You killed an entire squad of our brothers.”
“You also killed an entire village of our able-bodied men.”
The two faced each other, neither yielding.
Sparks seemed to fly in the air.
In the distance, people on both sides vaguely sensed something. The Western Rong soldiers stood up, and the squad members moved closer to Tie Ci.
“Precisely because the ones among you who acted have already been killed by us, we’ve settled accounts with each other, which is why we can sit here and negotiate calmly now.” Tie Ci said: “Compared to the great cause of lasting peace, I can temporarily not pursue that massacre. But let me be frank: if anyone tries to infiltrate Da Qian again in the future, they’ll still be killed. If you want to avenge your subordinates, or if you can’t change your habit of burning, killing, and plundering, it’s still not too late to act now.”
The Eagle Master fell silent.
After a long while he said: “If not for… I would definitely kill you all.”
“If not for what?”
The Eagle Master didn’t answer and stood up.
Behind him, Tie Ci said: “If you don’t act now, past matters must be wiped clean. At the very least right now, you and I are comrades. I don’t hope that someday in the future, someone will stab my brothers in the back.”
The Eagle Master waved his hand and walked away, his curved blade swaying behind his buttocks, his waist thin as a bolt of lightning.
For no reason, Tie Ci felt somewhat stifled, staring blankly at his retreating figure.
Suddenly her vision went black as a garment descended from above. Feiyu’s displeased voice came from outside the clothing: “Staring dumbly? If you’re staring dumbly, use the clothes to wipe your drool.”
Tie Ci pulled down the garment and saw Feiyu pacing back and forth in front of her, full of resentment like “I’m so beautiful with such a superb figure, why are your eyes still following others?”
Tie Ci smiled, gathering his clothes, calling him to look at the snow: “Look, it even snows in the desert.”
Feiyu didn’t even glance: “Is snow better looking than you?”
Oh, a Liaodong person—sick of looking at snow.
For the sake of sweet words, she wouldn’t hold his dramatics against him.
Broken snow fell hazily, the distant sand dunes gradually whitening, gently undulating to draw the boundary between heaven and earth.
Having moved so quickly from hostility to alliance, people on both sides felt somewhat uncomfortable. When returning to the grove to rest, Tie Ci’s people chose a plank house that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, yet convenient for escape. Tie Ci and Adjutant Yu went to the Eagle Master’s tent to discuss the next steps.
The Eagle Master sat at a crude table made of wooden planks. On the table was a cup of oil tea, a local food made from tea leaves mixed with crushed sesame and sesame oil, plus some spices unique to Western Rong. It had a rich flavor and was much loved by Western Rong people, specially used to entertain distinguished guests.
In this oasis where everything was scarce, the appearance of a cup of oil tea—one wondered how long they had preserved it.
The Eagle Master treated Adjutant Yu as if he were invisible, pushing the oil tea toward Tie Ci.
Adjutant Yu smiled awkwardly, thinking Ye Ci seemed to particularly attract romantic attention, whether male or female.
Tie Ci actually didn’t like overly rich flavors, but to consolidate their fragile friendship, she picked it up and took a sip.
The bitter cold of the snow-falling desert was bone-chilling, and the hot, thick liquid was comforting as it went down her throat.
The Eagle Master spread out a crude map, explaining to the two the terrain of Hanli Hanmo, possible locations of local forces, and that strange person wrapped in wind and sand who appeared with every sandstorm and was regarded by Western Rong soldiers and common people as the desert god.
The reason Hanli Hanmo had such harsh climate that even Western Rong people rarely entered was because of its unpredictable sandstorms. Sandstorms elsewhere generally had patterns, often appearing in certain seasons. Hanli Hanmo’s sandstorms were like the periods of a woman with hormonal imbalances—coming without warning, staying too long when they came, and returning quickly after leaving.
Later, someone vaguely discovered a bronze-colored shadow in the sandstorms and worshipped it as a deity. Even tribes near the desert’s edge prayed for the desert god’s protection.
Tie Ci figured it was probably Chen Tuntian—irregular sandstorms were naturally man-made.
According to the Eagle Master, this desert god had never left Hanli Hanmo, which matched the legends Tie Ci knew.
Tie Ci didn’t think this was because Chen Tuntian liked the desert. Unable to leave must have reasons for being unable to leave.
From the fact that Chen Tuntian’s appearance with sandstorms was always accompanied by military attacks, Chen Tuntian had certainly been bought by Qiu Wujiu or the Great Prince, becoming their high-level enforcer.
Adjutant Yu looked at the map with the Eagle Master while suspiciously glancing at Tie Ci.
Earlier they could have retreated completely, taking advantage of Western Rong’s civil war to slip out of the desert and go anywhere to gather the intelligence they wanted, with the ability to withdraw at any time.
As long as they blocked the Fu Mountain passage, they’d be happy to see Western Rong fight itself into mud.
As Da Qian military personnel, getting involved in a foreign country’s civil war was very dangerous. Not only might they lose their lives, but the matter itself was sensitive—being framed for treason was no joke.
Even if they wanted to fish in troubled waters, wouldn’t it be better to choose the powerful Qiu Wujiu or the Great Prince to support? Choosing such a group of remnant soldiers to do something ten times more difficult—forget what effect their dozen or so people could have, at least their choice of allies was inherently disadvantaged.
He didn’t understand why someone as clever as Ye Ci would choose such a path.
Was it because this Eagle Master, though his face was covered, had a perky butt?
Tie Ci looked up and met Adjutant Yu’s seemingly proper but actually lecherous gaze.
She could guess what he was thinking with her toes.
No wonder at forty he was still just an adjutant.
But she didn’t want to explain her thinking. The perspective and approach of a ruler were inherently different from those of a general.
Not to mention she had other ideas for cooperating with the Eagle Master. Just considering that people like the Great Prince and Qiu Wujiu, if they came to power, would certainly trouble Da Qian.
For the safety of border people, she could support other Western Rong forces and drag out their civil war as long as possible.
After the group roughly decided on the next plan, they dispersed. By now most of the day had passed. Tie Ci pulled open the tent flap, looked up, and was suddenly stunned.