“…”
Before the large cart, the person outside and the person inside—your dagger piercing my chest, my short sword plunging into your ribs.
Maintaining this posture for a very, very long time.
It seemed like just a brief moment, yet also as long as a lifetime.
The wind across the plain, carrying the scent of blood and smoke, came rushing over, snapping open the cart curtain with a sharp crack.
Revealing the face of the person inside.
Beautiful features like polished jade, complexion rosy as cinnabar.
Once there was a young man, by the water’s edge, who accompanied me through wind and snow, sharing clouds and sunset glow.
“Through wind and rain so dark, the cock crows without cease. Having seen the gentleman, how could one not rejoice?”
No rejoicing.
Simply—shock.
Had guessed it was him.
Had also not guessed it was him.
Behind her, congratulatory voices continued, soaring to the clouds, each cry a new blade stabbing at her wounds.
Tie Ci breathed deeply and slowly.
Even though each breath at this moment caused excruciating pain in her chest as if being stabbed, she needed to calm down first.
Without this, she couldn’t sort through her chaotic mind and emotions.
Countless waves of shock, amazement, and confusion surged up like a tide, but ultimately all transformed into sudden understanding.
So that’s how it was.
Of course it was so.
People all have intuition. Countless times her fingertips could have lightly touched to unveil that paper, countless times she stopped at the last moment. Perhaps she was still confused then, but now she finally understood—that was merely intuition’s warning, subconscious dissuasion, protection from deep within her heart, advising her not to uncover the truth, protecting her from having to face the inevitable heart-destroying rupture and farewell.
Had she really never considered such a possibility?
From the moment she knew he was from Liaodong, she had actually thought of it.
When Zhao San came seeking help, she had almost confirmed it.
After all, what the palace taught her was that human hearts are unfathomable, changeable, and not to be easily trusted.
Yet in the end, she chose to believe in herself, to believe in the mutual support throughout their journey together, to believe in all his unspeakable difficulties, to believe in his eyes when they looked at her—even if ice stretched for thousands of miles, at the moment they turned toward her, ice would melt and snow would thaw, spring winds would blow for thousands of miles, instantly blooming the most crystal-clear flowers.
But it turned out the demon flowers of hell were stained with poisonous sap, concealing poisonous fire, hiding poisonous thorns, adorning a lotus in the heart, luring her to foolishly approach and blindly pluck.
This entire journey of rushing back, sleepless nights of planning, the courage to make herself bait, and the blood and sweat shed while single-handedly breaking through armies and barriers.
All of it now transformed into the blade piercing her chest, the bone-cutting wound, and blood that seemed it would never stop flowing.
This entire journey of meeting at sea, embracing beneath the tower, adventures in pleasure quarters, support at the academy, flood control in Dongming, defending against enemies on Ghost Island, military training in Yong Ping, desert winds and sand…
Those long roads traveled unknowingly, those marks silently carved on the tablet of her heart.
Those poems of a maiden written on fingertips, in eyes, within smiling lips.
That youth, pure white as snow yet with black furious waves rolling within his heart.
Cast it all aside!
…
Murong Yi gripped the handle of the short sword piercing his ribs, also staring up in a daze at the person before him.
Royal golden armor, dignified and noble, a pair of eyes black and cold.
He had never seen her like this.
In his eyes, she was simple, graceful, composed, and approachable.
When she saw his face, though calm, there was always a slight smile overflowing from her eyes.
Like a many-petaled flower, naturally noble yet plain in color, unassuming—a white peony.
This version of her was both familiar and strange.
“Congratulations to the Eighteenth Prince for slaying Da Qian’s Crown Princess in battle!”
The cheers pierced his eardrums, and he suddenly shuddered.
Had thought it was her.
Later thought it wasn’t her.
In the end, it was still her.
Once betrothed to her.
Then came to love her.
Yet broke the engagement with her.
Once despised her.
Then pursued her.
Only at the end learning she was her.
Disgusted, resistant, abandoned her.
Heart and mind constantly thinking of her.
In the end, meeting on the battlefield, killing each other.
Fate treated him so cruelly, countless jokes piled upon his life, tossing him tumbling into the abyss of mud.
So he had missed out countless times, countless times through misunderstandings, countless times brushing past the world’s greatest fortune.
Later, even when he could know, he dared not know.
All this long time of not asking, not listening, not wanting to unveil—was it really all because of powerlessness?
Perhaps it was also fear of the terror after unveiling everything.
After all, how many women in this world could possess her depth, radiance, steadiness, and strength?
She was that towering mountain in wind and rain, that vast thick earth—wherever she was, there was shelter for humanity.
But heaven’s will was cold-blooded, adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing. Everything you avoid will strike you at an even worse moment.
So in the end, fate gave him even deeper terror. In her eyes he saw shock, pain, disappointment, desolation, and endless, boundless hurt.
He too had never seen her like this.
His invincible her, his universally admired her, his fearless her, his anchor-like her.
Who had exhausted herself for him, personally served as bait, personally charged through formations to save him.
At this moment, with wind and sand striking her face, accumulated snow seeping cold, hot blood spraying, swaying as if about to fall.
By his own hand.
Bone-deep pain rose from his heart, flashing like lightning through his entire body.
He wanted to say something, opened his mouth, but found he couldn’t make a sound.
The antidote only lasted a quarter hour—the attack timing was calculated. Afterward, he was severely wounded, losing even the ability to speak.
Opposite him, Tie Ci saw in his eyes also torrential waves of pain and regret.
But she couldn’t see clearly.
Everything swayed and blurred before her eyes, silent blackness spreading, voices behind becoming unclear, heaven and earth rocking at this moment.
She felt wind charging from behind.
No Liaodong soldier would miss such an opportunity.
And she no longer had strength to charge back.
Sharp wind sounds behind her. She lowered her head, shooting arrows from her lower back, bringing down the attacker.
A moment of quiet behind her.
Murong Yi still looked up at her, her hand still gripping the blade piercing his ribs.
The Eighteenth Prince… was that it?
You and I truly have no fate.
She looked at that hand, that blade. Though the blade wasn’t deep iron, it was very sharp. She need only gently lift upward to cut through his heart and lungs.
Liaodong King’s most capable son would die by her hand.
Avenging herself and solving a future threat for Da Qian.
She should do this.
Her fingers moved slightly.
Murong Yi didn’t move, only looked at her with such deep pain.
She stared at that section of blade handle.
Finger by finger.
She loosened her grip.
The blood-stained snow-white hand withdrew from the darkness.
She turned around.
Back to Murong Yi, facing the great army behind.
The deep iron dagger still remained in her chest. She didn’t pull it out—removing it would cause massive blood loss and truly finish her.
In the distance, Di Yiwei was about to achieve victory.
Dan Shuang and Liu Chen, temporarily acting as deputy commander, had also scattered that infantry force. Dan Shuang had already caught Mu Si. Before the two could even fully smile, they saw the fireworks over there and heard the deafening cheers.
Though too far to hear what was being said, it was obviously not a good sign.
In previous battle plans, Tie Ci had repeatedly requested that if Liaodong had ambushes in more than one location and she made her move, everyone else should split up to deal with different forces, ensuring they completely defeated their assigned Liaodong troops. Otherwise, if various Liaodong armies converged, it would create huge trouble for her.
This made perfect sense, and Di Yiwei agreed. Indeed, as predicted, while they used the Crown Princess as bait, the enemy also used Prince Da’an as bait, mutually luring each other into collision, each having ambush forces. Di Yiwei dealt with one force while commanding overall, Liu Chen dealt with another, Dan Shuang’s role with her exceptional eyesight was to shoot Liaodong generals. Tie Ci went alone to rescue Feiyu.
But they couldn’t really let the Crown Princess single-handedly break into Liaodong’s great army, so Liu Chen still ordered half of Blood Cavalry to follow, only Tie Ci was too fast for Blood Cavalry to keep up.
Blood Cavalry began attacking the Liaodong army formation. Dan Shuang, frantic with worry, abandoned the assault, turned her horse and left, shouting: “Everyone follow me to rescue Her Highness!”
But a messenger galloped over, waving a small flag and shouting: “Commander’s orders—everyone maintain positions, must completely annihilate enemy forces!”
Dan Shuang looked back to see Di Yiwei’s side indeed hadn’t abandoned their imminent victory, still steadily advancing atop the ice waterfall. She couldn’t help cursing: “Bullshit! Don’t you see the Crown Princess is trapped in Liaodong army?”
“The Commander has her arrangements! Complete annihilation of enemy forces is the only way to ensure the Crown Princess isn’t surrounded by even more forces!”
“Di Yiwei is a heartless, cold-blooded madwoman!”
Liu Chen: “Everyone! Continue charging, do not leave formation!”
“Screw off! Don’t need you! I’ll save her myself!” Dan Shuang went against the flow, charging out of battle formation. Liu Chen sighed, signaling his cavalry to escort her, sending her safely out of the chaotic battle zone, but couldn’t leave this combat area.
More commotion in the ranks. Liu Chen turned to see Qi Yuansi leading several academy students who had joined the battle also rushing out of formation.
Liu Chen still didn’t stop them, acting as if he hadn’t seen, and even directed troops to block a volley of arrows shot at their backs.
Over at the waterfall top, cheers erupted. Di Yiwei’s Scorpion Camp occupied the heights, Liaodong army corpses continuously rolling down the ice waterfall, staining the entire ice waterfall blood red, looking like a blood waterfall from afar.
Di Yiwei climbed the ice waterfall, seeing many warriors also wounded. Liaodong soldiers had fought fiercely too, trying to get in one last strike even while dying. Many had torn armor, exposing cotton padding from their cotton clothes.
Under sunlight, Di Yiwei suddenly noticed at one soldier’s torn cotton padding around the waist, there was a vague flash of silver light.
…
On a more distant mountaintop, Prince Da’an lowered his telescope, coldly regarding a black-robed figure sitting far away.
“The battle has lasted a long time, my sons have suffered countless casualties. Where is the situation-reversing variable you promised?”
With his words, a group of blue-armored guards surged forward, drawing bows and surrounding the black-robed figure.
The black-robed person sat on a high rocky outcrop, wearing a pale mask with thin eyebrows and narrow eyes. His voice showed no fear: “Your Majesty, controlling so many soldiers and having them activate at a designated time is very difficult. The method we devised also requires your army’s efforts—breaking open cotton clothes, pulling bells, Yong Ping army leaping with bells to trigger the toxins. This can only blame the enemy for being too fierce, causing your army to sacrifice a few more men. But compared to the great achievement you’re about to accomplish, what does it matter?”
Prince Da’an stared at him, turned to look down the mountain, saying faintly: “My Liaodong sons’ blood cannot be shed in vain. If it doesn’t work in the end, prepare to compensate with your life.”
“Naturally.”
…
In Yong Ping main camp, Chi Xue, waiting in the rear handling logistics, suddenly pressed her chest.
Rong Pu also remained in the logistics camp, preparing herbs for post-battle treatment. Meticulous as he was, he immediately noticed Chi Xue’s subtle movement.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, inexplicable heart palpitations.”
Rong Pu’s expression was somewhat uncertain.
Chi Xue’s face also didn’t look good—she worried about the Crown Princess.
Undistributed new cotton clothes were piled on the table. Chi Xue had originally intended to tailor several women’s military uniforms. The old Shen village women wanted to stay as female soldiers, and Di Yiwei had agreed.
The old Shen village women had been sold by their own men. Those men hadn’t withstood Xiao Chang’s personal troops’ combination of favor and intimidation—a few bottles of wine, a few pieces of meat, a few slaps, and they sold all the village women. After being rescued, the old Shen village women refused to return to the village. Di Yiwei, who always disdained rules, immediately settled the older ones and kept the younger ones, putting them under Chi Xue’s management.
Chi Xue was distracted, scissors unconsciously slipping, making a tearing sound as the cotton coat’s side seam was cut open.
An old Shen village woman hurried over with needle and thread to mend it, but suddenly exclaimed: “Why is there a bell sewn inside here?”
She pulled out the bell, extracting the compressed cotton padding, and shook it slightly.
Clear bell sounds rang out.
Chi Xue suddenly bent over clutching her chest, spitting up fresh blood.
Rong Pu shot to his feet.
…
The moment Tie Ci turned around, Murong Yi suddenly realized and desperately grabbed her hand.
She couldn’t turn around now!
One turn would mean eternal separation!
He gritted his teeth, gathering qi, breaking through restraints. Blood flowed freely, but his voice finally became somewhat clearer: “Ten… Ye… Tie Ci!”
After several corrections, he finally called her name correctly. Tie Ci’s heart shook.
He said: “Trust me! I didn’t know it was you! I was drugged, couldn’t hear clearly or speak plainly!”
Tie Ci reached to pry his fingers loose. He gripped extremely tightly, and she couldn’t actually move them.
Murong Yi held her with one hand while pulling out the blade from his ribs with the other, tearing open his clothing to quickly bind the wound tightly. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but his eyes were extremely bright, expression fierce.
Using Tie Ci’s hand for support, he stood up. When he stood, the cart board shook slightly.
Tie Ci instinctively looked down, seeing the board beneath Murong Yi’s feet seemed abnormal.
At this moment, Murong Yi also felt something wrong beneath his feet, as if something was being pressed down by his body weight, a slight clicking sound.
“Don’t make any unusual moves, don’t leave the cart, or you’ll die first.”
So there was a mechanism beneath his feet. He could only make movements while sitting. Once he stood up, increased pressure would activate the mechanism.
Simultaneously the cart tilted, and the ground trembled faintly.
From the corner of her eye, Tie Ci saw that the originally encircling Liaodong soldiers had somehow withdrawn several zhang.
She looked up, eyes contracting.
The rear cart connected to the front cart by iron pipes had somehow broken connection. The two carts lost balance, the rear cart rumbling toward the front cart.
The front panel was smashed open by the forward momentum, boxes tumbling out, crashing into the front cart. The boxes spilled countless gray-black powder, cascading to half-fill the front cart in an instant.
In the distance, a fire arrow whistled toward those boxes and powder.
Murong Yi, who had been gripping her tightly, suddenly pushed her outward very hard.
“Go!”
In the moment of being pushed away, Tie Ci’s arm shot out, desperately grabbing Murong Yi’s arm.
A flash.
“BOOM.”
The explosion was earth-shaking. Soldiers dozens of zhang away all fell flat.
Black smoke and red fire shot skyward, blazing intensely, covering that entire area within a li radius.
Qi Yuansi and Dan Shuang, charging outside, were nearly knocked from their horses. Opening their eyes, tears streamed from the smoke. Dan Shuang’s voice nearly cracked: “Master!”
She spurred her horse to charge. Qi Yuansi followed her, shouting in her ear: “Don’t worry, the Crown Princess can teleport!”
Dan Shuang’s expression improved slightly. She leaped onto her horse’s head, scanning everywhere for Tie Ci’s figure.
With a loud crash, Tie Ci and Murong Yi smashed into a crowd. Cavalrymen on all sides startled, not understanding how people had suddenly appeared before them.
Quick-reacting ones instinctively thrust spears. Tie Ci lowered her head gasping, gathering all her strength for a second teleportation. Murong Yi struck like lightning, grabbing the spear point and snapping it with a crack.
The spear point nearly pierced through his palm, but he didn’t even blink.
In his prime, he could have dragged the attacker directly under horse hooves. Unfortunately, capture, torture, poisoning, and injury—all these ordeals had long damaged his vitality. Today’s ability to act was only sustained by drugs and wouldn’t last long.
More spears thrust like dragons. Tie Ci still gasped with lowered head. Murong Yi simply stepped forward, meeting them with his shoulder.
Suddenly a long blade tumbled over like ten thousand snow flakes, clanging continuously in mid-air, severing the attacking spear points.
Seeing the Crown Princess in danger, Qi Yuansi desperately threw his weapon.
More cavalrymen surged forward, black armor in layers like gathering storm clouds.
Someone shouted loudly—whoever killed Da Qian’s Crown Princess would be promoted three ranks immediately and receive ten thousand gold reward.
Liaodong cavalry went mad. Those who could squeeze in squeezed in, those who couldn’t threw spears from outside, not caring if they injured comrades.
This spot swarmed with people like a lonely island under crashing waves.
A great shout. Dan Shuang abandoned her horse and flew over, forcibly using her body to block the outermost layer of thrown spears.
Qi Yuansi led people, jerking reins in a fierce charge toward the attacking Liaodong cavalry.
He scattered three men, but his horse also took a spear. Before the horse collapsed with a whinny, he leaped up, seizing a cavalryman’s spear. Turning his waist and back, the spear spun flower-like whirlpools, clanging continuously as several spears flew out of the combat circle.
But still one spear emerged cunningly from knee-level, stabbing toward Tie Ci’s thigh past Qi Yuansi.
In his haste, Qi Yuansi could only lift his knee in a hard collision, the arrow scraping a bone-deep wound on his kneecap.
He reached to pull Tie Ci.
But at this moment, Tie Ci pushed him outward, their hands just missing each other.
The next instant, Tie Ci’s figure disappeared.
Qi Yuansi caught empty air. Looking around without finding Tie Ci, and hearing no cheers of discovering the Crown Princess, clearly this teleportation had escaped the formation.
He breathed a long sigh of relief, instinctively looking down at his empty hands.
Fate was like his hands at this moment—once missed, it couldn’t be caught.
But it didn’t matter. He was still behind her, still able to fight for her.
Like the moon high in heaven while stars shine brilliantly.
That too was very, very good.