As he spoke, he shrank back and tried to slip away, but Buqing shouted from the rooftop: “Catch!” and threw down a lamb leg. Deputy General Huang hurriedly caught it, stuffed the lamb leg into his arms, turned around and bolted.

During his previous journey to Yannan, as Xiao Xueya’s trusted aide, he had dealt extensively with the Crown Princess and had built up a friendship with Buqing, who was responsible for the Crown Princess’s protection.

After he ran off, the people in the small courtyard looked at each other in bewilderment.

What did this mean? Xiao Xueya had come?

Border generals commanding troops were not permitted to leave their posts without orders, or it would be considered treason.

However, what everyone didn’t know was that Xiao Xueya had been continuously sending naval forces to the capital to help Tie Ci monitor the capital’s waters, as a precautionary measure. This had been cleared with Tie Ci and had indeed helped during the crisis.

Tie Ci had always trusted Xiao Xueya and had given him emergency authority to cross borders, but during this crisis, firstly the incident occurred suddenly, and secondly Tie Ci knew that ordinary Daqian soldiers’ mortal flesh was useless against those otherworldly visitors—it would only be sending them to their deaths. Therefore, he hadn’t even brought his own army, much less called upon the distant naval forces from Yannan for support.

But Xiao Xueya had come.

If he had left his post, he should have headed to the capital, which meant he had been on his way to the capital when he turned back toward Haiyou, arriving at Yueli Academy right on Tie Ci’s heels.

Tie Ci’s journey from the capital could be described as frantic flight, while Xiao Xueya had come all the way from Yannan, even taking a detour.

How urgent must this journey have been?

Some people didn’t think of these implications and were simply puzzled about why Xiao Xueya would come.

But Rong Pu figured it out in an instant, raised his eyebrows slightly, smiled, and steadily added a spoonful of fragrant, crispy pork floss to Tie Ci’s porridge.

A seemingly casual but actually somewhat embarrassed cough.

A figure slowly appeared at the door.

Mountain snow, precipitous cliffs beneath the snow—that was the first impression this person gave.

But looking closer, one could see that his snow-white robes hadn’t been changed in a long time, the hems were dusty, and his boots were thick with mud.

Yet standing there, he still appeared clean, aloof, his eyes cold as glass, reflecting the distant sky.

He stood at the doorway, looking at Tie Ci from afar, neither entering nor bowing, only saying: “Wearing armor, I cannot perform full courtesy. Your Majesty, please forgive me.”

The people in the courtyard and the students hiding nearby looked at each other.

You’re famously known for never wearing armor into battle, always in white robes as your standard attire—where’s this armor?

Lying to her face, unwilling to bow, and being a general commanding armies—any emperor would consider this disloyal.

Everyone couldn’t help but look at Tie Ci.

A general leaving his post without orders, and seemingly showing disloyalty—in such circumstances, how would His Majesty handle this?

His Majesty didn’t even lift her head, continuing to drink her porridge. After beautifully finishing a mouthful, she held up her bowl, waved her chopsticks, and smiled at Xiao Xueya: “During mealtime, what’s all this about courtesy? Come over quickly. This porridge is excellently made. You’ll regret it if you miss it.”

Pingzong laughed and continued eating meat with his head down.

A’kou never lifted her head from start to finish—in her eyes, the emperor had always been like this, from their first meeting until now.

Jingxu raised his eyebrows.

Buqing lay on the rooftop, remembering how back in the desert, he had once urged the Great King to kill the Crown Princess, and had been reluctant about the task the Great King had assigned him. But when he came, the Emperor had used him, not only used him but also ignored the Han ministers’ advice, bringing his family from the desert to the capital and granting him a mansion so his family could be reunited.

The Emperor was just such a person, like a warm flame that wouldn’t be extinguished even by wind and frost, protecting all directions from the cold.

Xiao Xueya wanted to leave.

This was too awkward.

He hadn’t wanted to show himself, shouldn’t have appeared, and didn’t want to explain face-to-face with the Emperor how he had rushed out of Yannan upon receiving a carrier pigeon message.

He couldn’t explain, so he had no reason to justify his actions, which made him guilty. The Emperor wouldn’t punish him, but he couldn’t put her in a difficult position.

However, that bastard Old Huang had exposed him with a single sentence.

Just to get revenge for the kick he’d given him when sending him to scout the situation.

Old Huang was always making cryptic remarks around him about how if you like something, take it; if you fancy something, seize it; ownerless things should be claimed sooner rather than later. Don’t keep it bottled up inside.

He also boasted about his wife, children, and new grandson. Sometimes he boasted so much that Xiao Xueya even suspected he wasn’t actually thirty years old but some eighty-year-old bachelor, making Old Huang so anxious.

So anxious that he disregarded rank and hierarchy, selling him out with a flap of his lips.

He should have retreated immediately.

But before Xiao Xueya could react, his legs had already carried him inside.

Perhaps because he hadn’t clearly seen the face of the person in the small courtyard, and having come from thousands of miles away, he should at least take one look before leaving.

Seeing him enter, Rong Pu smiled and gestured for the students outside to come in and serve, adding stools.

But Tie Ci directly patted the empty space beside her, saying: “Come, sit here.”

Xiao Xueya didn’t want to.

Too close.

He wouldn’t be able to eat.

Though it seemed he didn’t need to eat much anyway…

When he came to his senses, he was already sitting beside Tie Ci.

The person at his side was within arm’s reach—this was the closest distance between him and her since their parting in Yannan, close enough that he could feel the gentle warmth she radiated and smell the light fragrance mixed with medicinal scent on her body.

Tie Ci looked at him, her gaze sweeping over his travel-worn appearance. Knowing his temperament, she said nothing and rolled up her sleeves to personally ladle porridge for him, but Rong Pu had already quickly filled a bowl and handed it over with a smile: “Governor, please enjoy.”

Xiao Xueya nodded slightly and took it, still not looking at Tie Ci.

The spoon stirred in the porridge, clinking against the bowl with clear, pleasant sounds, but he felt uncomfortable all over, his entire body seeming to become both sensitive and rigid. Only his hearing and sight were sharp, able to perceive her every movement, hear her subtle porridge-drinking sounds, and sometimes, sitting so close, accidentally bumping his elbow. He wanted to move outward, but Pingzong was beside him.

The porridge’s clear fragrance was enticing, making Xiao Xueya, who hadn’t eaten well along the way, suddenly feel gnawing hunger, yet he didn’t move, only staring at the porridge bowl and saying: “I received a carrier pigeon message from the water ghosts in the capital and learned of…”

“Don’t discuss troublesome matters during meals, lest it cause indigestion.” Tie Ci brought over a chopstickful of pork floss. “Try this, hurry up. Who knows when we’ll have to fight.”

Xiao Xueya stared at those chopsticks holding golden pork floss, scattered among the snow-white porridge grains, with fragrance wafting into his nostrils. He lowered his head and took a sip.

With just one sip, the fires of hunger, the anxiety from the long journey, and the inexplicable heart-fire from sitting beside her were suddenly extinguished.

A female student approached carrying a plate of steaming hot pastries, the sizzling sound of oil audible from far away.

Tie Ci smiled: “Excellent, the pan-fried buns have arrived. I used to go down the mountain to Kelai Restaurant to eat these often. It’s been several years since I’ve tasted them.”

Rong Pu prepared a vinegar dish for her: “This is also the hottest-selling item from Kelai Restaurant’s takeout, but these pastries are best eaten fresh. This time I specifically had the restaurant’s master chef who specializes in making these wait here.”

Tie Ci didn’t scold him for extravagance, but picked up a bun with great interest and personally offered it to him, smiling: “First, to thank the host.”

Rong Pu stood to accept it and was about to express gratitude when Tie Ci said: “Between you and me, why stand on ceremony?”

Rong Pu smiled, holding the bun plate in one hand and a napkin in the other, waiting.

Tie Ci picked up another bun and turned to give it to Xiao Xueya: “Then to honor the distant guest.”

Xiao Xueya was startled and was about to stand, but his heart resisted for some reason, though he didn’t know why. In this moment of hesitation, the bun was already before him.

Tie Ci took a napkin from the serving student and, seeing Xiao Xueya’s confused expression, laughed and reached up to tie the napkin around Xiao Xueya’s neck, smiling: “Pan-fried buns are full of oil that splatters when you bite into them. To avoid staining your clothes, it’s best to wear a bib first.”

Xiao Xueya’s entire body went rigid.

The Emperor leaned sideways, her hands reaching around his neck, her chin almost touching his lips. He could even feel her breath lightly brushing against his neck.

The breath carried a faint medicinal scent and sweet fragrance.

He could feel that spot suddenly become burning hot, like a line of fire extending from his neck to his feet. His entire body seemed to ignite with a roaring sound, even his fingertips trembling slightly, yet he couldn’t lift them.

Tie Ci felt somewhat embarrassed at this moment.

Not because of the intimate distance—she had always regarded Xiao Xueya as an important minister, general, and buddy, never having romantic thoughts. It was precisely because of this that she showed unreserved warmth toward Xiao Xueya. After all, this person guarded Yannan, commanded armies, yet had a peculiar temperament and maintained distance from her. As an emperor, she naturally had to win him over.

She was just playfully tying the bib, partly for fun and partly intentionally—after all, watching an aloof flower become flustered and shy was one of her guilty pleasures. But she had misjudged her abilities with her injured hands, unable to perform such delicate tasks, failing to tie it properly and instead appearing to be embracing Xiao Xueya.

If a joke turned into the emperor flirting with a minister, that wouldn’t be good.

In a moment of inspiration, she simply stopped trying to tie it and tucked the bib’s corners into Xiao Xueya’s collar.

This brought her fingers into contact with the skin of Xiao Xueya’s neck. Xiao Xueya immediately bristled again, feeling her fingertips—smooth and cool as jade—brush across his neck.

At this moment, all his senses seemed concentrated on his neck area, his entire body rigid enough that even A’kou glanced at him.

Pingzong looked over and suddenly burst into laughter.

He just thought it was hilarious—someone like a snow-capped mountain suddenly wearing such a thing, sitting there stiffly, looked quite ridiculous.

Jingxu held a bun in each hand, looking straight ahead but feeling quite pleased inside.

That brat, the Dafeng Emperor, had bullied him terribly—now his corner was being undermined, wasn’t it?

Rong Pu suddenly stood up, naturally walked around, and smiled: “This way of fastening won’t work—it’ll fall off in no time.” He smoothly pulled down the bib and placed it in Xiao Xueya’s hands, saying: “Your Majesty has demonstrated for the Governor. The Governor can either tie it himself or simply hold it in front of his chest.”

Xiao Xueya somewhat stiffly took the bib without speaking.

Tie Ci smiled apologetically at him and focused on eating her bun.

Xiao Xueya didn’t tie the bib and didn’t eat the bun, but glanced at her slightly deformed fingers.

After that, the porridge tasted flavorless.

When he came back to his senses, he found that Rong Pu had filled his plate with many dishes—the host was being very enthusiastic, fulfilling his duties as host perfectly, so His Majesty the Emperor didn’t need to serve personally.

However, the dishes served—pig’s trotters, duck feet—were all things that required gnawing at awkward angles, items that the noble-born Governor Xiao and General Xiao never ate.

Xiao Xueya could only continue drinking porridge.

While serving Tie Ci dishes, Rong Pu asked: “How did you get so hungry?”

“It’s not really hunger, it’s that we haven’t had a chance to eat a proper meal along the way. Like this, sitting down and eating peacefully.” Pingzong said with his mouth full, “It’s been a constant cycle of catching up, fighting, catching up again, fighting.”

“At the outskirts of the capital, those guys riding strange vehicles who looked like leopards were about to catch up with us. I went to lead them away, using the terrain of the surrounding mountains to get them lost, then kicked one of their vehicles into the water.”

“I led some others into mountain ravines. When word of Your Majesty’s departure from the capital spread quickly, we were afraid of harming innocents, so we tried to take remote routes. Occasionally when passing through mountain villages and small towns, the Palace Master’s people would provide support. Later even mountain hunters knew about this and actively provided us with traps and routes. There was one mountain ravine that looked like flat ground from afar, with short trees growing on it, but those short trees were actually the canopy of ancient trees below—it was a huge trap known to all locals. Ordinary people couldn’t cross it, but naturally I had no problem. I bounded across as if on level ground, and those vehicles followed, then all fell into the ravine. The explosion was earth-shaking and nearly started a forest fire.”

“Speaking of which, those riders are truly formidable. Whether falling into water or ravines, they were completely unharmed. Those that fell in water automatically floated up, and those in ravines had no broken limbs and weren’t afraid of fire. The equipment they wear is truly powerful. If our warriors could each have a set, that would really be… tsk tsk…”

“Pingzong fought one-on-one with an enemy warrior,” Tie Ci said. “He couldn’t win.”

“But I didn’t lose either,” Pingzong protested.

“Who was it that complained about leg pain yesterday?”

“That was because of their strange armor—when it touched my leg, it went numb. Otherwise I would have blasted him into a ditch long ago.”

Tie Ci explained to Rong Pu and Xiao Xueya: “The enemy has very strange battle armor. Some provides full-body defense and can emit harmful light, others are form-fitting, looking like muscle, making the wearer invulnerable and incredibly strong, and contact with it causes numbness. Pingzong exchanged seven kicks with one warrior—if not for the intermittent numbness, he should have won.”

Rong Pu and Xiao Xueya exchanged glances, both secretly alarmed.

From Tie Ci’s tone, this was just an ordinary enemy soldier, yet an ordinary soldier could fight Pingzong to a standstill?

The enemy also had irresistible weapons, tracking devices that could follow for thousands of miles, lights that could kill from afar, various strange and powerful weapons, and even their personal protection was perfected.

If the enemy came with thousands of troops, how could Daqian fight?

Both looked up toward the distance, where a row of black aircraft hovered, neither approaching nor departing.

After finishing his meal, Pingzong wiped his mouth and said: “Actually, when we approached Haiyou, we had dealt with most of the black knights pursuing us. After that, they stopped attacking but kept following us. Your Majesty said the enemy was waiting for reinforcements to catch us all in one net.”

Tie Ci set down her bowl and smiled: “Coincidentally, I have the same intention. Are you all ready?”

Rong Pu said: “The last batch of emergency supplies arrived from Zhongzhou just yesterday.”

“Have the quantities, positions, and routes all been calculated?”

“The Academy of Mathematics’ dean led the finest professors in multiple calculations, confirming no errors.”

“Have all the students been evacuated?”

“They all refused to leave, but we moved them to underground caves that we previously used as storehouses.”

“Where are these underground caves located? Will they…”

Rong Pu couldn’t help but say: “Your Majesty, though I’m not talented, I will certainly arrange these trivial matters properly. You should hurry and rest for a while.”

Tie Ci looked around and only then noticed A’kou nodding off drowsily, while Buqing was already snoring thunderously on the rooftop.

She felt a very present gaze beside her. When she turned, Xiao Xueya quickly turned his head away.

Tie Ci thought she understood the Governor’s awkwardness and said with sudden realization: “The Governor must be very tired from the long journey. Please trouble the Academy to make arrangements…”

Before she finished speaking, a signal flare shot straight up into the blue sky in the distance.

Tie Ci looked up as those who had been eating and resting on the ground rolled up, and before they could sit up straight, their hands had already grasped their weapons.

This stress response made Xiao Xueya’s heart clench.

This was the reaction of people who had been in a state of emergency combat for a long time.

This was how she had been traveling…

An emperor, not staying in the palace, not remaining in her capital, would rather personally travel thousands of miles to resolve the crisis by her side.

She had once taught him to look down upon the common people, and with that downward glance, he had seen deeply, so that later he unhesitatingly and resolutely broke with his family.

It was this version of her that made him set aside his obsessions and pride, choosing to stand guard with his spear in the distant southern frontier she had fought so hard to win.

But it was also this version of her that made his heart ache with a pain he couldn’t understand for the first time.

Someone came running frantically, shouting from afar: “Dust clouds are gathering ten li northwest, can’t distinguish men from horses, they’re assembling but not immediately approaching.”

Rong Pu took the telescope handed to him and climbed the nearby watchtower to observe.

Moments later he came down, saying: “As you predicted, the enemy has received reinforcements. Numbers are still increasing, but judging by their formation, I guess it won’t exceed a thousand men.”

A thousand men was really a very small number for Daqian armies, but having witnessed how enemy soldiers could fight ten thousand to one, everyone understood this was a deadly number.

Pingzong’s face darkened. She, A’kou, Buqing, Jingxu and others had used every means along the way to deal with only a few dozen men.

“Your Majesty, should we strike first while the enemy isn’t fully prepared, or…”

In Buqing’s thinking, striking first while the enemy wasn’t ready, disrupting their formation, was his Western Rong people’s favorite swift fighting method.

Tie Ci shook her head and looked at the telescope in Rong Pu’s hands as he came down. Rong Pu handed her the finely crafted telescope that clearly wasn’t something Daqian could manufacture, smiling: “From Gui Qizhai.”

Tie Ci said with surprise: “I’ve only seen this type of telescope once—extremely clear, can see very far, and can automatically adjust in poor lighting conditions. It’s also very sturdy, a non-sale item from Gui Qizhai. Where did you get it?”

“Wherever humans are involved, there are always loopholes,” Rong Pu said. “I’ve used various means with the Gui Qizhai branch here in Haiyou for a long time to acquire some materials not sold to the public.”

He had people bring out several boxes containing multiple telescopes, distributing one each to Buqing and his archers.

One box contained a vest. Rong Pu handed it to Tie Ci: “It’s said to be weapon-resistant. Since it came from Gui Qizhai, it might defend against their weapons.”

Tie Ci immediately handed it to Pingzong.

“Your Majesty…”

“I have one.”

The abyss iron vest that Murong Yi had personally crafted was currently worn beneath her clothes.

The last box was enormous, dragged out by several people using a flatbed cart. When opened, Pingzong exclaimed in surprise.

Inside was actually a vehicle very similar to the strange vehicles ridden by the knights who had been pursuing them.

Streamlined body, gleaming shell, two huge wheels, black handlebars.

Only it was two sizes smaller than those vehicles, and the materials and construction were obviously simpler.

Tie Ci was amazed.

It was one thing for Rong Pu to plan ahead, cultivate relationships with shopkeepers, exploit loopholes, and buy some non-sale items, but how had he managed to obtain this thing?

She had never seen this thing before, and people from Master’s side couldn’t possibly let such weapons flow into Daqian markets.

Rong Pu said: “This wasn’t bought. I had people befriend the manager of Haiyou’s largest Gui Qizhai branch. While drinking with him, he mentioned that Haiyou’s Gui Qizhai has a laboratory specifically for testing various ore properties and assembling some devices. All assembled and tested items are secretly sent to the capital. Later I had people watch for over a month, tracking this supply route all the way to the capital, spending most of a year to confirm these things were ultimately delivered to Qingjing Temple, which was where the Grand Tutor previously resided…”

He casually described how his people had spent time infiltrating the nunnery’s small courtyard in Qingjing Temple, finding tunnels there, and in small chambers within those tunnels, seeing many iron objects. By then the Grand Tutor had already moved from the small courtyard, and those iron objects seemed like discarded items piled there. His people didn’t care what they were and found ways to move them all out. Fearing discovery, they even placed a batch of similar iron lumps in that corner.

The things brought back were transported to Haiyou, where Rong Pu had already sought out renowned masters of mechanisms and machinery, and even found a fellow who had previously worked at Gui Qizhai but left due to old age. A group of people studied for a long time and barely managed to piece it into shape. Later, seeing Master’s bicycle, they felt this was also something rideable, but didn’t know what power source to use. It was the person who had originally gone to steal the items who said he had smelled the scent of fierce fire oil, so Rong Pu had people try the black oil that Hanli Khan Desert had produced, and only then did this thing start moving.

“Just now seeing the vehicles those people rode, I confirmed our assembly was still somewhat wrong, but there’s no time to fix it now. Moreover, this vehicle produces very heavy black smoke when running and can’t go more than ten li before stopping—it can only be used short-term for emergencies.”

Looking at the vehicle, Tie Ci suddenly remembered when she had followed Master into the tunnels to get gifts, seeing half-person-high iron strange beasts piled in wall corners, crooked and askew like waste products. She hadn’t paid attention then, but thinking now, it should have been this.

These were failed products that Master had researched using Daqian materials, so they had been forgotten, then stolen by the thoughtful Rong Pu.

He made it sound simple, but Master was actually very careful. Many people at Gui Qizhai had come with her, and daily management had strict systems. For Rong Pu to exploit this loophole, the time, money, and patience involved were simply unimaginable.

This wasn’t just obtaining a tool that could save lives and provide escape at critical moments—Daqian had actually initially mastered a method for creating an advanced transportation tool, which might promote Daqian’s industrial progress.

Of course, this was all for later. The immediate priority was surviving.

Tie Ci looked at the sky, looked at the distance, patted the vehicle, and said: “Excellent. Soon I’ll have another life-saving treasure.”

Jingxu walked over and said: “Let me check your pulse.”

“Alright…” Before Tie Ci could finish speaking, Jingxu raised his hand and inserted a needle into the back of her neck.

Tie Ci couldn’t even turn around before slowly collapsing under Rong Pu’s knowing gaze and Xiao Xueya’s shocked stare.

Rong Pu caught Tie Ci as she fell, then looked up to feel cold air hitting his face. Opposite him, Xiao Xueya’s sword was already pointed at his nose.

Rong Pu blinked and said: “Does the Governor think I’ve betrayed her?”

“If anyone were to betray, it wouldn’t be you,” Xiao Xueya said. “But you cannot make decisions over His Majesty’s head.”

“Thank you for the Governor’s trust,” Rong Pu said bitterly. “It’s just unavoidable circumstances. After all, the Governor also wouldn’t want His Majesty to use herself as bait and walk into deadly ground, would you?”

Xiao Xueya stared at him with cold, stern eyes.

“Yueli Academy has been preparing for this battle for nearly a month, since receiving His Majesty’s carrier pigeon message,” Rong Pu said. “Fast horses from the capital to Haiyou actually only take half a month, but His Majesty spent nearly a month on the road with her injured body—partly to wear down the enemy’s pursuit forces, and partly to buy me time.”

“Yueli has set up a simple but most powerful trap, waiting all along for this batch of reinforcements.”

“But these enemies—their true target from beginning to end has been His Majesty. Therefore, to truly lure the enemy into the snare, His Majesty must personally serve as bait.”

“But that trap… the person serving as bait has no return.”

Xiao Xueya couldn’t help saying: “I heard His Majesty’s innate abilities have recovered…”

His Majesty’s teleportation was the only ability that could instantly cross distances.

“But because the Grand Tutor planted a hidden trap, His Majesty must fall ill every night—her whole body becomes rigid, blood and qi churn, and she cannot move. The pursuing enemy has also discovered this, so when they attack, it will definitely be at midnight when His Majesty falls ill.”

Xiao Xueya’s eyes showed shock as he immediately looked at Tie Ci in Rong Pu’s arms.

But he was a general, and generals first considered whether plans could succeed.

“Only His Majesty can serve as bait, or the enemy won’t take the hook, but we absolutely cannot let His Majesty serve as bait—so how do we resolve this?”

“So we can only change methods—lure the enemy over without using His Majesty.”

Their eyes met, and instantly Xiao Xueya understood.

They needed a suicide squad.

They needed a group of people to provoke, to irritate, preferably even to capture the enemy’s leader, enraging them beyond endurance, making them abandon everything to pursue.

One could imagine that after provoking the enemy to abandon their original plans, and facing such enemies, what fate awaited the suicide squad.

Almost immediately, Xiao Xueya said: “I’ll go.”