The military governor’s mansion was brilliantly lit with guests filling every seat, the sound of music never ceasing. The orchestra played celestial melodies with konghou harps, panpipes, and bili reed pipes, while dancing girls stepped lightly on the drumbeats in joyful beauty.

When the banquet atmosphere reached its peak, host Liu Kun clapped forcefully and ordered the evening’s grand finale dish to be brought forth. Six strong soldiers carried an enormous copper tray, striding proudly up the steps. On the tray lay a whole roasted ox, golden and glistening. This wasn’t a “water-refined calf” but a full-grown bull – to roast it whole would require constructing a special giant oven.

The magnificent spectacle of the whole roasted ox entering the banquet drew gasps of amazement from all the envoys, officials, and generals present. Household Administrator Li Chengyin couldn’t help but sneer quietly, muttering in a low voice, “Ostentatious.”

In such a frontier city, being able to host a luxurious banquet rivaling Chang’an’s, Liu Kun was immensely pleased. Holding his wine cup, he rose and began a lengthy toast, ostensibly about maintaining good relations with neighboring nations but actually boasting sentence by sentence about Youzhou’s robust military and administrative strength.

Huo Qi Lang noticed Li Yuanying’s increasingly pale complexion and quietly inquired, “Are you tired, Your Highness?”

Li Yuanying held his proud and beautiful head high, saying coldly, “No.”

Stubborn. Huo Qi Lang secretly suppressed a smile, knowing this person was extremely proud – even if he could barely support himself, he would bite nails and chew iron rather than show weakness. She didn’t try to persuade him, instead taking half a handful of roasted almonds from the table, secretly clutching them in her palm and popping them into her mouth one by one, chewing quietly.

Li Chengyin, being elderly, found kneeling difficult and had switched to sitting cross-legged, turning to request an armrest from a servant. Xu Lai was thoroughly bored, his eyes vacant as he stared blankly at the curved horns of the roasted ox.

Just when everyone at the banquet was relaxed, comfortable, and enjoying themselves to the fullest, a thunderous “boom” erupted from the center of the hall, like a lightning strike accompanied by violent trembling. The walls and roof seemed to shake, everyone’s ears rang, and within moments, black smoke filled the air along with the pungent smell of saltpeter and sulfur.

At the instant of that thunderous sound, Huo Qi Lang had already leaped to shield Prince Shao, flipping over the low table in front of him to serve as a makeshift shield.

Everyone present was stunned speechless by this sudden turn of events, completely unaware of what could cause such a terrifying noise. Some stumbled in panic, others cowered and trembled. In the chaos, entertainers screamed and fled, military officers drew their swords while shouting for their subordinates. The scene was littered with overturned cups and plates, wine splashing everywhere in complete disorder.

In that split second, Huo Qi Lang quickly surveyed everyone’s movements, determining the strange sound came from the whole ox in the center. Bracing against the table, she slid forward with sweeping sword movements, delivering a diagonal slash that cleanly cut the ox and its table in two.

The ox’s interior had been hollowed out of organs, creating an empty cavity. Peering closely, Huo Qi Lang saw several copper tubes standing inside, two of which were billowing black smoke while fuses hissed ominously. Without hesitation, she stepped forward to stamp out the fuses, silencing the remaining tubes.

After calming down to observe carefully, Huo Qi Lang nearly laughed. She had seen this type of copper tube device many times – if the fuses were lit properly, they should burst into brilliant colorful fireworks. The fifth brother “Fire-Wielding Warrior” Luo Tuotuo made his living selling such items, and the Canliang Courtyard’s sect summoning signal was the same thing.

Just as fourth brother Qiu Ren had switched to selling medicinal herbs, the fireworks business was much easier than roaming mountains searching for unguarded tombs. Many wealthy show-offs in Chang’an competed to purchase them.

However, the explosive components were highly flammable and extremely difficult to control. Done well, they created magnificent fire trees and silver flowers; done poorly, they could blind eyes, split noses, or sever hands and feet. Luo Tuotuo himself often suffered from such accidents, leaving him covered in hideous burn scars.

The fireworks inside this ox were presumably deliberately placed with timed fuses for the banquet’s glory, but either Liu Kun’s toast was too lengthy and tedious, or the cramped space inside the ox caused a misfire.

Understanding the details, Huo Qi Lang’s anxious heart finally settled. She smoothly sheathed her sword and returned to Prince Shao’s side. Xu Lai and Li Chengyin had recovered their senses, protecting Li Yuanying with their backs to the wall, while that fellow Kang Simo had already fled without a trace.

Huo Qi Lang saw Li Yuanying struggling to suppress his shock and felt relieved she hadn’t frightened the beauty badly, saying in a relaxed tone to her own people, “It’s over.”

Liu Kun also recovered his composure. This “Silver River Illuminating Night Ox” had been specially prepared months in advance by chefs brought from Luoyang, intended to astound everyone. Who could have predicted such an accident, turning amazement into horror? Whether gunpowder or fireworks, how could nomadic barbarians and simple frontier generals have ever seen such fancy things? They thought it was an earthquake or the start of war.

The banquet was ruined. Liu Kun was furious, and to appease the foreign envoys, he immediately ordered his men to bind the cooks and servants, executing them all as assassins on the spot without question.

When the crisis occurred and others panicked, only the guard beside Prince Shao remained calm, protecting his master, slashing the ox, and extinguishing the fire in one fluid motion – a memorable performance. When servants came to clean up, they were shocked to discover that not only was the ox severed, but the copper tray, three fingers thick, had been cleanly cut in half with smooth, even surfaces.

All the generals present were battle-hardened warriors, yet none had ever seen such a master – not only was his swordplay exquisite, but his arm strength surpassed ordinary people, leaving them increasingly amazed. Everyone secretly thought: if this had been a warhorse in full armor, it would certainly have been cut in two just as easily, not to mention its rider.

Looking again at that guard, apart from his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and tall stature, his appearance was utterly ordinary, his sword unremarkable. Standing beside Prince Shao, he blended into the crowd.

Everyone couldn’t help but recall the great Tang general Li Siye from decades past, famous for his extraordinary courage with countless defeats under his mo dao. Liu Kun carefully examined the roasted ox and copper tray, sighing in admiration, “I once heard it said ‘when Li Siye’s blade strikes, both man and horse are destroyed.’ I thought historians were exaggerating, but I never imagined such fierce warriors truly existed in this world.”

On such an occasion, Prince Shao as master should have responded with modest words, but Li Yuanying remained silent, seemingly accepting the praise.

Seeing that besides that guard, there was another with an identical face standing beside Prince Shao, Liu Kun developed a desire for talent and said, “Since Your Highness possesses two masters, might you spare me one? I’m willing to pay a thousand gold to sincerely invite the one who just slashed the ox to join my ranks.”

Hearing “thousand gold,” Huo Qi Lang’s heart skipped a beat. She tugged at Li Yuanying’s clothes from behind, only to have her hand slapped away.

Li Yuanying’s expression was cold as he said decisively, “These two are both my trusted confidants – how could there be any reason for them to serve under others?”

Hearing this, Liu Kun showed regret but couldn’t press further, joking, “Your Highness is perhaps too miserly with wealth – you won’t trade your jade-bridled horse, nor share your talented people.”

Li Yuanying responded domineeringly, “Naturally. My people and my horses – not even ten thousand gold could buy them.”

The banquet was interrupted by this accident. Guests who had come in high spirits left disappointed. With severed heads rolling in the hall, no one had any mood to continue celebrating, so they dispersed unhappily.

Li Yuanying walked out calmly, showing no abnormality, but when boarding the carriage, his foot inadvertently stumbled. Huo Qi Lang understood he was utterly exhausted but forcing himself to endure, so she helped support him up.

Seated in the carriage as the honor guard left the military governor’s mansion, Li Yuanying couldn’t suppress his anger and questioned before they even reached home, “What did you mean by that just now?”

Huo Qi Lang joked, “I figured that sucker was willing to pay a thousand gold – we could split fifty-fifty. I’d go stay with him for a few days and still come find Your Highness for fun at night. Wouldn’t that make everyone happy?”

Li Yuanying turned deathly pale with rage, shouting, “One horse cannot have two saddles, one minister cannot serve two masters – you want to defect to the enemy right in front of me?!”

Seeing his genuine fury, Huo Qi Lang quickly apologized, “I was just joking – please don’t be angry, Your Highness.” She moved forward to get closer to him.

Li Yuanying immediately showed extreme disgust, angrily shouting, “Get away! Don’t come so close.”

Huo Qi Lang was startled, suddenly remembering she still wore Xu Xing’s face, which must look quite bizarre to him. She quickly rubbed away the disguise materials, revealing her true features.

She explained, “I’m employed by Your Highness. In Youzhou, I only protect Your Highness and won’t follow anyone else during my service period.”

Li Yuanying said angrily, “So after the term expires, it goes to the highest bidder? Shameless, disloyal, and unrighteous.”

Because his vocabulary was sophisticated, Huo Qi Lang took considerable effort to finally understand the source of Li Yuanying’s anger. People of his status always demanded life-and-death loyalty from subordinates – loyalty to family and country, to the court, and such.

So she sat upright and said frankly, “I’m not loyal to anyone – I just fulfill my responsibilities.”

Li Yuanying said through gritted teeth, “Loyalty at least has heart in it, responsibility only has money!”

“Your Highness…”

Huo Qi Lang looked directly at Li Yuanying and replied calmly, “Old Qi is illiterate.”

Li Yuanying suddenly awakened as if from a dream, not knowing why he had said such words. What was he demanding? From the first day this person entered the mansion, hadn’t she made it crystal clear she was paid to do work? She would never provide the lifelong devotion of family retainers or death warriors. Money meant battle; no money meant departure.

Li Yuanying looked at the solemn, silent profile across from him, recalling Madam Li’s words about winning her loyalty to keep at his side permanently. But this was someone who would arrogantly call the Tang Emperor the “Chang’an Military Governor” – neither great profit nor status could retain such a person.

Purely from an employer’s perspective, he wasn’t much different from Liu Kun. His only advantage was that Bao Zhu had discovered her first and hired the talent in advance. All her attentiveness and accommodation stemmed from lust, with no long-term considerations.

The imperial honor guard moved forward, wheels rumbling on the silent, empty streets. During the deep night curfew, the entire city was forced into slumber – only those with special privileges could travel at this hour, as they made the rules.

Li Yuanying’s straight back gradually leaned against the carriage wall. Yes, because he was too exhausted, his willpower and judgment would decline, leading to such unreasonable words. Once calm, everything would return to its source – what he should prioritize now wasn’t such trivial matters.

The carriage fell into complete silence.

After a long while, Huo Qi Lang dropped the previous topic and said calmly, “There’s something Your Highness should know. When the fireworks misfired with that tremendous noise, the reaction of Liu Kun’s guards was unusual.”

Li Yuanying asked wearily, “How so?”

“When people encounter accidents, instincts are hardest to disguise – the body’s reactions don’t lie. When the explosion occurred, those two guards first stepped back, looked toward Liu Kun, and placed their hands on their sword hilts.”

As a sword master skilled in observation, these subtle initial movements often determined life and death in combat, making her particularly sensitive to them.

Li Yuanying was extremely intelligent and understood immediately: “So when crisis struck, his personal guards’ first reaction was to consider their own superior the source of danger?”

Huo Qi Lang nodded: “Exactly so.”

Li Yuanying fell into deep thought.

The convoy finally reached Prince Shao’s mansion. Guards opened the carriage door where Madam Li had been waiting, with eunuchs clustering around to help their master down. Li Yuanying turned to Huo Qi Lang and said coldly, “Remember this – even if it’s just business, your worth is definitely more than a thousand gold.”