He held Rong Xiaotian in his arms, walking out step by step.

Sunlight fell upon his face—if Xiao Jue was pale and Chu Feihuan was weak, then he was something that did not resemble human coloring.

Qin Chang Ge slowly lowered her hands. The traces at her fingertips, just dampened by tears of joy, were not yet dry when they were immediately soaked by the slight sweat seeping from her palms.

Her gaze turned away from Qi Fan’s unbearable expression and toward Rong Xiaotian in his arms—he appeared to have no external injuries, as if this were merely a deep sleep. Qin Chang Ge slowly looked at Qi Fan’s outer robe covering his chest and reached out to lift it.

Xiao Jue suddenly extended his hand, blocking her with his arm.

Qin Chang Ge slowly withdrew her hand, pressed her lips together, and turned away.

Since you don’t want me to see, then I won’t look… but whether I see it or not, it’s all the same now.

The sudden painful blow after great joy was like falling from a high cliff. The tremendous wind sound caused by that fall instantly pierced through one’s heart, making one feel cold and suddenly lose all interest in speaking.

Across from them, Yin Li, who had already rushed back from the front hall, silently watched these few people with a complex, indescribable expression.

He beckoned with his hand, and a gray-robed subordinate of Xuanchi Palace respectfully approached. Yin Li said woodenly, “Take them out through the side gate.”

Qin Chang Ge took out the demon flower’s inner core and handed it to Yin Li. Looking into his eyes, she said, “High Priest, tell me, was this sacrifice necessary?”

Yin Li remained silent for a long time before answering, “Yes.”

Qin Chang Ge smiled miserably and murmured, “I only hope you haven’t deceived me, otherwise I must…”

She didn’t finish the rest of her words, supporting Chu Feihuan as she followed their guide to leave.

Yin Li watched the group’s retreating figures disappear into the distance, his expression cold and stern, with what seemed like demon fire leaping in his eyes.

Exiting through Xuanchi Palace’s side gate was an inconspicuous small path in Youhuo Marsh. After passing through that slanted trail and a cluster of shrubs, there was a hill where the group stopped.

Qi Fan sent up a fire arrow to summon his arranged subordinates for support, then set down Rong Xiaotian and silently went to search for dry branches and leaves.

Qin Chang Ge sat cross-legged beside Xiao Jue, listening as he recounted everything that had happened in the secret chamber. Xiao Jue’s memory only went up to the moment before he fainted. When he awoke, he saw that Rong Xiaotian had already died by gouging out his own heart, and he nearly thought Yin Li had done it. At that time, Qi Fan had already rushed over desperately, and it was Chu Feihuan who timely explained the situation, causing both of them to freeze in shock.

Chu Feihuan had been sitting cross-legged in meditation throughout. Only after Xiao Jue finished speaking did he say faintly, “I wronged Xiaotian.”

Qin Chang Ge found his tone strange and couldn’t help but glance at him, but Chu Feihuan had already closed his eyes again.

The fire blazed up.

Everything would eventually turn to flying ash.

Qi Fan, who had remained silent throughout, knelt before the fire, gazing mesmerized at the flames and rising black smoke. His eyes were vacant and distant, not knowing what past events he was remembering, but he actually showed a faint smile.

Qin Chang Ge stood with her hands behind her back on the hilltop, watching that reckless and vivid man gradually turn into green smoke and pale gray ash, scattering into the eternally springlike deep emerald green of Nanmin, then drifting far toward the distant east. There, in the far east, Qingma Sacred Mountain stood silently for a thousand years, and all this infinite spring beauty would eventually become the deep snow on that lonely, desolate peak.

Life is impermanent, with sorrow and suffering in endless cycles.

…When she first met him, he had drawn his sword against the powerful, his expression stern and righteous as steel. Through repeated encounters, they eventually forged the celebrated friendship between the founding empress and the three heroes of Huang Meng. When she met with misfortune, he and Qi Fan never changed their original intentions, raising the crown prince and supporting Huang Meng with a silent but resilient attitude, never giving up for even a day on seeking justice for her… Even today’s act of redemption, wasn’t its root cause because of her? If he hadn’t been obsessed with avenging her, would Rong Xiaotian have tried to kill Chu Feihuan? If this tragic misunderstanding hadn’t occurred, why would Rong Xiaotian have been melancholy for so long, bearing such heavy burdens, ultimately giving up his life?

Who was really at fault? Who owed whom?

Qin Chang Ge gazed toward the clouds beyond the sky, deep red veins appearing in her eyes.

But Qi Fan suddenly turned his head, as if seeing through her thoughts, and said quietly, “Master, you need not grieve. Who owes what, who repays—this was always my brother’s responsibility.”

He turned his head again, looking at his lifelong brother gradually turning to nothing in the firelight, and smiled helplessly.

“I only hate that he wouldn’t let me go with him.”

The firelight gradually died, and one person disappeared from the world forever.

Qi Fan, who had never shed a tear throughout, pressed his lips tightly together and personally collected Rong Xiaotian’s ashes carefully.

Qin Chang Ge didn’t go forward to help, letting this pair of life-and-death brothers who had never been separated properly complete their final journey together.

From now on, in heaven and earth, in the azure heavens and yellow springs, there would be no one beside him anymore.

Qi Fan gathered up the ashes and straightened his back, when suddenly his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground!

Qin Chang Ge was startled and quickly supported him. She thought he had fainted from excessive grief, but then Xiao Jue beside her also swayed.

Just as he was about to fall, Chu Feihuan, who had timely opened his eyes, caught him.

Qin Chang Ge felt Qi Fan’s pulse and frowned, then reached out to check Xiao Jue’s pulse. Chu Feihuan had already said quietly, “He’s been poisoned.”

After thinking, he added, “It can’t really be called poison—it’s more like a type of sinister dark force… it damages one’s vital energy and meridians. It should be martial arts from the Yin family school.”

Seeing that Qin Chang Ge showed no anger at this, he was somewhat surprised. Qin Chang Ge had already laughed coldly, “People who play with poisons, having mixed with those abnormal things for so long, how could they not have some sinister methods? Yin Li isn’t good at politics, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t good at killing… Unfortunately for him, I’m skilled at both politics and killing.”

Chu Feihuan looked at her with understanding, “You tampered with the inner core?”

Qin Chang Ge nodded, saying, “In a place like Xuanchi Palace, with people like Yin Li and Ban Yan, we had to guard against them no matter what.”

She closed her eyes and thought, “I see… when I heard A’Jue speak earlier, I always felt something was wrong. Now I understand—Yin Li wanted A’Jue to crush the jialan into powder because he wanted to examine his internal energy. He was already suspicious of us and didn’t want to release tigers back to the mountain. Then he used the excuse of being unable to maintain the jialan powder’s suspension to have Qi Fan and A’Jue channel their true energy to him. I don’t know what strange method he used, but at that moment he activated this sinister technique, infiltrating their meridians…”

She laughed coldly, “Nanmin values oaths. He did give us the Stepping Fragrance Jialan and did send us out of the palace—he didn’t break his oath. Because he calculated that we would obediently return, and when we returned, it wouldn’t be within the scope of his oath anymore.”

She brushed dust from her lap and said coldly, “I refuse to go back.”

Chu Feihuan checked both men’s pulses and said, “Your Majesty was separated by a layer, so the damage is less severe. Moreover, both of them were extremely cautious and probably had their energy circulating defensively at the time… Fortunately.”

Before he finished speaking, a long whistle came from the distance. Xiao Jue, who had been circulating his energy in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes and helped Qi Fan up with one hand.

Qin Chang Ge’s eyes lit up, and she immediately kicked a large pile of dirt over the remaining charcoal from the fire, shaping it like a grave mound.

Chu Feihuan immediately stood up and placed the still-unconscious Qi Fan, who was more severely injured, in front of the “grave,” positioning him in a kneeling posture.

The three coordinated seamlessly to complete their disguise in an instant. Xiao Jue took a deep breath, and his pale complexion immediately regained some color, his eyes also brightening.

Qin Chang Ge looked at him with concern, “Are you alright? Can you hold on?”

Xiao Jue laughed heartily, dismissively saying, “I won’t die. That fellow Yin Li deceived me—how can I not deceive him back?”

Qin Chang Ge smiled helplessly, “In that case, we need not be constrained by Yin Li’s threats—he can only listen to us. But A’Jue, don’t take your body lightly. If anything feels wrong, we’ll let Yin Li gain some advantage. Above all, don’t be stubborn.”

“No way,” Xiao Jue answered proudly, “No one can scheme against me and not pay a price!”

Just as his words fell, a yellow shadow streaked by like flowing light. Yin Li, wearing a yellow robe with red demon snake patterns, had already appeared on the hill. His wooden expression was tinged with iron blue, and seeing Xiao Jue standing there perfectly fine while Qi Fan “grieved and knelt” with his back to him, both looking quite well, his expression became even more unpleasant.

Qin Chang Ge smiled and beckoned, “Has the High Priest come to escort us out of Nanmin?”

Yin Li snorted and looked the group up and down with a somewhat puzzled expression.

Qin Chang Ge snapped her fingers, and the support convoy that had arrived earlier and been waiting nearby appeared. The lead carriage drove over, just blocking Yin Li’s view of Qi Fan. Qin Chang Ge gestured behind her back to the Huang Meng subordinate driving the carriage, indicating they should quietly get Qi Fan into the cart from behind. She climbed into another carriage and sat on the shaft, smiling, “High Priest, I’m afraid you might not digest that inner core well. The core has seven or eight layers of poison applied to it, with complex medicinal properties using rare substances. I’m really worried I might have made a mistake and need to return to find the right antidote formula… This Nanmin has harsh mountains and evil waters, with hearts like beasts. Being timid, I’m very afraid of falling into another trap. I fear I’ll have to trouble the High Priest to personally escort us for a while.”

Xiao Jue lifted his robe, stepped onto the shaft in one stride, and before entering the carriage, turned back with a smile, saying clearly, “High Priest, don’t think about making exchanges. You played your tricks, but we didn’t fall for them at all. If you want the antidote, you’d better honestly drive the carriage for me! Haha!”

When they had set out from Chang City, it was November. But when Chang City’s magnificent fortifications came into distant view, it was already early February of the following year.

Three months had passed as if in an instant without a trace, yet some wounds carved into the heart could never heal.

The northern landscape carried a few hints of spring in the wind, and the winter’s stern vastness had added some elegant charm, making one suddenly realize this was already early spring of the fifth year of Qian Yuan.

Several carriages rumbled along an official road outside Chang City and stopped before a long bridge. Crossing this bridge would mean entering the newest borders of Xiliang.

The front carriage’s curtain lifted, revealing a person whose appearance seemed ordinary, but whose eyes were bright and lively—it was Qin Chang Ge.

Smiling as she looked ahead, Qin Chang Ge turned toward Yin Li’s carriage, which had “escorted” them all the way, not far behind, and smiled, “High Priest, ahead is Xiliang territory. I imagine you don’t wish to travel abroad, so why don’t we settle matters here?”

Yin Li coldly pulled at the corner of his mouth, then saw Qin Chang Ge lift the carriage curtain and gesture for him to come forward, “Please first remove their meridian-locking dark force!”

“You!”

Seeing Yin Li’s withered yellow complexion had turned liver-red with anger, Qin Chang Ge put away her smile and said sternly, “What about me? You’re allowed to use stratagems, but I’m not allowed to cross the bridge? What’s wrong with deceiving you for so long? I helped Xuanchi Palace escape its crisis of extinction with my strategies—what did you do to us in return?”

Yin Li was speechless. He angrily flicked his sleeve and said, “Give me the antidote! Or I’ll kill you!”

“Remove the meridian lock, or I’ll kill you!”

“Boom!”

Across from them, in the faintly swirling morning mist, black-armored, red-robed cavalry suddenly appeared, pressing forward like a dark steel flood. The cold gleam of weapons flashed intermittently in the morning mist. As soon as Qin Chang Ge finished speaking, ten thousand horses stamped their hooves in unison with a thunderous sound that made even the ground on their side of the bridge hum and vibrate.

Yin Li’s expression changed dramatically as he said in shock, “How could you…”

Qin Chang Ge resumed her graceful smile and said leisurely, “Please proceed.”

Her gaze swept gently over Xiao Jue’s face—he had been struggling to support himself these past days, refusing to show weakness before Yin Li lest he see through their ruse. She made room for him.

Yin Li had no choice but to approach with a cold expression. Qin Chang Ge played with a small bottle, smiling cheerfully, “High Priest, don’t try any more tricks, or we can play endlessly.”

Yin Li took a deep breath, no longer paying attention to her, and focused on removing the meridian-locking dark force from Xiao Jue and Qi Fan. Qin Chang Ge and Chu Feihuan carefully checked their pulses and nodded to each other. Qin Chang Ge helped the two men down, and the army waiting across the bridge immediately crossed over, bringing out several horses to escort the group across.

Qin Chang Ge tossed the small bottle in her hand to Yin Li, smiling cheerfully, “I’m more trustworthy than you… But High Priest… this is actually useless to you now.”

Seeing that everyone had been escorted away, and that Xiao Jue and Chu Feihuan were both mounted and waiting for her on the other side of the bridge, she smiled and mounted her horse. Surrounded by the army, she turned back on horseback and looked at Yin Li proudly.

“High Priest Yin, I regret to inform you that the person you just saved is our Xiliang Emperor, Xiao Jue.”

Too lazy to watch his shocked, regretful expression of wanting to cough up blood, she raised her riding whip and smiled in the February spring breeze, “On behalf of the Xiliang Imperial Dynasty, I thank you—thank you for the contribution you’ve made to Xiliang’s great cause of unifying the world. I hear that recently, Xuanchi Palace has begun counterattacking, killing the Dayan Palace envoys and slaughtering the leaderless army until blood flowed like rivers, while simultaneously commanding sect followers throughout the realm to hunt down the Shui family and engaging in many battles with them—thank you for creating the perfect opportunity for Xiliang to deal with you all. Hundreds of thousands of Xiliang’s sons have been sharpening their blades and washing their horses, eagerly waiting for this opportunity for a very long time.”

She laughed loudly, raising her whip high before bringing it down forcefully!

“Attack Nanmin!”

Like a fierce tiger breaking free from its cage, like giant waves sweeping everything away, countless Xiliang iron cavalry surged forward like a tide of steel and blood, their reins controlled as they advanced. Horse hooves struck out the crisp sound of murderous intent in the clanging wind, and in the dust filling the sky, they instantly rolled across the border bridge between Xiliang and Nanmin.

Yin Li and his troops were instantly swept up in this steel torrent.

“Who are you!” An angry roar burst from his chest, echoing through the clear morning of the northern lands in February.

Among the ten thousand troops, Qin Chang Ge turned back leisurely on horseback and smiled charmingly.

“Xiliang Grand Tutor, Zhao Moyan!”

On the third day of the second month in the fifth year of Qian Yuan, Xiliang, having just conquered a third of Northern Wei’s territory, once again raised its blade of aggression against Nanmin. The cold gleam reflected the anxious faces of Nanmin’s dying dynasty.

Having never imagined that Xiliang would resume its nation-conquering enterprise so quickly, the Nanmin Dayan Dynasty had assumed Xiliang would temporarily have no time to deal with them. During this power struggle and purge, to compensate for the enormous losses caused by Xuanchi Palace’s bloodthirsty counterattack, they had transferred troops from various locations and concentrated them near Youhuo Marsh, leaving defenses elsewhere empty. The Xiliang army drove straight in.

The curtain-raiser for the Xiliang-Nanmin war was the Battle of the Border Bridge.

This battle later became the most mysterious military engagement in Xiliang’s war history. High Priest Yin Li, who should have been in Nanmin’s central Xuanchi Palace, mysteriously appeared at the border bridge, becoming the first Nanmin blade that Xiliang’s iron cavalry encountered. In the great battle, Yin Li’s guards were killed or wounded, with only a few riders escaping back to Xuanchi Palace.

With military might like fire and aggression like a storm, three hundred thousand Xiliang troops under General Shan Shao as commander continuously captured eighteen cities of Nanmin, quickly pressing to the gates of Nanmin’s capital, Dayan City.

Facing the disaster of national extinction, the Nanmin dynasty quickly united with the Shangshan family, gathering all the nation’s remaining forces in the capital, with high walls and massive gates, determined to defend to the death.

Three hundred thousand magnificent troops with hunting banners spread out in camps stretching dozens of miles below Dayan City, extending endlessly as they surrounded Dayan completely.

At the war’s final critical moment of victory, it entered a stalemate.

At this time, those few figures who had stirred up Nanmin’s turmoil were already leisurely traveling the road back to Ying Capital.

“Why didn’t you kill Yin Li?” In the spring light, Xiao Jue looked radiant, raising his eyebrows as he smiled and asked Qin Chang Ge.

“You know perfectly well—keeping him alive is like keeping a bomb,” Qin Chang Ge smiled. “Yin Li isn’t Shui Jingchen. He’s narrow-minded and vindictive, doesn’t care for politics, and has little concept of nation and family. Keeping him alive is also a check on Dayan Palace and the Shangshan family.”

Xiao Jue nodded, his gaze passing over Chu Feihuan with hesitation.

Throughout their journey, Chu Feihuan remained as silent as before. The cure for his chronic illness, obtained through great hardship, didn’t seem to make him completely joyful. However, his martial arts continued to recover at an astonishing speed, and even Qin Chang Ge was amazed by such rapid progress, rejoicing endlessly at such a miracle. Yet Chu Feihuan remained indifferent throughout, only showing slight smiles when he saw her bright, cheerful expression.

Qin Chang Ge watched his smiles but often felt shallow bitterness and confusion in her heart. How difficult had this journey been? No one understood Chu Feihuan’s injuries better than she did. For his complete recovery, she had hardly dared harbor earnest hopes, yet the current results were so wonderful she couldn’t believe it—truly couldn’t believe it.

Results that far exceeded hopeful expectations instead made one uneasy.

She often carefully observed Chu Feihuan’s expressions but could find nothing questionable. Feihuan had always been quiet by nature, neither rejoicing in external things nor grieving for himself. Not being ecstatically happy was also normal. Was her suspicion really unnecessary?

Sighing deeply, Qin Chang Ge looked up.

Ahead, Ying Capital was in sight.

“Good heavens, they actually know to come back?”

In the imperial study, Crown Prince Xiao stood with arms akimbo, glaring down from atop the precious dragon desk in the classic compass position at the guard below who had come to report His Majesty’s return.

The poor guard didn’t dare raise his head… Dear mother, His Highness the Crown Prince’s temper lately has been legendary. Every morning he wakes up roaring angrily, shouting about fake lolitas, fan fiction women, forest cabin witches, Snow White’s stepmother… Anyway, no one understood what he was saying, but his murderous aura was clear to hear.

This had resulted in no one daring to report affairs to the Crown Prince in the mornings.

Recently, the Crown Prince had changed from marking memorials with red ink to drawing big X’s on them, with huge red X’s on every memorial. The Crown Prince’s X-drawing posture was also extremely fierce—standing on a stool with both arms swinging left and right, while a pair of beautiful twins held ink slabs, moving synchronously with his arms. If they were a step slow, flying daggers would shoot from the Crown Prince’s eyes.

Poor things, those twins like jade and snow—in any other palace they would be consort material, but they had to encounter such an oblivious one.

Those memorials marked with X’s, when they reached veteran ministers like Elder Jia Duan and other regency officials, could only be sighed over and re-corrected, resulting in provincial governors and military commanders throughout the realm submitting duplicate copies—one for the Crown Prince to draw X’s on, one for Elder Jia Duan to actually review.

As time passed, the Crown Prince’s behavior became increasingly eccentric. For instance, every morning he absolutely had to run three circles around the palace gate, going there full of anticipation and returning with drooping eyebrows. Meeting him on his way there guaranteed rewards; meeting him on his way back guaranteed a kick in the rear.

Eventually, the palace eunuchs figured out this strange pattern and specifically waited for him when he was heading toward the palace gate. Reportedly, little eunuch Xiao Haizi from Guantang Palace made his fortune by being the first to discover this secret, buying a mansion outside Zhengyang Gate.

For example, every evening he absolutely had to climb a ladder to the roof of Longzhang Palace, gazing out beyond the palace walls from the eaves, calling it exercise. A group of eunuchs below would wipe cold sweat and stand guard, and the next day they’d have to repair the glazed tiles damaged by His Highness trampling on them. This resulted in some eunuchs developing heart conditions and others mastering lightness kungfu.

The entire palace thus spent these extraordinary months under Crown Prince Xiao’s rule in a state of controlled chaos, swaying between pain and happiness.

The guard lay on the ground, wiping cold sweat. Today’s news was clearly good news, yet His Highness looked even angrier. The dragon desk was covered in footprints, and His Majesty’s beloved snow orchid had been viciously kicked over… The flying daggers in His Highness’s eyes had already filled every wall of the imperial study.

Save me…

Baozi crouched sinisterly on the dragon desk, methodically grinding his teeth… Coming back? They actually know to come back? Damn it, throwing me into this overwhelming sea of state affairs while they go on government-funded overseas vacations, picking up girls and guys, probably even playing with some ladyboys, and now they pat their butts and come back, expecting me to tearfully rush into their arms? Bah!

Crown Prince Xiao was furious, his long-accumulated resentment making his small universe explode continuously.

Stab stab stab stab stab stab stab—in his imagination, he once again stuck the few imaginary enemies dozens of miles away full of flying daggers.

Xiao Jue suddenly shivered, looking up with some bewilderment, “The sun is lovely—why is it suddenly a bit cold?”

Then he said joyfully, “I really miss Rong’er. He must be anxious waiting for me—he’s probably waiting at the palace gate.”

Qin Chang Ge held her reins with a half-smile, saying leisurely, “Is that so?”

…

In the imperial study, Crown Prince Xiao still maintained his serious crouching posture, contemplating the most audacious proposition in Xiliang royal history.

“You, come here.” He beckoned to the guard with his finger, smiling very much like Qin Chang Ge.

“Go shut the palace gates for me.”