On the twenty-first day of the first month of Qian Yuan’s sixth year, winter was not yet over, and the army was on the march.

“About one more day and night, and we can reach Yunzhou,” Xiao Jue raised his riding whip, pointing ahead.

Qin Chang Ge nodded, taking a sip of water that Chu Feihuan silently handed over. “We’ve been marching urgently, taking small paths and shortcuts all the way. The soldiers have had a hard journey. If we arrive at Yunzhou just as the allied forces attack, exhausted troops from a long march without rest will face a difficult, hard-fought battle.”

“Hard to fight or not, we must fight,” Xiao Jue sneered. “Aren’t they exhausted troops too?”

Turning to look at Qin Chang Ge, Xiao Jue’s eyes were full of tender affection as he said softly: “You must be very tired, right? You’ve barely slept well these past few days. Tonight we’ll have to sleep in the wilderness again – I’m sorry to put you through this.”

“How do you know I haven’t slept well?” Qin Chang Ge looked at him with a half-smile.

“Well, this, this…” How could Xiao Jue admit that every night he would sneak out of his tent to see that Chang Ge’s tent stayed lit for a long time? A peeping tom’s life was wretched, and wretchedness couldn’t be spoken aloud.

Fortunately, Qin Chang Ge understood Xiao Jue like she understood her own fingers. She just smiled and let it pass. A woman with no one peeping at her would be lonely, and too ashamed to admit it.

Chu Feihuan suddenly said faintly: “It’s going to rain.”

As if providing commentary for his words, there was immediately a tremendous crash. In the rolling black clouds above, golden serpents danced wildly, bright light split the air, and a huge bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. Thunder roared like it was striking directly overhead, making the ground seem to tremble slightly.

Qin Chang Ge looked up in amazement: “Thunder in deep winter?”

“Probably spring thunder,” Xiao Jue actually had the mood to joke. “Help me strike down some of those wall-demolishing bastards.”

But Chu Feihuan looked worried, frowning at the darkening sky. Storm clouds were gathering, and the surrounding cold was heavy. If it rained, it would probably be mixed with snow. This was wilderness and mountain country – where could they quickly find shelter?

“Your Majesty!” Yao Yanyu, the commander of the Imperial Guards who was accompanying the expedition, came galloping. “It’s about to rain heavily. We can’t stay here. There’s a small market town ten li ahead – this slave will escort Your Majesty there first.”

Xiao Jue grunted agreement: “Tell everyone to speed up.”

The thunder grew more urgent. The group spurred their horses and galloped. After traveling only five li, cold wind suddenly rose, then raindrops began pattering down. In the sound of rain were light crystalline cracking sounds – ice crystals landing on people’s shoulders with crackling sounds.

Not only rain mixed with snow, but hail too, and the hailstones weren’t small.

Qin Chang Ge cursed inwardly, channeling her inner energy to drive away the hail, spurring her horse to run even faster.

At times like this, she couldn’t spare her energy and stamina. Rushing through this deep winter weather, if she got soaked and caught cold, that would be serious trouble.

Yao Yanyu was drenched, staying beside Xiao Jue, struggling in the fierce wind to raise a yellow oiled cloth umbrella to shelter him. Xiao Jue knocked it away with one hand, laughing heartily: “Charging forward against hail, galloping through snow – life’s greatest joy is nothing more than this! What use is a damn umbrella!”

He rode uncovered at the head of the group, his black robes flying in the wind. Everyone couldn’t help but quicken their pace following him.

Soon they reached the small town ahead, but it was an abandoned town. The town was very small, with broken walls and ruins everywhere. The army had to camp outside the town.

Xiao Jue’s horse hooves rang crisply in the empty small town, startling night birds resting among the broken tiles and ruined walls. They flew up into the sky with a flutter, perching on trees with withered, gnarled branches, tilting their heads to observe the uninvited night visitors.

The air held an extreme quietness. The sounds of the army resting outside town seemed very distant. Hail continued pattering down, quickly accumulating a bright icy layer on the ground that was then crushed under horse hooves.

From somewhere came the long howl of wild beasts, desolate and wild. The night birds in the town were startled again, flapping their wings in waves but not shrieking – just circling continuously in the dim snowy mist, spreading the sound of beating wings throughout the town.

Qin Chang Ge kept her hands tucked in her sleeves, looking up at the dreary, misty sky, murmuring: “This town feels very eerie…”

Behind them, Yao Yanyu led the guards, barely finding a house with a roof that didn’t leak – it looked like the former residence of a wealthy family in town. He carefully ordered people to clean it. Everyone brushed off the swaying, broken lanterns under the eaves, rolling in covered with snow and ice crystals as they rushed into the hall. Xiao Jue and Qin Chang Ge stood under the eaves, seeing the heavy snow and dropping temperature with many soldiers shivering. They ordered the cook soldiers to start fires and boil ginger soup for distribution. Without resting, they first went to inspect the army and personally check the camp setup, keeping busy for a while before returning.

Just as they entered the hall, they suddenly heard someone scolding ahead: “Hey you damned beggar, get lost!”

The three turned to see a disheveled, dirty beggar crouched under the dripping eaves of the empty house, hugging his legs with his head buried, shivering. Guards were trying to drive him away, constantly kicking him.

Xiao Jue looked over and walked forward angrily: “Why are you kicking him?”

Seeing him approach, the guard quickly lowered his head: “Reporting to Master, this person stubbornly stays here and looks sick. We slaves fear catching his illness… we have so many people here.”

Xiao Jue thought this made sense, but in this freezing weather, driving the man out would likely kill him. He frowned: “If he’s sick, isolate him for treatment. Driving him out isn’t that asking for his life? Take him to the back room and call a doctor to examine him.”

The guards obeyed and left. Xiao Jue turned back to see Qin Chang Ge looking thoughtful, and smiled: “No problem – this person has no martial arts.”

Qin Chang Ge smiled back: “Let’s rest early.”

She saw a guard hurriedly picking up straw where the beggar had been crouched. Suddenly her gaze flashed: “Wait.”

At the same time, Chu Feihuan also said: “Wait.”

Qin Chang Ge smiled at him, put on gloves, and reached out to turn over the straw the guard was holding. Her hand suddenly paused, then slowly drew back.

In her palm was a dot of red mud.

Xiao Jue made a sound of surprise: “Blood?”

“No,” Qin Chang Ge was about to smell it when Xiao Jue and Chu Feihuan both blocked her simultaneously. The two men stepped forward to examine the mud, smelled it, looked at each other, and both saw questions in the other’s eyes.

After a long moment, Chu Feihuan murmured: “Seems like just mud.”

“But where around here is there red mud?” Xiao Jue frowned.

The two men grabbed Qin Chang Ge’s gloves, one taking each glove, and threw them aside together. Qin Chang Ge couldn’t help laughing and shaking her head: “Am I made of paper? Made of dough? Why be so careful?”

“Though this abandoned town in the wilderness looks harmless, caution keeps one safe for ten thousand years,” Xiao Jue shook his head. “I’ve lived in fear these past two years.”

“So even you have fears,” Qin Chang Ge smiled, lying down first on the bedding the guards had laid out. “Rest quickly – once the rain stops, we must continue our journey.”

The three each took a corner, closing their eyes to meditate and regulate their breathing, naturally forming a three-moon formation with Qin Chang Ge protected in the center.

At midnight, human voices were silent, wind and snow continued.

In the howling wind, doors in the town that weren’t properly closed made banging collision sounds – open, shut, open, shut… monotonous and muffled sounds.

Yet these monotonous sounds made people hear something frightening and murderous, as if countless stiff corpses were slowly pushing open coffin lids underground, step by step walking onto streets without moonlight.

In the quiet, dilapidated hall, a fire was dying, red flames flickering in black ash like night blinking strange eyes.

Yao Yanyu, who was keeping watch, got up to quietly add fuel, thinking that on this stormy night, it was fortunate to find dry branches in someone’s woodshed that hadn’t gotten wet – otherwise everyone would have frozen.

He also thought how careful Master Chu and the others were, even personally inspecting the firewood. But concerning His Majesty’s and the Grand Tutor’s safety, being careful was naturally best.

While thinking this, he suddenly felt something was wrong but couldn’t figure out what. As he puzzled over it, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of faint shadows on the ground.

Yao Yanyu was startled – enemies!

About to shout, he suddenly realized the shadow seemed to be just his own. He couldn’t help laughing at himself – this ghostly town with its eerie atmosphere made him paranoid, even afraid of shadows.

Yao Yanyu shook his head self-mockingly and continued adding fuel.

His hand suddenly stopped.

This shadow… wasn’t right.

His right hand was adding fuel – naturally the reflection on the ground should be reversed, so why did it still look like it was on the right side?

And his hand had already stopped – why did that shadow hand seem to still be adding fuel?

Yao Yanyu looked up in realization. No one ahead, no one across, behind him were His Majesty and the Grand Tutor. The roof beams above were clearly visible – no one there either!

This was completely an empty main hall of a wealthy household. Even the entire town was empty! He was responsible for protecting His Majesty’s safety – before entering the town, they’d checked every house. No one!

On the ground, that shadow hand was still adding fuel. Not only that – suddenly there were many more shadows around, all “adding fuel.”

Every hair on Yao Yanyu’s body stood up.

Ghosts!

He stood up abruptly. The flames were pulled by his sudden movement, and Yao Yanyu suddenly felt everything go dark. In his confusion, a light mist rushed toward him, and with a thud he fell backward.

The sound of his fall startled the three. They all opened their eyes.

As soon as Qin Chang Ge opened her eyes, she saw a huge flower rushing toward her.

Yes, rushing.

No legs, yet swaying gracefully, approaching elegantly. Its thick petals curled, fanning her face, making her breathing catch.

In that gasp, she too fell backward!

Chu Feihuan beside her caught her with one hand, while Xiao Jue, who had rushed to check on Yao Yanyu, twisted in mid-air and tumbled back with shocked expression.

In Qin Chang Ge’s eyes, it became the flower suddenly transforming into a ghostly form, revealing sharp teeth and fangs, lunging at her throat to devour her!

Brain urgent and dizzy, Qin Chang Ge’s palm power burst out like raging waves, striking directly toward Xiao Jue!

Xiao Jue was in mid-air with no way to dodge.

Chu Feihuan suddenly pulled Qin Chang Ge around, stepping aside.

With a boom, a ruined wall was shattered by Qin Chang Ge’s redirected palm strike. Dust, mud, and broken bricks scattered, revealing the originally sleeping guards lying in disarray behind the wall.

In the tremendous noise, Qin Chang Ge’s confused mind briefly cleared from the sound. In that moment of awakening, she immediately closed her eyes: “I’m poisoned – hallucination poison. Don’t come near me, and I can’t open my eyes.”

Xiao Jue was greatly alarmed: “Then why are Master Chu and I unaffected?”

Qin Chang Ge was only clear for that moment and couldn’t answer. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Chu Feihuan helped her sit down while channeling energy to help her expel the poison, coldly saying: “We two did good deeds that turned out bad.”

Xiao Jue was puzzled, raising his brows: “Do you mean…” Before he finished speaking, he heard a low gasp behind him.

Xiao Jue looked down to see confused shadows on the ground before him. In the wind and snow, faint footsteps echoed from the half-open door, while behind him Yao Yanyu suddenly struggled to his feet, eyes vacant, lunging toward him.

Chu Feihuan shouted: “Don’t touch him!” Xiao Jue nodded, sidestepping and lifting his leg to kick him out with skillful force. Yao Yanyu did a somersault in mid-air and landed steadily. After landing, he stood dazed for a moment, then looked up at a broken lantern under the eaves. Suddenly, as if seeing some ghost, he roared and lunged at Xiao Jue again.

Xiao Jue cursed: “Bastard!” His arm shook and he threw Yao Yanyu down again. Chu Feihuan flicked his sleeve, a white light shooting from within, snapping that lantern with a crack.

The lantern fell, wind suddenly intensified, banging the door open and sweeping in snow and ice crystals with a whoosh, extinguishing the fire.

The main hall was immediately plunged into complete darkness.

In the darkness, breathing was faint and figures writhed. Behind the half-destroyed wall, the poisoned guards all got up and approached unsteadily.

Chu Feihuan knelt on one knee before Qin Chang Ge, never leaving her side, saying quietly: “Your Majesty… I trouble you for protection.”

Xiao Jue nodded, drawing his sword. Brilliant sword energy shot out, illuminating the dark hall. The poisoned guards all retreated. Xiao Jue used hands and feet without weapons, striking pressure points to knock them all out unharmed and throwing them outside.

Both knew not to call loudly for the army outside the town to help, as enemies had surely set up barriers after they entered to block the town’s access. Ordinary soldiers and officers coming would just be wasted, while these enemies naturally dared not face the army directly – their target was specifically the three of them.

As for how the opponents had ambushed in this uninhabited town, the two couldn’t guess. The army’s march was extremely secretive. To save time, they’d mostly traveled through wilderness. For enemies to predict their stopping here and set invisible traps showed real skill.

They’d even poisoned Chang Ge before showing themselves. Xiao Jue secretly regretted his carelessness – why hadn’t he personally inspected the entire town?

But Chu Feihuan’s gaze swept the ground, seeing that most ice crystals swept in disappeared instantly upon entering, while some remained unchanged, rolling into the previous woodpile and immediately creating a thin layer of smoke from the ground.

He suddenly understood – some of those ice crystals contained poison, but were themselves harmless, just like the firewood he’d inspected was harmless. But when combined with the smoke from the “firewood” the enemy had prepared, they immediately became hallucinogenic poison. During rain and snow, having broken ice on one’s body and fallen snow on the ground was perfectly normal – who would notice?

Wind blew the broken lantern rolling around on the ground, also spilling white particles – those nearly genuine “ice crystals” had leaked from the broken lantern and been carried into the hall.

This method of poisoning was strange, the enemy’s cleverness truly alarming.

Chu Feihuan looked back toward the rear courtyard – that he and Xiao Jue strangely hadn’t been poisoned was probably thanks to that beggar.

Originally thinking the beggar appearing in the uninhabited town was surely a mysterious enemy, all three had secretly instructed subordinates to watch him. Who knew that on this eerie stormy night, enemies weren’t enemies and friends weren’t friends – the person they carefully guarded against came to rescue them. The beggar had deliberately drawn their attention, revealing the straw beneath him. The red mud in the straw was actually antidote.

Smelling that stuff probably could counteract the later hallucinogenic poison. Unfortunately, he and Xiao Jue were too concerned about Chang Ge’s welfare and wouldn’t let her smell unknown substances, actually harming her instead.

Chu Feihuan turned to find where they’d thrown the gloves, but discovered they were gone.

They’d clearly just thrown them nearby – how could they suddenly disappear? Were they blown away by wind?

Chu Feihuan wouldn’t give up, turning his body further. Suddenly he saw white soft material slightly swaying in the gap under an old chair – it looked like those gloves.

Chu Feihuan was delighted and immediately reached for the gloves.

His fingertips touched soft fabric and lifted the gloves, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in his fingers.

His five fingers immediately contracted. In an instant, Chu Feihuan reversed his palm to grab, probing and seizing in the darkness, grabbing something and yanking it out hard, shouting: “Come out!”

With a bang, something hit the cabinet’s bottom board. Chu Feihuan’s gaze flashed fiercely as he swept his arm horizontally. With a crash, the cabinet shattered, and he forcibly pulled a black form from a hole under the cabinet.

Chu Feihuan backhandedly flung the black shadow hard to the ground!

But the shadow was extremely flexible, transforming like smoke in the darkness. Just as its body was about to hit the ground, it suddenly bounced up horizontally, whooshing over Chu Feihuan’s head like a piece of cloth.

Chu Feihuan didn’t pursue, drawing his Flying Fish sword with a swish and unhesitatingly cutting away a piece of flesh from his right middle finger. Blood flowed as Chu Feihuan tore a strip from his robe to bandage it, tightly binding the finger root. He took a detox pill from his robes and swallowed it.

Regardless of whether he was poisoned by that ambush strike, Chu Feihuan didn’t want to give others a chance to bring him down. Otherwise, how could Xiao Jue alone protect Chang Ge surrounded by enemies?

The black shadow flew out like light smoke over Chu Feihuan, instantly reaching above Xiao Jue’s head. Xiao Jue sneered, drawing his long sword. Sword light poured like a waterfall as he thrust mercilessly toward the heart.

The opponent laughed lightly, pressing at his waist. A section of autumn water sword edge suddenly sprang out like white silk, cold light glittering, directly attacking Xiao Jue’s eyes.

With a phoenix nod, he swiftly avoided the soft sword. Xiao Jue raised his brows, anger showing in his eyes. He’d recognized it as his own sword, coldly shouting: “Shui Jingchen!”

The opponent laughed again, saying softly: “Your Majesty’s sword is very useful. I like it very much. I also like Your Majesty’s head and came specially to borrow it.”

“I’m also very interested in your head,” Xiao Jue smiled grimly at him. “Consider lending it to me first, then I’ll lend it back to you.”

“I spoke first – everything has a first-come, first-served order, right?” Shui Jingchen laughed continuously, his sword dancing with sinuous changes, light curtains like paintings – sometimes like a beauty dancing while playing strings, sometimes like a woman picking flowers on a path. Every move was extremely graceful and elegant, with infinite killing intent within the elegance.

But Xiao Jue was like raging seas and wild waves, opening and closing grandly. Every move seemed to exhaust all his inner power, every move like a final desperate strike. Yet after this desperate fight, he could fight desperately again – breaking waves in endless surging fury without pause.

Misty qi rose around both men. Force and sword energy scattered indoor objects everywhere. Chu Feihuan absolutely wouldn’t leave Qin Chang Ge’s side. Seeing a chair leg flying over, he casually caught it and backhandedly hurled it with hunting wind sound directly at Shui Jingchen’s back.

His power was strong and technique superior. Shui Jingchen didn’t dare be careless, dodging sideways with a laugh: “Attacking from behind is villainous behavior.”

“That phrase suits you better,” Chu Feihuan said coldly. “The one outside in the lantern – why haven’t you come out yet?”

Outside under the eaves, another lantern swayed.

Chu Feihuan said calmly: “You’re controlling the external formation, blocking the approaching guards, aren’t you? If you won’t come out, I’ll invite you out!”

He flicked his finger, shooting a gray light.

A cold snort came from somewhere unknown, and black cold light suddenly flew from the lantern.

But Chu Feihuan’s gray light wasn’t aimed at the lantern – it struck toward Shui Jingchen.

Shui Jingchen dodged again, creating an opening. At that moment, Xiao Jue’s sword momentum reached this direction. Sword light flashed, deflecting the gray light with a snap as it hit the door.

The gray light shattered, rising dust that was actually yellow, slowly drilling toward the lantern.

That missed black cold light struck a desk with a thud, instantly disappearing.

With a crack, the lantern shattered and a red figure gracefully floated out. The figure’s frame was quite large – it was hard to imagine how it had been stuffed into that small lantern.

The person’s body was soft like a length of gorgeous brocade, folding several times on the doorway steps before suddenly springing open. When it opened, brilliant colored light suddenly covered heaven and earth.

The person smiled brilliantly, immediately raising misty vapors in seven confusing colors.

Qin Chang Ge, who had been sitting with eyes closed regulating her breathing, suddenly opened her eyes: “Colored gu!”

Chu Feihuan was delighted and turned, wanting to ask “Are you better?” But saw Qin Chang Ge quickly close her eyes again, urgently saying: “Feihuan, we must first break the external formation and let my Huang Meng subordinates out to mobilize the army to surround this town. Otherwise we’ll just be trapped here to death.”

Chu Feihuan hesitated: “Your current condition…”

Qin Chang Ge closed her eyes, listening to the wind sounds of Shui Jingchen and Xiao Jue fighting, knowing that though this guy’s martial arts were slightly inferior to Shui Jingchen’s, his fierce courage provided considerable compensation. Somewhat reassured, she transmitted her voice to call: “Hey, Xiao Jue, retreat a bit.”

Emperor Xiao never liked retreating during fights, but Qin Chang Ge’s call was the only exception. Raising his brows with a smile, he attacked with three swift strikes, forcing Shui Jingchen back a step, immediately withdrawing his sword momentum and leaping to Qin Chang Ge’s side, happily saying: “You’re alright?”

“The residual poison isn’t gone – I dare not open my eyes,” Qin Chang Ge said quietly. “They can’t control me that easily. But A’Jue, that Yinli and Shui Jingchen joined forces tonight – they definitely want to eliminate us three quietly in this town. Now we can only charge outward first. My Huang Meng guards definitely won’t be easily poisoned. As long as we rendezvous with them and break the restrictions outside town, two hundred thousand troops can stomp them to death!”

“But in your condition, we can’t abandon you!”

“Who told you to abandon me? Whoever abandons me, I despise them,” Qin Chang Ge smiled. “A’Jue, Feihuan – life or death, we charge together. You two be my left and right eyes.”