On the eighteenth day of the first month in the sixth year of Qianyuan, catastrophe descended upon Yunzhou. The Wei-Yan allied forces’ advance army of three hundred thousand troops descended like divine soldiers at the foot of Queshang Mountain, silently killing all sentries and checkpoints within fifteen miles around the city. After breaking through the city walls at a speed that caught Yunzhou’s garrison completely off guard, they cheered and rushed into Yunzhou’s streets and alleys following Allied Commander Bai Yuan’s order to massacre the city, using others’ food and clothing to replenish their own, using others’ heads to practice their blade and spear techniques, and using others’ sisters and daughters to comfort their own “long-deprived bodies and minds.”

Black smoke rose throughout the city, cries shook the heavens, countless people were killed, countless household doors were smashed. Wherever wolf-like, tiger-like soldiers rushed in, piercing screams erupted, and wherever they emerged from, blood pooled higher than doorsteps.

Elderly were trampled underfoot, infants were impaled on blade points, and young men were slaughtered clean in the first wave. Yunzhou City’s largest Chengtian Street had corpses piled three layers deep, not one intact.

Among overturned boxes and trunks throughout the streets, soldiers laughed wildly, stuffing their pockets full of silver, hanging gold chains around their necks, wearing dozens of bracelets jingling on their wrists, even cramming jewelry into their crotches.

Those young women were dragged out together with colorful bedding. Soldiers took turns violating them in the streets. The women’s cries pierced the clouds, then gradually weakened to silence.

Liu Runan’s daughter, eighteen-year-old Liu Ying, who died defending the city walls, met the same fate. She and her mother were dragged out before they could hang themselves. This woman, no less resolute than her father, stabbed her mother to death with one knife, but didn’t kill herself. She ran all the way to the city gate, where a group of soldiers blocked her. When one soldier pounced on her, she bit off his tongue, chewed it into pieces, swallowed half with determination, and spat the other half across the ground.

The street full of soldiers waiting to commit violence were all shocked into stillness.

They heard the woman, mouth full of fresh blood, raise her head and cry out: “Empress! Yunzhou is your phoenix-dwelling place – why don’t you protect the hundreds of thousands of sisters in Yunzhou!”

Someone went to grab her, only to discover that in her open mouth, her own tongue had also been bitten off.

That night the wind howled low while savage cries were fierce. When soldiers grew tired of killing, they simply dug pits to bury everyone together. At first, when they saw women they would gang-rape them, later it became one man per woman, then later still they would kill the unattractive ones without raping them.

By daybreak, Yunzhou had become a dead city. National Teacher Bai Yuan’s massacre order had been executed very thoroughly.

This night became known in history as “Yunzhou’s Night of Extinction.”

In the morning, pale sunlight rose, but it no longer illuminated the peaceful faces of Yunzhou’s elders and fathers – instead it shone on those corpses that had suffered catastrophe and died with eyes wide open.

Soldiers who had been excited all night wandered like ghosts through the corpse piles, leaning against heaps of heads to eat their dry rations.

Many had changed into Xiliang soldiers’ clothing and went to guard the city towers.

Ma Sirui’s Imperial Residence was naturally now Bai Yuan’s dwelling. With deep courtyards and high walls stretching on, the outside cries and bloody stench, Yunzhou City’s tragedy and grief, could not penetrate here.

Bai Yuan was playing chess.

He wore light robes with loose sash, his manner leisurely, his brows flowing like shifting wind and clouds.

Lightly tapping the chess board with one hand, Bai Yuan smiled at the woman across from him: “Your Ladyship is renowned as Northern Wei’s chess master – how is it that today your play seems so distracted? Could the city massacre have made even you soft-hearted?”

The woman smiled, her smile alluring and gorgeous – it was Northern Wei’s Concubine Chun, Wanyan Chunzhen. “The massacre was my idea – why would I be soft-hearted?”

“Speaking of which, this humble one also finds it strange – why did Your Ladyship insist on massacring all of Yunzhou’s people?”

“National Teacher speaks so cleanly – wasn’t this order given by your own mouth?” Wanyan Chunzhen’s expression was innocent.

Bai Yuan lightly tapped his chess piece, smiling faintly without speaking.

Sounds of reporting came from outside. Bai Yuan responded, and the one who lifted the curtain and entered was Guo Heng, the surrendered Yunzhou garrison commander, who knelt on the ground not daring to breathe heavily, bowing his head deeply.

Bai Yuan tilted his body slightly, glanced at him, and said: “General Guo, your residence wasn’t disturbed, was it?”

Guo Heng said in a trembling voice: “…No, thanks to the National Teacher’s protection. This subordinate will definitely be loyal to the National Teacher, willingly serving as a scout ahead…”

“Oh, very good. You don’t need to personally be a scout, but vanguard suits you best,” Wanyan Chunzhen laughed sweetly as she interjected. “Your master is about to arrive. Ready three thousand troops – you go out of the city to meet him.”

“Ah…” Guo Heng stiffened, at a loss. They wanted him, a surrendered general, to use three thousand troops to meet his own country’s emperor with two hundred thousand troops? This would surely mean death without a burial place!

Bai Yuan smiled and glanced at Wanyan Chunzhen, saying lightly: “Your Ladyship jests with you. She means for you to go meet them, not to fight.”

Guo Heng paused, cold sweat suddenly breaking out on his back. So these two great personages wanted him to lure His Majesty into Yunzhou, then close the city gates and kill both the Emperor and Grand Tutor in one stroke!

Guo Heng’s fingers began trembling, suppressing his voice as he dared not speak – his entire family was being “protected” by allied soldiers.

Bai Yuan suddenly smiled and beckoned: “Come here.”

Guo Heng’s body trembled as he hesitantly approached. Bai Yuan extended his hand and lightly patted his chest. Guo Heng involuntarily opened his mouth, and Bai Yuan flicked his finger. A black light flashed before Guo Heng’s eyes as a pill-like object was flicked into his mouth, rolling down as a faint bitter taste arose in his throat.

“Your courage is indeed a bit small. I’m very afraid you’ll reveal the game when you have an audience with the Emperor, so I’m giving you a great tonic pill to strengthen your courage,” Bai Yuan no longer looked at him, continuing his chess game. “If you don’t want to die with your body torn to pieces, you’d better not disappoint me.”

Guo Heng’s face turned ashen as he repeatedly agreed, shakily withdrawing. Wanyan Chunzhen smiled and placed down a chess piece with a snap: “Check! I’m taking your old commander – calling you to go with no return!”

The nineteenth day of the first month, three quarters before noon.

The Xiliang great army appeared on the horizon.

Qin Chang Ge looked up from horseback at Yunzhou City ahead, where Xiliang’s black dragon flag flew peacefully. Her gaze carefully swept across the city walls – no traces of siege warfare, no bloodstains.

Xiao Jue waved his hand, sending a squad of soldiers toward the city’s west to examine that section of wall that was supposedly torn down. They soon returned, reporting that it was indeed patched with blue-gray mortar and broken bricks, very easy to breach.

Xiao Jue’s upturned long eyebrows showed a flash of anger that quickly disappeared. He waved his hand: “Enter the city first, then settle accounts!”

As the great army approached, advance officers led cavalry forward. Soon three cannon shots rang out from the city, and Yunzhou garrison commander Guo Heng led three thousand troops out to meet them with orderly military bearing.

Starting with Xiao Jue, all three’s gazes strictly examined Guo Heng and his soldiers from head to toe. Their armor was neat, weapons bright, and their mental state appeared normal. Guo Heng looked somewhat unwell with dark circles under his eyes, but that really couldn’t serve as grounds for suspicion.

The city gates opened, Yunzhou City lay exposed before the great army. The straight road of Chengtian Street could be dimly seen, with pedestrians walking in twos and threes here and there – a scene of peace and tranquility, seemingly undisturbed.

Generals and soldiers all showed joyful expressions. The great army had been traveling long distances day and night for many days, utterly exhausted. Finally arriving ahead of the enemy forces, thinking they could enter the city to rest and reorganize, then use the solid city to face incoming enemies, they were all somewhat impatient.

Under Guo Heng’s respectful guidance, Xiao Jue and Qin Chang Ge entered the city, with the great army following in mighty procession. When crossing the moat, Qin Chang Ge bent down to look at the water’s surface, then carefully examined the corner towers above the city gate, smiling: “General Guo’s subordinates are truly worthy of being Xiliang’s brave men – their bearing and steps all look full of killing intent.”

Guo Heng kept his eyes lowered and head bowed, repeatedly bowing: “Grand Tutor flatters us, Grand Tutor flatters us…”

At this time, Xiao Jue, Qin Chang Ge, and army commander Feng Ziguang had all entered the gate tunnel. Xiao Jue gazed ahead and gently reined in his horse, saying with some feeling: “Yunzhou City’s appearance remains the same – I wonder if the plum grove from years past is still there?”

His gaze grew somewhat distant, remembering the beautiful woman’s smile and backward glance in the plum grove years ago, remembering his side-by-side battles with Chang Ge during the Yunzhou campaign. He hadn’t expected that in this lifetime he would again have a moment of joining hearts with Chang Ge to face enemies together at Yunzhou. Fate’s reversals and cycles were truly the most wondrous things.

Guo Heng bitterly twitched the corners of his mouth, his lowered head hiding his expression as he kept saying: “Still there, still there.”

His expression seemed somewhat hesitant, his fingers hidden behind him nervously clenched. A plain-faced general beside him intentionally or unintentionally stepped closer, coughing softly. Guo Heng’s spine suddenly stiffened.

Looking up at the great army formation that had stopped because Xiao Jue had halted, Guo Heng gritted his teeth and said quietly: “Your Majesty… the plum grove is not far behind Luofeng Terrace. After entering the city, shall this subordinate take you to see it?”

Xiao Jue made a sound of acknowledgment and smiled: “Don’t trouble yourself – We have our own companion.” His gaze intentionally or unintentionally swept toward Qin Chang Ge, who showed a slight smile.

Several people continued forward on horseback with Guo Heng respectfully leading ahead.

Ahead, halfway through the gate tunnel, was a suspension gate. This device’s purpose was to drop down urgently after enemy forces broke through the gate, dividing them in two for separate defeat.

Guo Heng’s task was to lead Xiliang’s emperor and commanders into the city, then drop the suspension gate to cut the army apart, then catch them like turtles in a jar and kill all Xiliang’s leaders, causing the great army to collapse without attack.

Xiao Jue’s horse hooves had already passed the suspension gate’s position.

Guo Heng dared not look at Xiao Jue’s face, using peripheral vision to glance at his horse’s body while sweat layered his palms, even soaking the edges of his sleeves.

His “deputy general’s” gaze was fixed tightly on that calm and composed Grand Tutor Zhao. This second most famous person in Xiliang seemed casual yet had eyes like torches. From the moment they appeared before the city gate, no place suitable for ambush had escaped his notice.

He gripped the long whip in his palm, awaiting the moment of killing intent.

Qin Chang Ge was actually just habitually scanning. She had calculated the journey and timing – the intelligence she had accidentally obtained was relatively early, and they had acted immediately without a moment’s delay. Meanwhile, enemy forces marching across two countries couldn’t possibly arrive earlier than themselves. Along the way, corner towers and hidden sentries were all intact with no suspicious traces anywhere. There really wasn’t anything more to worry about.

The noon sun was intense, shooting into the deep gate tunnel and stretching the horses’ shadows very long. Xiao Jue’s horse head at the front had already passed the suspension gate, crossing over the curved shadow of the inner city gate.

The overall situation was decided.

The suspension gate would drop momentarily, and behind it, a full five thousand cavalry waited to surround and kill. The “deputy general” quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Guo Heng’s expression flickered between light and dark, but he also slowly released his clenched hands.

Your Majesty… forgive me. Luring you into this trap is not my wish, but my own life is ultimately more important.

Qin Chang Ge also breathed a sigh of relief – so far there were no abnormalities. It seemed she had truly been overthinking.

Turning her gaze, she suddenly realized Chu Feihuan wasn’t beside her. Qin Chang Ge paused and looked back for him.

As her gaze wandered, her peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of something foreign at the inner city gate’s door shaft. Qin Chang Ge glanced over without paying attention and continued looking back.

Red… shredded meat?… on the door shaft…

A flash of light struck Qin Chang Ge’s mind. She suddenly felt something was wrong and whirled around.

She shouted loudly: “Retreat!”

A pale yellow figure flashed. The moment Qin Chang Ge’s great shout left her mouth, Xiao Jue immediately reacted, grabbing Qin Chang Ge with his left hand and pulling Feng Ziguang with his right as he flew backward.

At the same time, another great shout rang out: “Release!”

The shadow behind them darkened – somehow the suspension gate had already dropped halfway, like a black curtain rapidly falling behind them.

“Shoot!”

Inside the city gate, on the city head, beside the streets, atop rooftops, countless soldiers in yellow and black armor suddenly appeared – several thousand strong. They all drew bows and nocked arrows in unison. With a buzzing sound, arrows fell like flying locusts, resembling a sudden dense dark blue cloud carrying countless killing intents, shooting toward the several people trapped in the gate tunnel with a suspension gate behind and chaotic arrows ahead.

Xiao Jue gave a great shout and grabbed Guo Heng, holding him horizontally as a shield before the three of them. Guo Heng was immediately shot full of arrows like a porcupine. Xiao Jue used him like a staff, spinning wildly to deflect all the arrows.

This brief delay allowed the suspension gate to drop most of the way – no longer tall enough for someone of Xiao Jue’s height to pass through upright.

Qin Chang Ge immediately reached out to push Xiao Jue. Xiao Jue grabbed her hand, channeled his full inner energy, and with a horizontal arm sweep, forcibly threw Qin Chang Ge out through the suspension gate.

Qin Chang Ge flew backward, her toe hooking the city wall’s side. She immediately prepared to swing back to rescue Xiao Jue.

In this one exit and attempted return, the suspension gate had dropped three-quarters of the way.

Feng Ziguang rushed over, his golden hammers spinning wildly to block in front of Xiao Jue as he shouted: “Your Majesty, get out!”

Xiao Jue laughed loudly and spun Guo Heng’s corpse wildly. Amid flying blood spatters, he again pulled Feng Ziguang and kicked him sideways out.

Perfectly passing through the remaining one-fifth gap at the bottom of the suspension gate, he collided with Qin Chang Ge, who was rushing back to reach Xiao Jue’s side, knocking her form slightly askew.

In their collision, Qin Chang Ge’s vision went black for a moment, her heart crying out: “Too late!”

The suspension gate was about to close.

In her haste, Qin Chang Ge glanced up and realized the suspension gate’s mechanism wasn’t on her side but on the inner side – it would be impossible to jam the mechanism from here to stop its descent.

Qin Chang Ge leaned forward urgently and saw Xiao Jue’s horse had been shot down. His body was obscured by the suspension gate so she couldn’t see his full form – only black boots with gold dragons rapidly dodging and leaping, moving farther and farther away.

He was alone, while hundreds of thousands of troops were in the city…

Qin Chang Ge’s fingers went ice cold, her heart seeming to stop beating.

No, it can’t be!

Gritting her teeth, Qin Chang Ge suddenly leaped up with a whoosh, skimming close to the ground to pass through when the suspension gate still had half a meter of height remaining, barely landing inside the city gate.

Landing in a roll, she rolled behind the shot-dead horse, using the horse’s body to shield her form as she shouted: “Xiao Jue! Xiao Jue!”

No answer.

Qin Chang Ge’s vision went black again. Suddenly she couldn’t hear any sounds – even a great crash behind her was only dimly heard. In the rain of arrows everywhere, her heart only went ice cold thinking… too late… is it too late?

Wind howled overhead as countless flying arrows grazed her scalp and swept past, scraping against the door behind her with sparks flying in streams. One arrow was particularly low, curling up Qin Chang Ge’s hair and taking away a strand of black hair, nearly injuring her scalp. She didn’t even think to dodge, only feeling infinitely weary – too weary to even open her eyes.

But suddenly she felt wind currents moving beside her. A familiar scent of cypress leaves and pine needles rolled near. A pair of warm hands, gently yet powerfully, grasped her arms. A cheerful voice with a hint of reproach rang out: “Are you crazy? Why did you come back?”

Qin Chang Ge’s eyes flew open to see Xiao Jue right beside her. Her gaze brightened greatly, but she immediately said angrily: “Why didn’t you answer when I called you just now?”

Xiao Jue blinked at her innocently: “I was using Guo Heng’s corpse to block arrows just now, but his body got shot through and all his internal organs came out, spilling onto me. When you shouted for me, I was feeling so nauseous I wanted to vomit. I never expected you’d actually come back – I nearly choked, so how could I answer?”

Finishing, he glared at Qin Chang Ge: “I asked you a question you still haven’t answered – what are you doing running back here? Don’t you know this is a dead end?”

“Don’t you know this is a dead end?” Qin Chang Ge covered her nose and frowned with great disgust at Xiao Jue’s body covered in filthy gore, but her expression showed the joy of dust settling, her tone carrying a hint of small willfulness: “If you can stay, why can’t I?”

“I never thought you’d say such childish things,” Xiao Jue said with mixed laughter and tears as he deflected the endless rain of arrows. “If we both perish here, Xiliang will certainly be defeated. How could Eastern Yan and Northern Wei possibly spare Xiliang’s people? Then we’d truly become Xiliang’s sinners. You’ve always prioritized the greater good – how could you be so impulsive?”

“I know I should prioritize the greater good, but Xiao Jue,” Qin Chang Ge smiled slightly, “to let you face hundreds of thousands of Wei-Yan troops alone, to watch you walk toward death – I can’t do it.”

Xiao Jue suddenly stopped talking. He pressed his lips together, looking at Qin Chang Ge with bright, shining eyes. Qin Chang Ge deflected a flying arrow that nearly shot his eye with her sword, saying with both anger and amusement: “Hey, are you dazed? What place and time is this? How can you afford to be distracted?”

“Let me be distracted for just a moment, just one moment…” Xiao Jue suddenly sighed deeply and murmured: “Chang Ge, though I don’t want you to come back, I’m also so selfishly happy, happy that you came back.”

He leaned close to Qin Chang Ge’s ear and said softly: “Chang Ge, I can finally share life and death with you again…”

“Yes, sharing life and death.” Qin Chang Ge smiled charmingly at him and turned her face, meeting Xiao Jue’s lips directly.

Like wind meeting moist clouds, destined to rain a gentle shower that silently nourishes all things.

Xiao Jue’s lips immediately slid down.

His lips slid down along Qin Chang Ge’s soft facial contours, urgently seeking her lips. His breathing was scorching and rapid, the clear fragrance of pine and cypress coming in waves with a strange, intoxicating charm. Qin Chang Ge sighed and suddenly felt her hands go weak.

Her hands loosened – Qin Chang Ge suddenly didn’t want to bother with those chaotic arrows anymore. Anyway, they had dragged over five horses’ corpses to block them, and those soldiers wouldn’t advance immediately. When they did advance, they’d kill one who came, kill two if two came.

Since enemies surrounded them on all sides and the road ahead was mostly death, fighting for one moment of beautiful time would also be good.

She raised her hands and embraced Xiao Jue’s waist.

On the battlefield, behind horse corpses, before countless enemy encirclements, under the shroud of myriad arrow rain, that pair of man and woman who had once shared life and death but gradually drifted apart due to fate’s helplessness, finally embraced each other openly again, oblivious to all around them as they imprinted their own strange yet familiar marks on each other’s lips.

At this moment, the atmosphere under the shroud of killing intent was as romantic as spring, and even the clattering sounds of flying arrows everywhere seemed to become warm and joyful musical notes.

Xiao Jue wished this special kiss could continue lingering until the end of time, until rocks crumbled and seas dried up.

But Qin Chang Ge finally pushed him away. Her face was slightly flushed, her eyes flowing with emotion, her breathing somewhat unsteady as she chided: “What time is it now… prepare for a death battle!”

Her gaze fell on distant figures dimly flying toward them. Qin Chang Ge showed a trace of worry. She had always been someone whose life was ultimately romantic. The reason she was willing to have this battlefield kiss here was because she felt that coming back this time, they would likely find it hard to escape alive. Even if the great army behind immediately broke through the suspension gate, what about Bai Yuan? Bai Yuan wouldn’t give them a chance to live.

Better to have one romantic moment before death – that wouldn’t be a loss.

Her azure sword swept horizontally and struck vertically, filling the sky with glittering starlight as she struck down those powerful flying arrows one by one. Xiao Jue suddenly laughed: “Hey, why are you daydreaming? Who said we’re going to fight to the death?”

“Huh?”

Xiao Jue’s gaze swept toward the suspension gate behind them, indicating for Qin Chang Ge to look. Only then did Qin Chang Ge see that behind them, the suspension gate had somehow been jammed by an extremely precisely placed boulder, not completely closing but leaving a gap that people could squeeze through by lying flat. It must have been Chu Feihuan, who had deliberately fallen behind earlier, catching up at the crucial moment to throw this life-saving stone.

Qin Chang Ge’s heart filled with great joy, but after the joy she suddenly realized – that bastard Xiao Jue had actually tricked her! He had known all along that he and she wouldn’t die, but deliberately didn’t say so. He even played up that tragic shared fate, causing her to go crazy along with him.

Qin Chang Ge was embarrassed and angry but had nowhere to vent. What could she say? Make him compensate her? Compensate for what? That rogue Xiao would immediately beam with joy and come forward demanding “compensation.”

In her anger she shouted: “I don’t want to crawl through! That’s too undignified! I’m the Grand Tutor!”

“And I’m still the Emperor.” Xiao Jue didn’t dare say this aloud. Deflecting the increasingly dense arrows with his sword, he said helplessly: “Fine, Grand Tutor. If you don’t want to crawl through, I’ll carry you and crawl through.”

“I won’t be a turtle’s shell!”

Xiao Jue nearly choked backward – this woman, this woman was still the same as years ago. Usually calm as a god, strong as a man, but when encountering unsatisfactory situations, completely like a little daughter, even better at unreasonable behavior than Rong’er.

Just as he was thinking whether to kick or boot her if she really refused to crawl, Qin Chang Ge suddenly giggled and rolled her eyes: “Hey, Xiao Jue, how’s your leg technique after all these years of practice?”

“You want to try it? Here? That’s not good, is it?” Xiao Jue was extremely bashful.

“You lower-body-thinking wolf,” Qin Chang Ge glared at him. “Why would I crawl through? While the city gate is still open and before Bai Yuan arrives, I’m going to hoist up the suspension gate. We’ll use their force against them and attack while they’re unprepared.”

After signaling with Xiao Jue a few times, she reached out and pulled a long whip from the waist of that unfortunate “deputy general” who had been shot dead in front of them. She also took black silk strands from her hair, connecting them one by one. Looking up at the suspension gate’s top, she said: “Come on, kick the horse corpses!”

Xiao Jue lifted his foot with a whoosh, kicking up a huge horse corpse that flew straight to mid-air in the city gate.

Qin Chang Ge immediately rolled, shrinking behind the horse corpse. Her black silk whip cracked and caught the tall suspension gate’s winch opening overhead as she shouted: “Again!”

Xiao Jue kicked again, this time sending the horse corpse higher and farther. Qin Chang Ge stepped on the previous horse corpse, rolled in mid-air behind the second horse corpse, and using the horse corpse as cover, sent out another black silk strand to catch the previous whip and pulled.

With creaking sounds, one side of the gate was pulled, and the suspension gate moved.

At this time the first horse corpse was just falling, the second horse corpse was about to fall, and Xiao Jue had already kicked up the third horse corpse, perfectly covering Qin Chang Ge’s form that was about to be exposed.

Qin Chang Ge pulled again, and the gate on the other side was also pulled open. The suspension gate began slowly rising.

The third horse corpse fell while the fourth arrived. Horse corpses tumbling up and down in mid-air was quite a marvelous sight – some archers actually stared in stupefaction and stopped shooting.

But suddenly a light laugh came from behind.

The laugh came from behind, lightning came from the front.

A pale gold figure that had just been a distant speck was suddenly standing on a rooftop before the city gate, robes dancing as he smiled down at the marvelous scene in the gate tunnel.

He seemed to simply wave his hand, and pale gold and light jade radiance shot from his palm like moonlight shooting from distant heaven – gorgeous and brilliant, not allowing people to dodge or retreat.

That light reached midway and suddenly split into two streams – one shooting the long whip holding the gate, one shooting the horse shielding Qin Chang Ge’s form.

Bai Yuan had arrived.

With a snap, the long whip instantly vanished – not broken, but gone, dissipating in the air like floating dust.

Qin Chang Ge immediately let go, somersaulted back, grabbed Xiao Jue, and not caring that the suspension gate hadn’t been fully raised, not caring about Grand Tutor Zhao’s declaration about not crawling through holes, immediately scrambled through.

Knowing something couldn’t be done, she absolutely wouldn’t do it. Qin Chang Ge had always been very practical, never forcing herself to seek death.

Drilling out through the suspension gate’s gap, Qin Chang Ge immediately turned back, leaning close to the gap to shout:

“Bai Yuan, if you kill my Yunzhou elders and fathers, I will definitely tear your corpse into ten thousand pieces!”

A moment of silence.

Then, from behind the gate, in a leisurely and carefree yet strangely imperious tone that looked down upon all directions, came a light response:

“Then I shall wait.”