Under the flickering copper lamp, Xiao Rongyan lowered his gaze to recall the ghost-faced general’s swordsmanship, silently admiring it greatly. He raised his eyes to look at Bai Qingyan and said: “His sword momentum is fierce and ruthless, his swordsmanship clean and decisive. Between the flickering cold light, he can take a person’s life. This level of sword mastery cannot be achieved without someone of exceptional talent training for decades. Moreover, his archery skills are also quite formidable—they should be on par with yours.”

Bai Qingyan’s palm suddenly tightened, and before her eyes flashed again the image of that ghost-faced general mounted on horseback. That figure overlapped with A’Yu in his silver armor, mounted on a tall horse with heroic bearing.

All color drained from Bai Qingyan’s face, and half her body went numb.

A’Yu…

Seeing Bai Qingyan’s deathly pale complexion, Xiao Rongyan was startled and straightened his back: “What’s wrong? Were you injured today?”

Bai Qingyan came back to her senses and shook her head, steadying her mind. If that ghost-faced general truly was A’Yu… Bai Qingyan would kowtow in gratitude to Heaven for returning her brother to her.

She believed that if A’Yu saw she had come to Dengzhou, he would surely find a way to contact her.

If A’Yu was truly alive, how could he bear to let her and Mother grieve so deeply?

She had already come to Dengzhou—she wasn’t far away in Shouyang, where he couldn’t send word.

Originally, Bai Qingyan had planned to return to Shouyang as soon as possible, but now she would stay for some time longer. If A’Yu didn’t come into contact with her, she would have to venture deep into enemy territory to meet this ghost-faced general herself.

Bai Qingyan stood up and bowed to Xiao Rongyan: “Master Xiao, please rest well and recover from your injuries.”

“Miss Bai!” Xiao Rongyan also rose and took two steps forward, but because the door was open, he didn’t do anything improper. He only lowered his voice and said: “Today… were you injured at all?”

“Thank you for Master Xiao’s concern. I was not injured! Farewell!” Bai Qingyan nodded slightly to Xiao Rongyan, and as she took Chun Tao’s hand to step over the threshold, her eyes grew moist.

Xiao Rongyan stood under the covered walkway, gazing intently at Bai Qingyan’s departing figure, his brow furrowed tightly. He worried whether Bai Qingyan had injuries she hadn’t mentioned, and remembered how, after asking him about that ghost-faced general, her face had suddenly turned deathly pale.

He had never seen Bai Qingyan lose her composure like this before.

Xiao Rongyan’s tightly furrowed brow suddenly relaxed. Could it be… that Bai Qingyan suspected that the ghost-faced general from Nanrong was one of the young generals from the Bai family?

As Bai Qingyan stepped out of the courtyard gate, she looked up at the bright moon in the sky, round and jade-like, and couldn’t help but feel tears welling up.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that ghost-faced general was A’Yu.

Her brother A’Yu… was still alive!

That ghost-faced general must be A’Yu!

“Miss!” Chun Tao looked at the tearful Bai Qingyan in shock, blood rushing to her head. “Did that Master Xiao act improperly?”

Even now, Chun Tao couldn’t forget about Xiao Rongyan’s nighttime intrusion into Bai Qingyan’s bedchamber. She always felt this Master Xiao, who had shown kindness to the Bai family, was too… too presumptuous and frivolous toward the young miss.

“Chun Tao, I’m happy!” Bai Qingyan laughed softly.

What news could be more worthy of her joy than A’Yu still being alive?!

Countless times, Bai Qingyan had thought that if she could trade her life for even a thread of hope for A’Yu’s survival, she would gladly do so!

Even if A’Yu was now a fierce general of an enemy nation, it mattered not to her—as long as A’Yu was alive, that was enough!

As long as he was alive…

Chun Tao was somewhat confused, but seeing Bai Qingyan’s appearance of laughing through tears, she didn’t know whether she should be happy with her or cry with her.

Seeing Chun Tao’s bewildered expression, Bai Qingyan’s throat tightened. She reached out and tapped Chun Tao’s head, saying, “Go call Uncle Ping over. I’ll wait for him in the pavilion on the lake ahead—I have something to instruct him! Quickly!”

Chun Tao quickly responded and ran off to find someone to summon Lu Ping.

Bai Qingyan desperately tried to convince herself to remain calm and wait for A’Yu to come find her, but with A’Yu lost and found again, how could she possibly stay calm?!

What if A’Yu was trapped and couldn’t send word out, couldn’t come to see her?

Bai Qingyan decided to first have Lu Ping take people in disguise to venture deep into Nanrong territory to find this ghost-faced general. They would use the bone whistle to send a message and test whether he was A’Yu, whether he was trapped in Nanrong and unable to escape.

Lu Ping had just finished cleaning his wounds when he heard that Bai Qingyan had urgently summoned him. He quickly put on his clothes, picked up a lantern, and hurried toward the lake with Chun Tao and the Dong family’s maidservant.

From afar, seeing Bai Qingyan standing under the lantern in the lakeside pavilion, head lowered in quiet contemplation, Lu Ping handed the lantern to Chun Tao and quickly walked forward to bow: “Miss!”

Bai Qingyan came back to her senses, turned to look at Lu Ping: “Uncle Ping, I have an extremely important matter to entrust to you!”

“Please speak, Miss. Lu Ping will not shrink from death!” Lu Ping straightened up and looked at Bai Qingyan with utmost seriousness.

Her palms were covered in fine sweat, tightly clenched. She stepped closer to Lu Ping, bent down to lean close to his ear, and whispered: “Uncle Ping, I trouble you to take several people, disguise yourselves, and go to the heart of Nanrong territory to find that ghost-faced general. Use the bone whistle to send a message—tell him that his eldest sister… is waiting for him to return home safely.”

After Bai Qingyan finished speaking, tears streamed down her face.

Lu Ping was greatly shocked and looked toward Bai Qingyan. Before he could speak, Bai Qingyan grasped his wrist tightly: “This matter is secret!”

Lu Ping’s throat constricted. Seeing Bai Qingyan’s appearance of gritting her teeth while tears streamed down her face, he knew her words were true. His eyes also reddened, and his entire body tensed with excitement: “Miss, rest assured! Lu Ping will depart immediately! If it truly is a young master of the Bai family… Lu Ping will risk his life to bring the young master back!”

To Lu Ping, regardless of which young master of the Bai family it might be, this was tremendously joyful news!

Bai Qingyan nodded. After Lu Ping bowed solemnly, he dared not delay and immediately prepared to depart.

Watching Lu Ping leave, Bai Qingyan still stood in the pavilion. Around the lantern hanging high in the lakeside pavilion, moths fluttered their wings. She gazed at the lake surface, shimmering with warm-colored ripples reflected by the lantern light, raised her hand to wipe away her tears, and struggled to suppress her surging emotions.

She had promised A’Yu to find him a good sword. It seemed that starting today, she would begin searching for a sword. When A’Yu returned, she could personally place it in his hands, fulfilling the promise she had made to A’Yu years ago.

Bai Qingyan’s previously calmed emotions surged again, and tears fell like broken strings.

From the time the Bai family’s men met with disaster in Nan Jiang, there had always been a string pulled taut in Bai Qingyan’s heart. She dared not grieve and had no time to grieve—she could only grit her teeth, find ways to preserve the Bai family, and find ways to pave the road for the future.

Even in moments of life and death, she had never wept like this.

She used the back of her hand to wipe away her tears, but somehow the more she wiped, the more tears came, even though A’Yu’s not being dead should be a joyful thing.

She didn’t know why A’Yu wore a mask—was it because his appearance was ruined, or because… he feared being recognized?

Bai Qingyan didn’t know…

She only knew that the more urgently she wanted to see A’Yu, the more she needed to remain calm.

Now A’Yu was a general in Nanrong, truly in a dangerous position. With the slightest carelessness, his life could be in peril.