The zither music stopped abruptly.

The entire battlefield fell into complete silence, broken only by the wind — the faint stirring of a summer breeze.

This battlefield was the battlefield between Xichu and Dongqin, and the war here, in truth, had already ended, concluding in Xichu’s defeat.

Yet this same battlefield was also the battlefield between Yelu Qianqian and Xuanyuan Lige — and that war had only just begun.

Perhaps it was also the battlefield between Jun Beiyue and Xuanyuan Lige.

Only, Jun Beiyue hadn’t yet arrived.

Standing atop the corpses that littered the gate tower, Yelu Qianqian glared furiously at Xuanyuan Lige, her sword pointed straight at him. Today, she hadn’t come for the sake of national war — today, she had come for herself!

She had come for vengeance!

This man before her, a man she had once considered a friend, had personally pushed her into a bottomless abyss with his own hands.

That day, as Wanyan Lie’s attendants dragged her away, she had seen him — standing in the shadows of the cell, purple robes, silver hair. She could never have mistaken him for anyone else.

Xuanyuan Lige, just how cruel are you? What state of mind must you have been in, standing by and watching while a woman was violated by so many?

Xuanyuan Lige, are you even still human?

At some point, Yelu Qianqian’s eyes had filled with tears without her noticing. She no longer cared about anything — even knowing that, with the music stopped, she alone stood no chance against Xuanyuan Lige.

But she was ready to throw everything away!

She suddenly launched herself into the air, plunging down from the gate tower, sword raised, charging straight at Xuanyuan Lige. “Xuanyuan Lige, you will pay for every single humiliation with your life!”

Yet in the face of Yelu Qianqian’s fury, Xuanyuan Lige remained utterly unmoved, not even the faintest flicker of expression crossing his face.

Not until Yelu Qianqian’s blade closed in right before him did he casually flick out a wind blade, snapping the long sword in two.

With her sword broken, Yelu Qianqian didn’t give up, gripping the broken blade tightly and pressing forward, as stubborn as an unbroken calf.

But she was, in the end, simply too weak. Xuanyuan Lige didn’t so much as glance at her properly — with a single “twang,” he sent out a burst of force that sent Yelu Qianqian flying, slamming her hard onto the ground.

“Ugh!”

The moment Yelu Qianqian hit the ground, she immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood. And at this moment, Xuanyuan Lige’s gaze remained fixed on Ziqing, standing not far away.

In those cold, icy eyes, a flicker of tenderness he couldn’t quite hide flashed through, along with a hint of quiet joy.

Ziqing. Long time no see.

This man had truly lost his mind.

What exactly, exactly, was he trying to do!

He’d wanted to take the city — surely he must have known that Han Ziqing’s arrival meant Jun Beiyue’s arrival too, meant Xichu’s capital was now beyond his reach!

He’d been so close, just a little bit closer, and he could have taken it.

Yet why did he show not even the slightest trace of anger, not the slightest resentment, not even any regret — why, instead, did he seem quietly pleased, simply from the sight of her?

Yet from the very start, Ziqing’s gaze had remained fixed entirely on Yelu Qianqian, never once turning toward Xuanyuan Lige.

Given her nature, once she’d given up entirely on someone in her heart, she wouldn’t spare them even a single glance.

Seeing Yelu Qianqian knocked to the ground, yet still clutching her broken sword, still refusing to give up, Ziqing’s heart ached with a dull, persistent pain.

She knew exactly how much force that wind blade carried.

And yet Yelu Qianqian actually managed to get back up, standing less than five steps from Xuanyuan Lige, gritting her teeth through the pain to rise again.

Fearless before an enemy hundreds of times stronger than herself, she still held her broken sword pointed forward, walking toward him step by step!

And yet Xuanyuan Lige still paid her no mind whatsoever, his gaze still fixed on Ziqing in the distance.

To Yelu Qianqian, being ignored like this was an absolutely unbearable humiliation!

Facing such a cold, indifferent enemy, having pushed herself right up to his face, only to be met with not even a single glance — Yelu Qianqian’s heart clenched with a suffocating pain, a pain that made her want desperately, desperately to weep aloud.

Xuanyuan Lige, is the life of every woman under heaven, the dignity of every woman under heaven, as worthless as dirt in your eyes?

If that’s how you truly feel, then why did you use me the way you did?

Yelu Qianqian refused to accept this. She gripped her dagger tightly with both hands, planting her feet firmly apart to steady herself.

Ignore her, would he!

Then she could ignore his ignoring of her just as well!

Step by step, amid his indifference, she pressed forward with steely resolve, her gaze fixed squarely on Xuanyuan Lige’s chest!

She was going to plunge her blade straight in — she wanted to see, once and for all, exactly what color this man’s heart truly was!

At last, she was close!

“Xuanyuan Lige, if you’re so capable, then go ahead and keep ignoring me completely!”

Seething inwardly, Yelu Qianqian thrust her broken sword forward with sudden force — but in that very instant, though Xuanyuan Lige’s gaze remained fixed on Ziqing in the distance, the hand resting on his zither strings suddenly moved!

And almost simultaneously, Ziqing shot forward like a loosed arrow, her palm striking out in midair, violently knocking Yelu Qianqian aside!

The wind blade Xuanyuan Lige had concealed and unleashed in his hand grazed past where Yelu Qianqian had stood, its force so fierce it sliced open her arm!

Had it struck her directly, the consequences would have been unthinkable!

Yelu Qianqian’s tears nearly spilled over, but she forced herself to hold them back, scrambling immediately back to her feet.

Just as she was about to charge forward once more, Ziqing spoke up calmly, “Qianqian, we agreed — I’ll be the one to kill him.”

Her gaze was so gentle, like an elder sister, radiating a sense of complete security — though this warmth extended only to Yelu Qianqian.

At last, her gaze slowly shifted away from Yelu Qianqian, gradually turning cold and distant, as though anywhere her eyes fell would instantly turn to desolation.

Finally, she turned her gaze directly toward Xuanyuan Lige.

Xuanyuan Lige actually smiled, hearing every single word of what she’d just said, a faint smile, so pure, so clean.

A demon’s heartfelt smile could always look purer than an angel’s… yet a demon remained, in the end, a demon.

Ziqing set aside Wuzheng, borrowing Yelu Qianqian’s broken sword instead. She had once said that if she ever faced this man on the battlefield, she would never use the zither to attack him.

Zither combat was something he himself had taught her — patiently, meticulously, after abducting her to the Wuxie Ravine.

No matter what this man had become, she would never, for the rest of her life, kill him with the zither.

Facing Ziqing’s murderous intent, Xuanyuan Lige showed not the slightest sign of defense, smiling as innocently as a child.

“Have you found all of Lishang’s missing notes? Would you play a duet with me?” he asked flatly, his voice so gentle.

What exactly was wrong with this man!

Hadn’t Jue Mingzi’s visit been precisely for the purpose of persuading him to play this very duet?

He had sent his own master away.

Yet now, of all times, he was asking Ziqing himself.

“No. I refuse to play a duet with you.” Ziqing refused without a moment’s hesitation!

At these words, the light in Xuanyuan Lige’s eyes instantly dimmed. Even as he continued smiling, those eyes seemed to lose their sight entirely, robbed of all their former brilliance.

Without hesitation, Ziqing thrust her broken sword forward!

Her fury had risen — this was exactly how she felt!

Even if it meant giving up the secret of the isolated island, the secret of Lishang itself, she would rather have neither!

She refused to play the duet with him!

Whatever bond of kindred spirits, whatever partnership in music, had once existed between them — it had died long ago in her heart, died back in the northern desert!

The man before her now was her enemy!

Xuanyuan Lige suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly, lifting his zither and soaring into the air. “Twang!” — a deafening note rang out. “Men, into the city!”