In the far north, the westernmost and northernmost reach of the Longyuan continent, removed from all the world’s noise, the people lived in peace and contentment. Even Xuanyuan Lige, an outsider to this land, had no idea that the Longyuan continent was no longer at peace!
The Emperor and Crown Prince of Xiliang had thrown the whole strength of their nation eastward. General Gudu of Xijing personally rushed to the western frontier camp, but Xijing had already suffered heavy losses in its great war with Xichu, and now, faced with Xiliang’s reckless, all-out assault, they found themselves utterly unable to hold the line!
In less than a month, the entire western defense line of Xijing had collapsed!
Originally, even with Xijing’s losses, they might have managed to hold their own against Xiliang with the help of the Crown Prince’s Wolf Army—they should never have crumbled so quickly!
But it couldn’t be helped. Because of Yelu Qianqian, discord had already taken root within the Xijing court, and after Prince Nanzhao’s public declarations to the realm and to the Xijing royal house were made known, the situation within Xijing grew even more chaotic!
The Emperor was already old, the nation faced disaster, and the Crown Prince, who bore the hopes of all, had offended Nanzhao and died far from home—how could the Xijing royal house not lose the hearts of its people after that?
Beacon fires blazed along the western frontier, and the horns of battle sounded one after another without pause. Within Xijing, civil war had broken out as well. By the look of things, the situation was even worse than Jun Beiyue had anticipated!
Xijing would surely fall within half a year!
At the postal station, spread across the table before Jun Beiyue was a map covered in markings—the very map he had carried with him since he was fifteen.
It was the most detailed map of the Longyuan continent in existence, encompassing every inhabited island in the eastern and southern seas.
And yet, among all these islands, not a single one was the Lonely Isle.
He kept turning the thought over in his mind—the Lonely Isle, the Lonely Isle—could it be that it wasn’t actually an island at all?
That period of history was simply too distant. Aside from the precise dates once known to the Nanzhao royal house, no one truly knew when the Lonely Isle had fallen. All that could be surmised was that it had happened at least several hundred years ago.
After he and Ziqing had left Nanzhao, they had traveled straight toward the borderland of the Three Realms—the northern frontier of Da Zhou.
It looked as though their destination was Yaoshun Island; aside from the ruins whose location remained unknown, Yaoshun Island was the last place left to search.
How he hoped Yaoshun Island would truly be the last!
But first, they had no choice but to go to the northern frontier.
Yelu Chenyi and the Empress of Dongqin had made such a great commotion over the matter of the Lonely Isle that Prince Nanzhao’s vigilance had grown even more severe. To properly set foot on Yaoshun Island, he would first have to bring Dongqin to heel!
Jun Beiyue’s preparations for war, his declaration of war—none of it had been done on a whim. Everything unfolded according to his careful planning. Contending for the realm and searching for the Lonely Isle were two entirely unrelated matters, and yet he alone had found a way to make the two coexist perfectly.
Once Dongqin was subdued and became a vassal state of Da Zhou, then every island Dongqin ruled over in the eastern sea would fall under Da Zhou’s jurisdiction as well!
By then, he would have a perfectly legitimate reason to set foot on Yaoshun Island openly, right under Prince Nanzhao’s watchful eye—and what was more, he would avoid any conflict with Yaoshun Island altogether, landing there in full view of everyone, without concealment.
It had to be said—Yelu Chenyi and the Empress of Dongqin had inadvertently caused him to abandon his original plan of forcing his way onto the island. This new plan was far more perfect than the one before.
The room was silent. Yingzi lurked in the shadows, while Imperial Physician Gu stood in plain sight—both waited quietly. Jun Beiyue’s handsome brow was faintly furrowed; when this man was focused, he looked striking and flawless from any angle.
He studied the map with complete concentration, from time to time picking up his brush to make a mark. He had not yet reached the northern frontier, and the Empress of Dongqin had not yet returned to Dongqin, and yet the two nations already stood on the verge of war!
Would Xuanyuan Lige come back?
Just then, a scout entered, bringing news of the fighting between Xijing and Xiliang. Jun Beiyue skimmed through it briefly, and the corner of his lips curved into a cold, wicked smile.
It seemed half a year would be more than enough time.
With Xijing destroyed and Dongqin fallen, neither Xichu nor Xiliang would be strong enough to stand against Da Zhou. The last threat remaining would come from the Huns.
Against such a savage, untamed people, brute force was hardly the wisest choice.
Just as he lifted his brush to write, Ziqing arrived.
The moment Imperial Physician Gu saw Ziqing come in, the worry in his eyes deepened visibly, though he still kept his composure, showing nothing outwardly.
It was Yingzi who moved first, gently tugging at Imperial Physician Gu and murmuring, “Let’s go, let’s step outside.”
“What for?” Imperial Physician Gu said, displeased.
“To be a decent human being, you’ve got to know when to make yourself scarce,” Yingzi teased. The moment the words left his mouth, Jun Beiyue’s gaze swept over toward them—unmistakably a signal to leave!
Yingzi grinned mischievously and slipped out first. Imperial Physician Gu, thoroughly unwilling, had no choice but to follow, grumbling and nagging at Yingzi the whole way out the door.
Of course, all such worries stayed buried deep inside—Jun Beiyue and Ziqing had no mind to spare for whatever thoughts their loyal, devoted old minister might be harboring!
Ziqing hadn’t even drawn close yet when Jun Beiyue swept her up in one arm, pulling her down to sit on the warm couch behind him, his hot breath spilling against her neck, sending an involuntary jolt of nervousness through her!
A wolf starved too long—once it finally tasted meat, there was no telling what might follow.
Along their journey, the nights went without saying, but even beyond that, this man was prone to sudden whims, taking her whenever and wherever he pleased, devouring her without warning.
She could never quite grasp his moods, his impulses—they always struck without the slightest sign, sudden and unstoppable.
Only a little over a month, and already she’d been tormented more times than she could count!
Seeing how tense Ziqing had grown, Jun Beiyue let out an unrestrained laugh. Ever since returning from Nanzhao, his mood had stayed good, and he could never resist holding her, kissing her, biting her.
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Ziqing said, forced to try and redirect his attention.
But no sooner had she spoken than the man’s sensuous lips had already descended, pressing against her neck—not a kiss, but a bite, his teeth closing gently around her skin without truly hurting her, and yet giving her the distinct sense that he was holding himself back, that if he let go he would surely sink his teeth in and devour her whole.
Ziqing thought to herself that in some past life, this man must have been a ravenous wolf.
Once he’d had his fill of biting, Jun Beiyue finally asked, voice languid, “What is it?”
“You sent Baili Weisheng to Yaoshun Island… can he really be trusted?” Ziqing asked, puzzled—she had been meaning to discuss this with him for some time.
“Trusted? Not at all. Which is exactly why I had to threaten him,” Jun Beiyue said with a cold snort. Sharp as he was, how could he fail to see that Baili Weisheng was a far more formidable and elusive figure than even Xuanyuan Lige?
“I used to think he might be another one who’s immune to all poisons,” Ziqing said, a note of disappointment in her voice. At the time, there had been more than enough evidence suggesting Baili Weisheng might indeed be another such person—someone immune to all poisons. But she had examined his face herself, and he bore no poison scar. That alone was enough to prove he wasn’t.
And now, thinking back on it carefully, no matter how much evidence there had been, none of it could truly have proven he was.
If he were, why would he help them in such a roundabout, hidden way, instead of simply helping them outright?
That insufferable scholar knew far too much about the matter of the Lonely Isle.
It was plain enough that whatever help Baili Weisheng offered them was selective—help given with some purpose behind it.
But just what that purpose was, what had truly brought him to them, remained impossible to fathom even now.
“If he isn’t someone immune to all poisons, and not someone from the Lonely Isle, then…” Jun Beiyue said coldly, “he’s bound to be an enemy!” These were words he had kept buried in his heart for a very long time.