Bai Mengmeng walked step by step toward the exit, and the closer she got to the entrance, the more nervous she became!

Of course, what made her nervous wasn’t the fear that Jun Beiyue wouldn’t call her back—it was the anticipation that he was about to call her back, about to speak to her at any moment!

She was certain of it—Jun Beiyue would stop her!

First, she had changed. Her obedience and restraint were surely enough to make Jun Beiyue see her in a new light. Second, her needlework could cure his poison—at the very least, this man needed her right now!

At this moment, she was the only one who could help cure Jun Beiyue’s poison. Given the current situation, he couldn’t afford to be sick!

He didn’t have time to waste!

He needed her. No matter how much he disliked her, how much he looked down on her—at least for now, he couldn’t do without her!

This was a woman’s value—the value of making a man need you. Bai Mengmeng was utterly confident in her own worth!

Finally, she and General Bai Hu reached the entrance, about to step outside!

Just then, Jun Beiyue truly did speak. “Everyone, out! Second Brother, wait a moment!”

…

For a moment, Bai Mengmeng couldn’t quite process it. Her mind went blank. What was happening?

He… Jun Beiyue… what did he just say?

She had already reached the door, and he still wasn’t stopping her?

Didn’t he know that only she could cure his poison? Did this man not even want to be cured?

If the Snow Poison wasn’t cleared, forget going into battle—he wouldn’t even be able to leave this camp! The war was about to end. Even without fighting, he’d at least have to attend the peace conference, wouldn’t he?

And the peace conference was itself a kind of war—a war without weapons!

There was no way he could endure it in this condition!

In other words, if he didn’t cure the poison, he wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything going forward, and all his efforts up until now would be wasted!

Why…

Bai Mengmeng stood there dazed, as if struck by lightning, unable to come back to herself for a long moment. She refused to believe it!

“Mengmeng, let’s go. As long as you can act sensibly, that’s enough for me…”

General Bai Hu paused at the entrance, then resolutely took Bai Mengmeng’s hand and strode forward!

Bai Mengmeng’s expression completely changed. She didn’t want this! She refused to let this chance slip away like this! She refused to just accept it!

How could Jun Beiyue do this!

Who did he think he was?! He was poisoned, and he still had the nerve to treat her with such contempt!

If she’d known this would happen, she wouldn’t have bothered pretending to be obedient—she would have fought harder for it. Maybe then she wouldn’t have missed this chance!

But by the time regret set in, by the time she came back to her senses, General Bai Hu had already led her far, far away—so far she couldn’t even see the central command tent behind her anymore!

How could this be happening!

She couldn’t help shaking her head, couldn’t help clenching her teeth. She had thought this was her chance to rise again, but as it turned out, no matter how she changed, how hard she tried, how she sought and seized opportunity—none of it made any difference.

Opportunity wasn’t something she could fight for or hold onto. One word from that man was enough to take back every chance, enough to erase all her efforts.

To think how much luck it must have taken for her to happen to recognize the Snow Poison, to happen to know how to cure it!

And yet!

Jun Beiyue hadn’t just ruined her chance—he’d ruined even her luck!

In this world, so many unfortunate people worked hard to create opportunities, to seize them, while so many lucky people didn’t have to do anything at all before opportunity found them!

But her!

She couldn’t hold onto anything. Meeting Jun Beiyue had rendered even luck itself useless where she was concerned!

Wasn’t that pathetic?

The more Bai Mengmeng thought about it, the more wronged she felt, nearly on the verge of tears. Not far ahead, her prison tent came into view…

Meanwhile, inside the command tent, only Jun Beiyue and Jun Beichen remained.

Jun Beiyue was pulling the silver needles from his arm one by one with his own hands. Each needle’s tip was stained black, clear evidence of the poison’s severity.

He kept his head lowered, blood staining the corner of his lips. Seen from the side, he looked wicked yet mysterious, cold yet noble—handsome enough to provoke both gods and men. He pulled the needles out one by one in silence, saying nothing.

Jun Beichen watched, unable to sit still, and finally said with displeasure, “Why bother with her? With a woman like that, there’s no need for principle. Use her when you need her, and once you don’t, there’s nothing wrong with kicking her aside.”

Jun Beiyue didn’t engage with the topic at all, asking coldly instead, “Has what I asked been done?”

“The hawk delivered the sealed letter to Sha Qiuzi. Three days at most. The rest depends on Sha Qiuzi now,” Jun Beichen answered truthfully.

“I have to go there myself. The northern frontier is yours to handle. You must obtain Minhan Mude’er’s command token—otherwise, do not accept his surrender. Understood?” Jun Beiyue instructed.

Earlier, the moment he’d seen the urgent letter from the northern desert, he had rushed off without properly settling the affairs of the northern frontier.

“Can you even travel right now?” Jun Beichen shot him a look of open disdain.

“Tell Minhan Mude’er that the peace conference will be held at Akbachu, and the Xiongnu king must attend in person—otherwise there’s nothing to discuss,” Jun Beiyue continued, ignoring Jun Beichen’s question entirely.

“Fourth Brother! You can’t possibly travel like this! A woman like Bai Mengmeng is just a tool to be used—even if you bring her along for a few days until the poison’s cured and then kick her back out, what does it matter!”

Jun Beichen was growing worked up, but Jun Beiyue remained cold and indifferent, saying nothing more, falling silent.

“Beiyue!” Jun Beichen even stood up.

Still, Jun Beiyue said nothing. Calmly, quietly, he pulled every last silver needle from his arm, wiped the black blood from his lips, and only then did he lift his head. The corner of his mouth curved into a wild, reckless smile—part divine, part demonic.

Though he looked only at Jun Beichen, there was something about him that suggested he looked down on the entire world, laughing in the face of it all. What… was he planning to do?

“Handle the northern frontier’s campaign well. I’ll see you at Akbachu!”

With that, Jun Beiyue rose to his feet. He clearly shouldn’t have been able to stand steady—and yet, he stood firm!

His lips were clearly pale, his face ashen, his whole body cold as ice—yet in his eyes burned a blazing, searing flame!

He swept his broad cloak up and strode out of the tent.

Jun Beichen didn’t understand. General Bai Hu didn’t understand. Even the shadow guards around him didn’t understand!

Only he himself knew. It wasn’t for any grand reason—it was simply because he had made a promise to Han Ziqing.

Because of that night, that woman who never got jealous, and the trust she had given him.

Because of that night, when that woman who never got jealous had told him, “You don’t have to kill Bai Mengmeng, but you’re never to see her again—not even once.”

Because of that night, when that woman who never got jealous had told him that if he ever betrayed her, she would kill him with a single blade stroke.

What did poison matter! What did injury matter!

He, Jun Beiyue, was a true man—a promise made had to be kept, no excuse, no reason otherwise.

A true man—what couldn’t he endure? Even what he couldn’t endure, he would grit his teeth and bear it, bear it even unto death!

He, Jun Beiyue, had never been a man who needed to use women.