Late at night, several shadowy figures moved swiftly across the open field, like phantoms gliding through the tall grass. Their gazes were blank, yet they unerringly headed in a single direction. The rustling sounds grew increasingly dense as the group swelled to seventy or eighty people.
On the city tower, a woman in gray robes stood, her face completely concealed, calmly surveying the courtyard below. Behind her, another woman in dark purple attire sat within the tower, her sharp phoenix-like eyes uncharacteristically intense as she fixed her gaze on the gray-robed woman.
“Physician Ning,” the scout on the watchtower hurried over. “They’re less than two li away.”
“Mm.” The gray-robed woman nodded slightly. After a moment, she turned and approached the tower’s edge, looking at the silhouette in the window. “I’m leaving now. Does the Empress have any final instructions?”
Ye Lühuangwu opened her mouth, but only a soft sigh escaped her lips.
Ning Yanli waited briefly, but hearing no response, she turned to leave.
“Yanli,” Ye Lühuangwu’s voice called out.
Ning Yanli paused and looked back as the tower door opened, and Ye Lühuangwu slowly emerged, the moonlight draping over her like a white veil, making her complexion appear pale and hazy.
“You must hate me greatly,” Ye Lühuangwu said.
Ning Yanli shook her head. “You saved my life, and now I return it to you. There is no hate.”
“You’ve served me faithfully for so many years, repaying my kindness many times over,” Ye Lühuangwu said, remaining where she stood.
Closing her eyes, Ning Yanli refused to look at her. “You saved me and taught me much. Your most successful lesson was ‘loyalty’ – even after seeing the truth, I still wish to serve you, even at the cost of my life. In comparison, my pursuit of the medical arts, and the life I’ve lived, have all been fleeting illusions. I have no complaints. Now that I’ve repaid your kindness, it’s time to part. I only hope… that in the next life, I never encounter you again.”
Without waiting for Ye Lühuangwu’s reaction, Ning Yanli turned and quickened her pace. “But in this life, even if I’m just a dog you’ve raised, I’ve developed a certain affection. I’ll use up that last bit of sentiment, wishing you sweet dreams.”
As she hurried away, Ning Yanli thought that if she didn’t die from the drug trials, perhaps being killed by Mo Siguai wouldn’t be a bad fate.
Feeding the Undead.
She would use her flesh and blood to nourish those walking corpses, her consciousness controlling them to complete the mission – only a skilled physician like her could accomplish this. The methods in the “Crane Army Secret Techniques” were incomprehensible to ordinary people, and it took her considerable research to fully understand them. The moment she did, she knew Ye Lühuangwu would sacrifice herself.
This was all expected, so why did it still hurt so much, why was she so unwilling to accept it?
Ye Lühuangwu’s last words died on her lips as Ning Yanli’s silhouette vanished.
“Don’t go,” she murmured.
Ye Lühuangwu struggled inwardly but ultimately chose to sacrifice Ning Yanli. If the madman’s death could be dismissed as an accident, then Ning Yanli’s sacrifice would be beyond dispute, for if she truly couldn’t bear to part with her, she had the chance to stop her now – but she didn’t.
Ye Lühuangwu stepped to the edge of the wall, watching as Ning Yanli stood alone in the distance, slowly unwrapping the coarse robe and revealing her snow-white undergarment. Her dark hair cascaded quietly down her back as she drew a dagger and sliced her palm.
The scent of fresh blood slowly wafted through the air.
The group caught the scent and suddenly went berserk, lunging at Ning Yanli like hungry wolves.
She did not dodge, instead extending her bloodied hand to the first assassin who pounced.
Ye Lühuangwu pressed her lips tightly, her gaze unwaveringly fixed on the scene below.
As more assassins swarmed in, Ning Yanli’s pristine white garment became stained with splatters of blood. She did not resist, but she had to ensure she remained alive until the last assassin drank the living blood, for that was the key.
Her flesh was torn away in pieces, and the pain made her whole body tremble.
“Ah—!”
“Hahaha!”
The agonized screams transformed into maniacal laughter, her already marred features becoming ever more ghastly.
The assassins who consumed the blood would briefly lose consciousness, one wave falling, only to be replaced by the next.
What a nightmare!
Tears of blood streamed from Ning Yanli’s eyes as she glanced towards the tower. All she saw was a sea of red, unable to make out anything, but she knew Ye Lühuangwu was watching, and she was weeping.
In the end, she had become just like the madman – pitiful, tragic, and laughable!
“From now on, call me Ning Yanli.”
“You love the pastries of the Song kingdom, Ning’er. I’ll take you there.”
“Ning’er, what am I persisting for?”
“Ning’er, I’m not alone. I know no matter who betrays me, you will always be by my side.”
“Ning’er, I’ll find whatever you like for you.”
…
Ning Yanli couldn’t deny the immense importance Ye Lühuangwu held in her heart. That person had risked her life to secretly bring her into the Great Song to enjoy a pastry she loved, laughing together joyfully.
Ye Lühuangwu had always treated her specially, and it was this that had allowed Ning Yanli to harbor a glimmer of hope.
But in the end, she was no different from the other pawns, perhaps meeting an even more wretched fate.
“Is this the price for having tasted happiness? Do all the fortunate people in this world meet such an end?”
As this realization flashed through her mind, Ning Yanli focused her remaining spiritual energy to impart her consciousness to all the assassins.
“Kill Ye Lüquancang!”
As the powerful spiritual energy dissipated, Ning Yanli’s body was instantly torn apart, her blood nearly drained.
The guards stationed on the city walls witnessed this, their faces turned deathly pale. They were seasoned veterans who did not fear death, yet none dared to choose a demise like Ning Yanli’s. Coming to their senses, they were filled with awe for Ning Yanli and reverence for Ye Lühuangwu.
The Liao dynasty had long had a tradition of women in power, but Ye Lühuangwu had not previously displayed great prowess, even being confined to the imperial mausoleum for years as a defeated contender. Now was the time for her to unveil her ambition and capabilities.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Ye Lühuangwu’s gaze turned as cold as ice. This scheme had to succeed, or she would not be worthy of the countless bones beneath her feet.
Ye Lüquancang must die, for he stood in the way of her ascent to power.
Ye Lüjingliang must die, for only by infusing his lifeblood into the medicine could she attain longevity.
“Uncle, you never knew that Ning’er never needed to take my pulse.”
Ye Lühuangwu’s lips curled into a smile as she descended the tower. She had control over the city defenses and the palace guards. She could not use Liao assassins, as Ye Lüquancang could control most of the Ghostly Shadows, and Ye Lüjingliang had obtained the “Crane Army Secret Techniques”, intending to use Ning Yanli to mobilize the Crane Army families in the Song kingdom to assassinate Ye Lüquancang. She would simply turn the tables, and even if the plan was exposed or failed, she could extricate herself, at most being suspected by Ye Lüquancang.
The assassins in the courtyard gradually regained consciousness, their minds seemingly restored by the consciousness Ning Yanli had left behind. They took advantage of the changing of the guard to infiltrate the city.
Only a trace of blood and a faint medicinal scent remained at the city gates, the light breeze making it appear as if all had returned to calm.
In the morning, Chu Dingjiang dragged two people and dumped them in Mo Siguai’s courtyard.
Wei Yuizhi glanced at them. “The Physician has gone to the medicinal garden.”
“Please tell him these are the people he requested,” Chu Dingjiang said, his body bearing the chill of a sleepless night.
Wei Yuizhi examined the unconscious individuals closely. “These are…”
“Ask Mo Siguai,” Chu Dingjiang said, turning to leave.
“Master Chu has wielded his strategies most skillfully,” Wei Yuizhi remarked.
Chu Dingjiang remained silent. Wei Yuizhi’s intelligence was far sharper than he had anticipated, but it was of no consequence.
“Does Master Chu truly wish to live a mediocre life?” Wei Yuizhi asked.
Chu Dingjiang looked back. “You flatter me, I’m but a common man.”
“There’s no need for such self-deprecation,” Wei Yuizhi said. “I know the Liao dynasty best, and I’m most likely to see through your schemes, yet you calculated that I would still serve Wu Lingyan.”
With Mei’s family remaining in Hexi, the ultimate beneficiary was the Hexi County Magistrate, and as Wu Lingyan’s staff member, Wei Yuizhi would not expose this.
“I heard that Mei’s family obtained a portion of the ‘Crane Army Secret Techniques’ from you, so I wondered if you might have the other manuals as well. It wasn’t until the Crane Clan families were afflicted by the poison that I confirmed it.”
Chu Dingjiang had intentionally leaked the “Crane Army Secret Techniques” to Ye Lüjingliang, rather than Ye Lüquancang or Ye Lühuangwu. Of the three, Ye Lüjingliang had already fallen from power, and with this newfound strength combined with his already unstable military command, he was likely to resort to desperate measures.
Both harbored ambitions of usurping power, and once Ye Lüjingliang made a move, Ye Lühuangwu would likely turn the tables to her advantage. As for who the ultimate victor would be, that was beyond Chu Dingjiang’s consideration.
“A Jiu wanted to raise an army, and I just wanted to get her some people. Incidentally, it also buys her some time to organize her defenses.”
Wei Yuizhi didn’t believe Chu Dingjiang was doing all this solely for An Jiu’s sake.
In truth, Chu Dingjiang’s primary aim was not to sow discord in Liao, but rather he simply couldn’t bear to ignore certain things he had witnessed.
“You knew I would serve Wu Lingyan. Why?” Wei Yuizhi asked.
Chu Dingjiang smiled. “Wei Sir is exceptionally clever, but his true intentions are not so difficult to discern.”
A complex yet simple person. Chu Dingjiang might not be able to fathom all of Wei Yuizhi’s schemes, but he could see that in matters of the heart, Wei Yuizhi was quite straightforward, and his choice of which country or person to serve was ultimately a decision based on his emotions.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave,” Chu Dingjiang said.
“One last question – what did you see last night when you captured those two?” Wei Yuizhi asked.