Pang Yu pulled Nanyi behind him. As he gripped her sleeve, he imperceptibly slipped the silk letter into Nanyi’s hand, then stepped forward to meet Xie Queshan’s cold gaze.

In their wordless confrontation, years of accumulated emotion roiled between them.

But Nanyi didn’t notice this strangeness—she only felt her knees going weak, knowing there was definitely no escape now.

In a flash of lightning and thunder, Nanyi quickly assessed the situation and changed her stance. Before Pang Yu could speak, she rushed forward and fell to her knees before Xie Queshan with a thud.

“Sir, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have stolen your pouch—” Nanyi presented both the pouch and the silk letter crumpled into a ball to Xie Queshan.

Xie Queshan looked at Nanyi with interest.

Nanyi steeled her heart and raised her hand to point at Pang Yu.

“This man—he says his name is Pang Yu, that he’s from the Palace Front Division. He knows where Prince Ling’an is hiding!”

As soon as Nanyi’s clear voice rang out, everyone present was stunned. They had all thought they were just here to catch a petty thief—they never expected to hook such a big fish.

Pang Yu’s face showed disbelief, followed immediately by rage flooding his features.

“You—!”

Nanyi looked pleadingly at Xie Queshan: “Sir, I only want to live. I don’t want to die here with him. I’m providing you with such a big lead—doesn’t that count as merit offsetting my crime? Please spare my life!”

Xie Queshan lowered his eyes to glance indifferently at Nanyi, then his gaze returned to Pang Yu as he formally greeted him: “Pang Zixu, it’s been a long time.”

Zixu was Pang Yu’s courtesy name, used by friends, parents, and teachers. Only when Xie Queshan called him by it did it sound particularly grating to his ears.

Six years ago, after his betrayal to the Qi, Pang Yu had sworn to personally finish him off, but he had also prayed in his heart never to see him again.

Until today, when enemies met on a narrow road.

Pang Yu ground his teeth: “I swore an oath that if I ever saw you again in this life, either you would die or I would perish.”

Xie Queshan smiled slightly: “What do you think the outcome will be today?”

Pang Yu said no more and directly drew his sword to fight.

Without Xie Queshan needing to lift a finger, the Qi soldiers swarmed forward to surround and attack Pang Yu.

Every move and stance of Pang Yu carried the determination of mutual destruction. For a moment, no one could get close to him. But this suicidal outburst couldn’t last long, and with his severe injuries, he soon ran out of strength.

He slashed his sword toward Xie Queshan, but He Ping beside him easily deflected it with his sword sheath. Pang Yu stumbled, and a Qi soldier behind him sliced through his hamstring with a blade, forcing him to his knees.

The Qi soldiers immediately surrounded him completely. Pang Yu was at the end of his strength with no possibility of fighting again.

Xie Queshan walked up to him and lifted his outer robe to see the wound on his chest.

“If I had known the person in the mountains was you that day, I should have shot that arrow more accurately, leaving you with enough strength to kill me—it’s just a pity that most duels in this world aren’t fair. Before the duel even begins, there’s already a distinction between strong and weak.”

“Xie Queshan, stop wasting words—kill me!”

Xie Queshan shook his head: “Zixu, in our youth you and I had several years of friendship. I don’t want to kill you. Tell me where Prince Ling’an is hiding, and I’ll guarantee you won’t die.”

“Scram! You traitorous scum who abandoned country and family—may you die horribly!”

“In these times, everyone is just trying to survive. Why sacrifice your own life for Xu Zhou’s? It’s not worth it.”

Pang Yu knelt there, but his spine remained ramrod straight. He looked at Xie Queshan with disgust, then glanced at Nanyi, grinding his teeth: “Some people covet their own lives, but I will not.”

Nanyi shivered but still didn’t dare raise her head. She could feel that gaze filled with heartbreak, disgust, and resolute determination. Nanyi knew his words were meant for her. Feeling guilty, she lowered her head and moved behind a withered tree, trying to distance herself as much as possible from this conflict.

At this moment, Gusha arrived escorting the innkeeper and all the staff: “How could such a good show lack an audience? These past days they must have been the ones caring for the injured General Pang. I brought them all over.”

Pang Yu’s eyes were bloodshot—he wished he could kill Xie Queshan and Gusha with his gaze alone.

The innkeeper and staff were bound hand and foot, trembling with fear.

Xie Queshan crouched down in front of Pang Yu, looking at him calmly: “Zixu, the reception plan in Li Du Mansion has been leaked. Xu Zhou is already in our bag—catching him is just a matter of time. If you can tell me where he’s hiding in the mountains now, the credit will be yours. High office and rich rewards—I’ll grant them all to you.”

“Bah!”

“The life and death of everyone in this inn rests entirely on your single thought. Think slowly—when you remember, tell me. Just one stick of incense, one person dies. There are eight people in this inn.”

Pang Yu roared at Xie Queshan: “Xie Queshan, you beast!”

At this moment, the innkeeper suddenly shouted at Pang Yu: “General Pang! We common folk—if we die, we die! Don’t worry about our lives!”

The Qi general Gusha looked impatient and directly drew his blade, thrusting it straight into the innkeeper’s abdomen.

“Damn, so much chatter.”

The sound of the blade piercing flesh wasn’t loud, but Nanyi heard it clearly. She nearly cried out and quickly covered her mouth.

Gusha pulled out the knife, and the innkeeper collapsed softly to the ground, dying with eyes wide open.

Xie Queshan said nothing, only glancing at the incense in the burner. Gusha followed his gaze and saw—oh, the incense hadn’t finished burning. He turned his blade and directly cut the incense in half.

“Hmm, the incense is out.” Gusha raised an eyebrow, glancing at Xie Queshan.

“Zixu, you see—General Gusha is very impatient.”

Pang Yu looked at the dead innkeeper, his whole body trembling violently, emitting beast-like painful howls from his throat.

A Qi soldier came up to replace the incense in the burner. Before it was even lit, Gusha directly lifted his foot to stomp it out, then raised his blade and killed another worker.

Blood splattered across Xie Queshan and Pang Yu.

Xie Queshan looked quietly at Pang Yu: “Zixu, do you want even more people to die?”

Pang Yu actually began laughing maniacally. This dignified seven-foot man now had tears in his eyes.

“Prince Ling’an—he’s not just an imperial prince of the royal family, but a banner that people look toward for the Yu Dynasty. As long as he can successfully ascend the throne, this leaderless realm will once again unite all people’s hearts. The great banner of the Yu Dynasty will proudly stand again at the pinnacle of the Central Plains. To protect this banner, what does it matter to go to one’s death?! There will always come a day when His Majesty will rally his people to drive you Qi people out of Bianjing!”

Pang Yu straightened his spine. Even knowing that no one here cared whether he died standing or kneeling, his every word rang clear and strong, even knowing these words would soon dissipate in the heavy snow of this desolate wilderness.

For a moment, everyone fell silent.

Pang Yu laughed again, this time with complete calm: “Your Majesty, this minister goes ahead first.”

Pang Yu’s exhausted body suddenly burst forth with amazing strength—even three Qi soldiers couldn’t hold him down. He broke free from their restraints and lunged forward, reaching for Xie Queshan’s sword. The Qi soldiers on both sides quickly pulled Xie Queshan away and instinctively drew their swords toward Pang Yu.

Xie Queshan immediately shouted: “Stop!” But it was already too late.

“Heaven protect our Great Yu!”

Pang Yu cried out, then threw himself headlong onto the Qi soldier’s blade. The cold steel cut through blood vessels, hot blood spilling on the snowy ground and splashing onto clothing. In an instant, he collapsed.

Like a bubble floating to the water’s surface—pop—and it was gone.

Xie Queshan lost composure, pushing away the Qi soldiers beside him and rushing forward to feel for the pulse at Pang Yu’s neck.

His pulse was fading at an alarming rate.

Pang Yu used his last bit of strength to grasp Xie Queshan’s sleeve. He had completed his great duty, dying heroically. His gaze toward the distance could finally rest. His last look in this world indulged his private feelings, gazing sadly and uncomprehendingly at his childhood close friend.

“Xie Chao’en… I… never betrayed… our youthful oath.”

“Queshan” was the courtesy name he had taken for himself after leaving his country and hometown, while Xie Chao’en was his real name. It had been many years since anyone had called him by his name.

Was he speaking of the oath of “your death or my life,” or the oath of sworn brotherhood in the peach garden?

No one would ever know.