Arrows whistled through the air, arriving in an instant.

Li Xuanzhen’s tall frame shielded Li Yaoying, holding her as they dodged. Several arrows grazed past his arm and embedded themselves into the sandy ground, disappearing up to their fletching.

More swooshing sounds cut through the air as iron arrows flew from unseen locations, each shot brimming with power like shooting stars chasing the moon. In the distance, several Northern Rong archers fell from their horses one after another.

Li Xuanzhen embraced the slightly trembling Yaoying, completely oblivious to the sounds of weapons and horses behind him. His body was covered in wounds as if countless sharp knives were twisting in his flesh, but at this moment he was overwhelmed by boundless joy and couldn’t feel any physical pain.

Chang’an wasn’t far from Liangzhou – if she ever became frightened or regretted her decision, she could seek his help and he would rescue her at any time. But she had been captured by Haidu Aling and taken to the Western Regions, then drifted to an even more distant khanate that had almost no contact with the Central Plains. He had crossed the Qilian Mountains, passed through Yumen Pass, traversed the eight hundred li of Moheyan Desert, escaped from Yizhou, climbed over the towering Tianshan Mountains, and searched for so long through seemingly endless vast deserts, all the way to unfamiliar foreign lands, until he finally found her.

She was still alive, had grown taller and stronger, her small face pressed against his chest, her arms around his waist supple and powerful.

Li Xuanzhen tightened his embrace, holding Yaoying close, terrified this was just a hallucination brought on by days of thirst, hunger, and pain. When he and Li Zhongqian were trapped in desperate circumstances, they were tormented by mirages, charging forward madly only to find nothing but endless yellow sand.

The arms locked around his shoulders tightened like iron pincers, making it difficult for Yaoying to breathe. She lifted her head, crystalline tears rolling down her cheeks, but her eyes were full of laughter, the tears unable to hide her overflowing joy.

Li Xuanzhen’s face was covered in blood and dust, his features indistinguishable except for a pair of phoenix eyes.

He gazed at her, lowered his head, pressed his fingers against her neck, and continued holding her.

Yaoying smelled the heavy scent of blood as awareness gradually returned. The sounds of battle and arrows cutting through the air forced her to calm down from her ecstasy.

They were still on the battlefield – they couldn’t let their guard down, or the scene from her dreams might appear again at any moment!

“Brother, let’s retreat to somewhere safe first!”

Yaoying gently tried to break free from Li Xuanzhen’s embrace.

Li Xuanzhen startled as if frightened, trembled, and held her even tighter, not letting her move. His fingers pressed firmly against her neck, preventing her from lifting her head to look at him.

She hadn’t realized yet – if she looked at him one more time, she would discover he wasn’t Li Zhongqian.

“Brother?”

Yaoying sensed the sudden burst of intensity from his body and called out softly, her fingers feeling something wet and sticky – he was covered in blood.

“Brother, you’re injured, please listen…”

Yaoying raised her head.

Li Xuanzhen met her elongated gaze.

Their eyes met, and the smile suddenly froze on her face, confusion flashing across her eyes.

That hint of confusion immediately sobered Li Xuanzhen’s mind, and the pain from his wounds suddenly became unbearably clear and intense. He trembled several times and collapsed onto the sandy ground.

“Brother!”

Yaoying held him, calling out anxiously.

“A’Wei, come here!”

The guard responded loudly and quickly ran to their side, taking out bandages and medicine. He used scissors to cut open Li Xuanzhen’s tattered leather coat, examined the wounds, found the heavily bleeding injuries, and bandaged them to stop the bleeding.

“Brother, don’t fall asleep, talk to me, I’m Mingyuenu, I’m here…”

Yaoying’s hands trembled slightly as she untied the leather flask at her waist, poured out clean water to a wet cloth, and moistened Li Xuanzhen’s cracked lips. The cloth swept across his neck, wiping away the blood.

Her movements suddenly paused as she snapped out of her panic and carefully examined Li Xuanzhen.

Li Zhongqian had sharp features and a finger-length scar from his chin to his neck, left from a battle with a great general of Southern Chu.

This man’s eyes were different from her brother’s.

The next moment, Yaoying continued pouring water, but her movements no longer held the same gentle tenderness. She brushed aside Li Xuanzhen’s disheveled hair, and wiped his face with the cloth, removing half the blood.

His handsome features gradually became visible – sword-like eyebrows and phoenix eyes, with an ineffable melancholy between his brows.

In an instant, all the joy drained from Yaoying’s eyes, leaving only emptiness.

Such dramatic ups and downs, just like that.

She sat there holding the cloth, speechless for a long while.

Li Xuanzhen knew she had recognized him and laughed bitterly in his heart.

Yaoying stared at him coldly. In her dreams, she had seen Li Zhongqian – why had he become Li Xuanzhen?

Almost the same scene, same attire, same Drum-Beating Golden Hammers… how did Li Xuanzhen come to possess the twin hammers Li Zhongqian never parted with?

A thought flashed through her mind, and all color drained from Yaoying’s face. Her expression suddenly turned ice-cold as she pushed aside the guard and lunged at Li Xuanzhen, drawing the dagger hidden in her waistband and pressing its tip against his throat.

“How did my brother’s golden hammers end up in your hands?”

Her voice trembled, her gaze falling on his face without a trace of warmth.

“What did you do to him?”

Li Xuanzhen met Yaoying’s cold, suspicious gaze and struggled to open his mouth, but couldn’t make a sound.

Her eyes when looking at Li Zhongqian had been full of delight, tenderness, admiration, trust, intimacy, and joy so intense it seemed about to overflow.

When looking at him, there was only coldness.

The difference was truly vast.

So vast that for a moment, Li Xuanzhen’s chest filled with jealousy, resentment, and other emotions he couldn’t quite identify. He truly wished Li Zhongqian had never existed in this world.

Yaoying pressed harder, the dagger tight against his throat: “Li Xuanzhen, what did you do to my brother? How did you get his golden hammers!”

Li Xuanzhen looked into her eyes, “He’s still alive…”

He suddenly began coughing violently, blood seeping from his lips, his body shaking, pupils dilating.

The guard’s face paled as he took out a bottle of life-saving heart-strengthening medicine and forced it into Li Xuanzhen’s mouth: “Princess, he has several severe wounds where you can see bone! He’s going into shock – he won’t make it! We need to stop the bleeding quickly and get him back to camp!”

Yaoying frowned, withdrew her dagger, stood up, and gestured for the guard to continue bandaging Li Xuanzhen’s wounds.

Li Xuanzhen was lucky – he always managed to survive desperate situations and wasn’t so easy to kill.

The guards gathered around, recognized Li Xuanzhen, and stared in disbelief, rubbing their eyes to make sure they weren’t seeing things: “How did His Highness the Crown Prince end up here?”

Yaoying tucked the dagger back into her waist, “He must have come looking for Zhu Lüyun.”

When she met Zhu Lüyun, she had guessed Li Xuanzhen would leave the Central Plains for her. He was being hunted by Northern Rong soldiers, probably because his identity was exposed while meeting with Zhu Lüyun.

The guards looked at each other and asked: “Princess, should we save him or not?”

Yaoying nodded, saying coolly: “Save him.”

Keeping Li Xuanzhen alive would be useful – they needed to ally with him to reclaim the Hexi region, and since he had Li Zhongqian’s twin hammers, he might know where Li Zhongqian was.

Once she found out how he obtained Li Zhongqian’s hammers, she would settle accounts with him.

Yaoying organized her thoughts, completely calm now, though disappointment showed clearly on her face.

She had truly believed the scene from her dream was happening again, that the person riding toward her was Li Zhongqian. Worried he would be hurt, she had rushed to meet him without clearly seeing his face in her urgency.

Li Xuanzhen had heard what she called out – why hadn’t he said anything?

If he had spoken, she would have recognized his voice immediately.

A nearby flag-bearing guard scratched his head, “Why was His Highness so concerned about the Princess earlier? He wouldn’t even let go of her?”

They had all seen how Li Xuanzhen had held Yaoying tightly while dodging the arrows.

Another guard snorted and said: “He must have been too excited seeing someone familiar while fleeing for his life. He wanted the Princess to save him and was afraid she wouldn’t help, so he held onto her tightly!”

Everyone nodded in agreement, convinced by this explanation.

Despite their dislike, they still did their utmost to treat Li Xuanzhen, bringing a horse and lifting him onto it before retreating to a place far from the battlefield.

…

Meanwhile, Mobituo finished the battle, leaving some men to clean up traces while leading the rescued Han people to retreat.

Several Han people who had escaped death’s door tidied themselves up, securing their loose hair before climbing the hill.

Two of the most severely wounded suddenly lost strength and collapsed in the sand. The others helped them up, and the group continued silently, step by step, walking toward Yaoying.

Yaoying waited by the hill, went forward to meet them, and scanned these severely wounded Han people wearing Northern Rong cavalry attire, suddenly feeling they looked somewhat familiar.

In the desolate dusk, the Han people appeared haggard, covered in blood, but their gazes were determined as they supported each other, walking up to her and formally bowing.

“We swore not to return without reaching Liangzhou. Princess, we have not failed our mission!”

They raised their faces, smiling as they looked at her, their gazes eager and bright with innocence.

As memories of past scenes floated before her eyes, Yaoying looked at the blood-covered young men before her, her heart surging with emotion, beating wildly as her mouth opened slightly and her eyes grew moist.

The emotional turmoil brought by Li Xuanzhen instantly vanished.

Yaoying dismounted and walked toward the Han people, bowing deeply to them.

She had once bid farewell to these young men before her, telling them: One day, we shall surely meet again!

Today, they reunited on the dunes. Of that fearless group of young men, some had died, some were wounded, their bones buried in foreign lands, their names unknown. Only these few remained alive.

They smiled at her, just as they had when they left.

When the youth are strong, the nation prospers.

One of the Han men carefully took out a book wrapped in yellow silk, held it in his hands, and knelt on one knee before Yaoying: “Princess, as ordered, we passed through layers of blockades to reach Liangzhou, found the Wei Dynasty’s garrison commander, and with the help of Zheng Jing and Du Sinan, delivered the ten-thousand-word petition and the Khan’s letters. The Wei Emperor has replied.”

The others followed, kneeling on one knee, right fists placed against their chests, their eyes blazing with intensity.

Yaoying steadied herself, suppressing the tremors in her heart as she accepted the letter.

Li De had already unified the north and completely controlled Western Shu. Just when he needed to pacify the people and stabilize his rule, the Western Regions provinces that had once belonged to the Central Plains dynasty requested troops, and the Han remnants cried for the royal army to reclaim their homeland. He immediately had the ten-thousand-word petition posted on notice boards and wrote an impassioned reply, every word bleeding, every sentence stirring the soul.

But he had not promised to immediately send troops to reclaim the Hexi region.

Shame flashed across the young men’s faces.

“Princess, Zheng Jing told us the court hasn’t forgotten us, but they can’t send troops right now…”

They were in a hurry to return to Gaochang with the news and dared not linger long in the Central Plains. Although the Central Plains officials all appeared very enthusiastic and shared their hatred of the enemy, eager to reclaim their homeland immediately, when it came to discussing when troops would be sent, the officials hemmed and hawed, deliberately stalling. They could see that the Wei Dynasty currently lacked sufficient military strength.

Disappointment was inevitable, but they could wait until the Wei Dynasty unified north and south – then they could send troops to reclaim their homeland!

Yaoying wasn’t surprised by such an answer. Li De was habitually cautious and wouldn’t easily commit elite Wei troops to the battlefield to reclaim the Hexi region. She had never expected him to send reinforcements to directly engage the Northern Rong. As long as they received the Central Plains dynasty’s support and response, matters could be handled.

Now Li Xuanzhen was right under her nose, and the Northern Rong was busy fighting the khanate. The Liangzhou army could send troops to assist – why should they place all their hopes on the court’s elite forces?

Only when they had grown strong enough to pose a threat to the Northern Rong would Li De commit troops?

But by then, this force would have already achieved significant scale, and Li De would have to cooperate with them rather than command them.

Yaoying’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at the young men before her.

Her guards gathered around, kneeling at her feet just like the young men.

The khanate soldiers didn’t approach, remaining mounted and watching from a distance.

Yaoying stood among the hills, sunset light across her shoulders, and smiled.

“You are all Gaochang’s bravest sons. In Shazhou and Guazhou, there are many more sons like you. You stand tall between heaven and earth, the hope for reclaiming Hexi.”

“Yang Qian is forming a volunteer army, uniting with prominent families from all regions who are loyal to the Wei Dynasty, and our forces continue to grow.”

“Without Wei Dynasty troops, we’ll take to the battlefield ourselves.”

“Without provisions, we’ll gather them ourselves.”

“This army shall be called the Western Army! We will unite with all tribes who wish to return east, reclaim our ancestral lands ourselves, and take back our homeland!”

The fierce wind swept past, stirring Yaoying’s robes, making them flutter. Behind her, several flags representing her unfurled in the wild wind, waving proudly.

The young men gazed at her, their exhausted faces lighting up with an extraordinary radiance, their eyes blazing as their fighting spirit reignited, their blood boiling – why shouldn’t a man carry a sword, to reclaim fifty provinces beyond the passes?

They would surely fulfill their ancestors’ wishes and return to their homeland!

…

The long wind howled, the twilight magnificent.

Not far away, a group halted behind the dunes. A man on horseback lowered his bow and iron arrows, gazing silently at Yaoying standing between the azure sky and yellow sand.

Beside him, Bisuo looked at Li Xuanzhen in the distance and couldn’t help saying: “I’ve never seen Princess Wenzhao so emotional. The princess must miss her brother terribly and long to return home.”

That afternoon, Tanmoluojia had returned to camp alone and spoken privately with Bisuo when they suddenly received urgent news about Northern Rong activity nearby. Worried about Mobituo and Yaoying, they led a group out to meet them and intercept the Northern Rong.

When they arrived, they heard the sounds of battle. They waved flags at Mobituo’s men to signal they were allies, slowly approached, and witnessed Yaoying rush into a man’s arms as they embraced tightly.

Bisuo’s jade-green eyes grew round, nearly popping out as she instinctively looked for Tanmoluojia’s reaction.

Tanmoluojia wore a sand-proof mask over his face and calmly drew his bow, shooting down several Northern Rong cavalry.

Only after Mobituo’s men had killed all the Northern Rong soldiers did he release his bowstring.

Bisuo couldn’t guess his expression.

Soon, a soldier came to report: “General, it seems Princess Wenzhao has found her brother!”

Bisuo felt conflicted, simultaneously relieved and somewhat disappointed, her mind becoming muddled.

Tanmoluojia remained silent throughout.

After Bisuo’s few sighs, she tentatively asked: “They’re heading back to camp, should we go over?”

“No need, return directly to camp.”

Tanmoluojia withdrew his gaze and turned his horse.

He had seen her emotional before, but only in her dreams when she mistook him for Li Zhongqian, clutching his hand tightly, nuzzling his palm affectionately, acting coquettish with him.

But none of that compared to watching her rush down the dune and throw herself unreservedly into her brother’s arms.

Only with Li Zhongqian could she truly relax and be childlike.

She had someone she trusted more, someone closer to her heart.

All that had happened before was like a dream bubble, like dew, like lightning.

She had come from ten thousand li away, crossing countless mountains and rivers, traversing vast distances.

Now, she would return.

The wind swept up Tanmoluojia’s robes as he touched his wrist where the prayer beads had been, finding it empty.

…

The two groups descended the dunes one after another and met face to face.

Mobituo immediately went forward to speak quietly with Tanmoluojia and Bisuo.

Yaoying left Li Xuanzhen in the guards’ care, instructing them to retrieve the Drum-Beating Golden Hammers. Seeing Tanmoluojia, she started in surprise and spurred her horse forward, but seeing them in the discussion, she felt it inappropriate to approach and turned away.

Back at camp, Bisuo and the others continued their meeting in the main tent.

Yaoying summoned military physicians to treat Li Xuanzhen and the others’ wounds.

The physician pointed at Li Xuanzhen and said: “His injuries are too severe and prone to infection. He must sleep in a separate tent.”

A soldier said worriedly: “All the tents are full…”

Yaoying frowned, “Let him stay in my tent.”

Yuanjue’s eyes widened.

Yaoying said softly: “His status is special. Keeping him in my tent will make it convenient for him to meet and talk with the Regent when he returns.”

Yuanjue suddenly understood and helped move the severely wounded Li Xuanzhen into Yaoying’s felt tent.

Yaoying left guards to attend to him while she went to meet the young men from Gaochang’s prominent families, asking about their journey’s details and experiences in the Central Plains, and how they had ended up with Li Xuanzhen.

One of them, named Yang Nianxiang from the same clan as Yang Qian, was also severely wounded but in good spirits. Lying on a blanket, he recounted everything that had happened.

“After leaving Gaochang, we passed through checkpoint after checkpoint under the pretense of pursuing Haidu Aling – Princess, your method helped us avoid many troubles. However, once we reached Northern Rong territory, Lady Yina’s command token became useless. We disguised ourselves as herders and tried to slip out of the towns, but the Northern Rong’s blockade was too strict. We lost too many people and could only hide in the cities.”

“Later, when the Northern Rong faced internal troubles, we met a group of monks and pretended to be their warrior monks to escape. In the end, the Northern Rong still discovered our tracks and we nearly died by their blades. At the critical moment, a group of Liangzhou soldiers saved us… It turned out Crown Prince Li Xuanzhen had gone to Yizhou, and since the Liangzhou forces didn’t know when he would return, they sent patrols to the border area every few days to provide support. We were lucky to meet them.”

Later, when they delivered their message, the Liangzhou governor was deeply moved, especially upon learning that Li Yaoying was still alive.

Soon after, upon receiving the news, Zheng Jing, Du Sinan, the Crown Princess, and others successively sent people to Liangzhou to receive Yang Nianxiang and his companions for an imperial audience. Li De specially arranged for them to present the ten-thousand-word petition during a grand court assembly, moving the entire court to tears.

Yang Nianxiang was eager to return to Gaochang and, after receiving Li De’s verbal promise, immediately set out with the reply. The return journey was equally perilous as they passed through checkpoint after checkpoint, eventually managing to contact Yang Qian, who had learned from Xie Qing that A’le would lead his people to serve Yaoying and informed them through secret messages.

The situation was critical, and while they were debating whether to pursue A’le’s group or head to Gaochang, they, unfortunately, encountered Northern Rong forces and were forcibly conscripted to transport supplies.

Before they could devise a thorough plan to escape the Northern Rong camp, their identities were accidentally exposed, forcing them to flee in panic. Li Xuanzhen was also being pursued by the Northern Rong at that time. The group supported each other as they fled, discovered A’le’s group’s tracks, and hurried to find them, with Northern Rong cavalry in hot pursuit. Only then did they realize Li Xuanzhen’s extraordinary status.

After hearing Yang Nianxiang’s account, Yaoying asked softly: “How many brothers were lost?”

Yang Nianxiang’s eyes reddened as he solemnly reported a number.

One by one, brothers had fallen beside him, but they hadn’t retreated, continuing eastward until completing their mission. Those brothers would never return.

Yaoying poured him a bowl of hot tea and looked around, meeting the eyes of everyone in the tent.

“They will not have died in vain, they will not be forgotten. Their names will be forever engraved in everyone’s hearts, books will record their stories, and their heroic deeds will be passed down from generation to generation.”

“We cannot fail their sacrifice. We must fulfill their wishes – only by reclaiming our homeland and returning to the Wei Dynasty can we comfort their heroic spirits and ensure their names are remembered by the world.”

Everyone responded tearfully in agreement.

Yaoying didn’t leave immediately, but took out paper and brush to carefully record the names and native places of the deceased young men.

What she had just said was merely to comfort hearts and ease Yang Nianxiang and the others’ guilt – the truth was that ordinary heroes were easily forgotten.

She would record them.

She had already recorded the names of every guard who had silently died while escorting her to her marriage.

They were all her soldiers, her retainers.

…

When Yaoying returned to her tent, Li Xuanzhen was still unconscious.

She bent over her desk writing several letters and handling documents, unconsciously reaching deep into the night. Outside, the wind howled, and the sound of flags flapping in the fierce wind echoed throughout the camp.

At night, Yuanjue brought some medicine, saying: “The Regent sent this – it’s better than what the military physician provided.”

Yaoying asked: “Where is the Regent?”

“He’s busy.”

“When the Regent is free, please ask him to come here without fail.”

Yuanjue agreed to relay the message.

Half an hour later, footsteps approached outside the tent. A hand wearing a black glove lifted the felt curtain, and Yaoying immediately put down her brush and rose to meet him: “Did the General come alone?”

Tanmoluojia nodded, his gaze falling on Li Xuanzhen, who lay on the blankets in her usual sleeping place, pale-faced and still unconscious.

Yaoying said softly: “General, this is the Wei Dynasty’s Crown Prince Li Xuanzhen, my half-brother.”

Tanmoluojia remained silent for a long while.

The candlelight in the tent flickered.

After a long silence, he asked: “He’s not Li Zhongqian?”

“No.” Yaoying shook her head, “General, he might know my brother’s whereabouts, and since he’s the Wei Crown Prince, I need to discuss attacking the Northern Rong and reclaiming lost territory with him once he wakes up. That’s why I need to keep him in my tent to care for him. The Northern Rong’s territory spans east to west, leaving them vulnerable on both sides. He will surely be willing to ally with the khanate to attack the Northern Rong’s eastern territories while their main forces are concentrated here.”

She raised her eyes, “However, this might disturb the General’s rest.”

Tanmoluojia found his blanket in the corner and moved to a different spot, still using the long table as a partition, leaving the other end empty.

He said: “It’s fine.”

Yaoying smiled at him, but her eyes held no joy, heavy with concerns.

Tanmoluojia asked: “What about the Princess?”

Yaoying patted the space beside her desk, saying: “I’ll sleep here, just need to spread out the felt blanket.”

As she spoke, she spread out the felt blanket, lay down, wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, and stared at the tent ceiling, falling silent.

Tanmoluojia’s brows furrowed slightly as he sat quietly in the candlelight for a moment before suddenly rising to leave.

“I have matters to attend to and will be out for a while. Princess, don’t wait for me, please retire early.”

Yaoying made a small sound of acknowledgment without asking further.

…

The night wind was ice-cold.

Tanmoluojia stood outside the tent, gazing at the star-dotted night sky as a passage of scripture flashed through his mind.

All wonderful desires are like salt water – the more you indulge, the more you crave.

What is greed?

Princess Manda had been beautiful and charming, her dance graceful, yet he had never felt emotion, much less desire.

Beautiful faces become dry bones; beauty and ugliness are mere appearances.

But greed isn’t merely desire.

He knew Li Yaoying would leave after a year – passing like clouds, dream bubbles, and he should let things flow naturally.

Today, he discovered she could leave at any time, not waiting for the year to end.

Thereafter, she would never again set foot in the distant khanate.

She would open her heart to others, treating them with warmth.

Tanmoluojia slowly closed his eyes.

He recalled the day of the blessing ceremony, when Li Yaoying had pressed her palms together and bowed to him, brilliant light from the Buddhist hall falling upon her as she gazed at him with sincere eyes and a smile in her bright pupils.

At that moment, an improper thought had suddenly arisen.

If she entered the Buddhist path, becoming one of his countless devotees… he hoped those bright eyes would look only at him.

She should worship only him.

He had developed greed.