Dawn light filtered into the felt tent as horses neighed outside.

Li Xuanzhen sat gritting his teeth, looking haggard with sunken cheeks, his gaze resolute as he faced Tanmoluojia’s frightening visage.

“Return Princess Wenzhao to me, and I’ll tell you where the Northern Rong’s main forces are.”

Tanmoluojia met his scrutinizing gaze and said calmly: “Princess Wenzhao is the khanate’s guest, not our prisoner.”

Yaoying turned to look at him.

Tanmoluojia was looking at her too, his jade eyes lowered slightly as he met her trusting, intimate gaze. His expression remained calm as he continued, “The Princess’s staying or leaving is her own decision. The khanate will never use Princess Wenzhao in any negotiations with Wei, regardless of time or place.”

If she wished to stay, she could stay. If she wished to leave, he would send people to escort her, even though greed had already risen in his heart. He had no reason – nor should he have any – to make her stay.

If she stayed, she would surely face the scorn of the khanate’s believers.

Yaoying’s lips curved slightly as she blinked at Tanmoluojia.

They gazed at each other silently – one wasn’t smiling, but her eyes sparkled, her features subtly radiant with a floating smile, her manner alluring; the other’s expression was calm and expressionless, seemingly undisturbed as still water, yet his gaze revealed gentleness. Between them existed a subtle relationship that belonged only to them, one other could not penetrate.

Li Xuanzhen’s expression darkened as his lips curved into a smile: “Who are you? Can you represent the khanate’s Buddha’s Son?”

“I am the khanate’s Regent and can represent the Buddha’s Son.”

Tanmoluojia said, raising his eyes to glance at Li Xuanzhen before asking in return, “Can the Crown Prince represent Wei? Represent Princess Wenzhao?”

Li Xuanzhen’s expression stiffened slightly.

Yaoying turned to look at him, her brows furrowing slightly: “Li Xuanzhen, if Great Wei can seize the right moment to attack the Northern Rong and reclaim the Western Regions, it would be a great achievement benefiting the state and future generations. As Crown Prince, you should understand the gravity of this matter – relations between two countries are no small affair.”

Li Xuanzhen’s brows knitted tightly. “You are Wei’s Princess Wenzhao. Your safety is not a small matter – I’m not joking.”

Yaoying looked into his eyes, her face indifferent.

“Li Xuanzhen, you’re completely unreasonable.”

“I was captured by Haidu Aling and fled to the khanate, receiving the Buddha’s Son’s protection – that’s how I escaped disaster. The khanate has never detained me. If I want to return home, no one stops me! It’s the Northern Rong who stop me! Making such conditions with the khanate is absurd!”

“You’re the Wei Crown Prince – would Li De agree if you used me to negotiate with the Buddha’s Son? Would the court agree?”

“If I truly became a bargaining chip, when I return to the Central Plains, wouldn’t my future life and death, honor and disgrace be controlled by Li De and you?”

“What right do you have to speak such words?”

Her tone was cold as she paused, then added, “Moreover, whether I return home or not is none of your concern.”

Li Xuanzhen looked as if he’d been slapped hard several times, his face pale, turmoil churning in his phoenix eyes.

His body trembled slightly as he gradually calmed down from the frenzy of finding her, countless emotions gathering in his eyes.

“It does concern me,” he stared at her unblinkingly. “No matter what you think, no matter whether you care or not, Seventh Sister, I sent you to the Yelu tribe, and I must bring you back.”

Yaoying remained unmoved, silent for a moment before saying: “My affairs are none of your concern.”

She had once thought Li Xuanzhen was a good person who would stand up for justice, a good commander who treated the people well, so she had treated him sincerely, hoping he could sort out his hatred and misplaced anger. In the end, she had only found disappointment. Li Zhongqian had retreated step by step, wanting nothing but to live an ordinary life, yet he still wouldn’t leave Li Zhongqian alone, even using despicable methods like poison. She had long lost any expectations of him and treated him as a stranger.

“I know…”

Li Xuanzhen murmured, his face twitching several times before he smiled self-mockingly and looked at Tanmoluojia. “I need to speak with my sister privately. Would the Regent please step out for a moment?”

He emphasized: “This concerns Wei state secrets. Please understand, Regent.”

Tanmoluojia looked at Yaoying, who thought for a moment and nodded to him, “If anything happens, I’ll call for you, General.”

He made a sound of acknowledgment and rose to leave.

Once only Li Xuanzhen and Yaoying remained in the tent, he could no longer maintain his composure. His taut nerves suddenly relaxed, and with a thud, he fell heavily back onto the felt blanket, pain making his brow throb.

Yaoying immediately asked: “How severe are my brother’s injuries? Has his martial arts recovered? When you parted from him, were you certain he was safe?”

Li Xuanzhen stared at the tent ceiling, silent for a long while.

After a long time, he closed his eyes.

“Seventh Sister… I’m in so much pain…”

In her heart and eyes, there was only Li Zhongqian. Even though he had been wounded trying to save Li Zhongqian and was in near-fatal pain, she wouldn’t feel sorry for him.

He didn’t want to hear her ask about Li Zhongqian’s safety over and over again.

Yaoying’s brows furrowed slightly as she rose and walked to the long table, taking out paper and brush. While writing a letter, she asked: “What did the Crown Prince want to tell me? Does the Crown Prince truly want to ally with the khanate?”

Li Xuanzhen’s lips curved – while one part of him ached, another part felt this was more like her. “From the current situation, to return to the Central Plains, we must pass through Northern Rong territory. In the long term, the Northern Rong are Great Wei’s formidable enemy – as they grow stronger day by day, they will inevitably threaten the Central Plains. Of course, I want to ally with the khanate to weaken the Northern Rong.”

Without looking up, Yaoying said: “Then why did the Crown Prince just propose such an absurd condition? If the Crown Prince wants to ally with the khanate, you should show sincerity, not question whether the khanate is detaining me after being rescued. The khanate is too far from the Central Plains and could completely ignore the Central Plains. If the Crown Prince truly cares for the Western Regions’ people and wants to establish lasting merit, you should be more careful with your words and actions in the future.”

Li Xuanzhen supported himself on the felt blanket, struggling to sit up and lean against the small table: “It wasn’t an absurd condition… I just wanted to test the khanate.”

Yaoying didn’t look up.

Li Xuanzhen watched the top of her head: “Seventh Sister… The khanate’s Buddha’s Son did indeed save you, but he’s ultimately another country’s ruler. Have you considered what if he won’t let you leave?”

If the widespread rumors were true, if such beauty had used every method to please that monk, what if the monk wanted her to stay and serve him – how would she escape? Li De would be eager to maintain good relations with the khanate; if the khanate made demands, Li De would unhesitatingly order her into another political marriage.

In some places in India, temples had young women specifically serving the elders. It was said that unless the elders tired of them, these women could never leave the temples.

On his way to find Yaoying, whenever Li Xuanzhen thought about how she had to discard her dignity to seduce a monk just to survive, his heart was filled with guilt and pain.

Was that monk good to her? Had he… had he forced her to do those things?

But now that he had found Yaoying, Li Xuanzhen didn’t dare ask how she had been living.

Only Li Zhongqian had the right to care about her.

Bringing up these matters would be like rubbing salt in her wounds, only angering her and making her feel more pain and humiliation.

So he didn’t ask anything, but he had to consider the worst possibilities and resolve all troubles before allying with the khanate, ensuring she could leave without worries.

Yaoying’s writing paused: “The Crown Prince need not worry about this. The Buddha’s Son is compassionate and righteous, pure and noble, unlike ordinary men. The Buddha’s Son’s kindness to me is as vast as mountains.”

How could Tanmoluojia, who treated her so well, force her to stay?

Li Xuanzhen smiled bitterly: “Seventh Sister, you’re not a man. Even monks are men – I understand men’s thoughts better than you.”

Yaoying frowned slightly.

In her heart, Tanmoluojia had no selfish desires and would never have any feelings toward her beyond sympathy and pity.

She sat lost in thought for a moment, ignoring Li Xuanzhen as she finished writing letters to Yang Qian and Xie Qing. She placed them in small copper tubes and handed them to the guards outside the tent, saying: “I’ve written a letter. Make copies and send one out every three hours.”

The Northern Rong would shoot down messenger birds – one letter wasn’t enough to ensure delivery.

The guards acknowledged.

Yaoying returned to the tent, looked at Li Xuanzhen, poured a bowl of water, and placed it before him, then took out a map and spread it open.

“Crown Prince, the Buddha’s Son is a nation’s ruler who carries the responsibility for countless people. My relationship with the Buddha’s Son won’t affect the alliance between our countries, and it’s none of your concern. I am now speaking as a representative of the Western Army to discuss an alliance with the Khanate. If the Crown Prince continues to dwell on matters between the Buddha’s Son and me, we have nothing more to discuss.”

Li Xuanzhen raised his eyes to look at her and sighed helplessly, “Very well, I won’t question your private affairs.”

Yaoying asked: “Do you know where the Northern Rong’s main forces are?”

“I do. The closer to the khanate they get, the more Khan Wakhan worries. Internal disputes have broken out among the Northern Rong nobility, who think he’s too hesitant and afraid to face the Buddha’s Son directly.”

Li Xuanzhen’s lips curved up. “Within the Northern Rong army, many have changed their faith and secretly worship the khanate’s Buddha’s Son. Li Zhongqian and I spread rumors, inciting slaves to cause trouble. To stabilize army morale, Khan Wakhan publicly executed a group of Buddhist-believing slaves.”

This wasn’t the first time he and Li Zhongqian had caused trouble in the Northern Rong army. They were well-practiced at it. Rumors about the Buddha’s Son being protected by Buddhist dharma and being invincible in battle were already circulating in the army; they had merely added fuel to the fire, and the rumors grew more fantastic with each telling.

Khan Wakhan acted decisively, executing those soldiers publicly on charges of “spreading demonic rumors,” but still couldn’t stop the rumors from spreading.

At this point, Li Xuanzhen and Li Zhongqian discovered that someone within the Northern Rong was fueling the rumors, which was why they couldn’t be suppressed.

Hearing this, Yaoying raised her eyes: “Was it Haidu Aling or other Northern Rong nobles?”

Li Xuanzhen said: “The Northern Rong nobles.”

Yaoying understood.

The conflict between Khan Wakhan and the Northern Rong nobility had always existed, as did conflicts between nobles from different tribes.

During the last Northern Rong internal strife, Haidu Aling hadn’t made much of a splash, but those nobles had almost installed a new chieftain. The Northern Rong had nearly split apart, intensifying the conflicts, so Khan Wakhan had to defeat the Khanate to establish his rule. Many tribal chiefs among the nobles couldn’t read a single character, their minds filled only with thoughts of gold, silver, cattle, sheep, and land. They had long been dissatisfied with Khan Wakhan’s cautious approach. Being short-sighted, it wasn’t surprising they would hinder progress at this time.

Li Xuanzhen continued: “With the Northern Rong army’s morale unstable, Haidu Aling advised Khan Wakhan to change routes for safety and spoke of seeking reinforcements from the west. Khan Wakhan divided his forces into about six groups, each led by one of his sons, while he led the elite main force toward Samu Valley.”

Samu Valley?

Yaoying was familiar with this name – Sudan Gu and Bisuo had mentioned Samu Valley several times and had even sent scouts to investigate.

To the east of Samu Valley lay towering, treacherous mountains; to the west, endless Gobi grasslands; to the north, two great rivers meandering past, nourishing oases; to the northwest, desert and inland lakes. Overall, Samu Valley was flat and vast, high in the east and low in the west, with snow-capped mountains rising to the east and ravine-crossed gorges to the west.

If Khan Wakhan seized advantageous positions first and then lured out the khanate’s forces, he could easily trap their army in the gorges before sending troops to attack the Holy City. Though the khanate knew Samu Valley was a death trap, they had no choice but to send troops – if Khan Wakhan gambled everything on crossing Samu Valley and allied with western tribal nations to attack the khanate from the west, the khanate would be in danger, and the Holy City even more so.

For Khan Wakhan, this was indeed a safe choice. In the world’s eyes, Sudan Gu was dead, and his surprise move would guarantee victory.

However, he could never have guessed that Sudan Gu was still alive and that the khanate had already deployed troops that could respond flexibly in the shortest time.

Even if Khan Wakhan now guessed the khanate army’s movements, he couldn’t change strategies – the arrow was on the bowstring and had to be released. He had no choice.

Yaoying pondered for a moment, then said: “When the Northern Rong and Khanate go to war, the eastern territory’s blockade will surely loosen – that’s our opportunity. Li De wants to reclaim Shazhou and Guazhou, but he’s more interested in attacking Southern Chu to complete unification. The court can’t spare many troops.”

She looked at Li Xuanzhen.

“We can’t miss this chance. The Western Army has already secretly united with various provinces, agreeing to rise, but the Western Army lacks supplies. Even if we take cities, we can’t hold them long. The court must send troops to cut off the Northern Rong cavalry stationed in the grasslands, or Shazhou and Guazhou will become isolated provinces.”

Li Xuanzhen’s eyes narrowed – even away from the Central Plains, she could still accurately describe its situation.

“You’re right. In these past months observing the Western Regions provinces, I’ve seen the people deeply oppressed by the Northern Rong, barely able to survive. The people long to return east, and the Western Army’s uprising will gain much support. However, due to the oasis terrain, no tribe can field tens of thousands of troops. The Western Army can take cities, but once the Northern Rong turns back, the cities will change hands again. The Western Army needs the court’s backing…”

He looked at the map. “What if the court sends troops?”

Yaoying shook her head: “Haidu Aling understands the Central Plains situation and must have made arrangements. I suspect Southern Chu is already at war with Great Wei. The court won’t send troops for a few volunteer armies, putting itself in danger of attacks from both front and rear.”

She looked up at Li Xuanzhen.

“Can the Crown Prince mobilize the Liangzhou army?”

Li Xuanzhen met her gaze.

“How did you know I could mobilize the Liangzhou army?”

Yaoying said coolly: “Can you or can’t you?”

Li Xuanzhen stared at her for a long while, then nodded: “I’ve already sent word to Liangzhou on my way to the khanate. I can mobilize Liangzhou’s forces… As for the court, I can persuade Li De to change his mind.”

The Southern Chu situation could be left to Du Sinan; his planted agents there could be put to use.

Li Xuanzhen changed his tone, “However, doing this involves great risk for me.”

Without hesitation, Yaoying said: “The Crown Prince will choose to take the risk because you’re determined to take Guazhou and Shazhou, and such opportunities are rare. The Western Army and Khanate are both your allies – miss this chance, and the Crown Prince will regret it for life.”

In the book, he had longed to reclaim the lost territories until his death. Unfortunately, in the book, Tanmoluojia had died early, the Northern Rong had quickly grown powerful, and court officials had been unwilling to take risks. He had missed several good opportunities and never fulfilled his wish to lead a campaign personally.

As she spoke, she occasionally brushed aside strands of hair at her temples, her expression serious.

Li Xuanzhen couldn’t help but recall how he had deliberately harmed Li Zhongqian in front of her out of hatred. Back then, her eyes had been full of resentment, and the more she resented him, the more satisfaction he had felt.

Now thinking about it, he hadn’t hated her, but rather her identity as Xie Manyuan’s daughter.

Feeling a mix of emotions, he smiled: “Yes, I choose to take the risk. The Liangzhou forces should be ready by now.”

He had vaguely felt for a long time that she understood him.

Yaoying pointed at the map. Li Xuanzhen had been a general for many years and had been deep in the Western Regions for so long – she wasn’t surprised he had already secretly mobilized the Liangzhou army.

“The khanate and Northern Rong will fight a decisive battle, tying down the Northern Rong forces. The Western Army will seize this opportunity to rise, while the Crown Prince leads Liangzhou forces to intercept the grassland cavalry and provide support. If things go well, we can then join forces to ambush the Northern Rong… Once we formally ally, there’s no turning back. The Crown Prince should decide carefully.”

Li Xuanzhen sat up and reached out, covering her hand on the map with his.

“Seventh Sister, I agree to the alliance.”

Yaoying’s brows furrowed as she pulled her hand away. “Li Xuanzhen, better not call me Seventh Sister anymore. I don’t want a brother like the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince doesn’t want a sister like me.”

Li Xuanzhen withdrew his hand and remained silent for a long while.

“Alright.”

Yaoying put away the map: “The journey is long. Once the Crown Prince’s wounds have improved, you must set out immediately, riding hard to join the Liangzhou forces before the great battle ends, or the alliance will be meaningless. I will ask the Regent to send elite troops to escort the Crown Prince.”

She rose to leave.

“Li Yaoying.”

Li Xuanzhen’s hoarse call came from behind.

Yaoying’s steps halted as she turned back.

Li Xuanzhen gazed at her, his phoenix eyes seeming covered by a layer of shadow: “What I said earlier was true. I did come to the khanate to save you, and I risked my life several times to save Li Zhongqian because of you. You should understand that even without the blood feud over our mothers, Li Zhongqian and I have reached a point of no return. Now we’re in foreign lands, and he’s focused on finding you, so he won’t kill me for now. When we return to the Central Plains, he won’t spare me, and I won’t sit waiting for death. However, I can promise you that I won’t make the first move against Li Zhongqian…”

As long as he was strong enough.

Yaoying’s gaze remained calm, without a ripple.

In the shifting light, Li Xuanzhen’s pupils seemed drawn in ink as he slowly said: “Three years ago, Li Zhongqian went to war and parted from you, becoming separated by vast distances. It’s been over two years since I parted from you too… I thought you were dead, then learned you were alive but in Haidu Aling’s hands. I went to Yizhou to find you, learned you had escaped, and met the khanate’s Buddha’s Son…”

He didn’t want to experience again the torment and regret of that period.

“Now I must go to Shazhou, lead troops to reclaim lost territory, while you stay in the khanate, waiting to reunite with Li Zhongqian.”

He looked straight at Yaoying.

“I’m hard to kill, not easy to die, but I still fear missing the chance to explain to you. I don’t want it to be like last time, where words remained unsaid before we parted in chaos. So I haven’t lied to you – everything I’ve said is true.”

“Believe me, I came to save you.”

“Whether you accept this or not… I can’t let go.”

Yaoying’s face remained expressionless as she lowered the felt curtain and left.

Li Xuanzhen fell back onto the blanket exhaustedly, curling up in pain.