That day, Tanmoluojia had two more attacks. Though not as agonizing as before in the mountains, and while he remained conscious, his body was much weaker. Yao Ying feared something might happen to him and dared not leave for long, staying by his side except for a few trips downstairs. This time she dared not doze off, sitting opposite Tanmoluojia all night, contemplating how to quickly and smoothly return to the Holy City while planning what to do after returning. When she saw his brow turning red, she immediately woke him softly.

Tanmoluojia opened his eyes to look at her, his gaze ice-cold.

Yao Ying rushed forward and helped him take the medicine pills.

Thinking about how he had endured like this all these years and would continue to do so in the future, she felt deeply worried.

Tanmoluojia calmly turned his back, and wiped away the blood from his lips, maintaining an indifferent appearance. He glanced at the daylight falling on the curtain and made to stand up.

Yao Ying quickly grabbed his arm: “In Gaochang, the General told me to first recover from illness before thinking about alliance matters. How come when it’s the General’s turn, you’re sacrificing the greater for the lesser? The important matters are urgent, but the General’s health cannot be neglected either.”

Tanmoluojia said flatly: “It’s nothing.”

The most difficult night had already passed.

Yao Ying frowned slightly: “The General isn’t well. Though I don’t understand martial arts, I can still see this much.”

Tanmoluojia’s thick brows furrowed slightly, his gaze falling on her face. She had been watching over him day and night these past few days, the dark circles under her eyes never fading.

Yao Ying met Tanmoluojia’s gaze steadily, showing no sign of backing down: “I know the General must return to the Holy City, but you can’t completely disregard your health. Right now the General is a patient, and patients must be obedient, not stubborn.”

After speaking, she pressed Tanmoluojia to sit down.

Her strength wasn’t great – Tanmoluojia could have shaken her off with just a slight movement of his arm. His arm had just tensed when he met her concerned gaze, and he lowered it again.

He said nothing and sat back in his original position.

“Yesterday I learned some things from the merchant caravan and thought of a way to smoothly enter the Holy City. I wanted to discuss it with the General.”

Yao Ying brought out a black lacquered box inlaid with mother-of-pearl, opened the lid, and instantly the room was filled with glittering golden light and precious radiance.

Inside the box was a gilt bronze statue with dense Vajra lotus designs, divided into four tiers. Each tier was a blooming lotus, with eight Buddha figures holding spears and vajras, sitting cross-legged on lotus pedestals, intricately carved layer upon layer with exquisite craftsmanship.

“This is a birthday gift for the Buddha’s Son. I bought it from an Indian merchant.”

Yao Ying said softly.

Tanmoluojia lowered his gaze, glanced at the gilt lotus bronze statue in the box, and froze.

Yao Ying didn’t notice his momentary shock and continued: “Now more and more common people are rushing to the Holy City from all directions to pay respects to the Buddha’s Son. We can blend in and enter the city with them. I’ve inquired – these people are numerous and go in groups to worship the Buddha’s Son. The inspections of them are the most lenient every year.”

She hadn’t been idle yesterday. Using the excuse of admiring the Buddha’s Son and wanting to buy treasures as offerings, she chatted with merchant caravans from different places to gather information.

The merchants told her that checkpoints throughout the city were still strict, and the towns closer to the Holy City were even stricter.

The Regent was still seriously wounded now, and she didn’t want him to risk traveling. After much thought, she felt it better to blend in with the worshipping crowds to enter the city. This way they could not only avoid inspections but also naturally approach the royal temple.

“What does the General think of my idea?”

Yao Ying opened her eyes wide, earnestly seeking Tanmoluojia’s opinion.

Tanmoluojia was looking down at her.

Their eyes met, and his gaze carried a hint of scrutiny.

Yao Ying didn’t understand why and blinked at Tanmoluojia, her dark eyes bright as lacquer.

Her gaze as she looked at him was lively and clear as morning dew, without a trace of probing intent.

“General?” Yao Ying called softly.

Tanmoluojia shifted his gaze away and said: “This bronze statue is not suitable.”

Yao Ying was stunned and picked up the gilt statue to examine it closely: “What’s wrong with this vajra statue?”

This Vajra statue was not only beautifully crafted but also uniquely designed. It was said that only Indian craftsmen could carve such a style. Yesterday when the Indian merchant brought out this bronze statue, the merchants in the hall were amazed, competing to make offers. If she hadn’t learned a few broken Sanskrit phrases from Banruo and already negotiated with the Indian merchant, it would have been snatched away by others.

She had thought this bronze statue was precious – looking at its gleaming craftsmanship that seemed perfect in every way, wasn’t it very similar to the Buddha statues on the dharma altar during the royal court’s Icon Festival?

Tanmoluojia paused, then said, “A scroll of scripture is enough, no need for luxury.”

Yao Ying realized she might have made a mistake, but since she was facing the Regent, she didn’t feel embarrassed and smiled: “Thank you for the guidance, General. I’ve learned my lesson.”

After speaking, she immediately hugged the box, covered her face with a veil, and pattered out, her figure disappearing at the doorway. Soon footsteps returned, and she stood at the door putting on her boots, half her body leaning into the room.

“I’ll be back soon, General please rest well.”

Half an hour later, Yao Ying returned hugging several golden sutras. The sutras were made of parchment with painted designs, beautiful and bright.

“I resold the bronze statue,” she sat cross-legged and patted the sutras, “Are these sutras suitable as offerings to the Buddha’s Son?”

Tanmoluojia nodded slightly.

It seemed she had acted without ulterior motives.

…

Downstairs, the merchant who had just bought the bronze statue from Yao Ying was overjoyed, holding the statue as he returned to his room.

His companion asked in surprise: “This bronze statue is finely crafted with an exquisite style, but unfortunately was bought first by a felt carpet merchant from Yangma City. How did it end up in your hands?”

The merchant stroked his beard, his expression animated as he said: “That Indian merchant selling the statue didn’t know its value, and neither did the lady who bought it. They thought it was just an ordinary bronze statue. I just added fifty silver coins, and she happily resold it to me!”

His companion’s face was full of envy: “Such good luck! This statue is a rare item from India. If you resell it to the nobles of the royal court, you’ll surely make a huge profit!”

The merchant laughed heartily: “It’s more than just a huge profit!”

He deliberately paused.

His companion knew he was creating suspense and asked with a smile: “What’s so special about this statue? Tell me quickly.”

“There are many wonderful aspects!” The merchant lowered his voice, put down the statue, and felt around with his fingers for a while until he found a mechanism and gently twisted it.

With a click, the topmost gilt lotus of the statue suddenly opened, its petals spreading one by one like a blooming flower, golden light flickering beautifully.

His companion clicked his tongue in admiration.

The next moment, his eyes widened in shock.

Within the opened lotus slowly emerged a crowned vajra figure seated in meditation. The vajra was unclothed, with several faces, six pairs of long arms, wearing waist ornaments, and holding ritual implements. Its main arms embraced a gilt goddess who was also unclothed, tightly holding the vajra’s neck, her legs wrapped around its waist in an intimate embrace.

His companion’s face turned red to his ears.

The merchant laughed loudly: “This is a dual-bodied statue from India. It’s said that monks of a certain Indian sect practice dual cultivation between man and woman to enter a state of great bliss. I’ve seen such dual-bodied statues in India before. You’re right, it’s a rare item – the nobles and lords of the Holy City would certainly offer more silver coins to exchange for it.”

He had struck gold!

…

Yao Ying knew nothing of the conversation happening downstairs.

Over the next day, she continued gathering information while watching Tanmoluojia, not allowing him to practice his cultivation.

At night, the gray hawk brought back a reply letter.

After reading the letter, Tanmoluojia fell into silent contemplation. The hawk grew somewhat impatient, gently pecking his arm. He raised his hand to stroke the hawk, signaling it to leave directly.

The next day, they blended into the crowd of worshippers, left the city, and headed toward the Holy City.

Just as they passed through the city gates, they encountered a group of sword-bearing soldiers approaching on horseback. The soldiers, cursing and swearing while seated on horseback, loudly read out announcements. Immediately after, they pulled aside any young men traveling alone for questioning.

Soon came sounds of beating and scolding from behind as isolated men were taken away.

Yao Ying felt relieved as she lowered the curtain and glanced at Tanmoluojia beside her, who sat cross-legged in meditation. His injuries showed signs of worsening, so today they were traveling by carriage.

After the carriage had traveled several li, there came the sound of galloping hooves from behind, snow flying everywhere, as a contingent of Northern Rong soldiers approached in a winding line. In the middle was a large carriage thoroughly covered with felt cloth. Judging by the several Hu maidservants sitting at the front of the carriage, the person inside must be a woman.

Amid the neighing of horses, travelers on the road cursed as they made way and the contingent galloped past.

Complaints arose from both sides of the road.

“The noble lady in the carriage is the Northern Rong Princess – such arrogance.”

“The Northern Rong people are just barbaric and crude.”

…

Through the gap in the curtain, Yao Ying watched Zhu Lvyun’s large carriage disappear into the distance.

After steadying herself, she no longer deliberately avoided Zhu Lvyun but instead paid attention to gathering information about her movements, trying to deduce what exactly had happened in Northern Rong and why Wahan Khan would think to send Zhu Lvyun to the royal court.

Since arriving at the royal court, Zhu Lvyun had frequently visited the marketplace, seemingly searching for treasures to curry favor with royal court nobles, showing no other unusual behavior. The Northern Rong delegation remained arrogant and disdainful of others.

Yao Ying couldn’t understand: Haidu Aling and Wahan Khan’s sons were fighting to the death, brothers at war, conflicts endless, yet Northern Rong remained mysteriously calm.

She calculated that when Zhu Lvyun left the Northern Rong royal court, Haidu Aling and Prince Jinbo and others should not have fallen out yet, but now Jinbo had already informed Wahan Khan about Haidu Aling’s plot – why was there still no movement from Northern Rong?

Yao Ying pressed her lips together.

Yang Qian was a military talent, capable of the important task of training and commanding the volunteer army, but he wasn’t skilled at arranging spies or training scouts.

The Regent had told her before that Northern Rong had an infiltration scout force. Northern Rong’s territory was vast – traveling from the royal court to various small tribes could take months at a slow pace. Without well-trained scouts, an order might take half a year from issuance to delivery. With a powerful scout force, they could quickly gather intelligence from various countries, then make plans and launch surprise attacks.

Yao Ying also needed such a force.

Then she wouldn’t have to wait daily for news from Gaochang.

Old Qi and his merchant caravan would make good scout candidates. Before drifting to the royal court, they had lived in the Western Regions for many years, frequently dealing with various tribes, and wouldn’t arouse suspicion traveling to different places as merchants.

However, they were ultimately untrained civilians who didn’t know how to distinguish useful information from trivial news.

Yao Ying was lost in thought for a while when she heard Tanmoluojia’s breathing become heavier beside her. She came back to herself, poured a cup of hot medicinal soup, and held it out to him.

As Tanmoluojia reached out to take it, she pulled back her hand and picked up a stiff piece of nang bread as a fan, gently fanning the steaming porcelain cup.

“Wait, it was just boiled and is still very hot.”

No matter how strong or bitter the medicine was, Tanmoluojia drank it as if he had no sense of taste, downing the cup in one go without even furrowing his brow. Yao Ying worried he would scald himself drinking it all at once.

She fanned several times until she felt it was about right, then offered the cup.

Tanmoluojia took the cup without a word.

Yao Ying tossed aside the nang bread and asked: “General, has there been any news from Northern Rong these days?”

Tanmoluojia finished the medicine, looked at her, and shook his head.

He had been holding his forces steady, also waiting for news from Northern Rong. Knowing she feared Haidu Aling, he hadn’t mentioned it to her.

Yao Ying sighed, suspecting that Haidu Aling might have killed Wahan Khan and his sons as described in the books, and had also controlled the situation, which was why Northern Rong showed no movement.

She needed to prepare in advance.

Yao Ying leaned against the carriage wall, silently calculating.

After drinking the medicine, Tanmoluojia gradually felt pain rising in his body, his joints faintly aching. He sat quietly with closed eyes, waiting for this wave of pain to pass, then opened his heavy eyelids.

A handkerchief was offered before him, Yao Ying watching him with pure concern in her jet-black eyes.

These days, whenever Tanmoluojia opened his eyes, he would see her.

Sometimes she sat there lost in thought, expression serious, as if pondering important matters. Sometimes she stared at him unblinkingly, face lighting up when his condition improved, brows furrowing when his injuries worsened. Sometimes she would prop her chin with her hand, head nodding as she dozed off sitting up, then immediately straighten up at any sound, rubbing her face and widening her eyes, trying hard to appear energetic.

Without her care, he could still return to the Holy City.

However, in that case, he might collapse at any time in some desolate corner, silently enduring the pain alone. Unlike now, where someone carefully tended to him throughout the journey.

Tanmoluojia accepted the handkerchief, warmth quickly spreading from his ice-cold fingertips.

The handkerchief had been warming on the charcoal stove, making it nice and hot.

He felt somewhat uncomfortable with this and waited until the handkerchief cooled a bit before using it to wipe away his cold sweat.

…

They continued westward, and the worshipping crowds grew increasingly large. Besides wealthy clans surrounded by strong servants and camel and horse caravans, there were even more common people. The road was filled with faithful followers carrying felt blankets, travel-worn.

These followers weren’t wealthy – many couldn’t even offer a proper congratulatory gift, but they were very devout, continuously reciting scriptures along the way, and praying for Tanmoluojia’s blessings.

Traveling with them, Yao Ying listened to them repeatedly recount the kindness Tanmoluojia had shown them, once again deeply feeling the people’s love and reverence for him, and also understanding why Tanmoluojia had such conflicts with the royal court’s nobles and ministers.

Tanmoluojia protected all people regardless of status, while the nobles and ministers viewed the people in their domains as their private property. His vision was far-reaching, seeing how to make the royal court stable and prosperous in the long term, strong enough to maintain peace without relying on him. Such aspirations were not only incomprehensible to the nobles and ministers but also to the common people who benefited from them.

As the merchants had said, the closer they got to the Holy City, the stricter the inspections became along the way, creating a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.

Besides the daily required medicinal decoctions, Yao Ying spent heavily on herbs at every marketplace they passed, brewing several pots of medicine daily. The carriage was permeated inside and out with the sour and bitter smell of medicine, even the curtains absorbed a persistent acrid odor.

When fellow travelers asked, Yao Ying would say her husband was gravely ill, and she was coming to the Holy City to seek the Buddha’s Son’s help in saving him. Seeing that Tanmoluojia never left the carriage and had to take medicine daily, with all his food and drink being delivered to the carriage by her, people believed her story and felt both sympathy and admiration for her.

An elderly Hu woman, seeing Yao Ying exhausted with dark circles under her eyes daily, sighed: “Your husband has become useless, yet you remain devoted to him. The Buddha’s Son will surely bless you both!”

Yao Ying’s eyelid twitched – she had never said the Regent was useless.

When they encountered military inspections again, before Yao Ying could lift the curtain, the surrounding followers would explain to her. The soldiers were particularly vigilant only toward young men traveling alone. Seeing Yao Ying’s travel documents were complete, and hearing from others about how this frail woman had traveled thousands of li with her gravely ill husband seeking treatment, they didn’t give her trouble.

The journey continued peacefully until they reached a star city not far from the Holy City, where the guarding soldiers were replaced by the four cavalry armies of the nobles, creating an atmosphere that suggested an impending storm.