Yuchi Yan lowered his head, his graying temples having several strands hanging down. The deep furrows between his brows were extremely prominent even when he wasn’t frowning.

“If we leave the capital, where can we go?”

Gu Shixiong coughed several times. Being over ninety years old, he had long lost his vigor, and his voice was very weak when he spoke.

“My lord, although you’re still Prince Zhennan in the capital, you understand better than I whether this Prince Zhennan has any real power and how much ironic meaning it carries. Li Qitian keeps us around to show off his great achievement of destroying Great Yan. What we depend on for survival is merely built upon Li Qitian’s mockery.

“Now the court situation is changing. Li Qitian has repeatedly done such foolish things, ruining his own reputation and turning public opinion toward Pang Xiao. In this old man’s humble opinion, these two men will inevitably clash in the future. If we continue staying here, My Lord may be implicated. Better to quietly slip away now while Li Qitian hasn’t yet noticed this place. After that, the sky will be high and the earth broad.”

“Sky high and earth broad?” Yuchi Yan smiled bitterly and shook his head, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening with his bitter smile. “You mean, after going out, become an ordinary farmer?”

“If My Lord wishes to spend a lifetime in peace, becoming an ordinary farmer would be the best choice. In the future, buy a few acres of land, acquire some property, marry a wife, forget the past, forget your identity, and just be a person with no past, only a future.”

The room fell silent. Yuchi Yan’s eyes were misty with tears, and finally he laughed while crying.

“I’m truly unwilling, unwilling. From when Father Emperor handed me that mess, every path I’ve walked since has been out of necessity. But what is all this for? On what grounds! On what grounds must I endure such a life!”

Gu Shixiong sighed and patted Yuchi Yan’s trembling shoulder: “It’s fate and destiny. My Lord has enjoyed wealth and honor in this life, and also experienced the pain of a destroyed nation. If you can completely let go, a future life of peace and tranquility wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

Yuchi Yan looked up, gazing at Gu Shixiong through his tears.

Gu Shixiong nodded encouragingly at him.

“…Very well, I’ll follow your advice. Let’s find a time and figure out a way to escape.”

Gu Shixiong nodded with relief: “This old man has served three generations of emperors in this lifetime. If I can now protect you safely and keep you from disaster, I can face my ancestors.”

“Without your help, I’m afraid I would have died long ago.” Yuchi Yan shook his head and sighed: “In the past, my ambitious heart never diminished, but I lacked the ability and only caused you trouble. Now everything is like passing clouds, and I’ve awakened as if from a great dream. This world has long been someone else’s world. If I can finish this remaining life, it would be a blessing.”

“You’re being too harsh. After all, this old minister is useless…”

“Old teacher!”

Both Yuchi Yan and Gu Shixiong felt heartbroken and embraced each other, crying bitterly.

The next day, the Chief Administrator of Prince Zhennan’s mansion discovered that Yuchi Yan and Gu Shixiong had disappeared and hurriedly reported the news to Li Qitian.

Upon learning this, Li Qitian was silent for only a moment, then casually ordered: “Go pursue them,” and said nothing more. In his eyes, whether Yuchi Yan stayed or left, lived or died, was already unimportant. This ruler of a destroyed nation who had achieved nothing – he had kept him alive just for amusement. If he was lost, so be it, just like losing a lapdog – nothing significant.

What mattered now was the northern frontier war and Pang Xiao’s attitude.

In front of everyone, Li Qitian’s displayed anger was proportional to his inner anxiety. Pang Xiao was now a general abroad who need not accept all military orders, and he commanded heavy troops. Li Qitian himself had been on battlefields and knew best the brotherhood forged when fighting together on the battlefield. Objectively speaking, Pang Xiao was indeed someone who easily inspired others to follow him. With these conditions combined, Li Qitian truly worried that Pang Xiao would rally supporters at the front lines, abandon dealing with the Tatars, and directly attack the capital.

When that time came, what would he use to resist?

Li Qitian knew he had no power to battle Pang Xiao.

Now, he could only pray that the Tatars and Lu Heng would be stronger and consume more of Pang Xiao’s forces. He vaguely felt their side could win this time. But if they could exhaust more troops, when Pang Xiao turned back and wanted to cause trouble in the capital, wouldn’t he have to think twice?

Qin Yining sent Tianji Zi’s obituary directly to the military camp. Mu Jinghu was so shocked upon learning of it that he couldn’t control himself.

“It can’t be. Master said she could live to nearly one hundred and twenty. How could she possibly be gone like this now!”

Pang Xiao pressed his lips together and patted Mu Jinghu’s shoulder guiltily: “I’m sorry, Mutou. I was too selfish, keeping you by my side. If I hadn’t brought you here and you had stayed focused on protecting your master, she wouldn’t have died.”

Mu Jinghu shook his head, still looking dazed: “This matter has nothing to do with you. My coming to protect you was both my intention and Master’s intention. She hoped I would stay by your side, but I never thought…”

“But the Immortal Lady died saving Yining. I’m sorry, truly sorry.”

Regarding Tianji Zi’s death, Pang Xiao’s heart wasn’t greatly disturbed, but he and Mu Jinghu were close friends, and he knew that Tianji Zi’s master had taken Mu Jinghu as a disciple precisely to protect Tianji Zi. Now Mu Jinghu was protecting him instead of being by Tianji Zi’s side, and Tianji Zi died from arrow wounds sustained while saving Qin Yining. Pang Xiao felt very guilty.

Mu Jinghu remained dazed for two days before gradually accepting the reality.

Because people from Tianji Sect and Qiu Feishan had both written to him – one letter saying Tianji Zi’s remains had been buried at Tianji Sect, the other offering comfort and confession.

Qiu Feishan still frequently wrote letters pouring out her heart to Mu Jinghu, and his feelings had long been wavering. Now, suddenly learning of Tianji Zi’s death when his heart was most vulnerable, Qiu Feishan’s letter somewhat comforted him, and his resistance to her wasn’t so strong anymore.

The war with the Tatars had reached a fever pitch. In early March, Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu led their great army to press forward, directly forcing Si Qin and Lu Heng’s troops to retreat to the edge of the no-man’s land desert.

Lu Heng gazed at the endless yellow sand, his thoughts having flown far away.

That day when he and Qin Yining were captured by Si Qin, they had been forced to cross this very no-man’s land desert. Now recalling that time, scene after scene seemed still before his eyes. At that time, Qin Yining respected and trusted him, but now he had become a traitorous criminal, and Qin Yining’s husband had become the vanguard in eliminating traitors.

Perhaps in this lifetime, he would never have a connection with Qin Yining again.

“What are you thinking about?” Si Qin emerged from the tent and saw Lu Heng standing dazed by the desert. A flash of suspicion passed through his eyes.

Lu Heng turned around to see Si Qin in black fur, his hair braided into small plaits and bound into a bundle at the top of his head. He looked rather disheveled from the campaign, which made Lu Heng curl his lips: “Nothing much, just wondering if the Khan has a way to resolve this crisis?”