Liu Buwang’s body had just been brought back, and they hadn’t even had time to discuss burial arrangements when someone came to notify Xiao Jue: The Princess’s people had found Chai Anxi.

Xiao Jue immediately rushed to the Princess’s mansion with Lin Shuanghe.

When they arrived at the main hall of the mansion, Mu Hongjin was speaking with her subordinates. Upon seeing Xiao Jue and Lin Shuanghe, she shook her head slightly and said, “He’s not going to make it.”

When the two entered the room, they saw someone lying on the couch. An arrow had pierced his chest, which was continuously bleeding, and a doctor-like figure was pressing on the wound. Lin Shuanghe asked that person to leave, then sat by the couch himself and checked the pulse. He shook his head at Xiao Jue: “There’s no saving him.”

After all, he was just a doctor, and wrestling with death required some luck. With injuries this severe, survival was impossible. Lin Shuanghe took out a medicine bottle from his robes, poured out a pill, and fed it to Chai Anxi.

Shortly after, the person on the couch struggled to open his eyes.

Lin Shuanghe stood up, “There isn’t much time. Ask whatever you need to quickly; he can only hold on for a short while.” He patted Xiao Jue’s shoulder and left the room.

Chai Anxi hazily raised his head, and when he saw Xiao Jue’s face, his already dim eyes suddenly sparked with light. He gasped, “…Second Young Master?”

Xiao Jue stared at him coldly.

“…Second Young Master,” Chai Anxi became agitated, but as he spoke, he coughed up a large mouthful of blood. He asked, “Why are you here?”

“I came to find you,” Xiao Jue sat down on the chair by the couch, his voice calm. “It’s been five years. Now I should be able to know what happened at the Battle of Mingshui.”

Chai Anxi was stunned and remained silent for a while.

In his youth, Xiao Jue often saw Chai Anxi. As Xiao Zhongwu’s deputy commander, Chai Anxi wasn’t the most skilled fighter, but he was the most honest and loyal, like a black bear, with a build similar to Shen Han’s. When Chai Anxi occasionally came to the mansion on errands for Xiao Zhongwu and saw Xiao Jue, he would always give a simple smile and call out, “Second Young Master!”

But the Chai Anxi lying on the couch now was completely different from the one in Xiao Jue’s memories. Though Chai Anxi was of similar age to Xiao Zhongwu and should still be in his prime, he looked like an old man. Large patches of his hair had turned white, and his face bore burn scars. His frame had somehow shrunk dramatically, making him look like an underdeveloped child. His gaze toward Xiao Jue no longer held past affection but was mixed with regret, guilt, pain, and perhaps something else.

It was disturbingly complex.

He gave a bitter laugh: “Second Young Master, you already know everything, don’t you?”

Xiao Jue remained silent.

“The General was murdered, and I… I was part of it.”

Xiao Jue suddenly looked up, his fingers clenching into fists within his sleeves.

“You see,” Chai Anxi struggled to speak, “the General was always dissatisfied with Prime Minister Xu holding too much power, yet His Majesty continued to trust Prime Minister Xu completely. When the General warned His Majesty to be wary of Prime Minister Xu’s treacherous intentions, Prime Minister Xu had already developed a deep hatred for the General.”

“The current Crown Prince, brutal and weak, is cut from the same cloth as Prime Minister Xu’s faction. They had long been dissatisfied with the General, and both feared the military power in his hands. They initially wanted to frame him with false charges, but the General had led an unblemished life and they couldn’t find any weaknesses. So the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Xu joined forces, secretly plotting with the Southern Barbarians for the Battle of Mingshui. During the battle, there were traitors within the Southern Garrison, causing the General to be attacked from both front and rear, leading to… his defeat and death.”

Xiao Jue looked at him, his autumn-water-like eyes flashing with mockery, “By traitor, you mean yourself?”

Chai Anxi’s expression became pained: “I’m sorry, Second Young Master… I’m sorry, they threatened me with my mother’s life. She was already seventy years old, I… I agreed to their demands and gave them a copy of the General’s defense plans… It wasn’t just me. Among the General’s trusted subordinates in the Southern Garrison at that time, others betrayed him. They were all coerced with threats to their families. At that time… at that time I was blind with fear, and I agreed.”

“Why did you go to Jiyang afterward?”

“Prime Minister Xu… how could Prime Minister Xu allow anyone who knew the truth to remain alive? The others who betrayed the General were all silenced during the Battle of Mingshui. I barely escaped and wanted to return home to flee with my mother, but when I got home, she had already passed away… Prime Minister Xu’s men were searching everywhere for me. I had heard the General mention before that Jiyang City was easy to enter but difficult to leave, making it ideal for hiding. So I used some methods to change my identity and hide in Jiyang.”

“Second Young Master… all these years, I’ve wanted to come forward and explain what happened. But even in Jiyang, I could hear that Prime Minister Xu’s power was growing stronger. Even if I came forward, everyone from that time was dead, and without evidence, no one would believe me. I thought about finding you, but if I left Jiyang City, word would spread, and Prime Minister Xu wouldn’t let me live to see you. So I could only wait, knowing that if Second Young Master was still alive, you would eventually find me.”

Tears began to seep from his eyes, “You’ve found me, that’s wonderful… Second Young Master, you’ve grown up. If the General were still here, seeing you as you are now, he would be very proud.”

Xiao Jue watched his tears without the slightest hint of emotion, only asking, “Who killed you?”

“…I don’t know.” Chai Anxi spoke hazily, “Twenty days ago when I was at Cuiwei Pavilion, someone tried to kill me by setting a large fire. I escaped. The burns on my face are from then. After that, I kept hiding until… until the Wutuo people came to Jiyang. When I heard news of Second Young Master, I wanted to find you, but was ambushed on the way…”

He was no longer the warrior he had been under Xiao Zhongwu’s command. Over the years, age and skill couldn’t compare to the past, and with old injuries from the fire, he was easily ambushed. Fortunately, he still had enough life left to see Xiao Jue, to see how the young boy had grown up, and to express all the guilt and regret in his heart.

“I… I have nothing I can help Second Young Master with, saying all this is just to ease my conscience. What I owe to the General, to Madam, to the First Young Master and Second Young Master, to my brothers – I can never repay in this lifetime.” He seemed to be both crying and laughing, “When I get to the underworld, I will personally kowtow to the General and beg for forgiveness…” His voice suddenly stopped, his eyes still open but without any light.

He was dead.

Xiao Jue sat quietly, lowering his eyes in silence. After a moment, he stood up and walked out of the room.

Chai Anxi was dead, and with him the last person who knew about the Battle of Mingshui. He couldn’t bring a dead man back to Shuojing as a witness, and Chai Anxi hadn’t left behind anything that could serve as evidence.

This trip had only confirmed what he had suspected all along.

Mu Hongjin and Lin Shuanghe were waiting outside. Seeing Xiao Jue emerge, Mu Hongjin said, “When the Wutuo people came, the situation was complicated, and I couldn’t send people to find him. After things settled, someone located Chai Anxi. When my men found him, he was being pursued by assassins and was already severely wounded when rescued. I had the city’s doctors try to stop the bleeding…” Mu Hongjin looked at Xiao Jue’s expression and frowned slightly, “Is he dead?”

Xiao Jue: “Yes.”

She sighed, saying nothing.

After searching for so long, they had finally found him, only for him to die. Missing by just that little bit – it was regrettable.

Lin Shuanghe asked, “Huaiqin, what do you plan to do next?”

Xiao Jue was silent for a moment before saying, “Chai Anxi is dead, and the military situation in Jiyang has been settled. We’ll depart for Liangzhou in a few days.”

“You’re leaving already?” Mu Hongjin felt somewhat reluctant to see them go, “You haven’t stayed here very long. Why not wait until Xiaolou returns?”

Xiao Jue said, “There are other matters to attend to.”

At this, Mu Hongjin couldn’t insist further. She smiled and said, “Regardless, Jiyang City was saved thanks to Commander Xiao. This Princess will write a memorial to inform His Majesty, who will surely reward you.”

“No need.” Xiao Jue turned and walked away, seemingly uninterested in such matters, showing some impatience. Lin Shuanghe scratched his head and explained, “Huaiqin is in a bad mood right now, Princess please don’t take offense.”

Mu Hongjin shook her head. As a hero of Jiyang City, she felt grateful regardless.

“By the way,” as if remembering something, Xiao Jue paused his steps but didn’t turn around, his voice slightly deep, “Does the Princess know that Scholar Liu is gone?”

Mu Hongjin’s expression froze.

In the Cui mansion, inside a room, Chu Zhao was brewing tea in a small stove.

His expression was serene, his movements patient. As Yingxiang handed him a cloth, he gripped the pot handle and placed the teapot on the table.

“Chai Anxi probably won’t make it,” Yingxiang said softly.

“To find a place like Jiyang and survive for five years before dying, Chai Anxi was quite capable,” Chu Zhao smiled slightly.

“But Fourth Young Master,” Yingxiang asked puzzled, “why not kill him directly? Why deliberately leave him with a breath of life to meet Commander Xiao and reveal the truth? Wouldn’t that expose Lord Prime Minister?”

“Even if he hadn’t said anything, Xiao Huaiqin had already guessed who was behind it,” Chu Zhao smiled indifferently. “Revealing it just makes him more assured. With Chai Anxi dying before him, it will only make him hate the Lord Prime Minister more. The greater threat Xiao Huaiqin poses to Lord Prime Minister, the more Lord Prime Minister will value me. After all, no one understands the art of checks and balances better than Lord Prime Minister.”

“Besides, this is Jiyang. With no one around, what we do is our own business,” he said calmly. “Whether to reduce or add fuel to the fire is up to us.”

Yingxiang nodded: “This servant understands. Fourth Young Master, now that Chai Anxi is dead and we’ve completed Lord Prime Minister’s task, are we returning to Shuojing?”

“No,” Chu Zhao said. “There’s something I’m curious about, so I’ve decided to go to Liangzhou Garrison first.”

“Liangzhou Garrison?” Yingxiang was surprised, “That’s Commander Xiao’s territory.” Chu Zhao and Xiao Jue had always been at odds; in Liangzhou Garrison, Chu Zhao would be at a disadvantage.

“That’s why snatching someone from Xiao Huaiqin’s territory will be interesting.”

The tea leaves floated up and down in the cup. As he watched them, he slowly began to smile.

…

The departure time was set for two days later. After Liu Buwang’s burial, He Yan would leave for Liangzhou Garrison with Xiao Jue and the others.

This visit to Jiyang had many joyful moments, but also much sorrow. My greatest regret was having to bid eternal farewell just after reuniting with an old friend.

He Yan was uncharacteristically quiet, slowly packing luggage in the room. There wasn’t much luggage to begin with, and the women’s clothes that Lin Shuanghe had bought for her at Jiyang’s Xiuluo Workshop couldn’t be taken back. As a “man,” carrying women’s clothing would draw strange looks.

So she left all those clothes, along with the jewelry and shoes, giving them to Cui Yuezhi’s four concubines. Yet while packing, looking at them still brought some reluctance. Perhaps having lived as a woman for so long, suddenly returning to being a man felt quite uncomfortable.

Under the pillow lay a dough figurine. It wasn’t as vibrant as when it was first made, having dulled somewhat, with the dough gradually drying out and even showing signs of cracking. He Yan picked it up and examined it carefully.

During the Water God Festival, when she and Xiao Jue took the firefly boat to Luoying Spring, they saw a vendor making dough figurines on the water. He made one in her likeness – hair braided at the forehead and falling down the back, wearing a red dress and black boots, smiling happily. It was an unfamiliar appearance, yet it was her.

She had known from the start that this item couldn’t be taken back to Liangzhou Garrison. But now that she had to leave it here, He Yan was reluctant. It felt as though wherever the figurine remained, the memories would remain. If she left it here, it would be like abandoning the memories of Jiyang.

But these memories, whether bitter or sweet, she didn’t want to let go.

“Don’t want to take it back?” Xiao Jue sat at the table, glancing at her.

He Yan sighed, “I’m afraid the people at Liangzhou Garrison might discover it, and it wouldn’t be good if my identity was exposed.”

Xiao Jue tugged at the corner of his mouth: “Aren’t you good at deceiving people? How can you not even find an excuse?”

He Yan thought to herself that while she might be fine with other things, when it came to concealing her identity, from her previous life to this one, she had always been extremely cautious. After all, a thousand-mile dike could be broken by an ant hole – one careless move could ruin everything. Better to be careful.

“Slow and steady wins the race,” she said, while still gripping the figurine’s wooden stick tightly, unwilling to let go.

Xiao Jue sneered: “You could say you bought it for your fiancée.”

He Yan was startled and looked at him: “That works?”

“Aren’t you pure and chaste, keeping yourself for your fiancée? Being so devoted, naturally, you think of her wherever you go. What’s wrong with buying a commemorative figurine to send back?”

This reminder made He Yan realize that she was indeed still someone with a “fiancée,” and suddenly found Xiao Jue’s reasoning very logical. She put the figurine into her bundle and praised Xiao Jue: “Commander, I now realize that when it comes to deception, you’re the real master.”

Xiao Jue put down his military register and looked at her, raising his eyebrows slightly.

“I was just speaking casually, don’t take it to heart,” He Yan sighed. “It’s just that after staying in Jiyang for so long, I’m somewhat reluctant to return to Liangzhou Garrison.”

Such a gentle water town with simple people – it’s natural to develop an attachment after staying here. Who knows if there will be another chance to return to this life, and even if there is, how many years will have passed?

“You want to stay?” Xiao Jue asked.

He Yan nodded, then shook her head: “No. I like it here, but there are more important things to do.”

If she didn’t have the grudges from her previous life, purely as “He Yan,” she would certainly wish to stay here long-term. But she still had debts of gratitude and revenge to settle, so no matter how beautiful the scenery, she couldn’t stay. She had to keep moving forward.

“You mean establishing merit and making a name for yourself?” His voice carried a hint of mockery.

He Yan smiled: “I suppose so. But Commander, you promised before that if I came with you to handle matters in Jiyang City, you would let me join the Southern Garrison. Does that promise still stand?”

Xiao Jue: “It does.”

He Yan brightened up – at least she was a little closer to her goal.

Xiao Jue lowered his eyes, concealing their deep meaning, and when he looked up again, his expression had returned to calm. Just as he was about to speak, someone knocked on the door outside – it was Cuijiao’s voice: “Madam.”

“Come in.”

Cuijiao entered, holding a neatly folded piece of clothing. She first glanced at Xiao Jue, her expression somewhat troubled.

“What is it?” He Yan asked.

“Next door’s Fourth Young Master Chu… asked this servant to return this clothing to you. He says thanks to Madam’s dress’s protection, he was able to escape unharmed, and he’s deeply grateful.”

He Yan remembered that when Chu Zhao had delivered Mu Hongjin’s clothes for her, she had given him that “impenetrable and waterproof” mermaid silk dress to wear as armor. If Cuijiao hadn’t brought it back, He Yan would have forgotten about it.

Taking the mermaid silk, He Yan thought for a moment and placed it on the table. Back in Liangzhou Garrison, she would be a woman again, so this dress would be of no use. She might as well leave it for Cui Yuezhi’s concubines.

As soon as she set it down, she met Xiao Jue’s cool gaze.

The young man turned his head to look at her and said calmly: “You gave the clothes I bought to Chu Zilan?”

“Well, you didn’t buy them,” He Yan said truthfully, “Brother Lin paid for them, didn’t he?”

Xiao Jue’s expression was indifferent.

He Yan realized he was angry, and thinking about it, it made sense. He and Chu Zilan were mortal enemies, yet she had given something he had chosen to Chu Zilan – naturally, he would be displeased.

She thought for a moment and voluntarily explained, “When I had Cuijiao bring Princess’s clothes to me, Brother Chu was worried about Cuijiao being a young girl getting into trouble, so he came to deliver them himself. I saw that he was a man without any fighting skills, and by the river, if he encountered the Wutuo people, two sword strikes could kill him. The shop assistant at Xiuluo Workshop said this dress was impenetrable and waterproof. I had armor and wasn’t afraid, so I gave this dress to him as armor.”

The situation had been so chaotic that He Yan had forgotten that these were women’s clothes – she gave them to Chu Zilan, but Chu Zilan probably wouldn’t wear them.

“Brother Chu?” Xiao Jue slowly repeated in question.

He Yan stepped back, knowing she had misspoken again, “Fourth Young Master Chu, Fourth Young Master Chu.”

He gave a cold laugh: “I see you’re quite familiar with Chu Zilan.”

“No, not that familiar,” He Yan said seriously. “Just a chance encounter and we won’t meet again in the future.”

“Let me remind you one more time,” the young man’s brow showed slight impatience, his voice cold, “You can like whoever you want, but liking Chu Zilan is simply courting death.”