His eyes were like scattered jade in the cold starlight. His voice was calm, yet in that instant, it transported He Yan back to that afternoon at Xian Chang Academy. His voice overlapped with the youthful, innocent tone from those years past, making it impossible to distinguish who was speaking at this moment.

From outside came the excited, joyful shouts of soldiers: “Sir! Sir! Reinforcements have arrived! Reinforcements have arrived!”

Reinforcements?

He Yan looked toward Xiao Jue’s silhouette. Had he brought the Southern Prefecture troops? How was that possible? Just as these thoughts crossed her mind, Li Kuang pushed aside the crowd before him and rushed outside. He Yan glanced at Xiao Jue, then followed suit.

Earth-shaking battle cries echoed from beyond the city walls. He Yan climbed to the top of the city tower alongside Li Kuang and looked down. On the plains below, the Wutu people were engaged in battle with the Great Wei army. Their battle flag bore the character “Yan.” At the forefront, mounted on horseback, sat a young man with his hair tied high, sword-like eyebrows, and star-bright eyes. He wore silver-white armor and wielded a Fang Tian Ji halberd, cutting an exceptionally spirited figure as he led his troops in battle.

Yan He.

A smile flickered in He Yan’s eyes. Li Kuang, who had rushed over to witness the scene, was also overwhelmed with excitement. He immediately commanded the troops within the city: “Follow me out to battle the Wutu people!”

The sudden arrival of reinforcements caught both Li Kuang and Hu Yate by surprise. The day before they had planned to attack the city, Yan He, the General of Gui De, arrived with his troops, catching them completely off guard. Li Kuang led the Run Du troops to join the battle, and the Wutu forces retreated in disarray. Their leader, Hu Yate, abandoned his troops and fled. The remaining Wutu soldiers scattered like sand – some were captured by Li Kuang, while others retreated south of Run Du with Hu Yate.

“Don’t pursue a desperate enemy,” Yan He stopped Li Kuang as he was about to give chase. Wiping the splattered Wutu blood from his armor, he carelessly tossed the handkerchief to a servant nearby and mocked, “You were trapped inside the city, afraid to come out, just because of these few Wutu soldiers? How cowardly.”

Though these words were harsh, especially coming from someone so much younger than himself, Li Kuang didn’t take offense. If not for Yan He bringing his troops as reinforcements, the Wutu people wouldn’t have retreated so quickly. He was genuinely grateful to Yan He – while they had waited in vain for General Fei Hong, the unexpected arrival of the General of Gui De had saved them instead.

“On behalf of all the citizens of Run Du, Li expresses their deepest gratitude to General Yan for his timely aid. This kindness in our hour of need will never be forgotten by Run Du. However,” he hesitated before continuing, “how did General Yan know to come to Run Du?”

He had never written to Yan He requesting aid.

Yan He let out a derisive laugh, slung his Fang Tian Ji halberd over his shoulder, and walked forward casually, “Let’s talk inside.”

The soldiers worked until deep into the night cleaning up the battlefield. This great victory had everyone celebrating. Not only had Yan He brought reinforcements, but he had also brought food supplies. The soldiers set up large pots in the city to cook porridge with the grain they had brought. The surviving citizens of Run Du came with bowls to receive their portions, overcome with gratitude. The fragrance of rice lingered long in the air of Run Du City.

Inside the room, Zhao Shiming was nervously wringing his hands as he looked at the two seated men.

One was Right Army Commander Xiao Jue and the other was Gui De General Yan He. As merely the magistrate of Run Du, what fortune had brought him to meet such distinguished figures? Though it was his great luck, one was cold while the other was arrogant – neither seemed easy to approach. Beyond repeatedly expressing his gratitude for saving Run Du’s people, Zhao Shiming didn’t know what else to say.

At this moment, Zhao Shiming sighed inwardly, thinking how much better it would be if Qi Luo were still here. A clever beauty would be much better at handling such situations than dried-up old men like themselves. In the past, Qi Luo had always been the one to smooth things over.

Li Kuang seemed to have thought of this as well, his expression becoming somewhat stiff.

Yan He – the General of Gui De – was only in his early twenties, quite young and considered handsome, though his eyes always carried a hint of challenge, and his chin was slightly raised as if he rarely considered others worthy of his attention. His hair was tied high with a ponytail falling behind his head, giving him the air of an arrogant youth.

In contrast, Right Army Commander Xiao Jue beside him was as calm as autumn waters. After removing his armor, he looked more like a noble young master sitting in a high tower in the capital’s wine houses. Unlike Yan He’s obvious arrogance, his cold and peaceful demeanor still gave off an unapproachable air from thousands of li away.

Faced with these two formidable figures he dared not offend, Zhao Shiming wiped his sweat, wondering what he should say next.

Before he could think of what to say, Li Kuang spoke first, hesitantly asking Yan He, “General Yan… how did you suddenly come to aid Run Du?”

Yan He gave a light laugh and sat up straight, saying, “I was going to ask you – is there someone called He Yan in your Run Du city?”

At these words, everyone in the room had different expressions, while Xiao Jue’s eyes flickered slightly without speaking.

“It seems there is,” Yan He said, “Lord Li, call that person here, I want to meet them.”

He Yan was waiting outside, and sure enough, someone soon came out saying, “Young Master He, General Yan requests your presence inside.”

Wang Ba was startled, “What’s going on? Why just you alone? They’re not planning to settle scores after the fact, are they?”

“Should we go in with you?” Jiang Jiao also hesitated, “If you’re being punished under military law by Commander Xiao for leaving Liang Zhou Guard…”

“It’s not about that,” He Yan looked toward the door and shook her head, “Don’t worry, nothing will happen.”

She patted Jiang Jiao’s shoulder and turned to enter Li Kuang’s room alone.

Everyone in the room turned their gaze to He Yan as she entered.

The young man in silver-white armor looked at He Yan, his eyes examining her several times before saying, “You’re He Yan?”

“I am.”

Yan He stood up from his chair and looked down at He Yan from his superior height, as he was a head taller than her. He held his hand above her head to measure and clicked his tongue, asking Xiao Jue very seriously, “Do they still have such short people in the military camps these days?”

He Yan: “…”

He withdrew his hand and stroked his chin while examining He Yan: “You may be short, but you’ve got quite some nerve. You wrote that letter requesting aid to make me come to Run Du?”

At these words, Li Kuang looked at He Yan, and Xiao Jue’s gaze also fell on her. He Yan calmly accepted everyone’s varying expressions, “I did.”

“Well, you’ve got good judgment,” Yan He said dismissively, “Instead of asking that useless He Rufei who was right under your nose, you specifically requested my help for Run Du. Seems you understand very well that this general is more reliable than He Rufei.”

He Yan remained silent – how should she respond? To agree with his words would be to put herself down as well, but to deny them… He Yan quite enjoyed hearing someone speak ill of He Rufei.

That day after her unpleasant parting with Li Kuang, sensing Run Du’s dire situation, she had borrowed some men from Zhao Shiming to seek aid from Yan He in Ling Prefecture. She remembered that Yan He had troops stationed in Ling Prefecture, though it wasn’t as close as Hua Yuan. Yan He’s reputation wasn’t as prominent as He Rufei’s – if ordinary people were seeking aid, they would think of He Rufei first rather than Yan He. But He Yan knew well that He Rufei wouldn’t come, which was why she had settled for the second choice.

The troops in Jinling were not easily mobilized, while Yan He had much more freedom of action in comparison. However, there was no guarantee that Yan He would come either, so in her letter, besides describing Run Du’s current crisis, she also wrote extensively about He Rufei’s despicable conduct in refusing to help.

“Those words you wrote cursing He Rufei in your letter were very satisfying to hear,” Yan He looked at He Yan, “You do understand what pleases this general.”

He Yan thought to herself, how could she not understand? As former classmates, during those years at Xian Chang Academy, the person before her had bullied her countless times. Led by Yan He, several young men had constantly caused trouble for her. Whether it was pranks or bullying, seeing this person brought back memories of those dark days at Xian Chang Academy.

Yan He had disliked her since their days as classmates at Xian Chang Academy, and even after all these years, his dislike remained remarkably consistent. To appeal to his preferences, He Yan had written plenty of criticism about He Rufei in her letter. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Looking at the current situation, this proved true. Because of He Yan’s insults toward He Rufei, Yan He had naturally considered He Yan as part of his camp.

“Though you’re short and weak, I can see you’re quite clever,” the next moment, Yan He’s hand landed on her shoulder, “Why don’t you follow me from now on?”

“Yan Nanguang,” Xiao Jue’s gaze fell on his hand as he reminded him, “She belongs to the Liang Zhou Guard.”

“Liang Zhou Guard?” Yan He withdrew his hand and looked at He Yan in confusion, “Aren’t you from Run Du?”

“In reply to General Yan,” He Yan said, “I was previously in the Liang Zhou Guard’s recruit camp, but His Majesty personally appointed me as Wu An Lang. Upon hearing of Run Du’s troubles, I came specifically to aid the city.”

She emphasized the words “Wu An Lang” heavily. Although Xiao Jue had classified her as belonging to the Liang Zhou Guard, if she didn’t want to implicate him, it was best to maintain clear boundaries.

“You’re from the Liang Zhou Guard but came to Run Du on your own?” Yan He glanced at Xiao Jue, then at He Yan. The relationship seemed too complicated for him to understand, so he simply returned to his seat, leaned back in his chair, and snorted with a laugh, “Never mind, I don’t want to know about all your intricate internal affairs. But this He… what was it again?”

He Yan was long accustomed to his arrogant nature and reminded him, “He Yan.”

“He Yan, I didn’t come because of your letter requesting aid. Even if I had, I wouldn’t have come so quickly.”

Zhao Shiming carefully asked, “Then may I ask why General Yan…”

Yan He laughed and looked at Xiao Jue provocatively, “Our esteemed Right Army Commander personally requested my help. In all my life, this is the first time he’s asked anything of me. As such a magnanimous person, of course, I had to come help, isn’t that right, Commander Xiao?”

Xiao Jue maintained his cold expression and didn’t acknowledge his words.

He Yan was surprised – Yan He’s meaning… had Xiao Jue also asked Yan He for help? Of course, he hadn’t brought the Southern Prefecture troops with him, and Liang Zhou was indeed farther than Ling Prefecture. She and Xiao Jue had thought alike – this meant that even if she hadn’t written that letter requesting aid, Yan He would have arrived as scheduled.

Run Du City must not fall.

“Lord Li, Magistrate Zhao,” Yan He played with his hair, “Although He… He Yan and Commander Xiao requested my aid, it was I, Yan He, who brought the troops here. You know clearly where the credit for this victory lies.”

“This great victory at Run Du is entirely thanks to General Yan,” Zhao Shiming hurriedly replied, but then remembered there was another person in the room. He quickly glanced at Xiao Jue, and seeing the young man’s calm expression showing no displeasure, he finally relaxed. Fortunately, this one didn’t care about credit – if both men had fought for recognition, his small temple of Run Du couldn’t handle two mighty Buddhas battling it out.

He Yan had long heard of Yan He’s love for claiming credit, but Run Du’s successful defense was indeed thanks to his help, so his desire for recognition was not unreasonable.

Yan He stretched lazily and yawned, “I’ve been rushing here for days, arrived only to fight the Wutu people, and haven’t had a proper rest. Please prepare a room and hot water for me. Don’t bother with food – I heard people here are so hungry they’re almost eating each other, and I have no appetite for cannibalism.”

Zhao Shiming repeatedly agreed and hurriedly ordered servants to make preparations for Yan He.

Yan He stood up to leave, but stopped beside Xiao Jue, looking at him with a self-satisfied tone, “Whether you admit it or not, Xiao Huaiyin, this time I’ve surpassed you.”

After saying this, he seemed to be in a good mood, putting his hands behind his head as he swaggered out.

He Yan stared at his retreating figure, somewhat puzzled. Truthfully, back then, Yan He’s dislike of Xiao Jue and constant opposition stemmed from Xiao Jue always being slightly better than him in both literary and martial arts. Being second for so long made him yearn for first place, but that position never seemed attainable, which was indeed frustrating. But He Yan couldn’t understand why he would pick on her, who ranked last – what had she done to offend him? Lin Shuanghe was the one competing with her for last place, not Yan He, so why did he harbor such resentment towards her? And this resentment had persisted for so many years.

However, Yan He’s temperament remained exactly the same as before – competitive, stubborn, wearing all his emotions on his face.

As she was thinking this, Xiao Jue had already stood up and was walking out. As he passed by her, he coldly threw out one word: “Come.”

He Yan: “…”

She sighed inwardly, knowing this day would eventually come, but never expected it to arrive so soon – after all, who could have predicted that Xiao Jue would come to Run Du with Yan He?

Outside, Jiang Jiao and the others who had been waiting anxiously for He Yan saw her following Xiao Jue away, their expressions grave. Hong Shan made gestures asking if she needed them to come along to plead on her behalf, but He Yan shook her head slightly.

This wasn’t something that could be smoothed over with a few words of pleading.

The room grew dark, with only an oil lamp on the table casting shadows on the wall.

The room Zhao Shiming had arranged for Xiao Jue was almost luxurious. He Yan followed him in, head lowered, contemplating how to explain everything, when suddenly the person in front stopped and turned around, causing her to bump into Xiao Jue’s chest.

He Yan stepped back two paces and looked up. The man’s gaze fell quietly upon her, and though he didn’t speak, it was somewhat frightening.

The silence in the air was so complete it made even the summer day feel cold. He Yan paused, then lightly coughed: “Commander…”

His gaze fell on the sword in He Yan’s hand.

It was the sword she had seized from Li Kuang’s guard in the urgency of rescuing those female captives, and she had forgotten to return it to Li Kuang. He Yan’s heart tightened, and she instinctively placed the sword on a nearby table, explaining, “This is someone else’s sword.”

Xiao Jue stepped forward, and He Yan held her breath, expecting a rebuke, but instead, he grabbed her arm and turned her palm upward.

There was a knife wound on her palm, not deep, but the blood had stopped due to her constant grip, though it looked somewhat alarming. It must have happened during the struggle with Li Kuang’s guards. The situation had been urgent then, and she hadn’t paid attention to it. If not for Xiao Jue’s actions now, He Yan wouldn’t have even noticed it.

He said nothing, turning to walk to the side. As He Yan stood uncertain, she heard him say: “Come here.”

A handkerchief soaked in clean hot water was placed on her palm. There was a slight sting, but more of an itch, like a colorful butterfly landing on her palm, slowly crawling across, leaving a tingling shadow.

He lowered his head to carefully sprinkle wound medicine powder on the cut in He Yan’s palm, his expression focused and quiet. He Yan stared at him – the young man’s eyelashes were thick and long, his profile elegant as a painting in the lamplight.

Silent, gentle, peaceful.

There was none of the expected questioning or sarcasm.

He Yan inexplicably felt guilty, as if she had committed an unforgivable sin that had greatly wronged Xiao Jue. She stammered, “Commander, actually I… didn’t come to Run Du with Fourth Young Master Chu.”

Chu Zhao’s presence here was a coincidence, but in Xiao Jue’s eyes, he might think otherwise. Although she had decided to distance herself from Xiao Jue to avoid causing him trouble, she didn’t want him to misunderstand to this extent, thinking she was on Chu Zhao’s side.

“I know,” his voice was cool, showing no ripples of emotion.

He Yan was momentarily at a loss for words.

His movements were very gentle, even gentler than when she treated her own wounds, and because he was so tall, he had to bend slightly while applying the medicine. He Yan had been following his gaze to look at her palm, but gradually her gaze shifted to Xiao Jue’s face.

Elegant and beautiful – even the best words seemed inadequate to describe him.

As she stared entranced, Xiao Jue suddenly looked up, their gazes meeting unexpectedly, his black eyes rippling like autumn waters.

Caught in the act, her ears quietly reddened, though she tried to maintain a calm expression, pointing at her palm and saying, “…it’s done.”

The wound had been treated with medicine powder and didn’t look as frightening as before. He Yan withdrew her hand, feeling somewhat uneasy.

This seemed unlike Xiao Jue’s usual style – given his normal temperament, he should have started questioning her by now. Today he was unusually silent, leaving He Yan’s prepared explanations with nowhere to begin.

Why had his manner changed? He Yan didn’t understand.

But since Xiao Jue didn’t ask, she didn’t know how to begin explaining.

After treating He Yan’s wound, he sat down in a chair in the room, neither dismissing her nor showing any intention to question her. After a while, He Yan couldn’t help but ask, “Commander, why aren’t you asking me why I left Liang Zhou Guard and came to Run Du without permission?”

“You are the Wu An Lang personally appointed by His Majesty, with your seal and official robes. You can make your own decisions about coming and going, without needing to consult me,” Xiao Jue calmly said. “The choice is yours.”

This had been the explanation He Yan had prepared for herself, but Xiao Jue had said it first, leaving her subsequent words with nowhere to go.

“Wang Ba and the others – I forced them to come with me. Please don’t punish them, I’ll take full responsibility for this matter. I had no ill intentions, I truly came to aid the city because I was worried about Run Du falling.”

Well, since Xiao Jue wouldn’t speak first, she would take responsibility and admit her wrongs with a good attitude.

“Why did you think,” Xiao Jue said, “that He Rufei wouldn’t send aid to Run Du?”

He finally asked this question. He Yan sighed inwardly and looked at him, “If I say He Rufei isn’t a good person, would Commander believe me?”

Xiao Jue gave her a faint look and raised the corner of his mouth, “Evidence.”

“I can’t provide evidence, nor can I convince Commander, but in my view, He Rufei is not the hero people claim him to be.” She called him “He Rufei” rather than “General Fei Hong.”

“Commander,” He Yan looked at him and slowly said, “If one day, I and He Rufei stand on opposite sides, drawing swords against each other, which side would you stand on?”

This question – she had wanted to ask it for a long time. She and He Rufei would inevitably have such a day. The He Rufei that Xiao Jue knew was the “He Rufei” from Xian Chang Academy years ago, while the He Yan he knew was the current “He Yan” – both were her, but how would Xiao Jue choose?

He Yan wasn’t sure. It seemed that both versions of her had decent relationships with Xiao Jue, though never quite reaching the level of close friendship. She didn’t understand what image she held in Xiao Jue’s heart, what weight she carried – neither in the past nor now.

Xiao Jue quietly looked at her, and after a while, he said, “It’s late today, you may go.”

He hadn’t answered He Yan’s question.

In He Yan’s heart, she didn’t know whether what welled up was disappointment or relief – disappointed that Xiao Jue hadn’t given her a direct answer, yet relieved he hadn’t given her a negative one.

She bowed her head: “Yes.”

He Yan withdrew, and the room fell silent again.

The young man’s gaze fell on the wound medicine on the table, his beautiful eyes downcast, lost in thought.

A moment later, someone walked in – it was Fei Nu. He approached Xiao Jue and said in a low voice, “Young Master, Luan Ying’s message has returned – they haven’t found any issues with He Sui yet.”

“She has no issues,” Xiao Jue interrupted his words.

Fei Nu was startled. There were many suspicious points about He Yan, from the beginning until now. A few days ago, she had left without telling anyone, taking several recruits from Liang Zhou Guard to Run Du – no matter how one looked at it, no one could give a reasonable explanation. She had arrived one after another with Chu Zhao, and now in Run Du, they had indeed seen Chu Zhao again. Chi Wu and Fei Nu couldn’t help but suspect that He Yan might be Chu Zhao’s person. But they also felt that if she were Chu Zhao’s person, such actions would be too blatant and unconcealed.

The young man stood up, his shadow stretching long in the lamplight. He thoughtfully looked at the lamp flame in the corner of the table, and after a moment, said quietly, “Tell Luan Ying to stop investigating He Yan, investigate He Rufei instead.”