In Lu Er-lang’s dream, as time rewound, Lu Yun and a small group of soldiers are trapped in the mountains. Snow fell and fog rose as Lu Er-lang watched helplessly as his brother and their soldiers were pursued by enemy forces. When they encountered the enemy in the mountains, though the opposing force wasn’t large, their attacks were fierce. On the Southern army’s side, the troops under Lu Yun’s command dwindled steadily.

Lu Er-lang followed his third brother, deeply troubled: Why had it come to this? What kind of war would require his third brother to take the field? Had Nanyang fallen?

His thoughts churned: But hadn’t he previously dreamed that the Nanyang campaign was victorious?

Lu Yun was wounded, his robe covered in patches of blood – not fatal, but enough to impair his movement. The young lord trudged through knee-deep fresh snow, sword in hand. As he lifted his head unconsciously, he heard a subtle slicing sound in the air. The veins on Lu Yun’s sword-wielding hand bulged as, with two heavy thuds, the last two soldiers by his side fell to the ground.

Thick fog spread across heaven and earth.

Lu Yun’s eyes grew cold as he warily waited for whoever would emerge from the fog.

A young man stepped out, wearing a dark cyan martial robe, carrying a bow on his back and a sword in hand, boots on his feet. The youth’s features held a sharp, cold expression, his figure tall and straight. As he walked through the snow from within the fog, Lu Yun recognized him as a formidable opponent.

Lu San-lang spoke softly: “A death warrior? From the Northern Kingdom? Is there room to negotiate changing allegiances?”

The young man replied carelessly: “You’re wounded, no match for me. Once you’re dead, the Southern Kingdom is finished, my mission complete, and I can return home to the North.”

…

Lu Yun was exhausted, surrounded by death and injury, and this young man’s martial prowess was overwhelmingly superior.

When the sword pierced his chest and abdomen, Lu Yun’s face turned pale as he clutched his wound, staggering backward. The blood seeping between his fingers stained his slender hands, dripping one drop at a time onto the ground.

Lu Yun finally fell, unwilling to accept his fate.

The young man withdrew his sword, watching as the Third Young Master Lu slumped against a mountain rock. The youth’s ears twitched slightly as he heard a distant female voice calling through the mountains: “Lu Yun! Lu Yun—”

The voice was still far away, echoing through the mountains. After hearing it, the young man pressed his ear to the ground and detected the approach of Southern troops.

Determining that Southern reinforcements were coming, the young man immediately decided not to linger. Having fatally wounded Lu Yun and seeing that the Third Young Master’s weak breathing gave him no chance of survival, he turned and left without hesitation. His movements were swift and fierce as he leaped into the thick fog, his silhouette vanishing from sight.

Meanwhile, Lu Er-lang, like a wandering spirit, suddenly raised his head and looked in all directions.

Though he knew he was merely an observer here, a spirit that others couldn’t see or hear, he ran through the dense fog, vaguely hearing his voice and that of Luo Lingyu calling out.

The young woman stumbled in her chamber, crying out chokingly: “Lu Yun, Lu Yun, where are you—”

Lu Er-lang, like a wandering spirit, called: “Cousin! Cousin! Follow me, Third Brother is here! I know where he is—”

Yet in the heavy fog, he couldn’t find anyone. He began to regret his identity as a scholar; if only he had superior martial arts skills, if only he were a renowned wandering knight, how much better that would be.

Sadly, he could only return to Lu Yun’s side, face deathly pale.

Unable to summon help, his eyes turned crimson as he accompanied his third brother through the final stages of his life. He watched his brother’s torment, saw him write that blood letter, and observed how he repeatedly examined that sachet, turning it over and over.

…

The final moments before death are the most unbearable.

As the blood drained from his body, breathing became increasingly difficult, as if his heart was being torn away. Lu Xian witnessed such suffering in his brother.

Yet after enduring that phase, the young lord’s expression grew peaceful. He could no longer feel his body’s pain as his soul separated from his flesh. Like a lantern show of his life, memories of many past events flickered hazily through his mind.

Luo Lingyu’s crying grew closer: “Lu Yun, Lu Yun!”

Under Lu Er-lang’s company, the young lord had already closed his eyes. His final sigh was barely audible: “Lingyu…”

Almost imperceptibly, the Third Young Master Lu’s face tilted upward one last time.

Who knows if he heard his beloved’s call?

But it was already too late.

…

As Lu Er-lang was deeply immersed in his dream, breathing rapidly and covered in sweat, the rain in the twilight alley grew heavier. The oil-cloth-covered carriage hadn’t left the alley, instead becoming stuck among other vehicles. Servants holding umbrellas went to negotiate with the drivers of the blocked carriages ahead, determining who should back out first to allow the carriages to exit one by one.

While Lu Er-lang slept, the young lady beside him, Luo Yunsha, hadn’t closed the window. She leaned on the windowsill, her eyes bright and dark, watching another conflict at the alley’s end.

There, Zi Han, who was leaning against the wall, was blocked by carriages from the Northern Kingdom’s embassy. Amid curses, the carriages stopped, and the Northerners emerged with umbrellas, ordering their servants to beat the expressionless young man. Seeing his ordinary clothes, they treated him as a common vagrant.

Nearby, this person from the Northern embassy delegation was seriously acting out this scene: in his plan, Yue Zi Han was the son of Northern General Yue’s concubine. To return to his family, Yue Zi Han had to accomplish this great deed for the North to gain General Yue’s recognition. Now, with Yue Zi Han disguised as a vagrant, he just needed to be beaten by them. Onlookers would think it merely a conflict between the Northern embassy and a vagrant, nothing more.

At this time, with the war situation between North and South worsening, the Northern embassy delegation likely couldn’t stay in Jianye much longer. This rare opportunity was meant to pass orders to Yue Zi Han during the conflict.

However, as the Northern embassy’s people threw punches and kicks, the young man called Yue Zi Han frowned, his eyes suddenly lifting as he raised his hand to block the attacks. Simultaneously, he counter-struck their abdomen with his palm, pushing lightly, accompanied by screams, sending them reeling backward while he nimbly dodged away. Yue Zi Han’s martial arts were superior; these ordinary thugs from the Northern embassy were no match for him. In no time, a large number of people lay fallen around Yue Zi Han.

The embassy official who had alighted from the carriage grew furious, watching the torrential rain pour down as Yue Zi Han refused to cooperate. The official gritted his teeth: “It’s just an act, have you gone mad?!”

Yue Zi Han: “Someone is watching us.”

The Northern official immediately shuddered, sensitively looking back. Though he had thought the rainy night would be obscure, when he turned around, he truly saw in the Lu family’s carriage, under the swaying lantern light, a little girl leaning at the window, watching them without blinking.

The Northern official instantly became nervous: “The Lu family’s child, why is she watching you? Weren’t you supposed to be allied with the Chen family? Why is the Lu family monitoring you too? Could it be that your identities have already been discovered by the Lu family?”

The Northern official immediately abandoned his plan to send Yue Zi Han to the border, taking another stiff look at the little girl leaning by the carriage window: “Why does she keep watching? This is bad, don’t stand out anymore, all of you disguised as vagrants should lay low for a while, don’t act rashly. You should hide deeper…”

Meanwhile, the Lu family’s carriage had finally negotiated the order to leave the alley, and the maid returned to the carriage, quietly informing Young Lady Luo Yunsha. Luo Yunsha responded with an “Oh,” and asked the maid to lean closer, whispering something. Soon after, while the Northern official was still arguing with Yue Zi Han, the maid came over with an umbrella, giving a dignified bow to the Northern official before turning to the young man with a smile. The maid’s curious gaze examined the youth: “Our young lady is kindhearted and, seeing the young sir drenched in rain, specially sent me to bring you an umbrella.”

She looked at the Northern official, feigning surprise: “This young sir, he hasn’t offended the embassy official, has he?”

The Lu family was truly paying attention to Yue Zi Han!

The Northern official’s last doubts were swept away, and he hurriedly laughed it off as a “misunderstanding.” He immediately stopped playing the role of the bully terrorizing the young man, nimbly climbing back into his carriage and abandoning his plan. The Northern embassy’s carriages backed out of the alley and left first.

At the alley entrance, the young man looked down at the oil-paper umbrella delivered to his hands. He didn’t open it, but instead held it to his chest as he rushed into the heavy rain. As the Lu family’s carriage exited the alley, Luo Yunsha suddenly widened her eyes, seeing the young man squeeze through the gap between the carriage and the wall, rain pouring onto his shoulders and face. He clutched the umbrella to his chest and, as he passed, turned his head to look at her.

The rain fell diagonally, like needles and complaints. As Yue Zi Han brushed past the carriage, he remained silent, his features cold and eyes black.

For an instant, their eyes met, sparks flickering in their gazes.

The little lady in the carriage straightened her body, unconsciously sitting up straight and assuming the dignified pose of a young noblewoman when he looked at her. Luo Yunsha was startled by her reaction and then curved her eyes in a smile.

The alley quickly emptied.

No one knew what had transpired here.

No one knew how, in the blink of an eye, an incident had been silently resolved.

Just in that moment when Lu Er-lang passed the young man in the carriage.

…

Though it was unknown when the Northern Kingdom’s hidden pawns among the vagrants in the Southern capital of Jianye would come into play, the Northern embassy delegation could no longer stay in the South.

Originally holding hopes for peace talks when His Majesty decreed the North to cease hostilities, the Northern embassy delegation still had a glimmer of hope for negotiations. But all this changed when Jianye learned that the northern war situation was advancing rapidly, the flames of war burning fiercely with both sides fighting to the death. The Northern Embassy delegation could no longer remain in Jianye. Although reluctant, if the Northern embassy delegation didn’t leave at this point, the Jianye court would surely suspect their motives.

Having failed to persuade the old emperor to intervene in the northern conflict with political orders, and unable to convince Yue Zi Han to assassinate Lu San-lang, the Northern embassy delegation left Jianye rather dejectedly when they were sent back to the North. In a final desperate attempt, before departing, the Northern embassy delegation once again had the Northern princess speak into His Majesty’s ear, and made one last visit to the South’s Prince Zhao, Liu Huai, trying to persuade him.

The Northern envoy spoke candidly: “…Has Your Highness considered that if the northern campaign succeeds, Lu San-lang’s prestige will rise even higher? I’ve heard that in your country, Lu San-lang and Prince Chen are close friends. I’ve also heard that Prince Chen handles state affairs quite well. If Prince Chen gains power, wouldn’t that be worse than Your Highness’s previously feared Prince Hengyang?”

Prince Zhao’s eyes flickered: “…What can I do? Prince Chen resides in the Sima mansion, managing it without a single flaw. You see how Jianye has issued several edicts to stop the war, yet the North doesn’t cease. What can Jianye do?”

As Lu San-lang’s reputation rose, benefiting Prince Chen, Prince Zhao Liu Huai, who had begun to fear this brother, also found himself unable to sleep day and night.

The Northern envoy offered a suggestion: “I’m not considering my country’s interests, but rather Your Highness’s. It’s just Ruyang and a few small commanderies, which our North barely considers worth noting. I just think that if you win, you’ll certainly need to establish new treaties with our country, and negotiate between the two nations, right? By then it would have nothing to do with Lu San-lang, and you could summon him back to Jianye.”

Liu Huai responded listlessly: “I fear he won’t heed the summons.”

He too was gnashing his teeth in hatred: The noble families’ power was great, and the royal family’s authority wasn’t particularly impressive in their eyes. If Lu San-lang won, the noble families would naturally protect him. How could they possibly move against Lu San-lang then?

The Northern envoy smiled ambiguously: “Your Southern Kingdom… though I shouldn’t speak as an outsider, Your Highness and His Majesty must be careful. In our Northern Kingdom, the noble families don’t wield such great power. Here, you’re about to be trampled under their feet. Today the noble families repeatedly defy the royal family, and in the future when Lu San-lang gains power, the royal family will become even more… Ah, our princess has entered His Majesty’s harem, I’m merely concerned about our princess’s future.”

Liu Huai’s eyes flickered. He wasn’t a fool: “After saying so much, could it be that you fear Lu San-lang won’t return from Nanyang? What scheme are you plotting?”

The Northern envoy feigned embarrassment: “What scheme could there be? Truthfully, we do fear Lu San-lang. He’s a famous scholar, and scholars daily condemn us with their words and writings, our Northern Kingdom truly fears him somewhat. If you win and change your negotiating representative… my emperor promises that privately, we can add one city to the agreement, specifically as a reward for Your Highness.”

Prince Zhao Liu Huai’s eyes brightened, and though he didn’t speak, his heart was moved.

What prince doesn’t like increasing their power? Gaining one more city would mean trampling all other princes beneath his feet. Then, neither Prince Hengyang nor Prince Chen would be a problem. Father had grown old, and recently, because of the war, the royal family and noble families had been quarreling unpleasantly.

Perhaps after the war ends, it would be the best opportunity for that position to change hands.

He must seize this opportunity.

…

After the Northern embassy delegation left the South, the Jianye court continued to argue over different political views. Prince Chen firmly held the last line, preventing them from taking the path of war. But as time dragged on with no clear direction in the war situation, everyone grew somewhat uneasy.

Even the decision whether to send reinforcements and supplies remained in limbo, as the old emperor couldn’t make up his mind, and Jianye remained in a wait-and-see stance.

If the Nanyang campaign failed, naturally there would be no need to send troops and supplies, and they should quickly negotiate with the North;

If they won, they would certainly dispatch troops and supplies, but by then, another group would emerge, demanding that Lu San-lang be replaced and another lord be sent to Nanyang.

Everyone acted for their interests.

The weather grew increasingly cold, and the people of Jianye craned their necks in anticipation, all waiting for news from the north. Victory or defeat would influence their subsequent decisions.

…

The whole world was watching this war. In the north, other commanderies fought their own battles while Ruyang, Yingchuan, and Nanyang joined forces. Other commanderies similarly observed the situation in these three commanderies. In the Nanyang military camp, the atmosphere was equally tense. When the noble ladies were persuaded by Luo Lingyu to come help care for the wounded in the military camp, various news constantly returned.

Mutilated corpses were brought down from the battlefield one after another. The noble ladies, seeing the cruelty of war up close, couldn’t help but turn pale. The playful words spoken before coming here became extremely laughable in the face of real death. Each day as they moved through the military tents, the beautiful ladies’ hands were covered in blood, occasionally seeing common women wearing armor run past them, helping to defend the city.

With few troops, everyone in Nanyang still capable of fighting had been sent to battle;

With scarce provisions, they could only seize supplies from enemy forces.

Nanyang’s noble families and humble households had all contributed; if this battle was lost, their losses would be unimaginable.

At night, the ladies anxiously discussed: “We’ll win, won’t we? I don’t want to become someone’s slave after losing the war.”

The women were all worried, unable to sleep at night.

At this time, Luo Lingyu’s outstanding qualities became apparent. Compared to the other ladies’ uneasiness, Luo Lingyu remained exceptionally calm. Initially, when helping the military doctors stop bleeding wounded soldiers, blood would splash on her face and she would go out to vomit until the world spun; at first, no matter how well she maintained her exterior appearance, inside she would complain about the poor environment here, the lack of resources, the depressing atmosphere, how it didn’t befit her noble status… she held on only by the weak faith in her heart.

Her family were all loyal and righteous people. In other matters, Luo Lingyu might be overly particular, but in matters of state, she consistently showed support.

Personal discomforts held no meaning before national affairs.

…

One day in mid-November, the women had become physically and mentally numb from exhaustion. The soldiers in the camp had grown accustomed to these beautiful ladies personally bandaging their wounds and stitching their injuries with needle and thread. People came and went in the military camp, and on this rare day, fewer wounded were brought back, and there were far fewer cries and screams of pain in the tents.

A tent flap was open, and Luo Lingyu stood inside, learning acupuncture from an old military doctor. She had been studying for many days and had already begun practicing on patients. The young lady was bent over, applying needles to an unconscious soldier while the old military doctor watched when suddenly a voice exploded from outside:

“Victory! We’ve won!”

“Quick, quick! Where are the doctors? Save them!”

The cry to “save them” had become familiar to everyone. As people arrived outside, Luo Lingyu’s heart jumped, and she instinctively rushed out to help direct the wounded inside. As she bandaged the wounded and heard the unusual sounds outside, heard the thunderous cheers of “General is mighty,” she belatedly realized—

Had Nanyang won?

Had they won?

Luo Lingyu, hands stained with blood, ran out and grabbed someone to ask: “We won, right? Has General Wei returned? Where is Lu San-lang?”

The soldier was stunned by her barrage of questions, and looking up at her beauty, his mind went blank, his face reddening as he couldn’t speak. As Luo Lingyu anxiously tried to ask someone else, the doctor inside shouted angrily: “Miss Luo, what are you doing?! The patient is losing too much blood, aren’t you going to continue with the acupuncture?”

Luo Lingyu still held a glinting silver needle in her hand.

She gritted her teeth: Who cares about that?

But she had no choice but to return and continue saving lives.

…

Returning victorious from this battle, large numbers of soldiers came back, and the empty military camp suddenly became much livelier. Luo Lingyu was eager to find Lu Yun, but the wounded kept coming, and because of her excessive beauty, people everywhere watched her, calling her over to bandage her wounds.

Luo Lingyu seized every chance to ask people she met: “Where is Lu San-lang? Did he return with you? He wasn’t injured, was he?”

Although she’d heard that military advisors didn’t go to the battlefield and shouldn’t be injured, Luo Lingyu still worried greatly.

Moreover… Lu Yun had a death prophecy.

Although she was saving lives and helping the wounded, in her selfish heart, Lu Yun’s life was more important than everyone else here. She still didn’t know where Lu Yun was, yet she kept endlessly saving other men.

…

Luo Lingyu carried her medicine box, searching through the military tents. Some said they had seen Military Advisor Lu, others said they didn’t know. Some said Military Advisor Lu wasn’t injured, others said he seemed to be wounded. With so many conflicting accounts, Luo Lingyu grew even more worried. When she saw General Wei, he was completely casual about it: “What could happen to him? Just a pretty boy, heh.”

Luo Lingyu turned and left immediately.

The entire military camp was full of wounded and returning soldiers, boiling water, cooking food, listening to the general’s speech, celebrating victory, incredibly busy. Luo Lingyu had grown numb from giving so many acupuncture treatments when she finally found Lu Yun outside the supply tent, sitting against a haystack.

Smoke rose, and the camp reeked of blood. Lu San-lang sat leaning against the haystack, his cyan robe and face bearing traces of blood and black stains. His eyes were closed, his thick long eyelashes hanging down docilely as he sat there quietly, asleep.

Someone came up behind Luo Lingyu: “Ah, Military Advisor Lu is here…”

Luo Lingyu quickly said: “Shh! He’s injured, I need to give him acupuncture and bandage his wounds.”

The passing soldier looked on bewilderedly, unable to see where Military Advisor Lu was injured. But since the incomparably beautiful Miss Luo said so, it must be true. The soldier hurriedly left, and Luo Lingyu lifted her skirts to step over the straw on the ground, entering the space enclosed by the haystacks.

She crouched before Lu Yun, her heart aching as she saw the dark circles under his eyes and his thinner face. Lu San-lang had excellent features and a good complexion, his skin was never rough, never showing dark circles no matter how many nights he stayed up. Even after many days of sun and wind exposure, his skin hadn’t darkened, still maintaining that sought-after elegance of Jianye’s jade gentleman. Yet now, after less than a month apart, his eyes were dark-ringed, his chin covered in stubble that hadn’t been dealt with for days… this must be from too many sleepless nights.

What made Luo Lingyu’s heart ache more was that such a sensitive person as he hadn’t awakened even when she crouched right in front of him. He must be utterly exhausted.

She was also angry: he only cared about managing the war, managing those affairs. Did he forget that his death prophecy hadn’t passed yet? Being so eager, what if he died on the battlefield?

Making her worry about him for so long.

Luo Lingyu’s complaints continued in her heart as her nose stung with emotion. She wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye and calmly began checking if he had any injuries. She turned his arms, held him, and felt his body, his face resting in the hollow of her neck, his stubble making her uncomfortable.

However, he truly had no injuries.

Luo Lingyu’s heart relaxed, and she softly chided: “Thankfully you’re not injured, otherwise I would have died from anger.”

Dusk had passed, and winter nights came early. Lanterns were lit throughout the camp. Under the lantern light, the young lady sitting with the young lord among the haystacks still wasn’t at ease, rolling up his sleeve and pulling his hand to check his pulse. As her fingers rested on Lu Yun’s wrist, she looked down at the young lord’s fingers and the back of his hand with its visible veins.

Such beautiful hands.

Well-proportioned bones and flesh, long fingers, and even the blood vessels were beautiful.

Especially since she had recently been helping the military doctor treat the wounded, seeing many men’s hands, when she now saw Lu Yun’s hands… even from a medical perspective, these were beautiful hands.

Making one’s heart itch with desire.

As Luo Lingyu focused intently on Lu Yun’s hands, her neck was suddenly pricked, making her body tremble. She saw that Lu Yun had opened his eyes. He made a vague “mm” sound, slowly sitting up straight, looking at her with sleepy confusion. Lu Yun’s voice was very low, carrying the haziness of dreams: “What are you doing?”

Luo Lingyu’s heart trembled: “Seeing how beautiful your hands are… I couldn’t resist wanting to give you an acupuncture treatment.”

Lu Yun: “…”

His fingers twitched, consciousness returning, and he was instantly awakened by her words.

Luo Lingyu rested her chin in her hand, her gaze flowing like water. She sat beside him, smiling sweetly, gentle and lively, clearly mischievous.

In the endless night, as the evening breeze brushed their faces, their eyes met.

Unspoken understanding existed in their gazes.

Tired, warm. Joyful, loving. Lu Yun’s eyelashes lifted then lowered, and maintaining that casual posture of leaning against the haystack, he embraced and kissed the young lady. Vaguely, Lu Yun said softly: “Am I being too lustful…”

Suddenly, General Wei’s voice boldly rang out: “Military Advisor Lu…”

General Wei turned a corner, his subordinates carrying lanterns, and his sharp eyes caught the man and woman kissing among the haystacks. General Wei froze, then immediately turned to leave: …Yes, you are being too lustful!