As the sun set on the horizon, Man Hu ordered a retreat. He couldn’t allow the Empress to slaughter all the men the Chief had assigned him. With a single command, the remaining 40,000 Fengtian troops withdrew a thousand li. Man Hu instructed a messenger, “Report to the Chief! Tell him exactly what happened!” Though embarrassed, they never concealed anything from Ruo Wen.
In life,
Some fears stem from cherishing,
Some reluctance from curiosity.
And some encounters,
Are due to the unknown self within.
Seeing Man Hu’s complete withdrawal, Empress Huangbei Shuang finally relaxed. As she collapsed, Lian Huan caught her and swiftly carried her back to the camp. General Wu Jihai, seeing the Empress’s pale lips and ragged breathing, was overcome with panic. However, Lian Huan and the other eight generals formed a barrier, blocking him from entering her tent.
“General Wu! You cannot enter. Please rest assured, the military doctor will take good care of Her Highness,” Lian Huan’s muscular arm firmly held back Wu Jihai’s tall frame. “No men are allowed inside, myself included. Please, General, show some restraint!”
His words calmed Wu Jihai, who realized the impropriety of entering, given the Empress’s chest wound.
Ye Pei emerged from the tent, her expression deeply worried. “General Wu, the Empress orders an immediate camp break. We must reach Mizhan by nightfall!”
Wu Jihai was stunned. “But the Empress is injured. How can she travel?”
Ye Pei explained, “Frost Consort says the next to come will surely be Ruo Wen. If we don’t reach Mizhan quickly, none of us will survive!”
Wu Jihai snapped back to reality and ordered all commanders to break camp.
Lian Huan turned to Ye Pei, “How is Na Xiu?”
Ye Pei shook her head, “She’s lost too much blood. It’s not good.”
Lian Huan reached out, wiping the sweat from her brow. He said softly, “Take good care of Na Xiu, and mind your health too.”
They clasped hands tightly before returning to their duties.
Meanwhile, Ruo Wen leaned against his bed, eyes closed, listening nonchalantly to the messenger’s report. The terrified soldier, having failed his mission, feared execution at any moment.
“How serious are her injuries?” Ruo Wen eventually opened his eyes, asking with an ambiguous smile.
The messenger trembled, “They… they seemed quite severe!” He stammered, “She stabbed herself twice, in rather peculiar places. I’m afraid… it’s not good!”
“Oh?” Ruo Wen sat up but said nothing more. The kneeling messenger shook like an elderly man, not daring to look up. After a long silence, Ruo Wen let out a low chuckle.
“Is she beautiful?” Ruo Wen asked.
“Beautiful, my lord. I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful!” The messenger quickly replied, though inwardly thinking how poisonous beautiful women could be, killing hundreds of their soldiers without batting an eye.
“Relay my orders!” Ruo Wen suddenly stood, his voice sharp: “The entire army is to break camp and leave Zhun City by nightfall!”
Lang Tou, Cheng Xiang, and others who had entered upon hearing his voice, all knelt, “We obey, my lord!” No one raised any objections.
Ruo Wen arrogantly took down the sword, spear, and blade hanging on the wall, equipping them one by one.
“Cheng Xiang, take 50,000 troops back to Fengtian to prepare for battle. Luo Ying will stay to assist you. You may use all his covert operatives. The rest will follow me to Mizhan!”
Ge Xinwei, kneeling to the side, was deeply shaken. Given the current situation, with Yunpei nearly within grasp, leaving now seemed unwise. She looked up at Ruo Wen, wanting to persuade him, but realized she was the only one among those kneeling who opposed the decision.
These people seemed unconcerned with conquering the world. Their only focus, their only care, was satisfying Ruo Wen. Whatever he wanted, whatever he thought, was within their determined reach. It was as if fulfilling Ruo Wen’s desires was equivalent to fulfilling their own.
Overwhelmed by this resolute atmosphere, Ge Xinwei lowered her head again, forcibly swallowing her dissent. At that moment, she too yearned to see the woman who had lured Ruo Wen’s wild soldiers south.
As night fell, in the Qingyun camp, the historian Rong Kuo and General Liao Zhen were both playing chess with the king. Their brows were furrowed in concentration. Soon, Liao Zhen conceded mid-game, feeling no shame as no one had ever beaten His Majesty in chess. Only Rong Kuo persisted stubbornly.
“Master, you’re so sour. Why not give up on a game you’ve already lost?” Qingyun smiled, watching the old man’s furrowed brow. He never offered him a handicap, nor had Rong Kuo ever lost spectacularly. He played poorly yet refused to admit defeat. Sometimes, Qingyun found the old scholar quite endearing.
“Your Highness’s intellect is extraordinary. Even if I don’t concede verbally, I’ve long since admitted defeat in my heart,” Rong Kuo said, staring at the board.
Hearing this, Liao Zhen mocked from the side, “You old immortal, what a character!”
Rong Kuo turned to glare at him, “General Liao is right. I truly wish to live to a hundred years old before I’m content!”
Liao Zhen laughed, “With no shame, of course you’ll live long. After betraying that battle, what else could you be discontented about?”