On the battlefield, That Zhan remained seated in the tent, gazing into the distance as King Jing Tian leaped onto his white horse and galloped away, leading his great army without a backward glance. That Zhan leaned back, looking up at the tent’s ceiling, lost in thought.
The curve of water, the cool moon in the mirror; the skillful move in chess, arising without self!
What kind of place was the Ice Palace, to have molded such a ruler? To desire the world, to desire beautiful women, yet able to make choices in an instant – what kind of balance existed in his heart? And where did love come from?
In South Mo, an unexpected cease-fire in a chaotic battle led both armies to retreat a hundred li. Onlookers watched with trepidation, as an indescribable, fiery restlessness still hung in the air.
Meanwhile, in East Mo, dust clouds obscured faces atop the gray horse hooves. Nearly 120,000 of Fen Tian’s troops split into two groups, retreating frantically. Ruo Wen shared his horse with Huang Bei Shuang, the wild gallop causing her fair skin to bruise against his coarse sailcloth. Yet her eyes remained tightly shut. In truth, she had awakened back in Zhun City, her mouth tasting of blood, finding herself in Ruo Wen’s arms. She had nearly retched but forced herself to continue feigning unconsciousness, hoping to delay as long as possible. To her surprise, Ruo Wen had ridden on without pause, carrying her all the way. The wound on her chest repeatedly tore open, compounding her unbearable hunger to torment her nerves.
As they galloped, Ruo Wen glanced down and suddenly tightened his arm around her waist, squeezing painfully. He then chuckled, “You can pretend to sleep! But if you’re hungry and don’t speak up, you’re only hurting yourself!”
The pressure made Huang Bei Shuang cough, her eyes snapping open. Having regained some strength, she now emanated a faint anger, her gray pupils reflecting contempt. Just like the day she had slipped away from him, she stared into his eyes with unforgettable mockery. She looked down on him and despised him, and all of this excited him.
Ruo Wen wrapped his cloak tightly around her, no longer meeting her gaze. He had to return to Fen Tian quickly. Then, he would embrace her fiercely until he was completely sated! Until he was no longer excited! Until his heartbeat calmed! Until his desires solidified! He would, relentlessly, satisfy that wild, unbearable thirst within!
In the great desert, racing towards Fen Tian was not only the Wild Blood King Ruo Wen, but also King Jing Tian approaching from the south.
When it came to military tactics, Qing Yun was considerably calmer. Instead of sending all his troops directly to Fen Tian, he deployed half to quietly encircle Zhun City, quickly forming a ring of containment. After careful consideration, he ultimately decided against directly confronting Ruo Wen. Firstly, each member of the Yellow Sky Wild Troops could easily match ten ordinary soldiers – a fact both That Zhan and Qing Yun grudgingly acknowledged. Secondly, if they truly engaged in battle, Yun Pei would be the one to benefit. From Tian Du’s perspective, they couldn’t allow this to happen.
However, to catch a fish, one needn’t drain the entire ocean. Qing Yun tightly gripped his horse’s reins as his mount, seeming to sense its master’s emotions, galloped with all its might. This man and horse led the army, far ahead of the rest. No other horse could match Fei Ta’s speed; Liao Zhen, following behind the king, remained more than ten zhang back, unable to close the gap.
Riding hard, because of you,
Swirling sands, because of you,
Sounding the retreat, because of you,
Surging emotions, still because of you!
If I find you, I truly wonder,
What else you could offer in exchange?
Guarding Fen Tian was Cheng Xiang. The previous night, Lang Tou’s secret agents had reported that their leader was approaching. Now, he waited respectfully in the eastern border town of Fen Tian. In the distance, dust clouds billowed as the Wild Troops’ banner appeared on the horizon. Lang Tou, upon seeing this, quickly shouted, “They’re back! Open the gates!”
With a creak, the city gates opened wide. Dust poured in as Fen Tian’s army, having marched for days, returned like a black dragon to its lair. For a time, only the chaos of moving hooves and shouts could be heard.
After a while, the soldiers entering the city finally removed their armor, exhaustedly dismounting in search of food. They were parched and starving, having done nothing but run for days. Though no one pursued them, Ruo Wen’s orders were like the thread of death – anyone who stopped for even a moment would be cut to pieces, not necessarily by Ruo Wen himself, but by any member of the Chi Guo army.
Amidst this sprawling chaos of collapsed troops, only Ruo Wen’s black wild horse charged straight into the inner compound. Without a backward glance or moment’s pause to hear Cheng Xiang’s report, he carried the barely conscious Huang Bei Shuang directly to an inner chamber, kicking open the door and placing her on the bed. Turning to Cheng Xiang, who had followed, he bellowed, “Bring water!” Cheng Xiang nodded hastily and turned to make arrangements.
Ruo Wen sat by the bed, looking at the pale-faced woman. It seemed the journey had taken a significant toll on her vitality; this time, she couldn’t even pretend to be unconscious.
“Leader! The water is here!” Man Hu, who entered with the water, was somewhat crooked but understood the leader’s intentions best. What he had brought in was a tub large enough for two people, filled with clean, warm water.
Ruo Wen smiled and waved his hand. “Go ask Cheng Xiang for a reward. Get out! No one enters without my call!”
Man Hu grinned mischievously, rubbing his hands together as he quickly closed the door and scurried away.
Ruo Wen turned back, scooped up Huang Bei Shuang in his large hands, and tossed her into the water!
“Cough, cough!” Huang Bei Shuang woke with a start, angrily opening her eyes to find herself in the water. Disregarding anyone else’s presence, she cupped water in both hands and brought it to her mouth. She drank with wild abandon, occasionally pushing aside her cumbersome clothes to reveal equally thirsty skin. Her whole body played in the water like a fish.
Ruo Wen stood watching for quite some time, picking up a pastry from the table and chewing it. When he finished, he wiped his mouth, unfastened his weapons, and to her surprise, removed his clothes and sat down in the tub. His body was imposing and strong; as he jumped in, a good amount of water spilled over. Squeezed by his presence, Huang Bei Shuang suddenly came to her senses, leaning against the tub’s edge and staring at him in disbelief.
Ruo Wen chuckled softly, “What? Not playing anymore?”
His hand caressed her stunned face, tracing her moon-like eyebrows, her cold gray eyes, the graceful line of her nose, and finally… those crimson, sweet, inviting lips.
A kiss! But this was merely the beginning. Ruo Wen’s kisses were always painful and dominating. No matter how she struggled, he could still hold her tightly, trap her deeply. He made her afraid, made her heart thunder. This certainly wasn’t love, but it was a capture that no one else could achieve – real and irresistible.
“Aren’t you afraid of me? If you don’t behave, I might lose control!” The intense entanglement of lips and tongues finally ended, and Ruo Wen loosened his grip slightly, allowing her to breathe. The water between their chests gradually turned red; her wound had probably reopened, and quite severely, but she couldn’t feel it at all. Her mind was completely blank. She couldn’t think of what to do or how to react.
Ruo Wen frowned at the wound on her chest. After a moment, he lifted her out of the water. He did nothing more than dry her body and redress her wound before letting her rest on the bed. He watched her for a good while, then said with some confusion, “Where should I start?”
“Where should you start?” Huang Bei Shuang finally came to her senses, her gaze turning cold. “It’s best to start here!” She tapped her wound, the pain helping her regain her composure.
Ruo Wen, still bare-chested, sat by the bed. In this weather, staying like this for even a quarter hour would turn most people purple with cold, but he seemed unaffected. His rapid breathing accompanied his deep eyes as he laughed softly, “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of using the same trick you used on Man Hu on me!”
Huang Bei Shuang clutched the blanket tightly, watching him warily. “I wouldn’t be foolish enough to try that twice!”
Ruo Wen laughed, “Good that you know!” As he spoke, he reached out toward the blanket in front of him.