Jing Hengbo stared intently at his palm, where a bead rolled around.
The bead looked quite ordinary—translucent, without any particular luster.
She looked at Yu Chun with puzzlement.
“This is a detection bead,” Yu Chun said. “When you first arrived in Di Ge, this bead was specifically used to determine your whereabouts to ensure your safety.”
“How can a bead determine that?”
“Do you remember the Soul-Fixing Spider that was implanted when you first met our master?”
Jing Hengbo suddenly recalled that when she first met Gong Yin, he had flicked something into her chin. At the time, Gong Yin told her it was a Soul-Fixing Spider, saying that Soul-Fixing Spiders were born in pairs, each with a host. Their minds were connected, invisible and intangible. One spider stayed with him, one with her. As long as she left Gong Yin’s side by more than ten feet, the spider on his side would give warning, while the spider on her side would release poison, leaving a poisonous trail for him to follow and find her.
But later this thing seemed to disappear without a trace. When she asked Gong Yin again, he refused to admit it.
Could it be…
“This detection bead can sense the scent of Soul-Fixing Spider silk. As long as you’re nearby, it will show red threads.”
Hope flashed in Jing Hengbo’s eyes. If Gong Yin truly still had this Soul-Fixing Spider on him, wouldn’t this bead make it easier to find him?
She had witnessed his disguise abilities. In the vast sea of humanity, if he truly wanted to avoid being discovered by her, as long as he didn’t appear before her, she indeed had no way to find him.
“Is this Soul-Fixing Spider still on me?” Jing Hengbo touched her chin, feeling strange inside.
“No longer,” Yu Chun shook his head. “In fact, Soul-Fixing Spiders can be dangerous if left on a person too long, especially for those who don’t know martial arts. So not long after Di Ge, to prevent this thing from causing you trouble, our master quietly removed your Soul-Fixing Spider and also removed his own.”
Jing Hengbo immediately deflated. “Then what’s the point of telling me this?”
“Well…” Yu Chun suddenly lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly, stammering, “When our master was leaving, because I felt uneasy, I once secretly sprinkled some powder from Echo Incense Insects—which Soul-Fixing Spiders love most—on him while he was meditating. That powder isn’t easily washed away. As long as even a trace of scent remains, Soul-Fixing Spiders will seek it out and treat it as a host. I didn’t dare directly place a Soul-Fixing Spider on our master, but there are Soul-Fixing Spiders kept in Jingting. As long as one spider seeks him out, it might succeed. Those things are very resilient and secretive… I don’t know if it worked or if our master discovered it, so I’ve been hesitating whether to tell you…”
Before he finished speaking, Jing Hengbo had already leaped up like a whirlwind, pounced before him to snatch the bead, hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Ah ah ah, Yu Chun, you’re wonderful! Ah ah ah, Yu Chun, I love you!”
She whirled out like a tornado, leaving Yu Chun standing dumbly in the hall, touching his face in a daze. After a long while, he murmured, “Now I’m starting to be glad our master isn’t here…”
…
On the sixth day of the ninth month in the 372nd year of the Great Wilderness calendar, one hundred thousand Hengji troops entered Di Ge. The former Black Water Queen who had once been exiled from Di Ge finally brought her oath and stepped back into the center of the Great Wilderness that had once humiliated and wounded her.
Subsequently, petitions from Xiang Kingdom, Yi Kingdom, the Huangjin Tribe, Dai Mao Tribe, Feicui Tribe, and Di Ge’s ministers flew to Yuzhao Palace like snowflakes. The content was all the same—requesting the Queen’s restoration to the throne.
The Queen’s restoration at this moment carried different significance. The Great Wilderness no longer had a State Preceptor, and the Queen held military power. She would be the first Queen in Great Wilderness history to truly possess imperial authority.
Di Ge’s ministers had initially hesitated. A considerable portion of the old ministers fought desperately against it, while some still feared Gong Yin deeply, afraid he might return. However, the development of circumstances left no room for doubt. Soon, letters of support from five or six nations and tribes arrived in Di Ge. Combined with personal letters of persuasion from great sages like Chang Fang and Qu Ti, explaining the general trend and popular will, the loyalty sworn by former State Preceptor commanders Meng Hu and Yu Chun, and the allegiance of the Yuzhao Dragon Cavalry and Kanglong Army, all demonstrated the unshakeable nature of the Queen’s position. Gradually, the voices of opposition died away.
But Jing Hengbo remained noncommittal about all this. The Di Ge campaign ended quickly because they hadn’t encountered any organized resistance to begin with. After the fighting ended, she naturally moved into the Jingting study and began managing Di Ge’s governmental affairs, but she didn’t use the main Yuzhao Hall, nor did she respond to the ministers’ offerings of coronation dates and ceremony arrangements. This left those ministers who thought her goal was simply to become Queen again—eager to be the first to pledge support to gain merit from supporting the dragon—completely bewildered.
But now that Di Ge was under her control, whether she formally ascended the throne or not couldn’t prevent her from becoming Di Ge’s new master. On the day she moved into Jingting, Zhao Shizhi, who had already suffered a stroke and paralysis, died of shock. The former Minister of Rites committed suicide in his study. Xuanyuan Jing of the Xuanyuan family had become a cripple, and his useless son Xuanyuan Yu, who was already under Jing Hengbo’s control, directly offered half the family fortune as “gifts to reward the great army entering the city.” When Xuanyuan Jing learned of this, he nearly had a stroke as well. The saying goes that when the rabbit dies, the fox grieves. The fate of these high ministers who had once led the effort to exile the Queen from beneath Yuzhao Palace walls made more people understand that times change, fortune turns, and that ten thousand words of eloquence are no match for remaining silent.
Later, the troops sent to pursue Xu Pingran and rescue Yelu Qi also returned. Pei Shu personally led the army in pursuit for a thousand li, engaging Xu Pingran three times in battle. Xu Pingran had initially been confident, deploying her mysterious secret army, but Jing Hengbo’s side already had some understanding of her forces. Xu Pingran couldn’t gain much advantage. The Snow Mountain Sect Master’s wife was indeed ruthless—seeing the situation turn unfavorable, she immediately left part of her strange warriors to block pursuit while she herself led the Snow Mountain survivors to vanish without a trace. Pursuing a large army with a large army is easy, but pursuing a group of martial arts masters is difficult. Pei Shu became determined and personally led a small force of elite soldiers to break away from the main army in fierce pursuit, chasing all the way to near Ji Kingdom. Ultimately, because his individual combat skills were inferior to the Snow Mountain Sect Master’s wife and her group, he lost their trail and had to return empty-handed.
After receiving this news, Jing Hengbo immediately ordered part of the army stationed at Dai Mao to proceed to the Snow Mountains to search for the Nine Heavens Gate. But that stretch of snow mountains extended for thousands of li. Finding the location of the Heavens Gate was easier said than done. Jing Hengbo didn’t hesitate to station an army near the Snow Mountains specifically to find the Snow Mountain’s location—they would continue the mission until they found it. She also ordered people to search for Master Ziwei and Yelu Xunru’s group, hoping to obtain clues from them.
Meanwhile, all tribes friendly to her also received secret missions to search for Gong Yin. But Jing Hengbo held little hope. She knew that to truly find him, she could only rely on herself.
While pursuing those who had left, she also handled court affairs. Zou Zheng and Ming Cheng were separately imprisoned in the deep dungeons beneath Yuzhao Palace. Jing Hengbo didn’t execute them immediately, which greatly puzzled her subordinates. Jing Hengbo offered no explanation for this either. One deep night, she personally went to the dungeons to see these two new prisoners, not allowing anyone to follow.
That night, the men’s prison was utterly silent, as if nothing was happening. Before long, Jing Hengbo emerged. Ying Bai personally accompanied her. He had originally thought that seeing Zou Zheng, who so closely resembled Gong Yin, would cause Jing Hengbo emotional turmoil. However, now under the dim lamplight, the Queen’s lazy smile remained at the corners of her mouth. Perhaps only those very familiar with her could see in that lazy smile a murderous intent and mockery that had never belonged to Jing Hengbo before.
Ying Bai faced the Queen approaching under the lamplight, but in his trance felt as if the Queen was walking farther away. The closer she came to ruling the world, the farther she moved from that once unrestrained and carefree, magnificent woman who let nothing weigh on her heart.
The fragrance of her dress quietly dispersed. Guards on all sides respectfully lowered their heads. As they passed each other, Ying Bai heard the Queen say dreamily, “Really very similar…”
He unconsciously made a sound of agreement.
“Much effort was spent…”
He made another sound of agreement.
After this sound of agreement, he suddenly realized something was wrong. Then he saw the Queen turn back, her bright eyes focused on him. Ying Bai felt uncomfortable all over and had to cough and turn his head away.
“It seems the Commander-in-Chief is very skilled in this area. As they say, where there’s a first, there’s a second. How about training one for me as well?”
Ying Bai’s heart shook, and he looked up sharply.
Under the moonlight, the Queen smiled deeply.
Without waiting for his answer, Jing Hengbo said lazily, “To the women’s prison.”
Watching her straight-backed figure, moonlight and dress hem both flowing like water, rippling distant and far, like a dream where all prosperity has fallen.
Ying Bai stood stunned for a long time, then sighed softly.
Unlike the quiet men’s prison, when Jing Hengbo reached the women’s prison, she could hear the rattling of cell doors from far away. The guard watching the women’s prison said quietly, “The one inside has been clamoring to see the Queen…”
Jing Hengbo stood still, looking at the steps below washed bright by moonlight then shrouded in darkness, extending with ghostly white bone color all the way to the underground depths, making one feel that this descent led straight to hell.
She gave a slight cold laugh, gestured for no one to follow, and slowly descended the steps.
The dungeons perpetually reeked of sinister decay—scents hard to identify but evoking thoughts of everything related to rotting flesh. Hearing her footsteps echo on the stone stairs, Jing Hengbo suddenly remembered that she too had once been imprisoned.
That was in Xiang Kingdom’s prison, also within the Xiang Kingdom palace, part of the great dungeon, but not so bloodstained and sinisterly terrifying.
Perhaps that was because that imprisonment had also been his arrangement. It had been cleaned beforehand so she wouldn’t truly suffer. She remembered it being quite warm, with soft, thick straw beneath her that even carried the dry, fragrant scent of sunshine.
Once, someone had poured out their heart’s blood to love me.
She slowly descended the steps.
Details once overlooked now returned vividly. Each recollection was a knife mercilessly stirring.
In the dungeon, that woman even more bloodstained than the bloodstained cell raised her head, staring blankly at Jing Hengbo descending the steps.
In that instant, fierce flames blazed in her eyes—such a Jing Hengbo, so noble and glorious, looking down from above, was what she most hated to see in her life. Just like when Gong Yin personally escorted the Queen, just like when six nations and eight tribes welcomed her for a hundred li, just like when red carpets welcomed the Queen to the plaza, just like when Jing Hengbo assumed the throne as Queen, with all the glory gathered and all eyes focused upon her.
During those days, she was consumed daily by hatred and jealousy, until that night when snow flew over Di Ge and she saw Jing Hengbo pale and wretched, exiled from the imperial city. Only then did that agony like ten thousand ants gnawing at her heart mostly subside.
But her fate was so unfortunate.
Even after Jing Hengbo left, she continued to be bullied, ignored, and humiliated. She had barely managed to endure until seizing the throne, hadn’t even warmed the empress’s seat, when she suddenly fell into another’s trap. Now she had to see that woman she most hated in life again atop Di Ge’s walls, had to grovel and wail at her feet once more.
Her fingers gripped the thick iron bars tightly, her hoarse voice echoing in the cell: “Why didn’t you get poisoned? Why didn’t you get poisoned!”
Jing Hengbo hadn’t expected this to be her first question. After a moment of surprise, she laughed: “You’re allowed to see me and immediately know to harm me, but I’m not allowed to see you and immediately know you want to harm me?”
Ming Cheng suddenly began coughing violently.
Jing Hengbo slowly extended her hand, her fingertips peeling away a glove as thin as cicada wings.
“I once suffered at the hands of others, so in many situations requiring fighting, I wear gloves.” She smiled as she stared at Ming Cheng’s face, thinking her ashen complexion was quite attractive.
Ming Cheng softly slid down along the iron bars, as if all strength had left her, her whole body collapsing on the ground like mud.
“I heard that since being locked up here, you’ve been making noise nonstop,” Jing Hengbo looked down at her. “Are you very idle?”
Ming Cheng raised her head, face covered in mud and water, eyes full of venomous hatred.
“I don’t dare sleep, don’t dare rest. I’m afraid that if I close my eyes, I’ll be smothered or assassinated.” Her fingers clawed desperately at the torn cloth on the ground. “I can’t die. How can I die so silently! I haven’t watched you die yet!”
“Indeed, when you’ve done too many bad things, you don’t even dare close your eyes,” Jing Hengbo nodded with deep understanding. “Since you don’t want to die silently, how about I let you die spectacularly? Dragged to the Meridian Gate for public execution by a thousand cuts?”
Ming Cheng shuddered and looked up at her. Jing Hengbo was still smiling, but anyone could see there was no smile in her eyes.
She began to shiver slightly.
Just before Jing Hengbo entered, countless thoughts had flashed through her mind—she had considered raging and cursing, crying, begging for mercy, pretending to have important secrets then fainting to trick Jing Hengbo into approaching so she could attempt to take her hostage. However, when she saw Jing Hengbo, she knew all these ideas were futile.
There’s a kind of hatred called being etched in one’s heart and bones. She felt this toward Jing Hengbo, and Jing Hengbo felt the same toward her. Before such mortal enemies, any methods were wasted effort. Even the trap she had painstakingly arranged earlier hadn’t fooled Jing Hengbo. Now, the death struggles of a prisoner would only make her die faster.
She suddenly gave a sinister smile.
No, she wouldn’t die. If Jing Hengbo truly wanted to kill her, she would have done so immediately. What she had said when attempting to harm Jing Hengbo had ultimately had an effect.
Originally, she had been somewhat worried that she had offended too many people in the palace and feared being killed silently. However, with Jing Hengbo’s personal visit tonight, her heart was immediately at ease.
With such a mortal enemy, it was better to speak plainly and openly. She would seize this opportunity to seek a chance for herself.
“Execution by a thousand cuts? If I die, who will cure the poison in your lover? You came here precisely because you want to know about the poison I gave Gong Yin, don’t you? You want to know how Gong Yin was poisoned, want to help him find an antidote? Want to know what’s really going on between us?” She cackled. “If you want to know, then come beg me.” She also lazily lay down on the ground. “No abuse allowed, no imprisonment, no disrespect toward me. Move me out of this damned dungeon, send me back to my chambers, and apologize to me. Then I’ll tell you.”