“You want to defeat me?” Xiyun looked with a smiling expression at the little beauty before her in her fire-red attire — a face never touched by sorrow, grief, or hardship, a pair of eyes unstained by the desire for fame, power, or gain, pure and delicately beautiful like the Langgan blossoms atop East Cha Peak, which by rights ought to have dwelled high beyond the mortal world. How had such a person come to be born into a royal family of this dusty world?

That smile seemed like encouragement, and it caused Langhua to involuntarily blurt out her grand ambitions: “I… I have been working toward this for seven years! I… I practice martial arts every single day, and I have also read a great many, many books… military treatises, the Collection of Jade Refinement, the Strategies for All Under Heaven, and… well, a lot of them anyway! I am absolutely going to defeat you in martial skill, military strategy, and literary talent! No, wait — now I have to add one more thing: I’m also going to defeat you in appearance!”

“Pfft!” At these words, the generals behind both rulers all let out involuntary quiet laughs, their gazes landing on Langhua — half amused, half skeptical.

“Oh?” Xiyun gave another faint smile. “What is there about me worth setting a seven-year goal to defeat?”

“You… you actually said that? You actually… actually don’t know what makes you worth setting a goal to defeat?!” Langhua pointed at Xiyun and stuttered. Her snow-soft face was flushed bright red at that moment, her bright, dewy almond eyes wide and round — her adorable appearance endearing her to everyone present.

“I truly don’t know what there is about me worth someone setting a goal to defeat.” Xiyun said with a mild smile, her air of effortless ease revealing that she genuinely did not care about the matter.

“That is… that is going too far!” Langhua’s soft, crisp voice rose involuntarily. “All these years, you have been looming over the heads of every princess, keeping everyone overshadowed by your reputation! Whenever people mention a princess, you are the only one they think of, the only one they bring up — all the other princesses become nothing but grey shadows. And yet you… you say without the slightest concern that you don’t even know?! Outrageous! Truly outrageous! Utterly outrageous! Pin Lin! She is utterly outrageous!” Growing more and more indignant with every word, speaking louder and louder, she finally turned and grabbed the maidservant behind her, shaking her vigorously. “Pin Lin…”

“Your Highness…” Pin Lin murmured hesitantly, keeping her eyes lowered to the ground, not daring to lift her head and look at those people across from them who seemed to radiate a kind of light.

“To be honest, I truly had no idea my reputation was so great that someone would set me as their goal.” The corners of Xiyun’s lips curved slightly upward, a glimmer of amusement rising in her eyes as she looked at the charming person before her, vivid as evening clouds. “After you defeat me… hmm, what will you do then?”

“After I defeat you?” Langhua snapped her head back to look at Xiyun. If she could actually defeat this person who dazzled the entire world… just thinking it caused Langhua’s lips to curve upward irrepressibly, her brows arching high, her eyes sparkling brilliantly. Her fingers moved unconsciously — spreading into some odd shape, then clenching tight again. “If I defeat you… if I defeat you…” Langhua murmured repeatedly to herself, her entire body trembling slightly with excitement at the thought. If she defeated her… if she defeated her… Her gaze drifted without thinking, and a distinguished and gracefully noble figure caught her eye. In a dazed haze, something seemed to flash through her mind, and she blurted out: “If I defeat you, I’ll be able to take a prince consort as perfect as him!”

At these words, everyone was momentarily stunned. When they realized what she had said, all eyes turned as one toward Lanxi, and a moment later, every single general bowed their head — though their shoulders were all shaking.

Pin Lin’s head had nearly sunk to the ground, silently bemoaning her own misfortune at being saddled with a mistress who spoke with such total abandon.

“Oh!” Upon realizing what she had said, Langhua reflexively and remorsefully clapped her hands over her face.

How… how could she have said something like that? She was supposed to have answered with righteous conviction: if I defeat you, it will prove that the world does not have only one Feng Xiyun! There are a great many outstanding women! So she should not, over every little thing the size of a sesame seed, arrogantly broadcast it across the entire world until citizens of every country and every city — every street and every alley — were all neglecting their proper duties to discuss her exploits with such relish!

Xiyun paused for a moment of genuine surprise at these words, then her gaze shifted toward Lanxi. She had no idea what this person had done to bewitch this innocent soul, but he appeared to be rather taken aback himself — and she couldn’t help but give a teasing smile.

“Does the Princess have her heart set on Xi Wang as her prince consort?” Xiyun stepped forward a few paces and raised a hand to pull down the hands that were pressed tightly over Langhua’s face — only to see that several red finger-mark impressions had already been left on that snow-soft skin.

“No… it’s not like that… you… please don’t… misunderstand!” Langhua raised her hands and grabbed hold of Xiyun, explaining in a somewhat flustered manner. “I… hmm…” Langhua closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, then with a burst of courage said all at once: “He is your husband — I wouldn’t want him at all! I was merely speaking hypothetically — I also want to find a prince consort as outstanding as he is, that is all!”

“Ah.” Xiyun nodded slightly, as though only now understanding, and with fingertips filled with gentle tenderness touched the red finger marks on Langhua’s face, smiling softly. “So the Princess wishes to find a fine prince consort.” Her eyes turned lightly, and in an instant the light in them shifted and rippled like reflections in a mirror-lake. “Then… what do you think of these generals here? They can be said to be the finest among the finest of two nations — all of distinguished appearance and exceptional talent. Does the Princess find any to her liking?” As she finished speaking, she turned slightly to one side, gesturing toward the generals behind her with one hand, while the other seemed to linger with a certain reluctance on that smooth and soft snow-like skin.

“I… I…” Langhua gazed blankly at Xiyun, who stood so close before her. So close — the Feng Xiyun who had existed only in legend until now was actually right here within arm’s reach! Such an incomparably clear and lovely face, such clear and smiling eyes, those cool fingertips lightly brushing against her face — sending wave after wave of tingling, tickling, soft, sweet sensations that nonetheless felt wonderfully comfortable and pleasant. Under the blazing sun, it was like bathing in a cool breeze with all the stifling heat swept away. That voice, clear and musical as an instrument, rang softly at her ear… In a dreamy haze, Langhua found herself thinking: if this Feng Wang were a man, taking such a person as prince consort would truly be absolutely perfect!

“What does the Princess say?” Xiyun had by now introduced all seven generals except Cheng Zhi — yet the person before her had her gaze fixed unwaveringly upon herself, with color alternately flooding and draining from her face. Could it be that she found none of them to her liking?

“Hmm?” Langhua looked at Xiyun, seemingly not quite certain what Xiyun had said.

Xiyun’s eyes gave a slight flutter, and with a radiant smile she took Langhua’s hand and walked toward the generals. “Would the Princess like to choose one of our generals as her prince consort?” Her gaze fell on Langhua softly as gossamer silk, the smile on her face so brilliantly luminous it put the bright sun overhead to shame. Her voice was low and clear, like an ethereal song drifting from a secluded valley, carrying a certain bewitching power. “Does the Princess like them?”

That gaze, like a soft net, snared her heart and soul. That smile allowed not the slightest resistance. That gentle and clear voice drew her onward. Langhua nodded without thinking: “Mm.”

Those clear eyes grew even brighter. That smile became even more radiant. A slender hand lifted lightly, as if drawing a beautiful scene across heaven and earth. “Then — do you like this General Xiu?”

“Mm.” Langhua nodded with the same compliance, her gaze never leaving that flawless smiling face before her, which seemed to have absorbed the brilliance of all things in the world.

“Then… this king shall betroth you to General Xiu.” Xiyun said it lightly and with ease, then turned her head to look at everyone present, that brilliantly radiant smile on her face lighting up every person’s eyes.

“Mm.” Langhua, whose spirit seemed to have already floated free of her body, nodded once more.

“Your… Your… Please don’t…” Xiu Jiurong, who had been struck dumb by this “joyous news” that had fallen from the sky, finally came to his senses when the gazes of the generals around him turned toward him with an expression of mild sympathy.

“Hmm?” Xiyun’s brows drew together slightly as she looked at Xiu Jiurong. “Jiurong, are you going to defy this king’s command?”

“Jiurong would never dare!” Xiu Jiurong immediately replied, a creep of color gradually rising into his face.

“Good.” Xiyun nodded. “Once the war is concluded, this king will hold a magnificent wedding ceremony for the two of you.”

“But… Your Highness, I… I…” Xiu Jiurong looked at Xiyun, yet the words at the tip of his tongue simply would not come out. His mouth was open, a flush spreading across his refined and delicate face, his gaze looking at his king with something between pleading and helplessness. The three Fengyun generals beside him had long since grown accustomed to this, while the Mo Yu Cavalry generals still could not reconcile the sight of this shy, introverted, and handsome young man before them with the ruthless, cold-blooded, iron-willed general on the battlefield who killed without blinking.

“I…” On one side, someone was coming around as from a great dream, gazing at everyone with a bewildered and uncomprehending look. “I just now…”

“The Princess just now selected our Xiu Jiurong as her prince consort.” Xiyun turned her head and looked at Langhua with a bright smile. “The two of you are so perfectly matched — a gifted young man and a beautiful young lady, a pair made for each other. This king is truly delighted.”

“I… chose a prince consort?” Langhua looked toward Pin Lin, as if seeking confirmation. Upon seeing her nod, she immediately let out a sharp cry. “I just chose a prince consort? How… how is that even possible?!”

“As a princess of Bai Country, would you go back on your word and fail to keep your promise?” Xiyun’s smile faded, and her gaze turned toward Langhua with a cool edge to her expression. In that instant, the warm and amiable Feng Wang of a moment ago was gone, replaced by a Feng Wang of cold, strict solemnity — one who could not be transgressed.

“I… I… this princess never goes back on her word!” Having Xiyun’s gaze land on her, Langhua’s heart gave an involuntary clench — and then she declared loudly.

“Very well, then.” Xiyun’s face bloomed once again with a gentle smile. “Just now, the Princess pledged herself in marriage, with all those present as witnesses to both see and hear it. Therefore, from this moment forward, the Princess is the wife of our General Xiu. Once the war is concluded, this king will personally hold the wedding ceremony for the two of you.”

“I… but…” The words Langhua had been about to blurt out were once again swept back down inside her by Xiyun’s gaze.

“Does the Princess have anything else to say?” Xiyun asked warmly, then swept her gaze toward Xiu Jiurong, whose face was still flushed red. “And you, Jiurong?”

“I…”

Langhua and Xiu Jiurong both opened their mouths at the same time, then stopped upon seeing the other speak, their gazes meeting. Jiurong hurriedly looked away, his face apparently growing even redder. And Langhua… looking at that refined and beautiful face… at the scar that split that face in two — for some reason, a quiet, dull ache arose in her heart. As though… that wound had been carved into her own.

“If there is nothing more to say, then the matter is settled.” Xiyun smiled and nodded, seeming quite satisfied with the reaction of the two. She slipped a pale blue crystal chain from her wrist and removed a piece of Cangshan jade from her waist. “These two pieces shall serve as this king’s betrothal gifts to the two of you.”

With that, she personally slipped the pale blue crystal chain onto Langhua’s fair and tender wrist. In the light of the sun, it shimmered with a brilliant, five-colored radiance.

“Very beautiful.” Xiyun looked at Langhua with a satisfied smile, then turned to Xiu Jiurong, opening her palm. “Jiurong, this is what this king gives to you.” The oval, lustrous white Cangshan jade had a single point of cinnabar red at its center — like the crimson heart of the jade itself, or like a single teardrop of blood that the jade had wept since time immemorial.

Jiurong raised his head, looked at his king for a long and deep moment, then bowed his head respectfully and accepted it. “Jiurong thanks the King for the gift.”

“How has a marriage just been arranged in the span of a moment?” Duanmu Wensheng, standing to one side watching in silence, murmured to himself. The other generals shared the sentiment entirely — they had thought they were about to witness a spectacular showdown between the Princess of Bai Country and the Female Sovereign of Feng Country. Yet instead…

“You never met Bai Fengxi of the old days, which is why you find this strange.” Ren Chuanyun said with a somewhat admiring laugh, his gaze settling on Feng Wang with her bright and cheerful smile — as though he were once again catching a glimpse of that Bai Fengxi from the past, who had once played all the heroes of six nations for fools.

Betrothing Princess Langhua to Xiu Jiurong? Ren Chuanyu stroked his chin and fell into thought. Was this nothing more than one of Bai Fengxi’s farcical impromptu betrothals? He shifted his gaze toward Lanxi ahead of them, who had remained detached throughout with a composed smile, watching from the outside. In his eyes — was this also just a casual, trivial betrothal?

“Liuyun, see that Princess Langhua is properly settled.” Xiyun instructed Liuyun, who stood waiting at the edge of the gathering.

“Understood.” Liuyun bowed in acknowledgment.

“This king has drilled for more than half the day and is genuinely rather tired. I shall take my leave first.” Xiyun gave Lanxi a slight bow.

“Feng Wang, please do as you wish.” Lanxi returned the bow with graceful composure.

After watching Xiyun depart with the four Fengyun generals, Lanxi’s gaze swept across Langhua, who still seemed not quite recovered. A faint and meaningful smile surfaced on his face, and then he turned and walked toward his own royal tent, the four Mo Yu generals and Ren Chuanyu following in his wake.

Everyone on the training grounds departed, leaving only the dumbfounded Langhua and her maidservant, and the Feng Country female official Liuyun, who had been ordered to settle them.

“Pin Lin, how did I just become betrothed?” Langhua looked at the crystal chain gleaming on her wrist and murmured her question to her personal maidservant.

“I have no idea.” Pin Lin said, furrowing her brows in vexed bewilderment.

Night fell. Sparse stars, a pale moon.

Past the midpoint of the hour of Zi, yet Feng Wang’s royal tent still glowed with lamplight.

“Xixi, it is so late — why have you still not slept?”

Jiu Wei entered the tent soundlessly, only to find Xiyun seated at the table, appearing entirely unheedful of his arrival. Her hand gripped a purple writing brush, and she seemed lost in thought. Suddenly her wrist moved — and in an instant the silk-paper was awash with flowing ink.

Landscapes fair as paintings, but war-smoke dims their grace. Iron horses, golden spears — who shall rule, who shall fall. To span ten thousand li, a long sword is all one needs; In the deep of midnight, dancing — vowing to mend the sky!

Celestial steeds come riding from the west, All for the hand that turns the clouds. Gripping the tiger tally, seizing the jade dragon, Feathered arrows split asunder the gap in Changmang Shan!

They say a man’s heart stays iron until death. Blood washes the rivers and mountains, white bones shrouded in grass — Unafraid though dust should bury us to ash, A loyal heart shines bright against the boundless heavens!

Jiu Wei watched the words form beneath her brush, reading them aloud one by one in a quiet murmur. When the final stroke of the last character was complete, his brows rose in astonishment, and he lifted his head to look at Xiyun. After a long silence, he at last said: “What magnificent spirit!”

Xiyun gave a mild curve of her lips, set the brush back onto the brush rest, and raised her eyes to look at Jiu Wei. “It is so late — why have you not yet rested either?”

Jiu Wei did not answer her question. He reached out and picked up the paper from the table, read through it once more carefully, and then said: “Your Treading-on-Clouds Melody has always had four stanzas. Why have you not written it in full?”

“The fourth stanza…” Xiyun’s gaze stilled, looking at the paper in Jiu Wei’s hand, and then she said slowly: “If you wish to see it, I shall write it for you.” With that, she spread out another sheet of silk paper, picked up the purple brush, and continued writing:

When the vermilion tower and jade waters return to the painting again, Calling forth the slender moon, The clear sound in the empty valley, the peach-blossom waters — Yet always, always: rain falls, wind blows, drifting clouds scatter.

After reading it, Jiu Wei was silent for a long while, before finally letting out a long, slow sigh: “Xixi…”

“This is nothing more than something written to pass the time in idle moments — there is no need for Jiu Wei to take it to heart.” Xiyun folded the last stanza in half, then pressed both palms together and ground it into fine powder that scattered across the table.

Jiu Wei looked at her without speaking. After a moment, he placed the paper in his hand back on the table surface, and with an air of seemingly casual indifference brought up: “I heard you gave Bai Country’s Princess Langhua to General Xiu.”

“Heh…” A faintly shrewd smile surfaced on Xiyun’s face. “That — she chose him herself. How could it be called a gift from me.”

“Are you trying to protect her?” Jiu Wei suddenly said it directly and without preamble.

“Hmm?” Xiyun seemed somewhat surprised by Jiu Wei’s words. After a moment she gave a smile carrying a hint of quiet feeling. “Jiu Wei can actually see that.”

“Those who do not know you will not understand what you do.” Jiu Wei let out a mild sigh. “Is this Princess Langhua worth this much from you?”

“She…” Xiyun tilted her head slightly, thinking of that fire-cloud-like person, and couldn’t help but let a smile of lively interest bloom. “What she thinks in her heart, what she speaks from her mouth, what she turns over in her mind, what she shows upon her face… she is like a pure white unblemished Langgan blossom, not yet touched by even the slightest breath of worldly dust — so innocent and guileless that one truly cannot bear it. If she were sent back to the Bai capital, when the country falls and the city is destroyed, this flower would wither and sink into a pool of blood. But if she were kept here… and made use of by him… then this flower would no longer be a Langgan blossom at all!”

“Arranging a marriage… this truly does not seem like something you would do.” Jiu Wei shook his head slightly. “Are the two of them willing?”

“Heh…” Xiyun seemed to recall something amusing and gave a light laugh. “That Langgan blossom is fond of Jiurong — you can tell from the way she looks at him, that expression she has… that look tinged with a thread of pain. It’s just that she herself certainly doesn’t know it yet.”

“Tinged with pain?” Jiu Wei furrowed his brows, seeming somewhat puzzled.

“Yes. When she looks at Jiurong’s face, there is pain in her eyes. And that is because…” Xiyun paused briefly, then tilted her head back and sighed. “Because her heart is aching. Her heart aches for Jiurong’s wound… A person like this — that there is still such an unblemished heart in this world… how could I not make it whole?”

“Because someone is in one’s heart, the wound upon them becomes pain upon oneself…” Jiu Wei also said with quiet feeling, “Only… I heard that when Ding City was taken, Jiurong nearly killed her. Does Jiurong feel the same toward her?”

“Jiurong…” Xiyun let the faint smile that had been on her face fade away. Her gaze fell unconsciously to her waist — the Cangshan jade pendant that had hung there was gone. Her hand rested lightly against the empty space at her waist, and after a moment she continued: “He needs a blossom like this — one that can draw all of his life-force into focus!”

“It seems perfectly arranged on all counts — only, will Princess Langhua stay quietly?” Jiu Wei asked, watching Xiyun’s expression, which seemed to have drifted into a somewhat distant reverie.

“That? There is no need for us to worry about it. Someone will naturally make her stay quietly without any effort from us.” Xiyun pulled her thoughts back and smiled without concern.

“And then there is… you?” Jiu Wei’s gaze locked onto her intently. “You and Xi Wang — what of you two?”

“I… Xi Wang and I made our marriage pledge before thousands upon thousands of subjects. It is an agreement that… neither life nor death shall break.” Xiyun lowered her eyes and said with a mild smile.

“Xixi, as things stand now…” Jiu Wei hesitated on the verge of speaking. He looked at Xiyun, and after a long silence finally only gave a faint sigh.

“Jiu Wei, I’m hungry — make me a late-night snack.” Xiyun did not press him on the words he had left unfinished — whether because she already knew what he meant to say, or because she did not wish to hear it.

“Very well then.” Jiu Wei gave a helpless nod, rose and turned to head out of the tent.

“I’ll go with you.” Xiyun followed him out of the royal tent, walking in his footsteps.

After rounding no more than a few tents, a faint thread of song drifted to their ears — like the ethereal, haunting song of a night spirit.

Hearing you come bearing wine from the western lands, I open my brushwood gate and sweep the tangled path. First I steal the Dragon King’s night-luminous cup, Then gather ten-thousand-year ice from the heavenly peaks. Still by the water, gazing at the lotus-like reflection, Black hair still the same, brows wreathed in smoke. I bring out my long-dusty burnt-tail zither, Dress myself and don my rippling silk skirt. Open my throat and let burst the General’s Call, And green-robed, dance open the water lotus in bloom…

Both of them, hearing that faint, drifting song, found their steps involuntarily slowing. After a moment, Xiyun gave a sigh with a faint undercurrent of feeling: “So late at night… and yet Qi Wu has not slept either.”

Jiu Wei was listening carefully to the lyrics, and then turned to look at Xiyun. “This is your Intoxicated Song.”

“The Intoxicated Song… that was a song written long ago, in a state of drunken revelry.” Xiyun raised her head to look at the night sky, gazing at the faintly dim stars and moon, the expression on her face carrying a distant, dreamy quality as though she had sunk into the tides of some memory — at once seeming content and seeming to sigh.

And evidently they were not the only ones up late that night. About ten tents away from Feng Wang’s tent, Princess Langhua and her maidservant had been settled.

When all the shock, excitement, and strangeness had settled, Langhua at last recalled the fact that she was currently a prisoner of Feng and Feng Country, and in an instant an emotion far more complex than simple panic arose in her mind, leaving her unable to sit still or settle. Immediately following this, all the various emotions of excitement, regret, indignation, and confusion generated by everything she had seen, heard, and experienced during the day came surging into her mind at once, leaving her without even a trace of drowsiness. In the tent she paced back and forth for a while, then plopped down with a thud, then lay flat on her back, then rolled over and buried her face in her quilt, then sighed one moment and talked to herself without making any sense the next, then gave a faintly sweet little smile… and so passed the entire night.

Pin Lin, on the other hand, had not yet fully recovered from the wound on her back, and was exhausted after a day of turmoil, so she fell asleep the moment she touched the bed.

On the twenty-first day of the eighth month, the Feng and Feng great armies, when they were approximately one hundred li from the Bai Country royal capital, suddenly divided their forces and proceeded in separate directions.

Feng Wang led the Fengyun Cavalry to the left, heading directly for Cuo City.

Xi Wang led the Mo Yu Cavalry to continue straight ahead, pressing directly toward the Bai Country royal capital.

Historical accounts contain countless speculations about this division of forces by the Feng and Feng armies — who had been advancing in joint assault since the day the campaign began — some viewing it favorably, others critically. Yet the official historical records that came later recorded the reason for this division in nothing more than a single extremely simple and understated exchange between the two rulers:

Feng Wang said: “I shall take Cuo, Yu, and Luan — the three cities. You take the Bai capital. How does that suit you?”

Xi Wang said: “It suits me.”

On the twenty-second day of the eighth month, at the hour of Mao, the Feng Country Mo Yu Cavalry arrived outside the walls of the Bai capital. Yet Xi Wang did not order the troops to attack the city; instead, he issued an order for the entire army to make camp and rest for three days.

On the same day, at the hour of Chen, the Feng Country Fengyun Cavalry arrived outside the walls of Cuo City.

On the same day, at the hour of Si, Feng Wang issued the order to attack the city. By the end of the hour of Shen, Cuo City was taken, and the White Phoenix banner was raised high upon the walls of Cuo City.

Meanwhile, in the southeastern part of the Dong Chao Empire, the Huangguo Conquest Cavalry and the Huaguo Gold-Robed Cavalry likewise launched large-scale campaigns of conquest.

Xiao Xuekong and Qiu Jiushuang, together with three princes of Huaguo — Hua Naran, Hua Jingran, and Hua Fengran — each commanding fifty thousand Gold-Robed Cavalry, set off in separate directions to attack Zai City and Ze City in the Wangyu region.

And Huang Chao and Huang Yu each led one hundred thousand troops departing from Yi City, attacking Jian City and Sheng City respectively.

In the tent of the Huangguo commander-in-chief outside the walls of Jian City, Huang Yu sat alone within, studying the full-territory map of the Dong Chao Empire spread out before him. The eastern and southern regions were already mostly encircled in vermilion marks, representing all that had been brought under Huangguo’s control.

“General, an urgent report!” A somewhat hurried voice rang out at the tent entrance.

All of Huangguo’s soldiers were accustomed to addressing Huang Yu as “General” — perhaps in everyone’s subconscious, the form of address “Young Master” was reserved only for the Shizi of Huang Chao, though by now everyone had already changed to calling him “Wang.”

“Come in.” Huang Yu’s gaze shifted from the map to the tent entrance.

“General, the eldest prince of Huaguo has sent an urgent report, requesting that troops be dispatched to Ze City for reinforcement!” A young general strode into the tent in wide, purposeful steps and respectfully presented the emergency plea for aid sent by the Huaguo prince.

“Requesting reinforcement?” Huang Yu’s brow arched slightly. He accepted the plea letter from the Huaguo prince with no particular sense of urgency, glanced through it briefly, then set it down on the table. “Li Xian, who is defending Ze City?”

“It is Dong Taoye, the son of Grand General Dong Shufang!” Li Xian replied.

“The son of Grand General Dong Shu…” Huang Yu murmured to himself. “It seems this son of Dong Chao Empire’s last loyal general is something of a capable figure.”

“The fact that the Wangyu region has held out until today is largely to Grand General Dong’s credit. As the saying goes, a tiger father bears no ordinary son — this Dong Taoye has not shamed his father’s name. With a garrison of only fifteen thousand troops, he has repelled four assaults on the city by the three Huaguo princes commanding fifty thousand, and in the final engagement used a Fire-Thunder Formation to decisively rout the Gold-Robed Cavalry, annihilating twenty thousand of the enemy!” Li Xian said with measured composure, though it was not difficult to hear within his tone both admiration for Dong Taoye and contempt for the three Huaguo princes.

“Dong Taoye — hmm, this general will remember that name.” Huang Yu’s eyes lifted slightly, and those golden-brown irises instantly glittered with flowing brilliance.

“Whom does the General wish to dispatch for the reinforcement?” Li Xian bowed his head and asked.

Yet Huang Yu paid his question no attention, shifting his gaze to the terrain map of Jian City hanging on the tent wall. After studying it for a considerable time, he clasped his hands behind his back, turned, and said: “To the left of Ze City lies Zai City, and to the right lies Jian City. Since Generals Xiao and Qiu have already gone to Zai City, they should be able to breach it within days. Once this general takes Jian City, we can attack from both left and right at once, and Ze City will be ours for the taking!”

“But at this rate the three princes may not be able to hold out until the General takes Jian City, before Dong Taoye…” Li Xian raised his head to look at the Wang’s younger brother in the seat above him.

Huang Yu raised a hand and cut off Li Xian’s words. “Draft this letter for this general: This general’s hands are full and he is temporarily unable to go to the princes’ aid. He respectfully requests that you slow the assault on the city somewhat; once this general takes Jian City, he will immediately proceed to assist the princes in breaking Ze City!”

“General?” Li Xian’s face showed complete incomprehension. This decision truly did not seem like something that would come from this fourth prince of Huangguo, renowned for his direct and passionate nature — the one called Huangguo’s “Thunderstorm”!

For it was clear that the Huaguo forces were by now completely at a disadvantage — Dong Taoye would certainly not let such a golden opportunity slip by, and would press the pursuit of the retreating Huaguo forces. With the Huaguo forces suffering defeat upon defeat, their morale would be at rock bottom; they would be incapable of withstanding any further blow, and not only faced the danger of total annihilation, but the three princes themselves were in peril of losing their lives! Huang Yu could not possibly be unaware of this, and yet he was still unwilling to dispatch troops to reinforce them. Could it be… at this thought, Li Xian couldn’t help but feel a shudder run through his entire body, a chill slowly rising from the depths of his heart.

“Draft the letter as this general has said!” Huang Yu’s brows drew together and his expression turned stern.

“Understood!” Li Xian bowed his head and withdrew.

Once Li Xian had departed, Huang Yu lowered his head and unfastened the treasured sword hanging at his waist — the “Morning Sun” sword, personally bestowed upon him by his royal elder brother before the campaign set out. He drew it slowly; the brilliant sword-light blazed into view in an instant, illuminating those downcast eyes, and casting with perfect clarity the shadow of darkness that lay within them.

“Morning Sun.” Huang Yu whispered the name as though addressing a dear friend, and with a finger lightly flicked the blade — and at once came the faint resonance of a dragon’s cry.

Royal brother — your younger subject pledges loyalty to you and you alone for this entire life! Your wish is my wish and mine alone! Your younger subject will give everything he has to help you hold this world in your grasp! Even if… it means doing what I do not wish to do!