On the second day of the first month of the new year, the people of the imperial capital had not yet fully emerged from the joy of the festivities when the news arrived that Feng Wang and Xi Wang were departing the capital. In an instant, everyone was struck with surprise and dismay. They could not understand why the two Kings would leave on such a day. And quietly, a deeper worry stirred in their hearts: would Feng Wang and Xi Wang return after they left? Though it had been only a matter of weeks, the people had come to love these two benevolent and capable Kings far more than the ineffectual Qí Di.

*”How could this King allow personal ease to make him forget the suffering of the people? My ambition is to bring peace to all nine regions of the realm — how could I stop halfway?”*

The people were reluctant to part, but faced with the righteous purpose of Feng Wang and Xi Wang, how could they stand in the way? They could only send them off with all the feeling in their hearts. And so the streets of the imperial capital that day were completely blocked — everywhere packed with people bidding farewell to the two Kings — such that the royal carriages and their escort could only proceed at a crawl.

By the time the two Kings and their entourage finally passed through the gates of the imperial capital, it was nearly noon.

“It seems they have truly won the hearts of the people.” From inside the wide and comfortable royal carriage, Jiu Wei looked through the window curtain at the people still gazing after them from a distance, and made a mildly teasing remark. “As they say: whoever wins the hearts of the people wins the realm. You need have no worries on that front.”

“Though Feng Wei is young, his standing makes him a suitable person to hold down the imperial capital. There is truly no cause for worry on that account. Only… as for winning the hearts of the people…” Xiyun exhaled a quiet sigh. “He is not the only one in this world with such an ability. There is someone else… who surpasses even him in this.”

“Oh?” Jiu Wei’s eyes shifted, and then a faint smile crossed his face — a smile that seemed to carry some subtly puzzling meaning. “Are you speaking of Yu Wuyuan?”

“The people of the Yu family…” Xiyun’s gaze grew somewhat distant, her thoughts seeming to drift to a very faraway place.

*Knock knock!* A soft tapping at the carriage door, followed immediately by Xu Yuan’s voice: “My Queen, Xi Wang has instructed this scroll be presented to you.”

“Come in.” Xiyun answered mildly.

The female officials Wu Mei and Liu Yun, attending within the carriage, lifted the curtain on either side and opened the door. Xu Yuan bowed his head and entered. The interior of the royal carriage was extremely spacious, laid with thick brocade carpet, and furnished with a cushioned couch, a low side table, a chair, and a cabinet of reddish wood — all arranged in order, making it feel like a small, cozy room.

“Sit.”

Xiyun took the scroll Xu Yuan presented to her and began to unroll it carefully, reading as she did, gesturing for Xu Yuan to take a seat. From the other side of the cushioned couch, Jiu Wei poured a cup of hot tea from the low table and passed it to Xu Yuan, who received it with thanks.

“Truly worthy of the Yu family!” Xiyun read the scroll, and the further she read, the more moved she became. “Setting aside a talent as remarkable as Huang Chao, even a person of only moderate ability, with Yu Wuyuan’s guidance and support, could build an entirely new dynasty!”

Hearing Xiyun say this, everyone in the carriage looked at her. What exactly was written on this scroll, to draw such feeling from her?

“You should all read it.” Xiyun passed the scroll.

Jiu Wei took it and scanned it swiftly, then gave only a faint smile and passed it along to Xu Yuan. “Yu Wuyuan… that people of the Yu family should have this kind of ability is not surprising.”

But Xu Yuan, upon reading it, changed expression entirely — he looked at the scroll in his hands with eyes full of stunned amazement.

Beside them, Liu Yun and Wu Mei noticed his reaction and were themselves somewhat curious, but as minor female officials of the royal palace, they were not permitted to involve themselves in affairs of state, and so they could only endure. Xiyun noticed their curiosity and gave a slight nod, indicating they might read. With that permission granted, the two immediately moved in from either side of Xu Yuan, and when they read what was written on the scroll, their faces were instantly filled with astonishment.

“From this scroll alone, one can see that the saying ‘With a person of the Yu family standing at your side, you shall be the sovereign of the realm’ is no empty words!” Xiyun’s voice held admiration and awe, a trace of quiet unease, and a hint of something like wistful longing. “‘The Inaugural Code of Huang Chao’… the greater situation has not yet been decided, and yet he has already mapped out the plans and steps for building a new dynasty, one by one… What a Yu Wuyuan!”

“How did this… come to be in our hands?” The ordinarily composed Xu Yuan could not suppress his excitement.

“This is all due to the efforts of the Lan’an agents.” Xiyun pressed a hand to her forehead and said with feeling. “Those legal codes Huang Wang has been announcing in each city are one thing — but to get even Yu Wuyuan’s private documents into hand as well… this King cannot help but be impressed. It seems there is truly nothing in this world that he does not know, and nothing he cannot accomplish.”

“Does Xi Wang truly intend to make use of Yu Wuyuan’s work?” Jiu Wei cast a half-smiling glance at Xiyun.

“What does Jiu Wei think?” Xiyun answered with a question instead.

“Flawless.” Jiu Wei delivered his verdict in a single word — concise and perfectly composed.

“Oh?” Xiyun smiled at the response, then turned her gaze to Xu Yuan. “And what is Xu Yuan’s view?”

“Your servant is a military general and knows little about the art of governing a nation. Only…” Xu Yuan looked down at the scroll in his hands, and within those ordinarily cool and detached eyes, a rare blazing light ignited. He seemed not to notice that his ten fingers were gripping the scroll tightly, as though afraid it might suddenly take flight. “Only… if your servant had this scroll, your servant believes he could govern a nation well and be a very capable King!”

“Mm.” Xiyun nodded, as though in agreement.

Xu Yuan continued: “If the new dynasty were to be compared to a newborn giant, then the establishment of the new dynasty at the outset would be nothing more than raising the skeleton of that giant upright. And the contents of this scroll — acting in accordance with what is written here — would be the forging of the giant’s flesh, blood, and channels of vital energy. Only then would a living, breathing giant truly be born. Only then would one truly establish a new dynasty with a foundation that is solid and towering and magnificent!”

Xiyun smiled and nodded at his words, indicating for him to continue.

As Xu Yuan carefully rolled the long scroll back up, he continued: “The fires of war in a chaotic age will burn away all prosperity, splendor, excess, and corruption. And the new dynasty must rebuild civilization and revive all industries from that ravaged, scarred land. And this scroll — from the distribution of farmland to the production of agriculture, from the allocation of commerce and trade to the development of all industries, from the composition of the military to the garrisoning of each city, from official institutions to laws, from taxation to the duties of the common people… every detail from the broad to the minute is covered without exception! What is more, a hundred-year plan has already been laid out — the policies to be implemented at each stage, the conditions that will follow each policy, the directions of development — all thought through with complete thoroughness! And what is most important — compared to the former dynasty, these provisions are, from the common people’s perspective: lighter in taxation, and more just in law. That single point alone would be enough to win the hearts of all the people under heaven! When the hearts of the people incline toward you, the realm is settled. ‘Let farmers rest and regenerate; let merchants flourish and grow; let the military strengthen the nation’ — these are truly the highest principles for the new dynasty! With an enlightened sovereign above, capable officials in the middle, and worthy common people below — each fulfilling their station, each discharging their duty — what prosperity and flourishing age need one fear will fail to come?”

When he had finished, he held the scroll respectfully above his head and presented it back to Xiyun.

Xiyun reached out to receive it, then turned her gaze to Xu Yuan with a half-smile: “If all is as Xu Yuan says, would this not mean the realm is destined to fall entirely to Huang Wang?”

Xu Yuan froze, and found himself at a loss for words. Just now, swept away by what was written on the scroll, he had spoken his feelings freely in a moment of excited abandon — but now, composing himself, he was struck by a faint unease: “Your servant… your servant only meant…”

Xiyun waved a hand. “This King knows your meaning. If you had felt nothing upon seeing this, this King would truly have been disappointed.”

She set the scroll on the table, and for a moment her eyes were as deep and unfathomable as the sea: “‘That I could become sovereign of the realm — it is truly the achievement of the Teacher Yu.’ Three hundred years ago, Shi Di himself said these words. They are proof enough of the Yu family’s abilities!”

“The Yu family… My Queen, who exactly is this Yu Wuyuan? And what exactly is the matter of the Yu family that you speak of?” With those words, Xu Yuan gave voice to the question held in the hearts of all people under heaven.

Yu Wuyuan’s reputation in the martial world was no less than that of Baifeng Heixi, and he was counted alongside great lords and nobles like Huang Chao and Lanxi among the Four Young Masters. What was more, a sovereignly proud hegemon like Huang Chao revered him as “royal teacher” — which was sufficient to demonstrate that his talent and wisdom were beyond compare. Yet while the world could see his unparalleled brilliance, the man himself and his origins were veiled in dense fog — no one could catch even a glimpse of a corner of the truth. And yet in the King’s words and manner, it seemed she knew him rather well, even hinting that he and the imperial family had some deep connection. Even the rarely curious Xu Yuan could not resist the urge to ask.

“The people of the Yu family…” Xiyun’s gaze shifted to Jiu Wei, who sat across from her with lowered eyes, quietly savoring his tea. Then she inclined her head slightly, and a hint of a mysterious, veiled smile bloomed at the corner of her lips. “Perhaps few in the entire world know of this. But as descendants of the Seven Generals, it is engraved upon our hearts.”

At these words, Xu Yuan, Wu Mei, and Liu Yun all felt a quiet shock pass through them. And Jiu Wei, meanwhile, continued to sip his tea in perfect stillness, his gaze resting in the cup, unreadable and calm.

“Every person in Dong Chao knows that the Dong Chao Empire was established by Shi Di Dong Shixiu and the Seven Generals — Huang Di, Ning Jingyuan, Feng Ji, Bai Yima, Hua Jingtai, Feng Duying, and Nan Pianyue — through countless campaigns fought in every direction, enduring hardship beyond measure. But what the common people do not know is that behind these eight was one more person. One could say that without this person, there would have been no Dong Shixiu, no Seven Generals, and no Dong Chao Empire. That person was the ‘Tianren’ — Yu Yantian. He was truly the greatest contributor to the founding of the Dong Chao Empire. He was the teacher of Shi Di and the Seven Generals, and their benefactor who gave them a second life. Shi Di and the Seven Generals honored him with the title ‘Teacher Yu.’ And his descendants have inherited his legacy, successively serving as advisors to Cheng Di, Guan Di, and Yan Di. The Yu family thus became a family of imperial teachers. The people of the Yu family serve only those who rule — this is an unspoken but universally acknowledged principle within both the imperial house and the royal houses. And Yu Wuyuan is that person of the Yu family!”

Xu Yuan, Wu Mei, and Liu Yun were wearing expressions of complete shock and bewilderment. But Xiyun did not look at them — she only lowered her gaze to her own hands, fingers interlaced, fingertips as cold as ice.

“Yet these people of the Yu family, though they possess unsurpassed wisdom and honor, remain hidden from the world. Whether in ages of chaos or peace, whether at court or in seclusion, they stand behind others, doing everything within their power to uphold the realm with benevolence. And so if one were to say that anyone in this world is capable of true selflessness and freedom from desire, it would be only the people of the Yu family. They are the ones who truly live according to their family’s precept: ‘To take the worries and joys of all under heaven as one’s own worries and joys.'”

“Are there truly such people in this world?” Wu Mei’s bright and lively eyes were filled with complete bewilderment.

The human heart always has a selfish side. No matter how tightly reason and morality might constrain it, there is always some hidden corner in the very deepest part of the heart. Yet these people of the Yu family possessed such extraordinary abilities, and for hundreds of years had remained hidden behind others, pouring out their every effort — yet receiving not a single fraction of benefit in return. Could there truly be such people in this world?

“If there truly are such people in this world, they could only be called sages.” Liu Yun also murmured softly.

“Sages?” Jiu Wei — who had been sitting quietly drinking his tea all along — suddenly looked up. A cold, piercing light flashed through those usually calm and gentle eyes. “Can there truly exist in this world sages of absolute benevolence and perfect virtue?” The words were spoken lightly, yet the corner of his lips curved into a faint arc of mockery.

Xu Yuan, Wu Mei, and Liu Yun were struck with surprise at these words. This cold-to-the-bone tone with its hidden contempt — was this truly spoken by the usually gentle and composed Elder Jiu Wei?

Xiyun looked at Jiu Wei without speaking, and in her eyes were tolerance, deep feeling, and a trace of unresolvable guilt.

“Your servant does not know whether sages truly exist in this world. Only…” Liu Yun’s clear voice broke the silence in the carriage. “From the way the whole world speaks of him, Young Master Yu’s image in the hearts of all people has reached that of a perfect man.”

“A perfect man…” Jiu Wei raised a hand to cover his eyes — yet could not conceal the coldness in his voice.

Xiyun gestured, and Xu Yuan, Wu Mei, and Liu Yun understood and withdrew. The carriage door closed. The interior fell still as standing water. Jiu Wei still sat with his hand covering his eyes, but on his face, a storm was raging.

“Jiu Wei.” Xiyun called to him softly.

“I am all right, Xiyun. After all… those were all events from over three hundred years ago. And what is more — both sides paid a price.” Jiu Wei lowered his hand and gave Xiyun a smile — a smile of indecipherable complexity.

Xiyun said nothing. She reached out and took hold of Jiu Wei’s hand where it rested on the side table. It was cold all the way through to the bone.

“Speaking of which — Xi Wang setting out on campaign at the very start of the new year… is that also because of this Yu Wuyuan?” Jiu Wei returned the grip gently. Xiyun’s hand at that moment was warm and steady, giving a feeling of calm reassurance.

“Mm.” Xiyun nodded, her gaze resting on the scroll on the table. “You have also seen those legal codes — Huang Wang has been announcing them in every city he takes. The moment a city falls is the moment the old laws and the old order are destroyed. In the shadow of military force, the common people are filled with fear and uncertainty about the future — and precisely at that moment, the ‘Tianren’ Young Master Yu appears and immediately announces these new laws and codes that benefit the common people, and truly carries them out. This both pacifies the hearts of the people and achieves the work of rebuilding. If this goes on long enough, even if we eventually defeat Huang Wang, the common people may not feel the slightest gratitude toward us — they may even come to resent us. And so we must act while the hearts of the people are not yet settled… Otherwise, even if we divide the realm in two, that would be a defeat.”

“Xiyun, are you confident you can win against Yu Wuyuan?” Jiu Wei glanced at her sidelong.

“Win against Yu Wuyuan?” Xiyun looked up with a smile. “The person facing him in contest is not me. Why would I take on something so arduous?”

“Ha, that does sound like something you would say.” Jiu Wei smiled as well. “Then you are speaking of Xi Wang. Come to think of it… Xi Wang has already obtained this inaugural code drafted by Yu Wuyuan. Will he use it?”

“As for that…” Xiyun closed her eyes lightly, and a smile of mild amusement bloomed across her face. “He is a person who very much likes to accomplish things through the hands of others. Yet this time, I am absolutely certain — he will never use anything that belongs to Yu Wuyuan.”

“Oh? Why?” Jiu Wei blinked.

“Ha…” Xiyun laughed softly. “That is the pride of a sovereign.”

“The pride of a sovereign…” Jiu Wei narrowed his eyes in a smile. “In terms of strength, they are evenly matched. Only…” His voice gradually trailed away.

Xiyun turned her head to look at him: “Only what?”

“You have still never explained to Xi Wang the fifty thousand Fengyun Cavalry that appeared from nowhere. And he has still never explained to you why he arrived late at Luoying Shan. As things stand between you — are you and he truly a match for Huang Chao and Yu Wuyuan?” Jiu Wei tapped his fingertip lightly against the side table. The soft tapping sound rang out — yet it felt like a series of warning bells sounding in the heart.

Xiyun gazed at the curtain swaying slightly with the motion of the carriage, and after a long while her voice drifted low through the interior of the carriage: “Explanations between us… are already… no longer necessary.”

—

The morning air was bitterly cold. A fierce wind swept through the open sky — like blades of ice that left the skin stinging with pain. The iron cavalry advanced rapidly with a composed and steady bearing, hoofbeats in perfect unison, armor ringing clear and bright. The red sun rising in the sky above cast a thin layer of soft radiance, settling lightly upon the gleaming black and white armor. Seen from a distance, it looked as though an army of divine soldiers was marching along the very edge of the sky.

Behind three thousand guards, closely flanked on both sides, were the royal carriages of Feng Wang and Xi Wang. The window curtains of Feng Wang’s carriage were drawn firmly shut — still and stately. From within Xi Wang’s carriage, the sound of a pipa drifted out, crisp and decisive as the break of metal or jade. The soldiers outside who heard it felt their spirits surge with excitement and their blood run hot. The chill of the morning quietly retreated.

Behind the two royal carriages were four palace carriages. In the first rode Feng Guo’s senior general Xu Yuan, deputy commander Xiaozhan, and Wu Mei and Liu Yun, who had just transferred over from the royal carriage. In the second and third rode the twelve palace servants and attendants accompanying both Kings on this campaign. In the last carriage sat Ren Chuanyun, Duanmu Wensheng, and He Qishu. The interior of that carriage was unusually quiet. Ren Chuanyun was leafing through a book on military strategy. Duanmu Wensheng and He Qishu sat watching him in silence. This had gone on for quite some time already, and both their expressions showed something held back on the verge of being said.

At last, Ren Chuanyun set down the book in his hand, looked up at the two across from him, gave a mild smile, and then rose, pushed aside the curtain, and opened the carriage door. To the driver outside he said: “General He is feeling somewhat unwell. Please try not to let the carriage jolt so much.”

“Yes!” The driver answered in an anxious rush.

And so the driver, so as not to jostle the “unwell” General He, slowed the carriage’s pace, and gradually a small gap opened up between them and the carriages ahead.

“Thoroughly cunning.” Duanmu Wensheng looked at Ren Chuanyun and sighed.

“Am I ill?” He Qishu shook his head and gave him a sideways look. Whatever this man said or did, there was always a trap lurking just behind it.

“Relatively speaking, Duanmu does appear considerably healthier than you.” Ren Chuanyun looked with sly amusement at the lean-framed He Qishu.

“Is there something you want to say to us?” Duanmu Wensheng asked, hands clasped together.

“Should I not be asking — is there something the two of you want to say to me?” Ren Chuanyun looked at the two of them with clear, penetrating eyes.

He Qishu and Duanmu Wensheng both frowned at the same moment, exchanged a glance, and then simultaneously turned to look at Ren Chuanyun.

“Ha — is it difficult to say it aloud?” Ren Chuanyun gave a quiet smile, his eyes filled with understanding.

“Chuanyun, we simply do not want your calculations to end in the most absurd and disastrous result possible.” In the end it was He Qishu who spoke, his tone calm, but his expression grave and serious.

“Mm.” Ren Chuanyun smiled, regarding the two of them with an unhurried gaze. His hand casually leafed through the military strategy book on the table. “It is not only the two of you — even Qiao Jin and Chuanyun cannot fully agree. And yet…” The hand leafing through the book paused for the briefest moment, then continued turning pages. Accompanied by the rustling sound of pages, his voice was light and unhurried. “I have my own reasoning.”

He Qishu looked at those rapidly turning pages, his brow creasing. He reached over and took the book away, saying at the same time: “Do you not think you are acting too hastily?”

“Too hastily? Hmph!” Ren Chuanyun gave a quiet scoff, accompanied by a faint, contemptuous smile. “Do you want to wait until the greater situation has been decided before taking action? By that point, everything will already be too late!”

“Chuanyun, you may simply be worrying needlessly.” Duanmu Wensheng also spoke up. “From first to last, Feng Wang has never had any other intentions. If anything, it is we who…”

“Duanmu, in a time of chaos, do not speak of a woman’s tenderhearted mercy!” Ren Chuanyun cut her off. “Is Feng Wang truly of one heart and one purpose with our King? Then how do you explain those fifty thousand Fengyun Cavalry that appeared from nowhere? If she truly harbors no other intentions, why were those fifty thousand troops kept hidden and out of sight? If she were truly of one body with our King, why has she never informed the King — never informed us — about these fifty thousand Fengyun Cavalry?”

Seeing them unable to respond, Ren Chuanyun continued: “Do not forget — she is herself the sovereign of a nation. What she possesses is on a par with our King from the very start. Add to that her own personal talents and abilities. If the realm is eventually unified, her power and influence will only grow even greater. And when that time comes… in the event of the worst possibility, it would not merely be a repetition of what happened between Xi Di and She Di!”

“Let the past serve as a warning!” Ren Chuanyun’s right hand tightened slightly into a fist, and his voice came quick and cold. “If Xi Di had not given She Di such great authority, had not allowed him to build such great achievements, had not placed such great trust in him alone but instead distributed power and credit among other court officials — would She Di have reached a position where his power overshadowed the throne? Would it have come to brothers slaughtering each other? And so… I intend to eliminate every possible threat while it is still contained within the belly!” The final words were spoken with a cold, clean finality.

“But do not forget — the two kingdoms have already sworn an alliance. What benefits one benefits both; what harms one harms both!” He Qishu said.

“Oh? Can we truly not claim this realm without the Fengyun Cavalry? Do you have so little confidence in ourselves?” Ren Chuanyun’s smile carried a somewhat dark edge. His gaze was sharp enough to press down on the other two, and for a single instant both Duanmu Wensheng and He Qishu felt themselves involuntarily at a loss.

But Ren Chuanyun did not wait for their response. He rose and walked to the map of the Dong Chao terrain hanging on the carriage wall, his palm pressing flat against it: “Huang Wang has laid all of his forces in plain view of the whole world. But our King is not the same. Besides the two hundred thousand Mo Yu Cavalry, how much hidden force there is within Feng Guo — I imagine even the two of you cannot know with any real clarity. And furthermore, our King’s ten years of making his way through the jianghu — do you think all he gained from that was the title of ‘Black Feng Xi’? Do you think he spent ten years doing something that yields no practical gain? Let me say this plainly: there is no area under heaven where our Feng Guo is lacking!”

Duanmu Wensheng and He Qishu fell silent at these words.

After a moment Duanmu Wensheng spoke: “Chuanyun, you and I have followed the King for over ten years. We ought naturally to know what manner of person he is. Though your actions come from loyalty, and without so much as a single directive from the King… that kind of act, even if well-intentioned…”

“I am not afraid!” Ren Chuanyun cut him off, with the decisiveness of a hammer striking iron. “As long as the King can achieve his great undertaking, I would willingly sacrifice my life and scatter my bones!”

The carriage fell completely silent — so quiet that even each other’s breathing could be heard distinctly. Duanmu Wensheng and He Qishu looked at Ren Chuanyun without blinking, moved by that will of his which held life and death in no regard.

“Duanmu. Qishu.” Ren Chuanyun’s voice was heavy and rough. His eyes blazed like ghost-fire as he stared at some fixed point in empty space. “What truly gives me no peace is this: her influence over the King is too great. A woman exerting influence over a man is one thing. But the King is not an ordinary man — he is to be an Emperor!”

He had mastered the art of the imperial sovereign, the art of subjugating dragons. He was proud of a lifetime of talent and ability. And moreover, he had encountered this age of turbulent chaos in which he could give full expression to those talents. He had moreover encountered a sovereign of rare intelligence, rare breadth of vision, and rare ambition — one that this world can scarcely produce. How could he let such an opportunity pass? He would help his King achieve a great undertaking that none could equal, one that would be admired and remembered for ten thousand generations — to repay that debt of having his life saved, that debt of having been recognized and valued. And he, Ren Chuanyun, would also stand tall and proud, becoming a celebrated statesman recorded in the annals of history, so that those who had once humiliated him and his younger brother could see it for themselves. And there was still more… his heart suddenly felt as though ten thousand insects were gnawing at it, a pain nearly unbearable to endure… He tightened both fists — the great undertaking that his ancestors had staked the family’s honor, their prospects, and hundreds of thousands of lives upon and still could not complete… let him be the one to bring it to completion!

To protect the realm or to conquer it — which was the righteous path? Between Feng Wang and Xi Wang, who ran the world in tandem and whose fame filled the realm, the domineering and heroic Huang Wang, and the compassionate and merciful Young Master Yu — who would be the victor? Between the Feng and Mo armies and the Huang and Hua iron cavalry — who was the stronger? When the four most outstanding figures of the age came face to face — would it be blood staining the rivers and mountains, or kindred spirits honoring each other?

—

On the seventh day of the first month, the two armies — one from the north, one from the south — converged at Dongdan Ford. Every ruler and celebrated general and elite cavalry that the eyes of the entire realm were fixed upon had gathered here, bringing this contest for the realm to its highest and most decisive point.

Dongdan Ford was not a strategically formidable pass of steep terrain, nor a place renowned for beautiful scenery. It was simply a river crossing on the banks of Cangyou Lake. Thanks to the nourishment of Cangyou Lake, the crossing had attracted some settlers over the years and gradually grown into a small market town. Yet at this moment, there was nothing to be seen at the crossing but the ford itself — not a living soul. When the townspeople had heard that great armies were approaching, they had long since fled.

Though Dongdan Ford was only a small river crossing, it had in this moment become a site that both armies must contest. For across Cangyou Lake lay Cangshu City, and Cangshu City stood at the foot of Changmang Shan — the location of the only official road in the known world that led to the summit of Changmang Shan.

In former years, Shi Di had traveled incognito up the mountain. Standing at the summit of Changmang Shan, gazing outward in all directions, he could see ten thousand li of rivers and mountains, city towers and strategic passes, every flower and tree in all directions — and he had sighed: *”Looking up, one can cup the stars and moon in one’s palms; looking down, one can embrace the mountains and rivers in one’s arms. This is truly worthy of a King.”* And so he had proclaimed the mountain “Wang Shan,” ordering all the people to carve out a road up the mountain — yet stopping only halfway up, at the mountainside, and issuing an “Iron Decree” that forbade any temple or shrine from being built upon this mountain, and any house or dwelling from being erected there. An Iron Decree was a mandate that not even a succeeding emperor was permitted to alter. And so, from the founding of the Dong Chao Empire onward, Changmang Shan had never been touched by the fragrant smoke of temple incense, nor had the smoke of any thatched cottage fires tarnished it. And because the mountain was high and precipitous, strange rocks jutting at every turn and vines and trees growing across the paths in every direction, very few people could ever climb it. And so only the wild birds and animals, the mountain springs and forest flowers, flourished there in undisturbed abundance.

Both armies had traveled day and night at full speed, each hoping to intercept the other before it arrived at Dongdan Ford. But as if by heaven’s design, both armies reached Dongdan Ford at the same moment. The commanders on each side seemed to share an unspoken understanding: at a distance of five li from each other, they gave the order to set up camp and rest — with no concern for the tens of thousands of enemy troops facing them.

To ascend Changmang Shan, one must first take Cangshu City. This was the shared understanding on both sides.

This contest for the realm had reached this juncture. Both sides had each taken half the realm. Both sides knew that in every respect, the other was evenly matched. What remained, then, was a meeting at the summit of Changmang Shan — to see who was truly the sovereign of the realm.

The sky was overcast with no sun. Not cloudy enough to call rain, yet rain could not be called impossible.

The wind, when it swept through, could still send a person shuddering.

The surface of Cangyou Lake spread wide and boundless. Not a single water bird crossed it. Not half a ferry boat moved upon it. The cold, still blue-grey water reflected back the dark emerald of the high mountains, the dry and withered reeds along the lakeshores, and the black and white and purple-gold radiance of the great armies. When the wind stirred, a rippling of black and white and purple-gold and blue rose and fell — winding and swirling like a five-colored banner in the wind — and the sight of it made the heart tremble.

The encampments had been pitched — set out in neat and orderly rows. The soldiers each took their stations: some resting, some keeping watch, some patrolling, each in their proper place. The commanders of each army still rode on horseback, riding through the camps in inspection.

Within the royal tent, all was quiet. Not a single attendant remained. A single great luminous pearl hung suspended from the crown of the tent, illuminating the interior with a bright and steady light. At the head of the tent, on a wide and splendidly appointed low couch, Xiyun and Lanxi sat on opposite sides — each crossed-legged, eyes closed.

As the curtain of night quietly drew over the daylight, Dongdan Ford was bathed in a sea of orange-red. The tens of thousands of torches tinted even the still and dusky waters of Cangyou Lake a vivid crimson. And in the night sky, the royal banners danced in the wind, looking down in high command over the ten thousand troops at the ford below.

The two who sat in meditation, each steadying their breath through a full cycle of deep inhalation and exhalation — then slowly opened their eyes. At the same moment, the tent flap was gently lifted as Zhong Li and Zhong Yuan each entered carrying a food box, set out the dishes from the boxes one by one, and then withdrew again in silence.

The two descended from the couch. Xiyun swept a glance over the dishes on the table and shook her head in what seemed like mild helplessness.

“Not to your liking?” Lanxi cast her a cool sideways glance.

“Xi Wang’s refined and discerning taste in food is well-known. The dishes produced by Xi Wang’s chefs are naturally the finest flavors in the human world. Xiyun has always been rough and plain in her habits — she would not dare be so presumptuous as to find fault. Only…” She tilted the corner of one eye upward and fixed him with a slightly sidelong look. “Must you truly be this lavish at every single meal?”

“Oh?” Lanxi turned his head and looked at the table. “It is perfectly ordinary fare.”

Xiyun looked at the dishes on the table — their cost sufficient to cover a modest household’s expenses for an entire year — then looked back at the person beside her, who wore an expression of complete nonchalance. In the end she could only give a quiet sigh and walked over.

The two sat down and began to eat. In former times, Bai Fengxi would certainly have been wolfing things down while loudly expressing enthusiastic praise, while Hei Fengxi would have been watching with an amused smile while offering some dry commentary. But now, the two seated in their royal robes both maintained the proper custom of not speaking at meals, their movements elegant and composed.

Only occasionally, lifting the eyes and looking at the person across the table, a faint sense of disorientation would arise. Who was this person? Why did they feel at once so unfamiliar and so familiar? In ten years of journeying side by side, had the two of them ever spent time together in such quiet as this? In that moment, a hundred different feelings stirred in the heart — yet in the next breath, composure and cool distance returned.

After the meal, Zhong Li and Zhong Yuan slipped silently back into the tent, presented fragrant tea, then withdrew with light, careful steps, removing the dishes. The tent returned to stillness once more.

“What is Xi Wang’s plan for this battle?” After a cup of tea, Xiyun spoke.

“Mm?” Lanxi turned to look at her. “I had not anticipated meeting at Dongdan Ford. This is either heaven’s design — or someone’s intent.”

“The terrain around Dongdan Ford is almost entirely flat ground. In battle here, there is no advantage of terrain to borrow.” Xiyun turned the teacup over in her ten fingers, her gaze following the rim of the cup, not even raising her head as she spoke.

“Feng Wang is full of clever strategies and ideas — surely you have a good plan?”

“For a good plan, Xi Wang should ask his Military Advisor.” Xiyun smiled, with a faint edge of irony.

Lanxi took no offense. His eyes drifted toward the brilliantly lustrous pearl hanging at the crown of the tent, and the corner of his lips curved faintly upward. “With no terrain to borrow, no clever stratagem to deploy — then there is nothing for it but to fight a pitched battle. Military strategy, battle formations, fighting strength, courage… We shall see which of us truly surpasses the other.” Then he turned his head to look at Xiyun from the side, with an expression that was both a smile and a question: “When enemies meet head-on, meeting the challenge head-on is the way of a true warrior — is it not?”

“A contest of military strategy and battle formations?” Xiyun’s hand stilled on the teacup. She looked up. “When Xi Wang studied military strategy, what was the first text he studied?”

“The first was the *Yuyan Military Treatise*, and only then the family’s own inherited military writings. This is a rule of the Wang family household — not to be violated.” Lanxi answered honestly.

Xiyun could not help a faint smile at this. “It seems we are the same in this regard. Our ancestors, whether in civil or military learning, all studied from the Yu family. To honor that debt of gratitude, in every generation since, the opening text for the beginning of a child’s literary education has been the *Yuyan Treatise on Benevolent Rule*, and before studying martial arts, one must first memorize the *Yuyan Military Treatise*. And now, the people we are facing are the very Yu family who passed down those teachings. A contest between students and their teacher — how much probability of victory does one have?”

“Is there not a saying known to all: ‘Indigo blue surpasses the plant from which it was made’?” Lanxi fixed his gaze on Xiyun’s eyes, as though trying to detect something within them. “Or does Feng Wang believe that Young Master Yu Wuyuan’s talent and wisdom are incomparable in the world, and that others need not speak of showing off their skills before the master?”

Xiyun shook her head. “Xi Wang is confident and well-prepared — Xiyun would by no means underestimate that. Only…” She paused lightly, set the teacup on the table, and looked at Lanxi.

“Only what?” Lanxi pressed.

Xiyun smiled faintly. “Though neither of us is the kind of person who merely follows textbooks to deploy troops — when it comes to military strategy and battle formations, there are in truth very few in this world who can truly compare with the people of the Yu family.”

“If that is as Feng Wang says, then should we not be turning around and fleeing at this very moment, retreating three camp-lengths?”

“No.” Xiyun waved a hand and looked at Lanxi. Her eyes were as deep and still as a secluded pool. “‘And precisely because of that, we must fight this battle all the more — to see whether we descendants of the Seven Generals can surpass the Yu family. After three hundred years, are we still merely students of the Yu family, or have we shed our old selves and established our own school?’ Is that not exactly what is in Xi Wang’s heart? And is that not exactly why you wish to meet the challenge head-on?”

“A contest with Huang Chao and Yu Wuyuan — a contest between students and their teacher — a contest for who occupies the imperial throne… What an interesting thing this is…” Lanxi broke into a faint smile, his long brows lifting lightly. The eyes as still and deep as black sea began to stir with gentle waves; the clear and luminous light within them seemed even more brilliant than the great pearl hanging at the crown of the tent. “Such a rare and magnificent gathering, such rare and extraordinary adversaries — and yet you and I can meet it together. How could we disappoint this beautiful design of heaven?”

Xiyun looked at the person seated across from her — so excited, so full of anticipation, so brimming with confidence… and even something like the spirited boldness of youth blazing between his brows. This side of Lanxi — she had never seen it before. He was excited for this coming battle. He was looking forward to those two extraordinary adversaries across the field. He was confident in his own abilities.

She looked at him in a daze. After a long moment, she lowered her eyes, lightly tapped the rim of the teacup on the table, and with that clear bright ring, smiled with perfect composure: “In the Valley of No Return, Xiyun has already met Huang Wang. This time there is no need to embarrass myself further — I need only stand to one side and watch Xi Wang and Young Master Yu, whose martial skill crowns all the world, at their finest.”

The words had barely fallen when the tent flap was softly knocked upon, and then the various generals filed in one after another.

—

In the royal tent of the Huang and Hua armies, a similar conversation was taking place.

“Wuyuan — do you remember that in the Valley of No Return, you once said ‘the Valley of No Return is not the place where you will fight your decisive battle’?” Huang Chao lay on the couch with his eyes closed, and spoke in an unhurried tone.

A faint, gentle sound of qin music drifted through the tent. At a distance of one zhang from the couch, Yu Wuyuan was playing the ancient qin. Hearing Huang Chao’s words, he did not stop his hands — he only raised his head and glanced at Huang Chao.

“The Yu family are called ‘Tianren’ — they are skilled in the calculation of fate. Is this Dongdan Ford then the place of our fated meeting?” The low, rich timbre of Huang Chao’s voice, interwoven with the qin music, carried a vaguely floating quality.

Yu Wuyuan did not answer. He only played the qin with leisurely ease, the sound of the strings ringing clear, simple and unadorned, yet naturally fluid — and whoever heard it felt their mind and spirit ease into relaxation.

“Is this battle our final decisive battle? Then who will be the last victor? Will it be one person or two who ascends Changmang Shan?”

“Those who wish to ascend Changmang Shan cannot afford to be weaker than their opponent. Since battle must eventually come, and fate has brought us together at Dongdan, let us throw everything into it without holding back!” Amid the qin music, Yu Wuyuan’s voice was so unhurried it seemed like words falling from the sky — elusive and beyond grasp, yet entering the ear with perfect clarity. His ten fingers moved lightly across the strings, and his lowered eyes gave nothing of his expression away.

“A fated meeting at Dongdan, throwing everything into it without holding back…” Huang Chao opened his eyes and looked at the cloud-encircling, dragon-wreathed patterns on the ceiling of the tent. His gaze gradually grew blazing with heat. “Feng Xiyun, Feng Lanxi… rare beyond compare in this age — and this time, I will face them in a truly decisive battle. How deeply one looks forward to it!” He raised his hand — the fingers were trembling faintly. It was the trembling of fierce, surging excitement.

*”Life keeps people apart.*

*Moving like Shen and Shang — forever on opposing sides.*

*Tonight, of all nights —*

*We share this same candlelight.”*

Suddenly, Yu Wuyuan’s voice rang out softly, his words intertwined with the qin melody. He raised his eyes to look at the palace lantern hanging at the crown of the tent. The orange-red lamplight filtered gently through the crystal lamp wall and spilled down, filling the entire tent with brightness and warmth. When the final word was spoken, the qin music fell silent as well.

Huang Chao turned his head and fixed his gaze on Yu Wuyuan, who was carefully wrapping the ancient qin in white silk in the lamplight, his expression without a single change.

*”Tomorrow, mountains will rise between us.*

*The affairs of this world — two paths into boundless uncertainty.”*

Huang Chao recited the final lines of the poem slowly, word by word, his gaze unmoving from Yu Wuyuan — as though hoping to read something from his face. Why would he recite such lines at a moment like this?

But Yu Wuyuan remained completely at peace and unhurried. He gathered the ancient qin in his arms and looked at Huang Chao: “Against a person like Xi Wang — whose strategies are unsurpassed and who changes in the space of a breath — rather than exhausting oneself dreaming up scheme after scheme, it is better to move in response to each moment, using stillness to counter all change. For that reason, tonight I shall clear the mind of all thought and rest well.” With that, he turned and departed.