“Five Stars in Alignment! I have only ever seen it mentioned in ancient texts — a mere few strokes with no traceable precedent — yet who could have imagined that someone would truly be able to deploy this formation! Feng Lanxi can truly be called the foremost master of this age!” Yu Wuyuan gazed across at the watchtower on the opposite side and sighed deeply. The person standing there was the first opponent he had ever faced with his full strength.

“I had assumed that Five Stars in Alignment was unknown to the world, yet it has been both seen through and countered with the Three Talents Return to Origin. Yu Wuyuan is truly worthy of his name as the foremost strategist under heaven!” Lanxi looked across at the distant watchtower and sighed in deep admiration. This was also the first time he had ever genuinely respected another person.

“Five Stars in Alignment — eight directions in motion.”

Though recorded in ancient texts, this formation was complex and treacherous in equal measure. Whether in the setting or the breaking of it, no one across several centuries had ever achieved either — and yet here it was, appearing at this very crossing of Dongdan. Even a man of such vast erudition as Yu Wuyuan could not help but be astonished.

“Three Talents Return to Origin — heaven and earth bow together.”

These were the final words recorded in The Yu Yan Treatise on War. Countless people throughout the ages had memorized this text, yet none had ever been able to deploy this formation. In time, readers had come to regard those words as mere closing remarks — and yet now, at this very moment, they had truly manifested before the eyes of the world.

“That both the Five Stars in Alignment and the Three Talents Return to Origin — two formations of such transcendent rarity — should appear on the same day truly opens one’s eyes!” Xiyun’s already bright and clear eyes shone even more brilliantly in this moment. Any student of military strategy would be moved at the sight of these two formations. “Only — does this not mean we have reached a stalemate?”

“Impossible!” Lanxi kept his gaze fixed on the opposite side. “A draw carries no meaning whatsoever. I believe the person across from us feels exactly the same.”

“Then are both Five Stars in Alignment and Three Talents Return to Origin to make their full power known here at Dongdan Crossing?” Xiyun’s gaze turned cold. “Then there is every possibility of mutual destruction — both sides suffering devastating losses.”

Lanxi fell silent at her words. His gaze remained fixed tightly on the battlefield. At last he spoke, his voice low and grave: “This is the first time I have ever deployed Five Stars in Alignment. What its full power amounts to, I do not know. But… things have reached this point. There is no retreat, no evasion possible.”

Xiyun felt a chill in her heart at those words. She bit her lip and looked at him, then turned away. “This reckless disregard for consequences does not resemble you at all.”

Lanxi glanced at her, then shifted his gaze to look far across at the opposing side. From deep within those fathomless dark eyes, a rare burning light flared forth: “Against an opponent like Huang Chao, it is impossible to win without giving everything. And now that the once-in-an-age Five Stars in Alignment and Three Talents Return to Origin have appeared simultaneously, any student of military strategy would want to put them to the test — to see which of the two is truly superior. If I miss this day, where else will I find such an opponent? And as for Yu Wuyuan…”

His voice paused almost imperceptibly. His gaze cooled, and an inexplicable surge of grievance rose up within him: “I want to test his compassion and his capabilities. I want to see whether the people of the Yu Family are truly capable of everything they claim.”

That final sentence gave Xiyun a start. She could scarcely believe that such a willful remark could come from someone who was always composed and self-possessed. She stared at him for a long moment, then gritted her teeth and said: “If everything is reduced to dust and rubble, then you can throw yourself off the peak of Changmang Shan!”

“Rest assured — I will absolutely drag you along with me when I jump!” Lanxi shot back immediately. The words had barely left his mouth when both of them froze at the same instant.

Xiyun turned her head sideways to look at him. Their gazes met. Within those fathomless dark eyes like an ink-black sea, a surge of shocked turbulence rolled — betraying the same stunned disbelief mirrored in both of them. Her heart leapt. In that single instant, the thousands upon thousands of soldiers below vanished entirely. The whole world fell into absolute silence. She was aware of nothing but the faint sound of breathing drifting across from him, could see nothing but that pair of ink-jade eyes — gazing at them, fixed upon them, staring at these dark eyes she had been looking into for ten years without ever being able to see them clearly, without ever being able to see through them.

And below them, neither army had received an order from their king. Both sides held their formations in strict readiness, not daring to move so much as a hair’s breadth out of line.

“Five Stars in Alignment against Three Talents Return to Origin?” Huang Chao looked down at the scene below. “Wuyuan — who wins and who loses?” His golden eyes gleamed with a keen, eager anticipation.

“I don’t know.” Yu Wuyuan’s gaze was clear and bright. A faint smile drifted across his face. “Five Stars in Alignment has never been broken by anyone. In the end, it may well come to what neither side wishes to see — mutual destruction. Only…” His voice paused. He lifted his gaze toward the opposite side, and his expression grew distant and hazy. “At this moment, I find that I actually want to know the outcome. This is something that absolutely should not be done — and yet I find myself secretly hoping to see how it ends. Feng Lanxi — do you possess some form of enchantment? I may truly be dragged down into the abyss by you.”

Huang Chao looked at him. The keen light in his golden eyes gathered and withdrew, deepening into something silent and still, as though he wished to see the person before him with perfect clarity.

“Wuyuan — we have known each other for nearly ten years now, haven’t we? In all these years, your every action has been worthy of the Yu Family’s name for benevolence. Only…” That voice, ordinarily clear and bright as sunlight, turned low and shadowed. “Today… reason tells you that this decisive battle must not end in mutual destruction. And yet you… you want to perish together with him, don’t you?” He reached out and pressed his hand firmly onto Yu Wuyuan’s shoulder, force transmitting through his fingers, those fingers clamping like iron tongs. “Wuyuan — this hidden desire for self-destruction buried deep in your innermost heart — have you truly not noticed it yourself? I will not permit it. Feng Lanxi has Feng Xiyun to accompany him through his life — then you and I will accompany each other through ours. In this world… the one closest to me is you and no one else.” And in this moment, even this ever-arrogant and supremely self-assured conqueror could not keep a shadow of loneliness and sorrow from rising within him.

Yu Wuyuan’s gaze remained drifting in the far distance, as though Huang Chao’s words had not reached him at all. His body was here, but his spirit and soul had already drifted to some place unknown.

“Huang Chao, you are overthinking.” After a long silence, Yu Wuyuan finally spoke. He turned and took Huang Chao’s hand in his, his manner calm and gentle. Those eyes of his remained without ripple, without trace — serene and undisturbed. “Right now you are facing the most formidable opponent of your life. Do not be distracted.”

“Mm.” Huang Chao shifted his gaze back to the battlefield. He watched the two armies holding their positions against each other, then let out a proud smile. “No matter how deep your stratagems and schemes run, I intend to win this battle. Pass the order — artillery!”

“Yes!” The signal officer waved his command pennant. Then, from below, four war chariots were pushed into position, aimed directly at the battlefield.

“Artillery! Those are the artillery pieces from Huaguo!” Ren Chuanyu, who had just climbed the watchtower seeking to survey the situation for himself, cried out involuntarily at the sight — and her cry jolted the two figures out of their locked gaze. “Does the King of Huangguo intend to use the artillery to break the formations? But right now the two armies are interlocked in a single mass — it will inevitably cause friendly fire!”

Lanxi and Xiyun’s attention was also pulled back to the battlefield by the artillery. Both their faces tightened in the same instant.

“Who would have expected Huang Chao to have kept this card in reserve? But even if he can see through the formations clearly, the soldiers below lack the eyes for it…”

Before Xiyun could finish speaking, the soldiers clustered at the rearmost position of Huangguo’s central army shifted slightly apart, and from within their ranks emerged a war chariot that had been concealed inside the formation. On its platform, a small watchtower was slowly rising. This watchtower was constructed with remarkable ingenuity — its mast was built of refined steel and could be folded in sections, and now it extended upward joint by joint until it stood some ten zhang high. All four sides were sealed with walls of refined steel, with only a single window of about one chi square remaining. The soldiers below slowly turned the war chariot, and the watchtower turned along with it, bringing the entire battlefield into view within a single sweeping gaze.

“So he prepared for this long in advance!” Lanxi’s dark eyes narrowed. “With this watchtower as the reference point, the artillery gunners can determine distances precisely. The person inside the tower can survey the entire field and issue directional orders, which means there will be no friendly fire.”

“The person inside that watchtower must also be an exceptional martial artist — otherwise they would never have the composure to make themselves a visible target in the midst of ten thousand troops. And they must certainly be a general of cool-headed temperament — otherwise it would be impossible to read the positions of both armies with clarity.” Xiyun studied the small watchtower suspended over the battlefield. A general with exceptional martial prowess within Huangguo’s army — could it possibly be…

“Qishu!” Lanxi’s voice carried clearly across the distance.

The moment his words fell, an arrow shot out, aimed straight at the small window at the front of the watchtower. But before the arrow could reach the opening, it was struck by something unknown and fell straight down.

“A true expert indeed!” Lanxi’s brow furrowed. He fixed his gaze on the small watchtower within the formation. Before he could issue another command, a pennant extended from the window of the watchtower. At the sight of that flag’s motion, Lanxi’s heart leapt — he instantly recognized it as the signal for the artillery.

“Five Stars Take Flight!” In that instant, Lanxi’s voice rang out fast and urgent and resonant, yet each syllable came through with perfect clarity.

In a single moment, the Mo Yu Cavalry and Fengyun Cavalry within the formation unleashed a shift in their battle array, and the situation changed with explosive speed. The Zheng Tian Cavalry and Jinji Cavalry were drawn inextricably into the shifting movement as well. And at that very same moment, the pennant at the window of the small watchtower swung rapidly once more, while simultaneously a voice rang out like a thunderclap: “Turn — redirect!”

The artillery piece, its fuse already lit, was hauled into a sharp turn by the gunner. Then came a thunderous boom — and five zhang off to the right of Huangguo’s right flank, earth and dust erupted skyward, a towering column that blotted out half the sky, hanging there for a long time before finally settling.

“What a pity.” Lanxi watched the suspended cloud of earth and dust in the distance with something almost regretful. If the person inside the small watchtower had not issued the redirect order with such swift precision just then, they would have reaped what they had sown.

“That was close!” Ren Chuanyu let out a slow breath of relief. “Only — if our forces must execute such a maneuver to evade the artillery every single time, we will exhaust an enormous amount of energy and stamina. In contrast, the enemy will be able to rest and wait for their moment. And the destructive power of the artillery is extraordinary — even the sharpest blade and the most ruthless sword can only kill one person at a time, but a single artillery shot can annihilate a thousand, even ten thousand!”

And at that very moment, the window of the small watchtower thrust out four pennants simultaneously.

“This person not only reacts with extraordinary speed — they are also brilliant! With this arrangement, it becomes nearly impossible to determine when the real order is given, or which of the flags carries the true command!” Ren Chuanyu stared at the watchtower in disbelief, her eyes wide.

“As our chief strategist with your wealth of schemes, I wonder — what approach would you suggest for dealing with this?” Xiyun turned her head, her expression hovering between a smile and not quite a smile as she looked at Ren Chuanyu.

“Surveying the battle formation, the forces are evenly matched. Five Stars in Alignment derives its power from its ferocity and danger; Three Talents Return to Origin derives its power from its depth and concealment. When formation meets formation, it is uncertain who will prevail. But if the enemy has the artillery as their support, our forces will certainly lose.” Ren Chuanyu glanced at Xiyun and then lowered her head. “The artillery’s effectiveness depends on the watchtower’s direction. If that watchtower is destroyed, our forces will still have a fifty percent chance of victory.”

“Destroy the watchtower?” Xiyun smiled lightly. “That watchtower is sealed on all four sides with refined steel — no blade can cut through it, no arrow can pierce it. What’s more, it stands high in the air, well beyond the reach of any soldier. How is it to be destroyed? Is our strategist perhaps possessed of supernatural power, able to move mountains and shatter stone with a wave of the hand?”

Ren Chuanyu raised her hand to stroke her chin out of habit, a somewhat rueful smile on her face. “The Feng Wang need not poke fun at me. No person could possibly destroy that watchtower. If we also had an artillery piece, or if…” She trailed off. “Then it would certainly be possible to destroy it. Unfortunately, my abilities are lacking and I can only offer my apologies.” When she had finished speaking, she glanced cautiously at Xiyun, only to find her gazing toward the front with no intention of pressing her on that “or if…” Ren Chuanyu felt a flicker of mild disappointment — followed, strangely, by a small measure of relief. As for why there was relief, she could not have articulated it herself.

“Strategist — if a person of exceptional martial skill, carrying a supremely sharp weapon, were to stake everything on a single strike, could that watchtower be destroyed?”

Just as she was deep in these troubled thoughts, she suddenly heard Xiyun’s question, and Ren Chuanyu’s heart gave a violent lurch. She looked up quickly — and found herself looking at a slender, solitary back.

“This…” The affirmative answer that had been sitting on the tip of her tongue now hesitated and wavered. Her heart became a tangled jumble of conflicting feelings. Looking at that slender back — a back that seemed, in its solitude, almost slight — she felt a sudden ache. She could not tell whether it was for those past calculations she had made without a moment’s hesitation, or for the decision she found herself unable to make firmly now.

“Does the Strategist not know either?” Xiyun turned her head and smiled — a calm, open, unhurried smile. “I find that I rather want to try it myself.” Without waiting for Ren Chuanyu to answer, she turned and looked toward Lanxi, her manner composed and steady. “Five Stars in Alignment is called the ‘inviolable formation’ — which means it must not be defeated. There is no need to concern yourself with me. Do what you must do.” Her words had barely fallen when she was already up on the railing. The tip of her foot touched lightly, and her figure rose into the air. As she leaped, she looked back one final time with a smile — tranquil as still water. “I have always believed that as a ruler, you are truly exceptional.”

She was already gone. The smile had already blurred into the distance. Only those clear-cut words remained, wrapping softly around the watchtower.

“You—” Lanxi raised his hand, but caught only a fistful of empty air. He drew his hand back into a fist, then lifted his gaze — and there he was again, the composed and dignified King Xi. “Pass the order: if the enemy’s watchtower pennants dare to move so much as an inch — Five Aggregates’ Annihilation!” In that moment, his voice carried a cold so bone-deep it could cut, and his dark eyes held the most surging tide of the darkest night.

Behind him, Ren Chuanyu watched with perfect clarity, heard every syllable with perfect comprehension — and said nothing.

Whether the Feng Wang’s action was for the sake of the tens of thousands of soldiers in the field, or for the sake of the King himself — that seemed not to matter. What mattered was what the outcome would be.

She followed with her gaze the figure that had transformed into a white crane and taken flight toward the battlefield. The ferocious scrutiny of a hundred thousand troops did nothing to diminish her composure and grace. A woman like this, she thought — she should not belong to this world steeped in blood. She turned to look at the King standing beside her. After more than ten years together, she could read what lay at this moment behind the depths of those eyes — that trembling of the heart, however slight. So even this merciless man could not escape it in the end? She parted her lips to speak. In the end, there was only a long, deep sigh.

That streak of white in flight through the air instantly seized every gaze on the battlefield — gazes filled with admiration, with envy and wonder, with fear, with anxious concern, and with piercing intensity.

“She has finally made her move!” Huang Chao’s gaze locked tightly onto the figure in the air that seemed to move as though riding the wind. “She seems far more suited to the identity of the foremost heroine of the martial world. As a ruler, she is unqualified — a ruler’s life, along with everything else, does not belong to themselves, but to the nation. How can she conduct herself with such recklessness in the midst of ten thousand troops?” His gaze flickered, his expression complex. “And yet… to be treated by her with such regard — what lifetimes of fortune must Feng Lanxi have accumulated to deserve it?”

“How I resent this body that is not wholly my own — when was it ever that I could forget this endless toiling and striving.” Yu Wuyuan murmured those words in a clear, calm voice, his gaze drifting as he watched the figure drawing ever nearer.

“How I resent this body that is not wholly my own…” Huang Chao repeated the words softly. In this moment, he seemed to dimly grasp something of that feeling. Whether it was her, or him, or himself — this body was already no longer wholly one’s own.

“Since she has made her move, He Qishu is now in a precarious position.” Yu Wuyuan lowered his eyes. Without being fully aware of it, he raised his hand and looked down at his palm — then slowly closed it into a fist.

“She is not a person who is bloodthirsty or enjoys killing. Her goal is only the watchtower. And He Qishu is no weakling either.” Huang Chao said this mildly. Then his gaze swept across the formation below, and something stirred in his heart. He raised his hand and summoned a guard.

In the right flank formation of the Zheng Tian Cavalry, countless arrows were trained on the figure in the air.

“Loose!” A low sharp command rang out, and the arrows flew like a swarm of locusts.

“Your Highness!” A startled cry burst from the Fengyun Cavalry within the formation.

The arrows flew with terrifying speed; the figure flew with terrifying speed. The distance between them had closed to less than a foot. Some people squeezed their eyes shut, unable to watch.

“Ah!” Gasps of astonishment rose on all sides — and then the white figure plunged sharply downward. In an instant, every arrow aimed at her flew wide, soaring past and losing its force in the far distance before falling.

“Your Highness!”

Hearts that had risen to throats had not yet had time to fall when they were gripped tightly again. A long arrow of deep blue-black surged out with ferocious speed. The power behind that arrow, the speed of that arrow, was incomparable to anything in the previous volley. For the figure in the air there was no evasion possible.

“Clang!” But a flash of sword-light blazed in midair, and the long arrow split into two halves and fell. The white figure in the air used both feet to push off against each other in rapid succession, her form launching forward with explosive force — and then descended with effortless lightness into the midst of the Fengyun Cavalry formation.

“Your Highness!” Xu Yuan, seated on horseback, had been so badly frightened that on this cold day he was soaked through with sweat.

Xiyun looked up and smiled, then patted Xu Yuan’s horse on the head. “Don’t worry.”

She swept her gaze across the Fengyun Cavalry soldiers surrounding her, all of them watching her with expressions of reverent admiration. “Remember — at this moment we are in battle. Whatever happens, all of you must follow your military orders and not move without authorization.”

“Yes!” Xu Yuan bowed his head. The other soldiers answered with their eyes.

“Good.” Xiyun stepped lightly upward, landing on the back of Xu Yuan’s horse. She lifted her gaze and looked ahead at the distant small watchtower. She drew a long, deep breath. “Xu Yuan — lend me your strength!”

“Yes!” Xu Yuan extended his palm flat. Xiyun touched the tip of her foot to it and landed there lightly as a feather.

“Go!”

Xu Yuan gave a short low shout. His long arm swung upward. Xiyun on his palm vaulted skyward, both arms spread wide, sleeves billowing and streaming — like a phoenix spreading its wings, soaring through the nine heavens.

“Shoot her down!” In the right flank formation of the Zheng Tian Cavalry, Qiu Jiushuang issued a sharp command, her brow furrowed tightly, her gaze fierce and focused. And simultaneously, the long arrow in her hand had already left the bowstring. In an instant, a volley of arrows followed the dark blue-black arrow in pursuit of the phoenix soaring in the air. And in that precise instant, three silver figures leapt from the Fengyun Cavalry formation. A sweep of silver radiance lit up the air — and shattered arrows rained down. As the rain of arrow fragments fell, the three figures dropped back into the formation. Of the thousands upon thousands of soldiers present, not one had managed to catch a clear glimpse of their faces.

The phoenix in the air was now only a few zhang from the small watchtower — yet her figure wavered slightly, visibly spent of strength. Just as it seemed she might fall, her left hand lifted in a small motion, and a length of white silk streamed out, binding around a corner at the very top of the tower. With a single pull, her figure launched upward again, flying straight toward the watchtower.

“Shoot her down! Do not let her near that watchtower!” Qiu Jiushuang’s voice had become frantic and desperate by now, her eyes blazing red. She pulled her longbow taut with all her strength, three arrows nocked to the string simultaneously. She clenched her silver teeth, and the three arrows shot out like thunder and lightning, their blue-black radiance slashing across the sky, tearing through the long wind.

In the left flank formation of the Zheng Tian Cavalry, a man who was ice-cold and piercing as winter snow suddenly raised his head. A full head of snow-white hair whipped and danced in the wind. His gaze chased after those arrows cleaving through the sky, and something in his pair of eyes slowly transformed — shifting to become the pure, pellucid clarity of snow-covered sky, brimming and luminous, as if the snow itself were on the verge of dissolving.

The three silver figures in the Fengyun Cavalry formation leapt again. Three long swords — one high, one middle, one low — flashed in the air. In that instant, the soldiers felt only a blinding cold glare, a piercing sensation in their eyes. They shut them involuntarily, involuntarily. In the blur of that moment, it seemed as though the sound of metal striking metal rang out without cease. When they opened their eyes again, what they saw was an entirely different scene.

In midair before the small watchtower, where no one had been a moment before, four men now stood. The long swords in their hands blazed with the radiant golden fire of the blazing sun, stabbing straight at the phoenix bearing down upon them — entirely unprepared for the threat. At this critical juncture, four long arrows flew out from the Mo Yu Cavalry formation — but those four men did not dodge, did not evade. Their swords continued to thrust forward with ferocious determination. They were willing to die in order to block the way, to shield the person within the watchtower with their very lives.

In the instant before the four swords were about to pierce their mark, the white figure’s left hand gave a sudden sharp flick, and the white silk struck the top of the tower. Using the force of that impact, she wrenched her body sharply backward. Her right hand swung upward, and Fenghen Sword came free of its scabbard. A twist of the wrist, and the sword’s edge swept outward, making contact with all four swords simultaneously in midair. The four men holding those swords had resolved to take her life in this single strike, and so every blade drove forward with the force of a thousand jin — not one of them was blocked. Instead, driven by even greater momentum, they surged straight toward her with compounding force. But she had no intention of prevailing in this exchange either. She used the impact of that contact as a force to launch her body high once more, causing all four swords to stab through empty air. Then she flipped, twisted her waist, spread her arms wide, and descended from on high like a phoenix striking straight down at those four men.

“Phoenix’s Roar Through the Nine Heavens!”

A clear commanding cry rang out. White silk streamed and danced. Wind howled across the sky. Her sword swept outward — a bolt of white lightning blotting out the sun.

In that instant, those below could only see: the long white silk curling and whipping through the air, like a raging dragon sweeping through the void — unstoppable. Silver and rainbow radiance blazed and shimmered, like a snow phoenix brilliant against the sky, its spirit surging to the heavens. In that instant, it seemed as though two suns hung in the sky at once — golden radiance and white light mingling and reflecting against each other, burning to the skin, piercing to the eye. A ferocious gale whipped through the air in sweeping horizontal blasts, and sand and dust erupted upward. No one could stand steady on their feet, as though any moment all might be swept up into the sky.

“Fall back!”

Clang — clang! The sound of clashing strikes, and sword radiance dispersed. The white silk stilled its flight. Four figures descended from the sky along with shattered swords.

“Retract the tower! Now!” An urgent command rang out from the right flank of the Zheng Tian Cavalry formation.

The soldiers below the watchtower, who had been stunned into motionlessness, finally came to their senses and rushed frantically to lower the watchtower — only to stumble over each other in their panic, sending the tower spinning in dizzy circles. The man inside the tower was not without his own exceptional martial skills, but at this moment he was lurching about with a bruised nose and a battered face, cursing a continuous stream — which was a pity, as there was no one present to hear him.

And then the white figure flashed through the air and landed lightly on top of the towering watchtower. She stood tall and straight. The silver armor gleamed with dazzling brilliance in the sunlight. Her white cape and black hair were caught and lifted by the wind, swirling and intertwining behind her. No matter how the watchtower continued to spin, she stood immovable as a mountain. She raised her gaze and looked out in all four directions. Ahead lay blue-green mountains and emerald lakes. Beneath her feet — a million fierce lions. In an instant, a surge of grand heroic feeling filled her chest to overflowing, and a smile of proud defiance bloomed gently on her lips. In that moment, every soldier across the hundreds of thousands on the battlefield could not tear their eyes away. What people called transcendent, peerless magnificence — this was no more and no less than this.

“Your Highness — the bow and arrow have arrived!” Beneath the Purple Flame banner, a guard respectfully offered up the bow and arrow.

Huang Chao looked at the bow and arrow, and took it.

“You—” Beside him, Yu Wuyuan suddenly reached out and laid his hand on the longbow.

Huang Chao turned to look at Yu Wuyuan. The light in his eyes pulsed and shifted — burning one moment, cold the next. “I have only one opportunity.”

In that gaze, something seemed to be aflame — scorching enough to leave one breathless, and yet pitiless enough to plunge one into despair.

Yu Wuyuan’s gaze met his directly. Clear as ice from the deepest abyss — and distant as ice from the deepest abyss. Piercing through the ice, there was a vast and boundless emptiness — so barren it held not even a wisp of cloud.

At last, Yu Wuyuan released his hand. He lifted it — and in the sunlight that hand was translucent as sculpted snow jade, perfect without a single flaw — and yet so perfect it inspired a cold and creeping dread. Beside him, the guard stared blankly at that hand, then hastily averted his gaze — only to meet Yu Wuyuan’s eyes. And those eyes looked back at him with a light, unhurried smile.

A countenance of such flawless perfection, a smile of such serene and otherworldly composure… And yet in that moment, the guard stood there dumbly as two streams of tears ran down his face — without his even being aware of it.

“You will regret this!” — and yet whether those words were spoken to the other man or to himself, it was impossible to say.

“I will never regret it.” Absolute. Unwavering.

She raised her hand — within a stretch of autumn waters, a single thread of soft red rippled. A fingertip flicked gently, and the sword sang like a phoenix.

He raised his hand — a golden longbow, a golden arrow. The color of the blazing sun.

The sword lifted — brilliant as a rainbow, dazzling the eye.

Arrow to bowstring, string drawn taut as the sun is round.

One last look at her.

Even across such distance, separated by thousands upon thousands of soldiers, separated by the vast surging current of flowing time, separated by the unbridgeable chasm between them that could never be crossed — he could still see her with perfect clarity. He could see the white of her long robe, could see the black of her long hair, could see the crescent of gleaming snow-moon at her brow, could see the brightness of her eyes clear as stars. And could even see that faint, unhurried smile at the corner of her lips — a smile that said nothing could touch her. It was a sight that no passage of time, no transformation of sea into mulberry fields, could ever erase from memory.

The phoenix soared upward, high and higher. The long sword rose, high and higher. The watchtower still swayed as it descended. And a silver rainbow came streaking down from the sky.

The brilliance of that sword strike dimmed the bright sun overhead.

The singing shriek of that sword strike drew cries of despair from the right flank of the Zheng Tian Cavalry formation.

That sword strike had the force of splitting mountains, the momentum of an earthquake.

That sword strike was delivered with every last ounce of a lifetime’s cultivated power. That sword strike was made for the sake of everyone she held in her heart.

That sword strike could not miss.

Boom! — The two-meter watchtower was cleaved apart from top to bottom by the silver rainbow in a single stroke.

The tower split open. She saw the man inside. The man inside saw her.

She was astonished. He was stunned.

A pair of large eyes were staring at her as widely as they could open, staring at her with utter disbelief. He was a bright and vigorous young man, without a single scratch on him.

She could not help but relax into a smile of delighted surprise, a smile like a clear breeze on a spring morning.

And then that man also lifted his brow into a smile, a smile like the brilliant sunshine of a summer day.

Whether they were enemies or adversaries, in this moment they met each other’s gaze — and smiled.

It was all just a matter of one instant.

In midair, the two figures crossed paths. One, strength spent, began to fall. The other, power exhausted, descended.

“Fengxi!!!”

A voice rang out in a shout, and simultaneously the bowstring that had been drawn so tightly was released.

That shout rattled the eardrums of every person on the battlefield. In the instant they raised their eyes, a golden arrow streaked across the sky like a shooting star, trailing a blaze of golden radiance. It crossed thousands upon thousands of soldiers, crossed the boundless vault of sky and earth, tore through the currents of empty air, carrying with it the force to pierce the nine heavens — and like a lightning bolt too fast for the eye to dodge, it plunged straight into the white phoenix in the air, exhausted of strength, with no means of evasion.

In that instant, the entire battlefield fell into dead silence.

“Ugh…”

That cry of pain was so low, so faint — and yet every one of the tens of thousands of soldiers on the battlefield heard it with perfect clarity. In one instant, it was as though that arrow had been shot into their own bodies. Before they even had time to feel the pain, the white figure in the air lost all strength and began to fall. The white cape billowed high above, like the broken wing of a phoenix. The white armor flashed with silver in the sunlight, as though it were the last brilliance of a phoenix with a shattered wing — slowly falling through that final, resplendent glow as it sank.

“Xiyun!!!”

That shout — how stunned it was, how disbelieving! How fierce, how filled with dread! Carrying within it a thread of profound, unmasked, as-though-tearing-the-lungs-from-the-chest anguish! And it pierced the heart of every person on that battlefield!

Before the sound of that cry had faded, a black shadow swept across the sky above the great army.

Faster than lightning.

Swifter than the rushing wind.

The phoenix in the air was on the verge of crashing to the ground — and then fell into the embrace of the black shadow’s outstretched arms.

Thud! — The tremendous impact of something heavy striking the earth. Amid billowing clouds of dust, the black shadow that had taken the fall held the white figure in a tight embrace.

“He Qishu!”

From within the Zheng Tian Cavalry formation, another figure also flew out and caught the person who had fallen from the sky.

The sensation of the body in his arms — warm and full of living vitality! In this moment, his arms closed tighter involuntarily. Tears fell involuntarily.

“Hehe… now I know — it turns out I really am quite important.” He Qishu looked up grinning at Qiu Jiushuang, who held him so tightly, even though he had just come back from the threshold of death. His spirits were lighter and more elated than they had ever been. “And who would have thought that you could actually produce tears. I suppose that makes you something resembling a woman after all.”

“And why aren’t you dead yet!”

Furious and humiliated, Qiu Jiushuang swung a fist hard at him, landing it squarely. She expected him to hit back immediately — but instead she watched him raise his gaze toward the empty sky and sigh lightly. “Is that… the Feng Wang Xiyun?”

“Xiyun! Xiyun! Xiyun!”

Lanxi called to the person in his arms, gently, repeatedly, shaking the person whose eyes were tightly shut. A terror and dread and trembling such as he had never known seized him and would not let go. Yes — in this moment he was frightened. The King Xi, who had never known what fear was, was now desperately, overwhelmingly afraid. So afraid that his heart was cramping and convulsing, as though it might stop beating at any moment. He was afraid that the person in his arms would never open her eyes again — that those lips, now gone pale, would never part to speak another mocking word to him.

“Xiyun! Xiyun!” He touched her cheeks — cheeks that had gone somewhat pale, somewhat cool — with tender, gentle, aching care. “Xi…”

Suddenly the person in his arms flung her eyes open. Within them, a glint of mischief was plain to see. The corner of her mouth curved upward in a shallow arc, pulling into that familiar, infuriating half-smile.

“I will admit it now — your ‘Lan’s Darkness Under Heaven’ is faster than my ‘Phoenix’s Roar Through the Nine Heavens!'”

The clear, melodious voice that belonged only to her rang out distinctly in his ear. Lanxi stared at her with something uncertain, then spoke with a hint of hesitation: “You… are you all right?”

“Hehe… all thanks to this gemstone.” Xiyun let out a light laugh and drew the golden arrow from her chest. The arrowhead brought with it the red gemstone that had been set into her silver armor. She gave her hand a shake, and the gemstone crumbled to powder and fell away.

“My — that arrow carried tremendous force!” Xiyun clicked her tongue, and then, still nestled in Lanxi’s arms, stretched out in a long, comfortable, leisurely yawn.

Lanxi looked at her steadily. He looked at her for a long, long while. Then all at once, without the slightest warning, he flung her down onto the ground, got to his feet, turned, and walked away. He had barely taken a single step before he discovered that both his legs had gone so weak and unsteady they could not support him. He raised both hands — they were still trembling violently. He slowly curled them into fists. He closed his eyes. He breathed in, a long deep breath, settling the surging energy that coursed through his entire body, calming the heart that would not stop racing. In this moment, there was a joy beyond all words — a joy that was threaded through with a trace of bitterness and half a measure of exasperation. He swept his sleeve and lifted his foot and walked away.

“Black little fox, you—”

He heard Xiyun’s soft voice calling after him — and there was even something in it that sounded like gentle reluctance to let him go. It had been a very long time since she had last called him by that name. Without willing it, he turned back to look. But in the instant of turning, his eyes flew wide in horrified alarm.

“You — I — ” Xiyun’s right hand reached out slightly, as though trying to catch hold of him as he left. Her left hand raised slowly to cover her chest. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth in a thin trickle. Her face was ashen white as paper. “I…” The moment her mouth opened, blood surged out like a welling spring and drenched her in an instant of red.

“Xiyun!” Lanxi took a step forward, both arms outstretching.

“…” Xiyun opened her mouth, but at last no words came. Her eyes closed, and she fell, powerless, into Lanxi’s arms. The corner of her mouth curved up slightly — as though she wanted to smile at him one last time at the end, and yet had not made it in time. Like a snow Epiphyllum in full and radiant bloom — at the very height of its splendor, it wilted without a word of warning. It carried with it ten thousand threads of reluctance and longing — and fell, devastatingly beautiful and heartbreakingly sorrowful.

“XIYUN!!!!!!”

The roar rang out over the entire battlefield — like the final frenzied howl of a great beast, gravely wounded and on the verge of death. Wretched and heart-rending. It shook the spirit of every person present to the core.

“They wounded our Queen! They wounded our Queen! Avenge our Queen!”

The Fengyun Cavalry on the battlefield went into a rage. A thunderous cry shook the heavens, and swords rose into the air. Killing intent swept wildly — and yet not one of them dared to move so much as a hair, because their own Queen had personally issued the command: not one step without military orders.

In the same instant that roar rang out, Yu Wuyuan’s entire body shuddered. His pupils, vacant, stared into empty space.

And Huang Chao — in the wake of that wretched, devastating roar, the golden bow he had been clenching so tightly that it had bent out of shape finally dropped from his hand.

“Pass the order—”

Huang Chao’s voice brought Yu Wuyuan back to his senses. He reached out and seized Huang Chao’s hand. The force of his grip was such that Huang Chao felt pain shuddering through his entire body. “Do not!”

“Right now Feng Lanxi’s heart is in turmoil and his reason has abandoned him. This is precisely the moment to crush him in a single stroke!” Huang Chao looked at him, enunciating each word clearly.

“Over there—” Yu Wuyuan raised his hand and pointed toward the distant watchtower, his breathing weak but his words resolute. “Over there, someone is still standing. That person is no simple matter. As long as he stands there, he is the equivalent of King Xi. If you make a reckless move, he will certainly activate the Five Stars in Alignment formation. At this moment, I… cannot… even I have no certainty of breaking this formation. If you and your forces suffer catastrophic losses here, what capacity will remain for any further action?”

“Order the troops to withdraw!”

The voice that suddenly appeared gave Ren Chuanyu a start. She turned — and there was Jiu Wei, standing right beside her. She had no idea when he had climbed the watchtower.

“Withdraw? How can we!” Ren Chuanyu nearly leapt at the words. “If they seize this opportunity to attack—”

“They will not. Yu Wuyuan is over there.”

“But right now the Feng Wang… has suffered injury. It is said that an army of grief will certainly triumph. If we were to seize this moment, we could certainly—”

“Order the troops to withdraw!” Jiu Wei’s eyes shone bright and sharp as twin sword points at a throat.

The two gazes met and held, neither yielding to the other.

“If you were dead, then given King Xi’s current state of mind, your forces would certainly be defeated.” Jiu Wei raised his hand. From between his fingers, a blue-green spiritual energy radiating with a bone-chilling cold pressed directly toward Ren Chuanyu, stopping an inch from her brow. “Will you choose to withdraw, or to be utterly routed?”

“You—!” Ren Chuanyu glared at him with fierce resentment, then turned away. “Pass the order — withdraw!”

“Not merely withdraw in good order, but maintain the Double Shear formation throughout. If we come under attack, a counterattack can be launched at any moment. Once the withdrawal is complete, the central army will hold with the Horizontal Rope defense, the left flank will observe from across the bank, and the right flank will keep watch with the Scattered Gulls maneuver.” From high atop the watchtower, the situation below was entirely visible at a glance. Yu Wuyuan’s face remained white as paper, but the clarity had returned to his eyes. “Mo Yu Cavalry’s chief strategist Ren Chuanyu is no ordinary figure — even with both the Feng Wang and King Xi now absent from the field, she will not allow you to cross Cangyou Lake.”

“Pass the order to General Qiu — lead thirty thousand Zheng Tian Cavalry and proceed to Kang City. That city must be taken within five days.” Huang Chao turned his head and issued instructions.

“Yes!”

The guard received the order and departed.

“Kang City?” Yu Wuyuan’s gaze flickered. He turned his head slightly. “Jing City is closer to Kang City.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Huang Chao shifted his gaze to the now-quiet battlefield, as though searching among it for something. “You also heard it just now — at this moment, he has absolutely no capacity to attend to anything else. For the sake of this battle, both sides have drawn all their commanders here. Jing City has nothing but a skeleton garrison. And as for Kang City — my master once said that even if one manages to ascend Changmang Shan, losing Dongdan and Kang City means one has already lost the first move. So Kang City is something I absolutely cannot yield to him.”

Yu Wuyuan was silent. After a long while, he finally spoke: “That arrow — could it truly… take her life?” His voice drifted like a falling leaf dropping through deep autumn water, sending ripples across a hidden pool.

“She will certainly not survive.” Huang Chao closed his eyes. “That arrow, in ordinary circumstances — given her level of cultivation, it would at most cause serious injury. But… she expended her full power to cleave the tower open. When her power was spent, the protective energy that shields her body dispersed as well. That was her most vulnerable moment. That arrow carried twenty years of my cultivated power. It will certainly cause all her internal organs to rupture.”

“Is that so?” Yu Wuyuan’s voice floated, so light a breeze would scatter it.

Huang Chao’s knuckles whitened as he pressed his hands together. His tightly shut eyes pressed shut even further, as though he could not bear to see anything at all. After a long silence, he finally exhaled the words softly: “Yes.”

As those words left his lips, it was as though something deep within his heart left with them — released in that final syllable, and scattered in an instant across the sky and the earth. His heart felt only a vast, hollow emptiness.

“I… killed her. With my own hand.” He said it low, as though to reinforce something within himself. Only… in that fractured voice, a thread of pain and grieving regret could not be hidden, no matter how one tried.

Yu Wuyuan said nothing. He turned his gaze to look into the distance. Those desolate eyes had become, in this moment, one with the vast and desolate expanse of sky.

“May you never know regret.” He left those words softly behind, and moved toward the stairs.

Huang Chao remained standing on the watchtower, his posture straight and tall — and yet for some inexplicable reason, he seemed so utterly solitary and cold.

The sun had already tilted toward the west. The sky was gradually darkening. Everything before him was beginning to blur — he could not make out the sky, could not make out the earth, could not make out the troops below. The surroundings seemed very loud — his eardrums rang and rang. And yet it seemed very quiet as well — he could not hear anything at all.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!”

Something was tugging at him. He turned in a daze — and saw that Xiao Xuekong had hold of his left arm and was gripping it firmly. He seemed to be gripping with considerable force — the bones of his arm were aching. The ache traveled straight up to his heart.

“Your Highness, the three armies have returned to camp and are awaiting you…” Xiao Xuekong’s words cut off abruptly. He looked at Huang Chao’s face, and his expression froze with shock.

“Lead ten thousand troops to Jing City. Jing City has no strong garrison remaining. The city can be taken within three days. Once it falls, proceed to Kang City and reinforce Jiushuang.”

“Yes!” Xiao Xuekong received the order, walked forward a few steps, then looked back at Huang Chao. “Your Highness…”

“Obey your orders.”

“Yes!” Xiao Xuekong stopped himself from speaking and departed.

Your Highness — can it be you have not even noticed yourself? The image of the white figure falling from the sky rose in his mind, and a stab of anguish tore through his heart. He quickened his pace and rushed down the stairs of the watchtower, wanting only to leave this suffocating crossing of Dongdan as quickly as possible.

“Snow Bodhisattva, are you on fire? What are you running like that for?”

On the narrow stairway, the person coming up toward him rubbed the shoulder that had been collided into and glared at this person who walked without looking where he was going — but then was suddenly given a start by the sight of those eyes, blue as open sky, and the devastatingly deep grief drowning within them.

“Snowman, you — why are you—” The words were not finished. A cold wind swept past the ear, and the person before him was gone.

“Cursed snowman, how dare he not acknowledge me!” He Qishu turned and glared resentfully at the retreating figure, then continued climbing the stairs. But the moment he stepped onto the watchtower, he stopped dead, struck speechless.

“Your Highness — Your Highness — Royal Brother, why are you crying? Ah — no — wait — why do you have tears on your face? Are you hurt? Does it hurt? Who — who dared to hurt you? I’ll avenge you!”

You absolute fool, He Qishu — you’d better pray for yourself. Listening to the voice behind him, Xiao Xuekong sighed silently to himself.

“Your Highness — Huang Wang has also withdrawn his troops. Neither side dares to attempt crossing Cangyou Lake. We should use this moment to dispatch the Mo Yu Cavalry from Jing City to attack Kang City. Once Kang City is taken, we can strike from two sides simultaneously — Huang Wang will certainly be defeated.”

Before the entrance to the Fengmo military encampment, Ren Chuanyu was rushing after Lanxi urgently.

But Lanxi was holding Fengxi in his arms and heading straight for the royal tent without breaking stride, deaf to everything Ren Chuanyu said.

“Your Highness!” Ren Chuanyu stepped in front of him. “Please give the order to take Kang City!”

“Move.” Lanxi’s eyes fixed on Ren Chuanyu, cold and still. Two words fell from his lips — and radiated an arctic chill.

“Your Highness…”

Ren Chuanyu was about to continue pressing — and then Lanxi let out a sudden thundering shout: “Get out of my way!”

The sound hit Ren Chuanyu like a blow to the chest. Involuntarily, she stepped aside. A cold wind swept past her face, and by the time she came to herself, Lanxi was already far ahead.

“Why did none of you advise him?” Ren Chuanyu rounded on the crowd of followers behind her, snapping at them. A sense of frustrated defeat clenched her fists. Such a perfect opportunity — and yet…

“Young Master Ren, there is nothing you could say right now that would make any difference.” Feng Qiwu, who had come upon hearing the commotion, said this gently, watching that swiftly departing figure. “Right now, in his heart and in his eyes, there is only the Feng Wang.”

“But the realm matters more than the Feng Wang!” Ren Chuanyu called after that retreating figure. But that figure turned a corner and was gone from everyone’s sight.

“Do you still not understand?” Feng Qiwu looked at him. On that coldly composed face, a trace of mockery surfaced — mingled with a trace of self-pity. “Right now, the entire realm combined is not as much as the gravely wounded Feng Wang in his arms.”

“I cannot allow it… I refuse! I absolutely will not let him ruin more than ten years of hard work over a moment of blind emotion!” Ren Chuanyu, equally unmoved by Feng Qiwu’s words, turned and strode off in pursuit.

Feng Qiwu watched that figure and the anxious, burning-with-urgency senior general of the Fengyun Cavalry following behind Ren Chuanyu, and the senior general of the Mo Yu Cavalry who didn’t know what to do — and sighed softly. Then, without quite willing it, she lifted her foot and followed. In the instant she lowered her gaze, a silent tear traced a line down her cheek and fell to the ground. Yet the corner of her mouth pulled into a faint smile.

“Zhong Li, Zhong Yuan — hold the tent entrance. No one is permitted to disturb what is within. Anyone who disobeys is to be killed without question.” Before the royal tent, Lanxi looked coldly at Ren Chuanyu and the others who had come after him, his voice like frost and snow.

“Yes!” Zhong Li and Zhong Yuan bowed their heads.

“Your Highness!” Ren Chuanyu stepped forward, reaching out to grab Lanxi. What answered her was the tent flap closing firmly. She raised her hand to push it open — but one of the twin brothers extended a hand to block her, and the other thrust out a hand and pushed her back.

“Your Highness! Kang City absolutely cannot be taken by Huangguo — it connects to Changmang Shan! Changmang Shan is Wang Shan — it absolutely cannot be lost!” Ren Chuanyu, undeterred by the twin brothers’ pushing, shouted in frantic urgency.

Suddenly her whole body felt weightless. Her figure was displaced backward by three chi in an instant. Ding! Cold light flashed before her eyes, and two swords came to rest at her throat.

“Strategist — please do not disturb further, or we will carry out the King’s order.” Zhong Li and Zhong Yuan each held a sword aimed directly at Ren Chuanyu.

“Do you want to ruin the King’s great endeavor?! Stand aside!” Ren Chuanyu’s eyes blazed with furious fire, and she made to press forward.

“Big brother, stop wasting your energy.” Ren Chuanyun stepped forward and took hold of his brother’s arm. “Zhong Li and Zhong Yuan follow only the King’s commands. They will genuinely kill you.”

“If it causes the King to regain his reason, what does it matter if he takes my life?” Ren Chuanyu was undaunted. With a wrench of his arm, he tried to shake his younger brother off — but his scholar’s build gave him none of the physical strength of Ren Chuanyun, who was accomplished in martial arts. His arms were clamped in an iron grip, and he was at once so frustrated and so furious and so full of helpless anguish — “Chuanyun, let go of me!”

“Brother — don’t you understand yet? As long as the Feng Wang does not recover, how can the King recover?” Ren Chuanyun wrapped both arms around his own brother to stop him from charging forward recklessly — because the swords in those twins’ hands were no bluff. They had been tutored by the King since childhood, and though they were young, their martial skill far surpassed the four of them. One more step forward and blood would certainly be spilled.

Ren Chuanyu stopped short, struck dumb.

“Chuanyu — when have you ever seen the King like this?” Qiao Jin stepped up behind him, laid a hand on his shoulder, and looked toward the tightly closed tent entrance with a long, deep sigh.

A King like this… Yes. He had never seen it before. The two of them could be said to have grown up alongside Lanxi from their very childhood. More than ten years — from a small boy to the ruler of a nation today. All that time, Lanxi had always been elegant and noble, composed and unhurried, that face always wearing a smile of having everything well in hand, no matter who the person or what the circumstance. Nothing, not even the collapse of the heavens, could change his expression. Whether someone had been with him for ten years or was meeting him for the first time, he never revealed the faintest flicker of emotion. Without any weakness, and therefore perfect and invincible. And now… this King was one he had never seen before. He showed anger and a changed expression. He spoke with urgency and sharpness. He was terrified and desperate…

“As I suspected…” Ren Chuanyu opened his mouth, resentment and something venomous flashing in his eyes. “It is all because of the Feng Wang. I truly did not misjudge her — she is the one destined to ruin the King! Women are the source of calamity — an eternal truth since ancient times! Had I known things would come to this today, I would have staked my own body being torn to shreds to take her life!”

“Say another word of disrespect to the King — I will see to it that our two nations fracture and earn me the name of a criminal for the ages, and I will still take your life.” Xu Yuan fixed Ren Chuanyu with an icy gaze, the long sword at his waist leveled directly at his brow.

“Strategist Ren — you say the Feng Wang is calamity, say she ruins the King of Xi. But how can you be certain that King Xi did not choose this willingly?” Jiu Wei, who had arrived upon hearing the commotion and had until now been watching in silence, finally spoke. He reached out and pushed aside Xu Yuan’s sword with a quiet hand. His gaze was calm as he looked at Ren Chuanyu. A faint inner radiance flickered within those eyes. “Just as you are willing to give your heart’s blood, to die a hundred deaths without regret, for the great cause of King Xi — so too… King Xi is willing to expend an entire nation to protect her, to offer up a city entire to give to her.”

“That cannot be compared — the great cause spanning the ages against the private feelings between man and woman, which matters more and which matters less, any person with reason can make it clear!” Ren Chuanyu called out loudly.

Yet under Jiu Wei’s clear, still gaze — calm as a lake — he felt only the collapse of hope and the crumbling of all prospects. And yet he was still unwilling to accept it, his heart still could not be at peace. “When have you ever seen such a King? He who was meant to accomplish great things — how could he abandon the greater to take the lesser… how could he lose his reason over a single woman… Ten years — more than ten years of painstaking effort! For the sake of this day, how much thought and calculation have we spent, not shrinking from staining our hands with blood, not shrinking from taking guilt upon our souls… and yet… one woman… the life and death of one woman is enough to destroy all of this?” His voice, by the end, had taken on a quality close to sobbing. He stared with bloodshot eyes at the tent entrance. His body swayed as though it might topple at any moment.

All the people present looked at him. In this moment, even the generals of the Fengyun Cavalry could not find it in their hearts to be harsh. The generals of the Mo Yu Cavalry felt the same pain, the same grief.

“Chuanyu.” Duanmu Wensheng stepped forward and held him upright. “Do not lose yourself in this. It is not as though everything is over! Is it not true that half the realm has already been won? Right now we need only wait a little — wait for the King to heal the Feng Wang, and then it will not be too late to move.”

“That’s right,” He Qishu also stepped forward to offer comfort. “To think that you are a commander of an entire army — how can you look so thoroughly lost and in pieces? The realm is still within our grasp!”

“Chuanyu — do not forget, with the King and the Feng Wang both absent, you are the highest authority in the army. Hundreds of thousands of troops are in your hands. How can you yourself be the first to panic and lose your composure!” Qiao Jin also spoke in a voice of sharp, rallying urgency.

“Brother, come back to the tent and rest first. There is a great deal still waiting for you to manage.” Ren Chuanyun stepped forward and tugged at his brother’s sleeve, the way he used to seek comfort and shelter when they were children.

Jiu Wei also set aside his prior grievances and gave a slight, warm nod. In this moment, he found this person not at all hateable — only something worthy of respect, along with a trace of something pitiable and lamentable.

“That’s right — even half a realm, I must hold it for the King!” Ren Chuanyu came back to himself. The sharpness flared again in his eyes. He turned and walked with swift, decisive steps toward his own tent. “All of you, come with me! Huang Wang will not get his way here!”