The Southern Frontier had always been considered barbarian territory, with customs and traditions vastly different from the Central Plains. The region was home to poisonous insects and plants, and fierce beasts, and its people were known for their martial prowess and bold temperament—characteristics that made most people from the Central Plains avoid the area. A thousand years ago, the Southern Frontier and Central Plains were one territory, known as Kuizhou. During the late years of the previous dynasty, the Southern Zhao royal family rose to establish the Southern Zhao nation. Later, when the Founding Emperor established Great Chu, he spent his life campaigning in both the north and south. By the time of Emperor Taizong, when they finally had the resources to deal with the south, Southern Zhao had already been established for over a hundred years with firm foundations, while the Central Plains, after decades of warfare, desperately needed time to recover. Thus, the Southern Frontier officially remained independent from Great Chu’s territory.
Suixue Pass sits at the border between the Southern Frontier and Yongzhou of Great Chu. Although the two nations alternated between war and peace, the border residents still maintained trade relations. In the small city of Yonglin, thirty li behind Suixue Pass, it was common to see distinctively dressed people from the Southern Frontier. Yonglin City wasn’t large—being near the border and two hundred li away from the provincial capital of Yongzhou meant it wasn’t particularly prosperous. Apart from the foreign-dressed individuals mixed among the crowd, it was like any ordinary small town. Ye Li stood on the not-so-wide street, watching the peaceful expressions of passersby with a faint smile. In times like these, finding such peace and contentment in a small border town was truly remarkable. Perhaps it should be said that common people’s ability to adapt to life and their environment always exceeded expectations.
A San stood beside Ye Li, holding his sword and looking strangely at his master who, instead of entering the inn, stood at its entrance with an odd smile. “Young Master, there seem to be few inns in Yonglin City, and this is the best one.”
Ye Li glanced at him, shook her head, and smiled, “Let’s go in. I’m not complaining about the inn.” With that, she took the first step into the somewhat shabby establishment. An San raised his sword eyebrows—he also thought the Princess Consort wouldn’t mind the poor conditions. After all, during their journey, when they couldn’t reach the next town in time, they sometimes had to camp in the wilderness. Moreover, back in the capital, there were places under Black Cloud Peak during training that even the Dark Guards didn’t want to enter, yet the Princess Consort had walked in without batting an eye.
Inside the inn, compared to the luxuriously decorated establishments in Chu Capital and Guangling City, this small inn couldn’t even be considered third-rate. But it was indeed the best inn in Yonglin City. The main hall had only seven or eight tables, three of which were occupied, and an elderly innkeeper was counting money at the counter. Although Ye Li wore simple cotton clothes, her age, appearance, and bearing, along with An San who followed behind her carrying a sword with an imposing stance, immediately drew everyone’s attention. Since it wasn’t a good time for either sightseeing or business, the inn felt somewhat empty. Ye Li walked to the counter and gently knocked twice. The elderly innkeeper shakily raised his head, and looked at Ye Li and An San for a while before asking, “Young master, are you staying at the inn?”
Ye Li smiled gracefully, “Why else would we be here? For tea?”
The innkeeper smiled apologetically, “May I ask your surname, young master? How many rooms do you need?”
“Chu. Two superior rooms.”
The innkeeper called a servant to show them to the upstairs rooms. After dismissing the servant, An San skillfully inspected the entire suite. In such a small inn, even the superior rooms wouldn’t be very spacious or luxurious. There was just a bed, a wardrobe, and a screen separating the outer table and chairs. An San stood by the door watching Ye Li nimbly arrange her belongings, then frowned and asked, “Young Master, when are we going to the Southern Frontier?”
Ye Li finished arranging her luggage, emerged from behind the screen, and pointed to a chair indicating An San should sit down. She smiled, “Such things can’t be rushed. I think… we need a guide.”
For someone entering the Southern Frontier for the first time, blindly venturing in without proper preparation was practically suicide. And Ye Li didn’t like taking unnecessary risks.
“A guide?” An San asked, puzzled.
Ye Li smiled, “The Southern Frontier is too mysterious for us from the Central Plains. It’s not good to travel when we’re unfamiliar with the place. Finding either a local from the Southern Frontier or someone from Great Chu who knows the area well would be a good choice.”
An San frowned, “But… bringing an outsider might slow us down.”
Ye Li tapped the edge of the table absent-mindedly with her folding fan, saying, “That’s why we need to wait. I’ve already arranged for a guide, but it seems they’ll be two days behind us.” Seeing An San’s confused expression, Ye Li merely smiled without elaborating. She indicated that An San could return to his room to rest. An San knew his master’s temperament well—if she didn’t want to say something, he wouldn’t get an answer even if he racked his brains. He could only return to his room with a frustrated expression.
Watching An San leave with a smile, Ye Li took out the documents sent by Tianyi Pavilion from her luggage and continued reading. After receiving the benefits, Han Mingshi’s work was quite reliable—throughout their journey south, she received large amounts of information about the Southern Frontier from Tianyi Pavilion every few days. Ye Li had developed a habit of reading everything as soon as she received it, memorizing it, and then destroying all evidence. What she held now should be the final batch before entering the Southern Frontier. Along the way, the situation and general conditions of the Southern Frontier had gradually formed an impression in her mind, but how much was true would need to be verified after entering the territory. After speed-reading through the thick documents, Ye Li calmly burned all the papers filled with writing.
Early morning, Ye Li went downstairs as early as usual. In the main hall below, two tables were already occupied, one of which was An San sitting in a position near the wall. Seeing Ye Li come down, An San quickly stood up, “Young Master.”
Ye Li nodded and smiled, “So early?”
An San remained silent. Usually, with the others around, there was no need to be up so early, but now with him being the only one following her, although he knew the Young Master was capable of self-defense, he couldn’t help but worry. Ye Li naturally understood his thoughts and smiled helplessly, “No need to be so tense. If you continue like this, I’m afraid you’ll be exhausted before we even enter the Southern Frontier. Does following me put too much pressure on you?”
An San shook his head, “No, this servant is grateful for Young Master’s trust.” It’s just that he had grown up with the others, and although he was only slightly older than An Si, his personality wasn’t as steady. So usually, he was accustomed to following An Yi and An Er’s opinions. Now being alone, he inevitably felt somewhat uncomfortable. Ye Li smiled and nodded, sat down, and called the servant to order breakfast.
“Young masters, are you also planning to go to the Southern Frontier?” As Ye Li was urging An San to eat breakfast, a man from the opposite table came over to ask.
Hearing this, Ye Li put down her chopsticks and looked up to examine the speaker. He was tall and sturdy, with unremarkable features, and although he tried hard to appear friendly, the killing intent between his brows was difficult to conceal. An San reached for the sword on the table, but Ye Li placed her hand on the blade, casually patting it. An San frowned, glanced at the man, then withdrew his hand and continued eating.
The man naturally saw their movements clearly but didn’t mind, smiling, “Brother, no need to be nervous. We’re also heading to the Southern Frontier, so we wondered if you’d like to travel together.” The man pointed at the three people at the opposite table and smiled. Ye Li glanced in that direction—there was an elderly man of about fifty or sixty who looked like a wealthy merchant, with luxurious and expensive clothing, a jade ring on his finger, and a golden abacus in his hand. He might as well have written “I’m very rich, come rob me” on his forehead. Beside him sat a middle-aged man who looked like a steward and a sickly young scholar. Such a combination was eye-catching. Initially, Ye Li had worried that she and An San might attract too much attention, but seeing these people made her realize she had overthought it. Come to think of it, those who dared venture into the Southern Frontier’s heartland were rarely ordinary people.
Ye Li looked at An San and smiled, “I’m afraid we might be a burden to you all.”
The man laughed, “How could that be? I can see this brother has good martial arts skills. The Southern Frontier is a treacherous place, and I’ve been there several times. Isn’t it better to have more people looking out for each other?” The man glanced at An San, then shifted his gaze back to Ye Li. It was obvious that Ye Li was the decision-maker, but he couldn’t gauge the depth of the youth before him. He could only secretly guess if this was some naive young master from some family out playing with his guard.
“We plan to go to the Southern Zhao capital. There shouldn’t be much danger along the way. May I ask about your group?” Ye Li smiled with narrowed eyes, her expression innocent and friendly.
The man laughed heartily, “We’re also heading to the Southern Zhao capital. The road to the Southern Zhao capital used to be quite peaceful, but since last year things have become rather strange. Our master is going there for the medicinal herb business. If you don’t mind, why not travel together?” The wealthy merchant sitting opposite gave Ye Li a contemptuous glance, though the sickly young scholar nodded at them with a smile.
Ye Li lowered her eyes and smiled, declining politely, “I’ve only heard that Southern Zhao has unique scenery, so I planned to travel there to broaden my horizons. I’ve already arranged for a guide, though they won’t arrive for another two days. I wouldn’t want to delay your journey.” Seeing Ye Li’s refusal, the man didn’t insist, only saying, “In that case, I apologize for disturbing you. Perhaps we’ll meet again in the Southern Zhao capital.” Ye Li nodded slightly, watching as the man returned to his seat. From across the room, they could faintly hear the wealthy merchant scolding the man for being meddlesome and making dismissive remarks about Ye Li and An San, but Ye Li paid no attention, simply smiling faintly and continuing her breakfast.
After that group of guests left, An San finally raised his head and said, “Young Master, be careful of those people.”
Ye Li raised an eyebrow and asked, “You know them?”
An San nodded then shook his head, saying, “I recognize the sickly scholar.”
“?” Ye Li looked at An San, curious how he could recognize such a person when he had barely left the capital, “It seems the sickly scholar’s identity isn’t simple?”
An San nodded, “His nickname is just ‘Sickly Scholar,’ no one knows his real name. Not even Tianyi Pavilion.” Ye Li thought about the sickly-looking scholar she had just seen, who didn’t appear to be a supreme expert nor have any special characteristics, and wondered how An San had recognized his identity. An San continued, “He’s the Third Master of the King of Hell Palace from the Western Ling country. In previous years, almost all assassin organizations accepted missions to assassinate the Prince, including the King of Hell Palace. Many of our Dark Guards died by his hand. However, he was also struck by the Prince’s palm strike which damaged his heart meridian, turning his fake illness into a real one. Young Master, did you notice his right hand? The Sickly Scholar is skilled with poisons, and his left hand’s fingernails are different from ordinary people’s. Others think it’s because of his illness, but in fact, it was like that even before the Prince injured him. That hand is like that because of his years of practicing poison techniques, making it extremely toxic.”
Ye Li lowered her head in thought, indeed remembering that when the scholar rose, his left hand briefly showed from his sleeve, seeming to be a dark red color. “To turn one’s hand into poison? Isn’t he afraid of poisoning himself?” Ye Li asked, puzzled, finding this practice meaningless. A body completely immune to all poisons didn’t exist in any meaningful sense—one could only say that some bodies had resistance to most poisons for various reasons. If a person carrying poison throughout their body could live peacefully, then Shen Yang wouldn’t need to expend so much effort treating Mo Xiuyao.
After breakfast, Ye Li went out to explore Yonglin City, taking the opportunity to learn more about the Southern Frontier and Suixue Pass. When she returned in the evening, she saw the group of four still sitting in their original positions having dinner, clearly having not departed that day. The Sickly Scholar again nodded friendly at Ye Li and An San, and Ye Li smiled and nodded back, preparing to go upstairs.
“Oh? When did Yonglin City get such a fair and delicate young master?” Before Ye Li could climb the stairs, a lecherous voice came from behind. Ye Li turned slightly to see a Southern Frontier-dressed youth, as thin as a stick, staring at her with brazen, lustful eyes, his rat-like small eyes full of murky malice. She couldn’t help but frown—in both her past and present lives, including encounters with gangsters, drug lords, and terrorists, she had never seen someone who so thoroughly tested the limits of human aesthetics.
An San whirled around, his expression ice-cold as he stared at the young man. His warning gaze was filled with killing intent—one more word from this scoundrel and he would become a ghost under his sword. How dare such vermin blaspheme the Princess Consort of the Dingguo Prince’s mansion?
The young man, however, clearly took An San’s warning as a challenge and became even more pleased with himself. His dark, lecherous gaze lingered on Ye Li while he arrogantly smiled at An San, “What are you looking at? Am I wrong? This kid’s face is so powder-white and delicate. You Central Plains men all look like women, and this kid looks even more feminine than women.” To be fair, Ye Li’s disguise was extremely successful—even though she looked more beautiful than most women, her age and bearing meant no one would suspect she was a woman. Therefore, An San naturally wouldn’t waste words arguing with the lecherous man. He simply drew his sword—
The sword left its scabbard with a whoosh, flying straight toward the lecherous man.
The other party hadn’t expected An San to attack without warning, and the lecherous man froze as he was about to be impaled. The person beside him hurriedly pulled him away, while flicking something long and thin toward An San. An San snorted coldly, his sword tracing a flower pattern in the air. With two swift sounds, the object shattered into three pieces on the ground. Everyone looked to see it was a poisonous snake—though they didn’t know the species, its colorful patterns alone indicated it was highly venomous.
An San raised his eyebrows disdainfully—since they were heading to the Southern Frontier, how could they not have familiarized themselves with the typical tricks of its people?
The Southern Frontier group’s expressions changed, except for the lecherous man who continued shouting, “How dare you! Do you know who I am?”
An San sneered, saying coldly, “To be so arrogant in Great Chu, you must be a Southern Zhao prince. Though if I remember correctly, the Southern Zhao king only has two daughters?” The man wanted to say more but was frightened by An San’s raised sword, forcing him to swallow his words. With a frustrated expression, he retreated several steps until he was pushed into the middle of his companions before shouting, “Kill this kid for me!”
His companions were hesitant, muttering something to him. Ye Li stood at the stairs, listening carefully—it sounded like a minority language from the Yunnan-Guizhou region in her past life, and because she had operated in that area for years, she was familiar with most minority languages there. The followers were trying to persuade their master that since they were on Great Chu soil, it wasn’t appropriate to kill someone in broad daylight, but the lecherous man obviously wouldn’t listen, insisting on killing An San and capturing Ye Li. After their unsuccessful communication, the Southern Frontier men exchanged helpless glances and surrounded An San and Ye Li.
Seeing a fight about to break out, everyone in the hall scattered like birds and beasts, leaving only the Sickly Scholar and the middle-aged man at their table. The old innkeeper had long since hidden behind the counter in fear. Ye Li frowned and said, “Throw them out, but don’t damage the inn’s property.” An San happily responded, “Yes, Young Master!”
“Who dares to anger our Jun Wei Gongzi?”
Just as An San was about to act, a lazy, slightly smooth voice rang out from upstairs. Ye Li looked up to see a handsome man in loose dark red silk robes leaning against the upper railing, every gesture full of charm. What a bewitching creature! Glancing at the dumbfounded, drooling lecherous man beside her, Ye Li looked at the flirtatious gentleman who was giving her a soul-stealing smile with a headache, “Brother Han, why are you here?”
Han Mingshi nimbly flipped backward over the railing, landing lightly on the stairs with a smile, “Well… this brother thought and thought, and couldn’t rest easy letting Brother Jun Wei go alone to such a dangerous place as the Southern Frontier. Besides, Jun Wei needs a guide, right? So I’m volunteering myself.” Ye Li couldn’t help but roll her eyes, “Brother Han, do you even know the way to Southern Zhao?”
“How you underestimate me.” Han Mingshi looked at Ye Li with feigned hurt, “This brother has been to Southern Zhao at least seven or eight times, I could find my way there with my eyes closed. Moreover, this brother can protect Jun Wei—look, bringing only one person, you haven’t even left Great Chu and already encountered a lecher.” Ye Li gritted her teeth, “Brother Han, I am a man!” Han Mingshi raised his eyebrows in surprise, covering his mouth with his fan and chuckling, “Jun Wei is young and naive—who says men can’t encounter lechers? Isn’t that right, you fool over there?”
That foolish and lecherous youth was already nodding vigorously while drooling, making Ye Li feel sick as she turned away and glared hatefully at Han Mingshi. She had thought this fellow only liked deflowering women, but apparently, he went both ways.
“Don’t misunderstand, Jun Wei. Even if I went both ways, I wouldn’t be interested in that sort. Now, someone like you, such a handsome young master…” Han Mingshi winked at Ye Li and reached out to pinch her cheek. Ye Li wouldn’t let him succeed—her folding fan snapped closed with a crack against his wrist. Han Mingshi’s face immediately fell.
Han Mingshi strolled down the stairs languidly, his phoenix eyes lazily sweeping over the Southern Frontier group. “Will you leave on your own, or shall this young master escort you out?” The lecherous youth stepped forward with an oily smile, “Is this young master also going to the Southern Frontier? This one is the young chief of the Luoyi tribe. Why not let me guide you?” He tried to imitate the refined speech of Central Plains people, but combined with his murky squinting eyes, skeletal frame, and what he thought was a dashing smile, it was rather spine-chilling. Ye Li’s lips twitched as she silently mourned Han Mingshi’s romantic fortune while pulling An San closer. Since someone else wanted to take charge, why should they act themselves?
Han Mingshi’s phoenix eyes twitched once as he spat out a single word, “Scram!”
True, he was flirtatious, but he hadn’t reached the point of being indiscriminate about gender. Even if he did go both ways, he still had standards!
The self-proclaimed Luoyi young chief felt wounded—his initial amazement and tender feelings instantly turned to anger. “Kill these two boys and capture him for me!” Ye Li was stunned—earlier they wanted to kill An San and capture her, but now that the bewitching Han Mingshi had appeared, they wanted to kill her and capture him instead. What was this situation? Han Mingshi’s lips curled into a cold smile, “Leave immediately! Or would you prefer General Murong to personally escort you out of the pass?”
At these words, the lecherous youth’s eyes finally showed some hesitation. Under his companions’ persuasion, he snorted, threw out a threat, and fled.
The hall fell silent. Seeing that no fight had broken out, the old innkeeper carefully emerged from behind the counter, cautiously apologizing to the only remaining table of guests. As Ye Li headed upstairs, she quietly instructed An San to give the innkeeper extra money as compensation when settling the bill. Han Mingshi, following behind and overhearing Ye Li’s words, chuckled, “Jun Wei is too soft-hearted. That old innkeeper has run this inn in Yonglin for decades—what hasn’t he seen? You think he was really scared?” Ye Li glanced at him and said flatly, “It’s a fact that we drove away his customers because of our affair. It has nothing to do with whether he was scared or not. Also… Brother Han, this is my room.”
Han Mingshi smiled, “Won’t Jun Wei invite me in for tea?”
“If you wanted tea, why didn’t you have it downstairs?”
Han Mingshi pursed his lips disdainfully, “Such a place doesn’t suit this young master’s refined taste. Besides… I don’t want to drink something that might be secretly poisoned halfway through. Jun Wei, you’re quite lucky—just stepped out and already encountered the Sickly Scholar, whom everyone in the jianghu fears.” Ye Li raised an eyebrow, moving aside to let him enter, and asked, “You know the Sickly Scholar? What’s he doing in the Southern Frontier now?”
Han Mingshi shrugged, lounging comfortably in a chair with his hands behind his head, smiling at Ye Li, “Who knows? A few years ago, he was almost killed by the Ding Prince. Only the intervention of the King of Hell Palace’s First Master saved his life. He hasn’t been seen for several years, and now he suddenly appears in the Southern Frontier… hehe, every time that fellow appears, it leads to widespread devastation and bloodshed. Jun Wei, don’t let him fool you. It’s better to stay away from him.” Ye Li nodded absent-mindedly, her thoughts already elsewhere, “I don’t know him, so naturally I won’t provoke him. But Brother Han, don’t you need to oversee the Qingfeng Mingyue House anymore? How do you have time to come to the Southern Frontier?”
Han Mingshi snickered, “The Qingfeng Mingyue House doesn’t need my oversight. I’m more concerned about watching over Jun Wei. After all… Jun Wei’s Xunya Pavilion is my only personal property. If anything happened to Jun Wei, this young master would suffer great losses.” While speaking seriously, his alluring phoenix eyes revealed a playful meaning.
Ye Li looked at him calmly, “I have a business to attend to in the Southern Frontier. It’s not convenient to bring Brother Han along.”
“No problem, you don’t need to bring me—I’ll just follow Jun Wei. If Jun Wei climbs a mountain of swords, I absolutely won’t descend into a sea of flames. How about that?” Han Mingshi’s smile was dazzling. “I’m very useful, you know. Doesn’t Jun Wei want to use Tianyi Pavilion’s intelligence? With me by your side, you can access any of Tianyi Pavilion’s intelligence anytime, anywhere—much more convenient than waiting for information to be delivered.”
Ye Li silently looked at him for a while before saying, “I’m just afraid that if the Moon Master learns I led his brother into danger, he might quietly do away with me afterward.”
At the mention of his brother, Han Mingshi’s good mood immediately darkened. He snorted coldly, “Don’t speak to me on his behalf. He’s long forgotten he has a brother like me. One of these days when he dies… hmph! This young master will just collect his corpse then.” Ye Li’s heart stirred. Although she had outmaneuvered Han Mingyue and escaped from his grasp last time, she still felt an almost innate wariness toward him. Yet she felt none of this toward Han Mingshi, who looked extremely similar to him. Perhaps it was because of Han Mingyue’s ability to establish the Qingfeng Mingyue House and Tianyi Pavilion single-handedly, or because of those unclear grudges between him and Mo Xiuyao, or perhaps because he was truly the first person who could threaten her.
Watching the still-angry Han Mingshi without showing any reaction, Ye Li said calmly, “If you’re worried, why not go check on him? Why must Brother Han follow me around? Not only is it dangerous, but if something happened to Master Moon, wouldn’t Brother Han regret it?” Han Mingshi started, then quickly smiled again, “What could happen to him? There are few in this world who could touch him. Besides, he doesn’t need my help—in his eyes, I only cause trouble.” Ye Li propped her chin up and smiled at him, “I thought Brother Han and Master Moon had a good brotherly relationship?”
Han Mingshi snorted lightly, “Anyway, this young master is going to the Southern Frontier with you. Even if you don’t allow it, this young master will follow anyway. As for my big brother, don’t worry about him—the Qingfeng Mingyue House won’t fall even if he doesn’t return for a while.” Ye Li shrugged indifferently—saying too much might arouse his suspicion. Since they would be spending quite some time together, she would surely find a way to learn where Han Mingyue had gone. She hadn’t forgotten how Han Mingyue had almost ruined her reputation for some woman connected to Mo Xiuyao. Who said she couldn’t hold a grudge after receiving an apology? She just didn’t need to rush her revenge. As for using Han Mingshi… Ye Li glanced at the man smiling bewitchingly—well, who told him to be Han Mingyue’s brother and insisted on running into her path?
Seeing Ye Li no longer objecting, Han Mingshi was overjoyed. He happily began planning their journey, “Jun Wei, I’ve been to the Southern Frontier several times. We can first visit Mount Cang, then head west along the Qingming River. We can see the Phoenix Flowers and the Southern Frontier’s Lantern Festival, then go to the Southern Zhao capital. What do you think?”
Ye Li looked at him coldly, “I thought Brother Han knew we were in a hurry. Following your itinerary, could we reach the Southern Zhao capital by the end of the fifth month?” Han Mingshi immediately deflated, muttering glumly, “In that case, let’s hurry to the Southern Zhao capital first, and we can see the Lantern Festival after Jun Wei finishes his business.”
Looking at the pitiful Han Mingshi, Ye Li felt the veins on her forehead throbbing particularly vigorously. She irritably drove him out. An San stood to the side, looking worriedly at Ye Li, who raised an eyebrow and asked, “Something you want to say?”
An San frowned, “Young Master, Young Master Han…” They didn’t know much about Han Mingshi, but as Dark Guards who might serve the Prince or Princess Consort, they had studied Han Mingyue. He was an extremely difficult person to deal with, and since Han Mingshi was his brother, he probably wasn’t a good person either. More importantly… Han Mingshi’s reputation was not good. If the Princess Consort spent a long time with him… Thinking of certain possible consequences, An San couldn’t help but shudder.
Ye Li said helplessly, “Having Han Mingshi along has both advantages and disadvantages, but since he’s already following us, I’m afraid it won’t be easy to shake him off.” Tianyi Pavilion’s intelligence network spread throughout the world, and more importantly, some people were like this—the more you try to push them away, the more enthusiastically they cling to you. Han Mingshi was this type of bored individual.
Waving her hand, Ye Li said, “Don’t worry about it. Let’s not think about other things for now. First, let’s find Big Brother when we reach the Southern Frontier. An Er should have found Big Brother by now, right?”
An San nodded, “An Er is skilled at finding people. Since he left before us, he should have found Young Master Xu by now.”
Ye Li nodded, “Then let’s bring Han Mingshi along. After entering the Southern Frontier, keep an eye out for An Er’s trail marks. We’ll meet up with Big Brother first.”