Yun Ye didn’t want to deceive Xi Tong anymore, because he was already very pitiful. He’d spent his entire life rushing about for an impossible dream, and now he still wanted to plunge into the great swamp of achieving immortality—and no amount of pulling could bring him back.

Casually taking out an allusion, it matched exactly the circumstances their ancestor had encountered. Yun Ye really wanted to slap himself. Could Guo Ziyi, a hundred years in the future, also have connections with the Hidden Gate? Otherwise, why would he describe the scene he witnessed so accurately? The story behind this was beyond Yun Ye’s control.

Releasing the somewhat collapsed Xi Tong, he still maintained the posture of Su Qin carrying a sword, his eyeballs constantly turning as they followed Yun Ye’s moving figure. If Yun Ye wanted to know about the Hidden Gate now, he would certainly confess everything like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

Obsessed people were dangerous but not frightening. They were the purest batch of people in this world, willing to be smashed to pieces for their ideals. Their minds held only what they considered lofty ideals—no concept of gains and losses, no self.

Under unrelenting self-hypnosis, that golden avenue connecting to heaven seemed within easy reach. Standing up couldn’t reach it—just one chi short. Jumping up couldn’t reach it—still one chi short. Standing on bricks and jumping up still couldn’t reach it—still just one chi short.

They were forever searching for things that could make them taller. Hearing that elixirs were useful, they took elixirs. Hearing that qi cultivation was useful, they cultivated qi. Hearing that White Jade Capital was a shortcut to ascending to heaven, so they had to find White Jade Capital. Xi Tong was such an intelligent person, but under the confusion of illusions, he’d long since lost himself. He’d lost even basic judgment.

Yun Ye felt that learning any information from Xi Tong’s mouth now would be a kind of injury to his own character. In Xi Tong’s reverent, envious gaze, Yun Ye even saw a trace of sorrow. He was pitying himself, probably unable to understand why such a devout immortal-seeker as himself had no fate to see those immortals, why Yun Ye could always easily obtain it yet didn’t care, discarding it like worn-out shoes.

Let Xi Tong go. After all, he hadn’t harmed himself. Yun Ye also didn’t want to completely fall out with Tian Xiangzi. If Li Jing wanted to watch a comedy, let him.

Why should I establish a powerful enemy for myself? So far, they’ve treated me quite kindly. I haven’t seen any malice from them. This is a group of pitiful people who, when their hope was about to be shattered, found a new goal.

This only required slightly changing their direction of progress. Couldn’t that benefit Great Tang? Wasn’t Columbus’s original intention also to find China, where gold was everywhere? Presumably, they’d be very interested in visiting human wonders like pyramids, Stonehenge, hanging gardens, and those magnificent earthly paradises. Perhaps it would truly make them become immortals.

He brought over a pot of wine and a lamb leg, stuffing them to Xi Tong. Seeing him somewhat bewildered, he said: “I won’t ask about your affairs anymore. I need to do my own things. I don’t have time to entangle with you. You pursue the path of immortals, I pursue achievements in the mortal world. You hope to one day ascend to the heavenly gate, I only hope I can leave my name in history. Next time you have something to ask, come find me directly. Don’t make these messy things that irritate me and trouble you. Now I’ll tell you what needs attention in the far northern land. You first need to make preparations. Preparation work is extremely important—from medicine to food, then to weapons, then to clothing. You need to make detailed plans every day and make contingency plans for sudden situations. These things are very complicated and can’t be explained in a sentence or two.”

“Marquis Yun, why do this? You’re giving away these precious things just like that?” Hearing Yun Ye’s words, Xi Tong almost couldn’t believe his ears. Anyone who knew these worldly secrets would bury them in their hearts and pass them to their descendants. To throw them out as junk like this—no wonder Xi Tong had questions.

“I promised my master not to seek longevity. You’re all cheap skins. What you consider treasures are worthless to me. Besides, you threatened my family. In this situation, do you think I’d trade my family for a pile of junk?”

“Longevity, longevity—in my view, exchanging it for a single hair of my little sister would be a big loss. Only you fellows who want to become stones consider it treasure. Since you’re determined to become stones, then go become them. When you’re all stones, won’t I be completely relaxed? I’m leaving the grasslands tomorrow. I’d like to meet with Tian Xiangzi. It’s better to make some things clear. I know you have vast supernatural powers. Let’s set the time on my way back to Chang’an. You choose the time and place. Just don’t engage in weird customs like killing people to welcome guests. Something ordinary with a cup of tea is fine.”

Xi Tong was completely confused. He couldn’t detect any conspiracy in Yun Ye’s words. He wanted to say something, but opening his mouth, he had nothing to say. Not until he was pushed and shoved out of the military camp by Yun Ye, looking at the pitch-black grasslands and hearing the desolate wolf howls in the distance, did he confirm he wasn’t dreaming.

Tightening his belt, picking up the long blade Yun Ye had thrown out beside his feet, looking at the position of the stars above, he slowly walked into the boundless darkness.

Standing in the shadows, Li Jing sighed and returned to the command tent.

With the shadow in his heart gone, Yun Ye immediately felt completely relaxed. Humming the little tune “Tian Mi Mi,” he returned to his own tent. Tonight he absolutely had to drive Na Rimu away. He hadn’t slept well last night. A woman with the habit of stealing blankets was better sent out. How blissful it was to sleep alone on the wide bed.

Fortunately, Na Rimu wasn’t there. According to Huan Niang, this was a grassland custom—after a woman’s first night with a man, she had to return to her own tent to sleep for two days. What a humane custom! It should be continued.

Lying on the soft, comfortable bed, Yun Ye almost moaned with comfort, spreading out in a large character shape on the bed, getting comfortable however he could.

This comfortable state hadn’t been maintained for even the time of one incense stick before it was broken by someone.

Cheng Chumo came to Yun Ye’s tent with a blanket tucked under his arm. As soon as he entered, he threw the blanket on the bed, took off his boots in two or three moves, and immediately a salted fish smell filled the entire tent. Holding his breath, Yun Ye pointed at the wooden basin and glared at Cheng Chumo.

Little Cheng muttered and grumbled, extremely unwilling as he went to wash his feet. Those shoes were carried out by Huan Niang holding her nose. In the cold weather, the tent flap was lifted to air out for a long while before driving away the foot smell.

“Ye’zi, I don’t want to go back. I want to stay on the grasslands. You go back and tell my mother.” Cheng Chumo lay beside Yun Ye and said quietly.

“Dream on! Do you think it was easy for me to get you out from under Li Ji? Among those uncles, I dislike Li Ji the most. Working under him is too dangerous. This person has a bad habit—he likes to use his close juniors to establish military authority. I don’t want you to be used as an example. Honestly go back to Chang’an with me. Besides, you’re about to get married. Going back to properly prepare for the wedding is proper business.”

He’d said this to Cheng Chumo no less than ten times. The merits that could be gained had been gained, the battles that should be fought had been fought. Staying on the grasslands had no meaning—it only wasted youth. This bastard just wouldn’t listen. No matter what was said, he refused to return to Chang’an.

“When I go back, I’ll be under family control again. You also know my temperament. My mother manages me strictly—even wanting to go out is a luxury. Rather than that, I’d prefer to stay freely on the grasslands fighting battles.” Cheng Chumo began refuting Yun Ye’s arguments again.

“Shut up! You’re thinking too beautifully—you still want to stay at home? As soon as you return, you have to report to the academy. This year you haven’t learned anything. This time you need to properly catch up on your missed lessons. Don’t end up unable to match even your younger brother—that would be embarrassing.”

“You should have said so earlier! So going back means I go to the academy for classes. That’s good then—at your place, big brother can relax. I’ll return to Chang’an tomorrow. This damn grassland place—I’ve been sick of it for ages. There isn’t even one decent thing to eat. I really miss the red-braised pork you make.”

Yun Ye angrily jumped up and kicked Cheng Chumo’s butt several times, saying to him: “I didn’t sleep well last night, and you’re still yammering on—are you going to let me sleep or not? We still have to travel tomorrow. Hurry up and sleep.”

Cheng Chumo had long been accustomed to Yun Ye’s inexplicable temper. Brazenly he asked: “How was last night? Did that wild girl serve you satisfactorily?”

Yun Ye had no way to deal with this vulgar man. He could only wrap himself in the blanket and pretend to sleep.

All night he didn’t dream even once, until Huan Niang came in to prepare to serve the two for washing. Seeing the two young men still sleeping unconscious, she could only wipe their faces with a wet cloth several times before waking the pair.

The sky was still dark, but outside the tent it was already bustling with voices. He Shao was loudly instructing the auxiliary soldiers to bind the goods one by one, not leaving a single item—it was all money!

Na Rimu stood early at the tent entrance, heartlessly grinning foolishly at Yun Ye. Didn’t this silly girl know her lover was leaving for distant lands today? Disregarding the countless pairs of eyes watching around them, Na Rimu rushed up to tightly embrace Yun Ye, said a long string of Turkic words he couldn’t understand, then picked up her whip to herd her beloved sheep.

Huan Niang said to Yun Ye: “Na Rimu wishes you a safe journey. She says she’ll wait on the grasslands for you to return. She’ll raise many cattle and sheep for you, then distribute them to your children. You’ll have many children in the future, so she must work hard herding sheep and won’t see you off.”

Yun Ye was stunned for a moment, then instructed the guards to lead his horse over. He gave it to Huan Niang, saying to her: “You must take good care of yourself on the grasslands. If you want to come home, tell me and I’ll send people to fetch you. Give this horse to Na Rimu. Tell her if she meets a good man, don’t hesitate—if she wants to marry, then marry. She needn’t worry about me.”

Huan Niang waved to Yun Ye with tears streaming down her face, then rode the horse to chase after Na Rimu who had already gone far. That silly girl must be crying right now.

Cheng Chumo changed into armor and stood beside Yun Ye, craning his neck to watch Huan Niang’s retreating figure. He said nothing, only patted Yun Ye’s shoulder, then left on his own.

Yun Ye saw Tang Jian fighting for a carriage and Xu Jingzong dragging a large bundle of things to throw on a cart. Gongshu Jia was adjusting his crossbow. Sun Simiao carried his medicine box with a group of people behind him carrying boxes large and small, loading them on carts by category. Each time a box was loaded, Sun Simiao wrote a mark on it to prevent confusion after returning to the academy.

They’d been out for over half a year—it was time to go back.