The Spring Festival felt like it had only just passed, yet in the blink of an eye, autumn had already arrived! Traveling west, from forests all the way to grasslands, and beyond the grasslands lay the desert — the changes in climate grew more and more pronounced.

Every evening, galloping across the grasslands always brought a feeling of chasing after the setting sun.

At this moment, Ziqing and Jun Beiyue stood together atop a hilltop, overlooking Da Zhou’s western grasslands. Jun Beiyue should have already left, but he had delayed again and again, escorting her all the way out here.

Finally, there was no more delaying possible. White Tiger General had sent word — Dong Qin was making new moves again, and at such a critical, sensitive moment, no one else could make the necessary judgment calls in Jun Beiyue’s place!

After all, whether on the chessboard or the battlefield, a single careless move could lose everything!

The moment the Empress of Dong Qin had allied herself with the Xiongnu, it was already certain Jun Beiyue could not afford to leave the northern frontier.

“Let’s stop here. Haonan and Shadow are both waiting down the hill,” Ziqing said quietly, the last rays of sunset spread across her face, chasing away the faint chill of autumn.

Jun Beiyue took her hand, saying nothing, only gently raising it to his lips and kissing it softly.

Ziqing watched him silently, and when his lips finally pulled away, she laced her fingers through his and smiled. “Take care. I’ll wait for you to come get me for Yaoshun Island.”

Jun Beiyue was never one for excessive words, even facing the woman he loved most, only responding, “Mm!”

Yet he didn’t let go of her hand. It was Ziqing who let go first — she was the kind of person who would rather get gloriously drunk three thousand times over than speak of parting sorrows. She said “take care” once more, and turned to leave.

But after walking some distance away, she suddenly turned back. “Oh, right — can you promise me something?”

At this, Jun Beiyue finally smiled. “Is there even a question of whether I’d agree?” As if there was any need to ask.

“Once the war ends, before we go to Yaoshun Island, take me somewhere first?” Ziqing called out loudly. The secret of Lishang had nearly been fully uncovered, and the secret of the isolated island was about to emerge as well.

She had a vague, persistent feeling that Yaoshun Island represented an ending, and that Baili Weisheng represented an ending too.

It wasn’t that she feared facing the truest secret — she simply had one small wish of her own.

If, in the very end, it turned out the isolated island truly shouldn’t exist, and no one could ever cure her body’s resistance to all poisons or erase the poison scar on her face, she at least wanted to fulfill that one small wish first.

“Where to?” Jun Beiyue asked, curious what place could warrant such a request from her.

“Mobei!” Ziqing shouted. Seeing Jun Beiyue’s confusion, she called out even louder, “Let’s go live there under assumed names for a few days, just the two of us — no isolated-island Han Ziqing, no Da Zhou’s Jun Beiyue! Please?”

Ziqing shouted so loudly that the empty forest echoed with her voice. Jun Beiyue watched her from a distance, and felt something tug at his heart — something that hurt, and yet didn’t quite feel like pain either, some feeling he couldn’t quite name or describe.

Da Zhou’s Jun Beiyue, and the isolated island’s Han Ziqing — these two identities had been layered with far too much weight between them. Even though he had never said so outright, he had never once allowed Physician Gu or Prince Baxian to discuss such matters in front of her.

But this woman was, in the end, far too perceptive. What she had been thinking about, no doubt, went far beyond anything Physician Gu or Prince Baxian had ever considered.

Seeing Jun Beiyue not answer, Ziqing immediately began explaining, “Mobei is like a paradise outside the world, no war, no…”

“Alright! Once the war ends, we’ll go!” Jun Beiyue immediately agreed!

He too understood — the secret of Yaoshun Island might change a great many things.

A ruler’s word was never spoken in jest. With Jun Beiyue’s promise secured, Ziqing felt fully satisfied. She waved at him and, without a single backward glance, cracked her whip and galloped down the hillside.

Only after her figure had vanished into the twilight did Jun Beiyue let out a helpless, quiet sigh. Every single time they parted, it was always this woman who let go first, always her who left without looking back!

He stood there for a long while, until the sky had gone completely dark, still standing there in a daze, and no one knew what he was thinking.

It wasn’t until a guard came bearing news that he finally snapped back to himself — a letter had arrived from Guxi on Yaoshun Island.

“My lord, Guxi hasn’t seen Baili Weisheng for three full days now.”

“Any word from Jiao Cha’s side?”

Though the Qinse Sea Valley on Liuxian Island had changed hands in terms of who guarded it, and Jiao Cha had returned to the mermaid clan in Nanzhao, his influence among the mermaid people remained considerable. Whatever happened beneath the sea could not escape the mermaids’ notice.

“No word from him either, but Jiao Cha did say it’s highly likely he escaped by sea — even the fiercest black mermaid is no match for a golden mermaid,” the guard reported honestly.

Jun Beiyue nodded and said nothing further. He already had ample evidence exposing Baili Weisheng’s lies within Duku — this man was in no way a genuine guardian of Yaoshun Island at all!

Only, he still had to deal with matters concerning Dong Qin — openly heading to Yaoshun Island wasn’t going to be easy either. He had no choice but to hold his position and wait.

Yet unexpectedly, it seemed Baili Weisheng himself had run out of patience first.

From the moment he set foot on the island, Guxi had kept watch over him, yet nothing at all had happened on Yaoshun Island.

Jun Beiyue couldn’t quite figure it out — did Baili Weisheng actually know the secret of Yaoshun Island, or did he not know it at all?

What exactly was his true identity?

“Send word to Jiao Cha — the moment there’s any news from Duku’s side, report to me immediately!” Jun Beiyue ordered coldly. He glanced back once more toward the base of the hill, then mounted his horse and rode off.

Down at the base of the hill, Ziqing had already reunited with Situ Haonan.

The moment they met, Ziqing delivered a fierce punch straight to Situ Haonan. “If you dare give up on Yelu Qianqian, I’ll… I’ll make sure you’re tied up hand and foot and delivered straight to her!”

Ziqing understood the difficult position Situ Haonan was in as a filial son, but understanding aside, she was genuinely disappointed by his earlier hesitation.

Situ Haonan simply let her hit him, gazing westward, a faint trace of worry visible between his brows.

He had considered seeking his grandfather’s support earlier. Though his grandfather resided in Mobei and couldn’t easily interfere in Xijing’s affairs, his grandfather could still put pressure on Situ City!

But after that earlier confrontation, with Jun Beiyue stripping martial-world figures of their special privileges in Da Zhou and completely breaking ties with Situ City, he suddenly lost his confidence. After all, this matter involved both Xijing and Xiliang, and concerned both the martial world and the imperial court — no matter how much his grandfather doted on him, there was no guarantee he would side with him entirely.

Seeing Situ Haonan unresponsive, Ziqing frowned. “What are you thinking about?”

“Mobei,” Situ Haonan said helplessly, uttering just those two words.

Ziqing had no patience left for whatever he meant by that. Seeing his listless attitude, she couldn’t help but scold him sharply, “Situ Haonan, can you stop being so gloomy! Show some spirit, show some fighting will, would you! You’re supposed to be going after your bride, saving your bride!”

Startled by Ziqing’s shout, Situ Haonan finally snapped out of it. He looked at Ziqing, about to speak, when the head of her mercenary band, Bing Chan, arrived. “My lord, we’ve confirmed everything — the Xijing frontier pass is currently secure, no suspicious individuals have appeared!”

With the war between Xijing and Xiliang raging, Da Zhou’s western border had naturally been closed off, allowing only limited hours of passage, with strict inspections in place.

Though Ziqing and Situ Haonan had been delayed, several of her mercenaries had already arrived at the western frontier pass ahead of time — meaning that as long as Yelu Qianqian was still within Da Zhou’s territory, she would never be able to slip through the border pass undetected.

Hearing this news, Ziqing had no time to spare for Situ Haonan any longer. She knew that guarding the border alone was too much of a gamble. After a moment’s thought, she gave an order. “Spread word that Yelu Qianqian is trapped at Da Zhou’s western frontier pass!”

The moment that girl passed through the border, she would certainly contact the Xijing royal house!

She wanted to test the waters, to gauge everyone’s reactions, and determine once and for all whether Yelu Qianqian was still within Da Zhou or had already reached Xijing.