Those who dare to gather firewood for the world—though I died, there are those who come after.

Ni Su’s heart couldn’t help but be shaken by this. The torment of death by a thousand cuts, the humiliation of a tarnished name, all the suffering before and after death—none of it had made him abandon himself, nor had it made him lose hope in this filthy world.

The brightness of his original heart, clear as the sun at noon.

Though punishment fell upon his body, it did not destroy his will.

The wind howled. Ni Su gazed at the continuous, indistinct mountain ranges at the edge of the plains. “Does your body still hurt?”

“I’m feeling much better already.”

Ni Su looked at the hand gripping the reins—beautiful tendons and bones, slender finger joints. “But you’ll soon feel terrible again.”

The two fell silent for a moment, only the sound of horse hooves trampling and raising dust unceasing in their ears.

Song Song had already entered the trap. This meant Xu Hexue would soon follow the plan and enter Su Qile’s military camp, and under everyone’s eyes, assassinate Song Song.

He wouldn’t let her follow.

“I’m fine.”

Xu Hexue’s face under the sunlight still carried a cold quality. His eyes fixed on the back of her head, his emotions barely visible. “If you light a lamp for me, I will return to your side.”

“But,”

Ni Su faced the sunlight, looking up at the sky. The brilliant golden light almost made it impossible for her to see. “I really don’t understand why you must endure such constraints. Whether in life or death, you clearly did nothing wrong. You never even touched the blood of innocents. I don’t know why the price for your return must be so heavy, so difficult.”

Xu Hexue’s gaze silently followed her flying cloth. “In the netherworld there are countless living souls. Not all spirits have the opportunity to return to the mortal realm to make up for regrets. Since I was fortunate enough to meet you and have you summon my soul, I should naturally bear the constraints of the netherworld.”

Ni Su pressed her lips together without speaking.

Xu Hexue pulled the reins. The horse raised its neck in a long neigh and stopped. The wind and sand were very light, and ahead the reed flowers grew lush, the lake water like a mirror, reflecting the sunlight.

“Ni Su?”

He called softly.

“Mm?”

“Why aren’t you speaking?”

“I’m thinking about what I should say.”

“Have you thought of it?”

Ni Su shook her head. “It seems that no matter what I say, my words can’t express what I mean. But I also feel I should say something to you—not out of the living’s pity or sympathy for the dead. You don’t seem to need those things either.”

In her heart, she admired this person.

She admired his heart as clear as the sun at noon, admired his resilient bones. The most beautiful righteousness and lasting grace of scholars and the rarest steadfast courage of military generals were all fused in him alone.

“Those who gather firewood for the world should not be failed by the world,”

She looked at him. “Whether it’s you or the thirty thousand heroic souls trapped in the netherworld pagoda, I want the people of the realm to know the truth. Whether as someone who knows you or as a person of Qi, I don’t want your names and theirs to rot in the history books.”

Mist and smoke filled the air. Agate Lake’s surface sparkled with light.

Duan Rong lost track of Xu Hexue and Ni Su, returning to camp covered in dust with his men, his heart anxious and uneasy. Who would have thought that in just the time it took to drink two cups of tea, someone came to report that the two had returned.

Duan Rong hurried out to see that young master with his face covered by long cloth helping that Young Mistress Ni dismount. The father and son Fan Jiang were gathering around, talking with them.

Duan Rong didn’t go forward but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At dusk, as soon as Qin Jixun returned from the Wei family army camp, he entered Xu Hexue’s tent. Xu Hexue supported himself on the desk to sit down, handing the tea Fan Jiang had poured to Ni Su beside him with one hand while saying to Qin Jixun: “General Qin, when will Song Song go to meet Su Qile?”

Qin Jixun said: “Dechang failed to send troops to Mount Ru twice. Su Qile is already furious with shame, thinking Song Song is toying with him. If Song Song delays further, he’ll be the one damaging relations between the two nations. I think he can’t delay—probably tomorrow, there will be movement.”

The tea brewed from reed flower dew had a faint fragrance of grass and wood. Ni Su had just taken a sip when, hearing Qin Jixun’s words, she immediately raised her head.

“Young Master Ni, without your help, I’m afraid Shen Tongchuan wouldn’t have acted today either.” Though Qin Jixun couldn’t see his face, he could still make out his pallid, sickly appearance. “I really shouldn’t have you go to Su Qile’s camp to carry out the assassination. If Song Song truly goes to meet Su Qile tomorrow, then to show sincerity, he won’t bring too many people. If you kill Song Song in Su Qile’s camp, how will you escape then?”

But Xu Hexue asked: “Has General Qin made up his mind to trap Su Qile to death?”

Qin Jixun answered without hesitation: “Yes. I just received news that the Danqiu garrison at Juhan Pass is heading toward Yongzhou. They must have received Su Qile’s orders. Whether it’s Yang Tianzhe’s rebel army or my Yongzhou, Su Qile probably won’t spare either.”

Since that’s the case, why not kill Su Qile first?

War was already unavoidable anyway—this would also wake up those appeasers at court who were lost in wine and luxury.

“Once Su Qile retreats and forms an encirclement with the Danqiu garrison at Juhan Pass, Yang Tianzhe and his rebel army will be turtles in a jar.” Xu Hexue immediately clarified the situation, then said to Qin Jixun: “My killing Song Song is the condition I asked General Qin to trust me. This matter should be done by me. But I also want to ask General Qin to temporarily protect Yang Tianzhe.”

“Is Young Master Ni an old acquaintance of Yang Tianzhe?”

Qin Jixun asked doubtfully.

“No.”

Xu Hexue shook his head. “It’s just that I have doubts in my heart that only this person can resolve.”

Qin Jixun originally wanted to ask in detail but also felt this seemed somewhat intrusive. He didn’t know what doubts this young man could have that a criminal official’s son could resolve.

“Regardless of his motives, at least those elderly, weak, women and children he brings are people I, Qin Jixun, should protect. I can promise Young Master Ni to temporarily protect Yang Tianzhe, but… the premise is that Young Master Ni must return safely and unharmed.”

Qin Jixun often felt this person was refined and sickly, should be a scholar without the strength to truss a chicken. But he had also seen this person’s skills when competing with Wei Dechang. If not for his diseased, broken body, perhaps he should have had greater accomplishments.

Qin Jixun couldn’t help but feel regret.

“General Xu, you’re going to the Danqiu barbarian camp?” After Qin Jixun left the tent, Fan Jiang came over leaning on his crutch. “What about Miss Ni? Are you going too?”

“I want to go.”

“She’s not going.”

Ni Su and Xu Hexue spoke almost in unison.

The tent suddenly fell quiet. Qingqiong and Fan Jiang looked at each other, then looked at the two of them in unison.

Ni Su held her tea bowl and stopped talking.

“But if Miss Ni doesn’t go, then General Xu, your prohibition…” Qingqiong’s voice gradually lowered.

The sky darkened and night quickly fell.

In the tent, Ni Su wrapped herself in blankets. The lamplight’s shadows spread across the tent curtain. The wind and sand blew fiercely at night. She harbored worries and only began to feel drowsy when dawn was breaking.

But hearing the sound of troops mustering outside, she immediately became much more alert. Footsteps approached outside the tent. Seeing that frost-white robe, she instinctively closed her eyes.

The light in the tent was dim. Xu Hexue’s vision was somewhat blurred. He moved extremely lightly, walking close to the bed and standing for a moment without clearly seeing the woman on the bamboo bed.

The blanket was rolled under her arm into a bundle.

He bent down, groped about, and pulled the blanket from beneath her to cover her body.

Ni Su breathed very slowly. She closed her eyes but felt his every move even more clearly.

Fortunately, he couldn’t see clearly.

Otherwise he would discover her eyelids were trembling—her pretense of sleep wasn’t very skillful.

His movements stopped for a while.

Ni Su didn’t know what he was doing. She heard no sound, not even the friction of cloth. Just when she was about to be unable to resist her curiosity and open her eyes to peek, she felt him seem to tuck something under her pillow.

He seemed about to leave.

Ni Su heard his footsteps.

Her fingers gripped the edge of the blanket tightly. She suddenly opened her eyes, sat up, and without hesitation reached out to grasp his sleeve.

Xu Hexue paused.

He turned back. In his blurred vision, her hand seemed to reach under the pillow.

Ni Su placed the thing wrapped in a handkerchief on her knee. Unwrapping it, she discovered it was actually snow-white milk candy.

She raised her head.

“I asked Duan Rong to buy it.”

Xu Hexue lowered his eyes, looking at his sleeve grasped by her.

Ni Su looked at him. “Why did you buy this for me?”

“I made you angry.”

Xu Hexue couldn’t see her expression clearly. “I’ve forgotten many things from when I was alive. I only remember some things I once considered important. I don’t remember if I ever ate this kind of candy. You try it—if you think it’s good, in the future, I’ll buy more for you to eat.”

“Haven’t you tried it yourself first?”

Xu Hexue made an “mm” sound. “No.”

As soon as his words fell, Ni Su immediately pinched a piece and pressed it to his lips.

He was caught off guard, freezing for a moment before slowly opening his mouth to bite down.

“Is it good?”

Ni Su looked at him, but couldn’t see any reaction on his cold, clear face.

Xu Hexue couldn’t give her an answer.

He held the candy in his mouth, only saying after a moment: “You should sleep a bit more.”

He should have turned and left, if she hadn’t been gripping his sleeve tightly. Xu Hexue met her clear, bright eyes.

She shook his sleeve, refusing to let go: “I still want to go with you.”