The snow fell heavier now, the night deepening. In the mountain forest, only the vast gray expanse of night gradually remained.

Wind and snow howled across the mountainside. In a cave within this desolate range, a campfire burned, a simple meal stewing over it. Several men in leather cloaks, sabers at their waists, gathered around the fire. After a while, another man came in from the wind and snow outside, breathing out a puff of white breath. As he walked over, he first bowed to the man seated deepest in the cave.

“The snow won’t be letting up anytime soon…”

Seated in the innermost spot of the cave, Tie Tianying tossed a branch into the fire, watching the flames crackle and pop. The man who’d just entered sat down by the fire, roasting a slice of meat until it softened, then hesitated a moment before speaking.

“I’ve heard… about Bianliang…”

The words left his mouth, then trailed off again. The others in the cave wore various expressions on their faces, most glancing at Tie Tianying before lowering their heads in silence. Most of them were skilled fighters from the Ministry of Justice, having come from the capital, and some had family there too. A few months earlier, Ning Yi had risen in rebellion; the Wurui Camp had swept through the capital and then marched north, winning two consecutive major battles that sent several pursuing forces fleeing in complete disarray. Once the new emperor had taken the throne in the capital and things had settled somewhat, manpower had been gathered again to form the Rebel Extermination Bureau, placed directly under Tan Zhen’s command, tasked with hunting down traitors.

Because Tie Tianying had dealt with Ning Yi before, and had even sensed the man’s treacherous intentions ahead of time, once Tan Zhen took office he’d promoted Tie Tianying and Fan Zhong, appointing each to lead a squad of the Rebel Extermination Bureau — with tokens of authority that let them command all Six Ministries as needed. It was, in truth, an extraordinary promotion.

Only, the Rebel Extermination Bureau had barely been established when the Jurchen forces came sweeping south like a flood. By the time they reached the northwest and had only just begun to get a grasp of the situation, the Jurchens had all but reached Bianliang, and the realm fell into chaos soon after. The Rebel Extermination Bureau felt like a child abandoned the moment it was born — cut off from communication with its superiors, its ranks filled with unease. And having arrived in the northwest, where the local temperament was fierce and unyielding, even when Tie Tianying and the others sought cooperation from the local authorities, they found that even with an imperial sword of authority in hand, the locals weren’t necessarily inclined to listen. For a time, they were at a loss even for what to do next.

And today, word had come that the capital had fallen — leaving people unable to help but wonder whether, with the nation itself on the verge of ruin, there was any point in the Rebel Extermination Bureau continuing to exist at all.

“…If the Western Xia come and reclaim Hengshan, there’ll be no peace left anywhere in this northwest region — the whole realm will fall into chaos.” After a long silence, Tie Tianying tossed another log onto the fire, watching the flames stir, before speaking slowly. But what he said inevitably brought to mind the prophecy that man had once made.

Bianliang would fall within a year. All land north of the Yellow River would be lost. Within three years, everything north of the Yangtze would fall into Jurchen hands, and countless common folk would become livestock for the slaughter—

Looking at things now, the situation had unfolded almost exactly as that Inner Demon had predicted.

“But if that devil hadn’t committed such an unforgivable act of treason! Our Wu Dynasty would never have come to this!” As Tie Tianying said this, his gaze suddenly turned cold, and he raised an eyebrow, looking around at them. “I know what’s on your minds. But even those of you with family in Bianliang — with the Jurchens laying siege to the city, how could you possibly have gotten in? As long as we’re working up here in the north, and there’s even the slightest opportunity, how could Lord Tan fail to look after our families? Let me put it bluntly — if any of our families or kin truly meet with misfortune, all of you should think carefully about whose doing this really is! And how we’re to avenge them!”

“Our Wu Dynasty has stood for centuries, its foundations deep and solid. Even that devil, that rebel, only dared to say… he only dared to say that within three years we’d retreat south of the Yangtze. But if he hadn’t murdered the emperor right there in open court, crushing the morale of the capital again and again — with as many as two hundred thousand people fleeing the city within a matter of months — how could Bianliang possibly have fallen so quickly? A traitor and rebel like that… I, Tie Tianying, will cut this beast down with my own hands, sooner or later!”

By the end of these words, he spoke with iron resolve, his hatred plain and fierce. The others in the cave exchanged glances; one of his trusted men walked over and pressed a hand to the back of Tie Tianying’s hand. “Sooner or later, we’ll destroy the traitor.”

The others came over one by one as well, echoing, “Sooner or later, we’ll destroy the traitor…”

Once everyone had said this, Tie Tianying finally gave a small nod. “For now, isolated as we are, we can’t take him on by force. But as long as we keep watch on that side, learn the truth of the rebels’ strength and weaknesses, the chance will come sooner or later.”

After a moment, he added, “Strong as the Wurui Camp may be, it’s still no more than ten thousand men. With the Western Xia coming on so fiercely and standing in the way, whether we’ll even get our chance to kill the traitor is hard to say.”

Outside, the wind and snow howled on. Most of the men in the cave nodded, offering a few words to raise morale, but in truth, few among them still felt any real conviction. Most had been constables and chief constables, skilled fighters, but above all, sharp-minded men who’d seen every kind of slippery character in the underworld and the marketplace. Few of them truly believed that Bianliang could have held if only the Wurui Camp hadn’t rebelled — they understood the scheming and hidden dealings at the top of the court all too well. They’d simply never seen anyone flip the whole table over and kill the emperor outright.

But for now, of course, all they could do was nod along and voice their agreement.

The night grew deeper still. In the cave, Tie Tianying sat at the very back, silent and resolute. With the wind and snow raging outside and the world a vast gray expanse, all he could do now was close his eyes and rest in this cave, conserving his strength. Only in moments no one else could notice would he suddenly startle awake from his sleep, open his eyes, then grit his teeth and settle back down without a sound.

Of the two Ministry of Justice chief constables who’d been promoted, Fan Zhong’s task was to rally the various forces of the martial world in support of the great cause of exterminating the traitor. Tie Tianying, meanwhile, led several units into the northwest to gather traces and intelligence on the Wurui Camp, and, when the moment was right, to assassinate the Inner Demon. But at this point, only he himself knew the unease and pressure weighing on his heart.

Having arrived in the northwest, tracking the movements of such a large army wasn’t especially difficult. Even Green Wood Stockade, one of the rebel’s strongholds, he’d been able to send a scout or two into, to gather intelligence. In these recent days, the comings and goings between Green Wood Stockade and Small Azure River, and even the gradual, piecemeal gathering of Wurui Camp soldiers and their families from various places, had all been things his men could trace, even observing from a distance.

With outsiders continuously entering Small Azure River, it wasn’t as though they couldn’t plant men inside — back when the Wurui Camp had first rebelled, those who’d left directly had been the relatively unencumbered ones, while most of those with wives, children, and family had stayed behind. The court had imposed heavy pressure on this latter group, and had at times sought out some among them to incite as informants, to help hunt down the rebels, or to feign loyalty and defect while secretly passing along information. But now, with Bianliang fallen, even those who were supposedly “feigning” loyalty were difficult for Tie Tianying’s side to sort from the genuine ones.

Some of his subordinates wanted to make contact with these people; others wanted to strike at them, as a warning to others. Tie Tianying simply had them quietly gather intelligence — on the surface, of course, saying they mustn’t spook the enemy. But in these recent days, there had been several times when Tie Tianying woke suddenly in the night, always because he’d dreamed of that Inner Demon’s figure.

The man turning his own surveillance back on them, then striking first!

No one knew that the closer he got to that Inner Demon, the more wary — even fearful — Tie Tianying’s heart became.

The situation between the two of them now was utterly different from how it had been in the capital.

Back then, Tie Tianying had dared to provoke the man, even threaten him, trying to make him lose his temper, drive him to some desperate act. Back then, in his heart, he’d felt there was little difference between himself and this man called Ning Liheng. If anything, his status as a Ministry of Justice chief constable had stood a full rung above that of a disgraced chancellor’s advisor. After all, the Inner Demon’s reputation had come purely from his cunning — Tie Tianying was a first-rate master of the martial world, and might one day even rise to become a grandmaster of the jianghu himself. Knowing what he knew of the man’s background, why should he fear some young upstart who relied on nothing but a bit of scheming?

When conflict had arisen between them, he’d struck the man right there in the street, and the man hadn’t even dared show anger. Even when his wife had gone missing without a trace, on the surface he’d shown fury, but in truth, he’d never been able to do a thing to Tie Tianying.

From beginning to end, he’d never been able to touch Tie Tianying — not until the young man finally lost control, broke through Bianliang, and killed the Son of Heaven himself before the assembled court, that Tie Tianying suddenly realized the man had never regarded him as anything at all.

Otherwise, in that kind of city-breaking chaos, with the City Patrol Bureau, the Ministry of Justice’s main hall, and the Ministry of War’s White Tiger Hall all overrun, how could a mere Ministry of Justice chief constable like himself have possibly escaped the man’s reach?

Now that Ning Yi had become an enemy of the entire realm, raised the banner of rebellion, how could he possibly fail to guard against a pursuer like Tie Tianying? Given that man’s cunning, if Tie Tianying moved carelessly, who was to say some location, some piece of intelligence, wasn’t a trap deliberately set for him? Who was to say that one day, while he slept, the man might not already have ordered his men to strike back, casually sweeping away this irritating little pebble in his path?

If the man were some reckless, brute-force rebel — as fearsome as Liu Dabiao, Fang La, or Zhou Tong — Tie Tianying wouldn’t be afraid at all. But this time, he genuinely believed such a threat was real. After all, even Lin Echan — whose martial skill might well be the greatest under heaven — had come up against the Inner Demon several times and only limped away in miserable defeat. He was a Ministry of Justice chief constable, well accustomed to shrewd and slippery types, but when it came to scheming and planning on a level that could casually overturn the imperial throne, standing before this madman, he genuinely wouldn’t know where to strike. Every step forward, he’d have to worry whether it was a trap.

Even Lin Echan, when Ning Liheng later raised his banner and departed, the Great Brightness Sect had only taken the opportunity to enter the capital — they hadn’t dared follow him all the way to the northwest for revenge. And now, with the Great Brightness Sect having only just entered the capital these past few months, with the capital fallen, they’d likely have no choice but to slink back south in defeat.

This wasn’t something that raw strength alone could make up for.

If he proceeded with caution, without acting rashly, perhaps one day, when the situation fell into greater chaos, he might genuinely find his chance to strike. But right now was precisely when the other side was most on guard — to charge in foolishly now, with the few men he had, would be nothing short of a moth flying into flame.

His subordinates might not understand this, but he understood it well enough.

Of course, with the Western Xia now advancing from the south, and the Wurui Camp’s forces numbering little more than ten thousand, camped where they were — perhaps one day they’d clash with the Western Xia and be wiped out here entirely. That wasn’t impossible either.

If that were to happen, perhaps that would be the best outcome, both for himself and for the men under him…

Deep in the recesses of his mind, this thought flickered by…

…

At Small Azure River, likewise blanketed in wind and snow, in a courtyard halfway up the mountainside, warm light spilled faintly through the window lattice.

A glowing brazier warmed this small room; inside, the great demon lord’s family was nearing bedtime. Gathered around the great demon lord were the women — young in appearance even by later standards, though long since wives now — and his two children, one older, one still small. The pregnant Yun Zhu sat beneath the lamp, stitching a shoe insole; Yuan Jin’er held the small Ning Ji in her arms, occasionally playing with him, though the little one was already yawning, eyes drooping.

Ning Xi sat properly in his small chair, listening to his father tell some entertaining tale from an old book; his mother, Su Tan’er, sat beside him. Xiao Chan occasionally glanced at the hot water over the brazier, adding some to the teacups, then went back to sit with Yun Zhu, working on shoe insoles together, and then, covering her mouth, blinked drowsily with a small yawn of her own — she was getting sleepy too.

Having returned from a long journey and handled some matters, gathering together like this late at night, telling the children a story, or chatting quietly together — this had become the Ning family’s way of winding down before bed.

Outside the courtyard lay the deep darkness of night and the snow falling across the sky; the heavy snowfall that had only just begun that night carried the deep chill of late night into everything, as if transforming the whole mountain wilderness into something mysterious and dangerous. Hardly anyone was still moving about outdoors. And yet, at this very moment, a figure appeared amid the wind and snow. She walked slowly toward this place, then stopped some distance away, seeming as though she wanted to draw closer, only to want to pull away again — caught in that conflict, she simply lingered a while in the wind and snow.

Inside the courtyard, the family gathering had already begun to break up. Jin’er, carrying little Ning Ji, went with Yun Zhu back to the bedroom; Xiao Chan carried Ning Xi off as well. In the room, presumably, the husband and wife were still talking. The figure in the wind and snow watched this scene from a distance, gently kicking at the snow underfoot on the small path halfway up the mountainside, then looked up at the night sky she couldn’t quite see, and finally turned to leave.

But just then, Ning Yi’s figure appeared in the courtyard as well — he crossed the yard, opened the courtyard gate, and, cloak wrapped around him, walked this way. The figure in the darkness glanced back and stopped. Ning Yi walked along the mountain path, gradually drawing closer.

“Hey, what a coincidence.” Ning Yi said to Xigua.

Xigua frowned and turned to leave.

“Just joking.” Ning Yi said with a faint smile. “Let’s walk together a while.”

The figure ahead didn’t stop, and Ning Yi continued walking slowly toward her; before long, they were walking side by side. The midnight wind and snow were bitterly cold, but they simply spoke quietly to each other.

Neither of them feared the wind and snow…