The night wind was bleak, Yin Xuan’s head rested on Qing Yao’s shoulder, the two of them gazing at the sky ablaze with distant firelight. Amidst the billowing smoke and fire, with their family together, a profound peace settled in their hearts, a harmony they had never known.
Xiao Yu’er looked up, gazing from one to the other. Suddenly, a smile bloomed on her tender, pink face. If it were possible, she wished for them to be together always.
Mo Chou and Bing Xiao quickly returned with the snake blood. Qing Yao took it immediately and had Yin Xuan drink it. She herself also took a little. Whether this snake blood would be effective was impossible to tell at this moment.
Yin Xuan continued to lean on Qing Yao’s shoulder. Qing Yao remained still.
In the distance, Mo Chou and Bing Xiao stood guard, ensuring no one disturbed them. The night grew deeper.
Inside the main hall of the Chen Tang Pass military command center, a chilling atmosphere now prevailed.
Ji Xue sat with a cold, stern face in the lower-left seat, her gaze fixed on the man with a grim and sullen expression seated above.
“Did the Imperial Consort not say we were incapable? Now you too have lost sixty to seventy thousand troops. Chen Tang Pass’s nearly three hundred thousand soldiers are now less than one hundred and fifty thousand.”
Ji Xue spoke rapidly and urgently, her heart aching with pain. How could such a thing have happened? The more she thought about it, the more distressed she became. She had not expected that woman Mu Qingyao to be so difficult to deal with. It seemed they would have to be even more careful from now on. But what should they do now?
“Weren’t they poisoned with the蛊 (gu)?”
Ji Xue’s delicate eyebrows twitched slightly, and she looked at Hua Wenbo with a hint of disbelief.
Hua Wenbo’s face grew increasingly displeased by her barrage of words. The clear, fair complexion of his face clearly reflected a dark, greenish hue as he slowly spoke, “I didn’t expect they could resolve it. Just who was it?”
As Hua Wenbo finished speaking, he gave a cold laugh. “Hmph, I refuse to believe we cannot deal with them.”
Chen Tang Pass’s chief commander, Yu Jiao, had not uttered a single word from beginning to end. Her face was grave, and she was cloaked in sorrow. She was far more heartbroken than the Crown Princess Ji Xue or the Imperial Consort seated above. Her four mighty generals under her command – Chun Tao, Xia He, Qiu Ju, and Dong Mei – had all been annihilated.
Perhaps others would merely express a sigh of regret, but these were sisters who had shared life and death with her. How could she not be heartbroken, her heart aching to its core?
“What plan do you have?”
Ji Xue stared grimly at Hua Wenbo above. This incident was clearly a blow to him. His always arrogant eyes were now clouded, and his entire face was unsightly.
“I will immediately travel to the Huang Yuan Kingdom and have them cooperate with our Dan Feng Kingdom to launch a pincer attack and eliminate them in one fell swoop.”
“That’s impossible.”
Ji Xue abruptly stood up. She was well aware of what had happened during the enthronement ceremony of the new emperor of the Huang Yuan Kingdom. That new emperor was still Mu Qingyao’s person. How could he possibly cooperate with their Dan Feng to attack Mu Qingyao? This man was clearly dreaming.
However, Hua Wenbo was not anxious. A cold smile curved his lips.
His understanding of the Huang Yuan Kingdom ran much deeper than Ji Xue’s. Although the new emperor was Mu Qingyao’s person, he was only fifteen years old and posed no threat. Most importantly, there were many ministers in the court, led by the new emperor’s maternal uncle, Lord Yi Si Yuan, who were likely all living in trepidation.
If he were to explain the dangers, it was likely they would issue orders to besiege Mu Qingyao. Furthermore, the General of Stone City was not the Emperor’s man, but rather a minister’s man. As long as they opposed it and issued a secret decree, the General of Stone City, Liu Yun Feng, would join them in a siege to kill them.
“Alright, I will handle this matter. You don’t need to worry. I will leave for the Huang Yuan Kingdom early tomorrow morning. This trip will likely take about ten days. You must hold Chen Tang Pass firmly and not allow any mistakes. As long as Liu Yun Feng agrees to dispatch troops, we will launch a pincer attack and I don’t believe they can survive. Even if Stone City does not dispatch troops, by sealing the city gates, they will have no path forward and no way to retreat. Cut off their food and water, and they will still die.”
“I fear that woman will attack into Chen Tang Pass.”
This was Ji Xue’s worry. Hua Wenbo knew this was entirely possible. However, if he remained at Chen Tang Pass, while he could temporarily halt the woman’s movements, he could not completely annihilate them.
Because even though they temporarily had no drinking water, as long as they retreated to Stone City, everything would be resolved.
“Therefore, your burden is heavy. You must hold on to everything, otherwise Chen Tang Pass will surely fall. When they attack the city, do not open the city gates. Most importantly, do not let anyone approach the city gates. Although they possess powerful weapons, those weapons can only be hurled at close range and cannot destroy the city gates from afar. Thus, move more giant stones to stack on the city walls. As soon as someone approaches, push the stones to stop them. Also, have archers and swordsmen on standby at all times, and do not allow anyone to approach.”
Hua Wenbo assigned the tasks, and Ji Xue received the order.
For now, this was the only way. She could only hope he could persuade the people of Huang Yuan Kingdom to launch a pincer attack. If that happened, Chen Tang Pass would be safe.
As long as they held out for ten days, it would be enough. That woman would only have two paths: either retreat to Stone City or attack Chen Tang Pass. If they could defend it, they would only be forced to retreat to Stone City, where Liu Yun Feng could still trap them.
“May you return soon.”
Ji Xue spoke with a heavy tone.
Hua Wenbo’s thoughtful eyes gazed at her. He nodded slightly, then stood up and walked out. Ji Xue also led her people away from the main hall of the military command center. Only the chief commander Yu Jiao sat alone in the hall, sadly mourning the fallen sisters.
The morning’s rosy glow filtered through the branches, casting its light upon the forest. Ten thousand soldiers hid within the woods, some sitting, some sleeping, all bathed in the golden light.
In the distance, dozens of tents were completely destroyed, the ground littered with corpses, flesh and blood smeared everywhere. They were all women, and seeing the scattered limbs and broken walls in daylight made the scene even more horrifying.
At the edge of the forest, a light mist shrouded the air. A tall man leaned against a woman, resting together. The man possessed alluring features and a casual, unrestrained dominance. The woman was petite and delicate, but her expression was unreadable, a thin veil obscuring everything. Leaning against her legs was a little girl with a pink face.
It was a heartwarming scene. Mo Chou and Bing Xiao walked over from a distance, sighing softly. Although they were reluctant to break this harmony, soldiers were gradually waking up and starting to move. If they saw this scene, who knew what complications might arise—everyone knew the commander was the Empress, but no one knew Yin Xuan was the Emperor.
“Mistress, dawn has broken.”
Mo Chou’s voice was as soft as a gentle breeze, ringing out softly. Qing Yao started, looked up towards the distance, and her entire being seemed to awaken. She turned her head to look at Yin Xuan beside her. He had also just opened his eyes, his dark pupils filled with a radiant glow as he gazed at her intently. Both of them spoke at the same time.
“Are you alright?”
As the words left their lips, they discovered they felt nothing at all. This realization made Qing Yao extremely happy. She quickly stood up and stretched her limbs. There was not the slightest abnormality. This was truly wonderful. Qing Yao couldn’t help but feel delighted. She turned to look at Bing Xiao beside her. “How are the others?”
“They are all well.”
Bing Xiao nodded, very pleased. However, another matter was not optimistic. Seeing her mistress’s happy expression, she felt a pang of reluctance to speak.
But Qing Yao’s perceptiveness had always been sharp. She turned and gazed at Bing Xiao. “What happened?”