The gaping maw swallowed her and her horse whole.
In the last moment of memory, the person she recalled was not her father, her mother, nor her elder brother, but the one hidden in her heart.
“Your Majesty, you’re finally awake!” Wu Hen said, nearly prostrating himself to the heavens upon seeing Xue Xingyue stir.
She sat up and surveyed her surroundings, realizing she and Wu Hen were in a cave, a cave entirely encompassed by sandstorms.
“Where is this?” she asked. Her memory was of being consumed by the sandstorm. At that moment, she thought she would die.
“Your subordinate doesn’t know either. We found ourselves here upon waking, and thankfully Your Majesty is also here,” Wu Hen replied.
“Where is the water?” she asked.
Wu Hen shook his head. “The horses are gone. The water and food are here.”
In the desert, the gravest dangers were lack of water, followed closely by food.
“Let’s get organized and leave quickly!” she said, knowing they couldn’t afford to expend too much energy, or escaping would be incredibly difficult. Wu Hen nodded.
It took them the entire afternoon to clear the sand that had buried the cave. Outside, it was nothing but a sea of sand.
There was no end in sight, and their location was unknown.
“Your Majesty…” Wu Hen looked troubled.
“Let’s go! We’ll walk in this direction,” she said, pointing after surveying their surroundings.
Wu Hen nodded, and the two began their arduous journey.
A day passed. Two days passed.
By the third day, both were utterly exhausted.
She couldn’t help but wonder if that group of people, who had appeared twice before in the desert, would show up this time.
She waited and waited, but they never came.
“Your Majesty, you must not sleep. I will definitely get you out of here,” Wu Hen’s voice grew fainter and fainter.
Then, she felt a warm liquid flow into her mouth. Her parched throat was soothed. Had they been saved?
But she quickly realized something was wrong, as the liquid was salty and bitter.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw Wu Hen’s pale face. She instinctively looked and saw blood flowing from Wu Hen’s wrist, the blood directed towards her mouth.
She shoved Wu Hen away. Wu Hen, already depleted, collapsed onto the ground.
“Wu Hen, Wu Hen,” she cried out.
Wu Hen gave no response. She tore off a piece of her clothing and bandaged Wu Hen’s wrist.
Then, she slung Wu Hen over her shoulder and walked forward step by step. She didn’t know how long she walked, only that she thought she saw figures in the distance. The final flicker of hope supporting her collapsed, and she lost consciousness, passing out.
Xue Xingyue had a dream. She dreamed of the time she had charged into battle. Back then, without the Empress Mother and Emperor Father, Xingchen Kingdom was small, and all the surrounding nations sought to annex it. After Xingchen Kingdom suffered repeated defeats, she donned armor and went to the battlefield.
At the time, the soldiers in the army laughed at her, calling her a flower from the imperial city, utterly ignorant of warfare. They thought her offensive against Qi was suicidal.
However, when everyone’s thoughts were aligned, her challenge was treated as a joke by Qi, who thus dispatched a haughty and arrogant general. The result was her surprise attack, which utterly defeated Qi.
Everyone was astonished. Only she knew that Qi was merely too proud and had underestimated Xingchen Kingdom.
They thought Xingchen Kingdom was a spent force, unaware that she had capitalized on Qi’s arrogance and disdain.
But the subsequent battles were incredibly difficult for her, as Qi had a new general.
Rumor had it that he too was a young man.
That day, she finally saw the youth with an undefeated legend – the young Prince of Nanping.
His face was like fine jade, his spirit vibrant, his eyes bright as the Milky Way, dazzling.
He stood before her without a trace of contempt or arrogance. Such a person, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of kindred spirit. If not for the war, they might have become friends. But in the face of national enmity, there were no friends.
His martial arts skills impressed her. Many times, she was on the verge of defeat at his hands, but each time, he secretly held back.
One day, they secretly climbed a snow-capped peak not far from Mingxia Pass. They gazed at the verdant spring at the foot of the snow mountains while they themselves, amidst the cold, lingering snow, drank merrily.
In a daze, she saw his gaze turn tender as flowing water. She shook her head; it must be an illusion. Suddenly, that jade-like face transformed into one of astonishing beauty, a moment of fleeting brilliance where all that existed in heaven and earth was that breathtaking face.
Startled, she jolted awake, only to find herself in unfamiliar surroundings. Hearing footsteps outside, the dagger hidden in her arm slipped into her palm.
A young girl stood at the doorway. She didn't look very old, but her skin was dark, yet it couldn’t conceal her beautiful features. Her eyes, like clear water, rippled with emotion. If not for her skin tone marring her beauty, she would have been a remarkably lovely maiden.
“Sister, you’re awake,” the girl said, stepping forward and looking at her with pure eyes.
Xue Xingyue put the dagger away and nodded, feigning confusion. “Where… where is this? And where is my cousin?”
Before she had fainted, she had been carrying Wu Hen. If she had been saved, Wu Hen would undoubtedly have been saved too.
The girl heard her and replied, “Sister need not worry. That sister has not woken up yet, but she is well.”
“Thank you, little sister. But where is this place?” she asked.
The girl answered, “This is Mingxia Pass.”
Xue Xingyue was slightly taken aback. Mingxia Pass was on the border of Qi. So, she asked, “Little sister, are you going to Xingjiu Kingdom?”
The girl nodded. “Yes, my master and senior brothers are planning to go…”