Chapter 67

The vast grassland was warm with blood. Smoke and gunfire filled the sky, and blood ran in streams across the earth.

The conflict between the Silverstone Tribe and the Flying Horse Tribe had escalated. Kayani, sent by the Ximan King, had tried to suppress the Silverstone Tribe and imprison the chief’s wife, who was also the Ximan King’s cousin. The Silverstone chief refused to submit and called on more tribes dissatisfied with the Ximan King to rise in revolt. This civil war had dragged on for more than half a month, and neither side had managed to gain the upper hand.

The plan to win them over still hadn’t been put into practice. Li Yan waited every day for the intelligence her spies brought back, but Ye Rui still seemed in no hurry to make a move.

Today, with both Ye Rui and Lu Yihua in the tent, Li Yan asked about it.

“Captain, I don’t think this is the best time.”

It was Lu Yihua who spoke. Over the past few days, she had been eating and sleeping alongside Ye Rui. Naturally, the two had discussed this before, and they were of the same mind. It was still too early for a conciliatory approach.

“What do you mean?”

Li Yan was indeed a little anxious; not because of military merit, but because if this succeeded, it might open a way out for the Qingzhou Army. That was what mattered most.

“At the moment, the Silverstone Tribe and the tribes they’ve pulled over are still riding high. If we want to win them over, we should wait until they’ve weakened.”

After Lu Yihua finished, the other captains in the tent all nodded in understanding. Ye Rui then added, “This is important. We can’t miss the right moment. Kayani’s troops have better weapons and fiercer soldiers. Maybe in another half month, the Silverstone Tribe will already be showing signs of defeat.”

Lu Yihua nodded and continued from Ye Rui’s words. “Mm. The time to step in is when they need help most.”

After hearing this, Li Yan dipped her chin to show she understood. She had been too hasty. She said, “Fine. We’ll keep waiting patiently. Don’t slack off in training either. All of you, dismissed!”

“Yes!”

After everyone left, Ye Rui and Lu Yihua went to the armory, but still couldn’t find a weapon that felt right. The last time she went to the weapons shop, she’d wanted to have one custom-made, but even that weapon hadn’t suited her; it left Ye Rui inexplicably irritated.

The next main quest was to become a captain; success would raise her spear skill to intermediate level, while failure would deduct thirty points of strength. With the quest deadline drawing closer and closer, Ye Rui wanted to use this attempt at conciliation to win Zhang Tingluo’s promotion. Before that, she needed to improve her equipment and her strength.

Unfortunately, her Fire Tempering Art had hit a bottleneck, and she still couldn’t find a weapon that fit her hand. Could it be...

Was the weapon she had once returned to Xie Tinglan actually the one that suited her best?

She wandered around the armory once, but still couldn’t find anything suitable. In the end, Ye Rui returned to her quarters, intending to drink some tea and calm her irritation. Unexpectedly, Hu Tu spoke up at that moment.

Hu Tu: 【I calculated it. Your fate with Xie Tinglan isn’t over yet.】

Ye Rui was speechless. 【Are you a System or a fortune teller?】

Hu Tu had really been getting better and better at swindling people. Sometimes when she ran into a System like this, she truly wanted to report it to the authorities.

Hu Tu: 【……】

After a long silence, Hu Tu began fake-sobbing. 【Waaah, you’re bullying the System. But even when I tell the truth, you don’t like hearing it.】

Ye Rui: 【Like hell I believe you!】

She didn’t believe it, didn’t believe it at all.

She was already restless, and after Hu Tu said that, Ye Rui felt her pulse speed up. Impossible. She and Xie Tinglan were already separated by such a distance; there was no way they could still have any contact. Even if they did, what could there possibly be between them now?

Xie Tinglan had her own path to walk, and she was destined to be only an obstacle in that path. Why bother?

That night, Ye Rui had just come out of the mess hall and was still praising the cooking squad’s minced-meat fried eggs. Pang Niu was beside her, chiming in, and the two were chatting happily when they heard a messenger say that Zhang Tingluo would be arriving at the Phoenix Army camp that night.

Zhang Tingluo was coming?

Could something major have happened?

Ye Rui immediately lost all mood for joking, but the next gossip-filled sentence from the messenger froze her in place.

“I heard the Marshal is bringing along a very noble-looking young lady too. She’s called something like Lingchao.”

The messenger was already one of Ye Rui’s close sisters; whenever there was juicy gossip, she would always come share it with Ye Rui. But this piece of gossip? Ye Rui really couldn’t handle it.

A wave of panic hit her so suddenly that she felt like running to the latrine. She tugged at Pang Niu. “I-I’m a little unwell. I’ll go rest first!”

“Ah! That won’t do, A Rui. The Marshal seems to have specifically named you to be seen!”

The messenger grabbed Ye Rui as she was about to leave, and Pang Niu also caught her, laughing. “What’s wrong with you? Did you run into a creditor or something?”

Heavens, Pang Niu, please stop talking!

The Qingzhou Army had at least thirty thousand men and ten camps. How did Xie Tinglan know she was in the Phoenix Army? Wait, was it possible she didn’t know, and was just here with Zhang Tingluo by coincidence?

Ye Rui felt like howling at the sky, but she couldn’t. She could only vent to Hu Tu.

Ye Rui: 【Hu Tu, you crow’s-mouth System!!】

As soon as she finished, she could almost hear Hu Tu stifling a laugh. 【Is there a chance I’m actually a prophet?】

Ye Rui: 【Get lost!!】

Her expression changed again and again, which only made Pang Niu even more curious. She refused to let Ye Rui leave and said, “Hey, A Rui, is that Miss Lingchao some kind of creditor? How much silver do you owe her?”

“Yeah, yeah, why do you look like that the moment you hear her name?” the messenger added. “You two must have some story!”

The messenger and Pang Niu were practically dying of curiosity, but Ye Rui refused to say another word. She only said, “I don’t owe her anything. She’s just someone I knew in the Capital City. Nothing more.”

Though Ye Rui said that, Pang Niu felt there was no way the matter was that simple. Still, it wasn’t a good time to press. Ye Rui was keeping her mouth so tightly shut that if she didn’t want to talk, there was no way to pry anything out of her.

After getting away from the two of them, Ye Rui returned to her quarters. For a moment, she even had the urge to pack up and run. But once she calmed down, she felt she had overreacted. She hadn’t done anything wrong; even if Xie Tinglan really came, she should still be able to stand tall and speak with confidence.

Xie Tinglan was, after all, still just someone she knew in the Capital City.

That night, Zhang Tingluo arrived with a small escort and headed straight for Li Yan’s council tent.

The soldiers all looked toward the woman beside Zhang Tingluo. She wore a dark green crossed-collar long robe and had tied her hair into a simple ponytail. Her black-and-white hair fluttered in the night wind; beneath her breathtaking beauty lurked a cold, imposing sharpness. Her gaze was keen as she swept it across the camp, as if searching for someone.

Two others followed behind her. One wore a white jade mask and had a deep, steady aura; anyone could tell at a glance that she was a master of internal cultivation. The other had a cool, stern face with a small scar on it, and her eyes shone like torches; her footwork was light and quick, clearly the mark of an expert in external martial arts.

Two experts following a noble young lady who didn’t seem to know martial arts at all; anyone with any sense could tell that this woman was no ordinary person.

When they entered the council tent, Li Yan was already waiting inside. After she greeted Zhang Tingluo, she looked in confusion at the woman behind him.

She thought to herself: Such a young, beautiful woman, yet she carried this air of violence. And... why had so much of her hair turned white?

Zhang Tingluo first invited Xie Tinglan to sit, which only made Li Yan more curious about her identity.

“Captain Li, this is a distinguished guest from the Capital City, Miss Lingchao.”

Zhang Tingluo’s expression was normal. He couldn’t really be called respectful, but the proper courtesies were all there; it was enough to give Xie Tinglan due face.

“Greetings, Miss Lingchao.”

Li Yan had never heard of any Miss Lingchao in court. Could she be the daughter of some high minister? And what had brought her here?

“I’ve come to trouble you all tonight and make your acquaintance. Perhaps there will be matters in the future where I may need your care.”

After Xie Tinglan finished speaking, her gaze drifted involuntarily toward the tent flap. Only the night wind stirred it; there was no sign of that person.

Li Yan found it strange. Xie Tinglan hadn’t said anything specific about what she was troubling them with, and Zhang Tingluo would never casually allow a civilian into the camp. There had to be more to this.

“You flatter us, Miss.”

Li Yan naturally didn’t ask. Zhang Tingluo would surely explain it anyway; perhaps this wasn’t the right time.

“And her?”

Xie Tinglan asked. The night wind blew gently, but there was still no movement, no one approaching this place.

“She’s already been sent for.”

After speaking, Zhang Tingluo sat in the main seat and added, “The tea here can’t compare to the Capital City’s; I’m afraid you’re not used to it, Miss.”

Xie Tinglan gave a soft laugh at that, her voice chilled by half a degree. “You don’t need to rush me away so quickly.”

Just those two sentences were enough to make Li Yan break into a cold sweat. Zhang Tingluo seemed somewhat displeased with this person, yet he still had to entertain her; and this woman, too, seemed utterly unafraid of his authority, not at all like the pampered young ladies from a boudoir.

“Our business isn’t finished yet, is it?”

Xie Tinglan picked up the already cold tea beside her and took a sip, suddenly tasting the flavor of the time she had spent recovering from her injuries on Yushan. She had once thought it terrible, but now it felt strangely familiar.

Zhang Tingluo drew in a breath and said nothing further. At that moment, the tent flap was lifted, and Ye Rui walked in wearing black armor, step by step. She didn’t even glance aside at Zhang Tingluo, only clasped her fists and saluted. “Greetings, Marshal.”

Ye Rui felt her scalp go numb. She could feel a scorching gaze fixed on her, as if it wanted to swallow her whole. Li Yan, sitting nearby, noticed it too. Ye Rui hadn’t come here by coincidence; it seemed she was the one this woman had come to find.

Ye Rui was from the Capital City; could it be... this woman was her acquaintance?

Zhang Tingluo answered, then looked toward Xie Tinglan, who at this point paid him no mind at all and had her eyes entirely on Ye Rui.

“Cough, ahem. Ye Rui, talk with Miss Lingchao for a bit. Captain Li, come with me.”

Zhang Tingluo felt Xie Tinglan’s gaze was too intense, so intense it hardly seemed human. Three days ago, Xie Tinglan had already made contact with him. He knew her methods of negotiation, how that mouth could leave him speechless, each word like a blade.

This person was cold and unpredictable, with a ruthlessness honed over years of hard edges; since when had he ever seen her look so... fervent?

Something was off... Perhaps this wasn’t something he should be prying into. So Zhang Tingluo left faster than anyone else, with Li Yan following close behind, her face equally baffled. Yin Yue and Gong Yinzhi saw Ye Rui again, but before they could say anything, they also left with Zhang Tingluo, leaving the tent to the two of them.

Ye Rui slowly turned to look at Xie Tinglan. Her black-and-white hair was tied into a ponytail, and her face was no longer as pale as a ghost’s; instead, it held a hint of color. Her beautiful eyes still shone like stars, and her red lips parted as if she wanted to say something, only to hold it back.

That single glance made both of them freeze. It was a kind of stirring they couldn’t pretend away, an attraction they couldn’t forget. Ye Rui’s skin had darkened a little, her gaze had grown steadier and brighter, and in her armor she looked full of spirit, like the young general she had always seemed meant to be.

Xie Tinglan drifted off for a moment. She thought of the ridiculous thought that had flashed through her mind in that hut on Yushan: a hunter becoming a general.

She had never imagined her own judgment could be so sharp that even she herself would have found it hard to believe it could come true.

“Xie Tinglan, long time no see.”

She had already been in Qingzhou City for half a year. Six months without seeing her, and Xie Tinglan’s complexion had improved a great deal. She no longer had to hold herself back because of Ye Rui’s presence; wouldn’t it have been better if everything had simply stayed as it was?

Why did she have to come?

“Ye Rui, I know you resent me.”

The moment Xie Tinglan spoke, Ye Rui’s nose stung uncontrollably. She forced down the churning emotions in her chest and said, “I don’t resent you anymore. I know you had your reasons; that one line...”

By this point, Ye Rui’s voice was already a little choked. She stopped herself in time and, after two breaths, continued, “That one line about it being just a passing amusement—I know you only said it to draw a line between us, to protect me.”

It wasn’t that Ye Rui couldn’t understand; it was that even if she understood, so what? Did understanding mean she could accept Xie Tinglan’s decision without a ripple?

If this road was destined to be so hard, and her existence had become a shackle around Xie Tinglan’s neck, then why should Xie Tinglan keep dragging her along?

Xie Tinglan’s path was so grand; how could it be ruined by something as small as love?

“You have your road to walk. All I can say is that we were never meant to be.”

With that, Ye Rui turned to leave; in her mind, she had said all she needed to say. She owed Xie Tinglan nothing.

Xie Tinglan stepped forward and caught Ye Rui’s wrist. Her palm was no longer as icy as before, but it still held a faint chill, while Ye Rui’s body temperature was as warm as ever.

It was a warmth she longed for.

“You’ve said everything. What am I supposed to say?”

Ye Rui’s steps still stopped. She turned back and looked into Xie Tinglan’s softened gaze; then Xie Tinglan lowered her eyes slightly and said in a low voice, “My future path has to have you in it. If you’re not there, then my future won’t be worth living.”

Ye Rui’s expression shifted; her whole body stiffened as she listened to Xie Tinglan speak on, sincere and word by word.

“Because you matter too much to me. Yes, you do create an obstacle for me, but that isn’t your fault. It’s those who want to deal with me who refuse to let me go. If anything, the fault is mine.”

Xie Tinglan took Ye Rui’s other wrist as well, her tone softening further. “Ye Rui, you say you don’t resent me, but I know you do, in your heart.”

Ye Rui said nothing.

Xie Tinglan moved a little closer, her gaze rippling like water as she looked down. In a low voice, she said, “I’ll make up for my mistakes. Those... all of them were my mistakes.”

Ye Rui trembled all over. Her heart was pounding wildly. She pulled her hands free at once and stepped back several paces. “Xie Tinglan, don’t belittle yourself. I said I don’t resent you, so I don’t. You don’t need to keep clinging to this either. This is a military zone; don’t say these things anymore.”

With that, Ye Rui swung around and left, her ponytail flying behind her, leaving no room for hesitation.

Xie Tinglan put away the weakness she had shown moments before. Her eyes gradually darkened, a trace of bitter amusement appearing at the corner of her lips, followed by a soft sigh.

Life was like a chessboard; one wrong step, and the distance became the ends of the earth. How could one make up for such a mistake so easily?

But had Xie Tinglan’s life ever been easy? It seemed not. So she had no intention of giving up, and would not give up.

**

The grasslands were bathed in bright sunlight, while the Dragon Mountain Range looked down on this land from above. It witnessed the tribes slaughtering one another, the deafening cries of battle, the blood splashing from blades and swords, and the dust kicked up by galloping horses; it watched all of it without mercy.

A fierce war was raging on the other side of the grasslands, but here in the Phoenix Army’s camp, everything was very peaceful. Everyone had finally gotten a rare period of rest.

Xie Tinglan had already been here for two days. Aside from meeting Ye Rui that night, she had had no further contact with her. Occasionally, when Ye Rui caught sight of her from afar, Xie Tinglan would smile gently at her, but most of the time she was with Zhang Tingluo, as though discussing some important matter.

Ye Rui understood now. Xie Tinglan’s visit here didn’t seem to be entirely for her after all. Though that was only natural. Ye Rui had long anticipated that Xie Tinglan’s faction would send someone here; she simply hadn’t expected that person to be Xie Tinglan herself.

The Qingzhou Army had to choose a side. That was what Mu Xue had thought of, and what Ye Rui had thought of as well. Back then, when Mu Xue said those things to her, perhaps it was because she already knew Xie Tinglan’s faction would come.

“Hey, A Rui.”

Pang Niu wiped the sweat from her forehead and sat down on the ground beside Ye Rui, nudging her with an elbow as she asked in gossip-hungry curiosity, “What exactly is your relationship with that Miss Lingchao?”

Xiao Yu and Liu Ting also came over. Liu Ting asked, “Yeah, yeah. I’ve seen her come watch you train several times, and her expression...”

She’d come watch her train? Ye Rui was a little stunned. How had she not noticed?

“That expression was so strange. It was like the look my father gives my mother.”

Liu Ting’s family lived in Qingzhou City; both her parents were still alive, making her one of the sisters with a fairly complete household. When she saw Xie Tinglan’s gaze, she thought of her own parents, who had been in love for twenty years—warm and tender, full of feeling. But... but Ye Rui was a woman too!

Before Ye Rui could speak, Lu Yihua, unable to hold back any longer, blurted out, “What’s so strange about that? Between women, there can be love too. I’ve seen plenty of it while traveling the jianghu, so I’m not surprised anymore.”

Ye Rui: “......”

Was there a chance, Lu Xiaohua, that you had just blown my cover entirely?

“Wait!”

Pang Niu, usually the slowest to catch on, suddenly understood what Lu Yihua meant. She looked at Ye Rui with an ambiguous expression. “You... that Miss Lingchao likes you?”

Ye Rui opened her mouth, but before she could get a single syllable out, Pang Niu slapped her own thigh and said excitedly, “That’s it, that’s it! The moment you heard her name, your whole face changed. So it’s emotional debt you owe her!”

“Can two women really do that?”

Xiao Yu scratched her head, not really understanding, while the person involved couldn’t say a word at all and couldn’t even get a word in.

“Of course they can!”

Lu Yihua declared firmly, her mind and heart filled entirely with Mu Xue’s cunning, seductive face, and her own heart started thudding wildly.

The group went on and on about how women could love women, and Lu Yihua even dragged out her own jianghu experiences to convince them. But Ye Rui’s cheeks were burning, because Pang Niu kept using her and Xie Tinglan as examples. She really wasn’t treating anyone here like an outsider.

Just then, a cool fragrance drifted over on a gust of warm wind. Ye Rui turned her head and, sure enough, saw Xie Tinglan walking toward them. Gong Yinzhi and Yin Yue followed behind her, and both of them also looked over at Ye Rui, as if they had a great deal to say but no way to begin.

Xie Tinglan glanced at Lu Yihua, who was standing closest to Ye Rui, and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. Then she said, “Ye Rui, I have something important to tell you.”

-----------------------

Author’s note: They met, they met! [doge]