Volume 1, Chapter 50: Heading to Zhenbei City

The night was deep.

Inside the Mountain God Temple, the only source of warmth was a cluster of crackling, dancing bonfire flames.

The firelight stretched the shadows of the two figures long, making them sway silently against the mottled walls like two solitary, desolate sculptures.

Ye Xuan had already finished inspecting the surroundings and confirmed their temporary safety.

He sat by the fire, using a tree branch to poke at the flames, causing sparks to burst forth with a faint cracking sound.

As for Su Qingxue, ever since she sat down, she had not moved at all.

She huddled by the cold stone wall, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, burying her face deep within them as if she wanted to completely isolate herself from this freezing world.

There were no tears.

Not even a trace of trembling.

Yet that dead silence was more soul-chilling than any heartbreaking cry or wail.

The air was as silent and stagnant as frozen iron.

For a long, long time.

A voice, sounding like a sleep-waking murmur, finally drifted out from that tiny, huddled figure—so soft it seemed almost on the verge of being blown away by the wind.

"The year I turned five, I saw Uncle Zhong for the first time."

"Back then, I was playful and climbed a tree. I fell down, broke my leg, and all the servants in the estate were terrified; no one dared to come near."

"It was him—a man who had just retired from the border army, with his face covered in sword scars, looking utterly fierce and terrifying—who scooped me up with a pair of calloused hands, moving more gently than any nanny in the manor."

"He said, 'Don't be afraid, Young Miss, Uncle Zhong is here.'"

Ye Xuan paused his movement of poking the fire, remaining silent as he quietly listened.

The firelight reflected off Su Qingxue’s slightly raised profile. On that peerless face, the tear stains had long since dried, leaving behind only hollowness and bewilderment.

"When I was seven, I was learning the zither. A string broke, slicing open my hand and bleeding continuously. I cried and cried from the pain."

"He didn't understand music, but he ran all over the best instrument shops in the capital to buy me the toughest celestial-silken zither strings, and even sought out the finest healing ointment."

"He said, 'Young Miss's hands are meant to play the most wondrous music in the world; they must not be scarred.'"

"The year of my coming-of-age ceremony, my father was maligned at court and grew deeply depressed, leaving the household in a state of panic."

"It was him, standing like a temple guardian outside my courtyard day and night, never leaving for a single step."

"He said, 'Young Miss, rest assured. As long as this old servant has a breath left in him, no one will be able to harm a single hair on your head.'"

Her voice was flat, devoid of fluctuation, as though she were recounting a story that had nothing to do with her.

Yet every single word was like a blade, plunging deep into the bygone years and dragging out blood-soaked memories.

"He said... he wanted to watch me get married, to watch little young miss and little young master be born."

"He said... he would return alive."

As she reached the final sentence, Su Qingxue's voice finally carried an uncontrollable, violent tremor.

She jerked her head up, her vacant eyes once again filling with tears as she stared fixedly into the darkness outside the temple—a darkness capable of swallowing everything.

"He lied to me..."

"He's a liar!"

Ye Xuan's gaze remained fixed on the dancing flames.

He could not truly empathize.

Whether as the actuary of his past life—wallowing in cold data and complex human nature—or as the Eighth Prince of the present life—walking on thin ice deep within the imperial palace and witnessing all its cold indifference—familial affection and protection were extravagant and distant concepts to him.

His world consisted only of interests and losses, of survival and destruction.

Uncle Zhong's self-sacrifice was, in his eyes, a calculated sacrifice—a transaction that successfully bought time.

Yet, as he looked at the soul beside him trembling with pain, that eternal expanse of frozen wasteland in his heart seemed to quietly crack, revealing an imperceptible fissure.

He stood up and walked over to Su Qingxue.

Without uttering any clichéd nonsense like "condolences and please restrain your grief"—that would have been far too hypocritical.

He simply handed a water pouch out to her, his voice as calm as ever, yet carrying an undeniable strength.

"Drink some water."

Su Qingxue did not take it, remaining lost within her own world.

Ye Xuan did not withdraw his hand; he simply held it there, suspended in the air.

"Uncle Zhong and his nearly hundred guards used their lives to buy time for you and me."

His voice was cold, like the northern wind sweeping across one's heart.

"Acting like this now is wasting their lives."

"Do you want them to have died in vain?"

This sentence was crueler than any comfort, yet far more effective than any comfort.

Su Qingxue’s body shuddered violently.

She slowly raised her head, her bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at Ye Xuan.

Within that gaze, there was pain, anger, and a dawning, awakened bewilderment.

Ye Xuan met her eyes directly and continued, "The Crown Prince's men will not give up. They will soon track us down by following our trail."

"What we need to do right now is not reminisce about the past here, but rather strive with all our might to stay alive and run farther away."

"Staying alive is the best response we can give them."

"Let them know in heaven that their sacrifice was not in vain. This is the greatest respect you can show them."

"Instead of waiting here to be caught by pursuers, leaving them with regrets even in death."

Every single word pierced straight to the heart.

Su Qingxue bit her lower lip hard, her fingernails digging deep into her palms until blood seeped out, though she was entirely unaware of it.

For a long while.

Suddenly, she snatched the water pouch from Ye Xuan's hand and gulped down several large mouthfuls.

The icy-cold water slid down her throat, extinguishing some of the internal fire while bringing a bone-chilling clarity.

Roughly wiping away the tear stains on her face with her sleeve, the sorrow in her swollen eyes remained dense and unfathomable, but the hollowness and despair were replaced by a newly ignited tenacity.

She was the daughter of Chief Minister Su Changqing.

She was Su Qingxue, renowned throughout the capital.

She could not fall.

She must never fall!

"You're right."

Su Qingxue stood up, her movements slightly staggering, yet her back was held straight.

Fumbling in her bosom for a moment, she pulled out an object wrapped tightly in oiled paper.

Unfolding it, it turned out to be an extremely detailed map of the Great Qian territory, marked with vermilion and ink, indicating strategic passes, garrisons, and even obscure, little-known trails across various regions.

As expected of the Chief Minister's daughter, the value of this map was worth more than gold.

"This is the topographical map of Great Qian."

Su Qingxue's voice was still somewhat hoarse, but her reasoning had returned. "Our current location should be right here."

Her finger pointed at a mountain forest marker located about thirty miles northeast of Fallen Phoenix Slope.

Then, she raised her head, her burning gaze locking onto Ye Xuan.

"You were previously banished to Northern Liang."

"But Northern Liang is vast—what is your ultimate destination?"

This was a question she had wanted to ask for a long time.

Ye Xuan's gaze fell upon the map, sweeping slowly across that vast northern territory.

His finger finally came to rest at the very northernmost tip of the map.

A small border town that practically bordered the grasslands.

"Here."

Su Qingxue's pupils suddenly constricted.

"Zhenbei City?!"

She blurted out, "Are you insane?!"

"Zhenbei City is the first line of defense against the Northern Mang barbarians! It suffers from unending warfare year-round, and its city walls are piled high with bones! Apart from the garrison troops, the city is filled with desperados, and Northern Mang scouts and assassins are everywhere, capable of sneaking into the city at any moment to pillage and slaughter!"

"Going there—how is that any different from seeking death?"

Ye Xuan looked at her shocked expression, his demeanor calm as water.

"The most dangerous place is the safest place."

His voice was detached, yet it carried an unquestionable decisiveness.

"No matter how far the Crown Prince's reach is, he cannot interfere with the military affairs of Zhenbei City. Once we arrive there, we will truly shake him off."

"As for the danger..."

A cold arc formed at the corner of Ye Xuan's lips.

"In this world, is there anything more dangerous than sitting here and waiting to die?"

Su Qingxue was left speechless by his retort.

She knew he was speaking the truth.

Yet she had a lingering feeling that Ye Xuan's choice of that location was by no means simply for the sake of "safety."

This man never did anything without a purpose.

He was going to Zhenbei City not merely to evade the Crown Prince.

It was because he had a reason he could not afford to ignore.

He needed power.

Absolute power capable of overturning the chessboard!

In Yun'an City, he could borrow strength to strike back and use strategy to take down a Garrison Commander.

Yet facing Crown Prince Ye Tian, facing that colossal behemoth entrenched in the capital, any scheme or trick appeared pale and powerless.

He needed an army.

An iron-blooded army that obeyed only his commands and could pave a path through everything for him!

And Zhenbei City—that strategic fortress soaked in blood and war—was his absolute best starting point!

He looked at Su Qingxue and spoke slowly, offering a reason she could not refuse.

"Besides, I have an old acquaintance in the Zhenbei City garrison who might be able to provide us with sanctuary."

It was a lie.

Yet a good lie was often more convincing than the truth.

He intended to bind this clever daughter of the Su family completely to his chariot.

Because he knew clearly that on the road ahead, what he needed was not merely a sharp blade.

He needed an ally smart enough.