The blade was swiftly withdrawn from the man’s chest, tracing a brilliant arc of blood through the air.
The black-clad figure staggered and collapsed. I retreated two steps, bracing my trembling body by planting the tip of my saber into the earth.
Above me, the sky was a vast, cloudless expanse of blue. The scorching sun baked the endless wilderness, and the shimmering heat rose in waves, lending a strange, fluid motion to the distant parched hills and withered trees.
I lifted the black veil of my straw hat to catch a breath of air, but a thick, metallic scent of blood rushed toward me, sending my stomach into a violent churn. I turned away, dry-heaving, though nothing came up.
These seven masked men in yellow had been tracking me for an entire day. They hadn't uttered a single word before attacking, yet their ruthless techniques made their intent crystal clear: they wanted my life.
This made me doubt their identity. They were certainly not bandits; their disciplined coordination proved that. Nor were they likely to be government soldiers. Ming De might wish to see me dead before him, but he would never want me to perish obscurely in the wilderness. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of having the Ministry of Justice issue an imperial arrest warrant.
I panted for a moment, and just as I was about to use my blade to flip the mask off the corpse at my feet, I saw the furthest body twitch. A low, pained groan escaped his lips.
I carefully checked the other six bodies to ensure they were dead before approaching the sole survivor, saber in hand. His wound was in his thigh; I had pinned his leg to the ground with a longsword snatched from one of his companions. Blood had soaked a large patch of yellow sand beneath him, though compared to his comrades, his injury was minor.
Sensing my approach, his eyes flew open. He tried to recoil in terror, but with his leg still pinned, the movement caused beads of cold sweat to erupt across his forehead.
"Killing you now would be easier than crushing an ant, so you’d best not try any tricks," I said, looking down at him. With a flick of my blade, I tore away his mask.
The face beneath was pale and bloodless. His eyes darted about, searching for a place to hide where none existed.
My heart sank, and my voice turned cold. "You again?"
I had crossed paths with this young man four days ago. It was shortly after I left Qipan Town, in a secluded valley. I had run into a squad of soldiers, and he was among them. They were in uniform then, and he was the one who had recognized me at a glance.
Though I had fled the capital, I had no desire to make an enemy of the entire Kingdom of Yantian, so I had merely struck their pressure points to immobilize them. I hadn't expected the world to be so small; only a few days later, he had changed his attire, and here we were again.
Seeing the shifting expressions on my face, the boy turned ashen and began to shriek, "Kill me! Just kill me!"
I yanked the longsword from his leg. Before he could move, I stepped firmly onto the wound. He let out a piercing, pig-like squeal.
"You certainly know how to return a favor with malice," I said, shaking my head coldly. "I spared your life, and in return, you bring men to kill me. It seems being kind is a mistake."
His screams dissolved into jagged sobs. I realized then that he was only seventeen or eighteen, the traces of youth still visible in his features.
I eased the pressure of my foot. "Are you a government officer?"
It seemed this was his first time being so gravely injured; the pain was clearly pushing him past his limit. Between sobs, he stammered, "I... I am one of Lord Han’s men..."
I cut him off. "Which Lord Han?"
He stole a glance at me and whispered, "The cousin of Han Nian, the Commander of the Nine Gates... Lord Han Bin, commander of the Elite Cavalry."
Flashes of memory raced through my mind: Empress Han’s face, poised to the point of being wooden; the smiling, amiable face of Grand Chancellor Han Gao as he handed me the map of fragrant marten fur; the stern, gaunt face of Han Nian at the Ministry of Justice’s martial trials... These faces blurred together, striking my heart like a heavy mallet.
I took deep breaths of the dry, arid air, struggling to remain calm. "Was it Han Bin who ordered my death?"
My gaze locked onto his. He cringed and muttered, "Lord Han said... it was an order from above."
I stomped on his wound again, making him howl.
"The Ministry of Justice issued an arrest warrant. Why would they order a secret execution? Who truly sent you?"
He gasped out an explanation through his cries. "Your accomplice entered the palace to assassinate the Emperor. His Majesty was incensed and ordered Chancellor Han to handle the matter entirely. The Chancellor ordered General Han Jiang, who is being deployed to Qizhou, to capture you along the way... to be killed on sight!"
"How many men did Han Jiang bring?" I pressed harder. The boy’s face turned from white to red, then back to white. Gritting his teeth, he managed, "Twenty thousand."
Suddenly, Han Gao’s motive became clear. Although Marshal Chu Deyuan had been transferred to the southern coastal defenses, the officers and soldiers remaining in Qizhou under General Liu Yunhai were still the Marshal’s old subordinates. In Han Gao’s eyes, I was merely the fuse on a powder keg. His true goal was to use this opportunity to purge Marshal Chu’s influence from the military. I was just a convenient pretext for him to initiate a massive reshuffling of the Yantian army.
As for Han Jiang, though I didn't know him well, I knew he served as a deputy general in the Lutai Camp. He had no military achievements and little prestige. If Marshal Chu were still around, someone like him would never have been given control of Qizhou. Twenty thousand men weren't many, but it was enough to replace the leadership in Qizhou with Han Gao’s cronies.
"You certainly know a lot," I sneered.
The boy’s expression shifted drastically. He stammered, "No, no... I just overheard it by chance..."
"What is Han Bin to you?" I asked casually.
"My paternal uncle," he blurted out. Realizing what he’d said, terror flooded his eyes. He waved his hands frantically, trying to push himself backward. "I don't know anything, truly, I—"
So he was a member of the Han clan. That explained it.
I rested the tip of my blade on his wounded leg, watching him struggle to retreat. I felt I should be burning with rage, but for some reason, hearing his words only left me feeling exhausted and... weary. Beyond total extermination, they seemingly had no cleverer tricks.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his hand slowly reach toward the small of his back. Instinctively, I dodged. A six-inch steel dagger, gleaming with a faint blue tint and smelling of poison, whistled past my temple and thudded into the sand.
A jolt of alarm hit me—it was poisoned!
Fury surged instantly. Without a second thought, I swung my blade across his throat. Blood sprayed, his head slumped to the side, and he died without a sound.
Perhaps because Love You Forever was so fast, or perhaps because the task of searching had been entirely handed over to the incoming Han Jiang, I encountered no more pursuers after passing Binzhou.
Along the way, I had hesitated over whether to visit Ming Rui. But when I reached Binzhou and saw the upturned eaves of his princely manor from across the street, I abandoned the idea. I was a fugitive now; I could bring him nothing but trouble. It was better not to have this final meeting.
Once I gave up the thought of seeing him, my heart grew calm.
After restocking on dry rations in Binzhou, my travel funds were completely exhausted. Aside from the gold key Ming Rui had given me and the purple jade pendant from the Dark Sect, I had nothing of value left.
I was on the run, yet I had nowhere to go. I had no path of retreat, and no road forward.
Inevitably, the thought hidden deep in my heart surfaced once more.
I shook my head and sat tall in the saddle, trying to discern my direction. Yet, the closer I got to that place, the clearer that vague thought became, and the lingering reluctance and struggle in my heart began to fade. Hadn't Jie Ziqian hinted that I shouldn't hesitate?
Perhaps I really could leave this era?
But if I left, could I truly treat everything that happened here as a mere dream?
*Stop dreaming,* a small, cold voice in my heart reminded me. *You are at a dead end. What is the point of staying? To your parents, you bring only shame and pain. And to him, you are already a redundant existence.*
I leaned down and gently stroked the ears of my black horse, whispering, "Let’s go, Love You Forever. Come with me. We’re leaving this place, and we’re never coming back."
Bypassing the guards of Qizhou to enter Ghost-Deity Ravine wasn't difficult. The difficulty lay in the fact that I couldn't find the cave entrance.
I had been wandering Ghost-Deity Ravine for three days with no success. I tried desperately to remember the features of that day: it was night, the moon was nearly full, there was rain, thunder, and lightning... but in these arid northern plains, a thunderstorm might not occur for years.
I had eaten my last bit of dry rations.
I sat dejectedly on a dry rock, staring blankly at the golden full moon in the sky. The anxiety and agitation of the day had subsided, replaced by a creeping sense of despair.
My gaze fell once more upon the smooth cliff face. In the blink of an eye, a dark tunnel mouth appeared, emerging like a mysterious object rising from water, becoming clearer and clearer before me.
I gasped and stood up involuntarily, my head spinning. Was this real? Or was it a hallucination born of exhaustion?
I took a torch from the horse’s back, lit it, and thrust it into the opening. In the flickering light, I immediately saw the half-buried stone tablet and the pile of old ashes. I grabbed Love You Forever’s reins and carefully led him inside. Aside from a slight restlessness, he showed no signs of panic. This caused my own racing heart to settle.
The markings Ming Shao had left on the walls were still there, so it wasn't hard to find the mysterious stone door at the end of the passage. I carefully pried the stone key from the wall, hesitating for a moment.
It was only a moment. I gritted my teeth and pressed the key into the shallow groove on the stone door.
Nothing happened.
Had I gotten something wrong?
Suddenly, a violent gust of wind rushed past me, and the sound of a thousand charging armies filled my ears, as if I were standing in the middle of a battlefield. In an instant, the clamor vanished with the wind, leaving the cave in silence once more. Before me, the two stone doors had retracted into the walls, revealing a dark opening.
No other strange phenomena occurred. Only a cool breeze brushed my face.
I waited a moment before cautiously stepping inside. The torchlight reflected off the walls, and as I glanced around, I was struck dumb.
Murals. The walls were covered in the most exquisite murals I had ever seen. Painted with unknown materials, they still radiated a brilliant luster after centuries, every color as vivid as if it had just been applied. Particularly the god-like King Aro; his eyes were set with some kind of gemstones that shimmered with life in the firelight.
The murals were divided into four parts. The first depicted cruel men with whips and clubs beating ragged slaves. The expressions of suffering on the slaves' faces were vividly rendered. Above them, the divine King Aro was handing a golden bow and three golden arrows to a figure wearing a black war helmet. The forehead of the helmet was set with a golden gem, looking like a strange third eye.
The second mural showed the figure in the black helmet leading the ragged slaves out of a city. More and more people gathered around them. King Aro was hidden within the clouds, looking down upon them with a compassionate gaze.
The third mural depicted the figure in the black helmet leading an army in battle against another force. King Aro stood upon the clouds, seemingly guiding the warrior and his troops.
The final mural was the largest and most magnificent. It showed many people busy transporting goods, building houses, and driving carriages. They seemed to be constructing a city. In the center, the figure in the helmet knelt at King Aro’s feet, receiving a crown.
The content of the murals confused me; it was like a story. Was it history from centuries ago?
A soft neigh from Love You Forever woke me from my reverie. I turned to see him already trotting ahead of me down the long passage. He was hesitating between two openings at the end of the cave.
Neither opening had a door. I held my torch toward the left cave and was once again stunned.
The torchlight was limited, but within its range, I saw rows upon rows of three-meter-high shelves extending deep into the cavern. The shelves were piled with all sorts of weapons. Despite the thick dust, I could see they were coated in heavy protective oil.
I walked through the rows of shelves to the center of the cave. There was a small clearing with a stone table, upon which sat a helmet, a bow, and three arrows.
I reached out and brushed away the dust. The helmet revealed its pitch-black base, and the dragon-eye-sized golden gem on the forehead immediately burst with brilliant light. This must be the helmet from the murals. I curiously picked up the bow and arrows; the golden set was made of an unknown material and carved with intricate patterns. But in a battle between armies, what use were only three arrows?
I returned the bow and arrows to their place and slowly walked back out. Holding the torch higher, I noticed many sabers and swords hanging on the walls. I reached out and took down a curved saber. The blade was heavy, and the black scabbard was plain, save for the two ancient characters for "Xuanwu." But as soon as the blade left the sheath, a wave of cold air hit me. The blade, green and clear as water, shimmered slightly, and the cave was instantly filled with a chilling aura.
Love You Forever took a step back. He accidentally knocked something over, which fell with a sharp *clack*. Startled, he broke into a trot, darting out of the armory and into the opposite cave.
This cave was slightly smaller than the armory, filled with chests of various sizes. Due to their age, the bronze chests were covered in a layer of rust.
I pushed open one of the chests, and suddenly the entire cave was bathed in a strange, magnificent glow.
I squinted, staring blankly at the various gemstones piled together like toys. It felt like a dream. After a moment, I pushed open another chest; it was filled to the brim with gold.
I picked up a deerskin pouch from the top of the gem chest. Just as I was about to open it, Love You Forever’s ears pricked up, and he took on an alert stance. I suddenly remembered that this cave—or rather, this passage—would disappear at dawn. Without another thought, I vaulted onto the horse’s back and galloped back the way I came.
The sun had not yet risen, and a pale blue morning mist filled the valley. The cool air was as clean as if it had been washed.
I turned around. The dark cave entrance was blurring in the faint morning light. Then, like mist scattered by a morning breeze, it grew thinner and thinner until it finally vanished.
I breathed a sigh of relief, my heart pounding uncontrollably. *Am I really back?* I scanned the surrounding valley greedily, desperate to find proof that I had returned to my own time.
Yellow rocks, fine withered grass... everything looked so... so familiar.
My heart slowly sank.
The mist cleared. My worst premonition had come true. I was still in Ghost-Deity Ravine.
I slowly sat down on a rock, then lay back.
The sky was turning from a murky grey to a clear blue. There were no clouds; the northern sky was always as clean as a sapphire.
I had never been so disappointed.
It wasn't until the sunlight hit my face that I sat up, resigned. As I moved, something fell. I picked it up; it was the deerskin pouch I had taken from the cave. I untied the drawstring and poured the contents into my palm. A pile of dragon-eye-sized gemstones spilled out.
These must have been the finest pieces from that chest.
I picked up an emerald and examined it closely; refracting the sunlight, it emitted a brilliant, enchanting glow.
I looked at the Xuanwu Blade in my other hand, and Jie Ziqian’s words drifted back to me. Was this the "miraculous turn of fate" he had spoken of?
The murals from the cave flashed through my mind one by one, and a vague, bold idea began to take shape.
***
**Glossary**
