I sat atop the canyon’s edge, quietly watching the sun slip toward the western horizon. Sunset clouds flooded the sky, their brilliant, enchanting colors shifting incessantly, as if someone had lit a great fire behind the layered curtains of the heavens.
The boundless wilderness seemed draped in a soft, delicate veil, stripped of its usual desolation and ferocity. Instead, through the dreamlike light, it exuded a strange, profound stillness.
From this height, I could see far into the distance, yet there was still nothing to be found. The night wind swept through the gorge, letting out a low, mournful howl. It felt as though only my tiny, insignificant self remained between heaven and earth. Loneliness seeped out from my very bones, bit by bit.
Below my feet, the canyon had already sunk into the deep twilight. I could faintly see the scattered sparks of campfires and the long stretches of ox-hide tents extending into the depths of the gorge. Suddenly, a line from a Nalan poem drifted into my mind: *“Deep in the night, a thousand lamps glow from the tents.”*
What came after that? I focused, trying to remember. It was likely: *“A watch of wind, a watch of snow; breaking the heart that longs for home, shattering the dream; in my old garden, such sounds are never known.”*
*In my old garden, such sounds are never known…*
I buried my face between my knees.
I had never intentionally tried to remember anything, so why was forgetting proving to be so difficult?
A sudden urge took hold of me—to throw myself into my father’s arms, to breathe in that familiar, reassuring scent. Then, I would think of nothing and do nothing, simply shrinking back into his embrace to become small again. It would be even better if I could hear a few words of my little mother’s nagging…
Why was it only after leaving that I realized how much I loved them?
How many things had I done wrong?
Light footsteps sounded behind me. A thick, warm cloak was draped over my shoulders. The physical warmth seemed to seep faintly into my heart. I couldn't help but look up. Under the starlight, the man of peerless elegance stood poised and calm, like a mysterious spirit of the night, inadvertently radiating a subtle allure.
He sat down beside me and said casually, “Why did you sneak out all by yourself?”
I didn't say a word. I didn't want to tell him that I had only wanted to find a quiet place to be alone, only to discover that such silence didn't make me feel any better.
Receiving no answer, he turned his head to gaze at me quietly.
What could a man like him be compared to? He was like a precious gemstone in a display window, so expensive that one could never own it even by selling everything they had; one could only stare through the thick glass in dazed longing. His radiance was blinding, yet one’s eyes would involuntarily follow his every move. Having grown up amidst the adoration of others, he was the personification of a moonlit night, the man who occupied the dreams of countless young maidens.
A faint smile gradually rose in his eyes, like a lily slowly blooming in the night, unintentionally releasing a tantalizing fragrance.
I had a hazy feeling that I had seen this charm of his somewhere before, but where…
He leaned his face closer, a hint of undisguised teasing flickering in his clear eyes. “Your gaze is a bit vacant—have you finally realized that I am more beautiful than you?”
The muscles in my cheeks had perhaps been frozen for too long; hearing his words, they felt as if they might cramp.
“A man as beautiful as you shouldn't be appearing in such a desolate mountain valley in the middle of the night,” I snapped, giving him a sharp look. “Go back.”
“Wuxin!” He suddenly grabbed my wrist. “Do you truly have no heart, woman?”
There was a slight tremor in his voice, like a feather brushing lightly against my heart, stirring a strange softness. Something nameless, both aching and tender, swelled within my chest.
“Is it… that you simply cannot bear to see someone as stubborn as me fall into ruin?”
Feng Tong abruptly looked up. “Is that what you’ve always thought?”
I avoided his gaze.
“If I only pitied you,” he turned my face toward him, staring into my eyes with absolute seriousness, emphasizing every word, “I would have at least a hundred ways to deal with it.”
That earnest gaze caused my heart to ache for no reason. I felt as if I were seeing Ming Hua’s resolute back again as he departed.
“It’s not worth it,” I whispered.
He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. The palm resting against my cheek seemed to tremble slightly.
“I am not worthy of you. I don’t mean beauty, wealth, or status,” the warmth from his palm made me linger inwardly, yet I still gently pulled away. “You should have a woman like crystal to love you earnestly, to give all her love to you. To you alone…”
“Why can’t that person be you?” He tightened his grip on my hand, pulling me forcefully toward him.
The conversation had drifted back into the territory I had been deliberately avoiding. It was all the moon’s fault—this kind of night, this sky full of stars, it made one involuntarily release their hidden vulnerabilities and see their true self.
“My heart has already weathered the vastest seas; perhaps I am already heartless,” I said, pulling my hand free.
In the silence, a night bird suddenly let out a few melodious chirps nearby.
“It’s a Blood Oriole,” Feng Tong said softly. “They only make such soft calls on spring nights.”
The Blood Oriole’s song stopped, leaving only the sobbing sound of the wind.
Feng Tong sighed softly. “Let’s go back.”
The thick sorrow in his tone pricked my heart like a needle. I grabbed his sleeve, looking at his face urgently. “You… let me finish.”
He sat back down obediently, his eyes flowing with a faint helplessness and… tenderness. He brushed away a stray lock of hair that had fallen onto my cheek, the corners of his lips curling up into a bitter, slight smile. “I know everything you want to say. It’s not that I haven't tried. But every time I leave, no matter how long it’s been, I eventually can’t help but return to your side. So, don't drive me away again. I’m not forcing you to do anything.”
“But… why?” This was something I had wanted to know for a long time. Why? Why me?
“Why?” Feng Tong leaned his head back, narrowing his eyes slightly. “Let me think, why?” He gazed at me with a pensive expression, a strange brilliance shining in his pupils.
Slowly, very slowly, he leaned his body closer. I smelled the scent coming from him—pure and crisp like mint. It swirled around my heart, making everything before my eyes turn blurry.
I should have dodged, but for some reason, I didn't. I allowed his warm breath to hover at the corners of my lips, teasing the hidden longing in my heart.
His lips covered mine, gentle yet firm, lightly touching my cold mouth. Each touch felt as if it lit a small spark in the depths of my silent heart. A weak struggle rose from the depths of my consciousness, only to quickly sink away. My breath was filled with his scent, crisp and pure, yet it was like the strongest wine, making me lightheaded and forgetful of everything else.
Should I?
Should I not?
I could no longer think of anything, nor did I want to.
Yet, a deep sigh echoed faintly in my mind, and someone murmured in the depths of my consciousness: *“…Wait for me, Xi Xia, wait for me to return…”*
A sudden pang of pain hit my heart, and tears unknowingly overflowed from the corners of my eyes.
Feng Tong stopped his exploration, but the hand behind my head did not let go. He tenderly kissed away a tear that had fallen near my lips and said mournfully, “What exactly must I do to win this proud heart of yours?”
Because of the melancholy in his words, I almost hated myself.
“Actually, in those moments when you face me, you do feel something, don't you?” He pulled me forcefully into his embrace. Pressed against his chest, I clearly heard his heartbeat, thumping against my eardrums one beat at a time.
“This is enough.” He held me tighter, as if I were a long-lost treasure. “I have a lifetime to wait for you—I’ve had enough of the days when I couldn't see you.”
I had always felt that I wasn't the type to cry. Yet, I was weeping again. I had almost forgotten how warm it felt to lean into someone’s embrace. This warm, reassuring feeling—it was as if any difficulty would dissolve in this strange comfort.
But behind this beauty, there was a clearly surging undercurrent that could not be ignored. The closer one got, the more afraid one became.
Because—beautiful things never seemed to stay.
The question from earlier flashed through my mind again: *Why me?*
The words reached my lips, but I swallowed them back in the end. Why me? Why not me? Who could ever truly explain such a thing?
***
The news of the miners' riot reached my ears two days later.
Despite having some bad premonitions beforehand, the fact that it actually happened still startled me. I placed the letter in my hand on the desk, my brow furrowing deeply.
The young man who delivered the letter called himself Li Meng. He was said to be an ordinary bailiff recruited locally by Feng Duo. He was in his twenties, lean and wiry, with a dark face and a pair of shrewd eyes.
“How did Mr. Feng handle it?” I looked up and asked him.
He shot me a quick glance and replied, “Mr. Feng has already sealed the iron mine and arrested the two leaders of the riot, temporarily locking them in the dungeon. However, Wu Ying, the one who initially incited the miners, heard rumors beforehand and fled.”
“And the miners?”
Li Meng glanced at me again, answering cautiously, “A few of the ringleaders fled, and the rest have been confined to their village by Mr. Feng to prevent them from communicating and conspiring to riot again.”
I pressed my hand against my throbbing temples.
Although the curtain was wide open, the tent still felt somewhat dim. Through the open entrance, I could see rows of ox-hide tents and the desolate rock walls in the distance. Ming Chuan had taken the relief troops to patrol the front, so the camp was very quiet.
“City Lord?” the young messenger called out worriedly.
I closed my eyes and didn't speak. Since that day, Ming Rui had also become a part of what I deliberately avoided thinking about. After he returned to Bingzhou, the mines were a significant part of his life, and now they had turned into such a mess in my hands…
A bone-chilling coldness silently lunged toward me. Before I could open my eyes, my body instinctively leaned back. A cold, ghostly glint of light grazed past my cheek, sinking into the wooden screen behind me with a *ding*. I kicked the edge of the desk, using the force to spring up, and reached out to grab the Xuanwu Blade hanging from the wooden pillar.
I hadn't realized this scrawny youth was also a trained martial artist. Not only was he composed, but his reactions were also extremely swift. Seeing me dodge his dagger, he showed no sign of panic. He quickly drew two long swords from his back and lunged forward.
I had just discarded the scabbard of the Xuanwu Blade when the two swords reached me. I swiftly parried them, turned my blade, and sliced down along the swords, thrusting toward Li Meng’s shoulder. Li Meng dodged back rapidly, but the sword in his right hand was already thrusting toward my chest. Taking advantage of my dodge, he leaped into the air, his swords spinning into a flurry of light that rained down upon me.
I flipped away from the overhead strike, meeting it with the Xuanwu Blade to block his twin swords. Simultaneously, I lashed out with a kick, sending him flying.
Li Meng crashed into the wooden pillar by the entrance, coughing up a mouthful of blood. He clutched his chest, his body slumping to the ground.
Hearing the sound of fighting, a figure quickly flashed into the tent—it was Feng Tong. Seeing that I was unharmed, his tense expression softened slightly.
I sheathed my blade, staring at the youth in shock and anger.
Li Meng looked up and shot me a quick glance, spitting out another mouthful of blood. He leaned against the pillar behind him and let out a cold, mocking laugh. “I didn't expect you to know martial arts—I underestimated you.”
Before I could even ask, Feng Tong had already pointed his sword at the man’s throat, speaking coldly, “Who sent you?”
“Who sent me?” Li Meng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and sneered. “Does someone even need to send me?”
Feng Tong applied pressure with his sword, cutting a bloody line on the man’s neck. “Don't play tricks with me. Speak!”
Li Meng didn't even deign to look at the sword at his throat. He sat up straight with composure. “A seditious rebel—everyone has the right to execute such a person!”
My chest tightened. “Rebel?!”
“That’s right!” Li Meng straightened his back and shouted harshly, “Marshal Chu will arrive at Chixia Pass any day now. Reclaiming the Northern Six Prefectures is within sight. When that time comes, you lot of rebels…”
A strange buzzing sound rang in my ears; I couldn't hear a single word of what he said next. Besides the headache, there was a strange sense of exhaustion. I waved my hand at the guards who had just rushed into the tent, signaling them to take him away. This minor bailiff from the magistrate’s office continued to shout curses even as he was dragged out.
After his outburst, the air in the tent felt even more stifling.
Feng Tong walked over, looking me over very carefully. “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head, a feeling of unspeakable frustration in my heart.
This was only the beginning. I had a feeling that although Wu Ying, the one who incited the miners, had fled, the matter was clearly not that simple. Were they Marshal Chu’s spies? Or were they simply loyal subjects of the Yan Tian Kingdom?
“If I asked him: the founding emperor of Yan Tian seized a quarter of the land from King Alu—should he also be called a rebel? I wonder how he would answer?” I looked up at Feng Tong.
Feng Tong’s pupils constricted suddenly, his emerald eyes turning a dark, deep green. He gazed at me quietly, a faint smile touching his lips. “Just do what you believe is right. Why care about what others say? Besides, the winner becomes king and the loser a bandit. It’s far too early to draw conclusions.”
I took a step closer, staring unblinkingly into his eyes as I asked, “What if Chixia Pass falls?”
A wave of tender spring water rippled in the depths of Feng Tong’s eyes. “Do your best, and leave the rest to fate.”
My heart calmed down because of that single sentence.
“I’ve heard about it too. However, closing the iron mines is not a long-term solution,” Feng Tong said slowly, looking at me. “It would be better to dismiss the original miners and recruit new hands. We should have our own people manage it.”
“That sounds good, but…”
Feng Tong thought for a moment. “There are many small tribes in the Tielong deserts. Their populations are too small, and they have no fertile land, so they can only wander with their livestock. Many of their young people are willing to come to Bingzhou to work, gradually getting used to a stable life. We can offer higher wages to attract them to work in the mines, or perhaps building new villages for them to settle in would be a good idea.”
My eyes lit up.
“Feng Duo has been dealing with the city’s merchants lately. I’ll have him send someone to look into the situation.” Feng Tong frowned slightly. “I hope this matter is resolved smoothly. Marshal Chu’s army will soon reach Star Gorge.”
He paced back and forth in the tent with his head down, then looked up triumphantly, like a child who had hidden away some candy. “Actually, I have some excellent news to tell you. Do you want to hear it?”
***
