It was past midnight by the time Xiao Nanhui returned to the guest house, fleeing as if for her very life.
The other commanders staying at the villa had long since retired. In the deep of the night, the world was hushed and silent.
A lamp flickered in the central courtyard. Xiao Nanhui’s unsteady footsteps faltered as a sudden spark of hope rose in her heart, and she hurried forward.
But the courtyard was empty; Xiao Zhun was not there waiting for her.
At this moment, he was the person she most wanted to see, yet also the one she most feared.
She wanted to see him to confess her confusion and hesitation. Yet she feared seeing him, terrified that he would see through her.
The finger pressed against her heart, those cryptic yet fervent words, the fire that had grazed her lips—they had all taken root in her mind. The more she tried to forget, the more they refused to fade.
A strange and unsettling emotion had taken hold of her body: a measure of panic, a measure of shame, and a measure of... betrayal.
Why did she feel a sense of betrayal? Xiao Nanhui could not understand it. She only wanted to use Xiao Zhun’s voice and countenance to wash away the memory that man had left upon her. If it were tonight, perhaps she could find the courage to pour out the thoughts she had harbored for so many years. If only it were tonight...
But tonight, Xiao Zhun had not returned.
An oil lamp sat upon the stone table in the courtyard, likely left by a patrolling soldier. Xiao Nanhui lit it and sat down by the table.
She did not want to return to her room yet, did not want to climb into bed, and did not want to enter the realm of dreams. She was afraid that if she fell asleep, that man would enter her dreams again to toy with her and manipulate her at will.
Even though she remained awake, heaven would not grant her wish. The scene—suffused with shame and a lingering, unwanted tenderness—played over and over in her mind like a recurring drama.
As the hours ticked away, Xiao Nanhui stared fixedly at the oil lamp, praying in her heart for Xiao Zhun’s swift return.
This trip to Jiaosong County, including the travel time, was only a matter of days. Since both she and Xiao Zhun were burdened with military duties, they couldn't afford many luxuries, so she hadn't brought Cuckoo or Bogu along.
She hadn't let Cuckoo come out of consideration for the girl's exhaustion from the journey; it wasn't worth the trouble. As for Bogu, she hadn't let her come because she feared the girl would harass others and cause some sort of disaster.
But at this moment, she suddenly felt a twinge of regret.
Only when her body was exhausted could her thoughts finally stop. If Bogu were here, she could have provoked the girl into a duel that lasted until dawn.
After sitting in silence for a while, Xiao Nanhui pulled a crumpled piece of talisman paper from her robe.
This was the one the fortune-teller had drawn during the day. Ding Weixiang had considered it too crude and eventually had others redraw it for distribution, leaving this original draft in her hands.
The chaotic voices in her head would not cease, so Xiao Nanhui decided to use the dim light of the oil lamp to study the portrait of Zou Sifang.
An unknown amount of time passed before the sky began to brighten. A servant from the guest house led a group of ritual officials in to distribute the schedules for the day's proceedings. Upon looking up, they were startled by the figure sitting in the courtyard.
The servant stood still for a moment, then stepped closer to get a better look, realizing the figure was the female general of the Guangyao Camp.
Her hair was half-undone, a layer of frost had settled upon her tresses, and she held a piece of yellow paper in her hand, slumped motionless over the stone table.
"R—Right General?"
The figure stirred, slowly lifting her head to reveal a pale, haggard face.
"What time is it?"
The servant composed himself and said softly, "It is the hour of Chen."
Xiao Nanhui stood up abruptly, accidentally knocking over the burnt-out oil lamp on the table. Ignoring it, she asked urgently, "Did the Great General return last night?"
The servant shook his head. "I kept watch until dawn. The Right General was the last person to enter the courtyard last night."
Xiao Nanhui froze, remaining still for a long time before finally moving to set the oil lamp upright.
Her face was somewhat numb from the cold, and she could no longer even manage an expression of disappointment.
The servant, sensing the mood, was about to withdraw when he was called back.
"Could you help me arrange for a letter to be delivered?"
"Of course, General. Just give the word. However, Jiaosong is a small place, and the post station has no fast horses. Without a military order to dispatch a messenger, a letter to Que City would likely arrive around the same time you return..."
"It is not for Que City." Xiao Nanhui handed the thin envelope to the servant. "It is for Huozhou."
That letter was something she had spent a long time hesitating over last night.
If the "Zou Sifang" who appeared at the ceremony was indeed the leader of the Puhuna, then the dense fog surrounding the situation wasn't entirely without a glimmer of hope. At the very least, she had been to the Zou residence, and Zou Sifang was not a man without ties or family. She had dealt with the people of the Zou household before; they did not seem like the type to be involved in such matters. If something was wrong with "Zou Sifang," his family might have noticed something.
The matter of the Puhuna had to be settled.
She repeatedly told herself this was a matter of duty, having nothing to do with *that man*. She had already forgotten that her original trip to Huozhou had actually been for Xiao Zhun’s sake.
The servant took the letter and departed, leaving her a copy of the schedule the ritual officials had brought.
The paper detailed the general arrangements for the day's sacrifices. Xiao Nanhui skimmed it, confirming that it had essentially nothing to do with her.
Having finally found a day of leisure, she did not want to spend it alone in the guest house.
After some thought, she led Jixiang toward the Black Feather Camp's garrison.
The Black Feather Camp was the Emperor's personal guard, taking orders directly from him. Logically, they should have been stationed near the Imperial Palace. However, for this Dark Moon Sacrifice, the main Black Feather camp had been set up in the outer city of Jiaosong, where many guest houses were located.
There were several guest houses near Que City, but those in Jiaosong County were the most concentrated. Cuckoo had let something slip previously, and Xiao Nanhui had gathered more information from Yao Yi, confirming that Bai Yun was being held in one of the guest houses in the Jiaosong area. But which one remained unknown.
However, the events at the Changmi Platform yesterday had provided Xiao Nanhui with an opportunity.
Given Ding Weixiang’s judgment, he must have realized the connection between the purple-clad assassin and the Bai clan. Consequently, the security at the Imperial Palace had been exceptionally tight last night.
Since the attempt to steal the Secret Seal during the ceremony was related to the Bai clan, the guest house where Bai Yun was held would surely have its defenses bolstered to prevent the assassin Yan Zi or her accomplices from making contact during the chaos.
In truth, she didn't know what she would do even if she found the guest house and Bai Yun. It was just that during these days when Xiao Zhun seemed to be drifting further away from her, she had a persistent, inexplicable premonition. Xiao Zhun’s failure to return last night seemed to push her even harder to confirm this suspicion.
To her, the person living in that guest house was not just a human being, but a cruel yet compelling answer to a riddle.
After galloping for nearly an hour, she tethered Jixiang in an inconspicuous spot outside the Black Feather Camp and approached the entrance on foot.
The Black Feather Camp had few visible guards, but many hidden sentries. She had no desire to wade through mud, crawl over iron caltrops, and be shot through the heart by an arrow while halfway over a wall.
But "how can one catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den?" Just as Xiao Nanhui was fretting over the guards, she suddenly remembered the object on her wrist.
Back in Bijiang, the Emperor had given her a bracelet. It looked unremarkable, but she had been unable to remove it no matter what she tried. Over time, she had temporarily forgotten about it, but now the memory of it proved to be an unexpected boon.
Steeling herself, she walked boldly out of hiding and headed straight for the guards at the entrance.
Even seeing her in the armor of the Guangyao Camp, the Black Feather guards quickly intercepted her.
"Who goes there?"
"Right General of the Guangyao Camp, Xiao Nanhui."
She then cleared her throat and, with a hint of uncertainty, revealed the bracelet on her wrist.
The Black Feather guard took one look, and a look of clear surprise crossed his eyes. He hesitated for a moment and did not grant passage immediately, but his tone became much more polite.
"The Imperial Carriage has not left the palace. Why has the Right General come here?"
Xiao Nanhui grew tense instantly.
When the Emperor gave her this thing, he had indeed said it was for coming and going from his side; he hadn't said she could go anywhere. She had naturally assumed that if she could move freely around the Emperor, surely a Black Feather Camp wouldn't stop her? In the end, she had still underestimated that seamless fox, Lu Songping, far too much.
Her fingers tightened instinctively as she tried to recall Wu Xiaoliu’s manner when lying through his teeth.
"This... well, didn't something go wrong at the ceremony yesterday? The assassin and their accomplices are still at large. I traded blows with that criminal, so I came specifically to discuss a strategy with Lieutenant Lu. As for anything more..." She paused with feigned gravity. "I am afraid I cannot disclose it."
The air was silent for a brief moment before the Black Feather guards on both sides finally lowered their weapons and stepped back.
"I shall report the Right General's visit to the Lieutenant as required. I hope the General will not take offense."
Xiao Nanhui suppressed her internal jubilation, nodded with feigned composure, and walked into the camp with steady steps. After walking dozens of paces, she stole a glance back and saw that no one was following. Only then did she relax and hurry toward the tent of the commanding Lieutenant.
Wu Xiaoliu had once said: a good lie must be half-truth and half-fiction. She had once scoffed at this, but now she intended to treat it as a classic, reviewing it every so often.
In a sense, she wasn't lying; she really was looking for Lu Songping.
Though, of course, she wasn't there to discuss any "strategy."
If there was something that both Lu Songping and Ding Weixiang couldn't handle, how much could she really solve by sticking her nose in?
Each of the four great military camps of Tiancheng had its own way of arranging troops, but having had experience in the Lingxi camp before, she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the Black Feather Camp's layout. Furthermore, there weren't many Lieutenants who had accompanied the Emperor to Jiaosong, so it didn't take her much effort to find Lu Songping’s tent.
The sun had only recently risen, and the tent was still somewhat dim. Xiao Nanhui carefully confirmed the situation before cautiously slipping inside.
The interior of the tent was eerily tidy, showing almost no sign of regular habitation, except for the large desk in the center covered with animal pelts, which was somewhat cluttered.
Pity she didn't have much experience dealing deeply with Lu Songping; she could only resign herself to searching the desk, which seemed the most promising. From a scrap of paper ash the size of a fingernail to a tactical sand table that required two people to lift—how long would it take her to find the answer she sought?
Xiao Nanhui took a deep breath and used the jade hook that secured the felt curtain at the entrance to create a simple warning device. Then, she rolled up her sleeves, prepared to engage in some "sneaky business."
The items on the desk were numerous and disorganized. She had to carefully memorize the order in which she looked at them and remember to put everything back in its original place—it was an immense tax on the mind.
As she searched, she suddenly felt a bit aggrieved.
Why did she always find herself in these "sneaky" situations? First, there was the night investigation of the Zou residence where she was played for a fool by that master and servant, and then there was the night investigation of Prince Kang’s palace where that fellow Lu Songping chased her with a sword.
This was hardly the sort of thing a decorated general should be doing!
Xiao Nanhui thought indignantly, her hands never stopping. As they say, the first time is awkward, the second time is familiar; slowly, she felt she was finding a rhythm. Just as she was getting into the swing of things, a voice suddenly rang out behind her.
"What are you doing here?"
Xiao Nanhui froze. She didn't need to turn around to know the newcomer was Lu Songping.
She hadn't seen him for a long time since the battle in Bijiang. When she received the bestowed sword on the ritual platform yesterday, he hadn't seemed to be on the stage, likely coordinating with Ding Weixiang on the perimeter.
This man’s movements were as silent as ever. Not only had he failed to trigger the jade hook on the felt curtain, but there wasn't even the sound of a footstep.
He should have gone onto the platform yesterday to play a ghost and scare off Yan Zi, rather than deigning to be a Lieutenant here.
Xiao Nanhui suppressed her internal grumbling and tried her best to turn around with a friendly expression. "It has been a long time, Lieutenant Lu. How have you been? I was just doing my usual rounds and thought I'd stop by to see you."
As she finished, she felt the hair on her arms stand up beneath her sleeves.
As expected, the only thing more uncomfortable than lying was lying to Lu Songping.
Lu Songping narrowed his thin eyes. He didn't expose her directly, but his words were chilling: "The Guangyao Camp is at least ten li from here. For the Right General to be so close to me is truly flattering."
Xiao Nanhui covered her face with a dry cough, trying to hide her embarrassment while silently reciting the "Wu Xiaoliu Principles."
What had she said to the guards at the entrance just now?
"This... well, it wasn't entirely to see you. Didn't something go wrong at the ceremony yesterday? The assassin and their accomplices are still at large. I traded blows with that criminal, so I came specifically to touch base with Lieutenant Lu..."
Lu Songping nodded as if accepting her explanation, but he moved behind the desk. His gaze swept over the clutter like a frost withering grass or a north wind breaking the forest.
"And yet, I wonder why the Right General was circling my desk and why her sleeves are rolled up so high?"
Xiao Nanhui was in full retreat. Her peripheral vision caught the bows, arrows, and miscellaneous items on the desk, and she had a sudden flash of inspiration. "Naturally, I was studying these Bijiang bows and arrows captured previously. As for the sleeves... I was simply so engrossed in my thoughts that I acted on a whim, unable to help myself..."
Just as she hurriedly pulled down her sleeves, Lu Songping picked up a slender Bijiang bow from the table, skillfully fiddling with the string that had not yet been tightened.
"Since that is the case, it seems the Right General has some insights. Why not share them?"
She had witnessed this man’s archery before; if she spoke poorly, she might fall into another trap.
After a moment of hesitation, Xiao Nanhui said softly, "When we clashed on the battlefield earlier, I noticed the enemy archers had a much longer range than those of Tiancheng. After examining their weapons, I realized it was due to the construction and materials of the bows."
Lu Songping’s movements paused; he seemed to have gained some interest. "How so?"
Xiao Nanhui organized her thoughts and said slowly, "Take the inner face of the bow limb, for example. Tiancheng’s Falling Goose Bow and Royal Bow are made of rock goat horn. Though sturdy and durable, they are too heavy and rigid. This Bijiang bow, however, uses water buffalo horn—white on the outside and green in the middle. Not only does it have an advantage in length, but its elasticity and resilience are far superior."
Lu Songping finally looked at Xiao Nanhui, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"You are not an archer by trade. To be able to perceive these differences is quite commendable." He paused, setting the strung bow aside. "Unfortunately, Tiancheng’s climate is colder and has fewer lakes and rivers. It is impractical to use water buffalo horn for bow faces on a large scale."
Seeing him answer so seriously made Xiao Nanhui forget that this was just an excuse she had made up. Immersed in the logic of archery, she asked earnestly, "If one were to combine the two types of bows, would there be any benefit?"
"A bow and its arrows must be properly matched to be effective. If you change the bow's design, the arrows must be adjusted accordingly. From refinement to deployment, it would take several years at the very least to complete."
She hadn't considered that layer, but his words reminded her of the time she saw Lu Songping shoot down the Night Bats in Bijiang.
"I saw you shoot the Cloud-Piercing Arrow before. I wonder how it would fare if paired with this Bijiang bow?"
"My bow is specially made. Because the arrowhead of the Cloud-Piercing Arrow is heavy, and the head and shaft are forged as one, the bow cannot be effective unless drawn to its full weight. Furthermore, a single Cloud-Piercing Arrow takes a craftsman three days to forge. Even as an allotment for elite archers, it is far too extravagant."
This wouldn't work, that wouldn't work—Xiao Nanhui finally snapped out of it, regretting having started this topic and wanting to wrap it up quickly.
"I am a spear user, so naturally I don't understand the intricacies of your archery. Since the Black Feather Camp can produce the Black Feather Arrow, you can surely find a few capable men to serve you."
To her surprise, Lu Songping’s expression suddenly turned strange upon hearing this.
He saw Xiao Nanhui looking at him in confusion and said slowly, "The Black Feather Arrow currently used by the Black Feather Camp was personally created by Prince Shuo years ago. Later, the Great General personally improved the forging techniques of the arrows, which is what allows the Black Feather Arrow to pierce armor at a hundred paces." He paused intentionally, looking at Xiao Nanhui. "You are a member of the Xiao household, yet you did not even know this?"
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 焦松县 | Jiaosong County | Location of the guest houses and the sacrifice. |
| 杜鹃 | Cuckoo | Xiao Nanhui's maidservant. |
| 伯劳 | Bogu | Xiao Nanhui's other maidservant/guard. |
| 邹思防 | Zou Sifang | A mysterious official/figure. |
| 礼官 | Ritual official | Officials in charge of ceremonies. |
| 辰时 | Hour of Chen | 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM. |
| 阙城 | Que City | The capital city. |
| 霍州 | Huozhou | A location mentioned in the investigation. |
| 仆呼那 | Puhuna | A mysterious group or organization. |
| 秘玺 | Secret Seal | A significant imperial item. |
| 燕紫 | Yan Zi | The purple-clad assassin. |
| 鹿松平 | Lu Songping | Lieutenant/Commander of the Black Feather Camp. |
| 鹿中尉 | Lieutenant Lu | Lu Songping's title. |
| 碧疆 | Bijiang | A border region/enemy territory. |
| 落雁弓 | Falling Goose Bow | A type of bow used in Tiancheng. |
| 王弓 | Royal Bow | A high-quality bow used in Tiancheng. |
| 破云箭 | Cloud-Piercing Arrow | A specialized heavy arrow. |
| 朔亲王 | Prince Shuo | A royal figure from the past. |
| 黑羽箭 | Black Feather Arrow | The signature arrow of the Black Feather Camp. |
