It took Xiao Nanhui a quarter of an hour to regroup the troops that had been scattered by the cavalry charge.
This was her first time commanding a battle as a general, yet she felt no inclination to savor the moment.
Although the arrows of the Black Feather Camp had repelled the first wave of the Bai Clan’s assault, the conflict was entering a grueling stalemate. Sooner or later, this place would transform into a slaughterhouse.
She had to seize the opportunity before the Bai cavalry tightened their encirclement, using the terrain to break through to the north and retreat to the rear of the combat zone. From there, she could seek a chance to rendezvous with the other camps.
Lu Songping had previously instructed that should the unexpected occur, they were to use the drumbeats to determine their orientation and move toward the "eye" of the formation. That would be the place where the entire Tiancheng army would make its final stand.
Among her unit were Lu Songping’s confidants, who likely knew the finer details of this operation. She kept one of them as a guide and ordered the others to disperse, each driving a carriage to draw away the enemy's attention.
The solar eclipse was nearing its end, and the sky was gradually brightening, though a heavy fog had yet to lift. This mist, which had previously hindered their vision, now served as a favorable shroud. As long as they could timely avoid the Bai cavalry’s most destructive vanguards, merging with the main Tiancheng force would not be difficult.
However, as a precaution, she ignited the Jiaozhi tracking incense tied to her waist. It was a specially formulated spice used in dire moments to guide Lu Songping to the location of the throne.
The heavy thrum of drums continued to drift faintly from ahead—the sounds of generals at various formation points directing the battle. Having completed her preparations, she hesitated no longer, driving the carriage swiftly toward the nearest signal.
Traveling through the fog caused one to lose all sense of distance. Xiao Nanhui could only estimate her northward progress by calculating the horses' stamina and the frequency of the wheels' rotation.
During the journey, small groups of scattered cavalry occasionally collided with them. She ended these skirmishes with brutal efficiency, seeking only to disengage as quickly as possible.
After about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, just as she was drawing closer to the source of the sound, the drumming abruptly ceased.
Driven almost by instinct, Xiao Nanhui pulled the horses to a sharp halt. As the sound of hooves and rolling wheels died away, she realized the surroundings were far quieter than before. Even the sounds of slaughter had grown distant.
Had they already left the combat zone?
An ominous premonition began to rise in her heart.
No, the terrain here had leveled out. If they had been heading north, they should have passed the small hills where Lu Songping had set his array.
The soldiers she had sent ahead to scout had not returned. It was as if they had stepped into the depths of this mist and simply ceased to exist.
Xiao Nanhui stared intently at the veil-like fog, sensing that something terrifying was about to emerge at any moment.
Just then, the hurried clatter of a *zheng* bell rang out from the mist, startling her.
The sound was as frantic as a sudden downpour, only to stop just as abruptly, as if swallowed whole by some monstrous beast.
Silence returned to the surroundings, and Xiao Nanhui’s heart began to contract and pound rapidly.
Drums signaled an advance; the chime of metal signaled a retreat.
Something had gone wrong ahead.
They were likely only a few miles from the formation's eye, but with the situation ahead unknown, she could not take the risk.
With a low curse, she pulled hard on the reins. Ten lines of leather tightened instantly. The horses neighed in unison, their heads tossing high; when their iron hooves struck the ground again, they were galloping in the opposite direction.
To prevent an attack from the flanks, Xiao Nanhui adjusted their formation into an inverted triangle—a classic retreat formation. The men on the left and right wings would form a line that could both guard against a pincer attack and cut off pursuers.
However, she soon discovered that her small unit of a hundred men was being rapidly picked off. Much like the suddenly silenced drums and bells, her soldiers were vanishing on the spot before an enemy could even be seen.
Xiao Nanhui gritted her teeth, driving the carriage at breakneck speed.
She commanded herself not to look left or right, but the dying gasps of her soldiers were drawing closer, so near they seemed to brush against her ear.
Dammit, she should have expected this. The Bai Clan’s surprise raid was intended to be decisive; how could they have sent only one of the Four Riders?
Yet, even an opponent like Kui Lang could not have silently slaughtered several trained soldiers in an instant.
Her mind was a chaotic mess. The carriage had long since lost its direction in the frantic flight. She could only rely on the sound of stray arrows to vaguely distinguish the combat zone, having no idea where the horses were actually headed.
But regardless, it could not be toward what lay behind her.
In the mist behind them was a terrifying hunter.
And she had to find a way to escape.
The four horses snorted in unison, their breath coming in heavy rasps. All living things possessed intuition; like her, they felt the murderous intent closing in step by step.
Then, something pierced through the mist, heading straight for the moving carriage.
The first thing Xiao Nanhui heard was a sharp cry, like a sob.
It was the resonance of a blade.
It was a sound only produced when an ancient sword, forged from a single piece of metal, left its scabbard. But it seemed to be far more than that.
The sound made her vaguely recall the bronze Buddhist chimes she often heard in the main hall of Yongye Temple—a long, lingering resonance that bored deep into the ears and settled in the mind, impossible to drive away.
"Xiao Nanhui!"
Suddenly, someone called her name.
She realized she had been dazed. In that same instant, a chilling sword *qi* followed. She barely had time to draw her Pingxian before the sound of clashing metal rang out. The entire carriage shuddered violently, and the wheels on one side were lifted off the ground.
The four pulling horses shrieked, dragged to one side. She scrambled to her feet, using her body weight to desperately pull the unbalanced carriage back. The wheels slammed back onto the earth.
She immediately looked to the right. There was only empty mist; nothing was there.
It was a truly terrifying level of internal power. From a distance of over five paces, the sword *qi* could transmit such overbearing force. If one were to trade blows face-to-face, anyone receiving such a strike would likely be crippled if not killed.
She felt her sweat-soaked hair turning icy beneath her iron helmet.
"Focus. It is not the end yet."
Su Wei’s voice drifted out from behind the carriage curtain again. It was calm, devoid of any hint of panic or fear, as if his previous warning had been a trivial matter.
Yet those few short words made Xiao Nanhui’s entire body go taut.
Her duty was not yet finished. How could she harbor thoughts of retreat?
Before she could prepare herself, however, that ghost-like sword resonance rang out again. This time it still came from the right, faster and with even greater force.
This at least proved that her opponent was likely a single person.
Xiao Nanhui yanked the reins to change direction. The horses' pace faltered for a split second. The strike grazed the carriage body, but it severed half of the shaft and the yoke.
With a sharp *crack*, the entire weight of the carriage fell onto the traces and reins. The four startled horses collided with each other, on the verge of breaking free and scattering.
In a flash, she turned and dragged Su Wei from the carriage to her chest. Then, pressing a palm against his back, she shifted his center of gravity onto the wooden beam of the rear shaft.
The carriage body began to sway wildly without the stabilizing weight. The four horses, in their frantic gallop, kicked up sand and stones that flew past their faces, making it impossible to keep one's eyes open.
Xiao Nanhui had no time for such concerns. She squinted, picking out a sturdy dapple-gray horse. Grabbing Su Wei by his waist sash with both hands, she lifted him and slowly stood up on the flying carriage.
The man was wearing a floor-length black robe today, plain at the base but covered with a layer of fine gauze. The moment it caught the wind, the light gauze and the eight panels of the robe billowed out, looking like a black lotus blooming quietly in the hazy mist.
Xiao Nanhui’s gaze remained fixed on the back of the horse ahead, but she could feel the steady, restrained strength emanating from the body beneath her hands.
As the Son of Heaven, he had encountered such an absurd situation, yet he showed no resentment or anger, nor did he shout demands.
It was an innate elegance. Even if blood were to splatter three feet high in the next moment, he would remain composed.
The next instant, the wooden board beneath her feet sank. A moment before losing her balance, Xiao Nanhui kicked off with all her might, carrying the person in her arms as they landed heavily on the back of the gray horse.
Almost simultaneously, the dozen or so reins snapped completely. She drew her Pingxian and severed the traces with a backhand sweep. The carriage, now looking like a pincushion from the arrows it had taken, was left entirely behind them.
The cold wind rushed at her face. She felt Su Wei’s hair brushing and tangling against her neck, only then realizing his crown had fallen off during the struggle. Belatedly, words of apology came to mind.
"Your Majesty, I have offended you."
She could not see the man’s expression, but she heard a low chuckle.
"I truly never imagined that I would experience such a scene in this lifetime."
What was she supposed to say? That it was her honor?
Xiao Nanhui was somewhat bewildered, only lowering her voice to warn him: "Do not look up, Your Majesty. That person is still following us."
This horse was meant for pulling a carriage; it had no saddle other than the harness. She could only try to grip the ropes to maintain her balance. However, with two people sharing one mount, she did not dare to spur the horse into a full gallop.
The mist seemed less dense than it had been at dawn. She carefully observed the surroundings and began to move in a circuitous path, attempting to shake off the pursuer.
The sounds behind them drifted closer and then further away. She listened intently; whenever the sound drew near, she immediately turned the horse's head, using sharp turns to open up distance.
But this could not go on forever.
She looked down at the Jiaozhi incense at her waist and found it had burned to the end. She had no idea when Lu Songping’s reinforcements would arrive.
In that moment of distraction, she suddenly sensed a faint breeze blowing toward her.
On a plain, the movement of air is generally regular. It usually only changes when approaching undulating terrain like a valley.
Lu Songping’s combat zone was near the hills, but the direction she had fled was almost the exact opposite.
Then, there was another possibility...
Almost instinctively, she yanked the reins tight.
The bit bit hard into the horse's mouth. The animal reared its front hooves high, losing its balance and toppling to one side.
Xiao Nanhui held Su Wei tightly, using the momentum to roll off the horse's back. Just as she steadied herself, she felt a chilly wind scrape past her shoulder from below.
She slowly turned her head and saw the edge of this parched land.
How could the earth have an edge?
It wasn't an edge, of course. It was simply the end.
The end of a cliff.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 摇钲 | Yaozheng | A hand-bell or small gong used in ancient Chinese military to signal a retreat. |
| 焦止香 | Jiaozhi Incense | A specialized tracking incense used by the military. |
| 剑鸣 | Sword resonance | The humming or ringing sound of a blade, often associated with high-quality swords or powerful internal energy. |
| 纱縠 | Gauze / Crepe | A type of thin, light, transparent silk fabric. |
| 车靷 | Traces | The straps or chains by which a carriage is pulled by a harnessed horse. |
| 车辕 | Shaft | The poles of a carriage between which a horse is harnessed. |
| 车轭 | Yoke | A wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull. |
| 冠 | Crown / Guan | A formal headpiece worn by men in ancient China to secure their hair. |
