“This is no longer the soil of my homeland. Let it return to where it came from.”
She looked at the blood-red sky at dusk, her silhouette bathed in the crimson glow, as if she were about to dissolve into the sea of sand. The ten guards and three maids watched her until she finally turned back. Smiling faintly, her expression was serene, and after taking a few casual steps, she said quietly, “Once a chess piece is captured, how can it be reused? I no longer owe His Majesty anything! So I won’t return to Yun Pei.”
Upon hearing this, Lian Huan nodded, then asked in a strong voice, “Then should we carry the empty coffin back to report?”
Huang Bei Shuang turned to face them, shaking her head. “You will not return either!”
The thirteen of them were stunned, confused.
“If you return, it will be as good as telling him directly that I’m alive and in Tian Du. So, you don’t need to go back. This way, even if he suspects I’m still alive, as long as there’s no news of me, I’ll be like a dead piece on the chessboard.”
After pondering for a moment, she added, “The brewing war is on the verge of erupting—how could one woman stop it? Besides, His Majesty seems to have forgotten that the Er Na Qi tribe has already taken root in Yun Pei. They are now Yun Pei’s people, under his rule and protection! How could he use his own people to threaten me? He can’t… anymore.”
Lian Huan and the others exchanged glances, finally understanding. They nodded and asked, “Then, we’re not leaving?”
Huang Bei Shuang laughed sorrowfully at the question. “Zhan will not give up unless he severs all ties with me. He’ll try to use every advantage. So… I cannot stay in Tian Du either.”
Ye Pei and the others’ expressions darkened, and they quietly asked, “Na Xiu, what do you plan to do? Tian Du is heavily guarded, and to leave, you’ll need Lord Qing’s approval. But given his attitude yesterday, I fear…”
Hearing this, Huang Bei Shuang looked up at the blood-red sky. Qing Yun’s sharp gaze flashed in her mind. After a long silence, she simply pulled her cloak tighter, seeking warmth.
Qing Yun...
So many people spend their lives searching for a place of peace, a place where they can live by the sun and rest by the moon.
Yet such a simple thing never lasts.
Is it because human hearts can’t find peace, or is it because such a place simply doesn’t exist in this world—
A place that is always peaceful and always calm...
* * *
Year 332 of the Common Era, Spring Equinox
Tian Du held a grand military parade. The sea of armored troops stretched endlessly, and the dust from their hooves rose like mist. Generals from all directions gathered in Huairou, amassing 200,000 soldiers, their spirits high. King Jing of the Northern Realm stood atop the high platform, his call echoed like the surging tides. He promised the army that if they won, they would unite the world; if they lost, they would be buried in the sands of the battlefield. The ritual of the shaman priests was performed, and the auspicious day was set. There would be no delay in the battle with Yun Pei. Any who disobeyed would be treated as deserters and punished by military law!
Huang Bei Shuang stood at the highest point of the parade ground, watching these brave men with the thirteen people by her side. She felt both admiration and sadness for them.
She had always been a woman easily contented. When she married Zhan, she didn’t care about his favor, as long as her tribe benefited and her mission was fulfilled. And when she fell in love with Qing Yun, she didn’t care about titles, as long as they truly loved each other and shared precious moments together. In this sense, perhaps she was just a drop in the ocean, drifting through life with the current.
But now, things were different. Fate had given her a chance—an opportunity to become the one observing the chessboard.
And she, she should seize it. Her gaze sharpened, and finally, she had made up her mind.
“What are you doing?”
As soon as the council meeting ended, Qing Yun immediately returned to the palace. His subordinates reported that today she had been wandering around with the ten guards and three maids, even revisiting the former grounds of the Er Na Qi tribe. She had also scattered the soil that Zhan had sent her, which pleased him greatly.
Huang Bei Shuang was brewing a type of alcohol, a drink quite different from the dominant bajiu. It had a somewhat sour and fragrant aroma. She sat by the table, smiling as she waved him over. “You’re back. Come and have a taste!”
0 Comments