That night, the stars shone like snow across the dark sky, trembling as if they might fall at any moment. The streets were empty, save for the occasional ghostly figure slipping through the shadows. At the gates of Maika, a broad-shouldered figure carrying a long black bow and a quiver full of arrows emerged from the shadows. Moving steadily, he reached the city’s edge and glanced back at Maika one last time, his eyes flickering with firelight. “Mother, wait for me to return,” he murmured under his breath before disappearing into the night, heading straight for the border. It was Zhan Bie, the newly appointed emissary, carrying King Gu Cha’s letter to Yunpei.
He ran through the night without stopping, the cool desert moon hanging high above, casting deep shadows across the sand dunes. Each dune rose and fell like waves in a vast sea, threatening to swallow everything in its path. In this harsh desert, even the slightest misstep could lead to deadly illusions, trapping travelers in endless mirages.
As Zhan Bie pushed forward, he suddenly noticed distant flickering lights ahead. His heart raced. Could it be Ruo Wen’s men? Slowing his pace, he carefully observed the figures around the fire. There was soft singing in the air—it didn’t seem like Ruo Wen’s army. But just as he began to relax, his eyes caught sight of the unmistakable yellow banner, emblazoned with a white crown. A chill ran down his spine.
Zhan Bie instantly dropped to the ground, nocking an arrow to his longbow as he moved silently closer, every muscle tense with anticipation.
The Mad Yellow Army of Heaven in the minds of the Gu He people was both terrifying and mysterious. They could roam the desert at night, lost in wild celebrations, utterly unaffected by the eerie spirits that seemed to inhabit the barren land. Perhaps, in truth, they themselves were already a band of restless souls—how could they fear the sinister winds of another realm?
Zhan Bie focused intently on the group ahead. In the center of their torches, two seductive dancers in red and blue moved their bodies in rhythm. The dancer in blue swayed like a snake searching for prey, while the one in red wrapped her pale legs around a towering flagpole, her movements filled with grace and seduction. These two women seemed to be the only life force in this vast desert, captivating the bandits beneath them, stealing their souls and will.
Zhan Bie swallowed hard, feeling as if he was being drawn into a trance. Sweat dripped from his forehead, sliding down to his lips. Shaking his head, he forced himself to remain focused. Judging by the scene, this appeared to be a detachment from Ruo Wen's army celebrating some victory. The group was too lost in their hypnotic pleasure to notice his presence. It would be easy to slip away unnoticed now.
With that thought, Zhan Bie slowly rose, took a deep breath, and in a swift, bird-like movement, darted away from the yellow sand dunes.
"Ruo Wen is here!"
Zhan Bie's departure went unnoticed by the group, but soon after, Ruo Wen arrived, transforming the once flickering torches into a blazing sea of fire. The entire area was bathed in a red glow. Ruo Wen, mounted on his towering steed, stomped through the yellow earth like a god of war, his face radiating the cold cruelty of a blood-soaked tyrant.
The bandits' eyes filled with awe as they prostrated themselves at his feet, some with a longing desire to be trampled by him. On the stage of yellow soil, the two dancers, one in red and one in blue, each with a jewel embedded in their foreheads—one blue, one red—rushed toward him with wide, welcoming smiles. They threw themselves against his chest. Ruo Wen laughed wildly, kissing them passionately as the crowd erupted in rowdy applause.
Yes, the later the night, the more Ruo Wen craved women. His men all knew that his desires were like a ghostly river flowing through the dark, filled with insatiable greed—women, wealth, food, and spontaneous acts of violence. Ruo Wen was always more intense, more ravenous than others, because he wanted more, and he wanted it fiercely.
"Chief! Ruo Lan has been waiting for you!" The dancer in blue boldly hooked her leg around Ruo Wen's waist, her eyes full of heat and temptation. Ruo Wen smirked playfully, lightly tapping her chin with one hand while raising a cup of strong liquor with the other, downing it without hesitation.
The dancer in red climbed onto him as well, licking his neck with shallow, teasing strokes, her hands snaking over his chest. "Chief! Fei Wen missed you so much... No other man here compares to you!"
And so, the three indulged in wild abandon, making love shamelessly in front of the entire crowd, their actions brazen and untamed.
This was Ruo Wen.
But where did Ruo Lan and Fei Wen, these two women, come from? In all their marauding across the northern desert, they had never been seen before.
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