That would mean that whenever the King of Qinghai wished, he could take a stroll within Yan Bei, and no one could do anything about it. Not only that, but the Cuiwei Pass was situated in the middle of the Helan Mountain and the Cuiwei Mountain. To the East of the Pass was a vast grassland with no natural obstacles in sight. The only way to obstruct the enemies in the Qinghai would be to build a great wall that would be thousands of miles in length. That sounded like a joke, yet that was the precise reality that Yan Bei was faced with.

　　Fortunately, since that one incident, that Qinghai King had never appeared again. It was almost as though he just felt bored one day and came out for a stroll to inform Yan Xun that he was Yan Bei’s new neighbor. Of course, Yan Xun did not dare to let down his guard. While sending out men to find out information from the King of Qinghai, he had headed down to Cuiwei Pass multiple times in hopes of negotiation with the King of Qinghai. In addition, he had also started to set up defense lines in the Southwest and arranged for a garrison. With that, the Xia Empire finally had a chance to take a breather. All this intel were from He Xiao. In those two years, Chu Qiao had barely headed down the mountain.

　　The nights were very silent. So silent, one could hear the sounds of dogs barking at the foot of the mountain. Yet, when everyone was asleep, Chu Qiao stared at the stars above, and sat alone until daybreak.

　　Yet, tragedy struck without any premonition. The news of Da Tong’s rebellion was like sizzling hot oil that had just been added to water, creating a huge uproar in the gloom of the Huihui mountains. Looking at the messenger who was colored by blood, Chu Qiao frowned as she listened to his words.

　　“Master, please head down. If you do not go, Da Tong will cease to exist!”

　　Quietly looking at him, Chu Qiao took a long time to reply. The news of Da Tong’s rebellion was just received by her from the garrison of Qiulan City. Yet, this man immediately appeared and informed her that Yan Xun was planning to completely uproot the Da Tong Guild, and had already completely relieved Lady Yu and Mister Wu of military duties, and had held Xia Zhi, Xirui, and other Da Tong generals captive. The headquarters of the Da Tong Guild, Wang City, was turned into rubble, and he was intending to recall the Huoyun army, along with Princess Huanhuan, intending to completely remove any possible future rebellions by eliminating her…

　　As for such words, Chu Qiao refused to believe the messenger. Logic also told her that she should not fall for such words. As much as she had experienced the mercilessness of Yan Xun first hand, she knew that Yan Xun was not brainless. Getting rid of the Da Tong Guild was somewhat logical, and the removal of Mister Wu and Lady Yu’s military position was acceptable, but why would he want the death of Huanhuan? Huanhuan was his blood sister. Although she was a believer of Da Tong, and had been groomed by Da Tong, she would not necessarily turn against her own brother for Da Tong.

　　“You may head down.”

　　“Master!” The man dropped to the ground, his head slamming down onto the ground with a crisp impact as he prostrated to Chu Qiao, pleading, “I implore Master to save Da Tong! Only you can save us now.” The sound of his kowtow was so loud, and before long his head was covered with blood. Frowning, Chu Qiao finally turned around and walked back into her room. As the door closed, the man gaze was filled with nothing but despair and sadness.

　　As for the Da Tong Guild, Chu Qiao had never had a good impression of them. Apart from Mister Wu and Lady Yu, she had not worked much with the rest. She had originally thought that they were all a bunch of evil men plotting for power and wealth, but she gradually realized that not all of them were such people. Most of the Da Tong Guild members were firm believers and loyal warriors, and were like Mohism in ancient China. They were fierce warriors, educated scholars, and most of them were compassionate and kind. Such people would be a great resource for a nation if they could be put to good use. She was sure that Yan Xun would not kill off such a talented group of people. So as Chu Qiao thought, as she suppressed the discomfort in her heart.

　　Yet, everything went completely beyond Chu Qiao’s wildest imagination. Without even two days since then, the war had spread throughout all of Yan Bei. Countless Da Tong Guild groups had been surrounded and massacred, and the Da Tong Leadership suffered a catastrophe. Death came so fast that no one even caught wind of any news before they had already been surrounded. Everything seemed like a flood that had just broken the banks, instantly sweeping through Yan Bei, with no one being able to muster any forms of countermeasure.

　　On the second night, the messengers started scaling Huihui mountains again. There were 20 men, yet, only one was able to reach the peak. The rider of the horse was bathed in blood, and one of his arms was attached to his body by only a thin piece of flesh, as though it could fall off anytime. Looking at Chu Qiao, he was already incapable of words. Using his other hand, he painstakingly unbuttoned his shirt and passed a letter to Chu Qiao. Even though the letter had been soaked with blood and sweat, one could still see the neat words written on it: AhChu, help us. Zhong Yu.

　　After hesitating for a while, Chu Qiao slowly stood up. The cold mountain wind blew on her frail body, as she took a deep breath and firmly instructed, “He Xiao, prepare my horse, I will be heading down!”

　　A flash of relief flashed across that messenger’s eyes. Following which, he fell towards the ground, head first. Only then did Chu Qiao notice that there was an arrow that was deeply embedded in his back, straight through his heart. No one knew how he was able to hold on and climb to the top of the mountain in such condition.

　　With merely 20 guards, Chu Qiao donned her cape, as she charged into the darkness of the night. With the chilly rain washing on her face, the growing unease enveloped her. She grew reluctant to think further, as she pushed her horse to go even faster. In the darkness of the night, the journey seemed like an unending distance.

　　Lady Yu’s 3,000 strong group of bodyguards now only had 100 men. Everyone was wounded, yet they stood alert the moment they saw Chu Qiao approach. In that heavy thunderstorm, Lady Yu lied down in a straw hut. When Chu Qiao entered, Lady Yu was sleeping. Hearing sounds, Lady Yu woke up, and slowly opened her eyes. Her pale face broke into a light smile upon seeing Chu Qiao appear, as though she was completely expecting her arrival, as she greeted Chu Qiao, “You have come.” An arrow had struck her chest, and even though the wound had been bandaged, no one dared to pull the arrow out without medicine to treat her.

　　Seeing that, Pingan’s eyes turned red as he sniffed and informed, “I will go and look for Uncle Dalie.” With that said, he opened the door and walked out. The room quietened down with only the two ladies presence. Incidentally, both of them were dressed in white. Kneeling beside Lady Yu’s bed, Chu Qiao could immediately tell how serious Lady Yu’s injury was. Swallowing the sadness, Chu Qiao quietly asked, “Lady Yu, what happened?”

　　Taking a deep breath, Lady Yu coughed, as an unhealthy blush surfaced on her face. “The taxes in Changqing were raised, and the locals there revolted. Some of the leaders of the Guild participated as well. Now, there is no way to salvage the situation.”

　　“You also participated?” Chu Qiao’s brow furrowed deeply as she quietly asked, “How could you be so reckless? To participate in the civilians’ revolt is equivalent to rebellion. Yan Xun initially did not trust the Da Tong Guild, how could you be so careless?”

　　“Hurhur,” Lady Yu lightly chuckled, as her chest heaved up and down. The focus of her eyes seemed to be fleeting. She glanced past Chu Qiao, and seemed to be looking far away into the distance. Quietly, she replied, “Have you seen how Changqing suffered a snowy disaster the previous winter, and this year, it was a victim of poor harvests, and their livestock dyed by the dozens. At this crucial moment, Yan Xun had decided to force them to give up their food, which was already insufficient to last them through winter. That would be equivalent to asking them to die.” Looking at Chu Qiao, Lady Yu continued, “His Highness is preparing for war, and wishes to conquer the Cuiwei Pass before winter. As such, he had already recruited many soldiers and gathered food from civilians. There were already many who starved to death. Even if I knew my eventual outcome, I had no choice but to do this.”

　　Biting her lips, Chu Qiao felt a rising sense of sadness, as she held on tightly onto Lady Yu’s hands, unable to speak any words of consolation.

　　“AhChu, you are a good child, but you have led such a difficult life. I hope that you understand that not everything in this world can follow your will. Many a time we may have tried our best, but we may not achieve our desired outcome. You are still young, there is still a bright future ahead of you.” Gently smiling, the light wrinkles that decorated her eyes gave her an aura of wisdom, as her soft voice seemed to be fleeting. Kneeling by Lady Yu’s bedside, Chu Qiao pressed on Lady Yu’s wound, in hopes of stopping the blood that was still seeping out. With the fresh blood tainting Chu Qiao’s pristine white dress, Chu Qiao bit her lips and struggled to keep the tears in her eyes.

　　“Lady Yu, you need to hang in there. Pingan has gone to look for a doctor.”

　　“I can’t be saved.” Lady Yu lightly shook her head. Her face was already so pale that it could be compared to fresh snow atop a mountain. Her frail shoulders and hands were cold like ice, as she lifted her gaze at the dilapidated rooftop. With the winds bellowing outside the hut, a flood of memories flashed before Lady Yu’s eyes.

　　In the last moments of her life, all her memories raced across her eyes as though she was watching a movie. She felt as though time had been turned back to 15 years ago on the Wolong Mountain, her heart skipping a beat as she looked on at the figure donned in green standing amidst the crimson leaves of autumn. She could almost remember how the gentle sunlight fell on her, caressing her like a mother’s hand. She would see the sunlight, casting a blotted shadow through the layers of foliage on the guqin that was on the stone table beside her. That man turned back towards her, and with a soft smile, he gazed into her eyes tenderly, as he stretched out his hand towards her, “AhYu, why did you wake up so early?”

　　No one knew that she had never liked the art of politics, military, or leadership. From childhood, she merely hoped that she could have a family, and like a normal lady, learn about makeup and poems, and eventually marry a responsible husband. Living a peaceful life, it was never her dream to save the world or to hold great power.

　　Yet, he was ambitious, and he placed his eyes above the rest as he witnessed all kinds of unfairness in the world. He had headed up the mountain in hopes of learning skills that could grant him the ability to do so. In the end, when he studied the art of war, she would learn about politics; when he enriched his knowledge about business and finance, she would read up on economics; when he would observe social habits, she would contemplate about psychology. She had always tried to complement his abilities, such that she could always be at the same heights as him.

　　Their master was so wise and all knowing. All it took was one glance for the master to understand her feelings for that man. Not only had he not prevented her from learning, the master taught her all that he could. However, in the end, before she headed down from the mountain, the master quietly stuffed a letter in her luggage. Only after a long while did she realize. Within the letter only wrote one word: Devotion.

　　In a flash, 15 years had passed. She had been through thick and thin as she went through life and death. It was fortunate that he had always been by her side. Regardless of the winds and storms that they had been through, they always stood together. In the passage of time, the world had changed drastically. For power, even father and son would become archnemesis, even blood relatives would fight each other, and even lovers would abandon each other. Only the two of them had stayed the same and continued to have faith in their cause unwaveringly.

　　Yet, there were some words that were always kept at the bottom of their hearts. After their repeated reunions and farewells over the past ten years, she always thought that there would be another time. With that, time slipped out from between their fingers as they were kept busy by their dreams, completely unaware of the fact that there might come a day when they would never meet again. Finally, she would forever lose the opportunity to convey those feelings that she had kept secret for almost two decades, those gentle emotions she had always harbored