Chapter 169

Zhao Yang was caught off-guard by the two-pronged assault from Yan Xun and Chu Qiao. The Southwestern Army, the Northern Alliance, and the Batuha Army were utterly defeated. Zhao Yang, now isolated, retreated towards Helan Mountains. Yan Xun followed tightly on his tail, killing over 200,000 enemies in the process, eliminating the main forces of all the armies except Zhao Yang’s Southwestern Army. Yan Xun had led his forces all the way into the northwestern mainland of Xia, to Yanming Pass. Subsequently, the Black Eagle Army set up camp at Beian Camp, located near Yanming Pass. Zhao Yang looked across the river, seeing that the northwestern part of the royal capital had been occupied by the troops of Yan Bei, while the nobles and officials there had surrendered. In a fit of anger, he spit out a mouthful of blood onto the frozen river.

With this, the first northern war was brought to an end. The army of Yan Bei had lost more than 400,000 people in the two battles at Beishuo and Chidu. The city of Chidu was turned into a piece of barren land; countless refugees died in the process of migration. Yan Bei, which was not a financially well-off place, fell into even harder times.

As compared to Yan Bei, the Xia Empire suffered unimaginable losses. Not only did they lose the majority of their northern army, but a prince was killed in the conflict. In addition, half of their empire in the northwest was conquered by the enemy. If Yan Xun did not turn back to save Beishuo, the royal capital would surely have fallen.

The attention of the entire continent of West Meng was fixated on these events. As the sun set in the northwestern skies, the dreams and glory of the Xia Empire over the past 300 years fell into an irreconcilable decline.

After Zhao Yang arrived back in the royal capital, he incurred the wrath of the royal family. The Elders’ Clan voted unanimously to throw him into prison. Three days later, the royal capital gathered 300,000 troops from the Southeastern Army, Northeastern Army, and the various noble households to head back to the northwestern battlefield, led by the seventh prince of Xia, Zhao Che.

Zhuge Huai, the eldest young master of the Zhuge family, was originally appointed as the person in charge of dispatching backup forces to the battlefield. However, with this defeat, the Zhuge family was shunned by the Elders’ Clan. Driven by desperation, Zhuge Muqing had no choice but to appoint his fourth son, Zhuge Yue, to assume Zhuge Huai’s position and follow Zhao Che to the northwest.

It could be seen that another major war was imminent.

The house was silent, with the occasional sound of crows flying past the window. The wind raged on, making sandy noises along with the snow. The moonlight shone on the ground through the window. Coupled with the candlelight, it seemed like a faint yellow speck of light. When Yan Xun arrived at the house, it was late at night. The sparse footsteps sounded like a deflated drum whose sounds drifted over from the distance. The maidservants in front of the house knelt down together, their knees bumping against the snowy ground as they crushed the snowflakes beneath them.

“Your Highness, Miss has already fallen asleep,” the maidservants said, their voices carrying a tinge of respect and timidness.

The wind seemed to get even stronger, hiding the layer of silence and awkwardness. The trees shook, while the moonlight was dim, forming a grey shadow when it shone through the window. The grey shadow stood in front of the window, not saying a word but not leaving either.

“Is Miss sleeping soundly?” After a while, a calm, rich voice sounded out. It was devoid of joy, nor any anger from being stopped outside. “Has the physician attended to her?”

“Miss is slightly injured. It’s all right,” the maidservant replied.

“Okay,” Yan Xun remarked and continued to ask, “What did she eat for dinner?”

“Only half a bowl of porridge.”

Yan Xun nodded lightly. “She might be hungry at night. Prepare some food for her. Be alert, don’t sleep all the way.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Yan Xun stood beneath the corridor, cutting a desolate figure. The weather outside was cold. The wind scattered the snow about in mid-air, while the moonlight shone on the ground, coloring it a pale white. He stood in the center, lowering his head slightly. He faced the closed window and whispered, “AhChu, I’m leaving.”

A small gust of wind blew past the man’s hair. Yan Xun turned around and walked down the steps slowly. He raised his feet lightly but landed quite heavily. The people outside slowly walked away. Chu Qiao lay on her bed. The weather was cold, like the scene in Sheng Jin Palace many years ago. In the lonely Yingge Court, blood trickled out of their hands and flowed into the spaces between their nails. The child’s eyes sparkled brightly like stars in the sky, while she frowned. A sense of despair brewed within her. Although many years had passed, they were still with each other. However, was he the only one that had changed?

She suddenly became flustered, throwing her blanket aside. Without putting on her winter clothes, she dashed out of her room barefooted, pulling the door open with a thud.

“Miss!” the maidservants chased after her, shouting loudly. This alerted the man who was walking in front. As he turned back, a small shadow suddenly fell into his embrace forcefully. Yan Xun lost his footing slightly, but his face was full of surprise. He felt a thin layer of clothes. Yan Xun frowned and chided lightly, “AhChu, why are you outside with so little clothes on?”

Chu Qiao remained silent, reaching out both of her hands to wrap around the man’s waist. She leaned her forehead on the man’s chest. A familiar warm scent lingered around her nose, which almost caused her to fall asleep. Her eyes were wet, as tears streamed down her face, drenching his clothes. She looked up towards him, her eyes red. The man was dressed in plain clothes and had long eyebrows. He still had the same familiar face but looked more fatigued from his arduous journey previously. He had retreated, committing a mistake which was regarded as a taboo in military terms. The effort that he had spent returning back to Yan Bei in one piece was unimaginable. As for her, she did not know all this.

“You’re back?”

Yan Xun smiled, his lips warm. He suppressed all his fatigue and nodded, “As long as you’re here, I will come back.”

In that instant, it seemed like they had gone back to the snowy night eight years ago. The young boy, who was being chased by killers, led his troops back to save the small young female slave. As she questioned him back then, he said with a laugh, “What would you do if I didn’t come back?”

Time had passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, eight years had passed. So many things had changed in this world, but they still stood together hand-in-hand.

Chu Qiao felt herself being lifted off her feet. Yan Xun frowned and lowered his head, looking at Chu Qiao who was being held by him. “AhChu, how have you lost so much weight?”

Chu Qiao looked up, her fingers grabbing lightly at Yan Xun’s clothes. She whispered, “It’s because I miss you.”

Yan Xun was a little slow to respond as he felt surprised. All these years, although they had stood by each other, they had hardly said such things to each other. The feelings of warmth started to surface in that instant, layer by layer, like boiling water. He covered Chu Qiao up with his cloak and laughed. “I’ve lost weight too.”

The servants let out a sigh of relief. The wind had stopped. Yan Xun carried Chu Qiao back to her room. He had traveled on his horse through day and night, and had to attend to military matters when he got back. As he was busy, even if he missed her, he could only visit at this hour. He removed his cloak, releasing a layer of dust that had accumulated on his clothes. He ordered the servants to prepare hot water. The two of them sat in the room, facing each other, not knowing what to say.

“AhChu…”

“No need to say anything!” Chu Qiao interrupted him, seemingly not willing to talk about the past events. With a slightly bitter voice, she remarked, “It’s enough, as long as you’re willing to come back.”

The light shone on the young lady’s pale face. Yan Xun suddenly felt cold on the inside. How much had she suffered in this period of time?

“After all, I lied to you. I’m sorry.”

“I’ve threatened you too.” Chu Qiao smiled. “I was really prepared to stay here all the way without leaving, to see if you would come back.”

Yan Xun nodded and smiled. “It’s been like this always. I’ve never won an argument with you.”

The Xia Empire attacked Beishuo with its army, while Yan Xun led his troops to attack its inner mainland. During this period, countless people died in the war. Countless warriors were separated from their families forever. Blood stained the land, while the bones of the corpses piled up. These events were enough to change the destiny of the entire continent, but in their words, it seemed like a trivial matter.

“AhChu, I have something for you.”

The hot water was poured, bucket by bucket, into the giant pool. Chu Qiao stood by the side of the pool to test the water temperature. Upon hearing Yan Xun, she turned around and asked, “What?”

It was a ring with a plain design. It was made of white jade, with exquisite patterns carved on it. Upon closer inspection, they resembled crepe flowers.

“When did you buy it?”

“I can’t remember.” Perhaps, it was many years ago. After hearing her mention her hometown’s traditions and customs briefly, he started to make this ring personally. Five years had passed. The ring had been prepared, but he did not have the courage to give it to her. He had nothing back then, except his feelings of hate. He waited and waited for an appropriate moment and venue. Just like this, many years had passed.

Chu Qiao put the ring on the ring finger of her left hand. She raised it up and looked at it. She smiled and said, “It’s nice.”

The curtains were pulled down. Yan Xun took his shower in the shower room, while Chu Qiao waited outside. Just like many years ago, they used to keep watch for each other while they showered, as they were most vulnerable when they showered. With time, they had developed this habit.

A fragrant aroma drifted outwards from the shower room. There was no wind inside, but the curtains moved slightly. Yan Xun’s voice drifted out from the room. “AhChu, pass me the towel.”

Chu Qiao picked up a white towel and reached her hand through the curtains. Their fingertips touched; she felt a feeling of warmth. She retracted her hand and asked awkwardly, “Is the water warm enough?”

“It’s good.”

The sounds of water splashing could be heard from inside. Chu Qiao blushed and sat outside, as they tried to make conversation.

“Yan Xun, were you injured this time?”

“No. I didn’t go to the frontline.”

The water vapor drifted out from the room, warming it up.

“Why did Song cooperate with us by conducting their military drills at the border? Do you know their eldest princess?”

The man replied, “I’ve only seen her a few times. She’s an acquaintance. However, I have a friend in Song. He pulled the strings this time.”

“Oh, I see.”

“AhChu, are you heavily injured? Where’re your injuries?”

“It’s alright, it’s just a few superficial wounds.”

The atmosphere in the room quietened down. After a long while, Chu Qiao said, “Yan Xun, don’t hide anything from me anymore.”

The man inside remained silent. After a long while, seeing that he had not responded, she called out again. “Yan Xun?”

There was still no response. Chu Qiao felt panicked. She pulled open the curtains and dashed inside barefooted. Yan Xun was sitting in the pool, his head leaning against the wall as he fell into deep sleep. He was frowning tightly, his face full of fatigue.