Chapter 187

Zhuge Yue remained silent as he drank his cup of wine. The wind blew between the gap separating them, bringing with it an icy chill. Chu Qiao looked at him as the past memories flashed across her mind. She was slightly dazed as she held her wine cup in her hand, not knowing what to say.

“I saw him.”

“Who?” Chu Qiao asked.

“The man who lured me to kill the soldiers from the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison.” Zhuge Yue looked up and continued, “His name is Cheng Yuan. Presently, he is the chief marshal of the First Army of Yan Bei. He has assumed Wu Daoya’s position. Other than Yan Xun, he is the next most powerful figure in Yan Bei.”

Chu Qiao lowered her head, not speaking a word. Zhuge Yue looked at her and thought for a long while before nodding and saying, “You made the right decision to head back to the inner mainland of Yan Bei. The power struggle within the Yan Bei army is complicated. You should not stay at that place.”

Chu Qiao smiled. “Yes, this year has been good for me.”

“That’s good then.” Zhuge Yue smiled heartily. “If you had a position, you would naturally care about matters relating to that position. The Da Tong Guild has considerable and deep influence. If not for the threat of my troops, Yan Xun would have been ousted. Having one or two smart and experienced people is useless. A power struggle would be inevitable. It’s good that you understand the reasons behind it. It’s beneficial to you.”

Chu Qiao nodded and replied, “I understand. In order to achieve something, a price has to be paid. These small setbacks will not defeat me.”

Zhuge Yue smiled. The cloak made of fox skin brushed against his chin. Zhuge Yue was handsome; additionally, there was a sinister feeling in his charisma. This instant, he was sitting in front of Chu Qiao, talking about matters that only the two of them would understand. Chu Qiao suddenly felt that this man understood her deeply. There were some things which Yan Xun did not know, and that she was not willing to face it either. However, he could get ahold of her thoughts through the various clues dropped to him. For example, her dreams, beliefs, hopes, joyful and sorrowful memories…

This was a man to be feared. He had a sharp military brain, possessed extraordinary martial arts skills, and was outstandingly scheming. Furthermore, he had the backing of his powerful family. However, Chu Qiao was not able to read through him. Over these years, what exactly had he wanted?

Yan Xun wanted to take revenge by annihilating Xia and conquering the world; Zhao Che wanted the royal throne, power, and riches; Li Ce also wanted Xia to claim his land back and rebuild Tang’s reputation. As for Zhuge Yue, what did he want? No one knew or was able to guess. Looking at his pitch-black eyes, Chu Qiao felt that she was slowly sinking in. His gaze was like a whirlpool as he looked at her. It looked gentle on the outside, but a passionate fire was brewing from inside. Perhaps he had stated what he wanted. Back in Tang, he held her in his embrace and suppressed his arrogance and anger. He said in a low voice, “I need you too.” How could a person like him speak like that? However, those words became her torture, marked the start of her lifelong nightmare, and turned into the words that she could not find an answer for.

“Zhuge Yue, the swords have no eyes on the battlefield. The court is unpredictable too. Take care of yourself.”

Zhuge Yue gave a warm smile, showing the occasional warm expression. He looked at the statue of the female goddess in the palace and said slowly, “Those things have nothing on me.”

Everyone had an achilles’ heel. As for his, it was about to disappear as the person he loved was about to marry someone else.

Zhuge Yue stood up, his enlarging shadow appearing handsome under the moonlight. He was like a stone statue, radiance emerging from his face. He looked up quietly towards the tall statue. The woman’s beautiful face showcased her intimidating heroic spirit. Her dark red body armor was visible as time had carved its mark on the statue. It looked like trails of blood were trickling over her body armor. Her war axe was in her hands; she was standing back-to-back with the motherly-looking statue. The look in her eyes was ferocious, like a burning flame.

Zhuge Yue was slightly dazed. He was unable to describe how he felt when he first saw this statue. In that instant, he seemingly saw someone through this statue. The person was similar to this statue, holding firm beliefs and noble aspirations. His past self would have disregarded all this. From young, he was born into a noble family. He had seen his fair share of scheming and people plotting against each other. He believed that human nature was evil, and that being calculative was necessary in order to survive. However, later on, he slowly understood the idea that people did not have to just live for themselves. People could have noble aspirations. When they worked towards these aspirations, they showcased their most beautiful side. Previously, he did not know what kind of force was holding her up. He did not know why she was so firm in her beliefs. He did not believe in destiny; sometimes, he even thought that heaven’s will stood on her side, and that the heavens could not bear to let her down!

Some things, which led to him becoming resentful and shameless, had been planted in his heart. He hated himself for his timidness and devotion, but was not able to resist the burning thoughts which became increasingly passionate by the day. He was not sure when it had begun. They were still young back then; she had not been taller than a horse’s leg. How did he develop such absurd feelings for her? However, in the days and years that passed, he often dreamt of the look in the child’s eyes as she left. It was determined and stubborn, like an agitated little panther who would never submit to a hunter’s whip even if it died. He was sure that he had been bewitched for many years. He was bewitched by her firm beliefs, by the sharp look in her eyes, and the parting sentence that she gave him: Zhuge Yue, wait and see!

Hence, he watched and watched as she broke out of her cocoon and emerged as a beautiful butterfly. He watched her ascend to the top, watched her suffer from immeasurable fatigue, and watched her fall and pick herself up again and again. Despite suffering many hardships and injuries, her determination never wavered.

In this world, who would stay by your side even when you fell into the depths of hell? Who would stick by you even when you had nothing to your name? Who would disregard their lives and follow you wholeheartedly? Most importantly, who would still stick by your side unconditionally even after being shunned and given the cold shoulder? Yan Xun, you do not know how lucky you are.

Zhuge Yue laughed and turned to walk outside. The strong winds blew at his cloak, causing it to flutter in the air. Those things that he could not have, he would let it go. The phrase “request” did not exist in his dictionary.

“Zhuge Yue!” Chu Qiao shouted after him. His body jerked and he stopped. The young lady sprinted to his side. Her feet sunk in the snow as she stepped in it.

Zhuge Yue turned around and raised his eyebrows slightly. “Is there anything else?”

Chu Qiao unfastened the Moon Shatterer Sword which hung at her waist. She raised it up and handed it over to him, saying with a stern expression, “Take care.”

Zhuge Yue looked at the sword on her hand, but did not receive it. He did not have the intention of returning the Canhong Sword which was hanging around his waist either.

Chu Qiao felt a little awkward, but stubbornly raised her sword and looked at him, determined. She resembled a little kid which refused to eat her meals as she could not get any candy.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Chu Qiao bit her lip and thought for a short while, before saying, “The full-blown war between Yan Bei and Xia is about to break out. We will meet on the battlefield then. I will not give any mercy, and you do not need to care about me anymore. We…”

The look on Zhuge Yue’s face turned cold. He lowered his head and raised his eyebrows, causing Chu Qiao to feel a little uneasy. Her voice slowly trailed off.

“Xing’er, ask yourself this truthfully. If we meet on the battlefield, would you really sever my head?” Zhuge Yue’s voice was low and soothing. His words were seemingly not spoken from his throat, but from within his heart. Chu Qiao’s palms were cold, but sweat trickled down her palms. Her mouth was dry as she took a deep breath, suppressing her feelings of unease. Slowly, she replied, “I will not kill you, but I will do my best to defeat you.”

A low laugh drifted over. Zhuge Yue lowered his head and shook it, remaining silent. He took the sword from Chu Qiao and turned around to walk away from her, taking slow steps along the snowy ground.

“It’s a pity. I can’t do it.” It was not that he couldn’t do it. He was unwilling to. He knew that failure would be akin to death. Furthermore, how could he take away her only method of survival?

Chu Qiao bit her lip, seemingly troubled by some matters within the heart. Her chest started to hurt. She looked at his upright shadow and felt a chill up her spine. She lowered her head and uttered word by word, “Life is a bed of thorns. If one’s heart and physical self is not moved, one will not be injured. If one’s heart and physical self is moved, one will suffer immense pain and be exposed to life’s hardships.”

Zhuge Yue stopped in his tracks. He remembered this sentence vividly. It was so long ago, when he was still a moody, cold young man while she was a child with nothing to her name. In the brightly lit night, he attempted to get her to recite this phrase.

How ridiculous! Zhuge Yue smiled coldly. If one did not move, did that mean that one would not necessarily get hurt?

“I have been pierced by the thorns already,” the hoarse voice echoed across the peak. The wind blew past, drowning out the voice.

The snow started to fall again. To the east of Minxi Mountains, a crowd of merchants set up camp. They were probably Zhuge Yue’s men. Chu Qiao stood in front of the doors of the temple, looking at the man’s shadow disappear slowly into the snow. She felt another chill up her spine. She walked into the temple, picked up the wine pot on the ground, raised her head, and gulped down a mouthful of wine. The warm liquid trickled down her throat, giving off a spicy aftertaste. As she looked up, she saw the warrior staring at her with ferocity, seemingly berating her for her recklessness and disregarding the big picture. However, the motherly-looking statue looked at her with a warm, gentle look in her eyes, seemingly understanding her predicament and empathizing with her. She slowly squatted on the ground, feeling aggrieved. She sat down and leaned against a tall pillar, huddling in a corner while grabbing her knees. She appeared frail, like a kid who had not grown up.

The next day, when she prepared to set off, a hurried sound of horses’ hooves echoed out behind her. In the vast, snowy plains behind her, a group of horses sprinted towards her direction. The lady on the horse was dressed in a silver cloak made of fox skin, which appeared big over her body. She approached from the east, not stopping even when she saw Chu Qiao’s party.

He Xiao raised his eyebrows and rode his way to the front. With a low voice, he exclaimed, “Who is that? Reveal your identity?”

The lady turned to look at him as she raised her eyebrows. She laughed, and actually whipped her horse twice with even more force, accelerating towards them. He Xiao frowned and attempted to stop her, but saw the lady raise her eyebrows again. With a crisp voice, she hollered, “Ji Xiang, kick him!”

The warhorse under her seemed to understand what she was saying. It stopped and let out a long neigh. As He Xiao approached, it stood up on both back feet, and used its front feet to deliver a kick to the stomach of He Xiao’s horse. He Xiao’s horse let out a cry of agony, and collapsed on the ground.

He Xiao was agile; he managed to get to his feet after rolling on the ground once. His helmet had fallen from his head while the snow covered his head, making him look pathetic.