Chapter 41

Now let us return to Gu Wan’s side.

Qin Ying was indeed correct in her prediction, but only half so. The ordeal Gu Wan and Xun Xiao faced was nothing short of perilous.

As they toppled backward over the cliff, Gu Wan still carried the slender iron chain she had once used to rescue Chen Lang. She whipped it from her waist and, with all her strength, hurled it downward. The chain struck a leaning pine at the bottom; the two of them swung violently, and as Gu Wan pulled and gathered the chain, they flew onto a precipitous slope.

Loose, weathered stones slid noisily beneath their feet. Gu Wan braced herself, supporting Xun Xiao—he was a full-grown man, heavy as sin. Wind howled past her ears. The assassin, Xin Chou, agile as a hawk, landed atop the slope and charged after them, blade in hand, relentless as a specter.

They were fast, nearly out of control, tumbling more than running in the latter part. One misstep sent both rolling like wheels down the hillside.

Gu Wan barely had time to think. “Cover your head!” she shouted, realizing her ankle had twisted. She clasped her arms over her head and let herself roll. Luckily, there were no boulders or thick trees on this stretch, only a dense mat of grass, softened by the spring breeze, cushioning their descent.

They tumbled into a thicket. Gu Wan, dizzy and battered, scrambled up, dragged the staggering Xun Xiao to his feet, and ran.

Their pursuer was gaining. Just ahead, she glimpsed the wind-carved mouth of a cave. The air rushed against her face; without hesitation, she plunged inside.

The cave was much larger than expected. Once a mountain stream, now dry, it had been worn away by millennia of wind, splitting the cliff’s clay walls into cracks and hollows—passages that interlaced in a maze of winding corridors.

A wild beast—she couldn’t tell what kind—brushed past them as it fled the cave, only to be struck down at the entrance by Xin Chou. Their enemy was too close, his stride swift and forceful; if they kept running, he’d catch them for certain. She would have to deal with him here.

Gu Wan had already recognized Xin Chou: tall, gaunt, with skin like orange peel, and skills that rivaled Xie Ci and Xun Xiao in their prime. It had to be him. In the original course of events, Xin Chou wasn’t a villain; he even had some dealings with Xie Ci. But none of that mattered now.

Earlier, Gu Wan’s sleeve-dart had been knocked down by Xin Chou; she’d retrieved and reloaded it. Now, crouched atop a high ledge, she held her breath, using the difference in light and shadow to aim at Xin Chou as he crept in, blades ready.

“When he takes four more steps and steps on the dead branch, shoot for his temple,” murmured Xun Xiao. He was regaining consciousness, propping himself up, speaking in a faint whisper.

One, two, three, four.

Gu Wan watched the tall, dark silhouette intently, counting silently. At the fourth step, a sharp crack: a dry twig snapped. At the same instant, a mountain rat shrieked and two of them shot out, straight for Xin Chou’s face.

Now!

A piercing whistle split the air as the dart flew—its sound distinct in the windy cave. As Xin Chou lashed out and split the rats in two, Gu Wan’s dart sped toward him.

Xun Xiao sprang forward, lightning-quick, Gu Wan following at his heels.

In the brief, violent clash that followed, Xun Xiao’s sudden assault forced Xin Chou back several steps, leaving his back exposed. Quick as a flash, Gu Wan gripped her dagger in both hands and charged.

The blade tore through Xin Chou’s armor with a wet, ripping sound, opening a long, deep gash across his back. He faltered; Xun Xiao’s sword swept out and slashed his throat in a single motion.

A cold gasp escaped Xin Chou. His twin blades twitched, but he froze, blood soaking the front of his armor. He stood for a moment, then collapsed with a thud.

Gu Wan and Xun Xiao both sank to the ground, exhausted.

In the darkness, Gu Wan sprawled on the floor. Her knees felt shattered, but she dragged herself up and, to be sure, drove her dagger into Xin Chou’s back several more times before finally collapsing in relief.

Good Lord, that man’s strength was terrifying. But they’d made it through, more or less.

After a moment, Gu Wan crawled over to Xun Xiao. “Brother Xun, Brother Xun!” She patted his face anxiously.

Xun Xiao, semi-conscious, had lost his mask, revealing a face half-covered in burn scars. His eyes were squeezed shut, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Mother, Mother!” he sobbed. “No! Don’t! Mother, Xuan’er…” His breathing quickened, his body curled in pain, tears soaking his face. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you, you bastard—”

Reality tangled with the shattered memories of a fractured skull, grotesque and bloody. It all froze at last on the face of a terrified, tear- and blood-streaked woman.

Gu Wan’s voice brought Xun Xiao back. He stared at her blankly for a long moment before tears streamed down his face and he slumped to the ground. Slowly, lucidity returned, though his body shivered with exhaustion and chill. He stared into the cave, gradually collecting himself.

Gu Wan cautiously felt his forehead. Not feverish, at least. Xun Xiao turned his face away from her. She asked, “Brother Xun, are you all right? Should we rest a bit? Or go find Luo Qian?”

Luo Qian had medicine.

“No need.” Xun Xiao’s eyes were sharp again. He sat up at once.

Xin Chou’s corpse lay before him. Xun Xiao, even while fighting his illness, had kept his face veiled; in the chaos of battle, when strangers charged in, Xin Chou had torn off everyone’s masks in search of Gu Wan. Realizing she wasn’t among them, he’d turned to attack Xun Xiao. It was a stroke of luck.

Through the confusion, Xun Xiao had glimpsed a familiar face. He leapt to his feet: “Let’s go up.”

He darted out in a flash. “Wait—wait for me!” Gu Wan called. She had no hope of climbing the cliff alone.

Xun Xiao circled back, grabbed her by the collar, and whisked her upward. Gu Wan freed herself from his grip, but he lifted her again, and before long they had returned to the canyon top.

They weren’t far from where they had descended. The battle had only just concluded; Xun Xiao set Gu Wan down, scanned the field, then sped off in pursuit.

Within moments, he spotted a man feigning retreat to the west. Xun Xiao gave chase, caught him, and the man turned, startled.

“So it’s you,” Xun Xiao said with a cold laugh. After all this effort, finally a lead. Gu Wan asked, “Who is he?” Xun Xiao replied icily, “He’s the foster brother of Huang Shiwei, the Governor of Xiangzhou—one of his personal guards.” This man, trusted by Huang Shiwei, was actually taking orders from Xun Sun. Xun Xiao realized in a flash: “Huang Shiwei must also be one of the Northern Rong, or at least a Northern Rong sympathizer.”

Otherwise, at such a critical moment, he would never be involved in Xun Sun’s plot. The man began to tremble, eyes bulging with terror, and lunged at Xun Xiao with his sword.

Xun Xiao killed him with a single stroke, quickly dragged the body back to the battle site, and staged the scene to look as if he’d died in the earlier chaos.

Gu Wan knew without explanation that this man would never talk. Exposing him publicly would only give Huang Shiwei a chance to retaliate, and more importantly, it would harm morale and hand the Northern Rong an easy victory. The two knew better than to alarm the enemy into changing their plans.

This was invaluable intelligence, hard-won. Gu Wan smiled, elated—they’d finally torn open a breach in the enemy scheme.

She blinked at Xun Xiao and asked, “Brother Xun, do you know what ‘Doro’ means? Wenxuan just received word from the Northern Rong: besides this ‘Doro,’ there’s also ‘Zhuosuo’ and the ‘Clearwater Valley’!”

After spending time with Xun Xiao, Gu Wan realized he wasn’t a bad person. When she’d called out earlier, he’d turned back for her, though pretending reluctance. He was just deeply wounded, a little extreme.

She recalled that she had tried probing Qin Xian and Chen Yan about these terms before, and even discussed them in depth with Xie Ci. Apart from the last one, everyone had reacted indifferently.

Now, inspiration struck. With this breakthrough, what next?

He couldn’t possibly confront Qin Wenxuan directly.

Xun Xiao paused, glanced at her, and Gu Wan flashed a broad, toothy smile.

“‘Doro?’” Xun Xiao frowned, then answered swiftly, “It’s ancient Tartar—means ‘cloud’ or ‘covering.’”

Clearwater Valley was beyond Mount Yin, on the northern flank of Mount Long—a vital gateway for nomads to invade the Central Plains, with a broad, sloping terrain and valleys shaped like funnels.

Clearwater Valley was always hotly contested—an ideal place for a grand encirclement.

As for ‘Zhuosuo’—it meant ‘occupation’ in the Northern Rong tongue.

Xun Xiao’s mind raced, the pieces falling instantly into place. “The Northern Rong don’t intend to leave—they aim to invade the heartland!”

“The northern mouth of the Ruins, three hundred li southeast, is Clearwater Valley! If the Northern Rong split in two, Wei will be forced to block and pursue. If their main force veers left, their rear-guard will strike Guiyi River and the Malian Pass!”

And right now, Malian Pass was closest to Huang Shiwei’s Xiangzhou forces. In a rapid redeployment, he would be perfectly positioned.

“These two places are definitely the problem!” Xun Xiao’s gaze was electric. “The Hu tribe at Guiyi River—they must have already betrayed us!”

If both flanks opened, the Wei northern army would face disaster—possibly total annihilation.

In fact, many Hu had surrendered to Wei, as Zheng Yingshi had said. In the early years of the dynasty, various tribes and minor states—Qiang, Shili, Puchang, and a dozen others—had surrendered and been resettled across Xiang, Ding, Yun provinces. Their numbers weren’t vast, but together they made a substantial presence, scattered across the Guzu Mountains—one major settlement being Guiyi River, also called Guiyi Prefecture.

It was far from Clearwater Valley, but once battle erupted, the lines would link up.

Gu Wan was inwardly stunned—she hadn’t even mentioned Guiyi River, yet Xun Xiao saw through it immediately.

With Huang Shiwei and Malian Pass, the entire plot fell into place.

Gu Wan was delighted. “What are we waiting for? Let’s hurry back!”

The battlefield was still in chaos; the northern pass had been breached, and both armies were on the move. The fighting had scattered; they found a horse, mounted together, and followed the flow of troops.

Gu Wan called out, eager to share the good news with Xie Ci.

The armies surged like a river. Amid the turmoil, her eyes shone with real joy. Xun Sun drew in his reins, regarding her quietly, then asked, “Why are you willing to help Xie Ci?”

She had no need to do so. She could have lived a normal, peaceful life. She had freed Xie Ci from prison, saved his family—already more than repaid the debt for their years of kindness.

He didn’t believe anyone would do it for the thrill, or for an extraordinary life.

A woman like Gu Wan could excel at anything she chose. Was wealth not enough? Wasn’t the freedom of riding across the land satisfying?

She laughed, “Why, you ask?”

She burst out, “Because Xie Ci is a hero!” He was the descendant of heroes, and soon, he would be a hero himself.

Well, she admitted, Yu Manzhen wasn’t the real reason, nor was a longing for adventure. The true cause was that little spark in her heart.

Gu Wan admired heroes. The vibrant Xie Ci had awakened her curiosity.

In her youth, because of her family, she had met many heroes—regardless of their rank, decorations, or whether they had perished or labored in obscurity. She admired them all, just as she admired her father, who had never wavered despite his wounds.

To be part of such deeds—she found it meaningful. By now, she truly saw Xie Ci, Qin Ying, and the rest as family.

She exhaled deeply, her smile free and unrestrained, her hair tousled by the wind and smoke of war, eyes bright and spirited.

She turned, raising her brows at Xun Xiao—was her answer good enough? Wasn’t it worth his effort in saving her, even while ill?

Xun Xiao couldn’t help but scoff. Who would have thought such people still existed?

Naive, the lot of them.

The din was so great that Gu Wan couldn’t hear. “What did you say?”

Xun Xiao replied with a wry laugh, “I said Xie Ci is lucky.”

“Absolutely!” Gu Wan laughed aloud. With her, Qin Ying, Xie’s family, Qin Xian, Chen Yan—all of them—his fate was far kinder than in the original timeline.

May it stay that way!

She spurred the horse, and just before accelerating, she called back, “If you wish, you could do the same!”

Her black horse shot forward. Xun Xiao froze, his face turning instantly grim. He said nothing, kicked his horse, and followed.

Galloping through the chaos, it was hard to find the main force. Luckily, from a distance, they spotted figures riding against the flow, scanning the canyon’s edge.

Qin Ying turned, eyes lighting up. “Ah Wan—!”

She spurred her mount toward them.

Meanwhile, Xie Ci and his companions had already begun to sense the Northern Rong’s grand encirclement strategy.

All night, until dawn, the two armies never truly paused.

Shortly after a brief rest, the enemy’s maneuvers provoked a flurry of activity. Whether it was Lu Xinyi or Zheng Shoufang, or even neither—sometimes the sharpest weapon leaps of its own accord.

When six key officers had denounced Xie Ci, three had been old comrades—Su Zhen, Chen Yan, and Kou Wenshao—some forced, some repentant. The other three—Li Ping, governor of Xizhou, Cao Zhao of Liangzhou, and Yan Zongze of Chenzhou—were truly afraid of being implicated.

These three, perhaps even more anxious than Lu Xinyi, needed only the faintest rumor. Once the Lingzhou and Yunzhou troops were dispatched to Malian Pass, they’d immediately reveal themselves.

Lu Xinyi hesitated, while Zheng Shoufang pressed. With the tense atmosphere, Lu Xinyi finally agreed.

As soon as Xie Ci received his orders, he declared, “There’s something wrong with Malian Pass!”

Who would have thought Xun Sun would use open stratagem here?

Xie Ci guessed instantly that something was amiss. At the mention of Malian Pass, even Qin Xian frowned. The officers present were all sharp; at once, they thought of Clearwater Valley and saw through the encirclement.

Xie Ci’s gaze was grave. At that moment, he heard the sound of hooves approaching.

Amid the marching troops, though many hooves and boots thundered, this sound stood out—galloping from east to west.

As he looked up, Qin Ying called, “Ah Wan is back—!”

Xie Ci, always restraining his emotions, felt his heart clench. If she hadn’t returned, he would have followed her, even into death.

To the ends of the earth—they would be together.

As Qin Ying’s joyful cry rang out, the whole group rejoiced. Xie Ci and Qin Wenxuan all but ran to meet them.

Against the flow of horses, he dismounted and rushed ahead on foot.

Qin Wenxuan stumbled, scraping her hands, tears streaming down her face. Xie Ci reached Gu Wan’s horse.

He stared at her, unwavering. She dismounted, and he rushed forward, embracing her tightly.

She felt tears on her neck. Xie Ci trembled from head to foot, overwhelmed, as if some hand had seized and squeezed his heart.

Gu Wan paused, but Qin Ying had already made their concern clear. She smiled, reached out, and patted his back. “I’m back.”

Xie Ci fought for composure, raising his reddened eyes. Gu Wan quickly extended her left hand. “I scraped my hand—it hurts, could you dress it?”

Without a word, Xie Ci led her away.

He dared not speak—surrounded by so many, he feared he would betray himself.

Xun Xiao, a conspicuous target, kept his distance, then quietly withdrew. Gu Wan relayed what they had learned.

Qin Xian closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “I’ll deal with Huang Shiwei; you handle Guiyi River. At this point, Wei cannot retreat. To do so would hand over Clearwater Valley and Guanzhong to the enemy.”

Orders sped through the ranks. Qin Xian, Chen Yan, and others would lead troops to the center of battle, while Qin Guan, Qin Yong, Chen Lang, and the younger commanders would join Kou Wenshao’s Dingzhou forces at Malian Pass, with Xie Ci among them.

Kou Wenshao said, “Leave Malian Pass to me. If you get a chance, go to Guiyi River at once.”

Gu Wan replied, “Brother Xun and I think we should split up. We’re free to move and can scout Guiyi Prefecture first, see what’s happening there.”

Early intelligence could help them. Ideally, they could open the gates and coordinate with Xie Ci’s forces from within.

Now that they had the gist of the Northern Rong’s master plan, and Xun Sun’s secret moves were nearly revealed, it remained only to break and defeat them.

Splitting up was the best way. It was quickly decided.

Qin Xian and the others, bound by orders, could not linger; they mounted and rode off. But compared to before, their hearts were steadier.

No matter how formidable the enemy, they were not afraid—only the hidden plots and lurking dangers troubled them.

Even so, this battle would be perilous. If Xie Ci and Qin Guan failed to resolve Guiyi River in time, Qin Xian’s forces would be doomed.

But Qin Xian was unafraid—a veteran of thirty years on the field, he did not fear death. He told Xie Ci, “If I fall in battle, don’t grieve. You must save yourself. Bring the mastermind to justice, so I may rest in peace.”

Qin Xian’s expression was calm, as he urged Xie Ci, Qin Guan, and Qin Yong once more. He mounted up and rode away. With the army on the move, there was no time for sentiment.

Before this, Xie Ci had bowed his head, carefully bandaging Gu Wan’s injured hand.

As soon as their plans were set, Gu Wan slipped away, with Xie Ci escorting her to the edge of the encampment. Before she left, he asked, “Aren’t you worried about me?”

Qin Xian had given countless warnings, all out of concern for him. Even Qin Ying had repeated herself.

Gu Wan smiled. “I believe in you. You can do it.”

With orders delivered, the army halted and divided at sunset, the air full of restlessness. She turned, smiled, and repeated herself—cheerful, but earnest.

Xie Ci clenched his fist, his nail digging into the bandaged palm, a shiver running through him. He almost blurted, “I can do it!”

Her words struck his heart, resonating within him.

He watched her turn back with a smile, then slipped into the ranks, donning a black cloak.

Xie Ci had no time to tell her of his earlier terror. He watched her ride away, winding through the troops until she vanished.

At last, Xie Ci turned back.

He and Kou Wenshao, Qin Yong, and the others were nearly ready to march.

Qin Ying stood behind him.

He turned, dusk touching his brow and eyes, and said, “Sister-in-law, I think I finally understand what you meant.”