The wind howled fiercely, whipping up clouds of dust that blotted out the sky. Most birds had vanished from sight, save for a few trained falcons undeterred by the gale, circling persistently above the valley.
Several Northern Rong soldiers, concealed behind boulders on the ridge, peered into the distance. Clad in dusty fur coats, they had wrapped cloth around their bows, arrows, and blades to prevent glints of light from betraying their position. They blended so seamlessly with the rocky terrain that even the falcons soaring overhead would struggle to spot them.
Below the ridge, a herd of wild oxen gathered by a wind-sheltered riverside in the canyon to drink.
The soldiers had lain in ambush for many days, observing the same herd daily. One soldier, gnawing on dried milk curds to stave off hunger, was abruptly nudged by his comrade, who whispered urgently, "Enemy troops!"
Instantly, all held their breath and focused on the valley. Through the haze of dust on the horizon, vague, shifting outlines gradually emerged. Soon, the forms grew distinct, charging at astonishing speed through the towering dust clouds—a cavalry clad in black armor, their dark banners snapping fiercely in the wind.
A soldier sprinted down the slope, leaped onto his horse, and galloped back to camp to report.
Though caught off guard by the Royal Court army's swift arrival, the Northern Rong were well-prepared and unflustered. Soon, horns blared from the camp, followed by thunderous war cries. The First Prince led a vanguard of several hundred elite archer cavalry, renowned for raids and mounted archery, surging out in a formidable charge.
On the vast plains carved by southern rivers in the Samu Valley, the two cavalries clashed. The Northern Rong, rested and with well-conditioned horses, launched a high-speed assault. Mobi Duo, undaunted by their ferocity and commanding a larger force, led his tribal warriors head-on into the brutal fray.
Blades gleamed coldly in the dusky light.
Against the Northern Rong cavalry's charges, Mobi Duo stood firm, roaring at any soldier showing cowardice to maintain formation. After several failed attempts to break their defense, the Northern Rong retreated, splitting into left and right flanks to encircle Mobi Duo. He and his guards charged with raised sabers, tightening their ranks to evade volleys of arrows and elongating their formation like a nail driving straight into the heart of the Northern Rong battle array.
After several rounds of intense combat, the Northern Rong cavalry swiftly fell back.
In direct cavalry clashes, retreat often saps morale and risks total collapse—a perilous move.
Mobi Duo ordered his troops to reform their formation, his brown eyes scanning the terrain. Gritting his teeth, he commanded a pursuit.
On a distant hill, a falcon swooped down and alighted on Tanmoroqie's shoulder, pecking at its wings.
Beside him, Bi Suo urged his horse forward for a clearer view of the battlefield. Watching Mobi Duo lead the chase after the Northern Rong cavalry, his expression grew grave.
Fifty paces... one hundred paces...With his tense panting, a strange whistling sound came from ahead. The retreating Northern Rong cavalry had already skillfully switched warhorses, uniformly turned their mounts around, and charged toward Mobi Duo who was closely pursuing them. Hundreds of riders quickly divided into small squads, coordinating seamlessly with each other, soon carving the battlefield into segments. The warhorses of Mobi Duo's troops were already somewhat exhausted, their orderly formation instantly shattered as both sides engaged in a difficult melee.
On the hill ridge, Bi Suo sighed. "The Northern Rong feigned retreat after all."
After watching for a while, his palms sweaty, he asked Tanmoroqie: "Should we send reinforcements?"
Tanmoroqie shook his head, his deep green eyes beneath the mask showing neither sorrow nor joy.
Bi Suo didn't inquire further.
On the plain, Mobi Duo gradually fell into disadvantage. Each time his troops tried to reform their formation, they were intercepted by Northern Rong cavalry. The howling wind carried thick bloodscent through the dust clouds. Spitting out sand, he pulled the reins and led his remaining followers to break through the Northern Rong encirclement.
"Retreat!"
As the retreat horn sounded, the forces withdrew in disarray with the Northern Rong in close pursuit, until the Northern Rong finally called off their chase at the narrow valley entrance.
Mobi Duo rushed back to the main camp hidden beyond the canyon, covered in blood, kneeling to confess his faults with shame and humiliation. Before the battle, the Regent had told him this engagement was merely to probe the Northern Rong forces, not to penetrate deep into enemy lines. After initially repelling the Northern Rong, he should have acted cautiously instead of charging forward recklessly, resulting in thousands of his troops being herded like livestock by the Northern Rong horse archers.
Tanmoroqie motioned for him to rise, speaking slowly: "In any army, there are the courageous and the timid. Whether brave or cautious, all are soldiers loyal to the Royal Court."
He lifted his gaze, scanning the faces of every commander in the tent.
"Facing Northern Rong cavalry, the brave will charge forward courageously, though charging risks encirclement. As for the timid, they may lose morale and hang back."
The tent fell so silent one could hear a pin drop.
Tanmoroqie continued measuredly: "Commanding formations, arranging tactics - making the courageous and timid cooperate, ensuring the brave charge without being surrounded and the timid hold fast without compromising the army - these are the commander's responsibilities."
His eyes returned to Mobi Duo's face.
"The courageous represent the army's morale. The prince is among the courageous."
After hearing his words, the commanders remained thoughtful in silence for a long moment. Mobi Duo frowned in contemplation, wiping blood from his cheek, brown eyes reigniting with fighting spirit.
On the first day, though the Northern Rong won a minor victory, various noble chieftains requested to engage, urging Wahan Khan to directly lead the main army forward.
Wahan Khan firmly rejected their suggestions. The complaining nobles composed mocking ballads accusing him of fearing the Buddha Prince, not daring to approach the Royal Court, which spread among the troops.
Several princes, furious, executed some ballad singers and begged Wahan Khan to concentrate forces against the Royal Court.
Remaining unmoved, Wahan Khan dispatched only small detachments again the next day.
Facing repeated Northern Rong provocations, the Royal Court sent several tribal cavalry units to counterattack while keeping their main central forces stationary. The Northern Rong grew increasingly convinced the Royal Court was unprepared, having cleared surrounding tribes in what amounted to scorched earth tactics, making direct assault on the city walls entirely feasible."What is the Khan afraid of? How can the Divine Wolf halt its advance out of fear for the Royal Court’s Buddha Prince?"
Repeatedly challenged by tribal chieftains and his own sons, Wahan Khan overturned the writing desk before him with a slash of his blade and roared, "The Royal Court excels at defense, while we lack expertise in siege warfare. Their cities are fortified with sturdy walls, ample weapons, and abundant supplies. We’ve traveled a great distance—if we lay siege for too long, we’ll repeat our past failure: within months, we’ll exhaust our water and provisions and retreat in disgrace. We must lure the Royal Court’s main forces to Samu Valley!"
The First Prince asked doubtfully, "Will the Buddha Prince truly concentrate his troops to attack Samu Valley?"
Sheathing his blade, Wahan Khan panted heavily, "He will."
Like himself, the Buddha Prince faced immense internal pressure and needed to resolve external threats. Moreover, the Buddha Prince had dared to lead troops against him at just thirteen years old. Now that he had consolidated military authority, he would inevitably seize the momentum to confront the Northern Rong in a decisive battle. After years of stalemate, the Buddha Prince understood him, just as he understood the Buddha Prince.
After a moment’s thought, the eldest son clasped his hands and laughed, his eyes gleaming. "Father Khan, so this was your meticulously laid plan! Haidu Aling has gone to seek reinforcements. Once the Royal Court’s main forces are fully drawn into Samu Valley, will he launch a surprise attack on the Royal Court? He’s a master of ambushes. If he can penetrate the Holy City and kill the Buddha Prince, no matter how many troops the Buddha Prince deploys, without their leader, they’ll be like sheep waiting for slaughter!"
Wahan Khan remained silent.
The sons exchanged uneasy glances. Their father and Haidu Aling had orchestrated such a grand scheme together, yet he hadn’t breathed a word of it to them?
"Father Khan, why didn’t you tell us earlier?"
Their complaints carried a tone of resentment.
Wahan Khan swept a glance over his sons. "If I had, would the Royal Court’s army have advanced so swiftly?"
Not daring to argue, the sons asked, "Then has Aling already led troops to attack the Holy City?"
"No." Wahan Khan shook his head. "It’s still too early. Aling has set an ambush—he’ll only strike once the Royal Court’s main forces are fully committed to Samu Valley."
By then, the Royal Court’s main army would be trapped in the Samu Valley battlefield, unable to reinforce the Holy City.
With the Holy City besieged, the Royal Court’s forces would inevitably panic. That would be the perfect moment to annihilate them.
...
In the days that followed, the Royal Court and Northern Rong dispatched tribal cavalry to probe each other’s positions. When the Northern Rong located the Royal Court’s main camp, they began reinforcing their numbers, and the Royal Court responded in kind, gradually deploying their main army into the battlefield.
Both sides patiently tested formations and advanced steadily, without haste. Before long, Bi Suo personally led a surprise attack on a Northern Rong encampment. Ten thousand central army cavalry clad in blue tunics and white robes thundered through the valley, their hoofbeats echoing like collapsing mountains, while snow-white banners adorned with golden patterns fluttered across the sky.
Standing on a high ridge, Wahan Khan watched Bi Suo’s imposing figure at the battlefront, a sharp glint flashing in his keen eyes.
Ashina had arrived—he was the Buddha Prince’s right-hand man. The Royal Court’s main forces were now fully gathered in Samu Valley.
This would become their burial ground.
Wahan Khan summoned the eagle keeper: "Send word to Aling. He may begin his attack."
He then called his sons and instructed them, "Take two thousand men and withdraw quietly from Samu Valley. A hundred li from here, several units await—join them and secure the passages around the valley’s periphery."
The sons buzzed with excitement: Their father had indeed prepared in advance, laying an ambush. Now, the Royal Court’s main army had no chance of escape!The thunderous beat of war drums signaled the beginning of a great battle.
...
Meanwhile, a thousand miles away at the foot of the layered mountain peaks, Haidu Aling, wrapped in thick fur coats, led five thousand elite soldiers up the steep cliffs. Their path showed no signs of human habitation or animal tracks. Hundreds of soldiers had slipped from ropes and fallen to their deaths, while several hundred more perished from cold and starvation.
By the end of the month, they had finally conquered the untouched snowy peaks and treacherous chasms, bypassing the Royal Court's tight defensive lines to quietly approach the Royal Court.
Haidu Aling reined in his horse on the cliff edge, gazing down at the distant towering bluffs. Under the azure sky, he could almost see the solemn pagodas of the Holy City.
A messenger eagle pierced through the layered clouds with sharp cries, landing on his arm.
Haidu Aling removed the copper tube and read Wahan Khan's personal letter. A smirk curled his lips, golden eyes glinting with dark light like a wolf about to hunt. His gaze turned cold and sinister as he raised his whip toward the Holy City: "Su Dan Gu is dead, the Buddha Prince's army remains far away in Sam Valley. This time, nothing can stop me from unleashing carnage."
With a single gesture, his elite soldiers quietly mounted their horses behind him, tightening their reins, ready to follow their leader in razing the Holy City.
...
In Sam Valley, the Northern Rong military banners and the Royal Court's snow-white flags danced in the dust-filled air. The two armies surged like raging torrents, locked in deadly combat as the earth trembled and the valleys roared.
After initial probing and confrontation, both sides deployed their main forces in full formation.
The Northern Rong Allied Army numbered seventy thousand, while the Royal Court's forces stood at fifty thousand. Both armies were divided into central divisions, left and right cavalry wings, and rear guards. When arrayed against each other, they stretched for miles, filling the entire valley with a dark mass of soldiers. Forests of spears stood alongside gleaming blades, while dense formations of archers stood ready beside armored soldiers flashing with cold light.
Bi Suo, clad in silver armor, led his troops in fierce combat. Behind him, infantry arranged themselves in orderly battle formations while cavalry followed closely. The Northern Rong forces, predominantly cavalry, launched repeated small-scale assaults. Their archers unleashed volleys of arrows, forcing the Royal Court's army to tighten their formations.
After days of bitter fighting, both sides understood each other's strength, gradually wearing down their opponent's combat effectiveness. Blood and flesh splattered everywhere, dyeing the ground crimson.
As dusk descended, the vanguards of both armies cautiously withdrew behind their respective lines.
Days of intense fighting had left soldiers on both sides showing signs of exhaustion.
When battle reports reached the main tent, Wahan Khan clasped his hands and laughed heartily, dispelling days of gloom: "Aling has begun attacking the Holy City!"
The princes were overjoyed, immediately ordering camp soldiers to spread the news.
"The Royal Court soldiers worship the Buddha Prince as a deity, chanting his dharma name before battle. Announce that the Buddha Prince is dead - crush their spirits completely!"
The message passed from tent to tent, soon echoing throughout the entire camp.
Hundreds of Northern Rong cavalry stood on hills near the Royal Court camp, shouting through the night.
"The Holy City has fallen! The Buddha Prince is dead!"
Royal Court soldiers who heard the Northern Rong cavalry's shouts were terrified out of their wits. Soldiers ran wildly through the camp, wailing and crying as panicked screams echoed through the night sky.
The next day, Wahan Khan didn't recklessly launch a full assault but maintained the stalemate with the Royal Court army as in previous days. That night, the Northern Rong cavalry repeated their tactic, standing on the hills shouting about the Buddha Prince's death while chanting Buddhist scriptures to guide his soul to salvation.The next day, scouts reported that the Royal Court camp had nearly erupted in mutiny the previous night. Soldiers demanded a swift return to the Holy City to protect the Buddha Prince. Bi Suo managed to pacify them, explaining he had already dispatched troops back to the Royal Court to assess the situation.
On the third day, Wahan Khan sent out captives from tribes allied with the Royal Court, ordering them to spread rumors of the Buddha Prince’s death.
The Royal Court camp fell into turmoil, its earlier fierce momentum and disciplined military bearing completely vanished.
Throughout this period, scouts continuously departed from the camp toward Sand City. Days later, several light cavalry scouts from the Royal Court galloped back with grim news: Haidu Aling had launched a surprise attack on the Holy City. The Northern Rong had previously assaulted the Royal Court’s vassal tribes, leaving each tribe struggling to defend itself and unable to send reinforcements. The Holy City was in peril, and the main army must rush to its aid immediately.
When the news reached the Northern Rong camp, the noble leaders eagerly rubbed their hands: "Khan, the time has come!"
After reading the battle report delivered by messenger hawk, Wahan Khan broke into a cold sweat. The Royal Court’s forces were limited; by trapping their main army in Samu Valley and gradually wearing them down, even if they failed, the Royal Court would lose all capacity to counterattack the Northern Rong in the future.
He donned his armor, grasped his long blade, and strode out of the main tent.
Piercing horns echoed through the valley as the Northern Rong mustered all their forces and launched an assault at daybreak. Coordinating cavalry fiercely charged the Royal Court’s battle formations, while double-curved bows unleashed volleys of arrows. Soldiers slashed and shouted that the Buddha Prince was dead, shattering the Royal Court’s morale. Unable to withstand the overwhelming cavalry onslaught, their defenses crumbled layer by layer.
By the time the sun climbed to its zenith, the Northern Rong cavalry had torn a gap between the Royal Court’s center and left flank. The Northern Rong army advanced like a sharp steel blade, thrusting directly into the breach to attack the left wing and forcing the Royal Court’s center into a prearranged encirclement. Sensing the trap, Bi Suo rallied his troops and led a desperate charge out of the pocket, retreating toward the canyon.
As half the Royal Court soldiers fled into the canyon, long-hidden Northern Rong troops surged forth. Their riders, skilled enough to shoot arrows while charging down slopes, launched wave after wave of attacks. The air filled with the sinister whistle of arrows flying across the plains and valleys.
Just as Wahan Khan had predicted, the Royal Court forces collapsed entirely, scrambling out of the canyon in panicked disarray.
The Northern Rong army pressed forward, trapping the Royal Court forces deep in the canyon. Forests of blades and spears glinted as blood splattered everywhere. Wahan Khan’s sons eagerly joined the slaughter, while Mobi Duo and Bi Suo, drenched in blood, seemed on the verge of defeat.
A fierce wind swept through, churning dust into the chaotic battlefield. Wahan Khan stared intently, trying to distinguish friend from foe through the haze.
Then he noticed dust rising from the ridge as well.
His chest tightened as he summoned his son: "Are there still our ambush troops on the mountain?"
The son replied, "Father Khan, all our ambush forces have already emerged to intercept the Royal Court army…"
Before he could finish, Wahan Khan’s eyes widened in shock.
A snow-white banner adorned with golden patterns slowly unfurled from behind the ridge. Then, more banners sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain, fluttering in the wind. Waves of undulating lines surged into view—rows of Royal Court cavalry in iron armor emerging silently from all directions, encircling the entire battlefield.As they appeared, commanders Bi Suo and Mobi Duo signaled their personal guards to wave flags, directing the soldiers. The previously disorganized and fleeing main forces of the Royal Court swiftly assembled, contracting backward in orderly, disciplined ranks.
On the ridge, layer upon layer of armored cavalry emerged, archers standing in overlapping rows.
Amid the sounding of horns, a war commander in black robes, surrounded by knights, rode out from the ranks, galloping to a high point before reining in his horse. Slowly, he removed his face covering, revealing an exceptionally ugly countenance.
Amidst the vast army, he stood tall with his blade, his deep, icy green eyes surveying the valley below, exuding a palpable killing intent. His presence was as imposing as the continuous mountain range behind him, majestic and formidable.
The battlefield fell silent.
A suffocating tension spread through the air. Tens of thousands of Royal Court soldiers gazed up at the commander’s figure, their faces alight with ecstatic joy.
“The Regent!”
The Regent was still alive!
Su Dan Gu had not died!
The Royal Court soldiers felt as if reborn, wild with elation. In contrast, the Northern Rong commanders stood dumbfounded, as if struck by a thunderbolt, their spirits shattered and courage gone.
In an instant, the situation on the battlefield reversed. The Royal Court army’s morale soared, while the Northern Rong forces were thrown into confusion.
Wahan Khan trembled, unable to believe it: Su Dan Gu was actually alive!
Not only was he alive, but he had also bided his time until this moment to reveal himself! Had he been present all along, even when the Royal Court camp was nearly breached by the Northern Rong? Where had the Royal Court forces on the ridge come from?
Scouts had been monitoring the Royal Court army’s movements yet failed to detect Su Dan Gu’s hidden force of twenty thousand troops…
One conjecture after another surfaced in Wahan Khan’s mind. Sweat poured from him as he realized that everything, starting from Su Dan Gu’s supposed death, had been part of Tanmoroqie’s scheme. He had believed he was outmaneuvering Tanmoroqie, successfully luring the Royal Court’s main forces into Samu Valley, only to realize he had been stepping into a trap all along.
Had the deliberate exposure of weaknesses to entice Haidu Aling to attack the Holy City also been Tanmoroqie’s strategy?
Had the siege of the Holy City been within his expectations as well?
Weariness etched across Wahan Khan’s aged face, and he felt a profound sense of his own aging and exhaustion once again.
Could it be true what the tribal shaman had said—that Tanmoroqie was destined to be his lifelong nemesis?
Su Dan Gu drew his long blade and declared, “The Buddha Prince is unharmed.”
The cavalry beside him roared in response, and the Royal Court soldiers in the valley shouted back with fervent, fanatical eyes: “The Buddha Prince is unharmed!”
Wahan Khan’s son, snapping out of his shock, galloped to the Khan’s side.
“Father, I will hold off Su Dan Gu!”
Wahan Khan shook his head with a bitter smile. “We have lost.”
As the guardian of the Buddha Prince, Su Dan Gu had “returned from death” and descended from the heavens. The morale of the Royal Court army had reached an unprecedented peak. At this moment, they faced an army that was unstoppable.
…
The battle was brutal, the valley nearly filled with corpses. Northern Rong personal guards raised their shields, escorting Wahan Khan away.
One by one, his subordinates fell from their horses. Wahan Khan’s face was ashen as thousands of Royal Court cavalry blocked their path. His son, leading his personal guards, darted left and right, attempting to break through the encirclement.
“The Sand Sea Road! Jin Bo is guarding the Sand Sea Road!”
Wahan Khan shouted, unsure if his sons could hear him, and raised his arm to rally the remaining troops.
The elite Northern Rong cavalry quickly regrouped, forcibly tearing open a small gap. They surrounded Wahan Khan and broke through the encirclement. After a brief reorganization, they charged toward another exit.There were also ambushing Royal Court troops at the valley entrance. Wahan Khan, having just passed the camp, was well-prepared and ordered his soldiers to drive the slaves forward.
The civilian slaves captured from various tribes wailed in terror, refusing to advance. Northern Rong cavalry charged forward, their long blades mercilessly slashing into the crowd. Blood splattered everywhere, heads rolled on the ground, and the slaves broke into desperate cries, scrambling toward the valley mouth in a frantic rush.
The Royal Court ambush troops stationed at the valley entrance exchanged uneasy glances. Their drawn bows were taut, arrows aimed at the crowd, yet none dared to loose them.
Several light cavalry galloped down the slope, meeting Bi Suo who had just caught up. They hurriedly reported the situation: "This general dares not give the order—we must seek the Regent’s instruction on whether to shoot."
Bi Suo’s eyelids twitched violently.
If they fired their arrows, the charge of indiscriminately slaughtering civilians would undoubtedly fall upon the Regent, and he would carry the guilt for the rest of his life. If they did not fire, allowing Wahan Khan to escape would mean he would bear the blame for letting a tiger return to the mountains.
The objective of this battle was to weaken the Northern Rong, deplete their main forces, and render them incapable of attacking the Royal Court again. Wahan Khan’s sons had already perished in the gorge, with only Wahan Khan himself managing to flee. The Northern Rong were bound to splinter into factions...
Bi Suo’s thoughts raced. "Wait until the civilians have passed before firing!"
He would make this decision for Luojia. The responsibility for letting Wahan Khan escape would fall on him.
However, when they reached the gorge’s entrance, they discovered that some soldiers, in their panic, had already loosed their arrows. A rain of arrows descended, and over a dozen slaves at the forefront fell. Bi Suo shouted, ordering the soldiers to cease firing.
Chaos erupted at the gorge entrance. The Northern Rong cavalry, realizing the soldiers had stopped shooting, hid behind the slaves, ruthlessly driving them forward while cutting down those in their path, using the bodies of the fallen to block the gorge and hinder the Royal Court’s pursuit.
The slaves, unarmed and defenseless, had no means to resist.
Bi Suo trembled uncontrollably, directing his soldiers to slow the slaves’ advance and retreat from the gorge. But the slaves, terrified beyond reason, dared not stop, surging forward in a frantic stampede. The narrow gorge entrance became a scene of trampling and crushing, with those who fell never rising again—a living hell.
Cries and wails echoed throughout the valley.
By the time the Northern Rong cavalry escaped in the chaos, the gorge entrance was littered with piled corpses.
Bi Suo closed his eyes and summoned his personal guards to clear the battlefield. "Do not let the Regent see this..."
No sooner had he spoken than dust billowed, and Tanmoroqie’s stern, lean figure appeared in the distance.
Bi Suo let out a long sigh.
Most of the enslaved captives were civilians abducted by the Northern Rong from various tribes. They should never have been dragged into this war.
Tanmoroqie surveyed the scene and ordered a portion of the soldiers to remain and rescue the wounded civilians, while he continued the pursuit of Wahan Khan’s remnants.
Bi Suo followed him.
Tanmoroqie said softly, "Only by ending this war swiftly can we spare the common people from being trampled like fish and meat."
To end killing with killing—this was the path he had chosen in this chaotic era. Only by quelling the turmoil could such scenes of unimaginable horror be prevented from recurring.
Bi Suo acknowledged the order.
Suddenly, Tanmoroqie ahead staggered, grunting in pain as his brow furrowed deeply.
"Regent?"
Startled, Bi Suo watched him anxiously.
Tanmoroqie waved a hand, signaling that he was fine.
Bi Suo dared not speak further, but his palms grew clammy with sweat.
A faint red hue surfaced between Tanmoroqie’s brows, and his eyes darkened.
...
In the Battle of Samu Gorge, the Royal Court dealt a crushing blow to the Northern Rong, capturing over twenty thousand soldiers. Three of Wahan Khan’s sons met their end in the gorge, while Wahan Khan himself, under the protection of his remaining forces, broke through and fled toward the Sand Sea Road. The Northern Rong chieftains scattered in haste, fleeing so frantically they dared not even return to their Orda, instead escaping directly eastward to Yi Province.
After this battle, though Wahan Khan still lived, the fragmentation of the Northern Rong was inevitable.
...
After the battle, Bi Suo led the soldiers in clearing the battlefield. A messenger handed him a letter delivered from Sand City.
"General, a letter from the Sand City garrison... Princess Wenzhao is not in Sand City."
Bi Suo was taken aback and opened the letter.
"Where has the Princess gone?"
After reading it, his heart trembled.
Li Yaoying had vanished without a trace. Even the Sand City garrison had no knowledge of her whereabouts."General, Yuanjue obtained the letter first. He was uncertain whether this news should be reported to the Regent."
Bi Suo clutched the letter tightly, momentarily at a loss.
During these turbulent times of war, occasional disruptions in communication or disappearances were not uncommon. Yet Li Yaoying had been with the garrison at Sand City—a secure location—so her vanishing without reason was deeply troubling.
After much hesitation, he tucked the letter into his robe.
"I will go see the Regent."
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