Liangzhou.
A majestic fortress stood imposingly on the eastern bank of the great river leading to the main city. Its nearly two-mile-long, several-zhang-high walls towered solemnly, guarding the vital passage to the Central Plains.
It was dusk. Cooking smoke curled upward from the city as guards on the watchtowers yawned during their shift change. Suddenly, they spotted dust rising from the western plains—over a dozen swift horses galloping through the fading twilight. The guards rushed to the lookout post and sounded the horn.
Amid the mournful blare of the horn, the outer city gate swung open. Qin Fei, the commandant who had recently arrived in Liangzhou, hurried forward. Seeing the barely conscious Li Xuanzhen slumped over his horse, he roared, "What happened?"
The Crown Prince’s personal guard tumbled from his saddle. "We were ambushed on our way back to the city!"
Frantically worried, Qin Fei lifted the pale-faced Li Xuanzhen onto his back and charged into the hall. "Who ambushed you?"
The guard shook his head. "Their methods were unrecognizable—likely remnants of the He clan."
Though Yelu Khan had slain the He clan leader, surviving members still lurked in the shadows of Liangzhou, biding their time.
Medics arrived swiftly. Li Xuanzhen had taken several arrows in the back and ridden hard through the night, leaving his wounds a ghastly sight. Fortunately, the cold weather had prevented festering, and the arrow poison was common and easily treatable.
Qin Fei stamped his foot in frustration. "Why did His Highness go to the Yelu Tribe in the first place?"
Though usually cautious, the Crown Prince could act recklessly when provoked—such as venturing to the Yelu Tribe with only a few guards and Yelu Khan.
Wiping sweat from his brow, the guard explained, "Bie Mutie, the Khan’s adopted son, insisted on inviting His Highness to witness a ceremony and share drinks. His Highness couldn’t refuse."
During their joint campaigns, Bie Mutie had repeatedly mentioned the Khan’s impending marriage to Princess Wenzhao. Initially, Li Xuanzhen paid no heed, but when Yelu Khan departed for his tribe, the Crown Prince abruptly changed his mind and accepted the invitation.
Qin Fei frowned. Had the Crown Prince gone to attend the ceremony because he missed Princess Wenzhao’s wedding?
But hadn’t he always despised her...?
After the medics treated Li Xuanzhen’s wounds, Qin Fei kept vigil by his bedside, fearing complications through the night.
By midnight, Li Xuanzhen burned with fever, deliriously muttering.
As Qin Fei wrung out a cloth to wipe his face, he caught the repeated ravings and froze, horrified. The cloth slipped from his hand into the bronze basin, splashing water everywhere.
Suddenly, Li Xuanzhen bolted upright. Disheveled, eyes bloodshot, his scar-covered back exposed, he resembled a vengeful spirit.
Qin Fei recoiled in shock.
Barefoot, Li Xuanzhen staggered off the bed and lurched out of the room.
"I don’t regret it!" His voice tore through the silent night like a desperate roar. "I don’t regret it!"
Snapping back to his senses, Qin Fei snatched a robe from the screen frame and thundered down the stairs. "Your Highness!"
Shirtless, hair wild, wearing only thin linen trousers, Li Xuanzhen plunged barefoot into the ankle-deep snow. He yanked a patrolling soldier from his horse, scrambled into the saddle, and kicked the horse into a gallop—charging straight into the snowstorm!
Qin Fei stamped his foot in panic, commandeered another horse, and gave chase.
Li Xuanzhen raced through the gate tower, heading westward into the night.The north wind cut to the bone. Qin Fei, riding on horseback, shivered uncontrollably from the cold. Li Xuanzhen, though stripped of clothing, galloped against the wind as if unaffected, his long hair tangled wildly by the gale. His skin had turned blue and purple from the frost, and his expression bordered on madness.
Qin Fei urged his horse forward, catching up to Li Xuanzhen. Reaching out, he seized the latter’s reins, and as Li Xuanzhen’s horse slowed, Qin Fei swiftly leaped over, wrapped his arms around Li Xuanzhen, and rolled them both off the horse.
With a series of thuds, Li Xuanzhen tumbled from the saddle.
He lay on his back in the icy snow, gazing up at the bright moon hanging high in the night sky. His frenzied expression seemed to soften.
“A Yue…” He reached out, grasping at the frigid air, fresh blood seeping from the wounds on his back. “Why are you Xie Manyuan’s daughter?”
…
That March, when spring bamboo shoots burst forth and willows swayed amid the songs of orioles, he had been just as gravely wounded.
The army physician told him that only a miracle-working doctor in Chibi could heal his injuries.
Disguised as a southerner from Chu seeking medical help, Li Xuanzhen traveled alone to Chibi. As he reached the dock, a boat slowly pulled in, and a young girl on the shore glanced over with a smile.
She was young, delicate and radiant as carved jade, standing cheerfully in the wind, her eyes curved like a pair of bright crescent moons.
In that instant, Li Xuanzhen felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had met her before.
Though it was their first encounter, an inexplicable closeness welled up in his heart.
It was like stumbling upon a flickering flame during a solitary trek through a snowy night, or a pot of bubbling, warm congee—a comforting warmth that seeped into his chilled, stiff limbs.
Li Xuanzhen had never experienced such a feeling before. Though inwardly unsettled, he showed no sign on his face and proceeded directly to the miracle doctor’s home to seek treatment.
The next day, a sudden downpour drenched Chibi. His wounds worsened, leaving him unable to rise. He lay soaked on the porch outside the doctor’s house.
In his dazed state, a pair of pale, delicate hands reached out, helping him up and dragging him under the shelter of the corridor. She brought a bowl of steaming medicine to his lips and carefully fed him.
Li Xuanzhen remained only vaguely conscious, not fully awakening until two days later.
The girl he had seen at the dock was kicking a shuttlecock under the eaves. Noticing he was awake, she executed a graceful kick to stop the shuttlecock, her cheeks dimpling sweetly. “Brother, you’re awake!”
Every day, she brought him medicine. Seeing him lonely and pitiable, she occasionally shared some food with him.
It wasn’t until a month later that Li Xuanzhen finally asked her, “What’s your name?”
The girl chuckled lightly. “My name is A Yue.”
Li Xuanzhen silently repeated the name several times, thinking to himself how perfectly it suited her—radiant and pure, like the bright moon.
A Yue then asked him in return, “And what is your name, brother?”
“My surname is Yang,” Li Xuanzhen replied after a moment’s thought. “Yang Changsheng.”
Yang was the surname he used for his disguise.
Changsheng Nu—Longevity Slave—was the name Tang Ying had given him.
He had thought that with his mother gone, no one would ever call him by that name again. But when the girl smiled and addressed him as “Brother Changsheng,” he suddenly felt that perhaps he wouldn’t have to spend his life in solitude.
His time in Chibi felt like a dream.
In that dream, he was Yang Changsheng, and he had met a girl named A Yue. He listened as she spoke of having the world’s best elder brother, and he couldn’t help but curl his lips in skepticism.
If A Yue were his sister, he would cherish and dote on her endlessly, never allowing her to frown, much less leave her alone in Chibi without a second thought.For the first time, he felt an unwillingness to concede, like an ordinary young man full of conceit and impulsiveness, secretly wanting to compete with A Yue’s elder brother—he would be a more perfect and stronger older brother.
On the boat back to Wei Commandery, he was surprised that they might be from the same hometown, but he didn’t dwell on it until A Yue stood at the bow, pointing excitedly at the young man on horseback by the shore.
“Brother Changsheng, the one on the black horse is my elder brother!”
Before her words faded, she caught sight of Li Zhongqian’s attendants flying the Tang family’s banners nearby and froze in shock.
Li Xuanzhen had no idea what Li Yaoying was thinking at that moment.
All he knew was that when he recognized Li Zhongqian, his mind buzzed as if countless thunderclaps had exploded in his ears.
It felt as though everyone was mocking him.
Pain, fury, despair.
Hatred.
She had deceived him!
She was Xie Manyuan’s daughter, Li Zhongqian’s sister!
What a cruel joke fate had played on him… The girl who, after his mother’s death, had made him feel warmth for the first time, whom he couldn’t help but want to get close to and care for, turned out to be the daughter of his enemy.
His life was destined to be lived for revenge.
His mother’s burned face surfaced before his eyes, “Kill them all! Kill them all!”
In that instant, all his former affection transformed into a surging, overwhelming hatred, igniting a blazing fire in his heart. He felt furious, ashamed, and humiliated.
His rage had no outlet; he wished he could kill her!
That way, she would forever remain the A Yue he knew, and they could stay frozen in that time forever.
Li Xuanzhen’s eyes gleamed with a blood-red chill, veins bulging at his temples as he seized Yaoying’s throat, gripping it tightly.
Yaoying stared at him blankly, trying to pry his icy fingers away.
He tightened his grip mercilessly.
She looked into his bloodshot phoenix eyes, “Brother Changsheng…”
…
Amid the swirling snow, the silent night seemed to echo with that sigh-like murmur from years ago: Brother Changsheng…
Li Xuanzhen lay on his back in the snow, trembling all over, his phoenix eyes crimson as he roared like a trapped beast, “Don’t call me that! Don’t call me that!”
Qin Fei stood nearby, at a loss, saying, “Your Highness…”
No wonder the Crown Prince had been so erratic these past few years—it turned out he and the Seventh Princess shared such a past.
Li Xuanzhen turned to Qin Fei, his gaze fixed and vacant, then suddenly lunged forward, grabbing his sleeve, “When my mother died, Li Yaoying hadn’t even been born… She wasn’t born yet, she doesn’t count, right?”
Qin Fei’s throat tightened, unable to utter a single word.
Li Xuanzhen laughed wildly, his handsome features twisting with ferocity as he continued on his own, “Mother never mentioned A Yue’s name, she doesn’t count, she doesn’t count, she’s not my enemy!”
He staggered to his feet.
“I was wrong, I’ll go bring her back, she doesn’t count!”
Qin Fei stopped the strangely laughing Li Xuanzhen, “Your Highness… Yelu Khan won’t let her go.”
Li Xuanzhen’s phoenix eyes widened, two blazing points of light burning in their dark depths, “Then I’ll seize her back.”
Qin Fei sighed, “Can you seize her back?”
Li Xuanzhen halted in his tracks.
Indeed, he couldn’t seize her back. In his impulsiveness, he had accepted the invitation to the Yelu Tribe with only a few personal guards, utterly incapable of bringing her back.
Even if he did bring her back, Li De would just send her away again.
The current situation was all his own doing.If he hadn't schemed to let Yelu Khan catch a glimpse of her at the Buddha's Birthday Dharma Assembly, the Khan wouldn't have offered Liangzhou as a betrothal gift, and Li De wouldn't have set his sights on her.
If Li De hadn't issued the marriage decree first, she wouldn't have needed to use it as a bargaining chip when Li Zhongqian got into trouble.
The fire in Li Xuanzhen's eyes gradually extinguished, returning to boundless silence.
His expression vacant, he took two steps forward. The wound on his back throbbed faintly, but the pain in his chest was even more intense. With a thud, he collapsed onto the snowy ground.
Qin Fei let out a long sigh, helped him up, placed him back on the horse, and escorted him to his quarters.
Just as they reached the gatehouse, a patrolling soldier rushed forward with a letter: "Your Highness, a letter!"
Qin Fei glanced at Li Xuanzhen's numb expression and said, "Take it to the Chief Secretary first."
The soldier urgently replied, "This letter was sent from the west! A foreigner said Princess Wenzhao sent him to deliver it! It's extremely urgent and cannot be delayed!"
Qin Fei was taken aback. Before he could speak, Li Xuanzhen, still on horseback, suddenly stirred and snatched the letter from the soldier's hand.
His hands trembled uncontrollably, and it took several attempts before he could unfold the letter.
Under the dim torchlight, he read the letter by the faint glow. His expression abruptly darkened.
"Alert all posts! Send out scouts!" Li Xuanzhen straightened his back, ignoring the pain from his wound, and swiftly issued orders. "Signal all guard posts to lock down the pass immediately! Close the city gates! No matter who comes knocking, ignore them!"
"Pass down the order: all units must hold their positions!"
"Anyone who shows cowardice in battle will be executed!"
After giving these commands, Li Xuanzhen summoned his personal guards: "Go quickly to the Yelu Tribe and bring Princess Wenzhao back!"
The soldiers in the gatehouse stood stunned for a moment before responding in unison and dispersing to carry out their orders.
The low, mournful sound of horns pierced through the vast snowstorm, signaling from the pass to the north and south. All nearby passes immediately responded, their horn blasts echoing across the sky.
The atmosphere grew tense and deadly.
Qin Fei closely followed Li Xuanzhen as they rushed up to the watchtower.
Li Xuanzhen's expression was grave, a stark contrast to his earlier frenzied state. He hastily threw on his clothes, tied back his hair haphazardly, and stood at the high tower in the corner of the city wall, gazing out at the endless snowfields to the west and north.
Bie Mutie was actually Haidu Aling.
...
Haidu Aling, the most trusted and favored nephew of the Northern Rong leader.
Legend had it he was born into a herding tribe on the grasslands. Later, his tribe was brutally massacred, with all its men and women slaughtered by bandits. He was thrown into a river and drifted downstream, eventually ending up on the icy plains, where he was miraculously raised by a pack of she-wolves and survived.
At the age of eleven, he killed the she-wolves that had raised him and joined the Northern Rong tribe. With his exceptional riding and archery skills, he gained the favor of the tribe's leader, who adopted him as his own and took him on campaigns to conquer the south and north.
That leader was Wahan Khan of the Northern Rong.
Li Xuanzhen had never faced Haidu Aling directly in battle, but the previous year, when Haidu Aling led his tribe south to plunder, the two had crossed paths multiple times and had heard of each other's reputations.
In recent years, Wahan Khan had concentrated his forces on conquering the Western Regions. It was said he had suffered several defeats along the northern route of the Western Regions, weakening his strength.
Li De and Li Xuanzhen had once discussed northern defense strategies with court officials.
They unanimously agreed that the Northern Rong would not launch a southern campaign in the near future, as their current goal was to unify the entire Western Regions.That is why the Wei Dynasty was so anxious to recapture Liangzhou—to prevent the Northern Rong army from marching south in the future, leaving Wei powerless to resist.
…
No one expected that Haidu Aling was Bie Mutie.
Li Xuanzhen gritted his teeth, a metallic taste of blood rising from his gums.
The Northern Rong prince whom he and Li De deeply feared had been right under their noses all along. He had even shared drinks and sparred with him.
Over the past six months, Haidu Aling had fought alongside the Wei army under the guise of a Yelu tribesman. Had he already uncovered all of Wei’s military deployments?
His own visit to the Yelu Tribe at their invitation, and the ambush on his way back—it couldn’t have been a coincidence. The one who orchestrated it must have been Haidu Aling!
If he had stayed with the Yelu Tribe that day or returned later, wouldn’t he have already fallen victim to Haidu Aling’s schemes?
This was all part of Haidu Aling’s plan—a scheme he had been laying out for months.
Zhu Lvyun’s close ties with the Hu people, the Yelu Tribe’s unusual insistence on a marriage alliance with Wei…
Zhu Lvyun!
She had said she wanted to restore her kingdom.
Who had promised her that?
If Zhu Lvyun had indeed married into the Yelu Tribe, was Haidu Aling planning to rally under the Zhu banner and attack Chang’an to restore her kingdom?
In an instant, the events of the past six months flashed through Li Xuanzhen’s mind.
His heart raced, cold sweat drenching him as he slammed a fist against the city wall.
He had been deceived. All of them had been played by Haidu Aling!
Now, with the Northern Rong troops advancing, he was stranded in distant Liangzhou, unable to return to Chang’an immediately. He had no idea of the situation there. Would the Northern Rong bypass Liangzhou altogether?
Amidst the clamor of hurried footsteps, the generals rushed up the watchtower.
Li Xuanzhen asked in a low voice, “How many troops do we have for defense?”
The generals exchanged uneasy glances. “Your Highness, in such haste, we can only muster about two thousand men.”
Li Xuanzhen closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, a murderous gleam flickered within.
“Two thousand men are enough to hold the pass.”
Haidu Aling had frequently clashed with Wǎ hǎn’s other sons in recent years. With internal strife plaguing the Northern Rong, it was unlikely they could deploy their full force against Wei. He only needed to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
On the battlefield, no matter how outnumbered, he had never been afraid.
Though the generals were uneasy, seeing Li Xuanzhen’s calm demeanor and the indomitable aura of a lone warrior guarding a strategic pass, they gradually steadied themselves. Each returned to their posts to take stock of their forces.
Half an hour later, a scout returned with a report: “Your Highness, there is movement ten li north across the river!”
Qin Fei shuddered with retrospective fear. In the mere half-hour since Li Xuanzhen read the letter, the enemy had already arrived. Had the letter arrived any later, would they have had any chance to prepare for battle?
Trembling, he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. “How could Princess Wenzhao have known about Haidu Aling’s plans?”
Li Xuanzhen trembled slightly.
He didn’t know either.
She was far away in the Yelu Tribe, isolated and in dire straits. Yet she had discerned that Bie Mutie was the Northern Rong prince and sent him a letter, warning him that Haidu Aling planned to attack Wei with multiple armies and urging him to prepare for battle.
He had been alerted in time and secured the pass in time. But what about her?
What had she endured?
One after another, horns blared through the snowy night.
The enemy had arrived.
Li Xuanzhen drew his blade and steadied himself, his gaze fixed on the dark horizon where the enemy formations slowly advanced.
He had to defend Liangzhou.
Only by winning this battle could he lead his troops to rescue her.
…The great battle between the Northern Rong and the frontier garrison lasted for over half a month.
No matter how many charges the Northern Rong cavalry launched, the defending troops in the city never retreated an inch, holding their ground firmly.
Whenever the defenders' morale waned, the Crown Prince of Great Wei would always lead from the front, fighting courageously, which instantly boosted the defenders' spirits.
On the eighteenth day, Haidu Aling arrived from Jin City, riding up the slope on the opposite bank of the river. Gazing at the majestic pass still standing proudly by the river, he asked his strategist behind him, "Didn't you say the Crown Prince of Great Wei was severely wounded?"
How could a dying man hold out with his troops for so many days?
The strategist lowered his head and replied, "He was indeed severely wounded. Unfortunately, those who set the ambush did not expect him to return to Liangzhou so quickly and had no time to prepare poisoned arrows, only ordinary hunting arrows."
The Crown Prince of Great Wei was incredibly lucky.
Haidu Aling curled his lips, his pale golden eyes slanting upward. "If you're setting an ambush, you should annihilate them completely! Leave no survivors!"
The strategist remained silent.
Haidu Aling sneered, "He's just fortunate to be alive."
He had once attempted to assassinate Li De and Li Xuanzhen but later realized the risks were too great. He then planned to kill Li Xuanzhen in the Yelu Tribe and frame them for it, but unexpectedly, Li Xuanzhen left that very night.
Looking back, it was his own carelessness.
But how did Li Xuanzhen detect the Northern Rong's attack in advance?
Haidu Aling frowned deeply.
It wasn't just Li Xuanzhen; Jin City, Xiao Pass, Shanzhou... every strategic stronghold he had planned to attack seemed to have received warnings ahead of time.
He had sent hundreds of men disguised as members of the Yelu Tribe, using Princess Wenzhao's name to infiltrate Jin City, intending to take the city by surprise with an inside-outside coordinated attack. This cunning plan was foolproof, yet that very night, Jin City's gates suddenly closed, and all the infiltrators were executed on the orders of a man named Du Sinan in the city.
Moreover, Nanchu and Shu, which were supposed to join the attack on Great Wei, suddenly changed their minds and remained inactive. Only Northern Qi, which controlled the Fengzhou region, sent troops.
Haidu Aling stroked his chin.
Where did things go wrong?
Only by figuring out the mistake could he avoid repeating it.
He ordered the strategist, "Interrogate the captured garrison commander from Jin City yourself. I want to know who exactly tipped them off!"
The strategist acknowledged the order.
At that moment, faint thunderous hoofbeats echoed from the east. Battle flags fluttered, and clouds of dust billowed as countless black dots appeared on the endless plain.
Haidu Aling narrowed his eyes to observe and smiled. "Their reinforcements have arrived. Let's withdraw."
Li Xuanzhen was one of the top military commanders in the Central Plains. If he couldn't kill him in one decisive strike, it was best not to prolong the battle.
Haidu Aling turned his horse around and galloped down the slope.
One day, he would personally lead his army, bringing the bravest warriors of his tribe to conquer this fertile land.
This rich and bountiful wilderness was destined to become Haidu Aling's pasture.
Wherever the Northern Rong's horses trod, they would be conquered by him.
"Return to the Yelu Tribe."
Haidu Aling curled the corner of his lips.
Although he hadn't succeeded in stirring up conflict among the Central Plains nations as planned or plunging the region into the chaos of war again, he had plundered plenty of goods, wiped out several small states along the way, seized the entire Helong region except for Liangzhou, and acquired a stunning beauty.
Thinking of the delicate, vulnerable way the beauty had sobbed by the old Khan's bedside, his fingers twitched.He enjoyed watching beauties shed tears.
The beauties of the Central Plains had delicate skin as smooth as mutton fat, every inch of them perfectly formed—docile, submissive, and tender. At the sight of him, they would tremble faintly like lambs awaiting slaughter, ready to be devoured.
It must be the most intoxicating flavor.
Haidu Aling chuckled softly.
That night, as they crossed the snow-capped mountains, they happened to run headlong into the riders sent by the Yelu Tribe.
The knight immediately dismounted and reported, "The First Prince has been killed by the tribal elders loyal to the old Khan!"
Haidu Aling was furious. "Didn't you stop them?"
He had anticipated that the fool of a First Prince wouldn't be able to control the tribe and had left a few attendants to adapt to the situation. How could the First Prince still have been killed?
The knight replied shamefully, "It happened so suddenly! I never expected divine punishment to strike out of nowhere!"
Haidu Aling was taken aback. "Divine punishment?"
The knight recounted the events of that night in detail: "Princess Wenzhao of Great Wei avenged the old Khan by summoning divine punishment. The entire tribe was terrified, and in the chaos, the tribal elders and attendants of the other princes killed the First Prince. Princess Wenzhao has disappeared."
Haidu Aling's face darkened, a hawk-like sharp glint flashing in his pale golden eyes.
He had been deceived.
Princess Wenzhao actually knew the Hu language!
How could a princess who had been hastily married off to a distant land, yet quietly learned the Hu language, constantly weep and complain to her maids about her brother sending her away for a political marriage?
By the same logic, how could a princess who only wept and complained about her brother sending her away for a political marriage have the courage to feign divine punishment, throw the entire Yelu Tribe into chaos, and seize the opportunity to escape?
All those displays of fear, all those acts of cowardice—they were nothing but a facade to make him believe she was just a delicate, timid ordinary woman.
The moment he left, she immediately revealed her true nature.
What a picture of meek obedience!
Haidu Aling sneered.
"Which direction did she flee?"
He would personally capture that Han woman and bring her back!
The knight answered loudly, "The princess headed east! We rode at full speed and should have gotten ahead of her!"
As he spoke, he pulled several blood-stained letters from his robe.
"We intercepted and killed several of the princess's attendants on the road. Each of them was carrying letters! We eliminated eighteen people in total and seized twelve letters!"
Haidu Aling's thick brows furrowed slightly. He took the letters, skimmed through them rapidly, and a look of mild surprise crossed his face.
The one who had leaked the information was actually a woman.
His entire plan had been thwarted by this woman.
Haidu Aling narrowed his slender, hawk-like eyes and let out a sharp whistle, summoning his eagle keeper. He released his trained falcon.
Spreading its wings, the falcon soared into the sky, riding the wind.
This eagle was his eyes. It would circle high above the heavens, searching for any trace of that Great Wei princess.
She was the prey he had chosen.
She would not escape, even if she grew wings.
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