In the Moonlight

The hall echoed with solemn and dignified Sanskrit chants.

Incense and flowers were piled high like mountains. A golden and silver-bodied Bodhisattva, holding a lotus branch in one hand and a lotus flower in the other, gazed downward with a compassionate expression.

On the jeweled couch, Tanmoroqie sat draped in a kasaya, his face lean and refined, his eyes profound, as if surrounded by a faint aura of Buddha's light—more resembling a meditating Buddha than the golden statue on the altar.

He looked at Yaoying, his gaze calm, as if observing all living beings from the clouds.

"The Royal Court is not a place for the princess to settle. Mengda Ti Po will leave the Royal Court tomorrow morning. The princess may accompany him. My personal guard Yuanjue will escort you to the Land of Brahma."

Yaoying's eyelashes trembled slightly, her long, enchanting eyes fixed intently on Tanmoroqie.

The Northern Rong had been defeated three times by Tanmoroqie. For the time being, Wahan Khan and Haidu Aling would not dare to attack the Royal Court. She had fled to the Royal Court and found shelter under Tanmoroqie's protection, allowing her to breathe a temporary sigh of relief. However, Tanmoroqie's illness was severe, and there had been no news from Bore. If Tanmoroqie were to die, the Royal Court would be in imminent danger, and Haidu Aling would not spare her.

Over the past few days, Yaoying had considered her options. If Tanmoroqie could not escape the tragedy of succumbing to his illness, she would go with Mengda Ti Po to the Land of Brahma and then return to the Central Plains by sea.

As long as Haidu Aling remained alive, she could never return to her homeland via the Hexi Corridor. Her only option was to detour through the Land of Brahma; otherwise, she would inevitably fall into Haidu Aling's hands.

These were the decisions she had made after careful deliberation.

So, during her days of confinement, she had not been idle. Every day, she and her guards studied Brahmi with the monks.

She had not expected Tanmoroqie to also think of this solution.

He was the ruler of the Royal Court and had no personal ties to her. Why had he considered her situation so thoroughly?

Moreover, he had even arranged for an escort to take her to the Land of Brahma.

Though he was nearing the end of his life, he still remembered to care for a stranger like her.

Yaoying's gaze fell on Tanmoroqie's legs.

The loose kasaya concealed his swollen legs. From the outside, he appeared to be merely sitting in meditation.

This man was revered and worshipped by the people during his lifetime, devoting his life to protecting the Royal Court. Even in death, he maintained his seated posture.

When the Northern Rong invaded the Holy City and stormed into the Buddhist temple, no one dared to approach his remains upon seeing them. Even Haidu Aling, for the first time, showed a moment of mercy and led his troops out of the temple.

The people of the Western Regions said that Tanmoroqie was truly the incarnation of Ananda, which was why his body remained incorruptible and he achieved enlightenment in his seated posture.

Yaoying had never seen an enlightened monk before. As she gazed at Tanmoroqie's serene and handsome face, she imagined him concealing his illness, growing weaker and more haggard day by day, exhausting himself for the Royal Court until he died alone. A faint ache stirred in her heart.

In his youth, his clansmen had been brutally slaughtered by Zhang, and Princess Chima had come to hate the Han people because of it. Yet, he had never transferred his anger to the innocent, remaining benevolent throughout.

For over a decade, Yaoying and her brother Li Zhongqian had lived cautiously under the resentment of Li De and Li Xuanzhen. Encountering a ruler like Tanmoroqie, who had endured hardships yet remained generous and gentle amidst the chaos of the world, it was hard for her not to feel moved.

She admired such a person.

It was a pity she could do nothing to help him.

Yaoying lost herself in thought for a moment, then stepped forward, knelt beside the couch, picked up the wooden tray of fresh flowers from the nearby table, wrapped it in light gauze, folded it into the shape of a gold ingot, and gently tucked it beside Tanmoroqie's kasaya, placing it next to his leg.

The nearby guards looked at her in surprise, unsure of her intentions, and for a moment, none of them moved.

Tanmoroqie was slightly taken aback.Yao Ying leaned forward, carefully adjusting the position of the wooden tray. A few flickering candlelight spots danced on her raven-black hair, her skin as pale as snow. A red silk ribbon tied her hair, its crimson hue draping against her neck, while her fair skin glowed with a creamy luster.

Amid the room's intense fragrance, she carried a faint, sweet scent.

"Venerable One, try this—it might ease your discomfort."

Yao Ying looked up and smiled at Tanmoroqie, her bright eyes curving into crescent moons.

As a child, when she was unable to walk and could only lie or recline all day, this was a method taught to her by physicians.

A flicker of dazed surprise surfaced in Tanmoroqie's eyes—still faint, like passing clouds brushing a clear sky, without a ripple.

Understanding dawned on him, and he pressed his palms together in a reverent gesture.

Yao Ying returned the gesture, then stood and left.

There was little she could do for him, only hoping this man would suffer less in his final days.

Yuanjue escorted Yao Ying out of the main hall.

As they passed through the corridor, two low growls suddenly echoed from a corner.

The guarding soldiers stepped back nervously.

The growls deepened, carrying a threatening warning.

Yao Ying looked up, a shiver running down her spine.

A leopard with ancient coin-patterned fur stood in the shadows atop the wall, looking down on everyone from above. Its pale yellow eyes emitted a chilling phosphorescent glow in the dim night.

Yuanjue stepped in front of Yao Ying, swallowing nervously.

"That's the Regent's leopard—it's still wild and only obeys the Regent... Princess, don't move, and don't look at it!"

Yao Ying averted her gaze, frozen in place—at the sight of the lurking leopard, her legs felt weak; even if she wanted to move, she couldn't.

Human and leopard stood in a standoff for a moment before footsteps echoed from deep within the corridor. A tall figure flashed past.

Yuanjue hurriedly called out softly, "Regent, Ali is here!"

The figure swayed slightly, a cold glint flashing from the saber at his waist, then turned and headed in another direction. The leopard leaped down from the high wall and followed.

Yao Ying let out a sigh of relief.

The Taiji Palace in Chang'an kept many rare birds and beasts, and Li Zhongqian often took her to play there in his leisure time—leopards among them. However, those exotic animals were tributes, raised to be docile. She had never seen such a ferocious leopard before.

That night, Bore and Ashina Bisha did not return to the Holy City.

Candles burned all night in the main hall. The central army knights stationed in the Holy City rushed back to the royal palace, where guards were tightly enforced.

In less than two hours, news that the Regent had crippled one of Xue Yanna's hands spread throughout the Holy City. Court ministers temporarily ceased their maneuvers, quietly recalling spies lurking outside the palace, while the timid scrambled to prepare lavish gifts for the palace.

While monks in the temple prayed for Tanmoroqie, Mengda Ti Po returned to his courtyard to pack, gathering his disciples and attendants to prepare for departure.

Yao Ying had long since packed her belongings and left with Mengda Ti Po and his disciples.

Outside the palace gates, Mengda Ti Po looked back at the palace and sighed deeply, "This humble monk is incapable—unable to cure the Buddha Prince."

Yao Ying urged her horse to catch up with him and asked, "Why not wait a few more days?"

Mengda Ti Po turned, pressing his palms together, "There are no more days left."

Yao Ying fell silent.

Mengda Ti Po continued, "The Buddha Prince is compassionate, concerned that the Royal Court ministers might cause trouble for this humble monk and the Princess. When I first arrived at the Royal Court, I debated scriptures with the Buddha Prince and lost. We made an agreement for me to stay and treat him. Today marks the end of that term. By leaving today, the Royal Court ministers have no grounds to detain me."He had lost to Tanmoroqie and, according to the rules of doctrinal debate, should have taken Tanmoroqie as his teacher. However, Tanmoroqie said that the Buddhist scriptures they studied were different, and the liberation they pursued was also different, so he did not dare to act as his master. Instead, he only requested that he stay as the royal physician in the palace and leave when his term was completed.

Yaoying knew that Buddhism originated in the Land of Brahma and, after spreading to the Western Regions and the Central Plains, blended with local beliefs. Over centuries of development, it gradually diverged and evolved, giving rise to different sects.

In the Western Regions, Buddhism held a dominant position. Here, eminent monks emerged in great numbers, pagodas and temples stood in abundance, and from kings to slaves, all were devout followers. The various kingdoms of the Western Regions built numerous Buddhist temples, preserved vast collections of Buddhist scriptures, and held grand Buddhist rituals every year, earning the region the name "Little Western Paradise" among Central Plains monks.

However, in Mengda Ti Po's homeland, the Land of Brahma, Buddhism was already in decline.

Yaoying remembered how Mengda Ti Po had overcome countless difficulties to come to the Western Regions. Why had he left after less than a year?

She voiced her doubt.

Mengda Ti Po smiled faintly: "This humble monk has met the Buddha Prince and knows that the pursuit of my life is not in vain. The Buddha liberates all beings, each according to their own karma. Liberation takes the form appropriate to the individual. The Western Regions are not where this humble monk belongs."

Yaoying thought of Tanmoroqie's jade-green eyes, which held a hidden lotus radiance, and asked, "What form of liberation does the Buddha Prince seek in his practice?"

Mengda Ti Po hesitated, as if struggling to find the words, and remained silent for a long while before saying, "The Buddha Prince has chosen a very difficult path of cultivation."

Yaoying sighed inwardly.

She suspected that Tanmoroqie likely adhered to Mahayana teachings.

Buddhism is divided into Theravada and Mahayana. Simply put, Theravada Buddhism holds that ordinary people cannot attain Buddhahood and emphasizes self-cultivation for personal enlightenment and liberation, focusing on transcending the world. Mahayana Buddhism, on the other hand, believes that there are countless Buddhas across the three times and ten directions, with Shakyamuni being just one of them. It teaches that all beings possess Buddha-nature and, in addition to self-liberation, strive to universally liberate all sentient beings.

Tanmoroqie, who guarded the Royal Court and cared for all people, clearly belonged to the Mahayana tradition.

They left the palace, passed through layers of stone walls, climbed a plank road, and traversed a long, narrow, and dimly lit cave. Ahead, the space suddenly opened up, with intense light streaming in, and the wind carried the noise of a bustling crowd.

Yaoying had arrived in the Holy City late at night and had stayed in the palace ever since, never having seen the city in daylight. Hearing the sounds of people, she curiously looked around.

At this sight, she couldn't help but hold her breath.

The morning light was faint, the sky vast and clear without a single cloud, a pure and translucent blue.

Layered mountain ranges stretched across the horizon, majestic and towering into the clouds. The first rays of the morning sun slanted down, casting a brilliant golden glow over the perpetual snow atop the peaks—a scene of indescribable magnificence and grandeur.

Mid-slope, vast expanses of lush green, tinged with shades of emerald, were shrouded in clouds and mist, exuding serene beauty. Hidden deep within the forested mountains, ancient cave temples could faintly be seen. At the foot of the mountains, deep gorges and crisscrossing river valleys sprawled out, with lakes of all sizes embedded among them like sapphires and emeralds, reflecting the azure sky. The lakeshores were carpeted with green grass, and the terrain was gentle and rolling.

Yaoying looked south, where an endless, fertile plain stretched for miles, waves of wheat swaying in the breeze.

And at the far end of that fertile plain stood the Holy City, guarded by Tanmoroqie.It was a magnificent and prosperous capital, with a broad river flowing from west to east around the towering city walls. Watchtowers stood imposingly at the four corners of the fortifications. The city’s layout was as orderly as Chang’an, with bustling market districts in the south following the undulating terrain, while residences in the north grew increasingly dense. At the northernmost end, perched on elevated terraces guarded by layered steps, stood over a thousand Sangharamas. Lofty pavilions and multi-tiered halls with upturned eaves stretched as far as the eye could see, alongside hundreds of towering pagodas reaching several zhang in height. Glimmering in gold and jade, they stood solemn and majestic, proclaiming their sacred status within the Royal Court.

These were Tanmoroqie’s temples.

The city’s streets were packed with carriages and crowds. People of various tribes, dressed in distinct attire, moved through its lanes and avenues. Beyond the walls, dust clouds rose along the main roads as merchants drove camels, elephants, horses, and long-haired cattle and sheep into the city. The melodies of pipa music intertwined with cheerful laughter, painting a scene of flourishing prosperity.

Yaoying reined in her horse and gazed down at the Holy City below, her heart surging with emotion, remaining silent for a long while.

Majestic peaks, emerald valleys, the bustling capital, rows upon rows of buildings, pagodas of varying heights, rugged mountain ranges, shimmering lakes, and the peaceful ambiance of human habitation unfolded before her like a series of magnificent scrolls.

In this desert eight thousand li away from the Central Plains, she had unexpectedly encountered a land where peach and plum trees bloomed abundantly, and mulberry and hemp fields stretched far and wide.

If not for the distant snow-capped peaks piercing the sky, the endless yellow sands beyond the river, and the architecture and Buddhist temples so different from those of the Central Plains, Yaoying might have thought the mountain path she had just traversed had instantly brought her back to Jingnan.

This oasis nation in the desert was astonishingly prosperous and wealthy.

No wonder the Northern Rong had long been determined to seize the Royal Court. No wonder Tanmoroqie had struggled for years to protect this capital...

As Yaoying stared at the vibrant Holy City bathed in the morning light, she seemed to glimpse the solitary life of Tanmoroqie.

Mengda Ti Po and his party had already moved far ahead, yet she remained at the cave entrance, mesmerized by the sight before her.

Her guards were equally stunned by the spectacle, unable to snap out of their awe for a long time.

Looking down, Yaoying realized they were perched on a high earthen cliff, with steep rocky walls below. A great river shimmering with ripples meandered past the base of the cliff, the wind howling as it swept through.

That night, Tanmoroqie had returned to the city after dark with his followers, taking a concealed path and climbing the high stone steps from the rear mountain directly into the palace. She had only seen a towering earthen cliff and a river dozens of zhang wide, nothing more, leading her to assume the Holy City was merely an ordinary oasis town.

In truth, the Holy City lay deep within a canyon, surrounded by towering earthen cliffs that formed a natural barrier. This unique topography was likely one reason the Northern Rong had repeatedly failed to capture the city despite multiple assaults.

Alas, after Tanmoroqie’s death, this prosperous nation was doomed to fall under the iron hooves of the Northern Rong.

Yaoying turned her horse around.

Her guards gradually followed her.

They descended the slope and trekked through a long, deep mountain stream. When they looked back, the lofty pagodas of the Holy City were no longer visible.

The group paused to rest. As Yaoying fed her horse two grass cakes, the sound of rapid hoofbeats, like falling rain, suddenly echoed from ahead.Dust filled the sky as a single rider on horseback galloped forth like lightning, the sound of hooves echoing between the steep cliffs.

Yuanjue, who was escorting Yaoying to the Land of Brahma, suddenly leaped up, pointing at the rider with wild joy: "It's General Ashina! General Ashina has returned!"

Following his gaze, Yaoying saw the young general on horseback already approaching her. He was a man in his twenties with golden hair, green eyes, and deep-set features, his snow-white robe fluttering fiercely in the wind.

Their eyes met briefly. Ashina Bisha seemed momentarily dazed but did not stop, urging his horse past them.

Yaoying froze, suddenly feeling that his eyes looked familiar.

He, too, had green eyes.

...

Ashina Bisha returned just in time, and Mengda Ti Po immediately turned back toward the palace.

Tanmoroqie could be saved.

Without hesitation, Yaoying returned to the Holy City with Mengda Ti Po.

Although taking the sea route from the Land of Brahma back to the Central Plains could help her avoid Haidu Aling, the journey was long and fraught with great risks. Unless absolutely necessary, she still hoped to return to the Central Plains via Helong.

Because she was afraid of missing Li Zhongqian.

Having been away for so long, Li Zhongqian would surely come looking for her—regardless of whether his injuries had healed, regardless of whether news of the Yelu Tribe's destruction had reached Chang'an. Yaoying was certain that as long as her elder brother was alive, he would come for her.

Since Tanmoroqie could still be saved, she ought to stay, so she could seek an opportunity to return to the Central Plains through Helong.

Haidu Aling would eventually turn his forces to attack the Central Plains. Rather than living in constant fear, it was better to prepare early. At present, he was merely an unstable, irritable, and gloomy Northern Rong prince, far from the cunning strategist he would become decades later. Since she was already his enemy, she must cut off his wings before his power could grow!