On the night of the third day of the eighth lunar month, the wind in the desert already carried the chill of autumn, howling as it swept up the tumbleweeds on the ground and blew them southward.
The encampments of the Helian royal court spread out along the undulating horizon. The dense white tents stretched for miles in the darkness.
Chen Changfeng, wrapped in a wolf - fur cloak, sat alone on a Hu stool ten steps away from the royal tent.
On his lap was the tattered city - defense map seized from the traitor general at Zhenbei Pass. In front of him was a fire pit built with random stones.
The dry poplar wood was burning in the fire pit.
He lowered his head slightly, his fingers tracing the charred and blackened ink lines on the map as he deduced the inevitable route for the one - hundred - thousand iron cavalry to march south and attack the pass, calculating the losses of each step in troop deployment.
Just then, an extremely faint, crisp sound suddenly came from the leather bag hanging close to his lower back.
He took off the leather bag from his waist, held it upside down above his palm, and gently shook it.
It was an old copper coin, only half remaining, its surface covered with patina.
Before the half - coin fully fell into his palm, it split open along the old crack in the center, creating a new one.
Then, with a soft sound, the coin shattered into pieces right in front of him, turning into a handful of fine yellow - green powder that all spilled into his hand.
There was no external force of chopping, nor was there any crushing by boulders. This keepsake that he had carried close to his body for fifteen years had turned into lifeless ashes.
Chen Changfeng knew all too well what the shattering of this coin meant.
There was an inherited secret technique in the Taoist sect. If a keepsake was connected to the master's qi. When the keepsake turned to ash, it meant that the master's fate was exhausted, and his life and spiritual path had come to an end.
In the Qingfeng Temple, two thousand miles away, the lamp that had hidden his fate for fifteen years had finally burned out the last drop of lamp oil and gone out completely. The old Taoist priest who had sat in the back hall and calculated a way out for him was dead.
The night wind in the desert grew even more wild, and the ashes in the fire pit were blown into the air.
In the chaotic sound of the wind, Chen Changfeng heard the words the white - haired Taoist priest had said to him on that snowy winter day fifteen years ago.
The voice penetrated the long years, crossed mountains and rivers, carrying a bit of compassion and a desperate determination.
"Your horoscope indicates that the Greedy Wolf star has entered your life, which means a life full of killing and turmoil. Staying in the Great Qian will surely lead to a dead end. Take this half - coin and go north to find a place where the sun never shines. I'll hide your fate from the heavens, and you go and fight for your own way out."
The former Chen Henian was dead. He had been pushed into the abyss by the court of the Great Qian and his enemies, and his entire family had become lonely souls in the mass grave.
Now, standing on this grassland, controlling the pace of the one - hundred - thousand troops of the Helian royal court marching south, was only Chen Changfeng.
He slowly reached his hand above the fire pit and gradually opened his fingers.
The fine copper scraps left his palm, fluttering down into the rolling flames and were soon blown away into the boundless night.
"Since this cause - and - effect relationship is broken, there is no longer a Chen Henian in this world," he murmured to the fire, his voice easily drowned out by the wind. "The court of the Great Qian won't tolerate me, and the Heavenly Way in the south won't either. Then I'll go all the way on this path of Helian Changfeng until I trample all your lofty city walls under my feet and grind them into dust."
The firelight reflected in his eyes again, showing no trace of hesitation or wavering.
...
Looking across the two - thousand - mile mountain and pass barrier, on the official road from Shuzhou in the Great Qian to the northern border, an unremarkable green - curtained carriage was speeding through the night.
The two strong horses pulling the carriage were gasping for white air. The long - distance journey at night had taken a great toll on their strength. Inside the carriage, a wind - proof oil lamp was lit, and the flame swayed as the carriage jolted.
Xu Qinghuan took off the outer robe stained with the soil and blood from the Qingfeng Temple and casually threw it on the empty seat. She changed into a neat moon - white casual dress.
Leaning against the carriage wall, she propped her head up with one hand and was reading the urgent report just sent back by the secret agents along the way.
The female guard Qingque, who was driving the carriage, handed the whip to her companion, lifted the curtain, and got into the carriage. She sat cross - legged by the door.
Qingque was like Hua Mulan, who had joined the army in place of her father. However, after getting injured, her identity was discovered.
Fortunately, the Zhenbei Army under the rule of Tielan Mountain was relatively kind and let her do some odd jobs locally.
Once, when she was sick and lying on the street, she was saved by Xu Qinghuan who passed by and naturally became her guard.
Qingque looked at her young mistress's slightly tired face, moved her lips, but swallowed the words back. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the tassel on the hilt of her knife.
Without looking up, Xu Qinghuan flipped a page of the secret report and said, "If you have something to say, just say it. This carriage is small and can't hold all your round - about words."
Qingque lowered her head, clasped her fists, and blurted out the words she had been holding back all the way: "Miss, I really don't understand. That old Taoist priest in the Qingfeng Temple is already on the verge of death. He's just a dead man anyway.
"We can just send two secret sentries or I can go there myself and cut off his head at night. Why do you have to go up the mountain in person with your precious body? Even if those Taoist priests are weak, they are still trained. What if you get hurt even a little bit? I'll be guilty even if I die a thousand times."
Xu Qinghuan put down the secret letter and looked up at Qingque.
"Normally, when subordinates handle things, achieving seventy or eighty percent success is considered doing their best. But killing is different. A tiny mistake can cost another life."
Her tone was piercingly cold.
"If the people you send fail and startle the snake, instead of cutting off the head, they make him on guard. Who can fill this loophole with their life?"
Qingque frowned and said, "That old Taoist is at the end of his life. If I make a move, I won't leave him a single breath."
"There are too many variables in this world. I never believe in empty promises," Xu Qinghuan said wisely. "A mortal enemy must be watched die with one's own eyes, watched until the blood dries up and the bones turn cold.
"If you don't see the dead body, who knows when he might crawl out of the grave and bite you back. By then, this small mistake can make our entire grand plan fall apart."
Since ancient times, villains have died because they didn't finish off their enemies. Xu Qinghuan didn't want to follow the same old path.
A chill ran down Qingque's back, but she still didn't understand: "He's just guarding a shabby temple, unarmed. Besides doing some divination, what kind of trouble can he stir up?"
Xu Qinghuan turned her head and looked out at the dark night outside the carriage.
Her thoughts went back to the back hall of the Qingfeng Temple. The determination of the old Taoist priest when he formed the Returning Yuan Seal and shattered his heart - veins still lingered in her mind.
This person was well - versed in secret divination. It was he who had once guided Chen Changfeng to the Helian royal court, planting a serious threat to the Great Qian.
If he was left alive, who could guarantee that he wouldn't, at the last gasp, leak the painstakingly - laid plan of the Great Qian to the north?
"You don't understand. It's easy to defend against someone who kills with a knife. Those who calculate the Heavenly Way are the most dangerous," Xu Qinghuan said, retracting her gaze. "As long as he has a breath left, he's Chen Changfeng's biggest insider in the Great Qian.
"I forced him to death in person just to completely eliminate the root of the problem and cut off Chen Changfeng's connection with the south. In this game of chess, either we don't make a move. Once we do, we have to break all the opponent's escape routes."
Qingque lowered her head and stopped talking, only pouring a cup of herbal tea and handing it over.
The tea sloshed with the jolting of the carriage, creating several ripples.
The carriage was quiet for a moment. Xu Qinghuan took out a brocade pouch from the secret compartment, weighed it in her hand, and then shifted the topic to the capital thousands of miles away. "The letter sent to the capital a few days ago should be on the old man's desk by now."
Qingque replied, "That's for sure. After the Lord Marquis sees the situation at the front line, he will surely stabilize the rear."
"With the old man's temper, after reading the letter, he will definitely stamp his feet in the study and scold me for being ruthless. But then, when he sees the memorial about the second brother's military achievements, he'll be over the moon." Xu Qinghuan let out a soft laugh and tossed the brocade pouch back.
"The capital is now a quagmire, with everyone eyeing the northern battle situation. My father, the Vice - Minister of Revenue, must be at the center of the struggle."
Qingque got anxious. "Can the Lord Marquis hold his own alone?"
"My father is a shrewd man. If he had to rely entirely on me, he would have been devoured long ago, bones and all. I dare to leave the rear to him. Even if he has to grit his teeth, he will chop off all of Shang Qitai's outstretched claws."
Xu Qinghuan closed her eyes, her voice turning solemn.
"That old fox has been a coward all his life. When really cornered, he bites the hardest."
"I've stuck Amur, this crazy blade, in the rear of the royal court, and I've personally cut off Chen Changfeng's escape route in the south."
"Next, I'll just sit on the city wall of Zhenbei Pass and watch the show."
"As long as Helian's one hundred thousand iron cavalry doesn't retreat and Chen Changfeng doesn't die, I, Xu Qinghuan, will be tied to the northern border for the rest of my life! I swear not to turn back until I defeat Helian!"
