When the guard replied that it had happened at midnight last night, Pei Ying shuddered violently, the air in her chest seeming to vanish, her lungs collapsing to the point of excruciating pain.
Fear, panic, helplessness.
All the negative emotions surged over her like a tidal wave, or like the hands of water ghouls dragging her deeper and deeper into a cold, hopeless abyss.
If there were ghosts and gods in this world, then nature itself must be one of them. Valleys could split apart, rivers could run dry—all in the blink of an eye.
Pei Ying remembered a roommate from her graduate school days, a girl from the mountains. One night, as they chatted about the past, the roommate mentioned that she had almost never been born.
Life in the mountains was harsh, and many families struggled just to put food on the table. Some had to resort to desperate measures to survive.
Some left to find work elsewhere.
Her roommate’s grandparents had done just that, entrusting their children to the care of the elderly while they sought work far from home. One day, when they returned for a visit, their youngest son—her roommate’s father—was so overjoyed to see them that he couldn’t bear to part with them again. So, before his parents set off once more, he secretly hid inside their luggage.
It wasn’t until they reached the station that the couple discovered their youngest child had stowed away. At the time, taking him along wasn’t feasible, so they decided to send him back.
But just then, the earthquake struck.
The station shook violently, ceiling panels crashing down. The couple was fortunate to escape unharmed, but once the tremors subsided, they abandoned their plans to leave immediately and instead turned back toward home.
With their son in tow, they retraced their steps—only to be met with devastation.
Their village, nestled between two mountains, was gone. The two peaks had collapsed into one, swallowing everything in between—people, trees, all of it—without a trace.
Pei Ying still remembered the terror on her roommate’s face as she recounted the story. Though she had only heard it from her father, the way he told it had left an indelible mark on her.
Had her father not hidden in that luggage, he would have been buried alongside his grandparents and siblings beneath the mountains.
Beyond her roommate’s story, Pei Ying had also seen news coverage of earthquake relief efforts.
Skyscrapers swallowed by the earth or toppled sideways, asphalt roads snapped in half—if structures of steel and concrete could be reduced to rubble, what hope did mere flesh and blood have?
"Several villages severely affected, hundreds of homes destroyed, casualties estimated in the thousands."
"Midnight last night."
The guard’s words echoed relentlessly in her ears, making her head throb.
At that moment, Pei Ying had only one thought: she had to find her daughter. She had to save her. Her daughter could not be harmed.
She had only just been reunited with her child—she couldn’t bear the pain of losing her again.
If anything happened to her daughter, she wouldn’t want to live either…
But how could she search? Who would dare venture into the disaster zone for her?
"I am aware of the situation. You may leave."
A deep, steady voice came from behind her, pulling her scattered thoughts back like an invisible hand yanking her from the fog of despair.
Pei Ying turned quickly.
She was still in his arms, his long limbs encircling her. When she lifted her gaze to meet his dark, unreadable eyes, her first attempt to speak came out as nothing more than a breath.
She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to steady her voice. "General, could you send men to search for my daughter?"
She knew her daughter was guarded by fifty Youzhou cavalrymen, but she also knew that major earthquakes were always followed by aftershocks. Sending a rescue team now could mean none of them would return.
She couldn’t let him treat those lives as expendable. "And General, your cavalrymen are there too. You care for your soldiers like your own—you wouldn’t abandon them, would you?"
Huo Tingshan studied her red-rimmed eyes. With all color drained from her face, her porcelain skin looked almost translucent, save for the faint pink lingering at her eyelids and lips. Her tear-filled eyes reflected his image clearly once more.
"Madam, after a great upheaval of the earth, there will always be aftershocks," Huo Tingshan said, his expression unreadable.
Pei Ying bit her lip, scrambling for something—anything—that might sway him.
But time was too short. The news of the earthquake had left her mind blank.
She could think of nothing.
All she could see were his sharp, narrow eyes, mirroring her own desperation.
Her lashes trembled as she reached for his hand—the first time she had ever initiated contact. "General, will you help me find my daughter?"
Almost the moment her fingers brushed his palm, his large hand closed around hers, engulfing her slender fingers completely.
The rough pads of his fingers traced the back of her hand. "So Madam is saying that if I agree to send men to search for your daughter, you’ll willingly become my woman?"
The word "yes" nearly escaped her lips before the last shreds of her rationality yanked it back.
She shook her head slowly.
Huo Tingshan stilled, his brow furrowing as he opened his mouth to speak—but then she added, "I can spend a few nights with you."
His frown eased slightly, only to return. "Why only a fleeting affair?"
He was leagues above her late husband in every way. Why was she still so determined to keep him at arm’s length?
Seeing him divert the topic, Pei Ying felt the fragile hope she’d mustered deflate like a punctured wineskin.
She tried to pull her hand free.
But he didn’t let go.
Huo Tingshan watched the despair flicker across her face, the light in her eyes dimming further. With a soft click of his tongue, he relented. "Fine. I’ll agree—five nights will suffice."
Truthfully, one night was usually enough for him to tire of a woman. But given how long he’d desired her, a few extra nights wouldn’t hurt.
After those five nights, he’d have his fill and could finally treat Madam Pei with nothing but respect.
Pei Ying hadn’t expected this sudden turn. Stunned for a moment, the light returned to her eyes. "Thank you, General."
"My lord, you mustn’t."
Chen Shichang was the first to object when Huo Tingshan relayed his decision. "Even if we must organize a rescue, now is not the time. After such a massive quake, aftershocks are inevitable in the coming days. Sending men now would be far too dangerous."
The others voiced their agreement.
"Great General, Advisor Chen speaks wisely. An earthquake of this scale is no trifling matter. If another strikes while our forces are en route to Changping, it would deal a devastating blow to the Youzhou army."
"Indeed, we’ve only just secured Jizhou. What if our forces suffer losses now and others seize the opportunity to snatch away our hard-won victory?"
"Great General, this is merely Jizhou, not our own Youzhou. Why must we exhaust ourselves in rescue efforts? Waiting a few days until the situation stabilizes before deploying troops would hardly be too late."
"Please reconsider, my lord."
"Great General, we implore you to reconsider."
...
In the spacious study, a crowd of generals and strategists took turns voicing their concerns to the man seated at the head of the room.
Qin Yang, noticing Gongsun Liang’s prolonged silence, quietly edged closer and whispered, "Master Gongsun, perhaps you could also advise the Great General? He holds your counsel in the highest regard—your words may sway him."
Gongsun Liang stroked his goatee. "I believe persuasion is futile here—and unnecessary."
Qin Yang was taken aback. "Why do you say that?"
Gongsun Liang merely smiled, offering no explanation.
The moment news of the earthquake in Changping County reached them, their lord had been eager to dispatch troops immediately. If Pei Ying hadn’t influenced this decision, Gongsun Liang would gladly burn his treasured beard in disbelief.
After all, the apple of Pei Ying’s eye—that young Lady Meng—was currently in Changping County.
Even if the three thousand rescue troops were to perish entirely, the price would be worth it if it secured Pei Ying’s gratitude and unwavering loyalty in the future.
Cold as it was, such truths existed.
Some people were simply more valuable than others—worth more than thousands of armored cavalry.
Keeping these thoughts to himself, Gongsun Liang finally spoke when Sha Ying subtly urged him to join the chorus of dissenters—but his words were the opposite of what they expected: "I believe our lord’s decision is most astute."
The room fell into stunned silence.
"Master Gongsun?"
"Master Gongsun!"
Only then did Huo Tingshan lift his gaze to meet Gongsun Liang’s. Their eyes locked, and the old man’s shrewd, gleaming expression nearly made Huo Tingshan chuckle.
This little old fox knew exactly what was going on.
A single glance was enough for an unspoken understanding.
Gongsun Liang straightened, adopting a solemn tone. "Hear me, all of you. Jizhou is already in our lord’s grasp, but as we all know, beyond the prestige of crushing the Blue Scarves, we have no real foundation here. This earthquake presents an opportunity—if our Youzhou army acts swiftly to aid the people, we can cement our lord’s reputation for benevolence. We can show the world that our forces are not just a fierce army, but also one of righteousness."
One dissenter protested, "Master Gongsun, reputation can be built gradually. The risks now are too great—it’s like snatching chestnuts from the fire. A single misstep could cost us all of Jizhou."
Gongsun Liang smiled. "Risks, yes—but no reward comes without daring. Many scholars and talents still hesitate to pledge allegiance. This could be our chance to win them over."
Before another objection could arise, Huo Tingshan cut in, "My decision is final. No more debate."
Every man in that room—whether general or strategist—owed their position to Huo Tingshan himself. None were inherited from his father’s old guard, who had long since faded from the inner circle with age.
Advice was just that—advice. The final call was his alone.
Orders for the rescue mission spread like wildfire, and preparations began in earnest.
This was no campaign of conquest, so massive siege engines like wooden mantlets and chariots were left behind, replaced by additional supplies.
In the rear courtyard of the Governor’s residence, Pei Ying hastily packed a small bundle, ready to join the rescue troops to Changping County.
But just as she finished and stepped toward the door, Huo Tingshan intercepted her, fresh from the council.
He reached for the bundle in her hands. "My lady, you should remain here and await good news."
Pei Ying shook her head, tucking the bundle behind her back. Restless with worry, she couldn’t bear to stay. "General, I must go with the army. I have to find my daughter."
Huo Tingshan closed the distance, one arm encircling her waist to hold her still while the other reached behind her for the bundle. "Changping County is in ruins. Clearing roads and managing survivors will stretch our resources thin—we’ll have no men to spare for your protection."
"I don’t need protection. I can take care of myself." Pei Ying refused to let go.
Huo Tingshan’s strength was overwhelming. As the bundle’s strap slipped bit by bit from her grip, Pei Ying’s eyes reddened at the corners. Realizing she couldn’t win this tug-of-war, she released the strap at the last moment and instead grasped his thick wrist. "General, I swear I won’t be a burden. I—I even know some rescue techniques. I could help. Please let me go."
The moment her fingers touched his skin, the veins along his wrist pulsed violently.
Huo Tingshan looked down at her. She was nearly pressed against his chest, gazing up with eyes like shimmering lakes, as if scattered starlight had been crushed into their depths.
Her breath came quickly from her earlier plea, warm and sweet from her parted lips—an unspoken allure.
Pei Ying felt the shift in his gaze, his eyes darkening into abyssal waters where monstrous shadows lurked beneath, revealing only the barest hint of their presence.
Her spine stiffened, the nape of her neck prickling under his scrutiny.
Yet she didn’t look away. Her stare remained stubborn, almost defiant.
"...Very well."
...
"What? Great General, you’re leading the troops to Changping County yourself?" Xiong Mao paled. "But earlier in the council, you—"
Under Huo Tingshan’s stare, Xiong Mao’s voice trailed off, swallowing the rest of his protest.
Only when he fell silent did Huo Tingshan leisurely withdraw his gaze. "If we’re doing this, we’ll do it properly."
When the time came to depart, Xiong Mao was stunned to find not only Huo Tingshan but also Pei Ying among the ranks.
"Sha Ying," he grumbled, "Lady Pei is coming along too? This is madness."
Sha Ying looked at him with a mix of exasperation and disappointment: "You’d better keep those words between us. If you go around saying them outside, you’ll be punished—and you know how the General deals out discipline."
Xiong Mao instantly fell silent, as if struck dumb.
Sha Ying turned her gaze toward the carriage where Pei Ying sat, her eyes sharp with newfound scrutiny.
A woman capable of swaying the General’s decisions might not remain merely an advisor for long.
The army set out.
Previously, it had taken Pei Ying three days to travel from Changping County to Yuanshan County by carriage with the army.
Now, heading to Sanxiang County under Changping’s jurisdiction, the journey was far shorter. For one, they were marching at a rapid pace, barely stopping each day. Secondly, Sanxiang County’s location was somewhat peculiar—it lay on the edge of Changping, near the border of Yuanshan and another county. After a day and a half of forced march, the vanguard entered Sanxiang’s territory.
But then, an obstacle arose.
"General, the main road ahead is blocked by boulders," Xiong Mao reported, riding back from the front.
Huo Tingshan went to inspect it himself.
Indeed, the road was impassable—a landslide had sent massive rocks tumbling down, landing squarely in the middle of the official path. Only narrow gaps remained at the sides, barely wide enough for a single horse to pass through.
Cavalry could manage, and infantry could squeeze by, but the supply wagons couldn’t get through.
With the army’s sudden halt, Pei Ying lifted the carriage curtain and asked Chen Yuan beside her what had happened.
"The road ahead is blocked by fallen rocks," Chen Yuan explained. "The General has ordered men to clear it."
Pei Ying pressed her lips together.
Though it was still early in the day, two full days had already passed since the earthquake struck Changping.
The golden window for post-disaster rescue was three days—and most of that time was already gone.
"Captain Chen," Pei Ying asked, "do you know how far we are from the Honghu medicinal fields?"
Chen Yuan did. "About ten li."
Pei Ying’s eyes brightened.
Ten li—five kilometers.
"If the carriages can’t pass, can horses? If so, could we ride ahead?" she pressed.
Chen Yuan confirmed that horses could get through, but didn’t answer her second question. Whether they could ride ahead wasn’t his call.
Pei Ying understood. She stepped out of the carriage.
For this relief mission, women’s robes would have been impractical, so she had changed into men’s attire.
Her dark hair was tied back simply with a ribbon, and she wore a deep black robe with a right-crossing collar, cinched at the waist by a vermilion belt. The jade hook accentuated her slender frame, lending her an air of sharp elegance rather than her usual soft grace.
After disembarking, Pei Ying didn’t spot Huo Tingshan and guessed he must be at the front.
After a moment’s thought, she walked ahead.
Five minutes later, she saw the familiar figure.
He had dismounted and stood with several officers before the boulders, watching soldiers work to clear them.
As she approached, she caught fragments of their discussion—it would take at least another hour to clear the path.
"Madam Pei?" Qin Yang noticed her first.
At his voice, the tall figure at the center of the group paused, then turned. "What brings you here, Madam?"
Not wanting to waste time, Pei Ying cut straight to the point. "General, the medicinal fields are only ten li away. I’d like to ride ahead on horseback."
Huo Tingshan raised a brow. "You know how to ride?"
"Of course not," Pei Ying said matter-of-factly, "but I can ask someone to take me."
Five kilometers on horseback wouldn’t take long.
"Oh? And who did you have in mind?" Huo Tingshan’s lips curled slightly.
"Chen—"
The moment the name left her lips, the air around Huo Tingshan shifted.
Where he had been relaxed, even lazily amused, now his eyes turned cold, though the faint smile remained.
It was as if daring her to finish that sentence would come with consequences.
Pei Ying sighed inwardly and changed tack. "I was wondering if the General might have time to escort me himself."
The chill in Huo Tingshan’s demeanor dissipated. "Since Madam asks, it would be my pleasure."
Wu Ye, his prized stallion, had been grazing nearby. At Huo Tingshan’s whistle, the horse trotted over—taller and sleeker than the others, its black mane gleaming, muscles rippling with each powerful step. When it reached them, it eyed Pei Ying and snorted proudly, as if aware of its role.
Pei Ying instinctively stepped back.
Huo Tingshan chuckled. "No need to fear. Though Wu Ye has crushed enemy soldiers’ ribs on the battlefield, he’s loyal—never attacks his own."
Pei Ying: "…" That didn’t help.
Seeing her tense, Huo Tingshan added leisurely, "Perhaps Madam has changed her mind about riding."
"I haven’t!" she said quickly.
He ordered a padded saddle brought over, replacing the high-cantled one. Once the girth was tightened, he said, "Then mount up."
Pei Ying tentatively stroked Wu Ye’s mane. When the horse didn’t protest, she grew bolder, reaching for the stirrup.
Then a hand closed over hers, guiding it higher on the saddle. "Hold here," Huo Tingshan instructed from behind her, "then step into the stirrup and push up."
With his help, she was soon seated atop Wu Ye.
This was her second time on the stallion—last time she’d ridden sidesaddle, but even now, sitting astride, the height was just as dizzying.
The officers who had seemed so imposing now had to look up at her.
A thought struck her, and her gaze drifted to Huo Tingshan.
Yes, even he was shorter than her now.
The oppressive aura his height usually carried was gone—for once, she could look down on him.
Huo Tingshan, still on the ground, caught her glance as he prepared to mount.
His dark eyes glinted with amusement. "Madam seems rather pleased with herself."
"Not at all," Pei Ying denied, then urged, "Time is short, General. Could you hurry?"
With that, Huo Tingshan swung up behind her. Since she occupied the stirrups, he simply took the reins and guided Wu Ye through the narrow gap in the rocks.
Chen Yuan, who had followed Pei Ying the moment she left, now led a cavalry unit after them.
Pei Ying sat stiffly on the horse, her back rigid as she tried to maintain some distance from the man behind her.
But Wu Ye, the horse, ran swiftly, and even the finest steed jostled when galloping. Every time Pei Ying inched forward, the momentum threw her back again.
Huo Tingshan sat behind her, watching her futile little struggles with amusement. He let her exhaust herself before finally wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her firmly against his chest. "Rather than wasting your energy like this, Madam, you might as well save it for when we find your daughter," he said.
The howling wind nearly drowned out his words, but Pei Ying still caught the laughter in his tone.
This man was truly...
The ten-li journey passed quickly under Wu Ye’s hooves.
The Honghu Medicinal Herb Garden lay beside a lake of the same name.
Originally, this place had been prepared by a wealthy merchant for his ailing mother. When no cure could be found for her strange illness, the merchant devised a plan—he gathered rare medicinal herbs and offered them freely to any physician who could heal her.
The news drew many skilled but impoverished doctors to try their luck.
At first, none succeeded. Yet, unwilling to send them away empty-handed after their long journeys, the merchant still gifted them some herbs.
The cost of purchasing such herbs proved too high, so the merchant and his family decided to cultivate them instead. Years later, though his mother was cured, the herb garden remained.
The merchant’s family had once lived here, hosting visitors in the estate beside the garden.
But now, the once-grand residence lay half-collapsed, as though an invisible giant hand had smashed part of it into the earth.
The sight made Pei Ying dizzy. She nearly toppled from Wu Ye’s back.
Huo Tingshan steadied her, his expression cold as he scanned the ruined estate. "Madam, your daughter may not be here," he said.
Pei Ying barely heard him. She demanded to dismount.
With a sigh, Huo Tingshan swung down first, then lifted her from the horse.
Her legs trembled—half from the ride, half from fear. She dug her nails into her palms, forcing herself to stay composed.
Her steps unsteady, she approached the estate’s half-intact gate. Just as she moved to enter, a faint noise reached her ears.
It came from inside—not the scuttling of rats, but the scrape of wooden furniture being shifted.
Pei Ying’s breath hitched. She hurried forward.
But the moment she stepped into the main hall, a wooden staff swung at her from the side.
Huo Tingshan’s eyes flashed. He caught the staff mid-air, wrenched it free, and without hesitation, swung it back.
"Ah—!"
