Chapter 105

Edited By: Mim

After the Moqi siblings departed, Xie Lanxu summoned Hei Huo.

Once a mere slave, Hei Huo had been elevated by Xie Lanxu to the rank of Yuwu Captain, a subordinate eighth-rank officer. On the training grounds, his powerful legs generated louder noise than the swords and spears wielded by others. Each time Hei Huo displayed his exceptional leg techniques, the onlookers erupted in awe.

Initially, the military harbored doubts about his capabilities.

But Hei Huo silenced those voices with sheer strength.

In the military camp, actions spoke louder than words. If you could defeat someone, it didn’t matter how strange you looked—strength earned respect.

“You are to select 500 trustworthy men,” Xie Lanxu instructed. “Tell them it is on my orders to carry out an external mission. Station them at Mingsha Mountain and have them stand by for my commands. This mission is to be kept secret. No one, save you and your team, is to know your whereabouts.”

Hei Huo didn’t ask why. Without hesitation, he accepted the order.

After bowing respectfully in the Central Plains style—a gesture he had adopted from Li Zhi—he left.

Inside the tent, only Li Xiangsheng, who served as Xie Lanxu’s personal guard, remained. Li Zhi hesitated, unsure if this was the right time to inquire about Xie Lanxu’s plans. She knew he wouldn’t reveal his true intentions with another person present.

While she was deliberating, a soldier entered and saluted.

“Report: Lady Li Cien requests an audience.”

Xie Lanxu glanced at Li Zhi and said, “Let her in.”

Moments later, Li Cien stepped into the command tent.

In the military camp, both Li Zhi and Li Cien had abandoned flowing dresses in favor of practical attire. While dresses were elegant, they hindered movement and provided no protection. Now, both women wore cotton tunics and soft armor, their hair tied high like young boys, held in place by simple bands.

Li Cien was about to kneel in formal salute when Xie Lanxu waved her off.

“No need for formalities,” he said. “Speak.”

Li Cien lifted her head, locking eyes with Xie Lanxu. But the words that emerged from her mouth were in a language neither he nor Li Zhi could understand.

“Is that Yaxiu?” Xie Lanxu asked, voicing Li Zhi’s suspicion.

“Thanks to your support, I’ve been able to master the basics of Yaxiu Kingdom speech,” Li Cien replied.

“If you need more Yaxiu captives to practice with, let the Moqi family know,” Xie Lanxu offered casually. “You can have your pick.”

Li Cien clasped her hands in a formal bow, her movements resembling a young nobleman.

“I don’t need more captives,” she said earnestly. “But I do have another request I wish my brother-in-law to grant.”

“Speak.”

Without hesitation, Li Cien knelt down.

“The Fourteen Tribes of the Grasslands, led by the Yaxiu royal court, have long endured the tyranny of their rulers. Their oppressive laws and heavy taxes have bred discontent among the other thirteen tribes. Compared to the wealth and strength of our Great Yan, the Yaxiu tribes are no match.

“For years, the other tribes have been cut off from any relations with our kingdom. Even if some wish to turn their backs on Yaxiu rule and submit to us, they have no way to do so.

“I am willing to serve as an envoy to the grasslands, to persuade the tribes to defect and pledge loyalty to Your Highness. I will carve a path for Your Highness through the grasslands.”

Her clear and determined words echoed in the tent, leaving Xie Lanxu and Li Zhi silent.

“No!”

Unable to restrain himself, Li Xiangsheng roared in anger.

“You have no authority to decide,” Li Cien retorted without even looking up. “I am pleading with His Highness for permission.”

“You—!”

Before Li Xiangsheng could finish, Xie Lanxu raised his hand, silencing him.

Xie Lanxu studied Li Cien, a hint of admiration flickering across his face.

“They say, ‘A tiger father has no weak cubs,’ and it seems the same applies to sisters,” he remarked.

Walking down from the raised platform, he approached Li Cien and helped her to her feet.

“If the thirteen tribes could be persuaded through diplomacy, it would save us a fortune in warfare expenses and secure a steady stream of tributes for the court. Such an outcome would indeed be preferable to open conflict.”

The task required not just fluency in Yaxiu speech but also mastery of other tribal languages. It demanded intelligence, adaptability, and the ability to remain composed under duress. An envoy would face countless insults and humiliations. It was not a mission for the faint-hearted.

Xie Lanxu turned to Li Zhi.

“However, I suspect your sister may not be comfortable with you venturing into enemy territory.”

Li Cien’s eyes lit up with hope. She understood that Xie Lanxu had no objections—her fate now rested in her elder sister’s hands.

“Sister…” Li Cien pleaded, her gaze imploring.

Li Zhi felt a pang of anguish as she looked at her sister.

Two voices warred within her. One voice refused to let her only remaining sister face such danger or interact with the barbaric tribes. The other voice, however, understood Li Cien’s ambitions—to live a life of valor and achievement, like a man.

Li Zhi had chosen a rebellious, perilous path for herself. Could she, in good conscience, demand her sister lead a life of safety and submission, dependent on others for her future? Wouldn’t that make her a hypocrite?

Throughout her life, Li Zhi had longed for someone to support her true self.

“As long as you’re happy.”

“Do whatever you want, Banban. I’ll always be by your side.”

Her twin sister had always been her unwavering supporter.

Now, Li Cien looked up at her from below the platform, pleading expectantly, just as she had years ago, tugging at her twin sister’s arm, begging not to learn dance.

Li Zhi gazed down at her sister, suppressing all her worries beneath her moist eyes. She smiled and said, “Do what you want. I believe in your abilities.”

Li Cien’s face lit up with an unprecedented joy.

“Your Highness!”

Li Xiangsheng quickly stepped forward and knelt beside Li Cien.

“The Fourteen Tribes of the grasslands are nomadic. To contact all the tribes will take a long time. The grasslands are rife with wandering warriors, man-eating beasts, and countless unforeseen dangers—”

Rarely a man of many words, Li Xiangsheng spoke urgently, his face flushed red.

Xie Lanxu waved a hand dismissively.

“Enough. I grant you permission to escort the envoy.”

Li Xiangsheng was overjoyed.

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

Both siblings had their wishes fulfilled. Xie Lanxu sent them off to prepare for their journey to the grasslands.

Once the tent was empty, save for Xie Lanxu and Li Zhi, her face finally betrayed her worry.

The candlelight flickered softly, casting the shadows of the two figures onto the tent walls, long and thin.

Night had fallen completely, and outside the tent, only the sound of patrolling footsteps and the crackling of the campfire broke the silence.

Xie Lanxu reached out and patted Li Zhi’s arm reassuringly.

“I’ll assign them a hundred elite guards. You needn’t worry too much,” Xie Lanxu said. “If they can succeed through diplomacy, the achievement will far outweigh the cost of war. When the time comes, I’ll petition the Emperor to grant her an official title. That’s hardly unreasonable.”

The logic was sound, and Li Zhi understood it all too well.

She sighed softly, deciding to respect Li Cien’s ambitions while silently praying for her safe return.

“Where are you taking me?” Li Zhi asked. “And when do we leave?”

“You’ll find out when we get there,” Xie Lanxu replied. “We leave tonight, immediately.”

…

True to his word, Xie Lanxu set off that very night with nothing but two horses, leaving the camp in secret.

For Li Zhi, who had endured a 3,000-mile journey of exile, traversing rough terrain on horseback was nothing but a minor discomfort. Compared to exile, this was nothing.

The two galloped through the wilderness, and two days later, they passed a stone stele engraved with the six characters: “Mingyue Tower Protectorate Headquarters.”

At first, Li Zhi thought they were merely passing by the Mingyue Tower Protectorate.

But then Xie Lanxu led her further in, bypassing the officials entirely. They galloped across green meadows and streams, finally stopping at the base of the towering Xian Naiyue Mountain.

Xie Lanxu remained on horseback, gazing up at the mountain peak hidden amidst the clouds.

“Are we not traveling further?” Li Zhi gripped the reins, puzzled.

“No.”

Li Zhi, utterly bewildered, glanced at Xie Lanxu and then at the direction of his gaze.

Xian Naiyue Mountain stood like a divine sword, piercing the heavens and the earth. From its midsection upwards, the mountain was blanketed in perpetual snow, with drifting clouds draping it like a veil, obscuring parts of its majesty.

“We’ve arrived.”

Xie Lanxu turned to Li Zhi, his gaze profound as he said,

“The treasure you’ve yearned for has always been right under your nose.”

Li Zhi was stunned.

She looked again at the magnificent Xian Naiyue Mountain before her. It was still the same mountain, yet it now seemed even more divine, even more imposing.

“The green turtle faces the white rabbit, the golden mountain veiled in mist. Who can unravel its mystery and claim dominion over heaven and earth?”

She had once heard a child reciting this rhyme in a tavern at Mingyue Tower, but back then, she hadn’t paid it any mind.

Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that the treasure capable of stirring up a bloody storm across the land would quietly reside in the heavens she gazed upon every day.

Staring at the towering Xian Naiyue Mountain before her, Li Zhi suddenly felt an epiphany.

So that’s it!

Who would have thought that the wealth of the Cui Dynasty, amassed over centuries, was hidden in a desolate exile land known as the human hell?

Xie Lanxu, watching her stunned expression, nudged his horse closer to hers and asked softly:

“Do you like my surprise?”

“This is the surprise you prepared for me?” Li Zhi said, astonished.

“Of course,” he replied.

He aligned his horse alongside hers, ensuring they were side by side.

“Banban.”

“Hmm?”

“Have I treated you well?” Xie Lanxu asked earnestly. “Answer honestly. If there’s anything I’ve done poorly, or anything else you’d like me to do, just tell me.”

“Why do you suddenly ask this, Ah-Li?”

“Because I want to treat you well,” he said, his voice steady. “I want to treat you so well that no one can ever claim otherwise. Above heaven and earth, I want to be unmatched in how I treat you.”

Xie Lanxu was a man with a nerve missing so he lacked pain.

But it wasn’t just pain he lacked.

He seemed to be missing a shred of shame as well. He said these words while gazing directly at Li Zhi’s face, which had already turned slightly away under his earnest, unwavering stare.

In the distance, wild rabbits hopped playfully in the grasslands, their movements shaking the blades of grass.

Li Zhi felt as though a similar rabbit was hopping wildly in her chest. She couldn’t stop herself from looking away, breaking eye contact with Xie Lanxu.

He extended his hand toward her, and she instinctively reached out to hold it.

The cool breeze of the grasslands weaved through their intertwined fingers.

“Ah-Li treats me with unmatched kindness,” Li Zhi said softly, “so I must treat Ah-Li the same in return.”

Xie Lanxu gazed at her deeply, his voice dropping to a tender whisper.

“…That’s good to hear.”

A faint smile seemed to play on his lips.

That’s good to hear.

He had already done everything a husband or any man in love could possibly do for the woman he cherished.

Now, there could be no fault found in him.

Now, he could confidently punish any man who dared covet her.

He had given her everything—if she still protected another man, that would no longer be his fault, would it?

Even if he were to hide her in a place no one could ever find, she wouldn’t have a reason to resent him anymore, would she?

“We’ll share the treasure,” Xie Lanxu murmured, “but you must love me the way you love the treasure.”

Closing his eyes, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Li Zhi’s forehead.

“Don’t forget.”