In Lu Xian’s dream, as time rewound, Lu Yun and a small group of soldiers were trapped in the mountains. Snow fell and fog rose. Lu Xian watched helplessly as his brother and their soldiers were pursued by enemy forces. Though the enemy’s numbers weren’t large, their attacks were fierce. Under Lu Yun’s command, their numbers dwindled steadily.
Lu Xian followed his third brother, anxious and confused: How did this happen? What kind of war required his third brother to fight? Had Nanyang fallen?
His thoughts churned: But hadn’t he dreamed earlier that they had won the battle for Nanyang?
Lu Yun was wounded, his robe stained with blood. Though not fatal, it hindered his movement. The young lord trudged through knee-deep snow, sword in hand. When he lifted his head, he heard a slight whistling sound in the air. The veins on Lu Yun’s sword hand stood out as, with two heavy thuds, the last two soldiers by his side fell.
Dense fog filled the land.
Lu Yun watched coldly, alert for whoever would emerge from the mist.
A young man stepped out, wearing a dark cyan martial robe, carrying a bow on his back and a sword in hand. His features were sharp and cold, his figure tall and straight. As he walked through the snow from the fog, Lu Yun could tell this was a formidable opponent.
Lu Yun spoke softly: “An assassin? From the Northern Kingdom? Is there room for negotiation about changing allegiances?”
The young man replied carelessly: “You’re wounded and no match for me. Once you’re dead, the Southern Kingdom will fall. I can complete my mission and return home to the North.”
…
Lu Yun was exhausted, surrounded by death and casualties, and this young man’s martial arts were extraordinarily powerful.
When the sword pierced his chest, Lu Yun’s face turned pale as he stumbled backward, hand clutching his wound. Blood seeped between his fingers, dripping onto the ground.
Lu Yun finally fell, unwilling to accept his fate.
The young man withdrew his sword, watching as Lu Yun slumped against a rock. His keen ears caught a woman’s voice echoing through the mountains: “Lu Yun! Lu Yun—”
The voice was still distant, echoing through the mountains. The young man heard it, then pressed his ear to the ground, detecting the approach of Southern troops.
Realizing Southern reinforcements were coming, the young man didn’t linger. Having killed Lu Yun and seeing him too weak to survive, he turned and left immediately. His movements were swift and fierce as he leaped into the thick fog, his silhouette disappearing.
The ghost-like Lu Xian suddenly looked up, searching in all directions.
Though he knew he was just an observer here, a wandering spirit that others couldn’t see or hear, he ran through the fog, vaguely hearing his own voice and Luo Lingyu’s cries.
The young woman stumbled in her room, calling out chokingly: “Lu Yun, Lu Yun, where are you—”
The spirit-like Lu Xian cried: “Cousin! Cousin! Follow me, Third Brother is here! I know where he is—”
But in the thick fog, he couldn’t find anyone. He began to regret his identity as a scholar—if only he were skilled in martial arts, if only he were a famous wandering warrior, how much better that would be.
But he could only return to Lu Yun’s side, face pale.
Unable to call for help, his eyes red, he stayed with his brother through his final moments. He watched his brother’s suffering, how he wrote that blood letter, how he held that pouch, examining it over and over.
…
The moments before death are the most difficult to endure.
As the blood drained away, breathing became labored, as if the heart was being pulled out. Lu Xian watched his brother endure such torment.
But after that phase passed, the young lord’s expression became peaceful. He could no longer feel physical pain as his soul separated from his body. Life flashed before his eyes like a passing parade, hazily recalling many past events.
Luo Lingyu’s crying grew closer: “Lu Yun, Lu Yun!”
Under Lu Xian’s company, the young lord had already closed his eyes. His last faint sigh was: “Lingyu…”
Almost imperceptibly, Lu Yun’s face tilted upward.
Who knows if he heard his beloved’s call.
But it was too late.
As Lu Xian remained deep in his dream, breathing heavily and covered in sweat, the rain in the twilight alley grew heavier. The oil-cloth carriage hadn’t left the alley, stuck among other vehicles. Servants holding umbrellas went to negotiate with the drivers ahead about who should back out first, allowing carriages to leave one by one.
While Lu Xian slept, the young lady beside him, Luo Yunhuan, hadn’t closed the window. She leaned at the window, her eyes bright and dark, watching another confrontation at the alley’s end.
There, Zi Han was cornered against a wall by the Northern Kingdom embassy’s carriage. After some cursing, the carriage stopped, and the Northerners emerged with umbrellas, ordering their servants to beat up the expressionless young man. Seeing his ordinary clothes, they treated him as a common vagrant.
Nearby, this person from the Northern embassy was seriously acting out this scene: in his plan, Yue Zi Han was the illegitimate son of the famous Northern General Yue. To return to his family, Yue Zi Han needed to complete this major task for the Northern Kingdom to gain General Yue’s recognition. Now, this vagrant that Yue Zi Han was pretending to be just needed to take a beating. Everyone watching would think it was just a conflict between the Northern embassy and a vagrant, nothing more.
With the war situation between North and South growing worse, the Northern embassy probably couldn’t stay in Jianye much longer. This rare opportunity was meant to pass orders to Yue Zi Han during the conflict.
However, as the Northern embassy’s men threw punches and kicks, the young man called Yue Zi Han frowned, his eyes suddenly lifting as he blocked their attacks. He countered with a palm strike to someone’s abdomen, accompanied by screams, sending them flying back while skillfully dodging himself. Yue Zi Han’s martial arts were superior – these ordinary fighters from the Northern embassy were no match for him. In no time, many lay fallen around Yue Zi Han.
The embassy official who had stepped out of the carriage grew furious, seeing the heavy rain pour down and Yue Zi Han being so uncooperative. The official gritted his teeth: “It’s just an act, have you gone mad?!”
Yue Zi Han: “Someone is watching us.”
The Northern official’s shoulders immediately tensed as he looked back anxiously. He had thought the rainy night would provide cover, but when he turned around, he truly saw a little girl leaning at the window of the Lu family’s carriage, watching them intently under the swaying lantern light.
The Northern official instantly became nervous: “A Lu family child, why is she watching you? Weren’t you supposed to be allied with the Chen family? Why is the Lu family monitoring you too? Could they have discovered your identities?”
The Northern official immediately abandoned his plan to send Yue Zi Han to the border. He stiffly looked once more at the little girl leaning at the carriage window: “Why does she keep watching? This is bad, don’t show yourself anymore. All of you pretending to be vagrants should lay low for now, don’t act rashly. You should hide deeper…”
Meanwhile, the Lu family’s carriage had finally arranged the order for leaving the alley. The maid returned to the carriage and quietly informed Young Lady Luo Yunhuan. Luo Yunhuan responded with an “Oh” and had the maid lean in to hear something. Shortly after, while the Northern official was still arguing with Yue Zi Han, the maid came over with an umbrella, giving a dignified bow to the Northern official before turning to the young man with a smile.
The maid’s curious gaze examined the young man: “Our young lady is kindhearted and saw that young sir was caught in the rain, so she specifically sent me to bring you an umbrella.”
She looked at the Northern official, feigning surprise: “This young sir hasn’t offended the embassy official, has he?”
The Lu family was truly paying attention to Yue Zi Han!
The Northern official’s last doubts were swept away. He quickly smiled and called it a “misunderstanding.” He immediately stopped playing the role of a bully harassing the young man, nimbly climbing back into his carriage and abandoning the plan. The Northern embassy’s carriage backed out of the alley and left first.
At the alley entrance wall, the young man looked down at the oil-paper umbrella in his hands. Instead of opening it, he hugged it close and ran into the heavy rain. As the Lu family’s carriage left the alley, Luo Yunhuan suddenly widened her eyes, seeing the young man squeeze through the gap between the carriage and wall, rain pouring over his shoulders and face. He held the umbrella against his chest and, as he passed, turned his head to look at her.
The rain fell diagonally, like needles and complaints. The passing youth Zi Han didn’t speak, his features cold and eyes pitch black.
In that instant, their eyes met, sparks dancing in their gaze.
The little lady in the carriage straightened up, instinctively sitting properly and putting on the dignified air of a young noble lady. Luo Yunhuan was startled by her own reaction, then curved her eyes in a smile.
The alley quickly emptied.
No one knew what had happened here.
No one knew how in a moment’s thought, an incident had silently dissolved.
Just in that brief moment when Lu Xian passed the young man in the carriage.
…
No one knew when the Northern Kingdom’s hidden pawns among the vagrants in the Southern capital of Jianye would come into play, but the Northern embassy could no longer stay in the South.
Originally hoping for peace talks when the Emperor ordered the North to cease fighting, the Northern embassy still had a glimmer of hope for negotiations. But all this changed when Jianye learned that the northern war front was advancing rapidly, the flames of war burning fiercely with neither side willing to yield. The Northern embassy had no choice but to leave Jianye. Though reluctant, if they didn’t leave now, the Jianye court would surely suspect the Northern embassy’s motives.
Having failed to convince the old Emperor to interfere in the northern war through policy, and unable to persuade Yue Zi Han to assassinate Lu Yun, the Northern embassy left Jianye rather ingloriously when sent back north. In a final desperate attempt before leaving, they had the Northern princess speak to the Emperor one last time, and made a final visit to the South’s Prince Liu Huai of Zhao, trying to persuade him.
The Northern envoy spoke candidly: “…Has Your Highness considered that if the northern campaign succeeds, Lu Yun’s prestige will rise even higher? I hear that in your country, Lu Yun and Prince Chen are close friends. I also hear that Prince Chen handles state affairs quite well. If Prince Chen gains power, wouldn’t that be worse than Your Highness’s previous concern about Prince Hengyang?”
The Prince of Zhao’s eyes flickered: “…What can I do? Prince Chen is in the Sima mansion, managing it without a single flaw. You see how Jianye has issued multiple orders to stop the war, yet the North doesn’t stop. What can Jianye do?”
As Lu Yun’s reputation rose, benefiting Prince Chen, Prince Liu Huai who had begun to fear this brother also found it hard to sleep at night.
The Northern envoy offered a suggestion: “I’m not considering this for my country, but for Your Highness. It’s just a few small commanderies like Ruyang – our Northern Kingdom hardly cares about them. I just think, if you win, you’ll surely need to establish new treaties with our country, negotiate between the two nations, right? By then it would have nothing to do with Lu Yun, and you could summon him back to Jianye.”
Liu Huai responded listlessly: “I fear he won’t come when summoned.”
He also gnashed his teeth in hatred: the noble families’ power was great, and royal authority meant little in their eyes. If Lu Yun won, the noble families would protect him. How could they move against Lu Yun then?
The Northern envoy smiled meaningfully: “Your Southern Kingdom… though I shouldn’t say this as an outsider, but Your Highness and His Majesty must be careful. In our Northern Kingdom, noble families don’t have such great power. Here, you’re about to be trampled under their feet. Today the noble families repeatedly defy the royal family, and in the future when Lu Yun gains power, the royal family will be even more… Ah, our princess has entered His Majesty’s harem, I’m just worried about our princess’s future.”
Liu Huai’s eyes flashed. But he wasn’t a fool: “After saying so much, are you perhaps afraid Lu Yun won’t return from Nanyang? What scheme do you have?”
The Northern envoy feigned embarrassment: “What scheme could we have? Truthfully, we are indeed afraid of Lu Yun. Lu Yun is a famous scholar, and scholars criticize us daily with their words and writings – we Northern Kingdom truly fear him somewhat. If you win and change negotiators… my Emperor has promised that privately, we can add one city to the agreement, specifically as a reward for Your Highness.”
Prince Liu Huai’s eyes brightened, though he remained silent, his heart was moved.
What prince doesn’t like increasing their power? Gaining one more city would let him step over all other princes. Then, whether Prince Hengyang or Prince Chen, none would be a problem. Father was already old, and recently, because of the war, the royal family and noble families had been quarreling unpleasantly.
Perhaps after the war ends, it would be the best opportunity for that position to change hands.
He must seize this opportunity.
…
After the Northern embassy left the South, the Jianye court continued to argue over different political views. Prince Chen firmly held the last line, preventing them from interfering with the war effort. But as time dragged on without clear developments in the war situation, everyone became somewhat uneasy.
Even the decision to send reinforcements and supplies was still under observation in Jianye, as the old Emperor couldn’t make up his mind.
If the Nanyang campaign failed, naturally there would be no need to send troops and supplies, but rather to negotiate early with the North;
If they won, they would send troops and supplies, but by then another group would emerge, demanding Lu Yun be replaced and another lord be sent to Nanyang.
Everyone acted for their own interests.
The weather grew colder, and everyone in Jianye watched eagerly, waiting for news from the north. Victory or defeat would influence their next decisions.
…
While everyone watched this war, in the North, other commanderies fought their own battles as Ruyang, Yingchuan, and Nanyang joined forces. Other commanderies similarly observed the situation in these three regions. In the Nanyang military camp, the atmosphere was equally tense. When the noble ladies were persuaded by Luo Lingyu to help care for the wounded in the military camp, various news constantly returned.
One bloody corpse after another was brought back from the battlefield. The noble ladies saw the cruelty of war up close, their faces turning pale. The playful words they had spoken before coming here became extremely laughable in the face of real death. Every day, as they moved among the military tents, the beautiful ladies’ hands were covered in blood, occasionally seeing common women wearing armor run past them, helping to defend the city.
With few troops, anyone in Nanyang still capable of fighting was sent to battle;
With scarce military provisions, they could only raid the enemy for supplies.
Nanyang’s noble families and common families had all contributed; if this battle was lost, their losses would be unimaginable.
At night, the ladies anxiously discussed: “We’ll win, right? I don’t want to become someone’s slave after losing the war.”
The women were worried and couldn’t sleep.
At this time, Luo Lingyu’s excellent qualities stood out. Compared to the other ladies’ unease, Luo Lingyu remained exceptionally calm. Initially, when helping the military doctors stop bleeding for injured soldiers, blood splattered on her face and she went outside to vomit terribly; at first, no matter how well she maintained her appearance, she would internally complain about the poor environment, limited resources, and depressing atmosphere, unsuitable for her noble status… but she held on with her weak faith.
Her family were all loyal patriots; while Luo Lingyu might be overly particular about other matters, she consistently supported national affairs.
The small grievances in her heart held no meaning before matters of state.
…
One day in mid-November, the ladies were already exhausted and emotionally numb. The soldiers in the military camp had grown accustomed to these beautiful ladies personally bandaging their wounds and stitching their injuries. People came and went in the camp, and remarkably today, fewer wounded were brought back, with fewer cries of pain in the tents.
A military tent’s curtain was open, and Luo Lingyu stood inside, learning to stitch wounds from an old military doctor. She had been learning for many days and was now practicing on patients. As the young lady lowered her head to stitch an unconscious soldier’s wound while the old doctor watched, suddenly a voice exploded from outside:
“We won! We’ve won!”
“Quick, quick! Where are the doctors? Save them!”
The cry for help was familiar to everyone. When people came from outside, Luo Lingyu’s heart jumped, and she instinctively rushed out to help bring in the wounded. As she bandaged the wounded, she heard unusual sounds outside, heard the thunderous cheers of “General is mighty,” and belatedly realized—
Had Nanyang won?
They had won?
Luo Lingyu, hands covered in blood, ran out and grabbed someone to ask: “We really won, right? Has General Wei returned? Where is Lu Yun?”
The soldier was struck speechless by her barrage of questions, and seeing her beauty, his mind went blank, face reddening without being able to speak. Luo Lingyu grew more anxious, but before she could ask another person, the doctor inside shouted angrily: “Miss Luo, what are you doing?! The patient is losing too much blood, aren’t you going to stitch the wound?”
Luo Lingyu still held a gleaming silver needle in her hand.
She bit her lip: Who cares about this!
But she had to return and continue saving lives.
…
Returning in great victory, large numbers of soldiers came back, and the empty military camp suddenly became very lively. Luo Lingyu was eager to find Lu Yun, but the wounded kept coming, and because of her exceptional beauty, people everywhere watched her, calling her over to bandage wounds.
Luo Lingyu grabbed every chance to ask: “Where is Lu Yun? Did he return with you? He’s not injured, is he?”
Though she had heard that military advisors don’t go to the battlefield and shouldn’t be injured, Luo Lingyu was still very worried.
Moreover… Lu Yun had a death prophecy.
Although she was saving lives, in her selfish heart, Lu Yun’s life was more important than everyone else here. She still didn’t know where Lu Yun was, yet she endlessly saved other men.
…
Luo Lingyu carried her medicine box, searching through the military tents. Some said they had seen Military Advisor Lu, others said they didn’t know. Some said Military Advisor Lu wasn’t injured, others said he might be wounded. Among the conflicting accounts, Luo Lingyu grew more worried. When she saw General Wei, he was completely casual: “What could happen to him? Just a pretty boy, heh.”
Luo Lingyu turned and left immediately.
The entire military camp was full of wounded and returning soldiers, boiling water, cooking, listening to the general’s speech, celebrating victory – incredibly busy. Luo Lingyu had grown numb from stitching so many wounds before finally finding Lu Yun outside the tent storing grain, by a haystack.
Smoke burned, the camp reeked of blood, and Lu Yun sat against the haystack, his cyan robe and face bearing traces of blood and black stains. His eyes were closed, his long eyelashes drooping gently, as he sat there quietly, asleep.
Someone came up behind Luo Lingyu: “Ah, Military Advisor Lu is here…”
Luo Lingyu quickly said: “Shh! He’s injured, I need to stitch his wounds and bandage him.”
The passing soldier who spoke looked bewildered, unable to see where Military Advisor Lu was injured. But since the incredibly beautiful Miss Luo said so, it must be true. The soldier hurriedly left, and Luo Lingyu lifted her skirts to step over the straw on the ground, entering the space enclosed by the haystacks.
She crouched before Lu Yun, her heart aching as she saw the dark circles under his eyes and his thinner face. Lu Yun had always had excellent features and complexion, his skin never rough, never showing dark circles no matter how many late nights he worked. Even with wind and sun exposure for many days, his skin didn’t darken, still maintaining that pursued jade-like grace of Jianye’s gentlemen. But now, after not seeing him for less than a month, dark circles appeared under his eyes, and his chin was covered in ungroomed stubble… this must be from too many sleepless nights.
What made Luo Lingyu’s heart ache more was that someone as sensitive as him hadn’t woken up even when she crouched right in front of him. He must have been exhausted.
She was angry too: he only cared about the war and those matters. Had he forgotten he still hadn’t escaped his death prophecy! Being so proactive, what if he died on the battlefield?
Making her worry about him for so long.
Luo Lingyu’s complaints filled her heart as her nose stung. She wiped the moisture from her eyes and first calmly checked if he had any injuries. She actually turned his arms, held him and felt his body, his face resting in the crook of her neck, his stubble making her uncomfortable.
However, he truly had no injuries.
Luo Lingyu’s heart relaxed as she softly chided: “Thank goodness you’re not injured, otherwise I would have died from anger.”
Dusk had passed, and winter nights came early. Lanterns were lit throughout the camp. Under the lantern light, the young lady sitting with him by the haystack still wasn’t at ease. She rolled up his sleeve, pulled his hand over, wanting to check his pulse. Her fingers rested on Lu Yun’s wrist as she looked down at his fingers and the back of his hand, with its visible veins.
Such beautiful hands.
The flesh and bone were well-proportioned, fingers long and slender, even the blood vessels were attractive.
Especially since she had been helping the military doctor treat wounded soldiers lately, seeing many men’s hands, when she now saw Lu Yun’s hands… even from a medical perspective, these were beautiful hands.
Making one’s heart itch with longing.
Luo Lingyu focused intently on Lu Yun’s hand when suddenly something pricked her neck. She shuddered and saw that Lu Yun had opened his eyes. He made a vague “mm” sound, slowly sitting up straight, looking at her with sleep-addled surprise. Lu Yun’s voice was very low, still carrying the confusion of sleep: “What are you doing?”
Luo Lingyu’s heart trembled: “Seeing how beautiful your hands are… I couldn’t resist wanting to give you an acupuncture treatment.”
Lu Yun: “…”
His fingers twitched as his mind cleared, instantly awakened by her words.
Luo Lingyu rested her chin on her hand, her gaze flowing like water. She sat beside him, smiling warmly, gentle and lively, with visible cleverness.
In the long night, as the evening breeze brushed their faces, their eyes met.
Unspoken understanding existed in their gazes.
Tired yet warm. Joyful and loving. Lu Yun’s eyelashes lifted, then lowered as he leaned forward from his casual position against the haystack to embrace and kiss the young lady. Vaguely, Lu Yun whispered: “Am I being too lustful…”
Suddenly, General Wei’s voice boomed: “Military Advisor Lu…”
General Wei turned a corner, his subordinate holding a lantern, and his sharp eyes caught the kissing couple by the haystack. General Wei froze, then immediately turned away: …Yes, you are being too lustful!
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