Quwu Mountain, a lingering spur of the eastern Qilian Mountains, has been a strategically important battleground since ancient times.

Standing on its main peak, ‘Nangou Dading,’ one can perfectly overlook the city of Guyuan.

On this very mountaintop, a small, nameless grave lies buried. A tombstone stands before it, but it bears no inscription.

Under the brilliant starlight, a woman in black, wearing a veiled hat, had her face obscured by the light gauze hanging from its brim.

She held a cloth, and as she bent to wipe the tombstone, she murmured softly, “For so many years, I haven’t dared to return to Guyuan. Not because I feared seeing you, but because I was afraid of finding everything changed upon my return. So, it was better to let Guyuan forget both you and me.”

The woman in black spoke gently, “But do you see? The sky over Guyuan, which we looked up at twenty years ago, is identical to the one above us now. People haven’t changed either. I’ll come to see you often from now on. Once I finish this last task, I’ll come here and stay with you.”

At that moment, footsteps echoed from below the mountain. Old Hu San, carrying a head, ascended the mountain through the night and gently placed it before the grave. He stepped back two paces and bowed deeply, “General, I have brought Yuan Zhen to you.”

Not far away, Xiao Wu stood waiting nervously, carrying a food box.

Old Hu San glanced back at him, “What are you staring at?”

“Oh!” Xiao Wu nervously took a few steps forward. First, he cupped his hands in greeting to the woman in black, calling out “Dongjia,” before carefully arranging the roasted chicken, steamed buns, oranges, and liquor from the food box before the grave.

The woman in black, still wiping the tombstone, softly asked, “Is Lao Er gone?”

Xiao Wu’s nose twitched with a pang of sadness. “Yes.”

The woman in black paused her hand on the tombstone for a moment. “Did he say anything?”

Xiao Wu whispered, “He said, ‘Loyalty and righteousness are not spoken with the mouth; they are exchanged with one’s life.'”

The woman in black asked, “That’s all?”

Xiao Wu hummed, “Yes, that’s all.”

The woman in black gazed at the blank tombstone, then calmly stated, “From now on, you will be the manager of Dragon Gate Inn. Do your work well, and remember to send the money and goods from those ‘fat sheep’ to Hu Junxian. He needs funds right now. But tell him that from now on, the Lantern Caravan must not be stopped. I never do business at a loss.”

Xiao Wu whispered, “Dongjia, Hu Junxian has never liked us. He might not accept our money.”

The woman in black spoke unhurriedly, “The Guyuan border army has suffered heavy losses, and how much of the court’s relief funds will remain after being skimmed at every level before reaching his hands? Tell Hu Junxian that this money is not for him, but for the border soldiers’ pensions.”

Xiao Wu acknowledged, “Understood.”

The woman in black casually said, “Go.”

Xiao Wu turned and left.

Once only two remained on the mountaintop.

The woman in black straightened up, gazing at the tombstone, and asked, “Lao San, you sent word earlier that you saw ‘him’?”

Old Hu San hummed, “I happened to meet him on the road, so I followed him and stayed at Dragon Gate Inn. Chen Liqin has now been promoted to the Eastern Palace office, and he came with the Chen family.”

The woman in black hesitated for a long time, finally unable to resist asking, “How is he?”

Old Hu San recalled, “He’s as tall as I am, tall and slender, with refined features but a heroic spirit, very much like you. When he held a dagger to my throat, I almost mistook him for someone else.”

The woman in black pondered these words carefully, as if committing them to memory. “And what else?”

Old Hu San said seriously, “He is very good – courageous and resourceful, meticulous and cautious in his actions. His skills are also excellent; he’s already a third-tier Xingguan of the Xiantian realm.”

The woman in black asked, her voice firm, “Where did he acquire his path as an Xingguan?”

Old Hu San replied, “As far as I know, the Chen family once sent him to be an apprentice at the Imperial Medical Academy in Prince Jing’s Residence. His skills were taught by an imperial physician there, so it was a blessing in disguise.”

The woman in black said calmly, “The Chen family sent him to be an apprentice at a medical academy? It seems Liang Shi doesn’t know I’m still alive, or she wouldn’t have dared. Who was the imperial physician?”

Old Hu San replied, “Yao Qimen, a Seventh-Rank Imperial Physician.”

The woman in black was startled for a moment. “It was him? I only knew he was an excellent doctor and a harsh person, but I never heard he was also an Xingguan… What else did you find out?”

Old Hu San thought for a moment, “Wang Daosheng praised him, saying, ‘He shines without arrogance, like still water runs deep.'”

The woman in black nodded. “It’s rare for Wang Daosheng to praise someone; he must have good character… What else?”

Old Hu San thought again, “He is now working for the Crown Prince, serving as a Right Commander of the Eastern Palace Guard, a Sixth-Rank official.”

The woman in black asked again, “How did he get involved with the Crown Prince? Also, is he married?”

Old Hu San shook his head, “No, he is not.”

The woman in black asked again, “Does he have a woman he fancies?”

Unwittingly, she had asked many questions.

Old Hu San was silent for a moment. “Dongjia, if you miss him, instead of asking me, why not go see him yourself?”

The mountaintop fell silent, with only the cold wind blowing.

The woman in black also remained silent for a long time, finally letting out a soft sigh. “No, I won’t go. I never raised him, so let him believe I’m truly dead. You also shouldn’t go see him again; don’t entangle him in our troubles.”

Old Hu San assented, “Understood.”

The woman turned and walked down the mountain. “To clear the General’s name is as difficult as ascending to heaven, but he lived a heroic life, and we cannot stand by and watch him bear the infamous accusation of disloyalty and treason. Nor can I stand by while his tombstone remains unengraved. The spy who framed him back then might have been silenced, but the mastermind behind it must still be alive. I found a letter in the archives of the imperial post station in the capital, which I fear is related to the events of that year.”

Old Hu San followed behind her. “Alright, I’ll investigate.”

Under the night sky, Guyuan City was as silent as an empty city.

Large fires burned in braziers, and all the border infantry soldiers gathered together. Some kept their eyes open, silently waiting for dawn, while others simply lay among the corpses, falling into a deep sleep.

Chen Ji, Zhang Xia, Zhang Zheng, Xiao Man, and Li Xuan sat leaning against a clean wall. They watched as the border infantry set up pots to boil water, slaughtering warhorses with injured legs and cooking them into pots of horsemeat.

White broth bubbled in the pots, and the aroma slowly drifted to their noses.

A shadow fell over them, blocking out the moonlight and firelight.

Chen Ji looked up to see Hu Junxian and Zhou You riding past.

Hu Junxian reined in his horse, observing them from horseback, his gaze finally resting on Li Xuan. “Would you be willing to serve in my border army?”

Li Xuan was taken aback. “General Hu, are you speaking to me?”

Hu Junxian’s voice was rough. “Come to the border army, and I guarantee you’ll be promoted to Deputy Commander-in-Chief within seven years. At that time, whether you stay in Guyuan or use the Qi family’s influence to transfer to a high-ranking regional official post, it will be up to you.”

Hu Junxian extended an olive branch, but Zhou You grinned beside him, “Lord Li, coming to Guyuan is a road of no return. It’s thousands of miles from home, and it’s hard to send letters. There’s none of the capital’s prosperity here, only endless sand and vast stretches of loess. Lord Li, you must think carefully before answering.”

With one speaking positively and the other negatively, it was unclear whether they truly wanted Li Xuan to join the border army.

Li Xuan looked up at the unusually burly Hu Junxian, and finally cupped his hands. “Thank you both for your kindness, but my family and wife are in the capital, and I truly cannot leave.”

As the live-in son-in-law of the Qi family, his fate was no longer his own from the day of his marriage. His wife would not permit him to come to Guyuan, nor would the Qi family.

Seeing his refusal, Hu Junxian did not press the matter, merely saying casually, “Then I wish Lord Li a soaring career and a bright future.”

Zhou You smiled and cupped his hands to Li Xuan. “I apologize for any offense given earlier, we shall meet again!”

He then turned his gaze to Chen Ji. “Young Lord Chen, would you be willing to…”

Before he could finish, Hu Junxian raised a hand to interrupt. “He need not come to Guyuan.”

Zhou You gave an awkward smile, quickly apologized to Chen Ji, and rode his horse to catch up with Hu Junxian.

Xiao Man’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute!”

Hu Junxian and Zhou You both reined in their horses and turned back, looking at Xiao Man in surprise.

Zhang Xia thought, ‘This is not good,’ and reached out to pull Xiao Man, but Xiao Man pushed her hand away and asked aggressively, “Why didn’t you recruit my young master? What do you mean by ‘he need not come to Guyuan’?”

Hu Junxian scrutinized Xiao Man from head to toe, and then surprisingly answered the young maid’s question. “It’s not that I wouldn’t recruit him, but I know he won’t stay, so there’s no need to waste time.”

Xiao Man retorted indignantly, “Even if he won’t stay, you should at least ask him!”

Hu Junxian said indifferently, “Li Xuan is not good at self-preservation or adaptability. In a place like the capital, even with great abilities, he would struggle to put them to use. Rather than being a caged canary, he would be better off as an eagle in Guyuan. But your young master is different; he thrives in a place like the capital. If one day he can establish himself in the imperial capital, the Guyuan border army will still need him and his teacher to look after us from the capital. Do you understand what I mean?”

Xiao Man was stunned. “Ah… then you should have said that clearly!”

Hu Junxian ignored her, and rode off on his horse.

Xiao Man turned back and looked innocently at Chen Ji. “Young Master, did I cause trouble?”

Chen Ji smiled. “No, you spoke up for me. What trouble could you cause?”

Zhang Zheng chuckled, “Only Hu Junxian has such magnanimity and foresight. When you get to the capital, be careful; the officials and nobles there are very petty.”

Xiao Man muttered softly, “So what if it’s the capital? They all just have two eyes and one mouth!”

At this moment, a shout came from afar, “Master, save me!”

Chen Ji ignored it.

Seeing Chen Ji ignore him, the person shouted again, “Brother-in-law, save me!”

Everyone turned their heads to see Qi Zhenzhuo and the others still bound to their horses. After the great battle, everyone was physically and mentally exhausted, and they had almost forgotten about them.

It was only then that Chen Ji realized Qi Zhenzhuo’s earlier shout of “Master” was directed at him.

Li Xuan took his sword to untie everyone. Xiao Man looked at Chen Wenxiao, Chen Liqin, Liang Shi, and Wang Gui, who had survived the ordeal, and grumbled softly, “Why are they as hard to kill as Yuan Zhen? I should have just done it myself…”

Chen Ji: “…”

The next moment, as soon as Chen Liqin broke free from the ropes, he immediately picked up a discarded plain saber from the ground and swung it at Chen Wenxiao. “Rebellious son, how dare you disgrace my family!”

Chen Wenxiao cried out, dodging, “Mother, save me! What I did earlier was merely a provisional measure!”

Chen Liqin swung his saber in circles, while Liang Shi, like a protective mother hen, shielded Chen Wenxiao behind her. “My lord, you mustn’t! He is your own flesh and blood!”

Chen Liqin flew into a rage. “I’ll just pretend I never bore him! Get out of the way! Even if I don’t kill him, the laws of Great Ning won’t spare him!”

Zhang Zheng sneered, “He’s putting on an act again. I don’t believe the saber in his hand can actually strike him. After this whole act of ‘self-inflicted injury,’ they’ll probably get away with it again.”

At this time, Hu Junxian and Zhou You watched the farce from a distance. When the Chen family and the Crown Prince were captured, only the Heavenly Policy Army was around. Now that the Heavenly Policy Army was wiped out, they didn’t know what had happened and could only observe silently.

Xiao Man’s eyes darted around, and she ran forward a few steps, grabbing Hu Junxian’s reins.

Hu Junxian frowned. “What else do you want, little girl?”

Xiao Man whispered, “General Hu, my young master previously helped Lord Li slay a general. Does that count as a meritorious deed?”

Hu Junxian said indifferently, “Naturally, it does.”

Xiao Man continued, “Does the Guyuan border army acknowledge this favor?”

Zhou You grinned, “Acknowledge, acknowledge! Little girl, what are you trying to say? Don’t beat around the bush!”

Xiao Man quickly said, “When Chen Wenxiao was captured by the Heavenly Policy Army, he tried to betray my young master… Is betraying a meritorious official considered collaborating with the enemy and treason?”

Hu Junxian turned to look at Chen Wenxiao, and after a few moments of thought, waved his hand to the border infantry. “Apprehend him! The border army will escort him to the capital and hand him over to the Ministry of Justice for trial!”