The enemy seemed to realize what she was planning and swarmed her wave after wave. The flash and glare of the blades were blinding; Yuchi Li practically stopped relying on her eyesight and instead used her ears, cutting a bloody path for herself.
Mu Yang’s heart clenched, but with no alternative, he stepped on the body next to him and leapt up, bounding over to Yuchi Li’s side to fend off a portion of the soldiers. A few deputy generals followed suit to defend Yuchi Li.
“Princess, it’s dangerous!” Mu Yang said before being interrupted halfway by Yuchi Li.
“Help me out.” Her voice was calm, without a trace of alarm. When Mu Yang met her eyes, he could just about see the gleam in her eyes.
He slowly lowered his head, supporting himself with both hands on his knees and showing his back to Yuchi Li. The next instant, Yuchi Li stamped down on his back with the flat of her foot. Mu Yang absorbed the tremendous force, simultaneously straightening back up.
With Yuchi Li at the center, her inner force surged forth. As if carried away in gales of a hurricane, enemy troops were swept up, crashing into each other and landing in disarray. Sand particles filled the sky, turning everyone’s sight into a dense haze. By the time their sights cleared, Yuchi Li was already off in the distance heading toward the Yan Kingdom’s army flag hidden behind the lines.
Mu Yang concealed the worry in his eyes, not looking at her again, and continued to lead the Wolf Calvary in breaking up the Yan Kingdom’s troops.
Some time later, Yuchi Li’s body was covered in blood. Even her fair cheeks were marred a glaring red, setting off her bloodshot eyes and rendering them even more intensely sharp.
The enemies in front of her seemed endless. She could feel the exhaustion in her bones, but Mu Yang’s training these past days paid off, buying her more time.
Yuchi Li took the chance to look up. Her heart stirred with excitement; the bright yellow military flag was not too far away. The enemy troops started to grow agitated, likely due to her pressure. The soldiers protecting the commanders drew back.
She snorted a laugh, sending an enemy flying with a backhanded strike.
A piercing shriek sounded in front of her. Yuchi Li’s brow furrowed. She saw a Yan Kingdom soldier collapse to the ground, eyes bulging from his skull, the crown of his head pierced by a bloodied arrow.
Yuchi Li felt a chill in her heart; they were able to completely disregard their own lives just to cut her down. The next second, flaming arrows aimed at her flew in from all directions in quick succession, striking the soldiers around her. For a moment, the battlefield was like a place aflame, with countless bitter wails and moans on all sides.
Yuchi Li dodged the arrows and raised her eyes just to meet another’s, which were like a vast, bottomless sea.
She felt her heart drop. The person with those eyes indifferently drew back the bowstring and shot a whistling arrow toward her. His shots were extremely precise, each aiming directly for her vital points[1]More specifically, her ‘life gate’, a space located between the kidneys that is thought to be the source of life, energy, etc.
No matter how she dodged them, Yuchi Li felt like the arrows were glued to her, following her wherever she maneuvered. Anger flared in her chest and she simply stopped dodging, instead charging right toward the person.
The other apparently did not expect her to be so gutsy. His hands slowed and gave Yuchi Li an opening. She hurtled her dagger forward with a whoosh, its speed faster than an arrow. The person’s gaze flickered and they lept off of the horse. The dagger sank into the horse’s body, and with a whiny, the horse crashed to the ground.
By the time he reached the ground, he was met with Yuchi Li. Their eyes locked together. Yuchi Li’s lips curled into a smile. Her black hair was scattered in the wind, adding to her wicked, ruthless appearance.
“It’s been a while, Lord Zhou Qing.”
Zhou Qing’s pupils shrank slightly, then he nodded politely and raised his blade. Yuchi Li lifted her hand at the same moment. When their blades collided, Yuchi Li felt the webbing between her fingers and thumb go numb.
The skills of the person in front of her could not be taken lightly. She narrowed her eyes.
“Selling yourself to an enemy nation, daring to personally lead troops to attack the Northern Territory. What a mighty general and loyal subject you are, Lord Zhou.” Yuchi Li ridiculed him.
Zhou Qing said nothing. He maintained his genteel appearance. Even the depth of his gaze was unchanging, making him inscrutable.
He did not speak until after a few back-and-forths, gasping lightly: “This humble one never expected that you would be so daring, Princess.”
“Thought you would get a decisive victory and report back to show how devoted you are?” Yuchi Li said, swapping her dagger out for a sword and pushing him back a few steps with a set of sword techniques.
Zhou Qing smiled wordlessly.
“Did you never think about what would happen if you were defeated? Lord Zhou, after all this work, it’s kind of a loss on your end.” Yuchi Li added fuel to the fire, smiling as she spoke.
Zhou Qing shook his head but did not speak again. Clear beads of sweat formed on his forehead, sliding down his face and dripping onto the bloodstained blades of grass.
The dried blood gradually dampened.
Their battle had a foregone conclusion. Although Zhou Qing’s skills were superb, there was no way for him to surpass Yuchi Li’s. This difference soon became apparent as Zhou Qing’s moves grew disorganized.
“Do you believe me when I say that I’ll cut your head off right here and now and offer it to my Royal Father as atonement?” Yuchi Li continued provoking Zhou Qing as before. Hearing the words ‘Royal Father’, Zhou Qing’s expression, which had been fixed the entire time, at last shifted.
He lost focus for a split second. Yuchi Li waved her hand and used her inner force, throwing him to the ground, and immediately leapt up. There were few soldiers around them, and it was too late to stop her.
And so, amidst a few anguished cries, Yuchi Li pulled out the military flag firmly planted up high and snatched one of the flaming arrows. Then, tongues of flame flitted up the flag, smoke drifting into the open air. The surroundings seemed to still.
From then on, the battlefield underwent a tremendous change. The Northern Territory soldiers, who had been losing ground consistently, saw this happen and pressed forward with a roar, their spirits surging. The Yan Kingdom soldiers started retreating, their morale crumbling.
The Wolf Calvary had broken through to the inner ranks and had assumed a semi-encirclement to intercept the fleeing soldiers.
The battle lasted an entire day and night. Only about half of the Yan Kingdom’s ten thousand troops remained. The Yan Kingdom sent an urgent request for armistice, agreeing to withdraw troops and rekindle friendly relations between the two countries.
On the fiery battleground, few still standing: only those soldiers stumbling about, searching to and fro for fallen comrades. Bodies lay as far as the eye could see, well-nigh endless.
Now, Yuchi Li could be considered to know the meaning of ‘rivers of blood’[2]An expression for devastation after a battle.
She slumped to the ground, leaning against the sandbag fortification. One hand held the blood-steeped knife as it slowly dripped while the other was slanted across her knee, drooping limply.
People were carried away in front of her in a ceaseless stream. The injured let out heartrending cries. Severed and broken limbs were scattered before her eyes. Yuchi Li could not bear to look again. She lowered her gaze, looking at her own boots quietly.
A person appeared beside her and passed her a canteen. Yuchi Li took it and had a drink.
“In my first battle, even though it was only the barest inkling of one, this humble one wet himself out of fear and had to be carried back to E’Gu.” Mu Yang sat down next to her. His tone of voice seemed melancholic yet carried a smile.
He lifted a hand and touched the scar on his face, then said: “The king and I both thought that, when faced with a similar scene, Princess, you would surely hide away in the camp, not daring to show your face.”
“The king’s original intent was just to let you gain experience. He was never expecting you to follow us onto the battlefield, Princess, even helping us annihilate the enemy with such haste.”
Yuchi Li glanced at him. Now, Mu Yang’s gaze was not filled with a false deference, but rather a genuine admiration and regard.
She nodded and wearily stood up, asking: “Where’s Zhou Qing?”
“Detained and awaiting your interrogation, Princess.”
“Take me to him.”
Zhou Qing was kneeling in a sorry state, bound in thick rope. He was still expressionless, and if one observed carefully, he seemed to still have a genteel smile on his face.
He even nodded at Yuchi Li.
“Turning traitor to collude with the enemy, a capital offense. Do you have anything you wish to say?” Yuchi Li asked lightly.
“Your subject is guilty.” Zhou Qing spoke steadily. He examined Yuchi Li and continued, “Since I faced you in the Northern Territory, Princess, I started to have some regrets. If I had known earlier that you were like this, Princess, perhaps it would not have turned out this way.”
Yuchi Li frowned.
“After serving as a spy for over a decade, I soon forgot what the Northern Territory was like. I heard that the king did not heed his subject’s advice and insisted on appointing you as the Crown Princess. I then began harboring rebellious intent.” Zhou Qing related slowly. He looked out over the dark grass plains, a trace of attachment in his gaze.
“I dare not stand out, dare not fight, and could only conceal my identity and earnestly serve as an upright official of the Yan Kingdom. It’s been more than ten years, your subject is tired.” He sighed.
“How sanctimonious.” Yuchi Li laughed coldly.
“Yes, greed is blinding. The Northern Territory could not give your subject wealth and power, and neither could its king. Your subject did not even dare start a family.”
“Your subject desires too much. The Northern Territory could not provide.” Zhou Qing smiled, a genuine feeling appearing in his eyes for the first time.
“Then why are you here? Surely it’s preferable to simply accept the Crown Prince’s favor. Could it be that, despite exhausting all your efforts to help the Crown Prince, you haven’t received his confidence?” Yuchi Li leaned in slightly, looking at him.
Zhou Qing tilted his head in a noncommittal manner: “This battle was supposed to be a certain victory. The Princess was outside of that scope.”
Yuchi Li nodded and straightened back up. She turned around, not wanting to look at him. She did not want to know anything beyond that; he was wrong, and there was no excuse for it.
“Princess, what is his punishment?” Mu Yang called from the side.
“In accordance with the laws of the Northern territory, death without pardon.” Yuchi Li said evenly, then strode away without care of anything happening behind her.
Returning to the battlefield once again, the tongues of flame had already been quenched. The scent of blood and a nauseating stench assaulted her senses, making her feel faint. All of her strength suddenly drained away; even her footsteps seemed to float over the ground.
She walked aimlessly around the battlefield, helping to search for possible survivors.
She did not see that, behind her, a delicate figure was following her in small steps, avoiding the bodies on the ground with the utmost care and unconcerned about the crimson stains on her hem.
By the time that she sensed the movements behind her, a familiar fragrance enveloped her. Yuchi Li’s eyes reddened, and she turned around and embraced the person without preamble.
“Xiao Liu’er…” She whispered breathily.
Liu Luoyi hugged her tenderly. Her embrace was clean and unsullied, while Yuchi Li’s body was in a dreadful state, covered in blood and smears of dirt.
The two of them hugged each other on the battlefield like this, behind them the colossal moon that shone beams of pure hallowed light in stark contrast to the broken, devastated earth.
Liu Luoyi could feel Yuchi Li trembling. She could only rub her shoulders, using her own scent to cover the smell of blood and doing her best to help her calm down.
After a while, Yuchi Li at last raised her head. Her eyes misty with tears, she looked Liu Luoyi up and down carefully. She paused, then said: “There’s dead bodies all around. You aren’t scared?”
“I’m not.” Liu Luoyi smiled softly. She reached out and wiped away the dried blood on Yuchi Li’s face.
Yuchi Li looked down, saw her hem, and shook her head. She thought that someone clean, like Liu Luoyi, ought not be stained with blood.
And so, in the next instant, Yuchi Li picked up Liu Luoyi in a princess carry. Liu Luoyi exclaimed in surprise and hurriedly looped her arms around her neck. She did not reproach her, nor did she say anything else. She nestled quietly against Yuchi Li as she waited for her to carry her out of the harrowing battlefield.
She did not wait for Yuchi Li to place her back down on the grassy ground, stretching out her neck to kiss Yuchi Li on the lips. Bit by bit, with skillful movements, she warmed up Yuchi Li’s wind-dried lips.
Yuchi Li hugged her tighter and tighter. She lowered her head, taking the initiative to deepen the kiss.
The apathy and pain in her heart was swept away. Now, all she wanted was for this moment to last forever.
The author has something to say:
“Today’s Qixi, you guys have someone to spend it with? What? You don’t? Haha, I do!” —Yuchi Li smirked, holding Liu Luoyi in her arms
“…” — Xin Ran
“Goddamnit…you think I won’t write a BE for you?!” — The lonely Qi Qian[3]Part of the author’s pen name, furiously radiating single dog energy