Bai Xiu stumbled to his feet, propping himself up with the ground. He walked out with his head lowered, his expression unreadable.
People change.
Bai Ran watched Bai Xiu leave, sighing.
"Tell me, why did you betray us?" Bai Ran asked, her sharp knife tracing his skin with each word.
After a long pause, Li Zhong sat up, his eyes terribly swollen.
"I hate Bai Hanfeng, not Bai Xiu," he said softly.
"Then why did you try to kill him?"
"Because he would ruin my plan."
Li Zhong's face was pale, his eyes hollow, like a soulless automaton.
"What did Bai Hanfeng do to make you hate him so much?" Bai Ran asked, lounging on the table with her legs crossed.
Li Zhong lowered his head at her words.
"Every day I risked my life, killing enemies for the army. Just when I thought I could get more military pay to support my family, he deliberately held me back, preventing my promotion."
Bai Ran raised an eyebrow, jumped down, and stood before him.
"Poor man, even your hatred is misplaced," she said faintly.
Li Zhong, however, grabbed her hand excitedly. "What did you say! What do you mean, hatred is misplaced!"
During Murong De's reign, he had deliberately suppressed those who rose too quickly. He kept a detailed ledger of all the minor forces that could not be underestimated, and Li Zhong's name was on it.
After Murong De's death, this ledger was found and destroyed by Murong Chen, but Bai Ran, with her photographic memory, had committed it to heart.
Bai Hanfeng, while seemingly suppressing Li Zhong, was actually protecting him, keeping him from falling victim to harm.
"If I'm not mistaken, you shouldn't be able to contact your family," Bai Ran said, prying Li Zhong's hand away.
"How do you know!" He trembled violently.
"They are all dead. That was Murong De's usual style." She then told him about the ledger.
"Hahahahaha," Li Zhong laughed maniacally.
What?
It was like that?
I...
What have I done...
As he laughed, tears streamed down his face like a broken string of pearls.
He suddenly lunged towards the door, only to be stopped by a barrier once more.
"Bai Xiu!"
"Bai Xiu! I'm sorry, Bai Xiu!"
"General Bai!"
"I'm sorry!"
"Aaaargh!"
He pounded against the barrier, his palms shattering, blood flowing down it.
Bai Ran waved her hand, and the barrier vanished. Only Li Zhong's receding figure, running wildly, and the tears wetting the stone path remained.
If one's heart is not steadfast, and they commit a grave mistake, what can be mended once they awaken to the dream?
Now, the traitor has been found, but Bai Xiu...
Bai Ran was very worried about his state. She had experienced this kind of pain once herself.
One cannot truly understand another's hardship without walking in their shoes.
But when you do walk in their shoes, even just passing through is incredibly painful.
Bai Ran looked at the slightly brightening sky outside.
It was time to end this.
"Miss Bai, someone from the palace has arrived," Jing Feng emerged from the shadows, bowing.
"Go to Zhao Kang's camp."
...
"Bad news, bad news! Someone from the palace is here!" a soldier ran frantically towards Zhao Kang's camp, panting.
"What?"
Zhao Kang's health had inexplicably improved, and after a few days, he was as good as new.
He sat on the high seat, his internal alarms blaring.
A middle-aged man, resembling a eunuch, entered with an imperial decree.
"An imperial decree is equivalent to the Emperor's personal visit! Why aren't you kneeling to receive it!" the eunuch shouted at Zhao Kang.
He quickly scrambled down and knelt on the ground, his flabby flesh trembling with him.
The eunuch unfurled the scroll and began to read.
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Demonized humans have invaded the country, and border defenses have been insufficient! Zhao Kang is hereby dismissed from his post as general, and he and his soldiers are demoted to auxiliary troops! Thus decreed!"
It's over!
Zhao Kang collapsed onto the ground in despair, and the soldiers in the tent were equally stunned.
At the same moment, elsewhere.
"Miss Bai, there's no need for such formality. His Majesty constantly speaks of you. My ears are practically calloused from hearing it,"
Another eunuch helped Bai Ran up as she was about to kneel, speaking familiarly.
Bai Ran stood up, and the eunuch began his proclamation.
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Bai Ran, Bai Zhan Tian, and others have rendered meritorious service in capturing spies! Bai Hanfeng is hereby reappointed as general! Bai Ran is appointed as Princess Bai Yue! The Bai family is rewarded with a thousand taels of gold! Thus decreed!"
"Princess Bai Yue, take this. Remember to visit His Majesty from time to time," the eunuch leaned closer to Bai Ran, gently placing the imperial decree into her hand.
Bai Ran's mouth twitched. What was Murong Chen up to now? And what was this about being a princess?
She held the imperial decree in her hand; it felt like a hot potato.
Bai Zhan Tian looked at her with affection. Qin Mu Bai and Fang Tian Hui stood behind her, happy for her.
Bai Xiu, however, kept his head down, his expression haggard.
The guards accompanying the eunuch escorted Li Zhong away.
The matter was finally over.
"Bai Xiu?" a male voice called out.
Bai Xiu raised his head, his eyes gradually welling up. "Father!"
Not far away, Bai Han Feng was striding towards them.
"A man sheds blood and sweat, not tears! What did I teach you!" Bai Han Feng playfully punched his chest.
"Yes!" He held back his tears, standing rigidly.
Bai Ran tilted her head, observing Bai Han Feng's stern demeanor. Well, it seemed Bai Xiu wouldn't be suicidal anymore.
Bai Han Feng's return boosted the army's morale immeasurably. The neat formations and serious expressions.
Everything was back on track.
At night, the banquet from the previous day continued.
"I can't believe she grew up so fast!" Bai Han Feng exclaimed, looking at Bai Ran in shock.
"Hahaha, right! Even this old man didn't notice how tall she'd gotten!"
Bai Zhan Tian clinked glasses with him, laughing heartily.
"Hey? Where's Li Zhong?" Wu Cai asked, shoveling food into his mouth.
"He, he's gone home," Qin Mu Bai lied smoothly, earning frequent eye-rolls from Fang Tian Hui beside him.
"Home! That good-for-nothing fellow!"
Fortunately, the soldiers were mostly boisterous and rough men who didn't suspect a thing.
Jing Feng, from somewhere, procured wine and placed it on the ground at the start of the banquet, making everyone's eyes widen.
The banquet lasted for three days and three nights without pause. The smell of alcohol in the air was almost enough to make Fang Tian Hui gag.
Everyone was drunk, sprawled on the ground in disarray.
However, Bai Ran hadn't touched a drop. Qin Mu Bai, holding his wine cup, stars swimming in his vision, stumbled towards her.
"Bai, Bai Ran, *hic*, you, why aren't you drinking?"
Bai Ran pushed him away slightly with a look of disdain.
"If everyone is drunk, and the demonized humans suddenly attack, do you want the entire army to be annihilated?"
Her spiritual power constantly enveloped the entire border, and every movement of the border defense was under Bai Ran's watchful eye.
"*Hic*, they won't. You, you're just too nervous, *hic*!" As he spoke, Qin Mu Bai's body went limp, and he slumped to the ground, fast asleep.
Bai Ran gave him an exasperated look, then suddenly tensed.
They're here.
The demonized humans.