Nightfall

A thousand years ago, the Desolate Men were the masters of the great northern grasslands. Hence today, this grassland was still called the Wilderness. There were eagles on the grassland. Therefore, the Desolate Men were good at raising eagles. Even if they were defeated by the Tang Empire and were forced to move to the Far North, to the Cold Region, the Desolate Men still never gave up raising eagles.

Xia Hou was a Desolate Man and so was Tang. They were not unfamiliar with raising eagles.

Looking at Tang dressed in rags on the distant meadow beside the mountain woods, Xia Hou suddenly remembered his eagle taming experience from his childhood. He remembered how the young eagle had nearly fallen from its iron perch, but it still refused to lower its stubborn head.

Embroiled in a constant battle with Tang all the way from the depths of the Wilderness to Tuyang City back here in the south, he was always confident in his plan to exhaust Tang’s strength, just like taming an eagle. He had kept stoking Tang’s anger and hatred in order to keep this strongman of the Devil’s Doctrine in a constant state of rage and force him to consume all his energy in these daily battles.

Xia Hou originally thought he was going to succeed. He could see with his own eyes that the Qi in Tang’s body was exhausted, his spirit had gradually withered, and his impenetrable body had softened as well. Tang could finally be injured, and he had begun to bleed. He thought that, with Tang slowly losing blood along this long journey, he would finally fall from exhaustion, just like the young eagle back then.

However, against all expectations, Tang did not fall down. Instead, he was the one instead who felt an unprecedented sense of fatigue, weakness, and even fear in the deepest parts of his body.

Was he the eagle that had been tamed?

Xia Hou kept coughing, blood overflowing like water over the edge of his hand which covered his mouth. Yet, his face remained cold and calm, his brooding eyes cold like ice.

He was not afraid of aging.

Whether on the grasslands or the rocky shores of the Hot Sea, the oldest eagles remained at the top of the food chain.

He put down his fist and took out his hand towel to wipe off the blood stains on his lips. He looked blankly at Tang and said, “Your perseverance surprised me a bit, but in the end, it is nothing but a surprise. After all, you are not your teacher. You could never threaten me unless you pass that threshold.”

Tang glanced down at the long grass under his feet that had been painted red by his blood.

The incessant fighting had caused him to suffer several serious injuries. That seemingly insignificant cavalry of the Tang Empire had brought him a lot of trouble because of their powerful military discipline and tactical organization. As the Qi in his body gradually dried up, his once indestructible body had finally started to bleed under the onslaught of blades and arrows.

The Devil’s Doctrine was already dead, and he, the World Wayfarer of the Devil’s Doctrine, was alone in this world. Let alone the innumerable Taoist priests of the West-Hill Divine Palace, even when compared to the renegade Xia Hou, he seemed so lonely and weak.

In a sense, all that remained of the Devil’s Doctrine in today’s world was him alone.

He was the Devil’s Doctrine.

He held the last of the spirit and the pride of the Devil’s Doctrine, hence, he could not fall down. Not now. Not here. Especially not against him.

So despite being seriously injured and unable to see any hope, he silently kept up his fight against Xia Hou and the thousands of soldiers of the Tang Empire cavalry. Even with these odds, he had fought all the way to Tuyang City.

Tang lifted up his head and stared straight at Xia Hou and the countless mounted knights that surrounded him. He said, “Look at your body, which, like rotten wood, may seem sturdy on the outside but is fragile on the inside. And ask this of your seemingly strong heart: If I was truly no threat to you, then why are you still stuck saying these things to me?”

Xia Hou stayed silent for a long time before he replied, “Not even you can follow me all the way back to Chang’an. The Central Plains are a world that have been blessed by the Haotian Divine Light. The heavens there cannot tolerate you. What choice do you have?”

As the last and most powerful member of the Devil’s Doctrine, Tang could easily choose to live freely in the Wilderness and just stare at Ye Su from across the mountain. However, he was very clear that if he really did enter the Central Plains, he would inevitably face the pursuit of the strongest warriors of the West-Hill Divine Palace. That was nothing but a dead end.

“Indeed, I cannot enter the Central Plains.”

Tang glanced at Tuyang City, which lay not far away, and said, “I don’t even dare to enter this city. Yet, I have injured you. I have made you weak and nervous. I know that you are doomed.”

Xia Hou asked, “Why say these meaningless words?”

“I would never do anything meaningless. I would never say anything meaningless either. I am definitely not the only person who wishes to see you dead. Every time you leave the Military camp and enter Chang’an City, or when you retire, the ghost of the people you burnt to death, the people you killed by the roadside, will gather behind your back and haunt you for life. Those ghosts will be grateful to me for hunting you all this way, and I will be grateful to those ghosts who will hunt you till you die.”

Tang finally nodded to Xia Hou to show his respect and said, “I wish you a happy retirement and a wonderful death.”

Upon saying this, he turned back and left the meadow, disappearing into the forest.

Xia Hou silently stared at the empty meadow and the woods that gently shook amidst the summer breeze. With nothing left to say, he turned around and rode to Tuyang City.

The wind blowing from the Wilderness shook the mountain forest and the tall grass and billowed through the flag atop the city wall. It also swayed his hair outside his helmet, those silver strands dancing with the breeze.

Since ancient times, reputable generals were like beautiful women: they were not allowed to be known for getting old and grey. Yet now, his hair was already greying.

The first batch of guests were visiting the new house at Yanming Lake.

The princess Li Yu and her stepson, as well as Situ Yilan.

Ning Que was happy to see the arrival of Situ Yilan, and he did not have any opinion about the poor little Wild prince, but he felt a bit troubled to receive Her Highness, the Princess Li Yu.

He had a good relationship with Li Yu, but he was very clear that she would definitely bring him trouble.

And unsurprisingly, when he and Li Yu were left alone in the quiet study, the trouble came.

Outside the carved window of the study, there were several ancient trees. The trees sheltered them from the hot summer sun. The breeze was pleasant and the cicadas were humming in the woods, but they were not annoying.

Li Yu was holding a bowl of herbal tea as she looked at the lake, which was faintly visible outside the window. She smiled and said, “The noisier the cicadas are, the quieter the forest is. This really is a good house. It’s no wonder that a miser like you was willing to spend so many tales of silver on it.”

Ning Que sighed and wondered if it was really necessary to start a conversation like this.

He walked to Li Yu’s side and said, “I would like to thank Your Highness for these great trees.”

The old trees around the house on the bank of the Yanming Lake were all from Li Yu’s royal estate. These trees were of great value. On top of that, the cost of transporting these trees from the mountains to the city of Chang’an was extremely high. Most importantly, there were many rare and ancient trees among them that one couldn’t buy even if one had money.

Ning Que was indeed a very important person, but Li Yu was the princess. She didn’t have to please Ning Que. If she did him a favor, she would need to be paid back.

“Well, they were just something from the mountain, they weren’t too expensive.”

Li Yu walked over to the wall and looked at the antiques on the shelf. Her expression changed slightly. She said with a chuckle, “When I was young, I had asked father for this pen brush, but he said that it was gifted to her, so I couldn’t have it. I didn’t expect to see it in your study now.”

Ning Que looked at the pen brush made of black jade. He said, “If you like it, you can take it.”

Li Yu said mockingly, “She gave it you, so how can I ask for it?”

There were only two people in Chang’an who dared to call the Empress a “she”—Li Yu and her brother.

Of course, even she could only address the Empress as such in private.

Obviously, Li Yu did not care about letting Ning Que see her true attitude toward the Empress.

Ning Que didn’t respond.

Li Yu smiled and looked at him, saying, “I heard that you have often entered the palace recently. You must be familiar with her?”

Ning Que said, “We are much more familiar than before.”

Li Yu asked, “What kind of person do you think she is?”

Ning Que answered directly, “I don’t know.”

Li Yu thought for a moment and said with a self-mocking grin, “I’ve been fighting against her for so many years, yet even I haven’t been able to figure out what she’s thinking about. How can I expect you to know her thoughts?”

Ning Que shook his head and said, “Why are you so concerned about it?”

Li Yu sipped the herbal tea in her cup, and her eyebrows twisted slightly. Then, she smiled and said, “It’s good. Is this Sangsang’s mulberry tea? I have heard of it several times, but this is my first time tasting it.”

Listening to Her Highness talking about the short stories of her family, Ning Que felt relieved, and he was just about to explain the recipe of the mulberry tea, emphasizing that it was his own invention.

However, he was not prepared for Li Yu’s next sentence.

The atmosphere turned from good to bad in a single second.

“You know, my idea is simple.”

Li Yu calmly and persistently looked into Ning Que’s eyes.

Ning Que did not avoid her gaze, saying, “I have already told you my thoughts.”

Li Yu said, “I know you have some issues with the Imperial Army.”

Ning Que said, “I admit that’s true, but it is problem that can be solved, so I’m not too concerned about it.”

“After killing Huang Xing and Yu Shuizhu, I doubt you can still talk with Xia Hou happily while letting the military’s old generals believe that you are harmless.”

Li Yu continued, “These problems cannot be solved so easily. Maybe you really don’t need to care about them. But if you wish to continue doing as you have, you have to take care.”

Ning Que said, “Those things Your Highness just mentioned, naturally I will not admit to them. As for the slight friction between me and General Xia Hou, I believe it will not last long.”

“Everyone knows that Xia Hou is the Empress’s trusted follower.”

Li Yu said, “The empress now keeps hooking you in. Naturally, she doesn’t want the conflict between Xia Hou and the Academy to continue to expand. But are you willing to let it go?”

Ning Que thought to himself, “Even I know that the empress is the sister of Xiahou.”

Eldest Brother had already warned him about that. He certainly wouldn’t reveal this big secret in front of Li Yu.

Li Yu said, “If the enmity between you and Xia Hou really is only the conflict between you in the Wilderness, since Mr. First has already made his judgment, I hope that you will persuade yourself to obey him.”

Ning Que frowned slightly, wondering why she would choose the same position as the Empress.

Li Yu whispered, “There are only a few young generals in the army who are willing to follow me. Hua Shanyue is leading the reservists of Hebei county. It’s difficult for him to gain any military achievements where he’s currently stationed. And with only his current qualifications, there’s no way he can take over Xia Hou’s position. Still, Xia Hou’s retirement is a good thing for me, and I don’t want anything else to interfere with this.”

This explanation was blunt and sincere. Even Ning Que was shocked.

A moment later, he sighed and said, “Such things are really boring.”

Li Yu said mockingly, “You really are a student of the Headmaster of the Academy, even affairs of the throne of the Tang Empire can make you bored.”

Ning Que replied, “I’ve told you before. Don’t be too concerned about my attitude as a student of the Academy entering the human realm. I am only concerned with my mentor, senior brothers, and senior sisters. On your end, there is His Majesty the Emperor in the palace. There are the Nation Master and Huang Yang in the temples. There are those old generals like Xu Shi in the army. Whether the dragon throne is passed to your younger brother or to the son of the Empress, in the end, it is decided by these people.”

Li Yu looked at him quietly, then suddenly said, “But have you ever thought that even the Emperor and the old generals might not always be with us?”

“Why did the Academy send you to enter the human realm? Why does my father think so highly of you? Why is Xu Shi so vigilant to you? It’s all for the same reason.”

“No one can resist the fate decided by Haotian. As time passes, the Tang Dynasty will eventually lose out to its fate. Some people are worried that you may become an evil eagle, one that goes against the wishes of its masters and harms the world after their death. The Headmaster of the Academy and my father remained silent. They have guarded you, tormented you, and polished you. They want you to grow from a baby eagle to a great eagle, to guard the Tang Dynasty once they have passed.”