Chapter 1334 - 1010: Returning Empty-Handed from a Treasure Mountain

Thinking about this, Shang Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

She felt quite fortunate to have volunteered for this expedition to Xiazhou. If she hadn’t devised a plan to lure Ashina Zhuxie to Sui State, and he were truly convinced by Wang Shaoqiu to lead an army to aid Luoyang, Yu Wenye would certainly face enormous pressure, and the outcome would be uncertain.

Seeing the hint of a smile at the corner of her lips, Lu Xiao said, "Are you feeling grateful?"

Shang Ruyi looked up at her, "Ah."

"You’re grateful that you brought them over, ensuring your Prince Qin is safe in Luoyang?"

"...Hmm."

"But you must know that danger accompanies what you bring."

Shang Ruyi smiled slightly and said, "To say he’s entirely safe in Luoyang is not certain. There is no absolute safety on the battlefield. But I am indeed grateful, grateful that as his wife I can assist him, and as Princess Qin, I can contribute to the country, making the luxurious life of these years worthwhile."

"... "

"As for danger, I knew before setting off that this journey would be fraught with peril. Now it appears, it’s merely adding Wang Shaoqiu to the mix."

Saying this, Shang Ruyi turned to Lu Xiao, "Are you afraid of him?"

Lu Xiao’s face darkened, "How could I be afraid of him?"

"... "

"I just don’t like the way he looks."

"His eyes?"

"His eyes seem like they want to drill through someone; it was like this back in Jiangdu."

"Oh?"

Shang Ruyi raised her eyebrows slightly—she didn’t find anything wrong with Wang Shaoqiu’s eyes except for the mischievous gleam unsettling to some. But Lu Xiao’s feeling wasn’t peculiar; she was born stunningly beautiful and had long been accustomed to being scrutinized, hunted, even offended. Yet, why was she so particularly concerned about Wang Shaoqiu’s gaze?

Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "Don’t worry, what are they here for? They wouldn’t dare harm you."

Lu Xiao didn’t necessarily agree, just replied, "Oh."

But she remained uneasy, contemplating, she spoke again, "From the start, you intended to use the Left General’s Tomb as bait to lure them here. Now, they’ve arrived, yet only this troop, and the danger in Xiazhou isn’t resolved. They’ve confronted us. If they don’t get what they want, do you think Zhuxie Khan would easily spare you?"

After saying this, she looked around once more. Shang Ruyi’s twenty-something guards had been dispatched, and were orderly doing their tasks, though their faces were all tense, the atmosphere heavy over this wild land.

Lu Xiao said, "If he wants to act, the people you’ve brought can’t resist."

"... "

"What will you give him?"

Shang Ruyi also glanced around but didn’t respond directly, only said, "Rest early. Now that they are here, from tomorrow onward, we will likely find it difficult to have any peace."

Seeing she didn’t intend to say more, Lu Xiao returned to her tent, filled with doubt.

As Shang Ruyi said, even this night, listening to the howling wind outside and the intermittent wolf calls from distant valleys, Lu Xiao was almost sleepless, staring blankly at the tent’s dark top gradually lighting up with dawn. The wind waned, but conversation began outside.

She dressed and washed briefly with some tent supplies before stepping outside to find Shang Ruyi already sitting with Lei Yu on the open ground ahead. Wo Xue brought freshly cooked porridge to Shang Ruyi’s hand and turned to serve a bowl to Lei Yu.

As they drank porridge, Shang Ruyi turned to see Lu Xiao arrive, "You’re up."

"Yes."

Lu Xiao nodded, glancing at Lei Yu—though it puzzled her that someone clearly from the Turkic side was here having breakfast with Shang Ruyi, the two were close, so she said nothing. Shang Ruyi added, "I worried you didn’t sleep well, so I asked them not to wake you. The porridge is ready, have a bowl."

Lu Xiao nodded again, "Alright."

Thus, Wo Xue brought her a bowl of porridge.

Lu Xiao sat beside Shang Ruyi, sipping porridge and looking at the adjacent camp. The Turkic people rose earlier, hunted a wolf in the valley ahead, and roasted it over the fire, the meat sizzling with aroma, tempting some, but Lei Yu remained unaffected, focused on her porridge.

Before long, a Turkic soldier crossed the invisible boundary between camps, drawing alert eyes from the guards here, heading straight to Lei Yu with a bowl of fragrant roasted meat, "Kedun, the Khan ordered this for you."

Lei Yu replied, "I don’t want it."

After glancing around, she added, "Leave it."

The soldier placed the bowl nearby, bowed, and left.

Lei Yu looked up at Shang Ruyi, "If you don’t want it, give it to your men."

Shang Ruyi smiled, knowing well that this was Ashina Zhuxie’s way of "returning the favor," so she let Wo Xue take it away to share with the others. The guards naturally did not hold back, each feasting heartily. Shang Ruyi then asked, "Are you still the same as before?"

She was naturally referring to living habits, because the last time she went to the Turkic Yatai, she discovered that under Yiasu’s pampering care, Lei Yu was living a life not much different from that in the Central Plains. Even when she wanted pepper in her lamb soup, Yiasu would stop passing Hu Shang on the grassland to buy it for her.

Lei Yu was silent for a moment, then softly replied, "Mm."

Shang Ruyi smiled, "Then, that’s good."

Speaking of which, from the first time she met Lei Yu, she never gave the impression of a gentle and amiable woman, nor the image of a virtuous wife and loving mother that people often think of. Yet, someone like her enjoyed the most care from her husband. Unknown to her, someone was even infatuated with her.

The matters of this world are indeed inexplicable.

Standing beside her, Lu Xiao remained silent but watched Lei Yu with those particularly keen eyes, occasionally glancing at the situation in the Turkic camp.

Not long after, everyone finished their breakfast.

Wo Xue collected the dishes used by a few people to wash, while over at the Turkic camp, the bonfire was trampled out, and the thick smoke was swept past their camp by a gust of wind. Just as Shang Ruyi coughed twice and turned her head, she saw the tall figure of Ashina Zhuxie crossing the invisible boundary in between, walking into their camp.

The surrounding guards immediately tensed up, each staring at him intently.

However, he walked directly to Lei Yu, and in a low, gentle voice, said, "Let’s go back."

Lei Yu raised her head and glanced at him.

Ashina Zhuxie said, "You wanted to come over for breakfast, and I agreed with you, but you still need to return to your place."

"..."

"Moreover, they have their own matters to attend to, so let’s not disturb them."

At the last few words, Lei Yu’s eyes flickered briefly, glanced at Shang Ruyi again, and with a complicated expression, slowly stood up.

At this moment, Shang Ruyi wore a slight smile on her face, looking at Ashina Zhuxie, she said, "The Khan seems to know, I came to this place to do something."

Ashina Zhuxie looked down at her and said, "Didn’t you say last night, the battle in Xiazhou is in full swing, and I came to this place out of interest. Luoyang’s battle is also intense, yet you came here, if not for something, could it be also out of interest?"

Shang Ruyi was a bit surprised, not because he knew she "had something to do," but because she was surprised at how sharp this Turkic Khan’s tongue was.

Why didn’t I realize that before?

She thought for a moment, barely managing a smile, just about to say something, when Ashina Zhuxie said calmly, "Now that Skytop Mountain is right before us, let me be frank with you, Shang Ruyi. You don’t have many followers in this journey. If you intend to hide your tracks, my people may not be able to detect you."

"..."

"Even if my people discovered your whereabouts, if you wish to conceal, they may not know what you are doing in Sui State on this trip."

"..."

"Today, I left the fierce battle in Xiazhou to come here because of the news you released."

"..."

"That is, Left General’s Tomb!"

Upon hearing these four words, although Shang Ruyi was not entirely surprised, her heart raced violently, while Lu Xiao beside her, and Lei Yu by Ashina Zhuxie’s side, both showed unexpected and somewhat fearful expressions on their beautiful faces.

They also hadn’t expected Ashina Zhuxie, who was silent upon seeing them last night, would speak so directly at this time, leaving no room for negotiation.

Shang Ruyi said, "Khan, you are indeed straightforward."

Ashina Zhuxie sneered, "If you want to play tricks and schemes with me, I can accompany you. It’s just that this time, I’m not in the mood for it."

"..."

"So, since you used Left General’s Tomb to lure us over, it would be best if you can produce something from it. Otherwise—"

Shang Ruyi asked, "Otherwise, what?"

Ashina Zhuxie replied, "I will not come to a treasure mountain and leave empty-handed. If I can’t find what I want, taking some people back would serve as compensation."

"..."

"After all, this wouldn’t be your first time going to the Turkic anyway."

Hearing this, the surrounding guards sensed danger, immediately stepping forward with tense expressions to keep a close watch on them.

Shang Ruyi raised her hand, stopping them from taking action.

Although Ashina Zhuxie came alone to their camp, he remained immovable, calmly staring into Shang Ruyi’s equally calm and unruffled eyes, saying, "Or perhaps, with the fierce battle in Luoyang, I wonder if the Dasheng Dynasty’s Prince Qin would like to see his Princess Qin on the battlefield."