Chapter 14: The Wordless Spirit Wall

On the national border, Long Ming and his two thousand elite soldiers had been waiting for many days. When the marriage alliance convoy finally arrived, that night, both armies set up camp on the border.

Long Ming’s tent was next to Princess Zhaohe’s tent, but she never appeared and did not intend to invite any generals inside for discussions.

Long Ming paced outside the tent for a long time until midnight before turning back to his own tent.

Wen Yao was in Wu Jingyi’s tent, peeking through the gaps in the tent curtains. Seeing him finally give up and leave, she exclaimed in surprise, “After three years, General Long has become even more handsome, just a bit darker than before.”

“What does General Long want to do? Sneaking around, raising his hand one moment, sighing the next—it’s strange.” Wen Yao kept muttering, causing Di Jiang to chuckle silently.

Di Jiang glanced at Wu Jingyi, who remained calm and composed, seemingly treating him as just another general.

All past connections were now irrelevant to her.

For the next few nights, it was almost always like this.

Long Ming always lingered outside Princess Zhaohe’s tent. Wu Rui’an had encountered him several times and there had been verbal conflicts, but eventually, he just sighed and pretended not to see it.

Wu Rui’an had heard everything about the bond between Wu Jingyi and Long Ming from Wen Yao over these days.

“Our master says that Princess Zhaohe surely doesn’t want to see Long Ming at such a time, and since Long Ming married Liu Zhi, he shouldn’t have the face to seek an audience. Thus, every night, he can only wander outside the tent, hoping for a chance encounter to alleviate his longing!” Wen Yao concluded.

Wu Rui’an was stunned for a while, then burst into laughter, “Hahaha...”

“Why is Your Highness laughing?”

“I’m laughing at how cowardly he is.”

“Why?” Wen Yao looked confused.

Wu Rui’an sobered up, narrowing his eyes seriously, “If I met a woman I liked, I would definitely push her down. I wouldn’t pace outside the tent every night. How embarrassing.”

“But Long Ming likes the princess… the princess who is about to be married off…” Wen Yao muttered.

“Then he should kidnap her,” Wu Rui’an frowned, sneering, “It was his mistake to miss out before. Now, taking Jingyi away and avoiding her marriage to a foreign land would make up for his past mistakes, wouldn’t it?”

“What if Empress Chen blames us?”

“Then I’ll personally lead troops to hunt him down and find a scapegoat to kill. Eventually, we’d retrieve two bodies anywhere and claim they’re them! Only…”

“Only what?”

“Only that they would have to live under assumed names from then on, with all their wealth and power gone.”

“They definitely wouldn’t care!” Wen Yao patted her chest confidently.

“Why?” Wu Rui’an asked doubtfully.

“Princess used to like Long Ming when he had nothing. Long Ming thought he loved Liu Zhi, a maid, so he resolutely rejected Empress Chen’s arranged marriage, offending the imperial family to marry a maid. Doesn’t that show that neither of them are greedy for power or wealth?”

“Is that so... Then if they elope, I absolutely won’t stop them; instead, I’ll help them to the end!”

“That’s a great idea!” Wen Yao nodded, giving Wu Rui’an a thumbs-up, “Your Highness is truly brilliant!”

Their conversation wasn’t loud, but anyone with intent could hear it clearly.

Wu Jingyi sat expressionlessly in the tent, making no comment, pretending not to hear.

Di Jiang sat beside her, beads of cold sweat running down her forehead, fearing Wen Yao might be led astray by Wu Rui’an. If they conspired, selling her out wasn’t impossible...

And Long Ming, on the other side of the tent, heard everything clearly.

The hand gripping his sword suddenly tightened and didn’t loosen again.

That night, Long Ming selected the fastest and most enduring warhorse in the army, cleaned it thoroughly, and fed it plenty of fodder.

This was the mount he chose for Wu Jingyi, hoping it would carry his beloved out of the desert, breaking free from the shackles of identity and escaping the nightmare of the marriage alliance.

Long Ming tethered the warhorse to a large stone half a mile away from the army, then returned to the camp. After dismissing the soldiers on duty, he went straight to Wu Jingyi’s tent.

Unexpectedly, just as he mustered the courage to lift the tent flap, a silver bell-like laughter rang out from within.

“Liu Zhi thanks the princess for her kindness and for the gifts.”

Long Ming paused his hand lifting the curtain, but the people inside had already seen him.

At this moment, Wu Jingyi sat in the center, Di Jiang on her right, with Wen Yao standing beside her.

Across from them, a white-clad woman was covering her mouth and laughing.

Though her eyes were smiling, it wasn’t hard to see the endless sorrow and weariness in her eyes, appearing very weathered.

Just then, everyone except Wu Jingyi turned to look at Long Ming who had intruded into the tent.

When Liu Zhi and Long Ming locked eyes, Long Ming’s brows furrowed tightly, as if seeing the most terrifying thing in the world.

But Liu Zhi was quite the opposite.

Her eyes were filled with longing, pity, and countless indescribable affections.

At this point, even a blind person could see how important Long Ming was to her.

“Husband... you’ve grown thinner...” Tears welled up in Liu Zhi’s eyes, and the next moment, they fell like broken beads onto her collar, onto the ground, and finally onto Long Ming’s hand.

Liu Zhi rushed forward, burying herself in Long Ming’s arms, holding him tightly, afraid of being separated from him again.

Long Ming stood there, letting her embrace him.

But his eyes remained fixed on Wu Jingyi.

Wu Jingyi, however, only focused on reading an embroidered book, which was written in Turkic.

These days, she had been studying Turkic daily and could now understand most documents and make simple translations.

Feeling Long Ming’s gaze, she finally sighed and decided not to evade anymore.

She raised her head, closed the book, and smiled gracefully and calmly, “General Long, is there something?”

“Why is she here?” Long Ming feigned composure, then pushed Liu Zhi away.

Whether Long Ming used too much force or Liu Zhi was too frail, she stumbled and fell to the ground.

Her elbow scraped against the sand and stones, immediately tearing a large patch of skin. Blood quickly seeped out.

Liu Zhi gritted her teeth, knowing Long Ming wouldn’t pay attention to her, so she checked her wound herself. She rolled up her sleeve inadvertently, revealing scars of various sizes on her arm.

These were the marks of her journey through wind and meals, heart-wrenching to see and tear-inducing to behold.

Long Ming looked at Liu Zhi, his face full of confusion.

Liu Zhi gritted her teeth, no longer looking at Long Ming, but instead gazed at Wu Jingyi with a face full of委屈 (grievance).

Wu Jingyi sneered inwardly and said softly, “If General Long has something, wait until tomorrow. For now, take Lady Long down to treat her wounds. She has suffered enough for you on this journey.”

Wu Jingyi’s tone remained indifferent, as if she only ever had a ruler-subject relationship with him, devoid of any romantic feelings.

Upon hearing this, Long Ming took a deep breath, then turned and left the tent.

As for Liu Zhi, she didn’t even bother with a farewell bow and stumbled after him.

Di Jiang and Wen Yao exchanged glances, their eyes filled with amusement, as if saying, “This pair of star-crossed lovers will have to endure more troubles for some time.”

Later, both entered Long Ming’s tent. Wen Yao and Di Jiang even secretly eavesdropped outside the tent.

But they were disappointed—Long Ming and Liu Zhi didn’t argue.

No matter how Liu Zhi cried and made a fuss, Long Ming left after summoning the army doctor to treat her.

That night, he didn’t return to his tent.

The next day, after the Taiping Prefecture Imperial Guard completed the transfer of the marriage alliance convoy, Deputy General Lü Chenfei led them back along the same route to Taiping Prefecture. Wu Rui’an still accompanied Long Ming as an envoy of Xuanwu, personally escorting the bride to the Turk capital.

Di Jiang watched the departing Imperial Guard march in perfect unison, kicking up clouds of yellow sand, their figures gradually fading into the distance, feeling a pang of envy.

She also wanted to follow them back and then attend to her own affairs.

But whenever she inadvertently saw Wu Rui’an alone, his hollow and desolate expression made her reluctant to leave. She thought she might as well accompany the siblings on this journey—it wouldn’t take much of her time.

“Departure—”

After the army finished preparations, Long Ming and Wu Rui’an walked side by side at the front of the army, just about to break camp, when a maid from Princess Jingyi hurriedly ran to the front of the procession, saying, “Your Highness and General, please wait. Her Highness wishes to stay a little longer.”

Wu Rui’an and Long Ming exchanged glances. Long Ming remained silent, and finally, Wu Rui’an waved his hand, “Please let the princess come forward.”

Wu Jingyi, wearing a phoenix crown and red silk veil, was supported by two maids, struggling to walk up the sandy slope.

When she finally reached the top of the sandy slope and looked down, she saw the wedding procession stretching for miles, a bright red expanse that was both festive and somehow eerie.

This was not a voluntary and auspicious marriage. Silence and sorrow had spread through the convoy and the army from the beginning, reaching their peak at this moment.

Behind them was their homeland, Xuanwu, but they had to leave their homes and go to live among the barbarians, forever away from everything familiar.

“Erect a stele,” Wu Jingyi said.

“What should be inscribed on the stele?” Wu Rui’an asked.

“Nothing needs to be inscribed,” Wu Jingyi shook her head, “I only hope that henceforth, the Turks will never cross this stele to harm our Xuanwu people. May peace flow through this Gobi Desert for generations.”

Her face remained hidden beneath the veil, others couldn’t see her expression, but her voice carried no trace of fear.

There was only boundless helplessness and unwillingness.

Upon hearing this, Long Ming immediately galloped away, instructing his soldiers to create a stele as quickly as possible.

After he left, Wu Jingyi said no more. Wu Rui’an looked at his frail sister, his eyes gradually moistening.

Helplessly, he turned away, pretending that the sandstorm had blinded his eyes.

He knew he absolutely couldn’t shed tears in front of his younger sister.

It would only make her sadder.

Half an hour later, the hastily carved stele, hacked and chopped, was carried by more than ten men to the top of the sandy slope.

The soldiers were about to dig a hole to erect it in the desert when Wu Rui’an stepped forward, kicking the base of the stele. It began to tilt toward the direction he applied force.

Immediately, he leaped into the air, landing a palm on the upper part of the stele. With a loud “boom,” half of it sank into the yellow sand.

The stele stood firmly, with a clear palm print at the top, marking Wu Rui’an’s hand.

“I swear, as long as I live, I will never allow Xuanwu to be taken advantage of again. From now on, our Xuanwu citizens will never be troubled by the Turks!” Wu Rui’an gnashed his teeth, his passionate indignation spreading throughout the army.

This stele was later called the ‘Wordless Spirit Wall.’ From then on, Xuanwu never sent another princess for a marriage alliance, nor was it harassed by neighboring countries.

All nations voluntarily came to pay homage, bowing in submission.

Of course, that is a story for later.