Chapter 50

When Bu Nian received the secret letter from Helian Qiufeng, he was in Jingzhou, hunting down the remnants of the rebel faction and was already close to Jiangnan. According to the plan, they were to sweep through the entire southern region of Great Qi before launching the final assault on Da Qing Mountain and taking Fenglei Fort.

Song Qiao noticed the change in his expression after reading the letter. Bu Nian’s face had turned grim, as dark and heavy as still water. Song Qiao hesitated for a moment before speaking. “General, did something happen in the capital?”

Bu Nian raised his hand, and the letter disintegrated into fine powder. He let it fall to the ground.

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he lowered his gaze and fell into thought. Song Qiao grew even more anxious. He feared that something had happened to the young emperor.

At last, Bu Nian looked up. “Banxia, Bai Shu, hear my command.”

His voice rang out sharp and clear. “The two of you will lead fifty soldiers to continue pursuing the remaining rebels. Kill any who resist.”

The two were still on horseback. They exchanged a look. Though they didn’t know what was going on, they both clasped their fists in unison.

“Yes, Master.”

Bu Nian turned to Song Qiao. “Gather the rest of the troops and come with me to Da Qing Mountain. We will take Fenglei Fort.”

His face was fierce, his entire presence radiating killing intent. It was as if he had reached the limit of his patience and was now ready to slaughter everyone in that fort.

Song Qiao had known him for years. He understood Bu Nian well. He knew the man would never act without reason. Whatever had been written in that letter must have touched a nerve, something he could not forgive.

Bu Nian immediately redirected the entire force toward Da Qing Mountain.

The scale of the movement was impossible to hide. Qian Zeliang and his people heard the news right away.

But Qian Zeliang wasn’t afraid. If anything, he seemed excited. Almost eager.

He had once competed in the martial examination and lost to Bai Shu. The defeat left him bitter. He believed Bu Nian had sabotaged him.

Later, during the battle at Tianfu Temple, he had been assigned to the outer perimeter and never made it to the summit before Gan Yan was already defeated. His father died in that battle. All he could do was flee back to Liangzhou, gather whatever silver and valuables he could, and escape with the remaining disciples into the mountains to become bandits.

He had never fought Bu Nian face to face and didn’t know what the man was truly capable of. In his eyes, Bu Nian had only ever achieved military merit through the influence of his father. He believed the man’s current success came from currying favor with the new emperor and being in the right place at the right time. Nothing more.

“A couple of days ago I sent someone to the Helian family with a letter, demanding a ransom of one hundred thousand taels of silver. They refused unless I gave them a letter personally written by Helian Ai. No letter, no silver. Damn, they’re shrewd.” Qian Zeliang sat on his so-called throne and spat on the ground. “Good thing I didn’t kill him. If I lost that hundred thousand taels, I’d be in so much pain I could drop dead.”

Zuo Lingyu looked at the man’s greedy face with absolute contempt, though he didn’t let any of it show.

They were nothing more than traitors and criminals. Everyone wanted them dead. And yet this man still had the nerve to think about the ransom. He clearly wasn’t afraid of dying.

“Bu Nian is already on his way here, and you still care about collecting ransom?”

Qian Zeliang glanced at him and said with smug confidence, “This place is blessed with natural defenses. It’s made for holding ground. We’re surrounded by mountains on all sides, and there’s only one road that leads into the fort. It’s lined with traps from top to bottom. If Bu Nian comes, he’ll never make it out alive.”

Zuo Lingyu didn’t bother responding to his bragging. He turned and walked out with a cold expression.

“I’m going to check on Helian Ai.”

Qian Zeliang let out a lewd laugh. “You and your junior brother better go easy on him. Don’t kill him too quickly.”

Zuo Lingyu paused briefly at those words, then continued walking as if he hadn’t heard anything.

Feng Zhang had been raised by the Zuo family since childhood. He saw Zuo Luan as a father and followed his every word without question. When Zuo Luan died at Tianfu Temple and Gan Yan, whom the Zuo family had devoted everything to support was also gravely injured, the blow to Feng Zhang was immense.

Unlike the siblings of the Zuo family, he blamed everything on Lian Ai. He was convinced it was that spy’s meddling that had ruined all their plans.

He hated Lian Ai. He wanted nothing more than to kill him and avenge Zuo Luan, avenge Gan Yan, and avenge Zuo Lingxue.

“Start writing, or I’ll break your toes one by one.” Feng Zhang snarled, eyes twisted with rage. He grabbed Lian Ai by the hair and slammed his head toward the table, nearly smashing his face into the sheet of paper laid out before him.

Lian Ai remained in his twisted position and forced out a strained voice. “I’ll write. I’ll write…”

He picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and paused for a moment in thought. Then he began to write a brief letter, telling Helian Qiufeng, Lord Helian, and Lady Helian not to worry about him. He assured them he was safe for the time being. He went on to say that everyone has their fate, and this calamity was his to bear. Even if he could not overcome it, he hoped they would not grieve too deeply.

His writing hand halted slightly, but soon he continued.

“If I die, I ask that Elder Brother tell the General. As for our promise in Jiangnan, let Ai fulfill it in the next life. Tell him not to forget.”

Just as he finished writing, before he could even blow the ink dry, Feng Zhang snatched the letter from him and began reading it line by line. When he reached the ending, his face twisted in scorn.

Before Lian Ai could react, Feng Zhang kicked him hard, knocking him to the ground. The next moment, a flurry of kicks rained down on him.

“Whore. You’re on the brink of death and still this shameless.” One of his kicks was laced with internal force, sending Lian Ai rolling across the floor. His back slammed into the wall with a heavy thud.

Pain surged through him. It felt as if his organs had been shattered. A sweet taste filled his throat, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Suddenly, something silver flashed from inside his collar and clattered onto the floor. Feng Zhang’s eyes were sharp, and he immediately reached for it. Lian Ai’s face went pale. He threw his hand out and grabbed the object tightly in his palm, but before he could pull back, Feng Zhang seized him by the wrist.

“What is it? Hand it over.” He thought it might be a hidden weapon, but after taking a closer look, he saw it was a peace-lock. With a cold snort, he said, “That same lock again. First it was for A’xue, and now it’s for you. Bu Nian really is stingy. One lock for everyone. He couldn’t even be bothered to give something more valuable.”

He forced open Lian Ai’s fingers and snatched the lock from his hand. He weighed it in his hand, lifting it slightly as if testing its worth.

Seeing him about to leave, Lian Ai quickly grabbed the hem of his robe. “Give… give it back…”

Feng Zhang shook him off in disgust. He raised his foot and ground Lian Ai’s fingers into the dirt.

“You’re already dying. What use is this thing to you?” His voice was full of venom. “When Bu Nian comes up the mountain, I’ll dig your eyes out and stuff them into this lock before I send it to him.”

Lian Ai clenched his teeth against the searing pain in his hand. He bit down so hard on his lower lip that it split open. The blood mixed with what he had already vomited, leaving a strange metallic taste in his mouth.

“Give it back!” Even with blood filling his mouth, he reached out with the only hand he could still move and grabbed the edge of Feng Zhang’s robe once more, revealing a rare display of defiance.

Feng Zhang’s face twisted with fury. He was just about to crush Lian Ai’s hand completely when, at that moment, the prison door creaked open and Zuo Lingyu appeared just outside the cell.

“Xiaoyu?” Feng Zhang quickly pulled back his rage and looked up in surprise. “Why are you here?”

Zuo Lingyu glanced at him briefly, then turned his gaze to Lian Ai, who lay on the ground in complete disarray.

“What? You’re allowed to come, but I’m not?”

Feng Zhang frowned. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but lately it felt as if Zuo Lingyu had grown increasingly distant from their group of brothers. During their days on the run, whether out of guilt or a sense of responsibility, Zuo Lingyu had endured all scoldings in silence. He never talked back and even seemed willing to accept whatever came his way. But ever since arriving at Fenglei Fort, or perhaps even earlier, from the moment Zuo Lingxue had gone to the capital alone, he had changed. He had become unfamiliar, distant, and cold.

“I’m here to carry out the task the Leader assigned me.” Feng Zhang shook the letter in his hand. “Why are you here? Don’t tell me you’re thinking about rekindling things with that whore?”

Zuo Lingyu’s eyes turned frigid, his voice cutting through the air like ice. “Yes. I came to rekindle things, to break him out, and then join forces with Bu Nian to wipe you all out.”

He raised his maimed right hand, his expression twisted and fierce. “Do you think I’ve lost my mind?”

Even Feng Zhang flinched slightly at the sight of that deformed hand. Under Zuo Lingyu’s glare, he instinctively looked away.

Though he often spoke harshly, Feng Zhang still thought of Zuo Lingyu as the same junior disciple he had grown up with. But with the weight of blood debts, endless days of fleeing, and a mountain of misunderstandings between them, there was no going back.

“I… I didn’t mean that,” he said, his tone softening.

He opened his mouth to say more, but before he could, a voice called out from outside the door.

“Feng Zhang, are you done yet? The Leader is asking for you.”

Feng Zhang gave Zuo Lingyu a glance, then lowered his voice.

“Don’t stay too long.”

He brushed past him and quickly left the cell.

Zuo Lingyu watched his retreating back with a look of indifference. He only withdrew his gaze once the man had disappeared from sight.

Lian Ai lay motionless on the ground. His fingers were red and swollen, blood seeping from the broken skin. Strands of hair clung to his face, and the front of his robe was soaked with blood.

Zuo Lingyu walked over and picked up a ceramic bowl of water from the table nearby. He crouched down and pushed aside the tangled hair covering Lian Ai’s face, revealing the pale, bloodstained features beneath.

“Stop pretending to be dead.” He splashed the water onto Lian Ai’s face, washing away the dirt and blood.

The water rushed into Lian Ai’s nose, making him choke violently. The coughing fit pulled at his injuries and caused him to spit up more blood.

His entire body trembled, but he still managed to lift his one uninjured hand and grab hold of Zuo Lingyu’s wrist.

“Xiaoyu… don’t keep walking the wrong path…” His tear-filled eyes shimmered from the choking, making his gaze seem even more sincere.

But just as the words left his mouth, Zuo Lingyu flinched as if stung by a venomous insect. He jerked his hand away.

“The biggest mistake I ever made in this life was becoming your friend.”

That voice, stripped of warmth, chilled Lian Ai to the bone.