Chapter Five: Xiong Will Take The Summit

  Because he was afraid that Emperor Li would once again go back on his word and hinder his return to the country, Ji Qingchen discussed with his uncle Ye Qingchen and Yu Lin riding school Wei Guo Yun decided that this time they would take a detour from the official road of the emperor's departure and make haste. So as soon as the cavalry left the sphere of influence of Shangjing, they changed their route and speed, hastening for more than ten days, and finally arrived at the banks of the Si River on the evening of the 15th day, less than a hundred miles from Ningwu Pass.

  The cavalry arrived at the Suishui River at midnight, and even if they rushed to Ningwu Pass overnight, they couldn't leave the city. Ji Qingchen could only order Guo Lin to camp on the spot and continue rushing after dawn.

  At night, the cold wind of the northern country howled around the camp like a dark soul. The torches had long been extinguished, and except for the duty officer, everyone else was already asleep.

  There was still a faint light in Ji Qingchen's account.

  At this time, he was quietly gazing at the letter written by Li Qingyi in front of him and the "Wolf Blade" she had given him, lost in thought.

  Ye Qingchen walked out of his own tent and saw that there was still a light in Ji Qingshen's tent, knowing that the Ninth Prince had not rested yet. He strode into Ji Qingshen's tent through the guard at the door.

  Ji Qingchen raised his head and saw Ye Qingchen standing nearby, opening his mouth to ask, "It's so late, Uncle, why haven't you rested yet? Is there something else that needs to be discussed?"

  "Your Highness hasn't rested yet either?" Ye Qingchen looked at the knife and letter on the case table with a serious expression.

  "Ah! Qing Chen is unclear about some things!" Ji Qingchen sighed softly and said, "In the past, Lichang River could have left Qingchen in the carriage, but why didn't he do so in the end? Qingchen saw it in his eyes that he was very unwilling for Qingchen to return to Yan. Moreover, Teacher was also in the carriage at that time, but why did he avoid Lichang River and let Shu'er hand over this letter and this knife to himself?"?? Huangtu Ba Ye 5

  Qian Ye Qingchen looked puzzled, and Ji Qingchen explained, "The teacher is the direct grandson of Li Yaoshi, the war god who left the country. This Wolf Blade is Li Yaoshi's sword, representing the honor of generations of Li's family generals. Normally, the teacher treats it as a treasure, but this time he gave it to Qingchen so easily, which makes Qingchen very puzzled."

  "Does the young master mean that General Li's intention in giving you this letter and sword is more profound?" Ye Qingchen began to carefully examine the ancient war sword on the case and the letter.

  "Yes, if Qingchen's guess is correct, the secret might be in this letter. However, for over ten days, Qingchen didn't dare to look at what was written on it. I know Teacher's personality very well, and since he secretly handed me this letter, I'm afraid that once I read its contents, my relationship with Teacher will truly come to an end!" Ji Qingchen said with a hint of sadness.

  "Qingchen——" Ye Qingchen said affectionately, wanting to persuade his nephew. However, Ji Qingchen spoke up, "Uncle, no need to say more, Qingchen knows what's important. Since we've already arrived at Ningwu Pass, if anything unexpected happens, it will definitely happen before Ningwu Pass. We've come so far, and Qingchen doesn't want to be sent back to the capital city again. No matter what the letter says, please have Uncle read it for me!"

  Ye Qingchen hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and picked up the letter on the desk, gently opening it.

  Inside the envelope, apart from the letter to Ji Qingchen, there was another letter. Ye Qingchen hadn't thought of reading the contents himself and was about to hand it over to Ji Qingchen when he heard Ji Qingchen say, "Uncle, please read it for me again!"

  Ye Qingchen withdrew the hand that had been extended, and placed another letter on the table with "Mu Feng's personal seal" written on the envelope, beginning to carefully read the contents of Li Qingyi's letter to Ji Qinger.

  His gaze shifted to the letter, and his face suddenly changed color, almost showing signs of instability.

  "Uncle, don't panic, read the letter first!" Ji Qingchen was indeed very calm.

  Ye Qingchen saw his nephew's composure, which was as firm as Mount Tai crumbling in front of him without changing color. He felt both relieved and delighted, and thinking of his own panic, his old face turned red, he lightly sighed and suppressed the shock in his heart, and began to read:

  Dust My Disciples

  I shouldn't have written this letter to you, but it's because of the decade-long master-disciple relationship that I've written this in blood. Now that you're returning to Yan, be careful on your journey ahead. The Emperor will think of his old friendship with you and also consider your relationship with the Princess, so he won't make things difficult for you. However, the Empress Dowager is a decisive person who won't consider past relationships and might have you ambushed and killed along the way. Based on my understanding of the Empress Dowager's thoughts, if she were to ambush you at Ningwu Pass, then the commander of Ningwu Pass, Mu Feng, would be your senior brother from the same school. He is a straightforward and heroic person who values relationships and righteousness. I'm showing him this letter as proof of my affection for you, along with the paired sword Wolf Peak, and he will definitely lend you his support.

  From now on, our master-disciple relationship is severed. From this day forward, we will be serving different masters, and when we meet again, it will be a matter of life and death.

  Cherish every moment with me!

  "Indeed! It's Teacher and Qingchen's final letter!" Ji Qingchen sighed softly. ?? Huangtu Ba Ye 5

  "Your Highness, the top priority is to consider how to respond to Empress Dowager Xiao's deployment!" Ye Qingchen saw that his nephew was still thinking about the teacher-student relationship and didn't care about the crisis in front of him, so he said with some concern, "My suggestion is to immediately send someone to deliver the letter to Mu Feng, the guardian of Ningwu Pass. Since General Li had made such arrangements earlier, it's likely that your brother-in-law Mu Feng is a trustworthy person."

  "Uncle, don't be in a hurry, this matter is probably not as simple as you think!" Ji Qingchen thought for a moment and said coldly, "Li Changjiang's ability to inherit the throne of Liguojun is the result of years of planning between me and my teacher. Now that he has ascended to the throne and begun to reuse my teacher, this is a heavy blow to Empress Dowager Xiao, who wants to establish the ten-year-old Nan Institute King as emperor and use his youth to control politics from behind the scenes. Everyone knows that Empress Dowager Xiao and my teacher do not get along in Liguojun. Empress Dowager Xiao has always wanted to eliminate my teacher, and at this time, if we rashly send someone to deliver this letter to Mu Feng Shixiong, it is 100% certain that the letter will fall into someone else's hands, which may be detrimental to my teacher."

  "You're saying that this is Empress Xiao's plot against General Li, and he wants to kill two birds with one stone." Ye Qingchen suddenly understood his nephew's concern.

  Jian Ji nodded slightly and he hastily asked again, "What does Your Highness mean?"

  "Qing Chen thought that the reason they hadn't encountered any obstacles on their journey south was probably because Xiao Tai Hou wanted to make a move against Qing Chen at Ning Wu Pass. Now that they had arrived at Ning Wu Pass, it was likely too late to try and find an escape route. Their surroundings would definitely have many Iron Riders from the Li Guo Kingdom waiting for an opportunity to strike, and as soon as they made any move, they would be intercepted. Since this was the case, why not just follow Xiao Tai Hou's plan and rush towards Ning Wu Pass at dawn? Once they arrived at Ning Wu Pass, Qing Chen could think of a way to hand over the letter to Big Brother Shi, and then it would be up to him to decide what to do next. If Teacher trusted him so much, why shouldn't Qing Chen trust him too?" Qing Chen analyzed calmly.

  "Is it? Are we going to just sit and wait for death now?" Ye Qingchen was anxious.

  "What else can we do?" Ji Qingchen replied, "We are at the mercy of others. We can only wait until dawn and arrive at Ningwu Pass, then we'll talk!"

  As he spoke, he picked up the "Wolf's Edge" knife on the desk and stared blankly into space!

  Ye Qingchen was anxious, but at this time he had no way out and could only sit silently in the tent.

  Half a moment later, Ji Qingchen came back to her senses and saw Ye Qingchen still in the big tent. She said, "Uncle, you can go back and rest first! And this matter only needs to be told to Guo Lin, don't let him tell Yu Lin cavalry again."

  "Yes!" Ye Qingchen acknowledged the order and backed out of the great tent.

  The next day, when the sun was high in the sky, Ji Qingchen's southern cavalry arrived at Ningwu Pass.

  Ningwu was built during the reign of Emperor Ping of Yan, taking three years to complete. Its primary purpose was to defend against the Xiongnu tribes that dominated the northern borders at the time. However, after the Liao State, another nomadic tribe, destroyed the Xiongnu and established the Great Liao Dynasty in the northwest, Ningwu Pass became a focal point of contention between the Liao State and Yan during their years of war. If Yan controlled Ningwu Pass, it would be equivalent to having a stepping stone for advancing north into the Liao State, while if the Liao State controlled Ningwu Pass, it would be like having a sharp sword hanging over Yan's throat.

  So in order to contend for Ningwu Pass, Yan and Li Guo had gone through countless great wars over the course of several hundred years.

  At that time, Ningwu Pass was still under the control of Dayan. It wasn't until 300 years ago when 200,000 iron cavalry from Liguoguo marched south and broke through Ningwu Pass, pressing on to the capital city of Dayan, that Ningwu Pass was finally taken back by Liguoguo.

  It was in that year, when the iron cavalry of the distant country arrived at the Wei River and pressed on to Junlin City, Chen Qing, who was still playing chess with Emperor Xuan of Yan, suddenly received a heavy assignment.

  Chen Qing was appointed in a crisis, and with only 7,000 temporary White Robe Army, he broke the danger of Beidu. Then he marched northward, like breaking bamboo, and suddenly attacked Ningwu Pass, killing to the Upper Capital City of Liao State.

  If it weren't for Chen Qing's lone army advancing deep, without food and reinforcements, the country would have been destroyed by him.

  Because of this great war, Yan once again realized the importance of Ningwu Pass, and immediately Ningwu Pass became the gateway to Yan in the north!

  Who would have thought that thirty years ago, the national military god Li Qingyi rose to power and annihilated twenty million elite troops of Yan in a battle at Huāng Zhī River, causing all of Yan's northern elite soldiers and generals to be defeated. This allowed Li Qingyi to take advantage of the situation and retake the lost Ningwu Pass after three hundred years.

  Now Ningwuguan has become a pass of leaving the country, and it has become a sharp sword hanging over the head of Dayan!

  Ji Qingchen arrived at Ningwu Pass, and General Mu Feng of Ningwu Pass had already received the news. He led hundreds of cavalrymen to stand quietly in front of the pass, waiting for him.

  Ji Qingchen got off the carriage and looked far into the distance. He saw that at the center of the cavalry in front, his senior fellow apprentice Mu Feng was standing on horseback.

  Ji Qingchen hadn't seen this taciturn senior brother for six years, the last time they met was at their teacher's 50th birthday banquet. This time when they met again, he found that his senior brother still hadn't changed much, wearing a coarse cotton robe, washed to a pale color, riding a horse with a burnt and sparse mane, looking somewhat shabby. The only exception was the half-exposed war knife on the saddle, ancient and heavy, with an air of solemnity and killing intent.

  Just as Ji Qingchen was sizing up his senior brother Mu Feng, he suddenly felt a pair of piercing eyes staring at him from the side. He shifted his gaze from his senior brother's body to the side and saw a robust and majestic warrior standing beside him, glaring at him with his phoenix-like eyes.

  "Could it be that this is the chess piece of Empress Xiao in Ningwu Pass mentioned in Master's letter?"

  He just thought so in his heart and didn't show it on his face, still taking big strides forward, saying to his senior brother Mu Feng, "Senior brother, six years haven't changed your elegance!"

  Mu Feng had already dismounted and was walking towards him with large strides, carefully sizing up Ji Qingchen for a moment before smiling slightly and nodding his head, "Six years without seeing each other, didn't expect little Shidi to grow so big, indeed just like Master said, becoming a handsome young master!"

  "Shixiong is laughing! Qingchen has been frail since childhood, and naturally can't be compared to Shixiong or Tiayan Shixiong!" Ji Qingchen said with self-deprecation.

  Mu Feng couldn't help but find his little brother's words adorable and burst out laughing!

  Two sworn brothers meet again, and it's unexpectedly affectionate!

  "Huh!" Suddenly, Mu Feng let out a surprised cry, his eyes shifting to Ji Qingchen's waist, and he asked with some disbelief, "Younger brother, isn't this Master's Wolf Fang Knife? How did it end up in your hands?"

  "It was what Teacher had Qian'er send when I was about to leave." Ji Qingchen replied truthfully.

  Mu Feng was puzzled and asked, "Elder brother, I heard that when we saw off the teacher this time, the teacher was in the carriage of His Majesty. When younger brother left, he paid his respects to the teacher with a big bow, which moved the teacher very much. Why didn't he hand over the knife to younger brother in person? Why did he have to pretend to be the princess?"

  But his words had just been spoken, and before Ji Qingchen's response could be heard, the sound of horseshoes came rushing forth!

  The six hundred iron cavalry waiting quietly in front of Ningwu Pass had already silently charged forward, surrounding Mu Feng and Ji Qingchen as well as the Feathered Forest Riders in the middle.

  "Protect Your Highness!" Guo Lin was already prepared, seeing the Iron Cavalry of Li Guo charging forward, he led a hundred feathered cavalry to the front and tightly protected Ji Qingchen and Mu Feng in the middle.

  Mu Feng was extremely calm, and when he found that the one who had ordered the Ningwu cavalry to retreat was his deputy general Xiao Han, he became enraged and loudly rebuked him, "Xiao Han, what do you think you're doing?"

  "General, the Empress Dowager has a secret order that says Ji Qingchen is actually a spy for Yan Country, not a hostage. He carries state secrets on his person and I have been ordered to escort him back to the capital!" Xiao Han said proudly.

  The gloomy gaze met Mu Feng's icy stare, which shot towards him like a knife, but he didn't flinch at all!

  "Is this a secret order from the Empress Dowager? How come I, as the General, don't know about it? Do you have an imperial decree?" Mu Feng asked sternly, his eyes full of disdain.

  Because Xiao Han was none other than the nephew of Empress Dowager Xiao, and without her, he wouldn't have even qualified to be a deputy general at Ningwu Pass based on his military strategy.

  "Mu Feng, you have a big nerve! You dare to question the Empress Dowager's edict? Do you still respect the Empress Dowager in your eyes? You should know that the Empress Dowager is the Emperor's mother, and her edict is the Emperor's sacred decree. By questioning the Empress Dowager's order like this, are you trying to openly defy the imperial decree and plot rebellion?" Xiao Han rebuked Mu Feng loudly, his anger ignited by Mu Feng's disdainful gaze earlier!

  Mu Feng didn't say a word, but quietly glanced at the little junior brother in front of him, then took a glance at the Wolf's Edge knife at his waist. It seemed that he suddenly understood why Master had asked Princess to hand over the Wolf's Edge knife to Ji Qingchen.

  At this time, he hesitated a little and was uncertain whether the edict of Empress Xiao in Xiang's mouth was her own or the Emperor's intention.

  Ji Qingchen saw Mu Feng's silence and knew what was on his mind.

  At the critical moment, he couldn't care about too much, and immediately whispered to Mu Feng's ear, "Brother, there is also a letter from Master here in Qingchen. It must not fall into Xiao Han's hands!"

  Mu Feng was taken aback and suddenly asked, "Is it a letter from Teacher to me?"

  Ji Qingchen nodded lightly!

  Mu Feng remained silent after hearing this, and merely pondered for a moment.

  Suddenly, a hint of relief appeared on his solemn face!

  Xiao Han, riding on his horse, did not hear the conversation between Mu Feng and Ji Qingchen. Seeing Mu Feng's silence, he thought that Mu Feng had been intimidated by the empress dowager's decree and had submitted to his authority, so he became even more arrogant. Ignoring Mu Feng's cold gaze, he immediately ordered the iron cavalry beside him, "Come on! Quickly take down Ji Qingchen for this general!"

  "Yes!" Six hundred iron cavalry received the order and rode their horses to kill towards the Lang of Youlin.

  "Halt!" Just as the 600 iron cavalry were about to charge, Mu Feng suddenly shouted loudly.

  Mufeng Town has been guarding Ningwu Pass for six years, and is also a disciple of the national army's god Li Qingyi. He is one of the three great generals of the country, while Xiao Han is just a deputy general who has only recently arrived at Ningwu Pass and has no prestige in the pass. The iron cavalry of the country heard Mufeng's roar and suddenly stopped their charge.

  "You——" Xiao Han was shocked, his movements were a bit flustered, he didn't dare to look into his own eyes. When he first arrived at Ningwu Pass, he carefully selected the 600 cavalrymen in front of him as his personal guards, with the intention of having an army that could listen to his commands when necessary. But unexpectedly, Mu Feng stopped his personal guards with just one sentence.

  Mu Feng ignored Xiao Han's panicked expression, instead his gaze swept coldly over the Liguojun cavalry on horseback. The warhorses' heads lowered involuntarily under Mu Feng's piercing gaze, like a group of children who had made a mistake. Mu Feng let out a cold snort, then shifted his gaze to Xiao Han and walked towards him with an unhurried pace.

  "Wood - Wood Peak - what do you want to do?" Xiao Han no longer dared to look directly at Wood Peak's eyes, seeing Wood Peak step by step approaching himself, his voice was a bit distorted, and his face was full of fear.

  "Xiao Han, tell me again what kind of edict the Empress Dowager gave you?" Mu Feng walked to Xiao Han's horse and asked calmly.

  Mù Fēng said that, and then Mù Fēng's face was calm, Xiāo Hàn was a bit stunned, had he misseen it earlier? He suddenly let out a long breath, just about to speak, when he heard a "clanging" sound, followed by a flash of white light, and then a "pffft" sound, and saw a burst of fresh blood gushing out, Xiāo Hàn's head flew into the air.

  Quiet!

  The whole scene was eerily quiet!

  Mu Feng suddenly killed Xiao Han with one knife!

  Ji Qingchen did not expect that his own Master would actually do such a thing, and for the sake of this disciple, he personally killed his deputy general.

  Ji Qing's eyes widened in shock!

  Yulin's horse stopped suddenly!

  The Iron Cavalry also didn't expect the commander to kill his deputy, and they were stunned!

  Only Mu Feng remained calm after killing Xiao Han, he sheathed the long knife in his hand into the scabbard on Xiao Han's headless corpse's saddle, and it was only then that Xiao Han's body fell heavily from the warhorse. Then he spoke, "Xiao Han forged the empress's edict, wanting to kill the ninth prince of Great Yan, causing a rift between our countries. He deserved to die!"

  "Open the gate!" - Mu Feng's loud roar facing the Ningwu Pass city gate.

  With a creak, the city gate of Ningwu Pass swung open.

  As soon as the sound of the city gate opening was heard, the 600 Li Guo cavalrymen under Ningwu Pass came to their senses and immediately gave way to Ji Qingchen and Yu Linji, clearing a path for them.

  Mu Feng strode up to Ji Qingchen and said, "Younger brother, you'd better hurry up. If you're late by even one more step, I'm afraid you really won't be able to leave Ningwu Pass!"

  "Senior Brother ——" Ji Qingchen's eyes warmed up, unsure of how to thank this senior brother whom she had never deeply interacted with and had only met a few times.

  This is truly a lifesaving grace!

  "Junior brother, since the master has passed on the Wolf's Edge knife to you, he must have had his own profound intentions. So when you encounter danger, can your senior brother not lend you a helping hand? Wood Peak smiled calmly and said frankly, "As for the master's letter, there's no need to give it to your senior brother, you keep it yourself!"

  Ji Qingchen knew that Mu Feng had killed Xiao Han out of desperation, and now they were in the territory of a foreign country. He himself was still not out of danger and couldn't linger too long at Ningwu Pass. He bowed deeply to Mu Feng, "Thank you, senior brother! I'll take my leave now. Please take care of yourself, and if you ever come south to Da Yan, your junior brother will surely welcome you with open arms!"

  Mu Feng didn't say anything, just smiled faintly and shook his head slightly.

  Ji Qingchen quickly boarded the carriage, and the Yu Lin cavalry urged on their war horses. The horse team slowly exited Ningwu Pass.