Outside of the North Watching Pass, the sound of approaching hoofbeats traveled across the desert.
It was mid-April and summer was just around the corner. Under the scorching midday sun, the freezing Gobi Desert had begun to hold a hint of heat.
The shadow of a fine steed slowly appeared from the distance, growing clearer as it drew nearer. On the horse were two riders—a man and a woman.
The man carried a longsword on his back, his long hair tied simply and hanging down to his waist. The woman wore a light veil over her face, sitting behind the man with her arms wrapped around his waist.
They were none other than Impending Sword and Alluring Elegy.
The once snowy-white hair of Baili Gucheng was gone, replaced by an odd grayish color. Yang Lu gently brushed her fingertips over the ends of his hair and said softly, "It seems your old ailment has truly healed; even your hair is starting to recover."
"Mm," Baili Gucheng nodded slightly. "The medicinal properties of the Transcendence Stone are indeed exceptional. It lives up to its legend."
"Mm..." Yang Lu’s expression dimmed slightly as she nodded and fell silent.
Baili Gucheng knew she was thinking about how her bitterly gained martial power had been destroyed by the potent properties of the medicine. He spoke to comfort her: "Don’t fret. You can always retrain your martial power. Keeping your life is already a blessing."
"Mm—" Yang Lu leaned her head against Baili Gucheng’s back, smiled contentedly, and shook her head. "I won’t train anymore."
"Hmm?" Baili Gucheng was taken aback and turned his head slightly. "You won’t train anymore? Why is that?"
"Hehe..." Yang Lu laughed softly, playing with the ends of Baili Gucheng’s hair with her fingers. "Because... I have you to protect me~"
Baili Gucheng’s body stiffened, and his face turned slightly red with embarrassment.
After waiting for a while without getting a response, Yang Lu tapped the man in front of her on the back with a hint of reproach. "Hey~ Could it be that you don't want to protect me?"
"Ahem—I do, I do... that’s how it should be."
Yang Lu’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she traced her fingers lightly over Baili Gucheng’s back and said seductively, "Then why does it seem... like you don't want me?"
Baili Gucheng’s entire body tensed up, and he replied solemnly, "Miss Yang, you’re overthinking it—this... this is precisely my duty."
As they spoke, a city in the distance came into view.
Their conversation gradually quieted down. Even when Yang Lu tried to say something flirtatious, Baili Gucheng seemed distracted.
Yang Lu couldn’t help but sigh silently in her heart. The closer they got to North Watching Pass, the more she could sense Baili Gucheng’s tension and loneliness. That was why she kept finding topics to distract him. Now that they were here, she was sure that the silence in Baili Gucheng’s heart couldn’t be eased with words alone.
Less than a mile from the city, Baili Gucheng stopped and dismounted.
Yang Lu followed suit, getting off the horse and standing beside Baili Gucheng as they looked toward the city together.
"During... last two days before I left Liangzhou Prefecture..." Baili Gucheng began to speak slowly, his voice dreadfully low.
Yang Lu turned to look at Baili Gucheng’s profile, only to realize that he was talking to himself, not to her.
"During those two days, I went to find soldiers who had fought in battles and asked about the North Watching Pass," Baili Gucheng said, pressing his lips together, his eyes showing clear signs of anguish. "They said... it was like a living hell..."
"The Northern Qiang barbarians massacred the entire city, piling the corpses before the gates like a hill, higher than the gate itself." Baili Gucheng looked down at the ground beneath his feet before lifting his gaze and striding forward. Yang Lu followed closely, leading the horse.
"The North Watching Pass constantly rebuilt its walls so they were never that high. Thousands of bodies piled together would be its match... I had guessed as much," Baili Gucheng said as he walked. "I guessed many things. I knew that the locals of North Watching Pass would never leave, even if given the chance.
"The people of North Watching Pass are mostly descendants of those who were exiled here. Over time, this became their home. Their roots ran deep, and they couldn’t leave." Baili Gucheng took a deep breath as he looked at the city gates ahead.
The words "North Watching Pass" on the gate had been dyed a shocking red! The powerful characters had been weathered by years of wind and frost before they were given a second bloody coat from the blood that had seeped from the parapets.
Baili Gucheng shifted his gaze to the walls on either side, where large scorched areas marred the base. Even the ground was cracked and fractured.
Baili Gucheng murmured, "Soldiers from Liangzhou told me that the corpses piled outside the walls had started to rot, their stench reaching three miles away. To prevent an epidemic, they were ordered to burn it all."
"The fire burned for an entire day and night without dying down. The billowing black smoke reached the heavens, scaring away birds and beasts alike. They claimed it was the deep resentment of North Watching Pass’s people that kept all living things away."
"And so..." Baili Gucheng’s eyes lost their light as he slowly scanned the desolate scene, his voice hollow. "The world no longer has a North Watching Pass, only a dead city... and one Baili Gucheng."
Baili Gucheng’s gaze settled on a line of blood-red words on the wall: You stupid Ruen dogs dare to scheme? What a pathetic joke!
Baili Gucheng lowered his head, staring at the sword in his hand. "North Watching Pass was just a small city. Perhaps, before long, no one will even remember it..."
The longsword remained unsheathed, yet a clear resonance echoed throughout the heavens and earth.
It was because a lone figure stood amidst the world, sharp and unyielding like an unsheathed blade.
Yang Lu was horrified to discover that, at some unknown moment, countless swords formed of sword qi had appeared, suspended in the air above her. They filled the sky densely, trembling slightly and emitting piercing shrieks.
"But I will still remember..." Baili Gucheng brushed his sleeve aside, placing his hands behind his back.
At the sound of the sword’s cry, as if signaled, all the swords spiraled and shot straight toward the city wall!
The torrential rain of swords descended with a thunderous roar, raising a massive cloud of dust.
As the dust settled, the wall carved with those filthy and scornful words had vanished entirely, leaving a massive gaping hole in its place.
Baili Gucheng stepped toward the gap. Just as his figure was about to disappear into the dust, Yang Lu heard him decisively say, "What is owed—will be repaid in full."