Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Four

Suddenly, spring wind comes like a night of surprise, and thousands of pear trees blossom in snowy guise.

The Yanmen Pass welcomed the first snow of early winter, and large, heavy snowflakes drifted down from the gloomy sky. Before long, the group of travelers standing atop the mountain were transformed into living snowmen, merging seamlessly with the silver-clad landscape of the Yanmen Pass.

At this moment, Yang Yaozong was sitting inside a luxurious and spacious carriage. A charcoal stove burned briskly within, heating a pot of water on top. The water was about to boil, sending white mist billowing from around the lid and the spout, filling the cozy interior with a comforting warmth.

Only after he could no longer see his wives and good friends seeing him off did Yang Yaozong pull his head back inside, drop the carriage curtain, pat the accumulated snow from his head, and gaze dazedly as the snowflakes melted in his palm.

"We've only just parted, and already you can't bear it?" The speaker was none other than Ayi, and this luxurious carriage belonged to her. Seeing Yang Yaozong looking so dejected, she let out a light, disdainful snort.

Seeing that Yang Yaozong ignored her, Ayi continued, "Each of your pampered wives is as beautiful as a celestial fairy. If I were a man, I wouldn't be able to bear leaving them either."

"You understand well enough," Yang Yaozong replied bluntly.

"You!" Ayi's chest heaved with anger as she glared hatefully at Yang Yaozong. Then she noticed the ice needle still embedded in the wooden panel beside her head. The ice needle emitted a dazzling glare, appearing utterly glaring to her eyes, though she was also secretly shocked that despite the intense warmth inside the carriage, it had yet to melt.

This very ice needle was formed by Jing Yijun right before Ayi's eyes, condensing the moisture in the air using her inner qi. With a mere flick of her wrist, she had shot this ice needle grazing past Ayi's ear into the wooden panel behind her.

Ayi naturally knew this was Jing Yijun's warning to her. While she wasn't terrified, she was truly astonished by Jing Yijun's unfathomable martial arts. Combined with the breathtaking beauty she had glimpsed earlier through the wind-blown white veil—a face that left even her awestruck—and especially after learning from Yang Yaozong that this woman was a princess of the Great Zhou, watching Yang Yaozong's proud and pampering expression only fueled the jealousy and resentment burning in her heart.

Now, seeing this glittering ice needle once again, her anger flared up all the more.

"Right now, you are merely a hostage sent by the Great Zhou to us Turks in exchange for peace!" Ayi said through clenched teeth.

"I know," Yang Yaozong replied nonchalantly.

Seeing that Yang Yaozong had comfortably and leisurely reclined in the carriage with his eyes closed, paying her no heed whatsoever, Ayi flew into a rage, pounced on top of him, and rained a flurry of heavy blows upon him with her delicate fists. Striking him hard, she snapped, "She bullies me, so I'll bully you! Let's see what she can do about it!"

Finding her behavior utterly unreasonable, Yang Yaozong fended off the assault for a moment before suddenly grabbing both of Ayi's descending fists. He flipped over to pin her beneath him, furrowing his brow in anger as he demanded, "What nonsense are you acting out now! Aren't you in a hurry to unite the Turkic tribes? At this rate of travel, how do you expect to catch up with the main army pursuing the fleeing Eastern Turkic troops, and how will you command them in battle?"

"What business is it of yours!" Ayi gave a light snort, then gazed seductively at Yang Yaozong with a coquettish smile. "In this entire world, there is only one person who has the right to manage me, and that is my future husband! Are you certain you want to manage me?"

Yang Yaozong let out a soft huff and released Ayi's hands, intending to get up, but Ayi reached out and wrapped her arms tightly around him. Staring intently into his eyes, she whispered, "Tell me, do you want to manage me or not?" Her voice was meltingly soft and deeply alluring.

Just as Yang Yaozong was about to reply, several sharp cries of an eagle echoed from above.

Ayi clearly heard the eagle cries as well. She loosened her tight embrace around Yang Yaozong, her face flushing with embarrassment as she said, "Anyway, since you're by my side now, I have plenty of time to wait for your answer. I'll give you all the time you need to think it over carefully!"

The two of them had just straightened up and seated themselves properly when Sewu's voice came from outside the window on Ayi's side. She spoke in the Turkic language, which Yang Yaozong could not understand. Shortly after, a small bamboo tube was passed through the window to Ayi.

When Ayi pulled a piece of stationery from the small bamboo tube, Yang Yaozong realized why she had been in no rush at all—she was relying on her trained messenger falcons to transmit information.

Ayi frowned as she read the letter and said, "My brother and Jie Zhilue led the army to pursue Tuoliedehann's ten thousand remaining troops, but they are still fleeing while putting up desperate resistance. Our soldiers have suffered heavy casualties. Do you have any way to wipe out these remnants of Tuoliedehann as quickly as possible while minimizing our casualties?"

Yang Yaozong frowned and asked, "Wipe them out? They are Turks as well; why don't you simply subjugate them?"

Ayi narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze turning sharp as she replied, "These remnants are fiercely loyal to Tuoliedehann and are extremely difficult to subdue. Therefore, I must annihilate all of them to establish the prestige of our Western Turkic Khanate. This will also reduce obstacles for subjugating other Eastern Turkic tribes in the future, allowing them to submit obediently under the protection of our Western Turkic state!"

Yang Yaozong looked at Ayi with a furrowed brow and remained silent.

Seeing him gaze at her with a frown, Ayi smiled faintly—a somewhat forced smile—and asked, "What is it? Are you frightened by my appearance? Do you think I am too ruthless and cruel?"

Yang Yaozong shook his head and said, "Your Turkic totem is the wolf, and your nature is like that of a wolf as well—fierce, fond of fighting, and difficult to tame. I don't understand your people as well as you do, but I think you are right. Using violence to counter violence may well be the best method to subdue the Eastern Turkic tribes. In this regard, I trust your judgment."

No matter how she listened to Yang Yaozong's words, Ayi felt they sounded a bit awkward, yet she also felt he made sense and could find no suitable reason to refute him. Giving a light snort, she asked, "Do you have any way to wipe them out as soon as possible?"

"You're trying to make me commit a grave sin," Yang Yaozong sighed.

"Oh? A few days ago, when you commanded the Great Zhou soldiers to slaughter so many Eastern Turkic people, why didn't you say you were committing a sin?" Ayi glanced sideways at him and said.

"You're confusing concepts. What I did back then fell under legitimate self-defense; helping you now would be tantamount to assisting a tyrant in his evil deeds and acting as a jackal for the tiger," Yang Yaozong retorted with a curl of his lip.

Although Ayi did not understand what Yang Yaozong meant by confusing concepts or legitimate self-defense, she fully understood the metaphors of assisting a tyrant and acting as a jackal for the tiger. Glaring hatefully at him, she suddenly lunged forward, pulled open the collar of Yang Yaozong's robe, and bit down hard.

Yang Yaozong winced, baring his teeth, yet he made no sound.

Suddenly, Ayi caught sight of the crescent-shaped jade pendant slipping out from Yang Yaozong's neck onto her side, and she loosened her bite. Looking at the blood-red tooth marks she had left on his shoulder, she gently straightened his collar, her eyes misting over. Leaning in close to him, she whispered softly, "You fool! Why didn't you fight back this time?"

"Didn't you say I am a hostage sent by the Great Zhou in exchange for peace? I have to act the part of a hostage. But... are you a dog by nature? That hurt so much!" Yang Yaozong said lazily, though his brow remained furrowed.

"Hmph! You're the one who's like a dog. I belong to the wolf pack! Quick, tell me what methods you have to help me, or I'll bite you again!" Ayi said with a coquettish pout.

"Are you truly going to listen to my advice in this posture? I certainly don't mind, but I'm afraid I might soon turn into a wolf of a different kind—to properly train and discipline you, this little she-wolf of mine!" Yang Yaozong teased.

"Oh? Then I'd love to see what you look like as that kind of wolf, and how you plan to train this little she-wolf of mine?" Ayi laughed seductively and coquettishly, leaning down close to Yang Yaozong so that her breath felt like fragrant orchid wind against him.

Ayi's long hair brushed against Yang Yaozong's face, tickling him incessantly.

Yang Yaozong brushed her hair aside, gave a dry cough, and said, "My throat is a bit dry. Let me get up and have a cup of tea, and then I will share my strategy with you. As for whether it is suitable or whether you choose to adopt it, that will be entirely up to you."

Maintaining her seductive smile, Ayi leaned over and watched Yang Yaozong for a moment before proudly sitting back in her own seat with a light snort. "Coward! All bark and no bite!"

Yang Yaozong gave another couple of dry coughs, took a sip of tea, and began: "If you press too hard in your pursuit of Tuoliedehann's remnants, they will undoubtedly put up a desperate fight to the death. Instead, you should have your brother and Jie Zhilue ease up on the pursuit, dispatching only scouts to monitor their movements. When they are exhausted in body and spirit, believing themselves safe and wishing to rest somewhere, you can then seize the opportunity to strike. Because they fled in a panic without provisions, they will inevitably have to search everywhere for food. Once they scatter to forage, have your brother and Jie Zhilue wipe out these dispersed forces. That should make things much simpler for you. Furthermore, you can have a contingent of troops set up camp and cook meals not far from Tuoliedehann's retreating army—make the portions large and the aroma rich. If you have any lethal poisons, mix them into the food. Those Eastern Turkic soldiers have been fleeing for days; upon smelling the aroma, they will undoubtedly rush to plunder the food. At that time, you only need to order your soldiers to feign careless defense, abandoning their armor and fleeing in apparent panic. Leave the poisoned food behind for them. Having starved for so long, they won't even consider whether the food is poisoned; even if they suspect it, hunger will drive them to eat it anyway. Dying with a full stomach is far better than dying as a starving ghost!"

Ayi's beautiful eyes flashed brightly with an extremely seductive smile, and her voice dripped with sweetness as she said, "Very well! I shall reply to them precisely as you have instructed."