Heaven is the shore of mortal dust

Chapter 98

Affection

Holding iron, wielding a spear

Gazing at the waning moon, I recite a long poem.

Sword in hand, horse on horseback, laughing at the mountains and rivers

Beacon fires rise in the mountains, a song is sung towards the clouds.

Regardless of the wear and tear of swords and shields, the iron-blooded sword will shatter all obstacles.

We will risk the blood of ten thousand heads to restore order to the world.

The handwriting was not as free and easy as usual; instead, it carried a heavy sense of desolation.

"Khan—" A messenger outside announced, "The Dayu Army has sent a letter."

"Bring it in." He gently put down his pen, took the letter, unfolded it, and read it, revealing a mocking smile. "Sure enough, such a trick." He clenched the crumpled paper, crumpled it slightly, and then unfolded his hand, scattering a wad of paper scraps in his palm.

"Did he blackmail you into meeting him?" He Lu asked nervously.

"More than that, he threatened me with the lives of captured soldiers, demanding 100,000 lives in exchange for one of mine." Wei Zijun gave a self-deprecating laugh, turning her head to look at He Lu. "Am I very valuable?"

"You can't go!" He Lu looked at her with a hint of anxiety in his eyes. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand. "Don't go."

"Whether we go or not, we'll decide tomorrow."

We slowly walked through the grassy camp, stopped at a tent, and pushed open the door to go inside.

He slowly approached the man whose hands and feet were bound. "Mr. Zhang, I never imagined that my Western Turkic Khaganate would perish at your hands. Do you feel a sense of accomplishment, Mr. Zhang?"

Zhang Shi looked at the newcomer and laughed self-deprecatingly, "I don't have that much ability yet, but the Khan will have a way."

“Sir, how about we conspire together? Let your pigeons deliver another secret report.” Wei Zijun leaned forward, looking subtly at Zhang Shi sitting on the ground.

“Zhang Shi would not do that. He has only ever done one thing wrong to others in his life, and he already regrets it. He would never do it again.”

Wei Zijun glanced at him and said to Ge Shufa beside her, "Stew his pigeon. I want to eat pigeon meat tonight."

Zhang Shi chuckled, "Khan, that's childish behavior. Khan... he's acting like a child..."

"Zhang Shi, don't laugh. If my army doesn't return by tomorrow, you'll be buried with them."

The early summer sky was cloudless, and the tall poplar trees in the distance were a deep green, their imposing armor seemingly out of place in this beautiful season.

Li Tianqi, dressed in a golden military uniform, waved his hand, and the captured Western Turkic soldiers were pushed to the front of the battle.

"Yibi Shekui Khan, I will only give you the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, otherwise, they will die one by one before you, thanks to you." Li Tianqi's icy words were like a thin layer of frost in winter, chilling people to the bone.

Time passed slowly, and that snow-white figure stood in the wind, like a plum blossom standing proudly in the snow, beautiful and transparent like a jade sculpture.

Finally, Li Tianqi turned his head and slowly said, "Let's begin."

A Western Turkic soldier was brought forward. He was a young and handsome soldier, pale and thin, with large eyes looking at Wei Zijun. He softly called out, "Khan—"

A sharp pain shot through him as the knife was brought to the soldier's neck.

"Stop!" Wei Zijun clutched her chest. "Stop...stop..."

She couldn't hold back any longer. She knew that if she didn't speak up, that soldier would die, and then all the soldiers would die one by one, just because of her. One hundred thousand soldiers would die one by one.

A gentle smile appeared on Li Tianqi's icy face. He couldn't bear it in the end; he was still so soft-hearted, unchanged.

"Li Tianqi, I promise you. Immediately, give up my people." The once carefree and unrestrained figure now appeared unusually frail in the wind.

"Okay." Li Tianqi readily agreed, his face beaming with joy.

Wei Zijun spurred her horse forward, and her generals called out softly behind her, "Khan—" Wei Zijun turned around and looked at her generals behind her, "Wait for me to come back."

Seeing He Lu following closely behind, Wei Zijun had no choice but to stop. When He Lu walked up to her, she leaned close and whispered, "Don't follow me. You'll only be a burden when we run away."

A strange look flashed across He Lu's face, and he reined in his horse.

Seeing her intimate actions with He Lu, a shadow crossed Li Tianqi's face.

The man, with his exquisite features and elegant demeanor, gracefully approached and walked right up to Li Tianqi. He parted his red lips slightly and said, "Release him."

Li Tianqi smiled and said, "Give me your hand."

"Give me your hand? What if you don't release them?" Wei Zijun's lips curled slightly as she coldly replied, "How can I trust you?"

Li Tianqi just smiled, turned around and ordered, "Release her!" Then he reached out and grabbed her wrist.

To her surprise, he simply stroked her wrist gently, without trying to feel her pulse or press any pressure points.

The released Western Turkic army gathered at the front of the battle line. Seeing that their Khan refused to leave, Hulujuque suddenly led his army to charge towards Wei Zijun, shouting loudly, "Khan—I did not listen to you, I have harmed you, I cannot let you go with him."

Faced with the charging Western Turkic soldiers, Li Tianqi did not move, but Wei Zijun shouted, "Go back, all of you! You are unarmed now, do you want to die?"

The soldiers all stopped in their tracks and looked at their Khan. Wei Zijun had no choice but to say again, "Go back and wait for me."

Suddenly, his wrist tightened, and a mocking voice sounded in his ear, "You still want to go back?"

On a cool summer night, Wei Zijun, forced to lie on the bed, secretly circulated her internal energy, trying to break through the acupoints on her body. She thought he would be kind enough not to press her acupoints, but to her surprise, he pressed them as soon as he left.

The tent flap was lifted, and Li Tianqi walked in. He carried a plate with several dishes on it. "Get up and eat. I, your sovereign, am personally serving you. How honored you are."

"Meal?" Wei Zijun turned her face away and said coldly, "You're going to feed me?"

"Okay." Li Tianqi picked her up and let her lean against the couch.

"Li Tianqi," Wei Zijun said angrily, "you'd better release my pressure points."

Seeing that he only smiled and remained silent, her anger rose again. "Li Tianqi, is this how you treat a monarch? If you fall into my hands one day, I will definitely torture you properly."

Li Tianqi suddenly burst into laughter. He felt that happy days had truly returned. Since she left, since he ascended the throne, he had never laughed happily again. Now, all the gloom had vanished, and just seeing her filled his heart with contentment.

"It's okay when you're with me." He reached out and released her pressure points.

Gently shaking her stiff limbs, she rolled over and lay down. "Take it away, it's time to sleep."

Li Tianqi gave a wry smile. This attitude! They were treating him like a servant. This was the first time he had ever served someone a meal.

"No appetite? You've grown up now? I thought you were as carefree as before." Li Tianqi chuckled and lay down next to Wei Zijun. "It's so nice, it feels like going back to the old days."

Wei Zijun sat up abruptly. "Li Tianqi, you'd better go back to your own tent. I can't guarantee I won't kill you in the middle of the night if you stay here."

"This is my sleeping tent." Li Tianqi rested his arm behind his head. "The other tents have dozens of people sleeping together. Do you want to sleep with them?"

“Okay.” Wei Zijun agreed without hesitation and was about to get off the bed when Li Tianqi stopped her. “You can go anywhere, but we need to acupuncture your pressure points. Their martial arts can’t stop you.”

"You—try pointing at me again?" She raised a delicate eyebrow and glanced at Li Tianqi.

Li Tianqi swiftly extended his fingers, and Wei Zijun raised her hand to block, their hands instantly intertwining.

"Fourth brother's skills have improved greatly." Li Tianqi leaned forward, pressing down on him.

“Brother Li hasn’t been idle these past two years either.” Wei Zijun’s slender knuckles began to turn white.

"Did you keep your vow to beat me two years ago?" Fine beads of sweat appeared on Li Tianqi's forehead.

"Whether you can do it or not, you'll know once you try." At this moment, Wei Zijun's cheeks were flushed, she was slightly out of breath, and her handsome eyes were brimming with water. This appearance only made people feel that she was very charming.

The two were less than a foot apart, their breaths mingling, their eyes locked, both panting heavily. Anyone who didn't know the situation would surely have all sorts of wild imaginings.

Gazing at the face he had longed for, so flushed and alluring, Li Tianqi inappropriately recalled their past verbal encounter. His mind went blank, and his grip loosened abruptly. Sensing his sudden loss of strength, Wei Zijun pressed forward, her hand reaching for his pulse. As she loosened her grip, Li Tianqi's wrist slid forward, his fingertips already touching her body just as she reached for his pulse.

Wei Zijun felt a surge of bitterness; she had been acupunctured again.

Volume Two, Turkic Chapter Eighty-Eight: Escape

Seeing her distressed expression, Li Tianqi burst into laughter.

He smiled and laid her down on the bed, gently leaning close to her ear and teasingly said, "Be good, or I'll strip you naked."

Wei Zijun immediately widened her eyes and stared intently at his face to see how plausible his words were.

Seeing this, Li Tianqi burst into laughter again, then lay down next to her.

Seeing her remain silent, Li Tianqi said softly, "Do you hate me?"

"Without love, how can there be hate?" She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to pay attention to that person.

After a long silence, the person on the outside sighed softly, “I know you must hate me for the suffering of the people. But how can you know the suffering of the people on the border of Dayu? The Western Turkic herders are like bandits. Every year, Dayu is invaded by the Western Turks. Almost no family there is intact. Family members are taken away, wives and daughters are raped. Since the founding of Dayu, millions of border people have been plundered and killed. My life’s ambition is to wipe out the Western Turks and restore peace to our borders.”

Wei Zijun remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I also hate those who raid the borders. I have strictly prohibited such acts and severely punished those who invade. But this is only once. Why must you resort to such force? How do you know I cannot govern the Western Turks? The solution to the problem is not limited to force. Isn't that right? Force will only bring more suffering." She sighed, "How do you know the suffering of the Western Turkic people? They live in a cold and harsh place, lacking food and their lives are uncertain..."

Li Tianqi turned to look at her. "Go and see the people on the border of Dayu. Almost every household has someone who has been abducted. What the people hate is what I hate too." He sighed and said, "But even though we hate them, we can endure it for a few years. After all, it is not advisable to wage war after the new emperor has ascended the throne. But because of you..." Because of her, he launched the war earlier than planned.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zijun felt a surge of anger and coldly retorted, "Because of what? Because I am Wei Feng? Because I am your enemy? Because I killed your brother, killed your beloved general? Because of my deception, my shamelessness? So you want to capture me to avenge your grudge? Li Tianqi! You started a war to avenge one person, disregarding the lives of countless soldiers and the survival of the people. How can you be a good ruler? All the people of the world are people, including the people of the Western Turks. You lack the magnanimity to embrace the world, so how can you rule the world, and how can you make the Western Turks submit? You are truly unworthy to be an emperor!"

Li Tianqi remained silent, not uttering a word.

“Now your enemy is right in front of you, at your mercy. You can avenge your dead brothers.” He grew angrier with each word, his cheeks flushed with rage, and his chest heaving with frustration at being unable to move. “Li Tianqi, if you want to humiliate me, you’d better give up that idea now. If you want to kill me, do it as soon as possible.”

After a long silence, Li Tianqi slowly turned around. "Are you done being angry?"

As Wei Zijun gradually calmed down, she was somewhat surprised by his reaction. She turned her head and said coldly, "With a ruler like you, how pitiful are the people of Dayu?"

"Why are you so concerned about the people of Dayu? Do you want to return to Dayu to bring benefits to the people?" Li Tianqi blinked his deep, handsome eyes and turned to look at Wei Zijun.

"I don't want to continue this boring topic, Li Tianqi. If you really intend to sleep with me, you should release my pressure points as you said."

Li Tianqi stared at her for a long time, then asked, "You really like men?"

Wei Zijun's face turned cold. "This is none of your concern."

Upon hearing this, Li Tianqi's eyes were filled with disappointment. "Indeed, you..." A sigh escaped his lips, and he reached out and touched two spots on her body.

Wei Zijun, relieved, stretched her body, then suddenly clutched her abdomen and groaned, "Ugh...it hurts..."

"Zijun? What's wrong? Where does it hurt?" The sudden situation made Li Tianqi sit up in a panic and bend over to check.

Taking advantage of his panic and unpreparedness, Wei Zijun suddenly struck out, quickly aiming for a major acupoint on his chest. However, Li Tianqi suddenly turned to the side, causing her fingertip to deviate two inches. Then, she felt a numbness under her armpit, and she felt another wave of bitterness.

She was acupunctured again.

Having repeatedly schemed against others only to be schemed against herself, Wei Zijun closed her eyes tightly in frustration, not wanting to look at that person's face. She knew what kind of expression that face would have.

Sure enough, Li Tianqi first chuckled, then laughed loudly, and then laughed until he was gasping for breath.