Heaven is the shore of mortal dust

Chapter 151

As the sun began to set, the venison was put back on the grill. Wei Zijun blew on the tinderbox and diligently climbed over the pile of ashes to light it. Liu Yunde and Dieyun lay opposite her, also blowing on the tinderbox with great effort.

With a forceful blast, Wei Zijun blew a cloud of black ash onto Liu Yunde's face. Seeing his face covered in ash, his eyes blinking rapidly, before he could even react, Wei Zijun burst into laughter, laughing so hard she almost collapsed to the ground. Liu Yunde wiped the ash from his face and, unexpectedly, smeared it on her face as well, laughing loudly. Wei Zijun wiped her face again and then smeared it on Dieyun's face; the group erupted in laughter.

Seeing this, Li Tianqi's face suddenly darkened. He stood up angrily, walked past Wei Zijun loudly, and went to sit under a tree a few dozen steps away, sulking.

The moment he thought she was dead, his heart shattered. He felt hopeless and only wanted to follow her in death. Now, she stood alive and well before him. How he longed to hold her and never leave her side. But she didn't give him the chance. She spent all her time coaxing that Dieyun. When he tried to hold her hand, she would subtly shake him off, let alone hug him.

He sat there, sulking, hoping she would come to him. She didn't come, and his resentment grew stronger, a lump forming in his throat. He felt it would have been better if they had never met. Meeting her had taught him the pain of life, a pain etched into his very being, a pain that seemed only soothed by holding her in his arms. But he had no chance. Yet, he was also grateful that he had met her. If he hadn't, he would never have tasted love. How could he not have met such a wonderful woman like Ziju? Perhaps if he had never met her, the pain would have been even greater. Now that he knew her, he could no longer bear days without her, nor accept a world without her.

Half an hour passed, and finally, footsteps sounded behind him. Li Tianqi turned around in surprise and saw Liu Yunde.

"Dinner's ready." That was all he said. He couldn't bring himself to say "Big Brother." He knew that this man, like him, deeply loved the same woman, and that feeling was truly unpleasant.

"Okay, you can go back now."

Liu Yunde left, but Li Tianqi remained motionless.

Miaozhou called again, but he still didn't move.

Seeing the two return alone, Wei Zijun finally sighed and stood up helplessly, "I'll go call him."

The setting sun cast a warm glow on everything, and the autumn wind stirred up fallen leaves. Some trees that had fallen early had already shed all their leaves. A streak of red clouds on the horizon was exceptionally beautiful, making the figure appear somewhat lonely.

She stopped behind him. "Second brother, let's go get something to eat."

When he heard the word "Second Brother," Li Tianqi's heart skipped a beat. He suppressed his urge to get up and run towards her, without looking back.

Wei Zijun sighed inwardly. They'd finally escaped, and now he was throwing a tantrum? She walked up to him, squatted down, and tilted her head to look at his downcast face. "Is Second Brother angry?"

“No,” Li Tianqi turned his head away, avoiding her face.

Wei Zijun then moved her face closer to his, "You still say you're not? You're clearly angry. Who upset you?"

Who else did she ask? She has no self-awareness whatsoever.

“Look at these lips, you could hang oil bottles on them.” Wei Zijun stretched out her long finger and pressed it against Li Tianqi’s lips. “And it looks like you could hang three oil bottles on them.”

Li Tianqi pursed his lips, his smile spreading to his eyes. This vixen really knows how to charm people.

"You hugged him for so long, but ignored me," he said defiantly.

Wei Zijun suddenly realized, "Oh, that's what it was about." It wasn't that she was ignoring him, but several people here harbored unusual feelings for her. How could she be overly close to him without considering the feelings of others? She couldn't let them be sad; she had to take care of everyone's emotions. It was truly exhausting.

"Second brother, Dieyun is still a child. He gets angry easily and throws tantrums. Look how sad he is crying. How can I not comfort him?"

"I want to cry too, will you hug me or not?"

"Hug me! Hug me! Of course I'll hug you!"

"Then you hug me!"

Wei Zijun was taken aback. "Okay, I'll carry you!" She then sat down beside him, arms outstretched. "Come on."

Li Tianqi smiled slightly, then leaned forward and fell into her arms.

He looked up at her, the setting sun casting a warm glow on her cheeks. Her eyes, clear as a spring, were now brimming with orange light. The tips of her hair were tinged with the warm golden sunlight, and her eyelashes fluttered golden. She was so beautiful.

He reached out and touched her cheek, but tears welled up in his eyes; he was so happy he wanted to cry.

Wei Zijun stretched out her long fingers and touched his eyes. "Second brother, don't cry. It hurts me to see you cry."

Does it hurt? Does it hurt? Li Tianqi hugged her tightly, burying his head in her chest...

In October of the fourth year of the Jiande era of the Dayu Kingdom, a battle broke out between Dayu and Nepal. The Dayu army, already aware of the Tibetan conspiracy, was led by Fang Gu, the Grand General of the Lhasa Road Army, and entered the Tibetan camp as an allied force. However, on a night when the Tibetans were completely unprepared, they decisively defeated the Tibetan army. Afterwards, they appeared on the Nepalese border as Tibetan troops, causing this poor and unproductive country to suffer annihilation for currying favor with Tibet.

King Nalingdeva of Nepal took the initiative to meet Fang Gu and offered his surrender to this large-eyed general. This young general, who had once had his finger broken by Empress Wei Zijun yet was exceptionally brave, this large-eyed general, who, thanks to Empress Wei Zijun's ability to recognize and utilize talent, lived up to expectations and eventually became the army commander-in-chief, finally completed his mission perfectly, completely shattering Songtsen Gampo's dream of conquering the Central Plains.

The fire at the Potala Palace burned for two days. When Songtsen Gampo stood before the palace, now reduced to a mere stone frame, and heard the news, he finally roared in fury after two days of silence. He understood: it was all because of that woman, the one he hadn't dared to touch, hadn't dared to kill, yet who had burned his palace, ruining his grand plan to conquer the Central Plains—she had revealed his scheme.

Finally, Songtsen Gampo roared, "Send troops immediately and bring Wei Feng back to me!"

Volume 4 Where Does Love Belong? Chapter 141 Falling

The towering Nyainqêntanglha Mountains are perpetually covered in snow, with dozens of ancient glaciers cascading down their slopes, and ice floes constantly drifting down the winding river. On both sides are continuous snow-capped mountains. Once you cross the Datanggula Pass and then the Xiaotanggula Pass, you can enter the vast Qiangtang Grassland.

Wei Zijun and her group crossed the Datang Gula Pass and rested temporarily at a winding river section. Since reuniting with Wei Zijun, Li Tianqi's thin and haggard face had become plump and radiant. In just a few days in the mountains, he had regained his former refined and handsome demeanor. Seeing this strange change, Miaozhou couldn't help but sigh inwardly. That woman was ultimately his life; without her, his life was gone. Only a woman like that could stir a subtle flutter in his heart, which was as hard as stone. But such a person was ultimately unattainable.

The autumn wind rustled, the grass turned yellow, and several eagles soared across the sky. Wei Zijun left the group and sat alone on the grass, gazing absently at the distant snow-capped peaks.

Not long after she sat down, Li Tianqi came searching for her, calling out, "Zijun—"

Hearing his call, Wei Zijun sighed. This man, the emperor of a nation, who possessed the entire world and acted decisively and ruthlessly, had now become a veritable shadow, following her wherever she went, never allowing her to leave his sight for a moment. Thinking of him following behind, the way he looked at her, her throat tightened. How could such a grown man be tormented by her? Sometimes, she truly had the urge to hug him and comfort him, but now was not the right time.

When Li Tianqi saw her sitting there, he walked over and sat down next to her, leaning his whole body against Wei Zijun.

"Don't you have any bones?" Wei Zijun turned her head to the side, her eyelashes lowered as she looked at his head resting on her shoulder.

"Mmm," Li Tianqi responded sweetly.

Wei Zijun chuckled, "You've gotten so fat, and you still have to rely on someone as skinny as me. I really don't understand how I can fatten you up with just a diet without oil or salt."

"With you here, I can gain weight no matter what I eat." Li Tianqi reached out and wrapped his arms around Wei Zijun's waist.

Wei Zijun's face flushed slightly. She turned her head away, letting the autumn wind carry away the burning sensation. "Second Brother, we have to go back now. We need to hurry on our journey. This afternoon, we'll be able to leave here and reach the Qiangtang Grassland." Wei Zijun gently removed Li Tianqi's hand, and as she put it down, she touched the jade pendant hanging from the side of his robe. She picked up the pendant, somewhat wistfully, "You still wear such a worthless thing; it's really unbecoming of your status."

Li Tianqi reached out and grabbed the jade pendant. "Don't even think about taking it back." He bent down and stroked the jade pendant. He remembered four years ago when she took off her clothes and put them on him because she was afraid he would be cold, but he abandoned her... Tears blurred his eyes and fell, dripping onto the jade pendant.

"Second Brother?" Wei Zijun cupped his face in her hands. "Why are you crying again? What's wrong?" This man, who never cried, seemed to be shedding all the tears of his life in front of her.

"Zijun, I want to go back to Lucheng and start over with us. If I hadn't left you that day, you wouldn't have suffered so much. If it happens again, I would rather die than leave you."

"Okay, okay, let's go back to Lucheng. We'll go back to Lucheng once we get out of here." Wei Zijun gently patted his back to comfort him, and she reached out to wipe away the tears on his face. "Alright, you've turned into a peach again. If they see this, they'll think I've bullied you."

As the two got up to leave, Li Tianqi slipped his hand into Wei Zijun's wide sleeve and grasped her fingertips. Since they were almost at their resting place, Wei Zijun gently withdrew her hand.

Unable to hold her hand, Li Tianqi grabbed her sleeve instead. Wei Zijun tried to shake it off but couldn't, so she had no choice but to let him hold her sleeve.

"There was no way to wash it to begin with, and you've made these sleeves even dirtier." Wei Zijun said helplessly. To avoid drawing too much attention, the others had already taken off their tight-sleeved Tibetan guard uniforms and changed back into their own clothes. She looked down at her sleeves, which he had dirtied over the past few days, and gave a wry smile.

"I'll wash you when we get back?" Li Tianqi said guiltily, still holding on tightly, as if if he let go, she would leave his side again, and he would never be able to find her again.

After resting, the group hurried on their way. Several days later, when they finally emerged from the Tanggula Pass, they expected to see a beautiful scene of blue skies and grasslands, with cattle and sheep scattered like pearls across the plains. However, when they looked around, they were all stunned.

Several thousand Tibetan elite soldiers stood in unison on the grassland. At the head of them, a man with one side of his face covered in ointment slowly walked out, his fiery eagle eyes glaring directly at Wei Zijun. That man was none other than Gongsong Gongzan.

"Khan, how have you been? I never imagined that after all these days of running, you still couldn't escape my grasp." Gongsong Gongzan looked Wei Zijun up and down. "Why aren't you wearing our Tibetan guard uniform? That uniform really suits you. I like handsome little guards."

Surprisingly, he hadn't died. Wei Zijun smiled faintly, "Clothes are always more comfortable to wear, and it's wiser to manage one's own country. It seems the prince is truly blessed to survive such a fire; it's a miracle."

"Hahaha—" Gongsong Gongzan laughed loudly, "My wish is not yet fulfilled, how can I die? I must see you one last time before I die, and even if I die, I will drag you down with me."

"We'll see if you have the ability," Wei Zijun said, giving Li Tianqi a wink, signaling him to prepare to escape. The black-clad guards behind Gongsong Gongzan were no ordinary characters; there were at least a hundred of them, more formidable than a thousand troops.

"Then let's give it a try." Gongsong Gongzan raised his hand, and the black-clad guards behind him quickly leaped out. "Capture Wei Feng and Li Tianqi alive."

As soon as Gong Song and Gong Zan finished speaking, Li Tianqi picked up Wei Zijun and jumped backward. The group of people tacitly understood each other and quickly used their lightness skills to dart away.

"Wei Feng, you can't escape! I'll catch you even if it kills me!" Gongsong Gongzan roared.

“Even in death—you cannot escape my control—” Gongsong Gongzan urged his horse onward, his voice echoing across the wilderness, carrying a complex emotion and immense hatred.

The hundred black-clad guards followed closely behind, but no matter how they chased, they were still nearly a hundred paces behind. Gongsong Gongzan picked up his crossbow on horseback, slowly raised his hand, and said ruthlessly, "Shoot—" He then fired a whistling arrow at Wei Zijun.

The shrill whistle rang out, followed by a deluge of arrows raining down. Li Tianqi quickened his pace, yelling, "Scatter, everyone!" The group quickly dispersed and fled towards the valley behind them.

Despite leaping forward at top speed, he still couldn't escape the range of the arrow. The powerful arrow, imbued with immense internal force, exceeded the range of an ordinary person. Li Tianqi used all his strength to block the arrows that were shooting rapidly in front of Wei Zijun, but in doing so, he exposed himself to the rain of arrows.

Before this batch of arrows could be fired, another whistling arrow rang out, hurtling towards Li Tianqi. At this moment, he was fully focused on blocking the arrows aimed at Wei Zijun and had no time to worry about himself. Seeing the whistling arrow accompanied by a hail of arrows rapidly approaching Li Tianqi, Wei Zijun was frantic. She tried to push Li Tianqi away, attempting to get him out of the range of the arrows, but Li Tianqi stubbornly blocked the arrows for her, refusing to move even a little away.

Just as the whistling arrow and the rain of arrows were about to strike Li Tianqi, the extremely anxious Wei Zijun felt a surge of immense power within her. Without hesitation, she lunged in front of Li Tianqi, attempting to shield him from the whistling arrow. In that single lunge, a powerful surge of internal energy coursed through her body, instantly opening up her long-closed meridians. With a flick of her long sleeves, she swept away countless arrows. She stretched out her long arm, grasped the whistling arrow, and then, with a clear shout, soared into the sky, leaving a dazzling white streak in the air. With a graceful, flowing movement, she raised her arm high and, with all her might, hurled the whistling arrow towards Gongsong Gongzan…

The whistle, imbued with internal energy, shot towards Gongsong Gongzan with a sharp whistle, boundless power, astonishing speed, and the force to shatter metal and split rocks. Just as everyone was stunned, a "whoosh" sound rang out, and the whole world fell silent. No one had expected that an arrow shot without a bow could be so fierce and accurate.

Gongsong Gongzan swayed on his horse, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He slowly looked down at the arrow piercing his chest, then looked up at Wei Zijun, who was falling from the sky. He stared incredulously at the elegant figure in her clothes, his eyes filled with complex and unreadable emotions. She had killed him after all, and with his own weapon.

"My son—" Just as Gongsong Gongzan was struck by the arrow, a troop of elite soldiers galloped across the grassland ahead, with Songtsen Gampo leading the way. Gongsong Gongzan turned to look at his father and slowly fell off his horse.

Seeing the fallen figure, Wei Zijun felt a mix of emotions. "Father, Jun'er has finally avenged you." Seeing Songtsen Gampo approaching with a near-roar, Wei Zijun didn't have time to process the reluctance in her heart. "Quick, let's go—" She grabbed Dieyun beside her and leaped out first.

They thought Songtsen Gampo would hold off Gongsong Gongtsen and wouldn't pursue them immediately, but unexpectedly, he led his men and chased after them directly. Dozens of black figures rushed over at high speed, each seemingly possessing unfathomable skill. In an instant, the men in black caught up with several of them and engaged them in combat.

Just then, a deafening hoofbeat echoed from the north of the grassland, and a cloud of dust, mixed with bits of grass kicked up by the horses' hooves, billowed up. A massive army of tens of thousands roared in, led by a man dressed in white on a white horse. His beautiful face was unusually thin, and he rode swiftly with a look of great anxiety, leading his army toward the few people who were surrounded.

The roaring, fierce army instantly scattered the men in black, and a pair of slender, powerful hands grabbed Wei Zijun's wrists.

"He Lu?" Wei Zijun exclaimed softly, somewhat incredulous.

He Lu gazed at Wei Zijun for a long time, his hands trembling violently, yet he couldn't utter a single word. His large hand trembled as he touched her face, and two rare tears streamed down his thin cheeks.

Wei Zijun felt a pang of pain in her heart, unsure how to comfort him. She slowly reached out to wipe the tears from his face. Just as the two gazed at each other, the black-clad guards leaped from the ranks of soldiers and charged towards a few people.

"We'll catch up later, let's go—" Seeing that the men in black had already broken out of the soldiers' encirclement and were leaping towards them, Miaozhou stepped forward, grabbed Wei Zijun and He Lu, and quickly jumped up to the top of the mountain.

The black-clad guards pressed forward relentlessly, and the group fought their way back.

Seeing the skill of those men in black, Wei Zijun understood their current predicament; the army couldn't stop them. She looked at Miaozhou, "Miaozhou, no matter what happens, you must protect His Majesty in the chaos and bring him back to Dayu. Don't worry about us, understand?"

Miao Zhou glanced at Li Tianqi, who was being held captive by two men in black not far away. "His Majesty ordered that my primary concern is your safety."

“Miaozhou, you are his man. Your responsibility is to bring him back to Dayu safely. Dayu is in grave danger right now. Li Beiji is waiting for the right moment to ascend the throne. If he doesn’t go back, Dayu will be in imminent danger.” Seeing Miaozhou remain silent, Wei Zijun’s tone was full of anxiety. “Miaozhou—how could you not know which is more important?”

Finally, Miaozhou nodded, and Wei Zijun breathed a sigh of relief before continuing her retreat up the mountain.

The number of men in black increased, separating the group. He Lu and Wei Zijun, along with Miao Zhou, protected Li Tianqi. Li Tianqi anxiously looked towards Wei Zijun's side but couldn't break free to reach her. Die Yun and Liu Yunde were also forced further and further away from the group by the men in black.

He Lu's skills had improved considerably, and his combined power with Wei Zijun was immense. However, due to the overwhelming number of enemies, they were outnumbered and forced to retreat step by step until they were forced to retreat to a precipice.

A dozen or so men in black exchanged glances and attacked simultaneously, striking at Wei Zijun and He Lu. A huge whirlwind swept in, and Wei Zijun leaped into the air, dodging the fierce gale. At the same time, she shouted to He Lu, "He Lu—jump behind them—"

However, He Lu was a step too late. Before he could leap, the gust of wind sent him swaying precariously, about to plunge off the cliff. In that instant, Wei Zijun swooped down from the air, grabbed He Lu's collar, and threw him backward with all her might. At the same moment, the man in black struck again with a palm strike. Wei Zijun had no time to dodge; her slender body was sent flying into the air, crashing backward and plunging into the bottomless abyss.

"Wind—" He Lu let out a heart-wrenching and desperate cry. He leaped up, over the group of black-clad guards, and without a moment's hesitation, jumped straight off the cliff. He opened his arms and plummeted towards the falling figure.

"Zijun—" Li Tianqi, who had been watching Wei Zijun's situation closely, let out a roar. The roar, which came from a broken chest, echoed through the mountains, carrying the pain and despair of life being torn away, and startled the eagles in the mountains to soar into the sky.

He rushed out of the encirclement without hesitation and ran towards the cliff. As his body passed through the encirclement, countless iron hands fell on him, but he was completely unaware. He had only one belief in his heart: he could not let her leave him again, not even in death. He jumped off the cliff.

Miao Zhou, who had come with him, flew forward and grabbed the back of his clothes.

"Let me go—let me go—" Li Tianqi spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted in Miaozhou's hands.

Miao Zhou suddenly leaped into the air, jumped onto a large tree on the edge of the cliff, grabbed Li Tianqi, and with a few quick leaps, sped towards the mountaintop...

So, Gongsong Gongtsen is finally dead. In history, this was Songtsen Gampo's only son, and he died young before Songtsen Gampo. But who would have thought he was shot to death by our Ziju? Hehehe.