Ji Su also let out a long sigh of relief. Compared to the slightly fishy sea breeze of Kuanglan City, the air on the Qionglu Grassland was filled with the fragrance of grass, which invigorated her. She glanced at Li Jun, a slight blush on her face, and asked, "Do you like it?"
“Of course, the vastness of the sky and earth here broadens one’s mind considerably.” Although Li Jun was quite knowledgeable, the grassland scenery was a first for him, and he couldn’t help but praise it.
"If you could live on this boundless grassland every day, would you be willing?" Ji Su's voice was soft, like the autumn wind blowing across the grass. Her eyebrows were lowered, and her face was flushed. If Li Jun saw this, he would find it hard to believe that such shyness appeared on her.
Unfortunately, Li Jun was so engrossed in gazing around that he didn't notice Ji Su. He sighed and said, "Living here is nice, but we all know that even the seemingly boundless grassland has its limits. There's a whole world beyond the grassland."
The blush on Ji Su's face gradually faded, replaced by a bitter smile. Was this man truly oblivious to her feelings, or was he feigning ignorance, or perhaps he had someone else in his heart? Why were his eyes always fixed on Mo Rong, that petite Yue woman? Why, even now, had she never heard a single word of understanding or empathy from him?
"How do you plan to tell my father?" Ji Su was determined to be frank with Li Jun. Some things must be faced; if they are always avoided, happiness will quietly slip away with time and opportunity. Facing it head-on certainly takes courage, but it is much better than being heartbroken with regret afterward.
“I hope he can reach an agreement with me so that the Rong people and ordinary people can live together peacefully and exchange goods.” Li Jun pondered for a moment and said, “Of course, it would be best if we could form a mutual aid alliance with the Great Khan. If that’s not possible, I can accept maintaining the current situation.”
Ji Su was both ashamed and angry. What an idiot of a man! She had asked him how he had told her father about her, but he thought she was talking about some important military and national affairs! Although Rong women admire heroes who have the world in their hearts, couldn't they at this moment, in this place, say a few tender words?
"I mean... I mean..." Ji Su hesitated. Although Rong women were forthright, this was still a shameful matter, and it should have been brought up by the man first. How could she bring it up before him? Seeing Li Jun's questioning gaze, Ji Su became even more nervous and finally swallowed the rest of her sentence, changing her question to, "How long do you plan to stay here?"
Li Jun scratched his head, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with Ji Su's current behavior. "Well, I'm afraid I can't stay for too long. I've asked Meng Yuan to invite Feng Jiutian. I estimate they'll arrive soon. There are also many miscellaneous matters in Yuzhou, and I can't always be lazy and hide in the Qionglu Grassland."
Ji Su fell silent. Even the strongest woman becomes as vulnerable as a lamb in the face of love. If she was initially forced to follow Li Jun, partly to fulfill the vow she made before the War God statue at Potianmen, and partly to seize an opportunity to kill him and avenge herself, then now, after six months with him, she had fallen hopelessly in love with this young general. She loved his resourcefulness, his bravery, his sincerity and kindness towards his own people, and his ruthlessness towards enemies. She loved everything about him—his strengths and his weaknesses, even his clueless and silly antics found endearing. Love is always blind.
She gazed into the distance. The autumn wind rustled across the vast grasslands, bringing a touch of coolness. Due to its high altitude, the temperature on the Qionglu Grassland was much lower than in Yuzhou. While the people of Yuzhou were still wearing light jackets, the herders on the grasslands had to wrap themselves in heavy coats. Ji Su's braids swayed gently in the wind, and occasionally a few playful strands of hair would drift by, obscuring her vision. She gently brushed these strands aside, as if brushing away a shadow from her heart.
“Let’s ride horses!” she said to Li Jun with a smile as she turned around.
"Alright, I definitely won't lose to you!" Li Jun's youthful spirit hadn't completely disappeared; his eyes lit up at the mention of the competition. But before he could urge his horse on, Ji Su took the lead, her silvery song echoing in the wind. The song of the vast grassland, like the grassland itself, was clear and melodious.
"You cheat!" Li Jun spurred his horse, and the big black horse neighed and galloped away, chasing after Ji Su's chestnut horse in the distance. In a short while, the two of them had left their cavalry far behind.
"Shall we hurry up too?" a guard knight said, looking at the officer riding alongside him. Zeng Liang, Li Jun's chief bodyguard, said.
"You're really stupid. Are you going to go and annoy people with those two together?" Zeng Liang, who was nearly thirty, had a smile on his face that was different from the group of young men around him. He raised his riding whip and said, "Don't worry, they'll be waiting for us up ahead."
The guards suddenly realized what was going on, and ambiguous smiles appeared on their faces. They knew quite a bit about the rumors surrounding Li Jun and Ji Su. Although as Li Jun's guards, they knew the relationship between the two best, heroes and beauties are always the focus of people's attention. Even if there is nothing between a hero and a beauty, people always hope that something will happen between them, let alone the fact that there is indeed an inextricable and complicated relationship between Li Jun and Ji Su.
Li Jun, though living on the vast grasslands, had his heart set on the entire Divine Continent. The tremendous changes that had taken place in the Divine Continent that year seemed to herald the arrival of a new era.
Starting on the third day of the tenth month of that autumn, a comet appeared in the southern sky, visible day and night, but disappeared after four days. During these four days, the sun and moon were without light, and the sky was dark.
Then news came from Heng Kingdom that the sound of a baby crying could be heard in the western mountains of Changping City, the capital of Heng Kingdom, but no trace of the baby could be found. The people in the surrounding area were terrified and spread rumors that there was a demon.
On October 11th, an earthquake struck southwestern Chen State, razing the important southwestern town of Nantai to the ground. Countless people were killed or injured, and the surrounding area within a hundred miles was deserted, becoming a dead city.
On October 20th, the water gushing from an ancient well in Luoying, the capital of Chen, turned red. The elders all said that the state would be in chaos and the people would shed blood. Although the ruler of Chen ordered that this strange event be forbidden to be discussed, the people were already filled with fear, especially since there was a famine, and public resentment was boiling.
Just as Pei Ju, the elder brother of Chen Ying and the ruler of Chen, was losing sleep over these successive strange omens, two earth-shattering pieces of news arrived.
King Wu Yuyu of Heng, who had reigned for thirty years, died. On his deathbed, he did not pass the throne to the crown prince, but instead to his sixth son, Wu Jizhang. Wu Jizhang's first act upon ascending the throne was to order the removal of Liu Guang's military power and summon him back to the capital for questioning. Liu Guang, who had originally supported the crown prince, knew he could not escape punishment. He led his renowned Liu family army northward towards the border of Chen. Chen's border guards sent messengers on horseback to deliver Liu Guang's petition to serve in the army.
This news both surprised and delighted Pei Ju. The Chen Kingdom hadn't produced any outstanding generals for many years, resulting in repeated defeats in its confrontations with neighboring states. Although he desired to expand his territory by force, his civil and military officials were incapable of doing so. If he could acquire Liu Guang, known for his unwavering ability to win, it would be tantamount to gaining a million-strong army. Liu Guang was as renowned as the late Marshal Lu Xiang, known as "Lu in the North, Liu in the South"—how could he possibly miss such a talent?
However, the worry is that taking in Liu Guang means facing a direct confrontation with the powerful southern state of Heng, which has a million-strong army. Given Chen's strength, coupled with this natural disaster, it is undoubtedly a huge risk.
The second piece of news immediately dispelled Pei Ju's doubts: the starving people of Chen, organized by the secret sect "Lianfazong," had risen in rebellion. Lianfazong had been preparing for a long time, and many local officials had even colluded with them. In just seven days, Chen was engulfed in flames of war; the dispatched troops were either defeated or defected, and Lianfazong had already captured more than forty cities of varying sizes. Moreover, the brothers Sun Zun and Sun Dao, two of the five leaders of Lianfazong, had gathered an army of 200,000 and were advancing directly towards Luoyang. It seemed that all the omens and prophecies foretold by the folk songs had indeed come true.
"My esteemed ministers, at this critical juncture for the nation, why are you all silent?"
During an emergency court session, Pei Ju angrily questioned the civil and military officials.
"Left Prime Minister, you often claim to be full of strategic wisdom. What brilliant ideas do you have now?" He focused his gaze on Left Prime Minister Wei Da's face and asked hopefully.
The Left Chancellor, Wei Da, was a scholar over forty years old. Upon hearing this, he knelt down and said, "Your Majesty need not worry. I believe that Your Majesty has ascended the throne and is blessed with great fortune. The mere rebels are nothing more than a minor ailment that will be eliminated in a few days."
Pei Ju snorted heavily. These words were no different from saying nothing at all. Although Pei Ju was not a wise ruler, he could still distinguish between what was useful and what was useless. If he were truly blessed with great fortune, these problems that gave him headaches would never have occurred.
"General Wei Jie, you often say that Lu Xiang and Liu Guang are only rudimentary in military strategy, while you are the most skilled in battle. Now I entrust the 100,000 troops in Luoying City to you. You will lead the troops into battle. What do you say?" He then looked at the general, who was over sixty years old. Wei Jie also knelt down, trembling all over, and said, "Your Majesty... I am old and can no longer be of great use. Please choose another capable general."