Chapter 42
Tributary Hunt
The bamboo leaves were covered with white ice, and the mansion's rooftop was blanketed in snow. A man stood, staring far into the land of coldness and snowfall.
Yuwen Huai never understood the goodness of life until he retreated into his Zen Mansion. The lucky charm he redeemed from shame and loss had befallen him just like a leaf descending from the sky.
He was content and did not want to return to the world of politics or rekindle his cunning abilities. But today, on this fateful day, a paper snow letter was delivered for his eyes only. Yuwen Huai exhaled heavily.
The 13th Prince Yuan Song and two of his spies from the Eyes of God were called the Light Team, while Prince Zaru and three of his Blackguard spies were known as the Dark Team. Yuan Che was giving the final briefing, and he said:
"This is a secret and a suicide mission. Do you both understand your roles?"
Yuan Song responded first: "Brother, the instructions are simple, search and abduct."
For the Dark Team, the instructions were equally straightforward: wrap up and destroy. With a casual attitude, Prince Zaru raised one arm and shook his head.
Yuan Che looked at them seriously and asked, "What is the cardinal rule in the tributary hunt?"
Yuan Song quickly recited, "Tribute hunters must not fall into the enemy's hands."
Prince Zaru nodded.
Yuan Che was impressed with his younger brother's growth. He had never seen Yuan Song this brave or full of knowledge. He regretted not looking after his brother all these years, as he had been occupied with leading the Xiaoqi camp, one of the most massive troops, composed of Wei's elite military men, children of past heroes and those of powerful bloodlines who thrived on the battlefield.
Yuan Che preferred not to involve his little brother in this mission, but Yuan Song insisted. If not enlisted, the 13th Prince threatened to cut his wrist in front of him, proving he was unafraid of death. If he survived, he vowed to strip Yuan Che of his royalty and exile him to the streets of Wei, just like their sister Chuner.
Yuan Che laughed at his brother's dramatic threats, but it was clear that Yuan Song had envisioned the mission's end. If Yuan Che didn't comply, disaster would follow.
Yuan Song's fierce expression shifted. For a moment, Yuan Che saw his younger brother as a predator, a wolf ready to swallow a man whole.
The 7th Prince had no choice but to allow his brother to join. Prince Zaru also agreed, and they divided the teams into Light and Dark.
That night, the three made a pact, renouncing their royal jades, symbols of their thrones and powers, forsaking their princely titles to become tribute hunters.
The reward of the hunt would go to whoever succeeded in capturing the subject. Yuan Song was determined to capitalize on this opportunity, while Prince Zaru aimed to use the prize for political gain, making deals that would secure his position among Wei's protectorates, much like Yanbei had done before the annihilation of the Yan royal clan.
Looking back, Wei's Emperor had treated Yanbei differently from other protectorates. Yanbei was both a significant tributary state and a protectorate. Its crown prince had been held in Changan as a form of ransom for Yanbei's loyalty to Wei's royal family. As a result, Yanbei enjoyed privileges denied to other protectorates, including the crown prince's access to the Wei Emperor, who may have regarded him as a special son.
That night, with weapons prepared, Yuan Che's worries were alleviated by a reinforcement plan in case the 13th Prince was endangered. The same applied to Prince Zaru, the representative of the remote highlands, where his lineage as the Black Prince originated.
While the Eyes of God were temporarily inactive, the Blackguards continued their duty, acting as the Wei state's shadow power, preparing for an imminent war between the states.
The Wei Emperor disapproved of the upcoming Liang-Yanbei wedding, set for the following fall. He was unhappy with his Confederate ally, King Tang of Liang, possibly marrying into one of Wei's tributary states. The prince, once a rebel, had almost become the Emperor's son-in-law, a sacrifice for the Yanbei citizens.
Dressed in a ninja costume, Yuan Song refused the ninja sword that Yuan Che offered him, saying, "If I die on this mission, I want the Cheng Yin sword placed on my chest."
Yuan Che understood and looked at his brother with pity. He turned his back and said in a low voice, "If you do not return, I will dethrone you, even in death, and declare myself Crown Prince."
Yuan Song smiled at his melancholic brother but hid his feelings with an innocent-sounding threat: "Then be sure to do it right, and make sure you look good if I make a mistake."
With that, the two parted ways, one with a brave heart, the other filled with anxiety.
Two teams, one suicide mission. Many possibilities lay ahead. One may fall, the other may return, but one thing was certain: the cardinal rule must not be broken. The Xuili troops were not as easy to handle as before.
They had learned their lesson well from their tricks and mastered Wei's forces, including some arsenals and weapon resources, while they were commissioned by Prince Yuan Che and used as a strategic yet risky ally troop.
Recently, the Xiaoqi camp received an intelligence report warning of a grave threat: a bomb scare that could engulf the entire camp. Without contact from the Xuili troops, the camp could be thrown into chaos and reduced to ashes by a triggered mechanized switch.
The rumor spread like wildfire, threatening the highly secure state and its army of thousands. Even the 7th Prince of Wei could not fathom how it might happen, given the strict border control at the Wei Valve. An army of hundreds would seem like ants beneath a giant's feet.
Chu Qiao had orchestrated this, calling it psychological warfare. She knew she could not defeat the Imperial Palace's massive army, but she could inflict damage on their minds.
Her strategy was designed to stop the killing of innocent children, the mutilation of the poor, and to enforce a ceasefire. This would allow aid to reach the small town of Chang'an, providing food and shelter during the winter storm, saving as many locals as possible, if any were still alive.
As the violent winds of snow blew against her face, Chu Qiao, in her faux fur hood, blinked and suddenly saw a man in a ninja suit, his arms decapitated, lying in the snow.
Chu Qiao checked his pulse. Filled with pity, she ordered her troops to take the man and place him in the carriage. They obeyed. Chu Qiao had found no one else alive in the town, not even a single child, only this man, whom they transported back in the carriage.
Chu Qiao heard a clanging noise, but when she looked around, there seemed to be no immediate threat. Her brigade resumed its normal march back to the Meilin Border Pass camp.
The Xuili troops had occupied the Meilin border pass since Yuwen Yue's death at the frozen lake. The 13th Prince of Wei was in grave danger, protected only by ex-afterlife camper assassins. Yuan Che had refrained from locking down the Yan-Wei border pass due to Yuan Song's plea. This whim of peace had cost them dearly, as Yan Xun, with the Xuili army, violently seized the Meilin border pass.
This is where Cheng Yuan, Yan Xun's revenge advocate, had stoked Yan Xun's heart with vengeance, inspiring him to return Yanbei to its warring state.
When Cheng Yuan died, Yan Xun did not hold mourning rites but instead erected a memorial in his honor, making him a hero of Yanbei. Yan Xun burned Cheng Yuan's body in the center of the Meilin Mansion as a symbol of victory, allowing his spirit to rest. Cheng Yuan's goal had been to help Yanbei capture the Meilin border pass, a key foothold for Yanbei's revenge against Wei.
This victory was the first of many for Yan Xun. With the Xuili army guarding the pass day and night, Yan Xun's fame grew, as did the insult to the Wei throne.
Chu Qiao ordered the decapitated ninja to be treated at the camp's medical facility. The ninja, pretending to be frail, had earned her pity.
The Xuili corpsmen transported him, accompanied by a few Xuili men in uniform.
By nightfall, the seemingly weak ninja had regained strength. The Xuili men who accompanied him were soon slaughtered, and the remaining personnel inside the medical facility were also killed. The attackers stripped the fallen men and donned their uniforms, white and black ninja suits.
Yuan Song, who had detached his arms earlier to appear pitiful, reattached them and began operating as though nothing had happened.
Dressed in his white ninja suit with a white headband, an expensive jade centered on his forehead, Yuan Song looked every bit the handsome killer prince. One of the Eyes of God spies tossed him the Cheng Yin sword.
It was his first time using the sword, and its legend proved true, it worked best at night or dawn. It was like an invisible blade, cutting with precision where light and shadow met. The head separated cleanly from the neck, leaving no pain, only death.
Viper sensed a disturbance. "I must go out," she said to Chu Qiao.
"Is there a grave threat?" Chu Qiao asked.
"I sense familiar energy," Viper replied. "Light and shadow. It cuts invisibly and offers no promise of life for tomorrow."
"Can you sense a breach?" Chu Qiao asked again.
"I sense both light and dark powers here," Viper said.
Chu Qiao, lost in thought, dismissed the notion. But then she remembered the children's rehabilitation facility. She hesitated for a moment, then decided to check it, despite the late hour. Donning her light garment, she went out, while Viper, like a bat, flitted from corner to corner, inspecting the camp as everyone else slept.
At the children's rehabilitation facility, Chu Qiao found the guards awake. They bowed to her as their General. Suddenly, Chu Qiao sensed something behind her and threw a knife. The Xuili guards, startled, swallowed nervously when they realized she had struck a tree nearby, not them.
Chu Qiao checked on the children, all of whom were safely asleep. Relieved, she returned to the General's quarters, but Viper had not yet returned.
Under the starry sky, the snow-covered ground lay quiet. But five men lurked in the shadows of the camp. Three dark figures dug holes around the perimeter, planting devices of doom, courtesy of the Blackguard spies.
Connect to Chapter 44: Iron Bones Encounters the White Prince
Look Back to Chapter 40: Buried in the Snow
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