Nightfall

The City of Wei was his hometown. The closer he was to it, the more nostalgic he became.

Looking at the remote earth city and thinking about the time he spent there, Ning Que could not help but feel touched even though he was an indifferent man. Looking further south, he knew there were Min Mountain, Hebei county, City of Chang’an, Tang Empire, and the Academy.

That was their homeland where they could not go or did not want to go. Because they did not want to bring the thick black cloud and disaster into the Tang Empire.

The black carriage stopped for a while outside the City of Wei before it set off again. It detoured around the Seven Stockaded Villages by heading east and kept away from the cavalries of the Northern Military Camp.

The northern military garrisoned the frontier all year round. It was responsible for monitoring and deterring the powerful and ambitious Golden Palace. It was well trained and won countless battles. Whether in terms of armament or fighting capabilities, it was the strongest one among four militaries of the Tang Empire, even stronger than the thousands of cavalries under the command of Xia Hou in those years.

Being a former member, Ning Que was very clear about what would be in store for him if he was found by the cavalry. He had no confidence to escape from the cavalry of the Northern Military Camp in the mountains and plains.

Moreover, he didn’t want to turn against his fellow soldiers at all. Therefore, he became extremely cautious in the following journey. He mapped out a route in accurate accordance with the military map and kept moving forward in the buffer zone between the Golden Palace and the Tang Empire. Thanks to his familiarity with the Wilderness and the Northern Military, he narrowly passed through the area.

As they continued to escape, spring approached, but they felt increasingly colder in the black carriage. The carriage wall was once again covered with a thin layer of frost. It had nothing to do with the freezing of the Hot Sea or the approaching of the night, but was mainly due to the fact that Sangsang’s body was getting colder and colder. Her breath was as cold as ice.

In addition, the carriage was heading north.

…

…

The Min Mountain, which ran across the whole northern mainland, was divided into north and south sections by a narrow gorge. People of the Central Plains usually called them the North and South Piedmonts, while people from the Wilderness and Haotian Taoism often called the south piedmont Min Mountain, and the north one Tianqi Mountains, which meant the mountains abandoned by Haotian.

At the west entrance of the narrow gorge by which the Min Mountain was cut off, there was a magnificent city with a height of over a thousand feet, which was called Helan. Therefore, the narrow gorge was also called Helan Gorge.

The City of Helan was deep in the Wilderness, very close to the Golden Palace. However, it still belonged to the Tang Empire as its farthest land. To be precise, it was an enclave.

The distance between this place and Chang’an City was more than 1,000 miles. Therefore, it would cost a lot to transport supplies from the mainland Tang Empire. In addition, many cavalries were required to keep supplies away from the horse gangs and fake horse gangs. In this occasion, thousands of Golden Palace cavalries still had the ability to cut off this grain route at any time.

At the cost of so many resources and so much risk, the Tang Empire still sustained the existence and normal operations of Helan City with difficulty and persistence. It was not due to its craving for greatness and success, but because Helan was really very important to it.

This magnificent city tucked away in the Wilderness symbolized the power and spirit of the Tang Empire, which gave confidence to its caravans when passing the Wilderness. The key was that the city, being the only access to the Eastern Wilderness, was crucial to the Tang Empire’s commerce and trade. In addition, it was like a sharp and thick knife inserted between the Tianqi Mountain and the Min Mountain, separating the Golden Palace and the Left King’s Palace. So it was also of strategic importance.

Looking at the towering wall between the cliffs in the distance, Sangsang thought of Chang’an. However, Helan City was built between the cliffs and steep peaks, making the visual impact even more shocking.

As the cold wind entered the window, she gave a quiet cough and asked Ning Que, “North or east?”

If they went north from here along the Tianqi Mountain, they would go deeper into the Wilderness, a cold place that was sparsely populated. Then they would reach the Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine, and then a snowfield, a deserted place where few people have been.

If an empty place was a safe place, Ning Que should choose going north to the snowfield with Sangsang. In that case, no one except the Great Divine Priest of the West-Hill Divine Palace or the eminent monks of the Xuankong Temple would be able to find them.

However, no one knew why Ning Que chose to continue eastward.

The farther they went east, the closer they were to Helan City and the mountains. The white color over the peaks gradually became clear snow in their view, and the steep cliffs gradually revealed themselves.

The dark cloud hung high above the towering wall, where hundreds of Tang’s soldiers appeared. One could even hear the sound of nooses pulling and crossbows preparing.

There were thirty or forty heavy carriages waiting by the city wall. However, no one knew why the gate was closed, refusing them entry. Tensions were high both on and by the wall.

Ning Que took a look at the black cloud overhead and was very clear why the gate was closed. He thought to himself that it seemed impossible to pass through by sneaking into the caravan.

As the wheels rumbled, the ground was still frozen. Under the city, the deacons of the caravan shrank in their carriages to fend off the cold, thinking about how to connect with the general in the city and enter the city as soon as possible. As the rumble of wheels approached, they could not help but look at the rear with curiosity. Their face suddenly changed at the sight of the black carriage.

The black carriage became well-known due to the edict of the West-Hill Divine Palace and the portraits of different imperial courts. Everyone knew that the legendary Daughter of Yama was in that carriage.

Panic reigned over the city.

The shouts of businessmen and guards rang incessantly, and the tired horses neighed repeatedly out of shock. Some people rushed to the gate and beat it desperately.

The gate of Helan City was wedged in the mountain and made of iron and wood, so it was extremely heavy and thick. The slapping of the businessmen was so faint as the flapping of a mosquito’s wings on a stone.

Even if the officers and soldiers in the city heard the sound, it would not be possible to open the door at this time.

When the cloud approached the city, they shut the gate and strictly forbade any access. They were on a look out for the black horse carriage, so why would they give it the opportunity to enter the city?

As the black carriage went past the caravan, the wagoners were so scared that they hurriedly grabbed the reins and moved the carriages away, making room for the black carriage. What followed the chaos was absolute quietness, even deathly stillness.

Ning Que ignored those businessmen and guards who were on edge, ready for all possible dangers. Instead, he drove to the front of the mountain and then went off the carriage. He went to the gate, looking up at the two mountain-like gates.

On the wall, as the sound of the arching crossbows died away, several big crossbows struggled to adjust the angle, aiming at Ning Que down by the wall. Hundreds of archers aimed at the black carriage farther away, ready to shoot at any time. One could even hear the sound of the burning oil heating the stone. The Tang military regarded him as a siege force!

In the face of so many well-trained Tang soldiers, even all cavalries and priests of the Golden Palace could not conquer the city in a short time. Therefore, Ning Que knew that he could not confront the tough with toughness.

“I’m Ning Que. I want to pass through the city,” he looked up to say.

Though his voice was not loud, it was clearly heard by everyone on the wall. Then he continued, “I was one of you. I achieved countless military merits, which can be found in the archives of the military. I don’t want to fight with you. All I want is to swap all my military merits for a chance to pass.”

…

…

Helan City was extremely important to the Tang Empire. Its army commander was usually known as General Helan in the military, second only to the Four Imperial Generals and the few senior generals.

The current General Helan was Han Qing, who had been stationed in the bitterly cold city for more than a decade. With a half barbarian’s descent, he was still trusted by the Emperor and was granted such an important post.

Under the guard of more than a dozen shields, General Han Qing came to the wall. He looked at Ning Que down by the gate, “A Tang soldier should be ashamed of seeking reward for his contributions. If you want to enter the city with the Daughter of Yama, you can whistle for it.”

“I want to pass through the city, not enter it.”

“The road is blocked.”

“Why?”

“As a general of Tang, how can I let you bring the Daughter of Yama to the city?”

“Because of the public opinion, my wife may bring calamity to the world, so you refuse us?”

“Yes.”

“After the carriage passes through the city, we will be in another country. Even if there is a calamity, it will be other’s problem. So why can’t we pass? After we go to the Eastern Wilderness, whether we live or die, we will resign to fate. But I don’t want to be killed in my own country.”

General Han Qing seemed to be touched by the last sentence of Ning Que and fell into silence.

A vice-general beside him said anxiously, “General, what are you waiting for? The stupid madman dares to shout under the city. Release the arrows and drop the stones, seize the opportunity to kill him!”

Another vice-general frowned slightly, “How could Ning Que be killed so easily?”

“No matter how strong a cultivator is, it is not impossible to kill him.”

“I did not mean that. I mean that no one is willing to do it in our country. Don’t forget that he is Mr. Thirteen from the Academy. With the approach of the black cloud, both the Military Ministry and the Northern Military Camp are so quiet these days. Why don’t they try to find the black carriage? Because they don’t want to take this responsibility! Do you want us to take it?”

“So, are you willing to let him enter the city with the Daughter of Yama?”

“Of course not. But this is cultivators’ business. If we want to kill him, we have to wait for people from the Imperial Center Administration and the Southern Gate Temple.”

“The Daughter of Yama can destroy the whole world. This is not only the cultivators’ business, it’s also our responsibility! As Tang soldiers, how can we be so coward?”

“Enough.”

General Han Qing berated, “Whether to kill him or not, or to stop him outside the city until the arrival of those cultivators, it is not up to us.”

General, what are you going to do?”

“We’re going to ask for instructions from His Majesty, of course.”