After Lan Tu’s army had completely withdrawn.
Ashi Liren glanced at the devastated battlefield, then glanced at the weary yet shocked remaining troops atop the city pass.
The twenty thousand remaining troops only realised after a good while that they had been saved, Helan Pass had been saved, Rouran City had been saved.
“Hurrah… hurrah…”
“Long live City Lord Liren!”
The twenty thousand defenders atop the city pass, having survived a catastrophe, cheered with all their might.
Ashi Liren nodded slightly, then turned and left. Even now, she had no intention of speaking publicly to the soldiers.
After returning to her tent, she dozed for a short while.
Two hours later, ten thousand troops assembled from the rear entered Helan Pass.
These ten thousand troops were second-line militia drawn from various high-ranking warrior fiefs.
Of Rouran City’s one hundred thousand front-line troops, eighty thousand had already been expended at Helan Pass. Among these were even ten thousand Rouran cavalry, who had abandoned their horses to fight as infantry.
The remaining twenty thousand cavalry defended the other entrance from the Yelan Duchy into Rouran. Therefore not a single soldier could be drawn from there, and they could only call upon local second-line militia to fight.
However, fortunately the battle was already over, and Rouran was saved.
At this time, outside Ashi Liren’s tent, over a hundred high-ranking military officers and high-ranking warrior lords waited quietly.
After Ashi Liren woke, washed, and dressed, she walked out.
“We greet the city lord…” All the military officers and high-ranking warrior lords knelt neatly.
The last time at the city lord’s manor they had also knelt to Liren, but this time it was from the bottom of their hearts.
They had been without a lord for nearly ten years. Now this lord, though a woman, was still a good lord.
One who could stand before everyone at a time of crisis was the best lord!
Ashi Liren thought for a moment and said, “Do your utmost to treat every wounded soldier, settle every disabled soldier. If there is not enough money, I will ask others for it.”
“Yes.” The officers below replied.
“I shall return then.” Ashi Liren said, “For promotions and rewards from this battle, compile them into a register and send it to the city lord’s manor.”
The several hundred high-ranking military officers below were startled, and said, “Yes.”
Then, their City Lord Ashi Liren simply left Helan Pass alone on a single horse, returning to the main city of Rouran!
…
Soren had already been back at the Rouran City Lord’s manor for half a day.
Because several hours earlier, he had just received a flying kite message from Helan Pass that Lan Tu’s army had withdrawn and Helan Pass had been held. Therefore he did not go there, and directly returned to the city lord’s manor.
And Princess Zhi Yan remained at Tianhai Pavilion, not following Soren into the city lord’s manor.
In the morning, Soren still gave lessons to Ashi Yuan Ba and Ashi Nan.
At noon, Ashi Yuan Ba pleaded, “Teacher, eat with us. Mother doesn’t know, we won’t tell.”
Ashi Nan beside him also nodded vigorously, indicating she absolutely would not tell.
Tao Su widened her eyes with effort, gazing at Soren, full of anticipation.
“Your mother is about to return. If she sees me, I will be beaten terribly.” Soren said with a smile.
Then, he returned to his own small, dilapidated house, and began making egg fried rice again.
He was not being pretentious, but because this was the last time he would make egg fried rice himself.
Next, whether Ashi Liren agreed or refused, he was leaving Rouran.
Soren skillfully cracked an egg, then placed one into the rice and stirred, letting every grain of rice be coated with egg liquid. This way the fried rice would be fragrant and fluffy.
Then, he cracked two more eggs, not beating them.
He put lard and soybean oil into the wok, heated it up, then put the eggs in to fry.
After the eggs were fried, he poured in the rice coated with egg liquid and stir-fried. He added nothing else, only a pinch of salt.
After frying, just as he was about to put it in a bowl.
Suddenly, the door opened.
A chill in the air, a burst of fragrance.
The blue enchantress, the peerlessly beautiful Ashi Liren walked in, then closed the door.
She glanced at Soren. Soren looked at her. The two of them gazed at each other in silence.
“Give me a bowl.” Ashi Liren said.
Soren said, “There is only enough for one person.”
“Give me half.” Ashi Liren said.
Then, Soren divided the single portion of egg fried rice into two small bowls, one of which he handed to Ashi Liren.
She scooped up a mouthful with a fine ceramic spoon, ate it, then another mouthful, then another…
When Soren was halfway through, she had already finished.
“You have never eaten these things?” Soren asked.
Ashi Liren nodded. Because she had the Dragon Yin Severed Meridian condition, she could not eat most things.
From birth until now, what she had eaten most was jade milk, blazing sun flower, and blue snow lotus.
Having eaten these for over twenty years, wherever she went, she carried a captivating fragrance, emanating from within her body.
“How did you do it?” Ashi Liren asked.
“I killed Duke Lan Shi.” Soren said.
“By yourself?” Ashi Liren said.
Soren said, “I had Princess Zhi Yan lend a hand. Those running about errands, I had her do them all.”
“Where is she?” Ashi Liren asked.
“At Tianhai Pavilion.” Soren said.
“These past two months, you ate egg fried rice every meal?” Ashi Liren asked.
“Yes.” Soren said.
“Is it tasty?” Ashi Liren asked.
“Not bad.” Soren said, “Jade milk, blazing sun flower, blue snow lotus, you have eaten them for over twenty years, every meal the same. What is me eating egg fried rice for two months? Moreover, Yuan Ba often secretly gives me a fruit.”
Then, the two of them fell into silence again.
…
“Crown Prince Lan Tu, that person, is quite remarkable.” Ashi Liren suddenly said.
“Yes, indeed.” Soren said, “On the contrary, Marquis of Snow Lan Ye is a despicable petty person.”
Ashi Liren said, “Then who do you think will win this Yelan Duchy civil war?”
Soren thought for a moment and said, “It should be Marquis of Snow Lan Ye.”
Ashi Liren said, “Why?”
Soren said, “Because he has no bottom line, and does not care how badly he ruins the Yelan Duchy. Whereas Lan Tu loves his country too much, and cannot let go of many things.”
Ashi Liren said, “Truly sorrowful.”
Soren said, “Yes, truly sorrowful.”
Then, the two of them once again fell into an awkward silence.
…
“Does it… still hurt?” Ashi Liren asked.
“Still alright.” Soren said, “This time riding the lion-tiger beast back, oh, crawling on the lion-tiger beast’s back back, so the wounds were not rubbed open.”
Ashi Liren said, “What did you use to kill Duke Lan Shi?”
Soren said, “A thing called a time bomb.”
“Oh…” Ashi Liren said.
What kind of thing was a time bomb? He knew each of the four characters individually, but strung together, he had completely never seen them before.
“You have been planning this for a long time?” Ashi Liren said.
“Yes, planned for a long time.” Soren said, “One to two months in advance. Otherwise how could one kill a nation’s ruler?”
Ashi Liren said, “Since you can kill Duke Lan Shi, why not use this method to kill Zhi Li?”
Soren said, “This thing is not yet mature, with an error margin of several minutes. One needs to know in advance that Zhi Li will appear at a certain place, and stay at a fixed spot for several minutes, and there cannot be top experts by his side. Because when it explodes, those experts can use dragon power shields to protect him. Wanting to kill him is impossible.”
Ashi Liren nodded and said, “Moreover, even if Zhi Li were killed now, it would be useless.”
“Correct.” Soren said, “To make Zhi Yan ascend the throne, one must seize momentum. Even now Zhi Li cannot die. If he dies, those forces will act like cornered dogs while the king is on his last breath.”
Then, the two of them once again fell into an awkward silence.
It was not raining outside, but the atmosphere was full of unnaturalness.
…
This time the awkward silence lasted even longer, much longer!
A bet is a bet, and one must accept one’s losses. Soren should have spoken, but he did not speak.
Suddenly, Ashi Liren abruptly stood up, her manner fierce, her chill overwhelming.
Soren hurriedly raised his hands and said, “Fine, let us pretend nothing happened. Going back on one’s word and breaking a promise is a woman’s nature and right.”
Ashi Liren’s peerlessly beautiful eyes simply stared at him, making the hairs on Soren’s body stand on end, his heart growing fearful.
“Ah, I only just noticed, you are not wearing a mask.” Soren said.
After Ashi Liren entered, his entire mind had been blank, his mind full of the bet with her.
Then, the air in the room grew colder and colder.
Soren felt that the breath he exhaled was turning into white mist.
“I, I am leaving…” Soren lowered his head and walked towards the outside.
As a result, Ashi Liren directly pulled down her trousers, lay prone on the table, and said, “A bet is a bet, and one must accept one’s losses. Strike!”
The instant Liren pulled down her trousers, a dense, captivating fragrance permeated the air.
Then, the dim room seemed to brighten.
Round and snow white, like jade and fat, like a full moon, like a snow mountain.
Fragrant and pleasant, incomparably wonderful.
This beauty, this allure, could not be described in words.
Then Soren felt his nose grow hot, and truly a stream of nosebleed sprayed out.
Before, he had always thought nosebleeds were fake, were exaggerations.
He had not expected that one could truly spray nosebleed.
Liren only felt heat below her waist, then saw nosebleed continuously dripping from Soren’s nose, most of it dripping onto the snow-like fat below her waist.
“Are you striking or not?” Ashi Liren said.
“I was talking nonsense, joking.” Soren said.
This perfection like jade, this delicacy like snow, he truly could not bring himself to strike.
“If you do not strike, I will beat you to death.” Ashi Liren said.
“Slap…” Soren struck down with a palm.
Instantly…
Like waves rippling, like wind blowing through a sea of flowers, like winter wind sweeping snow.
Ashi Liren seemed to be struck by lightning.
She stood there frozen for a good while.
And Soren also stood completely frozen, even forgetting sensation and aftertaste.
In an instant, Ashi Liren’s originally snow-white skin turned completely red.
Instantly…
As if Soren’s nosebleed had directly seeped into her skin.
She felt as if she had been suddenly thrown into a pool of water, then continuously sinking, sinking.
Not suffocating, yet her entire body could not muster strength. It was numb, it was sore.
Thus continuously sinking, submerging, drowning!
Not knowing how much time passed, suddenly…
“Swish…” A fragrant wind passed.
Ashi Liren’s peerlessly beautiful fragrant body vanished without a trace before Soren’s eyes. She had fled.
In the air, only her captivating fragrance remained.
And Soren still stood frozen in place, his heart in turmoil!