He Lan Tianxia

Just as they were locked in fierce combat, chaos suddenly broke out at the rear of Yelü Yu's troops. A guard rushed forward and loudly reported, "General Yelü, a new force is approaching from behind!"

"what?"

"A troop is coming." The guard had barely finished reporting when he was struck by an arrow and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Withdraw the troops." General Yelü swung his halberd, dodging Murong Junlan's thin rope, and tried to ride back to camp, but it was too late. A group of soldiers had already charged over from behind, and the leader was none other than Qin Nan, the crown prince of Wubei Kingdom whom he had captured alive.

"Qin Nan?" Yelü Yu knew they had rescued Qin Nan, but he was surprised that Qin Nan had taken command so quickly.

"Yelü Yu, take this!" Enemies meeting are bound to be furious. Qin Nan didn't bother to say another word and raised his broadsword to strike at Yelü Yu. Yelü Yu's troops were attacked from both sides and were thrown into chaos.

At this moment, Luo Xie also rushed in, carrying a long spear and riding his fine Ferghana horse. He bowed to Murong Junlan with both hands and said loudly, "Thank you for saving me, Your Highness! How is my queen doing lately?" He then swung his spear into a spinning wheel and entered Yelü Yu's ranks.

"Luo Xie?" Yan'er exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness, did you rescue Luo Xie?"

"How could I possibly have that kind of free time?"

"Your Highness, it must have been you who sent people to rescue Luo Xie. Isn't this a tactic called 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao'?"

"I haven't studied history, so I don't understand. All I know is that running away is the best option," Murong Junlan said, raising an eyebrow.

“I also know that Your Highness intends to lure you into a trap.” The woman pointed to the treacherous, narrow path.

"Oh, it seems my queen isn't so foolish after all," Murong Junlan said indulgently.

"Of course, but they don't want to be kept in the old house, do they?"

"That depends on Luo Xie and Qin Nan's abilities." Murong Junlan looked at the pursuing group and said in a good mood, "Let's continue sightseeing." Murong Junlan pulled on the reins and spurred his horse toward the dangerous narrow path.

Despite being attacked from both sides, Yelü Yu was no ordinary man. He deliberately targeted Qin Nan's weaker points, managing to wound two of Qin Nan's lieutenants and even tear a section of Qin Nan's robe. At this moment, Luo Xie arrived and joined Qin Nan in fighting Yelü Yu. Yelü Yu was a seasoned nomadic general, particularly skilled in horsemanship, and Luo Xie was also a nomad, making the three evenly matched. The battle between three thousand elite soldiers and tens of thousands of troops was indeed fierce.

After passing through the narrow passage, the path suddenly opened up, and Jiang He, leading the Red Hare, was already waiting. Behind him, ten thousand elite soldiers, armed with swords and spears, were ready to fight at any moment. Jiang He stepped forward to hand over the reins of another Red Hare, but Murong Junlan's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Guard Jiang, with swords flashing and shadows flying, are you really going to let the Princess ride alone?"

"It was my oversight that led me astray." Jiang He realized he had made a mistake, and immediately mounted the fiery red hare to follow the prince and take orders.

Murong Junlan never carried weapons in battle, which his soldiers were used to, but the presence of a woman before his horse today was quite unusual. Everyone turned to look with interest. Strangely, today Prince Murong didn't wear his usual cold and aloof expression; instead, he rode over and deliberately circled in front of the soldiers. When the soldiers saw the beautiful and refined woman riding alongside Prince Murong, they all murmured their admiration. For once, Prince Murong even smiled.

About an hour later, Murong Junlan's five thousand elite soldiers had all withdrawn from the narrow passage, and Qin Nan and Luo Xie also appeared at the entrance of the narrow passage.

"You two stay at the narrow entrance." Murong Junlan glanced at the archers in front of him, then turned to Jiang He and added, "Don't fire unless absolutely necessary."

"Yes, Your Highness," Jiang He instructed the soldiers. Murong Junlan then rode his horse with the woman to an open space next to the soldiers to enjoy the scenery.

"Your Highness, what kind of formation is this?" The woman knew that Murong Junlan was so relaxed because he was confident.

"Guess?" Murong Junlan seemed to be in a good mood.

"How would I know?" the woman blurted out.

"Didn't you study history?" Murong Junlan asked again.

"Your Highness, do you think history covers everything? You certainly don't know anything about battle formations!" the woman exclaimed in frustration.

"No wonder my beloved concubine is so clumsy." Murong Junlan reached out and touched the woman's long, shiny black hair.

"I'm stupid. Just now, the prince was quite happy to take me around in front of the soldiers," the woman teased.

"That's because I prefer people who are dumber than me."

The woman slapped Murong Junlan's thigh and retorted, "Oh dear, when did the usually aloof Prince Murong learn to be so glib?"

"My beloved concubine, please have some self-respect. Men and women should not touch each other." Murong Junlan felt a warm glow inside, but his face remained cold and stern. If the woman saw this, she would definitely scold him again.

Half an hour later, Yelü Yu's vanguard rushed out of the narrow passage first. Luo Xie quickly tripped him off his horse and captured him alive, then threw him to Jiang He. Then, one by one, they were caught by Qin Nan and Luo Xie like frogs.

"Your Highness, history records that one man can hold off ten thousand, but on the other side of the mountain, people throw stones into the narrow path. It's quite creative of you to arrest people here."

"I haven't studied history, so what do you mean by creativity?" Murong Junlan glanced at the woman who happened to turn her head to look at him.

"You don't even know how to be creative, Your Highness. How can you be so stupid?" The woman finally seized an opportunity to retaliate.

"Indeed, it's fortunate that my beloved consort reminded me in time, otherwise I wouldn't even know I was being laughed at." As he spoke, the soldiers suddenly cried out in surprise. Twenty horses suddenly rushed out of the narrow passage. Luo Xie and Qin Nan couldn't handle them for a moment. They didn't know what was tied to the horses' heads, but as soon as they came out, they "boomed" and a cloud of white powder was released. The horses were frightened, and some of the powder covered their eyes, so they charged wildly at the soldiers, causing a commotion among them.

Just then, a black steed burst forth from the dust, its golden-handled halberd sweeping to both sides, forcing Qin Nan and Luo Xie to roll aside. Yelü Yu charged towards Jiang He, who was holding a prisoner. He threw the prisoner at Yelü Yu, then leaped onto Red Hare. Unexpectedly, Yelü Yu ignored the prisoner and charged straight at Jiang He. Just as the golden-handled halberd was about to strike Jiang He's back, Murong Junlan's thin rope shot out with a "whoosh." With a snap, the heavy halberd, weighing over a hundred pounds, froze in place. Yelü Yu tugged at it several times, but it wouldn't budge. At that moment, Jiang He's Red Hare leaped out from under the halberd.

Yelü Yu stared in disbelief at the frozen golden halberd, tugging at it several times, but it wouldn't budge. He had heard of Murong Junlan's legendary trump card, "Silver Ring Illusion," but never imagined its power would be so astonishing. However, Yelü Yu was no pushover. Suddenly, he moved his left hand, and several "darts" flew out. Murong Junlan had no choice but to immediately withdraw "Silver Ring Illusion," flicking a thin rope in front of him. With a few clangs, all the "darts" were deflected, and Yelü Yu's golden halberd could move again. He charged forward once more.

At this moment, Qin Nan and Luo Xie had remounted their horses and charged forward. Qin Nan, with a cry of "Your Highness, why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?", blocked Murong Junlan's path. Qin Nan felt that this grudge had to be avenged by himself. Luo Xie, meanwhile, brandished his spear and charged towards Yelü Yu. At the same time, some of Yelü Yu's soldiers also emerged from the narrow passage. Jiang He, wielding his spear, directed his soldiers to begin a new round of fighting.

The battle was evenly matched. Murong Junlan only stepped in to help them when they were in danger. It wasn't that he didn't want to fight, but Qin Nan and Luo Xie wanted revenge. In addition, he thought Yelü Yu was a real man who dared to come alone, so he ordered them to capture him alive.

The battle raged from the afternoon when Yelü Yu charged through the narrow pass until nightfall. Jiang He ordered his soldiers to light torches and surround Yelü Yu. It seemed Yelü Yu was doomed today. The woman sitting before Murong Junlan's horse guessed that she also thought Yelü Yu was a man of principle, but judging from his temperament, he was definitely the type who would rather die than submit, and it was precisely this temperament that made him so admirable.

At midnight, Yelü Yu's soldiers were either wounded or captured alive, leaving only Yelü Yu alone. Qin Nan shouted, "Yelü Yu, surrender!"

"Behold the halberd!" Yelü Yu, too lazy to waste words, brandished his halberd and charged forward. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, extinguishing half of the soldiers' torches; another gust blew, and all the torches were extinguished, causing a commotion within the ranks. There was no moonlight that night, and the battlefield was instantly plunged into darkness, forcing the fighting men to halt. Jiang He loudly ordered the torches to be relit, and with a series of flickering sounds, they were rekindled.

"Oh no! Yelü Yu has escaped!" Luo Xie shouted. But there was no light, and they didn't know where he had gone. Everyone searched frantically.

"It seems to have passed by here."

"I heard the sound of horses' hooves running in that direction."

"I can hear horses neighing here too."

……

When the torches were relit, Yelü Yu was nowhere to be seen.

"Your Highness, why did you do this?" The woman knew what Murong Junlan had done.

“He’s a real man,” Murong Junlan replied softly, then added, “Keep the secret.”

"Okay," the woman replied. Afraid that Murong Junlan wouldn't hear her, she reached out and squeezed his hand again. Murong Junlan returned the squeeze warmly, holding it tightly. Murong Junlan then loudly announced to Qin Nan and the others, "Return to the city."

Jiang He tightened the reins and regrouped the troops. Once Murong Junlan and the others were riding ahead, he immediately directed the rest of the troops to catch up. Following Murong Junlan's instructions, he released the captured soldiers to avoid having to serve them again. The soldiers weren't seriously wounded, and when given the chance to escape, they scattered in all directions, some running towards the narrow path. As for the horses, Murong Junlan ordered them all to be ridden back to the capital, Yan, or at least led back, so that the soldiers could at least have an extra meal. The soldiers secretly cheered at this suggestion.

Qin Nan and Luo Xie planned to return to Wubei Kingdom to pacify the country, so they bid farewell to Murong Junlan and the others. Murong Junlan gave them five thousand elite soldiers, and the two of them led the five thousand elite soldiers back to Wubei Kingdom through the narrow road.

Finally, they returned to the State of Yan. The woman was still reeling from the harrowing battle that had shown her Murong Junlan's true strength and character up close. Exhausted, she washed up and went straight to bed, falling asleep until noon the next day.

"Awake?" Murong Junlan sat by the bed, looking at the woman gently. He was dressed in a magnificent but simple long robe, which made him look elegant and dignified. He smiled gently at the woman and said, "It seems that my beloved concubine is not only stupid, but also lazy."

Upon hearing this, the woman pouted and turned her head away, ignoring him.

"Still stingy," Murong Junlan added.

The woman was unconvinced and turned her head back to glare fiercely at Murong Junlan.

"So fierce." Murong Junlan laughed. He reached out and lifted the quilt, pulling the woman up with one hand. "I'm hungry. Have lunch with me."

The woman glared at Murong Junlan a few times, then reluctantly dressed, combed her hair, and washed her face.

"After lunch, I will take you to the market."

"Go shopping?" Upon hearing this, the woman quickly finished her business. The two had a quick lunch, changed into casual clothes, and left the prince's residence.

In March, the capital of Yan was a riot of color, with flowers blooming everywhere. The streets were bustling with people. The goods on both sides of the street were dazzling and exquisite, even though they were small shops, the women were overwhelmed by the variety.

"If you like it, I will have someone send it to you when I get back," Murong Junlan said with a doting expression.

"A glass lock?" Yan'er suddenly picked up a small item from the general store in front of her. "Your Highness, look, isn't it exactly the same as my glass lock?"

Murong Junlan took it and examined it; it was indeed exactly the same as the woman's previous one. It was just a pity that the white-haired woman had snatched that glass lock. So Murong Junlan said to the shopkeeper, "How much? Please wrap it up for me."

The shopkeeper glanced at the two elegantly dressed young men, smiled, and said, "This glass lock is not for sale; it is given to someone destined to receive it."

"A destined person? What makes someone a destined person?" the woman asked anxiously.

"I really don't know. That's what the shopkeeper instructed, but they didn't say what kind of person would be considered a 'destined person'."

“I used to have one, but unfortunately I lost it. Now I've happened to see it again, so I guess it's fate.”

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That's right, it's you!"

"Ok?"

"I remember now, the shopkeeper instructed me to give this to the person who lost the glass lock." After saying that, the shopkeeper wrapped up the glass lock and handed it to the woman.

At this moment, Murong Junlan also took out a gold ingot from his sleeve and handed it over, but the shopkeeper refused to accept it. The two had no choice but to thank the shopkeeper and continue browsing the market.

The woman bought whatever she liked, since Prince Murong had plenty of money. She then handed all the purchases to Murong Junlan to carry, bag after bag, making the prince feel like a lackey for the first time. Jiang He, watching from afar, dared not run over to help carry the bags without being given orders.

After strolling through the ancient streets of Duyan Kingdom for an afternoon, as the sun set, Murong Junlan finally heard the woman say the words "return to the manor." This afternoon had exhausted Prince Murong so much that he would rather go to war. When the dignified Prince Murong threw his things back into the guest hall of Yan Garden, Jiang He walked in from the doorway. Murong Junlan was furious when he saw this and slapped Jiang He across the face.

The woman completely ignored the pile of things Murong Junlan had painstakingly brought back, only taking the glass lock into the room to examine it, utterly forgetting about Murong Junlan. The prince spent the day in utter loneliness and frustration. Murong Junlan followed her, his aura icy. The woman was still sitting on the bed, lost in thought. Just as he was about to speak, she preemptively asked, "Your Highness, look, this glass lock is exactly the same as my old one."

"That's good, it's returned to its rightful owner." Murong Junlan watched the woman vigorously wiping the glass lock, so he took it and started wiping it too, but no matter how he wiped it, he couldn't get that original luster back.

Murong Junlan took out the small sachet from his pocket, then took out the small piece of paper, and read aloud: "Though we lack the wings of a phoenix to fly together, our hearts are connected by a single thread of understanding; meeting Junlan at the edge of the Cliff of Broken Hearts, why do we fly together like phoenixes?" Murong Junlan looked up at Yan'er and asked, "My beloved consort, do you know what this means?"

"How would I know? It wasn't me who wrote it. A grown man like you carrying around these little things, aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?" The woman tried to snatch it and throw it away, but Murong Junlan was one step ahead and hid the sachet and note in his sleeve again.

Suddenly, the glass lock in the woman's hand flashed with a bright light and flew out the window. Then, the sound of someone chasing after it could be heard outside the window.