The Rebirth of Bai Qi: The Way of Qi

The next morning, as dawn broke, the bluish-gray sky, like a thin veil, gently enveloped the entire camp.

Bai Qi stood outside the tent, his broad, thick shoulders slightly shimmering in the morning light.

He gazed at the distant horizon, hearing only the first cries of morning birds and the faint sound of war drums.

In the midst of this tranquility, the sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, echoing lightly and nimbly at the edge of the camp.

This was a familiar voice to Bai Qi. Having served in the army for many years, he could identify the person just by the smell of dust in the wind and the frequency of the sound of horses' hooves.

Sure enough, a knight galloped closer. He was wearing armor with patterns unique to this foreign land, and his dark skin seemed to shimmer with a luster unfamiliar to Bai Qi under the sun.

He lifted his helmet, revealing a tired face exposed to the morning light, yet his eyes shone with excitement and unfathomable mystery.

“General Bai,” the knight said in fluent but slightly strange Qin language, “I am an envoy of the Great Xia, named Samon.”

This chariot has traveled a thousand miles to Qin, wishing to report a matter to General.

Bai Qi nodded slightly, clearly quite interested in this visitor from a foreign land.

In his memory, the Great Xia was located in the far west, and it was said that the place was rich in fine horses and traded with the Qin State in an endless stream. However, this was the first time that someone had come here by chance.

At this moment, Samon's expression revealed a hint of mystery, which made Bai Qi pay more attention to him.

"Emperor Samon has come from afar, what business do you have with me?"

“Our Great Xia tribe has long admired the General’s reputation, and we have been ordered by our chief to present you with this gift.”

His voice was steady, yet his tone carried great weight. He looked directly at Bai Qi, his hand rummaging through his robes, before handing out a package.

Bai Qi took the package, his mind still racing with speculation, but he remained outwardly calm. The package was not an exaggeration; it must contain something of great importance.

At that moment, he unfolded it, revealing an extremely fine bow wrapped inside. The bow was curved like a crescent moon, and the string was infused with exotic spices, emitting a fragrance completely different from that of the Qin region.

"This is the precious bow of the Great Xia Dynasty, named the 'Crescent Bow'. Although this bow is as small as a palm, it can shoot three miles and over ten feet."

"I present this as a token of my gratitude to the general for his meritorious service in protecting the borders and ensuring the safety of the people." Samon's eyes shone brightly, clearly showing great pride in the object.

Bai Qi, observing his words, knew his sincerity, but was not delighted by the preciousness of the bow. Instead, he pondered another layer of meaning implied in his words—it could be a symbol of friendship, but it was more likely to conceal some intention or test.

He held the bow lightly in his hand, the exotic material giving his palm an unusual warmth.

"Envoy Samon is too kind. I was merely doing my duty." Bai Qi bowed slightly, displaying the humility and caution of the Qin people, and then asked, "I wonder if the envoy has any other orders besides presenting the artifacts?" Samon paused for a moment, showing a hint of deep thought, and an unusual light appeared in his already deep eyes: "There is another matter that General Bai must know."

This is a legend about an ancient prophecy. This legend dates back to long ago, even before the general's rebirth, and had already circulated among our tribe.

Upon hearing this, Bai Qi felt a slight tremor in his heart. The term "ancient prophecy" made him vaguely uneasy. He then stared at Samon more intently, clearly wanting more information.

"The prophecy cloud—a lone star in the sky, a demon strikes, but only with the support of heroes can its edge be concealed."

This saying has been used by our people for a long time, and what we are doing today is to explore its true meaning.

The news came as if a cloud in the sky had suddenly parted, bringing an unexpected shock.

At this moment, all of Bai Qi's thoughts suddenly converged, and a faint sound echoed in his heart.

However, he did not speak immediately, but stared at Samon for a long time, as if trying to see the inside story of what he was saying through his eyes.

Han Xin appeared at the opportune moment. He had been watching from a distance for a long time. Upon seeing this, he walked over and stood beside Bai Qi, his gaze carefully moving back and forth between the two.

He witnessed this scene and felt something was amiss, but he did not disturb Bai Qi's thoughts at all, only secretly pondering its deeper meaning.

For a moment, everyone was lost in thought. Samon looked at Bai Qi expectantly, while Han Xin tightened his grip on the jade, as if he had glimpsed the hidden truth behind it all. The morning light in the sky grew brighter, as if it wanted to reveal more hidden things.

Bai Qi remained silent, and before he knew it, he had his bow and arrows on his back. He looked up at the distant and profound horizon, as if he had inadvertently widened the distance between himself and fate.

As time went by, he felt a faint anticipation for the future and a slight thrill of the unknown.

Finally, Bai Qi's voice rang out, his tone calm yet undeniably authoritative: "Now that the envoy from Samon has arrived, please allow him to stay in our camp for the time being so that we may gather more information."

I will do my best to be a good host and work together to address the unknown challenges ahead.

His words were both an invitation and a deployment. Samon nodded slightly to express his gratitude and to show his trust.

Han Xin, in turn, responded to every detail along the way with gestures, summoning his attendants to prepare tents for the envoys to stay in.

At this moment, the rising sun in the distance dispels the heavy darkness of night and heralds a new day.

Bai Qi walked leisurely, his brows furrowed with unresolved doubts, and entered the tent to begin preparations for his discussion with the envoy from Great Xia.

He silently told himself that no matter how treacherous and perilous the future might be, he should overcome all obstacles and investigate the truth.

Thus, Bai Qi pondered this battle, moving to the table in front of the temple where his subordinates devised plans.

Han Xin followed, and although his fellow subordinates were already aware of the situation, they could not presume to know the full picture.

Therefore, he should gather the wisdom of the masses to carefully study this situation.

Inside the tent, the group had been discussing for a long time the matter of the crescent bow and the messenger.

However, as time flies, they decided to focus on studying the materials discussed by the extraordinary people of Daxia, hoping to make continuous progress.

Later that night, when the sky was high in the sky, Bai Qi and Han Xin continued to visit each other frequently and had a detailed conversation with Samon.

Several long scrolls of silk have been unfurled, densely covered with prophetic texts passed down by the Da Xia people.

Bai Qi rolled up the silk and examined it closely. He had doubts in his heart, but something important was gradually emerging in his mind.

In the middle of the night, Samon had thoroughly analyzed all the matters they had asked him. Finally, looking slightly tired, he looked at Bai Qi and said, "Our troops are willing to work together with the general to solve this mystery. However, the journey is fraught with difficulties and is not easy to solve. But if General Bai is able to help us, we will be grateful for the opportunity to overcome this obstacle."

Bai Qi hesitated for a moment, but finally replied with pleasure: "As the envoy wishes, I will certainly live up to your trust and do my utmost to achieve this goal. I will definitely investigate the underlying meaning of this prophecy."

So he gently kowtowed and bowed to bid farewell from afar. Bai Qi's mind was clear, and everything seemed to be like the plucking of a zither string, harmonious and orderly.

He rallied his spirits and gazed ahead, knowing that the path to a new land in the distance had been forged for him long ago.

The secrets brought by the dimensional messenger and the gradually emerging prophecies seem to have changed the course of Bai Qi's fate.

Although the connection between those words and prophecies was as vague and uncertain as a fog, he knew that his journey would continue, and in the process, he would have to face more unknowns and variables.

Yet, subconsciously, he seemed to be filled with anticipation, looking forward to a heart-fluttering encounter with fate.