Chapter 227: A possible trap

Chapter 227- Heartbreak and Decisions

Ashen Fortress was quiet and cold, void of the usual sound of men grunting as they trained in the courtyard. Which was only possible because Qingyue was currently lying in bed with a blanket thrown over her.

"I told you not to push yourself too hard," Yexue muttered as she squeezed water out of a towel, "but you just wouldn’t listen. Your body can only take so much before it’ll force you to listen whether you like it or not."

Qingyue groaned into her pillow, it felt her head was being pricked by a thousand needles. "Your nagging isn’t helping either," she managed to whisper.

Yexue rolled her eyes as she pressed the cold towel to Qingyue’s forehead. "And acting like you’re immortal isn’t helping either."

Lieyin watched the two bicker from the doorway without uttering a single word. Things had eased between them for the past couple weeks.

None of the sisters spoke about Ru Yi or the events that had surrounded her departure. But Lieyin still caught the rare moments when they wore the grief of a failed first love on their sleeve.

Still...she said nothing when she felt the pain from the unbreakable bond between her and Ru Yi. Theirs wasn’t like the ring that got broken. It was everlasting, Lieyin’s life force beating inside of Ru Yi.

Nothing could beat that.

Not distance...and certainly not some flimsy rejection on their part. It didn’t matter whether Ru Yi now hated them or not.

"Your temperature is still high," Yexue was saying as she wiped Qingyue down, "but the worst of it is over. All you need to do is rest."

"But the men need to train tomorrow," Qingyue countered, trying to sit up but Yexue wouldn’t let her.

"I think they need to rest as much as you do," Yexue replied. "A few days off won’t kill anyone. Rest gives them time to reset and get better."

Qingyue gave her a flat look. "Are you lecturing me on the importance of rest?" There was disbelief in her voice.

"Someone has to," Yexue fired back, standing up. "Everything you know seems to fly out of the window when it comes to you."

She finally noticed Lieyin who was still at the door. "Why are you acting like a creep? Come in if you want to see her."

Lieyin scoffed. "I’ll pass." She pulled out a scroll from the sleeve of her robe. "There’s a letter from Han Shuying."

She looked at Qingyue. "I was going to wait till you’re better to show it to you." She raised it in the air, "but it might be urgent."

Qingyue immediately shot up on the bed. "Since when have you had it?" She was about to get up from the bed but Yexue pushed her back on the bed.

Lieyin finally walked into the room. "Should I open it for you?"

Qingyue glared at Yexue before taking the letter from Lieyin. "You should have given me this the moment it got here." She immediately took it from her.

"Not when you look like death itself," Lieyin teased. "I’m sure it’s not that important anyway."

Yexue’s mouth twitched from where she stood, almost forming a smile.

Qingyue broke the seal on the letter. Han Shuying had been gone for weeks, and given everything that had happened at Ashen Fortress, none of them had been particularly eager to hear from her.

Her eyes moved slowly across the page. Then she stopped abruptly—

"What?" Yexue was immediately alarmed. "What is it?" she repeated.

Qingyue continued reading before answering. "Han Shuying says the Imperial Army has received a large shipment of weapons."

Lieyin’s expression hardened. "Looks like they’re preparing for war."

Qingyue continued. "It’s moving through the Northern Mountain road. They are being transported toward the capital."

Yexue was already shaking her head. "No. Whatever idea is going into your head...just drop it."

Qingyue looked at her. "No? This is an opportunity to finally get weapons. If Ashen Fortress gets attacked right now, we have literally nothing to defend it."

"This is exactly the kind of thing we shouldn’t touch." Yexue folded her arms on her chest. "We might not have access right now, but stealing from the Imperial army is too risky."

Lieyin tilted her head slightly."I don’t see how this is a problem. We need weapons so we’ll take them whichever way we can. This will get us back to the capital faster."

"Think about it..." Yexue pointed at the letter. "This is too convenient. We barely survived General Sheng’s attack, even the Imperial Army knows we’re weakened at the moment. And suddenly Han Shuying sends us word about a weapons shipment?"

"She could be trying to help us," Qingyue said, "like she had these past weeks."

Yexue scoffed. "She could also be leading us into a trap. Han Shuying isn’t the type of person to put your complete trust in."

Lieyin nodded at that. "She’s not entirely wrong. Besides...the Empress has Han Shuying wrapped around her finger. She could be the one pulling the strings for all we know."

Qingyue looked between them. It was hard that the both of them ever agreed on the same thing.

Yexue continued, "Han Shuying has her own reasons for wanting General Han Zheng stopped. We don’t know how much she has told us, and we don’t know what her father is planning. We shouldn’t rush into an ambush simply because she gave us information."

"I understand your concern, but she has also helped us come this far," Qingyue said quietly. "If she wanted to ruin us, she would’ve done it since Tiancheng."

Yexue’s expression softened, but she didn’t back down. "She also knows that we are desperate for weapons."

"I stand with what I just said." Qingyue folded the letter carefully. "She also helped us survive the attack on the fortress. She fought beside us. She saved our people. If she wanted us dead, she has already had opportunities to accomplish it."

Yexue fell silent.

Lieyin walked toward the bed. "She isn’t wrong," she said. "But neither is Yexue."

Qingyue looked at her.

Lieyin continued, "We cannot blindly trust Han Shuying. But we cannot afford to dismiss useful information simply because we are afraid it might be false."

Yexue frowned. "So you think we should go?"

Lieyin opened her mouth. Then stopped.

Her eyes drifted toward the letter in Qingyue’s hand. The words suddenly seemed different.

A large shipment of weapons.

Moving through the northern mountain road.

Bound for the capital.

Something about it bothered her. It wasn’t the weapons or the Imperial Army. Not the weapons. Lieyin’s gaze lowered.

Ru Yi.

Her heart tightened.

General Sheng.

The two names appeared together in her mind.

If General Sheng wanted Ru Yi’s shadow badly enough to burn Ashen Fortress to get her, why would he simply disappear after taking her?

And if the Imperial Army was transporting weapons powerful enough to strengthen the capital’s forces, would General Sheng really ignore them?

Lieyin’s eyes sharpened. "Wait."

Yexue looked at her.

Lieyin took the letter from Qingyue. "When was this shipment scheduled to arrive?"

Qingyue answered, "Three days from now."

Lieyin read the letter again. Then she looked toward the map hanging on the opposite wall. "The northern road." She walked toward it. "If General Sheng is moving toward the capital, this is one of the safest routes for transporting a shipment this large."

Yexue stood. "And?"

Lieyin stared at the map. "And General Sheng is not stupid." Her finger traced the road. "He must know the Imperial Army is moving weapons. If he wants to strengthen his position, he could intercept the shipment himself."

Silence filled the room.

Qingyue’s expression changed.

Lieyin continued, "And if Ru Yi is still with him..." She couldn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t need to.

Yexue understood.

Qingyue’s hand tightened around the blanket.

If General Sheng took Ru Yi toward the capital, there was a chance he would use the shipment as an opportunity to acquire more soldiers, more weapons, and more power. And if that happened, they might never get another chance to reach them.

Lieyin turned around. "I’ll go."

Yexue immediately objected. "Lieyin—"

"I’ll go after the shipment."

Qingyue stared at her with a puzzled expression. "You were against it a moment ago."

Lieyin nodded with a smirk. "I was."

"Then what changed?"

Lieyin’s jaw tightened. "I realized we may not be the only ones hunting that shipment."

Yexue understood exactly what she meant. "You think Ru Yi and General Sheng will be there."

"I think it’s possible." Lieyin folded Han Shuying’s letter and placed it back into Qingyue’s hand. "And if I’m right, then this isn’t merely about stealing imperial weapons anymore."

She looked toward the dark mountains beyond the window. "It may be our only chance to find them."

Qingyue studied her sister’s face. There was something different in Lieyin’s expression. The fury she’d carried since Ru Yi’s betrayal was gone. But it wasn’t forgiveness that she saw.

It was something far more dangerous—

Determination.

"You’ll need help," Qingyue said.

Lieyin nodded. "I know."

Yexue stepped forward, suddenly finding her heart racing at the possibility that she might see Ru Yi once again. "Then I’m coming."

"No."

Yexue blinked.

Lieyin looked at her. "You and Qingyue stay here. The fortress needs to be taken care of, and Qingyue is still sick. Besides, I’m not going alone."

"Who?" Qingyue asked in a worried voice.

Lieyin looked once more toward the mountains. "I’ll decide before sunset."

Outside, thunder rolled across the distant sky. None of them noticed the faint red glow that appeared for a moment on the map’s northern road.

Far beyond Ashen Fortress, an imperial convoy was already moving through the mountains.

And somewhere among the shadows following it, General Sheng was moving toward the capital with Ru Yi.