The grasslands, the cold wind biting to the bone.
All eyes were on the scene as Helian Lanruo carefully applied wolf medicine to Bai Wangyu's wounds and bandaged them up, her face full of distress, an expression they had never seen before.
The warriors of the Helian tribe felt a pang of jealousy at this sight.
Their beautiful princess seemed to have taken a liking to a man from the Central Plains.
"Lanruo, how did you end up so far away?"
The Great Sovereign of Helian asked, puzzled.
Helian Lanruo was about to respond when, not far away, Li Ziye stepped forward and said, "Great Sovereign, someone is plotting against the princess!"
Hearing this, the Great Sovereign of Helian frowned slightly and demanded, "What do you mean? Explain yourself!"
"Reporting to the Great Sovereign."
Li Ziye's gaze shifted towards Ao Qiong in the distance and calmly stated, "Today, while accompanying the princess on a hunt, everything was fine until Ao Qiong came in contact with the princess's horse. After that, the horse went out of control, as if it had gone mad. We chased it all the way here before finally catching up with the princess, only to encounter a wolf pack."
"Nonsense!"
Behind the Great Sovereign of Helian, Ao Qiong's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and he protested, "You're slandering me! I did not poison the princess's horse!"
"Poison?"
Li Ziye's eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, "Did I ever mention poison? Ao Qiong, how did you know the princess's horse was poisoned?"
Ao Qiong's mouth opened and closed, his face turning an urgent red, but he found himself at a loss for words.
Beside him, Bai Wangyu and Wen Xiuru exchanged glances but remained silent.
Although they didn't know what Brother Li was up to, they were sure he had his reasons.
"Lanruo, is what he's saying true?"
The Great Sovereign of Helian turned to his daughter and asked in a deep voice.
Helian Lanruo hesitated for a moment, then looking at the disheveled Li Ziye and Wen Xiuru, and then at Bai Wangyu who was injured for her sake, she nodded gently and said, "Reporting to father, I was indeed ambushed, which startled the horse."
Upon hearing this, the Great Sovereign of Helian's expression grew stern as he turned to Ao Qiong and demanded, "How do you explain this?"
"Great Sovereign, I am innocent! I would never harm the princess, please don't be misled by these people from the Central Plains!" Ao Qiong pleaded urgently.
"Our words might not be trustworthy, but what about Princess Lanruo's words? Ao Qiong, are you suggesting that Princess Lanruo is framing you?" Li Ziye said coldly.
"Great Sovereign, I am truly wronged, I did not harm the princess!"
Unable to clear his name, Ao Qiong immediately knelt before the Great Sovereign of Helian and implored, "Great Sovereign, please see the truth. I have always been loyal to you and the princess, how could I plot against her?"
The Great Sovereign of Helian looked at the kneeling Ao Qiong, his brow furrowed. Truth be told, he did not believe Ao Qiong would harm Lanruo, but with Lanruo herself saying someone wanted to harm her, it didn't seem like a lie.
"Where is the princess's horse? Let me take a look."
At that moment, an elder from the Helian tribe stepped forward from behind the Great Sovereign and spoke up.
"Right here!"
Li Ziye stepped forward, leading Little Red Riding Hood's horse, and calmly warned, "Be careful, elder. This horse was frightened earlier and almost fell prey to the wolves. It might go mad again."
"Don't worry."
The old man nodded, approached the horse, examined its eyes, sniffed its mouth, and then inserted a silver needle into the horse's back. After pulling it out and giving it a sniff, he turned to the Great Sovereign of Helian and reported, "Great Sovereign, it's the poison of the withered wood grass, a toxic plant unique to our grasslands that can cause horses to become uncontrollable when ingested. However, this plant doesn't grow during this season, so the horse couldn't have eaten it by mistake. It must have been poisoned deliberately."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed, and their gazes turned to Ao Qiong, who was kneeling on the ground.
Had Ao Qiong lost his mind to dare to plot against the princess?
Under the watchful eyes of all, Ao Qiong's face showed a trace of panic as he blurted out, "Great Sovereign, I did not plot against the princess. This horse doesn't belong to the princess; it belongs to that disciple from the Confucian School!"
"Hmm?"
Confusion spread across the faces of the crowd, wondering what he meant.
"Ao Qiong, what exactly are you saying?"
The Great Sovereign of Helian's face darkened as he demanded an explanation.
Realizing he had misspoken, Ao Qiong's expression changed immediately after uttering those words.
"It was you!"
Helian Lanruo, upon hearing his admission, was filled with rage. She had not believed Ao Qiong capable of such a vile act, but now, hearing his own confession, she had no choice but to believe.
Seeing the angry expression on Princess Lanruo's face, Ao Qiong pleaded, "Princess, please let me explain."
"What is going on?"
The Great Sovereign of Helian also sensed something was amiss and pressed for an answer.
"Reporting to father, indeed, the horse does not belong to me, but to Young Master Bai."
Helian Lanruo said coldly, "However, only the person who poisoned the horse would know this. Ao Qiong's panicked words have already revealed the truth of his actions."
The Great Sovereign of Helian, upon hearing this, also understood and said with a grave expression, "Ao Qiong, you have some nerve! Young Master Bai and the disciples from the Confucian School are my honored guests, and yet you have treated them so poorly."
"Great Sovereign, spare my life!"
Ao Qiong hurriedly kowtowed and confessed, "Great Sovereign, I was momentarily blinded by foolishness, which led me to commit such a foolish act today. Please, for my past loyalty, forgive me this once."
"Bowing to me is useless; apologize to Young Master Bai!" the Great Sovereign of Helian commanded sternly.
Hearing the Great Sovereign's words, Ao Qiong quickly realized his mistake and turned to Bai Wangyu to kowtow and apologize, "Young Master Bai, I realize my mistake. I was simply upset about losing to you last night and acted foolishly today. You are a magnanimous person, please forgive me this once."
Beside them, Li Ziye watched the farce between the sovereign and his subject with a cold smile. What a move by the Great Sovereign of Helian, thinking a simple apology would settle the matter.
If apologies were enough, what would be the need for laws?
"Ao Qiong."
Before Little Red Riding Hood could speak, Li Ziye stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the so-called number one warrior of the Helian tribe, and calmly said, "Do you know there's a saying in the Central Plains that goes, 'It's better to resolve enmity than to hold a grudge'?"
"I've heard of it."
Ao Qiong replied, his face brightening, "Does that mean you're willing to forgive me? Thank you so much."
"So you admit you were wrong?"
Li Ziye's face showed a gentle smile as he asked.
"I admit it."
Ao Qiong nodded.
"Good that you admit it."
Li Ziye nodded, then turned to Little Red Riding Hood and smiled, "Old Bai, do you remember what I said before?"
Bai Wangyu was taken aback, then sighed lightly, "Brother Li, do as you wish. I won't stop you this time."
Brother Li had said, no exceptions.
Unfortunately, this was the next time.
"I was waiting for you to say that."
Li Ziye smiled, his gaze falling on Ao Qiong, who was kneeling on the ground, and continued, "Do you know, there's another saying in the Central Plains."
Ao Qiong looked puzzled.
Li Ziye leaned down, whispering into his ear but not bothering to lower his voice, his smile radiant as he said, "It goes, 'A gentleman seeks revenge, it's never too late!'"
As the words fell, Li Ziye's hand produced a dagger-sized short sword that pierced directly into Ao Qiong's chest.
"Zzzt!"
The grating sound of the sharp Fish Intestine Sword cutting through flesh and bone rang out, opening up Ao Qiong's chest, tearing through muscle, and spewing a horrific spray of blood.
In an instant, Li Ziye's clothes were stained red with gushing blood, half his body soaked, a terrifying sight.
"How dare you!"
"Ao Qiong!"
The Great Sovereign of Helian and the others behind him changed their expressions and shouted.
"Great Sovereign, you see, we came to the Desert North with good intentions, to help the eight tribes of the Desert North fight against demon creatures, yet there are always those with ulterior motives trying to sow discord and damage the relationship between the Confucian School and the tribes of the Desert North. Tell me, shouldn't such a person be killed?"
As he spoke, Li Ziye stood up, pulling out the Fish Intestine Sword and smiling, "Actually, we people from the Central Plains don't like to cause trouble, especially when we're in a foreign land. But even if we don't want trouble, we can't let others trample on us, can we?"
Under the night wind, Ao Qiong's body slowly fell into a pool of blood, his chest ripped open by the Fish Intestine Sword, blood gushing out, a ghastly sight.
Ahead, the blood-soaked youth stood there with a smile, his handsome face also smeared with warm blood, and at that moment, even his smile seemed somewhat ferocious.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas