The darkness before dawn engulfed the entire world in chaos.
The Gu Residence, however, was dotted with torches; out of the eight hundred elite soldiers, only seven hundred remained, as the vanguard troops had already left the city to lead the way!
"Changsheng’s beloved daughter, this journey to the Southern Border is no trivial matter. You must be very careful and not act recklessly!" Mr. Ban Shan looked at his daughter, dressed for battle and exuding a fearsome aura, and expressed his concern.
"Foster Father, there’s no need to worry. Leave this place to you. I will surely bring your little granddaughter back. Just wait here for the good news!" Gu Changsheng looked back with a flicker of guilt in her eyes.
Her foster father had aged so, yet he came out of seclusion to manage Liuzhou for her!
"Daughter, you must return safely. I will wait for you at home!" Mr. Ban Shan continued with his worried reminders.
Gu Changsheng nodded and looked toward the man beside her.
Then she turned and walked toward the front of the army.
Her army only had eight hundred men!
With these eight hundred, she intended to pacify the treacherous lands of the Southern Border!
"As for the military deployment, I trust you all have it in mind. The vanguard clears the way, the central military follows me, and the supply troops bring up the rear. This expedition to the Southern Border... I want our name ’Dark Night’ to shock the Four Kingdoms, I want our name ’Dark Night’ to be etched in the annals of history, astonishing the world!" Gu Changsheng stood resolute before her generals, her red garments billowing, as she spoke with deadly seriousness.
Dark Night, such was the name of her troops!
Wherever Dark Night passed, the darkness would linger and never fade!
She wanted the Southern Border to experience eternal night, to be turned upside down, all because of her arrival!
"We swear to die in loyalty to our leader! We shall not return until the Southern Border is conquered!"
Their forceful vow, as they knelt, reverberated to the heavens, echoing over the skies of Liuzhou City, startling countless birds into flight.
The citizens, still in the midst of slumber, were suddenly roused, feeling a chill throughout their bodies.
Gu Changsheng looked at them, surrounded by a deadly aura. With a sweep of her long sleeves, she commanded in a deep voice, "Depart!"
In an instant, the remaining seven hundred began to move; the sound of neighing steeds resounded in unison!
Gu Changsheng looked at the man beside her, and they both took the reins handed to them by their subordinates.
Mounting their horses, their movements were as fluid as flowing water.
"Changsheng’s daughter!" Mr. Ban Shan called out to his daughter, who stood mighty upon her steed.
Hearing him, Gu Changsheng looked back once again at the Gu Residence, gripped the reins tightly, and exclaimed, "Foster Father, wait for my return!"
With a crack of her long whip, the figure in red vanished into the night.
"Mr. Ban Shan, we will certainly protect Lady Changsheng. Don’t worry!" Xiao Cui glanced at Mr. Ban Shan who had followed, his voice reassuring, as he too mounted his horse and pursued the figures ahead.
A flash of red and purple, guarded by hundreds, spurred their horses forward, racing toward the City Gate.
The sound of hoofbeats as they struck the ground seemed as if they were trained to be perfectly in sync, kicking up a cloud of dust, with even the ground seeming to tremble in response.
Leaning forward and whipping continuously, Gu Changsheng turned to look at the person keeping pace beside her.
"Evildoer, do you regret it?" she asked. Did he regret plunging into the turmoil of the Southern Border with her? Did he regret being censured by the officials of the Court again for her sake? Did he regret leaving behind the prosperity and comfort of Liuzhou City for this treacherous expedition?
"Who said they wanted to be birds of the same feather in the sky with me, and branches intertwined on the ground?" Zhou Mu responded teasingly under the cover of darkness, a playful smile on his lips.
Gu Changsheng was taken aback. To be birds of the same feather in the sky, and branches intertwined on the ground, huh?
"Although I don’t want to burst your bubble, that line was undoubtedly meant for you by Si Xi! His affection for you truly is as solid as gold! Ha ha..." Gu Changsheng cracked her whip and burst into hearty laughter, racing ahead.
Zhou Mu’s expression darkened at her words.
"My Lady, how could you..." Si Xi, who had been guarding close to the two, sounded plaintive upon hearing this. He wanted to speak up, but upon seeing the darkening expression of his master, he fell silent.
Poor fellow, all he had done was write a note with the words his master should say to his lady, how did it get associated with him?
Zhou Mu gave him a deep look, then spurred his horse to follow the crimson figure ahead.
"Look at your foolishness; we’ve raised you in vain!" Yuan Bao, riding on his horse, gave Si Xi a scornful glance before hurriedly following after them.
This journey to the Southern Border was taking all of Lady Changsheng’s troops, and with both their master and Lady Changsheng leaving the Liuzhou Region, moving the million-strong army was out of the question. It was only after Yuan Bao had resorted to practically threatening with self-harm that he managed to tag along!
He was determined to protect his master and Lady Changsheng, and wouldn’t let them suffer the slightest harm!