Luo Xue settled down in Nangong Yi’s camp tent, assuming the role of a servant and slept on the ground before her master’s couch. Her bedding was the soldiers’ used luggage, reeking of a foul foot odor that added to her shame and indignation, fueling her resentment. Back when she was in the palace, she had her own room and slept on a carved embroidered royal couch that even ordinary masters could not match, covered with a brand-new brocade quilt. Whether it was the eunuchs and palace maids of the entire palace or the wives and daughters of the nobility, anyone who saw her would respectfully address her as Miss Luo Xue. But now, she had fallen to the point of sleeping on the ground.
What infuriated her even more was that Mu Caiwei didn’t even reside in this camp tent. Instead, she had arranged another tent where she usually stayed, only occasionally stopping by to have a look and then leaving. Without a word from Mu that she would no longer stay here, Luo Xue couldn’t sleep on the couch and could only swallow her anger and sleep on the ground, enduring the dampness and the strong stench coming from the thin blanket!
In fact, these days, Cai Wei hadn’t been staying in the big tent, but had someone set up a small, secluded tent for her. In reality, she was hiding inside the space, continuing her glass-burning experiments. The deadline for her and Tuoba Kui’s ten-day agreement was approaching, and her glass was still not perfected, so how could she not be anxious? Therefore, these past few days, she had no time to pay attention to Zhao Yang and Luo Xue, working hard by herself, firing up the kiln and experimenting over and over again.
Eventually, heaven rewarded her painstaking efforts. On the day she and Tuoba Kui had agreed upon, she finally produced the ideal glass. The glass was clear, smooth, and had not a single bubble inside. A thin slice of it placed on a window looked fantastic!
"Brother Ying, could you help me check on Tuoba Kui’s movements?"
In a while, she was going to negotiate with Tuoba Kui in his tent, and she believed that someone like Tuoba Kui wouldn’t surrender easily. It was quite possible he would seize this opportunity to try and kill her, so she had to be on her guard!
In the dead of night, Cai Wei, riding the white-haired tiger, arrived at the Meng slaves’ royal city as scheduled.
The magnificent and opulent king’s tent was pitched at the center of the royal city. Hundreds of Meng warrior guards either carried torches or bows and arrows, patrolling around the king’s tent, safeguarding their leader, Tuoba Kui.
This scene was almost no different from her last visit, and if it weren’t for the information Brother Parrot had previously gathered, she wouldn’t have suspected the trickery Tuoba Kui was plotting within the tent.
After reaching the king’s tent, Cai Wei dismounted from the white-haired tiger, and the moment she leapt off, the white-haired tiger, as large as a small mountain, suddenly disappeared without a trace, leaving the warriors wielding bows, arrows, and swords astonished as if they had seen a ghost.
Cai Wei ignored the surprised looks from everyone and strode towards the king’s tent.
Inside the big tent, the place was resplendent with brocade and shining lights. Tuoba Kui sat majestically on the king’s chair covered in tiger fur, his hands draped over the chairback, his face wearing a mysterious smile as his deep gaze fixed on Cai Wei.
"Woman, we meet again!"
"Yes, compared with ten days ago, your complexion has worsened, Great Khan. Perhaps you’ve been eating too many defeats lately, which must have taken a toll on you."
Cai Wei lifted the hem of her skirt and sat down cross-legged on a carpet, smiling breezily.
The smile on Tuoba Kui’s face stiffened and froze.
These past few days, the Meng had lost two cities in a row, and the Great Jin’s large army had already reached the bottom of Dolan City. If Dolan were to fall next, then the Meng’s royal city would be the subsequent loss.
He didn’t want the 300,000 clansmen of the Meng to become slaves of the Great Jin, nor did he wish to be exploited and enslaved by them. Thus, even though he knew that the chances of killing this woman tonight were pitifully small, he still risked a deadly fight. If he won, he would be the hero of the Meng; if he lost, he would die for his Meng brethren, and he would have no regrets.