After Xiao Xiang yu had fetched his black stallion from the stable and simply saddled him himself, he swung onto his back and left the imperial courtyard before noon.
Without any entourage and only taking the necessary breaks for his horse, he reached Chaisang three days later. Almost four days had passed since the caravan had left Uidong, and still no one had arrived.
The city of Chaisang was huge, with several million people from all walks of life living here more or less peacefully together.
Xiao Xiang yu rented a room for the night and had various dishes brought to him. He rolled his tea bowl back and forth in his hand when he noticed for the first time that he was being watched.
He ignored the piercing gaze. He was used to being watched, and he was also familiar with the hostility that the observer did not hide. What made him suspicious was that the one who was watching him so blatantly had completely suppressed any other presence.
Although Xiao Xiang yu felt the stinging gaze on his skin, he could sense neither an aura nor human warmth. Every living being radiated a certain spiritual power, regardless of whether he could use it or not.
It was the flow of Yang energy that connected them all, through which Xiao Xiang yu was able to perceive his surroundings as sharply as with his eyes. But where the pair of eyes stared at him, he felt nothing.
Just a black hole. No flow, no resistance and no bundling of energy. After he had made sure of this, he looked up. But whoever had cast an eye on him had disappeared.
Xiao Xiang yu frowned. As the supreme general of the imperial army, he was used to being in the line of fire of various assassins. But normally he could feel the murderousness and hostile intentions, but right now... He emptied his tea in one gulp, reached for his sword and went to his room.
Besides various Yao and shadowy figures, there was only one person in the world who could hide his presence so precisely. Qing Lai, but his brother would have no reason to hide or conceal himself from him.
Qing Lai knew that Xiao Xiangyu would not rest and would leave no stone unturned until he had found him.
He locked his door and windows, then sat down in the middle of the room and took a deep breath. Unlike the cultists, like his brother, he used only a small amount of spiritual energy.
His focus was entirely on combat strength. While he fell into a state of meditative twilight and would put his sword to the throat of anyone who would dare to approach him. His thoughts wandered back. He could still remember that day exactly.
Back when the war had orphaned hundreds of children. The power struggle for the succession of the kingdom of Tianda had been cruel and bloody. Other countries had taken advantage of Tianda's weakness and attacked from the outside, while corruption and political intrigue destroyed the imperial house from the inside out.
It had been a warm day, late fall had blown most of the leaves from the trees, and under the ginkgo tree where he had been standing, he had imagined it would already be snowing.
But suddenly a man had stepped up to him. He had stretched out his hand and thrown a piece of bread at his feet. Other children had come running immediately, but the man with the broad shoulders, scarred face and piercing eyes, one of which was blind, had just shaken his head. He spoke to them in a booming voice.
"The one who manages to take all the bread for himself, I will take home. I will give him clothes and a warm place to sleep. Education and training and the chance of a carefree life!"
This man was Wu Yi Rong and although you might think that he was cruel enough to make orphans fight for food, Xiao Xiang yu knew that he had simply not known how to help otherwise.
He had wanted to help give a little hope. But the emotionally crippled man, scarred from the battlefield, only knew how to fight. Although Xiao Xiang yu hadn't been particularly keen on it, he had managed to get hold of the bread in a bloody scuffle.
He had only been hungry, nothing else, but the man had taken him by the hand and dragged him along. Into the imperial palace, into the general's private chambers, and that was where he had met Qing Lai for the first time.
He had been sitting at the table, all tattered and dirty, with dark hair and eyes. From head to toe, he was filthy, but he had beamed at him from top to bottom.
"Welcome home... brother!"
When dawn broke and Xiao Xiang yu set out, he felt the pair of eyes again. He had a small breakfast and fetched his horse from the neighboring stable before passing through the city gates.
Until then, the eyes followed him wherever he went. The sun had risen and the air smelled spicy. It would rain soon and wash away any tracks, so Xiao Xiang yu urged his horse to hurry.
After about half a day's ride, he saw the broken carriages and dead bodies, which were already beginning to decompose. Drag marks indicated that not only the human remains were taken away by wild animals, but also various prey.
He didn't mind the strong smell of decomposition, and when he stepped over the hollowed-out carcass of one of the horses, he caught a glimpse of a colorful piece of cloth out of the corner of his eye. Just as he was about to grab it, he felt a sharp draft of air.
A whistling sound reached his ears and with a jump on the wall of the overturned cart, he just managed to avoid the three-tailed whip. He raised his eyes. Black eyes met bright blue ones.
The young man grinned mischievously when he saw that Xiao Xiang had dodged the whip.
"You're fast!" he remarked. His black, straight hair hung messily over his face and his short braid was tied high. Bones clinked and there was no pink on the pale cheeks.
"Who are you?" Xiao Xiangyu asked sharply and stood up. The tall young man grinned, then shook his head while slowly rolling up his whip again.
"I'm not telling!" he answered defiantly. Xiao Xiang yu scrutinized the young man; he looked younger than himself. His battle robe and leather arm guards didn't appear to be new, but they weren't worn out either.
He didn't know where to put him exactly. He didn't really look like an assassin. He didn't cover his face, although his blue eyes were a rare feature, and he didn't hide his weapon, a three-tailed whip, even though he had messed with someone whose own survival rate was vanishingly small. Was he ... tired of life?
"Do you know who you just raised your weapon against?" Xiao Xiang yu asked angrily. The young man grinned again.
"Do I have to?" he replied carelessly. Xiao Xiang yu jumped down from the cart and, in passing, tore off the colorful tattered cloth and pocketed it before stepping in front of the young lad.
He would have to be very stupid not to recognize the imperial robe with the phoenix rising from the war flames. The blue-eyed man pursed his lips.
"Don't look at me like you want to eat me up. It makes me blush," he laughed shamelessly.
Xiao Xiang yu stopped, he had never been accused of such a thing, but before he could say anything, the whip lashed out again.