Isolated town in northern border region

Ledo froze.

"Thirty-six hours... only three hours left?"

"In the last three hours, they drew away our main force..."

Xu De lowered his head.

"He won't let me say."

"He said that if the soldiers knew he was risking his life to hold off Peng Xuan, they would definitely rush back to save him."

He didn't want anyone to die in his place.

Ledo's fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"Damn it! That's a prince! He's a prince from our Northern Frontier!"

"The prince is buying us time up on the mountain, and we're just sitting here doing nothing?"

He turned to rush up the mountain, but Xu De grabbed him and pulled him back.

"What can you do up there? Are you even more capable than Peng Xuan's thousands of men?"

"He risked his life to pave the way for you, and you're going to trample it all away? Do you want him to die with regrets?"

Ledo was trembling all over, like a tethered wild beast, letting out a low, hoarse howl.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the woods.

Jiang Min took the lead, followed by the guards of the Jing Kingdom delegation and Du Ming.

She reined in her horse, and when she saw the expressions on Le Duo and Xu De's faces, her expression changed instantly.

"Where is His Highness?"

Xu De did not answer. He took out a dried clay slab from his pocket and carefully handed it to Jiang Min.

"The prince instructed me before he left... if he doesn't return..."

"Let me make a human skin mask based on this mold... and give it to Princess Minyue."

"Take it back to the northern frontier and hand it over to a man named Zhou Xun."

A face is imprinted on the clay tablet.

It was Xiao Lie's face.

His eyebrows, eyes, facial contours, and the curve of his lips were all perfectly precise, as if he himself were looking at everyone through a mud slab.

There is a line of small characters engraved on the back of the clay tablet, in Xiao Lie's handwriting.

"As long as the northern frontier exists, I will exist."

Jiang Min held the clay slab, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Bisu walked silently out of the crowd, her eyes red, and headed step by step toward Wolf-Looking Mountain.

Xu De quickly stepped forward and pulled him back.

"Miss Bisu, the prince has something to say to you."

Bisu silently turned her head and gave a sad smile.

"I'll ask myself."

As soon as she finished speaking, Bisu pulled out a dagger from the long sleeves of her palace dress, a habit she had developed when she was in the Eastern Palace.

Without any hesitation, Bisu drew her dagger and pressed the sharp blade against her throat.

"Dr. Xu, let go."

"If I could die in the mountains, I could be closer to Your Highness."

Xu De was about to speak again when the sharp blade of the dagger had already cut his skin.

Seeing Bisu's resolute decision, Xu De quickly let go and turned to look at Jiang Min.

"Princess, please think of something!"

Jiang Min looked at Bi Su's unwavering eyes and shook his head helplessly.

"Her heart is dead; let her go."

Bisu nodded slightly to Jiang Min.

"Thank you for your understanding, Princess. Please remember His Highness's instructions..."

"In my next life, Bisu will repay the princess's great kindness!"

Jiang Min remained silent for a long time before raising her head.

"Let's go! Back to northern Xinjiang."

Xu De was taken aback.

"Princess, the Prince is still alive..."

Jiang Min mounted his horse, his voice steady, but beneath that steadyness lay something that seemed ready to break at any moment.

"As long as the Northern Frontier stands, Your Highness stands!"

"Only in the northern frontier can his soul return..."

Ledo looked at her, his lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

He mounted his horse and followed behind Jiang Min, the horse's hooves shattering the moonlight on the ground as they galloped northward.

Bisu's tears finally burst forth, the teardrops reflecting the firelight, dazzling and beautiful.

The girl in the palace dress walked step by step towards the sea of ​​fire.

…………

Jiang Min and his group had just arrived at the north gate when the city gate was already closed.

Peng Xuan's men poked their heads out from the city wall, led by a burly captain.

"The Commander-in-Chief has given an order!"

"Martial law is in effect throughout the city; no one is allowed to leave the city!"

"The Jing Kingdom delegation was no exception!"

Jiang Min reined in his horse, his gaze icy.

"I am an envoy of the Jing Kingdom. If you stop me, you are declaring war on the Jing Kingdom."

The captain shrank back, but still didn't move aside.

"Princess, please forgive me. I was merely following orders."

Ledo's hand was already on the hilt of his sword, about to strike, when suddenly a deafening battle cry came from the direction of the east gate.

"With the will to charge into battle, there is no chance of survival!"

"With the will to charge into battle, there is no chance of survival!"

The voice was rough and unified, like hundreds of people shouting at the same time.

The faces of the soldiers guarding the city wall changed instantly!

The Trapped Camp?!

Those were Xiao Lie's elite troops!

Without saying a word, the captain led his men toward the east gate.

Ledo was also stunned. Just as he was about to ask, "Where did the Trapped Camp come from?", Xu De suddenly spoke up.

"Those are friends from the martial arts world. The prince once escaped from Lang Li Dao—Ma Gui was responsible for providing support."

Jiang Min was taken aback upon hearing this, and his expression turned serious.

"Your Highness, so you had already planned everyone's escape route..."

"But what about yourself?"

Ledo, standing to the side, gripped the saddle's iron bars tightly with both hands, not daring to let go even though his palms were bleeding profusely.

He was afraid that he would not be able to resist drawing his knife and killing people, and that if he lived alone, all of Xiao Lie's plans would be in vain!

In the east of the city, a group of people held up a small apricot-yellow flag and shouted loudly. The character "Xu" was embroidered on the corner of the flag.

Ma Gui stood in the firelight, dressed in black, followed by more than twenty men of all kinds from the martial arts world. Some held machetes, some held iron rods, and some carried door panels as shields.

As they charged, they shouted at the top of their lungs, "We are determined to fight to the death!" Their loud voices created a terrifying spectacle.

The guards at the east gate were taken aback by the sight, and with Ma Gui and his men charging fiercely, several soldiers were knocked down before they could even close the gate.

The guards at the north gate were drawn by the shouts of battle, their minds filled with the immense wealth of capturing Xiao Lie alive, and they paid no heed to Jiang Min and his group.

Ledo immediately realized what was happening and let out a loud shout.

"Walk!"

Jiang Min cracked his whip, and the horse's hooves shattered the moonlight as it rushed out through the crack in the north gate.

Behind me, the city gate slowly closed in the night, like a heavy sigh.

The wildfire is still burning.

The entire Wolf-Looking Mountain was illuminated, with thick smoke billowing and obscuring half of the night sky.

Xiao Lie stood on a high ground surrounded by fire, holding the iron-framed bow in his hand, the bowstring still warm.

He saw a small group of shadows moving away on the northern horizon, like a flock of birds returning home, gradually shrinking in the night.

He put down the bow, let out a long breath, his voice hoarse.

"It's good that you're gone..."

"The Northern Frontier has never been an isolated region. The future may hold some hardships, but that's alright..."

He looked down at his hands.

My fingers have stopped shaking...

Because I can no longer feel the shaking.

He leaned against the tree trunk behind him, watching the firelight getting closer and closer, and said something softly.

"I'm entrusting the northern frontier to you."

The wildfire roared in the wind, like countless people shouting in unison.

The flames grew closer and closer, but he didn't move. He just sat there, like a forgotten boundary marker on a mountaintop.