"This…" An Hongyu's voice trailed.
"Yes," Manchu confirmed. "It's the head of Governor Duyi Zhong of the Jilin province."
Silence pervaded the tent. Everyone's eyes locked intensely on the decapitated head in the center of the floor.
An Hongyu's cold eyes stared at it silently. After a long time, he said wearily: "Who killed him?"
Despite asking, he could already guess who did it.
As expected, Manchu replied: "An Sun."
Once more, there was silence. At that point, An Hongyu's expression twisted, a fleet of emotions flashing across his face.
"Before his death, An Sun informed us of your orders. In the beginning, yes, he was reluctant. But to ensure no harm would come between him and the clan, he beheaded Governor Duyi. We never expected to return and prove to you his loyalty he would…"
Manchu's hands gripped into fists, his expression filled with pure loathing. An Hongyu shifted his eyes from Manchu to stare back at the head. His mood was complicated.
"Thank you. You've done well…" His voice sounded faint. "As for An Sun's honor and loyalty to the clan, we will conduct a proper ceremony to celebrate his death."
A strained smile appeared on Manchu's face. He cupped his hands and lowered his head.
"Thank you, my Lord."
An Hongyu nodded before waving his hand to dismiss him. All the while, his eyes remained on the head below his feet. Manchu bowed his head and turned to leave the tent.
Stepping out, he breathed in a large breath of the spring air. It would seem he succeeded in his first mission.
At the time when An Sun and Bai Han left to find Bai Rin, he and the troops had set their plans into action. It was predicted that An Hongyu suspected An Sun of rebellion long before his so-called 'death.' To them, his name was recognized as a dead and treacherous bastard child.
While not false, this didn't sit too well for Manchu and the troops. After some discussion, Manchu set up a plan. To show An Sun was still loyal to the clan even before his 'death', he would deliver to them the head of Duyi Zhong.
To be more precise, a look-alike.
Manchu ordered the remaining troops they had to search for someone with similar features to the Jilin governor and bring him over. Not long had passed when they found someone.
After that, all was set in stone.
Not only would this bring light to An Sun's name, marking him as an honorable son and member of the clan, but this would also cause discord between An Hongyu and An Ruo.
It was killing two birds with one stone. A win-win situation.
Standing in the center of the field with his hands behind his back, Manchu's eyes curved.
He would make sure An Sun's plans would not be in vain.
"Shall I bring refreshments to your tent, General Manchu?" A soldier beside him asked.
Manchu shook his head. "There's no need. I will be resting. Unless it's the Great Head An himself calling, make sure no one disturbs me."
The soldier nodded. "Yes."
About to take a step into his tent, Manchu paused. His eyes swept over to a certain figure walking in the distance. The man wore a hooded cloak, brown and nondescript. The rising sun was peeking over the tents behind his shoulder, so it was hard to make out the face beneath his hood.
The man suddenly stopped and turned his head over. At that moment, Manchu's expression changed.
Those eyes…
Before he had a chance to stare any further, the young man looked away and continued to walk away in the direction of An Ruo's tent. Manchu's eyes narrowed.
When that young man looked at him, for a moment…he saw pale emerald eyes. There was only one person he knew who possessed such a rare color – Bai Rin.
Was it perhaps more common than they thought? No—the chances of ever seeing another with that color would be unlikely. A growing suspicion surfaced in his heart, but for the time being Manchu was forced to let it go.
Glancing in the direction of the young man one last time, Manchu turned to walk to his tent.
…
At night, in the study of General Guo.
A look of surprise flitted across the middle-aged general's eyes for a brief moment at the news he just received.
"You're leaving?"
Standing with his back straight, hands placed behind his back, An Sun nodded.
"When?" General Guo asked.
"Possibly in a week's time."
"I see." General Guo sat up with a sigh. He walked toward the table with bottles of wine and unclogged a cork with a pop.
"Is there anything we can offer to make your travel smoother?" He poured the red wine into a cup and passed it to the young man.
An Sun took the cup and shook his head. "Besides a horse, there's not much I'll need."
"Money?" General Guo's brows raised.
An Sun snorted. "What use is money when there are the woods?"
The woods could provide him with a place to sleep and food.
In response to those words, General Guo's eyes lit up with admiration. He grunted in approval.
"I'm guessing you'll be enlisting in an army in the north?"
An Sun nodded his head. "I heard there was one in Jinping."
General Guo's eyebrows raised. He was surprised. "The Jinping province army has a rather rigorous training course."
An Sun chuckled. "That's why I'm going there."
After speaking, in one shot, he drank the wine in his cup until there wasn't even a single drop left. The wine was sweet and strong, redolent with the smell of northern spices.
General Guo sighed helplessly as he poured more wine into his empty cup. "I happen to know the commander there. If you'd like, I can send in a good word for you."
An Sun glanced at the man as the wine was being poured. Something flashed within his gaze. Truth be told, it was the first time someone willingly offered to help him with no motives.
It was unusual.
A hint of a smile flashed through An Sun's eyes, but it was quickly hidden.
"There's no need. I decided to go on this journey using my strength, and that's what I intend to do until the end."
While he was appreciative of the other's kindness, he could not allow himself to borrow the power of others. Even though he earned the respect of many of his troops, to others he was only feared not just for his ruthlessness, but the name behind him. The majority of his life he was raised with the backing of the An Clan.
This time he wanted to make something of himself with his own hands. Only then will he be able to make a name for himself.
Turning, General Guo looked at An Sun. Hearing the young man's response and seeing he was so settled on his purpose, he felt rather pleased. If An Sun hadn't decided to join the army in Jinping, he would have recruited him into the Bai army.
He raised his cup toward An Sun with a rare smile on his face. "In that case, I wish you well on your journey. If you change your mind, the Bai family will be here to support you."
An Sun's lips twitched upwards in a smile when he saw his actions. He raised his cup and clanked his cup against General Guo's.
"I'll remember that."
They drank. An Sun held up an empty wine cup and reached for the gourd to fill it up once more.
Suddenly, a commotion occurred outside.
"Master Bai! Master Bai!"
Following the maidservant's shriek, lanterns flared to life all over the previously dark Bai Manor.
Both men raised their heads in the direction of the maidservant's voice. Very quickly, the peaceful mood turned grim. An Sun's eyes narrowed. From the frantic tone in their voice, he could sense something was wrong.
The two stepped out of the study to see the lantern lights were burning bright in the hall, making it as bright as day. Appearing from around the corner, Bai Han's face went cold, like an ancient lake locked up with frost.
"What happened? What's with all the commotion?"
Just before they had the chance to further investigate the situation, they heard another cry.
"Summon a physician! There's blood! On the pillow! And she's soaked with sweat! The young miss...She threw up blood!"
No one spoke for a moment. The grating sound of the maidservant's words was ringing in everyone's ears. The news hit everyone like a bolt from the blue.
Bai Han's eyes were vicious. His face was pale but full of anger and fear, enough to make others shudder.
"Summon a physician, now!"