Chapter 081: A Lament for Turbulent Times

  "The flames of Qin..."

  Qing Xia furrowed her brow, gazing at the army following behind her with flags fluttering and horses neighing, as she sat atop her warhorse in her light armor. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced her heart. She had rushed hundreds of miles, her heart burning with anxiety, but never expected that after breaking through layers of encirclement, she would face such a countenance. Looking at Qin Zhiyan's pale yet resolute face, Qing Xia felt a momentary daze - this was the renowned Great Qin War God, this was the astonishingly talented Third Prince of Qin, this was the laughing and talking King of Qin who could kill with his words!

  All the causes and consequences of everything quickly connected in my mind, the original surprise and shock also gradually subsided, leaving only a hint of indifference, a hint of understanding, as if there was still a hint of heartache.

  Perhaps, they had known all along, but were unwilling to face and acknowledge it. He was the pillar of the Great Qin, how could he be that green-robed man in the imperial mausoleum who seemed as distant as a far-off mountain? Once out of the imperial mausoleum, they came into this resplendent yet chaotic world, and they were no longer the people they once were.

  It's just like she used to be called Yima, now she can only stand by Chu Li's side and be her Zhu Qingxia.

  Fate is often cruel like this.

  "Yima'er," Qin Zhiyan smiled faintly, his face pale, and under the cold helmet was a steel-like upright figure. He smiled lightly and said in a low voice: "I didn't expect to see you again here. Has your injury healed?"

  It was just a sentence, and the memories of life and death in the imperial mausoleum were brought out again. Qing Xia's expression moved slightly, took a deep breath, and finally said: "I'm much better now, but aren't you afraid of the cold? Why bother to run all the way to South Chu in this chill?"

  As soon as the words fell, Qin Zhiyan and Chu Li's faces changed at the same time. These words sounded in Qin Zhiyan's ears, naturally with a hint of mockery and blame, but in Chu Li's ears, they were thick with concern.

  In the few days at Huangling, all he had seen was Qingxia's gentle yet strong kindness and simplicity, never her sharp tongue. On the other hand, Chu Li, who often quarreled with Qingxia, had also never seen her show such tender care and concern. Both men simultaneously felt that Qingxia seemed to have changed, then instinctively turned their heads at the same time, their eyes fixed intently on each other like hawks.

  "King of Chu."

  "King Xuan."

  "I've long admired you."

  The same words, in the bloody and murderous land of Shazhou, two men stood on their war horses, one facing south and the other facing north, representing the strongest opposing forces in the world today.

  Qing Xia's entire body was stained with blood, his eyes were as cold as snow, his black hair was flying wildly, and his sharp eyebrows stood between the two people. The weather in Nanzhong was strange, it had snowed a few days ago, but at this moment it was pouring rain, a strong gust of wind blew by, whipping up slanting raindrops, causing the three people's sleeves to flutter wildly.

  Chu's eyebrows rose slightly, his sword-like brows entering his temples, his eyes gleaming like iron as he spoke in a low voice: "You can actually command the White Wolf tribe to serve you, drive the ferocious beasts of the Southern Territory on a long journey of thousands of miles, hunt in the Western Hei, and annihilate the South Territory's Lu Dan people in one move. You hold the chess piece in your hand, then abandon it, King Xuan indeed has good moves."

  Qin's narrow and long eyes slightly narrowed, the corners of his mouth pulled out a faint smile, his voice was mellow, like the calm lake water in March, without any ripples: "It's all about mutual benefit, Your Majesty borrowed a knife to kill someone, adapting to changing circumstances. I planned for three months, but ended up helping others, assisting you to seize power as soon as you ascended to the throne, compared to Your Majesty, Yan is ashamed and dare not presume."

  Chu Li smiled and said in a loud voice, "Why be polite to King Xuan? In the battle of Nanjiang, Your Majesty took advantage of the war to take control of the Great Qin army. The Great Qin did not lose a single soldier or general, but instead defeated and destroyed the armies of Southern Chu, Eastern Qi, and Western Shu. Calculating this deal, it seems that Your Majesty has made an even more profitable transaction."

  Qin's eyebrows relaxed, and he smiled faintly: "Mutual benefit and win-win, both families gain, what the Southern Chu consumed was just the rebellious forces of the eight great families. Otherwise, how would Your Majesty know about it and still let the southern border go unmanaged? After a great chaos, there must be a great governance, the day when the Southern Chu will rise again is right before our eyes."

  Chu Li smiled and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "Thank you for your kind words."

  "Alright, alright."

  Chu Li's body was stained with blood, but his heroic spirit remained unscathed. He sheathed his battle sword and held it in one hand, turning to look at Qing Xia and saying in a deep voice: "Qing Xia, follow me back to camp."

  Qing Xia was taken aback and turned his head to look at Qin Zhiyan, thinking to himself: Could it be that he had gone to great lengths to get here just to let Chu Li leave safely like this?

  Although Qing Xia's skills are not ordinary and his mind is clear, he still lags behind in terms of the forms and power struggles of various countries. Qin Zhiyan came today, even if he had a ten percent chance, he wouldn't have made a move against Chu Li. Now that the four countries are vying with each other, pulling one hair will move the whole body. Before Qin Zhiyan fully grasps the power of the Great Qin Empire, once the balance of power is broken, it will be a chaotic situation. What he needs to do now is to grasp the military power of the Great Qin and establish good relations with the other four countries, winning over the best allies.

  Chu Li is not a monarch who is willing to be controlled by others, he has great ambitions and a broad vision for the world, but at the same time, he is also a ruler who can clearly distinguish between what is important and what is not. Sometimes, having an intelligent and cautious ally with great ambitions is far better than having a foolish and timid partner who is prone to violence. Because no matter how opposed their positions may be, as long as you can offer conditions that benefit both parties, he will absolutely do what you want him to do. Without being swayed by narrow personal preferences or biases, nor being misled or delayed by treacherous people or difficult circumstances.

  The borders of Qin and Chu are adjacent, with frequent trade exchanges. Qin is busy dealing with the internal power struggle in the imperial court, while Chu is focused on post-war national recovery and rejuvenation. In the short term, neither country will engage in warfare. Therefore, from any perspective, forming an alliance with Chu is the wisest choice.

  But now, Qin Zhiyan heard Chu Li's words and suddenly had a hint of wanting to kill Chu Li on the Western Black Desert, regardless of the overall situation.

  "Qing Xia!" Chu Li's voice was low and husky, with a hint of faint anger. His eyes were pitch black as he stared at Qing Xia, who was staring blankly at Qin Zhiyan. The flames in his heart surged upwards, and suddenly he spurred the horse forward two steps, grasped Qing Xia's wrist, and said in a deep voice: "Come back with me!"

  Qing Xia's wrist suddenly hurt, and she was tightly grasped in Chu Li's arms. She immediately became enraged, and abruptly lifted her head up, but it just so happened to collide with the dark, profound eyes of Chu Li.

  Only to see Chu Li's eyes as if a huge tornado had rolled up, pitch black and deep, like a gambler who had bet everything, staring straight at Qing Xia, with pain that couldn't be hidden in his eyes. The strength in his hand suddenly dissipated, Qing Xia's body softened, and was pulled over by Chu Li, the war horse under him let out a long whinny, slowly leaning towards Chu Li's direction.

  "Yima!" The pale light armor general's eyebrows rose, and a hint of anger flashed across his face, which was as distant as the misty trees. He pursed his lips tightly, and with lightning-fast speed, he grabbed Qing Xia's other hand, pulling him back towards Chu Li's body with great force.

  Like a dragon spitting fire, lightning flashed through the thick clouds, illuminating all around with a brilliant white light. The grass and trees swayed violently, and sand flew everywhere in a frenzy. With a sudden crack of thunder, the two men on either side simultaneously exerted their strength. Qing Xia's face, washed clean by the heavy rain, revealed a faintly pale complexion, her eyebrows furrowed tightly together for an instant. The warhorse beneath her was pulled back and forth, suddenly rearing up on its hind legs, letting out a long, mournful whinny. The woman with jet-black hair on horseback had her locks flying wildly in the wind, her clothes fluttering about like crazy.

  One flash of lightning after another, the pale woman seemed like a broken butterfly, perched on top of the warhorse, her clothes stained with blood, her eyebrows furrowed. Her slender wrists were tightly grasped by two of the most exceptional men in the world, their palms pressed deep into hers. For an instant, the three people's bodies seemed to be petrified, frozen in place on the vast and desolate wilderness, under the flashes of lightning that illuminated the dark sky, their eyes gleaming like sharp blades clashing in a bloody frenzy.

  "Whoosh!" A loud noise, Chu Li suddenly drew out the long knife from his waist and slashed down at Qin Zhiyan with a loud crash, shouting in a cold voice: "Let go!"

  Qin's flames flashed as he drew his sword, his movements swift as lightning. Like an ancient dragon coiling upwards, he suddenly countered Chu Li's attack and sneered, "What makes you think you can?"

  "She is my queen!" Torrential rain poured down, the dragon entered the sea, and the cold blade danced in the sky, with a sharp and cunning angle, changing its momentum in countless ways.

  Qin's flames coldly laughed at the enemy, not falling behind in the slightest. Upon hearing this, he calmly said: "Announce to the world, bestow a name on the abandoned and discarded concubine? Chu Li! You are fundamentally unworthy of possessing her!"

  "Looking for death!" Chu Li roared, charging forward on horseback. Qin Zhiyan was not afraid at all, swinging his sword to resist the enemy. The large army behind them saw their commander take action and also charged forward on horseback. In an instant, the shouts and screams filled the air, the horses' hooves were like thunder, the rumbling sound shook the entire sky and earth, the heavy rain poured down, the yellow mud mixed together, the dark clouds hung low, the thick clouds rolled over, and the sky and earth were stained with blood.

  "Stop!" Qing Xia shouted loudly, but how could her voice be heard in the midst of such a thunderous roar? At this moment, Chu Li and Qin Zhiyan were already engaged in a fierce battle, their blades clashing, the air thick with killing intent. Yet neither of these two stubborn men was willing to let go of Qing Xia's hand first. Suddenly, Qing Xia's warhorse lost its balance due to being pulled and tugged, letting out a sharp whinny as it galloped wildly, sending Qing Xia's body flying into the air, her back arched in a downward motion.

  Almost at the same time, Chu Li and Qin Zhiyan turned their heads around simultaneously. The blades of the two men suddenly stopped in mid-air. One of them was still holding Qing Xia's wrist. With a loud thud, they jumped off their horses like two eagles, and together supported Qing Xia's back, landing steadily on the ground.

  Three people were close at hand, almost able to hear each other's heavy breathing. Chu Li and Qin Zhiyan saw that Qing Xia was unharmed, and simultaneously raised their heads to stare tightly into each other's eyes. The space was too small for weapons to be wielded freely, with a few swift sounds, they sheathed their swords and began hand-to-hand combat.

  Qing Xia's eyebrows rose in anger, and he glared at the thousands of soldiers clashing in the distance, their killing cries shaking the heavens. His eyes flashed with a fierce light, and his hands, which had been grasped by others, suddenly flipped over in a smooth motion, using a clever escape technique to counter-grab. His two hands formed claws, tightly clasping the wrists of Chu Li and Qin Zhiyan. The two were shocked and turned their heads back, Qing Xia furiously exerting his strength, his legs scissoring together as he sent Chu Li and Qin Zhiyan crashing heavily to the ground.

  Qing Xia's body suddenly flipped over, like a nimble and agile leopard, instantly jumping up and landing in front of the two people. Two knee caps immediately knelt on the chest of the two people, with an eyebrow raised, indignantly saying: "What do you take me for?"

  Two people were stunned, seeing the appearance of Qing Xia's anger, and at the same time, they were speechless. Chu Li was a bit better off, after all, he had been through many battles and had some understanding of Qing Xia's character. Poor Qin Zhiyan, wearing light armor and battle robes, fell into the muddy water, his expression stunned, his eyes wide with wonder, this kind of expression appeared in front of him, looking very comical.

  Under the torrential rain, amidst the thunder and lightning, Qing Xia furrowed his brow and glared with piercing eyes. With one knee pressed against the chest of each of two men, he grasped their shoulders with both hands and rebuked in a stern voice: "How old are you guys? Still fighting like kids?"

  "Qin Zhiyan, go back to your Great Qin! You're causing trouble and looking for fault here. Do you know how many people have died because of you?" Qing Xia turned his head around, staring at Qin Zhiyan, saying in a furious tone.

  Qin's eyes dimmed, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and before he could speak, Chu Li beside him gloated: "My family affairs, how can an outsider intervene? She is my concubine, you'd better not harbor any more foolish fantasies."

  "Chu Li! Have you gone mad? When did I ever acknowledge being your consort?"

  "Enough!" Chu Li's face darkened with rage as he bellowed in a low voice: "Zhuang Qingxia, don't go too far!"

  "You're the one who's overboard!" Qin Zhiyan suddenly came to his senses, broke free from Qing Xia's restraints, and sprang up. In an instant, he charged at Chu Li. Seeing this, Chu Li also followed suit, drew out the dagger from her waist, and slashed horizontally with a burst of sparks. Both Chu Li and Qin Zhiyan were shocked simultaneously, their blades clashing, but before they could even catch their breath, they were entangled in combat once again.

  Qing Xia made a sudden move, pulling out the hook lock, both hands dancing, his body agilely twisting, suddenly swinging out, and hooked onto the two people's weapons. With a "whoosh" sound, he snatched away the blades and flung them aside.

  Chu Li and Qin Zhiyan simultaneously stopped in their tracks, their eyes locking onto something to the side. Not far from them, on top of the lifeless bodies of two soldiers who had perished together, were planted two long spears, each radiating a bloody glow. With large strides, they leapt forward, grasping the spear handles and pulling out the long spears, rapidly thrusting them at each other. The spears clashed like dragons, their energy surging in all directions, as flashes of white light mixed with crimson red danced around them. Heavy rain poured down on the two men, thunder booming above, but they moved with agile bodies and exceptional martial arts skills, their illustrious backgrounds hiding an unyielding arrogance and a stubborn refusal to yield.

  "How detestable!" Qing Xia snarled, pushing aside several soldiers who were blocking her view, and ran towards the two of them.

  "Stop! Don't fight anymore!" Disregarding the danger, she grabbed both long spears with one hand, and her brow furrowed as a searing pain shot through her palm. The skin on her palm was torn off, and fresh blood flowed freely, but she still held tightly onto the two spears, shouting loudly: "Enough!"

  "Hmm!" The two of them let out a simultaneous grunt, and with great tacit understanding, they simultaneously dropped their hands. Qing Xia was holding onto the two long spears, just about to let out a sigh of relief, when she saw the two of them pick up a battle knife each, and once again, they started clashing away.

  In the distance, a deafening explosion suddenly rang out. Qing Xia furrowed her brow and looked over, only to see that the beast language master who had been rescued by Qin Zhiyan was holding a white bone flute, hiding outside the battlefield, blowing a sharp and high-pitched tune. The howling beasts from afar charged towards them at full speed. Remembering the losses they had suffered from these wild beasts before, Qing Xia became extremely enraged, ignoring Chu Li and Qin Zhiyan as she rushed towards the beast language master.

  "Qīng xià!" "Yī mǎ ér!"

  Translation:

  "Green summer!" "Imaer!"

  Two men shouted loudly at the same time, jumped into the air, and ran towards Qing Xia's direction in big strides, swinging their knives to block each other's advance.

  "Monster!" Qing Xia shouted loudly, pulling out the dagger from his calf and charging towards the old man, shouting fiercely: "Die now!"

  "Yima, be careful!" Qin Zhiyan was greatly shocked, his eyes were bloodshot and about to split, he shouted loudly. At this time, Chu Li's long knife had already chopped down in front of him, and he couldn't retreat or dodge again. Qin Zhiyan suddenly raised his hand, grabbed Chu Li's lightning-fast chopping strike with one hand. In an instant, a brilliant blood light burst out, a trail of blood shot up into the sky, Qin Zhiyan's eyebrows slightly furrowed, but taking advantage of this moment, he rushed forward two steps ahead of Chu Li. He pounced on Qing Xia's body, hugged it tightly, and rolled to the side.

  Chu Li's eyes turned red with rage, and she shouted loudly: "Qin Yan, let go!"

  "Chu Li! Be careful!" Qing Xia was held in Qin Zhiyan's arms, and suddenly saw the evil and cold smile on the face of the Nanjiang beast language master. A magnificent colorful glow instantly rose from his body, and a swarm of colorful insect eggs rushed towards Chu Li, ferocious and terrifying, like hellish Asura.

  "Let me go!" Qing Xia struggled desperately, her voice almost trembling, frantically struggling in Qin Zhiyan's arms.

  The blood on Qin's hand was like a spring, the large pieces of red blood all spilled onto Qing Xia's shoulder and clothes, slowly flowing down on his leather armor, mixed with those unknown human or beast blood.

  Innumerable insect eggs suddenly poured into Chuli's body like bullets, and in an instant, it was as if she was watching a Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster. Qingxia's eyes widened in disbelief. Chuli's face turned pale and white, like a sheet of paper without any hint of blood color. The small bulges on her neck were slightly raised, each one throbbing with nausea. This was not the first time Qingxia had seen this.

  The control and research of the Gu insect bacteria by the Nanjiang Miao people is a puzzle that has not been solved even in later generations. Qing Xia had taken a special course on this during her training in the army, and they had even invited a master of poisonous insects and bacteria from Nanjiang to give a lecture, in order to deal with the various poisonous insects and substances in the tropical rainforest. There are too many things in this world that humans cannot explain. Qing Xia thought she had already cultivated a heart as hard as iron, but when faced with this scene, her heart seemed to be ripped open by someone. She covered her mouth tightly, but still could not conceal the mournful cry of despair that escaped from her lips.

  Chu Li's face turned pale, as if he had lost all his strength in an instant. He fell to the ground with a thud and stared blankly at Qing Xia, who was being held in Qin Zhiyan's arms.

  "Chu Li!" Qing Xia shouted loudly, tears streaming down her eyes.

  "Let me go!" Qing Xia shrieked in a shrill voice, her tone mournful and eerie, like the wailing of a ghost. She punched and kicked to break free from Qin Zhiyan's restraints and stumbled away towards Chu Li in disarray.

  Qin Zhiyan stood behind Qing Xia, with large amounts of fresh blood gushing out from his arm, his face was deathly pale, even less so than Chu Lixuan who had been poisoned by the Gu. Yet he stood tall and straight, like a stubborn pine tree.

  "Chu Li!" Qing Xia hugged Chu Li's body, which was about to fall, and anxiously examined the wounds on his arm and shoulder, analyzing the toxicity of the poisonous insect. "How are you? Is anything wrong?"

  "Qing Xia," Chu Li suddenly stretched out his hand and tightly grasped Qing Xia's palm, his eyes filled with the toughness and stubbornness of a high mountain. He said slowly and clearly: "Come back to Shengdu with me!"

  "How are you? What do you feel? Is it numbness, pain, soreness, or itchiness? Where is the discomfort, in your stomach or heart?" Qing Xia asked a string of tense questions as if she hadn't heard.

  "Qīng Xià!" It seemed to have used up all his strength, tightly grasping Qīng Xià's hand, with eyes that were bloodshot, having immense hope and despair: "Follow me, back to Shèng Dū!"

  Qing Xia's tears fell as she looked at Chu Li's pale face, blood-stained cheeks, disheveled hair, and the sharp pain in her heart stabbed her deeply. She finally nodded heavily, "Alright, Chu Li, as long as you don't die, I'll go back to Shengdu with you."

  Chu Li's weak smile, suddenly fell onto Qing Xia's shoulder, in the last moment of his daze, he looked far away at the light-armored man standing behind Qing Xia. Originally a peerless figure, seemed to have aged several decades when hearing Qing Xia's last words.

  The two groups of people had already separated and stood still. Qing Xia hugged Chu Li, half-kneeling in the wilderness, and finally slowly turned her head back.

  Qin's flames still stood upright, behind him were a large number of Qin soldiers, flags fluttering, iron armor cold and stern, under the reflection of the sky's flowing fire, the iron armor flowed with color, and the cold light flashed. It was like a strange painting under the dark night sky, with a strong killing intent and fierce intimidation.

  "Is this your goal?" Qing Xia suddenly asked in a low voice, her eyes cold, her small body leaning against Chu Li's side, firmly and calmly staring at Qin Zhiyan's eyes. "So now that you've achieved it, if you want to finish me off, I won't let you have your way."

  "How dare you! Speaking to His Highness like that!" A guard standing beside Qin Zhiyan, who didn't recognize Qing Xia, suddenly shouted loudly.

  The summer eyebrow tip suddenly chilled, and all that was heard was a "whoosh" sound. A snow-bright cold light instantly appeared on the person's head, a sharp dagger piercing through the cold helmet, but just as it was about to pierce the skull, it stopped steadily at a distance. The imperial guard was terrified, his face turned white in an instant, like a dead man, and he didn't dare say another word.

  "Qin's flames, Chu Li is dead and it doesn't bring you any benefits. The Black Armor Guards are almost wiped out. Your goal of heavily injuring Chu Li has been achieved, it's time to retreat. Fighting to the death won't be good for anyone."

  Qin's face turned pale, and for a moment, he seemed to have transformed back into the frail young man he once was. He gazed at Qing Xia's icy countenance, her cold words, and felt an intense chill suddenly wash over him. The woman who had grasped his sleeve in the darkness, the woman covered in blood and tears in the snake pit calling out his name, the sweet-smelling woman sleeping on his back, the woman standing amidst the bamboo forest in the Qingmu Hall with clothes as white as snow and a smile as radiant as flowers - were they really going to fade away into the distance?

  "Yima, I'm sorry, this isn't what I meant." He finally couldn't help but let out a sigh.

  Qing Xia's expression turned cold as he slowly said, "Many times, many things are not what we intend, but the results are irreversible. I've always only looked at the outcome, never asked about willingness. Now, I'm going to take him away with me. If you want to stop me, just come on."

  She lifted Chu Li onto the horse's back, Qing Xia flipped over and jumped onto the warhorse, leaning Chu Li's head on her own shoulder, hanging her head down, staring tightly at Qin Zhiyan's pale face. A thread of sorrow rose from her heart, a sour feeling surged up to her eyes, Chu Li had suffered severe injuries for her sake, how could she ignore it? Looking at the pale man standing in the wilderness, his war robe fluttering, his sword-like eyebrows flying high, yet his eyes were desolate and lonely, like the sunset of the world, revealing a dying aura.

  Qin Zhiyan, you are the sun in the sky, and you should be shining brightly, dazzling everyone. Why do you have to slow down your pace for me, a passerby who just happened to meet you?

  He tossed down a yellow pellet with a whooshing sound and it landed on the sandy ground.

  The bright yellow beads shone with dazzling colors in the air, and through the outer casing, you could still see the small, greenish-blue, long-dead insect inside.

  This was the dust bead that was originally taken out of the imperial mausoleum. After it got lost that night, it had never been found again. The night before last, Qing Xia risked her life to go to Xi Lin Yu Jiao and Xi Lin Yue's room to search for it, and finally found it next to Xi Lin Yue's pillow and brought it back. At this moment, she casually threw it on the ground, turned around, led the remaining black-clad guards, raised her whip, and galloped away.

  Xilin followed last, thoughtfully looking at that yellow bead, and then rode after him.

  A heavy footstep echoed in the desolate wilderness, Qin Zhiyan slowly took a step forward, his heavy armor covered with yellow mud and bright red blood. His face was pale, his lips icy cold, and he finally walked to the front of that yellow bead, stretched out his equally pale hand, and picked up the bead from the ground.

  A small dust bead, warm and cozy, hadn't been chilled by the cold wind on such a chilly day, still retaining the warmth of summer. A faint fragrance wafted up, Qin Zhiyan grasped the bead tightly, suddenly there was a cracking sound, the bead shattered into fragments, yellow ash scattered everywhere, even the insect inside that had long since died turned into a wisp of smoke.

  A dull thud, a mouthful of blood suddenly spurted out, Qin Zhiyan stumbled forward two steps and fell to his knees in the vast wilderness.

  "Your Highness!" All the Qin soldiers exclaimed in unison and rushed forward in a swarm.

  Qin Zhiyan raised his hand to stop the crowd from coming to support him, and instead gazed far into the distance at the iron-armored soldiers who were gradually disappearing.

  The torrential rain continued to pour down, constantly washing away the bloody and filthy rivers on the ground, the vultures circling in the sky screamed, countless desperate spirits fluttered in the air, sprinkling down a huge mournful cry of death.

  The cold wind continued to blow fiercely, Qin Zhiyan pursed his lips tightly, slowly got up and walked to the war horse's side, mounted it with a leap, and galloped towards the direction of Great Qin in the north.

  The war in the east is nearing its end, and the elite soldiers of Nanjiang and the Seven Great Houses are clashing fiercely under the command of Qin Zhiyan and Chu Li. A brutal battle has unfolded, and from now on, the powers of Daqin and Nanchu will be reshuffled, and a new round of bloody struggle for power is about to begin.