On the slope opposite them, another coloured flag was floating in the distance, also belonging to a truly massive army.

Yun Chang, that country that had always hidden itself, never revealed its face. As a result, it had a lot of time to build up a significant amount of reserve forces and were not to be underestimated.

Chu Beijie began to squint, trying to see that figure, confidently standing at the very front of their army. He was the main advisor of the Yun Chang army.

He remembered the figure that peered down from the top of the Three-Swallow Cliffs, smiling. He was that person back then.

The Marquess of Jing-An back then, now the Prince Consort of Yun Chang.

And the man who stole Pingting out of his hands!

The strong wind blew between them but seemed to be afraid of the imminent war and soon hurried away.

There was a sudden, deathly quiet. An unheard, anxious rhythm grew quicker and quicker, seeming to be play in the silence. The several hundreds of thousands of men stood on the plains, as still and as quiet as graves. Even their horses didn't dare to neigh.

Chu Beijie quietly watched He Xia. They were separated by a massive gap, but they still seemed to able to see the opponent's gaze. It was as sharp as his and just as penetrating.

He stole Pingting, stole the Pingting pregnant with my flesh and blood.

Chu Beijie's hand silently pressed down on his sword.

The moment he unsheathed it, fights without rest would begin, endless. There was no turning back.

Chen Mu was standing by Chu Beijie's side. His palm was drenched with sweat like the other general. He knew that the moment Chu Beijie's sword came out of his scabbard, all these hundreds of thousands would charge forward, resulting in many overwhelming waves of blood.

For a single person.

For a single woman.

Bai Pingting, a name forever remembered by all of the four countries.

All of the gazes were fixed on Chu Beijie's hands. All of the soldiers' fates rested on that one touch between his hand and his sword.

The air was very tense, and breaths were a tiny thread, stretched until taut. It slowly tightened in the empty gap between the two armies.

The sound of a horse dashing came.

On the southern side of the mountains, there was a few sudden movements. It barged in from the side, not caring at all about the two armies and spilled out onto the empty gap between them. Its movement resembled a light cut with a sword through an oil painting that was about to be lit, bringing beauty to the bleak picture. It brightened the entire picture in one go, although strange and out of place.

"The flag of the Royal House of Yun Chang?" Che Mu lowered his voice in disbelief.

Chu Beijie's gaze looked beyond him, long imprinting the large words on the flag into his eyes. A light flashed in his eyes. The first person to arrive took the flag and rode towards Chu Beijie and his horse. He bowed slightly, asking in a clear voice, "Is this general Dong Lin's Duke of Zhen Bei, Chu Beijie?"

"I am Chu Beijie. Who are you?" Chu Beijie's voice was deep.

"I am the captain of Yun Chang's Royal Residence guards, Rong An. My Master, Princess Yaotian, has ordered me to pass on a message. I ask for Duke's private attention for a moment."

"A battle is about to begin. Where is Princess Yaotian right now?"

"She is here." Rong An pointed behind him.

The crowd immediately looked afar. There was a ornately decorated carriage on the slope of the hill. It had only arrived in the morning and immediately rushed towards the centre of the two armies.

Chu Beijie's heart seemed to be pulled by an invisible string, shock flooded onto his eyes.

Yaotian wanted to settle things peacefully.

What else could she use to bargain apart from Pingting? Yaotian must've hurried to stop the real battle between the two armies and avoided He Xia, heading straight for himself. It had to be related to Pingting.

His heart that kept on emitting coldness suddenly began to flare up like a fire. He was suddenly too emotional and didn't know what to do.

The carriage began to drive closer. The other side seemed to have recognised the flag of the own Royal House and too shocked into silence.

Rong An brought his horse to the carriage and gestured a few times by the window. He then rode back to say, "The Princess welcomes Duke onto the carriage for a while."

The carriage stopped on the gap, the four snowy-white horses had their heads down as they trotted forwards and stopped. Perhaps the driver received an order from the person in the carriage as they got off to leave on their own. They then stopped about a hundred footsteps away, awaiting further orders patiently.

Chen Mu warned him, "Be careful, Duke. He Xia has too many schemes, be careful not to be ambushed."

Chu Beijie laughed coldly. "It's just a mere carriage. Even if it's filled with people, how could it possibly match the precious sword in my hand?" He then rode to the carriage, calmly asking, "Is Yun Chang's Princess Yaotian in there? Chu Beijie is here. Would Princess like to say anything?"

Yaotian lifted the curtains, raising her eyes to look at Chu Beijie who was sitting on the horse, looking majestic and imposing. She praised his style in her heart and softened her voice. "Yaotian has been asked to pass on a letter to Duke."

"Just a letter?" Chu Beijie's pupils shrank. The air around him turned icy. "And the person?"

"The person is no longer in my Yun Chang." Yaotian replied. "Duke will understand after reading this letter."

Chu Beijie's expression became even colder as he gazed through the curtain, fighting a cold staring contest. He then said, "Princess underestimates me. My Dong Lin army has travelled thousands of miles to reach this place just to find that person. If Yun Chang cannot return the person to me, thinking a letter will make me withdraw, how could I possibly follow through such a lame request? Don't blame that I don't believe you, but if that person is harmed in any possible way, I swear to let all of the Yun Chang Royal House's blood to flow."

Yaotian was silent for a long time in the carriage, before she sighed sadly. "Yaotian heard of the Duke of Zhen-Bei's fame as a hero but has a question to ask."

Chu Beijie had wanted to walk away but changed his mind. He could not overestimate anything related to Pingting. He held his reins saying, "Please go ahead, Princess."

Yaotian then said, "I'd like to ask whether this time leading the soldiers into battle is just for a single person named Bai Pingting?"

"Correct."

"Then, did the King of Dong Lin agree to it?"

Chu Beijie sneered, "This is my Dong Lin's affairs, and the army is here. It's nothing to do with Princess."

"The relationship between the Duke and Miss Bai is deeply rooted in the hatred between countries. The question of whether country or feeling is more important and particularly whether giving up their own happiness for their country has always been a cruel dilemma."

"What is Princess trying to say?"

Yaotian sighed. "Theory and morality are often said together, but they are not quite the same. Morality comes from the heart, but theory is based from ethical principles. Theory is often the most correct and complete, so it often overrides morality. As a result, people blindly follow general ethical principles and don't listen to their heart. They obey so-called national interests and sacrifice themselves to the country. It is a real pity if they didn't do so willingly, from deep in their hearts, thanks to the lock of theory. How is the Duke not like this, that day when Duke chose the country over Pingting, resulting in violating the promise of the sixth?

Chu Beijie was indifferent at first but was suddenly full of emotion upon her words. His voice became serious, "Please continue, Princess."

"Country or people, which is more important? It is not a problem solved by trade-offs." Yaotian paused for effect before leisurely continuing, "Duke may have thought that the ancestors of our history have decided to unite together to resist external enemies and resist violence in order to live better, so they have their own happiness. Only then did countries begin to form. The fundamental roots of a country has always been its people. What is there to live for, the moment a person sacrifices their happiness to protect the country? What is the point in remembering a man who only knows how to protect the country and doesn't understand the importance of cherishing their happiness?"