The woman in black stood on the high rooftop, hands clasped behind her, gazing coldly at the scene below. The wind whipped her sleeves, causing them to flutter. Except for the softness of her round face, which slightly softened her icy demeanor, she appeared like a goddess looking down upon the world.

In the distance, fierce battles raged on the city walls, rockets flying like locusts in the night, soaring and then falling.

Piercing screams occasionally rang out as chaos spread. Some streets saw terrified crowds running, while others were dark and silent, with corpses lying where they had fallen, their heads emerging starkly in pools of blood and the occasional flash of light.

In the streets near this courtyard, there were few fleeing civilians. Soon after the chaos erupted, the army had taken control of the area, ordering everyone to stay indoors. As a result, most civilians hid in their homes, those with cellars retreating underground, waiting for the sudden chaos to pass. Of course, there were more complex reasons for the relative quiet in the vicinity.

Messengers occasionally arrived, passing through the streets and disappearing into doorways. As many things had already been planned, the woman remained unmoved, simply observing the city's events.

The fragile and precious peace of Ze Prefecture had finally vanished. What was happening before her could truly be described as a scene of devastation. Every cry and scream in the city potentially signified a life turned upside down, a life cut short. Every place where fire rose told a story of immense tragedy. The woman simply watched. When another group of people approached from afar, she leaped from the roof.

Her light figure stepped on a protruding wooden beam between the houses, heading toward her husband, who was walking into the courtyard. The man reached out to steady her. By the time the others entered, she was standing firmly on the ground, her gaze returning to its coldness. To her subordinates, Xigua had always been dignified and aloof, and they held her in "awe." For example, Fang Shuchang and the others who followed her in invariably obeyed her orders, but the warm feelings in their hearts—well, those were not easily spoken.

Seeing the ash on her husband's and the other subordinates' hands and clothes, she stood in the courtyard, noting the number of people who had entered out of the corner of her eye, before finally asking, "What happened?"

"A street caught fire. We happened to be passing by and helped rescue some people. No one was hurt, so don't worry."

"Mm." Xigua's expression was disapproving, but she was past the age of saying, "I wasn't worried about such a trivial matter at all." Ning Yi smiled, "Did you have dinner?"

"Yes." Her tone had softened. Ning Yi nodded, pointing to Fang Shuchang and the others, "There was a braised meat shop on the street where the fire was. After rescuing his son, there was no rush, so we grabbed some meat and salted vegetable jars. It tasted good, so we bought some. We'll have a late-night snack later." He paused, then asked, "Will you be free later?"

Xigua said, "I'll make it."

Ning Yi smiled. "Let's do it together."

Xigua nodded. Her cooking skills were not good, and she rarely ate with her subordinates, perhaps not because she looked down on them. Her father, Liu Dabiaozi, had passed away too early, and the strong-willed girl had taken over the estate at a young age. Her understanding of many things was somewhat stubborn: imitating her father's voice, acting like an adult, and as the head of the estate, arranging the lives of the old and young, while also ensuring her own dignity and the respect between superiors and inferiors.

Naturally, Liu Tiannan supported many of these things, but the girl's concern for the people in the estate was undeniable. Beneath that childish dignity and authority, others could see her sincerity even more clearly. Later on, many of the rules were consciously maintained by everyone. Now a married woman with children, her horizons had broadened, but these rules were still etched in her heart, unchanged.

Having been together for a long time, the two had developed a deep understanding. Ning Yi did not ask about the situation in the city, but since Xigua said she was free, it meant that everything was proceeding as planned, with no sudden reversals likely. He and Xigua returned to their room, and soon after, went upstairs, where Ning Yi told Xigua about the martial arts competition between Lin Zongwu and Shi Jin—Xigua would certainly know the result, but not necessarily the details.

"...From the looks of it, the monk's martial arts have reached a transcendent state, surpassing even Zhou Tong from back then. He's probably the real number one in the world. Tsk..." Ning Yi admired and yearned, "He fought beautifully... It's a pity about Shi Jin too."

Xigua's expression was calm. "He might not necessarily be better than Sister Lu."

"I would never let Hongti fight him again. Hongti has children. People with attachments have to take a step down eventually."

"You second-rate fool, how would you know the realm of a first-rate expert?" Xigua chided him, but smiled gently, "Sister Lu grew up fighting on the battlefield. She knows the cruelty of the world better than anyone. Ordinary people would hesitate, but Sister Lu will only become stronger."

"I remember that every time you fought her recently, it was always a draw. Hongti told me she was doing her best..."

Xigua's eyes narrowed dangerously into slits. After holding it in for a while, she finally raised her head and waved her fists a few times, "If you weren't my husband, I... I... I'd beat you to death!" Then she wore a look of laughter and tears, "I'm a first-rate expert too! But... when Sister Lu spars with people close to her, she gets weaker and weaker. If it were a fight to the death, I'd be afraid of her."

If it were Xigua when she reunited with Ning Yi in Xiaocang River, she would probably challenge Ning Yi to a duel over such a joke and take the opportunity to beat him up. At this time, she didn't really take such jokes seriously anymore, and her response was also playful. After a while, the cooks downstairs had already started making the late-night snack—after all, many people would be staying up all night—while the two of them lit a small fire on the roof, preparing to make two bowls of salted vegetable and braised meat diced fried rice. They spoke occasionally amidst the busy work, the chaos in the city changing in this scene. After a while, Xigua stood on the edge of the earthen building, tiptoeing to look into the distance. "The West Granary has been taken."

"The grain might not be as much as expected. Lou Shuwan will have a headache, and people here will die."

"Ze Prefecture is a large city. No matter who takes over, it will stabilize. But the Central Plains doesn't have enough grain, so there will only be war. The question is whether they'll attack Li Xizhi or Liu Yu."

"The Prince of Jin's territory is allied with Wang Juyun, making it more likely that they'll attack Li Xizhi. In that case, Zhu Biao can take the opportunity to do something. Wang Shanyue and Hu Sanniang probably won't miss this opportunity either. If the Jurchens don't make a big move, Yue Fei won't miss the opportunity either, and there will be fighting in the South too. Alas, Tian Hu, sacrificing him will benefit the people."

"...It's the people of the world who are suffering." Xigua said.

"Yes." Ning Yi smiled slightly, but his face was bitter. Xigua frowned and comforted him, "That's the suffering they have to endure. What else can we do? Sooner is better than later."

"Mm." Ning Yi added rice, nodding with increasing despondency. Xigua comforted him a few more times. A woman's heart is not actually strong, but if the person beside her is despondent, she will become truly strong.

The couple relied on each other in this way. Xigua actually understood in her heart. After saying a few words, Ning Yi handed her the fried rice, and she said, "I heard you told Fang Chengye about the principle of heaven and earth being impartial."

The two sat down on the half-wall at the edge of the earthen building. Ning Yi nodded. "Ordinary people seek right and wrong, but in essence, they're shirking responsibility. Fang Chengye has already started to lead actions in a certain area. It's time to talk to him about this."

"After the Tang Minjie incident, you've been very cautious."

These were all idle chats, not needing serious attention. Ning Yi took two bites of fried rice and looked into the distance before speaking, "Existentialism itself... is a truth used for pragmatic development, but it's very harmful. For many people, once they truly understand it, it can easily lead to the collapse of their worldview. Originally, this should be a field that people should only come into contact with after having a deep foundation, but we have no choice. People who lead and make decisions can't be naive. One mistake kills a person. Let's watch the sifting of the sand."

"Is Tang Minjie a bit of a pity?"

"When I gave lessons to a large group of people, he was the most perceptive and the first to talk about right and wrong. He said that right and wrong might just come from what kind of person you are, and said a lot of things. After I understood, I said that was a butt theory, not quite right. He figured it out himself. I later told them about existentialism—take heaven and earth being impartial and all things having spirits as a guide for action. He was probably... also the first to understand. Then, he cared even more for his own people, and those unrelated to him were no longer people."

"So, after careful consideration, I sent him to the Jin Kingdom." Ning Yi paused. "As for Fang Chengye, I'm considering pairing him with Wang Shitong... or letting him meet Shi Jin..."

The night was still long. Light and shadows flickered in the city. The couple sat on the roof, watching everything and talking about very cruel things. But this cruel world, if we can't understand everything about it, how can we truly make it better? On this journey, the two had gone around Xixia and then to the Northwest, seen the real deadlands, and pitiful people who were so hungry and emaciated that they were just skeletons. But war was coming, and the enemy was coming. Could all of this be changed by one person's kindness, anger, or even madness?

People could only carefully look for a way, and in order not to turn into madmen, they could only lean on each other in this situation, supporting each other.

The night gradually deepened, and the chaos in Ze Prefecture finally began to stabilize, but cries constantly came from the night. The two leaned against each other on the roof, squinting for a while. In the dimness, Xigua muttered softly, "I originally thought you would kill Lin Echan. I was a little worried that you went there yourself this afternoon."

Ning Yi gently patted her shoulder. "He's a coward, but he's very powerful after all. In that situation, if I took the initiative to kill him, there was a high chance he would escape, and that would be very troublesome later."

After a while, he added, "I thought that if he really came to kill me, I would leave him behind at all costs. He didn't come, so that's a good thing... I'm afraid of people dying, and it's not worth it for the time being. Also, I'm afraid that the Manichean Church will replace someone if he dies."

Xigua nudged against his chest. "Mm. Uncle Wang Yin."

"Uh... haha." Ning Yi chuckled softly. He looked up at the deep night sky with only a few stars twinkling, "Alas, the number one in the world... I'm really envious of that..."

The sky shifted, and the night gradually passed. At dawn, the moisture that had evaporated from the burning city turned into a haze in the air. As the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon, a white mist floated. Ning Yi walked down the courtyard, heading down the streets and slopes. At first, there were intact courtyards along the road, but soon there were broken walls and ruins after the flames and war. People who had been terrified all night in the chaos and rescue had either just fallen asleep or could never sleep again. Rows of corpses were placed along the roadside, some burned to death, some stabbed by swords. They lay there, covered with either gray-white or charred-yellow cloth. The men and women of their families guarding them had mostly cried until they had no tears left. A few could still howl dryly, and even fewer were dragging their tired bodies, still running, negotiating, and comforting everyone—these were mostly spontaneous and more capable residents. They may have also lost their families, but they were still working hard for a distant future.

Children who had lost their families and had no one to care for them stood alone by the roadside, staring blankly at everything.

Soldiers suppressed any potentially emotional and desperate residents with their swords and spears. As they moved forward, they occasionally saw small-scale chaos break out, where soldiers knocked husbands who had lost their wives and children or women who had lost their families and gone crazy to the ground, then blocked their mouths and tied them to the side with ropes. People struggled, howling miserably.

On one side of the city, the nearly ten thousand starving ghosts who had poured into Ze Prefecture had initially caused a big commotion, but they were now stable under the dual restraint of the army and the Ghost King. Wang Shitong was led through the streets of Ze Prefecture, and soon after, he met the legendary Heart Demon on the edge of a ruin.

****************

This chapter has been revised, with only three thousand and seven hundred words, and the next chapter will charge one thousand and five hundred words less. The following is repeated content.

The woman in black stood on the high rooftop, hands clasped behind her, gazing coldly at the scene below. The wind whipped her sleeves, causing them to flutter. Except for the softness of her round face, which slightly softened her icy demeanor, she appeared like a goddess looking down upon the world.

In the distance, fierce battles raged on the city walls, rockets flying like locusts in the night, soaring and then falling.

Piercing screams occasionally rang out as chaos spread. Some streets saw terrified crowds running, while others were dark and silent, with corpses lying where they had fallen, their heads emerging starkly in pools of blood and the occasional flash of light.

In the streets near this courtyard, there were few fleeing civilians. Soon after the chaos erupted, the army had taken control of the area, ordering everyone to stay indoors. As a result, most civilians hid in their homes, those with cellars retreating underground, waiting for the sudden chaos to pass. Of course, there were more complex reasons for the relative quiet in the vicinity.

Messengers occasionally arrived, passing through the streets and disappearing into doorways. As many things had already been planned, the woman remained unmoved, simply observing the city's events.

The fragile and precious peace of Ze Prefecture had finally vanished. What was happening before her could truly be described as a scene of devastation. Every cry and scream in the city potentially signified a life turned upside down, a life cut short. Every place where fire rose told a story of immense tragedy. The woman simply watched. When another group of people approached from afar, she leaped from the roof.

Her light figure stepped on a protruding wooden beam between the houses, heading toward her husband, who was walking into the courtyard. The man reached out to steady her. By the time the others entered, she was standing firmly on the ground, her gaze returning to its coldness. To her subordinates, Xigua had always been dignified and aloof, and they held her in "awe." For example, Fang Shuchang and the others who followed her in invariably obeyed her orders, but the warm feelings in their hearts—well, those were not easily spoken.

Seeing the ash on her husband's and the other subordinates' hands and clothes, she stood in the courtyard, noting the number of people who had entered out of the corner of her eye, before finally asking, "What happened?"

"A street caught fire. We happened to be passing by and helped rescue some people. No one was hurt, so don't worry."

"Mm." Xigua's expression was disapproving, but she was past the age of saying, "I wasn't worried about such a trivial matter at all." Ning Yi smiled, "Did you have dinner?"

"Yes." Her tone had softened. Ning Yi nodded, pointing to Fang Shuchang and the others, "There was a braised meat shop on the street where the fire was. After rescuing his son, there was no rush, so we grabbed some meat and salted vegetable jars. It tasted good, so we bought some. We'll have a late-night snack later." He paused, then asked, "Will you be free later?"

Xigua said, "I'll make it."

Ning Yi smiled. "Let's do it together."

Xigua nodded. Her cooking skills were not good, and she rarely ate with her subordinates, perhaps not because she looked down on them. Her father, Liu Dabiaozi, had passed away too early, and the strong-willed girl had taken over the estate at a young age. Her understanding of many things was somewhat stubborn: imitating her father's voice, acting like an adult, and as the head of the estate, arranging the lives of the old and young, while also ensuring her own dignity and the respect between superiors and inferiors.

The woman in black stood on the high rooftop, hands clasped behind her, gazing coldly at the scene below. The wind whipped her sleeves, causing them to flutter. Except for the softness of her round face, which slightly softened her icy demea-

nor, she appeared like a goddess looking down upon the world.

In the distance, fierce battles raged on the city walls, rockets flying like locusts in the night, soaring and then falling.

Piercing screams occasionally rang out as chaos spread. Some streets saw terrified crowds running, while others were dark and silent, with corpses lying where they had fallen, their heads emerging starkly in pools of blood and the occasional flash of light.

In the streets near this courtyard, there were few fleeing civilians. Soon after the chaos erupted, the army had taken control of the area, ordering everyone to stay indoors. As a result, most civilians hid in their homes, those with cellars retreating underground, waiting for the sudden chaos to pass. Of course, there were more complex reasons for the relative quiet in the vicinity.

Messengers occasionally arrived, passing through the streets and disappearing into doorways. As many things had already been planned, the woman remained unmoved, simply observing the city's events.

The fragile and precious peace of Ze Prefecture had finally vanished. What was happening before her could truly be described as a scene of devastation. Every cry and scream in the city potentially signified a life turned upside down, a life cut short. Every place where fire rose told a story of immense tragedy. The woman simply watched. When another group of people approached from afar, she leaped from the roof.

Her light figure stepped on a protruding wooden beam between the houses, heading toward her husband, who was walking into the courtyard. The man reached out to steady her. By the time the others entered, she was standing firmly on the ground, her gaze returning to its coldness. To her subordinates, Xigua had always been dignified and aloof, and they held her in "awe." For example, Fang Shuchang and the others who followed her in invariably obeyed her orders, but the warm feelings in their hearts—well, those were not easily spoken.

Seeing the ash on her husband's and the other subordinates' hands and clothes, she stood in the courtyard, noting the number of people who had entered out of the corner of her eye, before finally asking, "What happened?"

"A street caught fire. We happened to be passing by and helped rescue some people. No one was hurt, so don't worry."

"Mm." Xigua's expression was disapproving, but she was past the age of saying, "I wasn't worried about such a trivial matter at all." Ning Yi smiled, "Did you have dinner?"

"Yes." Her tone had softened. Ning Yi nodded, pointing to Fang Shuchang and the others, "There was a braised meat shop on the street where the fire was. After rescuing his son, there was no rush, so we grabbed some meat and salted vegetable jars. It tasted good, so we bought some. We'll have a late-night snack later." He paused, then asked, "Will you be free later?"

Xigua said, "I'll make it."

Ning Yi smiled. "Let's do it together."

Xigua nodded. Her cooking skills were not good, and she rarely ate with her subordinates, perhaps not because she looked down on them. Her father, Liu Dabiaozi, had passed away too early, and the strong-willed girl had taken over the estate at a young age. Her understanding of many things was somewhat stubborn: imitating her father's voice, acting like an adult, and as the head of the estate, arranging the lives of the old and young, while also ensuring her own dignity and the respect between superiors and inferiors.