Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight - Chapter 160.1

Inside the carriage, Yaoying stirred awake at the sound of the guards’ voices, her long lashes trembling faintly.

“General Su wishes to see me?”

She sat up, lifting a hand to smooth the loose strands at her temple. Having just roused from a light sleep, her cheeks carried a faint flush. The peach-blossom rouge at the tips of her brows had faded slightly, making her appear all the more radiant, like a flower bud about to bloom, trembling as its petals parted to reveal the tender heart within.

The torchlight flickered, its wavering glow veiling her features in a soft haze. A beauty beneath the lamplight could stir the heart with a single glance.

Yuanjue felt his heart give a sudden tremor. Instinct told him it was unwise to let the Regent Prince see the Princess in such a state. Still, he quickly set down the footstool and secretly rejoiced that at least the Princess had changed out of that ornate gown with its heavy flower hairpins.

Yaoying stepped down from the carriage, crossed the courtyard, and ascended the stone steps. Her pace wavered slightly.

Yuanjue hesitated, then followed close behind, matching her steps.

A brazier burned in the hall. Outside, snow fell thick and fast, while inside came the steady crackle of firewood. Sultan Gu sat before the hearth, his back to the doorway, his figure still and unmoving.

Yaoying entered. “General Su.”

Without turning, Sultan Gu gestured toward a letter on the table. His hands were gloved in black beast hide.

Brushing the snow from her shoulders, Yaoying sat down cross-legged beside him and picked up the letter. A faint smile curved at her lips.

“We can go see Yuchi Damo now.”

She tossed the letter into the fire, speaking softly, her voice hoarse.

Sultan Gu watched the bluish flames flare within the brazier and said evenly, “Haidu Aling has come to Gaochang. Today, the falcons spotted his white gyrfalcon along the Great Sea Route.”

Yaoying’s heartbeat quickened, her brows tightening slightly.

So Haidu Aling was here. She needed to finish matters on this side swiftly and return to the Royal Court before could cross paths with him

“Yang Qian told me that Lady Ina hosts a banquet in the palace every day. He can bring us in with the crowd… the longer we wait, the greater the risk. Tomorrow, we’ll go to meet Yuchi Damo.”

Yaoying looked at Sultan Gu.

He still wore his mask, its ghastly face of green skin and fanged teeth cast in the flickering firelight, while beneath it, his turquoise eyes shimmered with two sharp glints.

When silent, he seemed cold, steeped in killing intent, enough to strike fear.

Yet this was the same man who had once sat at her bedside, chanting sutras to ease her suffering.

The moment he said Haidu Aling had arrived, her first reaction was dread and unease. Yet his voice had been so calm…calm enough to dispell her anxiety. Knowing he was by her side to shield her made her feel far less tense.

Yaoying asked softly, “What does the General think?”

Sultan Gu was a master of martial arts. Even with Lady Ina’s personal guards keeping strict watch, he could enter and leave the palace as he pleased.

When she had been at the Buddhist temple, the little trainee monk had once told her that there had been a tribe which, while the Beirong army pressed upon the border, launched a surprise attack on the Royal Court from behind. At that time, the five armies of the Royal Court were all engaged at the front and truly could not spare any men to counterattack. The tribe advanced unopposed, pressing deep into the territory, while the common people fled with their families back to the Holy City.

Other small tribes, who also coveted the wealth of the Royal Court, saw that someone had gained an advantage and, who were till then rubbing their fists and wiping their palms, brought their soldiers to attack as well.

When the battle reports reached Tumoroga’s desk, the court fell into panic. Tumoroga, unflustered in the face of danger, resolved the crisis by sending only one man.

That man was Sultan Gu.

He did not bring a single guard. Alone, clad in dark robes and carrying a long blade, he strode into the enemy camp. Within the midst of ten thousand soldiers, he beheaded their chief and returned unscathed.

The chief’s son inherited his father’s position, but he did not withdraw the troops. On the second night, Sultan Gu appeared once again in the tribe’s command tent and cut off the new chief’s head.

One night, one man slain. He killed only the leaders.

Ten days passed, and ten leaders’ heads fell.

Sultan Gu was like a demon out of legend, a ghostly Asura. Even in camps fortified like walls of bronze and iron, he could come and go freely, as though he walked an empty land. All the tribes besieging the Royal Court were struck with terror. Before dawn, they broke camp and fled back to their lands, fearful of becoming yet another ghost beneath Sultan Gu’s blade.

Clearly, if Sultan Gu wished to see Yuchi Damo, he could enter the palace at any time.

Yaoying suspected that Sultan Gu had already met Yuchi Damo in secret. The only reason they had remained in Gaochang was likely because she had not yet met Yuchi Damo herself.

She needed to arrange a meeting soon, lest she delayed too long and interfered with Sultan Gu’s business. Though he was always moved like a phantom, and the Royal Court seemed unaffected by his absence, she knew he could not stay gone for too long.

Others might not notice, but she understood what he meant to the Royal Court.

Tumoroga was the god whom the people willingly followed: noble, sacred, untouched by dust, revered by the masses. Sultan Gu, however, silently shouldered all the killing and bloodshed. He was feared, hated, and loathed, braving danger for the Royal Court, licking blood from the edge of a blade, yet never seeing the light of day.

The wrathful Vajra and the merciful Bodhisattva—both existed only to pacify the chaotic world.

Yaoying softly added, “Yang Qian’s father was Yuchi Damo’s teacher. Since he often entered the palace from a young age, with him around, nothing will happen.”

Sultan Gu gazed at the burning coals and said, “Tomorrow, I will escort the Princess into the palace.”

Yaoying nodded. With him by her side, she naturally felt more secure than with anyone else.

She waited a while. When he did not speak further, she guessed that he had been waiting only to mention Haidu Aling. Rising to her feet, she said, “It’s late and cold. General Su, you should rest early.”

Sultan Gu’s still form stirred slightly. He lifted his chin, his gaze falling upon her face.

From the corner, Yuanjue widened his eyes and held his breath.

Yaoying froze mid-step. Meeting Sultan Gu’s eyes, cold and devoid of the warmth of mortal fire, her own eyes widened in puzzlement. Her brows quivered with the faint shading of rouge. Her features were pure and luminous, the firelight reflected on her flower-like makeup, bright petals seeming ready to drip with dew, radiant and breathtaking, incomparable in beauty.

“General?”