Chapter 27

“Holy Maiden, why did you summon me today?”

After eating free meals for several days in the Lone Clan, Li Shuang met Du Gu Ru again.

This time, the tent was filled with warm, fragrant air.

Unlike last time, when she wore shaman robes, today the girl was dressed in an elegant Han outfit.

A pale purple-trimmed pleated long skirt, embroidered with auspicious mountain birds, a short jacket cinched at the waist, accentuating her slender figure. A green sash tied delicately, cloud-shaped pendants inlaid with gold, layered and flowing—every movement exuded grace and elegance.

“I dare not say ‘command,’ but thanks to your good word before Lord Liang, we were able to settle here. Today, I’ve prepared wine to thank you, General!”

Wine had already been set out in the tent. Du Gu Ru swept her wide sleeves aside and gestured politely.

“Then I won’t refuse your kindness!”

Beside Li Shuang sat a bronze crane incense burner, now emitting curling smoke.

“This incense smells good!”

“The north is full of insects and rodents; we always keep this basic insect-repelling incense. It’s crude—forgive me for troubling you with it.”

Du Gu Ru had been a Grand Shaman since childhood and had her own distinct way of handling people.

Though alone together in a tent, she maintained perfect balance—neither letting the atmosphere grow too intimate nor letting it turn cold.

After three rounds of wine, Li Shuang began to grow dull-eyed.

Seeing this, Du Gu Ru smiled faintly and stepped forward, gently nudging him.

“General?”

Seeing no response, Du Gu Ru’s face broke into a smug smile.

“I don’t believe you can resist my Soul-Drifting Incense!”

Covering her nose and mouth, Du Gu Ru opened the bronze crane incense burner, extinguished the Soul-Drifting Incense, then returned to Li Shuang’s side and asked:

“Did Er Zhu Rong send you to the north to deal with Wang Yuanshen?”

“I...”

“What?”

Li Shuang’s voice was faint. Du Gu Ru leaned closer to hear—and suddenly, a wisp of white smoke spewed from his mouth.

“You... how...”

Affected by the smoke, Du Gu Ru’s expression grew hazy. When she looked again at Li Shuang, his face showed no trace of drowsiness.

“You didn’t pass out, did you?”

Li Shuang chuckled.

“Holy Maiden, the Soul-Drifting Incense you used is outdated—I stopped using it two years ago. This one? Made last month.”

Li Shuang pulled a glass vial from his sleeve, admiring its faint glow as he said calmly:

“Colorless, odorless, hard to detect, easy to use and store, premium quality.—Made in Taipingzhuang, Zhengguang Fourth Year, Winter!”

No sooner had he finished than Du Gu Ru lost all consciousness, her eyes glazed over.

Li Shuang stepped before her and asked:

“Who are you?”

“Du Gu Ru!”

“What do you think of Da Ye Shuang?”

“A complete scoundrel!”

Li Shuang clenched his teeth, frustrated.

“What are his good points?”

“Besides looking decent, he has none.”

Li Shuang stared at Du Gu Ru’s expressionless yet brutally honest face and wanted to give her a knuckle rap.

He decided against it—better not wake her up yet.

“Why are you here?”

“After Zhuolu City was destroyed, my clan moved to the Hetao region. After the Liuzhen Uprising, chaos spread and Hetao fell into turmoil. I led a faction to Hengzhou to escape the war and took refuge under Er Zhu Rong.”

“Zhuolu City? That name sounds familiar.”

“After Cao Pi the traitor usurped the Han throne, he relocated Han loyalists to Shanyang State. Zhuolu City was its capital.”

“So you and your tribe are Han?”

“Two centuries have blurred the line between Hu and Han. My clan, skilled in craftsmanship, was taken in by the Xiongnu. Over the years, the Five Barbarians have regarded us as Xiongnu—even many of our own people believe they are Xiongnu!”

“What are you trying to accomplish in Hengzhou?”

“My sister is still in the hands of Po Liu Han Kong Que. He ordered me to turn Hu Lu Jin against the Northern Wei army and break their morale. He promised that if I succeeded, he would release my sister and her followers.”

“But what you’ve done here seems to go beyond Po Liu Han Kong Que’s orders?”

“Po Liu Han Baling may be strong, but his foundation is shallow. My sister and I realized he would fail, so we split ways to avoid being dragged down with him—lest our entire tribe be wiped out. I came to Hengzhou to find a reliable ally and build an intelligence network. But once I arrived, I discovered someone else was doing the same thing.”

“Who?”

“Liu Ling, the shaman by the side of Prince Guangyang!”

“What does he want?”

“I don’t know, but he’s dangerous!”

At that moment, a fierce will surged within Du Gu Ru’s body, struggling to break free.

Li Shuang sighed.

“Strong will indeed—you’re waking up so soon!”

Li Shuang poured a basin of water over Du Gu Ru’s face.

Awakening, Du Gu Ru panicked and instinctively checked her robes.

Then she glared at Li Shuang and shouted:

“What did you do to me?”

Li Shuang propped his chin on his hand, wearing a sly smile.

“Holy Maiden, you wouldn’t want your identity as a Han survivor to become known to the Hu, would you?”

“...”

“If that’s the case, I’m still very interested in your intelligence network.”

Du Gu Ru stared at Li Shuang with extreme caution. She realized this scoundrel now knew all her secrets.

“My clan has survived two centuries in this chaos—do you think you can threaten us?”

“How could this be a threat?”

Li Shuang handed Du Gu Ru a cloth to wipe the water from her face.

She was stubborn.

“No thanks!”

“Suit yourself—it’s your own tent’s water anyway.”

Hearing that, Du Gu Ru’s face changed. She roared:

“Give it to me!”

After snatching the cloth, she wiped frantically until not a drop remained, then glared at Li Shuang with clear irritation.

“What do you want?”

“You’re Han. I’m Han. We both want to survive in this chaos. Why not join forces?”

“Really?”

“Han don’t lie to Han!”

Du Gu Ru paused, leaned back against the table, and asked:

“Do you have a concrete plan?”

“For these Hu tribes you can’t buy off, use your shamanic arts to deceive...”

Seeing Du Gu Ru’s hostile look, Li Shuang changed his word.

“...Convert them!”

He paused, then continued:

“You build your intelligence network; I run my trade routes. We secretly exchange information. If you can extend your reach to Pingcheng and place spies beside Wang Yuanshen, then Hengzhou will be ours to control.”

Du Gu Ru hesitated.

“But Liu Ling beside Wang Yuanshen isn’t easy to deal with. If he interferes, I can’t stop him.”

“I’ll handle him.”