Chapter 53: I Am Innocent

Dugu Tribe.

The moonlight was dim, yet the Dugu Tribe's camp blazed like a ball of flame, illuminating the darkness.

Inside the great tent, the Dugu Tribe's elders circled a golden figure, dancing the ancient sacrificial dance of the grasslands.

The air was thick with a strange mingling of exotic spices and the peculiar scent of mugwort.

The Holy Maiden's seat was covered with a thick, plush blanket, but at this moment it was empty.

Dugu Ru stood beside a bonfire outside the great tent, awaiting the outcome of the prayers within.

"Holy Maiden, you truly—"

The visitor from afar had not finished speaking before Dugu Ru cut him off sharply.

Today was different from the past; the Dugu Ru of now was no longer that ignorant little girl, and the Dugu Tribe was no longer that small tribe that had to rely on the Poluohan Tribe.

The speaker closed his mouth in time and waited, though he had no idea what the Dugu Tribe was divining.

The sounds inside the great tent finally ceased. The Dugu Tribe's Grand Elder walked out, heading straight for Dugu Ru. Facing her eager gaze, he still shook his head.

"What's going on? How many times has this been, and still no result from the divination?"

Dugu Ru, somewhat impatient, suggested:

"How about trying the I Ching?"

The Grand Elder's expression faltered—not because he was unskilled in this art, but because he had already cast the hexagrams.

"I cast three hexagrams, and not one matched another."

A teasing smile played on Dugu Ru's face as she said:

"Could it be that he sprang from a crack in the rocks?"

The Grand Elder was helpless, but the guest could wait no longer.

"Holy Maiden, what of the matter I discussed with you?"

Dugu Ru looked at this envoy from Huaishuo Town and mocked:

"Poluohan Kong Que wants me to provide intelligence on Li Shuang and the household officials and advisors around him?"

"Exactly!"

"On what grounds!"

The moment these words left Dugu Ru's lips, the envoy's face turned ashen.

"I now command three thousand cavalry beneath my banner. My tribe's population has reached thirty thousand, with over two hundred thousand head of livestock. Each day, no few talents from this northern frontier come to join us. And what does he have?"

Things were no longer what they used to be.

The Dugu Ru of old had been the Great Shaman, possessed of an ineffable air of mystery.

But now, within that mystery, there was also a daunting, fearsome authority.

"Poluohan Kong Que has barely ten thousand men under him—unless we count those townsfolk of Huaishuo Town who are outwardly compliant but inwardly estranged with him. He wants me to serve as his spy. Is he worthy?"

Listening to Dugu Ru's mockery, the envoy instinctively tried to intimidate her:

"But Holy Maiden must not forget—your elder sister and half our kin are still in our hands."

The naked threat did not frighten Dugu Ru; she laughed aloud.

In the night, a flash of cold light streaked past.

The curved blade slid back into its sheath as if nothing had happened, yet the man who had been alive a moment ago had already fallen.

The envoy had never expected that this seemingly delicate girl possessed such pure and swift bladework.

Dugu Ru gazed at the envoy's corpse in silence. The Grand Elder beside her could not help but feel uneasy.

"With this, we have thoroughly torn the face off Poluohan Kong Que. I fear your elder sister and our kin will not fare well over there."

In the long night, the Grand Elder could not make out Dugu Ru's features. He only heard her speak after a long pause, her voice tinged with sorrow yet utterly resolute.

"In these chaotic times, how many heroes have fallen? For women like us, mere survival is already no easy thing. All I can do now is believe in her!"

Sorrow lingered in her words, but Dugu Ru quickly shook off the emotion.

"Since the divination yielded no result, then we shall choose one. Let all the tribespeople know that Li Shuang is an ally worthy of our reliance."

The Grand Elder hesitated. Of course, it was not that he had never done such a thing, but that he had doubts about Dugu Ru's decision.

"Holy Maiden, why choose him? We are not without other options—over in Hebei…"

The Grand Elder's words carried a hidden meaning, but Dugu Ru's answer was simple—she did not even pause to consider.

"He's good-looking. He pleases my eye. Is that not reason enough?"

"I only fear Li Shuang does not wish to be our ally, but to swallow us whole in one gulp."

In the night wind, a long robe concealed the girl's graceful figure. She was seen slowly walking toward the great tent, her voice carrying even a hint of anticipation.

"Then let us see whether he has the teeth for it."

In a small room, quite a number of people had gathered at this moment.

The leader was Fei Mu, General Who Assists the State under Li Chong.

"General, things cannot go on like this. Li Shuang and those Han folk have already ridden roughshod over us."

Fei Mu's face was full of difficulty.

"What good is it telling me? Li Shuang is the Grand Commander's adopted son, the Pingbei General's sworn brother, a descendant of the Li clan of Longxi. What can we Xianbei, who are not trusted with important posts, possibly do?"

The moment these words were spoken, the room erupted as if a pot had boiled over.

"What Li clan of Longxi? Just a bandit of unknown origin."

"He lords it over us, never once taking us seriously."

"The Prince of Guangyang was a man of such brilliance—only because he was secretly harmed by him was he forced to leave Hengzhou and remain at home to atone for his crimes."

……

Facing the surging tide of grievances, Fei Mu still gave the same reply.

"Telling me is useless. No matter how dissatisfied you are, can you really move against the Grand Commander's adopted son?"

At this moment, from within the crowd, someone sneered coldly:

"If open tactics won't work, then let's try covert ones!"

"What do you mean?"

"To suppress the Six Garrisons rebels in Shuozhou, we'll have to mobilize the troops from Take Pingcheng and Ma Yi. When the time comes, we'll set up a scheme and have Li Shuang and all those Han lads under his command wiped out completely."

Fei Mu's expression grew tense, and he instinctively glanced at the screen nearby.

"Are you mad? If the Grand Commander finds out about this..."

"General, why do you still not understand? Once Li Shuang and his subordinate troops are gone, won't the only ones the Grand Commander can rely on be us?"

"But don't forget, the Grand Commander still has the Imperial Guards from Luoyang City under his command."

"The Grand Commander's Luoyang Imperial Guards have suffered several defeats; their fighting spirit is long gone. The only ones around the Grand Commander who can actually fight are just his Li family's thousand-odd troops — what good are they?"

Fei Mu fell silent, then looked at the others, only to see that they too remained mute.

"You all feel the same way?"

The crowd nodded, none objecting.

"But She Di Gan and his lot aren't easy to provoke either."

"Once Li Shuang is gone, what use are a few stray dogs like that? When the time comes, won't everything be whatever we say it is!"

Fei Mu nodded.

"In that case, we must act with extreme caution, plan in detail, and absolutely must not let it leak."

"We understand."

After finishing their planning, the crowd dispersed one by one.

The room had grown much emptier, yet Fei Mu did not relax in the slightest — instead, his heart rose to his throat.

He hurried to the screen and moved it aside.

Behind the screen was a small room.

At this moment, Li Shuang was sitting in a chair, a pair of eyes fixed on him.

Cold sweat streamed down Fei Mu's face as he hastened to explain:

"Third Master, surely you've heard clearly — this matter has nothing whatsoever to do with me."

……