[Central Plains, upon an endless great plain, you and Li Lingyue rode the same horse, weaving through crisscrossing paths.]
["Going to the Southern Border? There's a Martial Dao Opportunity there?"]
["That's all I can tell you. Whether you go or not is up to you."]
[Li Lingyue was not yet a Martial Artist. She looked delicate, but there was already a trace of the temperament the future Empress would possess between her brows.]
["I ruined the marriage alliance, and the imperial court will not tolerate me. Even if I return and beg for mercy, at best I'll be sent off for the marriage alliance again; at worst, I'll be held accountable. Since that's the case, if the Southern Border truly holds an opportunity for me to enter the Martial Dao, I'll seize it even at the cost of my life! Benefactor, you were right. Only by becoming powerful can I control my own fate. Otherwise, I can only become a chess piece for those above me and the strong!"]
["The Martial Dao is a hard road. You'd better be prepared to taste every kind of hardship. Everything ahead of you will be worlds apart from your luxurious life in the imperial palace."]
[Li Lingyue remained silent for a long while, then suddenly pulled a dagger from her sleeve.]
["Today's misfortune arose entirely because of this face. I am willing to cut my face to declare my resolve!"]
[You hurriedly stopped her.]
["No, no, no! That won't be necessary, brother. I believe your willpower is firm enough!"]
[Year Sixteen, age thirty-four.]
[You and Li Lingyue raced without rest toward the Southern Border.]
[After all, she was still an ordinary person. Her Saint Body had yet to awaken, and she had not the slightest cultivation.]
[She could not endure spending an entire