It was nearing the hour of the Boar.
A fine drizzle drifted through the night sky.
From afar, Mengshui Pass seemed shrouded in a veil of mist.
Hazy, dreamlike.
Xiao Jinghong sat atop the outer wall of the pass, gazing toward the Barbarian Tribe's territory.
Ever since Song Jin Jian had fled and she had returned to Mengshui Pass with Ma Kui and the others, she had come here.
The night rain drifted about, much like her mood at this moment.
Xiao Jinghong had never been one to hesitate or dither.
On the contrary, ever since she had followed Li Wudang out to train as a child, she had been exceptionally decisive in all matters.
Just as when she had joined the army.
Just as when she had slain Zhu Hao.
Just as when she had ordered the Three Towns troops out to temper themselves.
Yet when she learned that her closest kin—her parents—had been imprisoned by the Barbarian Tribe, she hesitated.
Though she had flatly rejected Song Jin Jian, she still felt somewhat torn over that decision.
Xiao Jinghong knew full well.
Rejecting Song Jin Jian's proposal meant refusing to join hands with the Qinghe Cui Family. It meant that rescuing Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
As commander of the Dingyuan Army, she knew the Barbarian Tribe's strength all too clearly.
Even against merely the Black Bear Tribe, she was not confident she could lead troops in a successful surprise attack, much less rescue Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing.
But hesitation was hesitation. Xiao Jinghong did not regret her decision.
Setting aside whether this decision might lead to Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing's deaths, the consequences of His Majesty raising an army for a southern campaign were not something she or