Hiding His Deeds and Name

Yelü Boyang was dead.

To the moment of his death, he never saw what the person who killed him looked like.

With his death, the steppe army utterly collapsed.

The once-fierce steppe cavalry fled as though they had gone mad.

In the chaos, they crowded and trampled one another. As a result, many died beneath their own comrades' horses' hooves before they even encountered the enemy.

Tong Lei would not let this heaven-sent opportunity slip by. He led the Imperial Guard in close pursuit, chasing and slaughtering the enemy for dozens of miles, until corpses carpeted the fields and blood flowed in rivers.

Meanwhile, Chen Ye slipped back to the capital and returned to the great tent atop the city wall, where he once again became Yang Zhao, emperor of Great Zhao.

Only at daybreak did the fighting, which had lasted an entire night, finally come to an end.

When Tong Lei returned at the head of his victorious army, Chen Ye went out of the city to welcome him in person.

At the sight, Tong Lei dismounted while still some distance away. He hurried forward, dropped to one knee, and shouted in a voice full of awe and fervor.

"Your Majesty, this humble general has fulfilled his mission and routed the steppe barbarians. Only a small number of men and horses escaped, but I have ordered a thorough search. We will wipe them all out today."

Tong Lei's attitude was no act. By now, his admiration for the young emperor before him had reached the point where he would prostrate himself with all five limbs to the ground.

The previous evening, Chen Ye had summoned him by secret decree and ordered him to have the elite troops armed and ready, waiting only for a fire to break out beyond the city before attacking at once.

At the time, Tong Lei's heart had been full of doubts.

The steppe camp was heavily fortified, and Yelü Boyang was a formidable ruler. How could anyone possibly slip inside and set it ablaze so easily?

But an emperor's command was as immovable as a mountain, so he could only obey.

So when flames really did soar into the sky from the steppe camp, Tong Lei's shock could scarcely have been greater.

He even came to believe that His Majesty was favored by the mandate of heaven and secretly aided by gods and spirits. Otherwise, there was no explaining such unfathomable methods.

"General Tong, thank you for your efforts. All the officers and soldiers have worked hard as well."

Chen Ye personally stepped forward and helped Tong Lei to his feet, his gaze sweeping over the weary yet excited faces.

"Announce my decree: every officer and soldier who rendered merit in this battle shall be promoted one rank and rewarded with a hundred taels of silver! For those who fell, compensation shall be doubled. They shall be enshrined in the Hall of Heroes and honored by the people!"

"Thank you for your boundless grace, Your Majesty!"

Their cries of thanks rose like mountains roaring and seas howling, resounding through the clouds. Every soldier's face shone with the joy of surviving disaster and reverence for Chen Ye.

After this battle, Chen Ye's prestige at court and among the people climbed to an unprecedented peak.

Before long, Yelü Boyang's corpse was brought into the city, and the entire capital erupted.

Cheering and leaping with joy, the people poured into the streets, eager to see what the chieftain looked like.

Wu Xiaorui was among the crowd as well. These past few days, she had been helping her sisters from the Cai Character Gate tend the wounded and move supplies in the rear, doing her modest part.

But now, her gaze was fixed on the carriage slowly passing by.

What held her attention, however, was not Yelü Boyang's corpse, but the small knife lodged in his neck.

The knife's design and the way thread was wound around its end gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Suddenly, she remembered.

The small knife Chen Ye had once carried had looked just like it.

As she stood there in a daze, she heard the people around her talking excitedly.

"Have you heard? A divine man appeared on our side. Last night, he slipped into the enemy camp without anyone knowing, first setting the barbarians' provisions ablaze, then cutting down the commander's banner in the midst of ten thousand troops. In the end, he even assassinated that shitty khan with his own hands!"

"I heard that too. If it weren't for him, General Tong and the others couldn't have won so easily."

"The remarkable thing is, this great hero dusted off his robes and left once the deed was done, without even leaving his name. Truly the bearing of an expert."

"Do you think it could have been the Moon-Treading Great Hero?"

"It really might have been him."

Listening to their discussion, Wu Xiaorui trembled all over, as though she had understood something.

Her earlier guesses and the various signs were all confirmed at that moment.

After Wu Xiaorui had been released from the palace, she had heard that Chen Ye had left the Rong Character Gate and that no one knew where he had gone.

Although she had been prepared for it, she had still felt a little disappointed.

Only as the situation grew increasingly tense had she gradually put the matter aside. Even the image of the youth in her memories had slowly begun to fade.

Only now did Wu Xiaorui understand that Chen Ye had not been afraid, much less fled to hide.

He had simply done something earth-shaking in his own way, then concealed both his deed and his name and quietly departed once it was done.

At the thought, Wu Xiaorui raised her head to look at the streak of morning light on the distant horizon. Without realizing it, her eyes grew moist.

For she had a premonition that she would probably never see that carefree youth again.

Meanwhile, dozens of imperial consorts were waiting at the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the palace.

Each had dressed herself with care, hoping to show her most beautiful side to the sage and virtuous Son of Heaven who had turned the tide and saved them from their fate.

After all, had the city fallen, their fate would have been easy to imagine.

Yet when Chen Ye returned to the palace, he merely glanced at them and waved his hand.

"You may all withdraw. It is late, so get some rest."

With those words, Chen Ye walked straight into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, leaving the consorts looking at one another in dismay, their hearts full of disappointment.

Only after returning to the hall and dismissing all the palace attendants did Chen Ye finally have time to take stock of his gains from the battle.

When he opened the system panel, lines of text appeared before his eyes.

[Class: Thief Ancestor - the source of thievery, the pinnacle of technique. A thousand faces are your skin, human hearts your road. You may turn the rules of all things to your own use; the path of the thief shall be defined by you.]

[Talent: Transparent Thief's Heart - all thief skills reach perfection in your hands.]

[Skills: Deft Hands lv10, Swift Blade lv10, Running on Eaves and Walls lv10, Shadow Concealment lv10, Throwing lv10, Bone Alteration lv10, Sound Mimicry lv10]

Looking at the domineering class description, Chen Ye let out a long breath. He knew that he had maxed out the path of the thief.

There was also an unexpected windfall: the Boat of the Other Shore, which had been dormant for a long time, began to glow faintly, and a line of text appeared before his eyes.

[The Boat of the Other Shore has been activated. Return?]

Looking at the words, Chen Ye felt a slight stir in his heart.

He had spent quite some time in this world, rising step by step from a lowly study attendant whom anyone could bully to where he stood now.

His great vengeance had been taken, and his powerful enemy eliminated.

By rights, he could leave now.

But after a moment's thought, Chen Ye ultimately decided to wait a while longer.

See a task through to the end; escort the Buddha all the way to the Western Paradise.

This dynasty was riddled with holes, and now that he held supreme prestige, he naturally had to do something.