Tang Dynasty: Starting with 3,000 elite cavalry, a bloody battle to retake the city.

He paused, then looked up at the vast desert to the north and said, word by word:

"He alone does not need a grave."

"I want to erect a monument in his honor!"

"He's not dead, he's just missing."

"As long as I am alive, he shall not die! I await his return!"

The wind whipped the white banners into a fluttering sound. As he spoke, his back was ramrod straight, as if he were making a vow to heaven and earth.

Changsun Wuji remained silent for a long time before finally sighing softly and bowing his head in agreement.

How could he not want that person to live?

But reality is cold—in the heart of the Turkic lands, amidst endless yellow sands, the chances of survival are as faint as smoke.

However, Li Shimin did not stop there and issued another order:

"From this day forth, the Ghost-Faced General is hereby conferred the title of Marquis of Champion! His troops shall be reorganized into the 'Ghost-Faced Army,' and their names shall be forever recorded in history!"

boom!!!

This time, Changsun Wuji's eyes widened in shock, and he even held his breath.

The Champion Marquis?!

Since Huo Qubing of the Han Dynasty, this title has become a thing of the past! No emperor in successive dynasties dared to bestow it, for fear of disgracing that legend!

Today, Li Shimin has bestowed it upon a general whose identity and origin are shrouded in mystery.

Shocking! World-shaking!

But then I thought, only in this way can we be made known to the world—so that the shadowy army, which is fully armed and protects the country with its life, can finally stand openly and legitimately in the annals of history!

Changsun Wuji took a deep breath, clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, and quickly withdrew to make arrangements.

At the very moment Li Shimin stepped into the palace—

Li Yingge had already spurred his horse and galloped straight towards the Li residence!

Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.

She didn't believe Han Ye was dead.

She doesn't believe it!

How could the person who always returned quietly in the night simply disappear?

"This girl..."

Li Jing watched his daughter's departing figure, shook his head slightly, and a helpless smile flickered across his lips.

When they forced her to marry them, she made a huge scene and vowed to never comply.

What about now?

My heart had already flown to that person's side; I couldn't even sit still before I saw his shadow.

But at this moment, Li Yingge was more anxious than anyone else—her heart was practically in her throat, and she had only one thought in her mind: Han Ye must not get into trouble!

Li Jing stood in the mansion, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty, muttering to himself, "Han Ye, oh Han Ye... please don't really be that Ghost-Faced General... please don't cause any deaths for me..."

·

The courtyard where Han Ye lived, which was part of Li Jing's residence.

The candlelight flickered in the room, illuminating the pale figure on the bed.

Han Ye had changed out of his blood-stained clothes and washed away the dust of the journey, but he still couldn't hide the weakness emanating from his body.

He leaned against the headboard, breathing shallowly, his face as white as paper, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.

The maid Xiao Tuan stood guard by the bedside, her big, bright eyes red as if they were soaked in blood.

As she listened to the deafening drums and cheers outside, her brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

"Young Master, did you hear that?" She pouted, glaring at him angrily. "His Majesty has returned to the capital! The whole city is in an uproar, everyone is lining the streets to welcome him, it's incredibly lively!"

Han Ye's voice was hoarse as he lazily lifted his eyelids: "And then?"

"And then?!" Xiao Tuan practically jumped up. "You're the real hero! You fought to the death and won the battle, and what happened? Nobody knew you were back, and you sneaked into the manor in the middle of the night without making a sound! What kind of nonsense is this?!"

Han Ye was taken aback, then burst out laughing.

Goodness, so this girl was standing up for him?

He smiled, teasing her deliberately, "You want me to go for a walk in the streets too? Dragging this half-dead body, to die right there at the gates of Chang'an, so the whole world can pay their respects to my remains?"

"Pah! Pah! Pah!" Xiao Tuan pounded on the edge of the bed in a panic, her eyes instantly reddening again. She gritted her teeth and growled, "Don't talk nonsense! If you dare to die, I'll... I'll bang my head against the wall for you to see!"

As she spoke, she grabbed the bowl and chopsticks and shoved them into Han Ye's mouth, her movements as rough as if she were feeding a disobedient cat, her teeth grinding together, making her look exactly like a little squirrel with its fur standing on end.

Looking at her like this, Han Ye felt a strange warmth in his heart, and his tense nerves, which had been taut for many days, quietly relaxed.

But what he didn't know was—

Last night, when he collapsed in front of Xiao Tuan, covered in blood and swaying precariously, the girl almost fainted on the spot.

She had expected the young master to return in triumph, adorned in red and jewels, and admired by all; but what she received was a lifeless shell that collapsed without even the strength to utter a sound.

"Han Ye! Han Ye!!"

Suddenly, a hurried shout came from outside the courtyard, breaking the brief silence.

The footsteps were deafening, approaching from afar, carrying an undeniable sense of oppression.

Li Yingge has arrived!

She didn't even have time to remove her armor; her battle robes were still on, and her iron boots pounded the ground as she rushed into the courtyard.

His brows were furrowed with anxiety, and his gaze was sharp as a knife, sweeping over every inch of the room.

"Han Ye! Are you there?!"

Han Ye, who was inside the room, heard everything clearly. He turned to look at Xiao Tuan, shook his head slightly, and smiled faintly: "Go ahead, let her in."

Xiao Tuan stood up, snorted, and muttered in dissatisfaction, "I'll expose your secrets sooner or later, then we'll see if you can still pretend!"

Han Ye just smiled, not taking it to heart.

He knew that although Xiao Tuan was fierce in words, he was more loyal than anyone else in his heart.

She was his maid, not a servant of the Li family.

Her sword will only ever be drawn for him.

As for his identity—

If it's to be revealed, it should be revealed by him personally.

It's not anyone else's turn.

He slowly raised his hand to reach for the bowl of cold rice beside the bed.

My arm was trembling with soreness, but I still managed to hold the chopsticks firmly.

He swallowed a few mouthfuls, then his brows furrowed suddenly.

"What is this stuff?" he muttered. "It smells rancid, it tastes awful... We need to change the food."

He suddenly stopped abruptly as soon as he finished speaking.

food……

A thought suddenly flashed through my mind: This is the Tang Dynasty, when rice was not yet widely cultivated, let alone corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes, which would later become life-saving foods!

At present, the Tang Dynasty has just experienced a major war, the flames of war in the north have not yet been extinguished, refugees are everywhere, and everything needs to be rebuilt.

Even after defeating the Turks, the national treasury was already extremely empty.

What is the most needed thing to restore vitality?

It's not soldiers, it's not money, it's—food!

"I've got it..." Han Ye's eyes lit up slightly, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

A new path quietly unfolded in his heart.

"The Ghost-Faced General... can finally make his exit."

He gazed at the top of the tent and murmured to himself, his voice revealing a hint of weariness, yet also a sense of relief.

From now on, he might finally be able to live for himself.

No more masks needed, no more death traps needed.

But he didn't understand—

Some identities, once acquired, are like a brand etched into one's bones.

Even if you want to escape, fate will not let you go.

Outside the courtyard gate, Li Yingge still stood in the darkness.

The armor remained on, its cold light gleaming.

Her beautiful eyes trembled as she stared intently at Xiao Tuan, her voice quivering slightly:

"What did you say? Han Ye... has been here the whole time?!"

boom--

A thunderbolt struck her heart.

How is that possible?!

What's he doing at home?!

How could that general, who wore a demon mask, was besieged by the Turkic cavalry on the banks of the Wei River, and whose fate was unknown, be lying peacefully on his bed in this small courtyard in Chang'an?!

Li Yingge's eyes were fixed on Xiao Tuan, her gaze sharp as knives, almost pinning her to the spot.

Xiao Tuan's heart skipped a beat, and she involuntarily lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, her breathing becoming lighter.

You lied to me.

Li Yingge's voice was as cold as frost and snow as she gritted her teeth and uttered each word clearly: "Get out of the way, I want to see for myself whether he's here or not."

Xiao Tuan shuddered and hurriedly raised her hand to stop him: "Miss, my young master caught a cold yesterday and is resting in bed. It's really inconvenient for him to receive guests..."

"A cold?"

Li Yingge let out a cold laugh, a faint redness rising at the corners of her eyes, as if she had been stabbed hard by something. "So you're saying he's lying here coughing and having a fever, not going anywhere? Ha... then tell me, did he crawl back from the bottom of the Wei River?!"

Xiao Tuan opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

His head drooped lower and lower, his back stiffened, looking just like a child caught doing something wrong.

Inside the room, Han Ye lay quietly on the bed, able to hear every word of the argument outside clearly.

He smiled slightly and shook his head helplessly—this girl is just too honest. She can't even tell a lie convincingly; she's as transparent as paper.

"Get out of the way!"

With a sharp shout, Li Yingge no longer hesitated.

She was still wearing her black armor, her cloak fluttering in the wind. With a light touch of her toes, she swept across the threshold and rushed into the courtyard like lightning.

The combat boots clattered heavily on the bluestone slabs, as if each step was pounding on people's hearts.

The next instant, the door was suddenly pushed open—

The room was silent, and sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on that familiar face.

Li Yingge paused, frozen in the doorway.

The person on the bed slowly opened their eyes, a lazy smile playing on their lips: "Oh, the female general is back?"

"you……"

Li Yingge's throat tightened, her voice caught in her chest, and she couldn't utter a single complete word.

Her eyes widened, as if what she saw before her was a phantom, a nightmare, an absurd reality she had never witnessed even after chasing the enemy all the way to the point of bloodshed.

Han Ye sat up, leaning against the bedpost, his voice hoarse but composed: "What, shouldn't you be happy to see me? It's my right to sleep at home, do you expect me to report my whereabouts to you?"

Li Yingge's eyes suddenly burned.

But she could see it clearly—his face was as pale as paper, his lips were bloodless, and even the way he raised his hand seemed somewhat unsteady.

That forced composure couldn't fool her at all!

Stop pretending!

She stepped forward, her anger surging, and yanked back the quilt covering him—

Han Ye was startled and almost jumped out of bed: "Are you crazy?!"

But Li Yingge ignored him completely, grabbed his left hand, and abruptly twisted his palm—

On that patch of fair flesh, a small, jet-black mole stood out prominently, as if branded there.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

Li Yingge's breath hitched, and her pupils contracted sharply.

It's that hand... exactly the same as the one I held that night amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood!

She raised her head, her beautiful eyes reddening, her voice trembling yet sharp as a sword: "I too have seen this mole in the palm of the Ghost-Faced General..."

"Han Ye—how long are you going to keep this from me?!"

She stared at him, speaking slowly and deliberately, as if trying to dissect his soul to see it clearly:

"You...you're the Ghost-Faced General, aren't you?!"

When she asked the last question, her voice was already choked with emotion.

Han Ye was stunned.

His heart remained calm, but the fleeting fear that crossed his eyes was so quick that he didn't even notice it.

He never imagined that a casual mark would be remembered so clearly by her.

It was even more unforgettable than it was for him.

How can a woman's mind be so meticulous?!

But he couldn't admit it.