The Empress has abandoned me? I'll support a new emperor and destroy your kingdom!

As dawn broke, a thin, veil-like morning mist enveloped the boundary marker that stretched before us.

The boundary marker is made of gray-black granite, weathered by time, with a rough surface and somewhat blurred lettering. One side is engraved with "Tianming" (Dawn) in intaglio, and the other with "Jiangqiong" (River and Sky) in relief. A deep crack runs from top to bottom through the marker, like some kind of ominous omen, or like a cold and resolute dividing line between two countries.

Su Che reined in his horse and stopped three steps away from the boundary marker. Behind him were more than twenty riders led by Zhao Jianing, all solemn, their armor covered with night dew and dust from days of travel. Further behind were several mule carts guarded by Pang Xiaopan, their curtains drawn low, from which occasionally came the suppressed coughs of children or the soft sobs of women.

Everyone stopped, their gazes falling unanimously on the silent stone, and behind it, on the familiar yet hazy outlines of mountains and land shrouded in the morning mist.

This is "Duanlongkou," the last pass on the southeastern border of the Tianming Empire. Beyond this boundary marker, it is no longer Tianming territory.

The wind blew from the direction of the river, carrying the unique, damp scent of grass and trees of the south, as well as a faint, slightly dilapidated smell of smoke, quite different from that in Tianming territory.

Su Che didn't turn around, but quietly looked at the side of the boundary marker that read "Tianming". His gaze was calm, as if it pierced through the rock and saw into the depths, into the magnificent yet icy palace, and into the face that had once smiled gently but had become as cold as frost.

"Sir," Pang Xiaopan got off a mule cart behind him and walked to Su Che's side. His voice was a little hoarse. He followed Su Che's gaze and sighed, "Once you go... there will really be no turning back."

He was a scholar, with a delicate mind, and his feelings for this land were perhaps deeper and more complex than those of soldiers like Zhao Jianing. Here were the shops and connections he had built up over many years, the streets and alleys he knew well, and even more so, the "court" and "His Majesty" for which he had fought and believed could be improved. To abandon them all in one fell swoop, to leave his homeland, inevitably left him with an emptiness in his heart.

Upon hearing this, Su Che finally turned his head slowly, glanced at Pang Xiaopan, and then swept his gaze over the faces behind him, some resolute, some bewildered, and some sorrowful.

"A way back?" he asked, his voice not loud, but clear enough to echo in the morning air, carrying a resolute determination to sever all ties. "There has never been a way back."

He raised his whip and lightly pointed towards the boundary marker, as if pointing at something invisible and repulsive.

"Behind us are a monarch who abandons his benefactor after using us, petty people who are jealous of our talents, a corrupt and greedy court, and countless maggots waiting to suck our blood and climb over our corpses."

"It's the suspicion of discarding a bow after the birds are all gone, the butcher's knife of cooking a dog after the rabbit is dead, the execution platform of slow slicing, the dark prison where Zhao Dahe and the others were almost wrongfully killed, and the shops where your life's work, Pang Xiaopan, was confiscated!"

His voice wasn't intense, nor did it have many inflections; it was simply a calm statement, yet each word was like a cold nail, hammering into everyone's heart and shattering the last vestiges of unrealistic fantasies and lingering attachments.

"What is there to cherish in such a 'homeland'? What is there to be loyal to in such a 'king'?"

Su Che's gaze once again fell behind the boundary marker, deep within the territory of Tianming, his eyes as unfathomable as an ancient well.

"What I cherish are the soldiers who fought alongside me on this land to protect the people and the land, the people who believed I could bring them a better life, the upright men like Zhao Dahe, Liu Zheng, and Chen Sihai who were framed, and the shopkeepers and employees who worked diligently with you, Pang Xiaopan, but were unjustly imprisoned."

"But these things," he paused, his tone icy, "have long been trampled to nothing by the mistress of that palace and the demons and monsters around her."

He jerked the reins sharply, and his horse took two steps forward, its hooves almost touching the base of the boundary marker.

"So, it's not that we left Tianming."

Su Che's voice suddenly rose, carrying a metallic resonance that echoed far in the quiet morning:

"It's Lin Chu, it's Gao Tianci, it's that rotten imperial court—they don't deserve this land, much less us!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all was silent. Only the wind howled, sweeping through the wild grass.

Zhao Jianing gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, the last trace of confusion in his eyes replaced by raging fury. Pang Xiaopan took a deep breath and straightened her slightly plump back. The people around the carriage, young and old alike, all wore resolute expressions.

Yes, what is there to miss about such a "country"?

"Who's making a scene! Trespassing on the border!"

A sharp shout came from the other side of the boundary marker. A group of about fifty Jiangqiong border soldiers emerged from the mist, their clothes disheveled, their weapons old, and their formation loose, blocking the narrow dirt road leading to Jiangqiong. Leading them was a captain with a mustache, his hand on his waist sword, his expression wary yet tinged with a cowardly arrogance, as he sized up Su Che's dusty but menacing group.

"This is a strategically important border area; unauthorized crossing is strictly prohibited! Who are you? Where do you come from? Where are you going? Do you have any travel documents?" The captain, with his wispy whiskers, fired off a barrage of questions, his gaze greedily sweeping over Su Che and his men's horses and weapons. These horses were magnificent, their armor exquisite; though covered in dust, they were clearly no ordinary horses. If they were easy prey…

Before Su Che could answer, twenty or thirty Tianming border soldiers emerged from the outpost on the border side, in the direction they had come from. Their armor was much more gleaming, and they were led by a stern-faced garrison commander. They had clearly been alerted by the commotion.

The Ming Dynasty garrison commander's sharp gaze swept over Su Che, his pupils contracting slightly. Su Che's portrait had likely already reached the border through special channels. He gripped his sword hilt, stepped forward, and said in a deep voice, "Is that... the former Marquis of Anning, Lord Su Che?"

His tone was still polite, but his soldiers had already dispersed, subtly forming an encirclement. Clearly, the secret order from the capital regarding the pursuit of the "traitor Su Che" had arrived.

With wolves in front and tigers behind, the atmosphere instantly tensed. Zhao Jianing and the others instinctively gripped their weapons, and a commotion broke out beside the mule cart.

Su Che sat upright on his horse, seemingly oblivious to the soldiers on both sides. He didn't even glance at the Ming Dynasty garrison commander, but simply said to the rat-whiskered captain of Jiang Qiong, "Passing merchants have been harassed by bandits, lost their documents, and wish to seek refuge with relatives in Jiang Qiong. Please grant them passage."

"Merchants?" Captain Rat-Beard sneered, pointing at Zhao Jianing and his group. "Merchants carrying such weapons and armor? And crossbows too? I think you're clearly..."

"Commander Wang!" Commander Tianming suddenly raised his voice, interrupting Captain Ratwhisker. He stared at Su Che, his tone complex, "Lord Su, it is my duty. I have received strict orders from my superiors to request that you... return to the capital to report for duty. I beg you not to make things difficult for me." Although he said this, he did not move his feet, clearly showing great fear of Su Che. The news of the annihilation of the three hundred elite Tiger Might Battalion of Luofeng Gorge may not have spread yet, but the border generals had heard of Su Che's reputation and methods to some extent.

Su Che then slowly turned his head to look at the Ming Dynasty garrison commander. His gaze was calm, yet it sent a chill down the commander's spine for no apparent reason, as if he were being stared at by some monstrous beast.

"Return to the capital to report on your duties?" Su Che's lips curled into a faint, cold smile. "Is it to return to the capital to face execution, or to return to the capital to be subjected to the death by a thousand cuts again?"

The garrison commander's expression changed: "Lord Su, why utter such ominous words? His Majesty merely requests that you return and clarify..."

"No need," Su Che interrupted him, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable authority. "Tell Lin Chu that I will walk my own path. As for Tianming's officialdom, I'd rather not serve. As for Tianming's kingdom," he glanced at the boundary marker, "I'd rather not stay."

"You!" The garrison commander's face flushed red, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword. "Su Che! How dare you address His Majesty by his name and utter such arrogant words! Soldiers, give him your orders..."

"You want to take action?" Su Che suddenly asked, his tone still calm.

The garrison commander's words came to an abrupt halt. The soldiers behind him exchanged glances, none daring to step forward rashly. Su Che's reputation, and the silent, iron-willed knights behind him with their wolf-like eyes, exuded a chilling sense of oppression.

Su Che stopped looking at him and turned to face Jiang Qiong's rat-whiskered captain. He took out a small bag from his pocket and casually tossed it over.

The captain instinctively caught it; it felt heavy in his hand. He opened it and saw over a dozen gleaming gold leaves! His eyes widened instantly, and his breathing became heavy. The border troops in Jiangqiong were severely underfunded; he had never seen such generosity!

"Toll money," Su Che said calmly. "Is it enough?"

"Enough! Enough! That's more than enough!" The captain with the rat-whisker immediately changed his expression, his face beaming with smiles. He clutched the gold leaf tightly, stepped aside to make way, and shouted to the soldiers behind him, "Get out of the way! You blind fools! Let this gentleman pass! Sir, please, please! There's a town thirty miles ahead where you can rest!"

Su Che said nothing more, spurred his horse, and the mount neighed softly, taking off steadily across the gray-black boundary marker.

The moment the horse's hooves crossed the boundary line, it was as if some invisible shackles snapped with a bang.

Zhao Jianing shouted, "Follow up!" More than twenty riders followed closely behind Su Che, passing by in single file, their hooves clattering on the land of Jiang Qiong.

Pang Xiaopan directed the carriages and horses, slowly making their way through. As she passed the captain, Pang Xiaopan managed a weak smile and a nod. The captain bowed and scraped, watching the convoy pass, his eyes fixed only on the gleam of the bag of gold.

That day, the garrison commander watched helplessly as Su Che and his men entered Jiangqiong territory. His expression shifted constantly, his fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly, but ultimately, he did not give the order to pursue. He simply stared intently at Su Che's retreating figure disappearing into the morning mist of Jiangqiong, and growled at his personal guards, "Spur the horse on! Send an urgent message to the capital—the traitor Su Che has betrayed the country and fled into Jiangqiong!"

……