Chapter LXXXX - The Sword Beneath the Snow
The storm exploded.
Steel flashed.
Assassins surged forward.
And for one brief moment—
the entire world became violence.
—
Wei Jian moved first.
Fast.
Terrifyingly fast.
His hidden blade streaked toward Shen Li.
Not because she was the target.
Because she was the trigger.
The one thing guaranteed to draw Prince Rui's full attention.
A mistake.
A fatal mistake.
Because Prince Rui was already moving.
—
The Winter General's sword left its sheath.
Silver light cut through the blizzard.
One strike.
Clean.
Perfect.
Wei Jian's blade shattered instantly.
The impact echoed through the storm.
The assassins froze.
The guards froze.
Even Wei Jian froze.
Because somehow—
after seven years—
Prince Rui had become even stronger.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Then Prince Rui spoke.
Quietly.
Dangerously.
"You should have stayed dead."
The temperature seemed to drop.
—
The battle erupted around them.
Silver wolf guards crashed into assassins.
Steel rang.
Snow turned red.
The Black Sparrow vanished into the chaos like a phantom.
One moment visible.
The next—
gone.
Only bodies marked her path.
Dangerous woman.
Very dangerous woman.
Meanwhile Prince Rui never moved from Shen Li's side.
Not once.
Even while fighting.
Even while surrounded.
Every step kept him between her and danger.
Absolute instinct.
Absolute certainty.
Then Wei Jian laughed.
Actually laughed.
While retreating across the snow.
"There it is."
Prince Rui's eyes narrowed.
"There what is?"
Wei Jian smiled.
Coldly.
"The reason they fear you."
Silence.
Then:
"Not your army."
"Not your victories."
His gaze flickered briefly toward Shen Li.
"Your loyalty."
The words landed heavily.
Because suddenly—
Wei Jian sounded almost sincere.
Then:
"Most powerful men eventually choose power."
Snow swirled around them.
Then:
"You never did."
—
Prince Rui attacked.
Not out of anger.
Out of impatience.
The difference mattered.
Because battlefield anger could be predicted.
Battlefield calm was terrifying.
Wei Jian barely blocked.
Steel screamed.
Snow exploded beneath their feet.
Then another strike.
Then another.
Driving him backward.
Relentlessly.
The assassins nearby began retreating instinctively.
Because even they could see it.
Wei Jian wasn't winning.
Not even close.
—
Then suddenly—
Wei Jian stopped fighting.
The move shocked everyone.
His sword lowered.
His expression softened strangely.
Almost tired.
Then quietly:
"You really don't know."
Prince Rui's blade remained poised.
Ready.
Deadly.
"Know what?"
Wei Jian looked toward the storm-dark sky.
And laughed softly.
Not mockingly this time.
Sadly.
Then:
"The person who ordered your death..."
"Never feared rebellion."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then:
"They feared succession."
The words struck harder than any blade.
Because suddenly—
everything aligned.
The surveillance.
The exile to the frontier.
The hidden reports.
The assassination attempt seven years ago.
Prince Rui's eyes darkened.
Dangerously.
Then Wei Jian delivered the final blow.
Not physical.
Worse.
Truth.
"You were never supposed to become popular."
"You were never supposed to survive the north."
"And you were certainly never supposed to become indispensable."
The storm seemed to stop.
For one impossible moment.
Because now—
everyone understood.
Prince Rui's greatest crime had never been ambition.
It had been competence.
—
Then Wei Jian looked toward Shen Li.
His gaze unexpectedly gentle.
"And then you married."
Silence.
Then:
"That terrified them most."
Shen Li's chest tightened.
Because she understood.
A beloved general was dangerous.
A beloved general with something worth protecting?
Far more dangerous.
Then Wei Jian smiled faintly.
"The empire's most loyal man finally had a reason to stay alive."
—
The Black Sparrow suddenly appeared beside him.
Blade at his throat.
Instant.
Perfect.
The battle around them had ended.
The remaining assassins were dead.
Or fleeing.
Only Wei Jian remained.
Then the Black Sparrow quietly asked:
"Who gave the order?"
Everyone waited.
Prince Rui.
Shen Li.
The guards.
The storm itself.
Then Wei Jian smiled.
Small.
Knowing.
And infuriating.
"You already know."
Silence.
Because somehow—
they did.
Or at least they knew where the answer waited.
Not here.
Not in the snow.
Not on the battlefield.
In the capital.
At the heart of the empire.
—
Then suddenly Wei Jian coughed.
Once.
Blood stained the snow.
The Black Sparrow froze.
Prince Rui's eyes narrowed.
Poison.
Of course.
Always poison.
Wei Jian laughed weakly.
"They planned for failure."
The realization hit instantly.
Someone had ensured he would never return alive.
Never testify.
Never reveal names.
Then his gaze shifted one final time.
Toward Prince Rui.
Then toward Shen Li.
And unexpectedly—
he smiled.
A real smile.
The first one.
"Protect each other."
Silence.
Then:
"That's what frightened them."
The words faded into the storm.
And moments later—
Wei Jian was gone.
The last witness to a seven-year-old conspiracy.
Dead.
Taking half the answers with him.
—
The battlefield fell silent.
Only snow remained.
Snow and blood.
And two people standing together at last.
After weeks apart.
After fear.
After letters.
After war.
Prince Rui slowly turned toward Shen Li.
The fight finally gone from his eyes.
Only exhaustion remained.
Only relief.
Then quietly—
so quietly she almost didn't hear—
he admitted:
"This prince was afraid."
The confession shattered her heart.
Because Prince Rui never admitted fear.
Not for himself.
Not for war.
Not for death.
Only for her.
Then Shen Li stepped forward.
And wrapped both arms around him.
Holding him tightly.
As though she could erase every mile between them.
Every nightmare.
Every fear.
Prince Rui immediately held her back.
Tighter.
Stronger.
As though letting go had become impossible.
And beneath the endless falling snow—
the war paused.
Just long enough for them to find each other again.