"How about it, Holy Maiden? Have a jar of wine?"
Yazeb held up a wine jar and winked at Qin Huailian. "Don't worry, it's not poisoned."
Seeing that Qin Huailian didn't take it, he simply placed the wine jar in front of her. Then he snorted and said, "Although I hate you a lot, we're on the same side when it comes to loathing Huyelu."
Qin Huailian gave him a sidelong glance. Seemingly tired from standing, she sat down too, then turned to look at the distant horizon. As the sun was setting, it gradually melted into a tiny, dim spot in her dark eyes. On the vast desert, the north wind howled by, blowing off the ribbon that held her hair. But Qin Huailian didn't seem to care. She just casually tucked her hair behind her ears, her expression remaining cold and calm.
Yazeb opened a jar of wine for himself, tilted his head back and took a big gulp. He let out a satisfied "Ha", wiped his mouth hard with his hand, and burped contentedly. "The wine brewed by you Central Plains people is really delicious. It's a pity I didn't carry more out of Yutian City at that time."
"Humph." Qin Huailian snorted disdainfully.
After saying that, Yazeb couldn't think of any more topics. The two of them were sitting outside the tent, a few people apart, looking at the vast and hazy world in the distance.
The lone smoke on the desert, the setting sun over the long river.
The magnificent mountains and rivers were both beautiful and grand.
Yazeb took another gulp of wine, wiped the corner of his mouth with his hand, and said out of the blue, "You know I've met your brother, right?"
Qin Huailian's cold eyes suddenly flickered.
The woman who had been as still as a statue finally showed some reaction. Yazeb got interested and continued, "Your brother was poisoned with a strange toxin in the palace. If I hadn't saved him, he might have died long ago."
Hearing this, Qin Huailian turned to look at Yazeb, still expressionless.
"I saved your brother once. Consider it as repaying you for speaking up for us in front of Huyelu this time. We're even." Yazeb said, "So, if a war really breaks out, I'm not your subordinate. Don't always try to boss me around."
"Heh." Qin Huailian sneered and said, "The people of Loulan are still so arrogant."
"This is a fair deal." Yazeb shrugged.
Qin Huailian glared at Yazeb, with obvious contempt in her eyes. She said, "I knew you'd save my brother. After all, if my brother and I go to war with each other, it'll just satisfy your perverted desires, won't it?"
"Look at you, Holy Maiden. You're really mean." Instead of denying it, Yazeb looked at her with a smiling face and said, "I really do enjoy watching you two siblings of the Qin family fight each other."
Qin Huailian's eyes turned cold. She warned him in a cold voice, "Don't forget what Salei promised me. If you dare to do anything extra, you should know the consequences."
"How dare we..." Yazeb held the wine jar and swayed carelessly. He said with a fake smile, "Without you, Holy Maiden, our cooperation with the Xiongnu would fall through. We still need you to come up with strategies to conquer Dacheng."
Qin Huailian glared at him, then turned her head back, her lips tightly pursed into a straight line.
Yazeb glanced at Qin Huailian. Propping his chin with one hand, he picked up the wine jar with the other and shook it. He said to Qin Huailian, "Really not going to drink?"
Qin Huailian glanced at the wine jar beside her. The wine in the jar was clear, and the mellow fragrance wafted up, refreshing her mind.
"Heh." Yazeb ignored her. Seeing that she didn't respond, he drank up the little wine left in the jar in his hand. Then he picked up the untouched jar beside Qin Huailian, took a big gulp, and said, "Ah! This is really good wine. You're such a fool."
Qin Huailian's face darkened. She said in a deep voice, "We're about to take action soon. Are you drinking so much wine?!"
"Can a small Gengnan City stop me?" Yazeb laughed loudly and said, "I'll capture it for you in an hour."
"Capturing Gengnan City isn't the main goal." Qin Huailian glared at him and questioned, "Don't you know that?"
"How could I not know?" Yazeb finished the wine in the jar and burped contentedly again. He said, "When we capture Gengnan City, Qin Feng will come to its rescue, right? Speaking of which, that little emperor really loves your brother. Afraid that he'd be sad, the emperor even sent an old geezer to deal with me. Ugh, a homosexual. It's really disgusting."
Hearing this, Qin Huailian's expression instantly turned gloomy. She grabbed Yazeb's collar and said sternly, "What's really disgusting is that emperor! My brother was seduced by him!"
Yazeb sneered and said, "That's not what I saw in the Dacheng Palace."
Qin Huailian looked at him for a while, then suddenly let go of his collar and said, "Humph, it doesn't matter. Once I kill Sikong Ting, my brother will return to normal."
"Humph..." Yazeb casually straightened his collar and said, "I really don't understand what you're thinking. You've already betrayed them, but you still protect your father and brother everywhere. Aren't you being too indecisive?"
"I know what I'm doing." Qin Huailian's voice was cold. It seemed that she didn't want to talk to Yazeb anymore. She stood up, patted her buttocks, and was about to leave.
"Your Qin family is the most loyal dog of Dacheng." Yazeb held the empty wine jar and looked at Qin Huailian, with obvious mockery in his eyes. "But now the dogs are fighting among themselves. Do you think your father and brother can accept that?"
Qin Huailian turned her back to him and didn't say a word.
"Should I just kill them with a single knife before they react?" Yazeb laughed.
Qin Huailian's body moved slightly. With her back still turned to him, she said, "You can give it a try. If you dare to touch a single hair on my father or brother, I'll surely find a way to deal with you."
"I dare not defy the Holy Maiden's order." Yazeb bowed symbolically.
"Humph." Qin Huailian lifted her leg and walked away.
"Holy Maiden." Yazeb stopped Qin Huailian as she was leaving. She turned around irritably, with anger in her eyes.
"I still don't understand what you want." Yazeb patted his robe, stood up, walked in front of Qin Huailian, and continued, "You're wearing Loulan clothes, but you're thinking about destroying Dacheng. At the same time, you want us to guarantee the safety of your father and brother..."
Suddenly, Yazeb laughed and said, "Just because you want to kill the Sikong family seems a bit unreasonable, doesn't it?"
Suddenly, the shrill cry of a falcon pierced through the silent sky. The sound was desolate, cutting through the hazy dusk and reaching the sky.
The last ray of sunlight disappeared on the horizon. In the rapidly darkening environment, Qin Huailian's eyes seemed to be shining with a terrifying light.
"Heh, if the ancestors of the Qin family hadn't given the throne to the Sikong family back then, who knows where the Sikong family would be farming now. Seize the throne? It's just the rightful return of the property."