Chapter 103 Alliance He personally went to the perilous situation to bring you home. ...

Beneath his thick, unruly eyebrows were a pair of amber eyes unique to men of the grasslands. As Arslan bent down, the refreshing scent of the grass wafted over him. His fingers lightly touched Feng Tan's palm before crossing over, then he remained silent, maintaining his soldier's stance.

Feng Tan's access to and from the Hua Palace was always heavily guarded. How did Arslan manage to sneak in? She pondered to herself. In this impasse, with someone offering an olive branch, she had no reason not to accept it.

The night was deep, and the bright moon hung high above the vast, dark sky. Its shimmering light shone on the layered glazed tiles of the palace, creating a tapestry of varying shades like an ancient ink painting. Feng Tan and his entourage walked along the long palace path for about a quarter of an hour before stopping in front of a grand hall with three large, red-gold characters on its plaque.

Feng Tan turned around and looked at the Luo Sha Army following closely behind her, her tone laced with sarcasm, and said, "What, do you want to monitor me even when I'm taking a bath?"

The hot spring pool at Qingquan Palace is a full eight feet deep. If they were to get close enough to guard her, they would surely see the girl naked, committing a grave offense of disrespect, which the Emperor would certainly not forgive. Caught in this dilemma, the leader spoke up: "In that case, why don't you return to Ganhe Palace, young lady?"

“I’m going to stay here, but I’ll feel uncomfortable with a bunch of grown men waiting and eavesdropping in the hall,” Feng Tan turned and stepped onto the white marble steps, leaving the last words in his voice, “You come along alone.”

The walls of Qingquan Palace are decorated with auspicious lattice windows. As Feng Tan steps in, the palace maids serving inside slowly lower the rolled-up beaded curtains, and the mist rising from the hot spring water blurs the light and shadows in the room.

Feng Tan gestured for the palace maids to leave, glanced back at Arslan, and slowly removed the light red veil covering her body, revealing her snow-white skin inch by inch. Arslan hurriedly turned his back and closed his eyes, and scoffed softly, "I have long heard of Lord Feng's dashing and romantic life when he was an official in the capital. Indeed, seeing is believing."

Red petals floated on the warm spring water, the water level just reaching Feng Tan's shoulders. She stretched out her body and soaked in the spring water, only then did she feel that the stickiness that Xiao Yinshi had made on her body had dissipated a lot. "I have long heard of the unruly and unrestrained nature of the grassland men, but after meeting them, I am nothing more than that."

Arslan's breath hitched upon hearing this. He slowly turned around and looked at the girl, who was more beautiful than the flowers, soaking in the petal hot spring. He said, "The six officials who held the reins of power disguised themselves as men to save Feng Youming and rose through the ranks of officialdom. Their true identity was the only legitimate princess of Dahuang. In the end, she became a beautiful woman imprisoned by the emperor of an enemy country... Feng Tan, you really are an eye-opener."

Because Arslan's face was covered by a human skin mask, Feng Tan couldn't see the slight blush on his handsome face when he saw her bare shoulders and neck. Looking back at his eyes, she said, "You've investigated very thoroughly. It seems you came prepared."

Arslan made no attempt to hide his feelings, saying "yes." When he smiled, he revealed his white teeth, his whole demeanor as cheerful as a pine tree. "To get straight to the point, I never cooperate with women, but what you've done in Dahuang is enough to prove you're a capable person. We have a common enemy, so how about we form an alliance?"

Just as Feng Tan had predicted, Arslan presented an opportunity for their current predicament. Though she appeared subservient in the hot spring, she spoke with an air of control, saying, "If you want an alliance, what abilities do you have?"

Arslan cursed inwardly. He had already made an exception to cooperate with a woman, and she was still picking a fight? Thinking that Sotaha was about to go through winter and the herders on the grassland were waiting for his news, he calmed himself down and said, "Ninth rank in martial arts."

Feng Tan bluntly stated, "When a ninth-rank official is no match for Xiao Yin, he can only be killed by him."

Arslan choked, glanced at Feng Tan, and said coldly, "That's why I want to form an alliance with you."

The swirling mist gathered at the top of the palace and condensed back into water droplets, landing on Feng Tan's shoulders. The coolness made her sink a little deeper into the water, but her eyes remained as calm as ever. She said, "You saw the consequences today at the Golden Platform, as you did. He is an absolutely ruthless person, and none of us will have a good ending then."

Arslan paused for a moment, then took a few long strides to the edge of the pool, crouched down and looked down at Feng Tan. His gaze was only above Feng Tan's neck, and he maintained a respectful distance from her the entire time. "The history books of Hua Dynasty record three palace gate incidents. As long as you agree to cooperate with me, the history books will soon add new entries... I am confident that I can kill him."

Feng Tan looked at him quietly for a few moments, then said slowly, "Before that, I need you to do something for me."

Arslan frowned slightly and asked, "What are you doing?"

Feng Tan straightened his expression and said, "Arslan, since you have the ability to infiltrate the Rakshasa Army, it is no problem for you to send your people to infiltrate the Shen Family Army. You should know that the Shen Family Army killed my master. I want to know why the soldiers who followed Shen Shiyi in the prison break betrayed us and who was behind the atrocities."

“Heh,” Arslan sneered, his amber pupils reflecting Feng Tan’s unusually serious face, and said, “Miss Feng is certainly not being polite at all. What if I don’t agree?”

Feng Tan looked at him calmly and said, "If you don't agree, I won't form an alliance."

Arslan leaned closer again, his gaze narrow and scrutinizing, beginning to truly look at this girl he had only met once. He said, "Feng Tan, if you want to escape the palace, you will have to overcome countless obstacles. Without my help, you will never get out in this lifetime. This deal is between you needing me and me needing you. Why should my people be at your beck and call?"

The hot spring murmured within the incense-filled hall, and the ornate yellow satin drapes on the eaves, thin and translucent, swayed gently with the faint airflow, like the plucking of a silken string, stirring up reverie. In the shadows, two figures locked eyes, locked in a silent tug-of-war.

Feng Tan's face was expressionless, and his voice was devoid of emotion. "It's very simple. You need me far more urgently than I need you. The Imperial Observatory predicted that the Sotaha region would have a difficult winter this year, and you urgently needed to relocate to a new place. How could you occupy the territory of Dahua at will? You had no choice but to take a risky move to help the new emperor of Dahua, but you failed, and your alliance is no longer valid."

Arslan's pupils dilated slightly. He said, "How could you know so much, being in the Great Birch Palace?"

Feng Tan pursed her lips and said, "I am not very talented; I come from a detective background."

Actually, no. Everything just now was just Feng Tan's guess. She knew where Sotaha was located on this continental map, and before her trip to the Linzhang sea area, she had read a lot of geography books. She happened to see that the Imperial Observatory had predicted several years ago that the temperature in the Sotaha area would drop sharply this winter, and Arslan's reaction just confirmed that her guess was correct.

The water was warm, and Feng Tan was immersed in the pool. Her whole body was as smooth as a peeled egg. Arslan's eyes never strayed from the proper place. When he saw Feng Tan get up as if to get out of the bath, he hurriedly turned his head and scolded, "You were acting like you were going to die on the Golden Platform just now. How come you're so generous to let me see you like this?"

His voice held a hint of embarrassment and annoyance, prompting Feng Tan to raise an eyebrow and say, "You're not like him."

Arslan's eyes, like Jin'an's, were clear and filled with genuine sincerity. The difference was that, perhaps because he grew up on the grasslands, Arslan possessed a wildness within him, while Jin'an had more of the gentle warmth of Zheng Qingru.

They all knew that one should not look at what is improper, so Feng Tan did not take Arslan seriously and went down into the hot spring pool on his own.

A damp mist hung between the two. Upon hearing this, Arslan unconsciously glanced at Feng Tan again. His eyes flickered involuntarily as he saw, in the candlelight, the hickeys and bruises left by a man on Feng Tan's shoulders and neck. He had been waiting beneath the Golden Terrace, guessing that she had likely experienced a brutal love affair.

Although he had never been with a woman, his grandmother had already told him about those things between men and women. He coughed lightly and said, "You asked me to help you investigate the case, and I agreed. However, I have a question."

Feng Tan stepped out of the hot spring, dried herself off, found some clean clothes to put on, and said while twisting her hair, "Ask away."

Arslan said, "To be honest, Xiao Yinshi is good-looking and is the highest authority in the Great Hua Dynasty. He went to great lengths to get you. Aren't you tempted at all? A woman's life is destined to end with marrying a reliable man. Even as the legitimate princess of the Great Hua Dynasty, you should be doing the same. Why do you always think about escaping him?"

He was testing whether Feng Tan would betray him halfway. Feng Tan naturally understood Arslan's intention and asked, "Have you heard the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl?"

Arslan listened to the sounds and recognized the movements. When the rustling sound of the fabric disappeared, he turned around and looked at Feng Tan with a frown and a puzzled expression. "Of course I've heard of such a well-known myth."

Feng Tan's hair was half-dry as she walked up to Arslan and said, "Tell me your story."

Arslan couldn't quite grasp her meaning, but he still repeated it, "There was an orphan named Niulang who lived with a wise old ox. The ox told Niulang that the Weaver Girl from heaven would descend to earth to bathe one day, and if Niulang could secretly take the Weaver Girl's clothes, she would become his wife."

Following the old ox's instructions, the Cowherd secretly took the Weaver Girl's clothes on the day she descended to earth to bathe. Unable to return to heaven, the Weaver Girl had no choice but to stay on earth and marry the Cowherd.

They had a son and a daughter, but when the Queen Mother of the West learned of this, she sent heavenly soldiers to capture the Weaver Girl. With the help of the old ox, the Cowherd carried his two children, donned the oxhide left by the old ox, and flew up to heaven to chase after the Weaver Girl…

While telling the story, Feng Tan had already casually tied her hair up with a simple hairpin. Looking up at the tall, imposing young man, she smiled inexplicably and said, "The Weaver Girl originally had a wonderful life. If the Cowherd hadn't stolen her feathered robe and imprisoned her in the mortal world for his own selfish desires, she would never have had children with a mortal. In this story, the old ox that devised the plan is a metaphor for the evil thoughts in the Cowherd's heart. The feathered robe that the Cowherd stole is the only magic weapon for the Weaver Girl to return to the Heavenly Court. And the Cowherd, from beginning to end, is the most dangerous hunter."

Arslan's gaze was fixed on Feng Tan's calm and aloof face. He saw her touch the small cut on her lips that the man had unintentionally nibbled at, apply some ointment, and then say in a cool voice, "And in the end, the Weaver Girl was immersed in the cage woven by the man in the name of love, indulging in the low-level emotions he gave her, and reaping a lot of love. She completely forgot where she came from."

Even now, with ambiguous marks left by Xiao Yinshi all over her body, Feng Tan still exudes her own pride. "I have traveled thousands of miles and seen the injustice of the world. I have seen the pioneers' unyielding struggle for fairness. The path of reform they laid with their lives is the reason why I will not submit to him."

The candlelight illuminated the rugged beauty of the sandalwood tree, and the steel peaks were breathtaking. Arslan stood there, stunned, admiring her unwavering determination and strengthening his resolve to cooperate with her.

Is the young official so famous because she herself is a woman of great beauty?

Arslan said, "I've heard that you've tried to escape several times, but each time you've been caught by Xiao Yinshi. Aren't you discouraged after so many failures?"

"Look ahead, there's always a solution ahead," Feng Tan fastened her cloak, the effects of the aphrodisiac wore off, and she felt refreshed. "The path I need to take is also ahead."

Arslan raised his voice slightly and said, "Feng Tan, you shouldn't be involved in officialdom. You should be a swordsman, wandering the world and seeking freedom."

Feng Tan said, "That is not my way."

Arslan watched her retreating figure as she was about to leave the hall, lost in thought for a moment, before finally speaking slowly: "Feng Tan, two pieces of news: First, Xiao Yin will soon issue an edict appointing Xiao Liling as Empress."

Seeing that she didn't stop walking, Arslan found it a little funny. This woman had really cultivated the path of ruthlessness. He then slowly revealed the second piece of news, "Emperor Chongming is coming to Dahua to negotiate with Xiao Yinshi because you will be accompanying the delegation. He is personally going to risk his life to bring you home."

Upon hearing this, Feng Tan abruptly stopped in front of the palace under the moonlight.