Chapter Sixteen
"Is this black armor you wore when you fought on Nightfall Star?" Mo Yinghuo asked.
Zhao Shu raised his eyes, his gaze fixed on the moonlight. With one hand behind his back and the other holding a knife, he said softly, "Yes, but I haven't worn it for decades."
"Decades?" A hint of surprise flashed in Mo Yinghuo's eyes as he thought to himself, "He looks about my age, maybe even a year or two younger than me."
However, Mo Yinghuo quickly recalled that Zhao Shu had once said that time inside the stone formation was different from the scenery outside, and that one hundred years on Yelan Star was equivalent to one year here, the reason for which Zhao Shu simply summarized as speed and gravity. He probably knew that this was difficult to explain, and Mo Yinghuo didn't intend to delve into it further. She knew that many things, now and in the future, might not have answers, but the key was to find solutions.
The key point is that if this were something easily understood, Zhao Shu would have explained it to her, and Mo Yinghuo would know. His silence suggests that it's indeed difficult to explain. Thinking of this, Mo Yinghuo wasn't surprised and pondered, "Then how do you fight?"
Zhao Shu: "We have starships, just like your warhorses."
Mo Yinghuo rubbed her temples and chuckled, "Your battles must be far more spectacular than ours." She deliberately used the word "spectacular" to mask the cruelty of war and lighten the mood. Mo Yinghuo had noticed that Zhao Shu was remarkably quiet, so she would often speak more when there was nothing else to say, trying to steer the conversation towards casual topics so she could talk to him more and learn more about him. This would make things easier for them during future battles.
After all, Zhao Shu usually talked about almost everything related to the Stone Spirit Kingdom, without mentioning anything else. Mo Yinghuo actually had a lot of questions and curiosities she wanted to ask, but for some reason, whenever she saw Zhao Shu's incredibly handsome face, she couldn't help but feel flustered every time she wanted to speak, afraid that she would say something she shouldn't and offend the person in front of her.
Back then, he had only accidentally struck Zhao Shu's chest, yet Zhao Shu threatened to break his leg. Fortunately, they later clarified their identities, and the matter was dropped. Therefore, Mo Yinghuo was quite uneasy. As long as Zhao Shu's words didn't involve the Stone Spirit Kingdom, Mo Yinghuo never asked any further questions. Mo Yinghuo considered himself quite talented at this kind of casual conversation, thinking he could use the moonlight to find a topic to continue. However, Zhao Shu's words had obscured even the crescent moon with passing clouds.
"Actually, it's all the same, it's just a matter of who lives and who dies," Zhao Shu said casually, and then fell silent.
Mo Yinghuo chuckled bitterly to himself, then rallied his spirits and said, "Before, when I looked up at the stars, all I saw were stars. Now..."
She suddenly stopped and remained silent.
Zhao Shu turned his head, somewhat curious, and asked, "Now, what is it?"
“Now,” Mo Yinghuo said with a smile, “it’s still the stars.” It turned out that she was doing it on purpose, teasing Zhao Shu.
Zhao Shu frowned and fell silent again.
Mo Yinghuo coughed lightly, crossed his arms, and sighed helplessly, "I used to think that people shouldn't underestimate themselves too much, but now, looking at this starry sky, I think that sometimes it's better to be a little less self-deprecating."
She was just expressing her feelings and didn't expect anyone to reply; she just didn't want the atmosphere to be too quiet.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Shu spoke in a low voice, "General, if the heart has something to rely on, even the vast starry sky is just a corner of the heart."
Mo Yinghuo remained quiet this time, only nodding slightly.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Shu did not remain silent. Instead, he said softly, as if deep in thought, “General, do you know that when you travel back and forth in the vast starry sky, the surroundings are pitch black, so vast that it makes your heart feel empty, and you can’t find a corner to settle down in. But, for some reason, one day, I read two lines of poetry in a book that my mother brought back from Yunxiu Kingdom—If love between two people lasts forever, why should they be together day and night? [1] Suddenly, I felt that it was very beautiful.”
Mo Yinghuo asked in surprise, "So, you didn't come here just because you read these two lines of poetry." From this sentence, Mo Yinghuo finally managed to glean a lot of information, such as that Zhao Shu's mother had been to Yunxiu Kingdom and met the late emperor, and that she liked Yunxiu Kingdom's culture very much, otherwise she wouldn't have brought back books from there.
As if reading one's mind, Zhao Shu's breathing was noticeably rapid. Mo Yinghuo turned his head and saw that Zhao Shu's lips were slightly parted as if he wanted to say something, but the words seemed to be stuck in his throat, and his ears turned slightly red.
Mo Yinghuo's heart skipped a beat, and she thought to herself, "Oh my god, did I ask something I should have asked again?" She quickly smiled, pretending nothing was wrong, and yawned, naturally changing the subject, "You said before that the Xuan Stone Array always appears in pairs, so there's another one in Dongliang Kingdom. However, I don't quite understand why you need to destroy the other one as soon as possible."
When Zhao Shu heard her suddenly ask about the stone formation, he immediately regained his composure and pondered for a moment before saying, "Actually, your ancestors also mentioned this. Yin and Yang not only counteract each other but also generate each other. Extremes lead to reversals. Yang at its extreme will turn into Yin, and Yin at its extreme will turn into Yang. Dynamic balance is the law of all things."
"The Tao follows the natural way." Mo Yinghuo pondered for a moment.
Zhao Shu: "There are two Xuan Stone Formations, one Yin and one Yang. The one in Chen City before was the Yin Stone Formation, also known as the Black Stone Formation."
"Black and white, the beginning of heaven and earth, the beginning of humankind. Black comes first, white comes second; chaos comes first, clarity comes second. Yin and Yang, yin comes first, yang comes second..." [2]
Mo Yinghuo suddenly remembered that when he was studying in the Imperial Study, Master Sun had talked with great interest about the relationship between the Book of Changes and the Tao Te Ching. He hadn't paid much attention to these things before, but he felt that Master Sun always talked about the universe and all things, not about the common people or the art of governing a country. His mind was filled with the heavens and the earth, and he was not a man of the mortal world.
At the time, the princes and princesses secretly jokingly called him a banished immortal. Fortunately, Master Sun was very eloquent, and he could always explain these mysterious things in a fluent and engaging way. His lectures were much more novel than the Four Books and Five Classics, which were books on governing the country. The princes and princesses listened attentively to his lectures. The late emperor not only never stopped him from lecturing, but even praised him highly.
Therefore, the princes and princesses studied diligently and their knowledge of this subject was no less than that of the Four Books and Five Classics.
Mo Yinghuo is the one who has studied it most deeply. That's why she can quickly grasp and understand many things Zhao Shu talks about these days.
She seemed to understand something, resting her chin on her hand, and said, "You mean, there is also a Xuan Stone Array in Su Zang. If I'm not mistaken, that is the Yang Stone Array, or the White Stone Array."
Zhao Shu nodded, a barely perceptible smile of approval and satisfaction appearing on his lips.
Since first meeting Zhao Shu and seeing him smile a few times, Mo Yinghuo had rarely seen him smile. Just now, seeing him flash a rare smile made her feel pleased, as if she had received a compliment, and she continued, "However, Zhao Shu, there's one thing you haven't told me yet: why we must reach Suzang within three days and enter the city as soon as possible to destroy the Xuan Stone Array inside."
"Destroy?" Zhao Shu frowned slightly, looking at Mo Yinghuo with confusion.
Mo Yinghuo was also puzzled. "What, did I say something wrong?" After saying that, she understood, but was a little surprised. "You don't plan to destroy Su Zang's Xuan Stone Array?"
Although Zhao Shu hasn't talked much about the Stone Spirit Kingdom, Mo Yinghuo has already roughly guessed that the Mystic Stone Array is closely related to the Stone Spirit Kingdom, and that the key to defeating the Stone Spirit Kingdom lies precisely in this Mystic Stone Array. It can be said that the Mystic Stone Array is a nation's most powerful weapon. What is the enemy's weapon is our own deadly weapon. When they first entered Chen City, Zhao Shu also said that as long as they destroyed Chen City's Mystic Stone Array, they could easily attack the city. Isn't that the case now?
The crickets chirped softly as the autumn wind gently blew.
His half-tied black hair fluttered slightly, but Zhao Shu remained standing still, hands behind his back, and said, "General, I never said I was going to destroy it."
Mo Yinghuo paused, gently rubbing his brow. The cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye rose and fell helplessly with his hand. Indeed, he hadn't said he was going to destroy the Xuan Stone Array in Su Zang, but he hadn't said he wouldn't either. However, he had been prejudiced from the start. Mo Yinghuo smiled and said, "So, what do you plan to do with the stone array in Su Zang?"
Zhao Shu said, "Take it for future use."
Mo Yinghuo glanced thoughtfully at Zhao Shu beside him.
"By the way, General, I have a question I'd like to ask you," Zhao Shu suddenly asked.
Mo Yinghuo was pleasantly surprised and curious upon hearing this. The cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye twitched, and he smiled, "Go ahead and ask, no problem." It was rare for this unfathomable Young Master Zhao to have a question.
Zhao Shu: "How do you know they hid another Xuan Stone Array in Su Zang, the capital of Dongliang?"
Mo Ying asked in bewilderment, "You told me this."
Zhao Shu turned his head slightly, his wheat-colored face under the bright moonlight revealing a hint of allure.
Mo Yinghuo's gaze met the profile of the person beside her, and she was surprised to find a small, crescent-shaped scar at the corner of his eye. The moonlight lingered on his face, which bore the small scar, creating an image of perfect harmony and gentleness, like clear lake water rippling under the spring sun, inviting one to immerse oneself in its beauty. Mo Yinghuo realized she had been staring at him for quite some time, but the person beside her remained unmoved, quietly waiting for her to continue.
Sigh, she couldn't help but smile bitterly to herself. After years of fighting, she couldn't help but take a second look at any handsome man she saw. When she returned to the capital, she would have to ask Granny Shen to find some elegant young men from noble families for her to see, so that she could broaden her horizons and increase her worldly experience.
While calculating carefully, Mo Yinghuo said, "I remember you once mentioned that stone formations can not only trap and bewitch people, but also allow for long-distance teleportation between two stone formations. If I understand correctly, people located in Chencheng and Suzang, the two Yin-Yang stone formations, can freely travel between these two locations through these two stone formations."
Zhao Shu nodded slightly.
"Throughout history, when two countries go to war, they always attack the border fortresses first and then seize the capital." Mo Yinghuo paused and said, "If the people of Shiling Kingdom want to control Dongliang Kingdom, it is actually very simple. They only need to control the King of Dongliang Kingdom without anyone noticing. In that case, they can guess that there must be a stone formation in the capital of Dongliang Kingdom. So I sent spies to find out, and sure enough."
Seeing that Zhao Shu was still listening quietly, Mo Yinghuo smiled and said, "However, they have been waiting for us to attack the city. They didn't expect that not only did we not attack, but we also set up camp at the border for a month and..." Before she could finish speaking, the cinnabar mole on her eyebrow appeared even more crimson under the white moonlight.
Zhao Shu lowered his eyebrows slightly and smiled faintly, "And I didn't expect that the Nightfall Star People would actually come."
Mo Yinghuo also crossed his arms and laughed, "Yes, they even helped us take away the black jade urn containing the vital point of the Xuan Stone Array. Although I don't know what they're up to, it certainly disrupted their plans."
“Once the Yin Stone Formation is destroyed, the Yang Stone Formation will be at its weakest three days later. Therefore, we must seize this opportunity to attack Suzang and take down the Yang Stone Formation,” Zhao Shu said calmly.
Therefore, once they entered Chencheng, they could only ride light cavalry on fine horses, galloping thousands of miles overnight.
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