Chapter 86: The Noble from Grusberg

The city wall, nearly twenty meters high, loomed ahead. Goose-feather snowflakes drifted down, while the bitterly cold wind howled. Even with an extra cotton robe, Ye Ran still felt the chill seeping through to his very bones. He stood atop the inn’s roof, gazing upon the renowned Desolation Great Wall.

Stretching for thousands of miles, the Desolation Great Wall was already buried beneath snow and ice, resembling a white dragon coiled upon the earth. A single glance was enough to feel its majestic grandeur; before this colossal dragon, all men seemed insignificant.

Flickers of firelight danced atop the towering wall. From time to time, men clad in black greatcoats could be seen patrolling with torches, surveying both sides of the Wall. In this frozen land, even their beards were caked with ice. Many bore the marks of battle—some missing an ear, others a hand... Years spent defending against the savage races and evil spirits beyond the Wall had left few with whole bodies.

From these men, Ye Ran sensed an aura of harsh brutality.

“My dear, come down quickly! Change your clothes, we must hurry to Saisy to visit Father and Mother.”

Pandora’s voice, full of feminine allure, rose from below.

Ye Ran couldn’t help but look at her in surprise.

She had already shed her evening gown, now wrapped in a long black otter-fur coat, a small cloak draped over her shoulders—exuding the very air of a noble lady, resplendent and regal.

Her beauty was enough to turn the heads of nations, but now it was tinged with an extravagant charm. The men passing in and out of the inn could hardly tear their eyes away. When they heard her call Ye Ran “my dear,” it nearly broke their hearts. Their gazes toward Ye Ran brimmed with envy and jealousy.

Ye Ran leapt down from the rooftop. Pandora, smiling sweetly, took his hand and led him into the inn. Even after entering their room, Ye Ran’s face still burned.

“Pandora, don’t call me that again...” he said, eyeing the cotton robe she had prepared for him on the bed.

Pandora giggled. “Right now, we’re newlyweds. Calling you ‘my dear’ is only fitting.”

She poked his forehead, teasing, “Boy, you’re the first man unwilling to be close with me.”

Ye Ran headed into the bath chamber, took off his shirt, and slipped into the soft cotton one she’d set out. “There’s already someone in my heart. She’s very good to me.”

The gentle image of Yunmeng surfaced in his mind, followed by the cold, striking face of Michelle. He sighed.

Pandora said, “The inspection at the Desolation Great Wall is strict. Remember what I told you yesterday. You are Beiyu Qing, eldest son of the Beiyu family of Grosburg, and you have a younger brother named Beiyu Ming. I’m the eldest daughter of the West Saisy Rose family, Tinglan. The Black Demon Sword and Old Devil Crow aren’t here, but the Night Watchers are all shrewd. If we slip up, I can get away, but you might end up stuck here.”

Ye Ran replied, “I remember it all.”

Yet he couldn’t help but frown slightly—Grosburg, Beiyu Ming—neither was unfamiliar.

Grosburg was a place neither wholly righteous nor wholly evil; east of the Desolation Great Wall, its reputation was poor. The Beiyu family was the second largest clan in Grosburg, and now posed a serious challenge to the fortress lord’s authority. As for Beiyu Ming, the Marquis Jade, though he kept a low profile, it was impossible to hide completely. The rumors at Tiding Academy about him never ceased.

Pandora had prepared everything in advance—letters from the Beiyu family, badges, servants, a convoy... Such a grand arrangement was unlikely to be her handiwork alone.

Soon, Ye Ran opened the door, reaching back to tidy his hair.

“You’re not bad-looking yourself,” Pandora said, tilting her head as she looked him over. Dressed in furs, Ye Ran was much more pleasing to the eye; his cold, handsome face suited the robe perfectly.

She rose and pinned the Beiyu family’s insignia to his chest, and in that moment, the identity of the second Beiyu son was complete.

When they stepped out, Pandora clung to his arm with practiced intimacy, and together they boarded the waiting carriage. Ye Ran was visibly ill at ease. Seeing his awkwardness, Pandora let it be, but still intertwined her fingers with his.

The great stone gate of the Desolation Great Wall stood tightly shut. Without ten men on the wall to pull the iron cables, the gate would not open. It was almost always closed; soldiers and townsfolk used only the small side door.

By the small gate stood a contingent of Night Watchers, tall and imposing as javelins, utterly motionless. Only one man in a black cotton coat paced back and forth, interrogating all who passed. As captain, it was his duty to prevent infiltration by the wicked races beyond the Wall.

“Madam, please halt,” he said, showing no favoritism even to “noble” travelers like Ye Ran and Pandora, raising a hand to stop their convoy.

Pandora lifted the curtain and drew Ye Ran down from the carriage, handing over their prepared insignia and letter, her smile radiant.

The captain scrutinized the badge and letter. “Madam, barely a month married and already returning home—such devotion to your family.”

He returned them to her, his gaze lingering on Ye Ran’s face.

Pandora accepted them with a gentle laugh. “A woman’s heart is ever thus, is it not?”

The captain nodded, smiling. “It’s just that your husband doesn’t look at all pleased.”

Ye Ran was never skilled at handling such situations, so his face remained rigid.

Pandora replied, “Captain, if you lived in a dominant family, with an overbearing father above and a dangerous brother below, you wouldn’t be happy either.”

She squeezed Ye Ran’s hand tighter and whispered, “My dear, don’t worry. The Orchid family stands behind you.”

Even Ye Ran, dense as he was in matters of the heart, understood her hint.

With a cold snort, he let his expression grow even darker.

The captain smiled. He didn’t know much about Grosburg or the Beiyu family, but with a father like old man Beiyu above and a brother like Beiyu Ming below, life as the Beiyu heir couldn’t be easy.

“Madam, there are evil spirits haunting beyond the Wall—danger lurks everywhere, especially through the endless night when ghosts and fiends prowl. Please travel carefully,” he said, bowing.

Pandora returned his salute, then pulled Ye Ran into the carriage. The convoy rolled slowly out through the Desolation Great Wall.

Only when they were far gone did the captain spit and mutter, “Damn, what a woman. Hell, even if the Beiyu brat gets himself killed by intrigue, it’s worth it for a wife like that.”

Not two hours after Ye Ran and Pandora had left, an invisible force swept toward the Wall. The battle-hardened captain faltered, then saw a woman in red approaching through the snow, her scarf fluttering in the wind.

He was not a man usually given to solemnity; with nobles, he only maintained a facade of respect. But when he saw this woman, he snapped to attention and saluted with utmost reverence. “Messenger of the Divine.”

Shari nodded to him, glanced at the small gate, and felt the swirling wind around them with a sigh.

“Once again, I’m a step too late. Cunning fellows.”