Chapter 203: Hope for Tomorrow

The morning after Ru Yi’s departure arrived beneath a sky the color of cold steel, and Ashen Fortress looked as though the night had carved years of suffering into it rather than merely leaving behind the remains of a single attack.

Smoke still curled from the eastern castle, drifting lazily through the broken towers, while soldiers moved between the ruins carrying buckets of water, bundles of salvaged wood, and whatever supplies had survived the fire.

The fortress was damaged, but it was not dead, and Qingyue intended to make certain that it stayed that way. She stood in the center of the courtyard with her hands clasped behind her back, studying the destruction in silence.

The great iron gates were scarred from the attack, several windows had been shattered, and one of the outer towers had partially collapsed, leaving enormous pieces of stone scattered across the courtyard.

The castle where the three sisters had once slept was still standing, although a section of its roof had caved in, and the room where they had slept with Ru Yi was among those damaged.

Qingyue’s eyes lingered there for a moment before she forced herself to look away.

"Princess." Officer Liang approached from the opposite side of the courtyard, carrying a wooden tablet covered with notes.

"We have counted everyone who survived the fire. There are no missing children, and most of the wounded are stable, but our food stores are another matter."

Qingyue turned toward him. "How much remains?"

"Enough for perhaps ten days if we continue rationing." He looked down at the ground. "Ru Yi had made a list before she was taken."

Her expression tightened. "And the soldiers?"

"We can maintain the current number for a short time, but if we begin training the civilians who volunteered, we’ll need more grain."

Qingyue looked toward the fortress walls.

Ten days.

That was hardly enough time to rebuild the gates, repair the damaged structures, train an army, and establish a trade route.

Yet, there was something else she refused to allow herself to think about.

Ru Yi.

The image of her being led away by General Sheng returned whenever Qingyue’s thoughts became quiet, and each time she forced it down again.

Was letting Ru Yi go the right choice?

"Qingyue."

Qingyue looked over her shoulder.

Han Shuying stood near the ruined fountain, her arms folded across her chest. There was still soot along the edge of her sleeve, and a thin cut crossed one side of her cheek from the previous night’s battle.

Qingyue approached her. "What is it?"

"Do you have any plans to bring her back?" Han Shuying asked, her expression not giving away what she was truly thinking.

Qingyue sighed. She seemed to be doing it a lot. "I’m not doing this right now. I have more important matters to tend to."

"That isn’t an answer."

Qingyue gave her a tired look. "We have work to do."

Han Shuying studied her carefully. "You can’t avoid talking about her forever, Qingyue. It’s even worse now because we don’t know what General Sheng intends to do with her and the Eclipse relic."

Qingyue’s expression immediately became colder. "I said I don’t want to talk about Ru Yi. And I don’t care about General Sheng.

"Well...you need to, sooner rather than later. Nothing good will come out from letting him have his way with her."

"That..." Qingyue raised a brow, "is not my business. What are you still doing here helping us anyway? Isn’t it time to run back to your little puppet and update her on the recent events."

Han Shuying sighed, she wasn’t in the mood to argue. "Believe it or not, Empress Lihua already knows what happened here. And it wasn’t me."

Instead of answering, Qingyue glanced toward the damaged walls. "Whatever you say. The only thing I’m interested in is if you’re here to help us or not. I know it was Ru Yi you wanted...but she’s no longer here."

Han Shuying’s jaw flexed. "I know."

"When are you leaving?"

"After I help you with things down here." Han Shuying tilted her head slightly to the side. "And no, it’s not from the goodness of my heart. It’s just the right thing to do. First, you’ll need weapons, food, medicine and cultivators willing to fight for you."

Qingyue almost rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don’t know."

"The point is you need somewhere to obtain them without relying on the capital."

Qingyue turned toward her. "Yunhai and Baihe. Just like you said before."

Han Shuying nodded. "Exactly."

"Can you open the routes?"

Han Shuying did not answer immediately. "I can help."

Qingyue’s eyes narrowed. "You said you had a condition."

Han Shuying smiled faintly. "I did. But there’s no need for that anymore." Not when Ru Yi was out of the equation.

"And you’re still refusing to tell me about the relic."

"I am."

Qingyue looked irritated, but Han Shuying continued before she could argue. "The Heavenly Sovereign Seal isn’t something you can simply walk up to and claim. Even if I told you where it was hidden, you wouldn’t be able to retrieve it without preparation."

"What kind of preparation?"

"The kind that requires an army, which brings us back to your current problem."

Qingyue looked around the courtyard. The survivors were already beginning to clear the debris. Children carried small pieces of wood beside older soldiers, while women sorted through damaged supplies and set aside whatever could still be used.

"We’ll build one." It will take time but Qingyue wasn’t one to back down.

Han Shuying’s expression softened. "You really believe you can take the throne. That unshakable faith in yourself is something I’ve always admired."

A smile teased Qingyue’s face but she didn’t let it bloom. "I never thought I’d witness the day the cold hearted General’s daughter would praise me."

Han Shuying gave her a blank look. "Don’t make this awkward."

Qingyue looked at her.

"You can disappear into the mountains with your sisters and live quietly." Han Shuying sighed. "Whether it’s taking Ru Yi back or the throne...none of it will come without a price."

Qingyue’s gaze moved toward the fortress walls. "This was my mother’s fortress." Her voice became quieter. "She trusted these people to protect her legacy, and now they’re living among ruins because the woman sitting on her throne ordered an attack against them."

She walked toward a collapsed section of the wall and picked up a blackened piece of stone. "I won’t let this be all that remains of her, and I won’t let her destroy the kingdom my mother struggled to build."

Han Shuying watched her. "And if rebuilding it means fighting the capital? Do you have the heart to do it?"

Qingyue looked at the ruined towers. "Then we’ll fight." There was no hesitation in her voice. "We’ll rebuild the walls, reopen the roads, train every soldier willing to stand with us, and reclaim everything the new Empress took."

She dropped the stone. "Ashen Fortress will stand again."

Han Shuying gave her a small nod. At least the fight was still in Qingyue, she would need it. As for her, she would bring back Ru Yi no matter what.

A group of children had gathered around one of the soldiers as he taught them how to carry small pieces of wood safely, and the sound of laughter briefly drifted across the courtyard.

Qingyue stopped to watch. For the first time since Ru Yi left, something resembling peace settled over her. Then her hand moved unconsciously toward the jade necklace beneath her robe.

Her fingers closed around it and she froze. Why was she still wearing it?

It belonged to her mother. She should have taken it off and returned it to her mother’s treasury in the Western castle. But she couldn’t get herself to do it.

Qingyue looked toward the mountains. Somewhere beyond them, Ru Yi was traveling with General Sheng. She wondered whether Ru Yi was frightened. Whether she was crying. Whether she hated them.

The thought made her chest ache. But it was a necessary evil...she had to remember that.

Qingyue immediately released the necklace. "No." She whispered the word to herself. "She betrayed us first."

The fortress bells sounded in the distance, signaling the end of the day’s work. Qingyue turned back toward the ruined castle. There was still so much to do.

Tomorrow they would begin training. The next day they would start clearing the eastern road. Soon after that, Han Shuying would help them establish contact with Yunhai and Baihe after returning to the capital.

And eventually, they would find the relic capable of putting Qingyue’s bloodline back on the throne. She would rebuild Ashen Fortress. She would raise an army. She would take back what belonged to her mother...Even if she had to tear the empire apart to do it.

Qingyue walked into the damaged castle without looking back. Behind her, the first stars appeared above the broken towers. And far away, beneath another sky, Ru Yi was learning how to turn her grief into something much more dangerous.