Lace Glory Universe King GL - Chapter 6

They headed west, deliberately choosing remote, seldom-traveled paths. To reach Heluo, they had to pass through Shu. The mountain passes along the border were guarded, so they avoided the checkpoints and slipped into the dense, canopy-covered forest, pretending to be adventurous hikers.

Along the way, Hua Mulan talked a lot with Sun Shangxiang and learned some information.

After Sun Ce’s death, Sun Quan had confined his sister and swiftly taken control of the conglomerate. However, he had never been interested in the core business—shipbuilding—and only wanted to pivot to other markets, which is why he considered cooperating with Liu Bei.

“Could it be such a coincidence? As soon as Sun Ce died, his moves were so clean and decisive, even securing the board of directors. It doesn’t seem like something planned after his death,” Hua Mulan said. She suspected foul play.

“I know what you’re thinking. I’ve suspected it too—could he have killed our elder brother?” Sun Shangxiang said.

Hua Mulan remained silent. According to Sun Shangxiang, before rising to power, Sun Quan had been a carefree playboy, hardly ever involved in family affairs. Such a drastic change suggested a long-planned scheme, possibly with accomplices. If someone close dealt the fatal blow, it could all be done cleverly without Sun Quan risking his own hands.

Sun Shangxiang shook her head. “But there’s no evidence. Our brother spent his last month on his sickbed, and even handled his funeral himself. If he had the intent, there were plenty of opportunities.”

“And he had plenty of time to plan everything.”

“That’s right. During that period, Wu’s ships were running aground in the East Wind Sea, which drove us crazy—but Sun Quan completely disappeared,” Sun Shangxiang said, frowning as she recalled that chaotic time. She hadn’t gone to check on her brother much, nor noticed what Sun Quan was up to.

“Did he ever go to Heluo?” Hua Mulan asked. If Sikong Zhen and Sun Quan had colluded, they must have had contact. Even if communication could be remote, the two powers would need face-to-face meetings to exchange interests.

Sun Shangxiang shook her head. “Now that you mention it, Sun Quan used to have a girlfriend in Heluo.”

“A girlfriend? Do you remember her name?”

Sun Shangxiang didn’t. He had so many girlfriends that people around him hardly knew which one he meant. She only remembered once hearing him say he was going to pick someone up—a woman who came from Heluo specifically to see him. That was all. His companions came and went so often that no one really cared who was who.

“Have you ever heard of Sikong Zhen?” Hua Mulan asked again.

“No. Who’s that?”

“He’s from Chang’an, and works closely with the Empress,” Hua Mulan said thoughtfully. Could it be that they had no direct meetings, relying on a woman to pass messages?

“Why should I know Sikong Zhen?”

“Nothing. Just a thought—he might be Wu’s business partner.”

They continued along the stream upstream, talking as they went.

Sun Shangxiang asked about Hua Mulan’s background. She said she was a local militia member from Heluo, who fled to Eastern Wu after making a mistake. Because she had some martial skills, she was employed as a hired hand, doing errands for others.

Sun Shangxiang asked who had hired her, but Hua Mulan refused to answer.

If she really was just a lowly operative, withholding her employer’s identity was professional. Yet Sun Shangxiang couldn’t help feeling there was more to her story.

Her tale seemed reasonable, but her double-sword fighting aura and those deep, resolute eyes made it impossible to believe she was just a minor character.

The forest grew denser, the canopy nearly blocking the sky. Suddenly, rustling came from behind Sun Shangxiang.

Who’s there?

Hua Mulan also heard it and glanced sideways, spotting deer antlers disappearing among the trees.

“Oh, it’s a deer,” Hua Mulan said.

“Who knows? Could be a person. Let’s move quickly,” Sun Shangxiang explained. In the deep mountains along the Wu-Shu border, many magical wild creatures were said to exist, including ancient enchanted villages.

They quickened their pace.

“For example, the mountain child Agudo—” Sun Shangxiang lowered her voice to avoid disturbing the forest.

At that moment, the deer started following them again, its body glowing with a crystalline light.

Hua Mulan’s hand went to her flying sword. Sun Shangxiang held her back, signaling not to alarm it.

“Look at its glow. Maybe it’s a deer spirit,” she whispered.

Hua Mulan nodded. They stopped talking about the mountain child and hurried on.

The deer kept its distance, appearing and disappearing behind them.

As daylight waned, its glow dimmed. Before sunset, they paused at a large rock to drink water and check their direction.

“If you still have energy, shall we travel three more hours after nightfall?” Hua Mulan suggested.

“No problem. Let’s rest for a while,” Sun Shangxiang replied.

“The deer is gone,” she noticed.

The sunlight dropped below the horizon, returning the dense forest to darkness.

Suddenly, a glowing sphere flew through the air toward them. They were hit by its light, dizzy for half a second, when a girl appeared, holding a staff-like object.

“Wind Swaying, Wood Whistling!” she called out, releasing a wave of magic.

The damage was minor. Hua Mulan drew her heavy sword after a brief delay and struck twice. The girl nimbly leaped away to safety.

“I was just saying hello! Why all the swinging and cutting?” The girl’s voice was playful and clear. She had pink braided hair, two small deer antlers on her head, and wore a primitive tribal cloak decorated with beast teeth.

“Well, your greeting was gentle. We just responded casually,” Sun Shangxiang teased. “You haven’t tasted my cannon fire yet.”

“Who are you?” Hua Mulan asked seriously. She had realized the girl couldn’t defeat her, but in the dark forest, she wasn’t entirely safe.

“You wouldn’t know me anyway. I came looking for my friend Agudo and heard you talking about her. I followed to see if you were good people,” the girl replied.

“Oh, a friend of the mountain child. So that deer was you in disguise?” Sun Shangxiang remembered the daytime encounter.

“Yes. Who are you two, wandering in the deep mountains so late? Aren’t you afraid of wild beasts?” the girl asked.

“To be honest, we’ve been pursued in Wu, so we’ve been traveling day and night to reach Heluo. We didn’t mean to offend your friend,” Hua Mulan said, lowering her weapon to show she meant no harm.

Sun Shangxiang thought: “Sisters? Nice little lie.”

“Oh,” the girl raised her eyebrows, believing them for now. “Since you didn’t attack the deer spirit, you’re probably not bad. I’m Yao. What are your names?”

They told her truthfully.

Yao warned that even at night, escaping the border was difficult because the last checkpoint, like a Great Wall, was heavily guarded.

“I know the border guards’ shift changes; we could slip through then,” Sun Shangxiang said.

“No use, pretty sister. Don’t you know the shifts overlap?” Yao frowned.

“What’s overlapping shifts?”

“It means the next shift arrives an hour early. During that time, guard numbers are doubled, so there’s no chance to sneak past.”

Hua Mulan and Sun Shangxiang exchanged glances, realizing this was unknown to them.

“You said you’re going to Heluo?” Yao immediately grasped their situation and asked about a favor she needed.

“Yes,” Sun Shangxiang nodded.

“Once you cross the border, you’ll be in Shu. If you take the mountain path, could you deliver something to Yunmeng City?”

“No problem. If we can get out,” Hua Mulan said.

Yao smiled mischievously. “The deer spirit knows some special ways.”

They smiled at each other.

“What is it? Who should we give it to?” Sun Shangxiang asked.

Yao pulled out a finely handmade pouch. “You must promise not to look inside. Deliver it to someone in Yunmeng City called Yun Zhongjun.”

“I promise,” Sun Shangxiang said as she took the pouch.

“I promise,” Hua Mulan said, sensing Yao’s silent sigh.

Watching Sun Shangxiang carefully stow the pouch, Yao’s expression briefly fell but quickly returned to cheerful. Raising her vine-wrapped staff, she said: “Follow me!”

A beam of light shot out, splitting into firefly-like points in the night. The lights gathered and transformed into a crystal-clear divine deer, strong and graceful, its head turning back toward them.

Yao’s crisp, joyful voice rang out: “Deer Spirit, guard their hearts and open the path!”

The forest’s branches and vines seemed to awaken, gradually moving aside, forming a small path.

“Thank you, Divine Deer, for guiding us!”

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