Chapter 140: A Hair’s Breadth Apart

Although Wei Ba had been placed under house arrest, he did not show the slightest trace of dejection. On the contrary, he appeared quite relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and a faint smile even lingered on his lips.

That smile only served to intensify the sense of defeat in Xiahou Hui's heart.

After galloping on horseback all day and engaging in a fierce battle of wits with Wei Ba, Xiahou Hui was thoroughly exhausted. She had intended to take a bath, grab a bite to eat, and turn in early. However, after her bath, dressed in a lightweight silk robe, she pushed open the window and caught the sound of Wei Ba’s hearty laughter. Unable to help herself, she threw on an outer garment and stepped out of her room.

The quarters where Wei Ba was confined were very close to her own, separated by only a few rooms. Wei Ba was sitting on an open, elevated terrace, completely ignoring the dozen or so armored guards stationed around him, leisurely tasting wine and admiring the moon. The low table in front of him was laden with various fruits, accompanied by a large ice basin. It was evident that although Xiahou Mao had placed him under house arrest, he still held Wei Ba in high regard and accorded him privileged treatment.

Wei Ba spotted Xiahou Hui as well. Raising his wine cup in a gesture toward her, he laughed aloud, "Lady Xiahou, I am a mere idler now, posing no threat to you whatsoever. I raise my cup to invite the moon, and with my shadow, we make three—how lonely that is. Would the Lady care to join me for a cup?"

Xiahou Hui hesitated for a moment. Although the era did not strictly forbid men and women from sitting together, she was, after all, an unmarried young woman. Drinking with a young man—and a recently surrendered captive with whom she had just clashed—seemed somewhat improper. Yet, she felt a lingering reluctance, fiercely eager to seize the opportunity to match wits with Wei Ba once more. Here was a golden chance, and she was loath to let it slip away. Moreover, the ten characters Wei Ba had just uttered—"I raise my cup to invite the moon, and with my shadow, we make three"—seemed ordinary enough at first glance, yet carried a subtle depth that stirred her curiosity.

"Please grant me a moment to change, Wei Jun. I shall be right out to share a drink with you."

"Take your time, Lady, I have all the time in the world," Wei Ba replied, signaling for someone to set up an additional mat and table. Shortly afterward, Xiahou Hui emerged from her room dressed in everyday attire, took her seat on the prepared mat, and picked up a piece of fruit from the ice basin. Biting into it, a sudden wave of coolness banished the stifling heat in her chest, and her previously flustered heart gradually calmed down.

"Wei Jun, please!" She raised her cup in invitation. "There is no need to invite the moon now."

Wei Ba laughed heartily, raised his cup, and drained it in a single gulp. "The Lady possesses a heart as exquisite as carved jade."

Xiahou Hui took a delicate sip, set her cup down, picked up another piece of fruit, bit off a small morsel, and chewed it slowly. Watching Wei Ba's serene and poised demeanor, she suddenly smiled, "I have stripped you of your freedom, Wei Jun. Do you not hate me?"

Wei Ba glanced at her sideways and shook his head. "I do not. What you did, though somewhat rash, is understandable. If I were in your place, I would have done the same. Of course, I might have acted with greater ruthlessness. Rather than merely skimming the boiling water to stop the steam, it is better to remove the firewood from beneath the cauldron. I am already grateful that the Lady did not have the General execute me."

Xiahou Hui sighed inwardly. How she had wished that Xiahou Mao would subject Wei Ba to harsh imprisonment and severe interrogation to extract the truth, rather than settling for this soft detention. Unfortunately, Xiahou Mao currently refused to believe a word she said.

"And yet, after all, I have deprived Wei Jun of the chance to achieve glory."

"Not at all." Wei Ba feigned ignorance of the deeper meaning in her words, waving his sleeves with effortless grace. "I never harbored ambitions of wealth and high rank, nor did I wish to make an enemy of my master. The only reason I offered strategies to the General was out of a sense of profound gratitude for his kindness. Now, thanks to the Lady's intervention, I have been spared the awkward predicament of having to face my master in battle. In truth, I am deeply grateful to you."

"Wei Jun is truly a benevolent and generous soul. No wonder you harbor no resentment even toward Peng Guoniang, who betrayed you."

Hearing Peng Xiaoyu's name, Wei Ba frowned slightly and remained silent for a long moment. "Is Xiaoyu's injury severe? Is her life in danger?"

Xiahou Hui did not answer immediately. In order to force the truth out of Peng Xiaoyu, she had ordered severe torture; Peng Xiaoyu was now hovering between life and death, yet she had not uttered a single word detrimental to Wei Ba. However, she had no desire to let Wei Ba know this. She curled her lip, "Peng Guoniang is truly fortunate. She has betrayed you twice, yet you still care whether she lives or dies."

"Incorrect. She did not betray me." Xiahou Hui's words were cut short by Wei Ba. "During our time in Hanzhong, she had no knowledge of her brother's plans. It was her brother who claimed my jade was a family heirloom of theirs, and thus took it to show him. As for this recent incident, I can state with absolute certainty that even if she said something, it was a confession extorted through torture."

He sighed, "I originally sought to protect her, but now it seems I have only brought harm upon her. Had I known it would come to this, I should have let her accompany her brother to Wan City."

Xiahou Hui raised an eyebrow. "You are so certain?"

Wei Ba smiled bleakly. "I am certain. Because my surrender was genuine, how could she possibly betray me? You believe you have obtained truthful intelligence, but in reality, it is nothing more than falsehoods forced out by brutality. I can understand; if I were the one enduring the beatings, I, too, would spout nonsense. You hear whatever it is you wish to hear. Such occurrences are hardly novel—they happen almost daily."

He raised his head, looking directly into Xiahou Hui's eyes, a trace of suppressed anger flickering within them. "Lady Xiahou, for the sake of your own selfish motives, you are harming an innocent person. You will reap the retribution for this."

Xiahou Hui was left speechless. She did not know whether to marvel at Wei Ba's unwavering trust and concern for Peng Xiaoyu or to feel ashamed of her own actions. She could read plainly in Wei Ba's expression that he held no hatred toward Peng Xiaoyu whatsoever—only pity. Yet she remained oblivious to the fact that Wei Ba's certainty stemmed from his knowledge that Peng Xiaoyu knew nothing of his sham surrender; that secret was shared only with Dun Wu, and he had never breathed a single word of it to Peng Xiaoyu. The more firmly Xiahou Hui insisted on her suspicions, the more evident it became that there was deception afoot.

Had he known that Peng Xiaoyu had already guessed a fragment of the truth, he likely would not have been so confident.

"Do not imagine that you have won." Xiahou Hui lowered her head, unwilling to let Wei Ba see her moistened eyes. She paused to steady herself and regain her composure before continuing, "I remain convinced that your surrender is a ruse. Though my uncle refuses to believe it, by placing you under house arrest, I trust that your scheme can no longer be executed."

Wei Ba curled his lip. "I should very much like to hear the Lady's brilliant insights. If my surrender is indeed a ruse, how on earth do I intend to coordinate with the Shu army?"

Xiahou Mao furrowed her brow slightly. She had consistently suspected Wei Ba's surrender of being feigned, yet that was merely a feeling unsupported by concrete evidence. At times, she could not even tell whether her suspicion sprang from intuition or sheer jealousy—just as Wei Ba had suggested, a desire to vent pent-up spleen on behalf of Sima Shi.

Yet she had never once considered the specific methods Wei Ba might employ beyond merely drawing close to Xiahou Mao, should his surrender truly be false. Now that Wei Ba pressed the question, she was forced to calm her mind and meticulously dissect his potential strategies. After all, a feigned surrender whose sole purpose was to approach Xiahou Mao for an assassination held little significance unless it ultimately culminated in coordinated military action.

After deep contemplation, she spoke, "I imagine your main force will press through Longyou, while a detachment strikes through Guanzhong to capture Chang'an and seize Tong Pass, thereby cutting off reinforcements."

"And who would execute this?" Wei Ba asked impassively. Discussing this now was akin to fighting the battle after the fact; given Xiahou Hui's intelligence, her ability to deduce this was hardly surprising. What he wanted to know was whether she would fathom the existence of that surprise force in the Ziwu Valley.

"Zhuge Liang's main force is in Longyou, and the feint force in the Baoxie Trail numbers perhaps ten or twenty thousand, with another ten or twenty thousand left behind to garrison Hanzhong. Their troop strength appears fully committed," Xiahou Hui said evenly, studying Wei Ba's expression as she spoke. A faint, disdainful twitch appeared at the corner of Wei Ba's mouth. This irritated her, making her feel as though he were looking down on her, which only spurred her to delve deeper into her analysis. "Since your surrender is feigned, then your father—"

Xiahou Hui suddenly shivered. Her gaze sharpened, and instinctively straightening her posture, the words slipped past her lips: "Your father is leading a surprise force out of the Ziwu Valley to make a direct dash for Chang'an?"

Wei Ba shook his head and sighed softly. Yet the more Xiahou Hui thought about it, the more her heart pounded with dread. She was on the verge of springing to her feet and rushing out to warn Xiahou Mao of this perilous possibility. But catching sight of Wei Ba's disdainful expression drained her confidence, forcing her to firmly anchor herself back in her seat.

"Lady, what you are demonstrating is precisely the parable of suspecting one's neighbor of stealing an axe." Wei Ba raised his cup in a gesture toward her. "You harbor this notion solely because you have predetermined that my surrender is fake. But since it is not a ruse, my father naturally leads no surprise troops; he remains sidelined by Zhuge Liang in Hanzhong, stripped of his military command. Very well, let us suppose you guessed correctly, and my father is indeed leading a surprise force out of the Ziwu Valley—then go and ask the General: can the Ziwu Valley even be traversed?"

Xiahou Hui suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment. The Ziwu Valley had fallen into disrepair years ago and could not accommodate a large army; this was a fact confirmed by numerous sources. Jin Dongliu had said so, the spies dispatched by Xiahou Mao had said so, and Tian Fu and Xu Ran, who had accompanied Wei Ba to the Ziwu Pass, had said so as well. That being the case, the Ziwu Valley was utterly unsuited for military marches, rendering the most crucial pillar of her hypothesis pure fantasy. Once this point collapsed, her entire structure of conjectures came crashing down in ruins.

This was likely why Wei Ba remained entirely unperturbed—because such a scenario was utterly impossible; it was merely the product of her wild imagination.

Or perhaps Wei Wei would march via another route? Emerging through Xiangyang and dashing toward Wan City? Xiahou Hui racked her brains, utterly baffled.

Wei Ba smiled coldly in silence, resembling Jiang Taigong sitting by the water with his fishing rod.

...

At that exact moment, five li west of Ziwu Pass, the Feng River rushed noisily out of the Southern Mountains, racing toward the Wei River and onward to Chang'an.

Wei Yan, clad in full armor with a pack of dry rations strapped to his back, moved with the agility of a flying bird as he leapt down from a small boat. There was not the slightest trace of fatigue one would expect from someone who had spent ten grueling days traversing the Ziwu Valley. Behind him, countless soldiers filed off the boats in a continuous stream, every single one fully armed and carrying slanted grain sacks. The column stretched endlessly, resembling a colossal dragon emerging from the depths of the mountains, its tail lost to view far behind.

Spotting Wei Yan's towering figure, Chen Xiang hurried forward and bowed low in salutation.

Wei Yan glanced at him in the torchlight and asked anxiously, "Xingrui, where is Ziyu? Is he safe?"

Bowing deeply, Chen Xiang replied, "The Young Lord's army is secure, but he is currently at Mei Fortress, assisting General Zhao in exiting the valley." After hastily briefing Wei Yan on the general situation, Chen Xiang concluded, "The garrison at Tong Pass has been drawn away. The Young Lord hopes the General can immediately seize Tong Pass, utilize the pre-prepared materials to reinforce the fortifications, and prepare for a steadfast defense. The moment Cao Wei learns that our forces have emerged into Guanzhong, they will swiftly dispatch heavy reinforcements to retake the pass. Whether Tong Pass can be held dictates the outcome of the entire campaign."

"Does he even need to tell me that?" Wei Yan muttered with disdain. Pausing for a brief moment of reflection, he asked Chen Xiang, "Can you still see Ziyu?"

"Yes! General, do you wish to see the Young Lord?"

"No, I want you to notify him to leave Mei Fortress. I will handle the task of meeting up with General Zhao and escorting him out of the valley. Since Tong Pass is currently an empty city, I shall first go to Mei Fortress to crush those five thousand Wei troops, escort Old General Zhao out of the valley, and then press on to Tong Pass. There will be more than enough time." Wei Yan waved a hand dismissively. "However, before that, I want Ziyu safe and sound. Can you accomplish this?"