"Ah, ah!" Yu Ji could no longer bear Xiang Yu's powerful physique; her clothes had been shredded instantly by him, and now he pressed her down beneath him. All she could do was grit her teeth, shed tears, and fully immerse herself in the beastly onslaught from Xiang Yu. Her only recourse was to etch row upon row of marks onto Xiang Yu's magnificent back with her sharp nails; she was melting, about to break apart completely.

"Ah, ya! Ya..." In that moment, she was fiercely lifted into the air by Xiang Yu. Within her, Xiang Yu continued to charge relentlessly and brutally; she felt as if she were about to be breached, about to be pounded to death. At that very instant, she finally felt true ecstasy, and in those countless climaxes, each feeling like death itself, that Xiang Yu brought her, she momentarily forgot Ye Xiu.

Having won a great victory, the entire army enjoyed a welcome period of relaxation. Ye Xiu did not forget to steal a great deal of meat and rice from the camp one evening and return to Ji Jiang's farmhouse.

"I heard the Western Chu army severely damaged the Qin forces this time, even killing a major general." Ji Jiang was surprisingly well-informed. "Brother Ye, did you earn any merit?"

Ye Xiu helped Ji Jiang put the meat and rice inside the house, saying listlessly, "Look at your Brother Ye; it's obvious I haven't earned any merit. I'm still just a common soldier."

"Alas, with your capabilities, why don't you strive for advancement?" Ji Jiang felt a touch helpless regarding Ye Xiu, so she merely called a few children inside to prepare dinner.

In truth, Ye Xiu knew he possessed a competitive heart, but he felt these ambitions had to take second place to something else. The reason he didn't strive for advancement was that he only wanted to stay put and wait for a fellow named Han Xin to appear, yet that man still hadn't shown up.

"Ji Jiang, are you still having those dreams about Han Xin lately?" Ye Xiu sat beneath the eaves, gazing absently at the busy Ji Jiang.

"En, I haven't stopped for a single day." Mentioning Han Xin caused the relaxed expression on Ji Jiang's face to cloud over with worry again.

"Alas, there's still no news of that fellow." Ye Xiu felt a pang of melancholy himself, recalling that unlucky Peng Zu and the mission some god had assigned him—it also required finding Han Xin, but now, not even a single hair of Han Xin had appeared.

"We are preparing to eat, Brother Ye." Ji Jiang seemed to notice Ye Xiu's mood then and sat beside him with a touch of concern. Night had fallen, and the faint smoke from the cooking mingled directly with the watery moonlight.

"I'm not hungry. By the way, Ji Jiang, have you mastered the Eight Palaces I taught you yet?" Ye Xiu looked tenderly at Ji Jiang, feeling inexplicably tired, longing to find someone to lean against.

Ji Jiang smiled brightly, "I mastered it long ago. It's been some time since you visited. I've even turned the Eight Palaces into pieces for a board game. Do you want to play a round?"

"Oh, you've done that? Of course, I must test my skills against you." Ye Xiu’s spirits suddenly lifted; he didn't even want to eat, eager to challenge Ji Jiang.

Ji Jiang smiled slyly and produced many bamboo blocks marked with the Bagua symbols from her sleeve, beginning to instruct Ye Xiu word by word. The two of them seemed to find common ground again that day, indulging in playful banter, forgetting dinner until late into the night.

"Ah, stop, stop! Ji Jiang, you're too clever; I can't beat you!" Ye Xiu admitted defeat honestly, surprised that Ji Jiang had managed to learn Mohist mechanism arts and the Sixty-Four Hexagrams of the Eight Palaces in such a short time.

"Then the loser must accept a penalty. I'm going to pinch your nose hard." Ji Jiang possessed a youthful mischievousness, a playfulness that paired perfectly with Ye Xiu's own glib charm.

"You pinch me, and I'll pinch you too, haha!" Ye Xiu's mood was equally buoyant, as if, at this moment, he had forgotten Sister Ji Jiang, and the one facing him was clearly just a bright and adorable young girl.

"Ha ha, ha ha." The two began to wrestle under the eaves like children, without any particular reason. When their hands became entangled, Ji Jiang's slender body accidentally tumbled into Ye Xiu's broad chest. Everything instantly fell silent, still as water.

Ye Xiu felt no awkwardness; although he held Ji Jiang in his arms, he thought of her simply as Ji Jiang, not Sister Ji Jiang.

"Brother Ye." Ji Jiang's eyes were dewy, and her lips held a faint blush. "Why don't we just stop looking for that Han Xin? I feel a certain ache in my heart when I don't see you for a day."

Ye Xiu's heart began to pound erratically. He wasn't sure what feelings he held for Ji Jiang; he only knew that holding her like this felt relaxing, leisurely—free from the torment of Heavenly Will, free from historical inevitability, without needing to worry about Han Xin or any god. He felt utterly unrestrained.

"What do you think, Brother Ye?" Ji Jiang still wanted an answer from Ye Xiu's mouth. Although she felt she understood him deeply, believing he wouldn't easily stop for any woman, she had to voice the feelings in her heart.

Ye Xiu still didn't know how to answer; he only held Ji Jiang tighter. Just then, a streak of light flew horizontally across the sky—it was that meteor again, the star Wang Long called "Liu" (Flow).

"Brother Ye, what is that? It’s so beautiful." Ji Jiang's attention was captured by the stunning tail. "Did you see it?"

"Mm, that's a shooting star." Ye Xiu gazed up at the sky, his thoughts becoming chaotic once more. What could he achieve in this era of strife? Coming inexplicably, leaving inexplicably—was he following Heaven's Will, or the will of the gods? Perhaps it was his own curiosity that brought about his current experiences.

"What is a shooting star? It's already fallen." Ji Jiang still stared foolishly at the horizon.

Ye Xiu took advantage of her inattention and gently pinched her nose. "Legend says if you close your eyes while a shooting star passes across the heavens and make a silent wish, it will surely come true in the future."

"Ah, you scoundrel! Why didn't you say so sooner!" Ji Jiang felt the loss of missing the opportunity, relentlessly patting Ye Xiu's chest.

Ye Xiu gripped her hand tightly and placed it within his own palm. "Silly girl, I already made the wish for you. Do you want to know what it was?"

"What was it?"

Ye Xiu let out a strange chuckle and pointed a finger at his mouth: "You have to give me a kiss, and then I'll tell you."

"Hmph!" Ji Jiang lowered her head in shyness, pouting and shaking her body incessantly.

"I wished upon the shooting star that you, Ji Jiang, would obtain the happiness you desire." Ye Xiu said it very softly; he had no idea what happiness Ji Jiang truly desired, perhaps happiness that even Ji Jiang herself didn't know.

Ye Xiu tilted his head back to look at the stars, but immediately after speaking, he felt a slight, refreshing coolness on his lips. When he reacted and looked sideways down, he realized that coolness came from Ji Jiang’s round, warm lips. He was completely paralyzed, maintaining that posture, unsure what to do. Ji Jiang's kiss was too sudden; for Ye Xiu, that kiss felt so distant, as if traversing two thousand years of time—so ethereal, yet so real.

"Ji Jiang, you..." Ye Xiu had no recourse but to embrace Ji Jiang more tightly; nothing else was necessary. At this moment, having only Ji Jiang in his arms was enough. Although her heart still held Xu'er, emotions were something no one could control; he didn't want to resist anything.

The night deepened, and the two hearts, the two people, were enveloped by the night; many things required no forcing—only seizing the moment.

September, 208 BCE. The Western Chu army marched westward in full array. On the crest of a hill, Xiang Liang was bursting with high spirits, completely at ease.

"My Lord, in a few dozen li more lies Dingtao." Fan Zeng worried about the outcome of this expedition. "Our army has entered the heartland of the Qin forces; we must exercise extreme caution."

"Dingtao!" Xiang Liang smoothed his robes and gazed across the mountains. Dingtao, also known as Taoqiu, was an ancient city steeped in history. Since the Neolithic Age, humans had fished, hunted, farmed, and multiplied here. From the Spring and Autumn Warring States period until now, it had served as the central hub for water and land transportation in the Central Plains and a national economic metropolis, renowned as the 'Center of All Under Heaven.' During the reigns of Yao and Shun, it was the ancient State of Tao. Under the Xia and Shang dynasties, it housed the State of Sanhe. In the 12th century BCE, King Wu of Zhou enfeoffed his sixth son, Zhenduo, as the Earl of Cao, establishing the State of Cao with its capital at Taoqiu. Looking back across any era, such fertile ground was inevitably contested by military strategists.

"Take Dingtao, and the tide of the world will be set!" Xiang Yu gripped his great sword, brimming with confidence.

Fan Zeng smiled, looking at these arrogant men, and remarked coldly, "The famed general Zhang Han leads 300,000 elite troops stationed there, while we have barely 200,000 capable fighters. The disparity in strength is somewhat significant."

Xiang Liang's face soured upon hearing this. He waved his hand dismissively, "That Zhang Han is a defeated general, not worthy of praise. A mere 300,000 ragged Qin soldiers, their morale unstable—how can they compare to our Chu army? Sir worries too much."

"Indeed, why should Father-Advisor fear? When I go, I will personally take Zhang Han's head," Xiang Yu clenched his fists, wishing he could lead the troops to charge immediately.

Ying Bu and Long Ju stood quietly to the side, saying little.

At this point, Fan Zeng ordered a map of the vicinity of Dingtao to be produced, pointing out to everyone, "Gentlemen, please look. There are three routes from here to Dingtao. The first is a wide, level avenue; the second is a cold and treacherous gorge; the third is a towering cliff face. Which route do the Generals believe is best for our army to advance upon?"

"Our great army must naturally advance along the wide-open road!" Xiang Yu disliked tricky maneuvers; he firmly believed that in military engagement, the brave must win.

Ying Bu stared seriously at the map. "The main road will certainly have Qin ambushes. The narrow, dangerous gorge might actually be safer."

"Well said." Xiang Liang agreed more with Ying Bu's opinion.

Seeing that the others remained silent, Fan Zeng pointed to the third route: "What do the Generals think about marching along the cliff face?"

"How is that possible?" Xiang Liang immediately rejected Fan Zeng's proposal. "How can one march over towering mountains? Impossible."

"This mountain range has had plank roads since antiquity; marching is not impossible," Fan Zeng stated his advice directly. "Although the plank road is a natural peril, it can perfectly counteract the Qin army's potential ambush. If our army advances through the mountain path, attacking Dingtao from a commanding height, this battle will be won."