The howling wind whipped up the yellow sand, dyeing the battlefield outside Yanmen Pass in a desolate, hazy yellow. War drums thundered, and the clanging clash of iron armor shattered the clouds. Pulling tight on the reins of her mount, "Treading Snow," Ye Zhao flourished her long spear, spinning it into a silver-bright blossom. As the tip of her spear knocked away the helmet of the final enemy soldier, she raised her eyes—there, standing on the opposite stretch of sand, Yelü Hongji was on horseback, his dark cloak billowing in the wind like an unfurled heavy black-iron sword.
This was the third time the two of them had faced off beneath Yanmen Pass.
When they first met two years ago, she had led five thousand light cavalry in a surprise raid on the enemy's grain camp, only to stumble straight into his ambush. Amidst the flames, he stood guard before the stockade gate brandishing a long halberd, the beast patterns on his armor looking as ferocious as living creatures in the roaring fire. She had thought herself doomed without a doubt, but then she saw him suddenly retract the blade of his halberd, rein in his horse to pull back half a step, and say in a deep voice: "A female general of the Southern Dynasty, you certainly have some nerve." In that battle, she took advantage of his momentary distraction to break through and escape, and when she looked back, she saw him standing amidst the flames, his solitary figure carrying a desolate air.
Chapter 118