After crossing the mountain peak, the path became easier to traverse.

Xiao Jue urged the horse into a trot. Without realizing it, He Yan fell asleep. After an unknown amount of time, someone patted her shoulder and called her name: “He Yan!”

She opened her eyes to see Instructor Liang standing before her. She had been dozing against Xiao Jue, and there was a faint damp mark on the inside of his sleeve, possibly from her drool.

He Yan wiped her mouth and apologetically began, “I’m sor-“

Before she could finish, he had already dismounted smoothly, nearly causing her to fall backward. Xiao Jue said to Liang Ping, “She’s in your care now.” Without even glancing at He Yan, he walked away.

He Yan: “…”

See? He wouldn’t even give her a chance to thank him. He Yan shrugged as Liang Ping helped her down from the horse. Green Ears was quite sensible – after He Yan left, it trotted off to find its master with light steps.

He Yan was covered in blood from head to toe. Though Liang Ping had many questions, he couldn’t ask them now and only said, “Can you move?”

“Instructor Liang, you underestimate me,” she smiled. “There’s no problem at all.”

“Ah,” Liang Ping sighed, “Well, let me take you back first, bandage those wounds, and we’ll talk about everything else later.”

He Yan immediately agreed.

In the room, Xiao Mai, Shi Tou, and the others were waiting. As soon as He Yan entered, they all rushed forward with a collective “whoosh,” asking questions all at once.

“How are you? Are you alright? Everything okay?”

“Why is there so much blood? Did someone die?”

He Yan even saw Wang Ba sitting on a box in the corner. When he saw her, he seemed to want to come forward but ultimately held back, snorting, “So you’re not dead after all.”

“Thank you, little brother,” He Yan had already learned from Liang Ping that Wang Ba had gone to find Shen Han. She winked at him and said warmly, “Big brother is touched that little brother was so concerned.”

“You!” Wang Ba jumped up from the box like an angry cat, glared at her, and stormed out furiously, nearly breaking the door as he slammed it.

He Yan was helped to sit on her bed. Shi Tou handed her a bowl of water, which she drank in one gulp, finally feeling her throat become a bit more comfortable.

Xiao Mai said, “Brother He, your hand is still bleeding. Hurry and change your clothes!”

He Yan coughed lightly: “It’s not that serious.”

“Not serious?” Hong Shan frowned, “If Commander Xiao hadn’t found you up the mountain, would you still be alive tomorrow morning in this state?”

“You shouldn’t try to be a hero,” Jiang Jiao had also said. “For those kinds of people, it’s not worth it.”

“Right,” Huang Xiong fingered the Buddhist beads around his neck. “Should have let them feed the wolves themselves.”

He Yan: “…” She looked at the room full of people, realizing for the first time that her relationships were this good. But so many people were giving her a headache with their chatter.

Amidst the buzzing, another person pushed open the door, speaking with a voice like an oriole, “All of you, please leave. I’m here to deliver medicine.”

The room instantly fell silent.

He Yan looked over curiously to see the crowd automatically parting to make way for a young woman. She wore a palace-made pure white silk dress, her long hair tied with a snow-white silk ribbon, and a lotus jade hairpin adorned her head – simple yet elegant. Her jade-like face was lightly powdered, with crescent eyebrows and star-like eyes, quite graceful and enchanting.

In the Liangzhou garrison where even the mosquitoes were male, when had they ever seen such an elegant beauty? The men fell silent, afraid to disturb this delicate fairy-like lady.

He Yan was confused and just asked, “You are…?”

“I’m the female physician of Liangzhou garrison,” the young lady said softly. “Shen Mu Xue.”

He Yan felt the name was somewhat familiar but couldn’t remember where she’d heard it. Shen Mu Xue had already gently placed the medicine bowl on the bedside table and turned to address the others, “Would everyone please step out for a moment?”

Hong Shan’s face immediately turned red as he said, “Y-yes, of course.” He hurried to usher everyone else out, giving He Yan an envious look before leaving.

He Yan: “…”

He Yan asked, “Is this medicine for me?”

Shen Mu Xue nodded. He Yan picked up the bowl and drank it all in one go. Shen Mu Xue was startled and said, “You didn’t need to drink it so quickly…”

“Huh?” He Yan scratched her head, “Well, I had to drink it anyway.”

Seemingly amused, Shen Mu Xue smiled and said, “Now, please remove your clothes so I can apply the medicine.”

Hot water had been prepared nearby. He Yan hesitated for a moment and said, “Um, Miss Shen, you can just leave the medicine here. I’ll apply it myself.”

“You?” Shen Mu Xue shook her head, “Better let me do it.”

“You’re so young, and still an unmarried lady,” He Yan earnestly advised, “I am, after all, a man. It wouldn’t be proper for you to look.”

“There’s no distinction between men and women before a physician,” Shen Mu Xue replied.

He Yan thought for a moment, “You might not mind, but I do.”

Shen Mu Xue looked up, and He Yan fearlessly met her gaze, saying, “I have a fiancée, Miss Shen. Only my fiancée can see my body. If you taint my pure and pristine body, you’ll have to take responsibility, you know?” She wrapped her clothes tighter around herself, appearing utterly unyielding.

Shen Mu Xue had probably never encountered someone so shameless, and her hands stopped moving as she stared at He Yan, unsure how to react.

“Just leave the medicine here,” He Yan said. “I’ll apply it myself. I must preserve my chastity for my beloved; don’t lead me astray.” Her face was completely serious.

After a moment of speechlessness, Shen Mu Xue was finally defeated by He Yan’s shamelessness. She said, “The medicine and hot water are here. I’ll go out, call me when you’re done.”

He Yan nodded happily: “Thank you for understanding.”

After Shen Mu Xue left, He Yan breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly removed her blood-soaked clothes, roughly wiping herself down with a cloth dipped in hot water before changing into clean clothes. She rolled up her sleeves to reveal the wolf bite on her elbow, a ghastly mess of flesh and blood. He Yan took a deep breath, grabbed a fresh cloth, and was about to clean the wound.

Just then, the door opened again. Busy with cleaning, He Yan didn’t look up as she said, “Didn’t I say you didn’t need to come in? I’ll apply the medicine myself.”

A cold voice responded, “Your devotion to your fiancée’s chastity is truly moving.”

He Yan looked up to see Xiao Jue standing a few steps away, arms crossed, watching her with amusement.

He Yan thought ‘that was close’ – fortunately, she had changed quickly earlier. She forced a smile and said, “Commander, why are you here? You’re not here to settle accounts, are you? I already said, earlier on the mountain, I didn’t mean to touch your waist.”

Xiao Jue’s expression froze, his eyes almost shooting fire. He simply tossed something around into He Yan’s lap.

He Yan picked it up to look – it was an exquisite porcelain bottle, resembling a mandarin duck vessel. She pulled out the stopper and sniffed it – bitter and astringent.

“Is this… medicine?” she asked hesitantly.

He replied irritably, “Treat your wounds first.”

These words and this scene felt strangely familiar. He Yan’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at him again. He had changed into fresh clothes, neat as new. Standing there, elegant and refined, with moonlight streaming in from outside casting his tall shadow, for a moment, it seemed like they had returned to years past.

Just like then.