He suddenly lunged forward and embraced her tightly. The dagger was knocked aside by his impact, slicing a long bloody gash across his shoulder before falling to the ground.

With a thud, they both fell to the ground in each other’s arms. His shoulder hit the wall, and he let out a muffled grunt.

Jing Hengbo was stunned. She had thought Gong Yin would elegantly flick his finger to knock away her dagger—with his martial arts skills, this would have been trivial. Even with his true qi sealed, he should have had basic abilities. Who knew he would act like someone with no martial arts, using his body to knock away her dagger. Only now, holding him, did she realize his body was still so weak and limp, his whole person still trembling. His raised hand had no strength at all—he truly had no true power left.

Her heart was in chaos. Her palm instinctively pressed against his bleeding shoulder. Her palm became sticky and wet, while her heart was half in blazing fire and half in deep water, not knowing where to find rescue.

He had rushed a thousand miles to save her, his profound martial arts completely drained. This could be called deep affection, but why wouldn’t he give her even a simple answer? Didn’t he know that the more he acted this way, the more her heart roasted over fire with no escape?

Her finger unconsciously brushed the edge of the wound. There was another small mark there—it seemed to be that day’s bite mark, also remaining. She touched that bite mark, and tears suddenly streamed down.

“Do you want me to die with questions…” she choked, not touching his shoulder wound, only able to pinch that already-healed bite mark. “Do you intend to torment me for a lifetime…”

Hot tears fell on the bite mark, on the slightly indented skin, pooling with a watery gleam. He turned his face to gaze at her tear-hazed face, tenderly brushing away the disheveled hair dampened by tears at her forehead.

He wasn’t afraid of her scolding, killing, or speaking harsh words with determined expression. As long as she remained spirited with fighting and killing, she was still Jing Hengbo, her spirit unextinguished.

But he truly feared most her crying.

Feared her crying like this in his arms, heart-dead with despair.

Feared she might no longer be able to be herself because of this.

Feared she might truly become disheartened, losing even the courage to continue striving forward.

He also feared that he himself, under such heart-wrenching feelings, might have a needle shoot out and die before her.

So be it then.

“Alright, I’ll tell you.” He reached out to embrace her.

She proudly twisted away, not wanting to give him any advantage, yet afraid that being too proud might make him change his mind when he had finally agreed to speak. She could only awkwardly let him hold her, pointing her chin at him.

Gong Yin suddenly felt that tormenting her was quite interesting, with benefits too—unfortunately, he could never bear to do it.

Seeing her tearful appearance, he sighed helplessly and whispered in her ear, “You should be able to guess that back then, I had my difficulties.”

Jing Hengbo immediately stopped crying, wiped her tears on his shoulder, and asked right away: “What difficulties? Don’t tell me it was those people from Dige. Who do they think they are? They’re not even enough for me to eat in one bite.”

He loved seeing her aggressive, arrogant, and boastful appearance. The corner of his lips curved in a smile. “Of course not. Driving you from the palace back then was going with the flow.”

“Because in Dige, I made too many enemies, faced traps at every step, and offended Kanglong, making it impossible to cultivate my own power base?” She had thought about this a lot during this time.

He nodded approvingly. “Throughout history, reincarnated queens who wanted to grasp political power—not one succeeded. This was because Dahuang’s political structure was designed specifically to trap those in power to death. If you had continued staying in such an environment surrounded by enemies, you would have been ground to death sooner or later.”

“Couldn’t you help me?” She laughed coldly. “Couldn’t we join hands against the enemy?”

This was a key question. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but that he couldn’t do so forever. He bore too heavy a burden with too little time. If he forcibly supported her rise to power, she would naturally be safe while he was in position, but once he passed away, who would protect her thoroughly?

In Dige, even spending a lifetime, she would find it difficult to gain power. Without power, and without him, how could she live safely and steadily?

Without destruction, there could be no construction. Enduring the pain to give her freedom, in a broader world she could grow wings until she could soar over the vast Dahuang lands.

“Do you want me to oppose the entire court and become an isolated State Preceptor?” But he couldn’t say this, only counter-question her thus.

She immediately fell silent, humming twice, but felt unsatisfied in her heart—didn’t they say true love meant loving beauty over territory? It was all deception after all. Hmph, territory was still more important.

A bit uncomfortable, but she still felt she could understand. She knew the difficulty of Gong Yin’s step-by-step rise from commoner status to the highest position. She hadn’t done anything for him—what right did she have to demand he abandon everything?

“Are you angry?” But he was very perceptive. “Blame me for not standing up bravely for you?”

“I’m not that much of a princess. Why should you sacrifice like that for me? Besides, if you opposed the entire court and lost your subordinates and authority, wouldn’t those people become even more rampant? What good end would I have then? I’m not that brain-dead.” She waved her hand, dismissing that slight discomfort herself.

Gong Yin said nothing, his dark pupils slightly moist, gazing at her with brilliant light.

He knew that deep in her bones, she was warm and magnanimous.

Actually, he was willing to abandon territory for her, willing to oppose the entire court for her. Actually, he had hidden reasons he couldn’t speak of. He had already prepared himself psychologically to bear resentment, yet she always made him feel that in this half-lifetime of solitude, when he suddenly looked back, he hadn’t loved the wrong person.

Countless feelings of gratitude and appreciation in his heart had no outlet. He only held her tighter.

“But I still have questions,” she was struggling. “The poison.”

This was the thorn in her heart. Whenever she thought of it, it cast a large shadow. It had to be removed early.

He lowered his eyelashes. After a long while, he said: “The medicine I gave you was a Restoration Pill. For strengthening the foundation and cultivating vitality.”

So it wasn’t poison. This matter had been on her mind for a long time. Her face gradually paled. “So actually, what Cui Jie gave me was the poison.”

He nodded. “You secretly took Cui Jie’s medicine first, then took mine. My medicine wasn’t an antidote, so your poison activated.”

Cui Jie couldn’t possibly have given her poison. She finally understood now that at that time, she had overlooked a crucial matter.

Where did Cui Jie’s medicine come from?

At that time, she had already been stabbed and had no way to snatch the antidote. This medicine must have been placed in her hands by someone who deceived her into thinking it was an antidote. The method used must have been very clever, so Cui Jie believed it and risked her life to deliver this poison to her hands like a treasure.

Such deep scheming.

“Ming Cheng.” She gritted her teeth, saying each word deeply.

Gong Yin didn’t speak. Although he had controlled the overall situation back then, most reactions were within his calculations, but ultimately variables had appeared. Small errors had bred great hatred. He wasn’t without anger, but thinking this could make Jing Hengbo more decisive, it ultimately led to the same destination as his final goal. He couldn’t bear to do it himself, but when someone else facilitated it, there was no need for further explanation.

But not explaining didn’t mean not taking revenge. Those debts accumulated one by one would ultimately need to be repaid.

Her thoughts were still on the entire incident. After three days and nights, she had already thought it through thoroughly, only awaiting confirmation. “The palace coup in Dige—you were psychologically prepared for it. So you had already prepared to disguise yourself as an old eunuch to escort me out of the city after the incident. Including the later city gate searches and the expulsion of Yelu Qi—these were actually all your ideas.”

“Later, due to certain circumstances, I couldn’t completely take care of you. The guards I sent to protect you also lost track of you, so that later when you were in Dige city, you suffered some hardships.” He slowly said, “You have reason to blame me.”

Jing Hengbo stared at him, her gaze slowly falling to his chest. What those “certain circumstances” were, he didn’t say, but she could guess.

At that time, he had taken her stab to the chest, then she had slipped into the underground passage in the square. He had disguised himself as a eunuch to follow and protect her underground. The time was so short that the wound hadn’t been properly treated. Then he had carried her and gone into water. Even an iron body couldn’t withstand such torment. After sending her away, he must have collapsed. That’s why he couldn’t continue tracking her whereabouts, creating a gap in protection.

Because he hadn’t used Prajna Snow to heal in time, he had left the scar.

“If I were to blame you, it wouldn’t be for this matter.” Jing Hengbo said sadly. “I already know about everything after. You exiled me but couldn’t rest easy, always following. Xiang Kingdom, Zhanyu Tribe, Qifeng Town, Dai Mo—you were there for all of it. These were all planned by you early on. So you had even laid the groundwork for Master Mu’s identity early. Gong Yin, Gong Yin, is this your deep affection for me? But if you truly love me, why can’t you remember my words? Why can’t you remember what we said that day under the red maples in the quiet courtyard when we played truth or dare with Tie Xing Ze?”

Gong Yin gently stroked the disheveled hair at her forehead—how could he not remember? How dare he not remember? Her every sentence, every word, was engraved on the tablet of his heart, smoked with gunpowder and washed with fresh blood.

Their eyes met, and that day’s conversation under the red maples, half-joking half-oath, flowed through both their hearts.

“I only wish for her to be well in this world, to live peacefully or magnificently. If there’s only one path left in this world for her alone to walk, I would choose to send her on it. If that path needs all people’s corpses to pave it, it can start with mine.”

“Don’t be like that. She may not be the weak person you think she is… Sometimes when you let go, she might be stronger and more capable than you imagine. So never easily speak of using corpses to pave the way. Perhaps she can forge a path herself. Perhaps she only wants to live an ordinary life with the one she loves. Perhaps in her view, losing you is what she least wants to see. Cherishing oneself for the sake of the beloved—that’s what every person in love should do.”

The underground chamber was warm, but his palm felt cold at this moment.

How could he tell her that some things couldn’t be let go, some enemies hadn’t yet surfaced, what the eyes could see wasn’t the most terrifying, and what stabbed with knives wasn’t the most vicious?

Accompanying her all this way, he had long known her thoughts differed from ordinary people. Ignoring the constraints of propriety, she wholeheartedly yearned for respect and freedom. What she could least accept about his actions was probably the lack of respect.

Not asking her opinion, not asking whether she wanted or liked it, stubbornly making decisions for her and controlling her life.

No. It wasn’t like that.

He desired more than anyone to see her spread her wings and soar high in the sky.

He desired more than anyone to live freely and ordinarily with her for a lifetime.

But once she had already shown her talents, wanting to live an ordinary life again was no longer possible.

He knew she wouldn’t abandon him. Their fates were bound together by heaven, so they both had to become stronger, ready to fight against destiny at any time.

Staying in Dige offered no way out, and without giving her a sharp cut, with her lazy and clingy nature, she would never willingly leave him.

And she loved freedom so much.

Surrounded by crises on all sides with enemies watching—without strength, where could freedom come from?

When he had proposed that day, asking if she was willing to hide her identity and quietly be his wife, her answer had finally made him determined.

Even if it hurt, he would give her freedom first, and a broader path forward.

He bore heavy responsibilities. His family bloodline’s backlash was like a huge iron chain, locking away his lifetime of happiness. The physicians declared he would struggle to live past thirty, so for many years he had remained pure-hearted and abstinent, never thinking of marriage.

He didn’t want to harm any good woman.

Yet he couldn’t help it—couldn’t help loving her.

Whether keeping her in Dige to fight side by side, or abandoning everything with her to live freely in the mountains and forests, what she would ultimately face was a lover who died young and a lonely lifetime.

Only when she fought for achievements herself, broadened her horizons, possessed territory, and had more and more people around her, bearing more responsibilities, would she have more attachments, more joy in life, more meaning to existence. Only then would she not lose all color in life because of losing him, spending the rest of her days counting gray hairs in a gray world.

If after she possessed much, she no longer loved him and thus met someone better, her life could be more full and happy.

He wished her world contained only him, but he couldn’t let her world contain only him.

How could he answer such countless contradictory concerns?

“If you love me, why did you choose such a decisive way to break off? Weren’t you afraid I’d be heartbroken and choose death? Weren’t you afraid I’d lose the ability to love from then on, becoming a walking corpse for life?” she asked.

“It was my fault.” In the end, he only apologized. “I didn’t trust you enough. I felt that in that situation, it was too dangerous for you to stay in Dige. I was also afraid I couldn’t protect you well, and knowing you wouldn’t leave on your own, I had to force you to go.”

She stared at him, always feeling this reason made sense but seemed to be missing something important.

She didn’t believe that with his abilities, in that situation, there really was no way to resolve things without sending her away. Even if Kanglong was restless, he still had the Jade Shine Dragon Cavalry, still had the Spider Web Bee Sting. He would never entrust all important forces to others. Cheng Gumo wouldn’t be his match, no one would be his match.

He could completely control those cowards first, temporarily appease Kanglong, then slowly clean up that group with her.

After cleaning up that group and gradually replacing them, with his constant support, would she fear lacking power? The so-called passive and difficult-to-break Dige structure—that depended on who held the real power. She didn’t believe he couldn’t do it.

Moreover, that phrase “afraid I couldn’t protect you well” really didn’t sound like something he would say.

She could understand his difficulties, but she didn’t like that even now, he was still hiding things from her.

“I think,” she said slowly, “you seem not to have told the complete truth.”

He smiled bitterly in his heart. One consequence of nurturing her growth was that it became increasingly difficult to deceive her.

“At this point, what need would I have to lie to you?”

“Wei Xiaobao said that in lying, seven parts truth and three parts falsehood are hardest to distinguish. Where is your three parts falsehood?”

But he asked: “Who is Wei Xiaobao?”

Jing Hengbo was speechless.

“If you use this reason to answer me,” she coldly pushed him away, “then I have reason not to forgive you—I most detest people who don’t respect my personal will, who make arbitrary decisions about my life thinking it’s for my good, and who harm me at will with such reasoning!”

But he tugged at her sleeve, asking: “When did you figure out all the many roles I had played?”

“I started suspecting early on, but when you played Master Mu, because two Master Mus appeared, I was confused for a while and once overturned my suspicions.” She snorted. “Of course, seeing those clothes and masks in the great hall, if I hadn’t figured it all out then, my intelligence would have been no different from a pig’s.”

“The things in the great hall?” His voice held a question.

She immediately stopped, thinking this was the key point. Temporarily forgetting her anger, she hurried to say: “Right in this hall, there were many disguise outfits you had used. I first saw a figure like you enter the great hall, so I chased in, then saw these things and immediately connected all those events. It was precisely because of these things that I was determined to wait for you in the Sinking Iron Royal Palace to get clear answers.”

Gong Yin’s expression slowly turned icy. After a long while, he slowly said: “All the disguise items I used were destroyed afterward.”

Jing Hengbo stopped short, turning to look at him. Both their gazes seemed to freeze instantly.

The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it became.

If all along this journey, they had been under others’ observation…

“Impossible!” Gong Yin guessed her thoughts and said decisively, “No one has this capability.”

“Then it was pieced together through speculation afterward.” She thought about it. “Either there’s a traitor by your side, or there’s someone problematic by my side, or there are problems with people on both our sides. Combining various clues, they deduced the thread of this entire journey.”

Gong Yin fell silent, his eyes flickering, seemingly thinking about something.

Seeing his expression wasn’t very tense, Jing Hengbo felt somewhat reassured for no reason. Suddenly thinking of something, she sighed: “I always felt someone was working against me. It started from when I entered Dige—at Zhao Shizhi’s residence, and the final incident with the official’s murder—clearly someone was orchestrating things from behind…”

She also mentioned the incident during the Dige palace coup when leaving the palace, encountering someone lying in ambush shooting arrows at her, and someone else using a spear to block the arrows.

“The arrow shooter was naturally the secret harmer.” Gong Yin said lightly. “As for who sent the person with the spear to save you, you should be able to guess.”

Jing Hengbo immediately understood—it was indeed Yelu Qi.

She immediately felt annoyed—these men were all crazy! Harming you on one side while protecting you on the other, claiming to love you while not hesitating to abuse you swiftly and decisively. She was a normal person who couldn’t play this game!

“They’re all a bunch of crazies!” She glanced at Gong Yin’s clothes thrown nearby, looking carefully to see they were indeed Yelu Qi’s, making her even angrier. “What’s with all this clothes changing? Nearly killed me!”

Gong Yin’s attention shifted again: “How are you so familiar with Yelu Qi’s clothes?”

“None of your business!” Jing Hengbo’s anger flared—was he getting jealous at this moment? Did he have the face to be jealous at this moment?

Only then did she realize they were still in an embracing position, that they had actually held each other while saying so much, even seriously discussing conspiracies and schemes. Was she sick too? Had she gotten used to his body and scent, subconsciously indulging in it?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She reached out and grabbed those clothes, balling them up and throwing them at his face. “Get away.”

He turned his head to avoid them, his expression disgusted. Only then did Jing Hengbo notice the clothes were covered in dust with hidden bloodstains. She had never seen Gong Yin wear clothes so dirty. Her heart sighed again. Just as she was about to ask why he was wearing Yelu Qi’s clothes, she suddenly heard him murmur: “She took them off herself, I didn’t take them off, so it shouldn’t count as breaking the oath…”

Hearing that “she took them off herself,” Jing Hengbo found it grating no matter how she heard it. She flipped over to pin him down, angrily saying: “Stop being so conceited! I already said I no longer have any feelings for you…”

“I have feelings for you…” He seemed not to hear her words, lying on the ground reaching out to hold her. “Hengbo… whether you want to be angry at me or hate me, it’s all up to you. First give me a hug…”

She wanted to scold, wanted to struggle, wanted to immediately get up and walk away while giving him a big footprint. However, hearing that phrase “give me a hug,” her eyes suddenly welled up.

Her arms suddenly went soft too, soft as silk, not knowing whether to wrap around him or be wrapped by him.

In the dark underground came low panting. She and he embraced with their bodies covered in sweat, or perhaps this embrace was closer to entanglement, their skin glowing with a lustrous light.

Though doubts remained unresolved in her heart, though resentment and hatred were not yet settled, longing and love were so surging and deep, like a river breaking its banks, washing away the cold, hard defenses of her heart into scattered pieces. For a moment, those troubles and resentments flowed away with the water—she didn’t want to pursue or care about them. She only thought this moment seemed to have been awaited too long. His real scent had been absent too long. The feeling of his cool breath stirring the hair at her temples had been strange too long. His chest that especially fit her had been empty too long…

She had to admit she was obsessed, she was lingering. She had walked through countless sceneries, but looking back, she always saw only that one snow-covered highland flower. Even having trekked to the ends of the earth, every footprint at those ends wrote his name.

So be it. She would set aside old matters for now and let this darkness shield their mutual concerns and troubles. Perhaps once they left this underground chamber, they would have to face many more unresolvable grievances. Once before people, there would be even more conspiracies and schemes. Life’s troubles were endless—might as well fully enjoy this moment.

Setting aside her worries, she immediately felt his skin and scent. He had already been stripped down considerably by her. Now in the dark chamber, his skin glowed, his jade bones emanating fragrance. He was like a jade statue, growing brighter in the darkness. Just a quiet silhouette suddenly made one understand that stillness was also a kind of charm, beauty itself was seduction.

She suddenly remembered last year entering his sleeping chamber at night and seeing the alluring Gong Yin in transparent nightwear. She immediately marveled at how much she had truly grown through experience. Back then, seeing Gong Yin in that outfit, she had immediately been completely enchanted, forgetting everything. Now, pinning a half-naked Gong Yin to the ground, she had actually seriously discussed life ideals and bloody conspiracies for quite a while. Truly remarkable.

The two were still tied together with rope, feeling uncomfortable in various ways. Thinking that being tied up now was meaningless, she reached out to untie the rope. In the darkness, she didn’t know where she touched him, only hearing him intake sharply and murmur: “I only have pants left…”

Jing Hengbo immediately withdrew her hand, paused, then counterattacked: “Even if I stripped you completely naked, would you dare touch a hair on me?”

“I can’t.” He said. “Because you locked my qi. How about releasing it to try?”

When he said this, she felt even less inclined to unlock his true qi, lest it seem like she was eager to be “tried.”

She didn’t know whether to feel relieved or regretful, standing there in a daze.

Gong Yin sighed softly in his heart.

He should thank her for sealing his true qi, giving him an excuse not to get up and be taken advantage of. Actually, he was already drained of strength. Even if she didn’t seal it, he couldn’t get up anyway. This way was good—it saved her from suspecting his physical condition.

Jing Hengbo stood in a daze for a long while, slowly untying the rope, then wondering whether to help him put his clothes back on. Looking and touching like this, it seemed the punishment wasn’t for him but for herself—she was about to have a nosebleed…

He suddenly reached out and adjusted her somewhat low neckline, smoothly pulling out a strand of long hair that had fallen into her clothing.

His movement was quick. She only felt a tickle on her chest and felt his finger seemed to have touched somewhere important on her, and that the trajectory of this finger movement seemed a bit off, as if it could have been completely avoided?

“What are you doing?” She glared at him fiercely.

“Touching one of your hairs.” He innocently held up his finger with a long hair between them. “You should take care of your hair. It seems a bit split-ended.”

Listening to this, Jing Hengbo felt thunderstruck. This cool and proud guy was usually quite normal—why did he have such strange concerns when he was with her?

Speaking of hair, she suddenly remembered that spring when he had washed her hair. That was their most passionate period together. Then she didn’t know crisis was approaching or that enemies were watching. She loved him wholeheartedly, so she felt the spring light was richest, spring flowers most beautiful, his touch the gentlest in the world, and her life most perfect.

Looking down to see his rippling eyes that seemed to reflect a sky full of spring light, he must also be remembering that day—under the purple wisteria pergola with spring flowers, he had washed her hands until they were numb.

The corner of her lips curved slightly, but her eyes were slightly cool.

Could the past really return?

Those most beautiful memories existed because her heart then was like crystal, unaware of human suffering. Now having experienced all wind and frost, if the same scene were repeated, could she really have that same pure feeling as before?

She smiled, reached out to take that hair, and with a flick, the black hair disappeared into the darkness.

His hand slowly dropped, but he said nothing.

She still had unresolved issues in her heart and hadn’t completely forgiven him.

It didn’t matter. The more she persisted in having principles, no longer naive and romantic, no longer easily moved by emotions, the more he should be happy for her.

Jing Hengbo was silent for a while, suddenly feeling something strange. Why wasn’t he putting on clothes, why wasn’t he getting up?

He wasn’t an exhibitionist.

“Hey, you…” She reached out to pull him. Her finger inadvertently brushed across his chest, suddenly feeling an intense cold. She was startled and was about to investigate thoroughly when suddenly there seemed to be a thunderous sound outside. The ground shook, and above there was a clattering sound as something collapsed, immediately blocking out the last trace of light.

“Burned down?” She looked upward, somewhat worried about getting out later.

“Not just that.” Gong Yin said. “There seems to be major activity in the distance too.”

“The Yan Sha Army has arrived.” Jing Hengbo’s lips curved up, her eyes flowing with smugness. “They’re always like this—wherever they go, they make the biggest commotion.”

He smiled wearily—the Yan Sha Army.

He should have thought of it earlier, but only thought of her backup plan just before reaching Sinking Iron City gates. This was what they called “concern leads to confusion.”

Jing Hengbo was bold but not reckless. She would never disregard others’ lives for personal desires. Yan Sha was the backup she had arranged long ago. If he truly hadn’t come, there was still the fierce Yan Sha.

Moreover, she had calculated the timing, making Yan Sha arrive a step later, just after Kanglong pressed step by step and the Crossbar Army completely surrendered. At that time, seeing his great success accomplished, Cheng Gumo would certainly feel settled and let his guard down. This was when the Yan Sha Army would storm the city, attacking Cheng Gumo from behind. Her subordinates who had surrendered would certainly turn again, attacking from front and back, perfectly wrapping Cheng Gumo in dumplings.

She had entered the royal city, drawing Cheng Gumo to wrap her in dumplings. When Cheng Gumo became the filling, she would wrap him in reverse.

This was originally a plan to kill three birds with one stone. Using the Sinking Iron incident to rush to Sinking Iron, transferring the battlefield there to avoid damage to her newly established foundation and harm to the people.

Then using this desperate situation to draw out Gong Yin.

Even if she couldn’t draw out Gong Yin, she could still feign surrender and use Yan Sha to coordinate from inside and outside to destroy Cheng Gumo.

Cheng Gumo had secretly come to Dai Mo and would definitely wage war against her. Rather than being besieged by Cheng Gumo, the Shangyuan Army, and the Fifteen Gangs on her own territory in Dai Mo, it was better to lure Cheng Gumo far to Sinking Iron for a decisive battle, minimizing battle losses.

Along this journey, Gong Yin had also thought through these matters clearly. At this moment, he felt not annoyed but comforted.

Perhaps he really could set his mind at ease.

She was naturally intelligent, just lazy about thinking. Now after long tempering, she had completely blossomed, surpassing ordinary people.

For a moment, he wanted to tell her about the Nine Heavens Gate matter, but stopped just as he was about to speak.

No, he couldn’t.

Once she knew the inside story of Nine Heavens Gate, she would definitely be able to discover his true condition. Then, with her temperament, she would go mad.

“Yan Sha has come…” At this moment, with her worries set aside, she suddenly felt extremely tired. The aftereffects of three days and nights without sleep finally struck now that the dust had settled. Her eyes drooped deeply, her speech became soft: “…I can also rest easy…”

He reached over with his arm and gently held her. “Then let’s get some sleep.”

She could no longer hear these words clearly. Though her heart resisted, she couldn’t fight the extreme physical exhaustion. Her mind was already a blur. Subconsciously, she burrowed into his arms, finding the most suitable and comfortable nest. Closing her eyes, she instantly entered dreamland.

Seeing her asleep, he finally let out a long breath. Instantly, his limbs trembled and cold sweat broke out all over his body.

He had endured for so long, afraid she would discover something wrong. Only now could he press his hand against the wall. With a crack, half the wall became covered in ice and snow.

He didn’t dare let ice and snow cover his whole body, afraid of affecting her sleep. With great difficulty, he guided the chaotic qi out, then with a soft sound, spat out a mouthful of stagnant blood.

Ever since freezing that needle, the aftereffect was internal injuries that would never heal. Every day he had to expel stagnant blood. He had waited until she fell asleep before daring to spit out this mouthful.

He didn’t forget to scrape some earth from the ground to cover the blood, afraid that when she woke up, she might smell the blood or see traces.

After doing all this, even deeper exhaustion struck. He no longer had strength, casually pulling his clothes to cover her and holding her close.

The two embraced like this, covered with clothes, sleeping on the muddy ground beneath the fire scene.