Never met before, how can we recognize each other?

These nine words pierced deeply into Ji Yunshu’s heart.

Her palm slowly closed, gripping that crown pearl tightly.

As if gripping a sharp blade, cutting along the fine lines of her palm until blood flowed freely.

She asked through the pain: “Since you say we’ve never met, then I ask you, three years ago, who were you?”

Uh!

A flash of astonishment crossed Li Chuan’s eyes, but it vanished in an instant, barely visible!

He said: “Since childhood, I grew up in the mountains with my master. Eight years ago, I descended the mountain and entered Yanjing. I’ve never left Qujiang territory, so whether you ask about three years ago or six years ago, my answer will be the same.”

Ji Yunshu shook her head slightly, smiling bitterly. She reached out her hand, touching Li Chuan’s half-mask bit by bit. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she gazed deeply at his cold, hard eyes and said: “The night before I left Gaoding, Brother Lang Bo told me that when you were trapped in the great fire, you used lip-reading to tell him four words for me: ‘This life, I will not fail you!'”

Li Chuan froze: “…”

“‘This life, I will not fail you!’ Those were your own words. Why is it that now, when I stand before you, you treat me as a stranger?”

He turned his head away, his body leaning backward.

Causing her hand to pause in mid-air!

Li Chuan said: “Whether you believe what I say or not is up to you. If you have doubts, I can take you to Yanjing and ask around to find out.”

Her hand slowly lowered as she said: “If you have the heart to hide, even if I asked everyone under heaven, the answers I receive would all be the same. I only trust my own heart, trust my own feelings! Even if everyone says it’s not true, I know that you are him!”

“Whatever you like!” Li Chuan rose abruptly and walked to sit beside the fire.

In his view, this woman was very stubborn!

Stubborn enough to sacrifice her own life to find the person in her heart.

How deep must that love be to make a person search so obsessively?

This was something Li Chuan had never experienced!

He only knew that he had grown up in the mountains since childhood, following his master for many years of training before entering Yanjing and becoming a disciple under his master!

A lifetime of only killing and obedience!

Romantic feelings between men and women were like poison—not to be touched even slightly.

Therefore, he had developed such a cold and ruthless nature.

But today, he had saved this young lady, carrying her all the way here.

It was as if something in his heart was inexplicably pulling at him!

Ji Yunshu looked at him, at that half-face illuminated by firelight with its sharp angles—his eyebrows, eyes, nose…

It was clearly him!

Just at this moment—

A commotion suddenly came from the distance.

Li Chuan instantly became alert, immediately extinguishing the fire before him, kicking sand several times to cover it!

Force of habit!

Ji Yunshu also grew tense.

Li Chuan quickly ran up the sand dune to observe. In the distance, several torches burned, approaching in their direction.

When they drew closer, he saw a banner.

On the banner, prominently written in bright red, was the character “Jing.”

Uh!

It was…

Li Chuan immediately turned back, grabbed Ji Yunshu’s hand, and headed to the opposite sand dune.

“What happened?”

“Just follow me!”

He led her to the opposite sand dune, hiding behind it, lying on top to look over there.

The distant lights drew closer and closer. After crossing a sand dune, they approached the water source where they had just been.

It was a party of over twenty people!

The group also had over ten camels and several horses, all laden with goods!

Those people wore uniform dark black robes and black armor. Clearly they weren’t a merchant caravan but soldiers under some noble house.

Even in this desolate desert, they still exuded an imposing air.

The leader riding ahead was a man who appeared to be around forty, with a long scar across his face. The two people beside him held banners with the large character “Jing” written on them!

Jing?

Ji Yunshu searched her mind—which noble family or royal house or minister-general had the title character “Jing”?

Before she could think further, her gaze was drawn to a coffin being pulled at the rear of the formation.

The coffin was covered with black cloth!

A canopy had been erected over it to shield it from wind and rain.

Strange!

Who exactly were these people? Why would they carry a coffin through the Nansai Desert?

Seeing the water source appear before him, the leader immediately raised his hand and ordered: “Stop. We’ll camp here tonight and rest.”

“Yes!”

Everyone dismounted.

They set up camp at this location.

The leader walked to the coffin and instructed: “Guard it well. If there’s even the slightest mishap, I’ll have your lives.”

“Yes!”

Those pulling the coffin didn’t dare be the least bit careless. They carefully lifted the coffin down from the cart and quickly erected a tent on the spot!

Guarding it well.

Ji Yunshu glanced at Li Chuan beside her. Seeing his tightly furrowed brow and his earlier behavior, it was clear he knew something.

Perhaps he even knew these people.

“Who are they?” she asked.

Li Chuan’s sharp gaze fixed firmly on them as he said: “Knowing too much about some things does you no good.”

She stopped asking that question and only asked: “Then should we leave here quickly?”

“Leave?” A mocking look flashed through Li Chuan’s eyes as he stared at those people and said, “Without supplies and camels, even with ten lives, you and I couldn’t walk out of the Nansai Desert.”

Ji Yunshu immediately understood his meaning: “You want to…”

“What? Is there another way?”

Indeed there wasn’t!

They hadn’t eaten a single bite for a day and night already!

Li Chuan had originally planned that along the way they might encounter some merchant caravans, which would allow them to safely leave this place. But for the entire day, besides this woman who stubbornly followed him, he hadn’t seen a single soul!

Therefore, he had to find a way to save himself!

Those people brought so many camels and such abundant supplies—how could he not take them?

But—

Ji Yunshu had concerns. She worried: “Your arm wound was just bandaged. You can’t take risks! Besides, there are many of them. There’s no way to get close.”

“You don’t need to worry about that! I have my own way of sneaking in.”

“Then I must go with you!” Ji Yunshu said.

“No! Once discovered, we’ll both die.”

“You’ll need to lead the camels with one hand and search for food and water with the other—two hands won’t be enough.”

Li Chuan still disagreed: “You following me will only get in the way. I won’t be able to look after you!”

“I…”

“You’d better remember! If I’m discovered, you immediately head in the direction we traveled today and keep going forward. You might encounter a merchant caravan, then you can find a way to leave with them. Or perhaps you can return to that inn and figure something out!”