People often say: a timely snowfall heralds a prosperous year.

By the time this heavy snowfall blanketed Shun Cheng, the Bei Di Army was already fully assembled and ready to march.

Yan Qing had long since prepared all of Shi Ting’s daily necessities. Liu Yin, who had been injured in the train accident last time, had by now largely recovered, and with the Commander’s approval, he would accompany Shi Ting to the border.

The Xi Nan Army had been advancing in a swift, unstoppable thrust, their momentum impossible to check. Only the Li Family Army was currently holding the line against them. It was owing entirely to the Li Family Army’s valor and fighting spirit that the Xi Nan Army had been held at bay—yet the Xi Nan Army came on with such ferocity that the Li Family Army could not withstand them alone.

“The funds are still far from sufficient, aren’t they?” Yan Qing fastened the buttons of Shi Ting’s overcoat. “I will think of more ways to help from this end.”

“Rest and take care of yourself—leave this sort of thing to me,” Shi Ting said tenderly. “All you need to do is look after yourself. Communication will be difficult out there, so I may not be able to contact you often. If you hear nothing from me, do not worry—whatever happens, trust me.”

“Mm.” Yan Qing nodded obediently. “Everything here will be in good order. You must come back safely.”

“I promised you I would, and I will keep that promise.” Shi Ting’s fingertips grazed softly across her face, his eyes heavy with reluctance. “Qing Qing, wait for me.”

Yan Qing fastened the last button and forced back the tears welling in her eyes, not wanting him to carry worry with him as he left.

“Done. Go now.” She smoothed his collar, and with others present, she could make no open gesture of intimacy. Only her eyes could convey the depth of her reluctance and worry.

Shi Ting squeezed her hand, then turned and strode away.

He had barely stepped through the gate when a vast motorcade appeared in the distance, and walking at its head were Qiao Yiran and Old Master Qiao.

“Why has Yiran come?” Yan Qing looked at Qiao Yiran approaching and exchanged a glance with Shi Ting.

Shi Ting seemed to have guessed, but was not certain, until the father and daughter drew close and Old Master Qiao cupped his hands in a salute. ‘Young Commander, I rushed as fast as I could, and I have managed to arrive before your departure.’

“What brings you here, Master Qiao?” Shi Ting looked at the motorcade behind them.

“Young Commander, you helped our Qiao Family find the treasure map, and following that map, I have transported all the valuables back to Shun Cheng. The journey was full of jolts and delays, and then there was the snowfall that held us up further—but thankfully we have arrived before you left the city.”

Old Master Qiao glanced back at the motorcade, then cupped his hands toward Shi Ting once more. ‘These valuables originally belonged to all three families. But since the Chen and Xu families have no surviving members, our Qiao Family cannot in good conscience keep what belongs to others. So after discussing the matter with my entire household, we decided: since it was the Young Commander who helped find the map, and it was the Young Commander who brought the murderers of the Chen and Xu families to justice, their share of the valuables should rightly be handed over to the Young Commander. Beyond that, as a gesture of gratitude, our Qiao Family is also willing to offer half of our own portion of the valuables to the Young Commander for military expenses. We humbly ask the Young Commander to accept.’

Shi Ting had clearly not anticipated this from Old Master Qiao. When the treasure map was found, he had only thought of returning the assets to their rightful owners—yet it was clear that Old Master Qiao was no greedy man. He understood reason and knew how to repay a kindness.

“Young Commander, please do not hesitate. Were it not for you cracking this case, these valuables would have remained buried in the mountains indefinitely—who knows whose hands they would have fallen into a hundred years from now. It is only right that the Young Commander accept them. Even if the spirits of the Chen and Xu families could see this, they would agree with what we are doing today.” Qiao Yiran looked toward Yan Qing. “Yan Qing, don’t you think so?”

With enemies pressing at the gates, money was what the Bei Di Army needed most. With this wealth to supplement them, it would be as if a tiger had gained wings.

Yan Qing had long heard that the fortune buried in the mountains by these families was immense—enough to sustain an entire army.

And so it was that Shi Guang had ordered Zuo Liang to stop at nothing to track down its whereabouts.

Yet through all the twists and turns, this fortune had ended up in Shi Ting’s hands—as though it had been destined for him all along.

Without the Chen and Xu massacre cases, without the journey to Hong He, these valuables would never have seen the light of day, and the Qiao Family would never have recovered their ancestral wealth.

At this moment, Shi Ting had no reason to refuse. He pressed his fist to his chest in a salute toward Old Master Qiao: ‘Xing Zhi thanks you both. There are no words adequate to express my gratitude—but when the Bei Di Army returns in triumph, I will sit down with Master Qiao for a proper drink, and we shall not stop until we are drunk.’

Old Master Qiao, moved, returned the salute with equal fervor: ‘Then Master Qiao and the entire Qiao household wish the Young Commander a swift and victorious return.’

Shi Ting had the valuables organized, and before long the vast and imposing army was arrayed in formation, ready to march.

Yan Qing stood at the entrance of the Shi Mansion, Luo Huaimeng and Qiao Yiran at her sides.

Luo Huaimeng watched her son ride away on a tall horse, tears glistening in her eyes. She raised her handkerchief and dabbed them gently away.

“Mother, he will come back,” Yan Qing said softly. “All we need to do is wait for him.”

“Yes, yes, Xing Zhi will surely return safe and sound. I hope he comes back victorious before the baby is born.” Luo Huaimeng gazed at the receding column and raised her hand in a quiet farewell.

Shi Ting sat upright on his horse and did not look back—not once—until he had passed through the city gates. Only then did he rein in his horse and turn to face the direction of the city walls, toward the quarter of the city where the Shi Mansion stood.

However much reluctance he held for her, was how difficult it was to part. He had not looked back because he feared his resolve would soften and waver.

He had reassured her, urged her to trust him—yet bullets had no eyes, and the battlefield showed no mercy. He could not guarantee that he would truly emerge unscathed.

He could only do his utmost to honor his promise, and hope that when he returned, she would be well in every way.

He would carry her longing with him into battle and win this war. He would come home to her, and they would grow old together.

~~~

Yan Qing calculated the time—Shi Ting’s army would have left the city by now. She stood in the courtyard wrapped in a cloak, her gaze fixed in the direction of the city gate.

“Miss, you have been standing here for a very long time,” Murong said, bringing over a small hand warmer. “The Young Commander has long since passed through the gate. Stay out any longer and you will catch a chill.”

“Mm.” Yan Qing would not take chances with her own health—yet with him gone, part of her heart had gone with him too, leaving a hollow ache in her chest, as though she had lost the most essential thing in the world.

If she were not pregnant and did not have their child to protect, she would have gone with him to the battlefield without hesitation. That would have been far better than staying home and living in constant dread.

No matter how many times he had insisted he would return safely—it was a battlefield out there. Bullets flying, artillery blazing, and even a commander directing operations from the rear was not fully safe.

Yan Qing let out a quiet sigh. “Let us go inside.”

Worrying solved nothing. Worry would not change a single thing.

In the time he was away, she would manage the household well on his behalf—so that when he returned, what awaited him would be a warm and familiar home.