Human potential is without limit. Those who push through the hardest moments find they are capable of bearing even more than they thought.

The snow had piled thick and deep — and showed not the faintest sign of stopping. Today the wind had risen too, howling and swirling with snow, chilling a person to the bone from the inside out.

In such freezing conditions where even dripping water turned to ice, the group had no choice but to press forward.

Hua Zhi would not allow herself to retreat.

Gu Yanxi brought his horse to her side. “Today I must impose on you.”

Shao Yao chimed in beside him. “Hua Zhi, the weather is too severe — my horsemanship is not good enough. I’m afraid I cannot manage with a second rider.”

Hua Zhi nodded without ceremony and mounted the horse first.

Gu Yanxi followed, spreading open his thick cloak to shelter Hua Zhi within it. Their warmth mingled together, and even in this frozen landscape, Hua Zhi felt the heat from behind her seeping in.

“Hiyah!”

The horse broke into a run, faster and faster.

The saddle was only so wide. Seated together, even without pressing close, they did not have much room between them. From time to time they would brush against each other. At first, Hua Zhi managed to hold herself straight — but as time went on she could not sustain it, and thinking that the other party had no wife at home, she simply let herself relax. After all, if anyone was at a disadvantage it was she — as long as she did not mind, it would be fine.

Once she let go, the two were nearly pressed together. The benefit was plain: with something to lean against, Hua Zhi found the ride considerably easier.

Gu Yanxi made an unobtrusive adjustment to let Hua Zhi lean more comfortably, then made no other movement. He took this as a kind of discipline, knowing full well that his every action on this journey shaped the impression he made upon her. To earn Hua Zhi’s trust, his conduct along the road was of the utmost importance.

Each carried their own private thoughts, yet their cooperation grew increasingly seamless. Hua Zhi would take over the reins partway through, giving Gu Yanxi a chance to rest and recover. Alternating in this fashion, the day felt considerably lighter than those before.

The day’s stretch of road was the kind that did not reach a relay station before nightfall. Gu Yanxi led the group to a small village.

The sound of hoofbeats disturbed the village. After a burst of barking dogs and startled chickens and roosters, people gradually emerged from their homes — some holding carrying poles, others woodcutting blades — eyes vigilant and wary.

Hua Zhi recalled what Gu Yanxi had said before, and seeing it firsthand, she finally truly believed it: the people of the north had a fierce and bold temperament.

“Stay on the horse — I will go ahead.”

Instinctively, Hua Zhi pressed her hand over his where it held the reins, and turned to look at him.

A warmth stirred in Gu Yanxi’s chest. He said in a gentle voice, “Do not worry — I know someone here.”

Hua Zhi glanced toward the village. “I will have Dong Zi send two men to go with you.”

Gu Yanxi did not refuse her goodwill. After dismounting, he glanced at Shao Yao.

Shao Yao gave a slight nod, and Gu Yanxi was reassured. In matters of medicine and poison, the two had always gone hand in hand — and if anything, Shao Yao’s skill with poison surpassed even her skill with medicine.

Watching the group enter the village, Shao Yao brought her horse closer to ride alongside Hua Zhi. “Yan-ge is incredibly capable — anyone who tried to give him trouble, I would feel sorry for them… Lin Ying, you are being so unfair!”

Shao Yao quickly steered her horse a little further away, watching Lin Ying respond docilely to Hua Zhi’s single pat with deep indignation. Even other horses getting near was not permitted? That was outrageously possessive!

Thinking on it, Shao Yao felt a flicker of wounded feeling. Why was it that even the horse competed with her for Hua Zhi’s attention?

“You little troublemaker.” Hua Zhi smoothed the horse’s coat. It was perfectly clear that Lin Ying was simply playing with Shao Yao out of fondness, and doing so with such convincing flair that it managed to frighten her every single time.

There was a stir ahead. Hua Zhi looked up quickly, just in time to meet Gu Yanxi’s gaze from across the distance. The two looked at each other for a moment. A faint smile rose in Gu Yanxi’s eyes, and he gave a slight nod.

The weight in Hua Zhi’s chest lifted.

“This is Chen Tu — a man I have known for many years. Chen Tu, you may address her as Young Miss.”

“Young Miss.” Chen Tu called it out with crisp ease. Given the way the Shizi treated her, he would have called her the Shizi’s wife without a moment’s hesitation.

Hua Zhi dismounted and curtsied to him. “We have intruded upon you.”

Chen Tu quickly stepped aside to avoid accepting the bow. “Young Miss, what is this — everyone who travels far has their difficulties. The wind and snow are heavy — let us get inside quickly.”

Chen Tu’s house stood right at the village entrance. Just a few steps and they were there. Hua Zhi’s gaze swept around — and she noticed that all the people who had appeared earlier had retreated, and every door in the village was firmly shut again.

Inside and outside were two different worlds. A cup of hot water down, and with the hearth burning, the cloak was too warm to keep on before long. Hua Zhi went to the inner room, removed her cloak, washed her hands and face with warm water, and when she came out, the table was already spread with freshly baked flatbreads, their fragrance making the stomachs of everyone who had eaten nothing but dry provisions since midday rumble like war drums.

Chen Tu came striding in carrying a large earthen pot, calling out warmly as he set it down, “Come eat something hot and warm yourselves up — this cold is truly bitter.”

Gu Yanxi somewhat unfamiliarly began ladling soup into a bowl. Chen Tu could hardly allow the Shizi to serve himself and hurried to take over. Gu Yanxi placed the ladle in Chen Tu’s hand, then set the bowl he had filled — nearly to the brim — in front of Hua Zhi. “The flatbreads are tough. Eat them with the soup.”

“Thank you.”

The egg soup could not be called particularly good, but it went down piping hot, and by the end of the bowl, warmth had spread through the whole body. Whether or not it tasted good hardly mattered anymore.

Hua Zhi ate until she broke into a light sweat, then picked up her stool and moved it further from the fire.

Gu Yanxi finished his last piece of bread and noted: “Move a little closer — sweating is good for you.”

Hua Zhi had no choice but to move back toward the fire. In her relaxed state, she looked a little drowsy and languid.

Gu Yanxi had never seen Hua Zhi like this before. He could not help looking a little longer. When he sat down beside her, he found a perfectly reasonable excuse to do so: “Take out the map and have a look.”

Shao Yao, ever perceptive, went to the inner room and retrieved the map, bringing it over to hand to him.

Gu Yanxi spread it open across his lap and studied it. “Two more days of travel.”

Hua Zhi leaned over to look. As naturally as anything, Gu Yanxi shifted his stool a little closer to hers.

“Will we arrive the day after tomorrow, or the day after that?”

“The day after that. The further north we go, the colder it gets — for the horses’ sake, we cannot push too hard.” Gu Yanxi folded the map. “We will arrive by midday, the day after tomorrow.”

Two and a half days. Hua Zhi stared at the leaping flames. The warmth and the full stomach made her mind move just a little slower than usual.

“How long does the young miss plan to stay there?”

“Two or three days. I will need two proper days of rest before I can summon the courage to face the return journey.” Hua Zhi propped her chin in her hand, feeling that at this moment even her very bones were heavy with lethargy. “I fear the road back will be even harder.”

Gu Yanxi did not add any further discouragement. He simply said, “Perhaps we will be lucky — and by the time we return, the snow will have stopped.”

“Here’s hoping.” Hua Zhi smiled, choosing to ignore what she knew full well — that the thaw was even colder than the snow. “Tonight, I want to sleep right here by the fire.”

Chen Tu immediately said, “The sleeping platform in the room is fully heated — warmer even than here. If the Young Miss is tired, why not go in and rest there?”

“There is no reason to take over the host’s bed…”

“Please, I couldn’t allow that — I usually stay in the west room, and it is quite a mess in there. I would not presume to invite the Young Miss in.”

Hua Zhi understood immediately and stopped pressing. She rose, pulling Shao Yao with her. “Then I will not stand on ceremony.”

“No ceremony is needed whatsoever — Young Miss, please make yourself at home.”