Qin Zhiyan’s sleeve was gripped in Qing Xia’s hand. Under the lamplight, his face was as noble and pure as a serene lotus, his gentle smile surrounding Qing Xia like the vast ocean. When she first met Qin Zhiyan, she only felt he possessed an elegant, otherworldly temperament with the bearing of an immortal. But now, with increasingly frequent contact, his face had become even more breathtakingly handsome. He slowly sat down by Qing Xia’s bedside, his voice soft and light, as comfortable as willow leaves brushing across one’s cheek.

“Yima’er, I don’t want you to apologize to me. If you truly feel you owe me something, could you promise me one thing?”

Upon hearing this, Qing Xia quickly said, “Tell me. As long as I can do it, I’ll definitely do it.”

Qin Zhiyan smiled slightly and said in a deep voice, “This matter might be simple for others, but very difficult for you. Will you truly promise?”

Qing Xia was startled, but finally nodded, saying softly, “I trust you. No matter what you say, I’ll definitely agree.”

Qin Zhiyan extended his slender fingers to brush past the hair at Qing Xia’s temples, tucking it behind her ear. His voice was soothing as he smiled and said, “I only hope that in the future, whenever you want to do something, you’ll first consider your own safety. Don’t charge into battle for others anymore, disregarding your own life and death. I only hope you can live peacefully and happily like an ordinary woman, never getting hurt or bleeding again. I only hope you won’t pretend to be strong anymore – when you’re sad or upset, you can speak about it instead of swallowing all your tears. I only hope you won’t become a support for others anymore, shielding them from wind and rain until you’re covered in wounds. I hope you can also be weak sometimes, and when facing danger, you can lean on someone else and hide behind them.”

“Yima’er, I only hope you can live more simply, peacefully, and happily.”

Qing Xia lowered her head slightly, with chaotic emotions surging in her heart. Tears gently swayed in her eyes but never fell. The room was completely quiet, with the scent of calming incense slowly drifting through the air, creating an impulse to sleep deeply.

Qin Zhiyan’s smile was faint but warm. He put down the hand warmer and moved closer to Qing Xia, placing his hand on her slender shoulder. His voice was rich like aged wine, gentle as autumn wind through mulberry trees.

“Yima’er, if possible, I truly want to be the man you can depend on.”

“Qin Zhiyan?” Qing Xia’s voice rose slightly at the end as she lifted her head to look at this man who was always so calm and composed with surprise.

“Don’t be anxious,” Qin Zhiyan’s hand gently patted Qing Xia’s back, like soothing a child to sleep, holding Qing Xia in his embrace. “I can give you time and wait slowly. Right now, I only hope you can give me a chance to care for and protect you.”

Qing Xia’s tears finally flowed slowly. She leaned in Qin Zhiyan’s embrace, her cheek pressed against his chest, tears gradually dampening his faintly fragrant clothes.

This was a warmth she had never experienced before, and a peace of mind she had never known. Whether in her previous life or this one, her life had been like rootless withered grass, drifting wherever the cold wind took her, having seen too much autumn frost and harsh cold. She had struggled to survive, hoping for a place to settle and establish herself, but had never thought of finding a man who could accompany her and give her a stable life. Perhaps she had once secretly hoped for this with Chu Li, but that had been cruelly shattered by reality. At this moment, her mind suddenly became somewhat confused, with only some feelings of being moved, some grievances, and some indescribable emotions surging in her heart, finally turning into drops of tears flowing on his clothes.

Qin Zhiyan reached out to gently stroke her hair. At this moment, Qing Xia was as quiet and docile as a small cat. She had retracted her claws, put away her sharp weapons, withdrawn her killing intent and wariness, just like a child.

“Yima’er, if you have nowhere to go, stay by my side.”

The night was deep, with bright moonlight outside. Once upon a time, someone had also whispered to her like this. Those drifting past events had finally been swallowed and disappeared in the great tide of turbulent times, leaving no trace. And where was the person who once said these words now? Under which bright neon lights was he living his desired imperial life of jade food and fine wine, with splendor covering everything?

Qing Xia leaned in Qin Zhiyan’s embrace and slowly fell asleep.

If possible, let time stop at this moment – everything peaceful, the world quiet, all things well.

The Great Qin army that had stayed at Yao Pass for three days finally slowly embarked on their journey to White Deer Plain once again.

Qin Zhiyan sat in the carriage, leaning against soft cushions. His black hair was casually pinned up, wearing plain robes with wide sleeves and soft boots. He held a scroll in his hand, supporting his forehead with his hand as he read quietly. He looked nothing like a general leading troops to war, but clearly like a young master from an aristocratic family going on a pleasure trip.

Qing Xia sat in a corner of the carriage, holding a bronze hand warmer, tilting her head and staring at him intently with a slightly dazed expression. Her body hadn’t fully recovered yet. Fighting to exhaustion that day and losing too much blood required time to slowly recuperate. Moreover, she now had an impressive battle record – the delicate skin that Zhuang Qingxia had maintained for many years had been tortured by her until almost nothing remained. Major and minor wounds covered her body, completely destroying this beauty’s physical condition. She wondered if one day she was suddenly expelled from this body and the real Zhuang Qingxia returned, would she collapse from depression?

However, she never took these things to heart. In the modern world, her body had countless more injuries – gunshot wounds, knife wounds, everything imaginable. It was just that modern scar removal techniques were better, unlike here where things were so primitive that only some blood-activating and flesh-generating medicines could be used.

Xi Linchen had been genuinely troubled by the scars on Qing Xia’s body for a long time. Although Qing Xia told him several times it didn’t matter, she could only meet his guilty eyes. This child was convinced that everything happened because of him, so he had been very remorseful. No matter how Qing Xia tried to console him, it was ineffective.

Perhaps sensing Qing Xia’s vacant gaze, Qin Zhiyan put down his scroll and turned to look at Qing Xia, saying, “What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable riding in the carriage?”

“Hm?” Qing Xia was startled and came back to her senses, quickly shaking her head and saying, “No, I’m fine.”

Qin Zhiyan placed the scroll aside, picked up the teapot from the small table nearby, poured a cup of clear tea, and handed it to Qing Xia, saying, “You must be bored sitting in the carriage. If you’re bored, you can call Xi Linchen to keep you company.”

This carriage was extremely spacious, furnished with bookshelves, long tables, soft beds, incense burners, braziers, and other items. It was simply a small bedroom where three to five people could eat and chat without feeling crowded. Just as Qing Xia was about to speak, suddenly Qin Zhiyan’s brow furrowed slightly. He half-clenched his fist, placed it by his mouth, and began coughing heavily. A gust of cold wind blew in immediately. With a quick glance, Qing Xia saw that a corner of the carriage curtain had been blown open, with white cold air visibly entering. Qing Xia was quick with her hands and eyes – she grabbed the thick curtain and secured it with the small hook below, then half-knelt on the thick carpet beside Qin Zhiyan, nervously patting his back and asking gravely, “How are you? Are you alright?”

Qin Zhiyan coughed for quite a while before accepting the tea Qing Xia offered and drinking a sip, finally calming down somewhat. His cheeks had a slightly sickly flush from the ordeal, while other areas were pale as snow. He looked up at Qing Xia with a weak, faint smile, saying softly, “It’s nothing serious, just an old problem.”

Qing Xia knelt before him, looking up at his gentle eyes, feeling an indescribable depression. She slowly reached out her hand, stroking down along Qin Zhiyan’s chest, like a mother helping a child regulate their breathing.

“Qin Zhiyan, what illness do you actually have? Can you tell me?”

Qin Zhiyan smiled faintly, his palm brushing over Qing Xia’s head. He smiled gently, moving the corner of his mouth as he said warmly, “It’s some chronic old ailments. Don’t worry.”

Qing Xia slowly lowered her head. Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, she tactfully stopped asking. That day in Qingmu Hall, she had personally witnessed Qin Zhiyan vomiting blood – such a serious, potentially fatal condition couldn’t be as simple as he claimed. This person was always like this, making everything seem so light and effortless, but only he himself knew the dangers involved.

Qin Zhiyan, you always say I carry everything on my own shoulders, but aren’t you exactly the same kind of person?

“Then eat more pears.” Qing Xia casually picked up a golden pear from the fruit tray on the long table and handed it to him, saying, “You’re always coughing, so your respiratory system must not be good. Eating more pears is beneficial for both your throat and respiratory system. From now on, you must eat three a day – one each in the morning, afternoon, and evening.”

Qin Zhiyan smiled and nodded, his smile brilliant like a ray of pure sunlight.

“Don’t read anymore.” Seeing Qin Zhiyan pick up the scroll again, Qing Xia immediately snatched it away, casually flipping through it and seeing it contained geographical maps and terrain charts. She tossed it aside, saying, “We still have several days of travel ahead. Sleep for a while and rest first.”

Qin Zhiyan’s smile was faint. Upon hearing this, he nodded like someone who never had a temper, agreeing, “Alright.”

Inside the warm carriage, fine sandalwood burned quietly, with a light blue wisp of smoke rising straight up from the incense burner. Qing Xia arranged soft cushions for Qin Zhiyan and took out a thin blanket from a small chest, covering him with it. She smiled and said, “Sleep for a while. I’ll wake you when we reach Fan City.”

Tonight’s camping site was at Baizhang Yuan, twenty li from Fan City’s outskirts. This place had open terrain near the foot of Ming Mountain – an excellent location for army camping.

Through her observations during this period of military service, Qing Xia finally understood why Xichuan dared to open its borders wide and allow the other three nations to enter. The geographical division of the four nations was indeed an unprecedented masterpiece. No wonder the four nations had been mutually restraining each other for so many years, yet none had become so dominant as to be uncontrollable – it all stemmed from this terrain.