The shop boy was stunned for a moment. Seeing that the young master had already gone upstairs, he finally came to his senses slightly. He muttered to himself quietly that this young master’s complexion looked much better this time compared to last time. When he had seen him before, his face was ashen as death, without a trace of color. This time his spirit was much better than last time.

“Old sir, you’re heading to Nanjiang to find a divine physician for treatment this time, aren’t you?” the shop boy said casually to Uncle Zhong.

Who would have known that Uncle Zhong’s expression immediately changed, his eyes flashing with sharp light as he asked somewhat calmly, “Little brother, what do you mean by this?”

“Oh,” the shop boy naturally didn’t notice Uncle Zhong’s strange reaction and continued speaking carelessly, “I see your young master’s complexion looks much better than last time, and his spirit is greatly improved too. I imagine you must have also gone to Nanjiang to find a divine physician for treatment.”

“Is that so,” Uncle Zhong smiled faintly, his facial expression relaxing as well, saying lightly, “But little brother, you’ve misjudged this time. We went to Nanjiang to trade in medicinal materials. Did you see the horse carriage outside? This time we’re returning with a full load.”

“So the old sir is in the medicinal materials business in the north.” The shop boy didn’t think much of it. This place saw people coming and going, doing all kinds of business. Although Nanjiang had treacherous terrain, its products were extremely abundant. He didn’t ask any more questions and followed behind Uncle Zhong, escorting him upstairs.

When they reached the room of that young master from before, the shop boy tactfully stopped. Just as Uncle Zhong was about to enter the door, he suddenly turned around and said to the shop boy, “Little brother, do you really think my young master’s complexion is better than last time?”

“Ah?” The shop boy was startled, then immediately nodded repeatedly, saying, “Yes, indeed.”

“Hehe, in that case, many thanks for little brother’s auspicious words.” A snow-white silver ingot was casually tossed down as a reward. The door slowly closed. The shop boy felt his head becoming even more confused. Such a silver ingot – even if he worked hard for another two years, he wouldn’t be able to earn it. He fiercely pinched his own face, cried out in pain, and knew he wasn’t dreaming. He hurriedly went downstairs in great joy.

“Young Master.” All the windows in the room were tightly closed. A guard had just set down a large brazier, making it warm to the point of being almost stifling. Yet that white-clothed man sat quietly in a rocking chair beside the brazier, his expression serene without the slightest fluctuation.

“Everything has been arranged. We’ll rest here for a day, let the horses recuperate, replenish some food supplies, and set out early tomorrow morning.”

“Good, you go make the arrangements.” The man’s voice was distant and carried a trace of faint weariness, as if merely sitting in the horse carriage had already exhausted him greatly.

Uncle Zhong nodded and said in a low voice, “Young Master, please rest. I’ll go downstairs to prepare food.”

“Good.” The man’s eyes were slightly closed as he leaned back in the chair, his somewhat thin frame appearing rather frail. Yet looking at his face, he seemed ethereal and otherworldly, like a figure from a painting.

“Uncle Zhong,” a quiet voice suddenly rang out, stopping Uncle Zhong’s steps just as he was about to leave the room. The man thought for a moment, slowly opened his eyes – black as stars – and looked at the slightly hunched elderly man, saying in a low voice, “That woman we encountered on the road earlier, settle her properly and don’t let her continue following us.”

“This old servant understands.” Uncle Zhong nodded and said, “Does Young Master have any other matters?”

“No, you may go.”

The door creaked shut. Uncle Zhong called the shop boy and instructed him to find two women to care for the young girl they had picked up on the road, then left the inn with two guards.

Qing Xia’s head felt like it was about to split open. Her limbs and bones ached like needle pricks. Her consciousness gradually returned to her body. The entire world seemed to be dark, and she struggled through the darkness with difficulty.

In her daze, she saw many faces. She seemed to have returned to that dense jungle in Afghanistan. Countless artillery fire exploded around her. Her comrades’ bodies were blown to pieces. The overwhelming smoke made her cough violently. The sky was filled with the shadows of aircraft. The sound of radar buzzed in her ears. Beneath her feet were countless landmines equipped with infrared sensors. Behind her, a group of base soldiers with green camouflage paint on their faces carried assault rifles and charged at her frantically.

She turned and ran desperately. Fighter jets in the sky strafed downward in large sweeps. Enemies were everywhere, corpses of the war dead were everywhere. The country had been deceived by spies and issued an A-level kill order. There was nowhere for her to hide. She seemed to see Li Yang. He wore a crisp suit, a small-caliber pistol like a work of art gripped in his hand. Behind him were numerous Division 9 special agents who had once fought alongside her. These people wore gas masks and bulletproof vests, all pointing their dark gun barrels at her.

“Xiao Xia! Run quickly!”

A urgent cry suddenly rang in her ears, and Qing Xia’s consciousness became confused for a moment. She looked around bewildered. Xiao Xia? Who was Xiao Xia? I am Tang Xiaoshi, a top-level special agent 003 of Division 9.

“Xiao Xia! Follow behind me!” A man’s face suddenly appeared before her eyes. The man rode on a tall warhorse, his face full of anxiety and worry, his shoulders and chest covered with unstoppable fresh blood. Behind him, the Afghan mountains suddenly disappeared, replaced by a vast desolate plain. Countless soldiers in black clothes and black armor surged up like a flood. Arrows rained down everywhere like locusts. The man pushed and shoved her roughly, shouting loudly, “Fool, run! Run quickly!”

“Yang Feng!” Qing Xia suddenly recognized the man’s face. She wanted to reach out and grasp his hand tightly, but he grew farther and farther away, finally falling on a barren grassland with his back full of arrows.

Then the scene before her eyes changed again. Cold, piercing eyes stared at her fiercely. The man’s lips were tightly pressed together, his expression gloomy. He approached slowly, bit by bit, his voice low and carrying a terrifying gloom like the underworld: “Zhuang Qingxia, do you think you can escape? You can’t escape!”

“No…”

“Young Master.” The shop boy searched everywhere for Uncle Zhong, but after looking around, he couldn’t find the old man. Looking at the room in the left corner of the second floor, he thought for a moment then knocked and entered.

“Young Master, the young lady who came with you seems to have awakened.” The shop boy poked his head in slightly. Thick hot air hit his face. Before the shop boy could recover, his collar tightened at the back of his neck, and a guard lifted him out with one hand.

“Who let you enter!” The usually silent guard was furious, shouting angrily like an enraged lion.

The shop boy’s ears rang from his shouting, but before he could speak, the guard quickly turned around and bowed respectfully to the tightly closed door, saying, “Young Master, this humble one failed in his duty to guard. This humble one deserves death!”

“It’s just opening a door once, is it really that serious?” the shop boy muttered in his heart, just about to speak. The room door suddenly creaked and was slowly opened.

Although it was winter, this place bordered Nanjiang and was close to the sea, so the climate was very mild. During the day, it was almost no different from spring, and inside the inn it was warm and cozy. Yet that white-clothed young master was still wearing a large white fur cloak, looking exactly like an eccentric northern traveler.

“Forget it, don’t blame him.” A clear, gentle voice slowly rang out. That young master seemed naturally born with such a soft voice, and even his bearing unconsciously carried a power that put people at ease. He turned his head toward the shop boy and said, “Please, little brother, lead the way, and trouble you to call for a physician.”

“Very well, please follow me.” The shop boy quickly agreed and led the way.

In the midst of chaos, a weak person was running frantically. Countless demons and monsters shrieked as they chased behind her. The world was a dusky yellow, with thunder, lightning, and torrential rain everywhere. Just then, a clear, bright shadow suddenly appeared before her eyes. That person wore clean white clothes, elegant and pure, appearing so dazzling and eye-catching in the darkness. In her disheveled state, she suddenly reached out her hand. Her powerless hands seemed to suddenly gain tremendous strength, grasping that white figure tightly.

There was immediately a solid feeling in her palms. The storm seemed to stop in an instant. All things became quiet. Sunlight broke through the clouds, and the entire world became peaceful in that moment.

“Young Master!” The guard’s eyes widened as he cried out in alarm.

“Shh!” The white-clothed man suddenly turned his head, gave him a gentle look, and completely blocked whatever words he was about to say.

The white-clothed young master turned back to look at this pale woman who had just been changed into clean, light green silk dress. She appeared even thinner than himself, her eye sockets deeply sunken, her lips dry and cracked with whitish skin. The malnutrition from long periods without food was clearly evident in her sallow complexion. Her long eyelashes were like small fans, casting small shadows on her cheeks. Her delicate nose was slightly upturned, her two eyebrows tightly knitted together, forming an obvious furrow on her small face.

Her frame was small and thin, slightly curled up, making her appear even smaller. At this moment, she gripped his hand tightly like grasping a life-saving straw, holding on tensely as if using all her strength, with surprisingly great force. She was no longer as panicked and anxious as before, yet still cowered, her body even trembling slightly.

For a long time, he hadn’t had such thoughts. The white-clothed young master actually sat down beside her bed like this, reaching out his hand to pat gently on that thick quilt.

How long had it been, exactly how long had it been since she had slept well like this, slept peacefully like this? It was as if she were wrapped layer upon layer by a warm ocean, with warm seawater everywhere. She nestled within it, feeling a bone-deep sense of peace.