The sun had already risen, and sunlight shot through the high skylight, creating a bright strip where tiny dust particles constantly rose and floated gently in midair. A soft scratching sound gently arose, so faint that without careful listening, one might mistake it for the sound of mice crawling through the grass. The child sat leaning against a wall, eyes closed, appearing to be asleep. But behind her, a hand moved slowly, using a small stone to carefully grind against the earthen wall.

The sun rose and slowly set again, the clamor outside gradually subsided, and cold night covered the prosperous imperial capital. The patrolling jail guards made two rounds and then retreated, yawning. The moon rose to the center of the sky, and night grew deep. Then with a muffled “thud,” a large piece of earth brick fell into the grass.

“Yan Xun…”

A faint voice slowly arose, sounding so crisp in the deathly silent prison. The child peered through the hole, looking toward the adjacent cell. Wearing a white fur coat, the young man leaned against the opposite wall, stretching his legs generously as he sat in the dirty, withered grass, eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

“Yan Xun,” Chu Qiao lowered her voice and called carefully.

The young man’s eyelashes trembled slightly as he opened his eyes, looking around in confusion. Suddenly seeing the child’s clear eyes, he was immediately delighted. In a few movements, he crawled over and smiled at the opening: “Girl, you’re so clever.”

“Fool!” Chu Qiao immediately scolded in a low voice: “Keep your voice down, don’t let anyone hear.”

“Oh,” the young man mimicked her actions, looking around, then turned back with a silly smile, revealing a set of white teeth: “Girl, don’t be afraid. My father will send someone to rescue us. These fellows wouldn’t dare do anything to us.”

“Mm.” Chu Qiao nodded faintly without responding.

Yan Xun frowned: “Hey, you don’t believe me?”

“How would I dare not?” Chu Qiao stuck out her tongue and pouted: “But your father is coming to save you. I don’t have such capable relatives.”

Hearing this, Yan Xun smiled, his eyes bright as stars in the sky: “Don’t worry, I won’t abandon you. From now on, you’ll stay with me. I will protect you.”

A warm current suddenly flowed throughout her body. The eight-year-old child smiled lightly, her smile radiant as she nodded: “Then when we get out, you must treat me to something delicious. I’m almost starving.”

“No problem,” the young man agreed immediately: “Choose whatever you want to eat. As long as you can name it, I can get it.”

At some point, heavy snow had begun to fall outside. Snowflakes drifted in through the high skylight, bringing with them a cold wind that swept bone-chillingly through the icy cell. Just as Chu Qiao was about to speak, she suddenly shivered all over. Seeing this, Yan Xun hurriedly moved his face closer and saw that the child’s clothes were thin, her face pale, and her lips already purple from the cold. He immediately became anxious.

“Girl, are you cold?”

“It’s fine.”

“You’re wearing so little, you must be freezing to death.”

The young man suddenly stood up, quickly took off his great fur coat, and crouched down, trying to push it through the hole. Unfortunately, the fur coat was too thick; not even a sleeve could be passed through. Chu Qiao quickly pushed his clothes back: “Stop fooling around. It would be terrible if we were discovered.”

“What could happen if we were discovered?” Yan Xun snorted coldly, “When I get out, none of these people will be spared.”

“Save those harsh words for when you have the life to get out,” the child mocked, lifting her head slightly with a disdainful look.

Yan Xun was taken aback and snorted unhappily: “Just wait and see.”

The prison cell grew increasingly cold at night. Yan Xun leaned by the hole and suddenly said: “Girl, give me your hand.”

“Hm?” Chu Qiao was startled, “What did you say?”

“Your hand,” Yan Xun said while gesturing: “Give me your hand.”

The child frowned: “What are you going to do?”

“Don’t ask,” Yan Xun called impatiently: “When I tell you to give it to me, just do it.”

Chu Qiao muttered something quietly, then extended her slender arm, passing a small blue hand frozen from cold through the hole. She grasped at the air, waving it, and asked softly: “What are you going to do?”

The icy little hand was immediately grasped by someone. The young man’s hand was slightly larger. While holding her hand, he continuously blew warm breath on it, his eyes bright, his movements clumsy as he blew and asked: “Is that better? Warmer?”

The night was desolate, the cold moon frosty. Outside, the snowflakes fell increasingly urgently, drifting through the skylight and covering the cold prison. The child sitting against the wall corner was suddenly dazed, her misty large eyes immediately feeling sore. She nodded hard but suddenly realized that the person opposite couldn’t see, so she made a sound of agreement with a slightly nasal voice.

“Hehe,” Yan Xun chuckled happily: “Girl, what’s your name? I heard Zhuge’s fourth son call you Xing’er. Is that your real name?”

“No,” the child answered in a low voice. A warmth like gentle lake water continuously transmitted from her arm, her blood flow gradually improving. She leaned against the wall and said softly: “My name is Chu Qiao.”

“Chu?” Yan Xun frowned, his movements unconsciously stopping: “Aren’t you the child of former Personnel Ministry Assistant Jing Yidian? How could your surname be Chu?”

“Don’t ask,” the child’s voice was low but carried an indescribable solemnity: “Yan Xun, no one knows this name. I’m only telling you alone. You must remember it, but don’t tell others.”

Yan Xun was startled, then suddenly understood, thinking it might be some family secret that would be dishonorable if revealed. He immediately felt a sense of satisfaction, thinking she must consider him one of her own to tell him such a secret. He quickly patted his chest in guarantee: “Mm, don’t worry, I won’t say a word even if I die.”

“What should I call you then?” the young man immediately frowned and said: “How about I call you Xiao Qiao?”

“No,” Chu Qiao immediately thought of the Eastern Wu beauty from the Three Kingdoms period and frowned in objection: “Don’t call me that.”

“Why?” Yan Xun asked puzzledly: “Then can I call you A-Chu?”

“Hmm…” Chu Qiao thought carefully for a moment, then nodded: “Alright, call me that.”

Yan Xun was delighted: “A-Chu!”

“Mm.”

“A-Chu!”

“I heard you.”

“A-Chu! A-Chu!”

“Will you ever stop?”

“A-Chu A-Chu A-Chu!”

…

“A-Chu, that hand.”

The child obediently withdrew the now-warm hand and extended the other. Yan Xun held the child’s arm, blew a couple of breaths, and finding his own hands also cold, simply opened his front garment and tucked the child’s hand inside his clothes.

“Ah!” Chu Qiao exclaimed softly, immediately trying to pull back.

“Haha,” Yan Xun laughed heartily, gripping tightly and refusing to let go, “Getting a big advantage, aren’t you? I bet you’re secretly happy.”

“Nonsense!” Chu Qiao snorted, her small palm pressed tightly against the young man’s chest. The night was so quiet that she could even feel Yan Xun’s heartbeat, so powerful, one beat after another. The young man was thin, but from years of horseback riding and martial arts practice, his body was very well-built, his chest covered with well-defined muscles.

The young man held the child’s hand and sat down leaning against the wall, speaking in a gentle voice: “A-Chu, when this matter is settled, come back to Yan Bei with me. Whatever concerns you have, I’ll find someone to handle them for you. The world is so chaotic—where could a small child like you go? If you encounter bad people, you’ll likely be bullied. You may seem fierce, but that’s because you haven’t met truly evil people. If you ever do, and I’m not by your side to protect you, you’ll suffer.”

Chu Qiao leaned against the wall, dry straw at her feet, flying white snow in front of her. Her eyes seemed to look so far, yet also seemed limited to just the scene before her. Where did she want to go? Perhaps she didn’t know.

Not hearing Chu Qiao’s answer, Yan Xun continued: “I don’t know why, I just want to help you. When I first saw you at the hunting ground, I thought this little child was quite interesting. Though so tiny, you were so fierce. I couldn’t bring myself to hurt you. I’ve been in the capital for so many years, and it was the first time I lost to that bastard Zhao Che. Just thinking about it makes me angry.”

The third watch drum suddenly sounded from the distant street. The young man’s voice seemed somewhat ethereal, faint, and distant: “A-Chu, Yan Bei is beautiful, with very little warfare. In summer, green pastures are everywhere. My father, my eldest brother, my third brother, and I often rode horses to hunt wild horses on the Fire Thunder Plains. I was still small then, only seven or eight, unable to ride large horses. My eldest brother let me ride the foals born to the captured horse king. I was always angry, feeling he looked down on me. I gradually understood that he was just afraid of hurting me. My third brother had the worst temper and often fought with me. When angry, he would lift me high, shouting that he would dash me to death. Then my second sister would rush over and whip him, and they would fight. Though my third brother was strong, he couldn’t even beat my second sister. I looked down on him then, but thinking about it now, perhaps he was just unwilling to fight with my second sister.”

“When winter comes, Yan Bei has heavy snow for over a month. We go to the Shuobei Plateau where there’s Huihui Mountain, high and steep, with many hot springs. My mother is from Bian Tang and can’t stand the northern cold. Her health isn’t very good, so she lives in the traveling palace by the hot springs for half the year. We always sneak out of school to see her behind my father’s back, only to find that father has already arrived at the traveling palace ahead of us.”

The moonlight was bright, casting a clear radiance on the ground. The young man’s face suddenly became so gentle, with a warmth that Chu Qiao had never seen before.

“A-Chu, our Yan Bei isn’t like the imperial capital here, where fathers, sons, brothers, sisters, husbands, and wives can all become enemies. Here there are hidden arrows and plots everywhere, greed and lust everywhere, and decaying music and dance alongside starving commoners. On our Yan Beiland, there is little warfare, no refugees, everyone has enough to eat, and even slaves can live according to their wishes. A-Chu, come back to Yan Bei with me. There, you can live better. With my protection, no one will ever bully you again, no one will ever point arrows at you. I’ll take you to hunt wild horses on the Fire Thunder Plains. I’ll take you to Huihui Mountain to see my mother. She’s a very gentle person; you will like her.”

The air was so quiet, with only the young man’s somewhat deep voice quietly narrating. The thinly clothed child suddenly felt very warm. She looked up, seemingly seeing the Yan Bei that Yan Xun described—the green pastures, the snow-white crystalline Huihui Mountain, the galloping wild horse herds, hearing the hearty laughter of the youths, and the free-flowing wind.

Her lips slowly curved into a faint smile, and she nodded firmly, saying softly: “Alright, let’s go to Yan Bei.”

Throughout the long night, in the cold and damp imperial prison, two small children sat in their cells on opposite sides of a wall. Their hands penetrated the barrier between them, holding tightly together.

Let’s go to Yan Bei. We will escape.