Qin Chang Ge, pinned down tightly, looked up at the sky with mixed emotions of crying and laughing. This man truly took her for Ruiyi, even remembering that she was ticklish. Once touched at that spot three fingers below her waist, she would easily go weak all over. In her previous life, with supreme martial arts as her foundation, she never allowed anyone to get close. Even if occasionally touched, she could resist with her inner power, so only he knew this weakness. Unlike her current body, which surprisingly had the same problem. Worst of all, because her martial arts cultivation was incomplete, she couldn’t even resist with inner power and had to let him take liberties.

Tear away… tear away… unless you make it real… otherwise you must…

Rip.

The sound made blood boil in the silent night.

…

Xiao Jue was already drunk.

Ningzhu fragrance had potent aftereffects – one jar could knock out a strong man with its wine’s aroma, and in his melancholy, he had downed two jars.

In his dizzy, swaying vision, all scenery swayed as if in misty water, creating lingering, intertwining shadows.

…Her eyes flowed like honey, she was as vivacious as an oriole, her brows gathered like distant mountains, she was graceful and clever. That light, delicate breathing was like a butterfly in the wind – each rise and fall was a romantic poem, every word and sentence an invitation.

Hands rising and falling, undergarments departed the jade-like body with romantic spring breezes. The pearl-white tribute satin chest band embroidered with twin carp floated down like a rose petal onto the snow.

Snow-white peaks on accumulated snow, fragrant pomegranate pearls glowing red.

Xiao Jue felt a thunderous roar in his mind as blazing fire erupted.

Fierce flames wrapped around his body, burning away reason and soul, all turning to ash buried deep in distant years.

In the rising firelight, human figures twisted and entwined like vines, flourishing luxuriantly in the extreme silence of the snowy night.

Xiao Jue moaned softly, about to rush forward with passionate enthusiasm that had been suppressed for so long and now stirred infinitely, along with the blazing fire in his heart, toward that snowy mountain range that could grant eternal peace and coolness.

But then a crimson beauty mark, bright as cherry blossoms on her chest, struck his vision.

Bloodless yet burning hot, bloody yet forest-cool.

Boom!

Like hot flames meeting polar snow.

Instantly extinguished by the cold, bloody color.

…This mark… this mark…

The stunning color, large as a lovesick red bean, so vivid against the jade-white skin that self-deception was impossible.

When did Chang Ge’s body ever have a mark?

She wasn’t Chang Ge…

Not… not…

Never mind if she is or isn’t… never mind… never mind… so beautiful… so similar…

No… no… cannot…

Lust surged wildly, his body screamed madly, voice after voice clamoring with galloping desire. But reason and emotion wouldn’t allow him to indulge in such defilement. Xiao Jue’s hands froze in mid-air as if fixed there.

After a long while, he finally let his hands drop in defeat, swept away by exhaustion like a tide. He rolled over sharply, tumbling off Qin Chang Ge’s body directly into the snow, not even bothering to get up, just lying there with both hands covering his eyes, pillowing on snow to sleep.

Qin Chang Ge sat up unhurriedly, unhurriedly picked up her chest band, tied it properly, and arranged her clothes.

Throughout this, she kept turning her head to observe Xiao Jue. The noble emperor lay motionless in the snow without any concern, his golden crown fallen, black hair scattered across the white background. His handsome profile was perfect as a painting, yet also a painting with melancholy brushstrokes. His deep purple dragon brocade robe with thirty-four gold threads and bright yellow silk belt with beeswax stones, eastern pearls, turquoise, and red coral were half-covered in broken snow.

Sighing softly, Qin Chang Ge stood, took a jar of wine, and leaned against the broken bridge railing with a half-smile, drinking mouthful by mouthful.

Under the moonlit night, plum blossoms bloomed half-open with subtle fragrance floating – beautiful with a kind of cold, resolute decisiveness.

After finishing, she tossed the jar aside. Qin Chang Ge said indifferently to His Imperial Majesty who was cooling his lust against the cold snow: “Your Majesty… you saw for yourself that Ming Shuang is not Ruiyi. Ming Shuang also doesn’t wish to be anyone’s substitute. Since what you want will forever be only that one person, why involve the innocent?”

She casually threw the gray squirrel fur cloak over Xiao Jue, saying softly: “Everything can be copied, except emotions.”

Without looking back, Qin Chang Ge turned and left. Under the deep wooden corridor, octagonal lanterns swayed constantly in the wind, casting her slender shadow that stretched gracefully like floating clouds. Her walking posture was like an empress slowly descending from a treasured carriage, her feet treading upon vast rivers and mountains.

At this moment she wasn’t the little palace maid Ming Shuang – she was Qin Chang Ge, a legendary beauty, a mythical divine empress. Under the lingering, puzzled gaze of the man behind her who knew her most intimately in her previous life, she no longer needed to cover up with repeated concealment.

Xiao Jue, as long as I verify your innocence, I will give you a chance.

But I won’t even be my own substitute.

If you’re clever enough, then go find the answers yourself.

…

The soft down on the warm cloak brushed against Xiao Jue’s face, faintly giving off a refreshingly cool fragrance, familiar enough to stir his heart even now.

Slowly sitting up, with a thoughtful expression in his eyes, Xiao Jue looked at the wine jar Qin Chang Ge had tossed aside, grabbed it, and tilted his head back to drink those few remaining drops.

He slowly rotated the jar, holding the mouth toward the moonlight, examining it carefully as if observing some rare treasure.

The exquisite double-eared, round-bellied jar with carved flying eagle patterns had a bright glaze that emitted pale blue light in the moonlight. The mouth was neat and clean, but in one spot, it faintly showed a pale luminescence without any color.

Frowning slightly, Xiao Jue pondered for a long time, murmuring:

“How is everything… seemingly true yet false…”

…

Third day of the winter month, city outskirts, Wanyang Pavilion.

The snow from two days ago had mostly melted. The weather remained somewhat overcast, with withered grass scattered disorderly in the wind, carrying line after line of bleak poetry.

In the bone-piercing cold wind, Su Xuan still wore spotless single robes, sleeves fluttering, posture elegant and free. He watched with a smile as Qin Chang Ge crouched down to personally tie the cloak strings for Chu Feihuan who had come along to see them off. A trace of faint melancholy surfaced in his eyes, immediately covered by that carefree smile.

Raising the blue and white pot in his hand, he poured three cups of wine, smiling: “It’s cold, drink some hot wine to invigorate the blood and drive away the chill.”

Qin Chang Ge accepted the cup, finding it indeed slightly warm to the touch. She glanced at Su Xuan’s seemingly unremarkable but extraordinarily intricate carriage, then examined the two divine, handsome white horses hitched to it, couldn’t help but smile: “Leader Su enjoys luxury.”

“I originally wanted to ride, but carrying some gifts made it inconvenient.” Su Xuan smiled. “When visiting elders, one shouldn’t go empty-handed.”

Taking a shallow sip of wine, Chu Feihuan’s pale face showed a trace of pink, his eyes becoming even more fluid and brilliant as crystal under the wine’s influence, his appearance startlingly refined. “Honoring one’s master should be wholehearted. Leader Su has always been thoughtful.”

Looking at Chu Feihuan with some surprise, Qin Chang Ge knew that Chu Feihuan was typically the type who preferred to speak as little as possible. After his injury and illness, he became even more taciturn, never speaking unnecessarily. He was… probing?

“Hmm… Brother Chu flatters me,” Su Xuan’s smile was open and bright. “Though not my master, it’s quite similar. But I think it’s more appropriate to call him benefactor… Every three years, I have the fortune to personally receive his venerable teachings, truly an incomparable blessing.”

His tone was full of longing admiration, stirring Qin Chang Ge’s curiosity. Su Xuan valued loyalty and righteousness highly – for his benefactor who had only half-saved her, he was still willing to mobilize his entire sect’s power for revenge. This “benefactor” he now so admired and yearned for – what great kindness had he shown Su Xuan? And what lengths would Su Xuan go to for him?

Holding her wine cup, Qin Chang Ge thought indifferently that Su Xuan clearly knew Chu Feihuan was probing, yet answered frankly without taking offense at Feihuan’s inappropriate questioning. He truly was an upright gentleman. And Chu Feihuan, probing Su Xuan who had been sincere to her, showed no guilt whatsoever. That was just Feihuan’s way – he wasn’t base, he simply always put her interests first. As for others’ kindnesses, he remembered them and would never repay kindness with enmity, but he definitely wouldn’t soften when employing certain necessary small tactics.

These supremely intelligent people, any one of whom could stir up storms, had now gathered around her again. Was it calamity? Was it fate?

Lost in thought, she suddenly saw Su Xuan, who was raising his head to drink, pause his hand.

Chu Feihuan lowered his head to drink, his clear gaze shooting out from over the cup rim like a blade.

With a flip of his wrist, Su Xuan smiled and called out: “Come out!”

The remaining wine in his cup shot out like a silver dragon, instantly condensing into an ice column. With howling, fierce wind sounds, it struck directly toward grass several yards ahead.

Just before reaching the grass, the ice column suddenly shattered, transforming into countless ice needles. Each twisted direction – those originally heading left suddenly turned right, those originally on the right suddenly flew diagonally, and some collided with each other, splashing into even smaller ice needles, covering the entire area that could hold four or five people without missing a drop.

Qin Chang Ge raised her wine cup in praise: “Excellent technique!”

But Chu Feihuan said: “Leader Su must be skilled in mechanisms and hidden weapons.”

The two exchanged glances, clearly thinking alike.

By now the ice needles had entered the grass, followed by cries of pain. The hidden guests who had originally seen the plain ice column flying toward them and prepared weapons, hadn’t expected the ice column to transform into thousands of mysterious, unpredictable forms that covered all their escape routes. None could dodge in time, all continuously struck.

Su Xuan smiled, saying to the two: “I’ll go take a look.”

He strolled forward.

But brown figures suddenly leaped up.

Three human figures total – one pouncing on Su Xuan, one on Chu Feihuan, one on the carriage.

Su Xuan raised his eyebrows, sneering coldly. With a wave of his sleeve, the person pouncing at him seemed pulled backward by an invisible powerful force, somersaulting backward and falling several yards away, landing heavily on the ground. While waving his sleeve, Su Xuan flowed like water in retreat, his finger extending to the crown of the head of the person attacking Chu Feihuan.

However, Chu Feihuan didn’t need his help. The moment that person pounced, Chu Feihuan struck with his elbow, and a short sword radiating cold light suddenly emerged from his sleeve. Flicking his finger, Chu Feihuan used skillful force to spin the short sword, aiming directly at the opponent’s eyes.

That person hadn’t expected this disabled man to have such sharp reactions and vicious methods. With dazzling light before his eyes and fierce wind behind his head, in great alarm but showing remarkable adaptability, his body went limp like noodles, folding several times and sliding down from in front of Chu Feihuan’s knees to the ground.

Chu Feihuan looked coldly at the man sliding down along his knees, truly wishing his legs could move so he could kick this shameless fellow into eighteen pieces.

Su Xuan couldn’t help but laugh heartily. Changing his probing gesture to grasping, he lifted the boneless fellow through the air, then without even looking, swept him sideways with one arm. Bang! He struck squarely into the last brown-clothed man who had climbed onto the driver’s seat, forcefully knocking him off the carriage!

In the blink of an eye, all three were dealt with.

But someone took a deep breath.

“Good martial arts, good beauties.”

Su Xuan spun around sharply.

Chu Feihuan’s gaze turned cold.

Beside the pavilion, behind Qin Chang Ge, a man in gold robes now stood, his eyebrows slanting upward, pupils showing overlapping reflections, hair color lighter than ordinary people’s. When he smiled, he appeared both wild and gentle. Though clearly not young, he possessed a strange charisma – like a black whirlpool drawing people to fall and explore.

His golden robe was brilliantly radiant, extremely arrogant, yet his facial expression was modest and amiable. The hand gripping Qin Chang Ge’s throat was hard as steel, but his gaze toward her was gentle as an elder’s. He was entirely a mass of contradictions, impossible to see through at first glance.

Qin Chang Ge blinked.

A hybrid of eagle, fox, snake, and male dog – a grand collection of wildness, cunning, viciousness, and lust.

The Jin Prince of Northern Wei.

Years ago in the Dayi Hall, when the Emperor and Empress discussed the world’s figures over territorial maps, Qin Chang Ge had listed Wei Tianzi as one of the world’s most dangerous people. He was skilled in warfare and treachery, cunning beyond measure, extremely good at disguise with changeable appearances. If not for his mysterious birth – reportedly the product of union between a Wei prince’s concubine and some non-human beast from Nanmin, causing the old prince to despise him and subjects to reject him – the Northern Wei throne would probably be his by now.

Just now he had ordered three subordinates to attack Su Xuan and Chu Feihuan separately, while he targeted Qin Chang Ge, who was obviously weakest in martial arts. He was shameless enough, completely disregarding his princely status, actually crawling through grass to approach silently. First using silk cord to loop around Qin Chang Ge’s ankle, then flipping up to land behind her. By the time Chu Feihuan had lost full martial power to fight with full strength and Su Xuan had left the pavilion to face three enemies alone and resolved matters as quickly as possible, he already had his fingers at Qin Chang Ge’s throat.

Qin Chang Ge glanced sideways at Wei Tianzi, who was smiling warmly at her while politely nodding to Su Xuan and Chu Feihuan. She noticed that though his robes were luxurious and magnificent, the hems were damaged, the collar stained with grass, dust, and even blood – travel-worn throughout. Recalling the conversation between the Xiao brothers in Prince Zhao’s study some days ago, she vaguely understood why this Northern Wei prince had appeared here so suddenly.

That night, the Xiao brothers had schemed, taking advantage of Northern Wei’s grain shortage due to this year’s natural disasters and their quiet grain and horse purchases in Xiliang’s border states, to sell moldy grain from Changlin granaries to Northern Wei. During this, Xiao Jin naturally used other methods to implicate Wei Tianzi, who supervised the Personnel and Works Ministries, causing Northern Wei’s king Wei Tianqi, who already secretly feared him, to refuse to tolerate him. This was his exile, actually being pursued to Xiliang’s interior.

In an instant, Qin Chang Ge had figured out the whole story. Meanwhile, Wei Tianzi was already greeting them kindly: “Gentlemen, I actually have no ill intent. I just fancy this friend’s carriage and want to borrow it. Is that acceptable?”

Hearing his slightly strange accent, Su Xuan thought for a moment, then smiled: “Northern Wei person?”

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Wei Tianzi felt somewhat impressed. He had been pursued all the way here by Northern Wei’s “Night Patrol Guards” who specialized in assassination missions. Of his three hundred iron guards, most had died scattered, yet Wei Tianqi still wouldn’t let him go, determined to drive him into Xiliang’s capital for an even more miserable death. Years ago, he and Xiao Jue were the two great war gods of south and north – under Xiao Jue’s iron cavalry died countless Northern Wei souls, while under his blade were buried numerous Xiliang lives. This blood feud could never be resolved. Once Xiliang’s imperial family encountered him, death would probably not come easily.

Throughout this desperate flight, in wretched wolf-like escape, with horses dying one after another and warriors gradually perishing, in decline, injury, illness, and despair, at the end of his rope, he saw Su Xuan’s carriage with exquisite mechanisms – unassuming yet absolutely useful to him. His eyes lit up immediately, so he followed, caught several martial-arts-less commoners near the village, threw them in the grass to shield himself and his subordinates, then immediately divided his forces to attack when Su Xuan’s ice column struck.

When his fingers touched Qin Chang Ge’s throat, he thought he had succeeded and felt slightly pleased. But unexpectedly, all three people before him not only had outstanding bearing but reactions far exceeding his expectations. The white-clothed man appeared nonchalant yet immediately identified his origins, the blue-clothed man was disabled but had knife-sharp eyes, and this woman, this woman…

This woman turned her head to look at him, eyes smiling as if seeing an old friend.

Feeling slightly uneasy, Wei Tianzi quietly increased pressure, smiling: “Whether I’m from Northern Wei doesn’t matter. Your companion’s safety… seems more important, doesn’t it?”

He was very confident in his “Yin Evil Skill,” waiting for the woman’s pained moaning – he always loved hearing that.

No response.

Puzzled, he looked at Qin Chang Ge in surprise. Only then did Qin Chang Ge leisurely say, “Ouch.”

Her call was extremely flat.

Such delayed reaction…

Like acting.

Wei Tianzi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, his inner wariness and unease growing stronger – why did everything develop outside normal patterns, beyond his expectations?

If he knew exactly who these people were, even the mighty Jin Prince wouldn’t have acted so rashly.

Chu Feihuan’s gaze grew increasingly cold. With sharp eyes, he had long noticed thin sweat on Qin Chang Ge’s forehead. That strike earlier was certainly not light. Qin Chang Ge’s deliberately artificial cry was frustrating only because she never liked letting others feel proud and happy.

Su Xuan had naturally noticed too. Frowning slightly, he beckoned, and those two magnificent white horses snorted, pulling the carriage over themselves.

“You, move farther away,” Wei Tianzi felt slightly more at ease, smiling as he directed Su Xuan. “Seems your carriage has mechanisms? Then you can’t get too close. Come, come, stand over here by me.”

“Oh,” Su Xuan obediently stepped forward, standing beside Chu Feihuan’s wheelchair, glancing at Qin Chang Ge: “Friend, you don’t need to go to such trouble. It’s just a carriage. Since we’ve met by fate, if you ask, I’ll give it to you willingly. Why hurt my female companion?”

“You speak very reasonably,” Wei Tianzi smiled half like a vulture, half like a fox. “But I only trust that things obtained by force truly belong to me.”

“Yes…” Su Xuan drawled slowly: “Some people won’t give up until they see the Yellow River…”

His gaze turned cold, head tilting to exchange a momentary glance with Chu Feihuan.

Wei Tianzi’s eyes flashed, immediately tightening his fingers and adjusting his footing.

The air suddenly filled with tense atmosphere.

Qin Chang Ge suddenly said: “Friend, I see you’re about to fight. This little woman doesn’t want to suffer collateral damage. How about this – I’ll get in the carriage with you and accompany you for a stretch. Should that put you at ease?”

Stunned, Wei Tianzi silently breathed a sigh of relief. Just now in that exchange of glances between Su Xuan and Chu Feihuan, he suddenly felt his heart contract, cold sweat immediately covering his body. Even more terrifying, in that instant he seemed suddenly locked by powerful qi, feeling his whole body sinking into abyssal mud with even his fingers difficult to move. That suffocating, dark feeling made him alert that before truly supreme martial artists, scheming might be useless. In a flash he even wondered whether this leverage in his hand could actually protect him before such powerful people, or if he should strangle her immediately and flee.

But then this woman spoke.

Glancing at Qin Chang Ge suspiciously – she too saw that both sides were about to fight. The situation was clearly favorable to her, so why would she intervene at the crucial moment? Was she really afraid of collateral damage? Given their martial arts, this possibility didn’t exist at all.

Su Xuan was also stunned.

His carriage wasn’t as simple as Wei Tianzi imagined. Just now his exchange of glances with Chu Feihuan had reached understanding – with just a finger movement, they could knock down Wei Tianzi and rescue Ming Shuang. He hadn’t expected her to expose it herself.

This woman never did foolish things. By placing herself in danger, what was she planning?

After brief consideration, his great trust in Qin Chang Ge made Su Xuan step back, yielding the carriage.

Chu Feihuan propped his elbow on the wheelchair, exchanged one glance with Qin Chang Ge, then turned away without further words.

Seeing they actually stepped aside, Wei Tianzi’s expression became somewhat strange. Glancing at Qin Chang Ge, his gaze flickered with cold light, sharp as blade edges, though his face showed a pleased expression. His finger slid down to squeeze Qin Chang Ge’s chest, leering: “Really quite pleasing. You’ll have to thank me properly later.”

“Naturally,” Qin Chang Ge smiled unconcernedly, also glancing at him meaningfully: “You will… be very thankful to me indeed.”

Taking Qin Chang Ge hostage onto the carriage, Wei Tianzi shouted coldly, and those three ambushers, looking disheveled, circled around Su Xuan and leaped onto the carriage one after another – all with excellent lightness skills.

Watching the carriage raise dust clouds as it departed, Su Xuan lifted his robe hem and stepped forward to pursue, but Chu Feihuan reached out to stop him.