Li Ying recalled everything about the Pavilion of Forgetting Worries. She walked inside the pavilion, caressing the pillar, her eyes revealing a trace of sorrow. In the last year of her father’s life, he must have been bedridden with illness. Even amid his suffering, when the Imperial Works Department renovated Tangquan Palace, he hadn’t forgotten to instruct them not to touch the Pavilion of Forgetting Worries. Such a small matter, yet he had kept it in his heart.

Father was a competent emperor and such a good father—why had he passed away before reaching fifty? He still had many great ambitions that remained unfulfilled. If he had been given more time, he would have seen how the Great Zhou prospered with peace and abundance under the implementation of the new policies. When he left, he only left behind Mother and her three-year-old brother. Could he have truly been at peace?

Li Ying felt melancholy. Just as Cui Xun had said, to kill one and save many, though killing was sinful, killing one person to save ten thousand was meritorious. Although her father had killed many people, he had given countless poor scholars a new lease on life. This should also count as merit, shouldn’t it? So Father should have ascended to become an immortal.

Her thoughts wandered in the Pavilion of Forgetting Worries as Cui Xun followed her inside. Seeing her gloomy expression, he asked, “Is the Princess thinking of the late Emperor?”

Li Ying nodded. Cui Xun remained silent for a long time. They stood side by side, looking at the mountains veiled in mist under the moonlight. Cui Xun suddenly said softly, “Sometimes, I quite envy the Princess.”

Though his voice was very soft, the Pavilion of Forgetting Worries was so quiet that Li Ying still heard him. She turned her head slightly to look at him. The moonlight was like water, his eyes dark and vast, making it impossible to discern the emotions within. Perhaps he was feeling melancholy due to the surroundings. Li Ying’s parents had been exceptionally good to her. In contrast, his mother had died early, and his father had regarded him as an enemy. He had probably never enjoyed parental love. Li Ying’s heart suddenly felt a strange pang. She pressed her lips together and said, “Before, you had the Divine Military with you. Now, you have me with you.”

Cui Xun stared fixedly at the silent peaks of Mount Li. After a long while, he simply responded with a soft “Mmm.”

In truth, he knew that the Divine Military had already been destroyed, and Li Ying was a ghost—she didn’t belong to the mortal world. Once they discovered who had harmed her, she would return to the netherworld to reincarnate. She couldn’t stay with him either.

In this treacherous world, he would ultimately have to walk alone.

He didn’t speak again, but having spent so much time with him, how could Li Ying not know what he was thinking? He probably wished she could stay with him, but he also knew she couldn’t. Li Ying looked at his pale face, and suddenly, an impulse surged within her heart.

She didn’t want to reincarnate. She wanted to stay with him forever.

This impulse startled even herself. What was she thinking? She didn’t want to reincarnate? But wasn’t going to the netherworld, crossing the River of Forgetfulness, and being reborn as a human her dream all along? Yet she didn’t want to reincarnate?

Frightened by her thoughts, she stared blankly at the layered mountains. After a moment, Cui Xun suddenly said, “Let’s go find Jin Ni.”

Only then did Li Ying come back to her senses. She nodded, though her expression remained somewhat dazed.

After circling Tangquan Palace, they found no trace of Jin Ni. Li Ying began to doubt her judgment. Was Jin Ni still on Mount Li and not hiding in Tangquan Palace?

Cui Xun, probably sensing her doubt, said, “Perhaps we can try a different approach.”

“What approach?”

“Not looking for Jin Ni,” Cui Xun said. “Looking for the owl.”

As for how to search for the owl, Cui Xun took Li Ying to the bamboo grove of Tangquan Palace.

The owl that Jin Ni had trained was cruel by nature and particularly enjoyed hunting. Every time it caught prey, it would become extremely excited. This owl especially liked to hunt field mice. While Tangquan Palace had no field mice, the bamboo grove had bamboo rats. If the owl were in Tangquan Palace, perhaps they could find traces of it in the bamboo grove.

Li Ying couldn’t help but ask, “How do you know the habits of this owl so well?”

Cui Xun was silent for a moment, then said, “During my time in Türkic captivity, every escape attempt was detected by this owl. So, I had no choice but to observe its habits.”

His words, though matter-of-fact, made Li Ying’s heart pound with alarm. No wonder he knew so well—he had once been this owl’s prey.

She had seen the miserable state of Cui Xun after his last escape attempt and capture. His wrists and ankles were shackled with chains embedded with long spikes that pierced his bones, causing him excruciating pain with even the slightest movement, let alone walking. She pressed her lips together and asked carefully, “How many times did you try to escape?”

Cui Xun was silent for a moment, then said, “Five times.”

In the moonlight, his figure wrapped in the white crane-feather cloak was so thin it was almost skeletal. Li Ying lowered her gaze and said, “I think if it were me, I might not have been able to endure.”

Just how far could a person go for the beliefs they upheld? Before, Li Ying hadn’t understood, but now she did.

Buddha asked a monk, “Within what span does a human life exist?” The monk replied, “Within the span of a meal.” Buddha said, “You do not yet know the Way.” He asked another monk, “Within what span does a human life exist?” The monk replied, “Within the span of a breath.”

Cui Xun had probably endured those six years of suffering by living breath by breath. If that breath had scattered, his life would probably have ended too.

Suddenly, Li Ying felt an inexplicable sense of fear. She turned her head to look at Cui Xun’s gaunt profile. Would he die? After death, where would he go? Would he be reincarnated, or would he go to King Yama’s palace? Would she still be able to see him then?

Lost in these thoughts, her footsteps toward the bamboo grove involuntarily came to a halt.

Suddenly, she didn’t want to find Jin Ni anymore.

Cui Xun noticed her stopping and also halted his steps. “What’s wrong?”

Li Ying’s fingers unconsciously clutched at the hem of her flowered skirt. She tried hard to calm her chaotic thoughts. At least, they should first find the owl.

That owl had caused Cui Xun so much harm—she couldn’t let it go.

She said, “Nothing. Let’s go to the bamboo grove.”

Cui Xun didn’t pursue the matter further but accompanied her to the bamboo grove of Tangquan Palace.

The bamboo grove was deep and secluded. Cui Xun and Li Ying walked slowly on the fallen bamboo leaves, their footsteps rustling. Li Ying looked around the bamboo grove but didn’t see the owl.

She didn’t give up, instead turning her gaze to the ground of the bamboo grove. Sure enough, she spotted a bamboo rat’s nest. Li Ying quickly tugged at Cui Xun’s sleeve. “Cui Xun, use your wooden crossbow to tap on the nest and drive the bamboo rats out.”

Cui Xun held the wooden crossbow, seeming to treasure it greatly. “This crossbow isn’t meant to be used like that…”

Li Ying didn’t think too much of it and continued tugging at his sleeve. “It’s all right. If it breaks, I’ll fix it for you. I learned from the Imperial Craftsman before. I know how to repair it.”

Only then did Cui Xun reluctantly walk to the bamboo rat’s nest and gently tap it with the wooden crossbow. He tapped too lightly, as if he hadn’t tapped at all. Li Ying watched beside him and tugged at his sleeve again. “Tap harder.”

Her voice carried a hint of complaint mixed with coquettish charm, like a woman coaxing her lover. Cui Xun’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. He turned his head to look at Li Ying, who was tugging at his sleeve. She was intently focused on the bamboo rat’s nest, her eyes bright and sparkling like the myriad stars above the bamboo grove. Cui Xun couldn’t help but stare in a daze. Li Ying soon noticed and was about to turn her head when Cui Xun quickly lowered his gaze. He gave a slight cough, then, as if feeling guilty, gripped the wooden crossbow tightly and knocked hard on the bamboo rat’s nest.

The nest shook, and instantly, seven or eight bamboo rats scurried out. Li Ying quickly whispered to Cui Xun, “Let’s hide quickly.”

The two of them hid behind a thick bamboo stalk. To avoid being detected by the owl, they remained completely silent, not daring to make the slightest sound. Although the bamboo was thick, it was still difficult for two people to hide behind it. Li Ying and Cui Xun were very close, with her almost entirely nestled in his arms. But she didn’t notice this, as all her attention was focused on watching for the owl. That owl was too hateful—without it, Cui Xun wouldn’t have suffered so much. She absolutely couldn’t let it go easily.

She was nestled in Cui Xun’s arms, unaware of it herself, but Cui Xun was acutely conscious of it. Her hair occasionally brushed against the hollow of his neck in the gentle breeze. The faint fragrance from her body lingered at the tip of his nose. Her body was as soft as cotton. In Cui Xun’s twenty-three years of life, many women had been fond of him, but he had never been this intimate with a woman before. He was somewhat flustered and at a loss, not knowing where to place his hands, afraid of offending her.

His limbs were stiff, and fine beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. He could almost hear his own heart thundering. He couldn’t advance, nor could he retreat. He even thought that this situation was perhaps no easier to endure than the previous torture.

For the first time, he felt that time passed so slowly. Just as his mind was in turmoil, suddenly, the sound of fluttering wings came, followed by an owl with eyes like copper bells swooping down swiftly. It extended its sharp talons, accurately grabbing a running bamboo rat. Li Ying quickly said, “Cui Xun, now!”

Only then did Cui Xun come to his senses. He instinctively raised the wooden crossbow, aimed at the owl, and triggered the mechanism, just as he had drawn the bow thousands of times in the Divine Military. The arrow from the wooden crossbow struck the owl’s body with unerring accuracy.

The owl let out a shrill cry of agony, then fell to the ground motionless, leaving only the terrified bamboo rat in its claws to flee in panic.

Li Ying was overjoyed. She quickly stepped out from behind the bamboo and rushed toward the owl. Cui Xun, however, didn’t move. It seemed as if her warm temperature still lingered in his arms. He stood there in a daze. Li Ying turned back to look at him in confusion, beckoning to him. “Cui Xun, come over here.”

Cui Xun seemed to awaken from a dream. He strode toward Li Ying, who was examining the lifeless owl. “Cui Xun, is this the owl that Jin Ni trained?”

Cui Xun looked carefully. The owl had a body like an eagle, a face like a cat, a beak like a sickle, and talons like iron hooks. Its feathers were not the common dark brown but a mixture of white and brown. It was indeed the owl that had brought him countless nightmares.

He nodded. Li Ying was very pleased. “Wonderful! Finally avenged you.”

So, her happiness was not for herself but for him?

Cui Xun couldn’t help but ask, “Do you hate it that much?”

Without thinking, Li Ying replied, “I hate anyone who harms you. Oh, and animals too.”

Her straightforward words flowed like warm spring water through Cui Xun’s heart. He lowered his head, concealing the emotion in his eyes, and softly said, “Mmm.”