Hongyi!

This girl, who had remained unconscious for so long, was standing right in front of her now, opening the door for her, bowing to her, welcoming her home!

Ziqing couldn’t help but start gasping for breath, sniffling uncontrollably!

In this instant, her mind had gone completely blank!

They’d come straight back to the Black Dragon Hall for urgent state business the moment they’d arrived — she hadn’t had time to think of anything else at all.

She never expected that this girl, whom she’d kept tucked away in her heart with constant worry, had actually woken up — had actually made a full recovery!

So this was why Jun Beiyue had brought her to Prince Yao’s residence — not merely because it was their home, but because he was bringing her to see Hongyi!

This surprise was truly both shocking and joyful all at once — the excitement and happiness of this moment simply couldn’t be put into words.

Ziqing stood there, frozen and dazed. In this moment, she wasn’t Da Zhou’s most dazzling war-god princess, nor the cold and aloof Han Ziqing — she was just like any ordinary girl, hand over her mouth, staring at Hongyi, clumsy and dazed in a way that tugged at the heart.

Jun Beiyue loved seeing Ziqing like this — this version of her felt so much more real, and so much more captivating.

Hongyi loved this side of her mistress too — this was when her mistress felt like a genuine, living, breathing person, flesh and blood.

Seeing Ziqing so emotional in this moment, Hongyi couldn’t help but recall their time together in the Three Realms Territory in the north, when that normally cold and distant princess would sit in the tent with her, talking about “love,” about that man who would “appear before midnight, smooth away all the world’s tangled troubles, and bring her home.”

“Your Highness, Prince Yao, welcome home!” Hongyi bowed again, smiling.

Prince Yao had brought Her Highness home, hadn’t he?

Prince Yao’s residence — that was their home!

Only then did Ziqing snap back to herself. She rushed toward Hongyi, saying nothing at all, simply wrapping her in a fierce, tight embrace!

In her entire life, she’d never once so eagerly initiated an embrace with another woman!

Her tongue felt clumsy, genuinely clumsy — she couldn’t get a single word out!

She just held Hongyi, held her tight, a real, true embrace — that was the only way to convince herself this wasn’t a dream, that this was real!

Since coming to the Longyuan continent, there hadn’t been many people she truly knew inside and out, even fewer she could quietly share her heart with.

Hongyi, though, had been there from the very start, always staying right by her side!

This girl meant something different to her than Yelu Qianqian and the others did.

Hongyi was the purest kind of sister she had by her side.

Hongyi’s own strength was very, very weak, but she possessed another kind of strength entirely — simply being near her made Ziqing feel completely safe.

Perhaps, in a certain sense, this was what it meant to have true family.

Hongyi had actually woken up quite some time ago, and had reported it to Prince Yao right away. Given the current situation, he likely just hadn’t had a chance to tell Her Highness yet.

She’d been holding herself composed until now, but the moment Her Highness embraced her, she couldn’t hold back any longer — tears fell silently, one after another, gradually turning into a flood.

They’d been apart for so, so long. Back then, in the Three Realms Territory, stabbed by Bai Mengmeng’s blade, she’d been consumed with worry, terrified that Bai Mengmeng might have harmed Her Highness instead!

Thankfully, once she’d woken up, everything had already passed.

“Your Highness, this servant missed you so much.” Hongyi said through tears.

Only then did Ziqing release her, eyes brimming with tears, laughing helplessly as she personally wiped away Hongyi’s tears. “Silly girl, why are you crying? It’s enough that you’ve woken up.”

Hongyi kept crying, but she was laughing along with Ziqing too, all the same.

“Mistress, this servant has disgraced you.” Being wounded by someone like Bai Mengmeng had weighed on Hongyi’s mind the whole time.

“Disgraced how? I’ll have Yingzi take you to find Bai Mengmeng later, and you can take your time settling the score with her,” Ziqing said with a smile.

At this, Hongyi lit up with delighted surprise. “Really?”

“You don’t dare?” Ziqing shot back. Seeing Hongyi’s excitement, she couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Well, it had to be said — Ziqing wasn’t exactly the forgiving type. When it came to revenge, she was especially petty. The reason she hadn’t killed Bai Mengmeng back then was, first, that she didn’t want to let her off that easily, and second, that she’d been saving her for Hongyi.

Jun Beiyue listened nearby, smiling helplessly, offering no objection at all.

Seeing Prince Yao had no objection either, Hongyi immediately brightened, declaring loudly, “I dare!”

The hatred she held for Bai Mengmeng deep in her heart was surely even greater than Ziqing’s. Of course, Bai Mengmeng, currently locked away in a prison cell, remained entirely unaware of any of this, simply grateful to still be alive — and as long as she was alive, there was still a chance.

Amid the joy of their reunion, time passed remarkably quickly. Hongyi led the way with a lantern; everything in Prince Yao’s residence remained unchanged, whether it was the East Garden where Jun Beiyue lived, or the West Garden where Ziqing had once stayed — not a single flower, not a single blade of grass, had been disturbed.

Walking into this estate again gave Ziqing an eerie sense of having stepped out of another lifetime — as though everything they’d been through couldn’t possibly have been merely a fleeting dream.

Ziqing and Jun Beiyue rested at Prince Yao’s residence for three days, during which Jun Beiyue continued handling a steady stream of urgent dispatches.

By the fourth morning, they had no choice but to set out on their journey!

It was now the start of winter, and by the time they reached Flame Mountain in West Liang, it would be deep winter — precisely the best season to enter the Flame Valley.

That place, after all, turned into a raging furnace the moment summer arrived, making it impossible to go in or out.

The carriages had already been prepared, waiting in the back courtyard of Prince Yao’s residence. Their trip to the capital hadn’t been made public — to this day, no one knew their whereabouts, not even Xuanyuan Lige, who had once waited for them along the shores of South Zhao.

Jue Mingzi was the first to arrive. Madam Jinjiao, supporting Meng Duo’er, climbed into the carriage as well. Baili Xiaosheng had spent the past few days avoiding Xiong Xiaobao, and, strangely enough, even now, that kid still hadn’t shown up.

“Where are Xiong Bao and Baili Weisheng? Didn’t we say we’d leave first thing this morning?” Ziqing asked, brow furrowed — she didn’t like it when people were late.

“I haven’t so much as glimpsed that little brat’s shadow these past three days — I say we don’t bother waiting,” said Madam Jinjiao, who could hardly help her irritation, having spent three whole days searching without a single trace of him.

Ziqing tactfully steered clear of the old woman’s temper, turning instead to ask Baili Xiaosheng, “Where’s your master?”

Baili Xiaosheng genuinely wanted to tattle on Xiong Bao, but didn’t quite dare. She shrugged. “I don’t know either.”

With that, she climbed up into the carriage — only to find Baili Weisheng already reclining inside, having apparently gotten there at some point without anyone noticing.

Baili Xiaosheng wasn’t the least bit surprised — she was far too used to her master’s habit of vanishing and reappearing without a trace. She glanced at him, shrugged, and simply pretended not to have seen him at all.

Her loyalty to her master was absolute. Whatever wasn’t meant to be said, no matter who asked, not even death could pry it out of her.

Meanwhile, outside the carriage, Xiong Xiaobao came dashing over in a great hurry.

Ziqing scooped him up at once, suddenly realizing the kid felt a good deal heavier than usual.

Everyone said children grew fast between the ages of three and five, but it had only been a few days — surely it couldn’t be that dramatic!

Ziqing set him down quickly, looking him over from head to toe, and asked Jun Beiyue, “Do you think our son’s gotten heavier?”

Jun Beiyue studied him for a long moment, couldn’t quite tell how much heavier he’d gotten, so he picked him up and gave him a heft. “He really has put on quite a bit of weight!”

Xiong Xiaobao chuckled quietly to himself deep inside, looking utterly innocent, saying nothing at all.